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Replying To B&G: "I said impressive as in QUANTITY. i have never seen so many members in a backroom. They better deliver" Ah that's the norm nowadays. Very inexperienced manager and backroom. williesboy (Leitrim) - Posts: 488 - 04/12/2021 08:54:32 2391595 Link
So it appears that there was one very experienced candidate but possibly with no list of names for the various roles, but who knew what was needed given that he had managed 3 county teams previously and has a great track record at club level and then one candidate with little to no experiece but with a list of names of people going to do the roles that they were also inexperienced with, inexperienced at best becasue if they had any prior experience then it wasn't at a level that we are aware of. Does anyone know who was on the interview board? Mull93 (Longford) - Posts: 119 - 04/12/2021 10:05:03 2391605 Link
His mandate will be to retain Division 3 status and put up a good showing in Leinster (i.e. beat any Division 4 guys and not get hockied by the rest). Beyond that there is little he can realistically do. The squad is what it is, the infrastructure around the county setup is threadbare, the quality of club football is not the best right now, a few key guys are edging closer to retirement age, and the youth pipeline is sluggish (fair play to U16's on Fr. Manning Cup, hopefully that indicates promise in the future). I'd be surprised if we avoid Division 4 drop in next few seasons, but let's see - a new face can reset things a bit and Davis was clearly at the end of what he could achieve, so lets see. I'd have given Liam Keenan the job in a heartbeat. Slashers have chosen well there and will likely reap the rewards in next couple of seasons too if they let him do his thing. arcadia (Longford) - Posts: 221 - 04/12/2021 14:54:01 2391637 Link
Replying To arcadia: "His mandate will be to retain Division 3 status and put up a good showing in Leinster (i.e. beat any Division 4 guys and not get hockied by the rest). Beyond that there is little he can realistically do. The squad is what it is, the infrastructure around the county setup is threadbare, the quality of club football is not the best right now, a few key guys are edging closer to retirement age, and the youth pipeline is sluggish (fair play to U16's on Fr. Manning Cup, hopefully that indicates promise in the future). I'd be surprised if we avoid Division 4 drop in next few seasons, but let's see - a new face can reset things a bit and Davis was clearly at the end of what he could achieve, so lets see. I'd have given Liam Keenan the job in a heartbeat. Slashers have chosen well there and will likely reap the rewards in next couple of seasons too if they let him do his thing." Liam Keenan should have got the job and he was interested but didn't get an interview. Questions have to be asked how it was the case that someone from outside the county with no experieince got the top job in the county. How does the process work? Does anyone know what the criteria for getting an interview was? It doesn't seem to have been too high. If all we are asking someone to do is keep us up in Division 3 then it says a lot. Division 3 is the weakest it has been for years. Previously you'd have a few teams like Cork, Derry, Down etc who were out of place in the division. This year if anyone is out of place then its the likes of Wicklow, Louth, Antrim and Limerick. They would all ordinarly be in Division 4. If we are not in the promotion hunt in we may forget about it. As for the championship, we have Westmeath in quarter final. Theres no reason we shouldn't beat them, they are our level. The standard of the top clubs in the county is as good as any other county. Lets not forget Mullinactha were Leinster Champions in 2018 and we haven't exactly had it all our own way in Longford since. There is enough talent in the county that we should be looking to do well. To get the most out of the talent we needed a Longford man who knows what we have or an experienced manager to get the best out of what we have. If we have a poor season it won't be because we haven't got the talent or because the teams we are playing in Division 3 and quarter final of championship are better than us. Mull93 (Longford) - Posts: 119 - 04/12/2021 17:47:44 2391663 Link
Replying To Mull93: "Liam Keenan should have got the job and he was interested but didn't get an interview. Questions have to be asked how it was the case that someone from outside the county with no experieince got the top job in the county. How does the process work? Does anyone know what the criteria for getting an interview was? It doesn't seem to have been too high. If all we are asking someone to do is keep us up in Division 3 then it says a lot. Division 3 is the weakest it has been for years. Previously you'd have a few teams like Cork, Derry, Down etc who were out of place in the division. This year if anyone is out of place then its the likes of Wicklow, Louth, Antrim and Limerick. They would all ordinarly be in Division 4. If we are not in the promotion hunt in we may forget about it. As for the championship, we have Westmeath in quarter final. Theres no reason we shouldn't beat them, they are our level. The standard of the top clubs in the county is as good as any other county. Lets not forget Mullinactha were Leinster Champions in 2018 and we haven't exactly had it all our own way in Longford since. There is enough talent in the county that we should be looking to do well. To get the most out of the talent we needed a Longford man who knows what we have or an experienced manager to get the best out of what we have. If we have a poor season it won't be because we haven't got the talent or because the teams we are playing in Division 3 and quarter final of championship are better than us." Longford club football is not at the standard of even 2018 anymore. Alot of the fellas that had us at a high level are getting on. We need to be realistic. Not going to attract a top manager as we don't have the money or the players anymore. Its sad but i be happy if we stay in division 3 and beat Westmeath in Leinster. Manning cup team looks the part and we had a few nice u20s so potential is there in a few years time. Congrats to Mullinlaghta on another leader cup win reassertion there dominance over Killoe. A truly superb team and club slasher9 (Longford) - Posts: 252 - 05/12/2021 17:23:31 2391752 Link
Replying To slasher9: "Longford club football is not at the standard of even 2018 anymore. Alot of the fellas that had us at a high level are getting on. We need to be realistic. Not going to attract a top manager as we don't have the money or the players anymore. Its sad but i be happy if we stay in division 3 and beat Westmeath in Leinster. Manning cup team looks the part and we had a few nice u20s so potential is there in a few years time. Congrats to Mullinlaghta on another leader cup win reassertion there dominance over Killoe. A truly superb team and club" I agree, there has been a drop off but but not so much that we shouldn't be looking to do well in division 3 given the quality of the other teams in the division. You are missing the point though, it is not about attracting a top manager. The manger of an intercounty team has to meet certain standards. There were candidates that met those standards, Pat Flanaghan and Liam Keenan were both interested. The new Longford manager is inexperienced for club level let alone intercounty. He wasn't even training a team this year after the bad ending to his year with Sarfields. I'd imagine we can't talk about how that ended on a public forum. Dinger of a game today, tit for tat the whole way. It was as good as any championship game I was at this year for entertainment and better than most. Both teams showed real grit and determination. Killoe will be disappointed but they can hold there heads up high because the fought right to the end. Mull93 (Longford) - Posts: 119 - 05/12/2021 18:11:47 2391763 Link
Replying To arcadia: "His mandate will be to retain Division 3 status and put up a good showing in Leinster (i.e. beat any Division 4 guys and not get hockied by the rest). Beyond that there is little he can realistically do. The squad is what it is, the infrastructure around the county setup is threadbare, the quality of club football is not the best right now, a few key guys are edging closer to retirement age, and the youth pipeline is sluggish (fair play to U16's on Fr. Manning Cup, hopefully that indicates promise in the future). I'd be surprised if we avoid Division 4 drop in next few seasons, but let's see - a new face can reset things a bit and Davis was clearly at the end of what he could achieve, so lets see. I'd have given Liam Keenan the job in a heartbeat. Slashers have chosen well there and will likely reap the rewards in next couple of seasons too if they let him do his thing." Keenan needs to do it within two years because Slashers have nothing coming through.The change in grades in recent years is to the detriment of counties like Longford. Also this 4 or 5 teams getting together to win a championship underage title is just the members of Carrickedmond, Ballymahon, Legan, Cashel, Killashee etc etc members of county boards pulling the proverbial. Look at who they have on board then get back to me. Ward30 (Longford) - Posts: 49 - 05/12/2021 18:45:22 2391767 Link
County board made a big mistake taking on Billy but I don't blame him. Why wasn't Ledwith given the job either along with Liam Keenan? Surely they would jump at the chance. Was in at the game as a neutral and it was very entertaining, could have went either way. Credit to both teams who are clearly the best in the county. Given the age profile of killoe I can see them easily winning 3/4 of the next 8 championships but it doesn't always go that way. williesboy (Leitrim) - Posts: 488 - 05/12/2021 20:46:43 2391794 Link
Replying To Mull93: "I agree, there has been a drop off but but not so much that we shouldn't be looking to do well in division 3 given the quality of the other teams in the division. You are missing the point though, it is not about attracting a top manager. The manger of an intercounty team has to meet certain standards. There were candidates that met those standards, Pat Flanaghan and Liam Keenan were both interested. The new Longford manager is inexperienced for club level let alone intercounty. He wasn't even training a team this year after the bad ending to his year with Sarfields. I'd imagine we can't talk about how that ended on a public forum. Dinger of a game today, tit for tat the whole way. It was as good as any championship game I was at this year for entertainment and better than most. Both teams showed real grit and determination. Killoe will be disappointed but they can hold there heads up high because the fought right to the end." selfishly happy with where keenan has ended up to tell you the truth. if thats true that both of them were interested there is definitely questions to answer. i would think alot of it comes down to bottom line too at the end of the day. yesterday was very entertaining for the depths of winter credit to both teams. bad injury to james mcgivney hopefully not to serious. agree that there are championships in killoe given they have youth but mullinlaghta arent going away for the next couple of years either. great that this year brings the 2020 and 2021 club seasons to a close and we can look forward to what the county brings us in january slasher9 (Longford) - Posts: 252 - 06/12/2021 12:32:57 2391836 Link
Congrats to Mullinalaghta on the Leader Cup win. Great tense atmosphere in the park and a great ding-dong encounter between the two best clubs in the county right now and for past number of years. Football in December can be poor, so it was good to see the year end with two teams pushing hard in a neck and neck battle decided by the last kick of the game, after such an awful county final and so many walkovers this year. Competing hard and fighting to win will only serve to improve club and county quality! LongfordgaaAbú (Longford) - Posts: 605 - 06/12/2021 12:59:57 2391844 Link
Replying To Ward30: "Keenan needs to do it within two years because Slashers have nothing coming through.The change in grades in recent years is to the detriment of counties like Longford. Also this 4 or 5 teams getting together to win a championship underage title is just the members of Carrickedmond, Ballymahon, Legan, Cashel, Killashee etc etc members of county boards pulling the proverbial. Look at who they have on board then get back to me." Completely agree that the grade changes are a disaster. Parachuting in a festive Under 19 competition at the 11th hour to try and save the day by giving young lads football in the worst part of the year, isn't the solution either. Need to move minor back to under 18 and ensure under 20 is back in 2022, even if something has to give to make that happen. That bridge from underage to senior is critical in determining the success of adult clubs and the county team. And don't get me started on those super amalgamations. LongfordgaaAbú (Longford) - Posts: 605 - 06/12/2021 13:10:02 2391848 Link
Replying To LongfordgaaAbú: "Completely agree that the grade changes are a disaster. Parachuting in a festive Under 19 competition at the 11th hour to try and save the day by giving young lads football in the worst part of the year, isn't the solution either. Need to move minor back to under 18 and ensure under 20 is back in 2022, even if something has to give to make that happen. That bridge from underage to senior is critical in determining the success of adult clubs and the county team. And don't get me started on those super amalgamations." agree with all there except go right back to u21. the way things were was fine. i hear a few clubs have this on the agenda for convention this week so it would be great if it comes in. slasher9 (Longford) - Posts: 252 - 06/12/2021 15:25:22 2391872 Link
big congratulations to slashers ladies on getting to leinster intermediate final. also colmcille on the junior. a great boost to the womens game in the county. the work that has gone on in slashers since founding the ladies game is phenomenal, reaping the rewards now that hopefully the county can see in the near future slasher9 (Longford) - Posts: 252 - 06/12/2021 15:31:12 2391873 Link
Replying To slasher9: "agree with all there except go right back to u21. the way things were was fine. i hear a few clubs have this on the agenda for convention this week so it would be great if it comes in." Agreed. Reset all and no more about it. LongfordgaaAbú (Longford) - Posts: 605 - 07/12/2021 12:25:10 2391973 Link
Well done to Longford Slashers and Colmcille ladies on getting to their respective Leinster Finals, good achievement and would be great for the ladies game in the county if both went on to win. Well done to St. Columba's on finishing the season with a fine treble of Championship, League and Leader Cup, not too often that is achieved. Killoe pushed them all the way but Mullinalaghta were a step above their level over the last 4 months. With Mullinalaghta 'maturing', and Killoe bringing through plenty of youth, I can see this rivalry getting tighter in the coming years (Killoe might even beat them in an important game), but most other teams are a bit behind both teams with lots of ground to make up. I agree with reverting back to U18 and U21 for obvious reasons stated already. The amalgamations are a more difficult topic, we do want to see more competitive matches and some small underage clubs simply haven't got the numbers to compete, but a balance of not overloading an amalgamation so as they are not clearly head and shoulders above all others needs to be met. This needs very careful planning when done. I would hope it is not at the whim of a few senior exec officers to see their club part of an unbeatable force but it would not surprise me. Best of luck to Bill O'Loughlin and the County Senior team for next year, they are our team after all, so I will support them no matter what goes on. The appointment took me (and all) by surprise, I will be equally surprised if it works out. Here is hoping. botheyesclosed (Longford) - Posts: 123 - 07/12/2021 16:47:27 2392017 Link
Replying To botheyesclosed: "Well done to Longford Slashers and Colmcille ladies on getting to their respective Leinster Finals, good achievement and would be great for the ladies game in the county if both went on to win. Well done to St. Columba's on finishing the season with a fine treble of Championship, League and Leader Cup, not too often that is achieved. Killoe pushed them all the way but Mullinalaghta were a step above their level over the last 4 months. With Mullinalaghta 'maturing', and Killoe bringing through plenty of youth, I can see this rivalry getting tighter in the coming years (Killoe might even beat them in an important game), but most other teams are a bit behind both teams with lots of ground to make up. I agree with reverting back to U18 and U21 for obvious reasons stated already. The amalgamations are a more difficult topic, we do want to see more competitive matches and some small underage clubs simply haven't got the numbers to compete, but a balance of not overloading an amalgamation so as they are not clearly head and shoulders above all others needs to be met. This needs very careful planning when done. I would hope it is not at the whim of a few senior exec officers to see their club part of an unbeatable force but it would not surprise me. Best of luck to Bill O'Loughlin and the County Senior team for next year, they are our team after all, so I will support them no matter what goes on. The appointment took me (and all) by surprise, I will be equally surprised if it works out. Here is hoping." The treble has been done five times I think since topping Division 1 started to be a title back in 1990... Twice by Mullinalaghta in 2021 & 2018, and once each by Clonguish in 2003, Fr. Manning Gaels in 1997 and Longford Slashers in 1991. I might be mistaken on that but am pretty sure it's right. Killoe did manage to beat Mulliinalaghta in the County Final of 2015... kindof an 'important game'. Certainly Mullinalaghta had the upper hand in most recent encounters. In terms of what is coming down the tracks, Clonguish must be due a breakthrough given the strength of their underage system in recent years. Watch that space! LongfordgaaAbú (Longford) - Posts: 605 - 08/12/2021 13:37:54 2392092 Link
Replying To LongfordgaaAbú: "The treble has been done five times I think since topping Division 1 started to be a title back in 1990... Twice by Mullinalaghta in 2021 & 2018, and once each by Clonguish in 2003, Fr. Manning Gaels in 1997 and Longford Slashers in 1991. I might be mistaken on that but am pretty sure it's right. Killoe did manage to beat Mulliinalaghta in the County Final of 2015... kindof an 'important game'. Certainly Mullinalaghta had the upper hand in most recent encounters. In terms of what is coming down the tracks, Clonguish must be due a breakthrough given the strength of their underage system in recent years. Watch that space!" You are right LongfordAbú, its only been done 5 times in 32 years, with 1 final in 2018 never played. In the last 10 years Killoe have won 5 Championships, 3 Leader Cups, and 1 Div.1 title (3 Championship /Leader Cup doubles). Mullinalaghta have won 4 Championships, 5 Leader Cups, and 4 Div.1 titles, along with that Leinster Club Championship (3 Championship /Leader Cup doubles). In terms of main club honours (the 3 mentioned county competitions) in Longford for the last decade, both clubs combined have won 22 out of 28 competitions which were finished, with Mullinalaghta leading the way, 13-9. (I love an aul stat.) In terms of breaking up this duopoly, I think Clonguish are well positioned too, but not in the next few years I'm afraid. Their underage system is the one in the county to be admired and learn from, but that will take at least 3 to 4 more years to transition into senior level. botheyesclosed (Longford) - Posts: 123 - 08/12/2021 16:16:23 2392112 Link
Replying To botheyesclosed: "You are right LongfordAbú, its only been done 5 times in 32 years, with 1 final in 2018 never played. In the last 10 years Killoe have won 5 Championships, 3 Leader Cups, and 1 Div.1 title (3 Championship /Leader Cup doubles). Mullinalaghta have won 4 Championships, 5 Leader Cups, and 4 Div.1 titles, along with that Leinster Club Championship (3 Championship /Leader Cup doubles). In terms of main club honours (the 3 mentioned county competitions) in Longford for the last decade, both clubs combined have won 22 out of 28 competitions which were finished, with Mullinalaghta leading the way, 13-9. (I love an aul stat.) In terms of breaking up this duopoly, I think Clonguish are well positioned too, but not in the next few years I'm afraid. Their underage system is the one in the county to be admired and learn from, but that will take at least 3 to 4 more years to transition into senior level." wow, that's incredible when you lay the numbers out like that. i agree that clonguish are in the best position and that it is a while away yet IF it happens, a big IF. i remember the 90s well when granard were winning everything at underage and never made the senior breakthrough, dromard never added another senior win after there 5 in a row u21 titles. nothing can be taken for granted and who knows what club could come through out of nowhere. i think colmcille will have a big say in the next few years too slasher9 (Longford) - Posts: 252 - 09/12/2021 09:28:45 2392147 Link
Replying To slasher9: "wow, that's incredible when you lay the numbers out like that. i agree that clonguish are in the best position and that it is a while away yet IF it happens, a big IF. i remember the 90s well when granard were winning everything at underage and never made the senior breakthrough, dromard never added another senior win after there 5 in a row u21 titles. nothing can be taken for granted and who knows what club could come through out of nowhere. i think colmcille will have a big say in the next few years too" Goes to show its not just about the players, need a strong committee on the 40 (Longford) - Posts: 156 - 09/12/2021 13:31:01 2392194 Link
Replying To botheyesclosed: "You are right LongfordAbú, its only been done 5 times in 32 years, with 1 final in 2018 never played. In the last 10 years Killoe have won 5 Championships, 3 Leader Cups, and 1 Div.1 title (3 Championship /Leader Cup doubles). Mullinalaghta have won 4 Championships, 5 Leader Cups, and 4 Div.1 titles, along with that Leinster Club Championship (3 Championship /Leader Cup doubles). In terms of main club honours (the 3 mentioned county competitions) in Longford for the last decade, both clubs combined have won 22 out of 28 competitions which were finished, with Mullinalaghta leading the way, 13-9. (I love an aul stat.) In terms of breaking up this duopoly, I think Clonguish are well positioned too, but not in the next few years I'm afraid. Their underage system is the one in the county to be admired and learn from, but that will take at least 3 to 4 more years to transition into senior level." For Under 21 Championships over past 10 years (8 finals)... Killoe = 5 Clonguish = 1 Colmcille = 1 Fr Manning Gaels = 1 For Minor Championships over past 10 years... Killoe = 3 Mullinalaghta/Abbeylara = 3 Clonguish = 1 Longford Slashers = 1 Mostrim/Sean Connollys = 1 Ballymahon/Killashee/ Cashel = 1 For Juvenile Championships over past 10 years (9 finals)... Killoe = 3 Clonguish = 3 Colmcille = 1 Mullinalaghta/Abbeylara = 1 Mostrim/Sean Connollys = 1 For Under 14 Championships over past 10 years... Killoe = 4 Longford Slashers = 3 Clonguish = 2 Granard = 1 The various warnings about underage not being an absolute measure are well founded, but underage structures and support in moving from underage to senior is more advanced now than it was during the days of Granards underage dominance in the 1990's or when Dromard were winning all those U21's. Doesn't guarantee success, but it is a useful marker for where experience and capability might be for future success. Getting the transition right is an artform. LongfordgaaAbú (Longford) - Posts: 605 - 09/12/2021 14:23:53 2392202 Link