"I'M Finished With That Now, And Life Is Already Much Better" - 6 Like(s)
On the 1 November 1884, a group of Irishmen gathered in the Hayes' Hotel billiard room to formulate a plan and establish an organisation to foster and preserve Ireland's unique games and athletic pastimes. And so, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded. It was set up for all to enjoy - men, women & children.
The current hierarchy in Croke Park have ruined that. They have allowed the game to become elitist, its no longer a game for everyone, its only a game for those willing to put their personal lives on hold. Gone are the days where every child in the local community represented their clubs, children are now turning to other sports for enjoyment. Gone are the days where teams gathered in the local after a match for a pint and a few sandwiches and socialised with the supporters from their community. Players are now expected to train like professional athletes, even on non training days they are told to got to the gym. The ordinary club footballer has been left behind because County Boards are under pressure to maintain their County Teams and for what, to feed the coffers in Croke Park, to satisfy the contracts with RTE and Sky.
Its now crept into schools and colleges and as well. I've seen it as recently as this week with under age lads, they've trained 6 times out of 7 days, and thats only with their school and County development squad, they havent yet done anything with their club.
And people wonder why Paddy quit!
cavanblueman (National) - 22/02/2018 13:34:21
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Cavan v Monaghan - 3 Like(s)
You heard it here first....Cavan will deploy a very defensive system on Sunday, the aim being to stop McManus & McCarron. They've been deploying those tactics in training for the last 6 weeks, so it will be up to Monaghan to break them down, and in my opinion, if Cavan keep their discipline, they could win this game.
But, there's a lot of gibberish coming from a lot of Cavan supporters. Monaghan are among the better teams in the Country, they've held their own in Division One for a few years and won two recent Ulster Titles. Cavan have won nothing since 1997, we are on par with Tipperary & Clare as it stands, both better known as hurling strongholds. I'm afraid thats where Cavan Football is at the moment, and unless that get a good run in this years Championship, we'll still be on par with them. Outside of Cavan, nobody actually cares about Cavan Football, we are not a threat to any of the bigger teams, they view us as they view the likes of Westmeath, Laois etc - if even we beat Monaghan on Sunday, Tyrone and Donegal will see it as a very comfortable Ulster Final for them. So take off your blue blinkered glasses and get to grips with the fact that Cavan Football is where we belong, in the 2nd tier of Gaelic Football.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 08/06/2017 12:28:16
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Cavan v Monaghan - 3 Like(s)
Same crap different year...same lads spouting rubbish that we are better than Monaghan and we should be beating them. Lets no forget the failures of the last few years, and more importantly, the fact that we got relegated from Division one having been beaten by Roscommon, which coincidentally was their only win in that Division.
Give Monaghan the respect they deserve, they've won an Ulster Final in recent years and have held their own in Division One for a few years, so they deserve the title of being favorites. Cavan have done and won nothing in years, so lower your expectations and get your heads out of the sand.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 04/05/2017 08:59:51
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Cavan Seniors 2022 - 3 Like(s)
Replying To ForeverBlue2: "Not a word from Loughduff Lad since the Final….! Maybe he now admits this current set up with Cavan is just not working… penny has dropped" If people listened to you, then Padraig Joyce wouldn't be leading Galway into an All-Ireland Final this weekend.
Look at his record before this year, the like's of you would have been calling for his head.
As Joyce said, lose one match and people will be looking for you to go.
Supporters like you think we have the same calibre of players as they do in Dublin and Kerry. The fact is we dont, we have good players but they are not top class players, yet Mickey has made them more competitive than any manager has done in Cavan in 30 years. Reaching two Ulster Final in a 5 year tenure is nothing short of remarkable given what went before him.
People talk about Terry and Matty in Division One, the reason we reached Division One was because the majority of teams in those Division's were breaking in new blood whilst Cavan were fielding first team players in every match. Matty or Terry could barely win an opening championship match. Yes, we got demoted under Graham, but he didnt mind, he used the league to blood new players and you can see the improvement in those players.
We could get Mickey Moran, Mickey Harte or Jim Gavin into manage Cavan but the fact is, the calibre of player isnt there, and no doubt after a few losses, you'll be calling for their heads too!
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 20/07/2022 13:36:01
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New Cavan Manager - 3 Like(s)
Replying To ForeverBlue2: "Everyone knows he didn't manage another County team because he said when he finished up with Cavan he would never manage another county… He managed his club Killcar for a while…. I never said to avoid McGuinness because he didn't manage anyone else … I said it was because of the type of football he would have the team playing… although it wouldn't be much different than the sleep fest Graham was having them play…:." Thats just nonsense, McHugh never said he wouldnt manager another County again, he merely said he was taking time out for family reasons.
The gamed evolved through the years and Jim Gavin set the standards, McGuinness had to find a way to beat the Dubs and by God he did and he'll be forever remembered for doing so, the difference being, he had a group of players to suit his system so trying to predict what he's going to do in his next job is impossible, he would have learned quite a lot over his time in soccer and completing his Uefa Coaching badge, not just about tactics but also as a man manager and new ideas so I've no doubt we'll see a new Donegal next year and they'll probably be in the reckoning for Ulster. He would've been ideal for Cavan, he would have brought a professionalism and a discipline to Cavan that we've never seen before.
As Mickey Graham, Mickeys name will be forever in the record books as the man that brought the Anglo Celt Cup back to Cavan after many many years and your whinging and moaning wont make a difference!
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 22/08/2023 15:29:03
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Mayo vs Clare - 3 Like(s)
Mayo are in the same bracket as Dublin, Kerry, Tyrone, Donegal & arguably Monaghan who were given a nasty shock by Down. Mayo have put it up to the other top teams over the last few years and fully deserve to be respected.
Clare have been phenomenal in their achievements as have Tipperary, and they may well run Mayo tight in Ennis, but for people to say that Mayo are a poor team and rate them behind the likes of Cavan & Meath, thats pure nonsense.
cavanblueman (National) - 07/07/2017 08:16:37
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Cavan Seniors 23 - 3 Like(s)
Replying To ForeverBlue2: "Don't worry it won't happen…" Such nonsense, Lynch is a fine footballer and would fit into many county teams, put him in a top team and he would flourish like most good forwards because he'd be playing with better footballers.
The biggest problem with Cavan Football is Cavan Supporters. They are delusional in most cases, they think Cavan should be up there competing with the top teams. Its been a long long time since Cavan ever competed with top teams, since the 60s to be exact and it will be a long time into the future before they ever do, thats if they ever do. Cavan Football is average at best (the fact that we waited 30 years for an Ulster Title, is testament to that). Mickey Graham is a once in a life time manager, he came into the fold, and won an Ulster Senior Football Title in 2020, the first since 1997, Martin McHugh was the same, Cavan hadn't won an Ulster Title since since 1969 and then McHugh came along, in other words, Cavan have one a grand total of 2 Ulster Championships since 1969, thats 2 titles in 51 years.
To put it into context, Cavan have the same amount of provincial titles in the 2000's as Westmeath and Laois have, so embrace the Tailteann Cup and if we win it, go and celebrate it the way Westmeath celebrated it last year.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 19/05/2023 12:00:22
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Monaghan GAA thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To PolicemanFox: "This is a great opportunity for Monaghan now. I'm sure VInny will be impressing on the players that this is the time and to give the full 70+ minutes. Now, not next year or when they're a bit further on journey. 2013 especially felt like an opportunity missed as did 2018 and it's a long road back when you let opportunities slip away.
Dublin are obviously hot favourites and the last two performances against Dublin in the championship were very poor, especially 2017 where Monaghan looked stagestruck. If the players acquit themselves well and give it the full shot then that's all they can do and I'd be happy with that.
I was at the game on Saturday and I thought it was unbeliveably exciting, so I was surprised at the amount of bile coming in Monaghan and Armagh's direction after the game. The same people would be delighted if their own country got a win like that. Some people just like to complain but it's tedious listening to the endless negativity. I wish they wouldn't bother watching. Compared to the first game on Saturdayand the 2 on Sunday, it provided serious entertainment value. Anyone who remembers the dire all ireland semi-finals in the 70s and early 80s where were hardly anyone was in attendance and serious beatings were being handed out to the Connacht and Ulster champions has got to accept that things are much better now.
In the last two games Vinny has got the matchups and the substitutions correct (except for one obvious one which nearly cost Monaghan on Saturday). Monaghan also laid down some big hits during the game, none more so than from Mohan at the end. Can't understand why some people thought it was a foul.
I'm hoping the the team will put in a performance that they can be prod of. They've delivered a lot of entertainment to the fans so far this year and it's been great to follow them this far. I hope they can take the net step." As a Cavan man and a neutral, I really enjoyed the match, it was a cagey tactical battle between two very good teams, neither team wanting to give an inch to the other so fair play to both teams and the efforts of all the players on the pitch.
Can Monaghan beat the Dubs, who knows, but having watched them over the years, if they dont, it wont be because of effort. I think defensively, Monaghan wont give away too much, but the forwards will have to work very hard for their scores, they'll need to be patient and intelligent with their passing and you never know, its a one off match and anything could happen, so best of luck to our neighbours and rivals!
cavanblueman (National) - 04/07/2023 15:40:06
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The Qualifiers - 2 Like(s)
Jim Gavin could take over Cavan next year and there wouldn't be an improvement. You cant teach players to be intelligent, or to do intelligent things on pitch, a player either has intelligence or he hasn't, sadly, the majority of footballers in Cavan lack any sort of footballing intelligence. A manager can only pick the team, he cant play the match for them. Go to any club game in Cavan, the football is absolutely terrible, but it has been for a long time. The issue is not with management, the issue is with the County Board and their continuing ignorance towards grass roots and development. The underage structure in Cavan is in massive, massive trouble, yet they continue to ignore it year after year. All they're interested in is each club sending in 2/3 players to development squads with the remaining players left behind to fend for themselves. And its clear that these development squads do not work. They introduced a new U17 grade, yet multiple clubs were unable to field teams, so many games were conceded. Two of these clubs are senior (Gaels and Killygarry) conceded 3/4 games each, so surely when two of your bigger senior clubs are unable to field teams, it must fire off some sort of warning shot ! There were no rules for how clubs amalgamate at all, some clubs amalgamated, yet were able to put two teams in some underage competitions and they then let the County U17 manager dictate fixtures and tell young lads not to play with their clubs. Then you have multiple players in every club over the age of 17 who have played no football this year. They now have to wait for a Mickey Mouse u21 competition that nobody cares about to commence in November. The County Board decided there was no need for an u19 competition because those players would have enough football playing reserve and senior football - they are so far detached from reality, they cant see the massive drop out rate with kids turning to other sports.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 25/06/2018 13:31:19
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National League 2019 - 2 Like(s)
I've see a lot of positives from this team in the last 3 matches to suggest things are going very well. The players look happy, they seem to be playing with freedom and expression, good open attacking football, and with a bit of belief in themselves. It will take a few more weeks to knock the defensiveness attitude out of some of the older players. Yes, we are lacking a bit of quality and need to cut out some of the small errors, but in fairness, the work rate and fitness is as good as I've seen from Cavan in a long time. We've gone toe to toe with some of the best teams in the County, fine margins between us, so if we can push on and perform well for 70 mins, I have no doubt we can remain in Division One. Tyrone & Roscommon are very beatable from what I've seen, and apart from the Dublin win, Monagahan are beatable also, and Conor McManus doesn't seem to up to speed at the moment.
I predict us getting points against these 3 teams, and if we do, then the Championship is going to be very exciting. Dont be surprised if we win an Ulster Championship this year.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 12/02/2019 13:51:38
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Cavan Seniors - 1 Like(s)
Kerry and Dublin are the best teams in the Country by a mile. Then you have the likes of the Tier Two Teams, Mayo, Galway, Tyrone always knocking on the door, then occasionally, along come the Tier three teams, Roscommon, Monaghan, Derry (recent times), Donegal (slowly disappearing but will rebuild) Armagh and Cork (slowly improving.
Dublin and Kerry will always make an Ireland Semi-Final or Final at best (if drawn apart).
The you have the tier 4 teams and I include Cavan in those teams along side the likes of Clare, Down, Westmeath, Sligo, Tipperary, Kildare, Meath, Fermanagh, and that my friends is where Cavan Football is at the moment and has been for quite a while. So I think people need to be very realistic about Cavan Football and acknowledge that Graham got the best out of this team and it could be another 30 years before another manager wins another Provincial title. So whilst its easy to criticise management, I think people need to take a good look at above and acknowledge the truth.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 04/07/2023 14:54:07
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Cavan Club Championships 2018 - 1 Like(s)
I still think the Gaels will have a last minute bust to get into the Q Finals. I think Killygarry wont have enough firepower to beat Cootehill. I think Gowna could pull it off against Ramor, Lavey to beat Shercock the Gaels get can pull it off against Lacken to get into the Q Finals, once the Gaels get their foot in the door, the great pretenders Castlerahan will start looking over their shoulders thinking here we go again.....
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 04/09/2018 14:29:48
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Cavan v Monaghan - 1 Like(s)
Replying To MadgeKing: "The prophets of doom have emerged on queue. We always knew who the opposition for Round1 was going to be so nothing has changed. There is a lot stupid talk by Cavan lads on this forum about how bad/lucky/limited Monaghan are. We should be big enough to accept that they are where they are on merit i.e. not All Ireland contenders but a decent Div1 side in good shape. That said I still say they have a brittle mentality which can be exploited if a well organized and committed team gets under them early.
So the question is not about them, but whether this Cavan team has it in them to believe they can turn Monaghan over on our home ground. Yes the league was poor enough but look at where Cavan could have an advantage in matchups. There are goals to be got from G.Mac at full forward, he has the aerial beating of Wylie all day. Midfield too can be a strong point for Cavan especially with Hughes out. Plus Cavan's half back line if selected properly can dominate by defending the run against a Monaghan 10-11-12 that doesn't want to kick the ball. All the focus is on the scoring threat offered by Monaghan's inside line which is very strong on paper, but they don't much pace and are as ordinary looking as ours if the quick ball is stopped at source. Clarke and Faulkner will be up for it. This is not delusional thinking but a genuine shout at identifying areas to hit hardest. There is always a way to beat Monaghan- Mattie McGleenan and co. have to put the doubts aside and build a plan to do it." Brittle Mentality......remind us again how Cavan fared against Roscommon in the last game of the league, with Cavan knowing a win would see them safe, and Roscommon having won none of their previous matches.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 23/05/2017 17:10:05
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Cavan v Monaghan - 1 Like(s)
Its a Championship match, its a local derby, so anything can happen, so it shouldn't be a surprise if Cavan did get a win.
But it doesn't make them better than Monaghan. Monaghan deserve huge respect, they've maintained their Division one status for a few years now, they've won an Ulster Title and deserve to be tagged as favorites, so please stop this nonsense of Cavan being the better team.
If Cavan beat them, then huge respect to Cavan for being the better team on the day.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 23/05/2017 17:14:57
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National League 2019 - 1 Like(s)
At the end of the day, the same old mistakes let us down, and it seems to be the same players making those errors. A manager can put as much work into a team as he possibly can, but when you have those same players running into tackles, getting turned over and losing possession, making silly passes, there's not much a manager can do, yes he can sort out who is taking the frees, but he cant make a decision for a player in possession of a ball.
If we analyse any of our games, we've had as much possession as the opposition, but its what you do with the possession that counts. McVeety, Moynagh, Holla all through the league have been turned over by needlessly running into tackles time and time again, these lads are meant to be experienced players yet constantly do it. Ill discipline from the usual suspects have also been costly and thats not just this season, they've done it over the last 4/5 years as well.
Plenty of positives to be brought into the Championship, but cut out the sill errors and keep the discipline and we may just make a bit of progress.
But Cavan supporters need to be realistic, I see some lads saying they wouldn't swap McVeety for Ryan McHugh, a player of the year, Ulster and All Ireland winner - thats the kind of supporter we're dealing with here, the kind of delusional supporter who thinks Cavan are a top flight team and have the players that would grace most top teams. People need to lower their expectations, and once you do that, you'll become less disappointed. I've said it time and time again, Cavan Football is in serious trouble, the underage structure is in ruins, has been for a long time now and getting worse by the week. Multiple players aged between 17 & 20 have no football now and are walking away. The County Board had a chance to move the u17 back to u18, they had a chance to revamp the u20/u21 competition, but what did they do, they organised a mickey mouse u21 spring league, giving clubs a weeks notice, some of the big clubs didnt enter, whilst some of other big clubs are conceding matches cause they cant field players, off course you cant field players, because most of them have walked away as soon as they became overage for u17 and there was nothing else for them. For the record, soccer, basketball, rugby and event athletics are all thriving now in Cavan.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 19/03/2019 15:07:45
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New Cavan Manager - 1 Like(s)
Mickey won an Ulster Senior Championship medal with Cavan in 1997 under one of our best managers. He also won a number of Cavan Senior Championship medals playing under some good managers, he managed under age county teams and most recently managed a club team in Longford to two senior championship wins, something that Mullineaghta hadn't done in years. Terry won a few ulster u21 titles and a Cavan Intermediate title, yet his appointment as senior manager was viewed as an excellent appointment.
Mickey's view on football hasn't changed from when he won an Ulster Title, scores win games, attacking football gets scores, so if anything, he will have Cavan playing a brand of football that the players and supporters will enjoy. It wont be easy and he needs to be given time. At the moment, all the other division one teams are superior to us. Its not Mickeys fault, its not Matties fault and its not Terrys fault, the fact is, we simply lacking in quality footballers, we have some fine footballers, they work and train hard, but we simply do not have what it takes to compete against the top teams. I think the sooner people realise that, they'll lower their expectations. I've been to a number of championship matches at all levels over the last few weeks, and you simply would not pick out a quality county footballer.
It will take time, but not just time at senior level, there needs to be a complete overhaul at underage level two. The Frank Murphy's in the County Board and clubs around the County need to get their heads out of the sand and stop looking back at the past. We need a vision for the future, young players are getting fed up, theyre quitting football, clubs need to start looking at themselves, many clubs have no futures and need to start thinking whats next, parish amalgamations or risk going under, its the reality, look at the amount of underage amalgamations, they're growing, growing because club numbers are decreasing, look at the u15 & 17 fixtures, look at the amount of games being conceded......
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 23/08/2018 09:44:29
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Where Now For Cavan Football,?? It Must Be Divisional Teams To Get New Talent - 1 Like(s)
The success of any underage coaching is not what you win at underage but what you can bring through to your senior squad on an annual basis in order to compete at the highest level. Testament to the Gaels, they have always done that and are always there or thereabouts come championship time. Gowna are another great example of this, they compete on their own at underage where they can, sometimes numbers dictates they amalgamate but they always manage to bring in younger players every 1 or 2 years. The problem with most clubs now are that they are so focused on winning at underage and fielding strongest players, they forget about the late developers and they forget about reaping the long term benefits for their senior teams.
I read a great article about Nemo Rangers in Cork recently, their aim is to develop every underage player, they have no interest in winning underage leagues or championships, if they do, its a bonus, but everyone gets a game. If they have sufficient numbers in any age group, they play those players regardless of ability, they dont call up younger players with greater ability. They've been doing this for 20/30 years, yet they've won 7 All Irelands, 17 Munster Titles, 23 Cork Senior Championships, 5 Intermediates, 14 Under 21s, 11 Minors, so surely this is worth looking at from a development point of view.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 27/06/2023 16:11:25
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Cavan Seniors 23 - 1 Like(s)
Replying To ForeverBlue2: "No response from all the posters who were fawning over Mickey Graham and his team selection on Saturday morning…. We are all very disappointed but it's time to voice your opinions and concerns about how this turned out… Apart from an unusual type of an Ulster win ( it was brilliant at an awful time ) there is no doubt we have gone backwards at a serious rate under Micky Graham and his various management teams….. Our style of football is woefully boring and yields nothing when we come up against any half decent opponents…." As I said before, the manager can pick a team, but once they're on the pitch its up to them to perform. We lost to Antrim and Fermanagh a few weeks back, played a terrible 1st half in Croker, but then the players decided to up it a level and win well in the end. Thats down to the players.
At the end of the day, if the players dont perform, there's nothing management can do about it. He has the best players in the County on the panel, picked his strongest 15 based on training, league performance and challenges between the league final the Armagh match. Its not managements fault that the players slowed the game down, didnt make runs, kicked 16 wides, made wrong decisions, we are talking about senior inter county footballers making the same silly errors and decisions week in and week out.
Graham could decide to walk this year and then what, bring in another manager to manage same group of players. But be careful what you wish for. Remember the black death and our abysmal record in the Championship under a certain you know who. Graham We go to an Ulster Final in 2019, the first appearance since 2001, won an Ulster Final in 2020, our first title in 30 years and the first time Cavan got to back to back Ulster Finals since the 60s.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 25/04/2023 15:56:07
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Cavan Seniors 23 - 1 Like(s)
Replying To ForeverBlue2: "Paddy Lynch is a decent enough forward when playing against weak Div 3/4 opponents but when up against better teams he is found out…some of his misses v Armagh were not that of a top forward.. He wouldn't be in the same league at all as either Seani Johnston or Martin Dunne when it comes to converting chances…. He might well shoot the lights out against some of these teams in the Taltainn Cup ( hopefully) but in big championship games he is easily enough handled…" Lynch is one of the best forwards in the County, you could put David Clifford in that Cavan Team and present and he'd struggle sometimes. Some of the build up play out the field is too slow, forwards have made their run, but someone decides to take an extra solo or turn back and go sidewards and the move breaks down. The problem with Cavan is as Sean Quigley said, too many athletes and not enough players with footballing intelligence on the pitch, thats the difference between the top teams and the rest.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 17/05/2023 09:15:43
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Cavan U20's - 1 Like(s)
So Larry Reilly is the new manager, with a backroom team of Andy McGovern, Kevin McDonnell, Danny Brady and Declan Farrell.
Hopefully Larry and the team can bring a new brand of football to the u20s given that he was a forward in his day. In my view, this is crunch time for Cavan Football, so the decision to bring this new management team needs to be a good one as it will decide the fate of the seniors for the next few years.
cavanblueman (Cavan) - 19/07/2023 09:19:05
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