Saturday was all about the first game and thus getting the first performance of the day right. Everything in the build to the Benelux 3rd Round in Brussels was focussed on that.
I would not be there to see it but had no shortage of lads lined up for text updates.
Despite a fairly impressive 14hr drinking session at a buddies wedding on the Friday, I managed to wake up in time for the first game (around 08h30 Irish time). The phone was quiet though. Even well after the game was scheduled to finish there was still nothing. Of course, there could have been a delay but my senses were telling me it wasn't good.
Eventually the news of the two point defeat came through. Despondent barely does justice to how I felt. With a bad start, it was hard to see how we could rescue the situation as we had failed to recover on all the previous occasions this year. I was almost definitely done.
Shortly afterwards, news came in of a win for our Shield 'Grey' team, against Amsterdam. This provided some solace. From that point on, we went on a good news streak. The Championship team put The Hague to bed and followed up with a win against Lux, which was effectively a semi-final.
All along, the Shield 'Greys' were motoring towards a final. In the same competition, we had entered a Shield 'Hoops' team. It's not the first time we have entered three teams but it has become more difficult to drum up the numbers in recent times. Still, it was worth the perseverance to get some of the regular trainers more game time. By all accounts the team dug in and certainly didn't just turn up to make up the numbers.
Back in the Shield final, Dusseldorf were testing the 'Greys' resolve. However, led by their Captain Johnny Phelan and debutant Fergal Ellis, they powered through to take the men's football's first trophy of the season.
The closing game of the day for the men would be the Championship final, again against Amsterdam. The updates were more regular at this stage and were looking good. With five minutes remaining we led by four points. Texts started crossing and becoming confusing which suggested a certain amount of panic had set in. What was clear was the gap was closing. Finally, with the last kick of the day, Amsterdam pointed a placed ball from distance to finish off what they will remember and describe as a famous comeback.
The players were gutted by all accounts and I certainly couldn't have been more disappointed even if I was playing. In fact, I still feel as bad today as I did on Saturday. I can never remember us blowing a lead like that.
The lads have recovered more quickly and the talk is all positive now. In fairness, there is very little b1tching in the group and I am probably the one who makes the most cutting of assessments. I hope it has left a scar on the lads that they won't forget. I think it has. Manage the balance between being positive and ruthlessly assessing one’s performance is difficult to do but it needs doing by everybody.
That’s for the coming weeks.
For now, pride of place goes to our Shield team and they are now in with a shot of lifting the overall Benelux Shield in Maastricht at the end of July.
A big pat on the back must go to Ross, Conor Mul, Conor Mescall, Al Rowan and Gav Flynn. All were injured but did a magnificent job of managing all three teams on the day, with the help of their captains of course.
Overall it wasn't a bad day and if we learn from our mistakes and continue to improve then we should be in the shake-up in Maastricht. Our current group doesn't have an 'x-factor' player that some of our opponents have so we need to close the gap in other ways. Whether we can do that or not remains in the players hands. If they train well, listen and learn, then maybe the despondency won't be long disappearing.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Hurlers Show Improvement
I mentioned last week that we were looking to make progress down in Lux at the weekend and we can be reasonably happy with our first final appearance of the year.
It seems the tiny country of Luxembourg is graced with a plethora on tiny little soccer stadiums, all with immaculate playing surfaces. I thought we had visited them all at this stage but yet another venue was sprung on us last weekend.
Wikipedia gives a capacity of 4,830 for FC Avenir Beggen's little stadium but we were pretty sure that tickets for travelling support would not be a problem.
There was hint of sun, a threat of rain and a noticeable breeze throughout the day - not far from ideal conditions for hurling.
We opened against Holland, determined to banish our habit of bad starts. It was a game in which we competed well but showed our naivety by continuously being sucked in to double teams only for the ball to be popped out to the spare man for a score. We lost 1-10 to 1-04 and were left with a little to think about.
Next up was a combined Paris/Zurich team. One one hand, it’s great to see Paris coming back onto the circuit but the demise of Zurich is a little worrying. In the three tournaments to date, they have only fielded a team at their home one. They've gone from European champions to this in a little less than a year. However, it may not be as bleak as it seems and might just be a case of bad timing with injury/holiday/work commitments.
In any case, we controlled the game from start to finish and left with a comfortable win. We were to play Lux in the final game. This effectively became a semi-final as the winners would go onto face Holland in the final. It never felt like we would lose the game but our tendency of hitting all our goal attempts straight at the keeper was becoming a little irritating. Nevertheless, we did enough to progress to the final.
We werefairly tuned in at this stage and ready for what we expected to be a massive challenge. Holland have barely been tested all year and their panel has gotten stronger with each passing tournament. You always think there is one big performance in you and this would need to be ours.
There was great pace to the opening exchanges as we swapped points right up until half time. Disaster struck when they goaled three minutes before the interval. Hieler must have saved three point blank efforts before the ball eventually fell kindly to one of their attackers for a tap in.
Another goal after half-time opened a gap which we lacked the fire power to close. Mid-way through the second half I retired with a groin injury so was forced to watch Holland final march to claim the 2012 European Championship on my backside. However, I did get to see firsthand the lads continue to display a commendable attitude as they went in search of the impossible.
3-10 to 0-08 probably doesn't reflect our effort but it is probably a fair reflection of the gulf in class between the teams. Sometimes you just have to be content with the fact you have done your best.
The day threw up quite a few positives. Hieler's handling in goal was top notch. Darragh showed that when he has something to focus on that he can be a big addition! Crusher displayed the fruits which one can harvest from a dedicated training regime. I'm not sure why he continues to be overlooked in the player of the tournament stakes.
Ryano, after three years of pestering, finally saw the benefit in popping passes out of traffic and instantly looked a better hurler. Tom's pumped fist after his goal expressed his satisfaction at his progress he’s been making.
The road show stops and finishes in Thurles mid-July.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Break in the clouds
Hurling is bouncing back slowly but surely around these parts. Heavy clouds hung over the early season with numbers low and the zip out of virtually every training taken by the rain.
The first tournament up in The Hague was our worst since early 2008. We were barely competitive. I missed out on the Zurich trip but by all accounts the lads came up with at least one sterling performance to lift spirits.
On Saturday, we travel to Luxembourg with a bumper panel. Darragh rejoins on a hiatus from his Uganda stint. Keary is back from suspension and I return after missing the last day along with some other absentees. Add in one or two new lads and the panel is looking healthy.
Keeping hurling going is a real mission and fair play to Martin and Shane for sticking with it. It would be easy to pack it in when you go from continued success to basically rock bottom. Hopefully we can click on Saturday and start climbing the ladder again.
Holland have been the most balanced team to date and deservedly stand on the brink of winning the Championship. The rest of the team's fortunes have fluctuated so it is hard to know what to expect on Saturday. We'd be hoping to be involved at the business end of the day and looking for a few upsets.
Going into a hurling tournament as an underdog sits quite well with me. That we hold such status has probably sunk in more quickly for the hurlers. The footballers on the other hand still hold themselves in higher esteem and can't tap into that 'survival mode' instinct.
I can't wait for it on Saturday as a result. If there is any sport you need to feel a sense of cause then its hurling. The uncompromising nature of the game means you need to be brave and slightly manic in your approach. I'm looking forward to the physical exchanges and the to and fro nature of a tournament day.
Even at the lowest points in Belgium hurling, we've been able to fight our way to credibility. The lads started that in Zurich and we intend to march further forward in Luxembourg.
The first tournament up in The Hague was our worst since early 2008. We were barely competitive. I missed out on the Zurich trip but by all accounts the lads came up with at least one sterling performance to lift spirits.
On Saturday, we travel to Luxembourg with a bumper panel. Darragh rejoins on a hiatus from his Uganda stint. Keary is back from suspension and I return after missing the last day along with some other absentees. Add in one or two new lads and the panel is looking healthy.
Keeping hurling going is a real mission and fair play to Martin and Shane for sticking with it. It would be easy to pack it in when you go from continued success to basically rock bottom. Hopefully we can click on Saturday and start climbing the ladder again.
Holland have been the most balanced team to date and deservedly stand on the brink of winning the Championship. The rest of the team's fortunes have fluctuated so it is hard to know what to expect on Saturday. We'd be hoping to be involved at the business end of the day and looking for a few upsets.
Going into a hurling tournament as an underdog sits quite well with me. That we hold such status has probably sunk in more quickly for the hurlers. The footballers on the other hand still hold themselves in higher esteem and can't tap into that 'survival mode' instinct.
I can't wait for it on Saturday as a result. If there is any sport you need to feel a sense of cause then its hurling. The uncompromising nature of the game means you need to be brave and slightly manic in your approach. I'm looking forward to the physical exchanges and the to and fro nature of a tournament day.
Even at the lowest points in Belgium hurling, we've been able to fight our way to credibility. The lads started that in Zurich and we intend to march further forward in Luxembourg.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Gloves Off
The exodus of 2011 (which I promise never to mention again) left us very short on experienced footballers. The Pan-Euros could have been a disaster as a result but we found an approach to survive and at least stay in touching distance of the top teams.
The group needed to be handled with care as we were trying to bring alot of guys up to a level they weren't used to playing. Guys were cut more slack so as not to negatively affect what would have been fragile enough confidence levels.
With each third place finish, we put a positive spin on it so as to try and build that confidence.
We may have persisted with that approach too long (basically up until last week) and allowed guys to slip into a comfort zone and lose the hunger to improve. With no-one cracking the whip, we haven't made the progress required.
On Thursday night, we had a team meeting. Generally I think these achieve little as they just turn into a forum for ranting and chest beating. However, this was towards the more positve end of the scale but highlighted one of the more frustrating aspects of this group of players. Whilst opinions may have differed, the comments were structered and thought out, reflecting the fact lads generally have their heads screwed on. When I link this to the fact that if you asked them to run up a mountain, they would do it with all their might, i get p1ssed off.
The intelligence is there, as is the effort when they tog out. However, what we lack is precision. By that I mean looking after the small things that add up to big things i.e. time keeping, hydration, warm-ups, dropping balls, loose passes, not properly listening to instructions etc. We haven't grasped how a winning team prepares.
On Monday's the hurlers train until 20h15. The footballers start in a corner at 20h and do their warm-up with the idea being that as they finish the warm-up, the hurlers can flow seamlessly from one session to the other. With me at hurling, the warm-up was delegated.
At the team meeting, I mostly listened. The one main comment I made related to the players taking ownership. On Monday, the warm-up was loose and we had fallen at the first hurdle after the meeting. It may not seem like a big deal but if this week was about drawing the line, then it needed drawing.
We've become 'nice', as the players say themselves. The club is losing its cutting a bit. We're 'ok' with third because we can concoct a story to make ourselves feel ok about. But its not ok and we've got to start calling eachother on things like that.
There should be a social element to every club but we should not be a social club. The minute that happens, the more serious guys will walk away you and the rest are going for a spin on the slide.
We've already taken some action since the players meeting in terms of organisation and training. Now the players must stand up, raise their standards and get serious about moving out of the comfort zone and putting a serious challenge together.
This year is all about the three Pan-Euros. We have three months to the first one. From Monday night, the gloves are off. We can't tolerate sh1tty standards anymore. 3rd isn't worth a damn. It's time to take ownership, to step up.
The group needed to be handled with care as we were trying to bring alot of guys up to a level they weren't used to playing. Guys were cut more slack so as not to negatively affect what would have been fragile enough confidence levels.
With each third place finish, we put a positive spin on it so as to try and build that confidence.
We may have persisted with that approach too long (basically up until last week) and allowed guys to slip into a comfort zone and lose the hunger to improve. With no-one cracking the whip, we haven't made the progress required.
On Thursday night, we had a team meeting. Generally I think these achieve little as they just turn into a forum for ranting and chest beating. However, this was towards the more positve end of the scale but highlighted one of the more frustrating aspects of this group of players. Whilst opinions may have differed, the comments were structered and thought out, reflecting the fact lads generally have their heads screwed on. When I link this to the fact that if you asked them to run up a mountain, they would do it with all their might, i get p1ssed off.
The intelligence is there, as is the effort when they tog out. However, what we lack is precision. By that I mean looking after the small things that add up to big things i.e. time keeping, hydration, warm-ups, dropping balls, loose passes, not properly listening to instructions etc. We haven't grasped how a winning team prepares.
On Monday's the hurlers train until 20h15. The footballers start in a corner at 20h and do their warm-up with the idea being that as they finish the warm-up, the hurlers can flow seamlessly from one session to the other. With me at hurling, the warm-up was delegated.
At the team meeting, I mostly listened. The one main comment I made related to the players taking ownership. On Monday, the warm-up was loose and we had fallen at the first hurdle after the meeting. It may not seem like a big deal but if this week was about drawing the line, then it needed drawing.
We've become 'nice', as the players say themselves. The club is losing its cutting a bit. We're 'ok' with third because we can concoct a story to make ourselves feel ok about. But its not ok and we've got to start calling eachother on things like that.
There should be a social element to every club but we should not be a social club. The minute that happens, the more serious guys will walk away you and the rest are going for a spin on the slide.
We've already taken some action since the players meeting in terms of organisation and training. Now the players must stand up, raise their standards and get serious about moving out of the comfort zone and putting a serious challenge together.
This year is all about the three Pan-Euros. We have three months to the first one. From Monday night, the gloves are off. We can't tolerate sh1tty standards anymore. 3rd isn't worth a damn. It's time to take ownership, to step up.
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