Andy McEntee has alleged that one of his players was spat at during the Allianz Football League Division Two semi-final, prompting a mass brawl that marred the closing stages of Kildare's victory.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/we-had-a-player-who-got-spat-on-in-the-face-meath-boss-andy-mcentee-makes-spitting-allegation-after-kildare-defeat-40534106.html
Maybe see what its all about on Sunday Game, can understand McGills reaction if true.

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2142 - 13/06/2021 21:19:24    2350501

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1224 - 14/06/2021 00:00:25    2350590

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1318 - 14/06/2021 08:01:29    2350613

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1318 - 14/06/2021 08:05:19    2350614

Blackspot09 (Meath) - Posts: 870 - 14/06/2021 11:16:42    2350688

Thelongwoodslasher (Meath) - Posts: 384 - 14/06/2021 11:56:36    2350706

mhunicean_abu (Monaghan) - Posts: 1044 - 14/06/2021 13:10:51    2350753

I like most of you this morning are pretty deflated and disgusted by what we saw yesterday and how it unfolded but unfortunately I'm not in the least bit surprised by any of what happened. This has been the same scenario which we've seen play out many times in recent years. And ultimately the buck needs to stop now. I got criticised last week for saying a poor performance v Kildare should signal the beginning of the end and ultimately many people are now of the same opinion.

Andy was appointed to this almost unopposed and yes his CV and achievements with Meath minors and Ballyboden show he was the most qualified for the role. But with him being unopposed who was he being compared too. It seems to have boiled down to he was better than the man he replaced and that would do for the county board. As Longwood said previously Andy's face didn't fit but now it seems it did because he couldn't be any worse than Mick O'Dowd and the reasons that he hadn't got the job before were ignored.

Andy without doubt is a good manager and he surrounded himself with good people initially and then better people in 2018 onwards. But in the five years he's been with us we couldn't say that any player has drastically improved under his management. I would say they're all at a similar level but he was able to get a bit more out of them with better structures around them. From 2018 onwards and with Niall Ronan coming on board you could see they were a vastly fitter and better conditioned team but it takes years to develop that and needs to start from teenage years. If there's one take away from this management team its that Niall Ronan needs to be kept on and have him work with every team from underage to senior. If that means making him a full time employee of Meth GAA so be it. I would also give Andy credit in that he has reinstalled some pride into that Meath badge but there's still a ways to go to on that front.

However none of this should detract from Andy's weaknesses and blind spots of which there are many. Man management, goalkeeper issues, kick out strategies, free taker issues and nepotism are but the tip of the iceberg. Several players yesterday shouldn't be on a Meath team. They are playing off a reputation they haven't lived up to across the last couple of years. Seamus Lavin, Conor McGill, Shane McEntee, Brian Menton, Ethan Devine, Thomas O'Reilly, Brian McMahon have all regressed in my opinion in the last two years and I'm almost certain Donal Keoghan is passed his best. Yet time after time these guys have been given jersies almost unchallenged whilst other players have left the set up or didn't want to be involved when invited into the panel. When i looked up the spine of our team yesterday I also felt they're all nice footballers but there doesn't seem to be much steel to them to dominate their opposing player. This is a recurring theme this last decade that there's no meanness within the Meath footballers. I don't mean over the line and boxing the heads off lads but you just feel they don't dominate opposition and tend to back off rather than front up within the rules of the game. There's no enforcer like a John Small within the team, or a tight corner back like a Mick Fitzsimons who'll be breathing down your neck and sticking a foot, arm, hand or head on front of the ball, or a philly McMahon that'll be jersey tight on you and engaging in the dark arts when needed. Our lads seem to go out, play football with their mouths closed and back away from confrontation. That needs to change, within the rules of the game.

This team is lacking in several of the key skills of the game and I don't know if bringing in new management or selectors would change that. We don't have any natural fielders of the ball. Yesterday i saw the Kildare keeper land balls on top of Aaron Masterson in the last 15 minutes almost at will. I can't remember the last time i saw a Meath player consistently dominate the sky's like that. Across the last two managers we've had players take too much out of the ball running down blind alleys and not using there footballing senses. Graham Reilly and Cillian O'Sullivan did/do this almost as a matter of course. Whilst they're likely two of our better players in the last decade they are two players who either took too much onto themselves or ultimately haven't been taught to play as a team mate. They are not alone on this as other players have done it too but they are the main culprits. Kick out strategy and free taking is still the same achilles heel and it came to the forefront yesterday where Colgan didn't have options or players able to get free and make space and we saw him kick ball over the sideline and come right back over his head for points. Every team in the country knows the issues except our manager seemingly. Teams press up on the kick out knowing turnovers are coming and foul us close to goal as they know there's a good chance it won't be converted. When we look back our last consistent and accurate free taker was Cian Ward who's been off the panel over 10 years now.

Where do we go from here I really don't know as I think changing management and bringing in Bernard Flynn now would be a panic move. If the county board are serious about succession planning then bring Andy in front of them and lay it on the line and say you're here til 2023, Bernard Flynn will be a selector in 23 replacing you in 24. Andy needs to be challenged about his blind spots and how he plans to address them. If he doesn't want to deal with them then its time for him to step aside. We also need to bring in some fresh faces on the backroom team. Mick Deegan lives in Ashbourne, why not approach him and ask would he like to get involved. He was Gavin's right hand man and surely has a wealth of knowledge that could help improve things. If not him,why not approach Paul Curran, who has a very good CV in Dublin club management. Stephen Rochford whilst he would be a good choice surely wouldn't fancy traversing the country a couple of times a week. Its time we got some outside opinions that will challenge him if he's staying involved.

I still maintain that Meath are in that of 6 to 13 in terms of where they'd be ranked but they've slipped towards the bottom of that and could continue to slide if something doesn't change.

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 14/06/2021 13:15:35    2350758

Thelongwoodslasher (Meath) - Posts: 384 - 14/06/2021 13:18:16    2350761

mickcunningham (Westmeath) - Posts: 1802 - 14/06/2021 14:40:24    2350809

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1318 - 14/06/2021 14:47:15    2350813

Thelongwoodslasher (Meath) - Posts: 384 - 14/06/2021 15:07:41    2350820

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1318 - 14/06/2021 15:24:23    2350832

If looking for a replacement for mcentee do we need to confine ourselves to ex meath footballers?

Wouldnt mind looking at a wildcard from another sport...ex hurling managers (e.g. Martin Ennis), basketball, rugby etc

we seriously need to look at doing something radical and at least try something different to shake things up.

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1790 - 14/06/2021 15:25:14    2350833

After yesterdays shambolic performance. Its hard to know where to go from here. It might a good thing that we not are not back in Div 1. Kildare fully deserved there win. But we never fired a shot. We coughed up possession, time and time again basic errors it was awful stuff we made them look ten times better that they where. And still could have got a draw at the death. Thats not saying much for our performance.
After 5 years in charge to much in a totally disjointed like that is poor to say the least. Same failings as people have said frowards afraid to shoot (Although when we threw cation to the wind and started a few more pot shoots we got back in the game) Now there a novel idea give forwards for freedom to shoot.
Midfield and we got wiped out, and on there kick outs. Defense was really poor.
As I said I was really worried after Mayo game defensively, second team or not, it was the system that was the problem not so much personal.
I said Jason Scully should have started that game with his first touch he ran at kildare and created a goal chance for Fionn Reilly. And looked really threatening on the ball. Meanwhile another player in the half backs passes the ball side ways and moans at the ref for after the poor tackles he makes.
Personally I think its time to let someone else have a crack at management at this stage. Its not all doom and gloom there is a promising players coming through Moris, Devine, Hickey walsh Scully F reilly etc. Hopefully we can build on them.

bobkarlgees (Meath) - Posts: 1263 - 14/06/2021 15:27:24    2350835

Thelongwoodslasher (Meath) - Posts: 384 - 14/06/2021 16:18:53    2350847

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1224 - 14/06/2021 16:51:07    2350861

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1318 - 14/06/2021 17:20:22    2350872

Some great food for thought in all of todays posts lads, great reading.

I dont think any of us or anyone else has any of the answers right now. Some people are calling for new management and some are calling for calm heads. Im not really sure myself anymore if I'm honest, Im open to the debate. I think yesterday was a red letter day. Even after a poor league campaign last year, and the two Leinster finals, I think people still retained a modicum of hope and faith - but I fear that has evaporated now or is in the process of it as I write. There is a great deal of dissilusionment with the team and management after that game yesterday.

In relation to Longwood slasher - I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment that success for Meath must be a long term plan and a long-term goal. Ultimately constant change and constant development is the only way to explore that possibility with an eye to the minor and U-20 grade almost as priority. It means, as you alluded to when you mentioned 2031 (ten years away), that for the time being we have to accept where we are. That does take foresight, and its all well and good for us to discuss it here, but people in power need to take a serious reality check, sit down and decide what we're trying to do here and what we want for the future. It's entirely in their hands. More of the same will see us stay where we are or slowly decline.

I agree with the idea that Niall Ronan should be kept on interminably also, and his work ahould only be extended further into our squads. Fantastic work. The idea of bringing in rugby coaches and boxing coaches, and people of different backgrounds should be explored also. A fresh approach using different methods of training.

The Meathness debate that Brian mentioned: I think this is the saddest aspect of where we are. We just aren't ourselves anymore. Everytime I see that green jersey with its yellow squares and I see players take to the field donning that jersey, our jersey, I feel something within me. I think we all do. Every county in GAA terms is special. Every county has a story - ours is being the toughest, most ignorant yet skillful, resilient, and hated county in football. Even in the baddest of times, Meath were a force. Teams came to Navan and they limped home, win, lose or draw. Dont get me wrong im opposed to thuggery of course, but we are who we are lads and this team just isn't "it". Meath should be just different to how these lads play, and at this stage im just at a point where I have to spit that out. I'm not buying this short, sprinter, off the shoulder player mould any more. We've had this player for 6/8 years and we've stangnated as a decent division 2 team, which we always should be at minimum. We need to explore the idea of getting some proper old school Meath men back onto our team. Im not saying go out and shop for 15 meat heads who'd kick their mothers and have as much subtlety as a brick to the face, but you catch my drift. We just aren't ourselves anymore. Many teams of all standards can bully us. Genuinely good teams can push us around and dispossess us, and funnel us into turnovers constantly. We've become a very soft touch indeed.

Lastly on the issue of selection, I always said we needed to constantly keep the panel fresh to keep standards high - fitness and skills, especially when we are at the level we are at. I dont think stacking the panel with guys just out of minor is a good idea (even if they are talented). Like I said earlier we need to start pressing on in the u-20 grade. I'd agree that some lads are keeping their places based on reputation at this stage, and perhaps one or two of our greatest stalwarts are coming near the end of their time. A handful of others are very lucky to be where they are. After championship we need a massive review. No matter what the outcome we need a fresh approach.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 587 - 14/06/2021 17:22:48    2350874

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1224 - 14/06/2021 17:46:09    2350885