Messages

1

GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2023

« on: March 26, 2023, 05:26:26 PM »

Just watching the Armagh game there, that's a very bad hit by the Armagh fullback, straight frontal shoulder at head high. Amazed it wasn't red, maybe more on the fact the impact swung Kennedy head bck rather than the shoulder.

If your full back hadn’t made the hit there you’d be asking questions off him. It looked bad as both players were travelling at speed but once he’d committed he couldn’t exactly pull out it was just unfortunate for Kennedy to be on the receiving end of it.

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GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2023

« on: March 26, 2023, 04:38:28 PM »

It was a decent game in Omagh today, plenty of mistakes by both sides but at least there was little of the backways sideways crap that we had become accustomed to as Armagh fans throughout this years League. Mayo done Monaghan a huge favour by rolling over and getting their tummies tickled and there was little chance that Tyrone would do the same for us. Tyrone played the game like it was an All Ireland final even though they had nothing at stake but Armagh only have ourselves to blame after playing negative turgid stuff for much of the League. It was always going to be difficult today without our best player and then losing Murnin also in in the first half.

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GAA Discussion / Re: Ulster U20 Championship 2023

« on: March 26, 2023, 12:42:08 PM »

Why are Armagh so poor at underage? They haven't challenged for a thing in the past decade +. Rarely reaching even semi-finals.

Since the All Ireland minor success of 2009 the record has been shocking at both underage grades. I’d say you could count on 2 hands the number of games we’ve won since then. I can’t answer the question of why but whatever we’re doing isn’t working.

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GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2023

« on: March 24, 2023, 11:59:16 AM »

I'd be fearful that if Mayo put out an entirely new starting 15 that Monaghan may well get the result they need in Castlebar. The fact that they have requested a Saturday date for the League final would indicate to me that this is a distinct possibility. I still think that a Mayo 2nd string could get a result but I wouldn't be overly confident either. We just have to take care of our own business in Omagh and as the game creeps closer I am quietly confident that the recent criticism, the fact that survival is on the line and the sight of a Tyrone jersey will be enough to fire us up and get the result we need to render the Mayo match irrelevant.

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GAA Discussion / Re: Gaelic football is crap- and needs to change ASAP

« on: March 23, 2023, 12:05:09 PM »

I watched 10 minutes of Monaghan and Tyrone and switched it over. Genuinely couldn’t be arsed watching Monaghans slow build up, passing the ball across the pitch and back, constantly afraid or unable to slice a pass into the forwards. The outcome looked inevitable within minutes, Tyrone with everyone back, then breaking up field when Monaghan give it away and nick a score.  Boring predictable shite .

Football has become a game that is very difficult to attract a neutral, I struggle to watch games that ive no dog in the fight and anyone I talk to seems to be the same. Hurling still has the appeal that you can watch a game between 2 top teams and it keeps you interested, football not so much.

I don't necessarily agree.
In hurling, unless you are watching some of the top teams, the games can be a really hard watch.
In soccer, the whole approach is to pass the ball around the back and mf to find a gap to attack. No-one seems to complain about those games being boring, rather the skill levels of the players are revered.

Looking back to football of the 90's and to a lesser extent the 00's, football was more dynamic and more attack centred and yes, it can be argued more exciting and a more attractive prospect for the neutral. But the skill levels of players I believe are no-where near the levels of today and the fitness levels now are at stratospheric levels in comparison.

In football today, the top teams are still exciting to watch. The skill levels and fitness levels allow for those moments of brilliance which are enabled by the defensive foundation and approach. I personally find that fascinating to watch.
We still get some real score fests, but generally they are between teams that don't have the same level of players/management/tactics and most importantly finance and so the defensive abilities are not as good as the top 3-4 teams.

Only my opinion and I'm sure others will completely disagree. For me it's the progression of the game in terms of tactics and skills.
20 years ago we would not have enivisaged the way the game is today and I'd imagine in 20 years time it will have evolved again into something unrecognisable to todays players/fans.
It doesn't make it worse, just different and one thing for sure is that if nothing changed, it would become stale and boring and we'd have Kerry/Dublin winning every year and the rest of us would be sitting back dreaming of better days.

I'm not sure how the evolution of the game would change that particular outcome as it is fairly clear that the best resourced counties are those who advantage the most. Kerry and Dublin have literally won every League and championship title in the last decade apart from one Mayo League and one Tyrone championship!

You also make the point that skill and fitness levels have never been higher and that's possibly true which is down to the level of coaching invested in players from they are 5/6 years of age. But then again it depends on how you define skill and what you want the game to look like. I'd prefer to watch more of a kicking game where players are able to get their heads up and execute a long pass into an inside forward. Also to watch players that are able to kick scores from 40 metres out and forwards that are able to take their men on one on one and bear down on goal. More one on one duels for possession and less zonal marking to cover space. However all of those skills have become less important at the expense of possession and risk free football. GPS and possession based stats are the name of the game now. I'm sure there are coaching types who enjoy those type of hand passing possession based matches where they are able to have more control of the players movements and tactical positioning but imo it does nothing for the spectacle. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.     

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GAA Discussion / Re: Donegal - A mess

« on: March 23, 2023, 11:07:00 AM »

Jimmy McGuinness complained last week that he offered his services but was ignored. He now needs to put his money where his mouth is and step up at a time of crisis.

If he offered his services to manage Donegal then it begs the question what exactly have the last 8 years or so been all about for him. He went down the painstaking route of serving an apprenticeship as a soccer coach in order to get his pro licence but yet has now seemingly walked away from the sport. You would imagine that a League of Ireland club at least would have taken a punt on him by this stage or is that dream now over for him.

He didn't though. He offered to mentor Kav and Lacey as he and his family are about and will be until the summer. He was never coming in to manage with soccer commitments.. That's both in print and podcast

Fair enough, I presumed him offering his services was to manage the county senior team. What soccer commitments has he got? 

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GAA Discussion / Re: Gaelic football is crap- and needs to change ASAP

« on: March 23, 2023, 10:57:18 AM »

I watched 10 minutes of Monaghan and Tyrone and switched it over. Genuinely couldn’t be arsed watching Monaghans slow build up, passing the ball across the pitch and back, constantly afraid or unable to slice a pass into the forwards. The outcome looked inevitable within minutes, Tyrone with everyone back, then breaking up field when Monaghan give it away and nick a score.  Boring predictable shite .

Football has become a game that is very difficult to attract a neutral, I struggle to watch games that ive no dog in the fight and anyone I talk to seems to be the same. Hurling still has the appeal that you can watch a game between 2 top teams and it keeps you interested, football not so much.

I would agree with your assessment about the football. I look forward to sitting down to watching a match then about 10 minutes in I realise I'm bored stiff watching the same regurgitated possession based hand passing shite. I think its just habit, tradition and tribalism that makes you keep on coming back to watch it but it's really getting to the stage where I can take or leave it unless my own county is involved. If sport is supposed to be entertainment then this stuff is as far from entertainment as you can get, its all too mechanical and it's treated like an occupation by nearly all coaching teams. Data analysis and over coaching has ruined the game. The coaching fraternity will of course tell you everything is fantastic and why wouldn't they, most of them are earning a crust from it. It should be the number one priority for the GAA to try to resolve.     

Even hurling has become fairly tedious though. The same few teams playing each other over and over again and it has got very much possession based as well with a lot fewer goals in matches it would seem.

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GAA Discussion / Re: Donegal - A mess

« on: March 23, 2023, 10:19:30 AM »

Jimmy McGuinness complained last week that he offered his services but was ignored. He now needs to put his money where his mouth is and step up at a time of crisis.

If he offered his services to manage Donegal then it begs the question what exactly have the last 8 years or so been all about for him. He went down the painstaking route of serving an apprenticeship as a soccer coach in order to get his pro licence but yet has now seemingly walked away from the sport. You would imagine that a League of Ireland club at least would have taken a punt on him by this stage or is that dream now over for him.

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General discussion / Re: The DUP thread

« on: March 22, 2023, 05:59:52 PM »

At least Jim Shannon is using his influence at Westminster for good things. Putting a motion in to honour Dolly Parton on the 50th anniversary for one of her songs 

Deliberately done to try and deflect from the resounding defeat of the WF vote. Taking the people for fools.

You're giving Jim too much credit, trust me.

Maybe so, he does come across as a bit of a simpleton alright. Lacking in self awareness and utterly shameless are traits most associated with Wilson, Paisley, Poots and Foster so perhaps Shannon needs to be added to the list as well. 

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General discussion / Re: The DUP thread

« on: March 22, 2023, 05:29:19 PM »

At least Jim Shannon is using his influence at Westminster for good things. Putting a motion in to honour Dolly Parton on the 50th anniversary for one of her songs 

Deliberately done to try and deflect from the resounding defeat of the WF vote. Taking the people for fools. 

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GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2023

« on: March 22, 2023, 12:13:42 PM »

Interesting to see Tyrone fans turning into Kerry fans prior to this match with all of the talking up the opposition. I expect a reaction to all of the criticism from Armagh this Sunday with survival on the line and what better way to do it than to beat Tyrone in Omagh.

That said I think Tyrone will edge this one as well, if they can't beat an Armagh side who have stunk the place out in recent weeks then it doesn't say much for their championship fortunes. 

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General discussion / Re: What happened the DUP thread?

« on: March 20, 2023, 05:28:28 PM »

would joint authority not  mean a loyalist return to war.

They'll go clean mad but they've only themselves to blame!

We keep hearing about this loyalist return to violence. Who are they going to be waging this war against? Just an excuse for them to start murdering innocent Catholics.

The threat of loyalist violence does get overstated somewhat. It's like the lad in school that keeps on telling you he is going to hit you but never actually does anything about it. Its largely used for political leverage as was the case with the flag protests, the riots and the protocol protests. If they start up again it would only bring a lot more heat on them and shine a light on their other more nefarious activities which are more important to those at the top of those organisations. Those groups like to create intimidation and fear and are more concerned with controlling communities and making money from extortion, racketeering and the sale of narcotics.   

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GAA Discussion / Re: Division 2 2023

« on: March 20, 2023, 04:01:27 PM »

are louth darkhorses/contenders for the all ireland

Louth have had a meteoric rise but compete for Sam Maguire, come off it. They would have a good chance of competing to win a Tailteann Cup and for them it is a pity that they were denied an opportunity two years running since despite their progress, there is nothing to beat lifting meaningful silverware. With the exception of Dublin and Derry there is a huge gap between division one and the rest of division two now.

Reaching a Leinster final and or All Ireland Quarter final v winning Tailteann Cup.  Which would bring more interest to the Louth players,management and supporters? I think the former.


Regardless what happens on Sunday against Dublin it's been a great Div 2 campaign by Louth. Last time they were in Div 2 (2018) they were totally out of their depth losing all 7 games with a points difference of -67


Full credit to Mickey Harte (71 years young) and his management on the  job/improvement they have done with Louth.  Took on the Louth gig in November 2020 when they were just relegated to Division 4 losing 6 of their 7 games. March 2023 3rd in Div 2 with 8 points only defeat was against the best team in this Division Derry by just 3 points.

I would say reaching a Leinster final is their first priority. After that I would put winning a Tailteann Cup over an AI QF appearance. I'd imagine Westmeath had a much more enjoyable and rewarding season last year than Clare did for example. When you look back on your career you will remember lifting a trophy in Croke Park and the homecoming afterwards a lot more than the inevitable 10 point drubbing in an AI quarter final. There is of course no guarantee that they would either win a Tailteann Cup or reach an AI quarter final.   

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General discussion / Re: What happened the DUP thread?

« on: March 20, 2023, 02:17:02 PM »

Another own goal, genuinely must take a serious effort to be on the wrong side of everything constantly.

No more negotiations to be had, the Gov't going to force it through regardless.

Touch of arrogance from Mr Donaldson, expecting Sunak and the EU to re-open the talks just to appease him and his ever decreasing cabal.

What now for the Assembly, Is it Joint authority with major inputs from the Irish Tánaiste?

Abolish all MLAs salary immediately. If they fail to go back into government then Stormont is effectively finished. After that politicians here will have no control over our own affairs. It will be some form of joint authority although it mightn't be worded as such.

I still think Donaldson is too fearful of the consequences of not going back into Stormont and that they will find some form of workaround. It does show the folly of painting himself into a corner in pulling down Stormont to begin with though.

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GAA Discussion / Re: Division 2 2023

« on: March 20, 2023, 12:07:08 PM »

are louth darkhorses/contenders for the all ireland

Louth have had a meteoric rise but compete for Sam Maguire, come off it. They would have a good chance of competing to win a Tailteann Cup and for them it is a pity that they were denied an opportunity two years running since despite their progress, there is nothing to beat lifting meaningful silverware. With the exception of Dublin and Derry there is a huge gap between division one and the rest of division two now.