As if the signs for Wexford weren't bad enough ......

[Lone Shark]

.....we have the backdoor draw. An up and coming team who shouldn't be designated but are, away from home, certainly to be played within a week of the provincial exit. It's typical of the type of draws we've got over the last few years, so much so that you'd say we're bound to be in there.

I hope I'm wrong, but getting a team that's equally as good as us away from home after a defeat is the hallmark of Offaly football in recent years.

[Hocker]

I hope I'm wrong, but getting a team that's equally as good as us away from home after a defeat is the hallmark of Offaly football in recent years

Well LS, if u ask me about 75% of the teams in the pot were equally as good as us, not saying that the draw was kind or anything, but we'd have been shitting it if we were drawn away to say Tyrone or Derry.. Believe it or not I was dreading the thought of been drawn away with a potential banana skin such as Leitrim!

What are the odds on the match with Wexford next week, are we marginal favourites?
I'd ay Dublin are crazy odds for Leinster now.

[Lone Shark]

Crazy odds indeed - 1/5.

We'll be slight favourites with the bookies - not with me though. I'd make it 5/6 Wexford.

I'm not saying that we were better than most of the teams in the pot - far from it, and as you say, getting Tyrone would have been the death of us. What I'm saying is that we rarely get a team of a similar standard on a neutral venue - we've developed a habit of getting the best "designated" team there is, and thus having to concede home advantage all the time. Monaghan certainly fit that bill. I'll accept that Wexford weren't designated and our county board fecked that one up going for the toss of a coin with no home/away arrangement in return (if we had done that we could have been playing this weekend's game in Tullamore). But even so, we have got the short straw a bit, getting away games all the time. Since the advent of the back door, we've played Limerick, Carlow, Wexford, Clare and Kildare on away soil, and we're yet to get a home game, barring the one against London which had to be at home.

If Monaghan are designated now, the next question has to be - when do we get to be designated?

[azoffaly]

Marty gobshite said on the Telly yesterday that designated teams are those who have not played in Division 1, or won a provincial title in the 'recent past'. I'm not sure what the 'recent past' is in terms of duration, but I'd suggest we won't be designated for at least 4 or 5 years, assuming we don't win a Leinster or get re-promoted to Div 1. Which we will.

[Lone Shark]

Am I the only one who thinks that these rules are just made up, ad hoc? Call me senile, but I'm pretty sure we played Monaghan in a division 1 league match this year. Next year we'll play them in a division 2 league match. Neither of us have appeared in a provincial final for a long time. Neither of us have been in the All Ireland Quarter finals since the backdoor came in.

I think it must just be behind the scenes politicking that's making the difference here.

[The Biff]

Surely Monaghan have as recent experience of Division 1 as we have? So why their "designation"?

It's all a conspiracy I tell ya.

[azoffaly]

Yeah, I'd say they are made up on the spur of the moment. Probably by gobshite Marty who hasn't a clue anyway

I was surprised as ye when he said about Division 1, because I never heard of Division 1 being a factor before. I reckon it's based on Provincial Championships, and maybe our 1997 title is still causing us to be non-designated.

[Lone Shark]

Doesn't make sense either. Why are Wexford not designated then? They haven't been in the AI quarter finals or won a provincial in donkey's years either? Same could be said of Down.

I'm honestly coming to the conclusion that it's just an ad hoc list of anyone who looks weak - with a Monaghan man on the decision making committee.

[azoffaly]

Of course that's what it is LS. I'd love to actually see is there criteria set down ANYWHERE about this, or is it a decision made on the day. 'Look lads, Offaly won the Leinster in 97, so they can't be designated, so Wexford are fecked as well because we can't assign them and not Offaly'.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Yeah, I'd say they are made up on the spur of the moment. Probably by gobshite Marty who hasn't a clue anyway

I was surprised as ye when he said about Division 1, because I never heard of Division 1 being a factor before. I reckon it's based on Provincial Championships, and maybe our 1997 title is still causing us to be non-designated.

I Think meself its our 1982 All Ireland title thats causing us to be non-designated. That being the case, it will be amother sixty years at least before we're designated.

[turk]

How come westmeath are at home against limerick?

[Lone Shark]

I think they tossed a coin there, but I'm not sure. Most round 1 winners seem to be at home - except for Kildare, who are now away to Derry.

I don't have a clue really - it makes no sense whatsoever.

[Ron]

Were Wastemeath 1st out of the hat maybe? The first team drawn gets home advantage unless a "designated" county is drawn 2nd.

[Lone Shark]

They drew the round 1 winners out of one bowl, and the provincial semi losers out of another bowl, so by default if you were a round one winner you had to be drawn out first. Whatever else it couldn't have been that.

I just noticed Laois are at home to Tyrone as well.

[Ron]

Doh!
Yes of course, the method I mentioned applied to the first round alright, but it's different this tine around.

If its toss a coin or whatever then it should made clear that that is the case. There's an obvious lack of transparency in how venues are decided. It's not such a big issue when a neutral venue is being chosen, but a home venue is a big advantage for any team in the draw at this stage.