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[btdtgttUtter bullsh**t.Ur gonna have a long time on this board if u putting ur own slants on others statements - over 1500pages so far.]

btdtgtt

Utter bullsh**t.
Ur gonna have a long time on this board if u putting ur own slants on others statements - over 1500pages so far.

If I decide to stick around I'll get some lessons from you in both bullsh*t and deliberate misinterpretation of others' posts.

btdtgtt
So let's try this:

1) I am incensed when I see these pictures and hear what went on. I hope the perpetrators are dealt with by Antrim - and because I view these acts as nothing to do with hurling - I have no problem if the PSNI are involved.

Good

btdtgtt
2) that does not mean everyone from the glenshesk contingent is 100% not guilty of any bad acts. I wasn't there - but being "less guilty" is not the same as "not guilty". Best wishes to all who were injured.

You really shouldread my first post again. I never said that Gaels were the only offenders.

btdtgtt
3) the acts of the thugs from Belfast Gaels (not all the team) should not be associated with Gaels in the city as a whole. This would be nieve since the same problems have existed elsewhere.

I made no comment on Gaels in Belfast in general

Not you Gizzy.

Earlier I was told that my eye witness account wasn't credible because I didn't see eveything.

I'm getting caught up in the "Someone is wrong on the Internet" thing.

I said
"That was 3, full-blooded strikes to the heads of Glenshesk players within seconds of each other. I can tell you it was pretty shocking."

but, because I only saw Belfast Gael infringements, I am not a credible witness.

Personally I think that County Antrim Post picture has been photoshopped.

Well that lad without the helmet is clearly not in possession of any balls.

I'd guess btdtgtt would say that the County Antrim Post, by only publishing this photo of the mayhem, is not a credible witness.






Edit: I think you can see the photo now.  Note that
1  the assailant is not using the face of the hurl. He is using the blade.
2 he has no helmet, suggesting that he came from the sideline.

Clearly identifiable though.

[ead my posts again, NAH said that he'd find it difficult to not jump the fence, I said that that would be daft as it would only escalate the problem. you agree with that? I think we can all say that if a parent (not relating this incident as it never happened) come on to the pitch and hits a 15/16 year old will find himself in a bad light.]

To Milltown Row

Read my posts again, NAH said that he'd find it difficult to not jump the fence, I said that that would be daft as it would only escalate the problem. you agree with that? I think we can all say that if a parent (not relating this incident as it never happened)  come on to the pitch and hits a 15/16 year old will find himself in a bad light.

And I sympathise with NAH's view but yes it would almost certainly escalate things and the parent would be seen in a bad light.

I didn't call anyone a numpty, it was a general term for someone who would jump the fence and hit child, and I called a numpty a person who would give abuse to a referee. I didn't call the person who jumped the fence this as he apparently didn't jump the fence or hit anyone.

Fair enough.

What you have failed to say is nowhere in any of my posts have I tried to defend the actions of anyone involved in this and have said that the officials there will have seen everything and hopefully get everyone involved.

I wasn't criticising/attacking anything you said. Merely, for the most part, trying to add a few facts to the debate.  As I said before, I didn't register and post to argue with anybody.

to btdtgtt

" Your report is so one sided it loses credibility". 

In that case the fact that you weren't there negates any point you make.

" Your first post made it seem like they were the only guilty party.

No.  You obviously don't understand what you read.  I said as you yourself pointed out, ""It was Gaels who were the instigators and worst perpetrators of violence."  That implies that there was violence from both sides.

I certainly did not say that what I saw was all that happened. In any case, while, as Milltown Row pointed out this is a debating forum, I registered to post what I had seen, and to leave it to you expert debaters to make what you would of it.

And finally, your comment that, "There are none so blind as those who will not see."  Well maybe those who cannot see because they weren't there.

[Glentaisie, this is a forum for debating, on most occasions people will debate on things they were not witness to, like the things going on in other countries, or the troubles or....... you get my point. Yes there was a report on it by someone who heard from someone, Chinese whispers, apparently I caused it all and have been at the centre of all things bad in Antrim as some parent said on the OFFICIAL ANTRIM BOARD. Again this person heard a story from one guy and so on.]

To Milltown Row

Glentaisie, this is a forum for debating, on most occasions people will debate on things they were not witness to, like the things going on in other countries, or the troubles or....... you get my point. Yes there was a report on it by someone who heard from someone, Chinese whispers, apparently I caused it all and have been at the centre of all things bad in Antrim as some parent said on the OFFICIAL ANTRIM BOARD. Again this person heard a story from one guy and so on.

I understand this.  I have been reading this forum for a couple of years now.  But having been there and having witnessed what I did  and then reading what I thought was ill-informed debate was what prompted me to register and post.  You caused it all?  I thought it was Loughgiel's fault.

You said you were there and I 'll take that at face value, why would I think any different? It's a terrible scene you have described, and not once has it been said by any posters on here to be anything other than atrocious. The wee debate with NAH was whether someone should jump the fence, it could have been about this incident  or anyother one (which it seems was the case) but NAH's stands by his reasoning and I'll stand by mine on it. it doesn't relate to what went on.... Phewwwww

I was there. Why would you think any different?  I have no connection to either the Carey club or the Armoy club and have no axe to grind against either St Paul's or Sarsfields. 
Maybe it's a North Antrim thing, but I would tend to sympathise with NAH's view.
One other thing.  The parent who allegedly jumped the fence (apparently that is certainly untrue) and assaulted the Gael's player (which apparently he denies) is someone that I have never heard referred to as a thug or bully boy.  Neither, as far as I know, is he some numpty who would be giving abuse from the wrong side of the fence each Sunday.  In fact his level of education might match your own, so no numpty surely?

to btdtgtt

It is indeed my first post.  Does that make it untrue?  This issue was discussed over several pages by posters on here on the basis of a report that somebody had heard.  That report went something like " Gaels player struck a Glenshesk player. Glenshesk player's father jumped the fence and attacked the Gaels player.  Riot ensued. Match abandoned." 

That report was pretty much absolute bollocks but it didn't stop a lot of posters here, who hadn't been at the game, pontificating about it.

I have explained where I was standing, which perhaps, explains why what I saw mainly concerned Gaels.  I did say that a Glenshesk player pushed a Gaels player in the chest and received a blow to the head in return so your assertion that I am "reporting that not a single glenshesk person struck anyone or did anything in the wrong?" is clearly wrong.

I certainly will not accept your old ploy of trying to insinuate that "one's as bad as the other".  They weren't.  I repeat and stand by this,  "It was Gaels who were the instigators and worst perpetrators of violence."

I was there.  I saw what I saw.  You weren't.

You say that you " posted earlier that we shouldn't let geography cloud what happened" and then "Poor innocent country boys assaulted by thugs from city "

Irony fail.

I went to Glenariffe on Saturday mainly to support Ballycastle in the 'A' Final but arrived about 20 minutes into the first half of the 'B' Final.  I didn't see everything that happened. For instance I didn't see the photographer being assaulted or the incident where it is alleged that a parent jumped the fence and assaulted a Gaels player.

But this is what I did see from behind and slightly to the left of the Belfast Gaels sideline.

Glenshesk were in front and I was told that even at that stage, certainly one, and possibly two Belfast Gaels players could have been sent off but weren't.   Glenshesk stretched their lead from that point through until about 15/20 mins into the 2nd half.  At this stage the Gaels' centre half back was sent off after receiving a second yellow. 

In my opinion this is where it really started. He didn't want to go and argued vehemently with the ref about it. He started to walk towards the line but ran back and had words again with the ref eventually leaving the pitch.  The Belfast Gaels players, both those on the pitch and those on the sideline were incensed about the sending off.

Within a few minutes the ref advised the Gaels' mentors to take their No 7 off before he got sent off.  They did
so but the No 7 came to the line "effing & blinding".  One of the mentors told him to pack it in or, I think what he said was,
"you'll never play for St Paul's again", to which the No 7 replied that he didn't care and continued to be agitated and abusive.

This is where the Gaels' mentors abdicated responsibility.  The mentor turned his back and walked away. 
The No 7 and others just got more agitated - one asking to be put on so that he could get sent off.  I saw one sub being sent on
after taking instructions from a player on the sideline,not from the mentors!  Having lost control of their players on the sideline
there was no chance that they could control their players on the pitch.

Glenshesk, meanwhile, extended their lead to 12 pts. 2-12 to 0-6.

Then it really went mad.  The ref had, I think, blown for a free. Words were exchanged between the Glenshesk player and the
Belfast Gaels player.  The Gaels player stepped back and struck the Glenshesk lad on the head with his stick.  Within seconds,
another Gaels player did exactly the same to another Glenshesk lad.  A Glenshesk player then ran up and, after seeing the first
two strikes you would have to say, rather foolishly/naively, dropped his hurl and pushed a Gaels lad in the chest with his hands, 
I'm not sure if this was the same Gaels lad who had administered the second head strike, but his response was to step
back and deliver another strike to the head with his hurl.

That was 3, full-blooded strikes to the heads of Glenshesk players within seconds of each other. I can tell you it was pretty shocking.
The recipient of the last strike looked to be badly hurt. He went to his knees, got up, staggered about, undid his helmet, did it up again, went down, got up, staggered - he didn't seem to know what was going on.  As I watched him the whole melee started so I didn't actually see how that developed.  Just 2 notable elements of it. 

The first was a Gaels mentor sprinting across the pitch and booting someone who was lying on the ground. 

The second was the aforementioned Gaels No 7 repeatedly sneaking around the perimeter of the melee, kicking and striking people and then running away and dancing about in jubilation with his arms in the air.

The Glenshesk players were shepherded towards the pavilion though there still seemed to be some action going on in the middle.  The Gaels mentors got their players back to the sideline. They were in jubilant and celebratory mood.  Disgracefully, one of their mentors seemed to be encouraging this and promoting some kind of group solidarity.

My overview is this.  Glenshesk were much the better team.  Gaels couldn't take defeat.  The Gaels mentors lost control/abdicated responsibility of their charges.  It was Gaels who were the instigators and worst perpetrators of violence.  There are at least 3 of those players who should never be allowed through the gates of a GAA pitch again.  The mentors should never be allowed to take charge of any team ever again.

If it is true that Antrim County Board are going to award the trophy to this team because Glenshesk refused a replay, that is scandalous.  I repeat the score

Glenshesk 2-12  Belfast Gaels 0-6

What parent of a 14/15/16 year old could be expected to allow their child to replay that game after witnessing those scenes?
Those youngsters could have been seriously and permanently damaged.  In fact, I don't believe it is an exaggeration to say that a fatality could easily have resulted from the actions of the Gaels players.

Can it really be countenanced that a team who are being well beaten should be able to start a riot, get a match abandoned and then be awarded the trophy?

I hope not. 

I've been going to hurling matches for more years than I want to remember and have seen some individual, dirty strokes in my time, but I have never seen such concerted, cowardly, thuggery as I saw on Saturday.