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Jesus you'd think it's the least United could do for staff that are only on small money given the millions they spend every week on wages for gobshites who cant even be bother to break sweat.

I honestly would love a rule passed somehow somewhere that sellers cannot cross county lines.

Newry Shamrocks, Burren, Mayobridge etc are fundraising, and I'm happy to support it. But a club from e.g Derry? What in holy f**k are they doing taking GAA money out of Down?

If you arrive at my door the first thing I'll ask is "do you pay your senior manager?"
And if the answer is yes, then you can f**k right off


If you've money for that, then you've got your priorities all wrong.

Do managers in any clubs get their filled envelopes from club funds? Maybe they do, I'm not sure, but the ones I know of are all paid by benefactors (allegedly of course)

Sure then the benefactors could give the alleged 20k or whatever it is to the club to put towards facilities or whatever else rather than lining an outsiders pockets.

I'm with you there 100%. I'd say most though are already sponsoring or donating to the club as well right enough

Yeah. Don't want to go too off topic but some of the rumoured figures are madness. Could it through it if it was an exceptional manager brought in to maybe get that extra few % out of a talented team thats close to winning something but most clubs would be better off focusing on their youth teams and long term club development.

I honestly would love a rule passed somehow somewhere that sellers cannot cross county lines.

Newry Shamrocks, Burren, Mayobridge etc are fundraising, and I'm happy to support it. But a club from e.g Derry? What in holy f**k are they doing taking GAA money out of Down?

If you arrive at my door the first thing I'll ask is "do you pay your senior manager?"
And if the answer is yes, then you can f**k right off


If you've money for that, then you've got your priorities all wrong.

Do managers in any clubs get their filled envelopes from club funds? Maybe they do, I'm not sure, but the ones I know of are all paid by benefactors (allegedly of course)

Sure then the benefactors could give the alleged 20k or whatever it is to the club to put towards facilities or whatever else rather than lining an outsiders pockets.

Said it before I remember after the Monaghan defeat in 2021 being disappointed obviously because we'd lost but not overly so given the performance and the fact that we gave away 4 silly goals and were still only beaten at the death. Compare that to Croker last year where we played like cowards as though an over the hill Monaghan team were peak Dublin.

If we play cowardly football again we'll most likely lose anyway, so we may as well have a proper cut at it.

I have this bad feeling in my stomach that this is going to be packed defenses and 15 men behind the ball with cross field passing until we're gonna pull our own hairs out. If this happens Armagh can do one, if i've to go back up that road again losing another close game thru defensive football I swear to f**k i'll crack. If we're gonna lose i'd rather have a go at them and play an entertaining  and enjoyable game of football. Take the shackles off and have a rattle at them!.

100%.

Armagh team named be interesting to see if Geezer drops out one of the forwards for Jarly Og or Conor O'Neill if that is the case we can expect a slugfest like Monaghan last year and not the front foot football we suit best in my opinion. 

If the team named starts has a decent balance with McCabe dropping back as a plus one i would suspect. Rian in middle capable of scores plus 5 natural forwards up front and Mackin,Forker and McGrane have been doing their bit to help with the scoring burden.   

I'd have O'Neill in before Turbo in that team even though he is a defender I'd say he'll score more, he was excellent vs Donegal in Armagh in the league.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2024/0508/1448043-mcguinness-looms-but-time-for-armagh-to-deliver/

Another "it's their time", "greater need" analysis.

Which I think is fair enough, but it's pressure.

Reminds me of Derry in 1993, when Tohill ploughed through the muck and the Donegal backs to drag them to the title and AI shot they felt they'd fail to grab the previous year, which is why I am a little worried about men like Rian O'Neill being particularly driven!

Hopefully Rian will finally live up to his ability and get us over the line in a big game.

 Armaghs need is probably greater than Donegals, I'd put money on Donegal being in the final again next year regardless whereas we could struggle next year if we've another failure this time. How much that "greater need" will matter I'm not sure.

Listening to GAA social and McConville loving getting the digs in at Mayo management. He was turned down to be involved with Mayo couple of years back.

For an IC manager McConville does a lot of media work. Wicklow must not be paying much.

I'd say he isn't driving down the road for the good of his health for all that!

Could be a  last shot at ulster for alot of Armagh players like Grugan, Campbell, Murnin, Forker who have given great service to Armagh for 10 plus years.  There is not alot between the sides, though Donegal will have the edge on the sideline and have came through the tougher side of the draw. 

My main hope is that Armagh play on the front foot, but the likelyhood is that it will be low scoring and a lot of possession based football. 

This game would have been earmarked as season defining by most supporters back when the Ulster championship draw was made last Autumn. You could also say that it could well define the Geezer era. The only surprise is that it is Donegal and not Derry whom we face. It does feel like now or never for a lot of those players but then you could have said the same last season and yet we have arrived back in another final with a good chance of winning.

I really hope we don't fall into the trap of engaging in the slugfest that many seem to be predicting, it doesn't really suit the type of player we have. If it is reduced to a hand passing, possession style game then I think Donegal have better players than us at this type of game. However we have the better kick passers and are more suited to that fast, physical game. We need to play to the strengths of our best players like Rian, Grugan and Murnin and not rely on running the ball endlessly up the pitch. We also have a lot of firepower to introduce from the bench in the last 20 minutes which could be crucial.     

Era defining for sure. I'd say defeat Sunday would mean anything short of an All Ireland final this year and it's curtains.

But they've done nothing in recent years to show they have the nerve to win a big game - I think they are just short a few players and need to focus on the football and not the physical antics they often get themselves involved in. If they focus on playing their own game and I think they'll do better than trying to out-tactic Donegal.

What physical antics? Have they been giving away more frees than the opposition? Have they had more cards?

Ok it may be a subjective view, but Armagh seem to overly focus on trying to out-muscle other teams. Often resulting in cards, sometimes resulting in spendings off. Example is last year's ulster final - it was a game Armagh could have won (especially given the circumstances around Derry), game almost over and Rian O'Neill made a bee line for McGuigan and took him down at shoulder height conceding a free which ultimately cost Armagh the game. No reckless physical tackle, Armagh win.
Armagh have been involved in a number of incidents over recent years with melee's and multiple sendings off.
Rian is close to being a liability in my view - undoubtedly very talented, but he's just as likely to get himself sent off in the first 10 minutes as he is to putting in a match winning performance imo.

That's what I mean by physical antics.
I've not issue with teams playing an aggressive game, but Armagh seem to step over the line more often than others. In my opinion, reigning that part of the game in a little and focusing more on footballing side of it will be of more benefit to Armagh.

you havent watched much of armagh this year. Thankfully we look to have left a lot of that nonsense behind.
How often has Rian been sent off in the first ten minutes by the way?

What was the last bit of shite we were involved in? Galway 2022?

May send the Turkey again.

[Who's the other one?]

Joselu is something else though. Doesn't matter if it's the Bernabeu or Stoke on a wet windy night, the man delivers!!!

More like he couldn't do it on a wet windy night in Stoke. Crazy that 2 failed former Stoke strikers were leading the line at the end of a Champions League Semi Final.

Who's the other one?

Always great to see stories like this. Only got his first Spain cap last year too at 32. Unbelievable night for him and his family.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting

Thanks. They just missed each other at Stoke too I see. Very similar strike rate as well.

seen something the other day that a member of that Stoke 15/16 squad has played in CL semi finals something like 12 of the last 20 years.

I don't know. I just have visions of Rian O'Neill giving a Tohillesque tour de force, driving Armagh on to win through sheer force of will.

Pundits leaning Armagh from what I've heard so far. "It's their time!" seems to be the consensus.

O'Neill will do well to see out the game!

on what basis?

He's a hothead...could have went 3 times with close fist tackles / hits along the Gerry Arthur side last year.

he looks to have settled some this year, albeit he hasnt played an awful lot. I hope he has as we wont win without him

Think he's definitely learned to play on the edge not over it. Absolutely we need him in top form to have any hope

I don't know. I just have visions of Rian O'Neill giving a Tohillesque tour de force, driving Armagh on to win through sheer force of will.

Pundits leaning Armagh from what I've heard so far. "It's their time!" seems to be the consensus.

O'Neill will do well to see out the game!

on what basis?

He didn't bury Shane McGuigan for biting him last year so I'm sure the Donegal boys won't be able to goad him into anything.

Well, truthsayer, you say the satanism is just young ones dressing up and having a but if craic, but it is more than that in Bambi Thug's case. She literally self-identifies as a witch.

Some lads here love to think they are awfully progressive and trigger happy smearing other people as narrow minded bigots. Whatever makes you feel good about yourselves. Personally, I think a grown adult actually believing herself to be a witch and running about in plastic horns, chrome nails and covered in body paint looks absolutely f**king ridiculous.

I saw some of the clips of "celebs" arriving at the met gala the other day in the most ridiculous outfits you could imagine. One was a woman wearing a dress that she was wrapped so tight in that she literally couldn't walk into the venue and had to be lifted and carried, upright, by her minders. I thought she looked f**king ridiculous but I suppose she's just really progressive and I'm a closed minded bigot.

Ever watch the hunger games?