Championship 2021

niall1980

Well-Known Member
Fantastic achievement for CE and a great win. They made a commitment to youth about a decade ago and their foresight has rewarded them with a SFC. Some say it's great for the county. While I can't argue that it gives many teams encouragement for the year ahead, does it show that the standard in club football in Armagh has dropped quite significantly? I can't really see clanns making an impact in ulster. Essentially a division 2 team has won the championship. However, what I would now see as a perceived weakness within the club scene, I don't think that transmits to the county team as I think we have a very good side capable of breaking into the top tier. So I'm asking myself, how important is the county club scene to county success??
20 years ago mate. A few guys got together with the aim of winning a senior championship. 20 years of hard work came to fruition yesterday. Well deserved
 

bcb1

Well-Known Member
@niall1980 and any other CE folk on here, congratulations. A deserved win and a recognition of all the work that has gone on in the club over the last 20 odd years.

Whilst the goal was definitive it is an unfair way for either team to have lost as great game. On the hour either team deserved it and I thought when we went 6 points up we could push on because of the way we were playing. Both halves were changed by the water break was we were in the ascendancy, each half were halves of 2 halves. CE pushed hard out of the breaks and that was so evident.

Leaving the grounds I felt a real weird sense. I was obviously really gutted by the lose but CE deserved their win and that makes it a bit easier. Either team over the hour deserved to win and there was literally a kick of the ball between the teams.

Ref wasn’t the winning or losing of the game but his inconsistency was infuriating. A few times Rian and Cian were hauled back and he let play go ahead and minutes later blew up for exactly the same fouls straight in front of me. Frustrating.

There will be a lot of soul seeking in Cross this week. Dark months and long conversations and whether a new management comes in is up for debate. We rarely lose finals so it hurts. This is a very young team. Take the Kernan’s, James Morgan and Paul Hughes out and it’s all basically under 25. Yesterday will hurt. How much will determine what happens. We will be back.
 

Bro

Member
@niall1980 and any other CE folk on here, congratulations. A deserved win and a recognition of all the work that has gone on in the club over the last 20 odd years.

Whilst the goal was definitive it is an unfair way for either team to have lost as great game. On the hour either team deserved it and I thought when we went 6 points up we could push on because of the way we were playing. Both halves were changed by the water break was we were in the ascendancy, each half were halves of 2 halves. CE pushed hard out of the breaks and that was so evident.

Leaving the grounds I felt a real weird sense. I was obviously really gutted by the lose but CE deserved their win and that makes it a bit easier. Either team over the hour deserved to win and there was literally a kick of the ball between the teams.

Ref wasn’t the winning or losing of the game but his inconsistency was infuriating. A few times Rian and Cian were hauled back and he let play go ahead and minutes later blew up for exactly the same fouls straight in front of me. Frustrating.

There will be a lot of soul seeking in Cross this week. Dark months and long conversations and whether a new management comes in is up for debate. We rarely lose finals so it hurts. This is a very young team. Take the Kernan’s, James Morgan and Paul Hughes out and it’s all basically under 25. Yesterday will hurt. How much will determine what happens. We will be back.


fair play BCB1 for the honesty, gracious in defeat, as you say cruel way to lose any game
 

niall1980

Well-Known Member
@niall1980 and any other CE folk on here, congratulations. A deserved win and a recognition of all the work that has gone on in the club over the last 20 odd years.

Whilst the goal was definitive it is an unfair way for either team to have lost as great game. On the hour either team deserved it and I thought when we went 6 points up we could push on because of the way we were playing. Both halves were changed by the water break was we were in the ascendancy, each half were halves of 2 halves. CE pushed hard out of the breaks and that was so evident.

Leaving the grounds I felt a real weird sense. I was obviously really gutted by the lose but CE deserved their win and that makes it a bit easier. Either team over the hour deserved to win and there was literally a kick of the ball between the teams.

Ref wasn’t the winning or losing of the game but his inconsistency was infuriating. A few times Rian and Cian were hauled back and he let play go ahead and minutes later blew up for exactly the same fouls straight in front of me. Frustrating.

There will be a lot of soul seeking in Cross this week. Dark months and long conversations and whether a new management comes in is up for debate. We rarely lose finals so it hurts. This is a very young team. Take the Kernan’s, James Morgan and Paul Hughes out and it’s all basically under 25. Yesterday will hurt. How much will determine what happens. We will be back.
A very good post as usual. You will definitely be back and I look forward to more tussles in the coming years
 

KilleavyGael

Active Member
@niall1980 and any other CE folk on here, congratulations. A deserved win and a recognition of all the work that has gone on in the club over the last 20 odd years.

Whilst the goal was definitive it is an unfair way for either team to have lost as great game. On the hour either team deserved it and I thought when we went 6 points up we could push on because of the way we were playing. Both halves were changed by the water break was we were in the ascendancy, each half were halves of 2 halves. CE pushed hard out of the breaks and that was so evident.

Leaving the grounds I felt a real weird sense. I was obviously really gutted by the lose but CE deserved their win and that makes it a bit easier. Either team over the hour deserved to win and there was literally a kick of the ball between the teams.

Ref wasn’t the winning or losing of the game but his inconsistency was infuriating. A few times Rian and Cian were hauled back and he let play go ahead and minutes later blew up for exactly the same fouls straight in front of me. Frustrating.

There will be a lot of soul seeking in Cross this week. Dark months and long conversations and whether a new management comes in is up for debate. We rarely lose finals so it hurts. This is a very young team. Take the Kernan’s, James Morgan and Paul Hughes out and it’s all basically under 25. Yesterday will hurt. How much will determine what happens. We will be back.

Two final defeats in a row won't help Kernan stay in place. A lot of qualified men around that club would be delighted to take on the challenge i'd say. As @bcb1 mentioned a lot of that team outside Kernans,Morgan, Hughes are quite young. Remains to be seen if their quality is as high as Cross teams of the past (obviously aside from the O'Neills/McConville), but clearly a lot to work with.
 

Big Jim

Well-Known Member
From the outset I want to make it clear I'm putting the cart before the horse with my main point, but I'll start with massive congratulations to Clann Eireann on a great performance and win. It won't make a jot of difference, but also a huge congratulations to Crossmaglen for their contribution to an almighty county final day. As a total neutral it was an honour and privilege to see football played at such an intensity. The purists will say it was far from a classic and that's fine because we all can have an opinion. But heck was it ever entertaining. Thank you everyone involved for such a great day out and to the multitude of Crossmaglen folks I witnessed congratulating, shaking hands with and even hugging Clann Eireann folk after the game, I say well done. That's what proper "champions of the game" can do in being extremely gracious in defeat.

My personal feeling is that this will mark a return to a rise in our fortunes and help those hesitant to believe we can compete on bigger stages, finally take the step to believe in what we are capable of with a little belief and an amount of talent. Damn tinted glasses even ruining my club vision now too :rolleyes: @niall1980 massive congrats to you and your club. Enjoy the deserved feel good emotion. @bcb1 to you and your club, I look forward to the next incarnation of next year and the chapter in our history it will bring. You may all be hurting today, but that is because you wanted it badly and it wasn't just another game. Like the Phoenix.................

As for my main point; I certainly hope it's a long way off, but just putting it out there for whenever it could and certainly will one day happen. Aaron Kernan is by a country mile one of the finest players we have ever had the pleasure of witnessing on a field in our lifetime and among this generation of stars. He continues to ooze class and has a certain aura around him. I watched him after the game shake as many opposition hands as he could and he stayed around well after the presentation rather than heading to the changing the room to hide. Exactly in the same way as he plays. He never is caught hiding on the field and always wants the ball. His manner on and off the field is exemplary. IF and I mean IF Cross needed a new approach and management, this to me is where they should be heading. He would command extreme respect within his own club and around the county.. no in fact the country! If he cut his teeth and got a measure of success, to me it is inevitable that this lad will one day, if he wanted it, would be a future senior county manager for us.

I get that it is maybe too early after the result yesterday to even mention this, but just wanted to acknowledge my admiration for on of our greatest as a small chink of light to the very people hurting after yesterday. Now enough of this saft shite! Back to the puke messing about..............
 
@niall1980 and any other CE folk on here, congratulations. A deserved win and a recognition of all the work that has gone on in the club over the last 20 odd years.

Whilst the goal was definitive it is an unfair way for either team to have lost as great game. On the hour either team deserved it and I thought when we went 6 points up we could push on because of the way we were playing. Both halves were changed by the water break was we were in the ascendancy, each half were halves of 2 halves. CE pushed hard out of the breaks and that was so evident.

Leaving the grounds I felt a real weird sense. I was obviously really gutted by the lose but CE deserved their win and that makes it a bit easier. Either team over the hour deserved to win and there was literally a kick of the ball between the teams.

Ref wasn’t the winning or losing of the game but his inconsistency was infuriating. A few times Rian and Cian were hauled back and he let play go ahead and minutes later blew up for exactly the same fouls straight in front of me. Frustrating.

There will be a lot of soul seeking in Cross this week. Dark months and long conversations and whether a new management comes in is up for debate. We rarely lose finals so it hurts. This is a very young team. Take the Kernan’s, James Morgan and Paul Hughes out and it’s all basically under 25. Yesterday will hurt. How much will determine what happens. We will be back.
Indeed yous will be back. Yous will just transfer a few more lads in:p:):D
 

PatMustard

Well-Known Member
Now enough of this saft shite! Back to the puke messing about..............

Oh how I laughed at this!.... No idea what you meant, but boy, did I laugh! :D

Great points though @Big Jim . It was a great day for Armagh football. Everything that we want to see: a good sporting contest, the underdog winning, the sportsmanship of the losing team, the emotion, the joy, the banter, the respect...
 

Big Jim

Well-Known Member
The Irish news carrying a crossmaglen interview about coming back, again.
Why not write about Clann Eireann, the work they've done and the rising stars within their team
Joe probably because their readers would ask "Who??" and go back to colouring in with their crayons!!
 

Armaghball

Well-Known Member
Looking at the all star team and no junior players named so far. Very harsh on the many excellent performers from Belleek and Cross seconds especially. Maybe get a token nomination in the full forward line.
 

ragingbull

Well-Known Member
Looking at the all star team and no junior players named so far. Very harsh on the many excellent performers from Belleek and Cross seconds especially. Maybe get a token nomination in the full forward line.
Picking player's not in their position as usual,I don't get why Rory Grugan & Ryan Kennedy aren't in that team of the year
 
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