JULY 4th 2009

[the bare biffo]

The county board may indeed be gutless or ballless or whatever.
But the saddest aspect of this is that they have no amunition to work with.
Although a few diehards will indeed be justifiably upset, the county board can hardly point to the fantastic record of support in looking for any changes, however just they may be.
In many cases you get what you desrve and taking Offaly's support in general over the last few years.......well.

[Doon Massive]

But something like this doesn't help.
If we had a double header in Tullamore, then its more attractive to supporters who otherwise might not attend.
Plus, perhaps allow kids in free (or at least for a small amount), and reduce the adult prices, to at least get the crowds in and give both the teams and the fans a boost.

If we couldn't get a decent support for a double header, then we are in serious trouble.

[Lone Shark]

Nobody here is sugar coating it - we all know that even if our hurlers were not involved this week and this was a standalone football qualifier in Wexford Park, we'd be looking at 300 supporters, or something along those lines. What's more, I'd say if ten people from this board were to sit down together, we could name 250 of them.

However that completely and utterly misses the point. You don't pull out of the All Ireland championship because you're 200/1 to win it, and just because your core support is tiny doesn't mean you stand idly by without so much as a murmur when those few supporters are given a great big "f*** you" as has happened here. We didn't build our reputation (back when we had one, anyway) on masses of supporters, we built it on fighting our corner and refusing to be walked on simply because we were the little guy.

I think we all appreciate here that even if the county board pulled out all the stops, they might still be unable to achieve anything meaningful - however this collective shrugging of the shoulders is a miserable racket. Jesus what would we say to a footballer or hurler who pulled out of a tackle simply because they looked like second favourites to win it?

Let's look at it another way. Throughout November, December and January, we're going to ask our footballers to hit the gyms and to add kilos of muscle mass in order to be better able to compete - and what image will they have driving them on? Playing in Wexford Park with barely a single Offaly jersey visible in the crowd, the entire county in Tullamore watching the hurlers instead. How do we expect them to dig deep for the county when no-one else can be bothered?

[Bord na Mona man]

Whether we get the change or not is irrelevant at this stage.
There hasn't been a grumble (that I'm aware of) coming from Offaly about it.
So we the supporters, the fixture setters and the greater GAA world are to take it that it is no big deal for Offaly to play in two different venues at the same time?

Maybe only a handful of us see the anomaly and are going against the grain here?
No journalist has picked up it, no voice from the county board has spoken out against it.
To me, there is a message being sent to the footballers that there isn't any great concern about their fortunes.

[Treasurer]

Football is at 2.30, hurling at 7. Busy day but at least it's just about do-able.

[Bord na Mona man]

Football is at 2.30, hurling at 7. Busy day but at least it's just about do-able.

That's gonna be tight.
Hopefully the crowd in Wexford Park is small for a quick escape.
How long did it take people to get back to Offaly the night of the hurling?

[Doon Massive]

GAA endorsed dangerous driving

[Lone Shark]

I know it seems like we're complaining all the time, but why in the name of God would they not add another thirty minutes or so for leeway? Would it make that much difference to have the football at 2pm rather than 2.30?

Still better than before, but Wexford to Tullamore in two and a half hours is very tidy.

[Bord na Mona man]

Still better than before, but Wexford to Tullamore in two and a half hours is very tidy.

I'll be taking my own shortcut across the Slaney to beat the traffic.

[Doon Massive]

For the day thats in it, I'll be using this as transport.
Just substitute Wexford in the pic.

[Efan]

If you park the open stand side of Wexford Park there is a rat run that will get you out onto the bay pass in a matter on mins. I think the street is called the Clonard Road. Its the one that runs parallel to the open stand on that side of the field. Have a look at it on Google Maps but it will save you 15 mins vacating strawberry land.

If you slip off with 5 mins to go with us up by 7 you will be forgiven. You would hate to miss the first 10 mins in Tullamore as we put Cork to the sword.

[Lone Shark]

Just substitute Wexford in the pic.

Your wish is my command......

[This Year's Model]

Common sense has prevailed to some extent.

To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that Offaly Co Board didn't go a step further and request that the hurling be moved to Portlaoise to form a double-header with Antrim-Laois, which could then throw-in at 5. Now that would be value for money. It's like an All-Ireland (B) Final for Antrim and Laois. Seems the height of craziness to have those two games so near and yet so far apart!

2.00 pm throw-in for the football and then the football fans would get the closing stages of Antrim-Laois as well more than likely ....

[uibhfhailiabu]

I'd have to diasgree wholeheartedly. It's not too often we are drawn home advantage, so it would be absolutely crazy if the county board forfeited that. Especially when we are playing Cork, they will be hard enough to beat without giving up O'Connor Park as the venue! At least the county board did get up off their backsides and do something to accomadate the fans, for once!!

Common sense has prevailed to some extent.

To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that Offaly Co Board didn't go a step further and request that the hurling be moved to Portlaoise to form a double-header with Antrim-Laois, which could then throw-in at 5. Now that would be value for money. It's like an All-Ireland (B) Final for Antrim and Laois. Seems the height of craziness to have those two games so near and yet so far apart!

2.00 pm throw-in for the football and then the football fans would get the closing stages of Antrim-Laois as well more than likely ....

[This Year's Model]

Yeah, fair enough. Even to move the other match to Tullamore (as I think someone suggested earlier) would have made for a great evening's hurling. But then Laois would kick up I suppose .... hard to please everyone.

Having strict rules for Qualifier venues before the draw is made cuts out a lot of horse-trading in the aftermath, but it makes no sense at all to have preset throw-in dates and times, inevitably leading to the likes of the Offaly fiasco. Is Seán Ryan still in both squads? What an insult it was to the player - and Offaly - if he is ......