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Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 2:37 pm
by Fairplayalways
all points/comments are relevant in their own way, the stats speak for themselves, fortunately or unfortunately...

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 3:55 pm
by private joker
Offalys problems are fair deep when lads are talking about whether to play in birr or Tullamore. Like arguing what room to watch the TV while the house is on fire.

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 5:29 pm
by Fairplayalways
all points and views are relevant in their own way.

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 9:29 pm
by private joker
Rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic comes to mind when you look at Offaly and the decisions that have been made.

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 10:30 pm
by Towerus
I have some sympathy for Kevin Martin, but it was the right decision, he was all out of ideas in the second half, which he spent rooted to one spot looking lost.

So now we have the usual calls to sack the county board, get them out etc. Now there's a lot of justification in wanting a clear out, but until someone is big enough and brave enough to put their hand up, convention will come and go with barely a whisper and the same old faces will maybe move around the table a bit and then it will be "as you were". That's not their fault, that's ours.

I find it interesting that the Board has been hammered here several times over for the non-implementation of the Liam Hogan report, yet mention of Birr being important gets scoffed at immediately. Do we want the report actioned, or do we not? Or is it just the bits we agree with that we want to see in place? It's not now, nor never has been, a "North v South" debate and the actual degree of importance is debatable, but it can't just be dismissed as irrelevant when it's an issue that refuses to go away.

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 2:10 am
by greenairfield
Tommy Byrne openly said this week that the people who slate the county board should stand up and get people to go against county board members...my question to you Tommy is why would you take up a volunteering position when nobody wants you?

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 10:24 am
by Fairplayalways
I suppose Tommy will reply, like most of these jobs, not too many (if anyone will put themselves forward) having said that there always seems to be someone that is willing to run against the Chairman but being Ireland and voting and deals, the status quo generally has it all sewn up to ensure they win, not sure if this is exactly the case with Offaly County board but I think it might be. You are looking at making it mandatory then that a chairman does say one/two terms and stands down (I think 1 three year term is enough personally) Good comment about the Liam Hogan report, yeah, we like this, bit but wont don't like that bit (forget taking big games out of OCP for example)...the report is either valid or not..its not ala carte..if it was the issues affecting Offaly hurling would be fixed a long time ago...have to say a great dialogue here and some really frank and honest discussion, unfortunately though, in reality, we don't really have the inside and knowledge of what is really going on to offer fix it solutions, and that will annoy some people/posters, but we can only go by what we see and from that is what we perceive to be right or wrong..Kevin Martin did his stint, like all before him, and the overall problems are not of his making, and he did his best and we should all acknowledge that, which in fairness we all do..we all have our views on what should have or not happened on sideline on matchdays, but he was the one in there, and I know how difficult that can be....lets get out now and give the lads a push for these last 2 games and stabilize the job, and see where we all go from here...

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 1:49 pm
by biffinbanner
just an observation, going back since alo kellys time the chairmen of offaly county boards have always been unpopular.it seems they are an easy target for everything that goes wrong. brendan ward and padraig boland were given a very hard time on various forums and platforms. it seems to be a thankless job. tommy byrne is a proud offaly man(as are brendan and padraig) and had been involved in various capacitys in the county board since 2002 so nothing is new to him. the fact that the senior teams havent been succesful is surely not his fault? he wants whats best for offaly im sure. and judging by the general comments in the media and on forums, im sure there wont be too much of a queue for tommys successor!!

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 2:34 pm
by GAHMAD
Ah Jaysus lads, hurl in Birr and we'll stay up?

That question is for another day lads. I hope interim management are not at that lark in the background.

I'd love to go to a match in Birr to rekindle the glory days. Oh wait, I hopped into me car in North Offaly a few year ago to go see us play Kerry in the league, (hurling by the way!). Well anyway , I left about 3 hours travel time just in case of the queues and lads from Birr said its a fair drive from the far side of Tullamore, (brought the latte in Tullamore and packed the prawn sambos as I was unsure of the fayre available in Birr).

Anyway arrived their 2 hours early and we ended up being bet. Dreams shattered I headed off in silence along the N52.


All seriousness lads, zone in on the game, its all that counts now!

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 2:43 pm
by timber
Bottom line is county board has to be held accountable for the absolutely abysmal standard of Offaly hurling. And football isn't much better. They are the ones who have the power to put structures in place.

Every manager that comes in seems to have negative comments on their dealings with them. COMMUNICATION seems to be a massive problem for people who have been involved in some capacity or another with plenty of influence for most of those two decades. And COMMUNICATION is so important.

It's pretty ignorant to come out and brush off their critics by suggesting others who feel they can do the job better should go forward and take them on in a vote. He is totally missing the point. This criticism that Duignan and many more have come out with is more than just about Kevin getting sacked. It's one thing volunteering for this, that and the other and its always very much appreciated. But its not worth a damn to anybody if you cant do the job or just do it very badly because you are just not skilled or knowledgeable enough.

Liam Hogan came in totally independent and left a very frustrated man. He made it pretty clear where a lot of problems lie.

Thank these people for their time and efforts over the years, but it really is time things changed on the board. If you want to act in the best interest of Offaly GAA, then step down honourably and give the opportunity for real efforts to be made to get the best people leading us out of this.

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 3:02 pm
by Fairplayalways
biffinbanner if Kerry beat us in Birr, so be it, I don't remember Kerry beating us in Birr in any league game that I can remember, if was championship, its in recent times and would surely have been in Tullamore...as cited elsewhere, the statistics of Birr even when we were supposedly "poor" read head and shoulders above almost all results that have come out of our games in OCP...if we were relatively competitive in OCP this would be a non debate, but, as I say, look at the stats...they don't lie...even if the fortunes were poor we had wins in Birr against big teams in the NHL.....its defeat now one after the other, not only in championship but in the NHL against lower tier teams, and not only is it defeat but its hammerings in a lot of the games, not even one win over the season sometimes...

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 3:15 pm
by Bord na Mona man
Fairplayalways wrote:biffinbanner if Kerry beat us in Birr, so be it, I don't remember Kerry beating us in Birr in any league game that I can remember.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2016/0320/ ... y-v-kerry/

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 4:24 pm
by Plain of the Herbs
Central Council have fixed the match and I can't see that changing. And Bord na Móna wouldn't approve.

What I would like to see though (and I can't see it happening) is for the Antrim game to go ahead at 7pm rather than the arranged time of 3pm. When playing at home, you want 7pm on a Saturday to maximise the attendance. 3pm on Saturday is the graveyard slot. And North Antrim folk wouldn't be all night getting home - they've motorway all the way from Kilbeggan to north of Ballymena.

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 11:02 pm
by hamstrings
I don't get why there isn't a north offaly hurling team entered into the championship similar the way brosna gaels started. surely between rhode ,edenderry ,dangain kilclonfert , cloghan they could start up a team for the game to grow up that part of the county. They don't have to be world beaters but it gives a platform for the next generation to revive the game up there. I know it's not going to turn is into all Ireland champions but it would increase the player pool for the county

Re: Joe McDonagh cup

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 11:03 pm
by hamstrings
hamstrings wrote:I don't get why there isn't a north offaly hurling team entered into the championship similar the way brosna gaels started. surely between rhode ,edenderry ,dangain kilclonfert , cloghan they could start up a team for the game to grow up that part of the county. They don't have to be world beaters but it gives a platform for the next generation to revive the game up there. I know it's not going to turn is into all Ireland champions but it would increase the player pool for the county
Sorry croghan not cloghan , we need a football revival in cloghan