Messages

any update on what marty clarke's plans are?

[The British Queen is above politics]

Disgraceful? Unlike this political event on GAA property?

Nice try, but that was a diplomatic event, not a political one. The British Queen is above politics as is the Irish President.

Why then must the POLITICAL leader of the UK ask permission to dissolve Parliament? Ask permission to start a new Parliament? Have all new laws signed off by her???

[If you supported the political event in Croke Park then as far as I'm concerned, you forfeit the right to complain about other political events on GAA property.]

Well that's what it boils down to. A lot of people are staunchly opposed too GAA property being used for political events but apparently that only applies to a certain strand of politics. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. What makes it OK to oppose small local political events on rural GAA grounds which might offend unionists, but OK to support a political event like that much publicised visit, which offended many nationalists/republicans? If you supported the political event in Croke Park then as far as I'm concerned, you forfeit the right to complain about other political events on GAA property.

Couldn't agree more with that statement in bold

Cowardly reply from you mayo but the fact remains. If you oppose political events at GAA grounds then you can't pick and choose, if you think Irish Republican events such as SF commemorations are unacceptable on GAA property but the visit to Croke Park above is fine, you are being a complete hypocrite.

I disagree - neither the queen nor Mary McAleese represent a political party and they were not invited there by a political party.  The visit was at the invitation of the GAA to heads of state. 
Sinn Fein, on the other hand, is a political party.

To be honest Rois that is a very, very naive statement. It was the biggest political manoeuvre in the history of the Irish Republic state since it's formation

Anyhow I am a member of the GAA and I don't remember being consulted on whether I wanted her to come or not, yet MY organisation invited her due to political influence

reminds me of one of the ballads of the 1798 rebellion where, the bold Irish rebel goes in to confess what he's about to do and the crimson clad yeoman jumps up from the Priests side of the confessional and the bould Paddy is sent to Van Demon's land

Sure the Brits used to bug the confessionals in the North

It was always our Achilles heel

[Down]

The Gaa have put a lot of resources into developing hurling in Dublin and it has bore fruit with Dublin now probably the 3rd best team in the country having won the league and gave Tipp their hardest game of the year.

A few years ago they were barely in the top 10 in the country and the underage coaching and development work over the years has paid off.

If the same resources/effort was put into a county in football with a large population base which had won nothing in a long time such as Antrim or Down could a similiar turnaround occur?

That's a bit cheeky isn't it? Down are hardly struggling that badly and they have plenty of resources!

+1 Wind your neck in ya jaffa

[I hear Dana is going to enter the race too now.]

Would have been an awful President, proper decision.

The people should have been given the chance to decide. He was leading the polls up to know. I believe him to be a decent man and I think its a shame it has come to this. I suppose it'll have to be Michael d for me now.

I don't agree, nothing decent about his canvassing for leniency for a convicted child rapist, abhorrent behaviour in fact.  If this was an example of his approach to diplomacy he would have made an awful President.

I hear Dana is going to enter the race too now.

Is that the Catholic Churches candidate?

Great input. You might want to think about taking the word 'GOD' out of your user name while you're at it.

Good grief. Is that meant to portray the UDR in a good light?!

exactly, it's depicting their trademark ''pull the f**k over til we get a shot at ya'' stance - absolute disgrace. Words fail me.

Go on MGHU either sh!t or get off the pot son

I can see how this one pans out.

We all weigh in behind Ireland against God. The free staters do a side deal with God so that they claim victory, leaving us nordies to get the shit kicked out of us. Then when we fight back, using the same tactics that were always used, we are lambasted by the free state. The free state then invite God to to Dublin and Cork, like the sun shines out of his hole.

   

yeah i would say everyone is waiting to see who all can make the game before buying and a lot will buy at the gate - wouldn't worry about that

so any ideas on line up for saturday?

Sadly, the opinions of the likes of Razor and downjim are reflective of a good percentage of the GAA world's thinking. The lack of commonsense, perspective and acceptance among some GAA fans really riles me.

Message boards should be used to critique and analyse players, decisions, and actions. But I'm always of the opinion that you need to pitch a realistic level for your happiness. And the bit I don't understand is how the mindset of the mouthy critics has become wined and dined to expect perfection - especially from a Down team.

In 25 years of watching and playing football, I've seen something approaching perfection on a rare handful of occasions. I don't expect 15 players to play well at once, because it is such a rarity. I don't expect a star forward to hit 1.07 each week... simply because he will spend a large number of those weeks being marked by a star defender.

I was the mouthiest c*nt on here during POR's tender, because Down were not just underachieving - but were getting regularly obliterated in Championship football. I didn't expect Down to win AIs then, I only expected us to to be competitive.

I'm not sure what today's mouthpieces want. We've gone around our business quietly and efficiently throughout the qualifiers, and are now in the final 12 again. Given that we're meeting the AI Champions this week, I don't expect a win. I'd love a win, but as long as we turn up and give it a good rattle, I'll be happy.

Well said Wobbler

Last 12 and AI Champions in Croker is big time stuff, fair play to all in the panel, I hope they go out and give a good account and play their best and if that isn't good enough fair enough, at least they tried and it's a lot more than what most on here have ever done or are likely to do

Can't wait to Saturday!!

A few incidental observations....

The paucity of Antrim supporters in a good-sized attendance suggests to me that gaelic football has serious problems in the massivly populated "nationalist" area of Belfast.

The constantly annoying annoucements about parked cars suggests that there was little co-operation between the GAA and local police or others to steward the area between Kennedy Way and the ground to prevent unwanted parking - surely some parking cones, signs and/or stewards on hand would have prevented this.

And the sooner they knock down the Colditz of a structure they call the stand in Casement the better - and hopefully they will decomission the bad-mannered stewards who loll about the place as well.

The Down support was boosted by new fans from East Belfast as they regard Down as the most loyal of Ulster counties

that being the case there must only be about 100 true gaels left in the whole of antrim based on the pish poor attendance by them 

[skull and crossbones]

There's a few nice UVF flags hanging off lamposts on the Shore Road and one flying from a house down near Asda too. 

I thought these were being taken down by the PSNI?

Rois don't venture anyway near New Mossley, about a dozen different flags from terrorist to butchers apron to israeli to skull and crossbones on the one roundabout (total about 40-45 flags)!

Did i miss something or was capt jack sparrow a die hard loyalist from the docks???

I heard that they've gone above Scotland in the FIFA world rankings!