Cork Hurlers - Part 2

[red&blue]

Honeymoon period for Pat Ryan well and truly over now.
Our last 7 competitive results make for grim reading.

league semi v KK beaten by 6
MSHC v Waterford won by 9
MSHC v Tipp Draw
MSHC V Clare beaten by 1
MSHC V Limerick beaten by 1
League V Clare beaten by 3
League v KK beaten by 1

Played 7, won 1, drew 1, lost 5.

We are 14 months + into Pat Ryans reign and still don't have a settled team or settled style of play. I hadn't a notion what our tactics were in that first 25 minutes last night. In the first play of the game we had 6 or 7 passes around our backline, never came out past our 65 and gave away a simple free 30 yards out. Madness.

When KK, Clare, Limerick play the short game they usually play passes forward. We seem to pass for the sake of passing and the amount of passes going backwards or laterally or to a marked man is off the charts.

Our next 3 games are now must win. We can have KK, Limerick, Tipp etc under lights next spring down the pairc or we can have Carlow, Westmeath, Kerry. Pat Ryan needs to stop the chopping and changing now. Fitzgibbon cup is over for Cork players. 2 weeks to the next game. Need a decision made on some players one way or the other and start trying to bed down a settled team.

Good post and bang on the button, firstly qualifying for division 1 next year is vital for the team’s development, and 3 home games against top opposition woukd help the coffers too

Our whole panel still seems in a state of flux, the management look like their still figuring out should the stick or twist re some of the more established heads.

I could be totally wrong on this but it all just looks a little pally Wally to me, selectors coming onto the field after another bad loss to shake hands with all and sundry doesn’t sit easy with me either, leave that to the players and sort yer own business out first by making the tough decisions before and during the game.

Also a few have alluded to the warm up, it does seem a little undercooked and underprepared to put it mildly, some might laugh at that but this all feeds into the mind set of the group

I’m sick of asking for players to be picked on their attitude and performances not on what we hope they might someday do, or what they might have done a few years ago, we need to bite the bullet quickly

On finding the right team for championship I totally agree with you, it has to happen soon, but it’s not easy when your full back, center back, one of your midfielders and two key half fowards from last year are missing. Imagine Sean Twomey playing alongside Darragh Fitz, Deccie Dalton Seamus Harnedy Alan Connolly and Tim O Mahony in the foward line last night? Imagine Mark Coleman slotting into midfield next to Tommy, and Ciaran and Damien manning 6 and 3 with the young fellas slotting in around them? now that’s a lot of first team players to bed back in. But it’s got to start happening now

 

[red&blue]

God I love this thread ?

???

 

[Hill Street Blue]

It looks like we have enough good players.

Good players we have in abundance- great players are almost non existent. It’s great players that win you AIs.

 

[Cook My Sock]

Gutting to lose by a point in the end but given the awful first 20-25 mins I'm glad it worked out that way. Had Kilkenny got a goal when it was 0-13 0-6 it could have an absolute filleting at home to our historic rivals. It would have been the worst.

When you change the team up and bring in lots of new players you have to give them time to settle, that does account for a portion of the crap start. We had the usual over-ellaboration tippy tappy stuff as well here and there to add more bitterness to the first half. But then just as I find myself saying 'puck it down the field to fuck' they pull off a sublime series of passes and they get a score out of it!

Tim O'Mahony in a way typifies what the people who want big physical passionate hurlers want. I love him, he's got a great engine and he's well up for mixing it too so he gets the crowd and team roaring. But then you get the silly frees and the moments of madness. His shooting is ok but shot selection iffy at times from distance. It's very difficult to have it both ways, if you want a big physical player like that you have to take the good with the bad. I'd have him in the team everyday and if you have Mark Coleman and Joyce around him with their skill levels it balances it for us.

I nearly lost my fucking life shouting when Kingston failed to control the ball there at the end. Contrary to what some people said a few pages back he was able to rise the ball with his hurley, he just didn't catch it. That's his brain getting ahead of his hand, he was thinking too much about what he'd do once he had the ball in his hand. I'd say he was probably in two minds about whether to take the point to draw the game or go for the goal.....his instinct is the latter but his confidence would be down because of the earlier misses. In the end he's thinking too far ahead....and it all falls apart.

Same with Hoggie's misses....we could have won it. The free when Pat Ryan spoke to him just beforehand. Fuck sake!

You have to look at the postives though. Mainly, the fact that we came from so far behind and showed a bit of passion. Tommy O'Connell was great, he was everywhere at times. Was delighted to see Mark Coleman back and he looks sharp as ever. Twomey was good and a real handful for the Kilkenny backs. Lehane is what we always think collectively. Toggling between genius and frustrating. That point towards the end when he ran down the touchline on the north stand was beautiful.

In summary, frustrating we didn't win or draw it but losing by a point to the team that only lost the AI to Limerick by a point isn't too bad in February.

We need to go and smash Waterford now to get the tails up.

#PrayForRobbie

9 points

 

[Corkonian1]

Based on last year the manager/selectors should have learned what was required to improve and what changes needed to be made, it's obvious they haven't learned from their own mistakes or from previous management decisions.

I for one find it interesting but also sad that Donal Og said on TV last night the league counts for nothing and Jackie Tyrrell asked him when did Cork last win a league title. Donal Og doesn't seem to realise that winning is a habit and the Cork management are in the same boat. The belief when everyone is back from injury the light switch will be flicked and Cork will show their quality in championship is dreamland stuff. Do Donal Og realise that injuries are a continuing problem and they don't go away in the month of April, it is how management deal with them is the real issue. He advocates Pat Ryan and the selectors changing the team for every game to try out new things but doesn't seem to realise the game Cork are trying to play requires serious teamwork which isn't derived by such change per game.

 

[rebs23]

Hopefully ROF and RD injuries are not too bad. Twomey, Mahony, Coleman, Barrett and the backline did well. We just have to drop the tippy tippy shite and we quicker deciding where to strike the ball to. From puck outs to frees to striking from defence we seem to take ages. Looking up for 2 seconds to try and give the perfect ball. We can’t continue with Hoggy, Kingston and Lehane starting just can’t.
Corciagh Abu!

 

[The Dagda]

Based on last year the manager/selectors should have learned what was required to improve and what changes needed to be made, it's obvious they haven't learned from their own mistakes or from previous management decisions.

I for one find it interesting but also sad that Donal Og said on TV last night the league counts for nothing and Jackie Tyrrell asked him when did Cork last win a league title. Donal Og doesn't seem to realise that winning is a habit and the Cork management are in the same boat. The belief when everyone is back from injury the light switch will be flicked and Cork will show their quality in championship is dreamland stuff. Do Donal Og realise that injuries are a continuing problem and they don't go away in the month of April, it is how management deal with them is the real issue. He advocates Pat Ryan and the selectors changing the team for every game to try out new things but doesn't seem to realise the game Cork are trying to play requires serious teamwork which isn't derived by such change per game.

He doesn't picks the team or the tactics. His opinions had fuck all to do with the outcome last night, no more then yours or mine had. It doesn't matter two fucks what he thinks. His sole purpose is a talking head on the TV with an uncanny knack for triggering the fuck out of people just like Brolly used to in the football.

 

[Hurlywurly]

Good post and bang on the button, firstly qualifying for division 1 next year is vital for the team’s development, and 3 home games against top opposition woukd help the coffers too

Our whole panel still seems in a state of flux, the management look like their still figuring out should the stick or twist re some of the more established heads.

I could be totally wrong on this but it all just looks a little pally Wally to me, selectors coming onto the field after another bad loss to shake hands with all and sundry doesn’t sit easy with me either, leave that to the players and sort yer own business out first by making the tough decisions before and during the game.

Also a few have alluded to the warm up, it does seem a little undercooked and underprepared to put it mildly, some might laugh at that but this all feeds into the mind set of the group

I’m sick of asking for players to be picked on their attitude and performances not on what we hope they might someday do, or what they might have done a few years ago, we need to bite the bullet quickly

Would the genius armchair managers on here ever consider that PR and Co have mapped out a plan of who they want to take a look at in the league, in what games they want to try them and in what specific positions?
That what we are seeing is a work in progress but there is a solid reason behind the choices?
That the worst thing that could happen is for plans to be abandoned and panic to set in?
That it might look ugly, disjointed, erratic now but that come April we're where the management have planned to be in prep for the championship?
That they know exactly who the starting 15 will be and what they're looking for now is alternatives that make themselves obvious during league games against hard opponents?

We rocked up with a mostly experimental defence and MF v a settled experienced KK team, we were like rabbits in the headlights and paid the price for that for 25 mins, but we were able to turn it around, and not because they eased off either.
Got good game time into O'Callaghan, E Downey, Eoin Roche, the 2 Twomeys, Coleman.

Our stats for scoring accuracy were terrible, we'll definitely improve there.
Turnover stats were bad as well, that's where the real challenge will be but it's not beyond us.

Pure disgrace that people are giving ultimatums to management and insinuating that it's somehow cosy and complacent in the set-up.

 

[BossHogg]

I was a bit disappointed to see Coleman put back into that left half position when he came on. Was hoping he would be used in the forwards or midfield by Pat. Still time. Think he's the perfect candidate for the centre forward role that Lehane was playing last night and that Cian lynch does well

 

[red&blue]

Would the genius armchair managers on here ever consider that PR and Co have mapped out a plan of who they want to take a look at in the league, in what games they want to try them and in what specific positions?

Explain Conor O Callaghan at midfield for one so

That what we are seeing is a work in progress but there is a solid reason behind the choices?

Are you questioning your own statement there or what?

That the worst thing that could happen is for plans to be abandoned and panic to set in?

Moving Tim to full foward for the last 5 minutes is the definition of panic

That it might look ugly, disjointed, erratic now but that come April we're where the management have planned to be in prep for the championship?

I hope you’re right, I really do

That they know exactly who the starting 15 will be and what they're looking for now is alternatives that make themselves obvious during league games against hard opponents?

They do in their ring know exactly what their starting 15 is and that is a good thing

We rocked up with a mostly experimental defence and MF v a settled experienced KK team, we were like rabbits in the headlights and paid the price for that for 25 mins, but we were able to turn it around, and not because they eased off either.

So it’s ok to be rabbits in the headlights? FFS The game is 70 minutes, you can’t just ignore half of it man

Got good game time into O'Callaghan, E Downey, Eoin Roche, the 2 Twomeys, Coleman.

Bar Coleman these are all young fellas and are the type of guys I’d want in the trenches with me come championship

Our stats for scoring accuracy were terrible, we'll definitely improve there.
Turnover stats were bad as well, that's where the real challenge will be but it's not beyond us.

Mess around with the ball too long and you get found out, happening us time and time again

Pure disgrace that people are giving ultimatums to management and insinuating that it's somehow cosy and complacent in the set-up.

What ultimatums have I given to management? And going on the performances it does look a little cosy and complacenent for my liking