Galway GAA discussion thread

Hulk Hands · 07-07-2013 01:50AM

MfMan wrote: »

God though, we must be the poorest team remaining. All our dead legends would turn in their grave to see the prolonged fallow spell we've been going through since '02.

Give the hyperbole a rest. We won plenty of Connacht titles from 02-08. There has been much worse periods in our history, and those we came back from. Our seniors have been desperate since 08 but even since then we've won 2 underage All Irelands. The vast majority of us have seen our county win 2 senior All Irelands. Compare that to other counties who have no chance of winning anything, or others who do but continually fall short. With the competition with other sports in Galway we are never going to be churning out top side after top side like Kerry. These things go in cycles, and we don't know when we'll hit highs again, but it will come. We're still very lucky to be born Galway supporters.

About today, there's nothing more to say really that hasn't already been said. Thoroughly depressing. There's one small positive that we can cling to, is that the team went behind and came back to win by a point. Distinct change from being knocked out a point 7 out of the last 8 years. We just have to hope the side really does have some quality and aren't just as average as displayed today. Small hope though it is. Now isn't the time to turn on the management and review their situation. There'll be a long winter ahead to contemplate that. Otherwise i'm just going to look forward to the hurling tomorrow and try to forget about this side until the draw on Monday week.

Syferus · 07-07-2013 02:04AM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Give the hyperbole a rest. We won plenty of Connacht titles from 02-08. There has been much worse periods in our history, and those we came back from. Our seniors have been desperate since 08 but even since then we've won 2 underage All Irelands. The vast majority of us have seen our county win 2 senior All Irelands. Compare that to other counties who have no chance of winning anything, or others who do but continually fall short. With the competition with other sports in Galway we are never going to be churning out top side after top side like Kerry. These things go in cycles, and we don't know when we'll hit highs again, but it will come. We're still very lucky to be born Galway supporters.

About today, there's nothing more to say really that hasn't already been said. Thoroughly depressing. There's one small positive that we can cling to, is that the team went behind and came back to win by a point. Distinct change from being knocked out a point 7 out of the last 8 years. We just have to hope the side really does have some quality and aren't just as average as displayed today. Small hope though it is. Now isn't the time to turn on the management and review their situation. There'll be a long winter ahead to contemplate that. Otherwise i'm just going to look forward to the hurling tomorrow and try to forget about this side until the draw on Monday week.

Stop taking pot shots at me, it's bad enough we lost today :mad:

..:pac:

Hulk Hands · 07-07-2013 02:10AM

Syferus wrote: »

Stop taking pot shots at me, it's bad enough we lost today :mad:

..:pac:

Hah, apologies didn't even think of your post. Would have been a nice subtle dig in hindsight

Unlucky today, sometimes those wides would go over and ye'd be marching on.

Pappa Charlie · 07-07-2013 02:35AM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Hah, apologies didn't even think of your post. Would have been a nice subtle dig in hindsight

Unlucky today, sometimes those wides would go over and ye'd be marching on.

If wides counted, the rossies would have won loads of all Ireland's ! Come to think of it so would Mayo'

Hulk Hands · 07-07-2013 11:54AM

Pappa Charlie wrote: »

If wides counted, the rossies would have won loads of all Ireland's ! Come to think of it so would Mayo'

Don't comedians always say that taking the piss is all about timing? The day after your own county almost loses to Waterford certainly isnt the right time

Pappa Charlie · 07-07-2013 11:58AM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Don't comedians always say that taking the piss is all about timing? The day after your own county almost loses to Waterford certainly isnt the right time

Sometimes the truth hurts, good timing or bad timing!

aidan24326 · 07-07-2013 12:05PM

porterbelly wrote: »

Knowing our luck with the draw we'll probably get London in the next round.

We'd be no shoe-in to beat London at this stage. Can't draw them in the next round anyway.

kraggy wrote: »

What's Mulhollands background, bot as a player and manager?

Remember him vaguely playing for the county team but didn't think it was for too long.

More importantly, who has he managed and for how long?

I was very surprised when he got the job.

Mulholland played centre back for Galway in the late 80s and into the mid 90s. Won a minor All-Ireland in 86 alongside the likes of Kevin Walsh and Tomas Mannion.

His management background was managing Galway underage teams. Led Galway to a minor title in 2007 and an u-21 in 2011.

Most Galway people felt he was the right man for the job and had earned it with some good work at underage level.

He hasn't progressed the team at all in the time he's been in the job, but against that you'd have to say he is working with the worst squad of players we've had in a very long time. The reality is that some of these players are no more than club standard, and the standard of senior club football in Galway has been shockingly bad in recent years. Last year's county final was honestly one of the worst county finals I've seen in Galway or anywhere else.

We'll be put out of our misery in the next round and you do have to wonder where we go from here. Every year we're saying things can't get any worse and yet worse it gets.

Anyway let's hope for a big performance from the hurlers today!

Diabhal Beag · 07-07-2013 01:07PM

No Kavanagh today due to personal tragedy apparently. My condolences.

Diabhal Beag · 07-07-2013 10:42PM

Sorry about that guys. Wasn't as severe as that post might have made it seem. He did play and was probably our best back in the first half.

Just back down and absolutely delighted for Dublin. You could tell the genuine fans who've been through it all from the bandwagoners who heard "Dotsy" was a good player. It's a great boost for hurling and shows that Galway are not the contenders initially imagined.

Dosty was phenomenal. Had to applaud him when he came off. He was on the end of a lot of high balls and was immense.Dublin's long balls were made to look like predetermined geography lessons whereas Galway lost the game primarily because Dublin were cleaning out any high balls. Rushe lives to be able to fire back any loose ball.

Tan was awful. That midfield was bypassed so often and he was kept quiet. Smith was a big improvement when he came on and showed a lot of fire. Conor Cooney was the best of a bad bunch of half-forwards for a long spell and Cyril shouldn't start the next day in all honesty. Dave Burke had a decent second half and scored a great goal. Canning wasn't really supported today but at least he played like he cared out there. Niall Burke and Darby were poor. Especially disappointed for Glennon as he looked excellent in the League.

Kavanagh and Coen were good but clearances were easily won by the Dublin backs. Hynes had one of his poorer showings and Moore doesn't seem the same player since last year. Skehill is the Fabien Barthez of this Galway side. Some good saves near the end but another soft goal to concede in the first half.

Dublin are the biggest contenders to challenge Tipp. Daly staying on looks like a stroke of genius. One of the less annoying managers. For us it's likely either KK or Davey's boys. Probably Thurles too. Not good.

O.A.P · 07-07-2013 11:51PM

What the **** happened in the first half?
It was like a few lads just meet up for a puck around on a Friday evening .
Sickened O.A.P :mad:

07-07-2013 11:59PM

Depressing stuff but its been coming all year and once again highlighted the lack of bottle in the Galway side. Dublin were the better side by a country mile but to go down once again without a fight is soul destroying.

Some people were burying their head in the sand but we have been going poorly and the team was in no way settled and no new names had really put their name forward for selection. On top of that management made some absolutely bizarre selection decisions to put it mildly and generally we looked like a leaderless, rudderless team. In fairness to Canning he didn't have his best day but he never stopped trying, from when he started roaming we started losing our shape in a major way. Hard to see us pulling it back from here. Some tough decisions needed from management (as a group of 3 rather than 2) and really these players have to man up, most of them still living on a few decent displays last year which ended in failure dress it up anyway you like but was treated like success in Galway.

clarenman · 08-07-2013 12:17AM

Galway were terrible,we went down tamely again!!we spent the league shi@ehawking around,we need changes to nos 1-3-6-8-11,Colm Callanan should get the no 1,Kavanagh the no 3,Tann maybe 6(best no 6 in club scene),we have to find a no 11 who can score and get involved,JC needs forwards who can score and support him,without JC today Galway would be annihilated even worse,he has to stay at 14!!,I am not sure we have the raw material to win an A-I

CastingCouch · 08-07-2013 12:21AM

clarenman wrote: »

Galway were terrible,we went down tamely again!!we spent the league shi@ehawking around,we need changes to nos 1-3-6-8-11,Colm Callanan should get the no 1,Kavanagh the no 3,Tann maybe 6(best no 6 in club scene),we have to find a no 11 who can score and get involved,JC needs forwards who can score and support him,without JC today Galway would be annihilated even worse,he has to stay at 14!!,I am not sure we have the raw material to win an A-I

I think the defeat isn't so bad. Yes it would have been great to win, but it's one defeat out of the way and will mean tough training the next few weeks.

08-07-2013 12:27AM

CastingCouch wrote: »

I think the defeat isn't so bad. Yes it would have been great to win, but it's one defeat out of the way and will mean tough training the next few weeks.

With all due respect did you watch the match? I find it hard to believe anyone who watched the match could come up with that opinion. We were beaten all ends up all over the field. We were miles off the pace and have been all year. That's not a gap that is going to be bridged within 3 weeks.

CastingCouch · 08-07-2013 12:30AM

Borders no.2 wrote: »

With all due respect did you watch the match? I find it hard to believe anyone who watched the match could come up with that opinion. We were beaten all ends up all over the field. We were miles off the pace and have been all year. That's not a gap that is going to be bridged within 3 weeks.

Yes I did watch the match.

If you're going to play shiite, play shiite before it really matters.

08-07-2013 12:36AM

Maybe so but I really find it hard to see Galway pulling this together in 3 weeks but I suppose when everyone writes them off they'll probably deliver as usual before collapsing to an inevitable capitulation the following day out.

InchicoreDude · 08-07-2013 09:31AM

aidan24326 wrote: »

He hasn't progressed the team at all in the time he's been in the job, but against that you'd have to say he is working with the worst squad of players we've had in a very long time.

Is this actually true?

I am not very sure that the players currently in the Galway panel are the best players in the county.

GS11 · 08-07-2013 09:38AM

Way off the pace yesterday, not having played any games cannot have helped. We badly need a few forwards that can pop over a few scores. J

Joe has to stay up top, he will do serious damage there, just give the guy the ball. That goal yesterday again was pure class, how many players in the country capable of doing that.

MfMan · 08-07-2013 10:29AM

clarenman wrote: »

Galway were terrible,we went down tamely again!!we spent the league shi@ehawking around,we need changes to nos 1-3-6-8-11,Colm Callanan should get the no 1,Kavanagh the no 3,Tann maybe 6(best no 6 in club scene),we have to find a no 11 who can score and get involved,JC needs forwards who can score and support him,without JC today Galway would be annihilated even worse,he has to stay at 14!!,I am not sure we have the raw material to win an A-I

After yesterday's display, do you really think Tan can be picked any more? He'd be worse at no. 6, just won't follow a man whatsoever.

InchicoreDude · 08-07-2013 10:33AM

MfMan wrote: »

After yesterday's display, do you really think Tan can be picked any more? He'd be worse at no. 6, just won't follow a man whatsoever.

Thought Kavanagh did quite well at number 6 yesterday, it'd be one of the positions that I wouldnt change

intellectual dosser · 08-07-2013 10:36AM

I'd be hesitant to single out Galway players for criticism/de-selection because you'd end up with a whole new 15. Even Joe Canning had a poor game by his standards, and despite the brief glimpses of masterclass. Dublin were better in every sector AND were twice as hungry.

Concannon7 · 08-07-2013 10:49AM

We don't have a team good enough to challange year in year out for All-Irelands. I really think it's that simple. Every so often we play above ourselves and might make an All-Ireland final. I'm sick of people blaming management as if we have this great team that are being mismanaged. I have heard this time and again whether it be Mattie Murphy, Noel Lane, Hayes etc. I'm not saying they are free of blame but I feel alot of it is down to the players not being good enough. Forget under age titles and forget Club titles and stop using these as reasons why we should be winning at senior grade. They should all be moved into Leinster anyway.

For years we got a bye into All-Ireland S/F and the usual complaints of no match practice and being caught cold were thrown around. I heard this again today because Dublin had so many games while Galway only had to beat Laois. Rubbish. We continuously paper over the cracks and until we get realistic we wont win All-Irelands.

MfMan · 08-07-2013 11:18AM

Galway_mad_bhoy wrote: »

We don't have a team good enough to challange year in year out for All-Irelands. I really think it's that simple. Every so often we play above ourselves and might make an All-Ireland final. I'm sick of people blaming management as if we have this great team that are being mismanaged. I have heard this time and again whether it be Mattie Murphy, Noel Lane, Hayes etc. I'm not saying they are free of blame but I feel alot of it is down to the players not being good enough. Forget under age titles and forget Club titles and stop using these as reasons why we should be winning at senior grade. They should all be moved into Leinster anyway.

For years we got a bye into All-Ireland S/F and the usual complaints of no match practice and being caught cold were thrown around. I heard this again today because Dublin had so many games while Galway only had to beat Laois. Rubbish. We continuously paper over the cracks and until we get realistic we wont win All-Irelands.

True, but current management cannot be absolved from blame in yesterday's case. They have singularly failed to improve the team since last year, (the rot starting setting in in the 2nd half of the drawn final).
They've been picking players who aren't good enough (e.g. Tannian, Joe Cooney);
not picking players who should have been there (e.g. Shane Kavanagh); indiscipline hasn't been corrected, (e.g. David Burke's retaliation having won a free - cost us a possible score; Tannian's persistence in trying to rise a ball with one hand - led to a free which Dublin converted.) These have been going on unchecked all through the league.

I predicted after the Mayo game in Pearse stadium that the hurlers would get the same hammering this year if they weren't very careful. Sadly, that came to pass yesterday, and that's 3 large defeats in our last 3 biggest games. When is the penny going to drop with Cunningham and co. that whatever they're doing on the training ground is wrong, that simply running players into the ground isn't the right way to do things.

Concannon7 · 08-07-2013 11:34AM

I don't disagree but when its the same thing year after year with different management teams it becomes obvious that there are deeper lieing problems than the management team. Namely the players.

aidan24326 · 08-07-2013 11:41AM

InchicoreDude wrote: »

Is this actually true?

I am not very sure that the players currently in the Galway panel are the best players in the county.

To be fair, a lot of players have been tried over the last few years and the majority have not been good enough. So I don't think we can simply put it down to management picking the wrong players.

What we have now is a combination of a very average squad of players and a management team who seem clueless as to how to improve things. There's a lack of organisation, no leadership, no tactical nous, no gameplan etc etc

So whatever about the level of players we have Mullholland and co have to be asked some serious questions. What are they doing in training? Why is the team getting steadily worse rather than showing some improvement?

This Waterford team were hammered by Kerry only a few weeks ago yet they came to Pearse Stadium and were unlucky not to win. Clearly even the weakest teams fancy their chances against Galway these days.

Hulk Hands · 08-07-2013 01:39PM

Tannion was probably our player of the year last year.Now suddenly after one bad game he's not good enough and management should be critisised for picking him? Theres too many knee jerk reactions. Dublin were amazing yesterday. Very like Galways leinster final 12 months ago. When a team is playing like that, if your anyway off 100% you'll be beaten, as Kilkenny and now Galway have found out. Better the wake up call came now than in a semi final or so. They didn't become bad hurlers overnight

yop · 08-07-2013 01:47PM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Tannion was probably our player of the year last year.Now suddenly after one bad game he's not good enough and management should be critisised for picking him? Theres too many knee jerk reactions. Dublin were amazing yesterday. Very like Galways leinster final 12 months ago. When a team is playing like that, if your anyway off 100% you'll be beaten, as Kilkenny and now Galway have found out. Better the wake up call came now than in a semi final or so. They didn't become bad hurlers overnight

In 1 there, they had a great game, 2nd week in a row. Bit like last year in Gway v Kilkenny.
Galway and Kilkenny will be waiting in the long grass for the Dubs yet

Diabhal Beag · 08-07-2013 01:51PM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Tannion was probably our player of the year last year.Now suddenly after one bad game he's not good enough and management should be critisised for picking him? Theres too many knee jerk reactions. Dublin were amazing yesterday. Very like Galways leinster final 12 months ago. When a team is playing like that, if your anyway off 100% you'll be beaten, as Kilkenny and now Galway have found out. Better the wake up call came now than in a semi final or so. They didn't become bad hurlers overnight

Tannian wasn't great against Laois either TBF but played better than yesterday for sure.

GS11 · 08-07-2013 02:09PM

yop wrote: »

In 1 there, they had a great game, 2nd week in a row. Bit like last year in Gway v Kilkenny.
Galway and Kilkenny will be waiting in the long grass for the Dubs yet

Can u really see that this year, KK will, Henry coming on was a bit ominous.

The one thing that annoys me about Galway hurling is every player seems to have to do it on his own, very little support play, really need to improve that aspect of our game.

intellectual dosser · 08-07-2013 02:22PM

Are people forgetting Cork and Limerick still have lot to say yet. Clare, Waterford and Wexford could probably beat anyone on their day too.

Galway GAA discussion thread

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