Waterford GAA Thread - Mod note post #1

The jacket that Davy was wearing with that washed out crest is embarrassing. Can’t disagree with anything you said if things aren’t right off the field it can drag the whole thing down and god knows we have it tough enough without any distractions .

The only possible positive I could take is we're putting all focus on the championship. Because that was utter rubbish.

I'm really really surprised that Paddy Leavy as a sweeper is being seen as a positive. He's not a runner, a ball striker nor a reader of the game. I honestly can't think of a player less suited to the role. He looked very nervous in it and not helped by his manager roaring at him. Meanwhile we lost huge amounts of breaking ball around the middle where Paddy would add a lot. Also when we had to turn back in a challenge, Paddy is a great man to make himself available and use the ball with a short intelligent shovel pass. For me that's a brainless use of a good player. Especially when Tom Barron and Mark Fitzgerald were both there and could easily play the role.

The other huge negative for me was the set up. We have absolutely no idea how to progress up the pitch. A number of times it looked to me like players hesitated because they second guessed what they should do as it went against their instincts. Sean Walsh had a couple of moments before he understandably tired due to his midweek game but otherwise did any forward play well? And even though the pitch was much worse than it should have been, the Clare forwards were able to make an impact. Davy can point to missing 13 players but with that turgid shape it doesn't matter who plays. He's killing Kiely in particular.

I suggested beforehand that playing the Fitzgibbon players was madness. Pádraig Fitzgerald in particular was dead after a very good performance on Wednesday.

Finally to put the icing on the cake that injury to Stephen Bennett didn't look good.

It's not even that it was a bad performance, we've had plenty of those. It's the utter lack of freedom and adventure that's most concerning.

when your failing to pick the ball up first time and time again or getting brushed off it as easy as we were yesterday when trying to pick it up it’s time to go back to basics, this has been a feature of our underage teams of the past few years aswell, basic errors, first touch off and critically not getting the ball up off the ground quick enough

What was the attendance at the match yesterday? I expected to see a packed stadium but looking at it on television that certainly wasn't the case.

There's going to be well over 4000 in the RSC on Friday night. Waterford FC a far better run and more professional set up from top to bottom than Waterford GAA at the moment which seems crazy. Even a fantastic club shop across from the RSC now. Seems to be just a bad vibe round the intercounty sides at the moment.

Watched it back there knowing the result and the comments on the board. First half I thought was better than the second even though the TG4 graphic showed we only won 2/13 of our own long puckouts. And because we had pushed our bodies up, Clare could counter attack into space and create scores that bit easier. Despite this we looked good at the back and manufactued the goal well.

Second Half was a systems failure and IMO fully on the management. We had no balance to how we were set up and couldn't take advantage of the wind to create space. Consistently no option to go long into full forward line and nobody consistenly drifting out to take scores from deep to stretch the Clare defence. In third quarter; we still couldn't stop Clare from winning their own ball in our half; despite the wind advantage.

Overall Clare scored 14/20 from play, Waterford scored 9 out of 16 from play and that stat I feel shows the gulf. An element of this is the players at our disposal. Clare look like modern hurlers, a mix of tall 6ft4 lean athletes along with nimble/agile hurlers like Galvin. Waterford still have too many lads who don't look like an intercounty hurler i.e. under 6 foot and have bulked up to take the hits but can't cover the ground as a result. Clare had plenty forwards who could make the ball stick, Outside of Sean Ryan in first half; Waterford had none. Clare's striking from numbers 1-7 was far superior in their ability to hit long ball the length of the field. O'Brien in goals for example gets intercepted far too frequently by the opposition. Some Waterford players also seem to be lacking that bit of nous in contact around the middle. Looking to run straight into a man or passing without creating space for the next man. The execution of the basics also seemed a bit off.

Clare are also better coached. The idea of pushing up on puckouts is to overload the side where the ball will be landing and have superior numbers on the breaking ball. Repeatedly Clare had superior numbers of bodies around Waterford puckouts. Clare on the other hand created numerous advantageous offensive puck outs without offensive coordinator Fitzy on the headphones.

We'll have to wait to see when we have our full deck to play to get fully despondent. Davy Fitz as a manager doesn't help unbiased analysis as he's not very likeable and spins the media the wrong way for me. But my biggest fear is that Davy isn't the problem and we just don't have the cattle. That years of poor performances at minor and U20 are catching up. Modern sports is won by money and structures; you only have to look at Limerick Hurling, Dublin Football and Leinster rugby and the success they have had. We have performed poorer in this aspect than our competitors in the last 10 years and the fear is we are in the same conundrum as the FAI where we will have 10 years of sub par performances untill our coaching/structures catches up. I'm not sure if we're on Trappatoni or Martin O'Neill but it could be a long stretch as a Waterford fan.

A home game v Clare in the league with Davy at the helm in February and it on telly, it was never going to be packed.

If we are in the mix for the Wexford and Kilkenny games you would expect about 7k or 8k in attendance

Apparently the ref told Shane there was a minute left to go ; by the time the point was taken and the keeper delayed the puck out, about 20 seconds was gone .... the ref played another 10 seconds at most. I blame the ref but I thought Shane should have gone for goal regardless !

This thread is really becoming tiresome with the constant criticism of Management and Co Board. I get it....some people dont like Davy, and thats ok, but do we really need it all the time. He's the manager , so accept it and get on with supporting the team. I often think some of the posters on here would prefer us to loose and have another stick to beat him with. Can we not accept everyone is doing their best instead of constant whining and moaning when its not going to change anything. Im sure the county board are not coming on here for advice. And if you really want to be constructive there are ways to do that by offering your services and changing from within. Rant over

Now to the game on Sunday. Think it had a bit of everything....Good, bad and indifferent. obviously 2nd half first 20 min was disappointing, but the lads finished well. Keeping in mind its only February Ive seen enough to give me hope. Roll on Cork in 2 weeks

Sure what's the point of a forum like this if supporters can't complain about their team underperforming. I am a Kilkenny supporter who posted here after Sunday, so doesn't really bother me how Waterford go but it is so obvious that your county board really messed up by appointing a manager who doesn't have a clue how to pay to yere players strengths. It's as obvious as night and day that he was the wrong person for the job. Finally I'm sure if you went back on this forum during Liam Cahill's reign you would find very little negativity.

Many posters from other counties post on the Kilkenny thread and even though some are trolls, you also have the likes of Billy Ocean from Wexford who always make good points. Just because I am from Kilkenny doesn't mean I wouldn't be delighted to see Waterford win an all Ireland. I'm not like some of them south Kilkenny men from places like Slieverue, Mooncoin and Kilmacow, who are bitter towards Waterford yet contribute nothing to our own county teams. Ye have a great full forward line but don't play the ball into them. Yere players constantly look confused. Take michael Kiely for one, a player who spent most of the day playing as an extra midfielder. Dessie the same last year. If we were to do the same with tj or Eoin Reid id be fuming but thankfully our manager plays to the players strengths. That is constructive criticism.

True but hard to not feel frustrated with Davys selfish style of play

how Could anyone enjoy hurling under this manager

Not surprised that 'Mary I' are very strong

Lots of upcoming intercounty teachers

I didn't see much of it but that guy looks a good prospect from other matches I've seen of him.