Armagh Club football & hurling

[umgolaarmagh]

The Armagh / Crossmaglen County Board decided that the final should be played in Crossmaglen due to Healthy and Saftey reasons and that Keady  / Davitt Park wasnt suitable.

[brokencrossbar1]

Umgola would you ever give it a rest!!!

For years people have been spouting this shite and it gets a bit tiresome.  Cross have the only facilities in Armagh under current regulations to facilitate a ground.  It is not our fault and we do not use it as a means to pressurise the County Board.  If the County Board had any foresight they would get their own pitch but that is hardly Cross's fault.

I am sure that the various teams Cross have beaten in Clones don't call the Ulster Council a similar bastardised name that you have made a la the DUP.  Cross would play any team anywhere and have no preference.  I don't know if they will beat Pearse Ogs but in the last ten years in the Championship they have beaten them in Keady, Armagh and Cross so it doesn't seem like the pitch has any bearing on the result.

[umgolaarmagh]

I dont know why your referring to Clones for, its a recognised ground for holding Key Ulster matches whether club or county, most club players involved in the Ulster Club championship series would probably feel it to be a priveledge to play in Clones.

The simple point is if Keady can hold a county semi final then it could justify holding the final, as i stated in an earlier post Crossmaglen objected to playing pearse ogs in the athletic grounds in 1986 because it was classed as there home pitch.

Even though its a few years ago it still happen. I know that the ogs boys dont care where its played but it would at least be fair to have it at a netral venue

[crossfire]

Cross also beat ogs in Silverbridge by 7 points in 2001, so the neutral venue didn't help them much that night

[SouthArmaghBandit]

County final in Cross! 
Home advantage is an advantage. That's why it's called "home advantage". Ogs have it all to do as it is. Playing Cross in their own back yard gives them a mountain to climb. The way our County Board operates is more like Linfield/IFA than a GAA Board. I suppose Cross will be providing the stewards, umpires and linesmen. Surely they won't be allowed to appoint the ref as well?

Why not take the game to Newry or 'Blaney? At least it would be a level playing field.

Portadown beat Killeavy in the JHC final yesterday. Well done St Malachy's.

[brokencrossbar1]

The reason I said that about Clones is that Cross have played on it so much in recent years they are probably more used to it than any other team.  And like Clones Cross is a recognised County pitch which has held club and county championships at various levels, unlike keady.

I understand that due to regulations laid down by HQ , and not r=the county board, all Championship finals have to be played in grounds which meet certain standards.  I believe that Cross is currently the only field in Armagh up to that standard, but I am open to correction.

If a neutral field is available and up to the required standard then the Ogs should make it their business to put that point across.  Otherwise stop your hand wringing and whining and making unfounded accustations of bias being shown by the county board to Cross.

[Lecale2]

Is there regulations that state your final must be played within the county? Why not Castleblaney or Newry? It does seem a bit unfair giving the favorites home advantage.

[winsamsoon]

Broken, I trully believe that the final should not be played at Cross because it is home advantage and there are many reasons why this would benefit Cross ie support ,traveling, preparation etc. I am sure you can recognise this, however i would not blame Cross for this. My gripe is with the county board. It is them who set the fixtures and it is them who cannot manage to set out plans to revamp other grounds so as they do meet health and safety standards. I saw there that a team in Tyrone purchased the old nally stand from Croke park. I can't think of a better stand in terms of culture to have at ones ground and for the county board in Tyrone to do this shows they are very inventive and always moving forward. Our guys pump all the money into the senior panel and neglect every club in Armagh. The Cross are well enough equipped financialy to cope themselves but we would struggle with finances and would look to the county board for help as would most clubs, especially on our pitch because they claim ownership and won't sell it to us. But back to the issue i certainly wouldn't blame Cross because i know the are just playing where the are told.

[winsamsoon]

Lecale i think the word County gives it away. The COUNTY final should be played withing our own county or else we would be a laughing stock to the rest of the country. There are counties that are classed as minnows in football like Leitrim and Louth (no offence made with the minnows comment) but they still have two or three grounds to host there final. A county like Armagh with the recent success should certainly have a choice of venues for a county final.

[full back]

Although Cross have a distinct advantage playing at home there is no point in giving out about it now.
Did anyone think at the outset of the year the Final was going to be played elsewhere?

No point in crying about it now, the time to cry is at your AGM & let your delegates take it to the County board. Following the relative success Armagh have experienced in recent times the County board still have not got a suitable ground.
At the end of the day it is their fault

[umgolaarmagh]

i believe the point was put across at a meeting last wednesday night!!!

[brokencrossbar1]

What point umgola?  The point that Ogs are objecting?  The point that there are no other grounds suitable?

Was there an answer to the argument made or did the county board simply say "away off to feck with you"?

I genuinely wish that it could be played at a neutral venue but it is not the fault of Cross where the game is fixed.  For years tehre have been accusations of things being done suit Cross but it doesn't seem to have been backed up by anything other than idle talk.

[el_cuervo_fc]

As far as the Ogs are concerned we will be playing in Cross.  That decision has been made and it is time to move on.  We have a county final to think about

[umgolaarmagh]

Listen BC1, if Keady wasnt suitable enough then why is it holding County Championship Hurling matches!!!!!

It appears Keady is acceptable in certain circumstances but not in others, which in my opinion and thats all it is that the county board should stage the match there

[Goats Do Shave]

Potential attendace capacity is crucial!