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you may as well join the GAA Gweltyah, you spend enough time on gaaboard 

Let's not get back into this again Discussed already ad infinitum, she is excluded by virtue of the GAA "rules".

Well his non-existant goals are worth about 10million a piece apparently!

Last year isn't exactly a fair comparison is it, considering he was injured for the whole season. Was Roy Keane, not saying they are in the same class at all, worthless after the 1997-98 season because he didn't play?

I'd say if he was on offer at around 5million the hand would be snapped off ya. Annoying yes, frustrating yes, but for performing on the big occasion in Europe he is well worth it.

Rafa seems to be gettin his way buy improving the young players at the club, but he would still need to buy a couple of big hitters if the pool are to contest the league.

IMO the following need to be shown the door

J dudek - past his best
H Kewell - never done it for the pool
Gonzalez - i think he is already gone
Aurello - not good enough
Crouch - same as above
Pennat - sane as above
Bellamy - same as above
Zenden - would'nt get on Linfiled
Le Tellac - same as above
Cisse - nut case- anger issues
Pongolle - disaster

Wouldn't disagree necessarily except to say...

Aurelio - was disastorous towards the start of the season, but was really showing some quality crossing just when he got injured, and was linking up well with Riise. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, a South American getting used to the Premiership, I thought he was coming around. IMHO he's no worse an option than Riise, who's got plenty of heart but not much technical ability. Aurelio seems technically sound, the bottle is still quesitonable. But on the premise that you don't need squad players, you need 22 starters you are probably correct.

Mark Gonzalez - I think he is worth at least a fraction of the time wasted on Kewell over the years. After all the struggle to get him to dispose of him after his opening season seems a bit odd. Leads me to believe the coaching staff see some other problem there - attitude or personality, not doing as he's asked on the pitch, or some such. Pity really, thought he could be an exciting addition after seeing some of his games for Sociedad

Interesting Hardy, I wonder how that would fit into an Irish context? Is there over focus on it here? This time of year it's always in focus with exam related stress etc.

Anecdotally I think we a lot of us would say we hear of a lot more suicides than are ever reported in the press.

Also there's a fine balance to be struck between not sensationalising the topic, and attaching a shame that means people don't seek help, be it those considering that course of action or their families.

IMHO I think it's fairly obvious there is a total lack of resources provided for the problem, which is after all one of the biggest killers of men under 40 on the island. Not saying throwing money at the issue is the sole solution, but the correct resources would be a start. When you compare the number of people dieing by violent crime with those taking their lives, the priority, resources and attention provided are completely disproportionate.

On another note, trying not to be too un-PC, if the sexual breakdown of those taking their own lives was the other way around, would there be more attention paid to it? Women do seem to be better at clubbing together to get proper attention to their causes, where as it appears in regard to these types of issues every man is an island. Women, as a gross generalisation, seem to have better coping strategies.

Whats the difference in kids committing suicide alone or as a pact? Its the reasons that they are doing it that need examining not their method.

Well firstly they are more likely to follow through on a pact. Again anecdotally, I know of one such "reported" pact amongst 4 guys. Once one of them did it, the others followed suit over a span of years, mostly apparently through guilt at not keeping their part of the pact - i.e. if there was no pact would the first guy of killed himself, had they betrayed him, had they cuased him to kill himself etc. I think one of them is still alive, but definitely 3 linked deaths.

Right I am getting mixed up. I am talking about Leto who you probably don't even know we have. He is an Argentine Winger who World Soccer Magazine rated Argentinas second best youngster behind Messi.

Here's the boy:

Argentine Starlet Leto Relishing Liverpool Chance

The young Atletico Lanus winger is relishing the prospect of playing for Liverpool, who have reportedly struck a deal with the Argentine club.

Liverpool have reportedly signed the prodigious winger from Lanus for just under $4 million, and loaned him back to the club for the rest of the season.

While any action alongside Gerrard and company will have to wait for next season, the starlet was confident about the prospect of representing the Reds.

"I am calm," said Leto. "Liverpool are a club with a lot of history, but I do not fear the challenge.

"I have not spoken with Benitez, but I have seen a lot of Premiership games on television.

"I'm a winger who likes to counter-attack. I don't anticipate struggling to adapt to life in England."

The 20-year-old Argentine is rated as one of the best young wingers in Argentina at the moment, and Benitez, who is looking for quality width on the pitch, jumped at the opportunity of landing him on the cheap.

Leto has played 34 games for Lanus since breaking into the first team, scoring six times.

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=206921

There was a genuinely moving moment on it last night when a lad sang a song about his brother dying of cancer while his brother's children cheered him on from the side of the stage.

Would agree, just flicked on to see this....and the guy was quite a decent singer too.

Problem could be makingthe same impact with other material, I mean the song, the sotry, the kids was all aprt of what made the moment, hard to reproduce when stripped back to just bare talent.

There's a US version of this too

Piers Morgan was on it last year with Brandi and The Hoff

This year it's the Hoff, Sharon Osbourne and Morgan - with Jerry Springer presenting it

In fairness Piers Moron would recognise lack of talent when he saw it, he sees it in "the mirror" every morning. Still he's made a bit out of very little to be fair to the guy.

Yet when I reproduced a studied article on a key aspect of party policy, only one poster, Mentalman, thought to address the issues raised (and then only one rather peripheral aspect of it).

Thanks for the clarification there EG, I'll get the Germaline out for the stud marks later, heaven forbid I bring attention to his ludicrous preface and not address "the substantive" issue.

Maybe I didn't elucidate the point enough though. I addressed his preface because it does nothing to support his main point, which may have merit; in fact it takes from it in my opinion. After reading those two paragraphs I really didn't feel like it was worthwhile reading the rest of it, but I overcame that and did for the sake of fairness. As for the apparent Sinn Fein policy of vaporising the past, I think it's pretty well known on here that I am not a "fan" or supporter in any way shape or form, so I won't be an apologist for it. It's in the nature of all political movements, both those I like and hate, to attempt to sanitise the past.

Do you think the opening section lends strength to the remainder of his article?

A republican ballad recalls how Kevin Barry, a young IRA man hanged for killing a British soldier in 1920, walked to the gallows with his head held high, saying he wished to be shot like a soldier and not hanged like a dog. The song eulogises his political motivation, his clear conscience and his calmness facing death.

The problem is that exactly the same could be said of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator who showed dignity and courage before his executioners. It is also true of Adolf Eichmann, the SS leader who coined the term "final solution" for the Holocaust, or Nicolae Ceausescu, the Romanian dictator who maintained that history would absolve him.

Maybe I'm thick, but I don't understand why he's prefaced his arguement with this rubbish. Placing Barry in a comparison with Hussein, Eichman and Ceausecu? One hanged for the killing of a British soldier, the others mass murderers? He then goes on to say this very thing himself:

It would be facile to say that Barry, a boy of 18, was in the same league as these mass murderers. Neither is the IRA to be equated with the SS on the scale of evil.

So why mention it? Just to grab our attention, to be controversial? Why not premise the arguement properly, instead of taking away from it with this drivel? What has Kevin Barry, died 1920,  got to do with the recently ended hostilities in the North? His IRA, and their circumstances, bear as much resemblance to the current one as chalk has to cheese.

Not a very fair question. I presume they are looking for 0000, but 2178 has the same properties.
Don't know how any kid would figure that easily....

Anyone remember this or like it? Where has it gone?

Remember it alright, definitely didn't like, which was strange as I've been listening to Ger Gilroy doing Off The Ball on Newstalk since they first started to broadcast it, back when it was a two hour show, and love it. I thought the format, and even the setting, of Parklife just didn't work. Don't know if they are bringing it back or not this year, hopefully not, or if they do hopefully they will have revamped it. If they could get something akin to Breaking Ball, now that was quality, although I'm sure Setanta would not be pleased if their format was nicked, as fluid as it was.

Why people are interested in watching these people I dont know, especially when they normally have fucked up lives and seem to be the lowest of the low.

Think you answered your own question there GB, people watch it and think "such and such is so sad" or "such a plank" etc. and can feel better that their shabby little life conforms more readily to some sort of social norm. Also they generally find someone they identify with more, or even admire on some leve,l and actually want to see them "do well" (whatever consitutes that in this context), hence they are hooked on at least tuning in the odd night during the week. Oh and TV is pants during the summer and this is a cheap way of garnering audiences. Dross TV, but waht a money spinner!

Colin Moran

Definitely agree at intercounty level, but when you watch club football you can see why successive Dublin managements almost seem to manufacture positions for him.

Someone mentioned Tommy Carr? Was a stalwart during a lot of barren years for Dublin, not sure he overachieved.

Trevor Giles? You are having a giraffe. One of the best foot passers of a ball I've ever had the pleasure to watch, and was a vital cog in a top Meath team, and thats coming from a Westmeath man!

Giles was a moderate talent whose importance seemed to far outweigh his ability. (Also missed 2 penos in AI finals). BTW, a Westmeath player agrees with me!

Just don't see that myself, they were always better with him than without him, and have definitely missed having a player like him. Apart from his passing ability, and his free taking, he was never the soft touch some players, including some Westmeath players of my acquaintance, thought. Two missed penalties wouldn't make him unique, "big" players do misson big occasion e.g. Charlie Redmond. Then again, it's all about opinions I suppose.

Colin Moran

Definitely agree at intercounty level, but when you watch club football you can see why successive Dublin managements almost seem to manufacture positions for him.

Someone mentioned Tommy Carr? Was a stalwart during a lot of barren years for Dublin, not sure he overachieved.

Trevor Giles? You are having a giraffe. One of the best foot passers of a ball I've ever had the pleasure to watch, and was a vital cog in a top Meath team, and thats coming from a Westmeath man!

Thought ROG looked genuinely disgusted with Geordan's missed tackle against France, looked like he wanted to say more, like "f**king tosser".

ROG has some neck on him, given the number of try costing tackles he has missed for ireland and munster. he did well to keep his gup shut because there is gonna some amount of runners hitting the 10 channel against ireland in france later this year. That said, that incident summed up perfectly why Murphy can't start.

these are at the end of the day men of flesh and blood, not cool headed professional athletes

eh, they well enough paid for us to expect them to be just that.

Agreed on the ROG front, probably why he bit his tongue, but he has improved of late, I suppose it was not before time.

As for how much they get paid, I don't have the first idea, and I contribute very little to it in any event. I think playing for your country, be it professionally or not in any sport, is always different than what is experienced for club or province, it's another level. Reminds me of an uncle of mine who constantly shouts at the TV during soccer matches "He gets paid to do that do, if I was so bad at my job I'd be sacked!"