Messages

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GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 - 2020

« on: February 09, 2020, 04:00:43 PM »

The two yellows cop out option should be taken away from officials. This would put more emphasis on identifying the instigators of trouble. If the eight officials around the pitch can’t figure out between themselves what happened in any particular incident, then we play on. The cynical provocation of influential players is a blight on the game.

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GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 - 2020

« on: February 09, 2020, 03:29:24 PM »

Who’s the dud ref in the Tyrone Kerry game? Fell for the oldest trick in the book when sending Clifford off.

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GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 2 - 2020

« on: February 08, 2020, 07:39:04 PM »

Some amount of lying down from Kildare boys in this first half. Must breed them very soft over that way.

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General discussion / Re: The IRISH RUGBY thread

« on: February 05, 2020, 10:12:30 PM »

OK so hear me out as I am being shot down in a rugby WhatsApp group by lads who know a lot more than me BUT...
I'm told that there are serious lads coming up...BUT...not many new faces
I'm told that there are new tactics in place...BUT...Box Kick Murray is still at it and we have no width or offloads
I'm told that Andy Farrell is just in the door...BUT...he knows these lads inside out already and knows who could be brought in too.

Then I was totally shot down for saying we should feck one 6 Nations series for the sake of building...BUT...then you read stuff about the IRFU (no matter they say) care more for the 6 Nations as it brings coin and they can't afford a bad year.
Are we going to settle this year and do OK, and then rebuild next year?

There are good players coming through, problem is....they are mostly Leinster players and will they get the gametime needed? 

Farrell will be a good coach, I was a bit disheartened at the weekend....but it was a win none the less against Scotland. Suppose he didn't have the luxury of a summer or November series to get some testing out of the way either so perhaps I was too harsh in wanting Earls, Aki and Murray dropped.

I don't think you can ever bum off a six nations, but seeing in what France have done and still managed to hammer what was the RWC Finalists, makes you wonder if someone was brave enough, who knows. The French as RWC hosts are definitely planning for the future but they might just have stumbled upon gold....if.....they can sort out their away form, which I suppose is irrelevant in 2023

France won the last two U20 World Cups. Ireland finished 8th and 11th in those competitions.

Probably fair to say that France are better positioned to revamp their squad at the minute.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: February 01, 2020, 12:57:18 AM »

So five months after roading Lukaku, United find themselves scrounging around for a cheap replica. Of course Ighalo is better than no one at this stage, but it's depressing to see the club fumbling about so aimlessly.

It is also now very difficult to further the claim that Solskjaer, Woodward, or anyone else the club has any sort of coherent transfer strategy following the events of this window. Fernandes' arrival is positive, and it's probably just about enough to quell supporter discontent to the point that it's a bit less embarrassing for the owners. But it doesn't seem that there were any meaningful attempts to tackle the many other issues with the playing squad. And worse than that, it now seems even more difficult to trust that the club, in its current state, is capable of properly tackling these issues in the future.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 21, 2020, 01:24:57 PM »

Maybe I'm a bit harsh on Solskjaer and he's firefighting as best he can but I just don't think he has it. Comes out with a lot of rubbish and harks on too much about the old days. I think he threw some of his players under the bus a bit too quickly as well. End of the day he's the manager and it's his job to insist to the board what is needed player wise. Running them out the door without cover was stupid.

This is the main issue with Solskjaer. He doesn't have the clout to knock on Woodward's door and demand the players he needs. He's indebted to the guys that gave him a job the prestige of which he wouldn't have got anywhere else.

It's a bonkers situation. Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea offering up a CL spot on a plate, yet United show no urgency to go and grab it. 10 days left in the window and nothing seems imminent. Go and get a couple of players and have a proper go at fourth place. Surely the continued rebuilding would be easier from the summer onwards with CL football to offer prospective recruits. But then you remember this quote and everything makes sense:

"Playing performance doesn't really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business."

c***ts.

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GAA Discussion / Re: All Ireland Club Championships

« on: January 19, 2020, 05:36:48 PM »

Some incredibly thick stuff from Corofin there. Effectively created that equaliser for Kilcoo through their own brazen idiocy.

Kilcoo demonstrating some of their other 'qualities' at the end too...

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GAA Discussion / Re: All Ireland Club Championships

« on: January 19, 2020, 05:18:04 PM »

Both teams have been dreadful. One of the lowest quality finals in recent years. Even the ref has had a nightmare.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 08, 2020, 02:20:52 PM »

How could you write so much without mentioning the overwhelming main reason for all of this? The mind truly does boggle. I'll address some of it though which I found to be particularly unfair and it's in relation to the manager and his staff.....

Long reply Seanie, but I'm not so sure we're as far apart on this as you seem to think.

Of course everything comes back to the parasites that own the club, I thought this went without saying. Every misturn and poorly thought out strategy in the last decade stems from decisions made by these people and their executives - decisions made to maximise corporate exploitation and nothing else. If this goal ever allied with footballing success it was simply a bonus, but this has never been a priority. My question is where is the supporter outrage at this situation? 10 years ago we had green and gold scarves and threats of boycotts, but all I see now is meek acceptance of the status quo. Supporters will probably never be able to force these c***ts out, but at least make a noise and let it be known that you're unhappy about things.

Where I think we diverge is on Solskjaer and his backroom team. Like all supporters, I would've loved for a fairytale success story here but it's not going to happen. Of course they're trying their best, but the quality isn't there. The club has a manager who hasn't earned the right to manage at this level and coaches plucked from retirement or from the academy without the necessary experience and skills for the job at hand. It would be nice to share your optimism that the situation is much better than when Solskjaer first took change, but by every reasonable metric that just doesn't seem to be the case. Results have not improved, the football is still dreadful, and most of the biggest problems in the playing squad have not been addressed. It's also difficult to say with any certainty what sort of footballing philosophy Solskjaer brings to the place, what style of play is he attempting to implement - I'm sure it's something he and his staff are working on, but to date he has failed to get his players to consistently express anything encouraging. I also have my doubts about the strength of the manager's position within the club. He was given a job he didn't deserve by certain people and they will always have this leverage over him. This must make it very difficult for Solskjaer to go to the same people demanding the resources he wants and needs to improve the football team.

While the Glazers will still run the clubs to line their own pockets, I don't think they would be averse to a managerial change if supporters so demanded - and that is what should be happening. No one, probably not even the man himself, has any faith that Solskjaer will be in charge in two or three years time, so why would any prospective signing with ambition or a desire to carve out a career agree to join such an uncertain situation? What is the real reason Haaland choose to go to Dortmund? To get back to where it wants to be, and within the constraints created by the ownership, the club needs a stronger, more attractive figurehead leading the footballing side of things. Ideally, someone with a track record of creating a bit of identity about a team and with a reputation for giving talented young players an opportunity. In short, a Klopp type figure to which quality players and quality coaches will be attracted. I don't know who this might be, but United have the resources to go to all but the top ten or so clubs in the world and tell them to name their price, so there have to be options out there. There's no good reason to persist with the current failing experiment.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 07, 2020, 10:44:28 PM »

City just on a different level. Fannied around in the second half with the tie won.

They have a proper manager with outstanding pedigree. Experienced and respected coaching and administrative staff, poached from top clubs. And some of the best players in the world, most brought in at big expense after proving their quality elsewhere.

United have a nothing manager with no pedigree. Rookie non-playing staff that have not demonstrated any ability to improve the club. And a mess of a squad, riddled with dud 'value' purchases and academy graduates promoted too soon.

So tonight's result is obviously no surprise. In fact, the goal back in the second half probably made it quite a decent result in the context.

United are one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. They have the financial clout to be run in the same fashion as City, yet they have stopped trying. This is outrageous.

Supporters have a voice that can pressure for change, but bizarrely many seem to have bought into some pathetic spin that this is all ok because the club needs a nebulous 'reset', or because things are so fucked that it's not even worth trying to source better quality staff to improve matters, or that things are actually grand and sure didn't they beat City once a while ago and PSG a bit before that. It boggles the mind that there isn't a more furious reaction to the situation in Old Trafford. This would never be allowed to happen in Madrid, Barcelona or Munich.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 06, 2020, 02:38:33 PM »

I don’t really understand how context improves the view of things. I’m sure it’s not exactly what you mean, but this sort of talk sounds a lot like shit football being used as an excuse for even more shit football. At some stage you have to ask for better, otherwise the malaise drifts on indefinitely. 

And I’m not convinced, even taking into account any context, that a limp scoreless draw against a half strength mid-table side is the sort of result from which to take satisfaction. I sincerely hope that those in power at the club have not accepted that the bar is set that low.

The may not be any quick fixes out there, but there are fixes. Inaction in the transfer market or with the organisation of the club management can not be excused. This month is crucial. There’s an opportunity to do something to improve things, perhaps salvage something from the season, and genuinely stop the rot in the club. If nothing happens then it can only be seen as an acceptance of the status quo, which in turn make’s it difficult to be in any way optimistic about the foreseeable future. I hope the club can spring a surprise.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: January 05, 2020, 11:45:48 PM »

The display from United yesterday was just the same sort insipid crap we've become all too familiar with in recent years. That they didn't lose is a weak positive, but it's pretty perverse and depressing to associate this sort of turgid football with descriptors like 'super' or even 'good'. ZERO shots on target ffs. The problem remains the midfield. It has always been the problem, and nothing will improve until something considerable is done about it.

United have been in desperate need of at least two reinforcements in midfield since before this season even began. It was negligent of the club to fail to bring in these players in the summer, and this failure is looking more lamentable as this season continues. As strongly suspected by all, Mata and Matic are conclusively done at this level; Pereira is a powder puff player, who will eventually depart for some mid-table Spanish club; and Pogba just doesn't give a shit. Only for McTominay exceeding expectations, and some very belated green shoots from Fred, things would be even worse. And now McTominay is crocked for a couple of months. All this against a backdrop were Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea are tripping over themselves to keep the race to fourth in play.

If ever a club needed to go sign someone it's now. Whether the club are able to make that happen in the next few weeks will tell a lot about the ability of Woodward, Solskjaer and others to attract the footballers needed to move things back towards the top table. If the required arrivals do not materialise then it should be game over for these guys - they will have definitively proven that they can not do what United need of them. But I don't think there'll be many supporters holding their breath.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: December 04, 2019, 09:54:08 PM »

Great 3 points to get. Why can't they play like that every game?

Yeah, you'd wonder.

Very good tempo all night, never let Spurs settle. Rashford was outstanding, off the left is the only place for him.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: December 04, 2019, 08:13:34 PM »

Great first half an hour from United, as good as they've been all season. Then Alli goes and makes a dick out of Fred and Young and it's all for nothing.

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General discussion / Re: Man Utd Thread:

« on: November 24, 2019, 06:25:27 PM »

Some craic in the end. Would’ve been a sin had that first 70 mins from United gone unpunished.