Cork AUL 2009/10

[the owl]

Welcome Padjoe, enjoyed your post. Good to have you on board.
Horse, with regards to bellas post, im not knocking him but in my opinion its best not air your clubs dirty linen publically. Saying that......everyone to their own.

littleman.......talk about putting the guy in his place in the mjc forum. Quality reading, even for a norrie !!!!haha. What was he thinking ?

[the owl]

Gratten.............

[littleman]

Owl are you trying to ruffle:p my feathers again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:o

[olachico]

Owl are you trying to ruffel my feathers again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:o

Think you mean RUFFLE!! But who am I to correct your spelling????

[littleman]

Olli,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,as always your so helpful.I shall correct that mistake now.:p

[Onefootednopace]

Littleman, I see Grattan Utd are looking to the future http://www.corkaul.com/2010/03/grattan-to-start-youths-side.html
Best of luck with that venture.

[littleman]

It had to be done to be honest.Our current squad are nearly all players who played with Nufarm U 16s the Gratts Minors after that before progressing onto the 1 st or 2 nd sides.We usually put a minor side in ever 3 or 4 seasons an I think its a fantastic move for the club.When we have put in minor teams they have alwasys been successful an if im correct of the last 3 minor sides we had all won either the Murphy youths cup or the league cup plus the 1 division titles as well an the quater finals of the Fai youth cup twice.Not bad for a club of our size.Cant wait to be honest.

[olachico]

It had to be done to be honest.Our current squad are nearly all players who played with Nufarm U 16s the Gratts Minors after that before progressing onto the 1 st or 2 nd sides.We usually put a minor side in ever 3 or 4 seasons an I think its a fantastic move for the club.When we have put in minor teams they have alwasys been successful an if im correct of the last 3 minor sides we had all won either the Murphy youths cup or the league cup plus the 1 division titles as well an the quater finals of the Fai youth cup twice.Not bad for a club of our size.Cant wait to be honest.

Littleman why dont ye put in a youths side every season if the players are there?? Perhaps some sort of official tie up with Nufarm? And just out of curiousity where do the players from Nufarm normally go if ye dont have a youths side??

[Innishvilla]

Yeah littleman all the best with that. Would Nufarm be the main underage club in the area (apart from Castleview)? - would the Gratts ever look at a full underage structure or is it already there just under Nufarm or another club name? - sorry for repeating what Olachico just asked...

Innishvilla are from now forward going (hopefully) to realise the fruits of the good foundations they started putting down 10 or so years ago. This years team/squad has 9/10 young players who've played in the underage set-up. This years youths are challenging for the 1st division title and qualified for the out of town section in both FAI and Munster Youth cups. Premier underage at U14 and U15 and fielding 2 teams at U11 grade this year.

I think it has showed us in the Juniors this year how important a feeder underage club is. We got promoted 3 years ago with an aging team (not past it but not young either). They held their own in 1st division following year but got relegated last year. It could have spelled troubled times but on the contrary it has led to a great opportunity for these young guys coming through.

[the owl]

Having a youth team is great for the development of the club, so i think its a great idea for ye littleman. We did it ourselves this year and it has worked out very well so far. They are on top of the their respective league and have beaten a very fancied Cobh Ramblers side along the way. A very strong youth side even if i say so myself. So i hope it works for ye as well as it has for Ballyv.

[Innishvilla]

Having a youth team is great for the development of the club, so i think its a great idea for ye littleman. We did it ourselves this year and it has worked out very well so far. They are on top of the their respective league and have beaten a very fancied Cobh Ramblers side along the way. A very strong youth side even if i say so myself. So i hope it works for ye as well as it has for Ballyv.

Talking to the Innishvilla youth lads they're very impressed with that Ballyvolane side. We beat ye in the MunsterYouth Cup and lost to ye in the league - the title looks most likely to be decided by the reverse fixture in the league whenever it happens.

Totally agree that the youth is great to feed players into Junior club...

[olachico]

Having a youth team is great for the development of the club, so i think its a great idea for ye littleman. We did it ourselves this year and it has worked out very well so far. They are on top of the their respective league and have beaten a very fancied Cobh Ramblers side along the way. A very strong youth side even if i say so myself. So i hope it works for ye as well as it has for Ballyv.

To be honest if a club gets even 1 or 2 players good enough for its first team then a youths team is doing its job - providing a game for young fellas but also helping continuity in the club - if a few others go onto the second team it provides an opportunity to move a few of the better players on the B team up . When the system works right its a great thing . It worked well in Hibs when the club was doing well . When the schoolboys setup started to slip so did the club

[the real deal]

great too see grattan making moves like that, best of luck with it littleman

i concur.....

[littleman]

In releation to yer questions about why we havnt had a minor side all along its quiet simple.Nufarm would inform us that they had a very good 16s side an then we would put a minor sode out.That way we could focus on getting the best young players on in Knocka.With all due respect the standard of player we have at the minute and have had over the last 4 or 5 seasons was due to us putin a minor side in when it was worth while rather than puttin in a side in year in year out an not havin any players coming through.

Im not expecting everybody to appriciate why we do it this way but it dose have its merits an it has been very successful for us.Our last 3 minor sides were the basis for all the success we have had in the last 4 or 5 seasons.Its only really been this season that we have brough new players in from outside the club.That in itself was a good thing as well because we have raised the bar slighty in respect of what we expect from player either coming through the ranks or comin in the door.


Personally an this is my own opinion an not an official club idea in any way is that I think its a case of when We have something sorted with regards to an underage set up.

[donaldihno]

In releation to yer questions about why we havnt had a minor side all along its quiet simple.Nufarm would inform us that they had a very good 16s side an then we would put a minor sode out.That way we could focus on getting the best young players on in Knocka.With all due respect the standard of player we have at the minute and have had over the last 4 or 5 seasons was due to us putin a minor side in when it was worth while rather than puttin in a side in year in year out an not havin any players coming through.

Im not expecting everybody to appriciate why we do it this way but it dose have its merits an it has been very successful for us.Our last 3 minor sides were the basis for all the success we have had in the last 4 or 5 seasons.Its only really been this season that we have brough new players in from outside the club.That in itself was a good thing as well because we have raised the bar slighty in respect of what we expect from player either coming through the ranks or comin in the door.


Personally an this is my own opinion an not an official club idea in any way is that I think its a case of when We have something sorted with regards to an underage set up.
Littleman we played yer youth team about 6,7 years ago in,i think it it was the semi final of the murphys cup!ye had brian sull,pealo at the back,and john kearney in centre mid,whos doin well at waterford now,just saying that was 1 of the best youth teams around then,is there many of that team with grattan juniors would you no littleman?

[bluey]

littleman good to see ye tryin to start up youth team, as said by others always good to have the youth teams and 9 times out of 10 you will always have a few players to break into first team squad if not during their youth season but straight away after they finished youths. we have had a good run with the youths squads over past few years and there is 3/4 in first team now from 3 years ago. this season leeside put in c team and that is mainly down to the amount of youths who have not made it into first 2 teams in last few seasons. if you look through the top 2 divisons in the aul i think half have schoolboy and youth set-ups, but go back few years and it would have been much less, hopefully over next few years more and more clubs will have schoolboy and youth set-ups and that will only be all the good for aul in yeras to come

[littleman]

At the minute,we have Lofty,Brian Sull,Peelo,Shinwin,Harry,Gally and Figo who all played youths with us. If ya add to that some of the players who left for various reasons,Cans an John Paul from Marys played minor with is.Kearney with Waterford,too.Pa Connors an Johnathan Walsh/Kevin Kenneally/Timmy Long who are with Castleview are Gratt minors. Eric Flemming with Glenvale won a league an cup youths double .Niall Collins from Bohs an Babbs from Blarney St have the same double.Their just the ones that come to mind,im probably missing a few so please forgive me if I am.An in fairness Jp an Pa got their junior an amature caps due to the way they played with our club,an not the ones they left to join.Babbs/Shinks an Brian have Oscar medals an all came from the same minor team,an In fairness ya can add Figo an Cans.So all told 5 of last years squad were all Gratt minors so its a given that we do churn out quality rather than quantity.

Oh nearly forgot Danny Dunne was a Gratt minor too. In all the 3 season we won the Prem A an the Prem 3 years on the trot only 4 players of the 21 we used were players who did not play for our minors,BB/Darren Geaney/Mark Smith an Goldsmith.

[Onefootednopace]

Well folks, what do you make of this http://www.corkaul.com/2010/03/aoh-cup-semi-finals-please-note.html
Good idea/ bad idea?

[Innishvilla]

Wow that's impressive Littleman - does highlight something else though if the underage structure you mentioned earlier came through for you the Gratts could be producing even more - and let's be honest with the added benefit that a player at the age of 17/18 has been playing for a club for almost 10 years - that really has to strengthen the bond to the club...

[the owl]

With regards to the AOH.........if its not broken, then why try fix it ???????

[bogwarrior]

Not sure what the point is in this? The neutral venue last year down in casement park was a great spectacle and attracted a good crowd. Will people bother showing up to two games?!

Lads best of luck to Leeside and Springfield this weekend. Leeside are 6/5 at home to Willow park... do we know much about them? Worth a flutter lads?!

The way Innishvilla have worked on their underage structure I think is an example to every club. Very well done with some extremely talented teams at different ages. Am i right in saying Niall O'Regan the AUL manager helped out down there?

In regards to Grattan and the youths it can only bring about positives. The north side of the city has always been a hotbed of talent. Pity it hasn't always been there and I dont like the fact that you only put in a team if decent players are there I must admit. I like to see good teams of course but I think regardless of whether a current crop are world beaters or not a team is important for the community and can help create a good club.

[Innishvilla]

Lads best of luck to Leeside and Springfield this weekend. Leeside are 6/5 at home to Willow park... do we know much about them? Worth a flutter lads?!

The way Innishvilla have worked on their underage structure I think is an example to every club. Very well done with some extremely talented teams at different ages. Am i right in saying Niall O'Regan the AUL manager helped out down there?



Leeside/Springfield agreed all the best for this weekend - Willow Park are really being talked up in the FAI forum they are being tipped at a dark horse for title so it should be a good close game for Leeside - Pike away will be tough for Springers but it'd be great to take them down a peg or two with the bull they're going on with in the FAI forum.

I think one or two teams got Niall O'Regan in for some training sessions alright but I wouldn't think it was any more than that. I think though the managers found it useful and took some of his ideas on board... Also I know every team coach manager has taken the FAI courses - some are after doing 4/5 courses and I think it is really starting to show in the types of coaching being done.

[olachico]

In regards to Grattan and the youths it can only bring about positives. The north side of the city has always been a hotbed of talent. Pity it hasn't always been there and I dont like the fact that you only put in a team if decent players are there I must admit. I like to see good teams of course but I think regardless of whether a current crop are world beaters or not a team is important for the community and can help create a good club.

I was thinking the same thing Bog when i asked what happened to the Nufarm players at the moment when Grotten dont put in a Youths team! Would Grotten consider a link up with Nufarm Littleman?? Would ye be short space if ye were to enter a schoolboys section??

[littleman]

Fair point Doli an Bog but with regards to the community an how it may benift ,its the club that comes first.Iv seen plenty of minor sides fold mid season over the last few years an lessons should be learned from them.

Youth teams good or bad are a financial drain on a club,little or no money is brought in an a lot is paid out.Sponsorship is only a token gesture,,,,,,but if a youths side is atrracting the right publicity then its a bit easier to attract sponsorship.You may not like what I have said but its the truth.Cork City or Cobh Ramblers arent really bothered about the community when they take players from here there an everywhere for their underage an youth teams.What sponsors would they get if they had teams that never paid off in terms of providing senior players or teams that won.An before anyone says its not about winning its about taking part,thats a load of bull.Its about getting the best players together to win as much as ya can,im just honest enough to admit to something 99% arnt will to admit.

On the Aoh thing,no no no no no no.Its a semi,one game all or nothin.

Willow Park knocked out the holders Ballymun in the 1st round,so they muct be at the very least good.


The Springerrs should go up an have a go.all or nothin lads.

[olachico]

I was merely spelling it phonetically in a posh southside accent littleman :p I'm from the Southside you know Littleman :D

[the owl]

Hope the Cork teams get the result they deserve this weekend especially after how the Cork teams are being dismissed in the FAI forum. Best of luck lads.

[Onefootednopace]

Best of luck to Leeside and Springfield at the weekend.

[olachico]

Re the two legs of the semi-final in the AOH - I hated it in the County cup!! But obviously the AUL think its a good idea so I'm not going to question it!!

[littleman]

The Aoh semis gone to 2 legged affairs,,,,,,is their nothin sacred.What a joke nest ya know we'l have the back door for those who go out in the 1st rnd.

Leeside an Springer comme on an do us proud.

[the owl]

Yea i remember playing the 2 legged semi final affair in the County cup during my Leeside days and really i didnt mind it at all (prob because we won it!!!), but with the AOH, in my view, the most sought after trophy in Cork, its sacred and should be left as is. Unfortunately thats not my choice.

[bogwarrior]

You might be able to pick and choose when you can put in a youths team in the north side. You wouldn't get away with it in country towns in my opinion. With no other team for miles around this club is their only option. If the team isn't run, regardless of how good or bad they are you can lose kids forever to GAA or rugby or Sailing or Golf or whatever else!! Seriously! This is what you're up against. u18 you could skip alright because at 17 or 18 players could train and play with juniors, but with any younger age group you would lose the players.

Winning is great but only a small fraction of the clubs involved actually get to experience it. So why are the rest of the parents/coaches/players still coming back every week? Because it's enjoyable!! Definitely not all about winning in my opinion, underage anyway, and i'm one of the 99% willing to admit it!

[MainManRam]

Thanks to everyone for the good luck messages- it really is nice to see everyone getting behind the other Cork teams and i can only repeat the good luck messages towards Leeside for the weekend- hope ye get through.

We know how difficult its going to be going to Pike- but Eddie and Paul have there homework done and if anything we will be organised and hard to beat and we will try to do ourselves and the Cork AUL proud.

Who knows- as per bella's "crazy" prediction- maybe they will have a poor day and we play to our potential and just nick one. It would be nice to carry out a steal and run in Limerick ;)

[littleman]

Mainmanram,if its any significance the last time the Limerick lads wrote off the chances of a Cork side in the last 16 of the Fai,we knocked um out so ye have nothin to fear bud.Just dont be fooled by all the hype,they will have just the same 11 players as ye startin an ye are a match for anyone on yer day.


Bog,if we were a club who were isolated in a town an didnt have anyother clubs sharing the neighbourhood so to speak then Id go along ur way of thinkin.But we arnt.Ye are the only side down yer direction an its easy then to be quoting the community an whats right:We have to fight bascially tooth an nail with half a dozen Msl senior club an 30 junior clubs for adult players in a space all compressed into Gurran/Konocka/Farranree/Blackpool an Parklands.

I have a nephew who played 15s an 16s with ye 6 seasons ago an he an his mates from Riverstick an Belgooly all wanted to stay together an play minor but there wasnt a minor team in Kinsale so they all ended up playin Gaa,an have done since.Your own club has over the last few years had
Numerous players from Bandon,Leeside currently have the majority of their 1st team player from outside of the Leeside community area.So forgive me for saying that the focus on promoting underage players to develope through the ranks may be slightly lost on ye.This was the first year I can remember where players we brought in from oitside our club en mass,I wish we had of had young players to bring through but we dont so we do what we have to to make sure we have the best we can,an I make no apoligies for it.

With so many bigger clubs havin way better set ups to entice the underage player ya have to use what ever means to get ahead.An thats exactly what we do.It may not sit well lads with some but neither dose it sit well with me when a senior club poachs players by tellin them they cam do better with a senior club because of the facilities they have,when all the back round work was done by the club hes with.Its ruthless out there lads wehter junior or underage.

[the ghost]

best of luck to both Springfield and Leeside!!!! do us proud!!

[pass&move]

I think the AUL need to look at them selfs here, they state due to the backlog of fixtures that no club can request a free weekend yet for 4 teams they have just added an extra game.

[littleman]

Coachford 3 Kinsale 2,i think i may just owe ya a pint Junglejym.

Glenthorn 1 Blarney st 0

[junglegym]

Premier League Result

Coachford 3-2 Kinsale :

We led 2 nil after 15mins, 2 all at halftime and scored the winner in the 50th min.
Cleared one off the line in the 93rd.

After playing extremely well last week and getting no reward, We got the rub of the green today and held out for a valuable 3pts.
This is the 1st time we took 3pts off Kinsale in a very long time.
Delighted would be an understatement.
I'll hold you to that pint Littleman

[donaldihno]

Kanturk 4 Castleview 4
Il keep it short,down 3nil after 20mins from 3 set pieces,got 2 back before the half,conceaded straight away after half time,showed good character to score 2 before the end!i dont no if its a point gained or 2 points dropped!!!john dennehy got 1,tom fitz with 2 and matty riordan with a cracker!!theres so many draws in this league!!its goin b tight at the end

[shetland]

was at glenthorn game and comeing away heard that ballyvolane b beat douglas hall in michaels cup.some result.radio star any comments.

[shetland]

the two legged semi final is a joke to be honest. it favors the strong sides.you could catch any team in a once off but it would be tough over two legs.

[littleman]

Look lads ill make this easy.Ye all have mouths,,,,,,,,,,,,use them.Tell your club secretary that ye want your club to tell the Aul at the next delegate meeting that we all,an i mean all want the Aoh left alone.Its a straight winner takes all one off game.If we were left in it id do the very same as im doin now an I mean that 100%.So use yer mouths lads an bang the drum,if we dont make noise about this we are the real mugs an we all know it.

[timmypav]

Great result, and well done to ballyvolane b today. The 2 1st divisions are fairly strong as this game showed. Go and win the cup now.:ball:

[super_mario]

Great result Ballyvolane against douglas hall fair play to ye had a big interest in this game as we now play the WINNERS in the Quarters.

[the owl]

Great result for my friend Radio today. They have been having a tough time of late but seemed to have turned things around in the last 2 weeks. A good Douglas side which proved that last week in Kinsale. Well done to our Ballyv lads.
Good result today Don !!!!!!.............for the rest of the league:)
I agree littleman, as we are still in it, these decisions should be made at the begining of the season and not when we hit the latter stages.

[Onefootednopace]

Killowen 3 Crescent Athletic 3.
Better late than never for Killowen as an injury time goal salvaged a point and stopped a run of recent defeats. A frantic start and end to the game as both sides scored in the opening and closing minutes of the game. We are happy with the point considering our recent form and we were also missing 3 regulars from our line up. We fell a goal behind after 2 minutes but were level 3 minutes later with a header from our first corner of the afternoon. We settled down and should have added a goal or two as we threatened them from set pieces all day. We finally took the lead on the stroke of half time from a direct free kick. Crescent came back strongly and made it 2-2, 10 minutes into the 2nd half. They also hit the bar midway through the half. Both sides could sense the next goal was crucial and the game seemed to swing Crescent's way. They were awarded two penalties (badly time tackles in the area- no complaints) in the last 15 minutes, our 'keeper saved the first one and was unlucky not to save the second one. But our lads refused to lie down, kept battling to the end and forced a corner deep in stoppage time. Once again the delivery into the box was spot on and our centre half looped a header over the keeper for the equaliser.

[junglegym]

Corinthians Cup 1st round result :

Coachford B 1 -2 Greenwood B :

[donaldihno]

Leeds 3 Macroom 3
Another draw in premier A!!3 matchs played during weekend 3 draws!!leeds were up 3-1!wat u make of it leeds pk??

[LeedsPk]

Leeds 3 Macroom 3
Another draw in premier A!!3 matchs played during weekend 3 draws!!leeds were up 3-1!wat u make of it leeds pk??

We were a bit unlucky, especially when the pen for the last goal wit 5 mins to go was punched by a macroom player not one of ours, sayin that we got a debatable goal in the 1st half. We misssed an awful chance at 3-2 which would have wrapped it up. Ye are givin us all a chance by dropping points but nobody seems to get any bit of a run together to gain ground. Ye will stumble over the line if the league keeps goin the way it is- a good start is the key to winning any league. Gary Nolan and two from Johnny Cooney today for us

Also well done to Ballyvolane yesterday - great result for ther 'b' side and done the dbl over douglas hall cause ther youth team won ther q-final against douglas hall before the junior game. I believe they have Cork City ( or whatever they call themselves now) in the semi at ballyvolane pk- leave the grass grow for that one :)

[shetland]

think kanturk are dropping a lot of points but so are the rest.they seem to start every season very well but struggle a bit after christmas.is this a gaa problem.i still fancy them to win out with ballyvolane and macroom to battle it out for the remaining promotion spot.

[Radiostar]

Ya we were delighted with the win over Douglas Hall yesterday, in fairness to our lads we have had a terrible season and they showed that they are capable of competing with the best 1st Division sides over the last 2 weeks, hopefully we can keep it going. Mario ye should be concentrating fully on the league and forget about the St.Michaels Cup(Leave that for someone else)