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Wicklow GAA thread

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A poor enough showing today. Westmeath were comfortable enough winners. Wicklow were outshone on the field, the terrace and in the stand. Tactics aren't for this particular bunch of players. The double header idea while good in theory wasn't a great success logistically. The county board at the moment are totally bereft of any idea how to improve things or implement change which is disappointing as many thought it might happen. Struggle on I suppose.

heavyheart19 (Wicklow) - Posts: 116 - 18/02/2024 22:03:26    2526823

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Hopefully we will have a new manager in place for the next game, one who can actually be on the sideline.

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2897 - 19/02/2024 07:17:41    2526847

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Replying To heavyheart19:  "A poor enough showing today. Westmeath were comfortable enough winners. Wicklow were outshone on the field, the terrace and in the stand. Tactics aren't for this particular bunch of players. The double header idea while good in theory wasn't a great success logistically. The county board at the moment are totally bereft of any idea how to improve things or implement change which is disappointing as many thought it might happen. Struggle on I suppose."
After all my years following Wicklow footballers, I've actually accept that Wicklow footballers will lose more games than they will win and while I don't like this notion, I accept it will probably remain the case. What I find harder to accept is that there is a great opportunity with the state of leinster football to move up the ladder in the province but we will not avail of this opportunity as we seem to be mired in a state of mediocrity where everyone knows that we are in a bad place but no one seems to have the fortitude to change our trajectory, any time now or in the future. Here in Kildare, there is uproar at the moment as they are bottom of division two but all I felt yesterday in Aughrim was resignation that the team will lose its remaining four games and we will begin next season in division four. Someone called for another manager; this is the kind of thinking that has us where we are. We think a different manager will change what is wrong with Wicklow football even though its been proven time and time again that our issue is not with our managers, it is with the way we are trying to develop the players. It is hard to see any young people taking on a position on the county board or having anything to do with Wicklow GAA now or in the future. There may even be people who have tried and walked away. I admire the players yesterday for one thing: they are willing to step forward and represent the county knowing that they will probably end up as other teams from the county have ended up, with little or no success that is measurable.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 1910 - 19/02/2024 09:20:38    2526864

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "After all my years following Wicklow footballers, I've actually accept that Wicklow footballers will lose more games than they will win and while I don't like this notion, I accept it will probably remain the case. What I find harder to accept is that there is a great opportunity with the state of leinster football to move up the ladder in the province but we will not avail of this opportunity as we seem to be mired in a state of mediocrity where everyone knows that we are in a bad place but no one seems to have the fortitude to change our trajectory, any time now or in the future. Here in Kildare, there is uproar at the moment as they are bottom of division two but all I felt yesterday in Aughrim was resignation that the team will lose its remaining four games and we will begin next season in division four. Someone called for another manager; this is the kind of thinking that has us where we are. We think a different manager will change what is wrong with Wicklow football even though its been proven time and time again that our issue is not with our managers, it is with the way we are trying to develop the players. It is hard to see any young people taking on a position on the county board or having anything to do with Wicklow GAA now or in the future. There may even be people who have tried and walked away. I admire the players yesterday for one thing: they are willing to step forward and represent the county knowing that they will probably end up as other teams from the county have ended up, with little or no success that is measurable."
It's a scandal that people like yourself are not making the decisions.

Might as well just give up, look at the hurlers as well.

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2897 - 19/02/2024 13:28:37    2526959

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Replying To sponger:  "It's a scandal that people like yourself are not making the decisions.

Might as well just give up, look at the hurlers as well."
I am always disappointed that we don't get more opinions on here. Maybe posters have become disillusioned over the years, and who can blame them. I read many counties forums and the amount of posters on them expressing their views is amazing. It's almost as if, in Wicklow, we have become resigned to our position in life.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 999 - 19/02/2024 14:16:00    2526978

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Replying To sponger:  "It's a scandal that people like yourself are not making the decisions.

Might as well just give up, look at the hurlers as well."
I've actually decided to stop posting here after today. I will continue to follow the team in as many matches as I can but I can't go on with discussing Wicklow GAA any longer; it is like groundhog day every season. I think this team has some potential but I think it will fizzle out. I have lost the faith that the people in power within the county will be brave and do the right thing instead I think they will just do things in the same way and for anyone on here in 2,3 years time, the same problems with will be discussed. I don't have all the answers but I do believe that there are people in the county who could if they so wished contribute to making the landscape better for all but again, i don't think these people will get involved.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 1910 - 19/02/2024 14:49:51    2526993

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "I've actually decided to stop posting here after today. I will continue to follow the team in as many matches as I can but I can't go on with discussing Wicklow GAA any longer; it is like groundhog day every season. I think this team has some potential but I think it will fizzle out. I have lost the faith that the people in power within the county will be brave and do the right thing instead I think they will just do things in the same way and for anyone on here in 2,3 years time, the same problems with will be discussed. I don't have all the answers but I do believe that there are people in the county who could if they so wished contribute to making the landscape better for all but again, i don't think these people will get involved."
I have posted numerous messages similar to this that havent been posted with regard to the same people in positions for years and nothing will be done or changed until theyre gone.

Mileythedog (Wicklow) - Posts: 56 - 19/02/2024 15:40:29    2527012

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Replying To Freethinker:  "I am always disappointed that we don't get more opinions on here. Maybe posters have become disillusioned over the years, and who can blame them. I read many counties forums and the amount of posters on them expressing their views is amazing. It's almost as if, in Wicklow, we have become resigned to our position in life."
Yes, that is me at this stage. I was thinking I wouldn't post anymore last year but continued as there are a small number posting on this forum but I find now that I'm just repeating the same opinions about the same problems verbatim which isn't contributing anything to the forum. When I began posting back during Micko's era, I really thought that we had turned the corner but we haven't. As I said, I admire people who have put their shoulder to the wheel especially the players who line out. It is just a pity that there is such a reluctance to look at what is wrong and go in a different direction. I think it starts with the underage and I'm informed by people who know more than me that underage structures are improving but when I see club football and the county team; I still think we have a long way to go. I wasn't hughly impressed with Westmeath yesterday and I'm thinking that there is no really good team in Division 3 and yet we still can't win a game. If we were making progress, we should be able to beat teams in leinster outside Dublin. Kildare, Louth, Westmeath and Meath are pretty mediocre but this probably won't stay the case forever. I believe if we had done the right things post Micko's era, we could've built on what he started but we didn't, we revert back to what we always did.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 1910 - 19/02/2024 16:26:07    2527033

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Replying To Mileythedog:  "I have posted numerous messages similar to this that havent been posted with regard to the same people in positions for years and nothing will be done or changed until theyre gone."
This is a common complaint in most counties. Most county boards are not fit for purpose.
The most important thing is making sure that you have good coaches and management and that they get the support to allow the players develop. What Wicklow seem to have done is throw money at a celebrity manager who will be gone as soon as the going gets tough, which could be very soon.

PeterQ92 (Donegal) - Posts: 105 - 19/02/2024 16:51:45    2527046

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "I've actually decided to stop posting here after today. I will continue to follow the team in as many matches as I can but I can't go on with discussing Wicklow GAA any longer; it is like groundhog day every season. I think this team has some potential but I think it will fizzle out. I have lost the faith that the people in power within the county will be brave and do the right thing instead I think they will just do things in the same way and for anyone on here in 2,3 years time, the same problems with will be discussed. I don't have all the answers but I do believe that there are people in the county who could if they so wished contribute to making the landscape better for all but again, i don't think these people will get involved."
Echo those sentiments. The problems in Wicklow GAA are evident and can be seen gathered around the little tea room near the entrance to Echelon Park most match days. Should be one boss but in Wicklow we have too many hanger ons still craving the power they once had add in the people in influential positions not interested in doing their own job. That isn't a bad bunch of footballers we have at the moment and some decent talent coming along behind because having been involved with AGB for a couple of years I know from playing against them. As long as the county board is as disfunctional we won't improve from where we are now because it starts at the top, end of. Look across the water at how the soccer clubs are ran. If its going well at the top the teams are functioning on the field too because it shows structures and planning is of a high standard. We need clever people on our county board. So many good people won't get involved because of the personnel associated with it and I know this because I asked 6 or 7 people who have been at the forefront of improvements in their own clubs. Really thought change was coming in 2023 but another false dawn.

heavyheart19 (Wicklow) - Posts: 116 - 19/02/2024 17:05:32    2527053

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Replying To PeterQ92:  "This is a common complaint in most counties. Most county boards are not fit for purpose.
The most important thing is making sure that you have good coaches and management and that they get the support to allow the players develop. What Wicklow seem to have done is throw money at a celebrity manager who will be gone as soon as the going gets tough, which could be very soon."
This is the burning question to me. Is it the responsibility of the clubs to ensure that their coaches and methods are on a par with the best or should the county board have oversights and checks on what standard the clubs are at. How does it work in Donegal ?

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 999 - 19/02/2024 17:05:50    2527054

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Replying To Mileythedog:  "I have posted numerous messages similar to this that havent been posted with regard to the same people in positions for years and nothing will be done or changed until theyre gone."
I was surprised when reading through all the different committee members at county board level in the WP a few weeks ago. Many many new names and fair play to them to commit to their time to trying to improve things. And then I noticed a few old chestnuts tucked into some committees. Now before someone jumps in here defending them, I will answer that these guys have presided over a poor 20 to 50 yrs or more with little or no success, if anything we are even further off the pace in that time. These are simple unarguable facts. Go figure.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 999 - 19/02/2024 17:26:25    2527060

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When it's looking increasingly more likely that the only win in both codes across all competitions will turn out to be in the second level of a preseason one, then things are about as dire as they've ever been.

FrankieJoe (Wicklow) - Posts: 71 - 19/02/2024 20:38:22    2527089

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Anyone else notice that the team announced and posted on X shortly before throw in was a different one to the that which lined out. What's all that about or what's the point ?

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 999 - 19/02/2024 20:59:56    2527090

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I think the hurling situation has forced my hand.

The final straw.

I'm done.

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2897 - 20/02/2024 06:34:59    2527125

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Replying To sponger:  "I think the hurling situation has forced my hand.

The final straw.

I'm done."
Be tough seeing you go Sponger, the same applies to Wicklow support.. You both must be some of the longest serving posters on here. If everyone on this forum drops out, that will do nothing to help improve the situation although I suppose what we say on here doesn't make a lot of difference anyway.i note that the "thought police" who used come on here defending the status quo are very quiet. Maybe even they might be beginning to see the bigger picture and realise that we, despite our population, are punching way below our weight At all levels and grades.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 999 - 20/02/2024 08:03:57    2527131

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So the hurlers played a challenge against the u20s in Bray at the weekend. Could barely scrape together two 15s to play each other. County board also kicked the press out of the press box at the weekend for the football management to have it !!

Mileythedog (Wicklow) - Posts: 56 - 20/02/2024 08:04:26    2527132

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Replying To Mileythedog:  "So the hurlers played a challenge against the u20s in Bray at the weekend. Could barely scrape together two 15s to play each other. County board also kicked the press out of the press box at the weekend for the football management to have it !!"
It looks as if hurling is in crisis. Let's hope the prognosis isn't terminal. Seems as if many of last years promotion and cup winning team decided that these competitions, despite them being in the "junior" ranks, were going to be the pinnacle of their careers. Well, best of luck to them and god bless their ambition- or lack of. It wouldn't surprise me if the press were turfed out. I suppose private access to our banished official needed to be maintained. Only guessing here. This might go some way to explain the less than charitable report on the game which appeared on the online Indo Sunday evening. Not that there were many positives to take from the game. Like Wicklowsupport, I think this present young bunch has potential. I would hate to see them become disinterested in inter county for any reason. In fact, I was getting very positive feedback from some family members of some panelist's

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 999 - 20/02/2024 08:38:35    2527136

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I have followed Wicklow GAA an awful long time now. I don't subscribe coming onto these forums and launching into negative feedback the whole time. It serves no one any good. Here are my thoughts on our county at the moment.
(1) The people who run our county board are there because they want to be there. If we are not happy with them, then it's up to the people who attend these county conventions to get them out. This has not happened because the people who attend these conventions have no one else to vote in. And why is this . Its called apathy. No one cares enough to out their head out there and try and fo something. There are countless people who are well able yo steer us out of this mess but they don't have the time ot they don't see the point.
(2) On the playing field itself , I have given up on understanding the need for Wicklow to have 13 men behind the ball and sometimes 15. That style of play does not suit the players we have. Just because every other team in Ireland is playing this style, do we have to play it . When is the last time we watched a decent game of football and came away and said that was enjoyable. Can anyone say coming out of Aughrim last Sunday that you enjoyed watching that game.
(3) As I said before I don't like buying into negativity . There are loads of people doing brilliant work at club level and are happy doing that . If people want change then at each convention they need to put their name forward and lead. Otherwise it will be groundhog day each year. Don't be waiting for someone else to lead, do it yourself. That's my motto.

roseyinthegarden (Wicklow) - Posts: 109 - 20/02/2024 09:04:10    2527137

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It's getting harder and harder to be optimistic after that poor performance on Sunday. Lack of any ambition, players looked demotivated and tired it's now hard to see any wins in a division that doesn't look very strong

stringfellohawk (Wicklow) - Posts: 124 - 20/02/2024 09:40:32    2527144

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