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So Arlene has made a giant gesture.  Is there a similar gessture that Sinn Féin could make?

Met the Queen on many occasion. MMcG went to NI game during the Euros. Mary Lou said L'Derry. I'm sure there's more.

"A giant gesture" , presumably you're having a laugh?

This choreographing and gesture politics irritates me, but surprisingly it often turns out to be beneficial, from a PR perspective as a milestone on the road to reconciliation.
Arlene unfortunately has shown her true colours especially in the Kielty programme. Her comments after yesterday indicate that she only had eyes on her own community's response to the gesture. She is at best bedgrudging and her reconciliation efforts appear forced and contrived. She talked about wishing her neighbours well, in other words it's not my team, it's the local fenians' team.
I suspect the DUP see an opportunity that conservative catholics could swell their ranks, so they'll have to be seen to engage with the GAA to which many conservative catholics have a strong affinity.

At the heels of the hunt , she has never shown any rapport or even recognition for Irish culture. Ireland remains the enemy ( understandably given her own experiences) and her bedgrudging gesture politics is merely a means to an end. She even got in her dig regarding respect for culture, again equating the GAA with the orange order. Her body language was uncomfortable For the most part.
She is among a dying breed of dinosaurs ( Sammy, Edwin , Nigel, Gregory, Nelson) who are fast losing credibility in their own community . The majority of their support comes from the older generation and thankfully their influence is on the wane.
I have to say , the sycophantic " isn't she great for coming along to the Ulster final" grates with me.
She is attending one of the most important Ulster sporting events of the year , on her own doorstep, with her own county competing as underdogs. The fact that it was staged in ROI meant standing in a "foreign country" for their anthem, was no challenge for her.
If She aspires to be a true leader  of NI again, she has to openly embrace all cultures within that. I don't think she possesses those personality traits and leadership qualities, the personal experiences of her family and community still dominate her agenda . Can she rise above that ? I doubt it.

Very good post.  Foster is an out and out hardnosed bigot.  Yesterday was just a bit of window dressing aimed at the "why can't we call just get along" brigade.

I thought Heather Humphreys should have joined in the singing of the National Anthem

I'm sure she and Arlene gave it a few verses of "The Sash" afterwards.

Must say I absolutely love Ulster final day  in Clones, everything about it except the traffic jams. Very few grounds can produce the cacophony of noise that Clones does.... I  hope more  money is ever wasted on casement  and that Clones remains home of the Ulster final...

First time at one. Unfortunately Donegal were superior all over the field and once they scored their first goal, it was hard to see Fermanagh beating them. Brilliant atmosphere inside and outside the ground. Maybe if Fermanagh were closer in the 2nd half the noise would be more 'hearable' over the tv. They out supported Donegal there today. Hard luck FermGael and other Fermanagh posters.

The atmosphere outside the ground was great but I thought there was very little atmosphere inside esp, once the game got going.  To be fair it's hard to cheer 7 mins of hand passing on the 45.  The cagey beginning to the game had the effect of quietening the Fermanagh supporters (IMHO).  Fermanagh have been criticised this year for indulging  in the dark arts but yesterday they barely laid a hand on a Donegal player.

Sadly Fermanagh were found out yesterday.  Taking an (almost) neutral view, they were second best all over the pitch and Donegal could have won that game by a lot more.  Donnelly and Jones were completely cleaned out at mid field and that bolloxed the kick out strategy.  Fermanagh scored 0-12, 1-8 and 0-12 in their three games.  Donegal had 2-6 at half time and there was no way Fermanagh were going to better that.  The Fermanagh style is based on stopping the opposition scoring and hoping for some frees/45s at the other end.  Scoring even 0-15 or 0-16 appears beyond them.  Gallagher and McMenamin are one-trick ponies.  There is no plan B.  Nine points down??  Let's pass it between ourselves in centre field.

Before the game yesterday I thought that whatever the result Fermanagh had a good chance to make the Super 8s.  Can't see that happening now.

Don't the wummin have their own World Cup? Why have a female on the panel?

This tokenism is getting obvious now.

Eni Aluko has been on of the best panelists on UK TV, as has Alex Scott on BBC. Showing up t**ts like Evra who just rock up with no research done whatsoever. Nothing token about them at all.

Agree with this.  Aluko has been excellent.

Still not convinced by Brazil. The tournament is still wide open. Engerlund could bring it home.

The current 2 play in a time that you cant tackle from behind to get the ball! Defenders were hard hitting then and if messi and ronaldo played back then they would score half the goals they do now! The younger generation dont remember Maradona enough but he took Napoli that had won f**k all before and nothing since he left, to glory in a time every superstar in the world played in Italian football

I wonder the age of some posters. To say Pele was the best but having seen what? a few clips on tv? That's ludicrous. Not many games were televised in the 1960s never mind Brazilian ones. At that rate why not have Stanley Matthews in the top 3?

Pele was around long after Stanley Mathews. Now ure being daft

Bloody madness mentioning Stanley Matthews alright when we all know the Dixie Dean is the top top top England player ever produced.

Rubbish. Cliff Bastin!!

There'll never be another Len Shackleton

[won player of the tournament]

Hope this confirms Messi is no Pele when it comes to the World Stage.

The same Messi who dragged Argentina to the WC final in 2014 and won player of the tournament and only lost the final to a goal in extra time? That Messi.

We certainly live in a world of now.

That was a ridiculous FIFA PR decision, Messi wasn't in the top 10 players in 2014.

Yea Messi is all PR. Must have been PR that knocked Portugal out in the group stages that year too!

Didn't say that.  And what has Portugal going out at the group stages in 2014 got to do with the price of fish??

[won player of the tournament]

Hope this confirms Messi is no Pele when it comes to the World Stage.

The same Messi who dragged Argentina to the WC final in 2014 and won player of the tournament and only lost the final to a goal in extra time? That Messi.

We certainly live in a world of now.

That was a ridiculous FIFA PR decision, Messi wasn't in the top 10 players in 2014.

[Trouble with managers and players]

Why is it a surprise? The internal going ons have been well reported, they needed a last ditch game to qualify! Trouble with managers and players!

I picked them regardless for tonight thinking that this was the game they needed to win! Pants

Yes so they've now resorted to a black taxi driver as manager.

A Brazilian guy I know through work told me before the start of the tournament that he didn't think any South American sides would reach the quarter finals.  I thought he was off his head.  Maybe he knows something.

Ernie Hunt, Coventry City footballer aged 75.  He scored the Goal of The Season in 1970-71, the famous "donkey kick" goal.  It was actually Willie Carr who flicked it up for Hunt to volley in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOS8T8Ypn10

Awful day for me yesterday!

As I said earlier England have a chance but expect them to go out on penalties in QF as usual to someone like Portugal.

England can't meet Portugal before the semis.

The semis will be two teams from Groups A to D and two teams from Groups E to H.

So it's impossible to have, say, all three of Brazil, Germany and England in the semis.

I think I'm right in saying that if Brazil win their group and Germany finish 2nd in theirs, which is very possible at the moment, then Brazil and Germany would meet in the last 16.

So no more "everyone loves Carlow" it seems.

Their hurlers are a disgrace too.

No St Galls players in the squad. Must be the first time in a while.

As I understand it Chris Kerr and Conor Burke opted out of the panel after the Down game.  St Gall's represented by manager Lenny Harbinson!

More or less the same Antrim team that lost by 7 to Down in Ulster, with keeper Chris Kerr replaced by Andrew Hasson and Patrick McBride moves to no 10 and is replaced by Colm Duffin at no 15.  Mark Sweeney moves from the half forwards to take over from the suspended Ricky Johnston at centre back.  Declan Lynch seems to be listed as sub goalkeeper.  Both teams will fancy a win in this one.  Home advantage might give Offaly the edge.

Offaly by two.