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Living away from home for some time now I'm not as familiar with Stephen as most of my Fellow Clann clubmates.
However I can testify that he is and always was one of the most HUMBLE, softly spoken gentlemen you could ever meet.

Unfortunately he like PTG took some amount of abuse over the years and unlike Peter he was as strong as a horse and so often Refs would offer him little to no protection whilst he was being dragged and fouled as we say more and more post 2003. I suppose teams started double marking him and using blanket defense to smother his influence.

I'm no expert in the matter but iMHO he has totally Overdosed on football ever since he went to St Marys with him playing for u-21 club, U-21 county, club senior, county senior and also for Ballymena soccer club all at the one time.
The man eats drinks and breathes football even more so than Dooher and I think it was inevitable that he would get loads of inuries and suffer burnout.

Like my brother, Stevie and Dooher are ball carriers and if you run with the ball you tend to get a lot of bad tackles and get targeted for special attention.
I think Stevie has realised now that there is more to live than football and he's now thinking about marriage and having kids.
He's probably been told time and time again if he continues to play thru the pain barrier then he could end up with long term problems

Maybe he's realised this and has decided that his old friend Harte is maybe too driven to win another AI at any cost and that his longterm well being is not on Mickey's agenda. I heard 3rd hand earlier this year that they had a disagreement about his injuries but of course I don't know how accurate this was.

I am beginning to question whether Mickey is as goodie good shoes as he likes to protray. I've heard he's a very driven man and so his ultimate success depends on this Tyrone team winnng a third all-Ireland. He know's with McGuigan and 11 and SON at 14 he had some chance of that. So naturally he'll bust a gut to get Stevie to play no matter how bad it might be for his long term health.

This is only my own opinion and I've no inside info so don't quote me as this being TRUE
I know Stevie is a much more private person than Harte and would not like all this speculation going on around him

Finally, can I say how pathetic it is of ye sad Armagh lads to try to drag a player and a fine upstanding man like Stephen into the mud with thugs like we have in lots of teams in our game, including Tyrone. I believe Stevie rang up Joan Toal the night it happened in hospital and expressed his regret of the incident. Can you imagine someone like Ricey, Francie (gentle as he is), Casey from Dublin or Galvin from Kerry having the decency to ring someone up. I think NOT!

As a few posters said. IGNORE such sad Pathetic posts as that's all they deserve.

"Its a boy" I cried out as everyone else was expecting a girl for some reason

Jamie Patrick was born last Tue at 9lbs 7 ounces in the Coombe in Dublin
Everyone is keen he'll be raised a dub but he'll be a Red hand Toffee like his da

Any news I've missed?

[shoulder]

Some very interesting points made there alright lads
Must say when I watched the Meath incidents again last night after 11 years of calming down I still feel a lot of Meaths tactics we're pre-empted

If you were a coach as crafty as Boylan would you not tell yer players to try take their main man outta the game and what is the best time and way to do it.
When watching it last night though I did think how did that shoulder do so much damage to his ankle. It looked like he caught him on the head or neck but as someone said it must have been how he fell on his ankle.

I'm sure our Meath colleagues will roll their eyes to heaven AGAIN when I mention it but no matter what his past record was like, How any fair minded person can say that Martin McConnell didnt mean to stand on Doohers head just amazes me. I think it might have been the Boylan influence on him though.
That 1996 defeat certainly disgusted many of us Tyrone football purists and so maybe thats why today we have a very different style.

Remember the freak injuries Peter got v Kerry in the 2003 Semi. The Pony was nowhere near him when he went over on his ankle.
Is it the way he twists and turns so fast.

I know he was no angel himself but man he took some abuse over the years from local club football to that International game with that Alkermanis p***k.
There certainly was a reaction from most teams to get him either injured or to try to rise him into a response and sending off
Other county fans used to love seeing him getting sent off and there certainly was a period where players would Just grap his neck and not let go hoping he would re-taliate.

I was disgusted myself though with his lunge on Gooch at end of game in 2005 but I suppose he's received such treatment so often himself and he'd do anything to not let a 2nd AI slip. Imagine though if it had of been Ricey or Galvin from Kerry on Peter.

I was very impressed with Jarlath's Fair and kind words and his massive complements of Peter and I loved Benny's comment about his shiny head blinded him and so he couldn't see the ball properly.
Many of the other Armagh lads in recent squads would find it hard to be so honest and how most of their fans would admit to HATING the wee baldy S**TE.

It sure would be nice to get a collection of all his scores on one DVD
I believe once he headed a goal in a charity match in the USA.

I noticed at the end him playing with his son. Has he only one son then?
Have we any good Tyrone women out there willing to help him add to that tally?  
He's got a huge act to follow but if its anything like Brian McGuigan we should be grand in 20 years time

Think yer a little Hasty their AZOffaly with that prediction.
He needs good forwards to hit his passes into and at the moment there's no obvious contenders like there was in 2003 & 2005

I think He's had a hard enough time and has obviously worked hard to get where he is now.
I think it might be physically too soon for him but mentally he needs to see he's making progress and to make the squad will give him that reward he deserves.

Good luck to him and its better getting 10 mins now to ease into it rather than 30 mins in NFL matches

Cheers lads

Nothing is astirring yet folks and Doc says it mightn't be until 17th so might as well make the most of my sleep
Poor Toffees got knocked outta FA cup today was a bit of a shock but we'll take Chelski this Tue. 

Any details on all these new lads in the squad
See Colm Cavanagh was playing midfield of the Poly and got 2 goals
Will he make the starting line up this year
He and big Sean take some aggro each match they play now

Good night and can't believe I'm on the  Board on a Sat nite at 1.29am. Times have achanged for Le Fuzz

Haven't been on Board for months lads as have been mad busy.

I'm based in Dublin now so dont get as much local news as the rest of the Clann but I did hear the rumour and its all very quiet on the matter back at home.
I've heard it's true but not official so of what I know of Stevie, he's football mad and so maybe he's been advised NOT to play any more but he's just taking time out to decide later in the year.

I wouldn't expect him to play in the league anyway and had a torrid time last year travelling up and down to Wexford was it to that Ice chamber place for his knee.

So what the latest on all these new lads that have been drafted in to the squad and also into the Uni squads.
If anyone can give us all a run down on who's who? Their club, position, strengths & weaknesses and how likely they are to make the team this year
How's likely to be dropped this year bar the Dogman and will Enda mcGinley be cursed again in the coming months.

Has Brian Mac regained his vision completely now and how's he getting on with training.

I'll hardly get to any League games this year and our 1st baby is due this Sat so think I'll be sitting waiting with the Red hand shirt ready for him/Her before that Dublin accent kicks in.

Happy New Year Fellow Gaels

Anyone know who updates the TyroneGAA website

They have our score in wrong against Clonoe last week and thus the table is also wrong.
I emailed them at info@tyronegaa.ielast week but no reply.

I said on the way into the ground yesterday that Kerry are there for the taking and that Dublin's weak link is their manager.

He's an all blood and guts guy with 100% commitment but like a lot of his players yesterday, decision making and the lack of that final 10% motivation is costing ye.
It reminded me a little of the Ulster final where Tyrone & Kerry put up huge scores in the 1st 10 mins of each half and then coasted the rest with it getting worrying later on.

The Ref was crap but thought Dublin's tackling or standing off I should say was unreal.

I had a funny incident after the game in a pub in town.
Wearing my Brolly Tyrone shirt I was at the bar talking to a kerry man about 40ish.
I said
"Well will ye beat Cork"
"Oh aye easy enough" he retorts
Thinking I was from Derry he goes on...
"But I'd rather beat those Armagh or Tyrone F**kers"
"They have got so much respect for wha a miserable two AI's and we'll have 35 this year"

I let him continue is rant and I said nothing but smiled with him
Then I pointed to my sleave and he saw the Tir Eoghain written on it
"He starts apologising and back tracking like mad and says why have I got Brolly on my shirt"

I laughed and said at least I know yer passionate about yer team and how ye still feel ye owe us wan.
He later bought me a pint.
Others were keen to talk about Mickey Harte and reckons he'd be better to go now as they need to hear a fresh voice for next year and to learn from Kernan

They might have a point but can't see Mickey stepping down as he knows with a fully fit squad we could give it another shot
No doubt Kerry deserved their win yesterday but they are a lot worse than 2006 and 2005.

Interesting reading these comments as there seems to be a lot of people with issues over respect and how the RTE and espcially Spillane controls a very biased view.

I would agree with this and I think even most Kerry fans would agree with this that Spillane continually slags off the Northern style of play and I think what this thread is trying to argue is why don't the rest of the panel on there stand up and compare like with like.

For years Tyrone continued with their small talented teams and hard some great forwards over the years but we never knew how to win ugly.
They won 2 AI's with Miclkey Harte changing their whole style to combat more phyiscal teams like Armagh etc with the memories of Meath in 96.

I think after 2003 1/4 final, Kerry reached the same conclusion that the intensity had been upped and you now had to FIGHT for the right to play the football.

It is sad to say but a lot of matches now have all of these negative aspects which have been listed and they are becoming common place in our games.
Managers are all looking for that edge and so unfortunately things like diving or at least falling easily are a product of forwards response to defenders getting away with murder such as 3rd man tackles, off the ball hits, eye balling, knees into the back and recently more so a fist into the groin off the ball.

It has become unsporting and downright nasty but then again a lot of this stuff happened years ago but its just the managers and players are being cuter about how to handle it.

I think Kerry are now as dirty as Armagh and Tyrone but so are Monaghan and many other teams.
I actually thought yesterday that Dublin were too slow to realise that the Ref was letting loads of tackles go and so their inept manager and defenders did not rise to this invitation as Kerry did.

Congrats again Kerry on another AI final at least and I have to admire your hunger each year even if you do get an easy run to the 1/4 finals each year.

I haven't read this whole thread so maybe someone else has said this but...

Firstly, I am no fan of Geraghty. I think he is a great footballer but a thug and yes he takes some awful punishment but he hands out often worse.
Secondly, I think the punch was so obvious and for the CCC to let this go is just unreal
Thirdly, as a Tyrone man I was disgusted with Ryan McMenamins two knee lunge on one of the Armagh Thompson twins and don't see how such exceptions can be made year after year.

I think the GAA need to say at the start of the season that from here on in video evidence in county matches only CAN be used by referees afterwards to change their suspensions accordingly.
At least that way everyone will know from the start what's happening and so there will be no stories of
"Well why did you not take such and such up for his tackle"

How can they castigate the Aussies when they have such material to use against us.

Yeah but for Dublin games they are always very scarce
How much would the touts be looking for I wonder?

Is it better to look in the pubs like the Big tree or out near the ground?

Anyone got any tickets or have any idea how much they'll be on the streets on Sunday

Anyone got any idea what sort of money a ticket would be on the day from a tout or from a decent Punter?

I presume they'll be some available at the right price.

Is it just by chance that Brolly and Spillane don't seem to come head to head.
Did Spillane want to move to Sunday game host to avoid Smart asses Joe or was it simply Joe needed to get back to Ravenhill Rd in time to put the waynes to school?

I'd love to see Joe on the Sunday game some day with Spillane or even better have the two of them in a head to head discussion about football with an audience.
Now that would be entertaining.

In fairness to Tohill, he handles him well and often dimisses his childish Norn Bias with a long pause and eye roll to the heavens before answering a different question.

I think its unfair of RTE Sport to continue with such a unliked host of their national games and I'd say all the guests on the show can't bear the sight of him either.
Even lick ass Yes man Tony Davis has been often rubbed up the wrong way with Spillane.

Spillane reminds me of the hateful clubmate who no-one wants to sit beside on the journey to the big game as he will continue to nag and do yer head in

I think we should all bombard RTE until we get rid of the Fecker.

Aye for if U should leave yer head low with ye F**kers about, you'd get walked on. 


And the Dubs on the night link that night also sang

We know where your Farm is
We know where your Farm is
We know where your Farm is
We know where your Farm is