Feeling a huge sense of deja vu tonight after Antrim's defeat today at the hands of Cavan at Casement Park.
Like on so many occasions in the past 30 years, Antrim came up short when it was needed most.
After a poor start they played their way back into the game with some patches of good football only to concede a soft goal right before half time to let Cavan back in the lead.
The game was won and lost immediately after half time however when there was only two points between the sides.
Antrim missed a couple of chances and kickable frees and when the Breffnimen realised they were off the hook they opened up a six-point lead with Seanie Johnston torturing the Antrim defence.
We just don't have a forward of Johnston's class.
Young CJ McGourty for example flatters to deceive, wants the ball in space all the time while Johnston gets down and gets dirty to win ball when he shouldn't as well as reading where the crumbs are going to come from.
The game quickly turned into a damp squib and Antrim increasingly played like headless chickens, carrying the ball forward into poor positions, shooting when the easy pass was on and the forward movement was pretty poor.
Micheal Magill did make a difference in the second period giving Antrim at least a little physical power in the forward line.
Felt sorry for Antrim boss Jody Gormley today because he hasn't got a lot at his disposal to work with.
That's us condemned to the Tommy Murphy once again and all in all the season has already been a step backwards.
Our nerve went when promotion from the poorest league in football was there for the taking and that lack of confidence showed again today when some of our players realised the game was there for the taking.
So we have failed on all our pre-season targets, promotion from Division 4 and an opportunity to win a home championship game against another Ulster side who are struggling to keep up with the provincial pace setters.
Donal Keogan's team however, can now look forward to at least two more games in the championship.
Johnston's performance continues a run of great form and with McCabe as versatile as ever they will be a physical tough side to beat.
They won't win anything but no one will enjoy playing them.
There are no signs in the short term that our misery will end in Antrim, however I do believe that the current county board is attempting to address years of complacency and no one is under any illusion that an Antrim revival is anywhere close on the cards.
Wonder what Micko's doing next year?
Showing posts with label Gormley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gormley. Show all posts
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Gormley, brutally honest but off the mark
You have to give it to Antrim boss Jody Gormley, only days before we face Cavan he has stated we should be playing in a properly run second tier competition.
Talk about brutal honesty, much as Gormley's message to the Antrim faithful is one of doom and gloom he's right.
We, like the Tyrone hurlers, are probably not serious about playing in the championship, after all we blew promotion from the division of no-hope, Division 4, by falling to the might of the Waterford footballers who wouldn't beat their hurlers at the big ball game.
I agree with the concept of an Open Draw for the All Ireland which Gormley supports but I have to take issue with his comments that we could win the Connacht championship if we were allowed to play it.
No we wouldn't.
We are nowhere good enough to beat Galway or Mayo in championship football and would find it hard to overcome Roscommon and Sligo even when they are not at the top table.
We would beat New York, even Leitrim did that.
But to claim that we could compete in Connnacht is nonsense.
Bring on the action as everyone seems to lose the run of themselves in the build-up.
Talk about brutal honesty, much as Gormley's message to the Antrim faithful is one of doom and gloom he's right.
We, like the Tyrone hurlers, are probably not serious about playing in the championship, after all we blew promotion from the division of no-hope, Division 4, by falling to the might of the Waterford footballers who wouldn't beat their hurlers at the big ball game.
I agree with the concept of an Open Draw for the All Ireland which Gormley supports but I have to take issue with his comments that we could win the Connacht championship if we were allowed to play it.
No we wouldn't.
We are nowhere good enough to beat Galway or Mayo in championship football and would find it hard to overcome Roscommon and Sligo even when they are not at the top table.
We would beat New York, even Leitrim did that.
But to claim that we could compete in Connnacht is nonsense.
Bring on the action as everyone seems to lose the run of themselves in the build-up.
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Problems much more deep rooted than Gormley
Distracted since Sunday about Antrim's tame performance which cost them a chance to escape from the bowels of Division 4 football.
Another year condemned to playing London, Kilkenny and even the 'mighty' Waterford who blew away what looked like certain promotion for the Saffrons is hardly an appetising prospect.
Already there is some discontent among the natives about Antrim boss Jody Gormley who only a couple of weeks ago some saw as being the Messiah of Antrim football.
Well I have to admit to being no fan of Gormley, last year Antrim played some of the most negative football I have seen for long many a day against Derry in the Ulster championship at Casement Park.
They seemed interested from the start only in keeping the margin of the defeat down and made little effort other than a brief flurry before half time to try and go and win the game.
The Antrim defenders were out in front of their markers, great says you shows ambition, the only problem was that they were faced back towards their own goal staring hopefully into the eyes of their opponent hoping for a clue about where they intended to make their run.
I honestly don't know is it possible to tell something about the flight of the ball by looking straight into someone's eyes, maybe you can be trained to catch the reflection of the ball in there, but it seemed all about stopping the man running rather than getting their own hands on the leather.
I thought to paraphrase Spillane, puke football at its worst and I said at the time there is no future in that.
However, I don't subscribe to the notion that Gormley is to blame for where Antrim football is at the moment. I wish the only problem was to find a new manager who would take us to the promised land but we are not even anywhere near it.
Much more needs to be done in the coaching of our youngsters, only a few progressive clubs are really working at it, that's why St Galls and Cargin are so far ahead of the pack and why Gorts have become a force to be reckoned with.
Our biggest weakness however is in the colleges.
When I was a young footballer Belfast boasted two good college teams, St Malachy's and St Mary's. Under Derry star Phil Stuart St Malachy's reached successive Rannafast finals, won the MacRory Cup and lost the Hogan Cup to three goals in the last eight minutes while St Mary's too were knocking on the door to success until the mid '70s.
Today St Malachy's is a soccer and basketball school, St Mary's are still in competition but not at the races and I think the fact that we have had no success at Corn na n-Og, Rannafast or MacCrory Cups is a big factor why there are so few Antrim lads on either of the Queen's or UUJ Sigerson sides.
Many of the top county footballers in the country cut their teeth in these schools, colleges and university competitions, it gives them experience of a different level of football, of pressure games, the type of game which Antrim flaked in on Sunday.
The days when dedicated teachers in these schools are going to promote the games unsupported are over.
If we are to progress in Antrim the county board and the clubs are going to have to find a way to develop our young players in the schools, and not just in the two big grammar schools, but throughout the secondary level if we are to be able to compete again at the top level.
That's a big project which will take a lot of time and commitment but it beats waiting on a manager to take us out of Division 4.
Another year condemned to playing London, Kilkenny and even the 'mighty' Waterford who blew away what looked like certain promotion for the Saffrons is hardly an appetising prospect.
Already there is some discontent among the natives about Antrim boss Jody Gormley who only a couple of weeks ago some saw as being the Messiah of Antrim football.
Well I have to admit to being no fan of Gormley, last year Antrim played some of the most negative football I have seen for long many a day against Derry in the Ulster championship at Casement Park.
They seemed interested from the start only in keeping the margin of the defeat down and made little effort other than a brief flurry before half time to try and go and win the game.
The Antrim defenders were out in front of their markers, great says you shows ambition, the only problem was that they were faced back towards their own goal staring hopefully into the eyes of their opponent hoping for a clue about where they intended to make their run.
I honestly don't know is it possible to tell something about the flight of the ball by looking straight into someone's eyes, maybe you can be trained to catch the reflection of the ball in there, but it seemed all about stopping the man running rather than getting their own hands on the leather.
I thought to paraphrase Spillane, puke football at its worst and I said at the time there is no future in that.
However, I don't subscribe to the notion that Gormley is to blame for where Antrim football is at the moment. I wish the only problem was to find a new manager who would take us to the promised land but we are not even anywhere near it.
Much more needs to be done in the coaching of our youngsters, only a few progressive clubs are really working at it, that's why St Galls and Cargin are so far ahead of the pack and why Gorts have become a force to be reckoned with.
Our biggest weakness however is in the colleges.
When I was a young footballer Belfast boasted two good college teams, St Malachy's and St Mary's. Under Derry star Phil Stuart St Malachy's reached successive Rannafast finals, won the MacRory Cup and lost the Hogan Cup to three goals in the last eight minutes while St Mary's too were knocking on the door to success until the mid '70s.
Today St Malachy's is a soccer and basketball school, St Mary's are still in competition but not at the races and I think the fact that we have had no success at Corn na n-Og, Rannafast or MacCrory Cups is a big factor why there are so few Antrim lads on either of the Queen's or UUJ Sigerson sides.
Many of the top county footballers in the country cut their teeth in these schools, colleges and university competitions, it gives them experience of a different level of football, of pressure games, the type of game which Antrim flaked in on Sunday.
The days when dedicated teachers in these schools are going to promote the games unsupported are over.
If we are to progress in Antrim the county board and the clubs are going to have to find a way to develop our young players in the schools, and not just in the two big grammar schools, but throughout the secondary level if we are to be able to compete again at the top level.
That's a big project which will take a lot of time and commitment but it beats waiting on a manager to take us out of Division 4.
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