Messages

1

GAA Discussion / Re: Should An Glenn object?

« on: Today at 07:46:56 AM »

I was at the Mageean Cup final this year, SLG and St Killians. SLG were three ahead and St Killians had a free or a 65 on the blow, SLG made a sub and the player never went off. Came to nothing, whistle blew, SLG fans ran on the field and then the ref had to clear the field as he was blowing because he wanted it retaken. Retake happened and again came to nothing and SLG won.

Malachy O Rourke said he realised at the time and asked for a retake but the officials ignored it. That's inexcusable.

Also, Dara Mullin, I'm not buying he didn't know he was to come off. He stayed on and Kilmacud had 16 on so it's a clear breach.

That decision to ignore Malachy O'Rourke was a huge mistake. The GAA has been in crisis mode and all over the media all week as a result of it.
The irony is is that a replayed 45 with 15 versus 15 might have resulted in nothing. The whole situation is insane.

Malachy also said that Glen would accept the result and I’m pretty certain they still will. I think they just want the moral high ground and to be told they’re entitled to a replay. I still think the rules are ambiguous and crokes could be given a fine. Despite what people have said here a fine is still an option for this minor transgression particularly since the main fault is unfortunately with the officials.

Disgraceful if O’Rourke said that to officials and was ignored, absolute disgrace. I don’t see what good a fine does Glen ( who were wrong) or why punish Crokes in that way if they’ve done nothing wrong.

2

General discussion / Re: A5 WTC (New Road from Aughnacloy to Derry)

« on: January 26, 2023, 10:22:21 PM »

Heard this clampit on Nolan’s show this morning and wanted to reach through the radio and wring his neck!!

https://twitter.com/stephennolan/status/1617870665700319232?s=46&t=fGrYjuK5gKO6-5Rz-dhDZg

He has a point. The only sure way to cut the number of road deaths is to cut the number of vehicle miles travelled, and that means giving people viable alternatives to private cars.

I'd be in favour of part of the A5 project if it meant bypassing Omagh and allowing the current A5 route to go back to its original use as part of the Portadown-Dungannon-Omagh-Derry railway that should never have been closed. Ditto for Strabane.

Public transport works where there is sufficient population density to make regular services viable.
There is some push on Twitter to have the Antrim to Lisburn line reopened to allow a regular (every 15 minutes) each way service between Belfast, Lisburn, Crumlin, Aldergrove, Antrim, Templepatrick Newtonabbey, Belfast (the circle line). That sort of investment, and I know it is in the East, would take many more cars off the road that a twice a day service to Castlederg or Drumquin.

Yes, we need to get more cars of the road and the Great Northern railway would benefit many who live along its route,  but West Tyrone is a rural area where car dependency cannot be easily eradicated.

Omagh is the biggest town in the north without a railway station, and there are far smaller towns with stations (Scarva, anyone?). There's plenty of justification for reopening that line through Dungannon, which in my opinion should be a higher priority than the complete A5.

There used to be a narrow gauge branch line that went to Castlederg from the mainline station at Victoria Bridge. No railway ever went to Drumquin that I'm aware of.

Restoring the railway is only part of the job. The other part is adjusting settlement patterns so that more people cluster around stations instead of having traffic-inducing bungalow blight peppered over the countryside.

The Knockmore line that you speak of is the lowest hanging fruit of all the railway reopenings since the tracks are still there and still in occasional use for certain types of movement. Putting a halt at Aldergrove and connecting it to the rest of the network in a Belfast circle line is a no-brainer. Following that I'd like to see Portadown-Armagh reopened. 10 miles of undisturbed route just sitting there with cuttings, embankments, and half the bridges already in place. It'd prove the concept of reopening a dormant line, and would build popular support for the reopening of the old Derry Road line.

Omagh has a population of around 20,000. There are 4-5 times that number living in the ‘hinterlands’. Do we continue to let people die on that road while you spend the next 15-20 years doing proof of concept and building the “into the west” railway. That does not help the people of Drumquin or Dromore or Gortin or Trillick,etc.

A rail line is a  nice to have and would support a % of the population in 10 or 15 years but the road is needed now.

That presupposes that only townies would use the train, but the railway would still be useful to people in the hinterlands. The railway is so useful that people in outlying areas make a point of getting to the stations on it, driving if necessary. It also removes traffic from the road, which frees up capacity for people who absolutely have to drive.

Omagh has an hourly bus service. I have never heard that it is over capacity (50 people / hour) I am not convinced that having a train going via Portadown and taking a similar length of time would convert a significant additional number of people to public transport.

How many people’s would travel from Strabane to take the train from Derry to Belfast or how many people from Banbridge would travel the 2 miles to catch the train at Scarva?

Buses get stuck in traffic, are slower than driving, and less comfortable than the train. The number of people taking the bus is no indicator how how many people would take the train. The traffic on the roads is a better indicator of demand for travel on a route.

Scarva is an under-utilised station. Translink could do a better job of getting people from Banbridge to use it, but more frequent services from the station would be a prerequisite for that. It seems to be 2 trains in the morning and 3 at night at this point, so it's hardly a viable alternative to the car in its present state.

I grew up 6 miles from Lurgan station and would often use the train for journeys to Belfast or Dublin if I had business within a walkable distance of the station at the other end. The convenience of the train dropping you off in the middle of town in a speedy manner justifies the effort in getting to the station.

Yeah personally I would get the train if possible to go to Belfast/Dublin but i would never get a bus

3

General discussion / Re: Teachers get it handy!

« on: January 26, 2023, 10:20:51 PM »

Any truth to the skibbereen story?

Any details?

4

General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 26, 2023, 10:19:43 PM »

Don't remember too many complaining when all these "flops" were signed.

Wage bill is also a reflection of talent and size of squad at your disposal. Of course they have to carry flops, everyone does, Arsenal are still carrying Pepe wages, but Utd have the biggest wage bill in the league and are getting a tune out of plenty in the squad. They have a good shape to them if Casemiro stays fit. Leicester bottled it, lets call a spade a spade, which is what Utd have to do not to finish top 4. There's literally no one else in the race bar Spurs who are playing catch up and as flaky as they come.

Plenty complained, sure the priority signing for years was CDM and one wasn't signed until late August this year. Season after season of poor recruitment was done. Overpaying for players in transfer fees and wages the business men running the club was clueless.

More than just keeping Casemiro fit. Who's going to doing the scoring/fill the void if Rashford is out? will need to keep centre back pairing of Varane,Martinez fit as well as their replacements are the flaky Lindelof,Maguire.

One of the main reasons why Leicester as you call it "bottled it" was because of injuries and with upcoming hectic schedule ahead United will be lucky to avoid injuries to key players.

I still can't see Utd not finishing 4th. Think those Leicester seasons, mid 60's points wise got you in. 72 points should be more than enough this year but realistically Spurs will finish in the 66-70 point bracket. Utd will have to go into relegation mode for quarter of the season to be caught.

Regarding signings and incompetent board, biggest mistakes they made was managerial appointments. Sure they have too many players over 150K salary, but not that many really are out and out flops. Problem is there's not enough lads around the 100k mark or less that are good solid regulars. And that's partly due to bandwagoners constantly looking for glamour signings, constant shite talk from ex Man Utd pundits on the state of the board and need for clear-outs and the absolute refusal to apportion any blame or criticism on their old buddies who get the hot seat.
 I just think they need to calm down. Manager looks like he knows what he's doing, they have a decent squad, plenty money behind them, few more little tweaks and they won't be far off.

I’d rather get the likes of Eriksen/Martinez on decent money not massive names but very very good players who buy in to what the club are trying to do and if big money/wages are being forked out, make sure it is for proper quality who will make an clear improvement like Casemiro/ Varane. No egos or drama queens like Pogba.

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General discussion / Re: Teachers get it handy!

« on: January 26, 2023, 03:47:50 PM »

https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2023/01/26/enoch-burke-to-be-fined-700-daily-if-contempt-orders-to-stay-away-from-school-not-purged/

Dismissed teacher Enoch Burke will be fined €700 daily unless he purges his contempt of court orders to stay away from the Co Westmeath school where he taught for around four years, the High Court has ruled.

Mr Justice Brian O’Moore said Mr Burke is in clear contempt of the orders. He said Mr Burke has until 2pm on Friday to purge his contempt and if he does not, the fine will come into effect from then.

The fines, amounting to almost €5,000 a week, should persuade Mr Burke to end his “utterly pointless attendance at a school which does not want him on his property,” he said. If the fine does not have that effect, it can be increased, the judge warned.

Judge would need to go back to school with that sort of Maths!

7*700 is €4900? Or is it only applying tk week days.

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GAA Discussion / Re: Should An Glenn object?

« on: January 26, 2023, 02:54:16 PM »

I doubt Glen would be happy with a walkover

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 26, 2023, 01:46:02 PM »

More going on with Sancho than meets the eye. Looking to be another stupid purchase by Woodward and Ole.
Martial never developed into the footballer he should have. They can't even find a club to take him. More great work from Woodward and Ole.

Utd need 4 or 5 more first team starters minimum before they can even think about an assault on the Premiership. If they get Top 4 with that Squad it will be some achievement.

I’d say not too many were complaining about Sancho at the time. Obviously something going on but I think he will come good. Van Gaal signed Martial so not sure how you can blame Ole on that one. He’s one of those flaky lads that is always “injured” Should be on a pay as you play contract at this stage or out the door which is a pity because he looked good earlier in the year.

The Sancho signing was stupid. At the time Utd had Rashford, Fernandes, Martial, Greenwod, Cavani, Mata and Pogba (Kind of) as Forward Players and they then signed Ronaldo on top of that. They needed a CDM and a Centre Half badly.
The Martial complaint was that they extended his contract when he clearly needed to be playing for Bordeaux or Hoffenheim or someone shit.

Would love to have a committed Ronaldo and Greenwood available at the minute!

Well Greenwood will be committed soon enough, along with your mate

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 26, 2023, 01:32:40 PM »

More going on with Sancho than meets the eye. Looking to be another stupid purchase by Woodward and Ole.
Martial never developed into the footballer he should have. They can't even find a club to take him. More great work from Woodward and Ole.

Utd need 4 or 5 more first team starters minimum before they can even think about an assault on the Premiership. If they get Top 4 with that Squad it will be some achievement.

I’d say not too many were complaining about Sancho at the time. Obviously something going on but I think he will come good. Van Gaal signed Martial so not sure how you can blame Ole on that one. He’s one of those flaky lads that is always “injured” Should be on a pay as you play contract at this stage or out the door which is a pity because he looked good earlier in the year.

The Sancho signing was stupid. At the time Utd had Rashford, Fernandes, Martial, Greenwod, Cavani, Mata and Pogba (Kind of) as Forward Players and they then signed Ronaldo on top of that. They needed a CDM and a Centre Half badly.
The Martial complaint was that they extended his contract when he clearly needed to be playing for Bordeaux or Hoffenheim or someone shit.

Would love to have a committed Ronaldo and Greenwood available at the minute!

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 26, 2023, 12:52:09 PM »

More going on with Sancho than meets the eye. Looking to be another stupid purchase by Woodward and Ole.
Martial never developed into the footballer he should have. They can't even find a club to take him. More great work from Woodward and Ole.

Utd need 4 or 5 more first team starters minimum before they can even think about an assault on the Premiership. If they get Top 4 with that Squad it will be some achievement.

I’d say not too many were complaining about Sancho at the time. Obviously something going on but I think he will come good. Van Gaal signed Martial so not sure how you can blame Ole on that one. He’s one of those flaky lads that is always “injured” Should be on a pay as you play contract at this stage or out the door which is a pity because he looked good earlier in the year. 

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General discussion / Re: A5 WTC (New Road from Aughnacloy to Derry)

« on: January 26, 2023, 12:33:09 PM »

Another disadvantage of the Union. If Tyrone was in the Republic the EU would probably fund the road. It would shorten the journey back with Sam Maguire.

Tyrone is constantly disadvantaged. It's the biggest county in the North yet has no Trains.
Roads are questionable and the M1 stops at Dgn with the lethal Ballygawley / Dgn only upgraded in the 2000s
In terms of public facilities we have nowhere near enough leisure facilities or public parks. Civil society constantly fills the breech.
And don't even get started on the persecution of the GAA community by the Southern Media and GAA in Dublin.

It should have been fenced off!

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GAA Discussion / Re: Should An Glenn object?

« on: January 26, 2023, 12:32:05 PM »

I wonder if either of these teams are back training yet. If either of them got back into training it would give them an edge for the potential replay.

I would say they are unless KC are planning on flat out refusing to play a replay or Glen are intending on not playing. Don’t think either are too likely
Too much at stake to be still on the beer.

There is zero chance that either team will replay this game.

So all these posts were for nathin?!!! FFS I'll never get those hours back, at least I have a new title, stupid door

Who's stopping these two teams meeting next year? there will be some drive regardless of the outcome

No one unless Kilcoo get the finger out!

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General discussion / Re: A5 WTC (New Road from Aughnacloy to Derry)

« on: January 26, 2023, 12:28:47 PM »

Its the optics of this road that the unionists wont allow.
They cant have it that there would be a main arterial route going straight through the north linking Donegal to Monaghan.
Its the same reason why the A1 will never be upgraded, they have to keep a broken link.

The A1 barring the odd 60mph bit is grand during the day, I hate, hate driving that place at night time, those exits/entrances from the side roads are dangerous

It’s a horrible road. Ever try to get across it to turn right? Should have been upgraded years ago!

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GAA Discussion / Re: Should An Glenn object?

« on: January 26, 2023, 12:18:11 PM »

I wonder if either of these teams are back training yet. If either of them got back into training it would give them an edge for the potential replay.

I would say they are unless KC are planning on flat out refusing to play a replay or Glen are intending on not playing. Don’t think either are too likely
Too much at stake to be still on the beer.

There is zero chance that either team will replay this game.

Why raise an objection then?

What if replay is called and KC refuse?

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GAA Discussion / Re: Should An Glenn object?

« on: January 26, 2023, 12:03:54 PM »

I wonder if either of these teams are back training yet. If either of them got back into training it would give them an edge for the potential replay.

I would say they are unless KC are planning on flat out refusing to play a replay or Glen are intending on not playing. Don’t think either are too likely
Too much at stake to be still on the beer.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 26, 2023, 11:57:00 AM »

Routine win away to Nottingham Forest tonight. On course for a first domestic final for 6 years. Is there a need of 2 legs in these league Cup semi finals?

1 leg is enough. Maybe 1 Cup competition would be enough too, and give the FA Cup more appeal.

Italy,Spain and Germany only have 1 cup competition

Clubs, players and fans would all agree. Cup semi finals at neutral venues which are not Wembley are brilliant occasions.

Easy win last night, Forest were dreadful. Antony had a good first half and Lindelof played well whilst Wan Bisaka against showed his limitations; Add tactically inept to his lack of qualities.

He's got to use the squad the next 2 games, lets hope we see the return of Martial, Sancho & Dalot to help with that.

Really need more from those 2.