See The Light

I had two main concerns heading into Saturday. The first related to our fitness levels. The test results from a couple of weeks ago indicated that only a limited number of players were at the required level. This was not such a surprise considering the extended holidays people take in Brussels and that most people don’t consider including strenuous physical activity into their plans.

Based on the attendance of other teams at the Maastricht 7’s, it was a worry, as they seemed to have most their players around in August. This suggested they would have a head start on us on the training front.

The second concern was the player pool. As I mentioned on numerous occasions already, it was decimated during the summer. Not only did we lose numbers, we also took some big hits in terms of established footballers. The likes of Eoin, Colm & Collins had all played football to a high level at home. Mike, Duffer, Andrew and Ricky were also key members of the panels. There were more on top. Thus, you could say we are a team in transition but this could be said at anytime of the year and by any club in Europe, such is the revolving door nature of player personnel.

The goal on Saturday was to win, no question about that. If we weren't to achieve that, as a minimum, we needed to consolidate. By that I mean, our teams needed to stand their ground despite losing the lads. If we couldn't push forward and win then we certainly wouldn't be pushed back. In the end, I believe we pushed forward with some small but significant steps, even if we didn't achieve our ultimate goals.

There is little need to separate the basic analysis for the Shield and Championship teams. Both teams went out to play with the same plan and they executed it very well. We moved the ball in the ways we've worked on at training and some of the scores we got came from fantastic free flowing moves. There was a much better awareness of space than in previous tournaments and a greater confidence to go forward. Both defences were on top, possibly the tightest in their respective competitions. The Championship panel conceded less in the whole day than The Hague scored in the final alone. Bob only had two shots on goal to contend with (with 50% success!)

Our substitution 'strategy' also changed significantly. In Europe, you can rotate the subs as often as you want, within your panel of fifteen players. It's not something we did so much previously. The main factor was probably because we didn't put enough trust in the panel. I'm sure that lack of trust filters through to the guys on the line and in some way has a negative impact on their confidence.

To rotate players regularily, you have to change the mindset. Lads must not be focused on starting or finishing a game. They must not focus on how long they are on the pitch. What they must do is make sure they are always in a condition where they can deliver their maximum when they are on the pitch. If that means bursting a gut for ten minutes and coming off for five, then so be it. There is an element of selflessness about it. The lads bought in and saw its worth.


Back to the games and the Shield team scored freely in every game except for the first one against Amsterdam when both teams threatened to keep the scoreboard reading 0-0 to 0-0. It's difficult to pick out players but there were a few whose contribution stood out.

Bull's composure on the ball was much improved and his foul count drastically cut. Alongside him was Conor Mescall, who is growing in confidence and stature with each passing tournament and again got himself on the scorers list. Johnny Phelan showed plenty of gusto after his return from injury. Ger McMahon was very steady around the middle. Griff is back involved and his barnstorming play gave the team a massive lift. Up front Michael Hough complimented his usual scoring prowess with some great hold-up play and lay-offs.

When a club loses so many 'A' players, there is a big impact on the 'B' team because players will be pulled. Considering that fact, it was a very positive day. We lost out on the semi in a points shoot out and then to Prague by a point in the placings game. Two defeats by a solitary point (one against the overall winners) and two convincing wins. Final assessment; top third in the class with scope for improvement.

Over to the Championship and it was a case of opportunity knocks for many. Kev has spent most of the last two years battling injury but showed strongly in training during the build up and earned a starting berth. Ross, Conor Mul and Paddy had yet to prove themselves (or be given opportunity) at Championship level. Diarmuid Laffan was only just back in Brussels whilst Diarmuid Lynch was making his debut.

The panel interchanged perfectly through the day and two group wins set up a semi with The Hague. It was all going to plan until half-time when we were leading 0-3 to 0-2. Inexplicably, we failed to score in the second half. We did have sufficient possession in their half and created the only goal chance of the game. Composure let us down on that and one or two other occasions.

I didn’t realise at the time, but our two full forwards didn’t touch the ball in open play in the second half! It wasn’t a case of them being beaten to the ball either. We carried up the pitch rather than let it in. On reflection, I played too deep and this was one of the causes of this. Normally I’d be floating around the middle picking up loose ball and letting it in fast.

Linked to this, if I were to add a third concern to the worries mentioned at the beginning, it would have been that we only worked on our attack at the last sessions prior to the tournament. Plenty of time and ideas to address that though and we will need to ahead of Guernsey.

Our defence put massive pressure on The Hague but they were still able to get the crucial scores. We coughed up some very bad ball in the tackle, something we had avoided doing all day. We also gave a couple of frees when we had two guys swarming a man. We should be the only winner in a situation like that. Guys should be roaring ‘don’t foul, don’t foul’ in those situations and waiting for a sight of the ball to rob it.

We lost 0-5 to 0-3 in the end. Fellas were naturally disappointed in the aftermath. There were a lot of good constructive comments offered in the last few days. What I particularly liked was the absence of blame or excuses. There has been a good balance between comments related to the team’s performance and lads’ own performances. It’s good to see everyone switched on in such a way.

Now we move on to Round 2 in Guernsey. We’ll be down players but some of the Shield players did enough to suggest they would be comfortable stepping up. Everyone showed on Saturday that with clear instruction, the teams will still be competitive. On we go...

Nearly never won the race

A quick summary of the weekend's events, before more in depth reporting later in the week.

A few clichés to start. It's a results business and at the end of the day, neither of our team's cut the mustard. On the face of it, that is indeed correct. However, dig beyond that simple assessment and you will uncover a solid trail of hope.

The Shied team were very unfortunate. Convincing wins against Niort and Luxembourg A were offset against a 0-3 to 0-2 defeat to Amsterdam A. Because of the number of groups (3), it meant only group winners qualified directly for the semis. The second place teams in the two groups of four teams would have to have a points shoot out to determine the fourth semi-finalist. We lost out to Liffre and so our hopes of a first Shield win were dashed.

Amsterdam A, pre-tournament favourites, went on to claim victory in convincing style, beating fellow Benelux side Frankfurt in the final. The fact we came so close to beating Amsterdam ourselves is a good indicator that the lads weren't so far off the pace. The team can move confidently forward knowing it is on the right track.

Over to the Championship and the expectation in the build up was that it was going to be very competitive this year. We were grouped with Lux A and Jersey (The Hague, Guernsey and Stockholm were in the other group). After a slow start against Jersey, going 0-2 to 0-0 down, we kicked into gear and recorded a 1-6 to 0-2 victory. The margin didn't feel that big out on the pitch though.

Next up was Lux. We had reasonable control of the early exchanges but a goal after half-time gave them a lead. We didn't panic and went up to claim a goal of our own. That would be the key score as we ran out 1-6 to 1-3 winners to top the group.

Our semi-final opponents were reigning champions The Hague. Leading 0-3 to 0-2 at half-time, we were well placed to kick on. It didn't happen though and we reverted to an old habit of taking ball into contact and being dispossessed. I counted about five instances and we can nearly directly attribute our downfall to this factor. In the end we ran out two point losers. The Hague went on to win the final at a canter.

As both our squads were at capacity, we had to 'loan' out a couple of lads to other teams. Adrian played with Amsterdam B whilst John Harkin and Paul Hagan lined out for Paris. Armagh native Hagan showed some Stevie McDonnell qualities to bag the decisive goal in his adopted teams placing game.

The Ladies won again, defeating Paris in the final. Further details escape me as our pitches were a distance away so we only saw their final where they battled through the mud to claim their win.

On a more general note, it was the first time we hosted a Pan-Euro Football round. I'm not involved in the committee but can easily recognise the work that was needed to pull off Saturday. There were fifty four games played over four pitches and controlled by just four refs. All of the approx twenty five teams needed to be registered and fed. The pitches needed to be lined and the goalposts transported out to Leuven. Dinner for nearly 350 people needed to be organised for the Saturday night. These are just a few of many examples of things that need doing.

Some lads took time off work on Friday, others were up at the crack of dawn on Saturday. The volunteer effort is/was incredible (and is the same in every other club when they host an event). Parents flew in for the weekend, friends who are not involved in the G.A.A. club manned stalls and took over the administration. Even past players returned; Eoin Sheanon flying in to help myself and Conan manage the lads. Alec Elliott flew in from the States the morning of the tournament, played for the day and flew out to Asia Sunday morning.

The highlight of the day though? Without doubt, it was having Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh in town. He commentated brilliantly on both finals and hearing his voice echo around the Leuven sports complex will rank high in my list of G.A.A. memories. To make sure I didn't get the spelling wrong, I put his name into google when writing this. The first site that comes up is his wikipedia profile. It introduces him as 'an Irish Gaelic Games commentator'. If ever an intro didn't do a man justice. He is so much more than that. Mícheál is an icon in Irish sport and any intro should address his status appropriately.

He was still going strong as the clocked ticked towards midnight and the trophies were being handed out. He must have talked for a half hour or more. I say talked but I mean entertained. The restaurant was located at the corner of the Grand Place, which is always thronged with tourists. Mícheál's voice was carried by the PA system and drew a healthy crowd towards the premises. Everyone inside sat in silence and awe. Incredible man.

So incredible that he managed to auction a Mick O'Dwyer signed Wicklow jersey for €200, a signed Dublin Hurling jersey for €350 and a signed Kilkenny jersey for nearly €500. That will cover any loss on the day and also boost the club coffers, which is badly needed considering our homeless status at the time of writing.

The after party moved around the corner to 'Six Nations'. Plenty of pints were drank and not without their own bit of significance. The pub donated 50c from every pint bought to the Mark McGovern fund. Mark is the Fermanagh player who, after an incident in a G.A.A. match in San Francisco in June, ended up in a coma. His medical costs are spiralling out of his family's control. Whilst the gesture of Six Nations may not put a significant dent in those costs, if the global G.A.A. network rallies, a lot can be done to help Mark and his family.

Round 2 of the Pan-Euros’ moves to Guernsey in October and with the competitive nature of this year's competitions, it is still all very much to play for.

More ‘analysis’ of Saturday to follow later in the week…

Ready To Go

It is what you make of it. ‘It’ may not be a one off Championship game at home, but it is Championship none the less. Saturday is the first of three tournaments which will decide who becomes the 2011 European Football Champions.

The week of a tournament is hectic; chasing jerseys, doing the paperwork, confirming numbers and picking teams. The latter is the toughest part and takes a few painful days of deliberation between myself and Conan to settle on it. Some guys will be happier than others but all you can say to lads is that each case is debated to the full. There is no magic formula to selection.

Yesterday I got a mail from Eoin. I’d been meaning to get onto him with an update as I knew he’d be thinking about it. We had a couple of lengthy enough exchanges. He knows the stresses I describe above and the to and fro relaxed me a bit. I feel mentally fresh and enthusiastic about the weekend.

We wrapped things up last night. Numbers were up above the twenty five mark and Conan focused on getting the basics down to a tee. There is a good focus in the whole group; as good as we’ve seen in a while. Not even our guest broke the lads’ concentration. Michael O Muircheartaigh is in town for the weekend’s tournament and his presence should be a great boost to the profile of the event. He’ll be closely observing his son Aonghus’ work with the all conquering Belgian ladies.

Making a training session run smoothly isn’t an easy thing to do. We ask injured guys to make the effort to come down and help laying out cones, pumping balls etc. It’s especially important for the sessions directly preceding a game or tournament to go well. In that sense, Hieler was a massive help both nights this week. He came out in the p1ssing rain and did all the dirty jobs. His input was greatly appreciated.

From the lads’ point of view, we’ve worked very hard on getting everyone on the same page in terms of how we want to play. It’s not an easy task when guys are coming and going but it gives me the perfect opportunity to get out my magnets and start moving them around to try and visualise what we are talking about!

Up until now (i.e. since 2008), we haven’t really tried to get the whole team working in tandem. There have been different kick-out strategies and simple instructions of the what to do’s and what not to do’s but not a total plan. We’re working towards that now but it will take time.

The biggest danger when you try to implement something is that fellas have something to blame when things start to go wrong. If you have no plan, you can’t blame it. It’s a point I raised last night. The only thing that can let us down on Saturday is our concentration, our work rate or our attitude. Success and failure rests in our own hands. We own it. We’ve seen the effectiveness of what we are trying to do but now we must believe in it, without reservation.

There will be times in every game when a team gets on top of you but you must stay calm and keep believing in what you are doing. When the likes of Dublin and Cork put the panic button under lock and key in the last couple of years they began to thrive. I think the word is composure.

Big Show Beckons

The first round of the Pan-Euro Championship & Shield is nearly upon us. This year we will host a round for the first time. It’s a massive job for the committee as there will be over twenty teams participating across three competitions; Pan-Euro Ladies Gaelic Football, Men’s Football Championship and Shield.

Our girls have already wrapped up this year’s title but the lad’s competitions are starting from scratch. The shadow boxing of the regional’s are over and every team will likely arrive at or close to full strength.

The Championship will be contested by Guernsey, Den Hague, Luxembourg, ourselves, Stockholm and newcomers Jersey. It’s a small but competitive field. Stockholm made their debut last year and whilst we never got to play them, they looked a balanced and committed side. They also have that advantage that comes with the continued breaking of new ground; enthusiasm and hunger.

Guernsey gave as good as they got last year and we’d expect the same again. For me though, the favourites come from closer to home. Luxembourg showed enough in the regional’s to justify being high up the list. The Hague still top it though and backed up their intent with victory in the last regional and then the 7’s. They are shooting for three in a row and have set the benchmark in recent years.

Two disappointing omissions are Paris and Amsterdam. For Paris it’s been a case of so near yet so far in the last three years as they just missed out on overall victory in the Championship. We’ve had some great high scoring battles with them and I’ll miss our duels. It seems they have just lost one too many players and need to opt for the Shield.

That’s where Amsterdam place themselves also. Their club is really beginning to take off and most of us expected to see them in the Championship. One of the things a club needs when it’s building is success and they’ve been unfortunate because they are in what is probably the most competitive region; Benelux. In the four rounds this year, three different teams won. Amsterdam themselves got to a final. The lack of a breakthrough seems to have dented their confidence and they have entered The Shied and will surely take the favourites tag.

Quite where we are at, I don’t know. If we had time to be in transition, then we would be deep in it after losing so many players. We’ve built up deep reserves of players but the pit is far from bottomless. Still, we have two packed panels this weekend and may even have to leave one or two out as we can’t quite muster enough for three teams.

I make for bad company these days. The frustration of not repeating the 2008 success is alive and kicking inside of me and starts to boil over around this time of year. I put a lot of value on a football Championship medal because they are so hard earned. The competition is ultra competitive and the effort required in terms of training and travel makes for a very satisfying result if you achieve your goal.

For those who weren’t there in ‘08, it is difficult to really make them understand what a feeling of achievement it gives you. It’s also difficult to get guys to understand why it is such a step up from the regionals. In the Championship every game is competitive and that drains the energy more. There won’t be any easy match where you can drop into cruise control. There will be no weak links in the oppositions armour. It’s intense from the off. Some guys did well in Benelux but that is not where the final judgement will be cast on any of us.

I’ve no problem replicating the required intensity for myself in the build-up. The only concern you’d have is that you’d burn yourself out thinking about it. Getting the balance is important. The clock is ticking though and each passing year is a passing chance that needs grasping. You must take every possible opportunity to compete and to win.

There are two sessions left before the first ball will be kicked in anger. We’ve a good three weeks work done and if we can top it off with two purposeful sessions this week then both of our teams will be in good shape.

Different Ball Game

Having skipped last season to give the back a break, I’m gearing up for a winter playing with FC Irlande. The club was a massive help when I was trying to settle in Brussels. It provided regular training and games but more importantly, a lively social network.

I played regularly from the 2006/07 season and combined that with club trainer duties from 2007-2009. It was an enjoyable time but with the G.A.A. club beginning to boom from 2008 onwards, my involvement lessened. The G.A.A. became all consuming and by the 2009/10 season, my appearances were more irregular than regular.

Last Monday night I lined out at right back for the seconds against the first team. When I got onto the pitch I was happy to see I wasn’t alone in making my comeback. Emmett Devine, captain of our 2008 Euro Championship team was also there. We would have formed a tight bond on that maiden voyage but with Ruby and Mia having arrived in his house in recent years, we’d rarely see each other anymore.

There are a few glaring differences between FC Irlande and Belgium G.A.A. The first is the number of foreigners. FCI is awash with them and their different customs and languages. Everyone shakes hands when they see you, regardless of if they know you are not. If they don’t know you, they will most often just shake your hand but not actually introduce themselves.

Of course then there is the nature of the soccer player which tends to be a little less impressed with physical contact beyond a friendly handshake. It is particularly bad in the league we play in here, where you can barely say boo to someone.

Yesterday we had our first game of the season. I lined out with the seconds who had no less than nine Irish in the match day squad. This was way above average for the club and is a big draw. It has a cluster of current and former Belgium G.A.A. stalwarts. The likes of John O’Donnell and Emmett Devine from the ’08 generation. Paul Gavin is still dual assigned. Pat Ahern flirted with Gaelic for a time and of course, we cannot leave out Ollie Smith, the controversial Cavan man who lined out for Munster in the 2010 Intra-club league.

We won the game 1-0 with a late goal from Pat. I did fine at right back but it’s not necessarily a natural thing to me. Playing 5-a-side is one thing but 11-a-side is completely different. You need to keep a shape in soccer and in defence that means you all need to move back and forward together, managing the offside trap.

It’s the touch that’s a killer though. I’d be fairly confident of ‘trapping’ a gaelic football descending from the sky but a soccer ball is totally different. It’s lighter and more inclined to fly off your foot when you are not used to the weight of it. Even a straight forward pass can pose issues at the beginning as the ball doesn’t come off your foot with the same consistency.

Kicking the ball poses another issue. You’d be surprised how much shin guards affect it when you aren’t used to them, especially when they begin to slip down your shin during the game.

How to keep your balance is also different. You can use your arms a lot more when backing up to catch a high ball in G.A.A. In soccer you can’t use the arms in the same way and I ended up on my arse a few times Monday night.

Still, with a group like we had on Saturday, it should be a good way of keeping active in the winter. Plenty of the G.A.A. lads are talking about joining up so they should swell the ranks further. I’d certainly recommend it.

Poster Child for Integration…

…maybe a slight overstatement.

I landed in Brussels six years ago today and as I said to Dad this morning, there have been far more ups than downs.

The first year here was disrupted as I was still travelling home to play football and then was sent to the UK for a couple of months work on the production line with Toyota.

In the summer of 2006 I joined FC Irlande and that’s when things kicked off (pardon the pun). Sport is the only drug I need to keep me on a constant high and training twice a week, with a game on Saturday satisfied my fix. I became more involved in the following couple of seasons when I took on the position of trainer for the club.

The G.A.A. was lingering in the background all that time. We had a hurling team and an enthusiastic group of people but hadn’t got enough cutting in us to really make a go of the G.A.A. club.

The tide began to change in 2008 when we expanded to include Gaelic Football and changed our name to Belgium G.A.A. (formerly Brussels Hurling & Camogie club). We haven’t looked back since as European Championships followed in every code. I spent three thoroughly enjoyable and frustrating years training the Footballers before stepping back this year. Although that break was short lived as I will assist Conan now that Eoin is gone.

On the work front, it is difficult to imagine getting better experience than I have done in my job. The challenges of a merge of two separate Toyota entities was quickly followed by a financial crisis, a recall crisis and last but not least, the latest crisis linked to the Japan earthquake.

I have made my friends through sport and that has given me, like all the others in our clubs, a network of people across Europe and even beyond; that you would be comfortable calling on anytime you may land in their city.

My language skills show slower progress. I can say hello and thank you in Flemish and rely on a limited number of individual words, rather than sentences, to communicate in French.

Any regrets? Just one that will linger on - more of an itch that needs scratching than anything else. The missed South-East Hurling final of 2005 and subsequent victory that followed a year later. With a career that is likely to conclude in goal, it may not be out of reach yet.

Maximising the gain

A lot of our fellas face a challenging couple of weeks to get their fitness back up after their extended summer breaks. Last Tuesday was the first session in nearly a month for some guys. It means they have three weeks to find every possible gain they can get.

Finding ways to maximise those gains will be key. The first thing we did was to put two additional Saturday sessions on prior to the first round of the Championship on September 10th. That effectively gives us an extra weeks preparation considering we normally train twice a week. It means we will have the equivalent of a month’s work done.

Another important point is what lads do when they are not training. I raised this point last Tuesday. If guys want to get the full benefit out of each session they must do the right things in terms of recovery. Of course rest is a part of this but also what we eat and drink will be key to making sure we take as much out of each session as possible.

In days gone by, I’d rant at lads to be doing more on their own. However, the guys who are likely to listen to this are already doing a bit extra and the others fellas are unlikely to take heed so there is no point banging anyone’s head.

What players can do is control their diet a bit better. Cut out the needless two or three Thursday night pints and burger in The Oak or where ever else they may have them. Again, there is no point in lecturing guys, you just have to hope they understand the benefits. And I certainly wouldn’t ask anyone to stay off the booze totally – just pick and choose more wisely.

After that session on Tuesday, I was starving when I got home. There was nothing in the apartment after my holidays, bar two borderline out of date eggs and an English muffin. My default option would be to go back down the stairs and get a take away from one of the many pizzerias on my street.

I did my part though and boiled the eggs and called them dinner. Another thing I did was buy a recovery drink. It’s made by an Irish company called Kinetica and comes in powder form. I’ve long been sceptical about such products because you hear a lot of dodgy stories about them. Some of them contain low quality ingredients and traces of creatine, glucose and other things that can lead a fella to start bursting out of their clothes, and not in a good way.

This one is endorsed by the likes of Mike McGurn and Graham Canty and is made from 100% natural ingredients. The idea behind it is that it helps your muscles recover faster after training and that’s something I welcome with the high training volume at the moment between gym and field sessions.

You have to believe that these behaviours i.e. managing diet etc will make sure that you get as much benefit as possible out of training. I’m convinced you will see a difference even within two weeks. That puts your mental state in the right place and quite often that can nearly be more important than your physical state!