Humphries on the Cork saga

Can you imagine what they’d be saying if Ger Mac suggested they wouldn’t get together until the league was about to begin? He’d be laughed out of the county. On one hand your telling us how professional the Cork lads want their training and the other hand your telling us it makes no huge difference if they don’t train with the county at all?

Far off hills definitely are greener if you think Dublin is a model to be held aloft. They played the county final last year on a wednesday night under lights in late October. The Boden manager slammed the county board this year for the structure of the championship that saw them out about five times in as many weeks. You get a break in Dublin alright, first round of the championship in May and wait four months to play the second round.

I doubt Frank is the big bogie man he’s made out to be. In any case he’s one man on a board of how many? It’s up to the clubs to petition the board if they want changes.

The best thing that could happen now is that the club players go out in sympathy with the co team and high light the issues that are crippling the GGA right now.

The current generation of GGA administrators (with a few exceptions) are far removed from the issues that they face in modern Ireland. Cork is just one example with players having the balls to face down the admin over their grievances. Im sure most counties have their own stories about startling levels of incompetence at administrative level. In Wexford weve had a year to match any county in terms of gaffes and general incompetence, the highlight being the utter mess that was the non ratification of John Meyler as hurling manager.

This year fits neatly alongside every other year in terms of cock ups and a general lack of foresight. Wexford is not alone, many other counties are shambolic in their approach to running and promoting the GGA games. There are a handful of counties that seem to have things moving smoothly, from underage right through to senior level. And its no surprise to see them constantly at the top table.

So how do we solve it? I dont know. Parish pump politics are rife, and seemingly always will be. The generation in power (coz thats what it is power) are children of the 40s and 50s, completely out of touch with the people who play the games at all levels. I know a few youngish and forward thinking administrators who have walked away from it down here - preferring to focus on their professional careers instead of spending their spare time dealing with narrow minded idiots who dont actually care if a lad can book a weeks holiday in November in the knowledge that he can go on it.

The GGA do seem to have a decent amount of brain power in Croker, and in my view Croke Park should be formulating policy for the counties and applying it. A county championship should be of a standard set up, regardless of county. And fixtures should be streamlined from HQ, so as intercounty etc can be accommodated. There should be a centralised policy regarding schools of excellence and training etc.

Gerald McCarthy (Bigger fool him for getting involved)is the pawn here, set up by the CCB. This battle is about removing out dated administrators and I hope they succeed.

It should only be start of a clear out but I doubt it.

I’d agree with much of what you say Appendage, and really you can apply the argument that much of the administration of the GAA is still stuck in the 50’s to the existence of the GPA.

While the Cork players certainly have their detractors, they would have a fair level of support and I’d imagine there would be a fair amount of sympathy and understanding for inter county players among large sections of the GAA public. Given that, its in the interests of the administration of the GAA to talk to the players and find middle ground. Unfortunately I think we have probably missed the most important stage of that engagement and we now have the GAA and GPA working against, rather than with each other.

The management of the county boards in many counties has been disgraceful, Croke Park should start threatening to sack county boards and impose their own rule for continuing incompetance. The thing I cannot understand is why we still have completely fucked up county championships in practically every county. And there seems to have been fuck all discussion at Congress about it.

I think the lads will back me up, i said this the other day as well.

[quote=“SHANNONSIDER**”]Far off hills definitely are greener if you think Dublin is a model to be held aloft. They played the county final last year on a wednesday night under lights in late October. The Boden manager slammed the county board this year for the structure of the championship that saw them out about five times in as many weeks. You get a break in Dublin alright, first round of the championship in May and wait four months to play the second round.

I doubt Frank is the big bogie man he’s made out to be. In any case he’s one man on a board of how many? It’s up to the clubs to petition the board if they want changes.[/quote]

Naive in the extreme SS**, sorry now, but you haven’t a clue if you believe that Frank isn’t the B-all and end all in the CCB.
How many times can i say, “HE CAN’T BE VOTED OUT BY THE CLUBS”.

Ok you pointed out Dublin isn’t great either, but the league is what i was getting at, they play a regular league. Clubs are given the power to arrange the league fixtures in Cork, and invaribly they can’t agree, or accomadate each other to death to avoid conflict.

Gerald has issued a pretty damning statement, his second. Makes Sean Og, look, well. Og. Along with a number of players on the panel.

It also paints the County Board in a positive frame. The players will have to work hard to counter this if you ask me.

Dan and the rest of the Cork boys here, what do yis think of Gerald’s latest missive?

It surely puts paid to Sean Og’s question about why he would want the hassle at his age (surely one of the most stupid things to ver have come out of a Cork hurlers mouth).

This is pretty sensational stuff if you ask me, it shows up a lot of players who talk about professionalism, but won’t walk the walk.

McCarthy issues stinging response
In this section
Get ready for a rollicking good rideSEAN MORAN GAA CorrespondentGAELIC GAMES: IN A further escalation of the Cork hurling dispute, team manager Gerald McCarthy has issued a stinging response to senior county player Sen g hAilpn, whose criticisms of McCarthy’s training methods and the county board were widely reported yesterday.

He also revealed that attempts at mediation by “two highly respected former Cork players” had been broken off because the intermediaries had now walked away in despair at finding a solution. In a statement circulated to media yesterday evening, McCarthy accused the former All-Ireland winning captain of “flip flopping” on the issue of the manager’s coaching ability.

“I accept that Sen g has a very busy life,” runs the statement. “His substantial commercial interests arising from his Cork hurling career, dealing with his agent, his membership of the GPA, his job with Ulster Bank and his on-off role with Cork, must make it difficult to find time to reflect. If he did find time, then perhaps he wouldn’t be flip flopping around the place and changing his mind about my abilities as a coach, to suit the agenda of the day.”

He went on to criticise those leading the dispute, which arose over the renewal of McCarthy’s appointment as manager, saying: “We have been tip toeing around a small number of personalities as they tried to turn training and sport into some kind of industrial relations contest of a bygone age.”

On the subject of criticisms of the professionalism of his regime, McCarthy said that only 13 players out of 30 had responded to a nutritionist’s questionnaire. He asked, "whether a failure to co-operate fully with a nutritionist brought in by me was ‘professional’ " and “whether failure to attend recovery sessions put on for them after games was ‘professional’. Was trying to get a vital fitness team member replaced before he even started work for the season ‘professional’?”

Responding to dismissive allegations about his coaching, McCarthy said that he had organised the county’s first overseas training camp to La Manga last year and that anything he had requested from the county board on behalf of the team had been granted.

“So for Sen g to turn around now and describe the coaching regime as “Mickey Mouse” is dishonest and outrageous.” Expressing his satisfaction that the exhibition match between Cork and a St Colman’s Fermoy selection to mark the school’s 150th anniversary was back on (the county styled as a ‘Cork selection’ to try and avoid the GAA’s inter-county close season restrictions) on 23rd November at 2.30, McCarthy said he would be finalising his panel for the coming season in the weeks ahead.

2008 The Irish Times

Hes not holding back Fitzy is he. Sow into the fookers Gerald, but keep it business like. Thats a pretty personal attack on Sean Og, making the argument personal will lose Geral the high moral ground that he currently occupies

It was a particuarly withering attack on Sean Og alright, but has Sean Og not had a go at Ger Mac in public?

I wouldn’t doubt the commitment of Cork hurlers for a moment, but the problem seems to be, what are they committed to?

It seems obvious now that this is an irretrievable breakdown between the management and players. This is going to get a whole lot owrse before it gets better.

Fuck me, but can you just imagine what the Kilkenny panel and management are thinking right now?

(Actually I can, how the hell did anyone score against us this year. They’ll be flaggellating themselves all winter over it. Watch out for next year when Kilkenny score 16-100 in their 4 championship games and concede 5 points. After which Brian Cody admits he’s seriously considering completely revamping the half back line, because they’re leaking scores.)

[quote=“Fitzy”]It was a particuarly withering attack on Sean Og alright, but has Sean Og not had a go at Ger Mac in public?

I wouldn’t doubt the commitment of Cork hurlers for a moment, but the problem seems to be, what are they committed to?

It seems obvious now that this is an irretrievable breakdown between the management and players. This is going to get a whole lot owrse before it gets better.

Fuck me, but can you just imagine what the Kilkenny panel and management are thinking right now?

(Actually I can, how the hell did anyone score against us this year. They’ll be flaggellating themselves all winter over it. Watch out for next year when Kilkenny score 16-100 in their 4 championship games and concede 5 points. After which Brian Cody admits he’s seriously considering completely revamping the half back line, because they’re leaking scores.)[/QUOTE]

No; it’ll be Locked on the Green that’ll be calling for a review of the KK 1 to 4 before they meet an Awfully side that will be hard to beat.

[quote=“Fitzy”]Gerald has issued a pretty damning statement, his second. Makes Sean Og, look, well. Og. Along with a number of players on the panel.

It also paints the County Board in a positive frame. The players will have to work hard to counter this if you ask me.

Dan and the rest of the Cork boys here, what do yis think of Gerald’s latest missive?

It surely puts paid to Sean Og’s question about why he would want the hassle at his age (surely one of the most stupid things to ver have come out of a Cork hurlers mouth).

This is pretty sensational stuff if you ask me, it shows up a lot of players who talk about professionalism, but won’t walk the walk.

McCarthy issues stinging response
In this section
Get ready for a rollicking good rideSEAN MORAN GAA CorrespondentGAELIC GAMES: IN A further escalation of the Cork hurling dispute, team manager Gerald McCarthy has issued a stinging response to senior county player Sen g hAilpn, whose criticisms of McCarthy’s training methods and the county board were widely reported yesterday.

He also revealed that attempts at mediation by “two highly respected former Cork players” had been broken off because the intermediaries had now walked away in despair at finding a solution. In a statement circulated to media yesterday evening, McCarthy accused the former All-Ireland winning captain of “flip flopping” on the issue of the manager’s coaching ability.

“I accept that Sen g has a very busy life,” runs the statement. “His substantial commercial interests arising from his Cork hurling career, dealing with his agent, his membership of the GPA, his job with Ulster Bank and his on-off role with Cork, must make it difficult to find time to reflect. If he did find time, then perhaps he wouldn’t be flip flopping around the place and changing his mind about my abilities as a coach, to suit the agenda of the day.”

He went on to criticise those leading the dispute, which arose over the renewal of McCarthy’s appointment as manager, saying: “We have been tip toeing around a small number of personalities as they tried to turn training and sport into some kind of industrial relations contest of a bygone age.”

On the subject of criticisms of the professionalism of his regime, McCarthy said that only 13 players out of 30 had responded to a nutritionist’s questionnaire. He asked, "whether a failure to co-operate fully with a nutritionist brought in by me was ‘professional’ " and “whether failure to attend recovery sessions put on for them after games was ‘professional’. Was trying to get a vital fitness team member replaced before he even started work for the season ‘professional’?”

Responding to dismissive allegations about his coaching, McCarthy said that he had organised the county’s first overseas training camp to La Manga last year and that anything he had requested from the county board on behalf of the team had been granted.

“So for Sen g to turn around now and describe the coaching regime as “Mickey Mouse” is dishonest and outrageous.” Expressing his satisfaction that the exhibition match between Cork and a St Colman’s Fermoy selection to mark the school’s 150th anniversary was back on (the county styled as a ‘Cork selection’ to try and avoid the GAA’s inter-county close season restrictions) on 23rd November at 2.30, McCarthy said he would be finalising his panel for the coming season in the weeks ahead.

2008 The Irish Times[/quote]

good man Bill’O

It’s all getting very messy now. It will be interesting to see who’s named on Gers panel in the next few weeks. Last year while the strike was on they were weasling out of playing games, but this time around they are determined to show the militants that Cork hurling will go on, with or without them.

What’s the BillO reference MGG? Is O’Herlihy’s PR company advising Gerald McCarthy?

MGG guessed at that earlier. Think it’s no more than a guess though.

And the fact that he has made more money from the GAA than possibly anybody else in the history of the game, it was a stupid thing to come out with in my opinion. The childishness gets worse. Ger Mac has gone slowly further and further down in my book as this has gone along.

I don’t understand why guys think he put Sean Og in his box. It’s full of hypocrisy and so what if Sean has done well out of GAA. It’s total bull that he gets paid for presenting medals, i know this for fact. He does get plenty money for opening shops etc, but who wouldn’t do that, he’s lending his name out to some guy to use it. Show me the money is my attitude to that.

He shouldn’t have started this whole thing, but that attack of Sean Og was stupid.

[quote=“Mairegangaire;92894][QUOTE=Fitzy”]It was a particuarly withering attack on Sean Og alright, but has Sean Og not had a go at Ger Mac in public?

I wouldn’t doubt the commitment of Cork hurlers for a moment, but the problem seems to be, what are they committed to?

It seems obvious now that this is an irretrievable breakdown between the management and players. This is going to get a whole lot owrse before it gets better.

Fuck me, but can you just imagine what the Kilkenny panel and management are thinking right now?

(Actually I can, how the hell did anyone score against us this year. They’ll be flaggellating themselves all winter over it. Watch out for next year when Kilkenny score 16-100 in their 4 championship games and concede 5 points. After which Brian Cody admits he’s seriously considering completely revamping the half back line, because they’re leaking scores.)[/QUOTE]

No; it’ll be Locked on the Green that’ll be calling for a review of the KK 1 to 4 before they meet an Awfully side that will be hard to beat.[/quote]

Mairegangowl/Home of the Dicktease

That’s what’s wrong with Cork these days, standards are just not high enough. Keep trying though, yere a big county, with 251 clubs…

[quote=“Locke;92982][quote=Mairegangaire”]

Mairegangowl/Home of the Dicktease

That’s what’s wrong with Cork these days, standards are just not high enough. Keep trying though, yere a big county, with 251 clubs…[/quote]

It must be the fielding of Football sides that has taken it all out of us.

Still, no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to poormouth or downplay anywhere near as good as you Locked. (Although Bomber before the semi nearly had me in tears for the poor kerrymen.)

[quote=“caoimhaoin”]And the fact that he has made more money from the GAA than possibly anybody else in the history of the game, it was a stupid thing to come out with in my opinion. The childishness gets worse. Ger Mac has gone slowly further and further down in my book as this has gone along.

I don’t understand why guys think he put Sean Og in his box. It’s full of hypocrisy and so what if Sean has done well out of GAA. It’s total bull that he gets paid for presenting medals, i know this for fact. He does get plenty money for opening shops etc, but who wouldn’t do that, he’s lending his name out to some guy to use it. Show me the money is my attitude to that.

He shouldn’t have started this whole thing, but that attack of Sean Og was stupid.[/quote]

Lay down with dogs and you’ll get up with fleas as my auld lad used to say. No one can go out and publicy have a go at another and then take offence when he gets it back with interest.

I get the impression they must REALLLLLLY have pissed Gerald Mc off whatever it was that went on in that meeting.

the intimidation of young aspiring hurlers is what donal and sean og will be remembered for, it looks like they’ve crossed the line.
Not even kieran shannon can spin them out of this one.