Cathal Dervan Lover's Unite and shed a tear for the FAI

[dublinfella]

And just in case you haven't noticed, soccer long ago passed gaelic football and hurling as the biggest participation sport for the youth of this country.

when did this happen? not in my lifetime anyway

more play soccer than any individual gaelic game apparently. the GAA still has the most members and players in total

[mylestheslasher]

Cathal Dervan gets away with writing this shite because there is a market for his brand of verbal muck. Every soccer loving, GAA hater out there with a big chip on their shoulder has a life size picture of Cathal on the wall of their bedroom ya know. Cathal doesn't really want the GAA and FAI to be buddies either cos his livelyhood depends on him being able to write this type of crap about the evil GAA that stole everything from the poor FAI. It just isn't fair.....
Boo f**king Hoo.

[belleaqua]

And just in case you haven't noticed, soccer long ago passed gaelic football and hurling as the biggest participation sport for the youth of this country.

Im also more than a little confused with that statement alright. I dont see the p***k rushing to quote specific numbers, a fairly general staement by anyones standards.

[Josey Whales]

The guy is an asshole.even his fellow journalists think so. Always plays to the gallery- sticks up for his buddies in the FAI to protact his sources who in turn leak various titbits like Staunton becoming manager before anyone else hears about it. Basically Delaney's mouthpiece. Dervan belongs and resides in the gutter along with his cheerleading brand of journalism which only your average jimmy five bellies irish premiership fan would read.

[dublinfella]

The guy is an asshole.even his fellow journalists think so. Always plays to the gallery- sticks up for his buddies in the FAI to protact his sources who in turn leak various titbits like Staunton becoming manager before anyone else hears about it. Basically Delaney's mouthpiece. Dervan belongs and resides in the gutter along with his cheerleading brand of journalism which only your average jimmy five bellies irish premiership fan would read.

i think you have hit the nail on thehead there. a mouthpiece, so watch what comes out of his mouth with interest.

you are right with the last bit, his credibility amongst real soccer fans seems to be zero

[thegael]

if the truth was told we don't want the toerags to play in croker!

he sums up what these soccer fans are west brits!!!

let them go to tolka!

[dublinfella]

if the truth was told we don't want the toerags to play in croker!

he sums up what these soccer fans are west brits!!!

let them go to tolka!

and you sum up why he uses the word bigot.....

[stephenite]

and you sum up why he uses the word bigot.....

Dervan is an equal bigot

[east down gael]

i have never posted on this forum outside the down section,but this is a subject i feel strongly enough to do so.i read this article in the star(which i buy to read some of the articles written by former players such as mchugh,liston etc and happen to be insightful and interesting).this man dervan seems to write just to provoke gaa people,so we come off with anti soccer/rugby statements which justify the kind of opinions he has.
   I wont get into the fact that the irfu and the fai are homeless of their own fault,because as it stands that cannot be changed,and we as a country have to deal with the situation we are in.if an international game had to be played in britain it would be disastrous.however,it is not the gaa who made this situation arise.so why are we the ones who have to rectify the problems of others, who have then went on to abuse the hospitality our organisation has offered them.the problem lies in what we as an association do from here.if we let the deal to use headquarters continue into 2008,then we open ourselves to digging our competitors out of their own mess forever more.i believe we should allow the current arrangement run its course,find out what the irfu/fai have done to further their own development of match facilities,and if it is inadequate,let them play in britain.it is not our job/obligation as an amatuer association to help two other professional organisations promote games in direct competition to our own.it is not their tax that paid for our stadium,for contrary to one previous post,gaelic games are by far the most played,most participated,and most watched in this island.and these people pay the tax that funded PART of our stadium,the rest paid for by our own association.
   

[From the Bunker]

Lads, this PLEB CD does not talk for all the 'Soccer' Community. Most of the 'Soccer' people i know are delighted that Croke Park has been offered as a temporary(?) residence to play home games and are looking forward to returning to Landsdowne when it is completed. CD is in the journalistic silly season where the premiership is a two horse race and Rep Ireland do not have a game untill well into next year. For me CD was always one of those people who Jumped on the Bandwagon when Rep Ireland were doing well playing shite football under Charlton and the purists (who he called begrudgers) just looked on in agony. Look he is a Pleb who does not know what he is talking about and does not reflect the views of the vast majority.

Pleb = A nobody whose view really means nothing!

[GallBoss]

I loved the one about Soccer having suprassed Gaelic and Hurling as the biggest participation sport in Ireland I think he should definitely check that before he goes pulling stats like that out of his ass. Sure half the lads playin soccer are the Gaa boys tryin to stay fit.

[liihb]

I think one of our esteemed posters has the best description of how to deal with fellas like Cathal Dervan

Never argue with a fool, he'll bring you down to his level and beat you with experience

[dubnut]

"The Tallaght thing is seen as one insult too far"

Dublinfella, can you clarify what all the other "insults" were please?

[tayto]

I loved the one about Soccer having suprassed Gaelic and Hurling as the biggest participation sport in Ireland I think he should definitely check that before he goes pulling stats like that out of his ass. Sure half the lads playin soccer are the Gaa boys tryin to stay fit.

If you count kickabouts at lunchtime it has done. In terms of clubs and membership figures [organised sport] soccer is miles behind.

[Pietas]

Typical FAI leak to lacky journalists (although Martin Breheny in the Indo is as guilty when it come to the GAA)

Consider this:

They've had the income from

3 World Cups
and
1 European Championship
the qualifiers for same, full houses for friendlies and a healty profit from merchandise and sponsorship.

And they still don't have a ground for the national team to play in, despite claiming to be a bigger participant sport than GAA, which has an 85,000 state of the art stadium.

When former FAI President, Pat Quigley,  tried to build Eircom Park, Bertie Ahern shafted him by saying a national stadium was on the cards.  Where is it?

That was nearly 10 years ago and now the man who signed blank cheques for Europe's most politically corrupt Prime Minister of modern times is putting it about he still wants the national stadium built despite being in office for 10 years and having already spent €100 million of tax payers money on a project which never got off the ground.

The GAA should have told the FAI where to go when it sought Croke Park. Opening it to these idiots is among the biggest mistakes it has ever made.