What is there to chose from? THe contenders would be high fielding, tackling or blocking, kicking off the ground.full spead solo running,kicking outside of the boot.
Mine would be the solo dummy.
Read on another thread where Peter Canavan was suggested as the greatest ever footballer.
Maybe true, but if he is how many of the skills was he the 'best' at???
Terrifically brave, very accurate, & good at running with the ball. How good was/is he at high fielding, tackling, blocking..
There must be a better all rounder??
Before you all start attacking me, I'm a big admierer of Peter's talents. He's been a pleasure to watch at both county & club.
flick lift off the ground with the ball running away from you at speed.....
QuoteTHe contenders would be high fielding, tackling or blocking, kicking off the ground.full spead solo running,kicking outside of the boot.
Maurice Fitz had them all + others....(maybe a bit weak on the tackle).....I cant think of anyone else who has the same range of skills.
My favourite for the record..... there's nothing to beat seeing someone field the ball above two or three others in the wee box.
Your right ballyhaise - for technical difficulty the stab lift with ball running away at full speed without breaking stride is imo the most difficult skill in football
Quote from: BallyhaiseMan on December 13, 2006, 02:52:08 PM
flick lift off the ground with the ball running away from you at speed.....
showy without contributing an awful lot - doesn't work on numerous occasions (at least with me), thus making the player look like a total idiot.
The solo dummy gets my vote - frees up space and more often than not creates a scoring opportunity.
being a defender
i think the block has to be up there
theres nothing to lift a team better
after all it alone got conor gormley an all-star
conor has since went on to prove he rightfully deserves to be up there with the best!
No doubt its a showy skill...but when it comes off it looks outstanding....
It gets my vote also because so few players can do pull it off consistently.
what skill? if your big and fit then thats all you need in football :D
The solo dummy without a doubt. The ability to fool another top-level player that you are about the kick the ball only to solo & turn him has to be the most difficult. Frank McGuigan was the first player I ever saw doing it and he turned defenses inside out until they looked foolish. Canavan couldn't carry it off quite as well as the king but was one of the best exponents of it nonetheless.
can u do it ballyhaise man?
id say ive tried it about 10 times in training and it came off about 3 times...havent tried it in a match so far...as the bollocking from fellow Players , management in training is bad enough in training, cant imagine what it would be like if i fucked it up in a game :D :D :D
Its one for only the most skilled players to try in my opinion Cavan4ever.
yep ballyhaise man if it works in a game everyone thinks it's great but it doesn't all u hear is "what is that silly bolllox at" or worse :L:L
It's the high catch for me. In my experience, though, foreigners seeing the game for the first time are impressed by the high-speed solo run more than anything else.
The dummy solo reminds me of another type of dummy I've only ever seen one player perform and he did it a lot and very effectively. John Timmins used to play as a midfielder and sometimes a forward for Dublin. The Hill is Blue will remember him (his kids would have been contemporaries of Timmins :)). For a huge mountain of a man with massive shoulders and no neck, he was a very knacky player. He had this trick where he'd shape to kick the ball, but instead of dropping it on his toe and soloing it, as in the dummy solo, he'd follow through with the full swing for the kick, but drop the ball on the ground outside the foot and catch the hop. The would-be blocker was always out of the game when he did it - it was even more effective than the dummy solo presumably because the full swing, as if he was kicking it, fooled the tackler for longer than the dummy solo, where it's apparent sooner (OK, infinitesimally sooner) that it's not a real kick.
Quote from: The Claw on December 13, 2006, 02:39:19 PM
Greatest skill in football
Being able to give your man a belt without being spotted by the umpires, linesmen or ref..
Quote from: blanketattack on December 13, 2006, 03:49:37 PM
Quote from: The Claw on December 13, 2006, 02:39:19 PM
Greatest skill in football
Being able to give your man a belt without being spotted by the umpires, linesmen or ref..
thats easy, the mickey sheedy chip is the one, or the Maurice Fitz. C Mcdonald pt with the outside of the boot from the sideline
I probably say this because it's something I am utterly hopeless at, but in terms of both effectiveness and impressiveness, it has to be high fielding for me. Spectacular stuff, and really lifts a team as well.
Séan Cavanagh's diving block, which the all Ireland for Tyrone
Maurice Fitz scoring a free from the 14 yrd line with his left foot off the ground was one of the best pieces of skill I ever saw.
Goocg has amazing skill, the things he can do with his hands are amazing.
C McD though has mastered the kick pass.
QuoteSéan Cavanagh's diving block, which the all Ireland for Tyrone
It was Conor Gormley's
Anyway it's the Frank McGuigan dummy for me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m07it4_evog - not 1, not 2, not 3 but he does it 4 times - all leading to points for him
I told you here before, physically Michael Donnellan had it all. Catching, pace, scoring (off either foot), game reading, passing (foot / hand), blocking etc. Be hard to beat all of that.
Quote from: The Claw on December 13, 2006, 02:39:19 PM
What is there to chose from? THe contenders would be high fielding, tackling or blocking, kicking off the ground.full spead solo running,kicking outside of the boot.
Mine would be the solo dummy.
Fair to say that Michael Donnellan is excellent at everyone of these skills on the list, performing them with consistency.
Greatest skill
mastery of the kick (passing or scoring)
is above the other skills of
breaking ball collection
vision
dummy
solo run
high fielding
hand passing
penalty saving
blocking
free scoring (off the ground)
intelligence/confidence
creating space
etc
IMO
It has to be the kick pass, If you have a good distributor of the ball in your team playing aound the centre half back position this will be formidable for any oponent. I would add that Maurice fizt is the best all rounder i have seen in my career. Mickey Linden and Canavan would also be well worth a shout. The pass always seems to fade into the back ground when we talk about games. It is always the block the catch or the score that dominates but behind most good scores there is a good pass. But i can see how there would be such a dicverse range of opinions
To be its a basic one but the ability to be able to kick and solo with either foot on an equal basis is a valuable tool and a great skill to have, especially if you're a forward as you won't then be inclined to be so one sided that you are predictable to your marker.
1 Man... Tohill!
The high field is the one that does if for me. Last year's collapse by Down in a soakin Healy Park was illuminated by Benny's catch. Even out and out Tyrone men beside us said they had never seen one like it. Apart from the goal he didn't do much else that day.The only other highlight was Colgan's goal to win the minor game, after the boy who had spent the whole of the Mc Rory final sledging Joe Ireland had given away the free and got himself sent off. Revenge is a dish best served cold!!
Quote from: The Claw on December 13, 2006, 04:24:27 PM
Maurice Fitz scoring a free from the 14 yrd line with his left foot off the ground was one of the best pieces of skill I ever saw.
What?? Where was it taken from?
Anyway seems like this thread has turned into a greatest score thread - go away and start your own - don't be hijacking this one :o
For me when a person catches the ball way above a few others..i have a clubman who has some 'hangtime'..its a great skill..also ya can't beat the flick pick up!Maurice fitz scored a corker from under the hogan stand with his left foot..his 'weaker' one..god gift talent man
Being able to solo/pass/score with either foot, makes a player invaluable to a team and very hard to shadow/block.
You can't win without scoring so I'd say the ability to kick points from distance and tight angles.
The Ja Fallon jink had a fair few victims over the years
On the ref's blind side, a well executed dive close to the 21. A roll is not necessary but adds to the overall splendour of the manoeuvre. Holding your head/ankle/groin/arse is a 3rd step only managed by the greats. A booking for the defender is a 4th element achieved by masters of the game. A sending-off is utopia and have only seen the 4-step 'dive-roll-groin-red' managed the once in Dunmore, Galway.
Apart from the above you have to distinguish between greatest skill and hardest skill. Hardest is accuracy with wrong foot when pressurised to do so. The ambidextrous footballer is a marvel, especially when it is simply down to the hard work of the player and not a natural talent.
Great stuff O'Neill. I marvel at your ability to mix the hilariously funny with the serious; all in the one thread. Keep it up!
Whatever about greatest skill, definitely the most unique is kicking a free off the ground with your weaker foot. It's the epitomy of two-footedness.
If you made a list of players who have kicked a free with their weaker foot in an All-Ireland final (off the ground or otherwise), how many would you have?
I can't think of anyone else besides Maurice Fitzgerald.
Quote from: blanketattack on December 14, 2006, 10:08:03 AM
Whatever about greatest skill, definitely the most unique is kicking a free off the ground with your weaker foot. It's the epitomy of two-footedness.
This is not difficult at all - i did and have done this in the past (in training only) and I can assure you I was no Maurice Fitz (in fairness I never had to do in a pressure situation).
Taking a score consistantly is most important skill in football. Almost every team that has won the AI has had at least one truly outstanding point getter. Joe Brolly, Peter Canavan, Gooch, Mickey Linden, Joyce etc etc. IMO, the lack of such a player has cost Mayo the AI on a number of occassions. Players with this skill are like gold dust and when passion, fitness, hunger etc are level in a match it is the quality of the forwards scoring that is usually the difference at the end.
lads its not a thread on the most important skill its the best skill. high fielding, kick passing should be good quality anyway but a dummy solo when the man does the big dive is pure class. then steady up and peg over, class.
another little dummy is when you slow up as if you pretend to cut back then accelarate with a little dink solo. it looks easy when matt connor used to do it but it probably was for the great man. ive tried it enough of times and it keeps effin me up.
in terms of defence.the dive block is hard but its more about bravery when you throw yourself on a mans boot. it is more of a skill to get a little flick in and totally rob the man.
Quote from: Bogball XV on December 14, 2006, 11:43:19 AM
Quote from: blanketattack on December 14, 2006, 10:08:03 AM
Whatever about greatest skill, definitely the most unique is kicking a free off the ground with your weaker foot. It's the epitomy of two-footedness.
This is not difficult at all - i did and have done this in the past (in training only) and I can assure you I was no Maurice Fitz (in fairness I never had to do in a pressure situation).
That's my point - being able to kick a free with your weaker foot in a high pressure situation is a great skill to have. We can all do it in training. Try doing it in an All-Ireland final.
Remember James Masters' missed free way over on the left hand side which he took with his left foot in the Munster Final. It would have been relatively easy to score with his right foot.
Quote from: Bogball XV on December 13, 2006, 09:48:55 PM
Quote from: The Claw on December 13, 2006, 04:24:27 PM
Maurice Fitz scoring a free from the 14 yrd line with his left foot off the ground was one of the best pieces of skill I ever saw.
What?? Where was it taken from?
Anyway seems like this thread has turned into a greatest score thread - go away and start your own - don't be hijacking this one :o
Good man, yeah, I started this thread.
Anyway I was just giving an example of one of the best bits of skill I had ever seen, the fact that it was his week foot, to put that much curl on it. Unreal.
I find the most enjoyable skill the high catch, I lament the sideline ball off the ground being eroded from our game. I prefer to watch left footed free takers. I find a one handed catch with your weak hand almost impossible to do.
For me it would have to be........free is awarded, ref suggests last kick of the game, you have to score a point to draw or win the match by 1!!!! The player who takes that free kick and scores has the greatest skill......accuracy (under extreme pressure) ;)
Unfortunately flirty that normally happens against us by yourselves, bucked the trennd in the last league game somewhat ;)
Quote from: The Claw on December 14, 2006, 12:49:52 PM
Quote from: Bogball XV on December 13, 2006, 09:48:55 PM
Quote from: The Claw on December 13, 2006, 04:24:27 PM
Maurice Fitz scoring a free from the 14 yrd line with his left foot off the ground was one of the best pieces of skill I ever saw.
What?? Where was it taken from?
Anyway seems like this thread has turned into a greatest score thread - go away and start your own - don't be hijacking this one :o
Good man, yeah, I started this thread.
Anyway I was just giving an example of one of the best bits of skill I had ever seen, the fact that it was his week foot, to put that much curl on it. Unreal.
22 seconds into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHOF9g7qUQ8
QuoteMaurice Fitz scoring a free from the 14 yrd line with his left foot off the ground was one of the best pieces of skill I ever saw.
Aged 15 in PE we weren't allowed to get changed until we had kicked a point off the ground from 14 yards with our wrong foot. We got changed eventually. :-\
Quote from: blanketattack on December 14, 2006, 04:00:30 PM
Quote from: The Claw on December 14, 2006, 12:49:52 PM
Quote from: Bogball XV on December 13, 2006, 09:48:55 PM
Quote from: The Claw on December 13, 2006, 04:24:27 PM
Maurice Fitz scoring a free from the 14 yrd line with his left foot off the ground was one of the best pieces of skill I ever saw.
What?? Where was it taken from?
Anyway seems like this thread has turned into a greatest score thread - go away and start your own - don't be hijacking this one :o
Good man, yeah, I started this thread.
Anyway I was just giving an example of one of the best bits of skill I had ever seen, the fact that it was his week foot, to put that much curl on it. Unreal.
22 seconds into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHOF9g7qUQ8
THanks blanket attack, made my day seeing it again.