The Sunday Game

[tonto1888]

Yeah Cavanagh not overly likeable but he was a fantastic footballer. Tyrone would less than 4 all irelands without him. He was one of the best players of his era.

Im a proud Armagh man but this is the truth. An excellent player

[trailer]

Number 1 .... Sean Cavanagh loves Sean Cavanagh.  When Brian Dooher was playing for Tyrone he did the 'donkey work' ( ie handed him easy ball) for him and he was a very efficient and effective cog in that Tyrone set -up .... when Dooher retired Sean Cavanagh wasn't nearly as effective or as influential.

I personally think he was one of the most overrated players in the Tyrone setup during those years.
I always remember thinking he showed up well when a game was already won, getting a couple of scores maybe in the last 10 when they were already 8 up.
Rarely was he the player to pull them through in a difficult game.
Dooher, as you say, was that type of player.
He has nothing of interest to say in the punditry side of things. Stutters a lot and repeats lots of cliche's but no real insights.
He's certainly got more confident in the role than he was, but he brings nothing to it.

I'd much prefer to listen to people with their own opinions rather than this sanitised repetitive jargon. The result is that every game has the same commentary and analysis with nothing insightful or entertaining to offer. I used to always watch the RTE pre-match, half-time and post game analysis. I just cant bring myself to do it now.....a complete bore-fest which is chaired by the queen of bore in Cantwell.

Cavanagh is hard to like but that is nonsense.  He pulled Tyrone through many a difficult game.

Yeah it's absolute nonsense. He scored 5 from play in his adopted position of full forward in 08 all ireland final which is more than either Clifford or Walsh got from play on Sunday. It included a few very important scores in the second half. He got a crucial score towards the end of the 05 semi final v Armagh and dragged Tyrone over the line in 2017 ulster final against Donegal. That's just a few that spring to mind.

His first introduction was to score 1-2 against Armagh in 02. Just out of Minor and went on to be a key player in the counties first ever All Ireland playing in MF. Against McGrane and Whelan and Daragh O'se some of the greatest MFs ever. Cavanagh was easily one of Tyrone's best footballers ever. People might not like his commentary and that's fine but to dismiss his footballing ability diminishes your argument and makes you look like you share a brain with Gemma O'Doherty.

[lenny]

Yeah Cavanagh not overly likeable but he was a fantastic footballer. Tyrone would less than 4 all irelands without him. He was one of the best players of his era.

Agreed, he's pathetic and completely unlikeable as a pundit but he was tyrone's talisman and saviour in a number of big games.

[tiempo]

If Sean Cavanagh the player is being called into question then as a mere mortal you may forget about it.

I feel a bit out of place on the board now, didn't realise the team of the millennium were posting.

[yellowcard]

I don't think many people will argue he was one of Tyrones best ever players. He had a trademark shuffle and while everybody knew it was coming, not very many could stop it. They definitely wouldn't have won it in 2008 without him and probably 2005 as well.

[Taylor]

Nail him all you like for his 'punditry' or how you view him as a person.

But anyone questioning his ball playing ability is talking through their arse

[tbrick18]

 
This board is too easy sometimes.  Lol.

[quit yo jibbajabba]

"Brick with a great fetch......turns, shoots..... and its OVER THE BARRRRR"

😃

[seafoid]

I don't remember a time when TSG had such a clear out of reliables.
Brolly , O'Rourke and Spillane were the GF counterparts of Giles, Dunphy and Brady.
Maybe TSG will have a different model now

[armaghniac]

Maybe TSG will have a different model now

Yes, they'll have representation of all 5 genders and at least one African, Asian and South American person.

[yellowcard]

It's time for RTE to have a Red Button option where people can watch some deeper tactical analysis.
The main feed can be the usual very general O'Rourke, Spillane, Brolly type punditry that doesn't give much insight - Cavan are a proud football county, Meath always keep battling till the end.

If you want analysis then don't expect the Sunday Game to provide it. The format isn't suited to it due to time constraints. There should be a Monday night programme during championship season that caters for this. Personally I'd rather the entertainment when I'm watching tv but if I want analysis breakdown then there are plenty of decent podcasts more suited to that type of long format.

The Sunday Game have neither. They need to think outside the box and employ a few bigger personalities but I expect they will continue with their policy of quotas, tokenism and nepotism. Whatever you think of Brolly, Spillane and O'Rourke to last as long as they did at the punditry was a fair achievement. Michael Lyster too who has never been replaced.     

[Owenmoresider]

Eamon Fitz is the only pudit worth talking about on RTE. Some of the pundits / presenters that did the Tailteann are worth a second look. Des Cahill, Ger Canning, Dessie Dolan, Gouch, Colm O Rourke, Gulpin Whelan, Cora & Kevin Mc should feck the hell off. As for that utter gobshite Sean Cavanagh.

At least Martin Carney, Joe Bollix, Davy Brady & Pateen are gone. Darragh Maloney not to bad. Hopefully Maughan doesn't get ideas.

The world doesn't need another eggit pundit from Mayo, thank goodness for Sky, Jimbo, Canavan & female presenter are class.

Oisin McConville not to bad either.

Well we'll be getting them anyway if this year is any measure, Higgins and Keegan are getting in on the act and were I to turn on the news some evening I'm half expecting that Colm Boyle will be presenting it, so omnipresent he has become. And lookit no doubt when O'Shea and O'Connor pack it in there'll have to be place found for them too.

[lenny]

Eamon Fitz is the only pudit worth talking about on RTE. Some of the pundits / presenters that did the Tailteann are worth a second look. Des Cahill, Ger Canning, Dessie Dolan, Gouch, Colm O Rourke, Gulpin Whelan, Cora & Kevin Mc should feck the hell off. As for that utter gobshite Sean Cavanagh.

At least Martin Carney, Joe Bollix, Davy Brady & Pateen are gone. Darragh Maloney not to bad. Hopefully Maughan doesn't get ideas.

The world doesn't need another eggit pundit from Mayo, thank goodness for Sky, Jimbo, Canavan & female presenter are class.

Oisin McConville not to bad either.

Well we'll be getting them anyway if this year is any measure, Higgins and Keegan are getting in on the act and were I to turn on the news some evening I'm half expecting that Colm Boyle will be presenting it, so omnipresent he has become. And lookit no doubt when O'Shea and O'Connor pack it in there'll have to be place found for them too.

Colm Boyle was actually very good on the few occasions he was on this year. Hopefully he will be used more next year.

[seafoid]

It's time for RTE to have a Red Button option where people can watch some deeper tactical analysis.
The main feed can be the usual very general O'Rourke, Spillane, Brolly type punditry that doesn't give much insight - Cavan are a proud football county, Meath always keep battling till the end.

If you want analysis then don't expect the Sunday Game to provide it. The format isn't suited to it due to time constraints. There should be a Monday night programme during championship season that caters for this. Personally I'd rather the entertainment when I'm watching tv but if I want analysis breakdown then there are plenty of decent podcasts more suited to that type of long format.

The Sunday Game have neither. They need to think outside the box and employ a few bigger personalities but I expect they will continue with their policy of quotas, tokenism and nepotism. Whatever you think of Brolly, Spillane and O'Rourke to last as long as they did at the punditry was a fair achievement. Michael Lyster too who has never been replaced.   

OTB on Monday has good analysis. TSG is mostly entertainment

[tbrick18]

The only good thing about the Sunday Game is the theme tune.

Personalities are non-existent and actually seem to be frowned upon.
Analysis is just a series of soundbites and cliche's.
Zero entertainment value.
It's so PC it's become a non-entity.

So if there is no entertainment, no decent analysis....then what is the Sunday Game?

They need to completely clear out the personnel. Now that the mainstays are gone its a great opportunity for RTE to get this right.
They need to decide if they are going for entertainment OR in depth analysis because it seems they are unable to get it right if trying to do both. Then based on this decision, recruit entertainers OR analysts. Putting both together on the same panel doesnt seem to work and probably is what has caused friction previously.

Possibly have a panel of anchors and rotate between them as Cantwell just doesn't work imo.

Recently retired players who have played the modern game and who have managed at some level to provide the analysis. Last thing you want is guys on there harking back to the good old days.
But they also need to have some decent presentation skills. What about ex-referee's as analysts? Pat Mceneany for example?

I dont know what the magic formula is but the current formula just does not work.