September 1, 2005. A new chapter started for me as I flew Cork-London-Brussels and landed in a business flat in Evere, a commune of Brussels, to take up my job in Toyota. Leaving Cork wasn't anywhere near being on my agenda and I certainly wasn't a candidate for a move abroad. Opportunity knocks sometimes though and you have to run with it.
Two days after arriving I was on my way back home for the South-East Hurling final. Various things went against me and I never even made it to the game, never mind my position in goal. The lads lost by a point or two but would bounce back in '07 to win it. The following few months were still ruled by Kinsale G.A.A. as I returned to see out the football season most weekends. I went home every conceivable way, trains to Amsterdam, London, Paris, flights to/from Charleroi, Dublin, Cork, rented cars and late night road trips. There were Monday's when i'd dose off at meetings I was so bait from it.
Erins Own put an end to that when they put us to a sword in the Country semi-final in Buttevant. Whilst most of the lads headed back to Kinsale, myself, Conor, Micheal and a few other Dublin based lads faced the car north and headed to Dublin. We forced a pint down over dinner in TGI Fridays but the stomach couldn't take any more so it was home to bed before taking the red-eye back to Brussels on Monday morning. A bitterly disappointing ending.
Today I complete my fifth year of what was originally a 3-5 year stint in my head. Jesus, how time rattles on. I've very little to complain about now but it goes without saying that you'd miss the family and the G.A.A. My parents have returned from a stint in Vienna since I moved here and my niece Zuwena got three new brothers. You'd miss the daily contacts, the kind of hidden support network they provide and just their presence.
The other pillar of my ‘former live was obviously the G.A.A. That encompasses not just participation in the sports but also it means all my friends too. They have always gone hand in hand really as I spend so much time playing and thinking about it that I don't have time for friends who do not share that interest!
A couple of things really stick about playing for your club. One is the jersey. In my ideal world, I'd only ever have gone into battle wearing one club jersey and that would have been the blue and white hoops of Kinsale. If I was living in Galway, Dublin or anywhere south of that line then I'd never have strayed. Even if there was a Brussels-Cork flight, I'd probably be spending all my money going home to play. A club jersey holds so much history in it; your family and friends' history, the stories of all the ups and down of the club and the blood and sweat which has been spilled in its cause.
Championship is the final thing. Dad always said it was different but it's only as you get older you appreciate the do or die nature of it. Everything you do up in the pitch and even off it boils down to the sixty minutes. The build up weeks before, the whole town talking about it, the anticipation, the nerves and then the first ball coming racing at you and your marker. There can be few adrenaline rushes to match it.
When I was home a couple of weeks ago, I went to see CIT play Bishopstown in the SHC. James Murphy, a Bishopstown lad who spent 1.5yrs here, was playing so it pricked my interest. On the way up I started to remember how it felt. You'd be thinking how much you'd like another crack off it when you'd be watching the warm-ups and then when the players take the field, the national anthem is played and the ball is thrown in.
I remember the painful days more than the joyous ones; Fermoy in the Minor in '98, Valley Rovers in the Hurling in '01 when I let a ball slip through my hands and we lost by a point. Ilen Rovers in the County Final. Emotional days; days when even an Irish man does what an Irish man doesn't do. Maybe Kieran McGenney made it acceptable when he ran his hand across his face on Sunday though. It all ended for me on that day in Buttevant. I could barely look at my brother or my uncle as we made our way from the pitch through the narrow passage and into the dressing room.
Life rattles on and we've been lucky to be here in a time when Belgium G.A.A. has exploded. I know if I were at home, I'd have more frustration than enjoyment from it. I'd be arguing with the old school and giving out to the players for drinking and doing the bollocks. They'd probably have run me out of the place by now!!!
The coming months will see us travel to Munich, Budapest, London and Maastricht whilst welcoming teams from London and Birmingham to Brussels. I never imagined a schedule like that would be possible when I moved here back in '05. Sometimes you have to give up the search for what you can't have though and accept and enjoy what you do have. There's still that South-East hurling medal to be won though, time is ticking.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Farewells - Part & Parcel of Brussels Life
In my early days here I was playing for FC Irlande’s third team. It offered me a great social outlet in a city which I was struggling to crack. Every Saturday we would play in the league and follow-up with a session that would run well into Sunday. John Clifford and Loughlin were my two main drinking buddies. Loughlin moved on first. On his last night out with us, he went off to the toilet and we never saw him again. No goodbyes but that was him to a tee. John moved on soon after.
I remember saying to Bull how disappointing it was and he looked at me like he didn’t give a shit. I soon realised that after 10 years in Brussels he had become a bit detached from situations like that. He’s seen so many people come and go from Brussels that he had to switch off a bit from it.
I can do it now too. Its Brussels life and you just accept it. Lads leave, lads arrive. As time goes on you tend to attach yourself more to those who are more towards the ‘lifer’ profile. Still, you do share good times with lads here and it’s always a bit sad to see them go.
In the last month, Marty Brennan departed. I dubbed him ‘The Fridge’ after the Chicago Bears linebacker Walter Peyton. Marty moved better than The Fridge in fairness and probably hit harder too. Any night he arrived in the gym, we’d all scatter to avoid the shame of lifting our baby weights. Quality footballer, sound man, disastrous dress sense.
Diarmuid Laffan leaves on Saturday. I remember when Shane Ryan emailed me one day and told me he had a new lad. Shane’s enthusiasm is unrivalled. He told me he had a Rugby player for me. Captained Blackrock to a Senior Cup & Ireland in a World Cup. I thought, oh jesus, how will we fit him in. But Shane assured me that ‘he’s not like that’.
He was vocal the first night but in a mature and positive way. He had good feet, good hands and a wicked turn of pace. Laffan blew every stereotype out of the water in his time here. The way he bought into the whole Belgium G.A.A. thing was phenomenal when you consider what he achieved in rugby.
He added a lot in terms of his input into warm-ups, speed work and gym work. He leaves a few funny stories behind him too. The one about him throwing a coke bottle at the wall in a rage after the first football tournament cause he was so pumped up. His fondness of drinking in Belgian cities, getting the first train back to Brussels, falling asleep and ending up in Germany didn’t rare its head just once. I thought he’d kill Johnny O down in the Ardennes when we were lost, hungry and thirsty. Would have been some scrap. We won’t forget his dad either. Let’s just say he’s his father’s son!
On the field I’ll remember him for his tremendous work-rate and his like for the direct route to goal. The stand-out day for him was down in Lux. Despite all his efforts, it just wasn’t falling for him for a lot of the day. To achieve what he has in sport, you need a bit of mental strength. He rose again that day and helped push us over the line.
The last of the trio this month is Ciaran Hudson. I picked him up from his temporary accommodation back in February ’09 to show him around. First impressions? Let’s just say I thought he was a bit alternative. Spot on!
He was a great addition in the last year and a half and was always a great man to have a few deep thinking pints with or for some random comments at training and matches. His hat, his bald head, his beard; all memorable.
There are too many stories to re-tell. The day he fell over the fence by the lakes in Place Flagey. When he turned around to me during a game and told me he didn’t agree with a move I made. Jesus, when he disappeared before the final in the Kilmacud tournament to buy cans. Or in Maastricht when he hurt his back in the warm-up of the first game and buggered off into town for the day.
On the field, I’ll remember him for his marauding runs out of defence. We needed his height in the full-back line which curtailed him a bit but when he went forward he was an effective overlap. Hudson offered something different on and off the pitch, a quality I’ve maybe only come to appreciate in people in the last couple of years.
I’ll have to stop now. I’m getting emotional!! Maybe this place has not frozen my heart yet. We’ll miss them, as we miss all those that have already left. We may or may not cross paths again. If we do, you can be sure it will be one of those seamless transitions into lively conversation. The times we all spend together are memorable and won’t be forgotten.
I remember saying to Bull how disappointing it was and he looked at me like he didn’t give a shit. I soon realised that after 10 years in Brussels he had become a bit detached from situations like that. He’s seen so many people come and go from Brussels that he had to switch off a bit from it.
I can do it now too. Its Brussels life and you just accept it. Lads leave, lads arrive. As time goes on you tend to attach yourself more to those who are more towards the ‘lifer’ profile. Still, you do share good times with lads here and it’s always a bit sad to see them go.
In the last month, Marty Brennan departed. I dubbed him ‘The Fridge’ after the Chicago Bears linebacker Walter Peyton. Marty moved better than The Fridge in fairness and probably hit harder too. Any night he arrived in the gym, we’d all scatter to avoid the shame of lifting our baby weights. Quality footballer, sound man, disastrous dress sense.
Diarmuid Laffan leaves on Saturday. I remember when Shane Ryan emailed me one day and told me he had a new lad. Shane’s enthusiasm is unrivalled. He told me he had a Rugby player for me. Captained Blackrock to a Senior Cup & Ireland in a World Cup. I thought, oh jesus, how will we fit him in. But Shane assured me that ‘he’s not like that’.
He was vocal the first night but in a mature and positive way. He had good feet, good hands and a wicked turn of pace. Laffan blew every stereotype out of the water in his time here. The way he bought into the whole Belgium G.A.A. thing was phenomenal when you consider what he achieved in rugby.
He added a lot in terms of his input into warm-ups, speed work and gym work. He leaves a few funny stories behind him too. The one about him throwing a coke bottle at the wall in a rage after the first football tournament cause he was so pumped up. His fondness of drinking in Belgian cities, getting the first train back to Brussels, falling asleep and ending up in Germany didn’t rare its head just once. I thought he’d kill Johnny O down in the Ardennes when we were lost, hungry and thirsty. Would have been some scrap. We won’t forget his dad either. Let’s just say he’s his father’s son!
On the field I’ll remember him for his tremendous work-rate and his like for the direct route to goal. The stand-out day for him was down in Lux. Despite all his efforts, it just wasn’t falling for him for a lot of the day. To achieve what he has in sport, you need a bit of mental strength. He rose again that day and helped push us over the line.
The last of the trio this month is Ciaran Hudson. I picked him up from his temporary accommodation back in February ’09 to show him around. First impressions? Let’s just say I thought he was a bit alternative. Spot on!
He was a great addition in the last year and a half and was always a great man to have a few deep thinking pints with or for some random comments at training and matches. His hat, his bald head, his beard; all memorable.
There are too many stories to re-tell. The day he fell over the fence by the lakes in Place Flagey. When he turned around to me during a game and told me he didn’t agree with a move I made. Jesus, when he disappeared before the final in the Kilmacud tournament to buy cans. Or in Maastricht when he hurt his back in the warm-up of the first game and buggered off into town for the day.
On the field, I’ll remember him for his marauding runs out of defence. We needed his height in the full-back line which curtailed him a bit but when he went forward he was an effective overlap. Hudson offered something different on and off the pitch, a quality I’ve maybe only come to appreciate in people in the last couple of years.
I’ll have to stop now. I’m getting emotional!! Maybe this place has not frozen my heart yet. We’ll miss them, as we miss all those that have already left. We may or may not cross paths again. If we do, you can be sure it will be one of those seamless transitions into lively conversation. The times we all spend together are memorable and won’t be forgotten.
House In Order
You find people on ‘the continent’ tend to holiday in August much more than the Irish do. As a result, in recent seasons, we’d take a few sessions off as numbers would have diminished too much during this period. This year, we decided to plough on and it has proved very worthwhile.
Three weeks ago, we started our preparation for Munich and warned the lads that there were some tasty sessions in store. Right from the first night, the lads have flogged themselves. Rochey took charge in my absence and kept the momentum going. Stories of near mutiny & fellas getting sick filtered back via text.
I mentioned in a blog a few weeks ago that I was worried that the lads might not realise what is in store when they hit the Championship and Shield series. All the indications are that they do though and there was serious hunger in their faces as they flew through the ‘kamikaze’ at training tonight.
Most impressive was how well Paul Gavin and Enda Rice were going tonight. They are the elder statesmen of the team but are going to be key to how we do in the coming months. Paul relocated here from The Hague this year and it has been a busy time for himself and his young family. He’s a serious footballer though with a great head for it.
Enda has been a mainstay since we kicked off in ’08. I’d have massive time for him too. Over the last couple of years he has popped up with some big scores and his ability to change the direction of play and adapt his game is second to none. In Luxembourg in June, he was selected for the ‘B’ (i know, we need a new name for this) team for the first time.
He hadn’t been training so much due to other committments and if I remember he had had a few injuries. Also, other guys had put their hand up and demanded inclusion. At 39, and having played (still does) soccer and squash at a high level, I wondered would he pack it in. Our exchanges on the day were brief and slightly edgy but we caught up later in the week.
Enda knew he wasn’t where he needed to be but didn’t hide that missing out hurt his pride. He finished by saying he was totally committed to the rest of the year though and would give his all for whoever he was selected for. I knew even before Luxembourg that he would be needed come Championship so his reaction was a welcome boost. I’d trade youth (relative) for Enda’s brains and character any day. Well, maybe not, but that’s what I’ll be telling him.
Originally I was due to miss Munich but now it looks like I’ll be available so my mid-season break isn’t as well timed as originally thought. A bit of tightness in the hammer curtailed my participation tonight but I should be up and running again Thursday. I’ve a bit of catching up to do but I’m in good company with the likes of Jim and Keary!! A few extra sessions might be in store for a few of us.
Five sessions to go and with 21 tonight and plenty more on the way back, things are going to start getting spicy again.
Three weeks ago, we started our preparation for Munich and warned the lads that there were some tasty sessions in store. Right from the first night, the lads have flogged themselves. Rochey took charge in my absence and kept the momentum going. Stories of near mutiny & fellas getting sick filtered back via text.
I mentioned in a blog a few weeks ago that I was worried that the lads might not realise what is in store when they hit the Championship and Shield series. All the indications are that they do though and there was serious hunger in their faces as they flew through the ‘kamikaze’ at training tonight.
Most impressive was how well Paul Gavin and Enda Rice were going tonight. They are the elder statesmen of the team but are going to be key to how we do in the coming months. Paul relocated here from The Hague this year and it has been a busy time for himself and his young family. He’s a serious footballer though with a great head for it.
Enda has been a mainstay since we kicked off in ’08. I’d have massive time for him too. Over the last couple of years he has popped up with some big scores and his ability to change the direction of play and adapt his game is second to none. In Luxembourg in June, he was selected for the ‘B’ (i know, we need a new name for this) team for the first time.
He hadn’t been training so much due to other committments and if I remember he had had a few injuries. Also, other guys had put their hand up and demanded inclusion. At 39, and having played (still does) soccer and squash at a high level, I wondered would he pack it in. Our exchanges on the day were brief and slightly edgy but we caught up later in the week.
Enda knew he wasn’t where he needed to be but didn’t hide that missing out hurt his pride. He finished by saying he was totally committed to the rest of the year though and would give his all for whoever he was selected for. I knew even before Luxembourg that he would be needed come Championship so his reaction was a welcome boost. I’d trade youth (relative) for Enda’s brains and character any day. Well, maybe not, but that’s what I’ll be telling him.
Originally I was due to miss Munich but now it looks like I’ll be available so my mid-season break isn’t as well timed as originally thought. A bit of tightness in the hammer curtailed my participation tonight but I should be up and running again Thursday. I’ve a bit of catching up to do but I’m in good company with the likes of Jim and Keary!! A few extra sessions might be in store for a few of us.
Five sessions to go and with 21 tonight and plenty more on the way back, things are going to start getting spicy again.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Seeking Success (With Standards)
I fulfilled my duties as Maor Uisce down in Mourneabbey last Wednesday night for Kinsale’s Intermediate League game against Clyda Rovers. The lads were promoted from Division 4 last year and are now fighting hard to retain their status in Division 3.
The opposition on the night, Clyda Rovers, are a formidable outfit and play at a level higher in the Championship than Kinsale. After receiving an unmerciful trimming at their hands in a challenge last year, it was a formidable task, even in the absence of Cork duo Paudie Kissane and Ray Carey.
Kinsale are trained by a friend, Gearoid Condon, who took the team over this year after last years incumbants chose to step down. At 33, he now just plays at bit of Junior and took to the coaching a couple of years ago and has success at Minor and U-21 level under his belt already. This prompted him to get involved with the Cork U-17 Development squad and he also carries out a background role with the Cork Minors on match days.
A regular choice as captain over the years, he was obviously seen as someone with leadership qualities. He was a glutton for work too and would regularly train twice a day. As a player, he was often under-appreciated by others and perceived to lack pace. However, in the heat of battle, he is a guy you would want along side you. For younger, less experienced players, he was a great guide through a game and his considerable size and strength provided reliable back-up in any skirmish.
In the last couple of years he has lapped up all he could from books, conferences and courses. He isn’t a copy and paste merchant though and imposes his own ideas on the game. He is a coach, by which I mean, he actually develops the player’s skills and their minds tactically.
He has high standards with regards to his treatment of players. You would be hard pushed to find a lad who could say that he wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip as everyone has gotten decent game time at Intermediate and Junior all year. This is the only way to develop your players and in the absence of a talent bulging squad, everyone needs to be brought along on the journey.
The players must fundraise to pay for supplies and training weekends. There are rules to buy into and an attitudes to demonstrate. This doesn’t always happen though. Last Sunday morning, he announced two key players would be dropped for the Clyda game. They had been out drinking the night before. That wasn’t the issue though. Gearoid wouldn’t be shy of a pint but he would always be at training the next day. They were not.
It is things like this that I like most about his style. In Kinsale (and I am sure many other clubs), our better players have frequently shown a lack of respect for their team-mates through their behaviour and always went unpunished. All the rules in the world won’t sway some. On Sunday, he questioned the mental strength of the group and made a brave decision ahead of a big game. For me, that demonstrates an absence of ego but a presence of belief.
One of the great things, maybe the best thing, about the G.A.A. is people’s passion about it. This means everyone in a club will have their opinions (and are entitled to) on how matters are run. The perceived isolation with which he goes about business doesn’t appeal to everyone. He is criticised for training methods, team selections and much more. It doesn’t bother him though. He is sticking to his guns, bringing players through and improving them. The collective over the individual. It is a slow process but a necessary one when you don’t have marquee players to carry the lesser lights.
They beat Clyda by five points last Wednesday night after a testing first half. Granted it happened in the secondary competition, away from the Championship crowds. However, it’s another indication though, that progress is being made with this young team.
I mention its youth but from my position with my water bottle, it was easy to observe who the leaders are. I trudged through many battles in the full-back line with Michael O’Sullivan and couldn’t speak highly enough of him as a team-mate. A man who always had your back, in the most selfless of ways. He was never the most vocal in my time but before last week’s game and at half-time, it was obvious from listening to him that he has stepped up. He is a guy who has been travelling from Dublin for the best part of seven years to play with Kinsale. Same too his brother Richard whose experiences with Cork are now being put to positive effect as he transfers them to his team-mates.
Maybe the most telling input into the team’s progress came the morning after the game. Aforementioned Cork player Paudie Kissane rang Gearoid about another issue. Gearoid didn’t mention the game. Paudie brought it up though and was generous in his praise of the team’s workrate and tackling, especially after experiencing a dodgy first half. Objective opinion.
As a side note, you can’t but be impressed with Kissane and Carey. Both were at the game despite being deep in their preparations for the Dublin game. Kissane patrolled the line whilst Carey fulfilled the unglamorous role of umpire. But that’s the G.A.A. for ya. It starts and ends with the club.
The opposition on the night, Clyda Rovers, are a formidable outfit and play at a level higher in the Championship than Kinsale. After receiving an unmerciful trimming at their hands in a challenge last year, it was a formidable task, even in the absence of Cork duo Paudie Kissane and Ray Carey.
Kinsale are trained by a friend, Gearoid Condon, who took the team over this year after last years incumbants chose to step down. At 33, he now just plays at bit of Junior and took to the coaching a couple of years ago and has success at Minor and U-21 level under his belt already. This prompted him to get involved with the Cork U-17 Development squad and he also carries out a background role with the Cork Minors on match days.
A regular choice as captain over the years, he was obviously seen as someone with leadership qualities. He was a glutton for work too and would regularly train twice a day. As a player, he was often under-appreciated by others and perceived to lack pace. However, in the heat of battle, he is a guy you would want along side you. For younger, less experienced players, he was a great guide through a game and his considerable size and strength provided reliable back-up in any skirmish.
In the last couple of years he has lapped up all he could from books, conferences and courses. He isn’t a copy and paste merchant though and imposes his own ideas on the game. He is a coach, by which I mean, he actually develops the player’s skills and their minds tactically.
He has high standards with regards to his treatment of players. You would be hard pushed to find a lad who could say that he wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip as everyone has gotten decent game time at Intermediate and Junior all year. This is the only way to develop your players and in the absence of a talent bulging squad, everyone needs to be brought along on the journey.
The players must fundraise to pay for supplies and training weekends. There are rules to buy into and an attitudes to demonstrate. This doesn’t always happen though. Last Sunday morning, he announced two key players would be dropped for the Clyda game. They had been out drinking the night before. That wasn’t the issue though. Gearoid wouldn’t be shy of a pint but he would always be at training the next day. They were not.
It is things like this that I like most about his style. In Kinsale (and I am sure many other clubs), our better players have frequently shown a lack of respect for their team-mates through their behaviour and always went unpunished. All the rules in the world won’t sway some. On Sunday, he questioned the mental strength of the group and made a brave decision ahead of a big game. For me, that demonstrates an absence of ego but a presence of belief.
One of the great things, maybe the best thing, about the G.A.A. is people’s passion about it. This means everyone in a club will have their opinions (and are entitled to) on how matters are run. The perceived isolation with which he goes about business doesn’t appeal to everyone. He is criticised for training methods, team selections and much more. It doesn’t bother him though. He is sticking to his guns, bringing players through and improving them. The collective over the individual. It is a slow process but a necessary one when you don’t have marquee players to carry the lesser lights.
They beat Clyda by five points last Wednesday night after a testing first half. Granted it happened in the secondary competition, away from the Championship crowds. However, it’s another indication though, that progress is being made with this young team.
I mention its youth but from my position with my water bottle, it was easy to observe who the leaders are. I trudged through many battles in the full-back line with Michael O’Sullivan and couldn’t speak highly enough of him as a team-mate. A man who always had your back, in the most selfless of ways. He was never the most vocal in my time but before last week’s game and at half-time, it was obvious from listening to him that he has stepped up. He is a guy who has been travelling from Dublin for the best part of seven years to play with Kinsale. Same too his brother Richard whose experiences with Cork are now being put to positive effect as he transfers them to his team-mates.
Maybe the most telling input into the team’s progress came the morning after the game. Aforementioned Cork player Paudie Kissane rang Gearoid about another issue. Gearoid didn’t mention the game. Paudie brought it up though and was generous in his praise of the team’s workrate and tackling, especially after experiencing a dodgy first half. Objective opinion.
As a side note, you can’t but be impressed with Kissane and Carey. Both were at the game despite being deep in their preparations for the Dublin game. Kissane patrolled the line whilst Carey fulfilled the unglamorous role of umpire. But that’s the G.A.A. for ya. It starts and ends with the club.
Spanish Armada
The combination of a feisty latino spirit and a multi-sporting background seems to make the Spanish ideal candidates to take up Gaelic Football. We have one here in Belgium in the form of Anay Rios who rapidly and successfully converted her skills to Gaelic Football and even managed a Player of the Tournament in her first year.
Through my role as Coaching Officer on the Euro County Board, I work with the different Officers for each code on coaching related items. Admittedly, I’ve been slow to get going this year but with the constant pushing from Ladies Football Officer, Monica Duran, I’m beginning to get the finger out.
Last Saturday night I found myself on a rugby pitch in a Madrid University with the Madrid Harps Ladies Football team. Despite numbers being small due to the annual August evacuation of the city, I had a very enthusiastic group, only one of whom was Irish. Of course, as always with the Irish , we managed to find some link. This time it came in the form of Laura Feeney, a former Belgium GAA member who is friends with Madrid’s Louise.
A heavy days drinking the night before was followed by a day baking in the sun which didn’t leave me in the finest of conditions but once I shook that off, we got going. Three things stood out with the Spanish. One was their grasp of the hand pass and also their handling in general which i presume comes from their background in basketball, handball etc. Another was their tenacity. They take no prisoners when the ball is there to be won.
The final point I’d make is about their awareness. In a couple of simple conditioned games you could see they are smart players and were well able to switch the direction of the play when they saw an opportunity or adapt to different conditions easily.
Of course, we did face some issues. The biggest being the relationship between the Cork accent and the Spanish language, which apparently isn’t so strong. Fortunately, the bilingual wizards in the group were able to huddle everyone up after my explanations and get the messages across.
Afterwards I linked up with them in a bar in town and spent a good night in their company. They have an enthusiasm for the game that you more often see with kids. They really love the game and it is amazing to see how they have brought it to Spain after their experiences in Ireland. If they stick at it then I’m sure they can compete successfully with other teams around Europe in the coming years. I’ll certainly follow their progress in the coming tournaments.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Refocusing To Next Goal
It has been a marvellously successful year to date. 3 Benelux victories from 4 (the other a narrow loss in the final), The Nations Cup won and a strong finish by the B's in Benelux. Can there be a downside? Of course.
With such a high turnover of players, many of the new lads have never tasted defeated. They think we are the best, that winning is easy and I presume they also think that the Pan-Euro's won't throw up much more by way of competition. Maybe they don't but certain things in recent weeks suggest the guard may be dropping and Munich could be where the true lessons are dished out.
Attendances have dipped in recent weeks, especially by some of the 'A team' regulars. I've seen fellas going into pubs when they should be on the way to training. Other lads were out drinking before the last tournament. Even for the hurling, a good lash of lads were on the batter. I've held my council to date. The first goal for the season was Benelux and we achieved that. The big challenge was going to be how to keep ticking over in the summer and we pretty much solved that with the Intra club league. There has been plenty of socialising too, maybe too much. Even though I totally disagree with the regularity with which fellas drink and am completely opposed to the notion of touching even a drop on the eve of a game, I also realise we are where we are and guys simply have conflicting priorities. With these issues, I have often been accused of being too extreme but I've held myself back well here.
As I said, the new guys only know winning. The bulk of the rest arrived in 2009 and that was a tough slog so at least they know what it's like to lose. However, what they don't know is what very few of the existing panel know and that is what it takes to win a European Championship. What we will face in the Pan-Euros will be many notches up from what we have faced to date. These Championships are hard won. We will have to go to Munich, Budapest and Maastricht and fight like dogs for ever single point. In 2008, that was the way. Paris in Rennes; a mighty comeback to win something like 0-6 to 0-5. Den Hague in Maastricht; back from the dead. It was epic and it was dramatic. It took balls and spirit and grit. We've not had to show it in the same way this year yet, so the jury is still out on many fellas.
Keary texted me just before midnight last night telling me he had just found his 2008 winners medal and holding it brought back the memories. He was saying he thought fellas didn't necessarily know what it was going to take to win it again this year. His text was remarkably timed. I was rolling around in bed trying to sleep, thinking about the exact same thing. Earlier, I'd been re-reading passages of Roy Keane's book. It was the bit about complacency creeping in when United got a bit of success; fellas taking the foot of the pedal, standards dropping, that kind of stuff. I was relating it all to our situation.
Now, don't get me wrong, there is no need to hit the panic button at the moment. Our build up for Munich starts this week so no-one has a casting judgement hanging on them. We all need to step up now and drive it on. What guys need to understand before they get taught a lesson by one of our opponents, is that they need to put in a ferocious amount of work to achieve in the autumn. The satisfaction Keary still remembers has yet to be topped for me in any sporting activity I have participated in. The ownership you feel of success here is far greater than what you would derive from success at home, at least what I have experienced.
The quality is there, the fitness and football should be there in time. What we need to get right sits on our shoulders. Totally tuned in, totally focused, totally obsessed. You get few opportunities to win things.
Paris will look to build on last year when they came so close. There’s determined guys down there and good footballers. The Hague will have said to themselves that Benelux didn’t matter this year, time the run for the Pan-Euros. We said the same last year but mistimed it. Time will tell if they have got it right. Then there is Budapest, loaded with talent. They will think there time has come. Not to forget the others, Lux if they keep that team together and also, there seems to be something brewing up in Scandanavia.
Writing this gets the blood flowing. Training tonight, 19h30, the start of the next leg of the journey.
With such a high turnover of players, many of the new lads have never tasted defeated. They think we are the best, that winning is easy and I presume they also think that the Pan-Euro's won't throw up much more by way of competition. Maybe they don't but certain things in recent weeks suggest the guard may be dropping and Munich could be where the true lessons are dished out.
Attendances have dipped in recent weeks, especially by some of the 'A team' regulars. I've seen fellas going into pubs when they should be on the way to training. Other lads were out drinking before the last tournament. Even for the hurling, a good lash of lads were on the batter. I've held my council to date. The first goal for the season was Benelux and we achieved that. The big challenge was going to be how to keep ticking over in the summer and we pretty much solved that with the Intra club league. There has been plenty of socialising too, maybe too much. Even though I totally disagree with the regularity with which fellas drink and am completely opposed to the notion of touching even a drop on the eve of a game, I also realise we are where we are and guys simply have conflicting priorities. With these issues, I have often been accused of being too extreme but I've held myself back well here.
As I said, the new guys only know winning. The bulk of the rest arrived in 2009 and that was a tough slog so at least they know what it's like to lose. However, what they don't know is what very few of the existing panel know and that is what it takes to win a European Championship. What we will face in the Pan-Euros will be many notches up from what we have faced to date. These Championships are hard won. We will have to go to Munich, Budapest and Maastricht and fight like dogs for ever single point. In 2008, that was the way. Paris in Rennes; a mighty comeback to win something like 0-6 to 0-5. Den Hague in Maastricht; back from the dead. It was epic and it was dramatic. It took balls and spirit and grit. We've not had to show it in the same way this year yet, so the jury is still out on many fellas.
Keary texted me just before midnight last night telling me he had just found his 2008 winners medal and holding it brought back the memories. He was saying he thought fellas didn't necessarily know what it was going to take to win it again this year. His text was remarkably timed. I was rolling around in bed trying to sleep, thinking about the exact same thing. Earlier, I'd been re-reading passages of Roy Keane's book. It was the bit about complacency creeping in when United got a bit of success; fellas taking the foot of the pedal, standards dropping, that kind of stuff. I was relating it all to our situation.
Now, don't get me wrong, there is no need to hit the panic button at the moment. Our build up for Munich starts this week so no-one has a casting judgement hanging on them. We all need to step up now and drive it on. What guys need to understand before they get taught a lesson by one of our opponents, is that they need to put in a ferocious amount of work to achieve in the autumn. The satisfaction Keary still remembers has yet to be topped for me in any sporting activity I have participated in. The ownership you feel of success here is far greater than what you would derive from success at home, at least what I have experienced.
The quality is there, the fitness and football should be there in time. What we need to get right sits on our shoulders. Totally tuned in, totally focused, totally obsessed. You get few opportunities to win things.
Paris will look to build on last year when they came so close. There’s determined guys down there and good footballers. The Hague will have said to themselves that Benelux didn’t matter this year, time the run for the Pan-Euros. We said the same last year but mistimed it. Time will tell if they have got it right. Then there is Budapest, loaded with talent. They will think there time has come. Not to forget the others, Lux if they keep that team together and also, there seems to be something brewing up in Scandanavia.
Writing this gets the blood flowing. Training tonight, 19h30, the start of the next leg of the journey.
Euro Star
Europe will send two Ladies Football teams to the All-Ireland Ladies 7’s in Dublin on September 25th. It is a competition which they have participated in for the last number of years with increasing success.
European Ladies Football Officer, Monica Duran, is the driving force behind this year’s organisation. She’s Spanish, living in Barcelona and absolutely off her rocker about Gaelic football. I must have been getting weekly emails from her since last January trying to organise different things. It is incredible to see how the game has gripped her.
I’m not sure did she ask or did I volunteer but I will help out with the training for the upcoming tournament. Last Sunday, we had our first session down in Maastricht and had around 13 players togged out and a few more injured bodies taking refuge in the shade.
Considering they had all played a tournament the previous day and been out drinking half the night, it was a good turnout. Also, the Belgium girls made the journey down for the second day in a row which probably was not so attractive for them.
I brought along David Collins in the hope that his ‘former Inter county player’ pedigree would impress the girls and give the coaching session some credibility. It was going well until he explained his first drill!!
The session went pretty well and the girls tuned in despite bodies and heads that were probably protesting strongly against them. I found it quite invigorating too. In recent weeks, with very little on the horizon in terms of competitive action, it has been hard to stay motivated for training the lads. Sunday was a real pick-me-up, mainly because of the enthusiasm of the girls.
It’s hard to describe the differences between training men and women’s teams. At one level you treat them both the same but on another level you can be harder on lads. For girls, you need to get through to them in a less confrontational manner. In terms of attention span, as long as you don’t let the girls wander off for chats, they are very attentive and they take on board what you say to them or show them. Lads tend to want to stick to their own set ways more.
There’s another session planned after the Munich tournament and that is as much preparation as is realistic given the size of our ‘County’. I think they have a right good chance to have some success this year. They have some good footballers and great competitors so we certainly won’t be travelling home just to make up the numbers.
European Ladies Football Officer, Monica Duran, is the driving force behind this year’s organisation. She’s Spanish, living in Barcelona and absolutely off her rocker about Gaelic football. I must have been getting weekly emails from her since last January trying to organise different things. It is incredible to see how the game has gripped her.
I’m not sure did she ask or did I volunteer but I will help out with the training for the upcoming tournament. Last Sunday, we had our first session down in Maastricht and had around 13 players togged out and a few more injured bodies taking refuge in the shade.
Considering they had all played a tournament the previous day and been out drinking half the night, it was a good turnout. Also, the Belgium girls made the journey down for the second day in a row which probably was not so attractive for them.
I brought along David Collins in the hope that his ‘former Inter county player’ pedigree would impress the girls and give the coaching session some credibility. It was going well until he explained his first drill!!
The session went pretty well and the girls tuned in despite bodies and heads that were probably protesting strongly against them. I found it quite invigorating too. In recent weeks, with very little on the horizon in terms of competitive action, it has been hard to stay motivated for training the lads. Sunday was a real pick-me-up, mainly because of the enthusiasm of the girls.
It’s hard to describe the differences between training men and women’s teams. At one level you treat them both the same but on another level you can be harder on lads. For girls, you need to get through to them in a less confrontational manner. In terms of attention span, as long as you don’t let the girls wander off for chats, they are very attentive and they take on board what you say to them or show them. Lads tend to want to stick to their own set ways more.
There’s another session planned after the Munich tournament and that is as much preparation as is realistic given the size of our ‘County’. I think they have a right good chance to have some success this year. They have some good footballers and great competitors so we certainly won’t be travelling home just to make up the numbers.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Mission Accomplished
Mission accomplished. The simple words from Crusher's text that summed up this weekends visit to Maastricht. Enthusiasm wasn't something which ran through most lads with much vigour about this journey but the victory is one worth its place on the trophy shelf down in de Valera's.
We travelled under the helm of Colin Byrne and Olof Gill and they assembled a formidable panel during the previous week. Corkman Andrew, who hails from the same school as myself, was joined by Kerryman man Mike and Meath native Pat Barrett on the debutant list. Also making its debut was the 15-a-side format, on Maastricht's magnificent full sized artificial G.A.A. pitch. Diarmuid Laffan captained the side in his last tournament for the club, albeit, only thanks to the fact that his phone battery didn't fall out after he threw it at a wall on Friday night at 5am.
The opposition came in the form of Holland (Den Hague, Amsterdam and Maastricht combo) and Lux, who I think may have had some Frankfurt lads. The details I have are sketchy, mostly coming from a phone call with Al on Saturday that was disrupted by the wind. It seems the lads accounted for Holland handily enough and then got past Lux in a much tighter affair. That set-up a final against Lux over two thirty minute halves. Alan sounded nervous just after half time when we were a goal up but under savage pressure.
At that point, Timmy was brought out as an extra midfielder and it was the move that swung the match by all accounts. A couple of goals from Andrew and Mike further bolstered the lead and in the end, the score read something like 4-9 to 2-5. It is a good boost ahead of Munich and completes a successful summer under difficult circumstances. The near two month gap in the season was well managed via the intra-club league and varying the training.
August will be a disrupted month in terms of holidays but will continue to train ahead of Munich. Hopefully, the weekends result will encourage a few more to sign up as we will again be missing a few. Things have been a bit flat in the last couple of weeks so we need to ramp up again. A poor Pan-Euro Championship performance would tarnish what has been a very successful year so far. We can expect competition to be high with Paris, Budapest and possibly some Scandinavian teams supplementing the challenges of Den Hague and Luxembourg. Time to get cracking.
We travelled under the helm of Colin Byrne and Olof Gill and they assembled a formidable panel during the previous week. Corkman Andrew, who hails from the same school as myself, was joined by Kerryman man Mike and Meath native Pat Barrett on the debutant list. Also making its debut was the 15-a-side format, on Maastricht's magnificent full sized artificial G.A.A. pitch. Diarmuid Laffan captained the side in his last tournament for the club, albeit, only thanks to the fact that his phone battery didn't fall out after he threw it at a wall on Friday night at 5am.
The opposition came in the form of Holland (Den Hague, Amsterdam and Maastricht combo) and Lux, who I think may have had some Frankfurt lads. The details I have are sketchy, mostly coming from a phone call with Al on Saturday that was disrupted by the wind. It seems the lads accounted for Holland handily enough and then got past Lux in a much tighter affair. That set-up a final against Lux over two thirty minute halves. Alan sounded nervous just after half time when we were a goal up but under savage pressure.
At that point, Timmy was brought out as an extra midfielder and it was the move that swung the match by all accounts. A couple of goals from Andrew and Mike further bolstered the lead and in the end, the score read something like 4-9 to 2-5. It is a good boost ahead of Munich and completes a successful summer under difficult circumstances. The near two month gap in the season was well managed via the intra-club league and varying the training.
August will be a disrupted month in terms of holidays but will continue to train ahead of Munich. Hopefully, the weekends result will encourage a few more to sign up as we will again be missing a few. Things have been a bit flat in the last couple of weeks so we need to ramp up again. A poor Pan-Euro Championship performance would tarnish what has been a very successful year so far. We can expect competition to be high with Paris, Budapest and possibly some Scandinavian teams supplementing the challenges of Den Hague and Luxembourg. Time to get cracking.
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