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They never handed us our arses, but one or two of them tried to have our arses if you know what I mean

It was the frigging refs fault that day allowing those fairies to dive all over the pitch

Sorry, I couldn't think of any reason at all, hard to imagine it really

I was shot down by some OWC fans when I suggested that this would happen whenever the Setanta Cup was started.  It is the inevitable movement and should be good for the game in general on the island. If it happens though there will be some serious issues to look at in regards to the infrastructure outside of the games themselves.

Following on from what Heganboy started on the tax implications for GAA players under the grants scheme how can the finances of clubs in two different countries be audited under different revenue procedures.  This is a serious minefield as it stands unless there is some form of unification of the tax system.  These are businesses and therefore should be held up to the same standard.  If, for talk sake, a player can get more money after tax from a club on one side of the then surely they are getting an unfair advantage over clubs on the other side. This is a simple example I know but is a potential stumbling block, unless of course there is something going on between the two Revenue depts which will facilitate this joining of the two leagues.  If there is such an arrangement then this would also presumably be available to GAA players and therefore this might answer the question that Heganboy raised.

Therefore, this could be used as the first steps towrads having a single tax system both north and south, or at least some form of equivalency.

NIFan, I am sorry but I think this woyuld be the first baby step towards a unified team, and no matter how you try to avoid it, if you throw enough incentives before people, ie money they will eventually bite.

Actually if Liverpool win their game they will go above Man Utd on goal difference.

I was very impressed with the performance on saturday and was delighted that Kuyt scored.  If Torres had have had his scoring boots on he would have had a hat-trick and he is easily the most dynamic striker playing in The Premiership.  It bodes well and hopefully will transfer itself to the CL.

On the whole Rafa row, I am disappointed in rafa that he feels the need to play this game in the media.  This has become a trait of his that I do not like as it is best to keep things in house.  I can however see his point as he needs a top class centre half and a striker in the new year, and also needs to finalise getting Mascherano signed permanently.  If you look at it from his viewpoint it is completely understandable.  

Anyway, the game on Wednesday is crucial as it can make or break the season in some respect.  If CL qualidfication is secured then it will guarantee at least £10m.  The sale of Carson will bring in approximately £8m.  I think that Crouch will go for £10m, so that leaves him with a minimum kitty of £28m.  He would do a good bit of damage with that kind of money.

Lads, there is no doubt we are the best team of the modern era.  I am enjoying a few beers down in Cork here after watching the lads showing how great they actuall are!

As regards the lecality of the players, there are  3 that played for other clubs, JD as mentioned, John Murtagh, nephew of the manager and Stevie Clarke.  Clarkie is different as he actually started out playing for Cross but his family moved to Mullaghbawn.  He transferred back I think during minors but I cannot be a 100% sure of that. 

As regards whether they are the greatest ever in comparison to Nemo I had an argument with a journalist down here about that.  Yes, nemo have won the most AI's but they have been spread over a greater period of time and very few players would fall into the status of the Macs or Oisin in longevity.  A further point is that Nemo are streets behind in terms of local success.  They did not win the Cork Championship until the early 70's when Billy Morgan and a few others made the breakthrough.  It is all relative.  I believe that as a group of players we were the best ever single group and the current squad is building nicely on that.   

I don't know how good Cruppen are in comparison to previos winners Benny, but I would say that winning the u-21's is a good barometer of how they would fair at senior.

Fair play to them as it is a good while since they nade any shakes in Armagh.  They have a strong enough tradition and if the right people are about the club maybe they could make a breakthrough.

kentucky Blue, you know well that Callan was only a Cross player as there was no underage team in Cullaville to play on, as soon as he became senior age he transferred back.

5times I think they would be allowed to vote as recent noises from FF is that they are looking to allow the franchise for general elections to be extended to immigrants as they are resident in the country and therefore have a right to have a say in what happens(I agree with this concept).  I would, however, doubt that they would be the deciding factor in a referendum as i would suggest they have no real interest in the history of the country and as the majority of them live in th 26 they are happy enopugh with their current lot i would say.

Up north, there may be a larger turnout obviously but the numbers at this stage probably are not high enough for it to be the difference.

For what it is worth, I agree with Tony here and have repeated on numerous occasions that I believe there will be a ceremonial event on the 100 year anniversary of the Easter Rising which will be the start of the "official" handover process.  De facto it will have happened economically and logistically in the next 9 years and many of the current systems eg health, revenue, will merge in so far as they will have a common strategy.  

The DUp language is changing and it is evident to me now looking from the outside in that they realise that they will be in a better state in a united Ireland.  Once the average unionists on the street have seen this they will soon follow, but there will be some form of concessions made to them.

Answer me this DMarsden, say for talk sake that everyone felt compelled to come forward, what are they going to tell the police?

This young lad was beaten to death in a remote country farm, the only witnesses to the event would have been the perpetrators, they were probably masked, all the specualtion of the day cannot convict someone.

I feel sympathy for the family and disgust towards the thugs who did it, but calling on encouraging people to come forward is naive of the nature of events.  This is not like the McCartney case where someone was fighting in a public bar, it was deliberately kept secretive to avoid detection.

 

Posted by: DMarsden 
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Quote from: brokencrossbar1 on Today at 02:09:24 PM
In normal civilised society these hoods, criminals etc would be subject to the powers of all aspects of the criminal justice system.

In a normal situation they would be actively persued by the police, who with the assistance of witnesses etc would see the ones who commited this terrible crime, convicted and sentenced accordingly.

The unfortunate reality is there is a latent disregard among the people in pwoer in respect of South Armagh.  This has resulted in a laissez faire asttitude from the police(ie couldn't care less).  Consequently you have the scenario that people do not trust the police and therefore don't want anything to do with them.  There is still a lot of suspicion among the general public in the area about the police because of the treatment that has been handed out to innocents over the last few decades.  It is incumbent on the police to get out among the people and try to gain their trust.  Instead, they sit on their fat holes, clocking up fines and saying how wonderful they all are policing the "notorious bandit country", while in reality they are doing nothing of the sort.

Top man O'Neill very much appreciated!

Posted on: Today at 01:38:44 PMPosted by: Gaoth Dobhair Abu  
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Some criminals/hoods torment and destroy communities and peoples lives, they have no fear of the police or judicial system and in days gone by had no fear of "paramilitary" retribution (whatever form it took - kneecapping, shotting, expulsion etc) when you have people like this what do you do??

I am not condoning this event but asking a question of all of you.

In normal civilised society these hoods, criminals etc would be subject to the powers of all aspects of the criminal justice system.  For such a system to suceed you need two things, individuals within the system who are working to make it effective and the common man co-operating and respecting the system.  The latter will not be achieved whenever the former is not present.  This leads to the situation that exists in South Armagh, and is a common feature of areas world wide.

I have not been socialising in Cross very much in recent years, and if I have it has generally been in the club house, but I have had stories recounted to me from friends and family that the Square is a dangerous place to be late at night at the weekends.  There has been a general increase in anti-social behaviour and thuggery, something which had not been there for years.  The police seem unwilling to become involved and are more interested in setting up speed traps on the Cullaville Road than dealing with the real problems that are facing the area.  There has been an influx of people from outside of the town and an increased amount of foreign nationals.  Many of the foreign nationals are fine people and have blended in well, but others have brought a certain problems to the area.  

I do not agree with paramiltarianism but the control that was held on local youths for years has been lost.  This is no different to areas such as West Belfast and the Ardoyne.  The Government and SF have to work harder than they are at the minute and stop petty squabbles such as the Irish language one.  The PSNI have to take a firmer hand and stand by their commitment for equal policing.  They may have been bombed and shot at in Cross but my mother did not do it nor many other people in the area and they deserve proper protction under the law from gangs of thugs.

What happened to Paul Quinn was wrong, but would not have happened in an environment as I described earlier on and it is time for the people at the top to start seeing these issues.

passedit, Michael Hunt is married to a cousin of my mother and is a regular visitor to Cross, he and Big Joe would be friendly.

There is a High Court judge who works the Chancery Division were they are all addressed as Mater, and you've guessed it his surname is Bates.

Saffron Sam, I wrked with Ali McAllister for a few years, he and Sidebottom are good friends and he told me a few funny stories about auld Sidearse!

There is a Nigerian fella playing hurling with Watergrasshill, am not sure if he is on the senior team, but is definitely playing on their junior team.

Posted by: pintsofguinness  
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Quote from: twotwocharlie on October 08, 2007, 07:02:34 PM
by the way fair play to the cross lads for turning out yesterday as they have some big games coming up. they could easily have stayed at home and no one could fault them.

hear hear

*Chokes on coffee*

Maith thu pints and all at the Bridge.  I have to say that of all the clubs in Armagh the Bridge have the best set of volunteers of any of the clubs.  They have built the foundations of a great club set up, and I genuinely mean it when I say that I hope they have more success on the field.  I have too much respect for them and too many friends within the club to wish them anything but good luck!

Mine went last year and cost me €1200 to get second hand engine and a few other bits done to it.  Definitely take it back if you have only 25k on the belt as it really should do for around the 60k mark. 

At that speed you could have done a lot of other damage, I did it at a similar speed