GAA journalism

[Donnellys Hollow]

I miss the Tribune - Shannon, McEvoy, Clerkin, even MacKenna who I might add is making a right tit of himself over the SJ saga...

I hope he's alright. He was a no show for the Examiner water cooler today and he was last seen tanked up firing off scorpy tweets in the middle of the night.

He did himself no favours with those tweets. Well out of order. Glad to see he had the good sense to delete them in the meantime.

Yea he's an emotional guy when it comes to Kildare football and I admire him for standing up for his opinion on the Kildare Forum but he's not the most objective when it comes to Kildare or Dublin football (very anti-Dublin), very subjective in his writing. He actually has an account on this forum too.

I seen his post on the Kildare forum last year about joining a Dublin club and then said "don't fancy walking into a dressing room with 40 locals who've known each other since they were robbing houses together at 7" - I enjoy his weekly power rankings though.

Ironic, he's from Athy...

I really like his work on the game as a whole just think he was a major catalyst in the "Kildare are a top 4 team", which nobody who knows Kildare football should have put us. That creates it's own pressures, jesus just look at the fallout from the SJ saga, the Germans might have a word for it "Schadenfreude" but we have a whole culture devoted towards it.

Every second blog that he was writing recently was talking Kildare up. There's far too much talk about where a team ranks in some mythical league when championship football is all on the day as we found out yesterday. The Indo were also constantly hyping up the team and crediting McGeeney with reinventing the wheel as regards football. I know people will say that all the media stuff goes over players heads but I'm not so sure.

However, I do respect MacKenna for sticking to his guns on the SJ saga when I get the impression that the local papers and radio are nearly afraid of speaking out for fear that they will lose access to the team and management.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Has there every been a worse player to lift the Sam Maguire than Ray Silke?

I remember Silke saying a few years ago that he credits himself for Dermot Earley jnr's first All Star!

[qwerty123]

Tom Humphries

Now reviewing books for the Irish Times seemingly, I assume not Children's books.

He was a fantastic writer though, no one can take that away from him to be fair.

Joe Brolly, while he seems to have a fixation with courting controversery, can be quite insightful at times.

[seafoid]

Tom Humphries

Now reviewing books for the Irish Times seemingly, I assume not Children's books.

He was top notch before things got to him some time in the middle of the last decade .

[Dinny Breen]

I miss the Tribune - Shannon, McEvoy, Clerkin, even MacKenna who I might add is making a right tit of himself over the SJ saga...

I hope he's alright. He was a no show for the Examiner water cooler today and he was last seen tanked up firing off scorpy tweets in the middle of the night.

He did himself no favours with those tweets. Well out of order. Glad to see he had the good sense to delete them in the meantime.

Yea he's an emotional guy when it comes to Kildare football and I admire him for standing up for his opinion on the Kildare Forum but he's not the most objective when it comes to Kildare or Dublin football (very anti-Dublin), very subjective in his writing. He actually has an account on this forum too.

I seen his post on the Kildare forum last year about joining a Dublin club and then said "don't fancy walking into a dressing room with 40 locals who've known each other since they were robbing houses together at 7" - I enjoy his weekly power rankings though.

Ironic, he's from Athy...

I really like his work on the game as a whole just think he was a major catalyst in the "Kildare are a top 4 team", which nobody who knows Kildare football should have put us. That creates it's own pressures, jesus just look at the fallout from the SJ saga, the Germans might have a word for it "Schadenfreude" but we have a whole culture devoted towards it.

Every second blog that he was writing recently was talking Kildare up. There's far too much talk about where a team ranks in some mythical league when championship football is all on the day as we found out yesterday. The Indo were also constantly hyping up the team and crediting McGeeney with reinventing the wheel as regards football. I know people will say that all the media stuff goes over players heads but I'm not so sure.

However, I do respect MacKenna for sticking to his guns on the SJ saga when I get the impression that the local papers and radio are nearly afraid of speaking out for fear that they will lose access to the team and management.

Mentally we weren't right yesterday, whether that was due to complacency and one eye on a Leinster final but somehow I can just imagine players texting each other on Saturday evening regarding the SJ circus, how the f**k can that prepare you mentally for a game. Also again I would question our training schedule as we looked very flat and tired physically (although that could be as much mental as physical), anyhow its all about small percentages at the top level and unfortunately Meath were spot on and we were well off. McGeeney has a lot of explaining to do, not that he ever those and we both stated that this SJ circus could backfire dramatically. They got it all so badly wrong.

[qwerty123]

I miss the Tribune - Shannon, McEvoy, Clerkin, even MacKenna who I might add is making a right tit of himself over the SJ saga...

I hope he's alright. He was a no show for the Examiner water cooler today and he was last seen tanked up firing off scorpy tweets in the middle of the night.

He did himself no favours with those tweets. Well out of order. Glad to see he had the good sense to delete them in the meantime.

Yea he's an emotional guy when it comes to Kildare football and I admire him for standing up for his opinion on the Kildare Forum but he's not the most objective when it comes to Kildare or Dublin football (very anti-Dublin), very subjective in his writing. He actually has an account on this forum too.

I seen his post on the Kildare forum last year about joining a Dublin club and then said "don't fancy walking into a dressing room with 40 locals who've known each other since they were robbing houses together at 7" - I enjoy his weekly power rankings though.

Ironic, he's from Athy...

I really like his work on the game as a whole just think he was a major catalyst in the "Kildare are a top 4 team", which nobody who knows Kildare football should have put us. That creates it's own pressures, jesus just look at the fallout from the SJ saga, the Germans might have a word for it "Schadenfreude" but we have a whole culture devoted towards it.

Every second blog that he was writing recently was talking Kildare up. There's far too much talk about where a team ranks in some mythical league when championship football is all on the day as we found out yesterday. The Indo were also constantly hyping up the team and crediting McGeeney with reinventing the wheel as regards football. I know people will say that all the media stuff goes over players heads but I'm not so sure.

However, I do respect MacKenna for sticking to his guns on the SJ saga when I get the impression that the local papers and radio are nearly afraid of speaking out for fear that they will lose access to the team and management.

Mentally we weren't right yesterday, whether that was due to complacency and one eye on a Leinster final but somehow I can just imagine players texting each other on Saturday evening regarding the SJ circus, how the f**k can that prepare you mentally for a game. Also again I would question our training schedule as we looked very flat and tired physically (although that could be as much mental as physical), anyhow its all about small percentages at the top level and unfortunately Meath were spot on and we were well off. McGeeney has a lot of explaining to do, not that he ever those and we both stated that this SJ circus could backfire dramatically. They got it all so badly wrong.

When he took Doyle off in the second half, I couldn't help but think of the 2005 AI semi-final when Joe Kernan took McGeeney off in the last 10 minutes (I think Seán Cavanagh in a recent interview for the Sunday Indo, admitted his relief when Geezer was taken off) - it must have been a relief to the Meath backs no matter how well they had him under wraps yesterday.

Bringing Earley on in FF smacked of sheer desperation too - maybe he thought he was playing in the Leinster Junior Championship against KK again?

[boojangles]

Shocked to see Roy Curtis even mentioned in a thread about journalism.

+1

[5 Sams]

Tom Humphries

Now reviewing books for the Irish Times seemingly, I assume not Children's books.

That's below the belt Dinny.

Humphries is probably the best GAA writer in the last 20 or so years...but has slipped under the radar after the shenanigans. No matter what he has alleged to have done I don't think there's any need for cheap shots like that.

[ONeill]

Humphies was up there with the best.

Christy O'Connor was decent too.

[AZOffaly]

I miss the Tribune - Shannon, McEvoy, Clerkin, even MacKenna who I might add is making a right tit of himself over the SJ saga...

+1 (re the Tribune). I don't know what Ewan is saying about SJ, but he has some 'outre' opinions alright.

[ONeill]

I miss the Tribune - Shannon, McEvoy, Clerkin, even MacKenna who I might add is making a right tit of himself over the SJ saga...

Why do you say that about McKenna?

[Syferus]

Tom Humphries

Now reviewing books for the Irish Times seemingly, I assume not Children's books.

That's below the belt Dinny.

Humphries is probably the best GAA writer in the last 20 or so years...but has slipped under the radar after the shenanigans. No matter what he has alleged to have done I don't think there's any need for cheap shots like that.

Given what happened, long may the low blows rain down upon him. His journalism has been forever tainted and honestly I found it quite poor and comically myopic even before all this came out.

We don't need a judge to allow us to put two and two together; you're clutching at very tenuous straws.

[Ciarrai_thuaidh]

Tom Humphries

Now reviewing books for the Irish Times seemingly, I assume not Children's books.

That's below the belt Dinny.

Humphries is probably the best GAA writer in the last 20 or so years...but has slipped under the radar after the shenanigans. No matter what he has alleged to have done I don't think there's any need for cheap shots like that.

Given what happened, long may the low blows rain down upon him. His journalism has been forever tainted and honestly I found it quite poor and comically myopic even before all this came out.

We don't need a judge to allow us to put two and two together; you're clutching at very tenuous straws.

I can't understand how someone would hold that view...his writing (especially on GAA) was excellent...some of the best I've read anywhere.

However, what has gone on with him and those girls (allegedly)....it sickens me to think of it. Also seems like its possible he is evading justice claiming "mental issues", which I hope does not stop a prosecution ensuing.

[Dinny Breen]

I miss the Tribune - Shannon, McEvoy, Clerkin, even MacKenna who I might add is making a right tit of himself over the SJ saga...

Why do you say that about McKenna?

Do you follow him on Twitter? He's morally outraged by the SJ transfer and is obsessed with it, reminds me a bit of David Walsh/Paul Kimmage v Lance Armstrong. His articles and comments on it have all been very negative and in my opinion not particularly balanced not helped in his defence though by the lack of comment from the Kildare camp. Himself and McGeeney have now resorted to cheap digs at each other, this extract from his blog kind of sums up the direction his opinion pieces are taking.

When hearing the question though, McGeeney was calculated and cutting in his reaction. He gestured with a stirring motion and suggested that journalists were trying to make a name off the back of the story. It was the sort of arrogance from the manager that gives people a reason to undermine all the good work he has done.

[seafoid]

I think Humphries brought GAA writing onto a new level in the 1990s. He was the best.
I used to love reading his Irish Times column every Monday. 
But his more recent stuff wasn't as good.