Wicklow 1-16 Offaly 1-11

[Oceans 15]

I can only assume this great Offaly football team thought the Tommy Murphy Cup was beneath them and couldn't be arsed playing ball. Or maybe they could see their summer holidays in sight.

I think you hit the nail on the head there Oskar. I know for a fact some of the players were delighted they had excuses. Do you think these guys would miss a club championship game cos of a christening, wedding, concert ?????? Not a hope.

[TheManFromFerbane]

...by September have the squad in a gym lifting heavy weights. ...

Apparantly the County Board wouldn't let the managment have group training sessions until January to keep expenses down....

[Muck Savage]

Well then that needs to get sorted with the county board, before September. They don't need to have group sessions, they just need programs that they do themselves 2 or 3 night a week and meet up once every two weeks to see progress. That would be meeting up 8 times between Sept and Christmas, the county board have to back that up. How much does it cost the county board each time the teams meets up, I'd be interested to find out. Say 30 lads, about 20 euro on petrol each, Trainer and backroom staff can't add up to much more 900 euro. Now that's under 7K on the football team between now and end of the year to get them in the right shape. We should be spending 20K-30K on the team between now and Christmas.

[Bord na Mona man]

Looks like we're the new Roscommon!

--

’Players were drinking behind our backs’ – Murphy
12 July 2007

Offaly football selector Martin Murphy has revealed that ’major discipline problems’ were the main reason behind the Faithful County’s disappointing exit from the Tommy Murphy Cup last Saturday.

Offaly turned in a dismal display against Wicklow but Murphy has stated that players did not prepare properly for the clash and admitted that they were drinking in the lead up to the game.

“There were major discipline problems with players such as drinking behind our backs. If players cannot be honest with management, they could at least be honest with themselves.

“Last Saturday’s display left a sour taste in my mouth,” Murphy said.

http://www.hoganstand.com/Offaly/Articl ... x?ID=80311

[black and red exile]

Its time for a major overhaul, from the County board down to management, down to the playing staff. There are just far too many horror stories doing the rounds concerning our 2 senior teams and speaking to alot of Offaly people this week there is extreme anger around the county over the carry on of some players. With the danger of sounding like a broken record I still have nightmares of what I witnessed last Saturday night in Aughrim. Rynaghs BIFFO and I will have flashbacks for years to come. With our senior hurlers and footballers now in deep shit when next spring's league gets underway, there has got to be a clean sweep starting at the top to get us out of this bloody mess.

[Hyper]

I have to agree with you Black and Red, it was fairly depressing after the game on Saturday night. Hardly a word was spoken by an Offaly fan, all nods of the head in despair. One wonders will the people in power use the time now to try and get things in order for next year and not be in the same position as this year where the team were starting their fitness programme in January, which is totally unacceptable.
Offaly got off to a flyer on Saturday and a Wicklow chap in front ofme said he couldn't stomach it anymore and left to go for a pint,in hindsight I should have went with him.........
I think those comments by Murphy are a disgrace, if he has a problem with the players then he should discuss it with them and not the media. There's more words spoken there from him than during the year on the sideline when himself and Roe hardly uttered a word. And on him being a selector, the man has been invoved in the club scene in Laois for years, I wonder how many Offaly club games had he seen in those years prior to taking up the selector's post. Would he have been at enough to know about all the players available? I think Roe needed someone beside him who had an in depth knowledge of the club scene in the county.

[the bare biffo]

It seems that decisions about the running of both senior teams seem to have been taken by the county board on the basis of financial considerations rather than any football or hurling considerations.

Is the commitment required to fund O'Connor Park forcing these decisions on the county board ?
If it is, then is an investment in a stadium going to yield a better return on the playing field in the long term than investing in the current county teams ?
If it is not down to the stadium, then is it possible for a small county to meet the financial expectations of preparing two senior teams to the highest standards ?
Are the county board finances made public?

[arbarg]

Our so called Gaa stars are a joke, with the exception of a select few!
Anytime amything goes wrong the finger is pointed at everyone bar the panel and we are told to lay off them that they give up so much for Offaly.

This is a LIE.
The Majority of the Offaly Panel live the very same lives as anyone else in the county. The eat drink and indulge just like everyone else. There are only a select few who stick to the spartan like lifestyle that is required of a top Gaelic Footballer in these times. Times and Standards have changed and Offaly's latest generation of stars have been left behind.
I for one will make no excuses for this years debacle.
The blame has to be accepted collectively by eveyone involved.


Now I know one or two will write back tellin me to get a grip and lay off the panel etc.. etc..
But heres food for thought...
Three nights before the Dublin Game I was in our local Leisure centre and there were a couple of members of the panel there. Eavesdroppin as I usually do , I overheard them talking about hittin the town that night.
Naturally enough I thought this was a joke but later on that night I met the same group of lads in a quiet little pub in town half cut. This is Fact!!
Alan Brogan, Bryan Cullen, Shane cluxton and the rest of their panel werent out drinking before the Offally game.
Make your own mind up about our so called stars

[the rat]

I think its time for a serious overhaul of the panel.

off this years panel i would keep the following and forget about the rest.

1.mcmanus. 2.keane. 3. n.couglan. 4. mconway. 5. n.mcnamee. 6.slattery. 7.deehan. 8.rafferty. 9.evans. 10.a.mcnamee. 11.brady.

[Oceans 15]

Our so called Gaa stars are a joke, with the exception of a select few!
Anytime amything goes wrong the finger is pointed at everyone bar the panel and we are told to lay off them that they give up so much for Offaly.

This is a LIE.
The Majority of the Offaly Panel live the very same lives as anyone else in the county. The eat drink and indulge just like everyone else. There are only a select few who stick to the spartan like lifestyle that is required of a top Gaelic Footballer in these times. Times and Standards have changed and Offaly's latest generation of stars have been left behind.
I for one will make no excuses for this years debacle.
The blame has to be accepted collectively by eveyone involved.


Now I know one or two will write back tellin me to get a grip and lay off the panel etc.. etc..
But heres food for thought...
Three nights before the Dublin Game I was in our local Leisure centre and there were a couple of members of the panel there. Eavesdroppin as I usually do , I overheard them talking about hittin the town that night.
Naturally enough I thought this was a joke but later on that night I met the same group of lads in a quiet little pub in town half cut. This is Fact!!
Alan Brogan, Bryan Cullen, Shane cluxton and the rest of their panel werent out drinking before the Offally game.
Make your own mind up about our so called stars

Arbarg I agree with you 100%. I posted a message on this Site about some of the panel in Copper Faced Jacks 2 weeks beofre the 1st round agoinst Carlow and it was brushed aside and said the players were entitled to do it. Its only a handful that are at it.