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Topics - thewobbler

#21
General discussion / Least Worst MPV?
December 29, 2011, 10:07:42 PM
(shudders)

What is the least worst MPV out there folks?

If you could add some meat to the bones of your opinion, it'd be greatly appreciated.
#23
Down / Would you be happy for Down to do a Donegal?
July 25, 2011, 10:15:36 AM
I guess this is the kind of thing the County Board and Wee James should be discussing over the winter.
#24
Surely I can't be the only one who has noticed this today?

TV3 should withhold any payments for the match when the GAA can't even implement a simple colour clash system.
#25
GAA Discussion / Mark Sidebottom
May 28, 2011, 10:25:24 PM
Sidey seems like a likeable guy, and he obviously loves his GAA.

But he's possibly the worst commentator I've ever heard in any sport.

His twee, cringe-laden style does nothing for the BBC nor for the sport. It's like listening to your grandparents talking about sex.

Sort it out BBC, put him in another job or none at all, but keep that mic out of his hands.
#26
The host for World Cup 2018 is being decided today.

Come on Ingerland!
#27
General discussion / I'd vote for Sammy Wilson
October 23, 2010, 12:26:14 PM
DUP or not, it's becomg more obvious Sammy Wilson has more sense than the rest of Stormont put together.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-11612513 
is his latest outburst of sense.
#28
Was chatting about Down's arrival from nowhere on the way home yesterday, and I'd think Down are the first team to play in an All Ireland final in which:

1.   No member of their panel has won a Provincial Championship medal.
2.   No member of their panel has been nominated for an All Star Award.
3.   No member of their panel has won an All Star Award.

Can anyone verify or repute the above? I'd definitely say numbers one and two are first timers, not so sure on the third.

Probably has to go down as the most meteoric rise in the history of the game.
#29
Number one in what could be a long series.

Rory O Carroll's tackle for the penalty against Cork. Is this the most blatant free in history?
#30
I'm not one for changing systems. I'd go for a straight knockout Championship every day of the week, but that's never going to happen again.

But there does seem to be this ongoing issue with a number of people that the qualifiers system isn't fair. Personally I think these people are inconsistent moaners and whingers, who just dont accept that a defeat is a defeat without first blaming ten levels of committee men, but that's another story.

But should we have to appease them, we have to do two things:

1) Ensure that the system is completely equitable.
2) Somehow, manage to achieve no.1 while maintaining the Provinicial Championships.

The Provincial Championships can't go - partly beacause the provincial councils won't ever support a motion to remove their cash cow, partly because anyone who has ever driven across Ireland for a qualifier, comes back understanding just how good local derbies are.


And here is the solution:

- The National League is truncated to five/six games apiece, played in February and March.
- The Provincial Championships are brought forward and take place from mid-April through to the end of May, and are based on the current system.
- On the 1st of June, an open draw is made, placing the teams into pools of four  (for want of a better description, a la the Champions League).
- The major kicker here is that the provincial finalists are seeded in the draw (i.e, each of the eight groups has a provinical finalist). Every other team is unseeded.
- The second major kicker here is that the provinical finalists get to play each of their three pool games at home.
- The other three teams in their pool get one home game apiece (A v B, A v C, A v D, B v C, C v D, D v B).
- These three games would be played every other weekend from mid-June to the end of July.
- One team (one team only, no need to be greedy like the Champion's League), progresses through to the quarter-finals.
- Quarter-finals mid August, semi-final start of September, final mid to end of September.


This would be an entirely equitable system in that at the start of each year, each team has the same chance of winning a Provincial Championship, and thereby giving themselves a better chance of reaching an All-Ireland quarter-final.

And each team would have three All-Ireland Championship matches to prove their worth before the straight knockout begins.

The biggest boost it would give the GAA is is reinforcing the importance of the Provincial Championships. They become prizes worth winning on two very big counts.

There is an historic anomaly in the size of some provinces, meaning someone drawn long in the Leinster Championship may have two more games to play than someone drawn short in the Connacht, but this will be the case in every system that includes a Provincial Championship.


Under this system, the maximum number of Championship games a team could face in winning an All-Ireland would be 10, and the minimum would be four. This is a change from eight and two under the current system, hence the League really should be truncated, otherwise club football would be ruined in some counties.


We'd worry about groups of five for NY and London later.

Yes, I am aware that this has nothing to with stickfighting. It's all football.
#31
Reviving the Railway Cup through the GPA...

It just struck me that with the pay per play argument getting airtime again, there is an excellent and simple opportunity for the GPA to prove that their desire is based on viable means.

Based on pure quality of the contestants involves, the highest level of Gaelic Games attainable under the current structures is in the Railway Cups. Only the creme de la creme get that honour.

Yet for decades its been impossible to get anyone to watch it.

So let's turn it over to the GPA.

The GAA would supply the stadia and their backing... even clear a weekend of fixtures.

Thereafter it would be the GPA's responsibility to organise, finance, market and advertise the tournament. The kicker for them is that they would get to keep every penny made and distribute it in whatever manner they see fit - no questions asked.

As a safety net, and a thanks for their efforts, the GAA could underwrite any losses on the first iteration of the tournament.


The question is, would the GPA be brave enough to take this challenge on?
#32
I'm interested in a piece of market research here.

After reading on another thread that it was £9 in to watch experimental Down play a University side tonight, I'm a bit worried that the Ulster Council have lost all grip with reality.

That almost a 30% rise on last year's £7 prices.

I stopped going last year as I was sick of paying good money to watch experimental teams not trying too hard.

Where might anyone else draw the line?
#33
GAA Discussion / Kerry GAA Photos
September 09, 2009, 05:44:03 PM
If anyone knows where I could lay my hands on a large quanity of high-res photos of current Kerry GAA players, please reply.

Thanks in advance.
#34
I've never really got bitten by hurling. While I can appreciate the skill, fitness and power needed to progress in the game, as I've never had an interest in getting chased around a confined space by a man holding a weapon, I've just never got into it.

But I do love a sporting occasion, so I sat down today with an open mind, ready to be entertained.

And I have to say I was thoroughly entertained. It really was an enthralling contest and the combination of ferocity in the tackle and discipline when on the receiving end, was a marvel.

But I'm still not bitten. There are things about this game I just don't understand.

I read this morning about Brian Cody's tactical genius. But It seems to me that Kilkenny have now won 4 All Irelands in a row with tactics that comprise hitting the ball as far as they can on the general direction of the goal, then using pure physical power to ensure they win enough breaks to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Obviously he moves players into different positions depending on who they're playing, but can this really be described as tactics instead of man management?

The much marvelled sideline cut. Is it just me who thinks that striking a ball as far as you can with these is simply a waste of possession? Has anybody actually ever hit a sideline ball 10 metres into a teammates hands? Or is this frowned upon by the hurling fraternity?

Fouls. Is anything actually a foul in this game? Don't get me wrong, the game is a better spectacle for the lack of whistling, but it seemed to me today that the referee used his whistle at timed intervals - to give the lads a break - rather than as a reaction to any events that happened. So every 3 minutes Kilkenny enjoyed a free, then 3 minutes latet Tipp got one, and so on.

Goalkeepers. If their counterparts in games like ice hockey and lacrosse are wise enough to wear headgear (plus countless other pieces of armour), surely their claims that it impedes their vision are just the cries of a madman.

Soloing the ball. It seems that you can a) run as far as you like with the ball in your hand, b) transfer the ball between hand and stick at completely random intervals, or c) run with the ball on the end of your stick if you're a real show-off. As the referee never blows you up, why doesn't everyone just run with ball in hand?



The commentators definitely prefer hurling though, so I might even watch a few more games next year to see if I can decipher any of these things.
#35
GAA Discussion / Question for Armagh Folk
July 05, 2009, 10:14:28 PM
Before going on, please desist from turning this into a name calling thread or a "we're still better you than you" thread.


A serious question for Armagh diehards. Will any of you accept that your team is in a period of transition, and that this is not Peter McDonnell's fault? And if you'll accept that, then would you also accept that this is only natural for a county of your size and resources?


For me, once the crux of Armagh's team of the 2000s was formed by the two Brians then refined by Big Joe, changes to the team were gradual, and normally as the result of better talent coming through, rather than holes needing to be filled. 11 or more guys knew what position they'd be playing in Championship time come the end of February.

McDonnell on the other hand is faced with building a team more or less from scratch. And if truth be told, with a group of players that looks distinctly average in comparison to what's just gone by.

I'd suggest that the negative, defensive tactics he is employing are the result of a simple realisation that his team, for now anyway, would get slaughtered if they took the bigger teams on in a scoring contest. The creativity isn't there, the power isn't there and the leadership isn't there.

Or because you fellas have been spoiled in recent years, is this too much of a realisation to take.


By the way, I'd love a negative manager to come on board at Down for a few seasons, especially when a team is starting out. If a manager can impose a defensive will upon all his players, his successors have a much easier job to do.
#36
General discussion / James Nesbitt
April 05, 2009, 09:44:29 PM
I can't stand James Nesbitt. His two acting techniques consist of talking quickly and moving his eyes. How does he get so much work?
#37
GAA Discussion / Peter McDonnell's Style of Play
August 25, 2008, 02:01:26 PM
There seems to be a large scale disappointment in Armagh about the negativity of their football this year.

The question is, did this style of football this year stem from Peter McDonnell's management, or is it so ingrained in the longstanding core of players that he had no choice but to work within this system?

In other words, are McDonnell's teams known for negativity, or is it just the way Armagh deign to play?
#38
GAA Discussion / A Romantic Final OR a Real Final
August 17, 2008, 12:43:40 AM
Folks, based on the presumption that Kerry will make the showpiece, then who would you rather meet them there?

Obviously, it would be wonderful for the game if Wexford fully emerged from the doldrums and made it to the final. The lead up the game would generate an unbelievable well of good publicity for the sport. The most perfect David vs Goliath clash, etc. The evolving face of Gaelic Games, etc.

But let's be honest. Should Wexford make the final, in all likelihood they would choke, stumble, and be beaten out of Croke Park before halftime by those cute Kerry hoors. Sadly they just wouldn't have the skill, the experience or the nerve to compete with the Kingdom in the big one. So the final would be a dismal affair, and they Winter would involve a host of articles and discussion on "can anyone stop Kerry?".


Tyrone, on the other hand, would provide us with the best possible opponents for Kerry. They're battle-hardened, experienced, they've been there and done the lot. They're the only team in Ireland with skill levels comparable to those in the Kingdom. There'a  history between the sides, and a "team of the noughties" tag to pursue. On top of this, they're from the North, and this is always good for an edge.

In terms of competitive edge, it could be the dream final. If things went to plan, the final itself (regardless of the winner) would be one of the greatest adverts for Gaelic Games ever.


#39
GAA Discussion / Hard done by players
August 01, 2008, 11:23:04 AM
I see Sean O'Sullivan has been dropped by Kerry yet again for the weekend.

Any time I've seen this fella play, he has done well. He has that rare combination of an eye for a score, an eye for a pass, and a great work ethic.

I know Kerry have a surplus of fine forwards, but I reckon he most be some sort of a fall guy down there. Even if not, he is one hard done by footballer.

Who else fits in this category?
#40
General discussion / Olaf Mellberg
May 11, 2008, 09:51:32 PM
I read somewhere that Olaf Mellberg gave a personalised Villa shirt to each of the 3,500 Villa fans who went to Upton Park today, as a leaving present.

Fair fucks to that man.