Where now for Clare Hurling?????

snowman707

As long as we continue to leave our young promising players off the panel, Clare hurling will continue in 1 direction. DOWNHILL.


M MAC take a walk.

Ps

while you are at it bring junior with you.

Pride Fighter

Division 2;)

Orizio

In fairness, Mike Mac clearly doesn't give a **** about the league, and I'm sure they will be a lot stronger come championship.

Browney7

It's a sad day for Clare hurling I suppose but I wouldn't despair if I were ye.

But it has kind of been coming too though I suppose. Like when has Clare's Minor team last really challenged in the championship?

Wouldn't write off Clare springing a surprise in the Munster championship just yet

Warper

It is true that Clare havnt been ready for the League but still being relegated and having to play in D2 next year is not good for the future. That said they have a great chance of winning munster this year as they will be waiting in the long grass for the winners of Tipp/Cork and tbh if they dont win Munster this year it is goodbye to Mike Mac.

But one thing for sure they will be at their prime come Munster semi-final day.

eroo

While the League is seen simply as prep.. it would be nice to see us have a go at it! 0 wins and 1 draw is embarrassing tbh. However, if this means we're holding back until the Chamionship, so be it.

Benhonan

Browney7 wrote: »

But it has kind of been coming too though I suppose. Like when has Clare's Minor team last really challenged in the championship?

How about last year when we beat Cork, the Munster champions, in the first round? The same year as we were robbed of the Munster under 21 title? The young hurlers are there, it's just that they're being treated like **** by Mike Mac, who manages according to his ego, not according to long-term goals.

We've gone to the well too many times with this bunch of players. The likes of Nugent and the other limited forwards who've been moping around these past few years should have been given their marching orders long ago. It's time players like James Mac, Caiman Morey, Colin Ryan, Conor Cooney and Gary O'Connell stopped showing so much respect to the older players and laid down a marker by nailing down a starting spot and showing a bit of leadership. They're very young alright, but the next Munster title we win won't come from Gilly or Colin Lynch's contributions that's for sure.

Shane-1

Ah Jaysus come on lads, we are on the up, best result of the season today, if we can maintain this momentum come June .............

Orizio

Thought Clare were doing alright at minor, under-21 and schools level in the hurling over the past few years?

Gingy

Stop being ridiculous, Clare is not a hurling-stronghold, they had one group of exceptional players in the mid-90's and now they're back to where they possibly belong!

Anyway, Clare should/could have beaten Cork, Could have beaten Limerick, those wins would have put them into mid-table mediocrity and there'd be none of this 'Where now for Clare hurling?' rubbish!

romah

Clare hurling has never been very strong..yes a few exceptional players have been produced down through the years...I wont name names..but having followed Clare hurling for the last 30 years...
success has been seldom ..and failure often..

Players come and go and the mix of players that you get helps to make a good team or a bad team...also the right manager ...

Didnt get to Parnell Park yesterday but have seen them against Cork and Kilkenny this year.

Cork could have been beaten (two soft goals !!)..and we escaped relatively unscathed against Kilkenny with only a 13 point defeat (two more soft goals !!! ) .

Lacking forwards who can take scores with ease .. started well against Limerick with 1-18 but having scored just 1 goal (against Kilkenny) since in 5 games and average of 14 points ...this score doesnt win many games in this day and age.

Relegation wont do us any good ..it will be a long road back ...

Erin Go Brath

Warper wrote: »

It is true that Clare havnt been ready for the League but still being relegated and having to play in D2 next year is not good for the future. That said they have a great chance of winning munster this year as they will be waiting in the long grass for the winners of Tipp/Cork and tbh if they dont win Munster this year it is goodbye to Mike Mac.

But one thing for sure they will be at their prime come Munster semi-final day.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Funniest thing i've heard in ages. Yes, getting relegated without winning a game was part of their cunning plan conning the country into thinking they are shoite. A genius plan, why i do believe Mick Mac is baldrick himself!

Daysha

^^ Have to agree with that. Clare don't have a hope of winning Munster IMO. They've got a 2 month gap between the league and Championship and have to face a re-energised Cork or Tipp side who already have a league game under their belts.

Funny stat for you. 8 of the past 9 Munster finals have involved teams that had to play a quarter final match. Considering it's meant to be an added disadvantage to play the extra game, that suggests otherwise. Cork in 2007 are the only team this decade that failed to win a semi final having previously won a quarter final.

That record should, in all honesty, continue this year.

LeoB

No Hurling expert but I have to say I found Mike MacNamars comments after the game with Dublin to be very insulting to weaker counties. Imagine reading or listening to the muck he spat out about not playing meaningless games against weaker counties, weaker counties who won the right to play in Div 2 and won the right to play against Clare and whoever else is in the Division. Dublin have won the right to stay in Division 1 but they realise its tough and have done great work at underage level and while they are still a few years off the pace at this stage are more entitled to play the big guns than Clare . Mike Mac should get a severe reprimand for his comments. He didnt make any friends for Clare hurling and thats for sure. As one pundit put it they are really similar to Wexford, Laois, Offaly, Dublin, Limerick and Waterford. One super group of players in the 90s but thats it. The difference in other counties is the conveyor belt of talent year after year.

Diabhal Beag

Galway next Good luck to ye!

Shane-1

Ah you have to love Mike Mac though, is'nt he just like that cantankerous grandfather/ uncle that berates everyone after a few drinks

Im bitter myself about being relegated, cant understand what went wrong, Im realistic enough to know that we are not in a position of great strenght, certainly not good enough to favour for any titles, but I didnt think we would be relegated with 1 point! We have to beat Galway, at least for the sake of retaining some pride, will be a tough task though.

Shane-1

Own worst enemies once again though, should have bucked up and taken wins against Limerick, Cork and Dublin yesterday, we had a good chance of taking those games.

Daysha

Here's Mike Mac's comments. Really uncalled for IMO:

"We've no notion of playing in Division 2 next year", insisted the Clare manager after this busy, flustered stalemate in Parnell Park pitched his charges out of the top flight.

"We won't be playing meaningless matches" argued McNamara, tongue -- you had to suspect -- rooted firmly in cheek. "I think other counties can change the rules as they go along to suit themselves, so we'll probably change the rules as well. I wouldn't see any point playing meaningless matches in the run-up to the 2010 championship.

"You have to play proper matches and we will. If the League stays the same, we'll get in touch with our friends in other counties, the Galways and the Tipps, and play them in proper matches. Maybe there's another team we can put forward to play those meaningless (League) matches.

"A development squad. That's normal now for the top counties, isn't it?"

Shane-1

You're right, they were pretty uncalled for, but darn funny nonetheless. Its for reasons like that that I love the GAA, can you just imagine, lets say, a premiership manager coming out with that tirade after being relegated! 'Championship? you must be having a laugh, I'll give you championship!'

Only in the GAA

Shane-1

Im not trying to troll neither here I do see how those comments are an insult to other counties and were just the rants of a sore loser I suppose, but I do see humour in all this too though!

eroo

Love the way he throws a cheeky dig in at Cork :pac:

"I think other counties can change the rules as they go along to suit themselves, so we'll probably change the rules as well.

Kristopherus

What he was referring to there was the fact that Cork 2008 <SNIP> turned Clare over, while they had got hammerings with their 2009 boys. In all fairness Cork should have been thrown out of the league after all their shennanigans over the winter.

Shane-1

You are dead right, they should have been dumped out, they got away with murder. I have a theory on that Cork team, what they do is they engage in pre-emptive excuses, its quite genious really. They create situations and percieved slights that they can use as excuses when they are beaten and can use as proof of their world beating skill and determination when they win!! This strike and the whole debacle with G McCarthy is another example. They have realised that they are not the team they thought they were, they are older and their skills have waned, so they are creating a situation where they can make excuses for themselves.

eroo

Kristopherus wrote: »

In all fairness Cork should have been thrown out of the league after all their shennanigans over the winter.

What I believe is that the panel that started the League(2009 panel) should've been made to play out the League, with the 2008 panel not being allowed back to play until the League was over. That way they would deservedly be relegated. Obviously, we've had a terrible League nonetheless.

Browney7

Daysha wrote: »

^^ Have to agree with that. Clare don't have a hope of winning Munster IMO. They've got a 2 month gap between the league and Championship and have to face a re-energised Cork or Tipp side who already have a league game under their belts.

Funny stat for you. 8 of the past 9 Munster finals have involved teams that had to play a quarter final match. Considering it's meant to be an added disadvantage to play the extra game, that suggests otherwise. Cork in 2007 are the only team this decade that failed to win a semi final having previously won a quarter final.

That record should, in all honesty, continue this year.

Ah but Daysha how many of the teams that got to the final won?
2008 - Clare won their quarter. Lost the final.
2007 - Limerick won their quarter. Lost the Final.
2006 - Tipp won their quarter. Lost the final.
2005 - Tipp won their quarter (after replay). Lost the final.
2004 - Waterford won their quarter. Won the final.
2003 - not sure
2002 - not sure
2001 - Limerick won their quarter. Lost the final.

Kind of is a small disadvantage but only when they get to the final.

premierstone

what i found the funniest about Mike Macs little rant was the fact that he thinks Clare have any friends in Tipp - fookin comical stuff

Daysha

Browney7 wrote: »

Ah but Daysha how many of the teams that got to the final won?
2008 - Clare won their quarter. Lost the final.
2007 - Limerick won their quarter. Lost the Final.
2006 - Tipp won their quarter. Lost the final.
2005 - Tipp won their quarter (after replay). Lost the final.
2004 - Waterford won their quarter. Won the final.
2003 - not sure
2002 - not sure
2001 - Limerick won their quarter. Lost the final.

Kind of is a small disadvantage but only when they get to the final.

:eek: Bloody hell Browney you're right. Weird I didn't pick up on that going through the results.

In 2002 we beat Tipp in the final after defeating Cork in the semis. Tipp had defeated Clare in the quarters and Limerick in the semis, so that's another added on to the list!

Can't remember 2003 though. I know we lost in the final to Cork after getting a draw straight to the semis (defeated Limerick after a replay if my memory serves me right), but I'm not sure whether Cork had to play a quarter final match that year or not.

Kristopherus

premierstone wrote: »

what i found the funniest about Mike Macs little rant was the fact that he thinks Clare have any friends in Tipp - fookin comical stuff

Sure Tipp have no friends at all :D:D:D:D They only love themselves.

tippspur

Good enough for ye.;)

buck65

Wait till the summer lads , Clare will put ye're **** eating grins on the other side of ye're jaws.

If ye can't see the irony and humour in Mac's comments then ye really do need to get a life.

patmac

Speaking of tongue in cheek, did I hear somebody on the radio this morning calling for the final round of matches in the hurling league to have 4 points for the winners, to make things more exciting as Kilkenny and Tipp have already qualified for the final and Clare are already relegated, or did I dream it as no-one in their right mind would hardly consider going on RTE to suggest such a thing surely?

Orizio

The only people to blame for Clare's relegation is the Clare players and management. They are the weakest team in Division 1 and are now getting relegated for it. Enough of the whinging and excuses for them not being good enough.

They can of course play any team they want next year. I just hope Clare people will like to see them playing in Division 3.

Yavvy

Kristopherus wrote: »

What he was referring to there was the fact that Cork 2008 <SNIP> turned Clare over, while they had got hammerings with their 2009 boys. In all fairness Cork should have been thrown out of the league after all their shennanigans over the winter.

Banned for a Month :mad:
I hate that word when used for people who give their lives to GAA and community

be very careful when you come back

Thanks
Alan

Declan30

Have to agree with a lot of People on here .Clare had their chances to win games.
In their game against Limerick they gave away 2 soft games which cost them the game.
Cant see the Gaa changing the league status. As I taught this year league was very competitive

Orizio

Declan30 wrote: »

Have to agree with a lot of People on here .Clare had their chances to win games.
In their game against Limerick they gave away 2 soft games which cost them the game.
Cant see the Gaa changing the league status. As I taught this year league was very competitive

I understand Clare people being annoyed, but you don't see Limerick complaining, largely because are a good team with a prope manager playing well. At least the Clare lads got another competitive match under their belt before championship, unlike Tipp or Dublin who arguably got short changed.

At the end of the day, Clare are the weakest team in the division and deserve to go down. Whatever Cork team played, Clare would still have gone down because they weren't good enough.

buck65

i guarantee you that the GAA won't be changing anything to suit Clare.
I wonder if Clare went out on strike in the past how would it have been viewed by the GAA? would they have been as lenient?
Clare went down because we were beaten fairly and squarely end of story.

Orizio

buck65 wrote: »

i guarantee you that the GAA won't be changing anything to suit Clare.
I wonder if Clare went out on strike in the past how would it have been viewed by the GAA? would they have been as lenient?
Clare went down because we were beaten fairly and squarely end of story.

I wonder how many more of the Clare lads will walk out on Mike Mac?

soccymonster

Lads, clare are down in division 2.
no-one will be coming to help them, or bending the rules just because they lost most of their matches!
it doesnt matter how many times people will say "oh they could have beat that team" or "they should have done this or that", the fact of the matter is that they lost.
the 2009 championship is not looking bright for the clare hurlers but i wish all my luck to them.

LeoB

[quote=buck65;59721726

If ye can't see the irony and humour in Mac's comments then ye really do need to get a life.[/quote]

I am from a weaker county and found his comments insulting, disrespectful and shows an ignorance of the efforts we put in.

You should remember lads in Donegal, Louth Meath Down, Wicklow Antrim and the Fingal work just as hard as the big counties but they play second fiddle to the football in these places.

Was at the Louth v Fingal match a few weeks ago and the commitment these lads showed was unreal. And just thinking of the Railway Cup It should be compulsory that These "weaker counties" have a player on the pitch at all times. Fingal had a forward J.M Sheridan who scored 5 points against Louth and 2..6 last Sunday. Great touch, pace and determined. He is former Dublin minor but wont get the chance to play Railway cup or for Dublin while club players in Galway get a game ahead of the likes of Paul Seevers of Sligo. Louth had a lad Dunne who was good and a keeper who was top class. They would all be at home in Railway cup. It might make people like Mick Mac realise there is talent inthe "weaker counties" of which is crew are line for membership.:)

Stevecw

soccymonster wrote: »

Lads, clare are down in division 2.
no-one will be coming to help them, or bending the rules just because they lost most of their matches!
it doesnt matter how many times people will say "oh they could have beat that team" or "they should have done this or that", the fact of the matter is that they lost.
the 2009 championship is not looking bright for the clare hurlers but i wish all my luck to them.

Thats basically it! Clare were not good enough for Div 1, so their standard must be Div 2.
I can't wait to see them in Div 2..they might be surprised at how hard it will be to get out of that league.
One of Offaly/Wexford will be there as will Antrim, Carlow and Laois who judging by this years Div 2 are well capable of causing an upset or 2...as Antrim bet Wex, Carlow bet Antrim, and Laois bet Carlow!! So standard there has whoever loses final between Wex/Off as best of bunch with Antrim,Laois & Carlow well capable of giving Clares 1st team a good game next year!

eroo

Orizio wrote: »

Whatever Cork team played, Clare would still have gone down because they weren't good enough.

Completely disagree with you there. I firmly believe had the 09 panel been playing, we'd have won easy.

Pride Fighter

Stevecw wrote: »

Thats basically it! Clare were not good enough for Div 1, so their standard must be Div 2.
I can't wait to see them in Div 2..they might be surprised at how hard it will be to get out of that league.
One of Offaly/Wexford will be there as will Antrim, Carlow and Laois who judging by this years Div 2 are well capable of causing an upset or 2...as Antrim bet Wex, Carlow bet Antrim, and Laois bet Carlow!! So standard there has whoever loses final between Wex/Off as best of bunch with Antrim,Laois & Carlow well capable of giving Clares 1st team a good game next year!

I agree with this. Division 2 is a good standard now, the revamped league is doing wonders for the counties just outside the McCarthy cup. Carlow, Westmeath, and Down must surely be close to being admitted into the AI proper.

Orizio

eroo wrote: »

Completely disagree with you there. I firmly believe had the 09 panel been playing, we'd have won easy.

I know you would have, not really my point.

Orizio

Pride Fighter wrote: »

I agree with this. Division 2 is a good standard now, the revamped league is doing wonders for the counties just outside the McCarthy cup. Carlow, Westmeath, and Down must surely be close to being admitted into the AI proper.

Doubtful. Down in particular would be getting relegated to Div 3 if it was a 2 down system I believe.

Green Giant

As a Clareman I can see where Mike Mac is coming from with his comments but I'm afraid our relegation was merited. We were nothing short of abysmal in the league this year, except for the first 45 minutes of the Cork match. Too many players are not justifying their places on the team and will seriously need to buck up if we are not to be further humiliated in the summer. We'll be lucky to get to the quarter-finals this year.

buck65

Actually a year or 2 in Div 2 might be beneficial to us , especially bringing on the younger lads.
No one cares about the league anyway, it is just a training ground for the CShip. Clare's form last year suggested that they wouldn't beat Limerick or Waterford but they did.
Clare are in a perfect position, written off and bruised. Mike Mac isn't liked by the players but that doesn't mean they will use this as an excuse.

CyberDave

Loughnane always seemed to have the great Clare teams of the 90s at their peak for Championship time. McNamara methinks would be of a similar mindset having seen first hand how successful Loughnanes techniques were. I wouldn't write them off yet.

Mockatron

X

cruiserweight

Looks like things are not getting any better

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0416/clare.html

Gerry Quinn's inter-county career is in doubt after he declared that he won't play for Clare as long as Mike McNamara is manager.

Quinn has been absent from the Banner panel since before the League game against Cork on 22 March. On the Friday before that encounter, the half-back, who had been laid low with a virus for the previous twenty-four hours, travelled to a training session in Gurteen to see the team doctor.

According to Quinn, he rang Mike McNamara on his way to the session and informed him about the situation regarding his illness and his desire to meet the doctor. He then claimed that McNamara cut loose with him on the phone.

Nevertheless, the player was hopeful that things could be worked out when he arrived at the session, and after asking McNamara whether the doctor was around, Quinn was informed that he was off the panel.

Disharmony on the Clare camp is the last thing they need after a wretched League which has seen them take only one point from their six games played.

The absence of Gerry Quinn, a stylish half-back, for the championship will be a huge blow for the Banner county with the player reiterating that will never play for Mike Mac again.

Orizio

buck65 wrote: »

Actually a year or 2 in Div 2 might be beneficial to us , especially bringing on the younger lads.
No one cares about the league anyway, it is just a training ground for the CShip. Clare's form last year suggested that they wouldn't beat Limerick or Waterford but they did.
Clare are in a perfect position, written off and bruised. Mike Mac isn't liked by the players but that doesn't mean they will use this as an excuse.

Yes, but its a far more effective training ground when you are playing the likes of Waterford rather then Westmeath.

Flan45

I wouldn't be as pessimistic as some people. Mike Mac doesn't give a damn about the league. Obviously he didn't want to get relegated but if we can put in a performance in the first round of the championship and get a result it'll be forgotten until the first round of the league next year.

There's no doubt that he must have had something to do with bringing a bit of unity to the panel last year after everything that had gone on the previous year. I like Gerry Quinn as a player, he makes a couple of valid points in his interview but he's no angel either. If Mac thought he was worth keeping around I'm sure he'd have kept him. There's more to this than Gerry Quinns side of the story.