Kilkenny Football - ??

adrian522 · 11-03-2011 12:40am

ShamoBuc wrote: »

- tell that to the kk intercounty hurlers - especially numbers 2 ---> 7 - they are famous for their off the ball pulling and dragging!!!
I honestly don't mind it but it's funny that you use it as a reason Not to play football in kk!!!

This thread is on Kilkenny football, what has hurling got to do with it, if you want to talk about Kilkenny hurling then start a thread about that and I will gladly debate how Kilkenny play the game when compared to everyone else including Cork.

It's not a reason not to play, its just that people in Kilkenny are not interested in the sport, there is zero demand for and no tradition of football,

Can you answer my previous question on why it so important to you that Kilkenny field a competent football team?

ShamoBuc · 11-03-2011 12:41am

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Not this aul KK are dirty ****e again.Im from Clare-KK play no more dirty than any other county in the land.Its a mans game

Kindly re read the post - I honestly don't mind it. I am not saying they are Dirty - and thank you for informing me it's a mans game:rolleyes: - other counties do it ( Cork too btw) but pulling and dragging was used as a means to Not play football in kk in the original post - which I find hilarious!;)

ShamoBuc · 11-03-2011 12:42am

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Ha ha. You have to admit modern day football is sometimes brutal viewing. Not all matches, but quite a few that Ive seen on the box would nearly want to make you turn on the ladies golf or whatever sky had on instead:eek:

got rid of sky:( but I know what you mean:(

ShamoBuc · 11-03-2011 12:46am

adrian522 wrote: »

This thread is on Kilkenny football, what has hurling got to do with it, QUOTE]

What land are you from, seriously

Read a few posts will ya!!

APPARENTLY football is as it is in kk because of HURLING in kk !
Apparently:rolleyes:

PARKHEAD67 · 11-03-2011 12:46am

adrian522 wrote: »

This thread is on Kilkenny football, what has hurling got to do with it, if you want to talk about Kilkenny hurling then start a thread about that and I will gladly debate how Kilkenny play the game when compared to everyone else including Cork.

It's not a reason not to play, its just that people in Kilkenny are not interested in the sport, there is zero demand for and no tradition of football,

Can you answer my previous question on why it so important to you that Kilkenny field a competent football team?

Why should they even try?Killkenny is hurling.Always has and always will.Its like I said earlier.Cricket doesnt belong in Rio.Football doesnt belong in KK.;)

ShamoBuc · 11-03-2011 12:50am

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Why should they even try?Killkenny is hurling.Always has and always will.Its like I said earlier.Cricket doesnt belong in Rio.Football doesnt belong in KK.;)

Interesting analogy - but it's crap IMHO - people once said cricket should only be played in England.... I'm guessing last week England wishes we followed the train of thought - I'm glad we didn't!

PARKHEAD67 · 11-03-2011 12:51am

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Kindly re read the post - I honestly don't mind it. I am not saying they are Dirty - and thank you for informing me it's a mans game:rolleyes: - other counties do it ( Cork too btw) but pulling and dragging was used as a means to Not play football in kk in the original post - which I find hilarious!;)

this thing of KK being pullers and draggers in hurling annoys me.Its the usual begrudging ****e.If pulling and dragging won you as much success as they have,Id find 15 useless yokes who could pull and drag all day. But I doubt they'd win 4 All-Irelands in a row.;)

ShamoBuc · 11-03-2011 12:52am

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

this thing of KK being pullers and draggers in hurling annoys me.Its the usual begrudging ****e.If pulling and dragging won you as much success as they have,Id find 15 useless yokes who could pull and drag all day. But I doubt they'd win 4 All-Irelands in a row.;)

Not in the slightest - as I have said - twice:rolleyes:

PARKHEAD67 · 11-03-2011 12:53am

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Interesting analogy - but it's crap IMHO - people once said cricket should only be played in England.... I'm guessing last week England wishes we followed the train of thought - I'm glad we didn't!

Should have said ice-hockey so.The fact remains.Anyway how many lads play cricket where your from FFS?:D

ShamoBuc · 11-03-2011 1:05am

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Should have said ice-hockey so.The fact remains.Anyway how many lads play cricket where your from FFS?:D

Cricket has been playing down the Mardyke since the mid 1800's:D

Night Night!

adrian522 · 11-03-2011 1:36am

ShamoBuc wrote: »

adrian522 wrote: »

This thread is on Kilkenny football, what has hurling got to do with it, QUOTE]

What land are you from, seriously

Read a few posts will ya!!

APPARENTLY football is as it is in kk because of HURLING in kk !
Apparently:rolleyes:

Sorry, I was just having a dig at people who were having a go at me for comparing Football in KK with the state of hurling in certain other counties.

I also didn't want to get into a debate on hurling tactics on this thread.

PARKHEAD67 · 11-03-2011 5:05pm

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Cricket has been playing down the Mardyke since the mid 1800's:D

Night Night!

Enjoy the aul cricket so. Its nearly as painful to watch as gaelic football.:D.Even Pat Spillane hates modern-day football. Its truly woeful sometimes.Agree?

ShamoBuc · 11-03-2011 6:18pm

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Enjoy the aul cricket so. Its nearly as painful to watch as gaelic football.:D.Even Pat Spillane hates modern-day football. Its truly woeful sometimes.Agree?

Aaaaaaahh - I see where your problem lies - you listen to Pat Spillane:D

I think a poor hurling game is better to watch than an average football game and most certainly some modern football games are woeful. But lets face it every football game in the 70's and 80's weren't all crackers - but the standard game then was alot better than the standard game now - no question.

11-03-2011 10:03pm

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Why should they even try?Killkenny is hurling.Always has and always will.Its like I said earlier.Cricket doesnt belong in Rio.Football doesnt belong in KK.;)

What a narrow minded and utterly moronic suggestion. it reminds me of the 'winter sports heads' who couldn't comprehend the concept of a Jamaican bob sled team.

Sport is constantly evolving in different parts of the globe. there are far less dynamic sports in the world then Gaelic football. yes hurling is better but in an ideal world both would get the same exposure in all 32 counties.

12-03-2011 1:28am

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

this thing of KK being pullers and draggers in hurling annoys me.Its the usual begrudging ****e.If pulling and dragging won you as much success as they have,Id find 15 useless yokes who could pull and drag all day. But I doubt they'd win 4 All-Irelands in a row.;)

God i thought you were from Clare but you are defending Kilkenny as if they are your own. i hope they return the favour sometime :rolleyes:

adrian522 wrote:

there is zero demand for and no tradition of football

if you would care to look at the history books they have won 3 Leinster titles albeit in the early part of last century. more then alot of football counties have won provincially

the minority interest you talk about lies in the county board balance sheet and not the 80000 people who reside in the county. Added to that there is people from other 'footballing' counties living in KK like the Wicklow man who posted on the thread. Surely they would even try promote it by using these kind of guys. but no they don't.

PARKHEAD67 · 12-03-2011 2:01am

Deleted User wrote: »

God i thought you were from Clare but you are defending Kilkenny as if they are your own. i hope they return the favour sometime :rolleyes:

if you would care to look at the history books they have won 3 Leinster titles albeit in the early part of last century. more then alot of football counties have won provincially

the minority interest you talk about lies in the county board balance sheet and not the 80000 people who reside in the county. Added to that there is people from other 'footballing' counties living in KK like the Wicklow man who posted on the thread. Surely they would even try promote it by using these kind of guys. but no they don't.

Ah sure everyone said the same about us in 95-97.:cool:

zinx · 12-03-2011 2:02am

Tipp Gunner-Please do us all a favour and shut up banging on about KK football.We are NOT INTERESTED in Football.And nothing a little dweeb like yourself says will make a blind bit of difference.I'd love to hear you spout your crap about us, in person,in Kilkenny.But of course when you are far away from the safety of your keyboard,I'd imagine you are a different person.A right coward, I'd say.A right whinging little ponce

Maybe look at your own counties failures as regards winning All Irelands over the last 40 years and the fact that ye couldn't hang onto the only decent manager Tipp has had in years,before you start pontificating about your neighbours.Lets start a topic on that,no?

You really are a tedious pain in the hole.I'd say your sheep loves the break she gets when you come on here to type your tripe.

Daysha · 12-03-2011 2:25am

Zinx banned for a week for personal abuse.

Some of the posts recently have been borderline. Stick to the topic in-hand and nothing else, and do so without resorting to insulting other members please.

adrian522 · 12-03-2011 2:08pm

Deleted User wrote: »

if you would care to look at the history books they have won 3 Leinster titles albeit in the early part of last century. more then alot of football counties have won provincially

the minority interest you talk about lies in the county board balance sheet and not the 80000 people who reside in the county. Added to that there is people from other 'footballing' counties living in KK like the Wicklow man who posted on the thread. Surely they would even try promote it by using these kind of guys. but no they don't.

When I said there was no tradition of football I meant in the recent history (i.e last 100 years).

If you go back far enough you could say there is a strong cricket tradition there but it has long since died out so I would say there was a footballing tradition but it is no longer in evidence and anyone trying to grow football in Kilkenny is essentially starting from scratch.

I know you have stated that there must be a decent degree of interest among the 80,000 people living there but to be honest I just don't think there is.

There are some very small pockets of football played in certain areas but in the main there is no appetite for growing the game. It is a sad state of affairs but I believe that is where we are at.

To be honest I don't think I would take any great pleasure in seeing a Kilkenny football team being competitive in Division 4, I'd much rather watch a decent club hurling match. I think most GAA people in the county feel the same way.

12-03-2011 3:23pm

zinx wrote: »

Tipp Gunner-Please do us all a favour and shut up banging on about KK football.We are NOT INTERESTED in Football.And nothing a little dweeb like yourself says will make a blind bit of difference.I'd love to hear you spout your crap about us, in person,in Kilkenny.But of course when you are far away from the safety of your keyboard,I'd imagine you are a different person.A right coward, I'd say.A right whinging little ponce

Maybe look at your own counties failures as regards winning All Irelands over the last 40 years and the fact that ye couldn't hang onto the only decent manager Tipp has had in years,before you start pontificating about your neighbours. Lets start a topic on that,no?

You really are a tedious pain in the hole.I'd say your sheep loves the break she gets when you come on here to type your tripe.

Im 6 foot

no small dweeb here and I've often argued with the KK man face to face with regard the hurling and without resorting to gurrier style insults on either side.

Id like to hear you spout some of the sh*te, you posted in the tipp forum in the middle of Thurles, so you coming on here and accusing anyone of being a keyboard warrior is a bit rich. Maybe you could take a leaf out of your fellow county man adrian522's book and keep your own comments someway sensible with a bit of class

Also it might be a bit pointless starting a thread on why the current all Ireland champions haven't been as successful in the last 40 years. Perhaps a one on why Kilkenny have only managed to beat us in 2 All Ireland finals since 1922 might be more valid eh?

Now that your banned for a week from all your wumming ill say a prayer for 'Shaun the sheep' as you take your own frustration out on him

Why i even entertained your post. your on my ignore list for a good reason.

Flukey · 12-03-2011 4:24pm

An awful lot has happened in this thread since I posted the second post. I haven't read it all and there are a lot of quotes that I would address, but there are too many and others have said what I would have said anyway. A lot of what I will say will have been said too. There is some rubbish in the thread though. Kilkenny people thinking we are trying to undermine Hurling is ridiculous. What do they think: If a Kilkenny football team went out against other division 4 teams and put up a score like 1 - 10 instead of 0 - 1 that it would be the end of Hurling in Kilkenny? Get a grip. Hurling is not threatened by having at the very least a competitive football team. Should Gowran Park be shut down because it is a threat? Someone mentioned the handballers. Success there hasn't undermined Hurling. Others mentioned how they have no history of success and as such no interest. Having no history of success didn't stop Westmeath winning Leinster in 2004. It doesn't stop Wicklow and Fermanagh trying, both or whom are behind Kilkenny in terms of Football success don't forget. Clare are still behind them. Sligo only equalled them with their Connacht title win in 2007. Limerick are behind them, but make the effort. Others too. To repeat again, we are not necessarily looking for the Kilkenny footballers to win the League or the Leinster Championship. It is just for them to put out a competitive team.

If 20 years ago someone had said that Westmeath would win a Leinster football title, others would be on the phone to the nearest mental hospital to ask if one of their patients had escaped. There are lots of examples of teams coming from nowhere to get to a competitive level. It is not that long ago that you would have thought to have been crazy if you suggested that Clare, Leitrim and Westmeath would win provincial football titles. To suggest that Fermanagh would run Armagh close in an Ulster final would also have made you look crazy. Even if you look in Hurling Clare had it rough in Munster for a long time, as had Offaly in Leinster, but they put the scoffers in their place. Offaly only won their first Leinster Hurling title in 1980 and have been at or not far from the top table ever since. All these "crazy" things have happened. No one here is suggesting that Kilkenny footballers make a big a leap in standards as any of those counties have, but just to get competitive. After that, anything could happen. A competitive Kilkenny football team is far less crazy than some of the other things I've mentioned would have once appeared. The thing is though, those other crazy things did happen. So surely something that is far less crazy could happen too.

Even if they still lost all their matches, but put up decent scores that would all we would want. It is not as some have put it, about forcing Kilkenny into the championship. It is just to get a competitive team even in the league. Down the line they should enter the championship, but for now get a team up to the level where they can go out and stick the ball over bar a few times in a match, and maybe get it into the net. As we often say, it's a simple game. It is not even a matter of funding as some have mentioned. Getting someone in who can do a few good training sessions to get them to the stage where they can get enough of the fundamental skills to put up a decent score isn't going to cost the earth, or anything at all. They must do some training sessions, so it is a matter of getting the right training.

As to there being no interest, that is bull. So are you telling me that on the third Sunday of September every year, not a single television in Kilkenny has people looking at the Football final? I suppose you'll be telling us that they have them off for the afternoon, waiting for Songs of Praise to come on. I suppose all their radios are off too! I suppose you'd have us believe that if you asked the members of the Kilkenny Football team would they like to win a Leinster and All-Ireland Football medals, they'd all say "No". There is interest there and with a tiny bit of competitiveness a few more people would start to support them. Someone else said 31 counties are capable of putting out a football team. That is not true. 32 of them are capable of fielding a team, but one doesn't bother.

As has been repeatedly pointed out, the thread is about Kilkenny Football, and not the poor state of Hurling in other counties. Some of those counties need a kick up the ass too, but that is for other threads. As has also been pointed out, even the worst of those teams can at least compete with others at their own level. That is all we ask of Kilkenny Football. One thing to their credit, that even their hurlers can't match, is that they haven't lost a championship game for years. So even if the hurlers had won the 5-in-a-row they wouldn't be close to the footballers unbeaten championship run.

It wouldn't take much to get the Kilkenny Football team up to competitive level. As I said earlier an outside manager would help. Even some of the training the hurlers get would help. A few sessions with the likes of Mick O'Dwyer would at least make them somewhat competitive. Other counties have been able to improve the weaker code, be it Hurling of Football, in their counties by putting a bit of work in. Where it has been done, the stronger code hasn't suffered. In Kilkenny's case of all counties, it would take something very serious to do even the slightest bit of damage to their Hurling prowess. A bit more attention to the footballers of the county certainly wouldn't do it.

There are all sorts of initiatives that could be done. An outside manager is one, but it doesn't even have to be that. There was a mention in the GAA of a scheme where strong counties in a code would be sending support to weaker counties and in return the reverse would be done for the other county's weaker game. So you could have coaches from Tyrone going to train Kilkenny Footballers and coaches from Kilkenny going to train Tyrone Hurlers. You could do things like have the Kilkenny county team work with mid-range club teams from stronger counties. There are all sorts of things you could do. We want the Kilkenny county board to support their county team and not ignore or even undermine them, as has been the case. I remember a few years ago that Kilkenny did win a match in the league, but the Kilkenny county board had arranged a trip away so they could not even take part in their next fixture. Could you see the Kilkenny county board arranging a weekend away on the weekend their Hurlers were due to play a league game? Not a chance.

So all we ask is that the Kilkenny county board get their finger out and just get the football team to put up a competitive performances. It could easily be done and it wouldn't in slightest damage Hurling.

ShamoBuc · 12-03-2011 5:55pm

The above is quite a good post.

Martin567 · 12-03-2011 6:13pm

Flukey wrote: »

As has been repeatedly pointed out, the thread is about Kilkenny Football, and not the poor state of Hurling in other counties. Some of those counties need a kick up the ass too, but that is for other threads. As has also been pointed out, even the worst of those teams can at least compete with others at their own level. That is all we ask of Kilkenny Football. One thing to their credit, that even their hurlers can't match, is that they haven't lost a championship game for years. So even if the hurlers had won the 5-in-a-row they wouldn't be close to the footballers unbeaten championship run.

The reason the state of hurling is continually being brought into this discussion is because people such as yourself continue to single out Kilkenny based on a fallacy. This fallacy underpins the whole thread and I have highlighted it in bold for you again. You believe that because the worst hurling teams are competitive with each other, they must be putting in more of an effort than Kilkenny at football. This is profoundly wrong as I have previously set out earlier in the thread. If Wexford, Waterford, Tipperary and a few more suddenly gave up on football, presumably this would be bad for the game. Yet the result would be that Kilkenny would very soon be "competitive" again, "at the lowest level". They would then escape criticism because there is safety in numbers. It may sound like a silly arguement but yet it is exactly the situation which exists in hurling. As another poster mentioned earlier, he knows someone who played two hurling matches in his entire life. Both were Longford Senior County Finals. Yet Longford remain "competitve" in Div 4 hurling because there are many more counties like them. Kilkenny are on their own the other way around and therein lies the difference.

I would also ask you not to be so arrogant as to try to tell us what Kilkenny people are or are not interested in. I live in Kilkenny so I am a little more informed than you. The interest here is minimal and is certainly not at the level that would allow Kilkenny to compete in any meaningful way with Div 1 football teams. I say Div 1 because pretty much all the other Div 4 teams are reasonably competitive with Div 1 teams so for Kilkenny to compete in Div 4, they would need to be likewise. Again, this is not a requirement for Div 4 hurling teams.

I am now sitting down watching the Ireland/Wales Rugby match. I am sure there are a lot of people in Kilkenny doing likewise. We are all very interested in the outcome. That doesn't mean that any significant number of us will want to go out and play Rugby next week. Believe it or not, our attitude to Gaelic Football is similar just as lots of counties feel like this about hurling.

Flukey · 12-03-2011 7:13pm

Those Hurling teams are competitive with each other and that is a crucial point. Kilkenny aren't competitive in Division 4. But it is more than that. Going out and recording the kinds of scores that they do shows how much off the pace they are. It is hard to believe that they can score so little. With a bit of work they could at least get to the point where they are competitive. As I said, I wouldn't mind them losing every match if they were at least competitive. Surely something can be done to up the standard. Kilkenny field a team, which shows there is some interest even if the people on the pitch outnumbered the spectators. The players themselves must have some pride, naturally they do. Surely that should drive them. I am sure they would want to score more and win games. So the problem lies elsewhere. Those men could surely get a bit of training to make them more competitive. The county board could do more to help. Other counties have made those kind of moves. Wicklow, with not a single Leinster title to their name and having only won once in Croke Park, had the initiative to pick up the phone and ring Mick O'Dwyer. There are coaches up and down the country that could make a difference to Kilkenny. There would be people in the county that could do it. The skills may be different but even a lot of what the hurlers would do during a training session would be of benefit. All we would like to see would be for them to put up a good performance, even if they lose. Moral victories are not much good, but even that would be progress. It is not a difficult game, easier than Hurling, so they should be able to perform better. A lot of the tactics would be similar. The two games have a lot in common and much of what is done in training a hurling team would apply. Surely they can do better.

Martin567 · 12-03-2011 7:42pm

Flukey wrote: »

Those Hurling teams are competitive with each other and that is a crucial point.

Of course it's a crucial point!!! It's crucial because they're all as bad as each other, as bad at hurling as Kilkenny are at football. In fact, it's a critical point. Numerous people have said that Kilkenny are singled out because they are the only county to so badly neglect one sport. This is clearly untrue as confirmed by yourself above. The fact that several counties with little or no hurling can still be competitive with each other is the confirmation. Therefore the entire thread is based on a misconception as Kilkenny have been unfairly singled out.

eroo · 12-03-2011 8:19pm

Martin567 wrote: »

Of course it's a crucial point!!! It's crucial because they're all as bad as each other, as bad at hurling as Kilkenny are at football. In fact, it's a critical point. Numerous people have said that Kilkenny are singled out because they are the only county to so badly neglect one sport. This is clearly untrue as confirmed by yourself above. The fact that several counties with little or no hurling can still be competitive with each other is the confirmation. Therefore the entire thread is based on a misconception as Kilkenny have been unfairly singled out.

I've discussed this before. No sport will ever have a situation where all of it's teams will be on the same competitive level.

The NHL Div 4 teams are competitive with each other. They would get destroyed by any Div 1 or 2 teams, but they can partake in the competition at a level they can play at and attempt to progress i.e. promotion to next Div. This is why the Leagues are split into Divisions; to allow weaker teams to progress and develop by earning promotion. They wont be contesting an AI final, but they can be competitive at their own level in the sport.

Your argument that they are all atrocious and this is hidden by the fact they only play each other, holds no water. You cannot expect 32 hurling/football teams to be on the same level. It does not happen in any sport. Thus they can play each other, and aim for promotion to the next tier, and subsequently, up their game again.

This is not happening with the KK football team and at the moment it shows no sign of happening. This is ridiculous as it wouldn't take much to make them competitive and seek promotion.

Martin567 · 12-03-2011 9:00pm

eroo wrote: »

I've discussed this before. No sport will ever have a situation where all of it's teams will be on the same competitive level.

The NHL Div 4 teams are competitive with each other. They would get destroyed by any Div 1 or 2 teams, but they can partake in the competition at a level they can play at and attempt to progress i.e. promotion to next Div. This is why the Leagues are split into Divisions; to allow weaker teams to progress and develop by earning promotion. They wont be contesting an AI final, but they can be competitive at their own level in the sport.

Your argument that they are all atrocious and this is hidden by the fact they only play each other, holds no water. You cannot expect 32 hurling/football teams to be on the same level. It does not happen in any sport. Thus they can play each other, and aim for promotion to the next tier, and subsequently, up their game again.

This is not happening with the KK football team and at the moment it shows no sign of happening. This is ridiculous as it wouldn't take much to make them competitive and seek promotion.

I have also discussed this before with you and very patiently explained it. Everything you say above is true about levels as far as it relates to hurling. It is completely untrue as far as it relates to football. On a given day, several of the Div 4 football teams are able to compete very well against Div 1 teams and have recorded Championship victories over them in the last two years at least. That is a simple fact. Kilkenny footballers are at the level of the Div 4 hurling teams but the other Div 4 football teams are on another planet to the Div 4 hurling teams. Every other county in Ireland has a football area of that county, however small. Kilkenny doesn't and very few in Kilkenny care. Those are the facts which all this talk of structures, etc, ignores. The Co Board is derived from the clubs who have little interest in football, similar to 10 or more hurling counties.

I also have to say that some people, who say they like it, must have a very low view of gaelic football as a sport. They seem to think that if Kilkenny just get a squad of players who are not good enough to make the senior hurling squad and just "organise" them and give them a few basics in football that they should be able to put in a respectable performance against Kerry or Cork. Like it or not, that's what some people are saying. Longford and Fermanagh, to name just two, are in Div 4 and would certainly expect to be within 10 points of Kerry or Cork even on a bad day. If Kilkenny are to compete with Longford or Fermanagh, they must do likewise.

12-03-2011 9:02pm

Flukey wrote: »

An awful lot has happened in this thread since I posted the second post. I haven't read it all and there are a lot of quotes that I would address, but there are too many and others have said what I would have said anyway. A lot of what I will say will have been said too. There is some rubbish in the thread though. Kilkenny people thinking we are trying to undermine Hurling is ridiculous. What do they think: If a Kilkenny football team went out against other division 4 teams and put up a score like 1 - 10 instead of 0 - 1 that it would be the end of Hurling in Kilkenny? Get a grip. Hurling is not threatened by having at the very least a competitive football team. Should Gowran Park be shut down because it is a threat? Someone mentioned the handballers. Success there hasn't undermined Hurling. Others mentioned how they have no history of success and as such no interest. Having no history of success didn't stop Westmeath winning Leinster in 2004. It doesn't stop Wicklow and Fermanagh trying, both or whom are behind Kilkenny in terms of Football success don't forget. Clare are still behind them. Sligo only equalled them with their Connacht title win in 2007. Limerick are behind them, but make the effort. Others too. To repeat again, we are not necessarily looking for the Kilkenny footballers to win the League or the Leinster Championship. It is just for them to put out a competitive team.

If 20 years ago someone had said that Westmeath would win a Leinster football title, others would be on the phone to the nearest mental hospital to ask if one of their patients had escaped. There are lots of examples of teams coming from nowhere to get to a competitive level. It is not that long ago that you would have thought to have been crazy if you suggested that Clare, Leitrim and Westmeath would win provincial football titles. To suggest that Fermanagh would run Armagh close in an Ulster final would also have made you look crazy. Even if you look in Hurling Clare had it rough in Munster for a long time, as had Offaly in Leinster, but they put the scoffers in their place. Offaly only won their first Leinster Hurling title in 1980 and have been at or not far from the top table ever since. All these "crazy" things have happened. No one here is suggesting that Kilkenny footballers make a big a leap in standards as any of those counties have, but just to get competitive. After that, anything could happen. A competitive Kilkenny football team is far less crazy than some of the other things I've mentioned would have once appeared. The thing is though, those other crazy things did happen. So surely something that is far less crazy could happen too.

Even if they still lost all their matches, but put up decent scores that would all we would want. It is not as some have put it, about forcing Kilkenny into the championship. It is just to get a competitive team even in the league. Down the line they should enter the championship, but for now get a team up to the level where they can go out and stick the ball over bar a few times in a match, and maybe get it into the net. As we often say, it's a simple game. It is not even a matter of funding as some have mentioned. Getting someone in who can do a few good training sessions to get them to the stage where they can get enough of the fundamental skills to put up a decent score isn't going to cost the earth, or anything at all. They must do some training sessions, so it is a matter of getting the right training.

As to there being no interest, that is bull. So are you telling me that on the third Sunday of September every year, not a single television in Kilkenny has people looking at the Football final? I suppose you'll be telling us that they have them off for the afternoon, waiting for Songs of Praise to come on. I suppose all their radios are off too! I suppose you'd have us believe that if you asked the members of the Kilkenny Football team would they like to win a Leinster and All-Ireland Football medals, they'd all say "No". There is interest there and with a tiny bit of competitiveness a few more people would start to support them. Someone else said 31 counties are capable of putting out a football team. That is not true. 32 of them are capable of fielding a team, but one doesn't bother.

As has been repeatedly pointed out, the thread is about Kilkenny Football, and not the poor state of Hurling in other counties. Some of those counties need a kick up the ass too, but that is for other threads. As has also been pointed out, even the worst of those teams can at least compete with others at their own level. That is all we ask of Kilkenny Football. One thing to their credit, that even their hurlers can't match, is that they haven't lost a championship game for years. So even if the hurlers had won the 5-in-a-row they wouldn't be close to the footballers unbeaten championship run.

It wouldn't take much to get the Kilkenny Football team up to competitive level. As I said earlier an outside manager would help. Even some of the training the hurlers get would help. A few sessions with the likes of Mick O'Dwyer would at least make them somewhat competitive. Other counties have been able to improve the weaker code, be it Hurling of Football, in their counties by putting a bit of work in. Where it has been done, the stronger code hasn't suffered. In Kilkenny's case of all counties, it would take something very serious to do even the slightest bit of damage to their Hurling prowess. A bit more attention to the footballers of the county certainly wouldn't do it.

There are all sorts of initiatives that could be done. An outside manager is one, but it doesn't even have to be that. There was a mention in the GAA of a scheme where strong counties in a code would be sending support to weaker counties and in return the reverse would be done for the other county's weaker game. So you could have coaches from Tyrone going to train Kilkenny Footballers and coaches from Kilkenny going to train Tyrone Hurlers. You could do things like have the Kilkenny county team work with mid-range club teams from stronger counties. There are all sorts of things you could do. We want the Kilkenny county board to support their county team and not ignore or even undermine them, as has been the case. I remember a few years ago that Kilkenny did win a match in the league, but the Kilkenny county board had arranged a trip away so they could not even take part in their next fixture. Could you see the Kilkenny county board arranging a weekend away on the weekend their Hurlers were due to play a league game? Not a chance.

So all we ask is that the Kilkenny county board get their finger out and just get the football team to put up a competitive performances. It could easily be done and it wouldn't in slightest damage Hurling.

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Best post in the thread so far imo, and he is from Dublin so no danger of anyone coming back and accusing him of being a sheep shagger for having a difference of opinion.

PARKHEAD67 · 12-03-2011 10:26pm

Deleted User wrote: »

What a narrow minded and utterly moronic suggestion. it reminds me of the 'winter sports heads' who couldn't comprehend the concept of a Jamaican bob sled team.

Sport is constantly evolving in different parts of the globe. there are far less dynamic sports in the world then Gaelic football. yes hurling is better but in an ideal world both would get the same exposure in all 32 counties.

Hmmm. I really dont understand this post. Kilkenny like hurling and play it at a phenomenal level. Why should they have to like football. You dont see em playing Ice-hockey in the Sahara if you get my drift. Football and hurling are 2 completely different sports.

13-03-2011 1:02pm

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Hmmm. I really dont understand this post. Kilkenny like hurling and play it at a phenomenal level. Why should they have to like football. You dont see em playing Ice-hockey in the Sahara if you get my drift. Football and hurling are 2 completely different sports.

Fair point but having a least a competitive football team wouldn't threaten their hurling. Football may not be popular in the county but surely its popular enough to at least give a good account of themselves at it.

Kilkenny Football - ??

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