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Date: 14/12/2007
Name: the boss
Title: a quick response...
Message: what a load of old mitres, all well and good in the old text book of life however the reality is a lot harsher. only a few quick words... discipline, outlet, ambition, pride... a fuller response to follow and i'm sure i'm not the only one!
 
Date: 14/12/2007
Name: Minor fan
Title: Must train together
Message: Minors must train together there has been little to no success at senior training re minor and certainly nowhere near numbers needed_Minors to train themselves watch them flourish
 
Date: 14/12/2007
Name: Back to Basics
Title: Minors and Underage
Message: I have read the various recent messages with growing dismay and frustration. I have been asking myself if people are talking about a Premier League professional soccer team or a group of young lads out for some physical exercise, enjoyment and personal development. Surely the GAA is a amateur community sporting organisation out to provide an interest for and development of our young people, to give them something worthwhile to do, to develop them as maturing adults and to give them a love for and long term committment to Gaelic games. Surely there is nothing that will turn young people off more than long weeks of (what the soccer people call) pre-season training, training twice per week, fall off in numbers attending resulting in disillusionment and inertia. It also has to be remembered that our young people have many other commitments and their lives cannot (and indeed should not) revolve around football. A number will still be at school or college where they are faced with modular exams, course work and study, others will be trying to start of their working lives. Is it right or what the GAA is about to put these young people under pressure to attend training sessions long before any games start at a potential risk to their academic studies or their working lives. Surely football should be a pleasant, enjoyable and rewarding break for them from the pressures of their day to day lives. Surely the best way to get committed and good well rounded senior players of the future is to make their underage years enjoyable and as pressure free as possible to instill in their psyche that playing football is something enjoyable and wortwhile rather than a drag that they are pressurised into and for which they get no personal motivation or reward. What is the point in encouraging a group a young people to come out in early January only for them to dwindle away by the time the league starts. Would it not be better to get them together a week or so before the league starts so that they are still fresh and enthuiastic when the league starts and can see some rewards for their efforts. I feel that we and the GAA in general have much to learn fron the way rugby deals with it's young people
 
Date: 13/12/2007
Name: grape
Title: observer
Message: I totally agree with you on the management front no more than 2. But alas that is where my agreement with your comments end. Take a look at the posters before yours even cactus can see that minors need to take part in collective pre-season with the seniors, then go to their team and be watched over during matches for both the minors and reserves by the senior management and then asked on to the senior panel. As for the soccer training it is the only thing that will get the minors out of the house twice a week because they will be guaranteed a match on a saturday. You try to get them out for training on a wet January night to prepare for a match in two months time, i hope you would be carrying out drills designed for two people as that is all you would get out by the second week
 
Date: 13/12/2007
Name: Observer
Title: Minor Debate
Message: Firstly the minors need to be training on their own from pre-season right up to the first game of the season, this also needs to be twice a week, the minors are their to feed the reserves and reserves to feed the seniors, obviously exceptional minors should be pushing for the senior squadm but this applies to only a few as their first priority is the minors as this is their age group. Secondly a 4-5 man management team is ludicrous as this only instills confusion amongst the players and management as you will end up with people pulling in different directions. Management needs to have focus, commitment and a two-way relationship with the players!you need one focused manager/coach with the above qualities along with one other person to help out. if there is a 4-5 man management team waiting in the wings, then why not make yourselves known with your intentions?a 1-2 person management team is the way to go with dedicated and experienced managers who know how to develop players individually, as a team and prepare them for the next step up. is there anyone at the club who feels they could undertake this? In reply to grape, soccer training does not put you in good stead for pre-season football training and the amount of work which needs to be put in, in order to be ready for the league starting. this needs to be as a collective group and intensely done with plenty of pre-season matches to have the players up to speed all the while incorporating skill development at minor level alone. i await your comments!
 
Date: 13/12/2007
Name: Cactus Jack
Title: Here here
Message: LTLFTC, you have summed up very well what the rest of us have been trying to get across. Grow up minors and if youse have any ambition lets see it at pre season training.