Cork AUL 2007/08

[therise]

Alright lads. Internet out of action for a while. I see Grattan , Ballyphehane and Blarney street are into the next round of the AOH. You can add Wilton in that too. 4-1 winners against Dunbar.

Also, hard luck to Grattan for last week. Best of luck to yourselves and Leeside in the munster.

[le tizz]

just a quick update, you'll be happy to collect your winnings at the bookies lads, we're still unbeaten in the league at home, derek varian was the difference on saturday in a game that glenthorn will be gutted that they took nothing from, varian got 2 great goals and was taken down for a spotter for the other (derek mccarthy not a bother with the pen)

glenthorn played most of the 2nd half in the kinsale half but couldnt convert, 2 games played and 6 points, still loads to play for but we're happy enuf, away to kanturk next sunday in the league and if we keep it going we could climb a few places and get some vital league games under our belt while the rest of you lads are off playing on yer munster holidays

still lots of improvement needed at the seaside but we're going in the right direction

any report from coachford rebel ? disappointing result for ye
anyone hear how villa got on.... they usually dont ring in results if things dont go their way, i wonder

[littleman]

The Villa game was called off by the ref because he felt the Ballintotis pitch was unplayable.The grass was half a foot high and a tractor was driven across it during the week from what I was told by the Villa management.Also the ref was told to fxxx off when he asked about his fee,wonder why.I'd safely say the Villa will get this one awarded to them.

ps tizz,good win.

[le tizz]

I'd safely say the Villa will get this one awarded to them.

proper order too, villa should be awarded the game and this kind of pi$$in about should not be tolerated by the AUL, the weather has been great and there should be no excuses for havin matches called off especially with the backlog of games, ye took greenmount to the cleaners so it sets ye up well for the trip to clare, think they've a good set up so should give ye a decent fighting chance, besta luck

leeside the only other cork team in the munster junior have a tough draw although they area at home next sunday, any report for us from coachford rebel ?

lookin forward to the evening football and a build up of some games, we're still in the hunt for now, that win on sat has hurt glenthorn's challenge but they still lead the way

park were down to play castleview at the w/e but billy didnt have the result, has your insider trading any info on the result littleman ?? park needed a win as much as us, still a long way to go and i'm sure there'll be a few more stories along the way before the medals are handed out

[Innishvilla]

This week we saw some strange cancellations on Billy's site.
1 for a bereavement (fair enough)
1 for fog (A bit unusual)
1 for pitch with grass too long!!! See above from Littleman...
BUT MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE
Blackpool Celtic v Pearse Celtic off ............

Due to.............

Horses on the Pitch...

[le tizz]

which team were fielding the horses ?? i wouldnt be into marking a tall hairy centre half with 4 hooves and a keen interest in kickin if things arent going his way, reminds me of a left full who used ta play with kinsale, he's been put out to pasture now tho

[Towelie]

Coachford and Leeside played out a bruising one all draw saturday.
Leeside took the lead through an o.g. and coachford equalised
late ,again with an o.g.Leeside had 2 great chances to win it near
the end but it wasn't to be.
We played well enough I thought to win the game but were a little
unlucky.Three points would have been huge for us.Nobody is going
to get anything easy down there this season.

[littleman]

Been out in Kilkully to watch a few games over the years an saw mostly donkeys on the pitch,the odd horsey once in a while.We have the HIGH CHAPERAL thing goin on up our way as well on Northvillas old pitch.Lucky we have the place fenced.On some days we also have the Knocknaheeney races in full swing up an down Kilmore Road as we play,I'm thinkin of openin up a bookies on match days.I'll try to find out what happened in the Castleview game.Innish,we had a near miss ourselves on Sunday,the other team turned up with only 6 players,another clubs gear an no ball.Started with 7,finished with 11 an lost 3/1.The first goal was an og,the second straight from a corner and the third the keeper made a hash of it,talkin about havin no luck on the day.Only happens in the AUl.

Oh ya I have some news that may be interesting to some of our posters.The Aul an the Msl have agreed that to assist the Aul in its 5 year plan to improve standards on and off the pitch that their will be no Aul teams accepted into the Msl for the next 5 years.

[Innishvilla]

Innish,we had a near miss ourselves on Sunday,the other team turned up with only 6 players,another clubs gear an no ball.Started with 7,finished with 11 an lost 3/1.The first goal was an og,the second straight from a corner and the third the keeper made a hash of it,talkin about havin no luck on the day.Only happens in the AUl.

Oh ya I have some news that may be interesting to some of our posters.The Aul an the Msl have agreed that to assist the Aul in its 5 year plan to improve standards on and off the pitch that their will be no Aul teams accepted into the Msl for the next 5 years.

Some interesting points... Only happens in the AUL is true enough but the club (Casement Celtic) seem to be in a bit of trouble. They quite recently were a decent AUL side and a strong MSL side I now see their MSL side is rooted bottom of the MSL senior 2nd division and as you've just pointed out their AUL side can barely field a team... Pity because they have great facilities...

The AUL & MSL agreement is an interesting one. I think it will help a lot as there are a good few teams in the AUL working improving their facilities as we speak. If they stay in the AUL over time the whole standard will improve. You could reach a stage that the premier divisions might have a minimum facilities criteria before promotion??? Changing rooms? showers? (Hot) Pitch standard?

[littleman]

I agree with ya about Casement Innish an the trouble they seem to be in..Our b side played them earlier this season an I thought for a second division side they were excellent .I was expectin them to turn up an hammer us to be honest so I was rightly pleased to get the 3 points.Just goes to show you never can tell.

[le tizz]

interesting that the msl are closing their doors to improve the aul, thats an old arguement that can be re-hashed without getting to the bottom of it tho, wont go there today

i'm delighted to hear that the aul has a 5 year plan, apart from not letting any clubs go msl is there anything else involved ??? just looking at the top 2 divisions in the aul, about half have no showers or toilets not mind hot showers and proper dressing rooms, most of the clubs dont have a pitch or are renting off someone else (pfizers, little island, murphy's farm, ucc's farm) and only a few who have their own pitch (which is by and large council land so dont own it themselves- kinsale included), most clubs have no room to expand in terms of new pitches/training facilities will i even hazard to say dressing rooms etc etc

are the aul gonna plough money into the league or what because there's no other way to improve what is an uncompetitive association, if so where is all the cash coming from, all cork clubs are out of the fai, only a couple remain in the munster junior and to be honest none have threatened any major challenge in the past few years,

i know ye are attempting to improve things in hollyhill, kinsale have bedded a new pitch and are trying to improve dressing rooms, these are the only 2 teams that seem to be making an effort in trying to improve things (from the top 2 divisions innish, ye seem to have a plan and good luck with it)

we're all at the mercy of the weather every year while the senior league pitches can take more punishment and remain in good footballing condition, two msl teams have fifa approved year round playing surfaces, unless the aul can magic money and support to the clubs at an administrative level then i dont see how things will improve, they still have the big backlog of fixtures (and its nearly march) which isnt good for any competitive league

that said, the prem league is as strong as i've seen it in my 4 years playing- will we see a cork aul club break thru in the national cups in the coming years ??, how many teams will be in with a shout in the league in another 6 weeks ??? 3/4/5 ?? hard to say, the games that have been played so ar have seen teams cancel each other out, glenthorn on top have the following record
Pld...W...D...L...GF...GA...Pts
9......4...2...3....15...10....14

i'm not really a betting man but my money is def not going there, everyone is waiting for grattan/kinsale/ballyphehane and maybe park & leeside to play more games, teams with a lot of games played to date seem to have shot their load already and will only be making up numbers in another couple of weeks........and we're not even close to half way thru the fixtures

aul are improving things, i'll be blown away to see it happen

[thirdeye]

i similarly would like to hear what the 5 year plan entails....before the standard of football improves i think that the administration would have a major overhaul....leadership has to come from those who supposedly lead...
look at what killester got for winning the dublin aul...a trip to south africa...where are the incentives for cork aul teams to better themselves and attract better players...the winners of the cork aul don't get as much as a football for winning a very tough league...as you say le tizz the amount of games that teams are forced to play in a short space of time for being successful is farscicle...there seems to be money in the aul coffers but who knows what it's earmarked for...give the players some incentive for winning trophies after all it's the players and managers time and sacrifices that make the aul what it is....

[Shilts]

Oh ya I have some news that may be interesting to some of our posters.The Aul an the Msl have agreed that to assist the Aul in its 5 year plan to improve standards on and off the pitch that their will be no Aul teams accepted into the Msl for the next 5 years.

This type of agreement is a great opportunity for the AUL to get its house in order. Fixture pileups, poor playing surfaces and changing facilities need to be addressed first before any holiday prizes for winning the Premier (similar to Dublin AUL) are considered. If not, then nothing will change, the best players will realise this and walk to MSL clubs anyway.

[thirdeye]

i couldn't agree more...the point i was trying to hilite was the disparity in governing bodies....i further don't believe that this moratorium on what is in essence a promotion to msl is going to help the cause of the aul....as you say the better players will now be forced to leave their respective clubs rather than hope to go msl with their preferred club...i also agree that fixture congestion and having to travel to further away fixtures midweek and get local fixtures at the weekend needs to be addressed...why not start the season two weeks earlier...allowing teams to play extra evening fixtures...why do premier sides enter the aoh first round...thats another couple of fixtures...is the mossy linnane necessary...anyway you could easily trim 5/6 fixtures off the back end of the season...i further believe their is dcope for the aul to give term loans (details to be ironed out)...do you honestly believe the present incumbants have the foresight to address any of these issues...it will be 5 more years of the same....hope i'm wrong

[littleman]

Though I feel I agree in some way with all of the points that have been posted on the Aul/Msl agreement their are a few things that I feel should be made a bit more clear as their is a fair share of blame attached to the clubs themselves for the prediciment the Aul is in..

The problem regarding fixture congestion is brought about by the Fai/Mfa competitions more so than the Aul.Teams doing well in both or either of will no doubt have to deal with a backlog of Aul league an cup fixtures.The Oscar Traynor team also has an effect on the fixture congestion of the teams with players envolved.Not to mention if some are lucky enough to have a player on the national side.

The Fai/Mfa dates are their for all to see at the start of the season. Aul league games and cup games are supposed to be played in between them,that is until the Oscar Traynor rears its head an adds more confusion to the pot.Add the weather factor and it can get very tight as to finishing your season and allowing teams a good break before pre season.

Its was the clubs themselves voted for the Premier/A sides to be encluded in the 1st round of the Aoh,not the Aul and further more to that at the particular meeting it was voted in only 8 of the 20 Premier/A side were represented.The clubs themselves for the most part dont even attend the delegate meeting yet they grumble left right center whan they find out about changes.The Mossie should be a straight knockout competition played after xmas(my own opinion) .With regards to how the fixtures and how they are dolled out someone is always going to be happy/unhappy.Teams have won leagues buy takin advantage of havin to either travel midweek or have a side travel to them,so lets not fool ourselves.

Some of the current commitee could and should step down,but in doing that is their any one will to step up.There is a process for accessing funding from the Aul but how many teams honestly at the minute are trying to better themselves,half a dozen at best.The Msl has a core of 30 or so clubs that is the senior league and the juniors are just B an C sides from those clubs.They accept clubs that have facilitys up to standard but dont encourage people to start a club.Thats where the Aul comes in or else theirs no other way to start one.

The Aul is a neccessary evil.Its the clubs themselves that have created a lot of our problems,the AUL are just the ones who have to sort it out.How are we to improve the Aul if we are not even trying to improve our own clubs.If a player sees himself to be capeable of doing better then the top sides in the Aul are just as good a place to prove it as the Msl.Their are plenty of very good players out their that just want to play with their buddies and lack the will to futher them selves or the self belife to stick with it and try to get a game(they dont want to have to fight for a starting place,rather play with a weaker team and be sure of a starting place.)

I more than most think the current Aul set up needs to be sorted ,but I am honest an open minded enough to admit we have done most of the damage to it ourselves.

Ps,its the Dublin Aul sponsors Nivea that sent Killester to South Africa.Not the Aul and I would rather our AUL spend its money on its teams than offering carrots to teams to do better.When I was a player an I stress when,I wanted to win for the players playin with me and my club.Not because I had the chance to go on a trip.

[Shilts]

Good points Littleman.
The AUL falls down because it is trying to cater for the glorified pub team, junior internationals and everything in between. Is the AUL trying to do too much?

It is good that a gang of lads can form a team and get to play a match every week, no matter at what level - this has to be encouraged. This is not possible in the MSL. However at the top of the AUL we should be treating our quality players with more respect - appropriate facilities and organisation are required. Clubs must take some of the blame here.

The fixture pileup has to be addressed.
The big teams should not have to play in the early rounds of the AOH.
Also, would it be possible to make the Mossie a midweek cup? With the early rounds played pre-season as is, and the quarters,semi and final played on all-weather grass in Blarney or Mayfield. Could Oscar Traynor Cup games be accomodated similarly. I remember the AUL playing the MSL under lights on a wednesday in Bishopstown 10 yrs ago. 5 or 6 weekends could be spared for league games. This would solve most of the pileup problems, maybe.

Would it be possible for the AUL to get an all-weather facility for themselves? Dublin AUL have a huge complex of pitches.

I havn't seen much change in the AUL over the last few years. Maybe this is because most of the 'glorified pub teams' are well catered for and are happy with the way things are. This leaves only a small minority of elite teams who see a need to push on!!!

[Innishvilla]

It is a bit like preaching to the converted on this forum... Everyone on it seems interested enough to care. i.e. look at the teams represented by the regular posts predominately... Grattan, Kinsale, Leeside, Wilton, Springfield/Cobh, Innishvilla, they are all progressive teams/clubs who don't fall into the pub team category.

So even though there will be a lot of agreement with views made about improving the AUL there are still in the region of 50% of AUL teams with no proper structure. Whether that be decent facilities, decent board/committee or decent underage structure. Don't get me wrong, there are some clubs have all this playing in lower divisions, I'm not rating clubs by the level they are competing at, I'm saying there are a lot of clubs missing at least 2 of the 3 vital parts needed to have a secure long lasting club.

I suppose another point that has always caught me is how freely some people switch clubs... I was born in the Innishannon area, my first ever competitive soccer game was with Innishannon (now Innishvilla) and I'll be honest I couldn't see myself playing for another club even though I now live in the city... Maybe it is the (whisper) gaa influence, parish for life? Anyone else have any opinion on this???

[littleman]

Your not far wrong their Innish.A few lessons to be learned from our Gaa brothers.Im not sayin that like the Gaa their should be only one team allowed within a parish area,but it dose work.

The commitment from players is not their because they know that if they dont get a game with for the sake of it,Boh's in Knocka,they can transfer 20 yards up the road to Grattan,Castleview or a host of others.My own therory would go along the lines of having two 7 day transfer windows bascially,3 monthly gaps between them specially for players wishing to get a transfer.ie the first week in Oct and Jan and thats it.I actually know of lads who have been transfered 4 times this season,which is a total joke.Make it harder to transfer an make the players give commitment.Its a hell of a lot easier to get things done when you have players who are pushing for improvements on and off the pitch.

On the playin front I'd start the season 2 weeks early,with 6 league games to be played from each division before a cup game is thrown in.T'is at the start when teams have big squads and playin 6 games in 2 weeks could be handled a lot easier at the start of the season rather than in May.6 games allows teams to take a slight lead, stay in contention or even not be too worried if your on the bottom because you know that with the cups comin up you have enogh games to improve what ever position your in.The Aoh I would keep the Prem sides out till at least the 3rd round with a genuine case for any side still in the Fai or Mjc not being encluded until the 4th round.The Mossie would be a straight knock out competition between any prem/a side that did not make it to the open rounds either the Fai or Mfa.That way the sides still playing Fai or Mfa games will be able to concentrate on those and the sides out of it have something to play for knowing that the stronger sides are not holding up the competition,waiting to return and claim the trophy.Thus giving everyone a bigger chance for silverware which in itself will improve competition.I know there will be 1st,2nd an 3rd division sides who will no doubt think this is an unfair advantage but this train of thought can or could be applied to those divisions as well in respect of the Michaels,Saxone an presidents cups.A team,irrespective of divisional status should be rewarded for their efforts not put under more pressure playin games they could do without.

[pass&move]

Any predictions for this weekend

Premier League
Glenthorn Celtic v Villa United,
Ballyphehane Celtic v Castleview
Kanturk v Kinsale

Premier A League
Dunbar Celtic v Wilton Utd
Greenmount Rngrs v Knockavilla Celtic
Macroom v Ballyvolane
Springfield v Village Utd
Leeds v Blarney Street Athletic

Munster Junior Cup 5th Round
Newtown v Grattan United,
Leeside v Newcastle West

[le tizz]

Any predictions for this weekend

Premier League
Glenthorn Celtic v Villa United, impressed with glenthorn last week, home win
Ballyphehane Celtic v Castleview bally win, on what i've seen bally are too strong
Kanturk v Kinsale i'm biased here but we cant afford to slip up, kinsale win

Premier A League
Dunbar Celtic v Wilton Utd i like wilton's style of play and they need to win their games in hand, away win
Greenmount Rngrs v Knockavilla Celtic knockavilla going well, greenmount low after getting stuffed last week, away win
Macroom v Ballyvolane macroom good at home, they should do enuf to get 3 points
Springfield v Village Utd sorry bella but form is a big advantage, away win but i'd be happy to be proven wrong
Leeds v Blarney Street Athletic could be a good game, from what littleman has been saying i'll go with an away win

Munster Junior Cup 5th Round
Newtown v Grattan United, could be a tough game for ye lads but hopefully a grattan win, i know ye'll give a good account of yerselves either way

Leeside v Newcastle West this is a huge game for leeside, i know someone from newcastle and they've an irish amateur up front and are going very well in their own league, sorry lads but i think it might be the end of the run and an away win, once again i'd love to be proved wrong and see the nice lads from leeside progress, besta luck !

i'll take a stab at it this week lads seeing as i'm flush at the end of the month, here goes, most of the wages are going on kinsale at short odds but wont be taking any chances away from home, good luck to the cork teams in the munster junior this weekend, keep the flag flying for the rest of us ! reasonable draws in the next round might see us advance to a semi final which would be great