Waterford GAA Discussion Thread 2013- Mod Warning Post #1

Giveitfong wrote: »

Waterford hurling is now in serious crisis. At a time when optimism for the future should be at an all-time high given the unprecedented flow of talent coming out of the minor grade, a general managerial malaise has led to widespread anger and frustration among supporters. It was bad enough after the Laois game, but I have never before experienced such exasperation as was palpable among supporters streaming out of Walsh Park after the shambles we witnessed on Wednesday night.

The crass incompetence and stupidity of the under 21 management has already been well dissected by other contributors to this thread, especially the excellent pieces by Blueflame and Horseboxhead. This incompetence and stupidity is a carbon copy of what has been happening at senior level, as a supposedly defensive system has produced some of the worst hidings shipped by Waterford in recent memory.

The range of terms used by contributors here to describe Wednesday's farce reflects just how widespread supporters' fury is with the way things are going: disgraceful, mind boggling, shambolic, aimless, rudderless, gormless, stupid, crap, disgusting, shocking, criminal, crazy, truly awful, angry, a new low, frustrating, embarrassing, incompetent, clueless, ridiculous, disastrous, piss poor, cat.

I have always felt that if Waterford had taken a more positive approach to last year's under 21 game against Clare in Walsh Park, we would now be All-Ireland champions. However, at least against Clare, with their lineup of star players, an argument could be made for a defensive setup. But for a team with 13 county senior panellists, ten of them in the senior matchday 25 and seven of them with senior championship experience to adopt a defensive setup against a Cork team with one player on the senior team and three senior subs (none of them likely to make a senior appearance) defied all understanding.

That Cork team came to Walsh Park hoping at best to put up a decent performance - their manager Pat Kenneally more or less admitted as much in the Examiner yesterday. But the negativity of the Waterford set up and the obvious confusion among players regarding what they were supposed to be doing drained the confidence out of them while Cork grew visibly in self-belief as the prospect of getting a result became increasingly apparent. This contrast in mindset could be seen in the way Cork sent a series of long distance shots between the posts while, in the second half, five Waterford shots dropped into the hand of the Cork goalie.

Blueflame has summarised the situation very clearly:

The negative tactics employed at Senior and U21 level have failed, they have resulted in four absolute "thrashings", they have undermined the confidence of a glorious generation of young hurlers and they have alienated a huge portion of loyal and dedicated supporters.

As Letowski (posting from Clare) has put it:

Ye now have top quality forwards coming through onto U21 and senior and none of these boys are used to playing this way from minor. They are natural winners and I don't think a negative mind set will help them in there development. Ye would get more out of them playing the style that has been successful for them and what they are used to.

The manner in which the current Under 21 and Senior managers were appointed reflects all that is wrong with the GAA in Waterford. In any other county, given the talent coming through and the need to develop it effectively, the County Board should have appointed a search committee, made up mainly of former county hurlers with suitable expertise, to scour the country to see who might be available, what they would plan to do if appointed, and what conditions they would expect to be met if they were to go forward for appointment as manager of the county team.

Instead, the County Board simply advertised for applications for the position. Very few serious contenders were likely to apply in this situation, risking embarrassment at either not being interviewed or being appointed, especially given the reputation of the County Board executive for bizarre and incompetent decision-making. Not surprisingly, there were just two real contenders, and I presume Derek McGrath got the job because he used a Powerpoint presentation and big words in his interview - a case of the inept talking to the even more inept. Peter Queally then got the under 21 team as a consolation prize.

Anyway, personally, I am not going to take this anymore. Alf Tupper has said here that after 40 years never missing a match, he will not be travelling to Nowlan Park tomorrow night. I can go back even farther - almost 55 years - and have followed the team through thick and thin (mostly the latter until the last 15 years) in that period. Not only will I not attend tomorrow's game, but will remain absent as long as these two remain in charge of our under 21 and senior teams and continue with these crazy and self-destructive tactics.

Deskjockey wrote: »

8 pints of Hoffmans.

skaface wrote: »

Best of luck to our hurlers tomorrow. Deise Abu!!
Let's hope we throw off the shackles and cut loose in Nowlan Park tomorrow night.

Mr Tibbs wrote: »

I'm really glad you're not a weather forecaster. We would have 365 days of rain a year.

seananigans wrote: »

to be fair, he has a point, it s a 50/50 for me