Replying To Young_gael:  "When referring to getting our house in order, you're talking sense. That should be paramount. In fact it was paramount back 15 years ago after Eamon Barry was jettisoned after a year or after Banty was in charge but alas here we are still calling for it 8 years later. Fighting our corner? Yes in principle, but an oversimplification. Meath doesn't fare out too badly as things stand regards money and grants from Croke Park. We do ok. We have a very broad clubs base as well, and our county is relatively wealthy in the grand scheme of things. The club scene in all grades, codes and levels is above average to high in every way. Look at Dunganny, true it's a windswept spot but it genuinely is a fine setup. Look at the club setups in Ratoath, Dunshaughlin, O'Mahoneys, etc to name but very few. Affluent for the GAA in any county. You're making the wrong connections here in relation to Dublin, and like many you misunderstand the core issues around how their money was distributed over two/three decades and why everyone else is a lighthear behind. I believe although I like your no nonsense approach, it's misguided. This tone of talk was needed 20 years ago. As for 3 wise men? That's another problem we have here in Meath. Too many "wise men"."

Replying To nobull456:  "I am aware of Dublins development plan that started about 20 years . A key focus was on the development of people first . Those people were key in developing a culture where key areas like coaching the whole person was seen as very worthy. Development of the person was more important than any building. Just look at the end product now where you have a culture with the playing panel where they want to continually improve regardless. lListen to any of their players now !. Do you see the arrogance and swagger we Meath people used to hate? no you dont ! They have an attitude instilled where coaching the person is seen as an education. Thats their payback !
Jim Gavin and his air corps bacground and precision was the icing on the cake Your right its not all about funding and buildings.. Y our right we have done well with building funding . We got plenty of what we asked for in terms of" things"
The difference now between Dublin and others including us is culture and attitude. We blame others !Dublin look at themselves first to see how they can improve to sort a problem. Just listen to them its all about the team.and improvement. I sat up and took notice a few years ago when it was published that Meath were appointing 3 directors of football ( the 3 wise men term was only a nickname) I was impressed when i read the terms of reference and responsibilities of the 3 . When i heard the 3 names i thought this sounds good! What happened? If that need for those 3 was identified then as very important. Then how was that need dealt with since. I liked the idea because it could help with culture and attitude. ATTITUDE is the problem in my view for Meath. Develop a culture where players believe coaching is about self development and education. Then they buy in and less likely to travel or whatever. Invest in the PERSON Just like Dublin do .The rewards will follow in time!"

Replying To winatallcost:  "At the moment Andy McEntee seems to be quite close to a number of individuals in the county board which looks quite stable over the last few years. The clubs need to be brought into the discussion to have a say to get a general consensus rather than little or no discussion from in house. Eamon O'Brien was treated totally differently after guiding us to a Leinster championship and an All-Ireland semi-final."

Replying To nobull456:  "I am aware of Dublins development plan that started about 20 years . A key focus was on the development of people first . Those people were key in developing a culture where key areas like coaching the whole person was seen as very worthy. Development of the person was more important than any building. Just look at the end product now where you have a culture with the playing panel where they want to continually improve regardless. lListen to any of their players now !. Do you see the arrogance and swagger we Meath people used to hate? no you dont ! They have an attitude instilled where coaching the person is seen as an education. Thats their payback !
Jim Gavin and his air corps bacground and precision was the icing on the cake Your right its not all about funding and buildings.. Y our right we have done well with building funding . We got plenty of what we asked for in terms of" things"
The difference now between Dublin and others including us is culture and attitude. We blame others !Dublin look at themselves first to see how they can improve to sort a problem. Just listen to them its all about the team.and improvement. I sat up and took notice a few years ago when it was published that Meath were appointing 3 directors of football ( the 3 wise men term was only a nickname) I was impressed when i read the terms of reference and responsibilities of the 3 . When i heard the 3 names i thought this sounds good! What happened? If that need for those 3 was identified then as very important. Then how was that need dealt with since. I liked the idea because it could help with culture and attitude. ATTITUDE is the problem in my view for Meath. Develop a culture where players believe coaching is about self development and education. Then they buy in and less likely to travel or whatever. Invest in the PERSON Just like Dublin do .The rewards will follow in time!"

Replying To Crinigan:  "That's an excellent post in fairness. Very true about the Dublin lads. Many of them went back to college or bettered their careers as part of their lifestyle changes brought about by being Dublin footballers. Something extraordinary happened in that group, there is no two ways about it. Some seeds were sown by someone.

Could we get Sean Boylan and a few of our greats to draft some kind of a paper/book on what is expected of a footballer in Meath, what his values are etc would be a start."

Replying To glenny:  "OBrien was proposed by County Board to continue but the Clubs vetoed it and voted him out. Have the Clubs the guts to do the same now or will they get the chance That is the question"

Replying To nobull456:  "I am aware of Dublins development plan that started about 20 years . A key focus was on the development of people first . Those people were key in developing a culture where key areas like coaching the whole person was seen as very worthy. Development of the person was more important than any building. Just look at the end product now where you have a culture with the playing panel where they want to continually improve regardless. lListen to any of their players now !. Do you see the arrogance and swagger we Meath people used to hate? no you dont ! They have an attitude instilled where coaching the person is seen as an education. Thats their payback !
Jim Gavin and his air corps bacground and precision was the icing on the cake Your right its not all about funding and buildings.. Y our right we have done well with building funding . We got plenty of what we asked for in terms of" things"
The difference now between Dublin and others including us is culture and attitude. We blame others !Dublin look at themselves first to see how they can improve to sort a problem. Just listen to them its all about the team.and improvement. I sat up and took notice a few years ago when it was published that Meath were appointing 3 directors of football ( the 3 wise men term was only a nickname) I was impressed when i read the terms of reference and responsibilities of the 3 . When i heard the 3 names i thought this sounds good! What happened? If that need for those 3 was identified then as very important. Then how was that need dealt with since. I liked the idea because it could help with culture and attitude. ATTITUDE is the problem in my view for Meath. Develop a culture where players believe coaching is about self development and education. Then they buy in and less likely to travel or whatever. Invest in the PERSON Just like Dublin do .The rewards will follow in time!"

Replying To Crinigan:  "That's an excellent post in fairness. Very true about the Dublin lads. Many of them went back to college or bettered their careers as part of their lifestyle changes brought about by being Dublin footballers. Something extraordinary happened in that group, there is no two ways about it. Some seeds were sown by someone.

Could we get Sean Boylan and a few of our greats to draft some kind of a paper/book on what is expected of a footballer in Meath, what his values are etc would be a start."

Replying To glenny:  "OBrien was proposed by County Board to continue but the Clubs vetoed it and voted him out. Have the Clubs the guts to do the same now or will they get the chance That is the question"

Replying To Young_gael:  "That is a good idea, if we get as much as possible that can be saved and cherished from Boylan for eons to come, that'd be favourable. What a human being.

My only fear would be that such a project turns into another campfire fable from a collection of geriatrics about Meath's history on the pitch, which everything inevitably does. When I really think about it, I have huge respect for the modern Meath player. The amount of patronisation they have to endure must be exhausting. The amount of guff they have to listen to about teams who played 20/30/40/50/60 years or so ago is mindblowing. I cant think of any similar parallel in sport. Maybe the England soccer lads being wound up every world cup with the tales of 1966 is comparable, but they're professionals at least.

In saying all of that, such a project is a good idea, and should be for prioritising player welfare and remit in the county."

Replying To nobull456:  "If the approach of having the player and his development and welfare as the centre point of attention is seen as a change in some way that would be sad. But i dont see that as the case at all . Sean Boylan did it from 1984 onwards with rich rewards.....man management we called it. He saw he was dealing with humans and all that goes with that. The value system that he instilled then is every bit as relevant now as it was then. Our players are still human. I also believe that Dublin were cute enough to have an aerial up and learned a lot from Boylan. A great man! I hope that doesnt sound too geriatric !lol.
Full credit to Andy and his team for their passion and energy. They do it their way which is indeed a massive workload. They do it the best way they know how. But everything moves on especially in coaching matters in the modern world. BUY IN is critical for players. Development of the person is key! As well as football skills of course mental toughness is essential ATTITUDE makes all the difference. Especially when the chips are down in the last quarter.
Boylans man management shone here. You refuse to give in till the final whistle is gone. They bought in to "no surrender" because they believed it , and not because someone said so.. (ATTITUDE) No more geriatrics now we will leave the past .you are right looking back too much can be a pitfall other than to pick the bits that worked then and bring them forward
If this thinking is seen as "new" that brings its own problems Change is a challenge and some fear a challenge...."Ah sure we have made some progress ,we are doing ok. " " sure thats the best we can do with what we have " "is there an agenda here somewhere?" There is only one agenda and it is player centred and aimed at bringing real rewards through personal development where skills aquired are readily tranferable to work and all other areas of life. Of couse that brings joy to geriatrics like me and others to see Meath competing with the big boys again..... Invest in the PERSON !"

Replying To Crinigan:  "When you hear people talk about Sean Boylan, he also provided that holistic lifestyle improvement type of management. Likes of Darren Fay, Geraghty and others have spoken about how he changed their lives outside of football too. It's a lot to demand that Andy McEntee does that but it's a culture that is needed for success. Can we try to create that for ourselves? And how do we do it?

Would be great to see a get together of Meath businessmen and industry leaders (both home and abroad) as well as likes of Boylan and O Rourke etc to have a conference on this and see where we can go from. I think this should be taken off county board - it's not going to come from them and in many ways, maybe it's not their job either."

Replying To Thelongwoodslasher:  "O Brien was shafted, as he was the collateral damage to get barney out....O Brien was seens as Barneys recommendation , so in getting even with barney...they shot O brien…..typical Meath personal vendettas"

Replying To Crinigan:  "When you hear people talk about Sean Boylan, he also provided that holistic lifestyle improvement type of management. Likes of Darren Fay, Geraghty and others have spoken about how he changed their lives outside of football too. It's a lot to demand that Andy McEntee does that but it's a culture that is needed for success. Can we try to create that for ourselves? And how do we do it?

Would be great to see a get together of Meath businessmen and industry leaders (both home and abroad) as well as likes of Boylan and O Rourke etc to have a conference on this and see where we can go from. I think this should be taken off county board - it's not going to come from them and in many ways, maybe it's not their job either."

Replying To winatallcost:  "I notice most of the posts are dealing with medium and long term issues but there is so much we can look at in the short term including our county teams most recent performances. We have seen some talented young players introduced but need a game plan, goalkeeper and free taker to ensure this team is remotely competitive with the better teams. These issues are existing for quite a while. More physicality is required around the midfield area to ensure further kickout options and ability to spoil the opposition. This all comes under team managements remit."

Replying To Young_gael:  "Agreed, Im one of the guilty party for always thinking way ahead.

These are all incentives that will further improve our panel.
1) variety in how we play. Increasing our means of putting scores on the board, as you said a game plan. More importantly a plan B and plan C for every game.
2) more physicality. Seems very stone aged to be pointing out but its a fact. We are a decidedly "non-physical" side through the spine of the field, at least for the top 8/12 level.
3) free takers and increasing our percentages from dead ball.
4) having even a "B" grade keeper would bring us on a terror.

These can all be addressed in the short term."

Replying To Thelongwoodslasher:  "nearly next to impossible to strip out the longer term from the immediate , and in seeking to do so, may actually be counter productive …….but perhaps to give it a go, but couch it in different terminology -
In looking at Dublin , I think , as opposed to Game plans , I think they prioritise some very broad principles, into which players are identified, coached, upskilled & fitted. To me that that template , has not varied much from the Heffernan model adapted in the 70s, and adhered to & tweaked by Gilroy, Whelan & Hickey and of course Gavin.
Not to get too wishy /washy about it, but it is dominated by intelligence & character
I think they see 7 broad areas of the game as opposed to positions on the field
There are, of course certain positions where they see the characteristics above as THE most important element in choosing a candidate , but for others they are important ...but not the most important element
To me they view things through a slight different lense ...Goalkeeping....Man markers..., Pacy Wings , Centre Spine , Midfielder, Forward leadership , Linking , and Scoring.

In goalkeeping, its simple really...they are looking at first & foremost the Mindset of the Candidate. its a highly pressurised environment, The most pressurised arguably, and hence that sits at the top of the agenda ….I think Dublin identify that, and are confident that all other elements can be coached into the right person over time....

Man markers....these are the Cooper, Fitz, O Sullivan, Byrne, , McMahon Small, Daly etc.....who on their day are perhaps not the most skilfull ball players in the world, but who's key strength is a serious Attitude and who by & large win one on one battles , and everything else to them is secondary...this might seem like an obvious trait of a defender, but we are confusing ourselves these days as to what are the priorities...Dublin Man marking defenders are never confused as to the priority, and neither are they confused on ultimately how they will be assessed

Pacy Wing- No need for explanation

Centre Spine - I think Dublin like a 6 to be a 6, and also have always one midfielder with an over riding defensive mentality

Midfield - They don't see Midfleld as a bygone artform....in fact they see it as crucial now as it has ever been...notwithstanding the fact that they happen to have the best one a generation

Forward leadership- Someone here to pull the strings , dictate the pace, the tone , and the overall structure of that front line....Kilkenny, Conroy, And Hanahoe

Linkage - This is our friend Scully, Flynn in the past & Bulger maybe in the future
Their man job , is to be the oil that lubricates the two lines ….Jim Gavin himself did it in the 80s

and Finally....out & out Scorers , Rock, Small, Mannion, McMeniman, O Callaghan, Brogan…One of which will be a Top Class free taker

There is nothing earth shattering in the broad structure of how they see a set up for a successful Team , what has been a revelation of course is how they have added to the Main ingredients by adding a sub set of skills to create nearly the perfect footballers in each area of the file.....

But make no mistake about it....the crucial assesment of whether a Player has the main ingredient for each role is as much about the character first as it is about the football ability

Juts on that point, To those recent posters who were half suggesting about "physicality", being a term for yesteryear ….don't kid ourselves.....the Stoppers of the Dublin set up over the last 10 years are earmarked initially based on their physicality

Im not sure we are looking at our set up with a similar broad concept or plan….. If one has a broad vision of a set up...a Plan A, B , C Or D can be devised then within that.
One example so start off with is Keoghan.....Can we decide what he is....is he a man Marker, a 6 , A wing man?...and stick with it for the lad....and start filling in from there

Happy new Year"

Replying To winatallcost:  "I notice most of the posts are dealing with medium and long term issues but there is so much we can look at in the short term including our county teams most recent performances. We have seen some talented young players introduced but need a game plan, goalkeeper and free taker to ensure this team is remotely competitive with the better teams. These issues are existing for quite a while. More physicality is required around the midfield area to ensure further kickout options and ability to spoil the opposition. This all comes under team managements remit."

Replying To Borderroyal:  "Whats lost in all this is the dubs are player led in the sense that they mentor each other.player having issues with kicking, older player or better kicker gives him a coaching session on this.this gives them a humilty and sensr of nothing stronger than the team.management promotes this environment.reading brogans book speaks at lengths on it.i feel we are misding a trick here the dictator manager with drill activitys obsessed coach has passed.its needed for skills yes but the dubs are humble people with nothing but thoughts on benefiting the team."