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Topics - Leo

#1
GAA Discussion / Premium Tickets
April 24, 2012, 07:41:03 PM
Is it possible to purchase premium tickets for this weekend's NFL final?
#2
General discussion / Paddy Kenny
April 22, 2012, 07:50:13 AM
Shay Given in decline, next choice Westwood can't get a game at Sunderland, third choice Forde can't get a game in the championship.... then we are looking to a guy in the basement Scottish league .....
Meanwhile Paddy Kenny continues to perform as one of the best keepers in the premiership week in week out, yet there is no clamour for him to play again for Ireland!
Yes he had one nightmare game a few years back - who didn't? - but does that explain the silence from our wonderful pundits like the boys who analysed the QPR-Spurs game inside out last night on RTE yet never once mentioned the man of the match.
But then Kenny was born in England so is only an Irishman when it suits us (Tony Galvin, Kevin Sheedy, Terry Mancini, Cascarino!!!!!!)
Could the true Dub supporters not adopt him for one of their Andy Reid inspired campaigns? On second thoughts that might need him to take QPR to the bottom of the championship.
#3
GAA Discussion / RTE League Sunday
February 05, 2012, 09:45:57 PM
What an absolute insult to the opening day of the GAA season.
Dead-hand Marty Morrisey (what a sh1t presenter) and sleeping-pill Whelan along side the painting-by-numbers "analysis" of McStay in a programme that had all the editorial and production values of an end of term primary school play, this does serious disservice to every player, supporter and GAA volunteer who braved the weekend's poor weather to put on a series of games. Luckily I was at a game and not totally depending on broadcast coverage but God help those whose only access to action was via TV.
The so-called highlights show couldn't even put up a sensible graphic recording all the results. Surely a short sudio report for each game is not beyond the capacities of the over-paid "public servants" that populate RTE.
Take an hour's slot - 4 major games , say 8 minutes each, leaves 28 minutes - 12 reports of 1 minute each leaves another18 minutes for cha & a brerak - how diffciult is that?
Have we a public relations or media division in the GAA that can take this lazy broadcasting to task?
I am certainly heading for the Setanta subscription after that crap.
When you look at the slick operation of Hook, Pope etc in rugby no wonder we are losing "market share". Desparate stuff!
#4
GAA Discussion / Show Your Support
September 08, 2010, 09:22:18 PM
Great competition idea in Irish News today.
Club Down looking for best decorated town, school, etc.
I can't believe how little colour there is in places like Kilcoo and Hilltown. Maybe this competition will gee them up.
Castlewellan looks brilliant.
Fair play to Club Down for thinking of including the schools.
#5
GAA Discussion / Make NFL Finals Meaningful
April 30, 2010, 02:07:26 PM
So 27, 0000 was the (poor) attendance at Croke Park last Sunday to see the runners-up in Div 1 of the league crowned as NFL chamions and the runners-up in Div 2 also go home with a meaningless trophy.
That sort of crowd is an embarrassment for the second most important competition in our sport and for a stadium the size and style of Croke Park.
Yet an easy solution exists.
Create A & B sections in Div 1 - 12 counties, 6 in each.
The final is a play-off between the top teams in each section and the bottom teams play off for relegation - both games now have real purpose. (maybe also consider giving the winner a bye into the QF stages of the Championship if not earned throught the provincial system. Real meat in the prize.) Let's go to Croke Park with something real at stake!

Div 2 would also have 2 x sections with 6 teams in each, again having top and bottom play-off games of substance for promotion and relegation. That leaves 9 teams in Div 3 which would have one section only an automatic promotion for the top team.
#6
GAA Discussion / Kevin McStay: blind or biased?
August 02, 2009, 10:26:01 AM
Watching the Limerick-Meath game last night on TV I witnessed probably the best performance of a young referee ever at county level - Hughes from Armagh.

As far as I could se he got every key decision correct (including a couple of dangerous high tackles and third-man tackles), was good at consultinhg his officials, kept the game going  and was decisive on off-the-ball issues. There was only one bounce ball in the whole game (usually the refuge of poor referees who don't know that decision to give) and he had the courgae to correctly blow the Limerick player for too many steps at the very end when it looked he might get in for an equalising point. I was disappointed Limerick didn't get the chance to take the game top extra time but the ref was spot on.

Yet on most of these key decisions Kevin McStay co-commentator disgareed, either unable to see the incidents, or biased either against the Aramagh official or in favour of Meath (whose side he seemed to be supporting). Did anyone else notice this and why can't we recognise good refereeing when we see it?

Mind you McStay was saying it at half time that it was a good game whereas Tohill correctly said it was very poor football.

However raher than be too critical of McStay I'd like to hear how others viewed Hughes' performance.

By the way this praise for him comes from a Down man!

#7
GAA Discussion / International Rules Finished?
April 01, 2009, 10:01:42 AM
The announcement by Coca Cola of a major review of its sponsorship and commercial endorsements appears to spell the end for the International Rules series. The company's decision to move away from sport and entertainment based activities and to concentrate on "green" projects and community-based initiatives that are geared towards sustainable local employment will surely end the farce of the failed aussie rules experiement as it was the Coca Cola money that kept the charade on the road and in the curent climate a similar sponsor is unlikely to be found.

Like all good decisions for the GAA lately (eg opening up Croke Park) it will be forced on the association by outside events but is welcome nonetheless.
#8
GAA Discussion / The Clones Carpet
June 30, 2008, 12:23:50 AM
First of all I am a fan of Clones. There is a special atmosphere when a town gives itself over completely to a big sporting occasion and today's semifinal was one of those.
Now some of us take  drink and some of us don't and we should all be able to live esily together on such a day.
But when the street from the Diamond the whole way to Creighton's is a carpet of brokenn glassess and beer bottle sit ia not the most uplifting start to a big sports day out.
OK the young turks are more exhuberant than we were a few years back but do they understand the word "litter".?
More pointedly, do the Urban or County Council understand it?
Ulster Council should not allow the revenue associated with these games to accrue to the lazy traders and council officilas of Clones unless they are prepared to supply the town with adequate litter bins to cater for this excess, together with on-site waste sweepers  wardens and collectors to counter this uncouth and dirty visible display of modern Irish excess.
And to bring young children through this debris is just deflating.

Let the youth of Armagh & Down have their beers and jollity on what should be a festive day but for the love of decency don't turn away and allow the free-for-all that developed today as it does not reflect well on the GAA family or Irish culture to leave a town in this sorry sorry state - at 3 o'clock in the afternoon! If the people of Clones do not acare because it is pay day, we should.

And I just think Ulster Council have a responsibility here and should take the games away from Cliones again unless the local powers that be are prepared to act responsibly.

Go see an English soccer game with 50,000 plus and you will see a cordon of bin lorries, uniformed wardens, extra help hired in for the day, waste collectors working in a friendly an uninterfering way, and bins being regularly emptied so that the streets are safe to walk. Could such organisarion ever catch on here?

Certainly not in Clones, carpet supplied by Magners and Miller.
#9
GAA Discussion / Army Bands for Park Esler
April 01, 2008, 08:58:32 AM
Get this press notice just issued:

"Army Bands for Esler Park

The agreement entered into between Down GAA and Newry & Mourne Council for the use of Esler Park for concerts and other events will result in the massed bands of the British army participating in a multi-cultural concert at the venue in July.

Sponsored by Ford, and themed "The Anglo-Celtic Experience", the ambitious project will see an all-day outdoor concert featuring the very best of Irish, Scottish, Welsh & Breton folk artistes alongside the Pipes & Drums of the Scottish Highland, Queens Own Fusiliers and Green Jacket regiments.

Promoter Pol O'Frial, on behalf of Celtic Showcase Management who are hosting the event, said: "The current political climate makes it possible to bring together in harmony these diverse cultures, some with a political dimension, for the first time. We chose Newry because of its strategic frontier location and the incentives received from the local authority and governments, north & south."

More information, including the preliminary line-up of acts, and advance tickets can be accessed on www.ford1.demon.co.uk."
#10
GAA Discussion / Club Down "Standing Down"
March 05, 2008, 09:43:45 AM
"I cant understand the below - surely we need training facilities / central  development ground etc
when club down has been so good, why oh why would they let it stand down??


Latest News: Committee to Stand Down

Statement from Sean O''Neill, Chairman

Following the successful completion of the redevelopment of Park Esler, the Committee of Club Down has undertaken discussions with the officers of the County Committee to determine what role Club Down might now play for the future benefit of the GAA in the county. We have not identified a specific role that we feel we could undertake at this stage and therefore, at our last meeting, it was agreed in principle to wind up our activity as at 31st March 2008. The officers of the Committee were authorised by that meeting to prepare the final accounts and make suitable interim and transitional arrangements, including the disposal of assets. Any surplus funds will be made available to the county's designated Park Esler account. This will come as a disappointment to many of our sponsors and members whose loyalty to our efforts has been the sound foundation on which our success was built, but it may be that a suitable project or role will emerge in the future for a re-constituted Club Down or similar body; however, in the meantime we have decided to stand down. I want to emphasise that we have enjoyed the best of working relations with the county officers and they have our full support going forward. A final statement of account will be sent to all members and sponsors in due course and the co-ordinator will also be writing with details of our transitional arrangements. The Club Down Committee has worked extremely hard over the past five years to deliver the new stadium that is Park Esler, and we are proud that, with your invaluable support, we helped to make it happen. It is a worthy testament to your generous contribution and a significant investment in the future of the GAA in Down. Thank you again most sincerely for the important part you have played. "

A major set-back for Down GAA and it seems the county board have not done enough to keep this most succesful unit in place. They have restored credibility in Down with their fntastic work on Park Esler and we then let them slip away? Incredible.
#11
General discussion / Celia, Bertie & Gerry
March 05, 2008, 09:28:43 AM
The late Gerry Brennan was Bertie's friend.
He acted as Solicitor for Bertie in his matrimonial case and then, according to Bertie, went about telling others that Bertie couldn't pay his legal fees and organised a whip round for him.
Does anyone see a problem of professional ethics there?
He acted as Solicitor for both Bertie & M Wall in the Bizarre Beresford transaction. Hmmmmm....
He acted for Celia in the even stranger purchase of the house for her elderly aunts that just happens to be in her name.
He was a member of the supposed "Building Trust" account (that was in the sole name of Bertie's friend Tim Collins and was never designated Building Trust until January of this year)  that, according to Bertie, gave Celia £30,000 of Fianna Fail money to buy this house.
Despite being such a Trustee and also Solicitor he did not get Celia to execute any deed of mortgage or trust declaration to protect this so-called FF money.
No loan agreement was drawn up and NOTHING was done about this "loan" for 18 years until the Tribunal came knocking!!!
Celia was Bertie's "life partner" all this time but Bertie knew nothing about this "loan" at the time. What does this say about Mr Brennan's fitness to act as a Trustee and conflict of interest issues in his role as solicitor?

The house was registered in April 1983 so presumably the deal was hatched in the early part of that year, but Bertie, poor ignorant Bertie, was in the dark about the BT money being improperly used in this way - despite being Chairman of the constituency committee for 6 years up to and including 1982 and its leading TD and Minister and FF party Treasurer and ..........

Lets look again at the BT account:
Nobody knows where much of the money came from that went into this account..
The sole name on the account was Bertie's pal T Collins (he of the Boyne site windfall but that's another story) ....
The account was named "B T" and all statements sent to the local branch of the bank....So a FF constituency account, as we are told, was kept in the dark from the FF office ...
Bertie says BT  means "Building Trust" and was set up for repair of St Luke's, so he knows plenty about the purpose of the account but not its workings apparently...
The account has been dormant for many years with a healthy balance in it while in the meantime money for St Lukes has had to be obtained from elsewhere ....
The bank records do not disclose who the Trustees are but we are told (by Bertie, so it must be true) that they include Joe Burke, Des Richardson, Tim Collins (all a surprise) and others who are now deceased (shades of Des Traynor) including Gerry Brennan ....

Ah hold on, this is getting a bit unbelievable and we know it must be true so we'll not go into these connections any further.

Just to say how gallant it was of Celia to come forward at the early stages of Bertie's Tribunal evidence and let him know that he should declare this "house loan" to the Tribunal so as to eliminate it from any possible Owen O'Callaghan connection.
Oh she didn't do that?
Now that is strange.

I wonder was is Celia who Bertie entrusted with the huge stash of cash that he wanted changed into sterling around that time - you know the cash that no bank has a record of changing and that no-one can remember carrying around for Bertie, the misunderstood, befuddled and forgetful Minister for Finance and FF party Treasurer?

Finally, that house cost £40,000. Do you know where it is? Do you think that YOU could have bought it for £40,000 at that time? Was it a market value transaction?
Ignore the fact that it is now worth €700,000 - that, as Bertie would say, is none of your business.


#12
The Bertie shambles has descended into dark farce. Is there not a single senior FF TD with the Ba**s to tell him to stop.
#13
General discussion / Another Bertie Lie Exposed?
January 30, 2008, 04:55:05 PM
After all the huffing and puffing from Bertie and FF about his tax position, and claiming that Revenue cant settle with him until Mahon is finished with him, he has had to concede to Eamon Gilmore in the Dail today that this is NOT the case and the certifictae he requires can issue as soon as he himself satisfies the Revenue abot all these thousands fushing about  his and other people's accounts, regardless of Mahon.

Could some analyst do a clear tot up of this man''s mind-boggling somersaults, contradictions  distortions of the truth?

Fanciful, farcical, fictitious.
Just how low is the integrity of politics in this country going to have to be dragged by this man before some senior FF Pr or Green person takes a principled and moral stand? On second thoughts leave FF out of that last question as we cant expect the impossible.
#14
Bertie now says he expects not to be able to get a tax clearance certifictae for 2 years.
Now his office needs painted. I will not be able to tender foor this job if I cant produce a cert yet he can run the bloody country.
My former GAA club in Meath has been approved a grant for building but cannot emply and contractor or architect who does not have a current cert. Yet Bertie can hold the top job.
Now forget about the niceties of an "aplication certificate". These facts are stark.
Is it acceptable in a so-called modern democracy?
Fr Ted is alive and well ......
#15
GAA Discussion / McKenna Match Programmes
January 21, 2008, 12:35:13 PM
Fair play to Ulster Coiuncil which has been behind a lot of progressive work in GAA in recent years especially in  the area of ground development and communications.

But the match prgramme for the McKenna Cup (£2 on Saturday) is a joke. A bit like some of Dwn's forwards, it looks the part and has some nice touches but totally fails to deliver. A simple inset printed a couple of hours before the match with the teams correctly lined out cant be that diffciult and in a floodlit stadium trying to read small print on a dark coloured background is  very frustrating. The squads werent numbered anyway.

A waste or a ripoff - you make up your mind.
#16
General discussion / Gerry McGinty's Goat
December 21, 2007, 11:17:46 AM
After invoking the help of "Gerry McGinty's goat", just consider one of Bertie's choice answers from the Tribunal yesterday:

"Yeah, either normally I'd be the day I'd be in Drumcondra, most days I wouldn't be in Drumcondra they'd be there I'd be there all day so I'd probably more likely be there"

What a star! Our leader!
#17
General discussion / Smokes and Daggers
December 12, 2007, 09:11:23 AM
It is time to replace the Little Book of Mao with the thoughts and intellectual musings of our own great leaders, starting with Bertie himself, who, having postponed his massive pay-hike for the good of the nation (for a year) now freely donates the following to add to the understanding of the masses:

"Smokes and daggers"
"Upset the apple tart"

There will be prizes for correctly interpreting these and other gems.
Journalists aat RTE will not be eligible as they have a habit of "pouring oil on troubled waters" without knowing what that means (used to indicate the opposite to what it really means twice in the last week on Morning Ireland alone!
#18
General discussion / Irish Goalkeepers
December 04, 2007, 05:38:14 PM
Looked at the team sheets for English games at the weekend.
Leaving out Dean Kiely & P Kenny who arent consdiered (for whatever reason) our choice of understudy to Shat Given makes uncomfortable reading with the contenders apparently all in the subs category and getting very few games: among them Doyle, Colgan, Henderson, Supple, Ford.
Joe Murphy at Scunthorpe looks like the only one getting enough games.
Where are the rest?
#19
General discussion / Does anyone believe Bertie?
December 04, 2007, 05:31:10 PM
Bundles of money unaccounted for.
Fanciful dig-outs and loand from various "friends".
Key witnesses unfortunately deceased (remind you of CJH and Des Traynor?)
Unable to manage his personal finanaces because he was separated -  yet apparently capable of being Minister for Finance AND party treasurer at the same time.
That separation was OVER by seven years at the time and he was in a new "lifetime" relationship.
Broke - yet had £50,000 CASH savings at that time , huge ministerial salary, AND able to get an extra £19,000 from AIB without any paperwork.
Broke but was at more Man Utd matches than Alex Ferguson it seems.
Somebody went on an errand for him with £30,000 cash in a bag to change into punt - he doesnt know who or to what bank they went.
Faltering memory in the witness box.
Failed to co-operate with Tribunal - too complicated despite having the biggest number of personal advisors of any Taoiseach ever.
Benfiting from bogus invoices and whip-arounds.
Money laundering? - check out what it means, we're dagerously close.
Who believes him in any of this?
Apparently everyone in Fianna Fail.
They also believe in the tooth fairy and are really looking forward to Sanat Claus in a couple of weeks.
Hail our leaders. Aren't you glad our forefathers fought for this set-up?
#20
General discussion / Roy Keane Hype
November 27, 2007, 09:22:50 AM
Looking forward to collecting on my bet for Sunderland to be relegated. Don't know about Boylesports but expect Paddy Power to pay out early. By the way I said this months ago.
The susceptibility of  Irish soccer supporters to buy into the constant media hypea round Roy Keane infuriates but does not surprise me. Even after a 7 goal tanking by Everton (a super power?) there is little or no rational assessment of Kean's managerial credentials (Staunton with attitude?) or his farcical transfer dealings (Yorke, Cole, O'Donovan -- Ian Harte anyone?)
Most interesting will be the cash-laden Cats descent to the Championship as his old arch-enemy Mc Carthy takes Wolves in the other direction on a pittance.
Time for the reality check that for so long has bypassed  Irish soccer fans.