Ironically the team are hardly stable with the constant musical chairs of player positions and some of them are bizarre..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 23/07/2015 17:03:18    1758131

Blaming MOD is the easy option. In truth we only have about 10 players of inter county standard. MOD was unfortunate to be in charge at a time when there is little talent available to him. The rot set in after the 2001 All Ireland final defeat and nothing has been done at County Board level to develop talent since. Club competitions are a farce both at under age and adult level. Too many players are quitting GAA as a result.

subzero (Meath) - Posts: 69 - 23/07/2015 17:05:49    1758134

Clubs will back micko 5 to 1

numberedjerseys (USA) - Posts: 348 - 23/07/2015 17:25:11    1758142

Would say a number of the north Meath clubs will not be backing Micko

Toney (Meath) - Posts: 298 - 23/07/2015 17:32:40    1758145

Subzero

So thats to blame for throwing a 10 point lead away to an average team like Westmeath?

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 23/07/2015 17:48:47    1758150

Subzero(and anyone else)

Would be a fan of knock-out in club champs?

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 23/07/2015 17:59:24    1758153

Dont know what is the most disappointing thing this year

- Not getting promoted to Division 1 from the weakest division 2 in decades
- Conceding 3-12 to Wicklow at home
- Losing to Westmeath for the first time ever in the championship
- Being in a worse position than we were 3 years ago

Having said that we cant just blame Mick O'Dowd. He shoulders the responsibility. The underage/club system is just not producing the players.

meath67 (Meath) - Posts: 71 - 23/07/2015 18:17:05    1758159

Meath67

I think everybody agrees that we have not done enough at underage to encourage kids etc etc,BUT with the current senior squad,we are more than capable of doing better.We are not capable of challenging for All-Irelands,and we need to take steps to get us back to that position by improving our grass roots game,club game etc.But we have enough talent at in our group to get to a last 8 stage.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 23/07/2015 18:37:56    1758171

Not wishing to single out any players but just for example ... Take Mickey Newman, OK he missed the Wicklow game and only played twenty minutes or so against Westmeath and less than an hour against Tyrone ... but he had two chances to take easy points (when that was the thing to do) and yet went for goal both times with poor enough efforts and missed. Remember his great performance against Sligo in Navan three years ago in MOD's first year. But alas like many of the team, things have just gone a bit stale. Surely a better management team would help get more out of our most talented players and have them finish with more conviction.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 23/07/2015 19:09:49    1758185

At least we have a new jersey to look forward to this December!

Jimin10 (Meath) - Posts: 783 - 23/07/2015 19:42:30    1758194

ziggy32001
The whole situation was handled very badly by the County Board. They elected a committee to reappoint McGeeney. The Board initally asked for feedback from the clubs with the understanding that the County Board would make the final decision. When it came to the County Board meeting the delegates were informed that there would be a vote. Some delegates abstained because they rightly said that they had no mandate from their clubs to vote either for or against. A farcial situation got worse on the night when hurling delegates were allowed to vote. The Co Chairman was in favour of McGeeney staying on, However three of the committee appointed by the chairman including the Treasurer voted against McGeeneyespite being on record as saying that he would vote in favour of retaining him.
There was subsequently arguments within clubs over the legality of those who were canvassed prior to the vote which was meant to be a feedback only to the Board. What I mean by that is that when it turned out that there was a vote the opinions of people who wouldn't have had a vote were counted as votes by certain Chairmen who wanted McGeeney out. I know of one instance where the Chairamn and the Secretary of a club fell out and didin't speak for months over this.
The Chairman who was since gone should have reconvened the meeting and asked the delegates to go back to the clubs and get the vote of their executive committees.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2990 - 23/07/2015 19:53:51    1758197

Jaysus that sounds like a very messy political situation lilywhite with different agendas left right and centre. I love the Gaa, it's a pivotal part of many communities but some of the bullsh1t politics involved particularly at local level (which then inevitably spills over to inter-county) would turn you off a bit.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 23/07/2015 20:47:49    1758214

Lillywhite. And we thought eob situation was badly handled, again agree with htaem its the politics that really gets to me.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 23/07/2015 21:18:46    1758224

Ziggy

1.After 3 years the team is not fit? They cannot last more than 50mins in most games.

2.What has MOD done tactically that we have said,ok,I see where this team is going,or we beat the other side tactically?

3.He wants 5 years to get us to the Quarter Finals? Hartdly ambitous.

4.The team clearly lack belief,confidence and real desire.Does MOD inspire confidence and belief in the players?

5.I understand the need not to change managers,but some previous managers did not get the time MOD did.


1. I don't accept that at all. They lost the momentum v westmeath and couldn't raise the tempo again and were chasing the game. any team chasing a game and doing the running around after lads are always going to look unfit as opposed to the team with momentum and possession letting the ball do all the heavy work. Against Tyrone in a much more physical and demand game in tougher conditions there was no issue with fitness.

2. Against down, roscommon and Cavan in the league and v Tyrone in the qualifiers it was very evident that there was a strong defensive structure and players were comfortable within it.

3. That's certainly not the limit to his or the teams ambition. But he's a realist, and getting to that stage is the first point before you can focus on going further.

4. There was no shortage of confidence or belief against westmeath from the start when all was equal. Both players and management started looking beyond themselves and they got ambushed after that. Simple as that.

5. Just because other managers haven't been given the time, I believe eob was shafted, it doesn't mean he shouldn't.


I don't see any manager with the county going to do anything hugely better than what MoD can do with the panel he has put together. There's plenty wrong with football in Meath, but not of his doing, so he shouldn't be the fall guy when he's try to help fix it.

I enjoy your contributions ziggy and we normally have plenty of decent debates, and I can see us knocking a few months out of this one and still being poles apart at the end....

Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6342 - 23/07/2015 21:33:12    1758227

Jinxie

Oh you are correct,a lot is wrong in Meath football that is not the fault of MOD. But I think this current group of senior players are capable of much better.I supported MOD until his year,the Kildare game concerned me last season,we saw something similar against Laois in the league and it came to a head against Westmeath.Played good football in all 3 games,but they all lasted roughly 50 mins,before a complete collapse in all 3 games.I see what you mean about losing momentum and there is an element of that.But at the same it has happened in those 3 games in the last year or so,we seemed to run out of steam in those games.Plus,I believe we are much better than Westmeath player-wise,so to throw away a 10 point lead is not acceptable.We really should be playing Fermanagh this weekend with a chance of meeting Kerry in the last 8.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 24/07/2015 08:37:54    1758248

Ziggy
There's no question we're better than westmeath, and by some distance too, but like wexford in 08, we let ourselves be caught out.

Many, but not all, of those errors v westmeath were completely out of management hands. Newman and harnan being the big moments that stand out. Either of them tap their chance over the bar and we wouldn't be having this chat at all.

Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6342 - 24/07/2015 10:15:39    1758292

Actually what has happened with Newman? I think he has the ability to be top notch,but seems to have lost confidence..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 24/07/2015 10:29:17    1758298

I was away for Tyrone game but by all accounts we finished by far the stronge? If so that puts too bed the notion that we lost too westmeath this year and nearly got caught by kildare last year due too lack of fitness...both were cases of game won and through both thinking that and lack of cuteness we were caught...everyone has too shoulder the blame for that. As far as I know the guy that trained the Dublin based Donegal players under mcguinness was in with us this year so I can't imagine we'd be undercooked. If you lose momentum so quickly in a game like wesrmeath...all the fitness in the world won't get ya back into it...it's tactical and mentality that's recquired and both are missing right now...particularly mentality. Anyone spouting on bout structures and u14 and 15s are just rehashing what others were saying 5 years ago. This is all being addressed right now and anyway has absolutely nothing to do with this disastrous campaign. We do have a good panel that can be better with a few additions so to say we only have ten players is rubbish also...kildare, sligo, fermanagh,westmeath are in last 12 sure....we are far better than all them I would argue if playing too full potential.

southmeathgael (Meath) - Posts: 890 - 24/07/2015 10:36:44    1758301

I think the injuries have left him with long periods without games and then thrown straight back in. Catch 22 situation really. Playing while not being 100% can damage confidence, but the only way to lift the confidence is by playing games.

Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6342 - 24/07/2015 10:41:11    1758305

I think people are losing sight of where we are coming from.

We would LIKE to be in div 1. We would LIKE to be winning leinsters. We would LIKE to be winning all Ireland's. But we has no right to any of it. In order to win any competition at any level, you first have to compete. We haven't even been competitive in either 3 for 10 years.

Before mod came in we were constantly in the bottom 4 of the league in div 2 and McBanty left us in div 3. we had a huge clear out after coming up from div 3, so to assume we'd sail on up to div 1 was very naive. First thing we need to to be consistently competitive which we are starting to do. Wining 5 games a year rather than the usual 2 or 3. Then be in a position to go to div1 and stay there. Look at kikdare, westmeath and next year roscommon. Up to div 1 not ready for it and 12 months later are facing div 3.

Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6342 - 24/07/2015 10:57:15    1758312