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O Shea call for counties to amalgamate

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Green and red,i agree 100%.It should be up to the counties and players themselves.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 27/01/2016 14:05:33    1819719

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The thing is, would you rather be part of a county that traditionally never wins anything but lives in hope of one day winning something and has a day out in croke park every generation or so OR part of a forced amalgamation that may have a slightly better chance of winning something

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5522 - 27/01/2016 14:11:32    1819724

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Goldrick,there should be nothing "forced"on anybody.If someday down the line there is a will from players up and down the country for radical change like this i think it would be worth a shot.If not,no problem,we stick with the pretty predictable current format.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 27/01/2016 14:18:57    1819727

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O'Shea just mentioned this as a possibility to change things. He did not suggest that it should happen.

There is no point to it anyway. Regardless of whether we have 32, 16, 8 teams etc there will always be somebody at the bottom. At the moment, as realman says, you would need to amalgamate a hell of lot of teams to get near the top teams. The gaelic football season has started yet the first really meaningful match that we will have is going to be late August when Dublin play Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final (which barring a miracle is going to go ahead). Mayo will play an Ulster team in the other semi which will also be a good game. Everything up to then will be one-sided or shadow boxing (see Mayo and Kerry teams this weekend to show how committed they are to winning that competition).

All these talk of amalgamations is fanciful.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 27/01/2016 14:19:40    1819728

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There's no real point going over and over the old debates that GAA isn't of interest to the average Dubliner. There's not even much point addressing the Games development funding that Dublin have received.

The debate needs to switch away from tradionally debates about county pride and on to how this sport can be modernised commercially and the only way that will be possible is with radical change.

Amalgamating counties so each one has a fair shot of success is one important inevtiability on this road.

realman2 (Kildare) - Posts: 464 - 27/01/2016 14:23:20    1819730

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I don't think this is a realistic option . Cannot see a few Connaught or Leinster and Munster sides wanting to become one big happy family and watering down the dynamic of a county's group. No , more investment in weaker counties yes but not this.

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 2148 - 27/01/2016 14:25:30    1819731

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ah here this fella really needs to turn up in the big games before making statements like this. Maybe Mayo need to amalgamate with galway and then we might get to win Sam

sxckev (Mayo) - Posts: 211 - 27/01/2016 14:29:07    1819737

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So realman are we on the same wavelength regards possible amalgamation after all?

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 27/01/2016 14:32:43    1819740

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How many counties would we have to amalgamate to makes things "competitive"? 10/11 counties in Leinster? 3 in Connacht? 4 in Munster? 2 or 3 in Ulster? Jeez that would be one small, quick, championship eh?

Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 27/01/2016 14:49:14    1819747

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In fairness, we give out about gaa players giving interviews that would be less entertaining than watching paint dry, yet when someone speaks openly, this is the response.

This should be a lesson to any gaa player - say nothing. The press only want you to slip up, and even if you manage to come out of that minefield unscathed, what you did say will be taken out of context and spun to suit themselves at every opportunity anyway. There is nothing to be gained from honesty with the press, or the public for that matter. Take the Tomas O'Se approach, speak all you want when you are retired.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 27/01/2016 14:52:57    1819751

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I was thinking 16 counties in total.Both hurling & football.And because of the reduction in teams we would be able to pay the players a decent salary.Fanciful i know but a man can dream cant he?

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 27/01/2016 14:57:52    1819753

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Would the whole idea of amalgamation work? There are several obstacles that would appear to arise, both logistically and strategically both the idea of giving up / sharing an identify with a former rival would be considered:
- Is it realistic to expect any county board to give up or share power?
- Would the extra travel for training etc., especially if larger counties / catchment areas amalgamate, be workable or doable for the average player?
- Would this affect the transfer of players between clubs?
- How would funds be distributed and how could it be guaranteed that this would happen fairly and equitably?
- Where would the amalgamated teams play? Would any county with a decent stadium give up their rights?
- Who would coach the amalgamated team and how would they avoid being accused of home county bias by players and fans? There would likely be disharmony if certain players (or clubs) were excluded and the fans are ridiculously fickle anyway so constant accusations of favouritism would be levelled. Who would even want to be a coach in such circumstances?

These are just a few stumbling blocks that came to mind straight away. Doubtless there are several others. I'd be very open to suggestions as to how to improve the game and its wellbeing in certain counties but I think the amount of obstacles to this particular plan make it unworkable.

Kurt_Angle (Dublin) - Posts: 567 - 27/01/2016 16:12:45    1819784

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TheMaster - I think it is an Irish thing in general....a large percentage of the population hate people speaking their mind, giving an opinion they disagree with have the attitude "who doe's he think he is?" or in Aidan's case "ah sure mayo have won nothing in x years" I have even found on forums like this people will throw that back at you for giving an opinion becuase you are from Mayo or could be Dublin, Tyrone etc for other reasons.
The same is there in business. Begrudge and talk everything down. I spend time in the US now and then and we could do worse then take some of their positive attitude's

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11690 - 27/01/2016 16:20:15    1819786

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yew_tree. I have no doubt it comes from some deep-seated, parochial over-familiarity with your neighbours and their business from Ireland of years ago. Although Id argue a lot of it comes from fans of rival counties who want to spin it to knock him, regardless of what he says.
The thing is, he should know it is coming at this stage, so why put yourself through it? As the saying goes, wrong me once shame on you, wrong me twice, shame on me.
He should do himself and his team mates a favour and politely tell the press to take a hike.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 27/01/2016 16:39:02    1819794

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No,stupid idea

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 27/01/2016 16:42:28    1819796

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cuederocket

Ye I understand he's only making suggestions and I respect the fact that the likes of himself and Marc Ó sé are coming out and showing they care about the games in weaker counties.

As someone who's been involved in intercounty football I can just see it rubbing some players in weaker counties the wrong way.
Aidan O'Shea is almost making a living off football, i.e was sorted with a local job, given a car by Audi and provided with gear by lifestyle, I think it's disresp by him to suggest that someone in Carlow who puts in as many hours in the gym and on the pitch can't even pull on their own counties Jersey.

Victorious87 (Wicklow) - Posts: 603 - 27/01/2016 16:53:09    1819801

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Stupid, it's amazing the way these ideas on amalgamations and B All Irelands always come from those in stronger counties who it won't affect

pj_mcmanus (Limerick) - Posts: 431 - 27/01/2016 16:54:05    1819802

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so everyone is in agreement that unless there is a desire from the counties this will effect, this idea should stay in fantasy land?

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2589 - 27/01/2016 19:39:37    1819839

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I agree with that but it's not long ago amalgation of clubs would have been seen at fantasy....I am not arrogant or naive enough to say county amalgation will, not happe in the future. However until the day comes that two so called weaker teams want to join up then no it won't happen. Blaming and getting all upset at O'Se for expressing an opinion and reading the full interview it's childish and stupid though.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11690 - 27/01/2016 20:59:16    1819864

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cuederocket you seem to ignore the far higher percentage of people aged 18 - 30 in Dublin then in more rural counties. To match Dublin's population you would have to put together Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Laois and Kilkenny, we would have some hurling team. Its very easy to look down from a perch in Croke park and tell weaker counties what to do. I would suggest you come down to Carrick on Shannon to the Roscommon Leitrim match to see how much a local rivalry means to people This idea that if you add a couple of counties together suddenly there going to become all Ireland contenders is ridiculous , similarly bigger is not always better if you at 3 of 6 smallest counties in population Roscommon and Monaghan are both in division 1 this year and Fermanagh got to the all Ireland quarter final last year.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 27/01/2016 21:08:58    1819867

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