Cavan Forum

Strategic plan for Cavan football

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After attending yesterday's all Ireland final & watching the mayo-Kerry semi final what are people's honest opinion on where the cavan team stand in comparison to the top teams & what are we doing to close the gulf that exists. We cannot just continue as we have over the past years hoping that our underage success will lead to a Ulster championship winning campaign. In my opinion we are within a group of probably 15 teams that are competitive, capable of beating a lot of teams on our day but falling more & more behind the top 3/4 teams. So how are we going to attempt to improve our team. Is there a strategic plan in place via the development squads at all levels to produce more physically athletic players ? Is there consistency of coaching at underage levels to produce game plans & styles of play suitable to our players strengths? Is the county board providing the guidance & resources to facilitate sustained success ? Genuine discussion lads please as without a plan we are doomed to continued failure & disappointment

bond (Longford) - Posts: 174 - 18/09/2017 22:37:00    2047789

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Replying To bond:  "After attending yesterday's all Ireland final & watching the mayo-Kerry semi final what are people's honest opinion on where the cavan team stand in comparison to the top teams & what are we doing to close the gulf that exists. We cannot just continue as we have over the past years hoping that our underage success will lead to a Ulster championship winning campaign. In my opinion we are within a group of probably 15 teams that are competitive, capable of beating a lot of teams on our day but falling more & more behind the top 3/4 teams. So how are we going to attempt to improve our team. Is there a strategic plan in place via the development squads at all levels to produce more physically athletic players ? Is there consistency of coaching at underage levels to produce game plans & styles of play suitable to our players strengths? Is the county board providing the guidance & resources to facilitate sustained success ? Genuine discussion lads please as without a plan we are doomed to continued failure & disappointment"
Very good post bond, from looking at mayo over the last few games the way they use players I think there is still place for the likes of ray cullivan, he's probably the best fielder of a ball in Cavan and I know people will say he won't last 70 mins but get him fit and get a good hard 30 35 out of him, the same with another few.we can't afford to over look quality like him, just on opinion.

blueman1903 (Cavan) - Posts: 882 - 19/09/2017 08:19:46    2047888

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Producing physically athletic players I 1 thing but the skills of the game are being lost in the process.
Mayo did everything right except kick the ball over the bar when it mattered.
No management can prepare for kicking a vital scoreable free off the post.
On the other hand Rock kick the free he had to. Because he's capable of kicking under pressure.
Teams and management are getting lost in physicality and athletism ..
Dublin have both but can also play football and kick scores under pressure.
That all comes down to sheer practice , they don't hope they kick them they know they can kick them.
I remember Seanie Johnston as a young fella spending endless hours in Terry Coyle park on his own kicking points from all angles.. Years and years he was at it. And it paid off.
But you don't see that nowadays.. it's Gym Gym Gym .
17/20 year olds get out and practice alone if necessary .fcuk the Gym at that age

Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 19/09/2017 11:32:41    2047970

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Replying To blueman1903:  "Very good post bond, from looking at mayo over the last few games the way they use players I think there is still place for the likes of ray cullivan, he's probably the best fielder of a ball in Cavan and I know people will say he won't last 70 mins but get him fit and get a good hard 30 35 out of him, the same with another few.we can't afford to over look quality like him, just on opinion."
Very good post bond, from looking at mayo over the last few games the way they use players I think there is still place for the likes of ray cullivan, he's probably the best fielder of a ball in Cavan and I know people will say he won't last 70 mins but get him fit and get a good hard 30 35 out of him, the same with another few.we can't afford to over look quality like him, just on opinion.
blueman1903 (Cavan) - Posts:438 - 19/09/2017 08:19:46 2047888


2016 championship Ray was the best midfielder in the county he would out jump and midfielder in the county and hold the ball mark made.THere was no midfielder better than him. He would be my first choice in midfield to form my spine even for 2018. Let go who's decision was that I wonder. Lavey missed him badly, for with him playing this year he was brilliant and Lavey were a good team around him.

The Quiet Man (Cavan) - Posts: 4601 - 19/09/2017 11:39:30    2047972

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Many things. Remaining in Division 1 this year would have been a help.
clubs need to better in Ulster
producing good forwards. Conor Smith and Caoimhin Reilly are good prospects. Probably need to get more conditioned.
A settled team and Squad. A lot of the mid ranking counties have big turnover of players. This doesn't really happen in Dublin, Mayo,Kerry unless

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2763 - 19/09/2017 11:52:30    2047985

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Hard to know where to start with this one.

On the one hand we're not a million miles off some of the top teams. Yes it was only the league but we game both Mayo and Kerry their fill of it.

On the other hand we collapsed against an average Tipp side and were out if the championship by mid july.

Leadership was missing that day for sure. A few clever players with game management ability needed.

It's been unbelievably frustrating to see no proper kickout strategy. Ray Galligan has a deadly accurate boot on him but there is no movement out the field. Management need to take the video of last year's league final (Dublin v Kerry 2016) and watch how Dublin backs ran their markers ragged for every kickout until space opened up for one of them to run into - if this is the biggest change to cavans play over the winter we will be a seriously improved outfit!

Up front we still look lightweight. I thought mcvitty looked good any time he went inside but his injury hampered his championship performances. In general tho, the ball needs to go in fast and it needs to stick when it does go in.

Would like to see a more settled team too.

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5010 - 19/09/2017 12:31:38    2048019

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Replying To FoolsGold:  "Many things. Remaining in Division 1 this year would have been a help.
clubs need to better in Ulster
producing good forwards. Conor Smith and Caoimhin Reilly are good prospects. Probably need to get more conditioned.
A settled team and Squad. A lot of the mid ranking counties have big turnover of players. This doesn't really happen in Dublin, Mayo,Kerry unless"
Only 9 of last years Dublins winning team started last Sunday so that's a fair turnover for even a winning team.
Our problem is we discard young players way too quickly.
How many of the 2011 winning u21 team are on the Senior panel now?
These lads would be only 26/27 and in their prime.
Same has happened to other winning u21 teams.

Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 19/09/2017 13:17:05    2048047

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A few were brought on as subs in the final. Not like they are no longer on the panel. Dublins strength and depth way above any one else.

No point using Dublin as an example when they can leave Connelly off the starting team.

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2763 - 19/09/2017 14:08:25    2048074

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It's clear now after Sunday and from the Tyrone hammering that the blanket defence system is finished and we need to forget about and move on with the Dubs attacking model of having at least four forwards in the forward line at all time. No more than two sweepers and just get our best lads out that can fit into that system and do a job, including lads like Cullivan being played for whatever length of game time he is for at the level. Matty hasn't shown at any of his previous jobs yet that he can pick and coach teams to play like this and if he isn't adopting this model in the early stages of the league then he should get the boot. We don't have the players that Dublin have obviously but might as well try to play to a system that could get us somewhere in a few years than to stick with a system that might scrape a win against the likes of Armagh and then see us get embarrased without even going for the game against an attack minded team like Kildare, Tipp, Mayo, Dublin. Also, if the football we are playing is less negative we might see some of the lads who are opting out year after year actually joining the panel and improving the standard of the team.

PatTheDandy (Cavan) - Posts: 356 - 19/09/2017 14:19:50    2048086

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Go to any championship game in Cavan and you'll see how far we are from any of the top teams. We are now in the same bracket as two of the top hurling teams, Clare & Tipperary, and neither of them would fear coming to Breffni Park to play us.

There's a reason why the Gaels have dominated football in Cavan at Senior Level in the last 10/15 years, top quality coaching back in the 80s/90s whilst every other club was doing nothing.

Cavan Football is in a sorry state, the club scene needs to be sorted before the County team can start making any sort of progress.

cavanblueman (Cavan) - Posts: 636 - 19/09/2017 15:39:37    2048138

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I agree wholeheartedly that the skills of the game cannot be neglected in any sense but for me they also have to be matched by the athleticism & sheer power that the top players pocess. There is no point being a bodybuilder with no skills but likewise no point in having the skills but not the strength to perform. Look at the likes of Barrett, Boyle, Moran, o Connor & McMahon, cooper, Kilkenny to name a few from last Sunday. None of them are exceptionally tall but all physical toned to perfection to facilitate there performance. I know people will say that Dublin & mayo have been doing strength & conditioning for years but have the cavan players not being doing this work as well?? Are the development squads doing this at various levels to allow young players coming onto the panel to compete?

bond (Longford) - Posts: 174 - 20/09/2017 09:52:45    2048434

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Replying To bond:  "I agree wholeheartedly that the skills of the game cannot be neglected in any sense but for me they also have to be matched by the athleticism & sheer power that the top players pocess. There is no point being a bodybuilder with no skills but likewise no point in having the skills but not the strength to perform. Look at the likes of Barrett, Boyle, Moran, o Connor & McMahon, cooper, Kilkenny to name a few from last Sunday. None of them are exceptionally tall but all physical toned to perfection to facilitate there performance. I know people will say that Dublin & mayo have been doing strength & conditioning for years but have the cavan players not being doing this work as well?? Are the development squads doing this at various levels to allow young players coming onto the panel to compete?"
The skills of the game are definitely been neglected in most Counties.
Where's the forwards 24/25 that can give us what Seanie Johnston gave at that age?
There's not there . Why? Because there no one practicing the shooting skills alone like he did at that age.
Yes power, pace, athleticism is all needed but the end result for a forward is scoring or making a score.
I'd seriously question the standard of coaching within the county.
It should not be just about the ABC of a coaching manual , it's also about spotting players with flair and helping them nurture their talent.

Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 20/09/2017 10:34:25    2048456

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Replying To Inaroundehouse:  "The skills of the game are definitely been neglected in most Counties.
Where's the forwards 24/25 that can give us what Seanie Johnston gave at that age?
There's not there . Why? Because there no one practicing the shooting skills alone like he did at that age.
Yes power, pace, athleticism is all needed but the end result for a forward is scoring or making a score.
I'd seriously question the standard of coaching within the county.
It should not be just about the ABC of a coaching manual , it's also about spotting players with flair and helping them nurture their talent."
it's easy to score when you are on your own. not so easy when you are surrounded and people hanging out of you or about to close you down.
The most important think is to keep moving and create space for yourself.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 20/09/2017 14:25:19    2048578

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Replying To bond:  "I agree wholeheartedly that the skills of the game cannot be neglected in any sense but for me they also have to be matched by the athleticism & sheer power that the top players pocess. There is no point being a bodybuilder with no skills but likewise no point in having the skills but not the strength to perform. Look at the likes of Barrett, Boyle, Moran, o Connor & McMahon, cooper, Kilkenny to name a few from last Sunday. None of them are exceptionally tall but all physical toned to perfection to facilitate there performance. I know people will say that Dublin & mayo have been doing strength & conditioning for years but have the cavan players not being doing this work as well?? Are the development squads doing this at various levels to allow young players coming onto the panel to compete?"
In the pen pics for the semi-final out of the 36 Dubs in the panel 35 were 5' 11" or taller.

opa01 (Cavan) - Posts: 500 - 22/09/2017 16:05:29    2049387

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Replying To s goldrick:  "it's easy to score when you are on your own. not so easy when you are surrounded and people hanging out of you or about to close you down.
The most important think is to keep moving and create space for yourself."
Tell that to the Senior panel

Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 23/09/2017 07:44:44    2049499

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Replying To bond:  "After attending yesterday's all Ireland final & watching the mayo-Kerry semi final what are people's honest opinion on where the cavan team stand in comparison to the top teams & what are we doing to close the gulf that exists. We cannot just continue as we have over the past years hoping that our underage success will lead to a Ulster championship winning campaign. In my opinion we are within a group of probably 15 teams that are competitive, capable of beating a lot of teams on our day but falling more & more behind the top 3/4 teams. So how are we going to attempt to improve our team. Is there a strategic plan in place via the development squads at all levels to produce more physically athletic players ? Is there consistency of coaching at underage levels to produce game plans & styles of play suitable to our players strengths? Is the county board providing the guidance & resources to facilitate sustained success ? Genuine discussion lads please as without a plan we are doomed to continued failure & disappointment"
That was my post last September in respect of what direction & guidance was been supplied to our county teams. This is my first post of 2018 & after attending the 2 home games in the Mckenna cup my heart goes out to the young lads who represented our county especially last night. Yes some of them are no where near good enough for the team but How could they be expected to be competitive against the ulster champions whom had 10/11 of there starting team & us with 2 players from last years team!!!! Fredflint stated it before the game give the lads s chance by st least playing a few more experienced players. My point remains where is the county board in this fiasco ? what plan is in place to provide progress ? Why are so many players dropping out in Comparison to other counties & what is being done to prevent this ?

bond (Longford) - Posts: 174 - 11/01/2018 10:01:30    2067759

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Replying To bond:  "That was my post last September in respect of what direction & guidance was been supplied to our county teams. This is my first post of 2018 & after attending the 2 home games in the Mckenna cup my heart goes out to the young lads who represented our county especially last night. Yes some of them are no where near good enough for the team but How could they be expected to be competitive against the ulster champions whom had 10/11 of there starting team & us with 2 players from last years team!!!! Fredflint stated it before the game give the lads s chance by st least playing a few more experienced players. My point remains where is the county board in this fiasco ? what plan is in place to provide progress ? Why are so many players dropping out in Comparison to other counties & what is being done to prevent this ?"
Well you ask about no forwards doing what S Johnston did when they were his age well I will name one person that did it regular and I make no bones about mentioning his name despite I am not a gaels fan. Paul O'Connor has been doing it since Tommy Carr was manager he did it all on his own and many times out on the back pitch on his own, but sadly tactics change and the system changes from manager to manager unfortunately more often than not it becomes a negative lateral or return back type game that not many like. Enday O'Reilly is another from Mullahoran.

The Quiet Man (Cavan) - Posts: 4601 - 11/01/2018 15:45:46    2067822

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Replying To seanorinn:  "Well you ask about no forwards doing what S Johnston did when they were his age well I will name one person that did it regular and I make no bones about mentioning his name despite I am not a gaels fan. Paul O'Connor has been doing it since Tommy Carr was manager he did it all on his own and many times out on the back pitch on his own, but sadly tactics change and the system changes from manager to manager unfortunately more often than not it becomes a negative lateral or return back type game that not many like. Enday O'Reilly is another from Mullahoran."
I understand what your saying but natural ability has to be practiced too.. regardless whether tactics or systems have changed the end result is you have to kick it over the bar.
Too many players nowadays are like racehorses who will run all day but not an ounce of skill in them.

Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 11/01/2018 17:11:57    2067841

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On the other hand we collapsed against an average Tipp side and were out if the championship by mid july.

Leadership was missing that day for sure. A few clever players with game management ability needed.

Re the above:

Ive heard from a few people that the boys werent looked after in the week or so coming up to that game.....Mattie had 2 intense, match intensity level training sessions on the weekend and midweek before the Tipp game, when it was unnecessary, and hence the lads were out on their feet.

A homegrown manager needs to be put in charge for a start. It cant be coincidence that there are so many gone from last years panel and backroom team.

There is not enough quality in Cavan to justify 12 or 14 Senior teams at Championship level. Either reduce the no of teams, or form amalgamations. Im not a huge fan of them to be honest, but if its likely to improve the quality of footballer we have then it has to be looked at

Crash Bang Wallop (None) - Posts: 268 - 30/01/2018 18:27:36    2072514

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Replying To Crash Bang Wallop:  "On the other hand we collapsed against an average Tipp side and were out if the championship by mid july.

Leadership was missing that day for sure. A few clever players with game management ability needed.

Re the above:

Ive heard from a few people that the boys werent looked after in the week or so coming up to that game.....Mattie had 2 intense, match intensity level training sessions on the weekend and midweek before the Tipp game, when it was unnecessary, and hence the lads were out on their feet.

A homegrown manager needs to be put in charge for a start. It cant be coincidence that there are so many gone from last years panel and backroom team.

There is not enough quality in Cavan to justify 12 or 14 Senior teams at Championship level. Either reduce the no of teams, or form amalgamations. Im not a huge fan of them to be honest, but if its likely to improve the quality of footballer we have then it has to be looked at"
It's all about confidence and momentum
We gained confidence from our u21s minors and u16s
But the momentum has ground to a shuddering halt.
We're back to square one and we've a long road ahead of us

We've some men around still with success in terms of getting teams to croker But We gave the top job Ronan inexperienced optimist

Setantawatchl (Cavan) - Posts: 132 - 31/01/2018 21:03:38    2072910

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