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The numbers from the IMF are truly shocking. Budget deficit in excess of 10% of GNP. Unemployment to head north of 15%.
Banks will probably have to be nationalised in addition to the NAMA job, 13.5% economic contraction. Every day there is more news of ineptitude and greed on a colossal scale. Today it was an article in the Irish Times about gullible punters who lost money to unscrupulous estate agents selling flats in places like Bulgaria. Yesterday was people who lost all of their deposits to a builder collapsing being told to look on the bright side because the prices of houses had fallen in the meantime. the day before was Setanta. And that's only 3 days' worth.   

If GAA wallas can't see the writing on the wall they should look around. GAA grants were a nice idea in the overheated economy but the country is virtually bankrupt today and just can't afford fripperies. 

Whatever came of Kerril Wade or Conor Kavanagh or Alan Leech?

Apparently there were only 6 of the 2007 team that played Kilkenny starting last Saturday. I don't know when was the last time a Galway hurling fan could reel off the names of the half back line without thinking. There hasn't been any patience to stick with teams over any length of time.   The team that got to the AIF in 2005 was dismantled shortly afterwards. Managers came through a revolving door. You can't win all-Irelands with that sort of set-up.   

a couple of wins in tight matches against half decent opposition would bring Galway on a long way. the more matches, the better.  The county has underperformed for most of this decade apart from 2 matches in 2001 and 2005. The franchise is worth a lot if the players give it bhfaca tu. I would be very disappointed if they lost to Clare. It wouldn't be as desperate as nominating Sammy Wilson minister for finance but still..

 Re: Galway v Kilkenny
« Reply #186 on: Today at 03:00:24 PM »

Who analyses games like that ? It must be something to do with brain wiring.
I used to think there weren't enough hurling journalists and what it would be like to have more- I thought you'd have more Kevin Cashman stuff. Instead it's the opta index. So much for progress.

Kilkenny are great stickmen but I'm sick looking at them. It was the same for me with Liverpool in the 80s.
And Shamrock Rovers. I miss the romance of the Pilntons. KK are too serious. And Cody is too intense.

Quote from: Reillers on Today at 02:03:11 AM

I think what Hardstation is getting at is you are loathe to give Kilkenny any credit

It's impossible to get credit anywhere these days anawez. 

Maybe post Setanta RTÉ will cop on and allow these vital parts of the national
heritage to be watched thar saile. 

3 goals against KK is very juicy.

It says 2-10 Galway to 2-08 KK on aertel. The web match is island of ireland only. I suppose the other rights belong
to Setanta's creditors.
Fair play to Galway so far. 

Galway beat fancied KK teams in 2 cracking matches in 2001 and 2005. There is a race memory of those matches somewhere in the Galway psyche if MCintyre can find it.  The prospect of another KK all-ireland is about as exciting as thinking about Ryan Tubridy presenting the Late Late show. Even if Galway lose they'll have a better idea of what they are aiming for. The all-ireland strike rate should definitely improve over the next 20 years thanks to the leinster move. You don't need to be the best team to win an all-ireland. You need to take your chances when they materialise. Galway haven't done that since Joe Cooney and Éanna Ryan were in their prime. And St Joe of Canning is only early 20s. It's time for KK to get off the pot. They are to hurling today what shamrock rovers were to the 1980s.

A question as perennial as Posh spice and her cellulite. It must be June.

I think a lot of the posters are finding it hard to get credit from the ACC . The other thing is the championship is a bit anglo Irish bank in the weeks before the quarter finals , a bit of a zombie. Most of the players couldn't care less about winning or losing , a bit like AIB management there last year.  They know they will be bailed out by the back door.

Galway can only benefit from having a match against the cats at this time of the year. I don't care if they get beaten provided they win an all-ireland in the next 3 years in the name of all the dead generations of non premier, non  rebel and non cat counties.   

It's funny that galway are going into Leinster in 209, a bit like Brian Lenihan taking over Anglo Irish in november after all the damage was done. 2006 would have been the year to do it. 2005 was so promising. Anyway at least there's Joe Canning to look forward to. 

The Sunday tribune had an interview with one of the Wexford hurlers who has a company advising young fellas on pulling technique. Very interesting character.  Anyway I presume Offaly fans will be content with the Irish Open for 2009.

It's pure joy to read the sports news on Monday and find the latest exploits of Joe Canning therein. Besting King Henry and everything. Even if the Iseq is back to where it was in 1995 we need to go back a few more years to 1988 to the successful exploits of the last great Joe to wear a maroon jersey.

Unbelieveable day for Mickey Harte who has reached the summit after being as low as he could be following that Down match when everyone thought it was over.

Lovely to see Tyrone with 3 all-Irelands, no Kerry 3 in a row ..and Armagh still only have one Sam.

Galway are the Lehman Bros of hurling. All that talent and no strategy.
How many underage all-irelands in the last 15 years ? How many senior ?
Mattie Murphy won 4 minor all-Irelands and there were the John Hardy ones and all those u-21 riches ...

Where does it all go wrong ?  How can Kilkenny win 6 out of 8 all-Irelands
when Galway have a ratio of maybe 1 out of 4 ?

There's no excellence mentality. No consistency. One of the saddest things about the litany of failure is the fact that so many good hurlers never get a chance to get to the level of the Cork lads of a few years ago - knowing what the rest of the line will do, just because they have played together and won together for so long. Becoming more than just the sum of 15 individuals.   

The move into Leinster would be a good thing but not enough. The heads need reprogramming too.   

One day it will all come together and then some...