Benelux Rd 1 - Resilience the key

Round 1 of the Benelux Shield and Championship this weekend. It is notable for the inclusion of a Shield for the first time in a Regional competition.

This is a very positive step forward as it provides all the players with competitive games. Previously, established teams, second teams and newly formed teams were all grouped together. The result was some very lopsided encounters which did no-one any good.

By splitting the competition, it is hoped participation can be increased by giving players more meaningful games.

In the Championship section, it will be ourselves, Amsterdam, Hague and Lux. Early season form suggests we go into Saturday a little bit behind the rest after defeats to The Hague and Amsterdam a few weeks ago. Lux surprisingly travel with one team which may indicate they'll be going gung ho for a win. Early season duals are always difficult to predict due to the influx and exodus of players over the winter.

We will face off against Amsterdam and Dusseldorf in the Shield and there shouldn't be much between the teams here.

Normally there would be no talking to me the week of a tournament. There's a load of crap to worry about; chasing players, organising lifts, picking panels etc etc. Of course, Collie B takes the lead in most aspects but I feel some stress as we want everything to go smoothly. I feel relaxed ahead of the weekend and that’s probably down to our preparation.

We've had a team from Wexford over, travelled to The Hague invitational and had two in-house games. Training has been fairly well attended and we've mixed fitness, skills and games well. We've focused much more on attacking play and probably did more shooting in the last two months than the half year I was taking training in 2011!!

It's as good a group as we have had in terms of attitude and application. The fact we are travelling with 26 players, despite lads continuing to leave, is testament to that. In addition, Paddy and Al are injured but they too will travel to help out. Conan will have his Bainisteoir bib so we will be 29 in total. No mean feat.

Resilience is the underlying trait of this group. I don't think there are too many clubs, who could have suffered so many exits & injuries, still get two teams out and be competitive. We'll need buckets of it over the coming months because the task that faces us is significant.

We know we are not yet at the standard to win a Championship and Shield at the business end of the year. We must improve from last year and that doesn't happen over night. Our play must evolve and be a little bit more about adventure than containment.

We're definitely on the right road and I reckon we wouldn't be a bad outside bet for the weekend. You always have a chance in the Regionals and with two balanced panels we go to win.

Captains

The importance of a captain is debatable. We've all had good and bad ones, picked with different motivations and reasoning.

In Belgium football terms, we have had four. In 2008, it was Emmett Devine, a real 'does what it says on the tin' kind of guy. 2009, we had Cluxton. For him it was a bit of a poisioned chalice. We'd won the Championship in 2008 but had to contend with the disruption caused by European elections and other things in early '09. There was a culture of excuse making during the course of that year and we were happy to blame blame blame. If we had the attitude we have now, back then, we wouldn't have wasted a year. Just a case of bad timing for Clux.

2010 sprung a surprise. Something needed to be done to get myself and Eoin on the same page. We could rebel against each other or we could work together. We chose the latter and got back on track. Last year, there was a role reversal, Eoin took over the set-up with Conan and installed me as captain.

In the Shield, we have had many more, which would be the nature of such a team when you'll have guys pulled to the Championship panel during the year. However, Johnny Phelan was the most consistent person in the position. Last year, Eoin rotated it early in the year and I continued that policy later on with Paul Gavin having the role in Limerick.

So far this year, we've had a couple of challenge games and in-house games and appointed different guys in each. I think its important to see guys for a couple of months and observe their approach to communication, training, matches and the general way they carry themselves in the set-up.

I hate using lingo, but we've long felt a lack of 'leaders' in the group. However, since last summer, guys have really stepped up in what has been a difficult transition period for us. People show it in different ways; some will be vocal, some will prepare themselves better and encourage others to do likewise, whilst some will show their hand in 1:1 discussions.

In coming to the decision about this year's captains, the discussion with Conan was concluded very quickly.

For the Shield, Johnny Phelan will again take up the reigns and look to drive the team on after last year’s success. He's back fit now and has been a good example of how you can improve if you apply yourself. He has now become a big part of the overall group and showed in Guernsey last year that he can step up to Championship level and make a contribution.

For the Championship, Timmy will lead us for the year. He was always a guy I wanted to be more influential but in the past he didn't exert an influence over the group as a whole. We relied on him heavily in 2011 and he stepped up big time and took the lead in organising the forwards during games.

Through the winter, both Timmy and Johnny looked after their fitness and they'd be two guys you'd see in the gym often. The thread continued into the early months of training. Rarely would they miss training and if they did, you would always know their whereabouts.

I mentioned already Johnny's improvement on the playing side but Timmy's has been significant also. He's looking strong and his direct approach makes him a very hard man to stop when he gets a head of steam up.

He sealed the deal with me on Monday night when he gave Fergal Mythen a dig in the stomach (they were on the same team!)!! We've designed a few games to get guys a little agitated and to coax the fire out of them. Timmy's team had just received a lesson in one of the drills and as we were preparing for the next round, he was out beating the drum to the lads and getting them going.

We wish them both luck and hope they can lead us to silverware in 2012.

Griff's Last Act

I've received many emails over the last few years to inform me of impending departures. Yesterday another arrived. This time it was from Shane Griffen.

Griff was like the poster child for our new sum of the parts 'project'. Since last summer when our player exodus starting building more momentum, we needed to focus heavily on developing the players and not rely on natural talents which we may have previously had.

Griff was the roughest of diamonds. He arrived in 2010 as a wild buck. Raw aggression and intensity characterised his game. The flip side of this characteristics was that decision making was rushed and the tackling veering towards robust. It was a time when we were pleased with huge numbers and the individual focus on player development was lacking.

He was an integral part of the Shield team but his interested waned late in 2010 and into 2011. Living with Timmy and hanging around with most of the lads, he was never far from the fray. Come Championship time last year, he was back in the fold. Quickly the diamond began to sparkle and Griff stepped into midfield on the Championship team and looked like it been there for years. His decision making was sharp and his tackling refined.

Training wise he would be frustrating as he could go AWOL from time to time but lately he was there more often than not. Guys like Griff are critical at training because fellas feed off the intensity and it raises everything a level as a result.

In response to his email confirming his departure yesterday evening. he received a mission to compensate for his loss. With so many players having passed through in the last four years, there is plenty of scope for getting everyone together once a year for an annual match between current and former players in Brussels. Hopefully he will lead this initiative.

Griff's influence wasn't just on the pitch. It's a rare auld sight to see seven G.A.A. lads at a play on a Wednesday night but that was the case this week as we headed to Bozar to watch 'She Stoops To Conquer'. When he tells me he will miss the G.A.A., I'm guessing it’s not just the playing of it that he means but also that camaraderie which is evident through such support.

ER

Our second in-house game of the season was played in unseasonably fine weather last Saturday. Once again, it managed to throw up a few more headaches and keep the Emergency Rooms of Brussels ticking over.

We lost Shane Ryan in the first outing and last Saturday we picked up a few more injuries. Denzer ended up in A&F with his wrist, Paddy joined him with one broken finger and one dislocated for good measure. Al Rowan exited late on with a pulled hamstring. They join an already lengthy list of concerns including the likes of Giller, Pearce, Mull, Lynchy and Laffan.

This leaves our panels for the first outing of the year next weekend decimated to say the least.

It was not all doom and gloom though. Having so many injured people means we could afford two managers and two stats men for the game!! Manning the whistle on this occassion was Ray MacDonagh, an experienced referee who the girls found. Again, as with Willie the last day, it makes a big difference to have a proper referee. He gets the right balance in terms of physicality and the game flowed nicely. In recent tournaments we have played, players have been earning frees far too easily by appealing or falling over! The game is nearly moving in the direction of being non-contact but guys enjoyed Saturdays more robust exchanges.

The game itself threw up some tasty battles, particularly between Crusher and Timmy who went at it all guns blazing from the start. In the end, the 'Reds' won out on a score line of 2-16 to 3-5, led by an impressive debut from Corkman Paul Kelleher at full forward. The game was also notable for the return of Will at midfield.

The biggest thing our lads are missing is match practice and the experiences that brings. The pitch at the VUB is very accessible for us on a Saturday so we will do it as much as possible as the year progresses.

The players approach to the game helps as well as they all see the value in it. The players pay for the pitch themselves and both teams were properly prepared in terms of organisation, warm-up, switches etc. Everyone brought a competitive edge to it. Even afterwards, it’s clear who won and who lost and that has to be healthy.

Looking towards the weekend, the injury situation means we are still in the process of confirming the panels and will not be able to do so until we see who we have after training tomorrow night. Watch this space!

Adding Value With Words

Everyone has their own communication style. Each of those styles may work for a period of time but if it is monotone in nature, it will be short lived.

In G.A.A. circles, I mainly had either great motivators or utter psychos. Some would send you out the dressing room with a wrap of a hurley, others would send you out feeling ten feet tall. The latter worked best for me when I was younger. I thrived most under the coaches who had most belief in me and who I believed in most. There were a few but notable mentions would go to my brother and Dad who I trained under at different times as a hurler. The players on their teams were always motivated.

Tactically I didn't need much direction because of the nature of my roles. On the football front, I played mostly at corner back and there your job is simple. Get to the ball first and keep it moving on. Hurling wise was slightly different. My most meaningful contributions were in goal. I would cheekily claim to be p1ssing off the crowd with a 'puckout strategy' long before Cusack started to claim the attention on that front! Due to the specificity of that role, you would handle the discussion separate to the teamtalk though.

On the hockey front, I encountered the most tactically astute coaches I had in sport. George Treacy was standout. Formerly an international coach, he thought me a lot of the principles which I still carry today. It wasn't easy but he gave me tactical discipline. Eddie Kirwan was also excellent both in motivation and tactics. He brought with him the siege mentality from Nemo and coupled it with a tactical approach which allowed a limited team survive and even thrive in what was a competitive league.

George's talks were always simple and focused on tactics. Eddie too but with a bit of spice thrown in. Players knew what was expected of them individually and collectively.

The team talk gives someone a stage to orate from and some grab the opportunity with both hands, with no concern for the audience. They'll ramble from one thing to another, bang a few tables and share very little tactical ingenuity. Ask a player to pick out the key point five minutes later and few will be able to.

When I started out here in 2008 I’d have been more of a chest beater. The boggers like Keary and Big Jim would love that but the city slickers like Sheanon thought it was all bullsh1t and bluster! That kind of approach definitely has a place but if you are playing up to five games a day in a tournament then you are going to run out of material pretty fast.

In the last couple of years I moved away from that towards more game specific stuff but fell into the trap of trying to cover every facet of the game at times!

In Toyota, where I work, we have a methodology simply called ‘Problem Solving’, or to give it’s official name, ‘Toyota Business Practice’. Six Sigma is similar.

Put briefly and simply, this examines where you are against your ultimate goal i.e. winning a Championship. It clarifies what the current GAP is. You then breakdown the problem, identify the point in the process from preparation (training) through to implementation (playing the matches).

Here is where we come unstuck. It’s likely that by breaking down the problem in this way, you will isolate a number of problems i.e. attendance at training, turnovers, fouls etc. When the coach goes to address these in a session plan, a team talk at training or at a game, he might go at all of them at once.

However, in Toyota problem solving, one of the most important aspects of identifying the problem is to be able to quantify it. In this regard, stats would be helpful. You may find that you are conceding 15 frees a game but the majority in the opposition half. On the other hand, you are turning over the ball 15 times a game in your own half.

It is important to prioritise the problems to solve. In this case, turnovers looks to be having the biggest negative impact on your team’s performance. Rather than trying to solve everything at once, the coach should zone in on this aspect.
Now, looking specifically at turnovers, analyse what is the root cause of these turnovers i.e. poor hand passing or kick passing, getting stripped of the ball in tackles etc. Again you should be able to quantify this through stats. Once you have identified the root cause, you can start to think about countermeasures.

Next, you develop your training plan and go to work at solving this prioritised problem. The drills should be specific and focused as should all the words you use to players in the sessions.

Then your next tournament will come and you will get an opportunity to see if your countermeasures have solved the problem or not. In terms of your team talk on the day, it can be very simple. You’ve been delivering a consistent message through your coaching in recent sessions so it should be engrained in player’s minds. Now all you need to do is to turn the switch on for lads and get them to focus.

Now you are connecting all the dots, the message is clear and understandable for the players. Isn’t that what you want to achieve?

This problem solving methodology is what made Toyota so successful but also what led to so much criticism in recent years. The process is slow and you must be patient. The idea is you will get to the very root of the problem and that is not always easy to find. It will never lead to revolution, instead it focuses on small incremental change. A step by step approach to closing that GAP.

This whole link to problem solving only flashed into my mind this morning but I think it has some value when considering how to structure your messages to players at sessions and at matches.

Is there still place for the bluster? For sure. Players need to be motivated. Some of that should come from within but the coach definitely has a role in that. It’s just a question of timing.

Paddys Day Festival Hits New Heights

Each year, on the Sunday preceeding St. Patricks Day, the GAA club jointy hosts an event with FC Irlande in P50, near Schuman Roundabout. It is one of the club's main fundraisers and we profit from drink/food/t-shirt sales during the day at the Parc and also in the evening at 1898.

It involves things typically Irish; namely Gaelic Games, drinking and eating. Plans had a bit of a set back this year with the news that we would not be allowed use the pitch as it has been reseeded. We assumed the games were an important part of the day in terms of attracting people so there was some concern about how things would play out.

Fortunately the sun shone for the first time this year and it helped attract a big crowd and those involved in the organisation were ready for them. It looked to be the best organised one I have seen to date. The committee improvised very well and had plenty of games and challenges set up around the perimeter of the pitch to keep the kids and adults interested. The place was hopping from mid day until early evening.

Credit must go to the girls who managed to do a trojan amount of work despite spending most of the time giving out about the lads lack of help. This is a little bit harsh considering Collie B led a team of men on Saturday and Sunday morning with the tents. On top of that, Ross was MC for the day and we rolled up for the clean up in the evening. Fergal played a big part running off the kids games too. Furthermore, Kitch, Giller and Ciaran Kelly contributed handsomely to the gig in 1898 that night.

Seeing some of the heads on the lads on Sunday morning, I think it was probably better that they weren't allowed sell anything to the public.

The amount of work that goes into the day is immense and those who contribute to it, show the club in the best possible light. Not only does it raise money, it also provides a great opportunity for Irish people to come together and celebrate St. Patricks Day. All involved deserve huge credit for not only the organisation but the fact that the event is getting better and better with each passing year.

Ryano Injury Casts Shadow

I'm not sure will we ever experience days like the ones in Summer 2010 when we were able to have a four team intra-club league. Maybe just as well considering how emotional that got at times!! Our numbers are not what they were but on Saturday we still managed a full game, played over four fifteen minute periods in the VUB.

It is important to set these games up in the proper manner and make sure that the players don't just treat them as a casual kick about. To facilitate that, Willie gave up his afternoon to referee and umpires were supplied by Kevin in the form of girlfriend Anay and dad, Michael. Giller was on hand to keep some basic stats and provide comment where necessary.

Actually, we ended up playing 11 v 10. Collie B spat the dummy about me picking all the Cork lads on the same team during a training game last week so I had to pick myself on the team with 10 to appease him. We rotated our keeper in each period and suffered accordingly! I think we were lobbed three times for goals and managed to lose around 80% of our kick-outs!

As I mentioned, Giller was the stat man but we actually only focused on one - turnovers, broken into those in the defending and attacking halves. This will be our focus in the coming weeks and we will work relentlessly on improving that area. The most pleasing stat was the one which said our team didn't conceed the ball once in our own half in the third quarter. However, in the quarter either side, we coughed up possession 8-10 times. The main thing for guys to take from that is we can do it when we are concentrated.

On the scoreboard we were struggling to stay within touch. Our attacking options were limited as Johnny and Dan were forced to track the spare men. Timmy was a lonely figure up front and had plenty of attention from the likes of Ross, Keary and Karl. As mentioned after The Hague, we're working the ball up the pitch too slowly so on Saturday we kicked more long balls into Tim, even though the risk factor was much higher. He fought well to feed off the scraps and felt afterwards he got a great workout because of that.

The returning Conor Aylward was the star of the show kicking five points from play for his team. Overall, they looked the more settled of the two and were very well organised. Their 4-12 to 3-7 win couldn't really be argued with.

I had a fairly brutal outing, covering a lot of ground in a fairly aimless manner, bar a five minute spell in the fourth quarter. I've no concern at the moment though. Relative to previous years, my back is in much better shape and I haven't missed a session because of it yet. The downside is that it takes the legs a good three days to feel fresh after a session!! I'd take that though and will manage my training to be fresh when it matters.

The only downside, besides losing (!), was a bigger loss in the form of Shane Ryan. He also suffers issues with his back but was regaining full fitness this year. He went for a high ball on Saturday and landed hard. The diagnosis is a herniated disk. We have no image of how long he will be out but wish him a speedy recovery.

Considering Saturday's success and the positive feedback from the lads, we've shelved the plans for a team building activity on the 24th and will now play another in-house game, in preparation for the first Benelux tournament at the end of the month. As Lynchy said afterwards, team building is hardly something we need more of so an afteroon playing football will be of much more benefit.

Visible Change Providing Perspective

I wouldn’t say I’m a bad loser but I absolutely hate losing. I can only remember being visibly upset on two occasions. The first was when we lost to Fermoy in a County Minor semi-final in 1998. There were few words and many tears shed by us on the way home that evening. The other was when Erins Own beat us in a County semi-final in 2005.

The misery after the latter game was compounded by the fact that I knew it could be my last Championship game for Kinsale. As I came out the gate of the field I passed by my brother and uncle in the narrow path on the way to the dressing room. There was little to be said and there was little time in any case. I needed to get into a car and head to Dublin from where I would fly to Brussels.

I think I reacted like that on those two occasions because we had prepared so well those years. That means there is a huge investment made by you and your teammates and if you fall short, you feel devastated. In Championship it is all or nothing. If you don’t win it, there’s a long winter and spring ahead of you before you can even start back on the road.

Despite last Saturday being ‘only’ a friendly tournament, I was like a dog leaving The Hague. Someone had had a word with me that morning to suggest we use the day as a learning and not go too loopy if things don’t go our way. I was trying to drill that into myself as I left.

On the journey back and on the following day, I was trying to find perspective; we tried different things, used guys in different positions, explored a couple of different tactics – it was never all going to go to plan.

One of the big things I took from the coaching tutor course before Christmas is about how to give a coach confidence by the way you ask him questions. I started tutoring myself – “so Dave, what do you think went well today?” A standard question to put the Coach at ease.

Straight away I went from looking at it from the perspective of a player to looking at it through a coach’s eyes. I began to trace the development of some of the players on the team since they first arrived and also the style in which we play.

The importance and need to actually coach players first dawned on me in October 2010 when Eamonn Ryan visited. Having stepped back in early 2011 I didn’t get to build on it but it was very much a focus of Conan and Eoin when they took the reins. I tried to continue when I got back involved and I think from last year, there was been a greater awareness of coaching and tactics in our set-up.

In the early Belgium G.A.A. days, we had a relatively generous sprinkling of experienced footballers. I was more abrasive as a trainer and didn’t flew off the handle more than I do now. An experienced player needs confidence of course but can be told a few home truths without having it broken as easily.

Currently, we have more guys who are a little behind on the learning curve because they would not have played as much football or even other sports. Being aggressive with this type of player could do more harm than good. More patience is required.

On Saturday, I noticed visible change in a lot of the performances of the lads. You could see guys were trying to put into action what they have picked up. They have become more composed on the ball and the decision making has improved. We’re not there yet but it is a difficult process to go through. If you could turn it on and off like a switch then top notch players would be ten a penny.

It doesn’t work like that so you have to be patient whilst the player develops the skills, the mindset, and an understanding of the bigger picture and his role within it. If I look at our panel on Saturday I would say nearly every player has improved since they first put on a Belgium G.A.A. jersey for the first time. That is a great thing to be able to say.


The different guys involved in training the team and the more experienced players we have had have contributed to that greatly. It all comes down to the player himself though; is he listening, watching, learning? On Saturday, I saw guys learning new things and improving even during the course of the day. That is very positive.

I maybe haven’t found that sense of perspective before and instead became twisted up in the frustration of defeat. That would carry into training. The players and ultimately, the team, would suffer. Conan would try to balance it but one could not always offset the other.

So when I reflect on Saturday and more broadly speaking, where we are coming from, there is a lot to be positive about. However, as the famous slogan goes, it’s a case of ‘a lot done, a lot more to do’. And this leads nicely to the tutor’s next question...
“So Dave, what do you think could have gone better on Saturday?”

Testing Times

Last Saturday's spin up to The Hague provided a good opportunity to see where we are at. Our travelling team included around 5 regular A team players, a few more who have flirted between both panels and some more looking to stake a claim to step up. At this early stage, its not clear who we will have and how long we will have them so its important that our entire playing pool gets up to speed.

Last year there was no hiding the fact that our mindset was defensive in nature. We found a style that suited us in August and stuck with it through the Championship. In the end we fell short and we are aware that this year we need to find alternate ways to play so we can be more adaptable to situations in games and to the players at our disposal.

With that in mind, Saturday was used to test a few new things out. In our opening two games, we played a more traditional man to man style, not looking to defend so deeply. The first game against Hague B was a sluggish affair and there was little to be taken from a 3-5 to 0-3 win except an acceptance that the early season rust needed to be knocked off.

Next up was Hague A and again we decided not to retreat into our own half so much. The opening exchanges were characterised by needless fouls and poor tracking of runners, leaving us 0-6 to 0-1 behind at the break. However, a good half-time chat helped change things around and we at least won the second half dual. We may have claimed a draw if Timmy was awarded what looked like a cast iron penalty in the final minute when he was sandwiched by two Hague defenders.

Duneaden Gaels were next up and we needed a win to get back on track. This was our best performance of the day, against a team with some dangerous forwards. We reverted to a more defensive approach and Crusher was in his element, carrying his good form through the day. Having trailed at half-time we regrouped well and won a tight game by a point.

Amsterdam came next. The way the group had panned out, they needed to beat us to draw level with Duneaden and ourselves for second place and a shot at the final. The opening minutes were a horror show as the 'Dam split our defence at will to race away into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead. We recovered well and started to play some of our better football of the day, retaking the lead in the second half before a late burst from them put us on the back foot again. We had a free at the death to draw level but couldn't convert.

In the end it wasn't enough for Amsterdam to make the final as a scoring blitz by Duneadon propelled them above both of us to take the spot..

All in all, it was a useful exercise. At the back, I'd put some pressure on our defence to be able to mind their own patch and not need guys filtering back to support. The lads did well and their main problem was dealing with runners coming through.

That highlights the need to get a balance between attacking minded midfielders and more defensive ones in the panel. On Saturday it was only when Ger went in there that we had someone holding that area. Our forward play continues to improve but has a bit to go yet. We bunched in the scoring areas and have a tendency to just think one pass ahead rather than anticpate how a play will unfold further down the line. With that said, the forwards suffered from the lack of quick ball in and our habit of carrying the ball forward into their space.

They say you learn more in defeat than victory and in that sense, we got a lot out of Saturday. We saw good improvements but were also reminded of our shortcomings. The attitude is currently good and the committment also so hopefully we come progress in the coming month.