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Topics - BennyHarp

#1
General discussion / Fat Bottomed Gardener
May 09, 2020, 12:06:21 PM
Brian May hospitalised after 'ripping his buttocks to shreds' in gardening accident

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/brian-may-hospital-gardening-accident-queen-instagram-a9504956.html

Don't be ripping the arse out of this one with puns lads.
#2
After the dust settles on Sunday's game I can imagine more than a few Monaghan fans will consider it to be a huge opportunity missed and feel rightly frustrated that their county aren't sitting in an All Ireland final. I mentioned on a previous thread how frustrating the 1995 final was and it probably stands out as the most difficult defeat to stomach as a Tyrone fan (with Meath in 1996 running it close). Lenny mentioned Derry getting beaten by Cavan in 97, but I wonder what defeats are particularly difficult to stomach for other counties.
#3
GAA Discussion / Full time professional referees
July 26, 2018, 10:14:33 PM
I've mentioned this on another thread but I just thought I'd see what people's thoughts were. Before I start I know people will baulk straight away at the professional bit, but I think it is essential that refereeing standards across the game improves significantly and if that means spending a bit of money getting it right then maybe it's worth looking into.

I'd suggest each county has a full time professional referee, either from within the county or allocated to it. This will provide a referees board of 32 officials who will officiate only at inter county matches. I would suggest that they meet each Monday to assess the performances in each of the games that weekend then a delegation will attend a follow up meeting with a steering committee of players representatives (maybe GPA) , past players and a GAA representative to report on what was discussed and the outcome of any controversial decisions. Referees are graded on their performances and allocated games accordingly.

Outside officiating the referees will spend their time training referees in their county, visiting club games at all levels giving feedback to referees on their performances and visiting clubs to advise and help with the application of the rule book. The referee committee will also form a voice in the changing of any rules of the game.

Hopefully, better consultation between inter county referees and closer connections between the county ref and the club refs will encourage a greater level of consistency across the board and give players and supporters a bit more confidence in their referees.

Downside - they are getting paid, human nature means they will still make mistakes, the pressure will be greater and they will probably get even more abuse.
#4
GAA Discussion / Greatest forward line ever
August 28, 2017, 11:01:53 PM
After watching Tyrone play most of yesterday basically without a forward line, my mind was cast back to the early to mid 2000s where I have the biased opinion that Tyrone had possibly the best forward unit I've seen in my lifetime. Some teams have 3 or 4 good forwards and carry a few lesser lights but anyone one of Dooher, McGuigan, Cavlan (or McGinley), O'Neill, Canavan and Mulligan would have been an absolute stand out player on yesterday's team. So my question is what is the best group of 6 forwards you have seen play together? I.e. Each player must be a stand out player in their own right.

Notable others (off the top of my head - there may be one or two mistakes)
Meath circa 1988: Beggy, Cassalls, Gillic, O'Rourke, Stafford, Flynn
Down early 1990s: Carr, Blaney, Mason, Linden, Withnall, McCarten
Kerry early 1980s: Ger Power (I think), Ogie Moran, Spillane, Sheehy, Bomber, Egan
Armagh early 2000s: McKeever, McEntee, McConville, McDonnell, Clarke, Marsden

Edit: You could probably pick 6 out of about 10 of the current Dublin selection of forwards.
#5
GAA Discussion / Colm Cooper set to retire?
October 04, 2016, 09:32:17 PM
What a player! Shame his last few seasons in a Kerry jersey were dogged by injuries. One of very few truly great forwards in the modern game!

http://www.punditarena.com/gaa/thepateam/colm-cooper-retire-intercounty-football/
#6
General discussion / Big Sam
September 26, 2016, 11:11:51 PM
Looks like his England career is at least going to end with a perfect 100% record!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/26/exclusive-investigation-england-manager-sam-allardyce-for-sale/
#7
Am I missing something or has this thread been removed? Any reason?
#8
General discussion / Hijacked plane
March 29, 2016, 09:47:09 AM
Seems like a crazy scene developing in Cyprus. The guy is demanding to see his ex-wife!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-35914875
#9
General discussion / Museum of Irish Sport
July 03, 2015, 08:57:58 PM
Was listening to Talksport last night and Steve Bunce was asking for suggestions for entry into the fantasy museum of British Sport. Some of the better suggestions included the remnants of the balloon popped by Mike Phelan which scared the shite out of Alex Ferguson, the towel in Neville Southalls goal hit by the ball as Norman Whiteside scored the winner in the 1985 FA Cup final and Erica Roe's missing bra from her streak at Twickenham.

What suggestions would you put forward for a Museum of Irish Sport? My suggestions.....Jack's hat from 1994



Tony Cascarinos's passport, James McCartan's boot, thrown into the crowd by Paul Donnelly during the 1994 Ulster Final and Kevin McCabe's moustache from the All Ireland semi final in 1986
#10
So with the championship kicking off last weekend in NYC and the first big battle just over a week away, I think it would be interesting to document incidents of the dark arts and cynical play that occur throughout the campaign. My aim is to try and prove that this is not just a Tyrone phenomenon but if this is only full of Tyrone antics then I will hold my hands up and admit that it's only us. Please discuss any incidents here.
#11
GAA Discussion / Identify the GAA ground
May 27, 2014, 09:26:04 PM
I came across this on balls.ie. Quite difficult, how many can you get? I only got 6.  :(
http://balls.ie/gaa/quiz-can-identify-gaa-grounds-aerial-photo/
#12
This is a crazy story developing in London and could be in the "things that make you go what the f**k" thread? I wonder was the Irish woman reported missing in Ireland?

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/irishwoman-among-three-rescued-from-london-house-after-30-years-of-slavery-1.1602718
#13
Interesting investigation by the European Commission into oil prices in the UK. Could this finally lead to a fall in petrol prices? Must be a bit embarrassing for the British authorities that the EU uncovered this.

Petrol price 'rigged for a decade' Daily Telegraph

Motorists may have paid thousands of pounds too much for their petrol over the last decade, after two of Britain's biggest companies were raided on suspicion of manipulating oil prices.

MPs and energy experts tonight raised fears motorists have been "taken for a very expensive ride", after officials searched the offices of BP and Shell for evidence of price-rigging.
The companies are suspected of distorting the oil price since 2002, meaning drivers have potentially been ripped off for more than 10 years.
Over that time, petrol prices have risen dramatically by more than 80 per cent to around 135p per litre.
European investigators, who raided the London offices of BP and Shell, said the alleged price-rigging could have had a "huge impact" on the cost of oil, including the price of fuel for consumers.
The investigation into market-fixing already has echoes of the Libor scandal, which saw the banks falsely report key interest rates used to calculate mortgages. It cost several British banks hundreds of millions of pounds in fines.
Our fortunes rest on the Bank's great money-printing machine 21 Mar 2013
Robert Halfon, the MP for Harlow who has long campaigned for an investigation into the oil market, said high prices have been "crushing families across Britain".
He called for UK authorities to launch an urgent inquiry and for oil companies to "come clean and show some responsibility for what is happening to the international price".
The raids were part of an investigation across the continent by the European Commission's competition authorities. Offices owned by Platts, a price-reporting agency, and Statoil, a Norwegian oil company, were also raided.
European officials said several companies may have colluded in manipulating the price of both oil and green "biofuels".
This could have happened if the oil companies provided false information to Platts, the main reporting agency that collects and reports prices to the wider market.
"Any such behaviour, if established, may amount to violations of European antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and abuses of a dominant market position," the European Commission said.
"Even small distortions of assessed prices may have a huge impact on the prices of crude oil, refined oil products and biofuels purchases and sales, potentially harming final consumers."
It said the raids were a "preliminary step to investigate suspected anticompetitive practices" and "does not mean that the companies are guilty of anti-competitive behaviour nor does it prejudge the outcome of the investigation itself".
The inquiry comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed growing concerns about the reliability of oil prices last year.
A study for G20 finance ministers, including George Osborne, said traders from banks oil companies and hedge funds have an "incentive" to distort the market and are likely to try to report wrong prices.
Scott O'Malia, a top official at the US Commodities Futures Commission, has also previously drawn attention to the "striking similarity" between the potential for manipulating oil and Libor. The price reporting agencies strongly deny any similarities between their methods and the way Libor was calculated.
The information published by Platts and other reporting agencies is used widely by companies as a guide for pricing their oil-related products, including petrol.
Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers' Association, tonight said any manipulation of the benchmark oil price over a decade could have cost motorists "thousands of pounds each".
He said the PRA has repeatedly warned the regulators that the oil price appears to have been manipulated.
An 8p rise in the price of petrol last winter cannot be explained by basic supply and demand, unusual geopolitical events or other factors, he said.
Like Libor – the interest rate measure that banks were found to have rigged – the market is unregulated and relies on the honesty of the firms to submit accurate data about all their trades.
Lord Oakeshott, a senior Liberal Democrat and former Treasury spokesman, urged the UK authorities to take a closer look at the oil market.
"Rigging oil prices would be as serious as rigging Libor," he said. "The price of energy ripples right through our economy and really matters to every business and families.
"All credit to the European Commission for taking action if they have evidence of collusion-but why have we had to wait for Brussels to find out if British oil giants are ripping off British consumers?
"I will be putting down parliamentary questions asking who has UK regulatory responsibility for ensuring fair and open competition in the oil market and what action they have taken in the past 5 years to investigate and enforce it."
The oil companies tonight confirmed their offices have been raided.
A spokesman for BP said the company is "cooperating fully with the investigation and unable to comment further at this time."
A Shell spokesman also confirmed its companies are "currently assisting the European Commission in an enquiry into trading activities".
"We are fully cooperating with the investigation. For legal reasons we cannot make any further comment at this stage".
Platts, the price-reporting agency, said the European Commission has "undertaken a review at its premises in London" and confirmed it is "cooperating fully".
#14
This is a crazy decision and a mad interpretation of the rule about not allowing training weekends abroad after the league finishes - I didnt even know the rule existed!

Football ISN'T coming home
07 May 2013


The GAA  has refused London permission to come to Ireland and play two SF challenges.

The Exiles wanted to play the two matches next weekend - against Wicklow on Saturday and Louth on Sunday - as part of preparations for their May 26th Connacht SFC opener against Sligo.

However, the GAA has refused to sanction the friendlies due to a technicality, even though all the arrangements were already in place for the trip.

Rule 12.6, which was introduced to stop county teams from going abroad to warm-weather training camps in the build-up to the championship, forbids intercounty panels from participating in "training weekends, or training of longer duration, after the end of their respective national leagues, except during the 13 days prior to a senior championship game."

Ironically, this rule is now being used to block London from coming home to play.

"It is not like we are going abroad or anything," London manager Paul Coggins states in The Irish Independent.

"We are actually going 'home' and only because that is the only way we can get the sort of quality of competition that we need so badly to prepare for the Connacht championship."
#15
General discussion / C-Section
March 17, 2013, 12:54:22 AM
So, my Wife is having our first born by c-section on Wednesday after it was clear it is in breach and couldn't be turned! I know this is a fairly routine operation these days but I'm still a bit worried! Any advice fellas on what to do on the day and the days after? 
#16
General discussion / Meatloaf removed from Tesco
March 13, 2013, 12:16:41 AM
#17
General discussion / Oscar Pistorius
February 14, 2013, 07:46:55 AM
Looks like another sporting icon has found himself in a spot of bother.

http://news.sky.com/story/1051959/oscar-pistorius-held-for-shooting-girlfriend
#18
Is anyone watching this? Great performance by the Irish here against the hosts South Africa.
#19
Starting off by getting up to watch Mayweather v Ortiz early in the morning, a few hours kip then up to watch the Rugby world cup, shortly followed by Celtic v Rangers, then the all Ireland minor final while flicking over to Liverpool v Spurs and to top it all off the all Ireland final! Says alot about a days sport when there's no room to watch Man Utd v Chelsea! Can't wait!!
#20
General discussion / Burgled!!
May 25, 2011, 08:46:34 PM
Got home from work today and front lock wasnt working, so went the back to find the window of the back door kicked in and some f*ckers had burgled the house. The made a right mess of the place but only seemed to be after money and my missus' jewllery as they didnt touch the laptop, TV etc.

My wallet was in the house and theyd try to withdraw £200 from my acccount but obviously got pin wrong. I honestly have never been as angry in my life and can only imagine how people who actually catch them in the act must feel. I have renewed sympathy for Tony Martin who shot the burgler - i cant say i wouldnt have done something similar (though i dont have a gun)