The pre-season club meeting For the vast majority of club players throughout the country, the beginning of February usually signifies the starting point of a new season. The first night back normally takes the form of a meeting with players and management in the parish hall or club pavilion. There is usually a high turn out at this gathering with players making all sorts of promises to their team mates. Morale is often high - with one big push it could be a great year for the club - all the talk in the pub over Christmas was so positive! If we get this man to come back from Australia, if we get our promising minor to fill out a bit, if we get the lights fixed at the training pitch then it could be our year. This initial meeting can be an interesting affair, often running like the proverbial well worn-out record sounding all the usual clichés and battle cries that are being used to motivate players for the challenges of the year ahead. Conversely this meeting can be the spark that will ignite the players into changing attitudes and becoming winners. With most clubs the 'usual suspects' will do most of the talking at these meetings. This is okay if the same players can back up the comments with what they actually do on the pitch. There is nothing worse that to hear someone spouting about commitment knowing that the same person will never go for a 50-50 ball, or hearing someone talk about attitude, knowing that he will be going for his few pints every Saturday night regardless. In contrast, there will be those who remain silent perhaps rolling their eyes at what they perceive to be the same drivel as in previous years. It is when the 'quiet man' does speak out that most people listen. Maybe lack of progress the previous season or the sight of the local rivals lifting silverware has stirred this man into speaking out. If new management is in place then this initial meeting is of even greater importance. From the moment the new man walks into the room many sets of eyes will be locked on him. His mannerisms and initial words will create an impression, one way or the other. How he is received at this first gathering could go a long way in determining what route the months ahead will take. The arrival of a new manager will bring a certain degree of optimism - perhaps he will be the final piece of the jigsaw. From their first meeting, players will have a fair idea of the boss's style of leadership. An aggressive, authoritarian approach will not necessarily suit everyone. If the manager is too ruthless he runs the risk of instigating confrontation with certain opinionated individuals. On the other hand, a manager who delegates responsibility to those around him may be viewed as too weak. Whatever approach is taken it is unlikely that everyone will be pleased. A few defeats later and the dissenting voices will soon be heard. In too many clubs around the country, failure to win a championship will lie at the door of the manager. This becomes further accentuated if the boss is actually getting a few pound for his troubles. For a number of clubs there was no need for initiation meetings at the start of 2007. For St Brigids, Crossmaglen, Dr Crokes and Moorefield it's more a case of seeking to finish a memorable journey in style rather than preparing to embark on a new one. I'm sure they know only too well the privileged position they are in. How many other clubs in the land would love to be training in January and February knowing that they are just one game away from the Saint Patrick's day finale in Croke Park. Crossmaglen and Dr Crokes will be favourites to progress but I would not underestimate Moorefield or St Brigids. The Kildare representatives were superb when defeating Rhode in the Leinster final, despite the atrocious conditions. They have a strong backbone to their team and if they can limit the peerless Gooch to a few points from play, then they are in with a great chance. St Brigids have perhaps the more difficult assignment, facing the power and experience of the Ulster champions. St Brigids have a certain John O' Mahoney on board in an advisory capacity so I would expect they will not suffer from any inferiority complex and meet the challenge head on. Last February I was a guest of the club at an under age presentation and had an opportunity to speak to their senior team. I left their club impressed not only by the excellent facilities they possessed but also by the sense of ambition that exuded within the club. It's evident that the hard work is beginning to bear fruit, but to defeat Cross is never an easy assignment. Very few clubs possess the strength in depth that the Armagh champions have. In the Ulster final they overcame the challenge of Ballinderry without two of their strongest players, Francie Bellew and Aaron Kernan. Both men appear to be fully recovered. Having played alongside Aaron in the recent All Star match I can vouch that he has returned to full fitness and is in great shape. Mention of the All Stars leads me on to the Vodafone trip to Dubai at the end of January. All the players involved fully enjoyed their excursion to this fantastic city and a lot of credit must go to the Vodafone and Croke Park officials for ensuring that it was a memorable stay. Despite the soaring temperatures and sunny beaches the most popular attraction for the footballers was ski Dubai - and indoor ski slope. In particular the talented left footed duo of Stephen O' Neill and James Masters fell in love with the slopes. Rumour has it that Stevie actually slept in the place one night while James became so proficient he was able to ski down the slopes backwards! The All Star game was the conclusion of a festival of GAA held by the host club Dubai Celts. Clubs from as far away as London, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore participated, with the eventual winners coming from Derry - Limavady Wolfhounds. Despite the best efforts of Tyrone man Denver Farrell the host club, Dubai Celts made their exit at the semi final stage. The host club deserve credit for staging such a festival - it was great to see an U12 game of gaelic football taking place so far from home in the hot sandy terrain of Dubai. The highlight of the All Star game occurred in the closing minutes when Armagh's Paul Hearty kicked a superb point from all of 60 yards. In doing so Paul followed in the footsteps of his long time role model Benny Tierney. Benny also scored in an All Star exhibition game - the only difference being that Paul was able to get back to his goals again and his celebration after scoring did not last as long as Benny's. The trip finished on a high note with the announcement that Vodafone are to continue their sponsorship of the All Stars for another term. This year Tyrone and Kerry had the highest number of representatives - I wonder if this will be the case in two years time. The honour of managing the two teams this year was bestowed on Jack O' Connor and Mickey Harte. For the trip in 2009, it's highly unlikely that Jack will be there as manger - I wouldn't rule out Mickey though! Tweet

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