Anyway ziggy we wont dwell on the past
All that matters is what every player does in next 2 games. What's gone before is irrelevant.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 21/06/2015 18:02:10    1740339

RD

yes I did,he responded very well to been dropped,perhaps he should have been dropped before that,because I did not like his body language for most of last year.I am a huge Biggy fan,wonderful to watch in full flow,but Micko was correct to drop him that day,but the good thing,was the fact that Reilly responded well,if he had started,he may not have put in that display.But despite that,I don't think we would have beaten Armagh,we had other issues,they were far more physical than us etc.
The point is,we need to learn from the past to improve in the future,and I must say Biggys attitude has been way better this year,so something clicked with him.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 21/06/2015 18:16:05    1740354

Here is where Meath are in my opinion and lets face it, its the truth

Meath club football is dieing on its feet, the structure is all wrong, too many senior teams,coaching at club underage level is quite weak. Just have a look at the standard in the SFC. There is a serious dearth of lads who can play intercounty, or worse, who want to play intercounty.

Delusional is a word i dont like to use but if anyone thinks silverware is to be won by us than that is what you are. Scrape past Westmeath and all thats waiting is a hiding. Its easily the weakest panel since the seventies.

Even compare to the 2010 panel and difference is night and day. Mick O Dowd seems hell bent on picking small fast lads which leads to extreme beatings. I shudder to think what a powerful, tactically astute side like Donegal would put over us.

highking12 (Meath) - Posts: 184 - 22/06/2015 11:32:29    1740756

highking

Well he needs to have a more physical defence thats for sure..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 22/06/2015 12:16:21    1740806

highking

What would be your solution to the club/underage structures?

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 22/06/2015 12:18:12    1740808

Our best performance in the league was in Down and,we had a fairly physical team that day,not too many small players,I seem to recall.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 22/06/2015 12:19:36    1740812

Realistically we're in the final month(s) of the current managers reign unless he some how manages to get us through to the last 8/4

In three years there's been no game plan, baffling decisions, square pegs in round holes and a stagnation of a once proud footballing county who are now reduced to the role of also rans. the major problem is not just at senior level but at underage and club level.

Our underage teams are not progressing and winning at underage. this must be where we start. Lads like Seamus Kenny getting involved is a good sign of things but more lads like that getting involved from u-12 up is needed. Look at our beloved rivals in Dublin Jim Gavin and Dessie Farrell always involved and know whats coming through, in Kerry Jack O'Connor back with minors and under 21's bringing players through. And look at the team structures they have. All the teams they have know the game plan and can fit straight into a senior team because they know the systems. Does anyone know our system or style of play because our management don't seem too. Why oh why is this not happening in Meath.
Dublin and Kerry are succession planning already. Farrell and O'Connor will take over when Gavin and Fitzmaurice go in a couple of years, and those lads will go back to minor and u21 and bring the next group of players through. If MOD was gone in the morning who'd take over, I've no idea and that's a sad state of affairs. In October/ Noovember we're looking at a new manager, trials a new team, a new style of play, bedding in, probable relegation in the league and a short championship. In 3 years time we'll likely be back in the same state.
What bugs me most of all is that some of our greatest players have not put back into the game at county level. McEntee, Flynn and O'Rourke had a lot to offer but have never taken on the mantle. Its time some of these boys stopped preaching and lamenting a lack of identity in Meath football and did something about it.

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 23/06/2015 08:59:24    1741315

Realistically we're in the final month(s) of the current managers reign unless he some how manages to get us through to the last 8/4

In three years there's been no game plan, baffling decisions, square pegs in round holes and a stagnation of a once proud footballing county who are now reduced to the role of also rans. the major problem is not just at senior level but at underage and club level.

Our underage teams are not progressing and winning at underage. this must be where we start. Lads like Seamus Kenny getting involved is a good sign of things but more lads like that getting involved from u-12 up is needed. Look at our beloved rivals in Dublin Jim Gavin and Dessie Farrell always involved and know whats coming through, in Kerry Jack O'Connor back with minors and under 21's bringing players through. And look at the team structures they have. All the teams they have know the game plan and can fit straight into a senior team because they know the systems. Does anyone know our system or style of play because our management don't seem too. Why oh why is this not happening in Meath.
Dublin and Kerry are succession planning already. Farrell and O'Connor will take over when Gavin and Fitzmaurice go in a couple of years, and those lads will go back to minor and u21 and bring the next group of players through. If MOD was gone in the morning who'd take over, I've no idea and that's a sad state of affairs. In October/ Noovember we're looking at a new manager, trials a new team, a new style of play, bedding in, probable relegation in the league and a short championship. In 3 years time we'll likely be back in the same state.
What bugs me most of all is that some of our greatest players have not put back into the game at county level. McEntee, Flynn and O'Rourke had a lot to offer but have never taken on the mantle. Its time some of these boys stopped preaching and lamenting a lack of identity in Meath football and did something about it.

The last three years?? So you think our problems have been restricted to the last three years?? Wake up will you they existed before that and we didn't help ourselves either, remember the shameful treatment of Eamon O'Brien just when it seemed we might get a bit of momentum going in '09 & '10, I've said it before and I'll say it again yes some of our county boards dropped the ball but a lot of club delegates did too. No one knows who will be managing which county next, there are no gaurantees in that regard and as regard to having a pop at former players well sorry that's pure tripe. O'Rourke does his job at St. Pats, has been involved with Simonstown and the Meath U-21 and did go for the senior job and made some wholesale recommendations to improve structures, McEntee has been involved in Dublin and St Bridgets and that's his choice as he is entitled to do, I don't know what input Flynn has into teams these days but I do know he know has artificial hips from his playing days with Meath so personally I reckon he's given enough, former players aren't guaranteed to be great coaches or managers and to rely on such men to be the launchpad for more success is both unfair and unrealistic

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 23/06/2015 11:00:19    1741396

with a bit of luck westmeath will win....they put little or no effort in during the league unlike meath therefore they'll be raring to go....

Gammy_Knee (USA) - Posts: 1482 - 23/06/2015 11:39:53    1741437

This is as bad a forum as I have ever seen.
Underage set up seems to be the buzz word nowadays, this is border line farcical to be honest.
Off the current Meath team James Mc entee, Eamon wallace. joey wallace, Adam flanagan ,PODGE HARNAN, Harry Rooney and brian power are all off the same minor team.
When have you ever seen so many to come from the one team ,the physical conditioning of these men at such a young age is more than adequate. Then add to that the slightly older lads who are just out of under 21 ,I have never seen so many young lads getting a chance with meath .( that could be a good thing or a bad thing).
Is that not what the people wanted micko stuck with the slightly older lads the first year , then dropped them ,has built a team around GRAHAM REILLEY DONAL KEOGHAN MENTON AND HARNON .
As for the O Rourke comment I do remeber him clearly stating on the sunday game that he WANTED the meath job.
I do agree micko needs to calm down a bit with playing lads out of position.Otherwise I think he has done alright it looks like were finally going to have a replacement for kevin reilley in mc gill , we have 2 young big mid fielders who will only get fitter and know each other as they have played under age with each other.
So really right MOD out then what , what is any other manager going to do micko has tried all the young lads available to him.There would be no chabge.Have a little faith this is the youngest meath team iv seen in a long time i would give mod 2 more years let him develop these young lads further as the older lads slowly retire.
As for the underage setup i have been involved in it i can assure you it is quite good.when i was 16/17 before i was playing minor many of us were doing very professional gym programes collectively , this was to get us fit before we even went to trials for meath minors.So there was many of us conditioned who didnt even make that team.

royalcountyman (Meath) - Posts: 46 - 23/06/2015 11:57:35    1741449

Some folk here like philosophising about senior managers with longer-term/5 year+ plans. It didn't work out that well in Kildare. Primarily their role is to get the very best out of the pool of players they work with in the present. If any manager places real improvement 5+ years into the future - well by the time the best prospects come of age - the most talented senior players are past their prime or ready for retirement. The most talented IC players in any county shouldn't be written off as glorified stopgaps. If you always live for or place success in the future, the future will never come. Instead focus on the present and take full responsibility for the here and now.

Anyway, in June, we should be talking about the next game only; and not an end-of-season type review (state of affairs)!

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 23/06/2015 17:44:18    1741731

A quarter final appearance is still a realistic goal. Hopefully we get to a Leinster final and will take it from there. Should have a full panel to pick from at that stage.

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2150 - 23/06/2015 20:35:37    1741836

I feel micko has not brought us forward. And barring a leinster title or a all ire semi final he should not even be considered for staying on.

foreverroyal (Meath) - Posts: 349 - 23/06/2015 21:48:14    1741881

He's in charge at the moment so nothing can change now. We have to see how things go and then decide later in the year where we go from there. MOD future is not a discussion to be having in the middle of june

chriscart580 (Meath) - Posts: 376 - 24/06/2015 12:19:41    1742030

the best we could hope for a decent shot at the Dubs in the final and hopefully a place in the last 8, we have good footballers and i have always believed that , there's a lot of nonsense talk regarding the underage structure and in fairness o'Dowd has done well in bringing minors etc into the squad. We can't take westmeath lightly on Sunday otherwise we are in serious trouble. i don't for a minute believe that there is much between the teams i am just hoping that some of the injuries clear up.

meath1987 (Meath) - Posts: 127 - 24/06/2015 12:28:05    1742039

Probably 2 steps back from last year rather than any progression. I cannot see any difference in approach .In fact i am at a loss to understand how blatant shortages in defence appear to be given no attention. Cannot understand how a less than fully fit Kevin Reilly be placed at midfield. If we had to use him yesterday surely Full back would help to take account of his apparent problems with mobility on this occasion. In fact to this poster it is back to a blank sheet of paper in every respect. Certainly not more of the same hoping for a different outcome. No lessons learned ,and that is certainly unforgivable. Realistic expectations very difficult to predict until we see the plans to deal with the crises. It is going to be even a longer haul now, and will require patient,skillful and courageous leadership from the COUNTY BOARD

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1227 - 29/06/2015 21:39:14    1745105

Does the county board have succession plans for managers?

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1792 - 29/06/2015 21:59:24    1745129

Sorry to have to say but 2 or three of us have said many times before about the dream land some supporters live in. It's taking some people a long time to get with reality

Analyst (Meath) - Posts: 1467 - 30/06/2015 08:22:03    1745134

Personally feel there is a lot of better talent out there not getting a fair crack at it. Without being biased as he is from my own club but Alan Douglas is a player who should be on that panel, also I'm sure there is stronger players than the likes of Damien Carroll, Joey Wallace, Sean Tobin to name a few! I feel the talent is there but there is no plan B when things go wrong and no belief when they've their backs to the wall.

tuppy23 (Meath) - Posts: 154 - 30/06/2015 11:14:11    1745244

Friends an fellow fans I have had a few days to calm down now after Sunday,, but the realistic fact is we are poor,, let me put this out there,, if there was more than one tier in football like the hurling say,, would we be in the top tier??????? Honestly now would we be??

otherlad (Meath) - Posts: 137 - 30/06/2015 12:12:13    1745306