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Replying To boxtyburgerbuns: "Shouldn't the pride of playing for your county supersede who is in charge of training the team?" If you spend time in a decent setup with high standards a good culture within the team and then someone takes over who negates all that work that was created then why would u stay. To be apart of something that is going in a good direction with player buy in that disappears overnight. Is is just a coincidence that for the past 2 years we have got the best out of Darragh and Ryan but then Keith gets drafted back in by a manager who is panicking because things are falling apart and then we lose Darragh and Ryan? Surely that's fairly obvious is it not?
Willies24 (Leitrim) - Posts: 23 - 10/02/2025 23:34:04
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Has taken a few days to digest that Laois game. One of the most sobering Leitrim games I've been to in 40 years.
Firstly, some absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing comments coming out of anonymous posters here.
Personally insulting/criticising players who gave up a decade to represent Leitrim instead of addressing what is actually happening with the current set up or in this year. Shows a lack of class and knowledge of actual football to be even saying things like that especially when they have no relevance to this year? Keyboard warriors.
As I've said here numerous times, I'm not surprised with the hammering that Leitrim team took against Laois.
What else would anyone expect coming from the panel available at the weekend? Along with the 20 - 25 players who haven't been part of the panel from the start of the year add in Ben Guckian, Cillian McGloin, Adam Reynolds and Donal Casey who were all sitting with the subs at the weekend and who were injured.
Then Barry McNulty who now seems will miss the Sigerson final and the rest of our League campaign. This was also compounded by Jordan Reynolds taking a bad looking injury in the first half.
Along with this Jack Foley seemed to be on a 'minutes restriction' which the management agreed to before the game as he was only returning from injury.
Who in their right mind think Leitrim could compete with any county when missing 20-25 players from their original panel, then add in the 5 injuries mentioned above?
On to what we seen at the weekend - We looked comically unfit and undersized strength wise. The fitness aspect lies squarely with the management. From speaking to panel members Poacher speaks a good game to the group and 'enjoys' his media commitments but the training itself has been lacklustre with many questioning the level of fitness work that is being completed in training along with some of the analysis work being done.
Tactically and game plan wise we looked underprepared.
Kickouts for example were a disaster. We had two men in Keegan/Quinn from the same club yet they consistently jumped for the ball (winning very few).
Keith Beirne seems well short of match fitness (which is to be expected when he was not involved in pre-season) but this made it a strange decision not to use him as our forward played closest to goal) He was toiling out around the middle third for large parts of the game.
Sean Harkin has never played corner back for Mohill yet he was put in their and Eanna McNamara at wing back and Harkin was shown up and replaced after 15 mins - this was unfair and cost us on the scoreboard.
Paul Honeyman is known as an out an out scorer yet he was played as one of our middle third players and was competing for kickouts.
We are playing a low block with Mark Diffley trying to play sweeper yet we are conceding 3 goals in the first 10 minutes? To me this doesn't add up. The whole point in a low block is to kill the space but with the new rules you need to be really well drilled and communicate well for this to be a success.
On the few positives, Tom Prior on occasion can cause havoc for the opposition. Paul Honeyman has no ego and works so hard for the team and competed well and Darren Cox looked lively.
On a side point on Prior and Cox. They have so much ability and are a joy to watch on the ball - But in no other county would a player that 'light' be able to come through all the underage county development panels and not have the required S&C work done to be stronger. That needs to change.
The best that we can hope for is damage limitation for the rest of the year. See these young players develop within this years set-up and then have a glut of returning players next year.
The management and county Board have some tough questions to ask themselves - Should Honeyman, McNamara and any other U20 player be left with the U20 squad only? It's a tough decision but it may be better for the county in the long run. Poacher and Co. wouldn't be impressed with hat idea however.
Leitrim1234 (Leitrim) - Posts: 333 - 11/02/2025 11:18:03
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Replying To Willies24: "If you spend time in a decent setup with high standards a good culture within the team and then someone takes over who negates all that work that was created then why would u stay. To be apart of something that is going in a good direction with player buy in that disappears overnight. Is is just a coincidence that for the past 2 years we have got the best out of Darragh and Ryan but then Keith gets drafted back in by a manager who is panicking because things are falling apart and then we lose Darragh and Ryan? Surely that's fairly obvious is it not?" So what is the difference between the previous culture and the current culture and if the previous culture was good why did it finish?
boxtyburgerbuns (Leitrim) - Posts: 126 - 11/02/2025 11:20:40
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Replying To Willies24: "If you spend time in a decent setup with high standards a good culture within the team and then someone takes over who negates all that work that was created then why would u stay. To be apart of something that is going in a good direction with player buy in that disappears overnight. Is is just a coincidence that for the past 2 years we have got the best out of Darragh and Ryan but then Keith gets drafted back in by a manager who is panicking because things are falling apart and then we lose Darragh and Ryan? Surely that's fairly obvious is it not?" Im fairly sure Darragh was gone from before Poacher came in. Most players had dropped off when MG was in charge
southleitrim_mafia (Leitrim) - Posts: 135 - 11/02/2025 13:12:43
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Replying To Leitrim1234: "Has taken a few days to digest that Laois game. One of the most sobering Leitrim games I've been to in 40 years.
Firstly, some absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing comments coming out of anonymous posters here.
Personally insulting/criticising players who gave up a decade to represent Leitrim instead of addressing what is actually happening with the current set up or in this year. Shows a lack of class and knowledge of actual football to be even saying things like that especially when they have no relevance to this year? Keyboard warriors.
As I've said here numerous times, I'm not surprised with the hammering that Leitrim team took against Laois.
What else would anyone expect coming from the panel available at the weekend? Along with the 20 - 25 players who haven't been part of the panel from the start of the year add in Ben Guckian, Cillian McGloin, Adam Reynolds and Donal Casey who were all sitting with the subs at the weekend and who were injured.
Then Barry McNulty who now seems will miss the Sigerson final and the rest of our League campaign. This was also compounded by Jordan Reynolds taking a bad looking injury in the first half.
Along with this Jack Foley seemed to be on a 'minutes restriction' which the management agreed to before the game as he was only returning from injury.
Who in their right mind think Leitrim could compete with any county when missing 20-25 players from their original panel, then add in the 5 injuries mentioned above?
On to what we seen at the weekend - We looked comically unfit and undersized strength wise. The fitness aspect lies squarely with the management. From speaking to panel members Poacher speaks a good game to the group and 'enjoys' his media commitments but the training itself has been lacklustre with many questioning the level of fitness work that is being completed in training along with some of the analysis work being done.
Tactically and game plan wise we looked underprepared.
Kickouts for example were a disaster. We had two men in Keegan/Quinn from the same club yet they consistently jumped for the ball (winning very few).
Keith Beirne seems well short of match fitness (which is to be expected when he was not involved in pre-season) but this made it a strange decision not to use him as our forward played closest to goal) He was toiling out around the middle third for large parts of the game.
Sean Harkin has never played corner back for Mohill yet he was put in their and Eanna McNamara at wing back and Harkin was shown up and replaced after 15 mins - this was unfair and cost us on the scoreboard.
Paul Honeyman is known as an out an out scorer yet he was played as one of our middle third players and was competing for kickouts.
We are playing a low block with Mark Diffley trying to play sweeper yet we are conceding 3 goals in the first 10 minutes? To me this doesn't add up. The whole point in a low block is to kill the space but with the new rules you need to be really well drilled and communicate well for this to be a success.
On the few positives, Tom Prior on occasion can cause havoc for the opposition. Paul Honeyman has no ego and works so hard for the team and competed well and Darren Cox looked lively.
On a side point on Prior and Cox. They have so much ability and are a joy to watch on the ball - But in no other county would a player that 'light' be able to come through all the underage county development panels and not have the required S&C work done to be stronger. That needs to change.
The best that we can hope for is damage limitation for the rest of the year. See these young players develop within this years set-up and then have a glut of returning players next year.
The management and county Board have some tough questions to ask themselves - Should Honeyman, McNamara and any other U20 player be left with the U20 squad only? It's a tough decision but it may be better for the county in the long run. Poacher and Co. wouldn't be impressed with hat idea however." Agree with most of what you said but Sean Harkin did play corner back and keep top Roscommon forward Ben O'Carroll scoreless from play in a connacht semi final last year.
southleitrim_mafia (Leitrim) - Posts: 135 - 11/02/2025 13:26:55
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Difference being that with the volume of experienced players that have left the panel it is up to management and remaining players to carry on the standards. Most of this team are young and very inexperienced and come from setups where standards and culture are not high priority so everything drops. We have lost Shane Quinn since the Clare game but everyone seems to think there is nothing the management can do to help the current situation. Leadership comes from the top down, if the standards are below par then this seeps through the group. I still refer to my earlier posts, why were so many players let walk away from the panel? Its alright to say that we only want players that want to play for Leitrim but when can we ask why those players of last year felt they didn't want to play under the current management? Why did certain coaching staff leave? Under Lovely Wee Mickey we knew Pearse, Mark were definitely leaving to go travelling and that Donal was a question mark over returning but who else was definitely leaving the panel. Lovely Wee Mickey cited player buy in but we all know that was a cover up for a better offer. Can anyone tell me how we managed to lose all the rest? From speaking to certain current panel members that were involved last year its a polar opposite to how Moran ran things. Again no fan of Moran but questions have to be asked as to how things can go so radically wrong over a short period?
Willies24 (Leitrim) - Posts: 23 - 11/02/2025 13:53:17
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Replying To Leitrim1234: "Has taken a few days to digest that Laois game. One of the most sobering Leitrim games I've been to in 40 years.
Firstly, some absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing comments coming out of anonymous posters here.
Personally insulting/criticising players who gave up a decade to represent Leitrim instead of addressing what is actually happening with the current set up or in this year. Shows a lack of class and knowledge of actual football to be even saying things like that especially when they have no relevance to this year? Keyboard warriors.
As I've said here numerous times, I'm not surprised with the hammering that Leitrim team took against Laois.
What else would anyone expect coming from the panel available at the weekend? Along with the 20 - 25 players who haven't been part of the panel from the start of the year add in Ben Guckian, Cillian McGloin, Adam Reynolds and Donal Casey who were all sitting with the subs at the weekend and who were injured.
Then Barry McNulty who now seems will miss the Sigerson final and the rest of our League campaign. This was also compounded by Jordan Reynolds taking a bad looking injury in the first half.
Along with this Jack Foley seemed to be on a 'minutes restriction' which the management agreed to before the game as he was only returning from injury.
Who in their right mind think Leitrim could compete with any county when missing 20-25 players from their original panel, then add in the 5 injuries mentioned above?
On to what we seen at the weekend - We looked comically unfit and undersized strength wise. The fitness aspect lies squarely with the management. From speaking to panel members Poacher speaks a good game to the group and 'enjoys' his media commitments but the training itself has been lacklustre with many questioning the level of fitness work that is being completed in training along with some of the analysis work being done.
Tactically and game plan wise we looked underprepared.
Kickouts for example were a disaster. We had two men in Keegan/Quinn from the same club yet they consistently jumped for the ball (winning very few).
Keith Beirne seems well short of match fitness (which is to be expected when he was not involved in pre-season) but this made it a strange decision not to use him as our forward played closest to goal) He was toiling out around the middle third for large parts of the game.
Sean Harkin has never played corner back for Mohill yet he was put in their and Eanna McNamara at wing back and Harkin was shown up and replaced after 15 mins - this was unfair and cost us on the scoreboard.
Paul Honeyman is known as an out an out scorer yet he was played as one of our middle third players and was competing for kickouts.
We are playing a low block with Mark Diffley trying to play sweeper yet we are conceding 3 goals in the first 10 minutes? To me this doesn't add up. The whole point in a low block is to kill the space but with the new rules you need to be really well drilled and communicate well for this to be a success.
On the few positives, Tom Prior on occasion can cause havoc for the opposition. Paul Honeyman has no ego and works so hard for the team and competed well and Darren Cox looked lively.
On a side point on Prior and Cox. They have so much ability and are a joy to watch on the ball - But in no other county would a player that 'light' be able to come through all the underage county development panels and not have the required S&C work done to be stronger. That needs to change.
The best that we can hope for is damage limitation for the rest of the year. See these young players develop within this years set-up and then have a glut of returning players next year.
The management and county Board have some tough questions to ask themselves - Should Honeyman, McNamara and any other U20 player be left with the U20 squad only? It's a tough decision but it may be better for the county in the long run. Poacher and Co. wouldn't be impressed with hat idea however." Yes yes and yes. Nail hit in the head, underage structure needs massive revamp, nowhere would our top quality players like Tom, Paul and Darren get through to senior ranks with zero s and c work and expect to step up. Difference between lively and being able to make progress with no strength to ride a tackle. I'd leave all the u20s with the 20s not do what andy done with Barry few years ago and cost us tbag game in Tuam, and then gave him 15mins in New York.
Long term thinking and plans needed as soon as possible.
Taytofoley83 (Leitrim) - Posts: 31 - 11/02/2025 14:12:32
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Replying To Willies24: "Difference being that with the volume of experienced players that have left the panel it is up to management and remaining players to carry on the standards. Most of this team are young and very inexperienced and come from setups where standards and culture are not high priority so everything drops. We have lost Shane Quinn since the Clare game but everyone seems to think there is nothing the management can do to help the current situation. Leadership comes from the top down, if the standards are below par then this seeps through the group. I still refer to my earlier posts, why were so many players let walk away from the panel? Its alright to say that we only want players that want to play for Leitrim but when can we ask why those players of last year felt they didn't want to play under the current management? Why did certain coaching staff leave? Under Lovely Wee Mickey we knew Pearse, Mark were definitely leaving to go travelling and that Donal was a question mark over returning but who else was definitely leaving the panel. Lovely Wee Mickey cited player buy in but we all know that was a cover up for a better offer. Can anyone tell me how we managed to lose all the rest? From speaking to certain current panel members that were involved last year its a polar opposite to how Moran ran things. Again no fan of Moran but questions have to be asked as to how things can go so radically wrong over a short period?" Can you give me the list of players who left under Micky Graham and the list who then left under Poacher? The way you are talking you seem to know this information. Did you want the county board to take the players passports off them?
I don't look at it solely being his fault players have left. I would more so blame the socioeconomic situation in our country. I do question his qualifications and if he is good enough but to be fair at the time we didn't have much choice. It's just a matter of damage limitation and getting through this year. Big changes are needed but the reality is blaming one man for the sad state football is in in our county isn't going to change anything.
Focus on the underage, get good leitrim football people involved in the underage set up. That is where we need to build.
southleitrim_mafia (Leitrim) - Posts: 135 - 11/02/2025 14:43:20
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Replying To Taytofoley83: "Yes yes and yes. Nail hit in the head, underage structure needs massive revamp, nowhere would our top quality players like Tom, Paul and Darren get through to senior ranks with zero s and c work and expect to step up. Difference between lively and being able to make progress with no strength to ride a tackle. I'd leave all the u20s with the 20s not do what andy done with Barry few years ago and cost us tbag game in Tuam, and then gave him 15mins in New York.
Long term thinking and plans needed as soon as possible." I actually don't agree that our underage structure 'needs a massive revamp'.
As I've stated manty times we are producing really good footballers now - and we seem to be producing them at a more steady rate then before and more to come.
Our reality is that we can't retain them for long periods.
The one structural change I would make is that we need a 'Head of Athletic Performance' or whatever title you want to give them. They would oversee the whole S&C for the Senior Team ,U20 U17 and School teams and have a few S&C coaches working under them - We could have partnership with some of the University's to make this more financially feasible.
Many counties have seen a significant bonus from this structure and it would actually work even better with us as the player pool is so small the benefits for our clubs would be easily seen.
This role would be constant and managerial change at Senior or U20 level would make little difference to the progress and plan that would be in place.
It was embarrassing to see the conditioning of the players in Ballinamore last Saturday - and showcased that most of our top clubs aren't implementing proper S&C plans. As the majority of the 20/25 players who did not compare had been under good S&C for the last few years with Andy Moran.
It would cost a decent amount of money but it would be the best investment of funds we have made in numerous years if it was done - for both our clubs and county teams.
Leitrim1234 (Leitrim) - Posts: 333 - 11/02/2025 15:17:26
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The only shock from recent results is that some people are shocked. We're in crisis mode and have merely been papering over the cracks for the last 15 years. The seeds of this disaster have been sown a long time ago and the blame for that lies squarely on the shoulders of those people tasked with running the GAA in Leitrim.
Undoubtedly Jim Gavin, Mickey Harte etc. would improve things but we're starting from a very very low base in terms of expectations. Would they have improved last years team? Of course. Could they improve this years? Perhaps, but I have my doubts as to whether they'd put much of a dent on the scorelines.
Of course, a genuinely top tier manager could have convinced a lot of lads to stay around but these are all moot points. We'll never know and we're beyond that anyway. We've reached the tipping point now where nobody wants to touch us because it'll damage their CV. That's our own doing or more specifically the County boards.
Outside of a wealthy benefactor with more money than sense deciding to bankroll us we're left with no choice but to start doing things the way we should have been for the last 15 years.
Unfortunately there have been too many within the County board who felt that all we needed was a good manager to sort things out. Clearly there are some people on this forum who agreed with them. It may explain why they're so angry with the current manager but it also displays their lack of in-depth knowledge of the state of Leitrim football.
The only silver lining is that this may be the jolt that stirs the County board into meaningful action. There are murmurings of discontent amongst some of our most "loyal" supporters. The fact that it's taken these results to wake them out of their delusion is telling. Their blind loyalty has enabled the County board to get away with this for too long. It had become a glorified social club, where as one member of the 94 team put it, they were more interested in "getting the feed" than doing what they're supposed to be doing.
But what about the Fr.Manning and the u20s? All this merely shows is that we are able to produce footballers. What about the Sigerson? Again, we are able to produce footballers. The notion that this can be attributed to the County board in any of its guises is laughable. The success of these players is thanks to their clubs, their parents and the individuals themselves. Too harsh? How much more evidence do people actually need before they accept that we have been doing things wrong for a very long time.
Of course, losing so many from last year is a huge blow to any County. Where we have consistently failed is in the production of inter county footballers. I'm not talking about the likes of Barry or Ryan etc. I'm talking about the squad player who is at least up to the speed and strength required to play inter county football. That comes back to the standards and structures there are in place. They have been allowed to fall off a cliff.
The red herring of our population is just that. Its been the default excuse but for some reason it wasn't a problem in the 90s. Unfortunately, too many of our decision makers are stuck in the 90s and think that bouncing along at the bottom will suffice. Whatever about the supporters accepting mediocrity, players won't.
There needs to be a complete overhaul of how we run things. From the ground up. This a crisis and if we're actually serious about football then the County board needs to act now. Dramatic? No it's not. Our last period of success was 30 years ago. It may as well have been 300 years. Kids and teenagers have any amount of options now. The notion that they'll bust a gut to wear the county jersey is naive in the extreme. Those days are gone. They can see there are better options available. They'd rather do nothing than commit to a team that lacks any level of professionalism. That starts at 10 or 11 years of age, the time when we should be identifying talent and giving it a pathway to success. As it stands we're not. If you think we are then you're the one that doesn't know Leitrim football.
ThePowerhouse (Leitrim) - Posts: 163 - 11/02/2025 15:21:32
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Replying To southleitrim_mafia: "Can you give me the list of players who left under Micky Graham and the list who then left under Poacher? The way you are talking you seem to know this information. Did you want the county board to take the players passports off them?
I don't look at it solely being his fault players have left. I would more so blame the socioeconomic situation in our country. I do question his qualifications and if he is good enough but to be fair at the time we didn't have much choice. It's just a matter of damage limitation and getting through this year. Big changes are needed but the reality is blaming one man for the sad state football is in in our county isn't going to change anything.
Focus on the underage, get good leitrim football people involved in the underage set up. That is where we need to build." Do you guys know anything about the progress made at underage level? Great bunch of talent at U16,Minor & U20.As for S&C it's a five year programme. Get real & research the facts before posting. Fact is we have lost an entire squad through travel, injury & retirement- no conspiracy!
leitrimabu1 (Leitrim) - Posts: 151 - 11/02/2025 15:42:48
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Replying To Leitrim1234: "I actually don't agree that our underage structure 'needs a massive revamp'.
As I've stated manty times we are producing really good footballers now - and we seem to be producing them at a more steady rate then before and more to come.
Our reality is that we can't retain them for long periods.
The one structural change I would make is that we need a 'Head of Athletic Performance' or whatever title you want to give them. They would oversee the whole S&C for the Senior Team ,U20 U17 and School teams and have a few S&C coaches working under them - We could have partnership with some of the University's to make this more financially feasible.
Many counties have seen a significant bonus from this structure and it would actually work even better with us as the player pool is so small the benefits for our clubs would be easily seen.
This role would be constant and managerial change at Senior or U20 level would make little difference to the progress and plan that would be in place.
It was embarrassing to see the conditioning of the players in Ballinamore last Saturday - and showcased that most of our top clubs aren't implementing proper S&C plans. As the majority of the 20/25 players who did not compare had been under good S&C for the last few years with Andy Moran.
It would cost a decent amount of money but it would be the best investment of funds we have made in numerous years if it was done - for both our clubs and county teams." I agree completely with your suggestion regarding strength and conditioning. This makes absolute sense. There is an idea that proper strength and conditioning can be achieved in a few months. It takes years.
I disagree with you about whether our underage structures need to be revamped. The players that are possibly of inter county standard are playing slow, laborious football. That's what they're used to. That needs to change and can be done very easily if the will is there. These changes will reap rewards relatively quickly and you instill a culture and create a player who is used to high standards in every facet. That will follow through into senior. It works. There's ample precedent, not just in the GAA but in lots of other sports. We have not been performing at our optimum for years.
ThePowerhouse (Leitrim) - Posts: 163 - 11/02/2025 15:51:26
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Replying To ThePowerhouse: "The only shock from recent results is that some people are shocked. We're in crisis mode and have merely been papering over the cracks for the last 15 years. The seeds of this disaster have been sown a long time ago and the blame for that lies squarely on the shoulders of those people tasked with running the GAA in Leitrim.
Undoubtedly Jim Gavin, Mickey Harte etc. would improve things but we're starting from a very very low base in terms of expectations. Would they have improved last years team? Of course. Could they improve this years? Perhaps, but I have my doubts as to whether they'd put much of a dent on the scorelines.
Of course, a genuinely top tier manager could have convinced a lot of lads to stay around but these are all moot points. We'll never know and we're beyond that anyway. We've reached the tipping point now where nobody wants to touch us because it'll damage their CV. That's our own doing or more specifically the County boards.
Outside of a wealthy benefactor with more money than sense deciding to bankroll us we're left with no choice but to start doing things the way we should have been for the last 15 years.
Unfortunately there have been too many within the County board who felt that all we needed was a good manager to sort things out. Clearly there are some people on this forum who agreed with them. It may explain why they're so angry with the current manager but it also displays their lack of in-depth knowledge of the state of Leitrim football.
The only silver lining is that this may be the jolt that stirs the County board into meaningful action. There are murmurings of discontent amongst some of our most "loyal" supporters. The fact that it's taken these results to wake them out of their delusion is telling. Their blind loyalty has enabled the County board to get away with this for too long. It had become a glorified social club, where as one member of the 94 team put it, they were more interested in "getting the feed" than doing what they're supposed to be doing.
But what about the Fr.Manning and the u20s? All this merely shows is that we are able to produce footballers. What about the Sigerson? Again, we are able to produce footballers. The notion that this can be attributed to the County board in any of its guises is laughable. The success of these players is thanks to their clubs, their parents and the individuals themselves. Too harsh? How much more evidence do people actually need before they accept that we have been doing things wrong for a very long time.
Of course, losing so many from last year is a huge blow to any County. Where we have consistently failed is in the production of inter county footballers. I'm not talking about the likes of Barry or Ryan etc. I'm talking about the squad player who is at least up to the speed and strength required to play inter county football. That comes back to the standards and structures there are in place. They have been allowed to fall off a cliff.
The red herring of our population is just that. Its been the default excuse but for some reason it wasn't a problem in the 90s. Unfortunately, too many of our decision makers are stuck in the 90s and think that bouncing along at the bottom will suffice. Whatever about the supporters accepting mediocrity, players won't.
There needs to be a complete overhaul of how we run things. From the ground up. This a crisis and if we're actually serious about football then the County board needs to act now. Dramatic? No it's not. Our last period of success was 30 years ago. It may as well have been 300 years. Kids and teenagers have any amount of options now. The notion that they'll bust a gut to wear the county jersey is naive in the extreme. Those days are gone. They can see there are better options available. They'd rather do nothing than commit to a team that lacks any level of professionalism. That starts at 10 or 11 years of age, the time when we should be identifying talent and giving it a pathway to success. As it stands we're not. If you think we are then you're the one that doesn't know Leitrim football." That is the most accurate and honest analysis of the current situation, full stop.
Dodgy_Pass (Leitrim) - Posts: 393 - 11/02/2025 17:06:34
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Replying To Leitrim1234: "I actually don't agree that our underage structure 'needs a massive revamp'.
As I've stated manty times we are producing really good footballers now - and we seem to be producing them at a more steady rate then before and more to come.
Our reality is that we can't retain them for long periods.
The one structural change I would make is that we need a 'Head of Athletic Performance' or whatever title you want to give them. They would oversee the whole S&C for the Senior Team ,U20 U17 and School teams and have a few S&C coaches working under them - We could have partnership with some of the University's to make this more financially feasible.
Many counties have seen a significant bonus from this structure and it would actually work even better with us as the player pool is so small the benefits for our clubs would be easily seen.
This role would be constant and managerial change at Senior or U20 level would make little difference to the progress and plan that would be in place.
It was embarrassing to see the conditioning of the players in Ballinamore last Saturday - and showcased that most of our top clubs aren't implementing proper S&C plans. As the majority of the 20/25 players who did not compare had been under good S&C for the last few years with Andy Moran.
It would cost a decent amount of money but it would be the best investment of funds we have made in numerous years if it was done - for both our clubs and county teams." I didn't say anything massive revamp, look at the results over the last 20 years in our minor and u20/21 teams they were aswell not have bothered playing at with the results. We have a good crop of u17s and 20s at the minute that's for sure. But you actually disagreed with me at the start and then agreeded with me the further on you went in your post. We have produced some amazing footballers a handful of current players don't get me wrong but they never bridged the gap from underage football to senior there physically not built to compete, there skill alone won't get them across the line. As you said proper structures like a ideal 5/10 year plan. All senior coaches recently have been short term fixes with the senior squad but there conditioning is so far off the mark it's scary. Population doesn't come into it at all for us, look at monaghan underage structures are brilliant and they are producing players every year to come on board and add to the current set up. We have some generational players like Barry, Paul Honeyman no doubt about it but if the set up or planning isn't there why would they still strive to play for Leitrim. It's sad, like the days bringing Donegal to extra time, meath to extra time and pushing Mayo and Galway all the way we prob took them days for granted. That team was built really off the Minor team from 98. But we can turn the tide I'm not all negative
Taytofoley83 (Leitrim) - Posts: 31 - 11/02/2025 18:25:09
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Replying To leitrimabu1: "Do you guys know anything about the progress made at underage level? Great bunch of talent at U16,Minor & U20.As for S&C it's a five year programme. Get real & research the facts before posting. Fact is we have lost an entire squad through travel, injury & retirement- no conspiracy!" I'm well aware of the progress made at underage and the talent. I'm not sure how my post came across as if I was saying we hadn't. But that's still no reason to not to not build on this progress and have the underage set up as our full focus. Any resources we do have should be pumped into it.
I'm also not sure what conspiracy I spoke about. I'm beginning to wonder if you meant to reply to my post.
southleitrim_mafia (Leitrim) - Posts: 135 - 11/02/2025 19:13:50
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Replying To ThePowerhouse: "The only shock from recent results is that some people are shocked. We're in crisis mode and have merely been papering over the cracks for the last 15 years. The seeds of this disaster have been sown a long time ago and the blame for that lies squarely on the shoulders of those people tasked with running the GAA in Leitrim.
Undoubtedly Jim Gavin, Mickey Harte etc. would improve things but we're starting from a very very low base in terms of expectations. Would they have improved last years team? Of course. Could they improve this years? Perhaps, but I have my doubts as to whether they'd put much of a dent on the scorelines.
Of course, a genuinely top tier manager could have convinced a lot of lads to stay around but these are all moot points. We'll never know and we're beyond that anyway. We've reached the tipping point now where nobody wants to touch us because it'll damage their CV. That's our own doing or more specifically the County boards.
Outside of a wealthy benefactor with more money than sense deciding to bankroll us we're left with no choice but to start doing things the way we should have been for the last 15 years.
Unfortunately there have been too many within the County board who felt that all we needed was a good manager to sort things out. Clearly there are some people on this forum who agreed with them. It may explain why they're so angry with the current manager but it also displays their lack of in-depth knowledge of the state of Leitrim football.
The only silver lining is that this may be the jolt that stirs the County board into meaningful action. There are murmurings of discontent amongst some of our most "loyal" supporters. The fact that it's taken these results to wake them out of their delusion is telling. Their blind loyalty has enabled the County board to get away with this for too long. It had become a glorified social club, where as one member of the 94 team put it, they were more interested in "getting the feed" than doing what they're supposed to be doing.
But what about the Fr.Manning and the u20s? All this merely shows is that we are able to produce footballers. What about the Sigerson? Again, we are able to produce footballers. The notion that this can be attributed to the County board in any of its guises is laughable. The success of these players is thanks to their clubs, their parents and the individuals themselves. Too harsh? How much more evidence do people actually need before they accept that we have been doing things wrong for a very long time.
Of course, losing so many from last year is a huge blow to any County. Where we have consistently failed is in the production of inter county footballers. I'm not talking about the likes of Barry or Ryan etc. I'm talking about the squad player who is at least up to the speed and strength required to play inter county football. That comes back to the standards and structures there are in place. They have been allowed to fall off a cliff.
The red herring of our population is just that. Its been the default excuse but for some reason it wasn't a problem in the 90s. Unfortunately, too many of our decision makers are stuck in the 90s and think that bouncing along at the bottom will suffice. Whatever about the supporters accepting mediocrity, players won't.
There needs to be a complete overhaul of how we run things. From the ground up. This a crisis and if we're actually serious about football then the County board needs to act now. Dramatic? No it's not. Our last period of success was 30 years ago. It may as well have been 300 years. Kids and teenagers have any amount of options now. The notion that they'll bust a gut to wear the county jersey is naive in the extreme. Those days are gone. They can see there are better options available. They'd rather do nothing than commit to a team that lacks any level of professionalism. That starts at 10 or 11 years of age, the time when we should be identifying talent and giving it a pathway to success. As it stands we're not. If you think we are then you're the one that doesn't know Leitrim football." You should become a club member and put yourself forward for a Co. Board position. You have all the answers.
ORIELMAN85 (Monaghan) - Posts: 420 - 12/02/2025 01:25:12
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Replying To southleitrim_mafia: "Can you give me the list of players who left under Micky Graham and the list who then left under Poacher? The way you are talking you seem to know this information. Did you want the county board to take the players passports off them?
I don't look at it solely being his fault players have left. I would more so blame the socioeconomic situation in our country. I do question his qualifications and if he is good enough but to be fair at the time we didn't have much choice. It's just a matter of damage limitation and getting through this year. Big changes are needed but the reality is blaming one man for the sad state football is in in our county isn't going to change anything.
Focus on the underage, get good leitrim football people involved in the underage set up. That is where we need to build." Mickey: Dolan, Plunkett, possibly Wrynn
Poacher : O'Donnell, Gaffey, A.Flynn, C.Reyonlds, McGreal, Gilheaney, Keaney, Rooney, R'O Roarke, P.Moran, J.Casey, C.Quinn, R.Oberwan, A.Oberwan, J.Tobin, N.Walsh, O McLoughlin, T.Hughes,
Of those players only 2 have left the country so no need for the CB to confiscate any passports. Wee Mickey may have cited player buy in but I think we are all in agreement that he just got a better offer. Im not sure I fully agree with everyone saying that we are a basket case when it comes to football. We are producing good players and a small group of coaches. We will need outside help but that help has to be for the betterment of Leitrim football and not to just pad out a CV for a year. We have a good S&C Programme running at the minute with a coach who is working with U-17 up to seniors. This is vital that that work continues. We are only in year 2 of this and wee will hopefully see the benefit of this in 2-3 more years when the U-17/U19 progress to senior.
Willies24 (Leitrim) - Posts: 23 - 12/02/2025 10:32:32
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Replying To Willies24: "Mickey: Dolan, Plunkett, possibly Wrynn
Poacher : O'Donnell, Gaffey, A.Flynn, C.Reyonlds, McGreal, Gilheaney, Keaney, Rooney, R'O Roarke, P.Moran, J.Casey, C.Quinn, R.Oberwan, A.Oberwan, J.Tobin, N.Walsh, O McLoughlin, T.Hughes,
Of those players only 2 have left the country so no need for the CB to confiscate any passports. Wee Mickey may have cited player buy in but I think we are all in agreement that he just got a better offer. Im not sure I fully agree with everyone saying that we are a basket case when it comes to football. We are producing good players and a small group of coaches. We will need outside help but that help has to be for the betterment of Leitrim football and not to just pad out a CV for a year. We have a good S&C Programme running at the minute with a coach who is working with U-17 up to seniors. This is vital that that work continues. We are only in year 2 of this and wee will hopefully see the benefit of this in 2-3 more years when the U-17/U19 progress to senior." Think this point is crucial.
There's a depressing amount of our club footballers overseas but from last years panel only Dolan, Plunkett and now Shane Quinn (who departed this week) are abroad.
This shows the ability of the management to entice players into the set up is whats lacking which is a crucial aspect of managing a Weaker county.
Now naturally we have lost some of those players mentioned for normal reasons (which is just an unfortunate part of being a weaker county) but without a shadow of a doubt there were some players that were disillusioned with Poachers approach.
There's a lot of posters on here who strangely love bashing Andy Moran but he kept the panel together and there was a huge 'buy in'.
Is there any word on if Adam Reynolds, Cillian McGloin or Ben Guckian may be back? Otherwise I'm afraid this weekend could be a whole lot worse then last weekend as Kildare are a far superior outfit.
On a separate point have Mohill appointment a management team yet?
Or is there any other of our club teams left without a manager yet? Club league and championship will be a battle with the amount of teams involved after being cut. No fixtures or dates a announced for the league yet either?
LongBall94 (USA) - Posts: 6 - 12/02/2025 11:47:44
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Huge congrats has to be said to Tom Prior and Paul Moran on the DCU team tonight, hard luck to the UCD lads in Honeyman and McNulty.
0-3 from play in a Sigerson final for Prior is some going.
Would have to say the Sean O Heslins forward line is well set for the next few years.
LeitrimAbu543 (Leitrim) - Posts: 5 - 12/02/2025 21:31:03
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I think a point conveniently overlooked here is the ambition or belief of the players and management that Leitrim can play at the level required for division 3 football.
Did Andy Moran believe it? (Obviously not in my opinion)
Did the players who left believe it? (Unlikely).
With all the departures earlier in the year and especially Andy Moran and Mickey Grahams the outlook for any Leitrim panel member was for a bleak year.
I would think that the slew of departures would have more to do with personal choice than the manager of the team.
There is a huge commitment to play at intercounty level and a recent GPA survey shows the more county players believe that payment for players should come in.
Despite what the Willies poster here think it's not all poachers fault.
It's such an easy fix to blame the last one in.
But the rot started with Moran and then Graham stepping g down.
It was a case of self preservation after that.
On a brighter note it is great to see so many Leitrim men at the tail end of the sigerson cup. Hopefully the next gen of Leitrim players will believe they can compete beyond Division 4
Backheel (Leitrim) - Posts: 188 - 13/02/2025 08:43:17
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