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Donegal GAA thread

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Replying To heyday:  "We have been in 9 out of the last 11 Ulster finals,brand new centre of excellence,the LYIT in sigerson is a massive plus.Agreed the underage set up needs to be sorted.We are a the end of a cycle we how need to push on again"
Good man Peiladoir20.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8388 - 23/02/2023 10:47:41    2459850

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Yeah that's true. Look I'm as guilty of it as anyone, preaching away here anonymously. The only way under the current system that change will come about is if enough like-minded people get a mandate from their clubs to advocate for change at county meetings. The trouble is though that some people have been in postion for years, and there can be a "let's not rock the boat" attitude."
100 per cent. I have attended many county board meetings in a player and coaching capacity in order to vote on certain issues. They are painful, 3 hour plus meetings where people love talking about nothing. It's not exactly enticing. In my experience the best people and most forward thinking people in clubs are too busy with other things to commit to these monthly meetings.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8388 - 23/02/2023 10:51:21    2459853

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "Good man Peiladoir20."
im afraid your wrong on the status .

heyday (Laois) - Posts: 35 - 23/02/2023 11:14:47    2459858

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Replying To heyday:  "im afraid your wrong on the status ."
good man Peil20

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8388 - 23/02/2023 11:31:28    2459861

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "100 per cent. I have attended many county board meetings in a player and coaching capacity in order to vote on certain issues. They are painful, 3 hour plus meetings where people love talking about nothing. It's not exactly enticing. In my experience the best people and most forward thinking people in clubs are too busy with other things to commit to these monthly meetings."
I f the people that currently let their names go forward for the county board decided not to would that mean we would have no Co Board given that all the brilliant people are all too busy to go.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1153 - 23/02/2023 11:33:15    2459862

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Replying To gunman:  "I f the people that currently let their names go forward for the county board decided not to would that mean we would have no Co Board given that all the brilliant people are all too busy to go."
Think you are missing my overall point there.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8388 - 23/02/2023 11:57:59    2459866

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "Think you are missing my overall point there."
It might be the case that you have these serial "meeting goers" that don't make much of a contribution but if these "forward thinking people" that you talk about were interested enough or cared I am sure they could make the time..

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1153 - 23/02/2023 12:12:35    2459867

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Can we forget about this county board stuff as we have no control over it.
What will our team be on Sunday? Could we ambush the Tribesmen?

Ulsterchamps72 (Donegal) - Posts: 106 - 23/02/2023 12:20:53    2459871

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "100 per cent. I have attended many county board meetings in a player and coaching capacity in order to vote on certain issues. They are painful, 3 hour plus meetings where people love talking about nothing. It's not exactly enticing. In my experience the best people and most forward thinking people in clubs are too busy with other things to commit to these monthly meetings."
Yeah I suppose it's a bit like the way county management has gone. I read an interview with Kevin McStay recently where he was saying that only for he's retired from the Defence Forces he didn't think he'd have the time necessary to fully dedicate himself to the requirements of the Mayo job. Jack O'Connor said something similar and our own Paddy Carr has only recently retired.

If you had a team of recently retired business professionals with a keen interest in GAA who were looking for a project to keep themselves busy in retirement then working within a GAA county Board could be it! But I guess it would still be up to the clubs to propose these types of people in order for their progressive ideas to be heard & implemented.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9767 - 23/02/2023 12:34:25    2459874

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Replying To MickyThePost:  "This thread is becoming farcical. Nothing is going to be solved posting anonymously on a forum.

If people have an opinion go to your club meetings. Air your opinion there and have your club delegate bring it up at a county board meeting."
Couldn't possibly agree less. Donegal clubs are as cliqueish as they ever have been when it comes to administration and airing an opinion which doesn't resonate well with the powers that be can be damaging to your social standing in rural Ireland.

When the logic and facts are laid bare online, whether anonymously or not, everyone can see the goings-on for what they are. I've yet to see any decent defence for the executive anonymously or otherwise.

SurelyToGod (Donegal) - Posts: 452 - 23/02/2023 12:52:06    2459879

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Replying To gunman:  "It might be the case that you have these serial "meeting goers" that don't make much of a contribution but if these "forward thinking people" that you talk about were interested enough or cared I am sure they could make the time.."
No arguing with you my point is these meetings are often farcical and go around in circles.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8388 - 23/02/2023 13:06:19    2459881

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Replying To SurelyToGod:  "Couldn't possibly agree less. Donegal clubs are as cliqueish as they ever have been when it comes to administration and airing an opinion which doesn't resonate well with the powers that be can be damaging to your social standing in rural Ireland.

When the logic and facts are laid bare online, whether anonymously or not, everyone can see the goings-on for what they are. I've yet to see any decent defence for the executive anonymously or otherwise."
I completely agree. I know a lot of good progressive people in my clubs won't even attend meetings any more. I've seen where a vote was imminent, the phones were going flat out, and the backup votes arrived out of thin air, leaving the person with the fresh ideas looking like a Pariah, risking having their names blackened, or a loss of custom if they have their own business. The election of County Board delegates is often just a hat tip, to rubber stamp the same old, same old. And I honestly don't think that my home club, or my present club are any different to most other clubs nationwide, not just a Donegal thing.

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 781 - 23/02/2023 13:38:34    2459889

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Donegal football is at a critical point, Does it want to move forward or is it happy doing things as we have always done them? Countless other counties are progressing and moving forward. This all started from low points in their own counties and then deciding as a county that they would no longer accept things the way they are and then deciding to put structures in place to benefit the county going forward. There are about a dozen examples offhand where this has happened. Dublin began over 20 years ago, Limerick nearly 15, Galway were an absolute shambles 4/5 years ago with governance and structures, Cork, Offally, Clare, Louth to name a few. People should speak to people from them counties and see how progressive they are and the structures they are putting in place.
It has been interesting how quiet the media and some of our former players who are in the media every week have been. The academy was too progressive for our executive and delegates who would have little knowledge or education of high performance sport. But could they just not have supported Lacey and also some of the people who were getting involved. Imagine, McGuinness, Lacey, McGlynn, Murphy, McGrath, Leo and people shaping ur next generation of footballers. Will it cost money to do things properly? Of course it will.

ryan (Donegal) - Posts: 748 - 23/02/2023 15:54:33    2459909

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Replying To ryan:  "Donegal football is at a critical point, Does it want to move forward or is it happy doing things as we have always done them? Countless other counties are progressing and moving forward. This all started from low points in their own counties and then deciding as a county that they would no longer accept things the way they are and then deciding to put structures in place to benefit the county going forward. There are about a dozen examples offhand where this has happened. Dublin began over 20 years ago, Limerick nearly 15, Galway were an absolute shambles 4/5 years ago with governance and structures, Cork, Offally, Clare, Louth to name a few. People should speak to people from them counties and see how progressive they are and the structures they are putting in place.
It has been interesting how quiet the media and some of our former players who are in the media every week have been. The academy was too progressive for our executive and delegates who would have little knowledge or education of high performance sport. But could they just not have supported Lacey and also some of the people who were getting involved. Imagine, McGuinness, Lacey, McGlynn, Murphy, McGrath, Leo and people shaping ur next generation of footballers. Will it cost money to do things properly? Of course it will."
Yeah there's no doubt that modernising things costs money. But just say for example, some very wealthy benefactor gave €10m to Donegal GAA. Would you be confident it would be used wisely? I'm not so sure I would.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9767 - 23/02/2023 16:14:33    2459912

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Yeah there's no doubt that modernising things costs money. But just say for example, some very wealthy benefactor gave €10m to Donegal GAA. Would you be confident it would be used wisely? I'm not so sure I would."
That's why we have no money, any man with sense that has money if he put money into Donegal GAA, he hasn't a clue where it is going. Donegal GAA brand should easily be bringing in a couple of million every year in sponsorship with a proper commercial plan. Cork GAA have 2 people working full-time as commercial managers to raise funds for Cork GAA. Dublin have been doing it for 20 years.

ryan (Donegal) - Posts: 748 - 23/02/2023 16:53:29    2459917

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We absolutely have to get the academy set up again. But it has to be set up right. It clearly wasn't the last time, whoever's fault that was is not clear. Some of the things I'm hearing are worrying.

Let's put structures in place now that are bestt for Donegal football and get all parties to agree to them, that's the only way it can it work.

I think the board are right to be working in the background to resolve this, publicly releasing statements would only escalate things.

And one area out academy needs to extend to is looking after the S&C of our under 18 and 19 players who are not in the U20 squad. We are so far behind other counties in Ulster in that area.

SignTheContract (Donegal) - Posts: 197 - 23/02/2023 19:01:50    2459929

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Back to the next game v Galway
Our record is abysmal in Letterkenny but stats are there to be broken
We have a young team and this leads to ups and downs due to inexperience
We can win I have no doubt but every player needs to take the bull by the horns
Dont wait for someone else to do it , be adventurous
My Pint is always half full and hopefully we perform on Sunday

Let Galway know that they are in our back yard, and get stuck in, in their faces approach!

Donegal to win by 1 point with Gallen kicking the winner

Lotto numbers to follow......

thereporter (Donegal) - Posts: 38 - 23/02/2023 20:33:46    2459943

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Replying To Ulsterchamps72:  "Can we forget about this county board stuff as we have no control over it.
What will our team be on Sunday? Could we ambush the Tribesmen?"
not if we had 10 goes at them!

beidhmeanseo (Donegal) - Posts: 143 - 24/02/2023 08:55:28    2459952

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Replying To SignTheContract:  "We absolutely have to get the academy set up again. But it has to be set up right. It clearly wasn't the last time, whoever's fault that was is not clear. Some of the things I'm hearing are worrying.

Let's put structures in place now that are bestt for Donegal football and get all parties to agree to them, that's the only way it can it work.

I think the board are right to be working in the background to resolve this, publicly releasing statements would only escalate things.

And one area out academy needs to extend to is looking after the S&C of our under 18 and 19 players who are not in the U20 squad. We are so far behind other counties in Ulster in that area."
I can't argue whether or not we are behind other counties in Ulster in regard to S&C but last year our U-20s lost to Tyrone in extra time and our minors lost out on penalties to them.Close games.Our U-16s were also beaten by them in the Buncrana cup final.I didn't see the minor game but I was at the U-20 and U16 games.The U-20s put up a great battle and nearly beat a more polished team.The U-16s were well beaten by a more potent team with one of their forwards scoring 4 goals.Tyrone won these games not with S&C but because they had more class in their forward line.McGroddy was the only forward that really looked the part for the 20s yet we ran them close because we had the likes of Tobin and Dunleavy among others in that squad.I would like to see Kieran Tobin get a run on Sunday in his own ground.I think he is a great prospect.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1153 - 24/02/2023 10:59:32    2459974

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In relation to the academy debacle, there may have been a reluctance to engage in dialogue to resolve the issues at hand.. that is the first point I would make. In the second instance the whole problem may have arisen from people backtracking on a previous agreement. If the county board wants an academy it will cost money, it is time they got up off their backsides and actively cultivated the diaspora and other business sector elements to fund it. This could be done by engaging of successful business people or those in PR with a strong Donegal GAA connection. These people do exist, in Dublin, London, New York and further afield. I've heard figures of 250 to 400k to run the academy, small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. The issue is we have people with small minds others have mentioned on here they are serial committee goers who are not original thinkers or even have the nous to look at other counties and see what's working there

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 1064 - 24/02/2023 13:55:12    2460005

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