Senior Football Relegation '08

[Silken Thomas]

Ferbane vs. Edenderry.

This is the big one. You really feel if Edenderry lose this match the likes of Johnny Hurst, Basil Malone, Killian Farrell and Adrian Mahon would seriously think about stepping aside for the younger generation...God forbid.

Word from the west is Ferbane believe St. Rynaghs was a serious off day and fancy themselves big time this weekend. Also Ferbane beat Doon by three or four points in a challenge last weekend. Reports are they have redoubled their efforts and will have Keenaghan back to his best. When they fight aka against Tullamore they're still a good senior team. They also beat Edenderry well in a league match in Ferbane about 12 weeks ago.

I hope Edenderry match their hunger and intensity. Going down again is not a great idea!

[Lone Shark]

Ferbane vs. Edenderry.

This is the big one. You really feel if Edenderry lose this match the likes of Johnny Hurst, Basil Malone, Killian Farrell and Adrian Mahon would seriously think about stepping aside for the younger generation...God forbid.

Word from the west is Ferbane believe St. Rynaghs was a serious off day and fancy themselves big time this weekend. Also Ferbane beat Doon by three or four points in a challenge last weekend. Reports are they have redoubled their efforts and will have Keenaghan back to his best. When they fight aka against Tullamore they're still a good senior team. They also beat Edenderry well in a league match in Ferbane about 12 weeks ago.

I hope Edenderry match their hunger and intensity. Going down again is not a great idea!

Methinks your "word from the west" is being massaged to inspire the men of the east. While there was a degree of offday involved, even if Ferbane were playing well Edenderry would be a tough nut to crack - draw with Gracefield, two point loss to Tubber, one point loss to Shamrocks - that's solid, consistent football, even if it's a little unspectacular.

I couldn't tell you how AK is fixed but I doubt that it's a clear cut as all that either.

The biggest thing Ferbane have in their favour is that there is nowhere left to turn - it's win or bust here. Realistically if Edenderry lost this game by three or four points, they'd still be long odds on to stay up. I'm not saying they will fall for that, but one team fighting against another team fighting for their lives can sometimes tell. But that's wishy washy stuff.

If the two teams play competitively, there's feck all between them. Sadly we have a lot more to worry about than ye in that regard, since we've proven an ability to play way below par on a given day.

[Silken Thomas]

Methinks your "word from the west" is being massaged to inspire the men of the east. While there was a degree of offday involved, even if Ferbane were playing well Edenderry would be a tough nut to crack - draw with Gracefield, two point loss to Tubber, one point loss to Shamrocks - that's solid, consistent football, even if it's a little unspectacular.

I couldn't tell you how AK is fixed but I doubt that it's a clear cut as all that either.

The biggest thing Ferbane have in their favour is that there is nowhere left to turn - it's win or bust here. Realistically if Edenderry lost this game by three or four points, they'd still be long odds on to stay up. I'm not saying they will fall for that, but one team fighting against another team fighting for their lives can sometimes tell. But that's wishy washy stuff.

If the two teams play competitively, there's feck all between them. Sadly we have a lot more to worry about than ye in that regard, since we've proven an ability to play way below par on a given day.

Gamesmanship maybe but I fear for the reds here. The last time Ferbane were caught on the hop by a local enemy Tullamore got the full brunt of the reaction(in more ways than one!). I expect similar stuff.
Also Ferbane will have had two weeks for revenge to fester. With many a county medallist in their town dismissing the current crop of Ferbane men I really expect an ambush. Béal na Bláth on tour if you will.

The last championship meeting between the two teams is a further omen for the reds. Ferbane putting up a cricket score on an infighting Red 15 which ultimatly put us on the path to relegation.

[Lone Shark]

Methinks your "word from the west" is being massaged to inspire the men of the east. While there was a degree of offday involved, even if Ferbane were playing well Edenderry would be a tough nut to crack - draw with Gracefield, two point loss to Tubber, one point loss to Shamrocks - that's solid, consistent football, even if it's a little unspectacular.

I couldn't tell you how AK is fixed but I doubt that it's a clear cut as all that either.

The biggest thing Ferbane have in their favour is that there is nowhere left to turn - it's win or bust here. Realistically if Edenderry lost this game by three or four points, they'd still be long odds on to stay up. I'm not saying they will fall for that, but one team fighting against another team fighting for their lives can sometimes tell. But that's wishy washy stuff.

If the two teams play competitively, there's feck all between them. Sadly we have a lot more to worry about than ye in that regard, since we've proven an ability to play way below par on a given day.

Gamesmanship maybe but I fear for the reds here. The last time Ferbane were caught on the hop by a local enemy Tullamore got the full brunt of the reaction(in more ways than one!). I expect similar stuff.
Also Ferbane will have had two weeks for revenge to fester. With many a county medallist in their town dismissing the current crop of Ferbane men I really expect an ambush. Béal na Bláth on tour if you will.

The last championship meeting between the two teams is a further omen for the reds. Ferbane putting up a cricket score on an infighting Red 15 which ultimatly put us on the path to relegation.

In fairness, the writing was on the wall for Edenderry back then. I've no doubt that if the same degree of infighting was going on there would be a clearcut result in Ferbane's favour, but there isn't so the point is moot. Edenderry were grossly underachieving for years and I said at the time that they almost needed relegation to allow them to purge that abscess, so to speak. They've come back a much better team for it - as three competitive performances in a tough group will testify.

I do have faith in these Ferbane lads to come out swinging, I'll grant you that. As I remarked to one of them before, the team thrives on controlled aggression - overdo the aggression at the expense of control, and they're still a hoor of a team to beat - as Ballycumber will testify from the league this year. That match was where the Shannonbridge feelings were vented rather than against Tullamore, which has really been overhyped into some sort of war of attrition on this board. On the other hand, when they overdo the control at the expense of the aggression, they're nervous, afraid and very easy to beat. Whether they can shake off that fear and play with the intensity that they are capable of and that the club's tradition demands will determine whether or not they make a game of it this weekend against Edenderry.

It's far from a given that they'll win even if they do that, but without it there's no chance. It'll be nice to get out of O'Connor Park as well. The less distractions and "pageantry" the better.

[As Such Ger]

what's the story with this one, Is it straight relegation for the loser, or is there some 3way playoff involving st. R still?

[True Red]

If Ferbane Lose they are gone.If Edenderry lose we have to play and beat st rynaghs and then points difference comes into play?

[As Such Ger]

so, Rynagh's could still be relegated on points difference then?
Say for example, Ferbane beat Edenderry by 1pt, and Edenderry come along and beat Rynagh's well .

[TheManFromFerbane]

Imagine it as a little group of 3 where score difference counts and the bottom team goes down. That's basically it.

[swiftpost]

For the sake of avoiding a possible controversy the county board should have fixed the ryanagh's V edenderry game to be played before Ferbane V Ednderry, if this game ends a draw then edenderry and ryanaghs both know a draw will be enough to survive. Not saying that they would but if it was even with a few minutes left neither might push to hard for a winner.

[Lone Shark]

For the sake of avoiding a possible controversy the county board should have fixed the ryanagh's V edenderry game to be played before Ferbane V Ednderry, if this game ends a draw then edenderry and ryanaghs both know a draw will be enough to survive. Not saying that they would but if it was even with a few minutes left neither might push to hard for a winner.

It's much worse than that - if this game ends in a draw, Rynaghs are home and hosed so they have no incentive whatsoever. I'm not saying they'd throw the game, but why would they bother training, or even showing up for the Edenderry game if players had something else to do? Edenderry would win such a game by ten points at least.

Obviously that could happen either way, but it still has the potential to leave sour taste for years to come if the results work out that way. They did things the right way last year, no idea why they reversed the order now.

[TheManFromFerbane]

Thanks to be Jaysus that's over anyway! That's Ferbane's year summerised perfectly in 60 minutes of football. For 20 minutes the team were outstanding, leading 2-4 to no score, the workrate was excellent and the football would have matched any team in Offaly. After that the workrate dropped and the team was awful, and played like the worst team in the county. From the 27th minute on Edenderry outscored Ferbane 1-7 to 0-2. Serious look at mental attitude needed for next year but at least we can look at it as a senior club.

St. Rynagh's v Edenderry game will still be a tough one to call. Don't think any result would surprise me.

[Silken Thomas]

In the grand scheme of things Saturday was a distinct sideshow. Football's footnote. Nothing to see here. However for the 200 hundred club die-hards and interested neutrals, this was a must see spectacle. Mucklagh was the venue for arguably the two premier clubs of the nineties to lock horns in this relegation joust. Tension was palpable from Finbar Cullen's forlorn face to Lone Shark's bizarre antics .

Ferbane opened fantastically with some excellent football. Playing diagonal balls to their corner forwards and booming ones to James Grennan Ferbane threatened to go out of site. Ferbane were hungrier, fitter and more vocal and played at a tempo that was alien to the reds all year.

In the second half Cillian Farrell got on the ball a lot setting up scorable frees and attacks, As usual Johnny Hurst held the defence together and Ferbane as has happened a lot this year looked timid. Cue skyscraping James Grennan catching the last two kick outs and saving Ferbane's hide.

The Reds now have a chance at survival but only a chance and if fitness levels and forward movement are not improved relegation will be no surprise.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Tell us more !!

Lone Shark's bizarre antics .

[Silken Thomas]

Tell us more !!

Lone Shark's bizarre antics .

Gesticulating wildly, audible to anyone within 50 feet. He looked like a man who won the lotto and had his first threesome on the same day

Believe me this is not a threat but L.S. could you confirm if you ever got a slap at a match?!

[azoffaly]

Tell us more !!

Lone Shark's bizarre antics .

Gesticulating wildly, audible to anyone within 50 feet. He looked like a man who won the lotto and had his first threesome on the same day

Believe me this is not a threat but L.S. could you confirm if you ever got a slap at a match?!

Not from the opposition, no.His own side might be a different story