|
Post by scoobydo on Jun 27, 2007 10:37:44 GMT
Thanks Owen
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jun 27, 2007 17:52:25 GMT
i agree entirely with him in relation to Sean Og ohailpin
|
|
|
Post by scoobydo on Jul 4, 2007 10:29:02 GMT
any chance someone could post todays article up please??
|
|
|
Post by hatchetman on Jul 4, 2007 14:41:00 GMT
c'mon now boys, surely somebody must have access to this?
|
|
|
Post by Owenabue on Jul 4, 2007 14:44:03 GMT
Cracking the Cody code is the way forward
Jack O'Connor's Column Kilkenny's system of internal struggle looks like the template for other elite counties
Brian Cody's biggest challenge at the moment is to keep a straight face when he is being interviewed after matches. On a couple for occasions in the past he has become a little animated when reporters have questioned the quality of the opposition.
On Sunday, after having the luxury of taking off his full back and his entire half-back line in a provincial final, even the normally inscrutable Brian was struggling to put a face on things after Kilkenny's facile win over Wexford.
The worrying aspect is that the lack of serious opposition in Leinster isn't good for Kilkenny, or for the game of hurling itself.
In many way the toughest opponents Kilkenny have had this summer have been their own subs.
The legendary games between the As and the Bs in Nowlan Park on training nights might be better value for admission money than Sunday's Leinster final.
Brian Cody knows that, when faced with an uncompetitive provincial championship, internal competition is the only way of keeping players out of the comfort zone and preventing their standards from dropping.
On Sunday, Kilkenny brought in five new players who didn't play in last September's winning All-Ireland team.
That is an amazing statistic. Normally that sort of turnover means you are in serious transition and looking at long-term rebuilding. Kilkenny have turned it into their secret weapon against the failures of the championship structure.
Constantly refreshing and renewing ensures staleness and complacency are not factors. The universal language in team sports is fear of losing your place.
While Munster teams hone themselves in one of the few competitive provincial championships left, Kilkenny have to battle among themselves to stay sharp.
In Kilkenny they know, from 2001 especially, there is always a chance a superior team can be caught by a leaner, hungrier team who have come a hard road.
The only way around this is to make every training session a war of attrition, with only the fittest surviving. The players then set the standards themselves.
In such an environment injury is always a risk, but when the championship gets serious for Kilkenny there is no point in having everyone available but nobody battle -hardened.
You had to think of Kilkenny when you watched the Munster football final in Killarney on Sunday. The game did not turn out to be the hand-to-hand combat most had expected. It was as if the recent furore over discipline was on players' minds and they were on their best behaviour.
There may, though, have been another, more fundamental, reason for the lack of fireworks. Cork arrived in Killarney last year with a fanatical desire in their bellies to recover lost pride after the previous year's semi-final. This time they were competitive without being fanatical.
In the back of their minds must have been their experiences after winning Munster last year. They will have realised it didn't do Kerry any harm, taking a short diversion out the back door.
In many ways winning the game on Sunday was more important for Kerry. It was a first Munster final win against the old enemy in Killarney in 21 years.
That was motivation enough, but the players had the memory of last year to fuel them and Sunday brought the first piece of silverware for Pat O'Shea's new management team. That it was won in front of Kerry's own supporters will help build the faith.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Cork have spent the winter trying to mould their own version of Kieran Donaghy. Michael Cussen may not be as agile as the Kerry version but he is still a fair operator. His two first-half points hinted at real potential. But Cork need to use him as a first resort, not as an afterthought, like they did on Sunday. If he is used well he will make it awkward for anyone.
Cork fell between two stools in Killarney, between kicking it and carrying it. Cussen wasn't used properly and James Masters was well held by Marc Ó Sé. Cork had no cohesion up front.
At this point you would have to say Kerry are going a fair bit better than at this time last year. Donaghy isn't going at full pelt yet but he is getting there; his peak form is in the post. You can see the effect he is having on the two corner men, Gooch and Mike Frank. Both are playing with the confidence that comes from knowing Donaghy's presence makes opposing full-back lines as nervous as a henhouse with a fox peering in.
Gooch's goal was a case in point. It was an instinctive thing of beauty. Nothing much on, then a diagonal hoof from Cillian Young and pandemonium reigned.
Backs hate that scenario; they don't know whether to watch the ball or the man.
Gooch finished to the net with the kind of cheek that reminded me of the famous backheeled goal Denis Law scored many years ago for Manchester City to relegate Manchester United from the first division.
Schoolyard instinct took over. That's when the Gooch is at his best, playing with freedom and enjoyment.
Cork will probably spend the next three weeks honing the delivery into Cussen. Kerry will know Donaghy is approaching top form. If they both come right the big men will have a big say in the destiny of the real championship. The worry for Kerry is that despite a good Munster final, six weeks is a long time to keep their edge. They may have to look at the Kilkenny way.
Brian Cody has learned to tap into his conveyor belt of top-quality talent to keep his side fresh and lean and fend off the effects of poor provincial structures.
No wonder Cody can't keep a straight face. He has beaten the system that is killing everyone else.
Agus Rud Eile...
Kerry's win in Killarney means that they can put the championship back into storage for a while and return to club business. You might as well present the provincial winners with a Trojan horse instead of the cup.
With that kind of gap between matches it is hard to maintain any sort of momentum within a team.
Last year, Kerry had the replay against Cork and then a qualifier against Longford before facing into D-Day with Armagh.
Joe Kernan's men had to put up with a few weeks of inactivity themselves after winning in Ulster. It is as if there are two separate championships going on.
One, the provincial football championship, gives you several weeks off after winning it and allows you to play club championships in between.
The other system allows you to regroup after defeat, address a couple of problems and come back into the real championship leaner and meaner and match fit.
Teams' views on which route it is better to focus on will change according to whatever happened in the previous summer's campaigns.
But all it will take is for another couple of teams to win the AllIreland coming through the back door for everyone to see that it isn't just the Leinster senior hurling championship that is past its sell-by date.
There is a real danger teams will look at the lie of the land in springtime and wonder if they should be going flat out or not.
There is a chance the provincial football finals will turn into exhibition sparring matches or, as the old west Kerry phrase put it, cogaí na mbó maol, fights of the hornless cows.
|
|
|
Post by Owenabue on Jul 4, 2007 14:44:52 GMT
Lads, feel free any other time to spend the €2 on the day sub... www.ireland.com is where you'll find the times.
|
|
|
Post by scoobydo on Jul 4, 2007 14:48:01 GMT
cheers owen
|
|
|
Post by hatchetman on Jul 4, 2007 16:25:32 GMT
Lads, feel free any other time to spend the €2 on the day sub... www.ireland.com is where you'll find the times. Cheers Owen. To be fair now , you're not the worst of them Cork hoors.
|
|
|
Post by Owenabue on Jul 4, 2007 16:26:37 GMT
Mustn't be as tight with money as ye Kerry hoors anyway....
|
|
madmac999
Senior Member
Who Put the ball in the Tarbert Net????
Posts: 724
|
Post by madmac999 on Jul 4, 2007 20:31:19 GMT
Simple question : Has anyone read the whole book!! Is it worth it ??
I m in the process of reading autobiography of Francois Pienaar. Good read for anyone who is interested in sporting autobiography
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 5, 2007 9:30:21 GMT
The book is well worth it
|
|
|
Post by kerry07 on Jul 5, 2007 23:31:27 GMT
The book is a great read.... We aint see the last of Jack lads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
animal
Fanatical Member
Posts: 1,931
|
Post by animal on Jul 6, 2007 9:35:26 GMT
The book is worth reading if for no other reason than to be able to offer a valid opinion on it. it is well written (thank you Mr Humphries) but probably reveals a little bit too much about private moments. I'm especially thinking about the likes of Brain Sheehan.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2007 9:49:39 GMT
Great read, have no problem with him slagging Micko, paidi and other ex players.
Only issue I have is detailing private conversations with players such as Galvin, Sheehan, Tom Sullivan, Mike Frank etc. Will Kerry players feel in future that private conversations they have with a Kerry manager are likely to end up in a book? This could mean that players will keep things to themselves rather than airing any issues they may have.
|
|
champ
Junior Member
Posts: 29
|
Post by champ on Jul 6, 2007 11:32:35 GMT
I think your spot on Kingdomexile. I know that a lot of the above mentioned players had great time for JOC but i think this will be a betrayal of their trust as far as they are concerned. To relay private conversations, "motivation techniques" and training ground antics is not on and maybe plays right into the hands of those who doubted Jacks expertise in the first place, as it was an amatuer thing to do - all just to sell a few books. If what im hearing is to be believed, Jack has gotten a few phone calls from squad members expressing their frustration and disgust.
|
|
|
Post by buck02 on Jul 6, 2007 13:51:17 GMT
Anybody reckon that The Jack O Connor article is actually the Tom Humpries article after the two have a 10 minute phone conversation about the weekend games? Perhaps austinstacksabu could give his expert opinion on all things media in relation to this (if he isnt at the pool or some Ms Hawaii contest that is).
|
|
|
Post by noreenos on Jul 6, 2007 14:46:23 GMT
I have to agree with Champ and Kingdomexile about the book. I have not read the book and will not read it. I really feel for the players on that squad right now and how they are feeling around all this muck. Can't turn around now without someone writing about it!! Way Too Much Information Jack.....won't make money from me. Thanks for winning the All-Irelands though...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2007 18:13:39 GMT
Noreenos
You should read the book before passing comment. It is not the Satanic verses
|
|
|
Post by noreenos on Jul 6, 2007 18:52:43 GMT
And you are the forum King I suppose!
I will have to agree with babablacksheep - it's too cool and bitter for me.
I'm off to Hawaii for a week and will hopefully meet up with stacks for a few margaritas!!!
|
|
martym
Senior Member
Posts: 254
|
Post by martym on Jul 6, 2007 20:46:43 GMT
Nooreneos , I like your self had no intention of reading but borrowed a Copy . It is a very revealing book which is not near as contraversal as the newspapers make it out to be .Read it dont condem it
|
|
|
Post by austinstacksabu on Jul 6, 2007 21:57:05 GMT
Best of luck finding me in Hawaii Noreenos :-) Because I'm as far removed from that idylic spot as Stalin was from a sun tan in winter.
|
|
|
Post by smokeyjoe on Jul 6, 2007 22:53:16 GMT
no, its not half as controversial as the papers make it out to be, very interesting, especially for Sth Kerry people who know who he's talking about relating to Dromid, waterville etc....
|
|
|
Post by kerrygold on Jul 6, 2007 22:53:19 GMT
Best of luck finding me in Hawaii Noreenos :-) Because I'm as far removed from that idylic spot as Stalin was from a sun tan in winter. i wouldnt be convienced stacks about stalin and the tan,the light or uv rays always kicks back up of the snow same as been out in a boat all day and coming back in in the evening with a red face,light tends to reflect of bright objects. Have you ever seen a eskomo with pure white pale skin?
|
|
falveyb2k
Fanatical Member
"The way this man played today, if there was a flood he'd walk on water. Jack O Shea"
Posts: 1,920
|
Post by falveyb2k on Jul 16, 2007 0:31:17 GMT
Does anyone have last week's article?
|
|
|
Post by Owenabue on Jul 25, 2007 14:08:14 GMT
Irish Times 25th July 2007
Busting out of the comfort zone
Jack O'Connor's Column: Meath may have benefited from Graham Geraghty's training-ground fight
The swooning and fainting and moral indignation which followed Graham Geraghty's training-ground fisticuffs made me laugh. There were many, including former Meath players from a team who were never shy about skelping at training, who wanted Geraghty to be given a one-way ticket to Van Diemen's Land. If Geraghty could have bottled all the outrage he could have made the journey by hot air balloon.
The Meath management though have to be complimented on how they handled the incident. They took action but they left the door ajar. Last Saturday Geraghty's overall contribution and the obvious spirit in the team proved they got it right.
What is so amusing is that training-ground bust-ups are often a healthy sign. Colm Coyle, who was a tough man and who played with tough men, won't have been too alarmed. The odd training-ground skirmish shows there is a bit of intensity and bite in the training, which is exactly what a manager looks for. Troops have to experience battleground conditions if they are to survive when they go to war.
I'm not claiming Graham Geraghty is an angel. Far from it, but Meath are a better team for having him around. Sometimes your best players are your most flawed people. The real test of a manager is how he deals with that. With some players the difference between being great and being average is that edge they have to their personalities. Roy Keane wasn't the most naturally gifted player or the easiest to handle. It was his desire and mental strength and that nasty side to him which made him stand out as a winner.
Graham Geraghty makes Meath a better team. That's the bottom line. Ask any opposing defence if they were glad to see him coming back.
People underestimate the strain which amateur players operate under. We expect people who play for their county as a pastime to have professional standards. They are being scrutinised by the press in the same way soccer players who earn £50,000 a week are watched.
Whether they lose the head in training or engage in any other misdemeanour in their private lives, they can be plastered all over the papers. The manager of an intercounty team is constantly fighting on two fronts. He needs to get his team right on the training ground. His other battle is with the media. Training sessions are, by and large, open to the public and every incident gets magnified out of all proportion.
Last year in Kerry there were so many instances of exaggeration, hyperbole and plain lies coming out of our training sessions that one night we decided to close the gates so we could operate in a bit of peace. Instead the locked gates became the headline. "A New Low In Kerry Football". It's hard to win. One pundit suggested we were locking the gates in case players attempted to escape down the town.
This is the dilemma every manager faces. You like a bit of atmosphere and edge at training because it adds something to it. The downside is the stuff that leaks out. Next you know issues you would like to leave in-house are being discussed on the national airwaves. Some managers panic a bit when that happens and think they have to yield to public opinion. The temptation for a weak manager is to try to make himself look strong and hardline. The smarter guys like Coyle leave themselves some wriggle room and never back themselves into a corner.
Colm will have heard a lot of people telling him to ditch Geraghty and to build for the future. For Meath the future is now. They are playing games and getting masses of experience. They have a strong midfield and Stephen Bray is the best forward we have seen in the championship so far this year. I said here a few weeks ago he was a machine when it came to point scoring. On Saturday in Portlaoise we saw another component of his game - he scored two goals and could have had at least one more.
Meath mightn't yet have all the tools to go the full distance but they will have benefited greatly from their win over Galway. Their momentum is building. They have links back to their past with Darren Fay, Nigel Crawford and Geraghty, as well as Coyle and Tommy Dowd on the sideline. They have a man with a foot in the past and another in the future in the shape of young Shane O'Rourke. Young O'Rourke has the physique, the pedigree and the use of both feet and looks like he will be a fine player. On the basis that a good big one is better than a good small one he will be a great addition.
Colm O'Rourke's input goes well beyond supplying his son to the team. His work in that great nursery, St Pat's of Navan, has ensured a supply of talent to all Meath teams and that work is manifesting itself at senior level now. When a legend like Colm is preaching the gospel day in and day out it is amazing how young lads become true believers quite quickly.
Meath have developed as the games have gone along. They had two great battles with Dublin in front of full houses. They were competitive in both games and possibly should have won the first. They seem to have learned quickly too which again is the mark of good management.
They now play Anthony Moyles on the 40 allowing him to drop back like an extra defender. He is such a good athlete he is able to get up and down. In the second Dublin game they kicked ball away stupidly in parts of the field. They were kicking ball from way too deep in defence. They have stopped doing that and have certainly improved their distribution.
They play the ball early and I presume that's a part of the way they play club football. Meath won't be getting caught out by these massed defences. They know how to fight for their ball.
Visibly they have come together as a team as the championship has progressed. The bit of ruaile buaile that the Geraghty business brought will have helped in the long run. You need a bit of tension and adversity to get lads out of the comfort zone. That and a few wins will have brought them closer together.
If they can get Graham Geraghty settled down and playing inside along with Bray and Brian Farrell and with Shane O'Rourke learning all the time, they have the ammunition. Nobody will want to meet them in the next round.
To have come that far so soon is a sign of smart management.
|
|
|
Post by buck02 on Jul 25, 2007 15:20:38 GMT
Jack has recently talked up Cork. Dublin, Tyrone and now Meath in his articles. He's still doing his bit to see Sam come back to Dromid in September!
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 25, 2007 15:47:17 GMT
All the same, tis hard to pick holes in anything he says................... again.
|
|
|
Post by FootballFan on Jul 25, 2007 16:10:44 GMT
"I have not read the book and will not read it. I really feel for the players on that squad right now and how they are feeling around all this muck......won't make money from me. Thanks for winning the All-Irelands though..." Are these the comments of the boo boys/girls. Jack o Connor - LEGEND........
|
|
|
Post by Owenabue on Aug 1, 2007 9:04:36 GMT
1st August 2007 Irish Times Justin's reprieve gives him the edge Jack O'Connor's column: It's hard to beat the tactical battles and psychological twists of championship fare Habit dies hard. I still tend to watch matches in both hurling and football as if I had the bainisteoir's bib on me. The tactical battles and psychological twists are what fascinate me. On Sunday the epic between Waterford and Cork had everything. Gerald McCarthy had the cards a manager would want going into the game. His team were on the rebound from a beating by Tipp, they had a score to settle with Waterford and they had the Semplegate affair still stoking their fires and they'd had the benefit of a few competitive games. It was trickier for Waterford. They had already beaten Cork in the Munster semi-final and in the league and were facing them again, only this time Cork had the Semplegate martyrs on board. It was a big ask for a team who have never come up with the goods in a big game in Croke Park. On Monday morning Justin will have woken up a good deal happier than his old friend Gerald. The morning after you have got a reprieve is always a sweet one. I was a selector in Kerry when we got late reprieves in games against Armagh and Galway on the way to the All-Ireland in 2000. On the first day against Armagh Maurice Fitz kicked a famous point to give us a draw. We felt like we had got out of jail. I was on the sideline standing beside Páidí when Kieran McGeeney kicked the lead point late on. We looked at each other and said it was gone from us. Armagh had a chance to kill the game after that when they had possession and kicked the ball into our keeper. It went down the field and Maurice kicked the equaliser. It was a huge boost for the next week. Same in the drawn All-Ireland final game. Derek Savage had a great chance and Mike McCarthy stayed on him and forced him onto his right foot. He hit it straight at our goalie Declan O'Keeffe. We got another chance. When you go into a replay like that the pressure is off you. You just focus on righting the things you did wrong the first day. Justin will be busy with the VCR this week though. Part of the problem with a high-intensity performance like Waterford's is that some players get so involved they mislay the game plan and go for glory. Early on big Dan Shanahan was having one of those days when everything turns to gold. In the last 20 minutes though he spent more time than an astronomer looking at the skies as ball after ball went over his head, high, wide and not so handsome. I often think it would be an interesting exercise to put certain outfield players into the full-forward line in training for a few nights and deliberately deny them supply by overcarrying or overcooking. A few evenings of that sort of frustration would cure them. The players who operate on the inside-forward line are unique in that they are totally dependent on being fed by others. By the end of the game Shanahan's frustration was written on his face for all to see. Cork were more measured and cohesive while still being intense. What must have pleased Gerald McCarthy after the defeat to Tipperary was that Cork stuck with the game plan; there was no desperation. They had the benefit of a phenomenal performance from Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and when they went four points up late on they must have thought their perseverance with doing the right thing was paying off again. With a bit of tweaking and a bit of video evidence to illustrate the folly of going it alone Waterford can feel this week that the momentum is with them. They enjoyed a little luck near the end but if they are to threaten Kilkenny, last Sunday and the replay are exactly what they needed. You can only be good in the white heat if you have experienced that heat. Cork have lost two games and drawn one in this year's championship and have to find something they might feel they have lost. Waterford have to break through to another level. An interesting week for the two managers. There are no hard and fast rules for managers. Nobody knows what is coming next. Brian Cody will have been pleased with how things turned out on Saturday. His team will have been severely tested by the tragic circumstances leading up to the game, and Galway gave them a searching test the like of which they just didn't get in Leinster. The first big test of the year is always a worrying time for a manager. They were neck and neck to the last and pulled away in the final furlong. A performance of thoroughbreds. Ger Loughnane is in a different place. He will be happy with the spirit and fire Galway showed but if there was a transfer market he would be out buying the sort of leaders he had with him in Clare. A Lohan, a Daly, a McMahon, a Baker, a Jamesie. Any of them would be invaluable. A huge test in management is guiding a team over the leap between making it hard on good opposition and beating the same opposition. Great teams lift it up when the game is on the line. That's when they make the big plays. That's when you see great players do their work. I watched a lot of NBA basketball in New York at a time when Michael Jordan was the main man for the Chicago Bulls and their visits to Madison Square Garden were always hugely intense affairs. The New York Knicks were a big trash-talking team led by a giant called Patrick Ewing. Jordan loved coming into that madhouse and giving exhibitions under pressure. Huge scoring stats. Shots on the buzzer. His motto when the team were under pressure late in a game was, "give me the ball". Great teams always have leaders. Kilkenny have so many players you would want to give the ball to in the last seconds of a tight game that a defence might as well be minding mice at a crossroads as trying to keep them down. Look at Babs and Tony Considine. They played a high-stakes game by leaving out star players. The only way you win at that is to lift silver in September. The managers of the last eight teams left in the football championship really step out into the spotlight over the next few weeks. Some of them face disadvantages which will have surprised them. You win a provincial championship and you have to sit around for a long time watching as teams who showed no form early on buy some invaluable match practice in the qualifiers while you train in a vacuum. There's no template though. Brian McIver and John O'Mahony would have felt for their own reasons that a run to the National League final would be beneficial for both Donegal and Mayo. In hindsight Donegal's league win brought them right to the edge of a very competitive Ulster championship and no team can sustain form for that long. When we won a couple of leagues with Kerry we had the luxury of coming down for a month or two afterwards before winding up again. O'Mahony in Mayo needed a good run to establish himself with his feet under the table and to rebuild morale. By the end a side which had a long and crushing season last year were running on empty. At least now he knows he has to rebuild more than morale. Monaghan and Derry have bounced back from early disappointments in style. Derry looked like a team in trouble early on. Now they are playing with joy and abandon. It would be interesting to know how Paddy Crozier brought that around. We talked about Meath last week and they will look forward to playing a big-name team like Tyrone. As for Sligo and Cork. Can Tommy Breheny exorcise the feeling among players that a provincial win would be enough. Can Billy Morgan stop his boys from taking them for granted. If handled right Sligo should now see themselves as in bonus territory. They have nothing to lose and that sort of team is always a dangerous proposition. Agus rud eile: In a week when the Minister for Justice has said that he hopes to change our rampant drink culture and the rowdiness that accompanies it, we in the GAA must recognise that we have a big role to play. As things stand, relaxation, celebration, enjoyment and drink are all synonymous. Trying to change that is a huge challenge. In the GAA we have to start with our young players and try to show them there are alternative ways of enjoying themselves, celebrating victories or getting over disappointments. These things don't always have to involve drinking to excess. In the GAA we have a famine-and-feast approach to drink. Teams will lay off the drink for weeks in the lead-up to big games and then cut loose for a few days. There are consequences to this in all sorts of ways: team-discipline issues, fitness issues and the message it transmits. It would be more sensible for players to drink moderately through the season. It's not the use of drink that is the problem, it is the abuse. The GAA needs to take a lead in this area but has weakened its hand by accepting sponsorship from a drinks company. That in itself gives the wrong message, as the marketing of alcohol is done in a very subtle and skilled way. There is always hope, though. We would have thought it was impossible to change the culture of smoking in bars. If that has been changed we can change the binge-drinking culture also and teach young players drink is a false and temporary friend. Fitness and achievement are more reliable companions.
|
|
|
Post by MrRasherstoyou on Aug 1, 2007 21:11:21 GMT
Really excellent article, I could hardly have put all my own thoughts & insights about these things in a more clear & concise way
|
|