Messages

[Are you claiming that GAA encompasses 40% of ALL sport in NI?]

Er, IL matches don't reflect the entirety of football in NI, or anything like it.

More to the point, as well as GAA, Football and Rugby, "sports clubs and organisations" encompasses hockey, athletics, boxing, swimming, golf, tennis, badminton, bowls, cricket, motor sports, netball, gymnastics, equestrian, cycling, basketball, disabled sports and any number of others which I can't bring immediately to mind.

Are you claiming that GAA encompasses 40% of ALL sport in NI?

I don't think anyone is claiming that or anything close to it but I find it interesting that you're quoting everything except the substantive point.

The hardship fund is to cover overheads and maintain facilities. Given that most average soccer club has no facilities then they are unlikely to be entitled. These figures as stand alone are worthless. Look at the amount of applications, look at the requirements for the funding, I think you'll find that the GAA clubs are simply more attuned to getting the grants. Cheap political point scoring by parties trying to play to their base support without actually doing what their base support need and going to their grassroots sports clubs and helping them apply for the grants and promote their clubs. Let's just give off about Themmuns.

Personally, I have no idea if GAA units own 40% of the facilities that aren't owned by the local councils or hired from Universities, schools or elsewhere but it's fair to say, with the exception of Golf clubs, that a much higher percentage of GAA clubs own their own facilities than those organisations you mention.

Always felt McGuigan was hugely overrated. He doesn't compare to Blaney.

I don't think he has any business being mentioned in the same category as Giles, Tompkins, Fallon or McDonald either.

I disagree entirely lads, he wasn't rated highly enough. He was the key that unlocked that Tyrone forward line, in particular for Mulligan and O'Neill. He may not be as flashy as the players above but what he did was completely effortless and his footballing brain and ability to pick a pass were on a different level. The only criticism you could potentially throw his way that he didn't contribute heavily enough on the scoreboard but he certainly chipped in with his fair share in all the big games. To come back at the top level and win an All Ireland after the eye injury he received in club football in 2007 which affected his vision, which was a large part of his game, certainly means he should be in the conversation.

[I know the way your teams are trained.]

Sledging is nothing new nor do I agree with it or condone it. When northern teams would be lining up for Amhran na bhFiann, some "southern" players from "southern"  teams would regularly try to wind them up by asking them when their anthem was going to be played, calling them British basatards, go back to England and you'd have nothing up there were it not for the Queen etc etc. I emphasise that only some players would do this. Same on all teams. To broad brush a whole team or a whole region of players is just trying to generalise, is lazy and is completely wrong. So fair is fair.

And for Indy to come on and say that Harte made a quote in 2000 about it being a Tyrone tactic and that he "trains" his teams in sledging etc is again insulting and way way off the mark and very disappointing. All teams will have players that will take things up to the line and even over it on occasion, but please don't label them all.

If you wanted to, you could probably look back over time and select certain players from most counties who engaged in a certain types of way that might have let their side down and that wasn't considered gentlemanly or appropriate behaviour. Back in the day, it was only angels that played football and hurling. I always reflect on Mickey Ned running through the Dublin defence and after about 6 Dublin men fail in trying to break his leg / stop his progress, the bold Sean Doherty, the Dublin full back comes forth from his full back position where he stood all day, and unceremoniously "tackles" Mickey Ned, knocking him unconscious, Mickey Ned is carrried off on a door and doesn't remember the day of the all Ireland final and isn't able to accept the Sam Maguire that day.But sure that was the Kerry golden years and Heffo's army and all that. Happy days. Have a look and reminisce about the good old days. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc9VY7BKKCw

And now to Mr. Whelan -  basically Whelo is saying that it was alright ( please refer to Peter Canavan's article last week about men trying to break his leg and jaw ) to go out and "do" a man with a shoe or a fist but it's terrible to whisper something in his ear. Oh the irony of it all.

And finally I don't accept that reacting to sledging is in some way a deficit in your make up and is a human weakness and that sledging should be laughed off.

It's the truth and you know it. I will post the quote if you want. I know the way your teams are trained. We copied your devlopment model in the early 2000s but we left that bit out. I've first hand experience of being on the line at underage matches between the two counties listening to it so don't tell me I'm spoofing when I've first hand experience of it. Why oh why you have to engage in it at all is beyond me
However Donegal were at least as bad at it yesterday and unfortunately now it's become part of the game for most counties now

No, you obviously don't. All you're doing is parroting Brolly and other outsiders who are making presumptions and repeating them ad nauseam as fact. All I KNOW is that since the start of the Tyrone development squad system is that it has produced more All Ireland Minor winning teams than any other county in Ireland.

[Bullshit . And it wasn't just one player. Harte made a significant quote in 2000 where he said sledging was part of the game as far as he's concerned. He has trained his teams accordingly and it's now firmly part of the Tyrone doctrine at development level. Everyone in Ulster copied it and it's now part of the game there.I've the height of respect for Harte as an individual but I dislike the way he trains his football teams.]

On the girlfriend phone number debate have any of you considered that maybe a man did actually know the guys girlfriend and still stays close.  Playground stuff

Bullshit . And it wasn't just one player. Harte made a significant quote in 2000 where he said sledging was part of the game as far as he's concerned. He has trained his teams accordingly and it's now firmly part of the Tyrone doctrine at development level. Everyone in Ulster copied it and it's now part of the game there.

I've the height of respect for Harte as an individual but I dislike the way he trains his football teams.

On the game itself fundamentally Tyrone don't score enough. And because of that they won't win anything for a while. It's a sad day for the game when a talent like Mc Curry has to play around the middle to get the ball. In modern Gaelic Football the talentless are admired for work rate and intensity and the class acts are reduced to hod carriers.

Utter lies - just because somebody told you that in the pub or Joe Brolly says it doesn't make it true.

This thread has got me thinking about the best Tyrone 15 I've ever seen.Started going to Tyrone games around 82-83.

1.F. McConnell
2.R. McMenamin
3.C. McAnalllen
4.F. Devlin
5.K. McCabe
6.C. Gormley
7.P. Jordan
8.E. McKenna
9.P. Donaghy
10.B. Dooher
11.B. McGuigan
12.S. Cavanagh
13.S. O'Neill
14. F. McGuigan
15. P. Canavan

I know Cormac only played a few games at fb but he just edges Chris Lawn and Ciaran McGarvey for me.Toss of a coin between John Lynch and Ricey.They were the only 2 positions I had bother picking.

Funny, I did a similar exercise in 2009 on the board and wasn't a million miles away from what you selected. Ricey got in by a hair and 4-15 were exactly the same by position but I went for Cricko as opposed to Cormac or McGarvey at 3 and Skelton instead of Finbar.

[Delighted for Palor McNulty, and I think it's his 4th promotion. He took Beragh and Urney to Senior football, and Owen Roes to Intermediate. He's a gentleman, and a very good man manager.]

Strabane into senior football next season great for north Tyrone GAA

Delighted for Strabane and it's a boost for football up here, and gives the rest of us something to aim for.

I was really surprised by how subdued Trillick were today. They never really got going at all. I was also surprised by the fact it took them 40 minutes to switch markers onto Mark Devine who was excellent in the first half for Sigersons. Plenty of pace and trickery, and his ability to find space gave Strabane an out ball into the final third. If Devine had of been stopped it would've really gave Strabane very little else to work with in that their system was geared to defend deep and in numbers.

Michael Etherson had a good game for Strabane too. First time I seen him play, and he's big, strong and fast.

Delighted for Palor McNulty, and I think it's his 4th promotion. He took Beragh and Urney to Senior football, and Owen Roes to Intermediate. He's a gentleman, and a very good man manager.

I think he was over Newtownstewart the year they got promoted to Senior as well.

As far as I know the top 2 in each section qualify for the QFs automatically and then the next 4 playoff A3 v B6; A4 v B5; A5 v B4; A6 v B3 and it's open draw after that.

Tracey Concrete must have been with Fermanagh at least 15 years

Cllr Neil Armstrong IIRC - the famous name is the only reason it stuck with me.

My favourite moment is still "Greg Harkin" posting after the Rossie's pool scandal

[Big question marks over Mark Donnelly as well.]

Was hoping McBride would get another go -thought he did ok last week though it was difficult game to judge him on. Would have rather got another look at him ahead of McKenna or McGinley.

Disappointed in the team myself, McBride should have retained his place and Penrose seems to be an automatic starter these days irrelevant of performance.  As mentioned before, the main problem we have is in our forward line.  Penrose isn't going to do a lot of damage neither is McGinley.  Big question marks over Mark Donnelly as well.  Would rather have seen Lafferty, Coney and O'Neill in there, all 3 are scoring machines.

If you're suggesting that, I'd ask how many games have you been at this year?

They're in the same sect Nally.
How many times do you need to be told this.

I'm the same sect as the Dublin fans who jeered at us outside Croke Park after the All-Ireland semi, to fcuk off back to England and that we were black b*****ds. They are clueless but their remarks were still sectarian, directed at the us as a group of 'nordies' who were therefor "black b*****ds". Deny it all you want. Such comments are sectarian.

They are as idiotic as a black person calling another blalck person a 'nigger' or a Traveller calling a fellow member of his community a 'kn**ker'. It happens, it is absurd and ignorant, but it is not sectarian or racist.

I'd add partitionist to absurd and ignorant but +1

[Never hurt anybody I'm sure]

The use of the word 'sectarian' in this context is beyond ridiculous.

+1

If this is sectarianism then my 18 months playing football up north was wall to wall sectarian abuse, from Catholics calling me a 'Fenian b**tard'. I just laughed at the ridiculousness of it, but now thanks to Nally I am thinking of seeking compensation. Who do I write to?

Aye I suppose you're right as always. Sure it's only a bit of casual sectarianism. Never hurt anybody I'm sure.

Nope, it is ignorant and should be punished by refs and other officials.

However sectarianism it isn't imho. And it is down the list from spitting.

And how do you know?

I have to agree with Muppet, it's difficult to call it sectarianism when both guys come from the same 'sect'.

Out of curiousity, and maybe this belongs in the general section, can you be sectarian to an atheist?

TG4 on Saturday, programme starting at 12.45

Its friday night and I've had a few but is it just me or does it not seem weird that after a bad week for Armagh football that ye have a crazy Down man STILL as yer manager. The Down county board must be really enjoying this though it could all Change this weekend. Who was the last outside county manager to win Ulster?

Was it McHugh when over Cavan? Who was manager of Derry in 98?

I'm pretty sure it was Brian Mullins, he was over Derry in 97 definitely and Coleman came back in 99 or 2000 and I don't remember anyone else in charge of Derry in that period

Division 1 Semi Finals