Declan Kidney – the amazing diminishing rugby coach

[Shan]

Shan - fair enough, I think it maybe was a language thing after all. and I must say that I spent a while looking at the GAA score trying to figure out if the anecdote was saying what I thought it did, or the complete opposite

Thanks my good man. I didn't even think about the scores thing. I suppose I am just so used to it.

[Shan]

Not far wrong Shan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/norther ... 743095.stm

My goodness that is shocking stuff. I hope he will make a full recovery but looks like he is in for a painful time.

[backawaygoonahead]

Sounds horrific. I am not a GAA follower to any degree but am I wrong in thinking that there are increasing numbers of incidents in Ulster GAA where mass brawls and fairly serious injuries resulting from foul play or straight forward fighting are becoming worryingly commonplace?

Just noticed the title of this thread! huge tangent here. this used to be a very serious discussion

[Rooster]

Not far wrong Shan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/norther ... 743095.stm

My goodness that is shocking stuff. I hope he will make a full recovery but looks like he is in for a painful time.

Bit of previous with those clubs but it has got out of hand with that one, sounds a horrendous injury.

[Shan]

Sounds horrific. I am not a GAA follower to any degree but am I wrong in thinking that there are increasing numbers of incidents in Ulster GAA where mass brawls and fairly serious injuries resulting from foul play or straight forward fighting are becoming worryingly commonplace?

Just noticed the title of this thread! huge tangent here. this used to be a very serious discussion

It's not just Ulster. There's a lot of rivalry in GAA circles which can boil over from time to time. It is not as bad as it used to be to the best of my knowledge in terms of fans fighting with each other at least. My county Clare and neighbours Tipperary have for example a history of dislike for each other. Not too far from where I grew up are the villages of Killaloe(Clare) and Ballina(Tipp) with a bridge between them. After an inter-county match years ago people would gather on the bridge at night time with hurleys etc and go for each other. All part of the fun of supporting one's county.

Nowadays the players of rival clubs will sometimes be out to get each other and I know of cases where people will wait for months and even years to gain revenge for some serious incident or other. I know of guys who've had their faces smashed by one of the medical team from the opposition with a metal bucket or other such thing they carry onto the field when attending to injuries. Also some players are absolutely brilliant at disguising a serious attack on a guy going into a challenge. Despite having ready made weapons hurling, though not for the faint hearted and not totally safe, is not as bad as football for this type of thing. It is just too obvious if you smash a guy with a hurley although you can still get away with slapping the legs off somebody with one if you are very artful.

Don't worry about us drifting off topic. I do it all the time. We'll find our way back somehow.

[backawaygoonahead]

My county Clare

Shan

I remember having a holiday in Lahinch in 1995 (love that golf course) and as far as I remember Clare won the hurling final for the 1st time in 50 or 60 years. We were in some village where they were setting up an impromptu stage to welcome the cup to the village so we hung around and watched the proceedings. It was an excellent bit of entertainment with music & the pints flowing (Mrs Backaway became designated driver though I'm not sure anyone would have been sober on the roads around there or cared after the win.)

The only thing I remember about the team was that there were brothers called Clancy - obvious why the Clancy brothers would stick in the grey cells - and I have a feeling that it was their village we were in, they certainly got a major bit of attention.

[Shan]

Shan

I remember having a holiday in Lahinch in 1995 (love that golf course) and as far as I remember Clare won the hurling final for the 1st time in 50 or 60 years. We were in some village where they were setting up an impromptu stage to welcome the cup to the village so we hung around and watched the proceedings. It was an excellent bit of entertainment with music & the pints flowing (Mrs Backaway became designated driver though I'm not sure anyone would have been sober on the roads around there or cared after the win.)

The only thing I remember about the team was that there were brothers called Clancy - obvious why the Clancy brothers would stick in the grey cells - and I have a feeling that it was their village we were in, they certainly got a major bit of attention.

Ah good old Lahinch. Many a fine time was spent there as a youngster when they had a leisure centre with all kind of rides, ghost trains etc. It's all changed now and is all modern with a nice watersports centre, otherwise known as a fancy swimming pool. It is still a nice place though and fairly free from the trouble that other holiday spots suffer from. I haven't played on the golf course but I've heard from others that it is a nice course.

Now what a day September 3rd 1995 was. Clare's first All Ireland victory for 81 years and worth waiting for as we beat Offaly who had committed daylight daylight robbery the year before in the final to beat Limerick. Well actually Limerick threw it away having been 5 points up with 5 minutes to play and then conceding 2 goals and 5 points in that period. A fantastic day which most people in Clare thought they'd never see but Clare had a wonderful team at that time with the type of hunger and desire usually you only see in Cork and Kilkenny, and the feckers of Tipperary to an extent.

I'm not great with names but I thought there was only one Clancy there. Conor Clancy was a forward in that team. He is from the village of Kilmaley where many a good hurler have come from circa 12kms from Ennis on the road between Ennis and Inagh which does go on to Lahinch so this could be where you were and maybe he had a brother involved though he certainly was not on the starting 15.

The Lohans, Frank and Brian, were the brothers on that team. They are from Shannon but their mother's family were from the Shannon RFC heartland of Sir Harry's Mall(Sandmall) in Limerick City. Brian was named on the Team of the Century.

The way things are going it will be another 81 years before the next victory.

[Rooster]

off topic////

Nah Kidney totally diminished from the start of it.

[Shan]

off topic////

I agree and I think I am to blame.

[backawaygoonahead]

off topic////

Jaysus Shan, thank God the Forum police arrived just in time to stop us making fools of ourselves. Just when I was getting that warm glow of nostalgia. Up the Banner

[darkside lightside]

I've just re-read what I wrote back in June - and can only say that it is all ringing true after watching that crap earlier today.

We have EOS mk2 at the wheel, taking us towards another WC. Picking half-fit players through fear. Going with little 'faves' on close calls. Scared to make substitutions. Sending out toothless back lines, regardless of the talent therein - it made me think I was watching Ulster out there today, handling errors, guys not knowing where they were going, getting in each other's way.. Who exactly is coaching Ireland's backs?

I watched Eng-NZ earlier, England ultimately came up short, but played with a lot more intensity and pride, and made a lot fewer errors, against a much better team. It's a dangerous thing in rugby, as in anything, to extrapolate too much from one instance, but right now any thoughts I had about beating NZ are out the window, I'll be happy to scrape a victory against Argentina our bogey team; I'd call us to finish third at best in the next 6N, and frankly it's not a stretch to see us in 4th or 5th given our last performance against Scotland.

And as for the RWC - any lingering aspirations I had about us doing something there were thoroughly extinguished today, watching paralysed coaches watching that abject performance.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, the execs are getting in on the act too - the first international at the Aviva, a poor loss, in front of a two-thirds full (small) stadium - a disgrace. I hope they're all proud of themselves tonight.

[barney]

Many's the time I have watched Ireland and bemoaned the lack of a plan B.

At least this time we can conclusively state that there wasn't one on Saturday:

"I’ll put my hand up and say I didn’t cover the avenue of what happens if it buckets down on Saturday."

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/rugby/ ... 86282.html

Ireland. November. It's raining. What's the chances?

[darkside lightside]

Many's the time I have watched Ireland and bemoaned the lack of a plan B.

At least this time we can conclusively state that there wasn't one on Saturday:

"I’ll put my hand up and say I didn’t cover the avenue of what happens if it buckets down on Saturday."

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/rugby/ ... 86282.html

Ireland. November. It's raining. What's the chances?

I know, I almost literally couldn't believe my eyes when I read it - wondering whether he was somehow taking the pi$$..

[backawaygoonahead]

Sweet Jesus, the ref is an onion, couldn't see the pens against Court but Hayes penalised when the Samoan clearly broke his bind and put his hand on the ground. Of course on comes Hook & looks for Hayes to retire instantly.

Looking like his pre match prediction could happen - embarrassment

[darkside lightside]

Hmmm.. the last 6 nations took the gloss off pretty comprehensively – we were badly found out. We never really looked capable of controlling matches, never really dominated possession, looked unimaginative and short of cutting edge, and kicked too much away – depending on our defence to squeeze our way to victory, like the last year, but unfortunately it wasn’t nearly as effective, with France in particular taking it apart time after time. I was uncomfortably reminded of watching Ireland under EOS – over-structured, no plan B, scared rugby..
...
It papered over the cracks, and looking at this tour right now, the squad he’s picked, and on the back of the biggest beating ever in our inglorious history against NZ, I’m not convinced we’re much further towards building a group capable of being competitive at the next 6 nations, never mind the world cup. He pays lip service to building a deeper squad, but generally doesn’t make changes until injury forces his hand – and he seems to have adopted the EOS approach to substitutions (i.e. 70 mins if at all).

The 2009 success came by tweaking a few things and brushing things up – success in 2011 is only going to come by completely reinventing things, and frankly I’m not sure we have the time, or the head coach, to do it…

looking back to June 2010, not sure I'd change any of my comments in the light of what has ensued...

Here is Ireland's record from the start of Kidney's tenure:

WWWWWWWDWW WLWWLLLLWLW WLWLWLLL

anyone notice a trend??