Messages

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General discussion / Re: The official Everton FC Supporters thread

« on: December 03, 2018, 02:24:41 AM »

Gary Mac, Mane and now Derek Origi. Three absolute classic, harrowing derby day hole-sickenings for Everton. When will their torment end?

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GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 1 2019 Dubs again?

« on: November 30, 2018, 04:08:27 AM »

I have a sneaky feeling Cavan might just survive in Division 1 by the skin of our teeth. We have a lot of seasoned performers and some returning AFAIK, a new manager bounce and a guy that seems to be going about things the right way, as well as experience in the top flight two seasons ago when we didn't do overly poorly, all things considered. I wouldn't write us off just yet. We might even completely realign the stars and beat Roscommon.

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: October 26, 2018, 06:53:35 AM »

Aha, I didn't know that. A real Battle of the Hangovers...

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: October 24, 2018, 11:47:10 PM »

It might be good for county pride. A rising tide lifts all boats! I'd be proud for any Cavan club to make its mark in Ulster but in Castlerahan's case it's hard to see them being overly interested in it, and they're playing the Derry champions to boot, but you never know.

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: October 23, 2018, 11:54:44 PM »

Unfortunately, the breakthrough nature of the win and the celebrating and so on makes it unlikely they'll be too focused on the Ulster club? Might it be another fast exit for the Cavan representatives?

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: September 27, 2018, 02:48:04 AM »

I signed up for the patreon too, a great first interview with Mickey Graham and I hope they keep the quality content coming.

Was quite impressed listening to our new manager. Given a magic wand a few months ago none of us would have been banging the drum for his appointment but now that he's there, and having heard him speak, I'm quietly optimistic. We have a very seasoned core of players with Division 1 experience, a new manager that sounds very driven, professional and energised by what he's seeing in the club championships, and he's aware of what needs to be tackled. The first real barometer will be which absentees throw their lot in with the team, and encouragingly, it sounds like it'll be strictly on the manager's terms if they do come back. It's not beyond the bounds that we'd survive in Division 1 and that would be a marvellous platform for the year ahead.

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: August 23, 2018, 01:00:59 AM »

A few early interviews with the new man. Speaks about balancing the attacking/defending and getting some players back. I like that he's not buying into that jaded claptrap about "we don't have the players" although of course you'd hardly expect him to say otherwise!

http://www.irishnews.com/paywall/tsb/irishnews/irishnews/irishnews//sport/gaafootball/2018/08/22/news/cavan-need-their-best-players-playing-says-new-boss-graham-1413239/content.html

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/gaa-football/3015823/new-cavan-boss-mickey-graham-expecting-baptism-of-fire-as-he-starts-breffni-reign-in-division-1/

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: August 20, 2018, 03:17:44 AM »

I doubt Mickey was top of anyone's fantasy list including mine but being realistic it seems he was the best genuinely available. Plenty of managers have belied their lack of experience to do a great job in their first year, plenty have fallen flat on their arses too. There's no way to know unless he has a go at it. It'll be interesting to see if any absentees come back and what new lads he adds to the squad, as well as persuading a few to delay retirement for another year. If he keeps us in Division 1 it'll be a job well done before even considering championship.

Needless to say, best of luck to all involved.

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: July 28, 2018, 12:48:29 PM »

If Banty is the answer, it must be a very peculiar question.

I heard audio of McGuinness' analysis of Cavan before the Tyrone match and if nothing else, he was quite knowledgeable about the situation for an outsider, sounded enthused by cavan and if anything came over like he was giving a bit of a pep talk to the players from a 'management' or leadership perspective. That's a bit of a reach now I know, but it's on the podcast released after Matty went. Worth a listen.

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Cavan / Re: Official Cavan GAA Thread

« on: July 27, 2018, 03:22:48 AM »

Some interesting tidbits from the wearecavan lads:

- Mickey Graham approached, interested but non-committal as yet
- Jason rumoured to have dropped out but still thought to be in the ring
- No other hard news on any other candidate approached although an All-Ireland winner from another country was linked as interested but couldn't be named, and the Celt lad tried to contact James Horan who still hasn't definitely said he's not interested.

There was an interview with the county board chairman:

- List of candidates slated to interviewed by committee on week of July 30th
- Noted hint of urgency in his voice and seemingly very aware that time is running out for this group of players to achieve something and that this needs to be the right appointment

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GAA Discussion / Re: It's all Ulster football's fault

« on: July 26, 2018, 04:43:39 AM »

On a more substantive note, it's a long while ago now but I recall watching a few Armagh games in those seasons under the two Brians, perhaps more so early on in Kernan's reign, and feeling they were retreating into a 'defensive shell' once they had established leads in certain matches, and had left a few behind them as a result? If I'm not mistaken this tendency was a definite talking point at the time, with rumours that it had been instigated by team captain McGeeney, but some Armagh posters would be more authoritative about this I'm sure. This for me was the beginnings of a switch to pulling numbers back and defending leads which would later be refined and taken to extremes to evolve into the...whatchyoumacallit we watch today.

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GAA Discussion / Re: It's all Ulster football's fault

« on: July 26, 2018, 04:38:32 AM »

"IMHO I think Harte seen the success of Kernan's plan and twerked it a bit to suit the players at his disposal."

The image this conjures, of Mickey Harte twerking for his players for whatever reason, just can not be un-imagined 

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GAA Discussion / Re: The Paidi O'Se Cup

« on: July 25, 2018, 12:47:56 PM »

Our progression to the All Ireland Quarter Final in August 2013 was cherished only for a few months. Nothing like the romance and magic that we experienced in 1997.

Yes, because it was 26 years previous and an entirely different landscape where winning one was reaching a pinnacle, unlike now. In the absence of provincials, reaching All-Ireland semis would still generate the same hype and momentum whatever the nature of the route there. Having no cup or title to celebrate might dilute things, you're correct, but my original point is do we want either to prioritise the preservation of traditions and established structures, or do we want a structure that's as fair as possible? Occasional fresh winners of denuded provincial championships experiencing the odd outpouring of joy doesn't seem a good enough reason to disenfranchise the majority.

If you do that, they become the McKenna Cup.

That's the general thrust, yes.

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GAA Discussion / Re: DICK v WOOLY

« on: July 25, 2018, 06:05:49 AM »

There's a touch of contrivance and sneering about the laddish image Parkinson likes to carefully cultivate, while Dick seems a harmless enough Daniel O'Donnell/Mammy-pleasing throwback type. That's no justification for the former to be hounding every move the latter makes, as an attention-seeking ploy it's starting to look like tabloid hounding and seems in bad taste.

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GAA Discussion / Re: The Paidi O'Se Cup

« on: July 25, 2018, 12:13:02 AM »

The qualifiers and super 8s have already devalued the provincial championships in a serious way...Central Council has severely undermined the provincial championships with the backdoor and super 8s and the provincial councils haven't batted an eyelid despite this supposed political power.

Yes, you're right there, it definitely has. But its the tradition and the status that dies hardest, denuded though they are they still enjoy massive prominence as the foundation stone and jumping off point for all that follows  - that was principally what I was alluding to. There's a reason why you, I and the dogs on the street can all recognize that the provincial championships are devalued, and in my opinion, now an impediment, yet no single championship structure advocating for their removal ever, ever sees the light of day and is instead taken to a dark corner and quietly strangled by self-preservation. There would not in my lifetime, I reckon, be any appetite to put the 'greater good' of the GAA and the equality or health of its competitions before this status, power, tradition, fiefdom and tribalism, as we've seen with quite a few decisions and non-decisions over the decades. 

Despite all the above and the serious inequities around the provincial championships, I wouldn't like to see any further demise, if only because it remains meaningful in Ulster.  At the moment a provincial win would be a huge thing for Armagh (10 years since last success), Down (24 years), Derry (20 years), Cavan (21 years) and Fermanagh (never).  Given where they are at at the moment, an Ulster Championship win for Cavan could be the catalyst the greater success.  It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that one or two of these teams will emerge to win Ulster in the next five years. 

I don't strongly disagree with any of this either but none of it addresses the point that the provincials, overall, in the wider view, are a hindrance to progress and true equality and until they are dispensed with/decoupled from the main business, no championship structure that can actually, genuinely level the playing field will ever become a reality.

The romance of lesser counties winning provincials isn't entirely lost on me either, I'm from a county where we've one a solitary title since 1969. However I don't think the wider health of the sport and organization can be hidebound or held to hostage by the humanitarian notion of waiting for our likes to have an occasional day in the sun. It might be a catalyst, it might not - what have we done in Cavan off the back of an absolutely massive breakthrough in 1997, when the provincials really were worth winning and it truly was a prize? In most counties that lack the wherewithal to win provincials regularly, winning one sporadically tends not to magically address the reasons why they failed so regularly for so long beforehand.
I'd argue that success in a remodeled, equitable championship and progression to August matches would be just as cherished by anyone from the counties you've mentioned anyway. Besides, you could run the provincials in place of the McKenna Cup and so on if it was really necessary to preserve them in some form so they don't disappear from history.