Down Club Hurling & Football

[charlieTully]

Ffs wise up. It happens up and down the country. Rows have been part and parcel of football for as long as I can remember. Pontificating hypocritical ass holes the lot of ye.can anyone put their hand up and say they are their club have never been involved in a row at a match. Try going to a few tyrone club games and you rill see what a proper fight is.

Good lad yerself Charlie, don't be making a dick of yourself making very broad comments.  Same clubs, same rows. One off bust ups are acceptable but when it becomes regular with the same clubs concerned then it becomes a problem.

What have I said that isn't true?

[Line Ball]

Ffs wise up. It happens up and down the country. Rows have been part and parcel of football for as long as I can remember. Pontificating hypocritical ass holes the lot of ye.can anyone put their hand up and say they are their club have never been involved in a row at a match. Try going to a few tyrone club games and you rill see what a proper fight is.

Good lad yerself Charlie, don't be making a dick of yourself making very broad comments.  Same clubs, same rows. One off bust ups are acceptable but when it becomes regular with the same clubs concerned then it becomes a problem.

What have I said that isn't true?

I ain't no ass hole.

[Line Ball]

Ffs wise up. It happens up and down the country. Rows have been part and parcel of football for as long as I can remember. Pontificating hypocritical ass holes the lot of ye.can anyone put their hand up and say they are their club have never been involved in a row at a match. Try going to a few tyrone club games and you rill see what a proper fight is.

Good lad yerself Charlie, don't be making a dick of yourself making very broad comments.  Same clubs, same rows. One off bust ups are acceptable but when it becomes regular with the same clubs concerned then it becomes a problem.

What have I said that isn't true?

I ain't no ass hole.

Pontificate, yes surely lol.

Just thinking on the ass hole bit, you were probably right. 

[charlieTully]

Ffs wise up. It happens up and down the country. Rows have been part and parcel of football for as long as I can remember. Pontificating hypocritical ass holes the lot of ye.can anyone put their hand up and say they are their club have never been involved in a row at a match. Try going to a few tyrone club games and you rill see what a proper fight is.

Good lad yerself Charlie, don't be making a dick of yourself making very broad comments.  Same clubs, same rows. One off bust ups are acceptable but when it becomes regular with the same clubs concerned then it becomes a problem.

What have I said that isn't true?

I ain't no ass hole.

Pontificate, yes surely lol.

Just thinking on the ass hole bit, you were probably right.

Ok. I apologise for that. Wasn't meaning to single you out personally.

[thewobbler]

Personally I'd be interested to learn which clubs in Down haven't been involved in some sort of melee this season. Most of these incidents are shushed up by the clubs involved, but my memory of the first 3 weeks of this season was a series of kicking matches - across the divisions.

The main reasons for this upsurge in violence, in no particular order are:

- Social media. Actually this isn't strictly true. The violence has always been there, it's just that with Twitter and Facebook, what used to be rumours are now written down as statements of fact, for all the world to see.

- The utterly daft decision to move suspensions to a per game basis rather than a duration basis. A 3-month ban including the Championship was the single greatest deterrent to flying heads, feet and hurls in league football. Now it's gone.

- Down football has finally got aggressive and hard hitting. Hard hitting will always raise the temperatures a little, while it would seem that a lot of our spectators just aren't ready for the change; they see every tackle on their team as some form of GBH, when 9 times out of 10 it's just men being manly.

- the unwillingness of the GAA to empower referees to red card the third (and subsequent) man into a fight means that group hugs and handbags now occur in just about every competitive match. A lot of players seems to enjoy the faux battledom of midfield gun measuring.

- as football gets more aggressive, it becomes an increasingly less attractive pastime for passive people, or in other words, "muck savagery" becomes an acceptable aspect of the game for all players. Tyrone went through this transmogrification years ago.

- The unusually large number of teams getting relegated this season has made every single point worth fighting for. Literally.


So all told, I wouldn't particularly make this a county board problem.... even if they've not not handled the whole brawling thing particularly well this year. Instead of fining Glenn £5k (an extraordinary sum of money for a small club) they should have fined them £100m and just moved straight onto what they'd do when Glenn didn't pay. How they handle the scenes between Mayobridge (one of our most influential and important clubs) and Kilcoo (our most likely representatives in Ulster) will be interesting, for if high-profile, fully-witnessed incidents don't get hit with the heavy book, then let's be honest, a referee's report from a Division 3 match cannot surely hold more weight in terms of delivering fines and suspension.

My greater worry for the county board would be the number of no shows in recent league and championship games. It's approaching epidemic levels and when clubs that can field thirds sides are unwilling to fulfil a senior fixture, it would suggest a genuine contempt is building within the county for how our games are administered.

[whitegoodman]

Don't take this personally Ballyholland lads but when I asked 5sams a while back about some of the behaviour of his players it was a very interesting response. He didn't condemn it, rather was proud of it and was of the opinion that it was the approach needed in order to compete and get respect from "the big boys".  If this is the attitude across the board within the Ballyholland club then no wonder they are getting into so many rows.

Initially I thought this was an approach developed by their senior manager but then I seen some of their behaviour at underage level and it looks like its a development throughout the club.

Wobbler your asking what clubs haven't been involved in rows, I could tell you plenty but instead should you not be looking within your club and get your own house in order.  This argument about being hard hitting and aggressive is also pie in the sky. 3 or 4 John Rambos walking about the field doesn't constitute aggressive hard hitting football.

Charlie if you want to see a good skitting match maybe go to Tyrone club matches or maybe to some local MMA events.  Most of us go to football matches to see just that, football.

[thewobbler]

No actually WGM, I do need you to name the "innocent" clubs, because I don't believe any exist. But I do believe that some clubs generate reputations which mean a) other clubs come to them looking for a row (or at least are pumped up for physical battle moreso than normal), and b) if anything kicks off, the looks are generally cast in only one direction.

Personally I'd prefer if my own club didn't have this reputation, but having seen roughly half our game this year, it's actually undeserved. For example we've played 4 SFC matches this year, and apart from one (completely uncharacteristic, from that particular player) swing against Castlewellan, there has hardly been a controversial incident across those games.

You are welcome to have theories and opinions all you like, but if it washes out as Ballyholland being a club that will do anything including beating their own grannies to win a league match, but are happy to just play ball in the championship, then you'll need to excuse me while I go outside and laugh my bollocks off.

[charlieTully]

Don't take this personally Ballyholland lads but when I asked 5sams a while back about some of the behaviour of his players it was a very interesting response. He didn't condemn it, rather was proud of it and was of the opinion that it was the approach needed in order to compete and get respect from "the big boys".  If this is the attitude across the board within the Ballyholland club then no wonder they are getting into so many rows.

Initially I thought this was an approach developed by their senior manager but then I seen some of their behaviour at underage level and it looks like its a development throughout the club.

Wobbler your asking what clubs haven't been involved in rows, I could tell you plenty but instead should you not be looking within your club and get your own house in order.  This argument about being hard hitting and aggressive is also pie in the sky. 3 or 4 John Rambos walking about the field doesn't constitute aggressive hard hitting football.

Charlie if you want to see a good skitting match maybe go to Tyrone club matches or maybe to some local MMA events.  Most of us go to football matches to see just that, football.

Plenty of your own clubs supporters could join me going by their behaviour in the quater final.

[whitegoodman]

Oh right clubs now come to Ballyholland looking a row.  You wouldnt be a relative of Jose Mourinho by any chance?  I know when Burren went to Ballyholland they certainly weren't looking a row.  I don't think it would inaccurate to suggest that Castlewellan would want to avoid any scurmishes today with a championship final next week.

You may be in a position to correct me but I haven't heard of Warrenpoint, Clonduff or Lonstone being involved in any brawls this year.  If I'm wrong on that I'd like to know the details and il gladly accept it.

Wobbler it's often the case that a problem can't be solved until you admit there is a problem.  You say you'd prefer if your club didn't have a reputation and deem it unfair.  Why do you think it's the case that your club has such reputation.  It's not like Ballyholland are Kilcoo and there would be jealousy amongst other clubs.  In fact your club "used" to be a well liked club.  It's like there is an us against the world mentality when in reality why would the world feel the need to be against yas??

[whitegoodman]

Don't take this personally Ballyholland lads but when I asked 5sams a while back about some of the behaviour of his players it was a very interesting response. He didn't condemn it, rather was proud of it and was of the opinion that it was the approach needed in order to compete and get respect from "the big boys".  If this is the attitude across the board within the Ballyholland club then no wonder they are getting into so many rows.

Initially I thought this was an approach developed by their senior manager but then I seen some of their behaviour at underage level and it looks like its a development throughout the club.

Wobbler your asking what clubs haven't been involved in rows, I could tell you plenty but instead should you not be looking within your club and get your own house in order.  This argument about being hard hitting and aggressive is also pie in the sky. 3 or 4 John Rambos walking about the field doesn't constitute aggressive hard hitting football.

Charlie if you want to see a good skitting match maybe go to Tyrone club matches or maybe to some local MMA events.  Most of us go to football matches to see just that, football.

Plenty of your own clubs supporters could join me going by their behaviour in the quater final.

Well pick them up on your way to Tyrone then

[charlieTully]

Don't take this personally Ballyholland lads but when I asked 5sams a while back about some of the behaviour of his players it was a very interesting response. He didn't condemn it, rather was proud of it and was of the opinion that it was the approach needed in order to compete and get respect from "the big boys".  If this is the attitude across the board within the Ballyholland club then no wonder they are getting into so many rows.

Initially I thought this was an approach developed by their senior manager but then I seen some of their behaviour at underage level and it looks like its a development throughout the club.

Wobbler your asking what clubs haven't been involved in rows, I could tell you plenty but instead should you not be looking within your club and get your own house in order.  This argument about being hard hitting and aggressive is also pie in the sky. 3 or 4 John Rambos walking about the field doesn't constitute aggressive hard hitting football.

Charlie if you want to see a good skitting match maybe go to Tyrone club matches or maybe to some local MMA events.  Most of us go to football matches to see just that, football.

Plenty of your own clubs supporters could join me going by their behaviour in the quater final.

Well pick them up on your way to Tyrone then

no bother, you stick to poaching players from neighbouring parishes. fair play to Ballyholland for not rolling over for the mighty Burren. now away and work out how ye can beat kilcoo in the next 5 years. chokers.

[NP 76]

I think too be honest it's a bit rich from you WGM to criticise the behaviour of the Harps underage mentors when more than likely you have only seen a handful of their games I would guess. And if it's the same underage games that I myself attended this year you really need to take a good luck at how the mighty Burren mentors were also behaving that day  This is a common trait at all Burren underage games where there is men dotted all over the field to intimidate both the opposition players and the referee. I am not condoning the behaviour of the Harps senior teams behaviour but I know a lot of good work is going in at underage and yes you may also have an ejit that can get you in trouble but don't cloud your judgement on whatever you saw or heard take a look around at the rests carry on also. Pot calling the kettle black !!

[gaamann]

Any Mayobridge posters know why they failed to field yesterday?Honest question not trying to annoy anyone I thought they had a outside change of getting into third place.

[OgraAnDun]

Don't take this personally Ballyholland lads but when I asked 5sams a while back about some of the behaviour of his players it was a very interesting response. He didn't condemn it, rather was proud of it and was of the opinion that it was the approach needed in order to compete and get respect from "the big boys".  If this is the attitude across the board within the Ballyholland club then no wonder they are getting into so many rows.

Initially I thought this was an approach developed by their senior manager but then I seen some of their behaviour at underage level and it looks like its a development throughout the club.

Wobbler your asking what clubs haven't been involved in rows, I could tell you plenty but instead should you not be looking within your club and get your own house in order.  This argument about being hard hitting and aggressive is also pie in the sky. 3 or 4 John Rambos walking about the field doesn't constitute aggressive hard hitting football.

Charlie if you want to see a good skitting match maybe go to Tyrone club matches or maybe to some local MMA events.  Most of us go to football matches to see just that, football.

Plenty of your own clubs supporters could join me going by their behaviour in the quater final.

Well pick them up on your way to Tyrone then

no bother, you stick to poaching players from neighbouring parishes. fair play to Ballyholland for not rolling over for the mighty Burren. now away and work out how ye can beat kilcoo in the next 5 years. chokers.

Lets all bow down to the mighty championship haul of Charlie Tully and his illustrious club.

[Town Gael]

The row in Castlewellan had nothing to do with Ballyholland not taking being bullied any more- it was because their no 8 (who I won't name on here) punched a Town player and then as he knew the ref saw it and he was getting a red,  got completely stuck in.  He was an embarrassment to his club.
That is the first big row I can remember the Town being involved in for several seasons and I hope it it several more before they are involved in another one.  Several young children were caught up in the row and had to be taken to the changing rooms to get away from it as they were terrified. Anyone who thinks these rows are in any way acceptable needs to have a long, hard fukin look at themselves.