What has happened Ulster Football?

[Bud Wiser]

Around this time of year a few years ago news bulletins reported, on at least two times in two years anyway, that large black Puma's were seen roaming the countryside around Tyrone and South Armagh.  I always thought it strange that these sightings always coincided with either one or the other county being dumped out of the championship and in a way were designed to deflect attention from their predicament.  Not even the spotting of an elephant in Tony Fearons back garden could deflect attention from the state of football in Ulster today.

The Ulster final was the worst game of football I have ever had to endure watching in all my life (first half because I didn't bother with the second) and the rest of the games were no better. Even when Kildare who were out of the Leinster championship hopped into their landrovers and went up and beat Derry it was even worse. True, it can be said football is not great in Leinster and the Dubs took a leaf out of the Nordies book and sent penguins walking around the city to deflect from them losing the Leinster Semi-Final but Kildare, Louth, Dublin, Meath, and possibly Laois are still in the championship.

So how long will it be before we see personalized number plates around Croker again, or what has happened to football in Ulster?

[ONeill]

Is it true that the last time Leinster produced an All-Ireland finalist Dana was in top lilting form, Fearon was 12 stone and Peter Canavan had long flowing golden locks?

[Zapatista]

Regardless of Pumas and penguins the querky opening post  doesn't deflect from this being another stupid thread on another stupid topic.

[ONeill]

Unfortunately the once-sharp Bud's winding skills are as subtle as a Colm Parkinson interview.

[Bud Wiser]

Regardless of Pumas and penguins the querky opening post  doesn't deflect from this being another stupid thread on another stupid topic.

Incorrect, it is in the interest of the GAA in general to find out why has such a demise come about in Ulster. Apart from that, the attendances at GAA games this year is already a concern and if the downword slide continues the quality of games, in particular the Ulster Championship has to be questioned.  Not even the Dubs would turn up in Croke Park when they heard it was Armagh, I suspect their theory being, if they are good enough to beat us we (Dubs) are no good at all, or, we beat them it does not matter until we play an exciting team.  Quirky and stupid you might call this thread but by the end of year if something is not done about the quality of football it is the GAA that will look quirky and stupid. Apart from the Connaught championship it is the luck of God we have hurling or the GAA wouldn't get as much as what is put on a church collection plate for some of the games they are providing in football.

[Bensars]

On that note, what has happened to fearon?  Has been banned ?

[Bud Wiser]

On that note, what has happened to fearon?  Has been banned ?

I'd say like thousands of others he has become totally disillusioned with Ulster football.

[under the bar]

On that note, what has happened to fearon?  Has been banned ?

Did anyone spot him at the Ulster final on his freebee tickets?   

[Hardy]

On that note, what has happened to fearon?  Has been banned ?

I'd say like thousands of others he has become totally disillusioned with Ulster football.

See - there's a positive side to everything.

[Zapatista]

Regardless of Pumas and penguins the querky opening post  doesn't deflect from this being another stupid thread on another stupid topic.

Incorrect, it is in the interest of the GAA in general to find out why has such a demise come about in Ulster. Apart from that, the attendances at GAA games this year is already a concern and if the downword slide continues the quality of games, in particular the Ulster Championship has to be questioned.  Not even the Dubs would turn up in Croke Park when they heard it was Armagh, I suspect their theory being, if they are good enough to beat us we (Dubs) are no good at all, or, we beat them it does not matter until we play an exciting team.  Quirky and stupid you might call this thread but by the end of year if something is not done about the quality of football it is the GAA that will look quirky and stupid. Apart from the Connaught championship it is the luck of God we have hurling or the GAA wouldn't get as much as what is put on a church collection plate for some of the games they are providing in football.

I see.

[johnneycool]

Regardless of Pumas and penguins the querky opening post  doesn't deflect from this being another stupid thread on another stupid topic.

Incorrect, it is in the interest of the GAA in general to find out why has such a demise come about in Ulster. Apart from that, the attendances at GAA games this year is already a concern and if the downword slide continues the quality of games, in particular the Ulster Championship has to be questioned.  Not even the Dubs would turn up in Croke Park when they heard it was Armagh, I suspect their theory being, if they are good enough to beat us we (Dubs) are no good at all, or, we beat them it does not matter until we play an exciting team.  Quirky and stupid you might call this thread but by the end of year if something is not done about the quality of football it is the GAA that will look quirky and stupid. Apart from the Connaught championship it is the luck of God we have hurling or the GAA wouldn't get as much as what is put on a church collection plate for some of the games they are providing in football.

The standard of the hurling hasn't been great either this year with some of the better games being the likes of Clare v Waterford and Galway v Offaly.

Attendences are also well down as I've been to many's a Munster final where tickets were like hens teeth yet there was plenty of empty seats at both the replay and the initial final.

[mackers]

On that note, what has happened to fearon?  Has been banned ?

I'd say like thousands of others he has become totally disillusioned with Ulster football.

You and Real Laoislad still haven't got over the couple of tankings we gave you a few years back. Even in our disillusioned state we still came down and beat ye in your own back yard this year. Give me a Dub any day, better sportsmen that ye Laois crowd.

[Bud Wiser]

The standard of the hurling hasn't been great either this year with some of the better games being the likes of Clare v Waterford and Galway v Offaly.

Attendences are also well down as I've been to many's a Munster final where tickets were like hens teeth yet there was plenty of empty seats at both the replay and the initial final.

That is because the drink drive laws are being adheered to more than ever now, pubs closing down and punters won't travel from the five mile radius around Semple Stadium.  It is also because the GAA have failed to engage with Iarnrod Eireann to encourage train timetables that would allow punters to travel.  I saw on the hurling thread where some lads came from Down to Semple Stadium but stayed overnight.  If you check the timetables this week you will see the last train from Thurles was about the same time as the final whistle and it is the same in Galway, Limerick and Killarney/Tralee and every other ground.

When you have people from Down and Antrim travelling to Thurles for a hurling match (see the hurling section) it tells you what the state of football in Ulster is like. The GAA need to take teams like Tyrone one year, Armagh the following year and Derry etc on an annual basis and put one of them into Leinster or Munster or Connaught and let them get a bit of bottle to bring back excitement to Ulster football.  If the slide continues at its present rate nobody will be going to a football game in Ulster in a few years.

[supersarsfields]

Don't ya just love the Leinster boyos getting cocky just because they've knocked a few Ulster teams out and actually have a few teams still involved at this stage. No doubt, like every other year for god knows how long, ya'll have to pick your favorite from Munster, Ulster or Connaught again in September to support.

[Bud Wiser]

I am already trying to get my hands on a copy of the Connaught Final.  Best game of football this year.  Leinster would be good too only for the fact that, not being happy with foookin up your own provincial championship, ye send us down a referee to try and foook up ours as well and then when he is offered the courtesy of a Garda escort of the field he is supposed to have said "I don't want no f'n free state police protection"  and stays there dictating to all and sundry.

There is a chance that the football championship can be rescued and we might see another game of football like the Connaught final but it won't involve an Ulster team with their style of today. I am not taking cheap shots here at all or getting cocky as you put it, I am really really concerned about the demise of football in Ulster.