Messages

I'd expect that if a South African rugby player came to Ireland and both outwardly stuck two fingers up to Irish traditions and ways, then spent his days antagonising people about it online, that he would be universally reviled and there would be a campaign to send him packing.

But according to this thread McLean is a sound lad, has courage, and is surrounded by fascists.

Rampant hypocrisy. Rampant, unabashed hypocrisy. The inevitable outcome of people investing themselves in symbolism.

You believe he should wear the poppy?

No. But I do believe he should have enough respect for the country in which he is earning an (extraordinary) income, to do so quietly.

I'd expect that if a South African rugby player came to Ireland and both outwardly stuck two fingers up to Irish traditions and ways, then spent his days antagonising people about it online, that he would be universally reviled and there would be a campaign to send him packing.

But according to this thread McLean is a sound lad, has courage, and is surrounded by fascists.

Rampant hypocrisy. Rampant, unabashed hypocrisy. The inevitable outcome of people investing themselves in symbolism.

Poch doesn't really handle dissent very well.

Trippier was a solid replacement last year and has been top drawer this. But Poch still went and spent £25m in a problem child right back to ensure he has a pacy option in that position.

Davies' improvement is perhaps even more marked and he even looks quick these days. But if Rose breaks bread with poch he'll be no.1 again. He's the best lb I've seen at Spurs, 30 years of watching, and by a distance and a half.

Youse two are pure mad. You're equating excellence at going forward as meaning inferiority in defence.

Spurs had the best defensive record in England each of the past two seasons. The only time their defence was torn a new one in that two years was by liverpool, who didn't even capitalise with goals. Every other game Spurs were comfortable at the back.

You can't do that in England without quality full backs as there's still 7-8 teams who play football "done the channels".

Defensively weak my arse.

Trippier a more then able replacement for Walker. Able to defend and good crosser.
Ben Davies is solid too. Walker and Rose were very over rated.

Walker and Rose really aren't overrated. They're by some distance the best 2 full backs in the PL.

Pochettino did wonders to convert them from erratic speed merchants into players who 9 times out of 10 dominate the opposing wingers in both directions. The consistency each showed last season was extraordinary given what went before.

It appears that Poch is doing likewise with Davies and Trippier. But not even Poch can make them boys as quick as those they've replaced, which is why they don't have the same natural peak.

Sid Waddell dropping a few truth bombs in here 

As I generally find out when I discuss this sort of thing in the "real" world, most people actually have poor memories, and the bits that are still coloured in tend to be those that have been recently flavoured by media opinion. Its unusually frustrating to explain to people that Gaelic Football has always had a high percentage of its matches either one-sided or low scoring.

I like it. Would prefer 10 teams but there's merit in 8.

The playoffs are essential. They were the reason why teams could play starred fixtures safe in the knowledge that all hands would be on deck for the push to stay up.

I'd suggest that the general apathy to club football the past 5-6 weeks is because the games don't matter. With playoffs you still need a focus after leaving the championship.

We played through to Halloween throughout the 90s and 00s and momentum stayed til the end of the season because of them.

They will be in every final for the next 10 years and will bunk their own propagated myth that they are simply a good one off Dublin team, as they will be on their 3rd midfielder and full back and full forward from when they started cleaning up.

How is it a propagated myth?

10 of the 19 men who played for them in the 2011 final, played in the 2017 final.

No doubt they've brought in new blood from then, but I'd guess the only county in Ireland that has a similar footprint between those 6 years is Mayo.

For al Dublin's advantaged, they can't play more than 15 players and can't "buy" in players for positions.

Their time will come to an end. When the last one-team era like this in football ended, it gave way to the most exciting 15 years in the sport's history. That's when crowds peaked.

It's all cycles.

And Dublin's cycle is coming to an end. They, once again, needed Flynn, Brogan, Connolly to win the title. They'll produce good players forever, but they'll not have 3 like that again for 20 years at least.

For me this isn't really a mattter of what's better for the county, for senior teams or reserve teams. It's a matter of whether it has a chance in hell of succeeding, and is therefore worth the effort involved.

If implemented, I fundamentally believe it would fall flat on its face within a year or two, due to the pre-existing culture / traditions within the clubs of Down.

The reason why, in 2017, Kerry clubs will happily merge to enter a senior championship is because they always have done. The barriers of suspicion, trust, favouritism and family rivalries might still exist, but they're much, much lower than in a county in which this has never (or rarely) happened. It's what you do if you're a smaller club, in Kerry. It's not what you do if you're a smaller club, in Down.

The reason why, in 2017, Crossmaglen and a few others can enter seconds teams in the Armagh leagues is becasue they always have done. There is an ethos within the club to support two senior football sides, and while I'm sure every year it poses a few pressure points, there will be a tranche of people within the club determined to keep it this way. As long as those people exist, two teams can exist.

We don't have that history / tradition in Down (not in the past 30 years anyway), so what this proposal needs for it to work, is clubs that are committed to changing their existing ways of doing things; clubs that can generate the (willing) manpower to split their efforts in two each Friday night, not just in terms of players, but in terms of management, administration, grounds staff, medical teams, and supporters.

From my own perspective, I have family and work commitments that makes it difficult to get to some senior games. But if Ballyholland were playing an ACFLI match in Castlewellan and simultaneously an ACFL4 game in Ballyholland, I'd be attending the former, even though it's an extra hour round trip. And that's me who has been a seconds footballer and mentor my entire life. I'd expect that larger clubs than my own would have a greater level of manpower to call on to run two teams. But, be honest, would they be willing?

I just don't see it myself.

Even if you shaved 1000 words off that I still wouldn't have time to read it.

[it's a fact]

Gaelic football is being played to a superior level now than it has ever been.

The great matches we've seen this decade are the greatest matches of all time.

This won't fit the narrative, but it's a fact.

Its a opinion. My opinion is football played today especially in the latter stages of the championship is more low risk than ever before. Another opinion is Kerry,Tyrone who are two of the current top 4 teams collectively and individually wouldn't be a patch of 00s kerry,Tyrone teams and how good would those teams have been if they were exposed to the high range training and expertise that Dublin seniors are currently getting.

But the inverse of this is that the current Dublin and Mayo teams would absolutely destroy Dublin and Mayo from the noughties. And they both would have been in the top 4-5 teams in the noughties.

I'm sick of telling people this, but I'll do it one more time.

Reducing teams to 13 a side would put an even greater emphasis again on fitness, which will only increase dropout rates among players at all levels.

Reducing teams to 13 a side would put an even greater emphasis again on pace, which will only increase dropout rates among players at all levels.

Reducing teams to 13 a side would mean two more players consigned to the sub's bench, which will only increase dropout rates among players at all levels.


Think it out folks.

How does soccer cope with the pressure of 11 a side! The heroes!

Reducing it to 13 v 13 would be a significant improvement when it comes to opening up the game without question, but it's one of the more nuclear options. It's a seismic change, which means some will be afraid of it and try to irrationally argue against it because they're used to the status quo. Some of these arguments against it are frankly laughable.

Lol, I do wonder  at you. Wembley's pitch Is 57% the size of Croke Park.
Soccer is played in a considerably more congested space.


As for "frankly laughable", your response here is another clear indication that you put little or no thought into generating your opinions.

I'm sick of telling people this, but I'll do it one more time.

Reducing teams to 13 a side would put an even greater emphasis again on fitness, which will only increase dropout rates among players at all levels.

Reducing teams to 13 a side would put an even greater emphasis again on pace, which will only increase dropout rates among players at all levels.

Reducing teams to 13 a side would mean two more players consigned to the sub's bench, which will only increase dropout rates among players at all levels.


Think it out folks.

There is quite a difference between earning a wage like Brolly and getting a wad of cash sent your direction by way of a one off testimonial.

Is it that it's all coming to Gooch in one payment annoys you? He'll have to work hard planning and executing his testimonial. Okay, not for a long period time. But there is work involved.