Kilkenny GAA Thread

Fair play to him. It allows things to move on.

It must have been a really hard few months for him and especially since championship began.

Can't see Brian Dowling staying in Kildare after doing such a brilliant job the last few years

Henry might want another few years with you're 20s

Heard Davy is available

Undoubtedly Derek Lyng has given great service to Kilkenny hurling as player/selector/manager and a big thank you for all your efforts, but his time was up and I am just glad it did not drag out.Good luck for future.Lets hope Co board start process of appointing successor and whoever it maybe starts the long road back to where we need to be

We would need a new sponsor to afford Davy. Actually we'd need a gold mine.

Huge credit to Derek Lyng, he is kilkenny through and through. Did his time as a selector under Cody and had a great run as u20 manager, then took on the hardest job in hurling, succeeding the best of all time at a moment of decline, and did it without ever complaining or making an excuse or looking for attention or even money. He's pretty much the exact opposite of Davy fitz, personality wise. We can debate WHY it didn't work out, but I suppose we can all agree that it didn't work out, and Derek stepped down early, once again doing what's right for kk hurling, not dragging it out and giving the county a chance to put the right man in before the clubs are back at it. It can't have been easy for him to step down, it never is. I think he still has a huge amount to offer the county but he owes nobody anything. A great kilkenny man.

So true the contrast with Fitzgerald. He never moaned, no hysterics. Any interview he did was dignified and honest. He never blamed anyone.

And tonight he's doing what he's doing for the good of Kilkenny hurling. I hope he succeeds in whatever he undertakes next.

He's a throw back in an era producing managers who crave personal attention.

with Derek stepping aside I think he should be commended for almost 30 years of unbroken service to his county as a player, selector and manager. Stepping into Cody’s shoes was never going to be an easy task and, though things haven’t gone the way any of us would have wanted, there’s no doubt that it wasn’t a lack of effort or determination on Derek’s behalf. I think stepping aside now is an admirable move on Derek’s part and gives his successor the best chance to have things in place before the club championship starts. Who that will be is another question, do we have faith in the CB to pick the right person is an even bigger question. But thanks to Derek for the service he’s given Kilkenny Gaa through out the years, a Kilkenny man through and through and a great one at that.

Non stop talk about managers at the different levels on this page, you would swear they were the reason for our defeats this year. Our players are just not good enough. Very few top class players in the county anymore. Doesn't matter who the manager is, if the players aren't good enough it doesn't matter a jot. We are gone like the England soccer team overhyping our players and then blaming the manager when things go to pot. I often read about players on this page and you would swear they were the next jj, tommy or henry, only to be extremely disappointed when I see them in the flesh. Wasn't long ago this page was full of posters giving out about lyng not adapting to the modern game, this year they tried that but the players just not good enough to be able to adapt to it. Thank you to all our managers giving it their best, they certainly don't deserve the criticism they receive on here.

Thank you to all our players giving in their best, they certainly don't deserve the criticism they receive on here.

Yes fair play to him he didn't hang around. He's an honourable man and deserves our gratitude for such unbroken and selfless service to the county. It's a pity he had to go out on a low but that's sport.

Hopefully the plan for the new appointment will be well thought out. We definitely need to get it right. I think if Kilkenny seniors come calling for any ambitious Kilkenny man, whether they're in a job currently or not, they won't turn it down.

Which player did I criticise?

agree, he comes across as a dignified man, the type of individual you want doing a serious job. Now he is gone, is it Henry’s to lose? Some of the others mentioned would be light by comparison in terms of senior inter co experience?

Since the advent of the internet sports fora have been about opinions and criticism. And yes it is easy as an anonymous poster, criticising somebody who's doing a very difficult job in the public eye.

But people will always have opinions on tactics, selection and all the various aspects of a sport. It's when that criticism becomes overly personal, or myopic in the sense of not seeing the bigger picture it becomes dangerous.

As posters mention, Derek Lyng is an honourable man. He has a quiet, dignified, measured demeanour, showing many of the best traits of Kilkenny hurling through the years.

Sometimes things just aren't to be. A whole plethora of circumstances conspired against Kilkenny winning an All Ireland, who he succeeded, lack of stellar talent.. maybe even a bit of luck.

Thank you Derek. You have given KK massive service that no one can take awy from you. Fabulous player and person. Yes the anonymous posters here have given you criticism here myself included but thats par to th course. I dont think it was personal from anyone here and i have not seen anything personal. Best of luck to you in where the road of life takes you.

I’d echo all of that Willie, well said. Derek was the same on the field , no nonsense, tough as nails and a real swashbuckling type of warrior in our midfield. Best of luck to him in his future endeavours and thanks for everything.

If they do give it to Davy, he'll try to implement a game plan (sweeper, handpassing though the lines) that's alien to the current Kilkenny team.

They need to give him a 3 to 4 year contract to bed his ideas in.