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Was listening to Five Live and they were discussing an interesting scenario that could develop in the premier league. Spurs have complained about Stoke playing Man City 4 days after the cup final. Only one Europa league place is available via the FA cup, so if Stoke win they will qualify automatically for it. If however Man City win the cup Stoke will only qualify for the Europa League if City qualify for the Champions League through getting into fourth place in the Premiership. This leads to the scenario of Stoke possibly benefitting from losing to City in the league game, thus helping City get 4th and them getting into Europe via the FA cup place. I know there's a lot of permutations before this happens but will be interesting to see how it pans out.

Over the past few weeks, clubs across the country will have been meeting up for the first time as a collective group to plan what to do in the season ahead. I was just wondering what sort of things go on at these meetings in other clubs - is it usually the manager telling the team what the schedule is? Do many clubs reflect on the previous years performance? Is the any group activities - such as identifying weaknesses? Strengths? etc and feeding back to the management. Do teams set specfic goals/targets for the year as a group or as individuals? Do clubs even have a meeting before training starts? I've been to alot of these sort of meetings over the years and sat bored listening to managers tell us what we are going to do and i think its quite important that the correct tone is set early on.

Did anyone see this last night? Paddy Kielty was on and in the home and away round, his home question was to be on Gaelic Football (with a "twist" apparently). Unfortunately Paddy chose away. I would have interested to hear the question they would have asked! Probably something like - how do you spell Down?

Is anyone else sick of people trying to be wacky and "festive" over the past few weeks? At my work i had a member of the senior management team come up to me asking me to be videoed singing part of a christmas carol. She is making a hilarious video of the different departments singing the twleve days of christmas to be shown on the last day at the christmas do!! I hate all this sh*te and refused saying that i wasn't interested. Does anyone else have to put up with this sort of crap?

Just wondering if anyone could help me here. I work in a sixth form college in the north of England and for the past few years i have been running an after college Gaelic football enhancement with the students. The plan has been to coach them in the skills of the game and through a sports leadership programme they then go into the local primary schools and coach the kids there. This has been working really well and the students at my college are loving it and have organised a few blitzes amongst the primary schools. The problem is that they are keen to get a few games themselves and im not really sure if there is any other schools or colleges of the same age group that are offering Gaelic football to play against. If anyone has any info or are involved with a school or college in this way can you let me know? We are prepared to travel to games anywhere in the country if needed! Cheers

After watching the game last night I was disgusted how barcelona have runied football. Chasing down the Arsenal players, tackling them in their own half sometimes in packs of 2 and 3, not allowiing the opposition any time on the ball and causing turn over after turn over of possession. This sort of work rate and tackling is has runied the beautiful game for ever. Then to add insult to injury - after getting themselves into a winning position they retreated to protect their lead! Awful, awful stuff - the only phrase i can think of to describe it is - puke football!!

I dont know much about computers but i got this email and was wondering did anyone else get something similar and is it ok to download - always a bit wary about these things and i've no idea how they got my email address!

Thanks

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Whats people's thoughts on the proposed new rules for this years National League - i think its about time that the square ball rule was modified!! I also think giving the attacking team the chance to score before blowing a game up sounds good in theory but may cause problems in practice.

From hoganstand;

'Square ball' rule set to be altered
06 December 2009


A significant alteration of the 'square ball' rule, which would allow players into the square ahead of the ball after it has been kicked, is believed to be among a new set of experimental rules that will be implemented in next spring's National Football League.

At yesterday's Central Council meeting in Croke Park, a set of proposed rule changes brought forward by two special football and hurling sub-committees were given the go-ahead on a trial basis.

Although the GAA will not be releasing details of the changes until during the week, it's understood that a change to the 'square ball' rule and the introduction of an Aussie Rules-style 'mark' are two of the proposals in Gaelic football that will be tried out.

Taking all kick-outs from the 13-metre line to speed up play and moving the penalty spot closer to the goal to aid the attacking team will also be part of the experimental rules.

The prospect of allowing players to cleanly pick the ball off the ground rather than have to put their toe to it was also mooted, but it's believed the committee didn't run with that idea in the end. Neither did they opt to allow four points for a goal or awarding two points for any kick that went over the bar from outside 45 yards, which were two other propositions they considered.

In hurling, managers will have to stand at least one metre from the sideline, while all 'clash balls' must be 13 metres from the sideline.

Interestingly, one proposed change will feature in both codes. If a game is entering its closing seconds with teams level, referees will be instructed not to blow the final whistle if one of the sides is attacking.

The two sub-committees, chaired by Seamus Woods (football) and Simon Moroney (hurling), held a number of meetings in recent months after being charged by GAA president, Christy Cooney, to explore possible improvements in both codes. The football committee featured the likes of Oisin McConville, Anthony Rainbow, Liam Sammon and referees' chief Mick Curley.

Depending on the relative success of the rule changes in the early rounds of the league, motions could be brought to next April's Congress in Newcastle, Co Down.

[Makem insists system has allowed Kerry 'cult' win titles by default]

Couldnt agree more! 

Makem insists system has allowed Kerry 'cult' win titles by default

A former Armagh football manager has claimed the imbalance of the provincial championship structures in football has led to continued Kerry success "by default".

Peter Makem, who managed Armagh to the 1982 Ulster football title, has come out strongly against the provincial structures in the wake of last week's draws.

"The GAA as an institution is dominated by the provincial councils in keeping with the old Irish tradition of provincially strong chiefs and kings and family lines creating a weak centre to the overall detriment of the country down through history," he said.

"Because of the obvious mathematical difference in the number of counties in each province and the particular growth of the various codes in these provinces, the provincial system is naturally unbalanced.

"Kerry's constant presence in championship football can only be attributed to their provincial position," Makem argues.

"They play the system as any other county would do if born into such privilege and so it has become a cult there.

Status

"The self-worth and status conferred by this tradition in Kerry ensures that young people will naturally gravitate towards it.

"This is why there is an endless supply to fill the annual market. Yet the reality is that they win their All-Irelands by default.

"They win because the majority of other counties do not have the same facility to develop as they are afforded, and the potential of the vast majority of footballers for over a century has been cut off by the very championship that should have given them real opportunity and access. This is a genuine betrayal."

Makem recalled penning a similar article 21 years ago -- published in the Irish Independent -- under the heading 'The GAA needs a Gorbachev'. Little, he says, has changed.

"Proof that Kerry generally win the All-Ireland by default is when other counties, in order to get out of the straight jacket imposed by the provincial system, have had to reinvent the game and introduce a new dynamic to their play.

"The most notable of these are Down before the Troubles and Armagh and Tyrone after the Troubles. Kerry are suddenly out of their depth when confronted with these teams in finals, and by the time they catch up, the teams, including Galway of the '60s and the Dubs at their peak in '76 and 77, are over the hill," added Makem.

"Since northern football came of age with the arrival of Down, the reality is that Kerry can not beat the great teams from there in finals. This is because their dominance is dependent on the natural weakening of counties by the provincial system."

Irish Independent

Somebody emailed me this link a few days ago and its doing my head in now - wonder who is the first one to finish it on this board. You'll quickly get the hang of what they are looking for, though some of them i dont have a clue on!!

http://splapp-me-do.deviantart.com/art/The-Impossible-Quiz-Lite-50433260

I've just went on to my hotmail account to find that all my address book has been emailed from my account from some electrical compay - mowhy.com or something. Has this happened anyone else? What can you do to prevent this happening again??

Just flicking through the channels and came across this on BBC3 on now - Two "celebrities" try to live as a pig! Is there anything some people won't do to get on TV? At least the old licence fee is being well spent!!

[Brian Kerr appointed as Faroe Islands manager]

Has it really come to this for Brian Kerr!

Brian Kerr appointed as Faroe Islands manager

Brian Kerr, the former Ireland manager, has been appointed coach of the Faroe Isles. He has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract that will take him to the end of the 2012 European championship qualifying campaign.

Kerr, 56, should feel at home with a team of underdogs, having led Ireland between 2003 and 2005 in their unsuccessful bid to reach the 2006 World Cup finals. He did not have his contract renewed by the Football Association of Ireland and was succeeded by Steve Staunton.

Since then, Kerr has worked as director of football for St Patrick's Athletic, the League of Ireland club, and also writes an acerbic column for the Irish Times newspaper. "I know it is difficult for the Faeroes to win international matches," Kerr said yesterday. "But I like the challenge as an underdog"

The Faeroes, a cluster of islands in the North Atlantic, are not so much footballing underdogs as helpless puppies. Most of their players play in the domestic league and victories on the international stage are rare. In their 2010 World Cup qualifying programme, they lie bottom of group seven – behind Serbia, Lithuania, France, Austria and Romania – with one point from four matches.

Still, Hogni Storustovu, the Faroese football federation president, seemed delighted with the appointment. "When we began the search for a new coach, we decided that we required a highly qualified and experienced coach to help drive football in the Faroe Islands forward," he said. "In Brian Kerr, I believe that we now have such a man.

"His record shows that he can be successful and achieve results as well as building a foundation for the future. We have no doubt that he will bring his enthusiasm and passion to the national team and we are delighted that he has agreed to become the coach. Brian is a well known, successful and passionate coach. He will have the full support of the background staff in the FA and we are very happy to have him on board and are looking forward to working with him."

As well as national team coaching duties, Kerr will "contribute to further enhance and develop the structures surrounding player development, talent development and under-age national team development."

Source: timesonline

I'm after some help here! I teach in a sixth form college in the UK and together with the Gaelic Development officer in the county i am trying to start a coaching course for the students where by we will take them during enhancement time - train them to do basic GAA coaching and then supervise them coaching in local primary schools. The idea being that it will introduce a whole new audience to the sport and we will at some time in the future see the primary players join the local clubs and hopefully breed more people in my college with an interest in the sport in future years. I am selling this to our students in an assembly next week and was wondering if anyone has come across a video that is like a 3 min introduction to Gaelic football! There is one called "what is gaelic football?" in 3 sections on you tube but i would need to edit it in order to use it for the time i've got! If anyone has any such video clip could they post it or pm me? Thanks!

Martin Breheny has had a right pop at the Ulster Council this week for a motion calling for the end of the international rules series - but does he have a point? Are Ulster holding up progress or fighting to maintain the security and ethos of the GAA?

By Martin Breheny


Wednesday March 04 2009

HERE'S a question to add to the growing list of quandaries currently unanswered in this country: why is it that, at a time when Ulster is enjoying a boom on the playing fields, the province has become so negative elsewhere?

Let the Ireland-Australia International Rules series continue? No, no, no, chant Ulster?

Sign up to a Government deal to give grants to players? Absolutely not, say an Ulster contingent, anchored by a non-elected and grandiosely-titled group, 'Of One Belief'.

Rent Croke Park for rugby and soccer? Not if we have our way, argued large tracts of Ulster, supported by, among others, Cork. My, my, how Cork would love if their only concerns nowadays were how best to lecture others on their disloyalty to an outdated viewpoint.

Cork's lecturing days are over, but it seems Ulster are merely powering up. They want the International Rules series scrapped and will support a Tyrone motion to that effect at Congress. Bizarrely, they want Australian Rules to be treated as a competitor sport, whatever that means.

Last Saturday's Ulster Convention voted 36-5 in support of scrapping International Rules, yet when the question arose of whether the link should continue at Central Council last year, Tyrone were the only Ulster county to vote against it.

What happened in the meantime? Was the dramatic change of heart due to the GAA not awarding the first game of this year's series to Casement Park?

Some of these make the eyes water! I particularly like the man in Pakistans excuse about the people stealing his buffalo 

http://www.oddee.com/item_96558.aspx

Not sure if this was shown earlier in Northern Ireland, but did anyone watch "The Troubles I've seen" shown last night on ITV with Eamonn Holmes talking to "celebrities" from Northern Ireland about the Troubles! Thought Paddy Kielty came across very well and Jim McDonald seemed liked the most bitter and twisted yet least affected by the troubles in his big house and campbell college education!

Only in northern ireland! 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/northern_ireland/7682175.stm

A circus has been reported to Northern Ireland's Parades Commission for leading elephants through a street in Bangor, County Down.

Alexander Scholl from the Sydney Circus said the elephants were being exercised last week when the police arrived and told him to put them back in a trailer.

He said he had never heard of the commission and that the elephants had been welcomed everywhere else.

The PSNI confirmed they had reported the circus to the parades body.

"With all the other towns it wasn't a problem - we would just bring the elephants wherever we went, bring them through the town," said Alexander Scholl, who is from Germany despite the circus's Antipodean origins.

'Illegal'

"But this time in Bangor the police stopped us and told us to put the elephants back in the trailer. The officer said 'you cannot do this - this is an illegal parade'.

"I didn't understand what he meant, we've always been welcome everywhere else, so we put the elephants in the trailer and brought them back to the show."

The Parades Commission was set up in 1997 to make decisions on whether or not restrictions should be imposed on controversial parades during Northern Ireland's marching season.

This is what i've been saving up for all winter!!

http://www.spermfortickets.com/

I wonder can anyone give me advice! I have damaged ligaments in my both my ankles over the past 10 years or so and now feel very weak in that area every time i try to run especially when twisting and turning on the grass! Yesterday i managed to roll on my ankle for the third time in a month! Nothing too serious but enough to have me hobbling for a few days and have to pull out of training! Does anyone have any methods/ideas on how to build up strength in my ankles - i've tried a few things but they dont seem to have the desired effect! I also wish to avoid wearing those big ankle straps for as long as i can, as i find them very uncomfortable to play in!