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Good advert for the new rules this. Mayo were cruising, absolutely cruising. They withdraw their best player on the day (Flynn), concede a sloppy goal, take a tanking in midfield for 5 mins and the whole momentum of the game changes. Mayo can't clock kill, but Galway leaving gaps in their defence means Mayo can't still take the game to them in spurts.

From a neutrals point of view that was a good game. Galway had 3 or 4 goal chances they squandered. Mayo were worth their win.

A lot of things wrong there but th main thing for me is that the hand passing and recycling game isn't going to work anymore.

Meath weren't the much better but they were direct and took a few chances but we persisted with the old style which isn't going to work against the better teams. I think we'll struggle to get promoted now even with the injuries back.

I wouldn't be overly concerned with getting promoted but what I am concerned with is zero progress we seem to have made. We are far too slow and laborious in our play. That all starts with the kickout. On a wet day we persisted kicking it long and Meath won a lot of that ball. This team needs to start winning games to get out of the cycle we are in. Mentally if nothing else. Hard to see that happening next week.

Not a problem lads Sure there is a bonfire site down the road that takes asbestos.

Is Starmer going to try and grow a pair?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98j90y2y6lo

The man is completely spineless. As useless as tits on a boar!

I would give this a cautious welcome, still no word of financial shortfall being bridged.

And is they work related to the planning permission expiring in July ?

It's just ground work, no building work, so I wouldn't be so sure just yet

The old stuff has to be cleared otherwise no work can ever be done

I get that but we've been given plenty false dawns so excuse my pessimism

Yes, this is the Ulster Council we are talking about here after all.

Are we  all talking about the same Higgins here

My thoughts are based on McKenna Cup selection and Forbes, Higgins being away from the squad in pre-season. Just think management will be risk averse in the first game and will go with what they have been able to test.
I would have no doubt both have ability to be starters for Derry, Higgins was getting better as the inter-county season went on, maybe a disappointing SFC final but could have been carrying an injury in it. And he is a big man which we need.

The time for any big experimenting isn't in the first round of the league. We need to get points on the board and secure our place in Div 2 as quickly as possible. Then we can start experimenting a bit more with lads who haven't seen a lot of game time up until that. Getting promotion and to a league final would be nice, but it isn't make or break for our season.

I wouldn't worry about an Ulster title too much. Get playing as late in the summer as possible would be my objective.

I think the biggest addition this year in Mc Kinless. Hopefully he can stay fit.  But his driving runs, game brain and abrasive nature will be a boost for Derry this year.

+1

We need a good competitive season to build things this year, seeing games out with no silly mistakes and keeping all games as tight as possible. Do that and we'll have something solid to build on in the following year or two. Winning Ulster is not the be all and end all.

Just because Ciaran has been there before doesn't mean everything will fall into place straight away but hopefully it speeds the process up a bit.

Hoping to see an influx of band uniforms in the bars in town lol!

DUP MLAs on social very triumphant about Commonwealth flag issue. Does anyone, other than themselves, really care about the Commonwealth games or what flag they carry?

I'm not sure what the craic is here? Someone from the games committee said lets try something else, no one complained when it went to the Hill and then when people did complain those that didn't do something about complained? 

Don't know - don't care. A load DUP MLAs put up similar message bout it this morning and followers then gloating at the outcome... I was then thinking: who cares? Why they gloating?

They have to be seen   to be doing something... anything .

They can't  let their  Neanderthal voters think  they're lying down and accepting  this  "pan nationalist fwront" agenda, as Bryson calls it. Any  sort of "victory" (even if it isn't) ,  is  perceived to be another  point scored in  securing the union.

Everything, and I mean everything, is a battle to them; otherwise, they have nothing to exist for. It's a sad existence.

Recently signed up to Paramount Plus to watch Mobland.

Is it worth keeping and if so what you recommend watching next?

Lioness and Mayor Of Kingstown are good shows.

Tulsa King. Season 1 and Season 2 were pretty good. Season 3, meh!

1883 and 1923 are very watchable, particularly 1883, if you are of the Yellowstone persuasion! Taylor Sheridan must have a finger in every Paramount show to some extent. 

Jersey is lovely, kickouts are night and day. Hope clucky is alright

You'd worry for Clucky. It didn't look overly great for him. Hopefully he is ok and him going off was just precautionary.

Watching on Ulster GAA TV stream but it's very very laggy. Anyone else experiencing issues?

[another desperate stab in the dark]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/01/05/sir-jim-ratcliffe-has-got-all-big-decisions-wrong-at-united/When you reflect on this saga, perhaps the most extraordinary detail is United's surprise at the manager that Amorim turned out to be. Ratcliffe prised him from Sporting Lisbon in the first place, knowing full well that he was a headstrong personality wedded to a rigid tactical system. And yet now he has cast him aside for the very same reasons. An impression grows that Ratcliffe, for all his staggering business successes, has not the faintest conception of how to put the listing United supertanker back on an even keel. For fans hoping fervently for a turning of the page, Amorim's exit signals less a masterstroke than another desperate stab in the dark.

What's been going on since Ferguson retired in 2013, he ran the club on and off the field with a Iron fist and over the last decade it's clear under the ownership of the Glazers how desperately run the club are and has been no improvement by passing on the football side of things to Radcliffe and with hand picked guys.

I might add the day's of a manager holding everything together as Ferguson did are over and unless the club can become well run off the field you can't expect to be challenging for major honours on the field.

Man Utd have spent £2 billion on players since Ferguson left.

How much have Arsenal spent since Arteta took over? Chelsea have nearly spent that in the last couple of years.

Arteta has spent about a billion.

It should be very simple, the top 8-ranked players get in. That is the incentive for good players to make the cut.

Granted, Bunting would also have made the cut based on that criteria. I may have let my dislike of him earlier distort my opinion.

Clayton, Rock, Bunting and Price get the wildcards for Premier League. Littler, Humphries, Van Veen and MVG already in it on rankings.

Bunting should be nowhere near that.

Willie unlucky there to lose the first set and MVG just twisted the knife after that. His finishing was merciless.

Not sure why Willie didn't stop the game with his eye problem. Even for a few minutes just to break play and take the wind out of van Gerwen's sails.

On that form will take a hell of a game from someone to beat MVG.