Messages

Meath v Kildare - Can only see a Meath win after Kildares last two games.  If Kildare cannot get fired up for this one, their season may as well be over. 

Louth v Cavan - Hard to call as both teams are well capable of beating one another, but I think Cavan may edge it.

Fermanagh v Cork - Fermanagh have been impressive in the league so far (bar the second half last week of course) and can see them winning with no fuss. 

Armagh v Donegal - Not sure.  This will be Donegal's first big test under their new high press style.  If it falters against Armagh then there is little hope of it working down the road against the 'bigger' teams. 

Vise versa for Armagh, their first big test against a well organised and physically fit team.  Interesting to see if they can adopt to facing a tactically better team and coming out the better.  I would expect a low scoring game also.

S1 had a great story and the two main characters were brilliant also and carried it forward.  It's hard to replicate something fresh like that. The title has been milked dry at this point. 

Just watched Kin there, simple but brilliant.  As I said to the other half, who ever thought we would be rooting for dublin drug gangs to succeed!

Kildare really bad. I thought after the fermanagh game they may have came into this game looking to kick-start their season but they seem doomed for the drop the way they are going.

Contay has been brilliant also.

A game riddled with mistakes, very poor conditions

Was recently chatting to a friend who is deeply involved in the local GAA club scene here in County Tyrone. He has been telling me that he is feeling overwhelmed by the amount of money his club is asking from him.

It's no secret that GAA clubs rely heavily on financial support from their members. Membership fees and occasional contributions for club run competitions are not only understandable but expected. However, recently the club in question has upped the ante, hounding members for money in ways that feel disproportionate and, in my own opinion, disrespectful.

While it's crucial for clubs to cover necessary expenses, it's been reported that this club is requesting members to foot the bill for their own presentation nights. Presentation nights, traditionally, have been a moment for clubs to come together and celebrate the achievements of their members. Asking attendees to pay for their own participation seems to go against the very spirit that these events should embody. Moreover, the practice of soliciting weekly direct debit payments from members has raised eyebrows. While consistent funding is essential for club operations, transparency and accountability regarding financial matters are equally important.

At what point do we draw the line? Perhaps it's time for a collective conversation about what constitutes reasonable financial expectations from our members and how we can hold our clubs accountable to those standards.

He should try Rugby or Soccer or Swimming. See the fees involved in that. GAA is great value for money and a fantastic community organisation. It costs a lot to put teams on the field and for that matter teams that can compete.
But if you can't afford it, then it doesn't really matter the price but the days of £20 membership and away ye go are long gone.

I agree, relatively cheap compared to other activities, but slowly narrowing the gap.  In the past month alone, I have contributed toward 3 different fundraising initiatives for my team and we are only into February Christs sake. 

My biggest annoyance is the senior coaching team getting a hefty sum (outsiders) when we are not doing enough to bring our own coaches through.

[Would it not be better for Antrim to have a ground like the Athletic grounds and other counties to get cash to make some upgrades?]

Celtic Park is a great venue to watch a game. Could do with some upgrades that are easily sorted, toilets, PA, clock, more shops etc and better traffic control.

Omagh could do with some upgrades. The likes of Armagh and Newry are very good grounds.

Antrim need a good ground but do they or the GAA really need Casement as proposed?

Once it is built and paid for in time for the Euros (which is hard to turn down) how is the upkeep going to be paid for and will this be to the detriment of other grounds?

Would it not be better for Antrim to have a ground like the Athletic grounds and other counties to get cash to make some upgrades?

Would agree with that, money for casement would be better placed going to county grounds that need upgrading.  Casement does need to happen to some degree of course, it was an iconic location in its day, but there is no need to go overboard with it either. 

Not sure about 1 in 2, but certainly 1 in 4 players within my club would be recreational users, i'm sure others have dabbled in it infrequently also.

Not sure why this is a seen as a gaa specific problem either or how a drinks ban influences a person moving on to cocaine as a substitute ffs. 

[If he continues to pick them regularly he'll be gone in the summer.]

Any Utd supporter should be very worried after last night. Firstly an inability to put the game to bed. They let a really bad Wolves side back into it. Gave away a very silly penalty. Bruno in first half gave away a FK similar to what he did against Galatasaray which resulted in them getting back into that game. We just can't learn from mistakes.
Onana simply isn't good enough. DeGea saves that last goal easy. Only for Martinez kicking one of the line we'd have drew or poss lost that game. He came for a FK and once again flapped. What EtH sees in him I'll never know.

EtH was playing 5 at the back and conceded an equaliser. Committing CBs to a corner then getting caught on the break because Antony gave the ball away. He gave every single possession away when he came on. Losing leads in last few minutes is EtH MO. He did the same at Ajax against Spurs. He hasn't got the cunning to see a game out.

I'm worried for EtH. JR won't watch that and think great job. He'll watch that and think this team is a f**king joke. City, Arsenal win those games 4 or 5 nil.

EtH has bought Antony and Onana and honestly they are two of the worst Utd players ever. If he continues to pick them regularly he'll be gone in the summer. Ole done the same with Maguire and it cost him his job. You have to be prepared to be ruthless and drop these poor performers.
 

Agree.  They are his signings and he is trying to justify them by trying to play them into form, but it just ins't happening.  He needs to be ruthless and bench them, or risk going himself. 

What has happened with Maguire? He seems like he was playing alright only to be benched again?

As a united fan, even I am sad to see him go.  A top manager and charismatic figure for the PL. 

Hard to see Liverpool not dropping off a bit now. 

Agree that he will take a year and likely end up in Madrid or Barcelona, any club would pay top dollar for him. 

[As a book though, I found it jumped back and forth too much and became repetitive (but I suppose his life was really on a repetitive loop).]

Making a slight move from podcasts to audiobooks recently. Recently finished the Matthew Perry autobiography. Long suffering addict and strange to listen to knowing how his life ends. As a book though, I found it jumped back and forth too much and became repetitive (but I suppose his life was really on a repetitive loop).

I've now started Unruly by David Mitchell. So far it's a funny breath of fresh air look at the British Kings and Queens.

Listened to this several months ago and found it a hard slog also.  Thought his haggard sounding voice didn't help it either.

Listening to Micah Richards, pretty good. 

Crazy to give that goal away from their own free, Glen finished strong but Brigid's will be kicking themselves, better team lost

Aye crazy decision making with that free at that stage of the game, really poor pass.

Watching the replay, the goalkeeper was in no man's land.

How are teams relegated to Intermediate and Junior championships in Cavan? I understand winning is the pathway to the level above, but how do you go about going down?

[By any league metric Arva are a div 2 side.]

I mentioned it before, but the biggest issue seems to be they had played, and maintained their division 1 league status, and played in a junior championship. 

Had it been intermediate championship they had won, I would say people, like myself, could reconcile more with that. 

This is coming from my own point of view where, in Armagh, the leagues and championships are linked, the idea of a senior league team entering a junior championship would seem preposterous, and the outcome would be inevitable. 

Just one caveat there though. By any league metric Arva are a div 2 side. It was a championship style one game knockout kept them there when they were completely adrift of everyone. So you absolutely cannot call them a senior side. That is completely disingenuous.

Elaborate?

Finished rock bottom of league. In any league scenario this should mean relegation.

But they were a (albeit struggling) division 1 team in 2023 and played junior championship.

Aye generally it does, in this case it didn't. 

You can't argue that by all conceivable metrics they are a division 2 team based on their final league position, when the same county board that allowed them to play junior championship also allowed them the chance to stay in division 1 with a relegation playoff. 

[By any league metric Arva are a div 2 side.]

I mentioned it before, but the biggest issue seems to be they had played, and maintained their division 1 league status, and played in a junior championship. 

Had it been intermediate championship they had won, I would say people, like myself, could reconcile more with that. 

This is coming from my own point of view where, in Armagh, the leagues and championships are linked, the idea of a senior league team entering a junior championship would seem preposterous, and the outcome would be inevitable. 

Just one caveat there though. By any league metric Arva are a div 2 side. It was a championship style one game knockout kept them there when they were completely adrift of everyone. So you absolutely cannot call them a senior side. That is completely disingenuous.

Elaborate?

I mentioned it before, but the biggest issue seems to be they had played, and maintained their division 1 league status, and played in a junior championship. 

Had it been intermediate championship they had won, I would say people, like myself, could reconcile more with that. 

This is coming from my own point of view where, in Armagh, the leagues and championships are linked, the idea of a senior league team entering a junior championship would seem preposterous, and the outcome would be inevitable.