Messages

[The FAI charge this for a crappy friendly]

The GAA is an amateur organistaion. This ethos has alway sold the ethics that the players should not be payed for playing and in turn the fan does not have to bear the blunt at the gate of the professional game. The Amateur ethos was sold as "Being of the people" and was part of the voluntary succcess that is so important at ground level in the GAA. This has been all ok in the past, but the emergence of Media, corporate and professional interests have left two very important units of the Association more abused as time goes on, the fan and the player. Both are being heavily exploited. The Fan is paying more and more to see amateur players and the players are being treated more and more like professionals in their duties to play more games, to deal with the media and to sacrafice their day to day paying job.

This clearly cannot continue. Already people have been voting with their feet as venues around the country noticed a down turn in attendances. Players are retiring younger and most players do not want to go beyond club football as they know the unpaid commitment.

From the bunker how much does your internet cost a year?
How much does fuel in your car cost ?

The Biggest sporting event in Ireland only cost 70 Euro for 2 games . The FAI charge this for a crappy friendly, will you cheap c***ts stop f**king moaning .

Yes but the FAI are paying professional players to ply their services. There is no unreal expectation being put on the player. €70 for AI is acceptable enough. But there were many cases where people were asked to fork out €45 for quarterfinals this year.

[you]

Added to the Fan being overpriced, the player becomes the main victim of abuse when his team loses i.e. "After all the money i spent on you today". Many of the top teams mistakenly (in a professional sence) are compared to Premiership socccer sides, Rugby Provinces etc. Media expects the same number of interviews and fans expect the same level of skill and committment from the Amateur in a professional priced game. This is almost impossible (Without problems to the players personallife). The Modern GAA star is in a strange place, for although he has a high profile that may intrude on his personal life, he like the rest of us has to get on with doing the mundane slog of earning a living in Joe Soap land. What i'm saying is bring the price down, take the heat off of Football mad fans (Families). Take a level of the heat of expectation off of Amateur players and remember where you came from.

[most players do not want to go beyond club football as they know the unpaid commitment]

The GAA is an amateur organistaion. This ethos has alway sold the ethics that the players should not be payed for playing and in turn the fan does not have to bear the blunt at the gate of the professional game. The Amateur ethos was sold as "Being of the people" and was part of the voluntary succcess that is so important at ground level in the GAA. This has been all ok in the past, but the emergence of Media, corporate and professional interests have left two very important units of the Association more abused as time goes on, the fan and the player. Both are being heavily exploited. The Fan is paying more and more to see amateur players and the players are being treated more and more like professionals in their duties to play more games, to deal with the media and to sacrafice their day to day paying job.

This clearly cannot continue. Already people have been voting with their feet as venues around the country noticed a down turn in attendances. Players are retiring younger and most players do not want to go beyond club football as they know the unpaid commitment.

I think this is untrue, most players would give anything to represent their county especially at senior level, its just most players are not talented enough to play at this level.

Yeah, most players would give anything to represent their county and play at a higher level but there is a growing number who see the high commitment it involves, often with major consequences to ones job, relationship and even health.

The GAA is an amateur organistaion. This ethos has alway sold the ethics that the players should not be payed for playing and in turn the fan does not have to bear the blunt at the gate of the professional game. The Amateur ethos was sold as "Being of the people" and was part of the voluntary succcess that is so important at ground level in the GAA. This has been all ok in the past, but the emergence of Media, corporate and professional interests have left two very important units of the Association more abused as time goes on, the fan and the player. Both are being heavily exploited. The Fan is paying more and more to see amateur players and the players are being treated more and more like professionals in their duties to play more games, to deal with the media and to sacrafice their day to day paying job.

This clearly cannot continue. Already people have been voting with their feet as venues around the country noticed a down turn in attendances. Players are retiring younger and most players do not want to go beyond club football as they know the unpaid commitment.

Knew a girl in college who would get 10 cups of tea out of one tea bag!

I suppose the changes are

......you don't make new friends (most are old telephone friends, who you have no time to meet).

......you are more synical about issues (Tax, getting work, relationships).

......Knocks and injuries last longer and hurt more.

......You care less about fashion (you still like to look good, like decent music, but the media influence has weakened)

.....You Care Less about Cross channel football teams.

......You become closer to your family and your Parents become friends and people who depend on you for minor jobs.

......You find you have less time to do the things you really want to do.

......You find it harder to be innovative as you have a better view of the pitfalls

......You find it harder (the want) to keep up with technology

......You can take slaggings better

.....you learn to live with being Bald, grey and getting wrincles




.....

A Postman, i mean how hard can that job be

Will be missed, especially by "Gift Grub". Look as a manager there is no doubting his talents. FFS he won the champions league with Porto. One of the few people in the top flight of english football that could deal with Ferguson (Wenger always a disaster).

[Looking at old footage of Matt Connor he certainly looks one hell of a class act.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1zX-DDznyk



Looking at old footage of Matt Connor he certainly looks one hell of a class act.

Silky!

[/quote]

Such absolute humbug. not only is he being forced to stay on but the are legally obliged to shove money in his pocket to do so.
this guy will give Putin bad ideas . he has been a millstone around the mayo football teams neck for the last 4 years what ever about his organizational skills and probably cost mayo it 2 best managers in the last 50 years not to mention the destruction of the hurling team with his constant sniping and penny pinching and slitoar counting and now we have to pay for the privilage. Has this been the plan the whole time to build a county board white elephant as a tribute to themselves at the expense of mayo football .

BTW now he professional all comment is fair game . not like the rest of the hard working volunteers,fair play to them

[/quote]

The AMATEUR ethos at its best!

I smell Socialism and Communism in the air.

 

Always thought that the AI winners should be the Provincial reps in Railway Cup. for example the Kerry team should represent Munster. Reckon it would spice up the competition.

And after a few weeks on lash they'd be game for anyone. The representative nature of the provincial team was what made it special in the pre international rules days. Dust ups in the heat of a provincial final were often put to bed when appearing together on a provincial side and there was the opportunity for a star player from one of the weaker counties to play with the best in the province in a competitive atmosphere.

Would the competition get a boost if the internationals were scrapped??

Yes, have no time for the gold player robbing hybrid game. But you have to make a RC medal one worth winning. Biggest problem is the amount of competitions there are for top players to compete in these days.

Good result v Porto. We are at the Mickey Mouse end of the competition where you have to get the required 10 points.

i'd like to thank darby for the undying hunger that continues to drive kerry football forward, it was there for all to see on the pitch on sunday and in the thousands and thousands that greeted the team on their return home. the job is nearly half done in three more years it will be finished and seamus's goal can be put to bed 

Dream on baby!

Martin Luther King - "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

And I have a dream about completing the five in a row

Wait and see if ye can manage 3 in a row first before you start counting anymore chickens.

Always thought that the AI winners should be the Provincial reps in Railway Cup. for example the Kerry team should represent Munster. Reckon it would spice up the competition.