Battle of the Boyne - Meath Vs Louth - Leinster Final 11/7/2010

[Hardy]

In the midst of the race to 100, nobody answered my question re. Joe Sheridan. Has he given an interview since the one under the Hogan Stand? If not, he's getting an awful caning for something said in the heat of the moment nearly 2 weeks ago.

AZ, I dunno about that either, but I don't think so. Doesn't matter, of course. To people who have decided to hate him, he's the spawn of Satan.  And he doesn't even have a career as a fashion correspondent to compensate him.

[Lar Naparka]

Jaysus Hardy and Lar.

Reading ye is a blast from a more civilised, entertaining time. As you said, like a fight where everyone shakes hands and buys a drink afterwards.

Ye Olde Internyt Dyscussione Borde.

Well, thank you very much, AZO.
I'd like to think we've been having a conventional debate; argumentative in the proper sense of the word but never quarrelsome in any way.

[AZOffaly]

That's what I mean Lar. You haven't called each other a c**k, C**t, or stupid hoor since it started. Some others might take note that disagreements don't have to be abusive.

[seafoid]

Wait'll you hear the roar that greets the team when they run out for the QF.

Will it be any use though ? Another failure on a bigger day and will all the shenanigans over the Leinster Final be any use ?
A bit like Waterford over the last few years. I am a bit worried that Meath are in the same boat. An improvement on previous years but not enough to make it past the oligopoly. Ollie anybody really. 

I dunno, Seafoid. I'm only saying that the whole circus will motivate the team and the supporters. I'm not confident it will raise us to the level of the Kerrys, Corks and Louths of the Championship.

Do you ever get nostalgic about the Sean Boylan years  ?

[Hardy]

Give me men who have a future and women who have a past.

[Jinxy]

Great thread.

[Puckoon]

I cant decde who to agree with here, so I am going to have to go with Lardy.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Great thread.

It's getting a bit old at this stage, it needs Louth and Meath to have a huge scrap in the Semi with the wrong players sent-off the reinvigorate it.

[Jinxy]

Who asked you?

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Who asked you?

Do ya want a box?

[Aaron Boone]

I hope someone has said what a great catch was made at the edge of the square to start it off and what a great block in the middle of it.

I think Martin S will be back in 2011 on the eliite panel.

[Jinxy]

It would have been a great goal if Paddy Keenan didn't get in the way.
Technically, it's all his fault.

[Dinny Breen]

 Robert de Niro is making a new film about the leinster final its called "Meath the Fockers"

[ONeill]

Tyrone referee Martin Sludden's return on back burner as he misses out on All Ireland qualifiers


Martin Sludden's return to the big time has been put on hold.

The Tyrone referee, who made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the Meath and Louth Leinster football final earlier this month, will be idle this weekend when the four remaining All Ireland qualifiers go ahead.

The word on the grapevine was that the Dromore man would be chosen to referee the Down and Sligo match in Kingspan Breffni Park.

But that proved to be somewhat wide of the mark.

When I contacted Sludden yesterday, he was reluctant to comment on what the future might hold.

But there was no disguising his frustration and disappointment stemming from the Leinster final debacle when his decision to allow Meath's injury time winning goal saw him inexcusably assaulted by Louth supporters at the finish.

And yet you sense his self-belief remains firmly intact and that his return to the big time has been merely deferred.

In fairness to him, he eventually held up his hands and admitted his mistake in allowing the Meath goal.

But the damage was self-inflicted, for there would never have been a problem had Sludden been big enough to have consulted his two umpires.

These two men were his regular umpires who had served him well in the past and yet when it came to the biggest decision he had to make all afternoon he chose to ignore them.

The fact that neither of the umpires had raised the green flag should have alerted Sludden to the fact something was wrong.

A photograph in a newspaper the following day clearly showed one umpire with his hand outstretched indicating there was a problem.

In such a scenario the referee should have consulted with both umpires before making a decision.

It's all too easily forgotten by the vast majority of GAA supporters that the umpires' main role is to signal wides and scores.

They can also report to the referee on an aggressive incident, leaving the referee to take the appropriate action.

But only the referee can adjudicate on a 'square ball'.

Former All Ireland referee John Gough, now a respected assessor, is strongly opposed to having inter-county referees as umpires.

"We now have a referee and two referees running the line and as things stand the referee has four trustworthy guys who, if they don't perform, he's the real loser.

"He's operating with those same guys all the time and they work as a unit," he said.

Gough, who doesn't suffer fools gladly, was less than impressed with the standard of refereeing in the recent World Cup.

"If you watched the World Cup and registered the amount of mistakes recorded by professional referees who were doing the line as well as the professional referee in charge of games, we're doing very well by comparison," he said.

"I don't care how the GAA does it or who they appoint, but at some stage there are going to be mistakes.

"Players, managers and officials all make mistakes and umpires too are only human."

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

What happened to page 100 & 101, somehow I have ended up as the first poster on page 100.

Now my post look ironic, who is fcking with the thread.