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its obvious that there are some twisted cu*ts with whistles out there that use them to exact some vandettas that they have against "star" players!!!! It is sad that these "referees" give the whole lot a bad name. However, the buck has to stop with Hughes, he co ordinates them so the blame must rest with him!!! No doubt about it! this is his doing!!!

Gallagher quits gaelic





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View GalleryDungannon Swifts soccer player JP Gallagher has turned his back on Gaelic football because he can no longer tolerate the verbal abuse from some referees, many of them also exerting unfair influence which can often determine the results of games.
Those are strong accusations from the Strabane Sigersons player and he admits he has done a lot of soul-searching before going public about his grievances. But it's the right thing to do, says the player who celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday playing in a pre-season game for Swifts against Wrexham.
Strabane have been trying to talk him into having a change of heart but airing his views in the Tyrone Times is his way of answering them, insists Gallagher.
And anyone who is tempted to condemn him for speaking out should be aware that the Dungannon fullback, off to Lithuania today for a second leg UEFA Cup tie against FK Suduva, has shown remarkable commitment to the Sigersons – only to have it thrown back in his face by a variety of referees.
The night before his wedding two years ago he played a match with Strabane reserves and the night after the ceremony he played for the senior team. The week before last he played in Europe with Swifts on Thursday and risked the possibility of injury denying participation in the return leg by playing in the championship against Killyman.
Stories are legendary about his selfless endeavours to help the club, like driving at 120mph on the motorwayfrom a match in Bangor so as to make it to Brackaville for an intermediate league clash.
But he's determined won't be making sacrifices like these anymore – and all because of whistlers who do nothing to bring pride to their jersey.
"I'm jacking it in for good because, and I hate to have to say this, of the stick I've been getting from some referees" he told me, despite my advice that should he change his mind in the future things won't get any better for him.
"My mind is made up. Manager Liam Sweeney and others at the club, while acknowledging the hurt the referees have caused, have been trying to encourage me to have a change of heart – but it's not going to happen and this is my way of convincing them that I'm out of it for good.
"It's not nice when referees unfairly and deliberately give decisions against you and, adding insult to injury, when you even look in their direction let alone go to complain, they tell you to 'get up and shut up you soccer b-----d'.
"There's one guy, who must be holding a grudge since he played against us more than ten years ago, and I don't ever remember us winning a game when he was in charge – and I always get abuse from him.
"In a crucial match last year, for example, we were leading into stoppage time and the referee gave them two frees from about 45m. Against a strong breeze they were always going to fall short and he whistled immediately to give two 13m frees, for what seemed like nothing, and they won.
"In another championship match we were five points down and came back with a goal and a point and were pressing for more with a minute to go. A cracking shot came back off the bar and one of our guys caught it and was pushed in the back, but the referee denied us the penalty we deserved.
"One of the main problems with referees in Gaelic football is that they can have far too much influence in determining results.
"And the guys who appoint them don't seem to care too much about who's in charge of which games. For example, the week before a championship game they sent a referee from the club we were due to play to take charge of our match in the league.
"By accident or design, the decisions he made seemed to almost all favour the opposition, who were guilty of some very rough play that went unpunished. It seemed to me like he was looking for an excuse to send some of us off. A home player busted me in the mouth in front of the referee and he just ignored it.
"Some referees are pretty good and very fair, and I say about some who were in charge even in games we have lost. But they are tarnished with same brush as the bad guys, who definitely bring the game into disrepute – and nobody in officialdom seems to care.
"Why can't they bring in referees from adjacent counties like Donegal or Derry or Armagh – and send our referees to their games. That would surely cut down on the damage that's being done through their dislike of individual personalities or particular clubs.
"I'm not just griping about a few incidents; I've been called a soccer b-----d by referees in excess of fifty times, mostly accompanied by bad decisions against me, and I'm just afraid that my frustration will cause me to do something I'll regret in the heat of the moment.
"So I'm jacking it in before that happens. I'm sorry that's how it is, but it's not a problem of my making. In speaking out, I'm hoping that these same referees will change their attitude to other players in the same position as myself" added Gallagher.
Last Updated: 31 July 2007 9:36 AM


Lad has a point!!! Get in outside county referees!!!!!

yous actually have a thread about the coming and goings in ramsay street???

You sure its not the Dublin camp on a team building exercise. Afterall they were acting like jippos on Sunday!!!!

Gearad McDonagh has the crabs. I swear its true!!!!!

[Great response to Heaney's article:]

Great response to Heaney's article:

A Right of Reply to Paddy Heaney's 'Against The Breeze' article in the Irish News on Tuesday 15th May



It was with great glee that an Armagh work colleague of mine e-mailed me a copy of Paddy Heaney's 'Against The Breeze' article from the Irish News on Tuesday 15th May. Not only did the piece glorify Armagh's greatest sporting icon of the modern era - namely Francie Bellew – but it also accused Tyrone of being the "worst offenders at the top level" for what Heaney refers to as the "Dying Swan" routine. For some Armagh people, they must have thought all their Christmases had come at once as Heaney peddled the old Orchard myth that Tyrone's first All-Ireland win in 2003 was somehow tarnished by players feigning injury and/or deliberately getting other players sent off.



Knowing how bitter and envious some of our near neighbours from Armagh and Derry still are about Tyrone's Sam Maguire Cup winning achievements this decade, part of me found the article quite amusing. However, his personal attacks on three of Tyrone's finest players of the modern era was shameful to say the least and has made me seriously question his integrity as a sports journalist. He clearly allowed his mask to slip. For, make no mistake about it, this article was not so much concerned with Francie's cult status as it was Heaney cuddling up to his Armagh comrades and indulging in the worst form of sour grapes ahead of another eagerly awaited Ulster Championship campaign.



There are those who will say that Heaney is a fair and impartial GAA writer. However, it should also be observed that he is a proud Derry man and ardent Oak Leaf Gael. Nothing wrong with that, of course. As a proud Derry man, he along with many other football followers from the Oak Leaf and Orchard counties would have looked on in 2003 and watched their arch enemies match their own county's All-Ireland winning achievements. As if that was not bad enough, they then had to watch in dismay as their next door neighbours surpassed those achievements in 2005 and moved on from being a 'one year wonder' team. It is, perhaps, understandable that there would remain a certain level of resentment to that success from Tyrone's closest rivals.



I am just a little surprised that someone like Heaney would use an article about Francie Bellew's manliness as an opportunity to spew some of his bitterness towards a now superior footballing county. Heaney shrewdly decided against having a cheap shot at Tyrone while writing about one of the great modern day Derry players, so he did the next best thing. He went for a player from another county with just one senior All-Ireland to serve as a smokescreen for his anti-Tyrone jibes. Good thinking....or was it?



Unfortunately, Heaney has boobed. While devoting an entire page in honour of the boul' Francie – a player who I also greatly admire – the Irish News writer has conveniently omitted one rather infamous incident from an Ulster Championship semi-final match back in 2004. Cavan supporters should have little difficulty remembering it as they were the victims of a great injustice on that occasion. The game was only minutes old when their midfielder Pierce McKenna was sent off for a wild swing on the aforementioned Francie Bellew. The TV cameras clearly showed that McKenna made little or no contact with the Armagh player. Yet, Francie hit the deck, McKenna got his marching orders and Cavan were denied a win that day as they played most of the match with just fourteen players.



For anyone who thinks I might be a small bit paranoid about Heaney's article last Tuesday, remember this: he listed three examples in 2003 (yes, that's right, the year of Tyrone's first All-Ireland success) of Red Hand players who were "willing to make a meal of fouls in a bid to get players booked or sent off". Surprise, surprise....the first of those examples involved the defeat of Heaney's own county. Comparing three-time All-Star Sean Cavanagh to soccer player Jurgen Klinsmann for an incident in a first round match at Casement Park which the vast majority of Ulster Gaels probably can't even recall smacks of desperation on Heaney's part.



What I do remember of that game is the fact that Sean Cavanagh broke Derry hearts with a masterful midfield performance. His was one of many superb individual displays on a day when Tyrone completely dominated their Oak Leaf opponents from the word go. Sean Cavanagh had no desire nor good reason for wanting any Derry player sent off in a game that Tyrone were winning easily. He did, however, leave the field that day with a mark on his face – something Heaney might want to investigate further when trying to find out the real reason why Derry finished the game that day with just fourteen players.



That Heaney went on to further embarrass himself by listing two other examples of Tyrone men who he claims were guilty of "hideous gamesmanship" only makes his case worse. If he ever cares to remove his Oak Leaf tinted glasses and watches the video of the two incidents again, he will see that both Tyrone players were clearly struck in the face and that the referees in question had no option but to issue red cards to the offenders. One gets the impression from Heaney's article that the act of feigning injury and deliberately getting players sent off only came to ahead during Tyrone's first All-Ireland success at senior level.



As someone with a great eye for detail, especially when it comes to Derry and Tyrone matches, it is interesting that he never referred at any stage to one glaring example of the 'Dying Swan' routine in the 2001 All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final at Clones involving a now retired Derry player. The player in question fell like a sack of spuds and lay sprawled on the ground for a few minutes following a tussle with Tyrone's Peter Canavan. The referee had been duped, Canavan was shown a red card and the Derry player was soon back on his feet again showing no ill effects from the challenge!



Of course, everyone could list hundreds of examples of when inter-county players were involved in this type of gamesmanship. However, Paddy Heaney decided to be selective in his characterisation of the "modern day prima donnas". One must really ask him the question why. I await his response with bated breath.....



**********



Colin Mackle

Moy, Co. Tyrone

Can someone tell me who kieran mc cabe (aka bullshit mc cabe) is? i heard he scored 1:06 against carmen at the weekend. And then just 2 day i also heard he was going 2 take a spot for Tyrone this year

I know him!!!!! :(Horrors of a lad!!!! Not long back in Ireland. Could not score in a you know what!!!! Actually lives in Collegeland just over the Armagh border!!!!!

Workmanlike performance from the riverside team on Sunday. Nothing spectacular and could have been caught out if not for a brilliant save by the ever improving Barry Gribben. The game was not allowed to flow whatsoever, poor referee who seemed to tick or card Aghayarn players at any oppertunity. Useful workout for Big Sean who has yet to regain full fitness since the foot injury. Paidraig Laverty probably man of the match, great reader of the game. Next up is Kildress and a much improved performance is required all round if the Moy are to progress any further. Lets all hope Penrose has a quick recovery after be2ing scythed down by an angry Armagh man!!!!  

Cavanagh has resumed full training
25 April 2007


There was good news for Tyrone supporters and the management team this week when the versatile Sean Cavanagh who can operate in the attack or midfield if needs be, has resumed full training after a foot fracture that had kept him out of action since February last.

Cavanagh had the cast removed after a recent visit to a rehabilitation clinic in Birmingham and is determined to be back to full fitness for the forthcoming championship season.

Tyrone boss Mickey Harte said they were delighted to have Sean back in training, and his return is a great boost ahead of their vital championship clash with Fermanagh in the coming weeks.

The machine is back!!!!!!