Davy the new Antrim manager.

cms88

So it seems travel suddenly no longer an issue for Davy.

Honesty i don't understand this. What do the Antrim CB thing he's going to do? Win them an All-Ireland?

I can't see this being any different from anyother job he's had. Might do something in the first year or two but then lave it in a **** show and blame everyone else for it.

There's a reason Galway and Dublin didn't want him in recent times.

Allinall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAMm_LuN-a8

BaywatchHQ

I think people in Antrim are more interested in club GAA as there is little chance of success in inter county. Winning lower tier competitions doesn't capture the publics attention. The only time I have seen Antrim flags up around the county was when the football team got to the Ulster final. They always put decorations up for the clubs instead.

Rosita

One thing that can be said about DF is that (despite being the softest of soft targets on a discussion board like this) he has nearly always improved things where he has gone.

Waterford won a Munster Championship and finally an AI semi final, Clare won an All Ireland, and Wexford won its only Leinster championship in 15 years. He'll improve Antrim too. With the state of the Leinster championship it is within their capacity to get into the top 3. Whether they have the quality is another question but if they have there is lots of evidence for DF's ability to get the extra percentages from Antrim.

I'd say the days of being competitive in Corrigan Park but then disgracing yourself in Nowlan Park will be over anyway.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515833#Comment_122515833

People are always very fast to say how he ''improves'' teams yet that's not really true when you get down to it. He''l improve teams in the short term but as soon as things go pear shaped he'll jump ship. He'll only ever take on teams where the ground work has been already done for him. Waterford making the All-Ireland final in 08 had little to do with him as the work was done. Same with Clare in 2013 was won on the back of a lot of underage success before that, something hr never build. Was a similer story in Wexford.

Ask anyone in Clare or Wexford would they take him back again.

jackboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515871#Comment_122515871

and bankrupt their county board.😃

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515855#Comment_122515855

"He'll improve teams in the short-term" - there you admitted it yourself. Almost every mangerial career will end in failure. If it doesn't they just haven't stayed long enough or people don't want to call it failure. But like you say yourself, he does improve teams.

Wexford might not take him back (not sure if that's necessarily true, Waterford did, and Clare will eventually, but let's take your implication at face value) but they haven't even reached a Leinster Final since he left. They also won the Leinster title in his third season so it was a success that was earned and not the product of an immediate bounce so the "short-term" thing doesn't really stack up either. Not liking him is not the same as him being ineffective. There is credit due.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515882#Comment_122515882

That's a matter for the County Board surely? Presumably his salary is discussed and agreed in advance? There's a few County Boards that needed bailouts without ever dealing with him.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515833#Comment_122515833

Waterford was an absolute disaster for him

supernova5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122516259#Comment_122516259

" Clare will eventually" Christ that is a scary thought in itself

PTH2009

Anyone hear that Davy owned someone in Antrim thus the reason for getting the job

Vinnie222

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122517254#Comment_122517254

Do you honestly believe that

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122516259#Comment_122516259

Based on what exactly will Clare want him back? They've been far better off without him since he left.

If to say he ''improves'' teams i'm not sure is the right word. Did he actually improve Waterford in either time he was there? How many of the Clare team had to retire when they should have been at their peek years?

CorkFenian

Sad times for GAA the most obvious sign of professionalism ever, pathetic really. Manager merrygoround getting crazy even at club level.

PeggyShippen

'Davy vows to woo Sandy row Loyalists into forming a hurling Club'. Davy sees politics being taken out of Antrim hurling and 20 loyalist and Unionist clubs being formed over the next 10 years.

pgj2015

Is he moving to Antrim? surely he wouldn't travel that distance for training?

irishproduce

Youd imagine he'd have to spent 4 nights a week there maybe is the way hella do it

Then closer to champ games he'd spent more time up there?

TheMilkyPirate

I wouldn't have him back in Wexford anyway. Leinster title was great but all the groundwork was laid by Liam dunne and davy brought absolutely nobody through. Bringing back on players he had subbed off in the 19 AI semi final just sums it up.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122518157#Comment_122518157

On the first question - based on my own hunch. I cannot predict the future.

I have have no intention of fielding a series of questions about which you have made your mind up already anyway. But I dealt with the improvements in an earlier post. If you don't agree fair enough but I'm not repeating it.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122518928#Comment_122518928

Indeed. There are clubs all over the country selling lotto tickets at weekends just to pay coaches. DF is clearly a professional hurling manager but what's going on at club level is crazy in the context of supposed amateurism. But people in clubs can get very defensive about their coaches if this is mentioned to them. Most see nothing wrong with or odd about it.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122519739#Comment_122519739

Made my mind up? You mean telling you facts?

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122520667#Comment_122520667

You wrote five sentences and three of them were questions. As for the other two sentences, you are confusing opinions and facts. You are entitled to your opinions but you are not entitled to retard them as facts. Contrary to your misguided interpretation you did not tell me a single fact.

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122520858#Comment_122520858

listen hes right , fitz brought about success in several roles as player and as manager , but his behaviour and how he conducted himself in some of them roles was nothing short of disgraceful , and i know full well what he was like here in clare both himself and his father , calling him a soft target is bullshit and laughable , if the man carried out his duties and nothing else then on one would have anything bad to say about him , he didnt do that here and it seems he upset a lot of wexford and waterford people in his time , some of them were bending over backwards for the man and he still turned on them

you can have all the success in the world but if you cant behave yourself in the process the success is almost worthless in the end

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122520858#Comment_122520858

Isit not a fact that the ground work has always been done for him when he's taken a job? Is it not a fact that after he's left a job the team is left in a mess and he lets someone else worry about it? All the while he plays the victim?

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122522048#Comment_122522048

Davy definers will always use the line of him being an easy target etc yet he's the biggest bully of them all. A great man to give it but will run off and cry to the media when he gets it back.

breezy1985

He might be able to bring Antrim on a bit. They are already a tough team to beat and I could see him add to that.

Its probably a good fit because this is the level he is at now. Hurling has passed him out in regards to the really top teams.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122522048#Comment_122522048

I never mentioned his behaviour (I wouldn't know the ins and outs of that) . Not sure why you brought that up with me. As you say he has brought success so you do actually agree with me.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122522197#Comment_122522197

The question of ground work can always be argued and maybe there's something in it quite often. Not often any Senior team can have success without some groundwork. Not sure that makes it a "fact" though.

As for leaving and letting someone else "worry about the mess". Not sure that makes sense. You either leave or you don't. It'll always be someone else problem after that. What's he supposed to do? Drop back on Saturday mornings and do community service?

He wouldn't be on his own in that either though. Look at the big pile of steaming sh*te Shefflin left behind him in Galway after three years of failure but as he's not a soft handy already well-hit target for moral cowards that won't be mentioned at all.

Beechwoodspark

I was in and around a Davy camp a few year ago (won’t mention which as you will understand) - some thoughts

he will go in all guns blazing, big bang approach.

Big gestures in the early days.

A lot of big talk about what Davy is going to do for them, what he is got from the county board, the disgrace of previous regimes, all is changed now Davy is here etc

Will be an emphasis on weeks away, training camps - morale building - lot of roaring and shouting about commitment, pride, signing a team charter etc

The carry on of him on Ireland fittest family is how he goes on

Lads will be brought to sessions in venues of Davys friends/circle

Davy will identify a handful of guys who will be the real inner circle “chosen few”, who will be taken under his wing and total loyalty expected.

Lot of talk about life long friendships and trust.

On flip side, some formerly well regarded lads will be on the outside of the circle for no good reason - tensions in the camp and unnecessary drama.

he will bring in his own people - psychotherapists, shrinks, physios etc all highly strung and won’t even put up with a smart remark said in jest .

Mind games and playing off people - I think modern word is gaslighting - don’t be under any illusions - the staff he brings in priority is to stay in with Davy number 1

when the wheels come off as they inevitably will, Davy will ensure he is centre of attention - roaring and shouting running onto the pitch, allegations against refs, other teams,

dark mutterings in the media over “how I would I love to say something but I can’t” or “I am struggling to keep quiet here but I can’t be silent much longer” - maybe even a red card or two to be sent to the stands

All for the Davy circus to keep rolling on to the next county…. yiz have been warned lads…

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122522514#Comment_122522514

Well yes it is a fact. Why do you think he's only never gone after senior jobs? Too much work to take over an underage team.

Name another manager who's let more than one team in a complete mess after they've left?

And last but not least the ''Poor Davy'' comments are starting with you. Also maybe Shefflin isn't a ''soft target'' as you say because he hasn't been pulling the same stunt for the last 15 years.

PTH2009

'Those lads haven't a clue'

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122516274#Comment_122516274

his father held the highest position in the board which is why it happened

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122523957#Comment_122523957

You are clearly unaware that Fitzgerald has been Clare under-21 manager n the past (not that it makes a whit of difference that he was). Again you are entitled to your opinions but not your own facts. Let's leave it at that so.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122527916#Comment_122527916

When was this?

Jizique

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528314#Comment_122528314

There was that row with Tipp in Ennis years ago that I seem to recall, Redser O'Grady incident springs to mind

Stationmaster

He would have been involved with a lot of underage teams in Clare in fairness when he started out - nearly 30 years ago or more at this stage!

megadodge

'I-don't-like-him-therefore-he's-no-good' appears to be the order of the day on here.

Some facts:

Even when he was playing it was widely known he was coaching numerous underage teams with his home club. So much for not coaching underage.

He won two Sigersons with LIT. The only two in their history.

When he went to Waterford, he took on a team that had been knocking on the door for a long time and only went so far. He got them to the All-Ireland final, even though they were a few years past their best.

When he took over Clare he won an All-Ireland with what I believe could be the youngest team to ever win it. He also won the League. A team full of talent and with time on their side won nothing after he left. And anyone who thinks 11 years later is the same team, is just proving my first sentence in this post correct.

What he did with Wexford was to any fair-minded person exceptional. When he took them over, they weren't remotely near beating Kilkenny or winning a Leinster title. They were a poor outfit with nothing coming through. They went on to beat Kilkenny a number of times and won a Leinster and really left that All-Ireland semi with Tipperary behind them, a position even the most optimistic Wexford person couldn't have predicted before he took over.

So, whether you like him or not and whether you think his behaviour is acceptable or not, to say he is not a good manager is childishness at its worst.

awaywithyou

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515833#Comment_122515833

given the talent he had at his disposal with the teams you mentioned… he should actually have won alot more than he did… Clare especially went seriously downhill after 2013… the fall off in their performances could be no ones fault only Davys…

funkey_monkey

What he may well do in Antrim is be the box office signing that gets the city clubs bouncing and inspire the young ones.

I think they'll wheel him about like the Pope around clubs and schools and try to get him to inspire young ones to pick up a hurl.

When was the last time that Antrim were the top GAA story on a continual basis? Imagine how true will positively affect the young kids in the county.

The senior team has some good players but you really have to unite the clans to get them singing and even at that they are short of top players and I don't know if there are enough coming through.

The talk from those like Sambo seems to be more focused on getting the young ones improving and increasing numbers to get a conveyor belt going.

I see DF appointment as being part of a strategy to increase visibility and participation of hurling especially in the city - the Glens clubs can't carry the county on their own.

If he gets a few scalps he'll be doing well. No one is expecting a long run in the AI, but at least the kids might get to see them on the Sunday Game highlights for a change. I think he'll make them harder to beat it nothing else.

cms88

For a start LIT won the Fitzgibbon not the Sigerson! It's also pretty well established that LIT more or less bought those titles. Shock horror again involved with a team where someone else had done the ground work for him.

callaway92

Ah lads a monkey would've won Fitzgibbon's over LIT in that period. Absolutely gifted panel

breezy1985

I think his past record is generally very good. He does tend to give teams a serious peak year but does also seem to leave them a bit burnt out. Plenty of examples of similar managers in soccer who can drive a team for one big push.

I don't think the argument should be around how you think he done in the past though. His problem is he seems unable to adapt to where the game has gone tactics wise.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122533150#Comment_122533150

This is cliché central. Talent" can't be measured so if you don't like someone you can always make that claim about the "talent" available to them. But because it can't be measured it's meaningless.

And even if it were true presumably all that talent would've come through and won all around them once he left. Wexford haven't even reached a provincial final since in a province not exactly known for its depth in recent years.

awaywithyou

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122539808#Comment_122539808

where did i say i dont like Davy… i never said that.. you should read my posts properly in future.. Davy is good for the GAA.. going to Antrim will be good for there profile etc.. and there will be a burst from Antrim next year… he is controversial.. there is nothing wrong that.. he creates a stir.. anything that has people talking bout GAA can only be a good thing..

Clare's performances picked up after davy left.. they were very unlucky not to get to an all-ire final in 2018.. Limerick had a golden golden generation come thru around then and that made Clare's task a little more difficult… obviously Clare won it out this year.. but their performances in general have been much better since Davy left… as other posters have said there is one good burst in the teams Davy manages and then after that things for whatever reason go pear shaped…

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122541556#Comment_122541556

Why are you just repeating the same stuff. That's been done.

To repeat myself since you're at it, as your last paragraph confirms he does improve teams when he gets there. Probably the best possible appointment for Antrim given where they are at and the marginal gains they are looking for.

awaywithyou

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542477#Comment_122542477

again you should read my posts properly.. i never said he improved teams.. never said it.. there is one good year in his teams and thats it.. and they are usually in a worse place when he leaves than when he started… his 2 years with Waterford have been an abject failure…

megadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122541556#Comment_122541556

How does winning nothing equate to an improvement on winning the All-Ireland and League?

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122539808#Comment_122539808

For a start you're the only one who's saying people don't like him.

Now lets look at some facts. Yes these are facts as much as you'll try to say otherwise.

2008 Waterford let to an All-Ireland final where they suffer one of the biggest losses of all time. I'm sure you'll find a way to not blame him for that.

2009 lose the Munster final and All-Ireland semi-final but only actually win two games.

2010 win Munster and lose All-Ireland semi final again winning only two games.

2011 hammered in the Munster final and lose semi-final again with only two wins.

Starts as Clare manager in 2012.

Lose Munster semi final and got out in the qualifiers after winning only one game.

2013 gets his only win with Clare in the Munster championship and go on to win the All-Ireland.

2014 don't win any championship game.

2015 only championship win is against Offaly in the qualifiers.

2016 win the league. Knocked out in Munster and lose in the quarter finals.

Moves to Wexford where they lose the Leinster final and lose quarter finals.

2018 again go out in the quarter finals.

2019 win Leinster and lose semi-final. Looks impressive but only actually won two games.

2020 win no games.

2021 win one game.

Back to Waterford where he wins two games in two seasons.

Not a great record now is it?

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122545307#Comment_122545307

No idea why you went through the tedium of looking all that up. He has improved teams everywhere he has gone. Won Clare's first All Ireland in their first final in 16 years. Took Waterford to their first All Ireland final in 50 years or something like that. Won Wexford's only Leinster title in the last 20 years. That'll do. Like you say he improves teams.

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122545307#Comment_122545307

2008 and 2009 only limp into the All Ireland Semi Finals with the QF wins been helped by Wexford pointing a late penalty and Galway imploding with Joe Canning messing up a shot

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546962#Comment_122546962

So one Munster championship win in four season is a good return to you? Or one of the biggest losses in both Munster and All-Ireland finals with Waterford?

Even when the facts are actually put in front of you still won't accept it.