ALAN MCNAMEE.

[lovelyhurling]

lone shark - did you leave portlaois wondering why alan wasnt introduced? last year and indeed this year people are calling for alan to be dropped yet after 20minutes in the last two championship games people are asking why isnt he on.

No one was calling for his introduction around us anyway.I remember when Carroll was struggling against Kildare, hoping that it was Mcmanus on instead of Mcnamee brought on and I wasnt the only one saying it either. On current form, he is an average club footballer and thats it.

[Ghickey]

okay,i made a ball's of what i was trying to say there, of course everyone has to justify their place. i just feel that alan has proved time and again that he is well capable of holding his own in the middle. the breaks he picks up,his sheer size and strength,tackling back,his link up play (quick one two's) and especially his quick deliveries inside make him one of the best players in the offaly championship. thats just my opinion and maybe i am looking at things through rhode tinted glasses.

"My biggest criticism of Offaly in recent years has been falling back to the same players who have proven themselves not good enough, I would always prefer more chances for players who might be no better, but who might just step up either."
okay i do agree with this but in my opinion there is no one like alan in offaly,

[Lone Shark]

okay,i made a ball's of what i was trying to say there, of course everyone has to justify their place. i just feel that alan has proved time and again that he is well capable of holding his own in the middle. the breaks he picks up,his sheer size and strength,tackling back,his link up play (quick one two's) and especially his quick deliveries inside make him one of the best players in the offaly championship. thats just my opinion and maybe i am looking at things through rhode tinted glasses.

"My biggest criticism of Offaly in recent years has been falling back to the same players who have proven themselves not good enough, I would always prefer more chances for players who might be no better, but who might just step up either."
okay i do agree with this but in my opinion there is no one like alan in offaly,

I think the key issue that we disagree on here is that while Alan McNamee has proven his ability in the past, in the recent past he has also proven that he is not playing to that standard any more. I agree that the Alan McNamee of four or five years ago would be an automatic selection, but we don't have that now, all we have is Alan McNamee 2009, and that player is quite simply way off form.

Regarding your description of him, I would call into question a couple of things - (1) He's not there to win breaks, he's competing for the slot of the breaker of ball - and that job he's not doing well at all. He doesn't field and he doesn't break, meaning that if we pick him as a midfielder, then it doesn't matter how good he is on the ground, the ball won't get that far because the opposition will be fielding all round them. He's simply not fast enough to play the "second midfielder" role. (2) Tackling back??? Seriously? Surely even Rhode people can see that it is because of his unwillingness/inability to even make a half-arsed attempt at tracking and tackling that his selection for the county panel is such a bugbear all across the county. Put simply, supporters can deal with a team who aren't that good, or who have an offday, but supporters simply cannot abide a player who doesn't appear to be trying, and across both codes right now, Alan is much more guilty of this than any other player in an Offaly shirt. (By the way, I accept that plenty of people mightn't have the fitness to do any better, but if what he does now is the best that he's physically able to do, then he should know to step aside himself. Alan knows what playing intercounty midfield entails and if he can't physically do that for whatever reason, then he should let someone else learn the role)

As for your last line, there is no-one quite like the 2004/05 Alan McNamee in Offaly - this I'll grant you. However the problem is that the 2009 Alan McNamee is nothing like him either.

[Sniper]

Last year I saw him get absolutely cleaned in two championship games for Offaly, as well as watching him get similarly dominated against Ferbane, against Shannonbridge, against Gracefield, against Portlaoise and against Kilmacud in the championship. In the county final he was anonymous but Tullamore were equally as bad, while Padraig Sullivan was the dominant influence at midfield. I wasn't in Carlow but I believe he played well against Éire Óg, however they were useless as a team and with no midfield to speak of that day.

Cop on Lone Shark. DOMINATED. 2-17 against Ferbane all the while alan Mc was dominated? Imagine if he had of played at all what the score might have been.
DOMINATED V Gracefield? Wasn't at this one but anyone I spoke to said he edged Smith that day. ANONYMOUS V Tullamore? you have to be taking the piss here?
A game where he was arguably man of the match, a game which on the strenght of his performance he got player of the year! A game where even the great John K coming out to midfield couldn't stem the tide.

You weren't in Carlow but they were useless. Of course they were. They beat our County reps in 07 before losing to the finalists Tyrrellspass by a point. Retained their title in 08 and went on to Leinster semi. USELESS!

Dominated v Portlaoise and Kilmacud? The two biggest clubs in Leinster. DOMINATED? Don't think so LS.
Kilmacud had D magee(Dub star) N Corkery (good footballer) L og oHeinneachainn(former Dub) and L McBarron(Fermanagh) all milling about midfield. The latter two being replaced early before J magee came on for Corkery near the end. Dominated!!!

Black and red, I was in Geashill on Sunday too. Have to agree with everything you said. The mans form is down for whatever reason. But for some people to come on and pretend they have his best interrests at heart before going on to slate him is not helpfull.

Niall Smith is the best high fielder in this county bar none. But high fielding is only part of the game. Alans game is all about support play. Taking the ball off the backsman whose under pressure carrying the ball out of defence. Playing the one two. Sweeping up broken ball behind the half back line. Breaking the tackle. Spraying 50 yard passes onto the chest of the forwards. There is much more aspects to Alans game but unfortunetly High fielding is not his strong point.

Offaly needs a fit and on form Alan Mc. Niall Smith needs him.

[TheManFromFerbane]

Alans game is all about support play. Taking the ball off the backsman whose under pressure carrying the ball out of defence. Playing the one two. Sweeping up broken ball behind the half back line. Breaking the tackle. Spraying 50 yard passes onto the chest of the forwards. There is much more aspects to Alans game but unfortunetly High fielding is not his strong point.

Worth a shot at centre back??

[Lone Shark]

Firstly, I'm not pretending that my first concern is Alan McNamee's best interests. Of course I wish the guy all the best, I've never met him but I'm sure he's a grand lad and all that stuff, but my first concern at heart is the well being of Offaly football, not Alan McNamee.

As for the other points:

(1) Ferbane match - I was taking stats for that game so I know exactly how much he was dominated - he was eaten alive. Ferbane won 7 clean catches vs 1 for Rhode (not Alan) while Ferbane also won the breaking ball battle 16-8. Rhode won that game by six points because Niall McNamee was at his best and only because of Niall, (he scored 1-10 that day) and anyone who says otherwise simply wasn't at the game. Even trying to stand up for him here weakens your point immeasurably in my view.

(2) Gracefield - you're arguing with me even though you weren't at the game? I was, and as was alluded to earlier in this thread by another man who was at the game, he was simply not at the races.

(3) I was also at the county final and I stand by what I said above. Rhode were head and shoulders above Tullamore that day, and yes they won midfield - because of the four midfielders on display, three of them were playing poorly and one was playing very well, and that man was Padraig Sullivan. As for arguably man of the match, if you could argue for anyone bar Niall to be man of the match that day I've no idea what you were watching.

(4) Portlaoise came into that match with one area of their team misfiring - midfield. Have a look at the reports from Laois papers of their county semi finals and finals if you need confirmation. Rhode had a county midfielder taking on a club team who's supposed weakness was centrefield, and he still didn't stand out. If he can't stand out there, how in God's name is he supposed to do it against county players?

(5) I never said Eire Óg were useless, I said they were that day. I also said that they had no midfield and I stand by that. Rhode played well, Alan Mac didn't stand out - yet again.

(6) I will confess that I only saw the Kilmacud game on TV afterwards since I was in Belfast that day, however I did not see Alan McNamee stand out either - however if lads who were at the game choose to disagree with me, then I'll respect the majority view - I do appreciate that you only get to see a certain amount from watching TV coverage and you can miss different contributions off camera.


Regarding his gameplay style, I appreciate that he is a fine long range passer of the ball, and that has remained constant. However the second midfielder role is as much about defensive play as anything else and Alan has been beyond pathetic at trying to tackle and check runners at every level for some time. Offaly cannot afford to carry a guy who thinks that defending is not his job just for the sake of a few long passes. Every county footballer should be able to execute those 1-2 plays and carry the ball through the tackle, and that shouldn't be a reason to pick someone - that should be just a given.


Once again, I agree with your last line - Offaly does need a fit and on form Alan Mac - and I say again, I haven't seen this supposedly fit and on form individual in three years, and I've seen Alan McNamee a lot in that time.

Worth a shot at centre back??

For as long as the worst aspects of his game are tackling and marking, I'd say not myself.

[lovelyhurling]

Agreed LS,

Firstly, I'm not pretending that my first concern is Alan McNamee's best interests. Of course I wish the guy all the best, I've never met him but I'm sure he's a grand lad and all that stuff, but my first concern at heart is the well being of Offaly football, not Alan McNamee.

As for the other points:

(1) Ferbane match - I was taking stats for that game so I know exactly how much he was dominated - he was eaten alive. Ferbane won 7 clean catches vs 1 for Rhode (not Alan) while Ferbane also won the breaking ball battle 16-8. Rhode won that game by six points because Niall McNamee was at his best and only because of Niall, (he scored 1-10 that day) and anyone who says otherwise simply wasn't at the game. Even trying to stand up for him here weakens your point immeasurably in my view.

(2) Gracefield - you're arguing with me even though you weren't at the game? I was, and as was alluded to earlier in this thread by another man who was at the game, he was simply not at the races.

(3) I was also at the county final and I stand by what I said above. Rhode were head and shoulders above Tullamore that day, and yes they won midfield - because of the four midfielders on display, three of them were playing poorly and one was playing very well, and that man was Padraig Sullivan. As for arguably man of the match, if you could argue for anyone bar Niall to be man of the match that day I've no idea what you were watching.

(4) Portlaoise came into that match with one area of their team misfiring - midfield. Have a look at the reports from Laois papers of their county semi finals and finals if you need confirmation. Rhode had a county midfielder taking on a club team who's supposed weakness was centrefield, and he still didn't stand out. If he can't stand out there, how in God's name is he supposed to do it against county players?

(5) I never said Eire Óg were useless, I said they were that day. I also said that they had no midfield and I stand by that. Rhode played well, Alan Mac didn't stand out - yet again.

(6) I will confess that I only saw the Kilmacud game on TV afterwards since I was in Belfast that day, however I did not see Alan McNamee stand out either - however if lads who were at the game choose to disagree with me, then I'll respect the majority view - I do appreciate that you only get to see a certain amount from watching TV coverage and you can miss different contributions off camera.


Regarding his gameplay style, I appreciate that he is a fine long range passer of the ball, and that has remained constant. However the second midfielder role is as much about defensive play as anything else and Alan has been beyond pathetic at trying to tackle and check runners at every level for some time. Offaly cannot afford to carry a guy who thinks that defending is not his job just for the sake of a few long passes. Every county footballer should be able to execute those 1-2 plays and carry the ball through the tackle, and that shouldn't be a reason to pick someone - that should be just a given.


Once again, I agree with your last line - Offaly does need a fit and on form Alan Mac - and I say again, I haven't seen this supposedly fit and on form individual in three years, and I've seen Alan McNamee a lot in that time.

Worth a shot at centre back??

For as long as the worst aspects of his game are tackling and marking, I'd say not myself.

[Ghickey]

sniper put it in a way i never could. thanks. i only wanted to add to this forum that there are some in the county who still see alan as performing well. his game is still about delivery and picking up ball.also it's about lifting the lads around him and demanding the best from everyone.and i dont want to belittle any other players but i believe alan should be a certain starter.
anyway,good site,i enjoy reading it. Goodluck

[Lone Shark]

sniper put it in a way i never could. thanks. i only wanted to add to this forum that there are some in the county who still see alan as performing well. his game is still about delivery and picking up ball.also it's about lifting the lads around him and demanding the best from everyone.and i dont want to belittle any other players but i believe alan should be a certain starter.
anyway,good site,i enjoy reading it. Goodluck

Fair play, I don't think there is going to be agreement on this and that's as it should be too. The more different points of view we get on board, the better.

[Sniper]

(1) Ferbane match - I was taking stats for that game so I know exactly how much he was dominated - he was eaten alive. Ferbane won 7 clean catches vs 1 for Rhode (not Alan) while Ferbane also won the breaking ball battle 16-8. Rhode won that game by six points because Niall McNamee was at his best and only because of Niall, (he scored 1-10 that day) and anyone who says otherwise simply wasn't at the game. Even trying to stand up for him here weakens your point immeasurably in my view.

Seen as your more familiar with the Ferbane game. Rhode got 19 scores Ferbane 11 plus at least 10 wides= roughly 40 kickouts. Ferbane won 7 cleanly yet dominated. (By the way your numbers don't stack up) Ferbane won the breaks 16 to 8, Who broke all this ball?

Rhode won this game because Niall scored 1-10, I don't dipute that. But how did Niall get so much ball?
Did the dominant Ferbane midfield forget which end to kick it into? Don't think so.

Rhode did not play well that day, Alan did not play well. But to say that the Ferbane midfield was completely dominant and yet still lost by six points, only scoring 11 times is abit far fetched. The truth is Rhode ground out a victory with guys like Alan working their socks off even though they weren't on their best form. To get the ball from one end of the field to the other you must play it through midfield and Rhode and Alan simply did this better and more effectively than Ferbane could. You can't claim P Sull is as good with ball in hand as Alan.

After the Ferbane and Shannonb games (where Rhode and Alan were not at their best) things improved immeasurably. Culminating in a county final where Rhode and Alan produced a performance not seen for many years. Anyone who was at that game as LS claims he was, and says Alan mac was anonymous simply hasn't a clue or has some sort of vendetta against the chap. Then to say he produced no form during the run to Leinster final???

Theres a video on the Rhode website called Move of the year. Its only 1 snapshot from 1 game but it illustrates perfectly what Alan Macs game is all about. I don't know how to put a link on this so you'l just have to look for it yourself. If Lovely hurling thinks that the 5 other players he named would be capable of Alans part in that move then there is just no point in me arguing anymore

[lovelyhurling]

Will you send on a link for that video... cant find it on the rhode website.

By the way, class website. Great stuff on it. A credit to ye.

[Lone Shark]

(1) Ferbane match - I was taking stats for that game so I know exactly how much he was dominated - he was eaten alive. Ferbane won 7 clean catches vs 1 for Rhode (not Alan) while Ferbane also won the breaking ball battle 16-8. Rhode won that game by six points because Niall McNamee was at his best and only because of Niall, (he scored 1-10 that day) and anyone who says otherwise simply wasn't at the game. Even trying to stand up for him here weakens your point immeasurably in my view.

Seen as your more familiar with the Ferbane game. Rhode got 19 scores Ferbane 11 plus at least 10 wides= roughly 40 kickouts. Ferbane won 7 cleanly yet dominated. (By the way your numbers don't stack up) Ferbane won the breaks 16 to 8, Who broke all this ball?

Rhode won this game because Niall scored 1-10, I don't dipute that. But how did Niall get so much ball?
Did the dominant Ferbane midfield forget which end to kick it into? Don't think so.

Rhode did not play well that day, Alan did not play well. But to say that the Ferbane midfield was completely dominant and yet still lost by six points, only scoring 11 times is abit far fetched. The truth is Rhode ground out a victory with guys like Alan working their socks off even though they weren't on their best form. To get the ball from one end of the field to the other you must play it through midfield and Rhode and Alan simply did this better and more effectively than Ferbane could. You can't claim P Sull is as good with ball in hand as Alan.

43 kickouts in fact. 24 broken, 8 clean catches, 5 taken short (4 of them Rhode played to the free man in the full back line as Ferbane pulled a forward back), 5 fouls under the dropping ball and one kick straight out over the sideline untouched. I might be shite at football but I'm good at numbers. I just didn't add these in since they weren't relevant to the debate at hand. As for who broke the ball, well the point of breaking ball is that you do it with purpose. I could go out in training against Jimmy Grennan and try and jump against him and watch as he knocked ball down right into the path on oncoming runners all day and then say that all the ball between us was "broken". The point is to control and win those breaks, and Rhode clearly didn't manage that.

Regarding how Rhode got enough possession to score 2-17 from, largely speaking it was Ferbane's low production with long balls into the forward line - a credit to Rhode's full back line in particular. Most long deliveries into that area were turned over by the Rhode defence. By the way I'm not arguing that Ferbane played better long ball into the full forward line than Alan did - I'm saying that there is a hell of a lot more to playing midfield than just being Matt Le Tissier and pulling off the fancy stuff. You need to win primary possession, defend, support and distribute. Alan does the latter two of these quite well, but the former two shockingly badly. Not good enough at all to play intercounty - AT THE MOMENT.

As for your belief that he played well, either against Tullamore, Portlaoise or Kilmacud, well then that's a matter of opinion but I just strongly disagree with you, and in fairness, I've yet to meet anyone outside of Rhode club who thinks that he did. If others on this board decide to agree with you, well then I'll allow for the fact that I may have read the games wrongly.


I looked at that move by the way - in fairness to Alan, he rode two tackles very well, but then gave a hospital pass which was just well dealt with. I would definitely say that there was nothing he did there that wouldn't have been manageable from several others. I second what lovelyhurling said as well by the way - excellent website and a credit to anyone involved.

[red exile]

this matter can be debated forever but the bottom line is he will be on the panel for the rest of the year and as this panel was assembled with a long term view he must be in the managers plans ,he is a good leader a great reader of the game and everyone has loss of form and confidence at some stage and i will certainly look forward to seeing him at his best again.good luck to him

[black and red exile]

I heard a whisper that Super was injured for the Kildare game. Maybe some of the Rhode guys on this site might clarify this. It's just my opinion but if Alan McNamee is fully fit and there is a straight choice between himself and Conor Carroll then the Rhode man will surely get the nod. Nothing against Conor who will always give 101 per cent but he is just too raw for inter county football and there is no point in sticking Ciaran McManus in the middle, the only place for Mac right now is the half forward line and besides he has no appetite for midfield anymore.

[full2forward]

Heres the page for the video!!!

http://www.rhodegaa.com BOTTOM LEFT VIDEO

but have a look at "goal of the year" to if ya havent seen it yet!!!