Messages

Roscommon black card - correct call
Tyrone red card - incorrect call
Roscommon square ball - incorrect call

Both teams very good at pretending to be injured when there was nothing wrong with them. 

Well done Monaghan.

Surprised at the strength of the Dublin team and the workrate and desire shown for a league game in January. Performance wasn't up to a whole heap, but we're in good shape overall.

I think Keano was more talking about being a number 2.

Haven't verified it, but I've seen it said a few times that Lennon's record in Europe with Celtic is better than Rodgers and Ange. So that's a positive for him.

Carsley would be a bit of a leap into the unknown, which hasn't really worked before with Staunton, Kerr, Kenny. But still I think I'd go with him.

Ian Bailey, the suspect in the Sophie Toscan du Plantiers death in Cork, has died aged 66

Found guilty of murder in a french court

With no defence. That was a prelim verdict pending a full trial, and in reality meaningless.

There are two excellent documentaries (one by Jim Sheridan and one on Netflix) both supposedly independent, but one more preferential to Bailey and the other very much less so. Clear from both though that the French 'trial' was an absolute sham.

He chose not to attend and defend himself.

As any rational person obtaining legal advice would have done. There is a huge amount of information and analysis out there for people to make up their minds. The French decision is utterly irrelevant. It didn't even pretend to be fair.

Or to put it another way, anyone who uses the French court decision to sway their opinion is very ill informed.

Indeed, we should take the legal opinion of "Hound" on the GAAboard forum over the legal process in France. Got it.

Well I didn't say he was innocent or guilty. Because I dont know. I do know the French court was a complete sham.

The French judgement is, not exactly the same, but very similar to a Grand Jury in the US. The 'guilty' verdict was only really that he had a case to answer. If he did (which would be insane) volunteer to go to France, he would face another trial. The first sham trial would be rendered meaningless.

As I said, there is a huge amount of information out there, in particular the two documetaries (and you really need to watch both to get a proper view).   But anyone taking their view from the French case is very much ill informed.

Ian Bailey, the suspect in the Sophie Toscan du Plantiers death in Cork, has died aged 66

Found guilty of murder in a french court

With no defence. That was a prelim verdict pending a full trial, and in reality meaningless.

There are two excellent documentaries (one by Jim Sheridan and one on Netflix) both supposedly independent, but one more preferential to Bailey and the other very much less so. Clear from both though that the French 'trial' was an absolute sham.

He chose not to attend and defend himself.

As any rational person obtaining legal advice would have done. There is a huge amount of information and analysis out there for people to make up their minds. The French decision is utterly irrelevant. It didn't even pretend to be fair.

Or to put it another way, anyone who uses the French court decision to sway their opinion is very ill informed.

City won't drop a point before March. It's fecking years since we beat Chelsea (apart from on penos) so that won't change. But we're playing better now than we have been all season, so we'll likely make Ciry earn it.

Hopefully Arsenal spend massive on Solanke. Leading goalscorer, he's exactly what they need 

Ian Bailey, the suspect in the Sophie Toscan du Plantiers death in Cork, has died aged 66

Found guilty of murder in a french court

With no defence. That was a prelim verdict pending a full trial, and in reality meaningless.

There are two excellent documentaries (one by Jim Sheridan and one on Netflix) both supposedly independent, but one more preferential to Bailey and the other very much less so. Clear from both though that the French 'trial' was an absolute sham.

Good win against a team in good form.

Absolutely cast iron pen not given to Jota when we were only 1 up and I thought that would come back to bite,  but they dug it out.

Very good performances and finishes from Jota and Darwin. It took us a while to get going, but during that period MacAllister was our driving force, one of his best games for us I thought. Konate playing really well, but if that was an injury he suffered at the end it could be very costly.

Young Bradley playing terrific, great to see an Irish lad holding his own

The biggest risk is that he comes back for the QF, and it's soon, and then a gets a proper injury that keeps him out for months.

How Ireland works: Micheal Martin given an opinion piece in the biggest National Paper to explain away his inaction on Gaza.

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/micheal-martin-ireland-will-rigorously-examine-un-genocide-case-against-israel-before-intervening/a363669127.html

First 2 paragraphs

Day after day, we are seeing the evidence on our TV screens and social media feeds of horrific civilian deaths, including children, mass displacement and destruction, and entirely inadequate access for the UN and international organisations to provide vital humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

This is not acceptable. It cannot continue. The brutality of the terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7 and the continued indiscriminate rocket fire by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups into Israel cannot justify the horrifying impact on Gaza's civilians of Israel's military operation.

People are "dying" on tv screen (I assume it must be from some disease as there is no mention of them being killed, bombed or shot)

However, in the 2nd paragraph we see that Hamas are Terrorists, attacked Israel and fire rockets indiscriminately. Micheal almost grew a pair then when he says Israel cannot justify the impact. So close, he almost said Israel cannot justify targeting civilians, hospitals, schools, universities. Oh well, he is a balless goon at the end of the day.

The rest of his article is just waffle about why he hasn't intervened on the ICJ. But fair play to the Indo for giving this cretin a soapbox.

a Coward using weasel words... a hypocrite some might say 🤔

Again, anti-FF, anti-FG hypocrisy. Accuse Martin and Varadkar of using weasel words, but Michael D is great fella for using the exact same words! Pure hypocrisy. Those are the three most prominent leaders of this country and they have been totally side by side on their views.

Martin said this in that article:
Hamas actions 'cannot justify the horrifying impact on Gaza's civilians of Israel's military operation'

That's clear and unequivocal.

He also explained exactly what Ireland's position is re the ICJ South Africa v Israel case and likely future direction. It's exactly the right strategy.

You can say what you like about the government on other matters, but they are doing more than other EU country for sure, and are trying to persuade more to do more. Yes, the Hamas apologists on here will complain and the Israeli apologists want an about turn, but I'm sure a large majority of Irish people are right behind the stance taken by each of Martin, Varadkar and Higgins.

If ever anyone had a right to be arrogant it's Ronnie. The best ever.

There's actually very few sportsmen who say exactly what they want, what they feel, whenever they want. You don't have to agree with him, but he's always a breath of fresh air. No BS, he says it how he feels it, doesn't matter whether he's right or wrong, the viewer/reader is free to take it or leave it.

Genuinely superb to get a 9 darter in the quarters and to follow it up with wins over Price and Van Gerwen. He's a mess though. For a 16/17 year old to be that overweight is wrong. I bet none of the Big Cliffs, Big Daves, etc from the 80s were that big at 16!

I was saying, it's easier to get extra resources for Ukrainians, than for Irish. So, the government appears to be prioritising the Ukrainians, when it should be the other way around. Y'know - should OUR government - you know, the ones WE elect to 'serve' US - provide for all the world, with OUR taxes?

Stop speaking sense ye big racist

But it's a blatant lie to say Ukrainians or any other refugees are treated better than Irish by the government. Our welfare system is one of the more generous ones in the EU, far more so than UK. We have what is regarded as full employment and those who can't or won't work get a comparatively reasonable payout (in fact there would be some complaints that those who refuse to work get too much).

I am sure you will point to some rare example somewhere to prove a point with an exception, but there's not many Irish who would want to swap places with a Ukrainian refugee in sheltered accommodation.

Nobody is behind it. Not in an organised way.

Rural townsfolk aren't used to strangers. They just aren't. This is often and lazily portrayed as owing to the people being inbred Neanderthals.

But that's not it. Most small inland towns in Ireland would have one small hotel, if that. They don't have tourists. They don't host conferences, or big social events, and the only people who go to their small festivals are from the hinterland. The local businesses are there to provide services for local people. The motorway network has removed most of the passers by.

Unless they happen to work outside their own town, they won't encounter a stranger from one month to the next apart from in a sporting context, if that way involved, and then only fleetingly.

And that's their way of life. It's not a way of living  thats unfriendly to outsiders, not even wary. Just completely unaccustomed.

But 10% of their population is soon to be made up of people from a completely different culture, means, and way of life.

Thats scary.

So when the likes of you describe them as racist, hate-filled bigots. Just do yourself a favour. Show a bit of empathy for the locals.

This is not a black and white situation.

Great post. There is a huge level of the unknown. You can't be expecting people to sit on their hands and watch their community drastically change in way that no one can predict.

Yes it's terrible, townsfolk will have to now walk around Roscrea and look at some people from another country where they don't have white skin. I can't imagine how they will cope when they've never had to do that before.

Can you explain to me how their 'way of life' is threatened exactly?

Can you explain where all the money is coming from to finance this?
Can you explain why we are almost turning a blind eye to this problem?
Can you explain why local, national and international media don't cover our ''Problem'' in any critical way?
Can you explain all the local investors who are sprouting up to provide accommodation (and making lots of money)?
Can you explain the conflicts that are currently happening in Algeria, Albania, Nigeria, etc that are making these Refugees come here?
Can you explain how 70% of these refugees/immigrants get on a plane with papers and get off one without?
Can you explain why 70% of these refugees/immigrants get on a plane with papers and get off one without?
Can you give me a figure of what is the appropriate ceiling of people to allow into the country? Half a Million? A Million?
Do you think that this massive influx will have an influence on our already stretched Health, Education, Travel, Judicial, Cultural systems?

The Irish state will pay for it. The pocket money given to the asylum seekers will go straight into the local economy. A bit like the dole - none of it is being squirrelled away in an off shore tax haven.

The 'problem' as you call it exists in the heads of these people, whipped up by racist scum bags on Xitter and hundreds of bot accounts (that's well organised by someone).

Has your 'way of life' been affected thus far?

You are utterly obsessed with racism.

People like you are the reason the Catholic Church could house paedophile rings for decades. You have no interest in understanding what's going on. No interest in listening. All you want to do is bang a drum.

Jesus!! That's some stretch

I don't think so MR2.

When the stock response to every mumbling, every quibble, every thought, is to decry the concern as racism, then you're dealing with someone who is caught in a mangle between zealotry and denial.

It's the same type of thought process that condemns people to hell for not going to mass.

The zealots are those manning the barricades against some imagined threat. Calling it a 'plantation' ffs!

And once again.

"Imagined threat". Or as you keep putting it, if a person has any concerns with immigration in their town, it's because they're a racist. No other reason. All other reasons  are imaginary. Just racism. Racism racism racism. Racism. Racism. Repeat to fade.

But he's asked you a few times to explain those reasons, and you haven't done so. And those few who have, have had clear racist undertones.

So what are the concerns with a town with a population of about 5,000 being landed with about 150 refugees?

I would guess Everton will get a deduction of 3 points or less this time as the previous punishment will be taken into account.

City is completely different. They have not breached financial fair play. They may have breached arm's length rules with sponsorship deals. Well they 100% have broken those rules as they got sponsorship deals well in excess of the market rates. But it's much harder to prove.

On the other hand Forest and Everton's own accounts show they have breached FFP. Forest's excuse that had we sold Brennan Johnson a couple of months earlier we would have been fine, so therefore we shouldn't be punished is laughable.

Chelsea a good example of how to use the rules to your advantage. Get your sales done by 30 June and give long term contracts. Albeit not always buying the right players and the long term contracts to mediocre players will surely come back to bite at some stage!