Messages

1

General discussion / Re: The Open 2018

« on: Today at 06:56:41 PM »

Solid round wins it. Good to see someone new get their hands on it.

2

General discussion / Re: The Open 2018

« on: Today at 05:58:41 PM »

Anyone But Rory.

3

General discussion / Re: Pubs showing All Ireland hurling semis in Belfast.

« on: July 21, 2018, 03:23:13 PM »

It seems lots of places "might" show it.

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General discussion / Re: Pubs showing All Ireland hurling semis in Belfast.

« on: July 20, 2018, 10:20:18 PM »

The Hatfield and the Rose+Crown on the Ormeau Road
The Garrick
The King Richard

You wouldn't get many of those pub names in Roscommon.
Most things got renamed after 1922

Do not go to the King Richard. Sarcasm doesn’t really work online. 😳

There was a case a few years back where 2 headcases followed a fella home from there and beat him to death because he made a sarcastic comment to one of them.

5

General discussion / Re: The Open 2018

« on: July 20, 2018, 04:35:07 PM »

BBC projecting the cut at +2 at the moment, but could go lower as conditions improve.  Stenson +3 and Garcia +4 look to have the weekend off.  Darren Clarke currently +14.  Ian Poulter shot an 81 today to end up +12.  Lowry currently +4 with 7 to play.

I wonder does O'Neill have a tenner on him this year?

6

Antrim / Re: ANTRIM HURLING

« on: July 20, 2018, 02:04:12 PM »

Couldnt make it to Creggan on Wednesday night to watch Carey so went to the Armoy and Randalstown game.

Do referees under go fitness tests? Dont think I have seen worse...

Be careful what you say. We know there is at least one very fit ref in Antrim.

7

General discussion / Re: UK General Election 2017

« on: July 20, 2018, 02:01:35 PM »

Labour trying to shaft Kate Hoey for voting with the DUP. . . Brilliant news!!!

She would still get elected even if she stood as an independent.

Really?

I doubt she'd be re-elected in Vauxhall.  One of the biggest Remain votes in the referendum.

Explains her Cavalier approach.

8

General discussion / Re: Cycling

« on: July 19, 2018, 11:26:20 AM »

A girl I know won the women's Haute Route Alpe d'Huez last week. Some serious climbing! My car would have bother going up some of it!

9

General discussion / Re: Brexit.

« on: July 18, 2018, 09:28:02 PM »

The votes taking place are only close because the Conservatives are split over the issues. If SF took their seats and voted they would be supporting one or other half of the tory party. The party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher who most republicans hold responsible for the deaths of the hunger strikers. SF supporters would never forgive them for supporting either half of the tories.

They take seats in Stormont and form governments with unionists like Paisley, Dodds and Robinson who were responsible for the perpetuation of loyalist violence in the North so preventing one of the major f**k ups in UK history by voting with the Tories shouldn't be the sky caving in their heads.

They've flipped on several issues, not recognising Stormont etc etc. All the old excuses for not attending, (they wouldn't make a difference, etc) have been shown to be hollow so they really have no honest exemptions from this anymore.

I don't understand this and why people don't get it. SF voters vote for them not to take their seats. It's not a grey area, when you vote SF, you're voting to not have a vote in Westminster. Its simple. I wouldn't say never, but abstentionism is along way away yet.

So are you telling me that over the course of the last 30 years, when the troubles were ended, UK~Ireland relationships improved, and a wee six power sharing government was formed, that Sinn Fein’s rise in the ballot box for Westminster has been owed (even slightly) to their absenteeism policy?

You are of course entitled to believe this. But it doesn’t add up at all.

I personally don't feel like I would stop voting SF just because they took their seats. However I do think it'd be an issue for others. Being honest SF voting in Westminster won't make much of a difference. If they did drop abstentionism I'd imagine there'd be an even bigger clamour for unified unionist candidates so why take the risk, just to vote in a meaningless deal-vote that will be vetoed by the EU anyway.

By not taking their seats and voting on key issues they give the Tories and the DUP a free pass. The end.

10

Hurling Discussion / Re: Hurling championship 2018

« on: July 17, 2018, 01:16:41 PM »

The big question is who is going to win a share of the next 4 or 5 all Irelands. KK still have work to do. Clare need to get organised. Limerick need more consistency. Are Waterford going to come back ? And Tipp?

Galway should be looking at the next 4/5 All Irelands and be licking their lips. The time is now with this team to make hay. Easily a cut above anything else that is out there at the minute, providing they play up to their form.

No doubt. There isn't another county at present who you would say look like obvious consistent contenders. It's probably as likely that Kilkenny will return to the fore before any of the other counties organise themselves.

11

Hurling Discussion / Re: Hurling championship 2018

« on: July 17, 2018, 01:14:55 PM »

I’d fancy Limerick to beat Cork, they looked a tired team against Clare in the last round robin but they really stood up in the last 15 against KK

Not that I think it will happen but a Clare v Waterford final would be fantastic

You should put the house on it

Limerick winning or a Limerick Clare final?

I think he's referring to you putting the house on a Clare v Waterford final.

12

General discussion / Re: The Open 2018

« on: July 17, 2018, 12:42:35 PM »

Tiger is really brilliant

Tiger is really really brilliant.

13

General discussion / Re: Movie reccomendations

« on: July 16, 2018, 01:39:58 PM »

Incredibles 2 is very good for older children, I would say small children would get less out of it (8.5/10).

I watched Eye In The Sky on Netflix and it was much better than I thought it would be (7.5/10).

14

General discussion / Re: TV Show recommendations

« on: July 16, 2018, 01:35:59 PM »

I'm a bit behind the times on my viewing but The Sinner was good, I gave up on Westworld and finally completed Mindhunter which was also pretty good.

Sharp Objects with Amy Adams has the same sort of vibe as True Detective (S1) and hopefully ends up being as good as the promise of episode 1.

15

General discussion / Re: The Official World Cup 2018 Thread

« on: July 16, 2018, 01:27:40 PM »

France are deserving winners in the end. They made the most of their luck in this game though. This game wasn't a classic it was all about the errors really. Getting the own goal and an accidental penalty set up the win.

Be nice to have a chat on the football, not the refs decisions.

France were clearly the best team in the competition - there was nearly unanimous agreement at the start that they were one of the favourites, but the question was could they play as a team?  I think they did that very well, and huge credit must go to Deschamps, as coach and manager.  He is now in some company (with Beckenbauer and Zagallo) as the men who have won WCs as player and manager, and yet, prior to the tournament he was under massive pressure from his own country's media.  The football wasn't consistently spectacular, but (as Johnny Giles might say), they played each game on its merits, and came out on top when it mattered. 

What do we take from the tournament in how the game is developing?  My own take is that the 'gaps' between good teams and bad teams is narrowing, and qualifying is going to get harder and harder.  More and more countries are learning how to defend properly - my guess is that we are going to go into a period where counter-attacking is going to be the coaching focus (retaining possession seems now to be out-of-date) - with a big big focus on organisation without the ball.

So what do we take from the successes and the failures.  France are a massive country, and their education system places a big emphasis on sport - the Clarefontaine academy has now led to success in 2 WCs and an EC.  If they can transform their league into one that can compete for players with La Liga and the PL, then we could see them becoming a (more) dominant force (than they already are).  Croatia, as a tiny country producing (consistently) world-class players, in all positions, must be worth studying, from Ireland's perspective at least.  If we look back at the fact that they nearly didn't qualify in the first place, then we have to concede that the skills of their manager must be a key factor - is this a golden generation, or is this a one-off effort in support of a man with motivational skills?  Germany - poor choices in selection of the squad; nothing more.  Brazil - not in a good place; mass exodus of their players from local football; might never be a force again, realistically.  Argentina - ditto.  Uruguay - they know who they are; they know what they can do; they keep doing it, but are too small to win it without massive luck.  England - won the games they should have, lost they games they should have; have a real coach for the first time in ages (since Bobby Robson, probably) and might improve to a second-tier nation. 

So, a very good WC - it nearly always is, in fairness.

Croatia finished 3rd in 1998 so at a generational level they are capable of producing good players (Suker, Boban, Prosinecki from mid-late 90s) and good tournament squads. As you say, they'd definitely be worth investigating for other similar sized places like Ireland.

I see they have named a tube station on the London Underground after Southgate 

It was already called Southgate