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Monaghan are top attraction these days
Live again on TG4 on Sunday, everything else deferred.

I hear that Galway Vs Derry was live with Mon Vs Meath differed. Good news if you're right (I have a wedding in Kerry on Saturday, so will miss the game)

Then how come you weren't hammered by the Dubs?

Because the dubs played c**p!!
Vaughan missed at least 4 easy points, and the Monaghan swarm defence played quite well ! ! !

Monaghan have no backup for Lennon and Clerkin in midfield. Bringing back Shane Duffy might help on our own kickouts.

.... Midfield control will be the winning or losing of this game I think.

Midfield is the winning or loosing of most games.....and this is a department where Monaghan aren't performing well at the moment.
I'm very nervous going into this one.....

Also, just to let everybody know. The game is being shown on TG4 (think differed coverage starting at 3.15pm)

Sorry, I actually think this is the article Orangeman was refering to:

Who was wearing orange bib, Pillar?
By Colm Keys
Wednesday March 26 2008
(c) www.independent.ie

Accountability for Dublin behaviour begins and ends with the manager.

Word had filtered through to Monaghan in the days leading up to last Sunday's fractious NFL match in Parnell Park that Dublin were studying them closely and were paying particular attention to the cruder elements that Monaghan have brought to their game over the last couple of years.

Sometime last year the teams had met in a challenge match where the whiff of acrimony was palpable throughout. Battle lines between them were drawn that night as Monaghan laid down a marker as to their physical capabilities and Dublin responded in kind.

With Monaghan in town last weekend, Dublin were intent on presenting Parnell Park as something of a fortress. When they had last met there in a League match it was Dublin's next game after their infamous Omagh battle with Tyrone and they succumbed rather easily to a revved up visiting side.

This time it would be different, Dublin had promised themselves.

And from the off there was an edge to their play that manifested itself most perhaps in their half-forward Mark Vaughan who was lucky to survive a reckless first-half tackle with just a booking before he eventually got his marching orders minutes into the second-half.

Dublin just didn't play with the control they had oozed in their O'Byrne Cup campaign and their opening two League matches against Westmeath and Cavan.

And not for the first time that apparent absence of control spilled out on to the sideline where a member of the backroom staff has been fingered for allegedly head-butting Monaghan's ace forward Thomas Freeman.

If and when investigations in either Dublin or Croke Park establish the veracity of Monaghan's apparently water tight claim -- they have up to three independent witnesses including a referee willing to give testimony -- it will be by far the most serious in a line of charges of indiscipline to be brought against members of this Dublin management team.

Perhaps there shouldn't be too much surprise at this turn of events. Paul Caffrey himself has not in the past always been a shining example of calm and composure in dispensing his duties as team manager.

Bans

His shoulder charge into the back of Mayo coach John Morrison before the 2006 All-Ireland semi-final, when Mayo had cornered the Hill 16 end for their warm-up, was an ill-thought move that earned him a one- match championship ban served against Meath in the Leinster first round last June.

Another one-match sideline ban, this time served in the League against Donegal, followed his altercation with Tyrone's Ryan McMenamin at the end of the opening League match in 2007 that celebrated the official switching on of the lights in Croke Park.

McMenamin had just been sent-off for lashing out at Kevin Bonner as the home side chased a one-point deficit. When Dublin needed a calm head on the sideline to re-organise them with a numerical advantage they had a team manager squaring up to an opponent and trading words with him.

A year earlier Dublin selector and 'runner' Paul Clarke also had to sit in the stands for their opening championship match against Longford, a suspension handed down to him by the provincial council after an alleged incident with Wexford player Colin Morris during an O'Byrne Cup game.

In another Parnell Park League match in 2005 against Westmeath there was another sideline flashpoint between members of rival management teams that suitably enraged the then Westmeath manager Paidi O Se.

A steady pattern of sideline chaos and indiscipline has been built-up with this necklace of incidents over the last four years.

The latest incident brings into question once again the liberty afforded to team mentors on match days.

It was an area the GAA tried earnestly to clear up at the end of 2006 when they issued a new charter that governed all aspects of match presentation.

Among the suggestions were the removal of all other selectors to the stands with the exception of the team manager and a runner and the provision of neutral water carriers.

But inter-county managers railed against these proposals, argued the case vehemently that selectors couldn't be detached from the manager for logistical and even safety reasons and the GAA eventually backed down against the weight of opposition.

Tampering

The GAA's case for providing water carriers was also lost as the managers argued successfully that with the advent of dope testing there was the potential for tampering if the teams themselves didn't retain control of what was in the bottles at all times.

Will this latest incident now bring elements of those proposals back to the discussion table?

Counties often scoff at the petty detail of the GAA's match regulation booklet and the nature of the fines that come as a consequence of defying those regulations.

But the regulations, petty as they may seem, are there for a reason and in light of this latest alleged incident is it any wonder that the GAA have tried to clean up its match presentation act.

What business had a member of the Dublin backroom team being to one side of the goals they were defending if he wasn't the official runner (which he wasn't) or water carrier?

On top of incidents of goading opponents in a couple of last year's championship games, there has to be question marks over the level of discipline and control Caffrey is exercising over the entire Dublin football project.

He is by his own admission the figurehead, not a manager but the head of a management team. That management team is ultimately his responsibility. He appoints, therefore he too is accountable. Any probe should begin and end with a simple question to the manager: "Who was that member of your backroom team in the orange bib?"

- Colm Keys

The Independent has come out very strongly against Pillar today demanding that Pillar names and shames the culprit - it goes on to outline a whole list of incidents of indiscipline associated with the Dublin set up - it's a piece by Colm Keys -

Here's the Article:

Dublin in the dock
By Colm Keys
Wednesday March 26 2008
(c) www.independent.ie

PRESSURE intensified on Dublin last night to name the member of their backroom team who head- butted Monaghan forward Tommy Freeman after Sunday's fractious NFL match in Parnell Park.

Despite Dublin chairman Gerry Harrington saying yesterday that they were taking Monaghan's claims seriously and that they would conduct an internal investigation, Dublin GAA's top brass have been urged to show leadership and act swiftly in the controversy.

Freeman was standing quite close to the end-line when he was confronted by a person wearing an official bib, who he initially thought was a steward, and was head-butted.

The GAA's Competition Controls Committee have already briefly discussed a complaint lodged by Monaghan that Freeman had been struck and have written to Dublin County Board seeking an explanation and, if it can established, the identity of the person involved.

Monaghan are understood to have up to three cast-iron independent witnesses, including a referee, who were present at the match and have agreed to testify if it comes to that.

That will inevitably pile the pressure on Dublin to come up with the identity of Freeman's alleged assailant, who is understood to be a member of the manager Paul Caffrey's extended backroom team, but not a selector, sooner rather than later.

The allegation that a another member of the Dublin backroom team has been involved in such an incident once again raises questions about the level of composure on the Dublin sideline.

In the past, Caffrey and one of his selectors have been censured for incidents along the sideline. Harrington said that Dublin would not turn a blind eye to the complaint made by Monaghan.

"The chairman of the Monaghan County Board initially made a complaint to myself and John Costello, claiming that one of their players was assaulted by a steward.

"We promised to do so straight away. But he later text ed back, alleging it was a member of the backroom team," explained Harrington.

"We will be carrying out our own investigation and we will be assisting with any other investigation that may be set up to deal with Monaghan's complaint.

"At the moment we can't comment on the specifics of the complaint."

Because of holidays, Harrington said it may not be possible to convene a meeting of the Dublin management committee this week.

Freeman was still feeling the effects of the blow yesterday but is not expected to miss Sunday's match in Clones against Meath. A GAA spokesman confirmed that the CCCC had received the complaint, had discussed it yesterday and would be pursuing the matter with immediate effect.

- Colm Keys

I'm only messin there Orangeman.
I don't think it's possible to operate a computer and be off your face.

Don't matter is clearly a Wind up account of a other member . Of his 27 posts 18-20 are bad mouthing the Dub's at this guy who's been a member since July only turn up to post shit about the Dubs

Yep, I just scanned through his previous posts. Absolutely no constructive comments, and consistently slagging other counties (especially the dubs) And "shooting up" seems to be a recurring theme.
Mods, I think this is a good example of a poster we don't need in the Forum..... Similar suspension to Vaughan?

Those are absolutely disgrasful comments "Dont Matter"!!!
(I won't even quote them again as you should remove them immeditaley)

I also dislike the way you edited your post to "most of".
The facts of the matter are that some Dublin supporters leave alot to be desired. Some of them are bringing the "Larger Lout" mentality into the GAA...... but absoutly most of the the Dublin fans are genuine fans that want to be entertained and enjoy a game of football
(although some are easily influenced by the bad apples)

Overall i was disappointed with the game and the Monaghan performance.
Both teams need to greatly improve if they want to make a mark at championship level.

For Monaghan, we really need to change things around midfield. We must stop trying to win clean ball and start challenging for scrappier second ball. Almost every time the ball was knocked down a Dublin player was there to clean up possession. Monaghan had the same problem last year against Tyrone and Kerry.

Personally i thought the Ref had a terrible game. Giving far too much frees to both sided.

Lets forget about this one and move on to next Sunday..... Dublin have a tough game in Cross and Meath won't be a walkover for Monaghan. Still a long way to go in this league, but I think Monaghan & Dublin will meet again in a few weeks (....and hopefully in September  )

the game has been re-fixed for parnell park, next sunday at 2.30pm

Any news on TV coverage?
Is Setanta still allowed to show the game now that's it's on a Sunday?
(I reckon they should since it's a refixture)
...or maybe tg4 will cover it??

[Championship]

Then why was the DCB struggling to sell tickets? Its not warm enough for Croker yet , plus the nell is our home ground and we should n't give that up

Not wanting to start any sort of an arguments..... But you're absolutely right!! Parnell park is Dublin's home ground, and it should be used (when playable) for all Dublin home games in the League and Championship
Croke park should only be used as a neutral venue (from Leinster final onwards). Think this would be fair for all counties and give Dublin a true home advantage (maybe even allowing Parnell park to be expanded)!!!
...... Ofcourse the GAA wouldn't make as much money, therefore it will never happen.

I know most people here don't see the point of introducing a new logo, but rebranding is a proven technique to raise the profile of a business/sporting organisation.
You have to remember that the "target audience" is none of us (who love and will follow Gaelic Games no matter what), it's the young Brand concious Bebo generation......who have no inbread loyality to any sport.
The GAA must compeat with the Liverpool's, Man Utd's, and Real Madrid's of this world.

That's all well and good but do you think changing a logo is gonna help to attract these 'fairweather' fans??

Why can't the GAA make the association more glampourous if this is the case. This is only a few idea they could come up with to entice some of the younger generation: Lower ticket prices, improve stadiums (none of this mucky grass back, decaying terraces, poor facilities sh!te), make the jerseys more fashionable, when games are on telly try not to have the camera primarily facing an empty terrace, more coaching in national schools - give the players a few pound to coach in their local schools for example.

Totally agree with every point you make.
I think they are trying to go down these lines and the rebranding is part of it.

As for the the new design.... I really don't like it. As most people are saying the old one was much better. Basically they've done a Bad Job!!

A logo design competition would get it done for free, involve people and create hype around the GAA espeacially in schools. There are many GAA fans every bit as tallented as the desgners available for hire. It also opens ideas to a wider audience and would bring more options. Professional designers would probably enter the competition too.

why waht's the point of a new logo?
We've got a pretty good copyrighted one at the minute.
Why waste any time effort or money on this?

Surely there must be more useful things that the GAA top brass could be spending their time/ our money on.

I believe the new logo is part of a complete new Identity the GAA are developing. This also includes the separation of TV rights and sponsorship.

I know most people here don't see the point of introducing a new logo, but rebranding is a proven technique to raise the profile of a business/sporting organisation.
You have to remember that the "target audience" is none of us (who love and will follow Gaelic Games no matter what), it's the young Brand concious Bebo generation......who have no inbread loyality to any sport.
The GAA must compeat with the Liverpool's, Man Utd's, and Real Madrid's of this world.

The Game is on TG4, deferred coverage.

Also Live on Setanta..... (for those who don't already know)