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[But I'm bored of supporters complaining about being top of the league, with it in their own hands to win, and basically giving up.]

There's some in here going full 'Sky' and, probably hoping beyond anything else that it'll be a 2 or 3 horse race going to the wire.
The reality of it (and it would bore the knickers off you) is that City will win again with a bit to spare.
As someone mentioned above, only for Liverpool, they'd be going for 7 titles in the row, 7! FFP is a goodin'

Liverpool won 12 or so titles in a small period of time. Was it a bore then or was that ok?

Teams have periods of dominance

You're a contrarian by nature, and happy enough by the sounds of it with how City have managed to dominate, when 99% of non-City fans would have an issue with it, that's OK

I suppose I'm just highlighting the fact that teams can dominate, depending on who you support people will complain about the dominance, then when other teams win people forget about that and so on..

If that's me being a contrarian, I can live with that.

But I'm bored of supporters complaining about being top of the league, with it in their own hands to win, and basically giving up.

Makes no sense, Liverpool won the league by a country mile over City not too far back and now they'll be lucky to stay up going by some of the comments here !

So, City aside, it's a league of bottlers. Or, maybe, just maybe these teams are giving it everything they have, are playing within their means and don't have squad depth to see it out against a state owned club not playing within their means...?

The richest clubs have always dominated, when was it any different?

Abbey winning 16-3 in the mclarnon. They're supposed to be backboned by four masters players so are probably very strong.

Are the schools in the 26, kids a year older?

Nope - same ages.

There used to be a 6 month difference years back that favoured Ulster (all nine from what I recall/not just the six)

I think it's down as an U19 competition but realistically unless someone is doing a resit most upper 6th or whatever it's called now would be U18.5
Could be the same in the 26, I don't know

I get what your are saying but its been very hard for Cork to replace the likes of Horgan, the man weighs in with 10 or more points (granted a lot are frees) but to an extent he wins a few of them himself and he's been their best target man.

I think its difficult to just 'save' players and hope they find their form coming the drier sod, Cork, traditionally should be performing better with the pick of players they have to choose from over other counties, that's their biggest issue.

I enjoyed yesterdays game and Clare showing they have plenty of depth too, to their squad, its sustaining a run of wins to win Liam in the Championship that they are falling down on, and Limerick

Horgan hasn't been a threat from play in a few years now. He's got his standard move of running around the back of a Cork player in possession to take the pass and tap over the bar.
Cork need a serious goal getter in there and it's no longer Horgan.

Wishing King Charles all the best. Wealth nor creed is any protection from cancer.

It isn't but he'll be on no waiting list for Chemo, that's for sure.

Tough game for the hurlers tomorrow to start their league campaign.

Portlaoise diffcult place to go to, even for Division One sides like Waterford and Dublin, as we well found out last year in the McDonagh Cup.

Down have a real chance of getting to Division One this year, but have to play better than they did last year.

Some serious hurlers in Laois, but they really don't look like the same team that they were 3-5 years ago. Definitely come back down closer to the level of us/Kerry.


Down missing some serious players. No Sheehan. No Doran. No McCusker. Good to see a few lads back (Donal Hughes should be a great addition all being well, the Sands, too), and plenty of good fellas to make the break through yet.

Hopefully we can stay neck and neck with Laois for most of the game at the very least. Would be good to know we're there or there abouts, and would be terrible to start the year with our backs against the wall.

I think it's well worth remembering, I think last year, the consensus was that it was a very poor year, despite us retaining Division 2A status for the third year in a row. For a long time, we couldn't get out of 2B. That surely says something for the progress of our hurlers.

Hopefully it's onward and upwards 

I wasn't at the game but was speaking to a few lads who were at it last night and by all accounts we were well in the game with 10 minutes to go with the scoreline being level pegging then the wheels came off with a few injuries to key players, Eoghan Sands and Turpin, both with hand injuries (and will miss the Kerry game) as well as Matt Conlon going off with a cut to the head. Replaces just a bit of that level.
It wasn't helped by our clubman getting a straight red for one of his trademark stupid tackles with no need for it.

Kerry game is a must win now with how the other results going against us, especially with Meath picking up an unexpected win against Kildare.

Laois and Carlow expected to top the group, so it's a dog fight between the other 4 to avoid relegation.

What's happening with the bkinlar project? Down miles behind other counties in ulster facilities wise.

Applying for grants left, right and centre.

Got knocked back there 6 months or so ago for some big grant.

[Not all criticism of women is misogyny]

Re  unelected Little-Pengelly as  deputy first minister, is that because no elected DUP assembly member would want to be seen to be inferior to a fenian?

Susan McKay touches on this the last few days and adds in a bit of misogyny for good measure, but I think it's her loyalty to wee Jeffrey is probably the biggest reason as it looks like he can't trust too many in that party, MLA's or MP's.

 

Not all criticism of women is misogyny. That fucks me off as well. Women hold the highest political office and I am ok with that. But they aren't above scrutiny.

I'd agree with you on that point, but the misogyny thing was in relation to the male members of the DUP not wanting to be subservient or seen to be subservient to Michelle O'Neill in this "deputy" role.

All alleged obviously.

Re  unelected Little-Pengelly as  deputy first minister, is that because no elected DUP assembly member would want to be seen to be inferior to a fenian?

Susan McKay touches on this the last few days and adds in a bit of misogyny for good measure, but I think it's her loyalty to wee Jeffrey is probably the biggest reason as it looks like he can't trust too many in that party, MLA's or MP's.

 

That ball from Peter duggan for Clare's first goal was something else.

That was David Fitzgerald....

Early days but Cork still haven't resolved their issues of a ball winner in their forwards, granted Barrett made a difference when he came on, but for the most part the Clare backs weren't too phased by the Cork forwards even with a few first teamers missing.

Wexford hopefully will be the dark horses this year with Rossiter in charge. They've a good few talented players in their ranks, hopefully a more ambitious gameplan and key lads avoiding injury could see them give the Leinster championship a good rattle to challenge the Kilkenny, Galway hegemony.

He only improve,  takes 2 years to bed in at this level.Some great kicks from the side after missing an absolute sitter.

2 years, huh? To play in the same position he's played in his whole life?

You're mad in the head.

———

Players over 30 years of age in each team's matchday 23 this weekend-

Ireland: 13
France: 8
Scotland: 7
England: 7
Italy: 3
Wales: 1

Everyone else has started planning their 4 year cycle.

Not Ireland though.

Let's make the same mistake every four years forever.

———

I was about to say something similar.

The win on Friday night was good (but not great) and we'll maybe pick up another Grand slam which there aren't too many of them for Ireland but how many of those lads will be there for the WC in 2027?

I'm OK with that at the minute, but there needs to be more young lads exposed to this level of rugby this season and in the coming seasons to ensure they're well bedded in in time for the next WC.

[Why won't one of the big two take Health ?]

Donaldson well fit for Nolan this morning, not often you see a local politician sitting an a show like that for an hour.

Why won't one of the big two take Health ?

Because the changes needed to make it sustainable (Bengoa) are not politically ideal. Everyone wants a hospital in their doorstep, which just isn't feasible and closing hospitals or centralising healthcare isn't exactly a vote winner.

Agree on Donaldson, he was excellent and corrected Nolan several times. Also enjoyed his takedown of Brysons commissioned "legal opinion". Its basically comprised of carefully crafted  questions to give the impression it backs up their point of view.

The internal mechanisms within Stormont make in almost impossible to enact something as foundational as the Bengoa report.

It would be a huge drain on the budget initially and that would mean other departments headed up by members of other parties losing out and the political fallout from that would mean it just wouldn't happen.

That's something that should have changed with the new rule. If not the umpires, the linesmen or somebody should be charged with looking at square balls.
Referees must be guessing this half the time since the new rule came in.

You'd need to be very careful about allowing umpires to call a square ball.

The ultimate responsibility of the game lies with the referee and you can't be having a rogue umpire making big calls like that over the head of the referee. Yes, maybe referees need to consult more often with the umpires as they see fit, but thats about it

Everton 2 points from last 5 and now in drop zone, one point behind Luton who have a game in hand.

Defensively relatively sound, but can't score for toffee..

How many thousand turned up at the Binlid/Angry Jim shindig?

Shinners obviously want to get the feet under the Executive table so are keeping mum.

It seems Moygashel and Markethill are their go to places, not Donaghadee, not East Belfast, not Larne.
I find that quite strange.

Its the pitchfork brigade. East Belfast wouldn't know what a pitchfork was for.

A Machete or a bull hook, well that's a different story. 

How many thousand turned up at the Binlid/Angry Jim shindig?

Shinners obviously want to get the feet under the Executive table so are keeping mum.

50 odd in in Moygashel...

It seems Moygashel and Markethill are their go to places, not Donaghadee, not East Belfast, not Larne.
I find that quite strange.

As for SF, each and every representative interviewed from now on should make it abundantly clear they striving for a UI and fúck Unionist sensitivities.