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In regards to the new rules James Horan said  "I would be cursing whoever got rid of the pre-season competitions this year,"

"That is who I'd be cursing this year. Because we were talking to John Cleary on Monday. So, he can't start training until December 7th. He can't have any challenges. He has no pre-season competition. He'll have all his college guys gone in January, and then in December, after the club season, you'll have a lot of guys that have gone on holidays.

"He is going to get a couple of sessions, I'd say, of all his team playing before the national league. So, that's awful tough on an inter-county manager. If I was an inter county manager, I'd definitely be giving out to someone about something. It is too short. I think the FBD would be perfect for it this year, of all years."

Cork boss John Cleary said that the preseason competitions shouldn't have been abandoned this year: "We are organising challenges games now, we have one or two in the pipeline, I'd have preferred the McGrath Cup. It is a structured competition. There is a bit of media, referee, linesmen and umpires. It is probably not the same in a challenge game."

Sure they're "pointless" according to some on here.

Start of the county deciders this weekend:

Antrim (Cargin v Portglenone)
Donegal (St Eunan's v Dungloe)
Down (Kilcoo v Burren)

Derry & Monaghan at semi final stage this weekend.

Armagh, Cavan, Fermanagh & Tyrone finals next weekend.

Do we fancy any shocks or will most games be a formality? Glen/Slaughtneil tie of the weekend?

Sopranos > The Wire > Breaking Bad in that order.

Re-watching Breaking Bad, I don't see the need for a likeable character. It's a great watch.

With Eglish in Intermediate and with McGleenan back next year and good youth coming through there's no guarantee Coalisland would win Intermediate if they went down.

As for the relegation playoff tomorrow not surprised to hear that some referees have turned it down. If I was a referee I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Would youse not take an Armagh ref? There are a couple of Tyrone refs reffing in Armagh

Ulster Farmers' Union A5 Road Information Meeting - Friday 18th October at 10am in the Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh

Was Omagh Orange Hall booked up?

I'd be really quite unwilling to favour rule changes that increase the pressure on referees. For the fundamental reason that the culture in our game towards referees is broken. They are treated as pariahs, not arbitrators.

Tying the value of a score to a person's position on the field, significantly increases the pressure on a referee. They can "steal" or "gift" points to the competitors by being caught out in the wrong position to make a clear judgement, or worse again by glancing around to count the players in each half just before the strike.

So, in short. f**k that for a game of darts.

Agreed. Refs have it hard enough as it is.

Not too familiar with Lurgan but is there a tendency for middle class people to align more with a specific club or clubs?

Lurgan is traditionally a proud working-class town and that would be reflected in the clubs memberships. I'd say Clann Éireann attract slightly more middle-class members solely because most of the recent private housing developments in the last 20-30 years has been in north Lurgan.

I always associated Clann Eireann with Kilwilkee? Hardly middle class. Maybe got that totally wrong

Yeah their main pitch is beside Kilwilke. They share Kilwilke and rest of north Lurgan catchment area with St Peter's.

Not too familiar with Lurgan but is there a tendency for middle class people to align more with a specific club or clubs?

Lurgan is traditionally a proud working-class town and that would be reflected in the clubs memberships. I'd say Clann Éireann attract slightly more middle-class members solely because most of the recent private housing developments in the last 20-30 years has been in north Lurgan.

SF have made a mess of things no doubt but Jesus nobody really cares about safeguarding because if they did they'd also be hanging the BHF out to dry.

£10 is a fair price, though they should discount for a weekend pass or multiple games.

I think they're the biggest club in the county by membership.

They won this year's minor championship, they're in the SFC final, their second string reached the IFC semifinals, their ladies are LGFA SFC champions, their junior ladies reached the final as well. They also won the LGFA minor championship.

How does having their affairs in order and seemingly being a well run club to achieve that make them a super club like in Dublin? Are they getting on outside players, big managers etc?

They've had outside players in the past. They've had outside managers in the past. They were coached last year by an outsider, not sure if this is still the case. Some of their best players' parents wouldn't be locals either. Of course none of these are pre-requisites for super-club status (imo). They're a big club with a big catchment area and they're well run as you say.

I'd say they have had as many outside players as any other club in Ireland.

Similar to the players parents point, where again a lot of people on any team will have a parent from another area.

On their catchment area, I wouldn't call it big whatsoever, especially in comparison with other town teams. Also, their catchment area also has a club from half a mile away competing for players too.

Out of the Lurgan clubs they've always got the blow-ins transfer wise, not that there are too many that come to Lurgan to begin with.

I'd love to know what you call a big catchment area if you don't think theirs is big. Majority of all new build development in the last 30 years has happened in north Lurgan. When the Heffrons, Turbitts, McCambridges et al settled in Lurgan with a choice between St Peter's & CE, there's only ever going to be one winner.

Their catchment area isn't big when you compare it to other town teams. Think of the likes of Portadown, Dungannon, Omagh, Cookstown or Strabane who would all have the pick of their towns.

Lurgan is bigger than all those towns bar Portadown. The electoral wards that make up Lurgan amount to a population just over 30k, approx 62% of which we can allow for GAA (18k). Clann Éireann have the lion's share of this.

I think they're the biggest club in the county by membership.

They won this year's minor championship, they're in the SFC final, their second string reached the IFC semifinals, their ladies are LGFA SFC champions, their junior ladies reached the final as well. They also won the LGFA minor championship.

How does having their affairs in order and seemingly being a well run club to achieve that make them a super club like in Dublin? Are they getting on outside players, big managers etc?

They've had outside players in the past. They've had outside managers in the past. They were coached last year by an outsider, not sure if this is still the case. Some of their best players' parents wouldn't be locals either. Of course none of these are pre-requisites for super-club status (imo). They're a big club with a big catchment area and they're well run as you say.

I'd say they have had as many outside players as any other club in Ireland.

Similar to the players parents point, where again a lot of people on any team will have a parent from another area.

On their catchment area, I wouldn't call it big whatsoever, especially in comparison with other town teams. Also, their catchment area also has a club from half a mile away competing for players too.

Out of the Lurgan clubs they've always got the blow-ins transfer wise, not that there are too many that come to Lurgan to begin with.

I'd love to know what you call a big catchment area if you don't think theirs is big. Majority of all new build development in the last 30 years has happened in north Lurgan. When the Heffrons, Turbitts, McCambridges et al settled in Lurgan with a choice between St Peter's & CE, there's only ever going to be one winner.

I think they're the biggest club in the county by membership.

They won this year's minor championship, they're in the SFC final, their second string reached the IFC semifinals, their ladies are LGFA SFC champions, their junior ladies reached the final as well. They also won the LGFA minor championship.

How does having their affairs in order and seemingly being a well run club to achieve that make them a super club like in Dublin? Are they getting on outside players, big managers etc?

They've had outside players in the past. They've had outside managers in the past. They were coached last year by an outsider, not sure if this is still the case. Some of their best players' parents wouldn't be locals either. Of course none of these are pre-requisites for super-club status (imo). They're a big club with a big catchment area and they're well run as you say.

ARMAGH IFC FINAL
Carrickcruppen v St Paul's

ARMAGH JFC FINAL
Collegeland v An Port Mór

I think they're the biggest club in the county by membership.

They won this year's minor championship, they're in the SFC final, their second string reached the IFC semifinals, their ladies are LGFA SFC champions, their junior ladies reached the final as well. They also won the LGFA minor championship.