So what's happening with the football relegation saga then?

Muck Savage · Post by **Muck Savage** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:54 pm

The whole thing is a sham. The County board want to be ashamed. How can you expect these lads to stay training for 10 months, even Clara have stopped training now after getting to a final. Very unfair on the players of all teams.

Would each of them be odds on to go down next year if they did stay up? I think each of them could be better than say Tubber, E Rovers, Ferbane, Gracefield, St. Rynaghs. There's the possibility they'd survive a long time in Senior. Right now there are a number of teams in Senior that could go down. Overall I'd say it would be a disaster to see a team like E'derry go down as they have more potential at Senior grade than Doon or S'bridge. Both of those in Inter. next year would make the competition very competitive.

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:31 am

Muck Savage wrote:The whole thing is a sham. The County board want to be ashamed. How can you expect these lads to stay training for 10 months, even Clara have stopped training now after getting to a final. Very unfair on the players of all teams.

I'm not really sure what you want the county board to do. They've applied the rules, but as long as the whole affair is under appeal, they've postponed playing any further games - I'm not really sure what other options they have. I can understand how possibly they could play the Doon/Edenderry game if both teams agreed, but I don't see why they would.

Muck Savage wrote:Would each of them be odds on to go down next year if they did stay up? I think each of them could be better than say Tubber, E Rovers, Ferbane, Gracefield, St. Rynaghs.

I don't know about odds on, but I'd say they'd be the favourites. The truth of the matter is that of the five teams you named, four of them were senior this year and beat one of the relegation candidates - the relegation battlers aren't there for no reason. Hard to know how Tubber will cope with the step up, but if they keep improving as their age profile suggests they should, I could see them winning enough games to survive certainly. As for the others, well they're all relegation candidates, as would two or three other clubs be if they got a few injuries and a bad run of luck.

Muck Savage wrote:Overall I'd say it would be a disaster to see a team like E'derry go down as they have more potential at Senior grade than Doon or S'bridge. Both of those in Inter. next year would make the competition very competitive.

Who would it be a disaster for exactly? Obviously it's a blow to Edenderry club, but no more than it would be for the other two. If anything Edenderry would probably suffer least for it, because it could force the club to face up to the on-field problems they've had and possibly come back stronger for it, and we all know they have more than enough talent to win the Intermediate next year if they play as a team with unified purpose. In contrast, if Doon and/or Shannonbridge went down it could be a long time before we see either of them at senior grade again.

black and red exile · Post by **black and red exile** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:57 pm

Leaving all the rights and wrongs out of the whole saga, just speaking personally it would be a shame to see Edenderry get relegated, they will always be one of the great football powerhouses in Offaly no matter what status they have. I have seen the REDS 5 times this year and ever since that ill fated game at the start of the championship the sole just seemed to be torn out of the club. THE SOONER THE BETTER THEY ARE BACK CHALLENGING STRONGLY FOR HONOURS AGAIN.

minor · Post by **minor** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:11 pm

sorry yeah it was county board not edenderry but it's obviously to edenderrys advantage at least there not gone down, i hear t won't be heard at croke park level for two weeks more, don't know if it's true or not

Muck Savage · Post by **Muck Savage** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:15 am

LS, This is going on for over 6 weeks now and still no sign of a result. Right now it could be the middle of January before this is finished which I think is very unfair to the players. How can they plan anything in advance when they don't know when this will be finished. Even before the playoffs there was 4 weeks when a game could have been played. Right the county board made a decision, it took them a while to do this also, and now it's being brought back to croke park. Why can't a decision be forced here?
I understand that their not there for no reason but take E'derry for example, if the B'cumber game had played out different their year could have been much better. Shannonbridge were narrowly beaten in a couple of games and Doon could have beat either Gracefield or E Rovers.

I think most people here would think it bad for Offaly football that a big club like E'derry go down. Out of the three they have the most potential to be in the shake up next year and potentially could make the Inter. C'ship a walk next year if they were there. I undersand that it could take Doon or S'bridge forever to get back up again but it could also be a good thing for them to go down and win a C'ship or be in the shake up rather than be fighting the drop. Why struggle every year in the drop zone? If they can't come back up within a few years then it's hard to say they should be senior. Take the Doon team, how many of them have won any Championships? A lot of the Bridge and E'derry players have won something playing football but the Claffey's aside name one player that has an Adult football medal. A win here could put a bounce in their step and give them a good boost for a senior the following year (if they won).

Hocker - I heard from some of the Bridge players that they don't think they should get the game, they had 16 on the filed so they should loose the game, what's your view?

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:22 am

I don't think it's as clear as saying "it's a bad thing for a club like Edenderry to go down". I would rephrase that, and say that it's a bad thing for Offaly football that Edenderry football is currently weak enough to be in this position. Offaly football needs Edenderry to revive, but there would be varying schools of thought as to what would be better for them.

Put it this way - for Edenderry to be in the best shape possible in 2008, which is better for them - to have narrowly dodged relegation this year and done so again next year, or to have gone down, forced the panel to look at themselves and make the necessary changes, and to have won the intermediate title in 2007?

Basically I'd like Edenderry to be a strong competitive club contributing three or four players to the Offaly senior panel, but they have no more right to be senior than Doon or Shannonbridge. I'm certainly sympathetic over the whole Ballycumber affair, but against that it's inexcusable how they just ceased to be competitive from there on.

Finally, I'd be very surprised if Edenderry did "walk" the intermediate in 2007, even if they did improve. They's be seen as the big gun that everyone would be shooting at, and Walsh Island aren't far off being senior standard. Raheen, Birr and Kilcormac would all be capable of an upset on a given day, while whoever else was to get relegated with them would also provide a tough challenge.

**Please note I'm not saying that the Reds are already down, before True Red comes in with all guns blazing!!

the Untouchable · Post by **the Untouchable** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 1:54 pm

The hard fact of it is, is that all 3 teams aren't up to senior standard at the moment!!! like it sicken's my hole the way most people have said that Edenderry should stay senior cause they could be in the shake up next year or the year after...do me a favour!!! Edenderry have been in serious decline since 01, only for a mess of a championship set up which pretty much made it impossible for a team to get relegated so long as we kept teams like Daingain & Bracknagh in senior!!!

The truth of the matter is that Doon haven't won a championship match in over 2 years now...so them staying senior will be pointless & probably a year in intermediate would be good for the young lads since Doon would have nearly 9 or 10 lads still under 22 yrs of age on the starting team, so if they survive this year, their still going to be way out of their depth!!!

Shannonbridge need to clear out the squad, get rid of the aul lads who are past it & give the younger lads a chance. They might need to drop down to intermediate but with a lot of very good young players having done well in winning a few junior titles in the past few years then they won't be out of senior for long!!! Like with Doon, I suspect if the bridge were to avoid relegation this year they'd be a pretty good bet to go down next year!!!

Edenderry have paid the most unmerciful price for been successful throughout the 90's!!! Its pretty obvious that alot of players stayed on playing when they were way over the hill, alot of the players that got a county medal or 2 probably felt that they had won enough & didn't put in the effort as much after that. Edenderry have on paper a good enough of a panel to be a force in senior football still but the interest just isn't there.

This year is now a shambles...regardless of who stays up or who goes down all 3 clubs will feel a bit aggreived because the year has dragged on so long. This should have been sorted weeks ago. Lets hope someone in croke park gets the finger out fairly soon & makes a decision on it!!!

Muck Savage · Post by **Muck Savage** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:30 pm

LS, I'm not saying that E'derry have more right to be senior over the others I think they have the most potential to be a force in Senior next year. Maybe this year will make them look at themselves and regroup for next year, it may not take a drop to intermadiate for them to look in the mirror. I do think Doon and Shannonbridge will struggle next year again, now they could manage a win or two depending on the draw and find themselves safe but neither will win the Senior next year. Now for that matter I don't think E'derry will win it next year but I'd say a Semi final is not out of the possibility either.
Of the three teams Doon have contributed most to this years County team (3 members), while the other two didn't have this many between them. Doon's biggest problem is squad size, they have 10-11 soild Senior players but they need 18-19 to be a force.
Shannonbridge need a cleanout, if you look at the team that played Doon some of them were way off Senior standard. In their day they were good but they are pushing on.

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 5:41 pm

It's finally settled - Shannonbridge won 1-9 to 0-10 today.

True Red · Post by **True Red** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 2:57 pm

I'll direct u to this on http://www.edenderrygaa.com

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 3:40 pm

If that kind of spirit pervades the club, then without doubt we'll see the Reds back up in the senior ranks before long. Certainly I hope that if nothing else lessons are learned that internal bickering will never end well.

Incidentally, in researching my preview piece for Birr vs Ballyhale I learned something that I didn't know - that due to hanging on to guys that had lockers full of medals but had too many miles on their legs, Ballyhale went from reaching a Leinster club final in 1991 (which I knew) to being relegated to Intermediate in 1996 (which I certainly didn't). That shows two things, that big clubs are not sacred anywhere, but also that a club can use an experience like that positively and bounce back to the highest level again.

Best of luck with it TR and all other reds out there.