The Sunday Game

[Farrandeelin]

What about Des Cahill's attempts to make controversy out of nothing about people jeering Cody? I thought the panel handled it very well. The crowd were hardly going to stand in universal applause for him.

[From the Bunker]

What about Des Cahill's attempts to make controversy out of nothing about people jeering Cody? I thought the panel handled it very well. The crowd were hardly going to stand in universal applause for him.

Ah it was all in good humour. As Steve Davis used to say when he became popular, he was losing. And asked if he would rather remain popular? He said he'd give anything to be hated again. People hate you when you are a winner. Coady was reveling in that today. 

[Jinxy]

What about Des Cahill's attempts to make controversy out of nothing about people jeering Cody? I thought the panel handled it very well. The crowd were hardly going to stand in universal applause for him.

He even had his 'troubled' face on as he introduced the piece before the pundits rightly laughed the whole thing off.

[Shamrock Shore]

Cahill is a tool.

I was in Croke Park and the reaction was of a type that the panto villain gets when he/she enters on stage.

All harmless fun and a diversion from seeing Cork getting bummed.

[imtommygunn]

Cahill wouldn't be out of place writing for a tabloid with his constant attempts to create controversy.

[Rossfan]

Cahill is a tool.

Absolutely. another RTÉ as*hole.

[AZOffaly]

Cahill is a tool.

Absolutely. another RTÉ as*hole.

I used to like him. I thought he was a sort of laid back Cuala hurling sort of a fella. But this word of the day nonsense and trying to be 'controversial' is pissing me off. Is he operating under orders I wonder? The Cody thing was pathetic.

[Hardy]

Cahill is a tool.

Absolutely. another RTÉ as*hole.

I used to like him. I thought he was a sort of laid back Cuala hurling sort of a fella. But this word of the day nonsense and trying to be 'controversial' is pissing me off. Is he operating under orders I wonder? The Cody thing was pathetic.

Me too. I used to think he was a kjnda harmless eejit. His "one of the lads" persona seemed just right for some types of sports presentation/commentary situations and he seemed natural and at ease - even to the extent of feeling free to slobber and gurgle his words without self-consciousness. Now he's coming across as a prize tool, always at some sort of awkward angle to the situation as a result of trying too hard to be something, though he's not sure what.

The thing is, he's clearly an enthusiast and if he approached the thing right he could be the answer to the problem of the relentlessly negative football punditry by steering the analysis towards the positive.

[AZOffaly]

Exactly Hardy, that's why I'm wondering if he is acting under orders to 'provoke controversy and debate'. That type of horseshite. On the radio and all he always came across as someone who was really into the games. Now he seems to be trying to load the bullets for lads to take potshots. Luckily Joe Brolly isn't in harness with him. That would be the perfect storm.

[orangeman]

Definitely under orders and being fed. Rte are failing in their attempts to be controversial and successful.

[imtommygunn]

They don't seem to realise that the hurling punditry is great(and devoid of the self important controversial nonsense) and the football is crap and that is a view held by many as on here illustrates. They will point to viewing figures but I would say I'm far from alone in turning over at half time in the football matches and sky plussing the evening show then fast forwarding over the football punditry.

I would also say he's acting on orders. He's now tried the cody thing, the doctor incident, Eamon O'Hara on Kevin Walsh and then he tried to pull Donal Og into a JBM thing which he spectacularly failed on. They were all poor attempts. Martin McHugh then also played into his hands with the Gooch thing but who really cares as from a few years ago McHugh either looks for attention or doesn't know what he's talking about so isn't worth listening to anyway.

[Syferus]

Hurling punditry great? Too much back-patting on the hurling panel. Everyone's friends with the managers and won't say what they really feel a lot of the times.

Michael Duignan was a caricature yesterday - "that's not a free!" was his sole response to every blindingly obvious foul that the referee missed.

Some people here seem to value cheer-leading over good punditry. Good punditry is neither trying to create a chocolate cake out of a pile of shite or trying to be controversial and negative. It's about honestly commenting on what's transpired in front of you. Tomas O'Se and young Whelo do the best jobs on tv in either code right now. They're RTE football pundits.

[AZOffaly]

You have a point Syferus, but if I had to choose one over the other, give me the cheerleading over the grumpy old men shite that the football analysts, on the live game at least, indulge in. To listen to them you'd swear Gaelic Football was a dead or dying sport.

The hurling lads might go overboard at times, but they are more interested in highlighting the skills and the excitement that they genuinely seem to enjoy. That's a much better approach in my eyes. I said it before, the Football analysts try to analyse like a coach would, and show how much they know by bemoaning any perceived lack of skills or whatever. That's not the end of the world in and of itself, but they then (at least one of them does) indulge in the character assassination type stuff which has nothing to do with analysis, and everything to do with a 'look at me, aren't I great' mindset.

The hurling bucks analyse like someone trying to spread the gospel, and I suppose that's what they are doing in a sense. They are analysing like people who actually love the game and want other people to love it. I prefer that.

[rodney trotter]

Eddie Brennan is probaly the best pundit out of either codes on Rte. I don't know what the obsession with Whelan is,

[Zulu]

You have a point Syferus, but if I had to choose one over the other, give me the cheerleading over the grumpy old men shite that the football analysts, on the live game at least, indulge in. To listen to them you'd swear Gaelic Football was a dead or dying sport.

The hurling lads might go overboard at times, but they are more interested in highlighting the skills and the excitement that they genuinely seem to enjoy. That's a much better approach in my eyes. I said it before, the Football analysts try to analyse like a coach would, and show how much they know by bemoaning any perceived lack of skills or whatever. That's not the end of the world in and of itself, but they then (at least one of them does) indulge in the character assassination type stuff which has nothing to do with analysis, and everything to do with a 'look at me, aren't I great' mindset.

The hurling bucks analyse like someone trying to spread the gospel, and I suppose that's what they are doing in a sense. They are analysing like people who actually love the game and want other people to love it. I prefer that.

I prefer the coaching analysis type of punditry rather than the fan style but you're right, the football lads are way too negative. I thought for example, Donal Og's instance that Glesson's puck outs was the greatest display ever was way over the top, while he was good Cork made it very easy. However, if it was the football lads they would have simply hammered Cork for the marking without giving the goalkeeper any real credit for being able to pick out his targets.

I also feel the the like of Spillane and O'Rourke can't analyse a game and highlight anything fresh or unclear to the TV viewer. This is criminal in an age when there is so much new going on in football and there are numerous cameras to highlight it. It should be far easier for football pundits to come up with something interesting and insightful yet they too often fall into the trap of commenting on quality of the spectacle. Yesterday's semi final was a poor game from start to finish yet I don't think anyone mentioned that at all, if it was football the amount of wides, the poor distribution, the poor control and the poor spectacle would have dominated all the analysis.