The Sunday Game

[muppet]

I am hoping that the trains are running.

They are running a test train from Claremorris to Tuam as we speak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mPbrRjCnhmk#t=64

That is the N84 in good weather.

[Bord na Mona man]

I don't understand the fuss about playing the replay in Limerick.
The Dubs still fondly remember playing 'down the country' in 1983. Tipp's breakthrough in Munster in 1987 has an extra bit of novelty as it happened off the beaten path in Killarney.

Several media reports have been incorrect, the last All Ireland semi final to be played outside of Croke Park was in 1998, when Offaly played Clare in a re-fixture.

Mayo should also note that Thurles was an unfamiliar venue to Offaly and a second home to Clare. The reason Thurles was picked was a sop to Clare after their misfortune in having Jimmy Cooney blow  full time 5 minutes early. In the build up, there was little complaint from Clare over the Jimmy Cooney incident, as the consensus was they going to scorch Offaly's aging team on the bigger Thurles pitch with their legendary fitness. They'd let a 10 point lead shrink to 3 points when Cooney intervened and weren't going to be as charitable this time.

My own opinion and that of many others was that Offaly's semi-final win over Clare in Thurles was a more memorable occasion than subsequent the All Ireland win over Kilkenny. The tension atmosphere was electric and better than any of the games in Croke Park.

Down in Limerick you'll have a terrace behind the goals allocated to each county leading to a better sense of theatre. Anyone who is there will have made the effort, as opposed to waking up covered in last night's curry in their Drumcondra flat, an hour before throw in, and stumbling down to Croke Park.

If Mayo win the All Ireland, they'll be talking about the pilgrimage to Limerick for decades.

BNMM The tickets are available online to anyone.

As for the bold, that would be true regardless of what happens. But I am still expecting a mess at 1700 on saturday. I am hoping that the trains are running.

I'd assume the Clare End terrace would be the natural stomping ground for Mayo as the majority will be coming down the N18. The City End for Kerry lads coming up from the South, assuming they won't pay to go through the tunnel.

[muppet]

I don't understand the fuss about playing the replay in Limerick.
The Dubs still fondly remember playing 'down the country' in 1983. Tipp's breakthrough in Munster in 1987 has an extra bit of novelty as it happened off the beaten path in Killarney.

Several media reports have been incorrect, the last All Ireland semi final to be played outside of Croke Park was in 1998, when Offaly played Clare in a re-fixture.

Mayo should also note that Thurles was an unfamiliar venue to Offaly and a second home to Clare. The reason Thurles was picked was a sop to Clare after their misfortune in having Jimmy Cooney blow  full time 5 minutes early. In the build up, there was little complaint from Clare over the Jimmy Cooney incident, as the consensus was they going to scorch Offaly's aging team on the bigger Thurles pitch with their legendary fitness. They'd let a 10 point lead shrink to 3 points when Cooney intervened and weren't going to be as charitable this time.

My own opinion and that of many others was that Offaly's semi-final win over Clare in Thurles was a more memorable occasion than subsequent the All Ireland win over Kilkenny. The tension atmosphere was electric and better than any of the games in Croke Park.

Down in Limerick you'll have a terrace behind the goals allocated to each county leading to a better sense of theatre. Anyone who is there will have made the effort, as opposed to waking up covered in last night's curry in their Drumcondra flat, an hour before throw in, and stumbling down to Croke Park.

If Mayo win the All Ireland, they'll be talking about the pilgrimage to Limerick for decades.

BNMM The tickets are available online to anyone.

As for the bold, that would be true regardless of what happens. But I am still expecting a mess at 1700 on saturday. I am hoping that the trains are running.

I'd assume the Clare End terrace would be the natural stomping ground for Mayo as the majority will be coming down the N18. The City End for Kerry lads coming up from the South, assuming they won't pay to go through the tunnel.

I was guessing the same thing and bought tickets for the Clare End Terrace. Planning on staying the night now.

[Sidney]

Do you understand that I am arguing for Croke Park to be used for Gaa? Is it that difficult to see?

Laois v Dublin 2003 was in Croke Park. God, imagine if the Dubs were booted out to the sticks, how you would react if you are upset over a terrace being closed in 2003.

The point is, Dublin supporters did not moan over the Hill being closed, despite it arguably contributing to our loss that day (that wasn't a very good Dublin team and they needed all the help they could get). And we didn't moan in 1983 when were brought down to Cork, or 2001 to Thurles, or when the hurlers were brought to Thurles to play Tipp.

We'd be delighted to get a game "in the sticks", as you call it.

And you are the one bitching and moaning. We are the ones who are actually affected and you have taken it upon yourself to whinge and argue the toss about something that has nothing to do with you and that you clearly know nothing about. 'Clare to Thurles is comparable with Mayo to Limerick'. 

I haven't bitched and moaned at all. I've merely made fun of your bitching and moaning, and boy have you provided the ammunition.

Yes, the utter hardship of being brought to a venue nearer to you than Croke Park. My heart bleeds for you, it really does.

Again, look at the map and do out the distances if don't think people from many parts of Clare have a comparable distance to travel to Thurles to people from many parts of Mayo going to Limerick. You'd think it was on their doorstep, the way you go on. Oh but it's in the same province, so it must be only a few miles down the road.

[muppet]

Do you understand that I am arguing for Croke Park to be used for Gaa? Is it that difficult to see?

Laois v Dublin 2003 was in Croke Park. God, imagine if the Dubs were booted out to the sticks, how you would react if you are upset over a terrace being closed in 2003.

The point is, Dublin supporters did not moan over the Hill being closed, despite it arguably contributing to our loss that day (that wasn't a very good Dublin team and they needed all the help they could get). And we didn't moan in 1983 when were brought down to Cork, or 2001 to Thurles, or when the hurlers were brought to Thurles to play Tipp.

We'd be delighted to get a game "in the sticks", as you call it.

And you are the one bitching and moaning. We are the ones who are actually affected and you have taken it upon yourself to whinge and argue the toss about something that has nothing to do with you and that you clearly know nothing about. 'Clare to Thurles is comparable with Mayo to Limerick'. 

I haven't bitched and moaned at all. I've merely made fun of your bitching and moaning, and boy have you provided the ammunition.

Yes, the utter hardship of being brought to a venue nearer to you than Croke Park. My heart bleeds for you, it really does.

Again, look at the map and do out the distances if don't think people from many parts of Clare have a comparable distance to travel to Thurles to people from many parts of Mayo going to Limerick. You'd think it was on their doorstep, the way you go on. Oh but it's in the same province, so it must be only a few miles down the road.

Yes you picked Kilkee. I'll pick Blacksod, which is 259kms from Limerick. Mayo's furthers is miles further than Clare's furthest, and that takes the motorway for almost half of its 168km, obviously to dave time.

Also the route on Google Maps from Belmullet to Limerick has a left turn for Caherlistrane before Headford. This is the L2704 followed by the R333. Some roads there boy, but then your local knowledge would know to avoid crap roads like that. That explains the difference in our distances. Most people travelling via Ballinrobe will go through Headford and stay on the N84.

N84 v L2074 doesn't sound like much of a choice does it?

But all along you conveniently miss the point. It is about time not distance. It is also about familiarity. Like the Dubs getting lost with an unfamiliar venue in Thurles (153kms), Mayo have no experience as supporters or players with the logistics of Limerick at 5pm on a Saturday. Kerry may not have much experience but they have more than us. Both teams have plenty of experience in Croke Park.

[Main Street]

It was proposed way back in February that should there be a replay in this semi final then it would be at a venue to be announced. These fixtures are decided by elected representatives from the 4 provinces. it's late in the day to moan about men in suits shafting the tradition for the lure of wealth.
The alternative the other day, was to take a chance that Dublin and Donegal would not draw their game, or have 2 replays on the same day at CP.  I'd have offered that option to all semi finalists to agree upon.
I am only a casual observer of  American Football but I would 100% support the collective decision of the GAA to have this magnificent event in August (remember bailing out Kildare  and financing Dublin's coaching etc does not come cheap).
Maybe the fixture calendar can be arranged differently in future.
The last big championship game outside CP I remember was the Dublin v Kerry classic in Thurles and memories from that game still live large in most anybody who watched it on tv,  never mind those who witnessed it live or tried to amidst the gridlocked  holiday traffic chaos in bogland.

[Hardy]

But lookit.

[muppet]

It was proposed way back in February that should there be a replay in this semi final then it would be at a venue to be announced. These fixtures are decided by elected representatives from the 4 provinces. it's late in the day to moan about men in suits shafting the tradition for the lure of wealth.
The alternative the other day, was to take a chance that Dublin and Donegal would not draw their game, or have 2 replays on the same day at CP.  I'd have offered that option to all semi finalists to agree upon.
I am only a casual observer of  American Football but I would 100% support the collective decision of the GAA to have this magnificent event in August (remember bailing out Kildare  and financing Dublin's coaching etc does not come cheap).
Maybe the fixture calendar can be arranged differently in future.
The last big championship game outside CP I remember was the Dublin v Kerry classic in Thurles and memories from that game still live large in most anybody who watched it on tv,  never mind those who witnessed it live or tried to amidst the gridlocked  holiday traffic chaos in bogland.

What manager or County Board will make themselves a hostage to fortune by giving out about semi-final replay arrangements in advance?

Do you not know that everyone 'takes it just one game at a time'?   

[Put Up That Flag]

What in God's name are you talking about? You seem to be totally bluffing at this stage. I've never got caught in traffic in any of those towns on a match-day and I just might have a bit more local knowledge on this one that you do.

Ballagh only seriously bottlenecks on Fridays after Nathys (the secondary school) closes on week-days or if you're a fecking truck driver and get jack-knifed turning for the Castlebar road in the middle of town. Not much else causes a problem. Mart days are the only thing that does it in Castlerea and those are never on Sundays or even Saturdays. There was work on a problem bridge between Castlerea and Ballymoe for a good stetch last year meaning there was only one lane of traffic on a section of that road for a while but I hope you're not marking that a bottleneck comparable to what will happen on Saturday.

Match-days doesn't make any of those towns major bottlenecks.

If you want to talk about bluffing, let me refer you to your post where you didn't even know that Gort had been bypassed.

You don't seem to know that the Roscommon supporters were coming from the other side of Gort that day. Even from the other side the slip road onto the motorway is a known bottleneck. I can't wait to see what'll happen on a match-day.

How would you know? Firstly Mayo weren't playing so you wouldnt have been at it anyways probably and secondly you were probably in your baby seat in the back playing with your rattler in 2006.

[seafoid]

But lookit.

as such

[5 Sams]

But lookit.

as such

in fairness

[seafoid]

But lookit.

as such

in fairness

like

[joemamas]

But lookit.

as such

in fairness

like

Perhaps

[Owenmoresider]

But lookit.

as such

in fairness

like

Perhaps

y'know

[screenexile]

But lookit.

as such

in fairness

like

Perhaps

y'know

alluded to