Are you a GAA fan who supports a weaker county?
Good for you.
*pats head*
Being patronised by people who support bigger, more successful counties is a staple of your diet.
As is a couple of Championship days in the summer, often ending in ridiculous score-lines, and league games played in locations Columbus himself would struggle to find.
Yes, I’m talking about you Aughrim…
You’re also exhausted from hearing the following clichés thrown in your general direction.
Championship needs to be re-structured into a Senior/ intermediate/ junior format
A tired fable usually argued by supporters and former players from the bigger counties where they use their provincial medals as coasters.
Offer a weaker county the chance to play an intermediate Championship match against another weak county, instead of a big game against a footballing heavyweight, and you will see both player and spectator numbers drop dramatically.
Even match-ups is what the league is for. The main event is about the romance of thinking anything can happen against anyone.
Their season is effectively over after the league campaign
Sometimes David actually gets a few hits in on Goliath.
Antrim knocked out future All-Ireland winners Donegal in 2009, Longford knocked out Mayo in 2010 and the likes of Westmeath, Laois and Monaghan have all won provincial championships in relatively recent years.
The so-called weaker counties aren’t there just to make up the numbers. Sometimes they break through the glass roof and those days are worth all those Dublin, Tyrone or Kerry beatings they receive.
It’s such a pity he can’t move to a more successful county
This was regularly said about the likes of Matty Forde, Declan Browne and any other talented player who stood out as a diamond among the rougher, weaker sides.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgPyCObxuV8
What the more successful counties fail to recognise is that one provincial title or All-Star nomination while playing with your peers, generally means more to a player than 10 All-Irelands with an adopted county.
If they get the underage right, they’ll be sorted
A successful underage set-up does not automatically mean you’ll have a strong senior side. Just look at Cavan.
They won four u21 Ulster Championships on the trot between 2010 and 2014 and they can barely make a dent in the senior Championship.
A professional approach is what matters at a senior level… well that and loads more money than most of the sides you’re facing.
Yes, we’re looking at you Dublin.
There isn’t enough interest in the county anyway
Rubbish. Success breeds interest.
When Paidí O’Shea became an adopted Mullingar man and guided Westmeath to their first Leinster triumph, there was almost nothing else talked about in the county.
From Patrick Street in the ‘Gar to Church Street in Athlone, the place went football crazy. The same can be applied to any of the weaker counties when they enjoyed a period of success.
So there you have it, five gripes supporters from weaker counties and we never even mentioned ‘Champions League style format.
