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Billy is 15 years behind the times. Recent All-Ireland winning managers have been affable and media-friendly (some almost whorish!)

I remember Paddy Heaney writing a few weeks after the All-Ireland Final in 2003 that Armagh began to lose that game in the weeks preceding it. He said that on the night of the Irish News All-Stars awards that the attitude in the camps couldn't have been more different. Just after the final award was presented, Kernan and his team resembled the keystone cops as they exited the building on cue in a group. He said the Tyrone camp stayed behind and mingled freely with the press and fans, enjoying the night and the whole build-up. On the big day one of the RTE commentators remarked on how relaxed the Tyrone camp were in the changing rooms beforehand whilst the Armagh room was stifling in its nervousness and manic focus. It was noticeable in the proceeding years that Joe changed his approach.

Mickey Moran had a similar approach last year. Pillar Caffrey suffers from this affliction too. It maybe works when games are coming thick and fast but when there's a sizable build-up as in 3-4 weeks, it only adds to the tension an All-Ireland brings to a camp.

Fartin

Everybody's taking everybody up the wrong way. Wouldn't like to be any of you.

Glad this was sorted. King will have learned much from this episode. He'll admit that he made a series of stupid decisions in his position that were eventually twisted and extorted by the unstable lady.

I've read his side of the story and it serves as a lesson to all who are in a position of authority over children. Chilling.

og sport apparently ended in contraversy today in Kilrea. Omagh St Endas were beating Ballinderry in the final when the ref stopped the match a couple of minutes into the second half. Omagh had just scored a goal to give them a comfortable lead howevr apparently after an intervention from a ballinderry mentor the ref decided to finish the match early. No trophy was presented and everyone went home confused. 

Any more word on this? Saw the press release from the UC and they comment on a successful weekend but that the final is 'to be arranged'.

What actually happened?

Well there was,

Hearty dropping, Cavlan dogging,
O'Connor griping, Pillar sniping,
Keaney pointing, McFadden punching,
Dooher falling, Geraghty brawling
Sligo winning in the West
Whilst Cat Hurling was the best.

And there was,

Bradley bating, Dara kicking,
Ricey roasting, Masters hurting,
Limerick rising, Deise crying,
Jackeen goading, Wicklow smiling
And Ulster took a well earned rest
As next Sunday is a Munster-fest.

Last call. 36 hours left. Big bucks donated by gaaboard admin.

Does anybody know why John Rafferty withdrew his candidacy?

Non-football related reasons.

[Well the county board have asked one of the candidates to put together their backroom team in advance and have offered their current county job to someone else. there's only one candidate already working for the county board...]

Not surprised you don't know. (coming from the man who stated Joe definitely wasn't going/there was an executive bust-up/McAlinden's coming back....i've actually started to make a tidy profit from gambling on the opposite of what you predict...)

Shane, I'm sure that Uladh is well fit to fight his own battles with you, but over on the other thread on the local GAA board Uladh said this on the 7th August:
Well the county board have asked one of the candidates to put together their backroom team in advance and have offered their current county job to someone else. there's only one candidate already working for the county board...

So all of one month ago, he told us who the new manager was.  I presume therefore you didn't get rich gambling against tha particular prediction.

I see. This is the same thread when he first stated: Armagh won't be needing a new manager which was Common knowledge round these parts ....and from.....Peter McDonald has a long etablished pedigree and probably knows the talent and potential within the county better than anyone ....and ....Grimley as manager with McDonald as the right hand man and McGeeney as player coach looks like the best option to me...to now......Joke appointment. bargain bin decision . In fact that thread sums up what is worst about Armagh football in general. If Uladh and a sizeable proportion of the Armagh posters on this board stopped repeating what bar-room pundits say, they'd be taken more seriously.

McDonnell seemed the logical and natural choice to me.

on what basis?

Not surprised you don't know. (coming from the man who stated Joe definitely wasn't going/there was an executive bust-up/McAlinden's coming back....i've actually started to make a tidy profit from gambling on the opposite of what you predict...)

Speak to any manager in the managerial circuit. McDonnell is highly regarded in terms of his managerial capabilities - he's even held in high esteem in Tyrone for his achievements there! He knows the talent coming through better than anyone (a la Harte in '02). His training methods are legendary in their effectiveness and innovation. This man is the complete managerial package.

Then take a look at the other candidates. Grimley is massively overrated in Armagh. He gained a cult following during the messy divorce with big Joe. His capacity to go behind a manager's back as well as his mately approach to some of the more established members of the Armagh panel was a big no-no. Despite the widely-held opinion in Armagh that he's an 'intelligent' manager (or would make one), he's nothing of the sort.

Armagh have made an excellent and well-informed choice.

Had Grimley any pedigree in terms of managing a side to any noted success?

McDonnell seemed the logical and natural choice to me.

Wish I'd been alive when this happened; even better than lasagna-gate

When the league was restarted in 1919, the decision was taken to expand the 1st division from 20 to 22 teams. The promotion of Derby and Preston, who'd finished 1st and 2nd in the second division in 1915 went through on the nod. Norris managed to get the question of whether Chelsea and Spurs (who'd finished 19th and 20th respectively in the 1st division) should stay up discussed seperately. Chelsea also went through on the nod, and a vote was taken to decide on the final place. The choice was between Tottenham, Arsenal, Barnsley (3rd in the 2nd division), Wolves (4th), Forest (19th), Birmingham and Hull. Norris' influence and close relationship with the league chairman, also chairman of Liverpool, won the day and Arsenal were elected to the 1st division with 18 votes to Tottenham's 8. Arsenal managed to blag their way back into the first division despite protests from their North London neighbours, who were relegated at our expense

It's all fun and games 'til somebody loses an eye.

(with apologies to hardstation)

He's acting the eejit lads.

I spoke to Mickey yesterday. He has a plan that will land us a third in 6 years. It involves barbed wire, a chicken and Fergal Logan.

You can't buy class and history.

But you can buy a mint-conditioned 1961 "Spurs Champions" mug for a fiver in Garvagh.

46 years and counting.

People born in 1961:

Suggs out of Madness
Lothar Matthaus
Eddie Murphy
George Clooney
Enya
Michael J Fox
The Edge
Billy Ray Cyrus
Nigel Worthington
Daniel O'Donnell