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Even with a man sent off very surprising for any team to score just 1 point in a half of football.

That must be some Derry defence.

Let's not put a tooth in this.
One point in the second half - and that from a free. One point from play in 70 minutes.
When is the last time the great Benny Coulter raised a green flag for Down?
This is a Down team that has betrayed all that is good about Down football and its reputation for forward play. This has been coming for a couple of years now and it is an abomination, utterly unwatchable and at the same time abysmally failing to get results.
The game should be about putting your best foot forward, play to your strengths - how these "scientists" of the game have dragged us all into utterly negative mediocrity is appalling.
Down football has sold its soul to this science and we are the poorer for it - and still OUT of the championship with barley a whimper.
Meanwhile our much vaunted forwards are toiling in the dark depths of our own "blanket-cum-sweeper" system that is the football equivalent of a snuff movie.
Good luck to Derry but their journey will also be short I fear.

The late Paddy Donnan, father of Pat Donnan (Goalie - "Slim") and Peter - who both played for Down - turned out for junior club Atticall well into his sixties a few years back. He was probably well insured as he sold policies all his life! Lovely man.

Socrates played Trench Cup for Trinners, I believe.

Are you sure?

#To bracket Bonner & Given with Jennings (world legend) betrays a curiously Irish myopic view of things. Quite simply different class.

Whiter than white white elephant.
Maybe one game a year with about 30,000. Maybe.
Rock concerts for the rest - locally opposed.
A monument to some ego in a dread suburban mishmash.
Ego project funded by our taxes.

Does any body in their right mind think that rock concerts will be held in an area where you are not going to have at least 50% of your market excluded because of location. It is one thing building this white elephant but it is the supporters and the clubs that will have to foot the bill for its long term upkeep.

Whiter than white white elephant.
Maybe one game a year with about 30,000. Maybe.
Rock concerts for the rest - locally opposed.
A monument to some ego in a dread suburban mishmash.
Ego project funded by our taxes.

The Church isn't saying that at all.
It's saying abortion is a greater sin. It isn't saying abuse is not a sin but that abortion is a graver sin.
Not sure why everything has to be twisted all the time....

This is whataboutery gone mad..
Child abuse by clergy?
What about abortion?
So easily we remove the enormous evil of systematic child abuse (and institutionalised cover-up) to be replaced by a debating point in the "hierarchial" machinations of the church.

Following on from this sentiment does anyone know much about the advert that was placed in serveral papers calling on ex county squad members to come to a meeting to discuss the way forward in Down?

Did this really need adverts in the province wide Irish News newspaper? Do the DCB not have contact details for the vast majority of the relevant people that we wouldn't have needed a probably expensive advertising campaign?

Havent yet met anyone who was at this meting or knows what it was about.
It suggests a disconnet between our administrators and our ex-players which maybe could be adressed by forming a standing ex-players association. Such an organisation could have both a social purpose and also act as a consultative body for the good of Down. Failing that at least the county should have a contact database ofall former players.

[Shay McCartan]

Great news that Donal O'Hare has been declared fit along with Danny Hughes and it looks like Aiden Carr will be capable of playing a part. Gordon, Garvey and McParland are reported as our only absentees. None have really played all season so we are not shocked by their absence. But it would have been really useful to have had big Dan.

If we progress through the summer would Dan become available. A broken foot should heal fully in three months shouldn't it, and he did it nearly a month ago. So isn't possible Dan would be back by the round 4 qualifier?

Also does anyone know if Shay McCartan has joined the squad?

Isn't that the fella that was released by Burnely?, has he played much club football since he came back?

Shay is one of only two youth team members to be RETAINED by Burnley so dont expect to see him in the red & black anytime soon.

There have been some silly ego projects on both sides of the border in recent years - all "politically" motivated - but this one takes the biscuit. In the face of a crying need for a southern ring around Newry to bypass the chronic bottleneck that is Kilmorey Street / Dublin Road and its daily congestion by trucks heading for the Warrenpoint port & Mourne hinterland, we are pouring millions into a fancy-dan bridge to/from the Omeath dirt-track that will not handle any commercial trafic! Nor will it attract any significant "southern" tourists north because as soon as they get to Carlingford they will have no interest in experiencing the death-rattle that is Omeath on the way to the north. On the other hand the Narrow Minded bridge will be of benefit to those from the Point who want to get to the Quays in a hurry o the weekend.
Lets call it the Kit Kat bridge - you know the advert - cant sing, look awful - you will go far. Daft.

What is the story with Club Down?
Obvioulsy they are working away by the size of the cheque - £120,000? -  handed over on Saturday. That is some contribution & was announced at the game - but not a mention of it in the local papers.
Thought it was a very brave Down performance on Saturday and the same in Tralee will do.

Casement will get the odd league final and the odd All Irleand Quarter id assume.

Casement is simply not well located for such events, just as the likes of Wexford Park isn't. Unless a league or quarter final involves two of about 5 counties then there is no real advantage in playing games there. Perhaps it could be used for Dublin v Donegal, but people with boxes in Croke Park are not keen for such games to be elsewhere.

It is a no-brainer with the financial arrangements, but still a bit of a white elephant.

Not just a white elephant  - ANOTHER white elephant among the GAA stadia of Ulster (Park Esler, Healy, Celtic) that will only ever stage a capacity crowd once every couple of years (if that). These ego projects are diverting money from genuine games development. What we need are family friendly grounds, capacity around 10,000 max, proper covered accommodation and family-orientated facilities, in each county - with one central provincial venue for ALL major games, capacity about 30,000. Not gonna happen now.

You are 100% right mdg. I remember reading Mickey Hartes book and he was explaining how Dublin exposed Gavin Devlin. He was a key player for tyrone playing a sweeper role but the dubs moved Alan Brogan on him and his pace troubled Devlin, Harte realised straight away Devlin was finished at inter county level he had been found out. I think something similar has happened with King, in his first couple of seasons his physicality, ball winning ability, dispossessing players etc was key in Downs success but opposition managers have exposed his weaknesses in recent years, regarding his mobility for one and opposition players to a large extent, avoid going into contact with him prefering to lay off or kick pass rather than let him smother them up which for a couple of seasons he excelled at.
Id like to see Duggan from Bosco given a chance, I feel he might have something to offer and no better time to give him a go than the mckenna cup against armagh.

Conor Gough??

Any word of a new sponsor for Down??
Or will it be like last year force the Canal Court to give a nominal amount for a name on the jersey.
How are Down Cork and Kildare struggling for sponsorship, i know we are in a recession but they must be looking for a crazy amount if no one has taken up the oppurtunity to put their name on a Div 1 team jersey

Do we have a commercial unit or business associates dealng with this sort of thing or is it down to a group of well-meaning but non-business county committee guys?

I didnt see the 60's team.

Obviously.

Maybe not Down's greatest ever player, but "the Spirit of Breen Morgan"!!