By Declan McCoy AS it’s currently the off season, I decided to mix it up a bit with a non-coaching column. I have decided to pick a team composed of the best county players I have seen in the flesh. These are my personal favourite players so I’m not suggesting a debate on the best […]
AS it was my father’s birthday on Sunday (happy birthday Desy), I thought I’d drag him to the Louth County final and we followed that up by watching the Down County final on television. I had also taken in the Donegal final the day before on TG4. My wife, Marie, thinks I need to take […]
IN the modern GAA, it has become increasingly more common to see clubs go for outside managers. In fact, at senior level I would wager a guess that 80
BEFORE I get into this week’s article, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Armagh players and management for an amazing year. Croke Park was up there with anything I’ve witnessed and my three young children, Ethan, Cian and Odhrán, have had a brilliant first year following the Orchard men. On to the […]
WHEN you are involved in Gaelic football, or any sport for that matter, you have to contend with the fact that losing comes with the territory. This can be a difficult concept as nobody plans to lose. Hours, months and years are dedicated to winning. However, once you find that balance of not accepting defeat […]
I’M a great believer in getting young players into the senior team as early as possible. There are a few reasons for this approach, some by choice and others by necessity. When a manager is trying to build a team, they should really focus on building a squad. To demonstrate this point, if you are […]
THE split-season could be the beginning of the end of the clubcounty player. Firstly, before we begin, I must declare that this is an opinion piece not a prediction, I never make predictions and I never will. Secondly, my experience on this issue is exclusively from a club manager’s perspective so I accept that this […]
WHEN we consider the fact that Gaelic football has been played for over 130 years, it is mind boggling that tactically it’s very much in its infancy. As recently as the mid-nineties it was standard to play 15 versus 15 and the best team usually won. Then us ‘Northerner’s were blamed for bringing in the […]
ALL clubs should currently be well into the dreaded pre-season. Traditionally this has been the most despised part of the year for players for three reasons. One: they have spent the previous three weeks eating selection boxes for breakfast and washing it down with Coke and Pringles. Two: January means cold weather and gutters. Three: […]
IN the modern era, the game has developed a mantra of possession at all costs. This has heightened the emphasis placed on the importance of free-taking. Defensively teams are getting bodies back behind their 50 and offensively teams are taking less shots from outside the scoring zone and are actively coached to draw the opposition […]
