Andy should get to see out his final year as manager. Hopefully get the injured lads back and flying fit ready for the league next year. If we have a full deck and the league campaign doesn't end up in promotion then I'd say we need to 100% get a new man in. I agree he needs to change his S&C with the amount of lads out injured. However I am convinced if we can get the best 15 on the pitch Andy is the right man for the job. This is my best 15.

1. Gaffey
2. Renoylds
3. Casey
4. Maguire
5. Heslin
6. Bruen
7. McGlion
8. Dolan
9. McNulty
10. D. Rooney
11. C. Dolan
12. J Renoylds
13. Ryan O Rourke
14. Keith Beirne
15. O. McLoughlin

If Moran can get that 15 with maybe 2 or 3 changes on it then I think he is the right man. I don't think a Leitrim
Manager has had as much hard luck as him even going to NY and D. Rooney not able to travel.

Champotime18 (Leitrim) - Posts: 442 - 21/05/2023 11:00:20    2479913

Yesterday was very poor, the lads tried their best but apart from the start of both halves they were totally outclassed by a physically stronger and more athletic team with better all round footballers. To be fair we were missing too many regulars Yesterday to realistically expect a victory but the year as a whole has to go down as a complete failure especially with the money been spent. Goalkeeper, defensive problems still exist mobility in the middle third and over realince on Keith Beirne huge problems as well as a lot of injuries. Looks like this squad will probably break up now doubt they will all come back under this management or new one this was a pivotal year for this team and I'm afraid we didn't reach any of our targets. Can anyone tell me if we have any chance of making the preliminary Quarter final if we beat Wexford ? I think we can with a win but would probably need to be a big one as our scoring difference is bad. Hard to see us even beating Wexford though.

green.and.gold (Leitrim) - Posts: 427 - 21/05/2023 12:49:00    2479943

Thejampot (Leitrim) - Posts: 255 - 21/05/2023 13:09:11    2479948

I agree players tried hard and ran themselves into the ground, but Fermanagh were more physical and cuter.
Its been tough 6 weeks for Leitrim but fair play to the players for turning up again after all the criticism, in what is an Amateur game.
I have no doubt that we will rise again, whether Andy is the man to bring us forward or not is the issue.
What Micky Harte has done with Louth is amazing , when you consider we beat them in a qualifier not that long ago.

Buzzcagney62 (Leitrim) - Posts: 217 - 21/05/2023 13:13:39    2479951

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 21/05/2023 14:29:46    2479967

macca999 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 1098 - 21/05/2023 16:58:41    2480033

Sligoman1234 (Sligo) - Posts: 359 - 21/05/2023 17:04:36    2480040

Lads we could have Jim Gavin managing us we still wouldn't be winning.

Slating Andy and calling for a change of manager is simply not calling it as it is. The fact is that the standard of club football in the county is amongst the poorest in the country. The players available to the management are behind all other counties in skill levels, fitness levels, intelligence on the ball systems of play etc…. etc…

If Andy and Solan were managing Mayo then they would be flying it. So stop blaming the manager. People blame Stephen Kenny when Ireland don't win, the guy has donkeys to play for him. He is doing his best the next manager has the same. Stephen Kenny's replacement will do no better until the FAI start processes to produce better players.

I was at the game on saturday and the biggest thing to stand out to me was how physical Fermanagh were. Their lads were huge and fast - bullying our boys off the ball, swatting them away like flies.

When on the ball Fermanagh were composed- they always had two or three options available to everyone in possession. Very composed assured players that seemed so comfortable on the ball. I can't put my finger on it but they were smarter, more intelligent on the ball.

Look at our club scene- players and clubs plodding away going through the motions. Some clubs with players 10+ years past their prime and are still the best in the squad. Slow cumbersome play in all games.

Don't believe me- look at the Connacht club champs. We are the only county with no club title at any level.

In the senior championship kiltubrid beat standhill in 2005 and it took us 9 years to get another win when Aughawillan beat Tubbercurry in 2014. Have we had a win since then? If not, then that would make it 1 win in 17 years in the senior club champ. Mirroring the inter county set up?? Our clubs look good in Leitrim champs and then get destroyed outside of them.

Galway, mayo and ross teams dominate the Connacht club champs at all levels. What Connacht counties are all in division 1?? Does no one see a relationship here. Good club scene = good county team.

Intermediate and junior clubs we send to Connacht are the same, constantly beaten. Our club scene is so far behind other Connacht counties that we are behind because of that.

Expecting a manager like Andy or anyone else to come in and make these players better, play better be smarter is madness. The Fermanagh players will be playing more skillfull, fitter, stronger, smarter and conditioned players in their club games, as will Sligo, Roscommon players and all the rest

Improve the clubs, make better quality club teams and club championship. The rest will follow

leitrim4sam (Leitrim) - Posts: 644 - 21/05/2023 20:33:24    2480171

3rdmidfielder (Australia) - Posts: 294 - 21/05/2023 21:32:50    2480195

Andy cites missing players and the need for more resources but is confident of getting to DIV 2 in time. Should still progress by beating Wexford with the big guns returning for that game. https://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/gaa/1176082/leitrim-project-will-take-time-says-moran-who-stresses-time-needed-to-build-intensity-and-physicality.html

martinjoe (Mayo) - Posts: 499 - 22/05/2023 09:10:08    2480302

I was going to come in here to express some misgivings about the current management team (manager, coach, nutritionists, dieticians, s&c people, statisticians, maor uisces, water bottle carriers, medical staff, physiotherapists, psychologists and whomever I've omitted) but I see that the engine in departure bus is already started and just waiting for the heated seats to warm up.
It was a bold move from the start and like all shots in the dark it backfired. We're certainly in a worse place than when the current team took the reins which is a sad indictment of their tenure. Forget about another year…..

Boxtyeater (Leitrim) - Posts: 689 - 22/05/2023 12:04:35    2480434

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 844 - 22/05/2023 12:37:37    2480457

Saturday was a stark reality of where the squad is at currently. We had 5 or 6 players on the bench who had never played Senior Inter-County Football before.
I do honestly believe that with all our players available we would be there or there abouts to win the Tailteann Cup


Keith Beirne, Ryan O'Rourke, Donal Casey, Jordan Reynolds, Evan Sweeney, and Conor Reynolds were all missing through injury on Saturday that would be starting if available.

Shane Moran, Ciaran Cullen and Jack Gilheany are three players who played for their clubs on Sunday that were not on the panel this year who would also start.

Nobody in their right mind should think Leitrim can compete against 90% of Inter-county teams when they are missing that quality of player.

In saying that Sloan/Moran need to take some responsibility. Our kickout system (or lack of one) is unforgivable in 2023. The reality is that Darren Maxwell's confidence is shot and he shouldn't have been started or replaced after 15 minutes when it was apparent that he was extremely shakey and not up to the required standard. This is even more apparent when you consider that Killian Gaffey was togged and ready to play but not used.
Another area our management is responsible for is that Mark Diffley has received a roasting in most of our games this year at full back but yet they decided to have him marking Seanie Quigley who just man handled him with ease in the first half until we got sense and moved Paddy Maguire onto him.

We squandered two goal chances in the first 5 mins which would have settled us into the game but after that Fermanagh just dominated the whole game and could have won by any score they wanted apart from a 5 minute burst after half time which we could not sustain.

To be fair to two young lads in Oisin McLoughlin (who started excellently) and Barry McNulty they do seem to have a spark and look like they'll be more than capable of playing Inter-County football for years to come but its just not in their legs yet and they can only play in flashes and can't sustain the intensity.


Cillian McGloin did well on Ultan Kelm but you would know that he hadn't played a full game yet this year. But he has the athletic ability if he can be coached a bit in aspects of his game.

Darragh Rooney has been Leitrim best player this year by a distance.

It's a tough sell for the management to keep the boys together for this last game when its unlikely we have an opportunity to go through even if we win when you look at the scoring differences.

Leitrim1234 (Leitrim) - Posts: 297 - 22/05/2023 12:44:22    2480463

Have this management team improve this team since they were appointed?

That's always the goal of anyone that is brought in to do a job that when they eventually move on that they leave it in better shape than they got it.

williesboy (Leitrim) - Posts: 341 - 22/05/2023 14:54:07    2480552

Gaa_lover (USA) - Posts: 3346 - 22/05/2023 15:04:54    2480564

Match against Wexford set for Sunday week in Parnell Park.

green.and.gold (Leitrim) - Posts: 427 - 23/05/2023 20:17:51    2481078

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 11843 - 24/05/2023 09:08:50    2481139

Strange that the Waterford v tipp game is on the Saturday evening so Leitrim will know exactly the job they have to do on Sunday. Surely all games should thrown in at the same time

Champotime18 (Leitrim) - Posts: 442 - 24/05/2023 10:08:45    2481155

Here's the current figures of the other teams that can finish in 3rd place in their groups, with all the useful formatting I can muster:
Team . . . . Pts. . SD (Group vs final opponent)
Fermanagh 3 + 9 (4 vs Antrim)
Offaly . . . . .3 + 9 (1 vs Cavan)
Longford . . 2 + 8 (3 vs Carlow)
Carlow . . . . 2 - 7 (3 vs Longford)
Wexford. . . 1 - 4 (4 vs Leitrim)
Laois . . . . . 1 - 9 (1 vs London)
London . . . 0 -15 (1 vs Laois)
Leitrim. . . . 0 -18 (4 vs Wexford)
Waterford . 0 -18 (2 vs Tipperary)
Tipperary. . 0 -29 (2 vs Waterford)

Four of those teams will end up in third place in their group. Fermanagh and Offaly are guaranteed to qualify at least as best third place teams (they're both currently in second) because there will be at least one third place team worse than them; whoever wins the Tipperary-Waterford game will have only 2 points.

Leitrim's first mission is of course to beat Wexford (Sunday at 3). If they don't to this they finish bottom of group 4 and exit the competition. We will have the advantage of seeing who out of Waterford and Tipperary won the previous day (Saturday at 1) and knowing whether a simple win will be enough to leapfrog them or whether we need a big margin. Also we're outscoring Waterford by 5 points at present. Those two Group 2 teams are in the most precarious position of being eliminated as a 3rd place team; only ourselves and London are not guaranteed of qualifying with a win if our scoring difference isn't good enough if there's a massacre in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 24/05/2023 12:22:20    2481207

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 24/05/2023 15:06:18    2481288