Messages

Not at all, I would say the league for all its faults will be pretty indicative of Championship for the winners, however not so sure on relegation

It's clear to see how the season will pan out at the top, the bottom not so clear

Heard it all before CK, sit back and watch the masters in action

And now your opinion is?

I'd absolutely no opinion on Cargin until I joined this forum.

I find the Cargin contingent on here extremely arrogant and dismissive, bordering on rude, about other clubs.

I know a few Cargin folk away from here and get on with them fine. I've no ties to any men's football club in Antrim so I've no rivalry with Cargin so me wanting someone else to win in Antrim is based purely on the attitudes coming from these forums.

Cargin won't win it this year, the Ulster select will. They are stacked with county men and that's before you even look at their Lavey/Derry, Armagh and Tyrone contingents. PG1 will also come good when it counts I expect. Creggan have fallen too far and there's nothing in Belfast anymore of note.

And now your opinion is?

I'd absolutely no opinion on Cargin until I joined this forum.

Is that not what GaelFast was supposed to be doing

The main problem is that we don't have the right development systems in place to build a top-level county team. As someone mentioned earlier, our underage teams lose heavily year after year. At senior level, managers change regularly and the squad is often reshuffled. New players are brought in to suit a certain style, but they haven't had the years of physical and tactical training their opponents have, even if they're the same age.

Reaching this level takes long-term commitment and a lifestyle to match. But we're asking lads to jump from club to county and hit that standard in a season or two, while others have been on that path since they were kids.

This isn't about blaming any manager or player, they're all working hard. The issue is that we don't have the right structures or long-term planning to properly prepare our athletes to compete at the highest level. Until that changes, nothing else will.

For one the keeper is not up to it, nice chap Mick by all accounts but not an intercounty keeper, would be better with McNabb in

Saw some lagers when on holiday which were 16%, Christ almighty who could drink that stuff?

I believe Carlsberg Special Brew now at 7.5% instead of the 9% when I were a lad. I can't recall the last time I've seen a can of it in the wild.

That was wonderful stuff.

Cheers MR2,

Yeah the disaster at Christmas was with my old friend Brandy, much like you I usually do not touch anything over 4% beer these days

The holiday was an eye opener for me, no hangovers and such better time with the young ones


Hi all,

Just checking in on this, have been working hard on trying to keep on the right side of drink, I have to admit I messed up pretty badly just after Christmas at a party, it actually scared me a bit..........since then I have been keeping it pretty straight, took the family away for an Easter break to Spain an all inclusive job and actually managed to enjoy a few beers each day without getting piss*d up, the breaks with 0% beers really helped. Also managed to get through the bank holiday weekend of good weather with only having a couple..........it's not easy but by God it makes home life a lot better, suppose what I am saying anyone struggling or thinking of cutting down it really is worth it
[/quote]

Good stuff!! Are there certain trigger drinks? Certain spirits, wines or beers that take you past that point?

Been drinking the lite beers more nowadays, home from work on a Friday few lite beers while making dinner and 2 or 3 glasses of red winds down the week!

I'd two things that weekend I could've done, one was a stag in Portugal, would have been bonkers, glad I didn't, the other was Donegal, good, not as messy but well over the recommended limits, so did neither and the weekend and body was better for it..

Alcohol is dangerous though and I'd love to reduce it further, do the month a year and no drinking (unless holidays or a party) during the week, which helps..
[/quote]

Hi all,

Just checking in on this, have been working hard on trying to keep on the right side of drink, I have to admit I messed up pretty badly just after Christmas at a party, it actually scared me a bit..........since then I have been keeping it pretty straight, took the family away for an Easter break to Spain an all inclusive job and actually managed to enjoy a few beers each day without getting piss*d up, the breaks with 0% beers really helped. Also managed to get through the bank holiday weekend of good weather with only having a couple..........it's not easy but by God it makes home life a lot better, suppose what I am saying anyone struggling or thinking of cutting down it really is worth it

Had a look at this, need one which could do a bigger area as need .7 acre

Seen a queue outside my local Lidl the other morning at 7:30. Checked their website to see what the star item was in the middle isle this week & it seems to be their robot mower for £179
I came across this thread where someone did a fairly in depth reviewboards.ie Lidl mower review

Thinking of buying a robot mower as I am fed up with the ride on and frankly I am getting too old to continue mowing the lawn

Has anyone experience of the robots? Worth the money?

Isle of Mann does have a better pitch that some of the ones in Antrim, albeit it is shared with a Rugby club

Westmeath away
Limerick home
London neutral venue

Not the worst draw for TC group stages.

Where will the neutral venue for London be.... The Isle of Man??

This is going to hurt, however. FOR ME THIS IS SPOT ON 

Kids are not engrossed in the sport any more, plus access to pitches is a big one, when I was growing up we were encouraged to be down the pitch every day and to play with no structure, however now a lot of clubs put the facilities over children and you will get someone in chasing them off a pitch as it needs to be looked after..............no pint having a pristine pitch with no one to play on it

How many kids, in Belfast do you see with hurl and sliotar in hand, smacking against gable walls or heading to the park for a knockabout or with a ball kicking to each other?

I'd no garden but the hurl wasn't outta my hand growing up, street hurling or gable walls was the way, there is absolutely no Gaelfast, no go games and most kids didn't hurl or play football till last year in primary school or p6 at earliest

The problem isn't necessarily coaching, as clubs looked after the kids better, they picked them up at the house they brought them to the games they arranged to get people to senior games to watch and brought ya to Croker for provincial finals and provided the sandwiches and drinks for the day.

Life was easier then and we still were able be a force of sorts, the Johnnies and ourselves got to Ulster finals at club level during the 70's and 80's so players were about.

Kids were always at the pitches during the week and all days at the weekends..

Clubs need to breed a culture of GAA life into them, and Belfast hasn't or is losing that culture..

I'm not sure if kids now lift a hurl until the next game or training session or kick a ball.

You can coach them with Cody or Mickey Harte, if they ain't doing their own stuff then forget about it...

I'm probably like most of my post's talking out my arse, but I don't see passion too much nowadays

Have you ever been to the swamp

Maybe on your old pitch there'd have been bother with rain but Loughbeg should be grand Youngsaff 

  ,Very good TTM , Our lads game against St Endas goig ahead as normal Glengormley should be well fit for it !

Fair enough on all the points you raise, however it is foolish to believe we are only loosing or have lost refs in this county due to abuse, I know for a fact the two I mentioned above stepped away beacuse of how they were being treated by the administrators and not fans/players, they have cited favouritism towards refs in the clique (I get it you deny there is one) when it comes to the bigger games

That's not down to cliques though, we haven't that many referee's interested in doing it, I was out mentoring a ref at the weekend before my game and I hope he'll stay at it, he seemed to enjoy it and as an good ex player its the type of players/supporters want, but, If I'm doing 4 games a week, that'll show ya how difficult or maybe limited we are as a county, and you can throw money at it all ya want it won't keep them if they are getting abuse in any shape or form.

As for ref's abilities, everyone has a ref they prefer, when I get to see us play I'm pretty neutral on it, before  being a ref when managing teams there were certain refs that I would have liked doing our games and others that I'd prefer not too. Them's the breaks