Irish Sports
There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
Despite what was/is being reported, Mike Mac wasn't given the go ahead to prepare for the coming year or was he re ratified. While wide spread support was given from the ranks of the delegates. A realism from both the management team and the delegates that the currents position would be untenable if a quick resolution couldn't be found. His resignation was offered and turned down. He outlined some of the issues he had during the year including the high profile dropping of a certain player, lamented the injury to Colin Lynch as much for his leadership and example to younger players as for what he could produce at this stage in his career. He gave the impression a certain grouping of players have assumed the mantle of leadership after the team of 95/97 has gradually retired. This group don't have the commitment required to succeed at the top level. He is also conscience of the responsibility of the management to install in the younger players from successful under 21 teams the commitment requirements to win All Irelands..... he is also conscience that having a broken dressing room with disenfranchised players will affect this development. It was at the behest of the delegates that he agreed to see if a break through in the coming week could be found.
As someone who went to the meeting A) expecting a resignation and B) in favour of that outcome as the better option for Clare hurling, I came away with the feeling the Mike Mac deserves the backing of the Clare County board. The unfortunate thing is a letter from the players was read out stating 27 out of 28 wanted a change of management but that letter never mentioned any grievences they had with the management. So only one side of the argument was aired. Its an awful awkward situation. On one side you've a manager who has been involved in all the great moments of Clare hurling, a selection team with an equally impressive CV, Ollie Baker as a player, Alan Cunnningham a recognised excellent trainer. On the other side you've a team that has consistantly under performed..... but in todays GAA world seem to hold the power. There are no winners.
But what does one do for the overall benefit of hurling in the county. Back the persuasive experienced manager or avoid the Cork saga of last year occur in our county?
As someone who went to the meeting A) expecting a resignation and B) in favour of that outcome as the better option for Clare hurling, I came away with the feeling the Mike Mac deserves the backing of the Clare County board. The unfortunate thing is a letter from the players was read out stating 27 out of 28 wanted a change of management but that letter never mentioned any grievences they had with the management. So only one side of the argument was aired. Its an awful awkward situation. On one side you've a manager who has been involved in all the great moments of Clare hurling, a selection team with an equally impressive CV, Ollie Baker as a player, Alan Cunnningham a recognised excellent trainer. On the other side you've a team that has consistantly under performed..... but in todays GAA world seem to hold the power. There are no winners.
But what does one do for the overall benefit of hurling in the county. Back the persuasive experienced manager or avoid the Cork saga of last year occur in our county?
sort by:
Show
per page
Replies: 22
|
By:
Looks like Limerick & Clare both have serious problems.........
|
|
By:
mike macs record isnt great..but i think he should be given another year..hes a true clare gaa man and has dedicated a lot of his life to it..he signed up for 2 yrs so leave him to it
|
|
By:
Kavvie, ye'll be on the look out for a new man too McDermot joined by surprisingly Liam McHale were ratified as football manager...
|
|
By:
he mitnt be able to give clare his full attention til after paddys day?!?!?we were very impressive sunday..they seem to be peaking at right time..stradbally will be tricky tho..having said that they are missing michael walsh..a big loss to any team..sure we will have a good weekend in waterford anyway!!
|
|
By:
do you not think the county board should have steped in last year after mike macs saying he would not play division 2 hurling..surely he should have been sacked there and then..regarding the players power,the only one that wants to stay on is his son.who is not even a good club hurler
|
|
By:
^ I agree with that. If Mike Mac wasn't into Div 2 hurling he should have ensured Clare won enough games to stay in Div 1.
Sour grapes. |
|
By:
Heard it all before. GAA players should head for Afghanistan.
|
|
By:
Good to hear that he offered his resignation.
I don't know the specifics or who is right or wrong but surely it is a simple case of seeing if there is any way that both parties could agree to work with each other and if not then Mike Mac will step aside for the sake of Clare hurling? As for the Division 2 hurling - Wexford and Clare should be playing in Division 1. It is of benefit to no one to have them playing in Division 2 and killing other teams chances of a bit of silverware. Cut the cloth to suit and put 10 teams in Division 1 with the bottom team playing the winner of Division 2 to see who plays Div 1 the next year. If Division 2 teams get stronger in the meantime then review it again to suit. |
|
By:
kk is right ..scandal to have clare and wex in div2...on any given day either could beat most teams outside kilkenny
|
|
By:
Clare deserve to be in Division 2. They couldn't beat a 14 unfit strikers. And its disrespectful to the other Division 2 teams to say they wouldn't play. Surely its better for the Division 2 teams to get a chance to play the bigger teams such as Clare and Wexford to be able to measure their standard and also at least in the league they may get home advantage.
|
|
By:
What's the point in having a league if there are no relegations? No one gave a fiddlers when it was Dublin or Antrim or Laois except of course to try and stop us being promoted when we won Div II! If Div I teams finish at the bottom then they deserve to go down just as the Div II winners deserve to go up.
|
|
By:
What's the point in having a league if there are no relegations? -
If you can't beat the team that finishes bottom of the division above you then what is the point in playing 7 or 8 matches the next season against teams that you don't have a realistic chance of beating ?It is surely more important to develop teams and promote the game by having competitive matches than what status you have (maybe Southsiders get a kick out of status but not the run of the mill GAA man ;) ). Hurlers certainly develop against teams of equal or slightly higher standard but no one benefits from mismatches. The current system has a competitive Div 1 with a rotation policy that wastes a year of proper development and we have a Division 2 that has two teams competing for promotion. It is silly season when two Counties are admitting that a league game is more important than a Championship game. Just because they didn't give a fiddlers about Dublin or whoever didn't make it right. Offaly also wasted a few years down there with only a meaningful couple of games against Wexford last year. Do you think that was good for a County like Offaly? |
|
By:
First of all I am NOT a fkn Southsider ;)
A league where you are safe no matter how bad you are is not a league and there would be no incentive to win most games. Likewise, what incentive would there be for Div II teams if they could not be promoted? I actually don't think Div II did Offaly any harm whereas the fact that Westmeath won Div II but were left there had massive impact on them and they've gone backwards whereas arguably a year in Div I would have been seen as an incentive to continue to improve. Likewise had Dublin not been allowed go up in 2005, as was proposed, then they would have gone backwards imho. I do accept there is a big difference in standard between the teams likely to go down, and most of those already there but on the other hand teams like Carlow have clearly come on for games against the likes of Offaly and Wexford. Of course if Dublin finish at the bottom of the pile next year then maybe you have an excellent point :) |
|
By:
- ok, an unusually posh northsider so ;)
- no one is safe if there is a relegation play off (unless you are suggesting that no Div 2 winner would ever be a high enough standard to win a play off?). Basically put teams in leagues where they can compete and will have an incentive in every game. If it didn't do Offaly any harm it certainly didn't do them any good. I expect a marked performance from Offaly this year after a seson in Div 1. Did Dubllin not gain from their Div 1 status last year? Why make a team earn the right to develop? Westmeath were set back by not letting them enter the McCarthy Cup against their wishes. Basically teams themselves know what level they should compete at. I'd prefer an open door policy where you decide what division to enter rather than the current one (possibly even better than a one up one down). Structure the thing to suit rather than leave it to chance. - the trimming that Offaly gave Carlow a couple of years ago in the Div 2 final did neither team any good and if anything set Carlow back a bit. Some of their lads looked like they never wanted to hurl again after it. - Dublin need to be and should at the top table for the next few years regardless of where they finish in the league this season. This in itself is the essence of my point. |
|
By:
All northsiders are posh. In their own way!
This will be our fourth successive year in Div I, first time since the early 70s I think. However, would not have been there at all had Congress not overturned a directive that the 2005 winners of Div II not be promoted despite us winning 10 straight games. And yes of course they have benefitted but have earned right to by being promoted in first instance and doing well enough to stay up once there. As for Offaly I think they have improved because it forced them to rejig the team and their whole approach and they will be up there next year both in league and championship as contenders. Was talking to Wexford chap with good insight into their set up and he reckons they are where they deserve to be and that only way is for them to go the same route rather than complaining they are in Div II. Same applies to Clare. They clearly have problems and the way to settle them is by playing not through threatening not to play at all! |
|
By:
London GAA have shown the way.They're going ahead without a manager!Wish more counties would have the same foresight.
|
|
By:
Who will pick the team? ^
|
|
By:
Tumbles - Offaly have improved due a new young batch arriving and not because of meaningless Div 2 matches. They had a huge gap between Murphy, Franks, Oakley and Rory Hanniffy. The squad they have now would benefit from continuous Div 1 hurling for the next 4 or 5 seasons and not the see saw effect the current system applies.
Sure Mike Mac should never have said Clare wouldn't hurl in Div 2. It smacked of arrogance and insult but I just can't agree that they should be in Div 2 at a stage where they have a decent squad and followed up with an u-21 All Ireland. I'm sure Colm Bonnar would disagree with your friend on Wexford and I'm with him. Anyway that's that. Bring on round 3 of the League ;) |
|
By:
Hopefully wexford will have an injury free year in 2010 and if they do have that luxury they will give the invaders a great battle , actually i think they will beat them ( after all they have never beaten us in championship hurling ) , i would be even more confident if we had division 1 league programme.
|
|
By:
You said 27 out of 28 wanted a change of management, who was the 28th that didnt.
Limerick have gone down this road (more the county board than the players doing) with local guys such as Joe Mckenna and Dave Keane, it just leaves a sour taste. At the end of the day the players better back this up or they will look like pric.ks. Clare do have the players though and i would make them 2nd favourites behind tipp for munster next year. |
|
By:
King for a day 12 Nov 22:16
You said 27 out of 28 wanted a change of management, who was the 28th that didnt. Limerick have gone down this road (more the county board than the players doing) with local guys such as Joe Mckenna and Dave Keane, it just leaves a sour taste. At the end of the day the players better back this up or they will look like pric.ks. Clare do have the players though and i would make them 2nd favourites behind tipp for munster next year. ----------------- his son |
|
By:
What's the point in having a league if there are no relegations? -
The development of hurling is surely whats important and GAA need to be able to stay in touch with this. Which of these strikes you as a better scenario A - A bigger Div 1 (9/10 teams) with possibly 1 or 2 (ie Carlow/Laois) slightlly out of their depth but getting good games and hopefully improving B - What we currently have with the likes of Wexford and Clare stagnating in Div 2 Its fairly obvious I think. Have your relegation but have a bigger div 1 to start with. You should end up with devoping counties getting their chance in Div 1. |