townman wrote:the results and displays seem to be getting worse as the year unfolds, first things first Sid looks to be running out of time and this year could be his last, Sid was asked by the county board to do the minor job yet end up with the senior gig Madness why no one else would go near offaly at theses times.
fair play to sid he wouldn't have it said he turn his back at the chance to train offaly when they are at their lowest in years. now the players in my opinion have to take some blame in this they are the ones that cross the white line as they say on match day, its not Whelehan's Bakers, Dooley's fault if the players don't have the pride or fight in the county jersey which they seem to not have this 6 years.
I have to agree with the sentiment of the open but let face facts and i do think its pride that is the problem but not of the players. Its the pride of the management team and the county board that is the problem. Remember the County Board didn't interview the only person who want the job. that bullshit.
For the players to preform they need the structure, a plan and belief. All of these are missing. The structure is the county board problem of the most part. The plan and belief are the management team problem. Its must be impossible for the players to training well knowing that the management team are useless.
Try training when you know that on match day the squad no centre backs,hardly any wing back. hardly any midfielder. and 13 corner forwards in the squad.
Pride in jersey is pointless if you know the CB and Management are leading to oblivion.
The County Board and the management personal pride have lead them to the point where offaly hurling is going to hell.
townman wrote:people say Danny Owens should have got the job, do you think we be much better don't think so lets remember k/k have had 8 players in with the squad so its not as if Sid is over looking the county winners the last 2 years. we have to look at our underage since 2003 last time we had a good minor side got to leinster final again kilkenny thats 11 years ago, even laois have beaten us the last 3 years in a row and its not that laois have great minor teams they have won nothing after just we are so poor.
A yeah 8 player in the squad. Let look at that. One a Goalkeeper. so that 7 left. Mahon was left out of the team for the laois game as was currims. They have being playing the rest of the league with a forward line of 5 forwards and mahon was being played wing forward. Slevin has being injured. the gerthy's have being played all over the place. i have even seen one of them play wing back for 20 mins. Kilmartin treatment was bullshit but he not the only one. Ger Healion has played the last few game with a hamstring held together with sellotape. Yeah that how to build a team.
Again the minor is a mess. Laois have beat us over the last 3 years yeah why? because laois are playing as a team. Offaly look like they only got together in the dressing room.
The Offaly Minor remind of Kilcormac Killoughey before Owens. a group of lads some playing out of position and no idea of how to play as a team.
If your point is that Owens can't build a team your so wrong it unbelievable.
townman wrote:someone said to be last week offaly hurling at nothing the same auld names are their every year no young players coming through or getting a chance, i said to him the first round of the championship in offaly was last week the best display from a hurler was Brian Carroll 3-10 so if your were a manger or your backroom team were watching for players Carrolls display sticks out, was their a young hurler that put his hand up last weekend don't think so thats alot of our problems the older hurlers are still better than the younger ones coming up. Rory Hanniffy his best days we agree are behind him yet theirs no hurler in offaly as skillfull or better than him at his best, Dooley the same he gets a lot of bad press over his fitness maybe some of it is true, but if he plays till he is 40 he will be on the team most days because theirs no one better than him or on the way up at the moment.
Yeah. but we being playing Carroll midfield for the last few years. Coolderry set up the team to create space for Carroll and Ryan and did it very well. That why i like Hogan as a manager but if you think that Carroll is a better hurler than Quirke well your completely wrong. Thomas Geraghty is a far more complete hurler than Carroll, Geraghty is a good finisher, works harder, can win some of his own ball and fight for his teammates. Carroll is an excellent finisher that it.
Dooley has being poor of Offaly over the last 18 months and should be no where close to the team until he get fit. It pointless have someone that 2 stone over weight in a half forward line. If the Like of Dooley, Bergin and Carroll are being picked ahead of good hardworking young hurlers we going nowhere. that what happen this year. The like of Damien Egan, Sean Cleary and Colin Egan have being left of the team or played in stupid position to accommodated unfit players.
Sorry if your unfit you shouldn't be on the team. Hanniffy, Dooley Slevin, Healion and Keliher have all being played when they not fit or worst injured.
townman wrote:so lads Cody could be over us at the moment and we would still be in the same position, this has been coming down the line for a good few years now so its no shock to most whos been watching offaly hurling senior and underage this 11 years. not been big headed but i think the decline of Birr over the last few years hasn't help or Rynaghs no win since 1993 and Clareens great side of the 90's thats no disrepect to Coolderry or K/K who have fine hurling teams and have won leinsters titles but its not helping that at least 3 or 4 clubs trhat backbone offaly hurling have falling off the map.
Birr have falling back (which is their problem not Offaly problem, by playing old lads and trusting the good young hurlers they have) Clareens are a good team at the moment( they have 9 players on the Offaly panel over the last 3 years). Rynagh haven't won because Kilcormac/ Killoughey and Coolderry have two great team at the moment. Belmont have step up to help fill the void and have some great talent.
Looking at Drumcullen and Ballineamere get to and winning junior lenister over the last few years.
So just because birr are falling away doesn't mean anything. Birr are just Birr and at the moment they nothing special.
What real not helping is Birr acting like they still a big club. They the 5 or 6 club in offaly at the moment.
townman wrote:i have seen and heard that offaly never look at north offaly, that they never get a chance thats fair enough they might have a point, but if we say the likes of Rhode,Gracefield,Killiegh,Raheen, dont field minor sides how do lads that take the minor job know whos who in north offaly, the Farrells of edenderry Sean OG and killian were on the 94,98 squads they must have had a good underage back then as finbarr Cullen also hurler in the 89 minor win over clare, lets remember Cullen played fullback in 1989 which was some doing as there was alot of good underrage hurlers in offaly back then. yes we are going to take a fair baten in nowlan park in june as Kilkenny are going to right a few wrongs in 2014 and most think the rot set in with the display again us in tullamore last year so they will be out to make sure theres no 4 goal haul this year. yes Sid could be gone after 2014 but don't be silly to think that things will be better in 2015 with most of the squad of 2014 still there with a new manger.
They was 45 hurler brought into the panel this year. they was two lads for Balinamere that were good enough to be in that 45 at least.
But this is a bit pointless because it doesn't matter who on the panel. If we playing unfit players, players out of position, stupid tactics and don't carry plays that can players that can play centre back, midfield and carry ever corner forward in the county were going nowhere.
The blame for this is two fold. The County Board are the big one. But whelehan management team are the other.
Whelehan should have know the job was too big for him at the moment.