Abuse of GAA people on Discussion Boards

[Minder]

What's this bastards name Sligonian and we will start a famous  Gaa Board campaign against him

[SLIGONIAN]

What's this b**tards name Sligonian and we will start a famous  Gaa Board campaign against him

Thanks Minder but I dont want another knock on my door...

[Groucho]

What's this b**tards name Sligonian and we will start a famous  Gaa Board campaign against him

Thanks Minder but I dont want another knock on my door...

Not be too long now till you take over from Kevin Walsh

[redandblack4ever]

I was out last saturday night in Sligo and 2 men i dont know called me Sligonian, one shook my hand, the other was just shouting not aggresively but pointing. Ive known for a few yrs and accepted that everyone in Sligo knows my identity. So tbh i always say things on here that i would stand by, i have made mistakes too and apologised but 98% of my posts i believe are sound.

Last yr a parent of Sligo county footbaler called to the door, didnt want to speak to me but my Dad, Im 29 btw, but he wanted to shut me up, i came to the door anyway, and this man was angry very angry and threatening all sorts, i said to his face what i thought, i said imo your son isnt intercounty standard and that i never said anything personal about him. He said i did. I told him to why if i affect your son so much does he read what i say. He said he doesnt, but his friends do and wind him up. Now i dont know what this fellas friends were saying to him, could of been exagerrating my words. He told me not to mention his son ever again and that his son nearly lost his mind. I said if it affects him that much i wont say anything about him. My Dad agreed with what i said and we both were angered by this approach especially as this man didnt want to talk to me and involved my Dad.

I felt bad after the encounter, but first thing i did was check back on all the things i said about this lad, none of it was personal, all football related, and i even blamed the management for picking and said its not his fault hes not good enough. I dunno what his firends said to him nor do i feel responsible.. This lad is obviously very sensitive and cant handle criticism at all so he needs protection, im not sure intercounty is for him though as i suspect in future someone else may criticise him. It was never my intention to have such a negative impact on a player.

Its a tricky issue, i work in construction so i developed a thick skin early on, and criticism and pointing out my mistakes made me better at my job, i bring the same approach to football but its not all criticism there plenty of encouragement aswell, i feel however too many county players are wrapped in cotton wool by the people around them and it does them no favours. You only have to look at the mentality of Sligo footballers at present, not near tough enough mentally imo.. Too many yes men is never a good thing, and i was never one of these people, it does isolate you but i think deep down you get more respect from people. I agree that no player goes out to lose, but some players are lazy and workrate imo is fair game to criticise but you better be right.

Ive stopped posting on Hoganstand last 6 months, my post regarding Sligo on here are fewer by the day and i will eventually stop. I have aspirations of coaching and i know i wont get roles if im on here or anywhere.

Everyone is watching, parents, players, coaches, managers, County Board etc.. they all read my posts and everyone knows me so it leaves me vunerable. The other side of the coin too is our posts or opinions arent 100% reflection on us as poeple and certainly a few mistaken words shouldnt be held against you for eternity. Players coming on here for ego graitification only to find criticism maybe hit hardest but i have little sympathy tbh. Our opinions change aswell and i hope any Sligo player proves me wrong aswell if i dont rate them. But definitly after last yrs incident i would be more aware of how it affect some players and ive stopped my analysis of games in public more to with my future involvement in coaching than anything else. No man can say i hide behing my keyboard, no man. But its clear all the above dont want to be talked about or people to have opinions (UNLESS YOUR SAYING HOW GREAT THEY ARE), they obviously want yes men and to wrapped in cotton wool all there live which i find sad. Someone once said to me that your honesty will get you nowhere, and hes right, if i tell people what they want to hear for the rest of life i'll go places, how sad that is though. Deep down i hope Most respect Honesty.

Isnt ironic though that based on my opinion on football matters i get personal abuse but thats ok. Im a sc**bag, rat, weasal, evil, becuase i dont think so and so is good enough for Sligo.

Well said Sligonian. It's the truth, honesty will get you nowhere. Been there, done that.

I think most of the posters on this board are pretty much right on the money when it comes to their opinions, with a few exceptions. The bottom line is that if you play hurling or football for your respective county, grow up and develop a thick skin. If someone makes a comment that bothers you don't go blaming the discussion board it came from whether it be this one or that joke of a one on Hoganstand. Take a honest look at your performance in question and then make up your mind if it was warranted or not. We're paying supporters of the GAA and we are entitled to our opinions, negative or positive.

Mrs. redandblack4ever

[Overthebar!]

Seems to be a real agenda in the Irish News against internet forums at the minute. when they are talking about discussion boards do you think they are predominately talking about on here or hoganstand etc? Would agree that most of them would be stuck for stories without the board and some of the sweeping generalisations made are ludicrous.   

[brokencrossbar1]

Seems to be a real agenda in the Irish News against internet forums at the minute. when they are talking about discussion boards do you think they are predominately talking about on here or hoganstand etc? Would agree that most of them would be stuck for stories without the board and some of the sweeping generalisations made are ludicrous.

Ther irony of that is that there are 2 journalists who do a lot of work with the Irish News have been regular posters on here and on other boards over the years and have made many good contacts as a result which has helped them significantly in their career development.  One is staff there I think and one is a free lancer who does a lot of southern games.  We all suspect that the likes of Heaney and Archer look in here and probably are posters but they can't have it both ways. 

The other thing is in regards to people who are giving out about the criticism, if they don't like it why read it or pay any attention to it!!!  If there is something on the TV you switch channel, the thing about all discussion boards is you have to bother your arse to actually follow up what is written.  People must love seeing their name in print or something for them to keep going back to the chat room!

[Milltown Row2]

Again, the board seems to be giving them something to write in their papers.

Besides the Hogan Stand what other sites would be as general as this?

I've been on the Cork forum (Rebels) and the Kilkenny Cats site (which is very good) I would rate the Rebel one to a bit over the top and can get a bit nasty.

On another note

If I worked for the public sector and was hooked up to the internet on discussion boards all day I'd expect tax payers to be up in arms about how their hard earned money was being wasted 

[ross matt]

First of all I think that this discussion board is extremely well moderated in the sense that strong opinions on players/managers/officals/matches are allowed without it straying in to personal abuse. On top of that there are alot of interesting posts from intelligent gaa people who have a great passion and respect for the games. I sense that most that contribute here have or still do play/coach/manage/officiate/support etc so their opinions are well earned.

However its important to remember that a significant number of inter county gaa players are either still in or not long left college. Others hold down demanding jobs and an ever decreasing few are married with young families. (For instance I'm almost certain that when Kevin Walsh won his 3rd allstar with Galway he had 4 if not 5 young kids which made his achievement even more worthy).

The point is they make huge sacrificies in their social, family and work lives. Yes its their choice but at the same time it must be remembered that they wouldnt be denying themselves lifestyle and career opportunities plus unless they intended giving of their best when they pull on  a county jersey and take to the pitch. I think that should be remembered when their performances are criticised. Many of them do read these boards or are informed of them via friends and relatives. So if they're already lacking confidence and playing badly then the criiticism doesnt help.

That being said (to echo Sligonian) if the criticism is valid and not personalised then if they play badly and someone comments on it here its probably tough to take but fair at the same time. Personally what I cant stand is if the info posted comments on their social or personal life or reports on rumours of business troubles or hassle with the law or whatever. That should be removed immediately if posted but again it rarely occurs on this site.

HS is a different matter altogether. Juvenile and poor quality posting with no credibility. No intercounty player should pay a blind bit of heed to it.

I assume the recent increase in flak towards these boards are a result of John Clarke's reasons for retiring. But many have jumped on the bandwagon. With the greatest display ever of irony unawareness David Brady (newstalk last week) blasted players who are obsessed with the media in general. He never bothered with any of it he said because he was too busy playing !

[Lar Naparka]

I was out last saturday night in Sligo and 2 men i dont know called me Sligonian, one shook my hand, the other was just shouting not aggresively but pointing. Ive known for a few yrs and accepted that everyone in Sligo knows my identity. So tbh i always say things on here that i would stand by, i have made mistakes too and apologised but 98% of my posts i believe are sound.

Last yr a parent of Sligo county footbaler called to the door, didnt want to speak to me but my Dad, Im 29 btw, but he wanted to shut me up, i came to the door anyway, and this man was angry very angry and threatening all sorts, i said to his face what i thought, i said imo your son isnt intercounty standard and that i never said anything personal about him. He said i did. I told him to why if i affect your son so much does he read what i say. He said he doesnt, but his friends do and wind him up. Now i dont know what this fellas friends were saying to him, could of been exagerrating my words. He told me not to mention his son ever again and that his son nearly lost his mind. I said if it affects him that much i wont say anything about him. My Dad agreed with what i said and we both were angered by this approach especially as this man didnt want to talk to me and involved my Dad.

I felt bad after the encounter, but first thing i did was check back on all the things i said about this lad, none of it was personal, all football related, and i even blamed the management for picking and said its not his fault hes not good enough. I dunno what his firends said to him nor do i feel responsible.. This lad is obviously very sensitive and cant handle criticism at all so he needs protection, im not sure intercounty is for him though as i suspect in future someone else may criticise him. It was never my intention to have such a negative impact on a player.

Its a tricky issue, i work in construction so i developed a thick skin early on, and criticism and pointing out my mistakes made me better at my job, i bring the same approach to football but its not all criticism there plenty of encouragement aswell, i feel however too many county players are wrapped in cotton wool by the people around them and it does them no favours. You only have to look at the mentality of Sligo footballers at present, not near tough enough mentally imo.. Too many yes men is never a good thing, and i was never one of these people, it does isolate you but i think deep down you get more respect from people. I agree that no player goes out to lose, but some players are lazy and workrate imo is fair game to criticise but you better be right.

Ive stopped posting on Hoganstand last 6 months, my post regarding Sligo on here are fewer by the day and i will eventually stop. I have aspirations of coaching and i know i wont get roles if im on here or anywhere.

Everyone is watching, parents, players, coaches, managers, County Board etc.. they all read my posts and everyone knows me so it leaves me vunerable. The other side of the coin too is our posts or opinions arent 100% reflection on us as poeple and certainly a few mistaken words shouldnt be held against you for eternity. Players coming on here for ego graitification only to find criticism maybe hit hardest but i have little sympathy tbh. Our opinions change aswell and i hope any Sligo player proves me wrong aswell if i dont rate them. But definitly after last yrs incident i would be more aware of how it affect some players and ive stopped my analysis of games in public more to with my future involvement in coaching than anything else. No man can say i hide behing my keyboard, no man. But its clear all the above dont want to be talked about or people to have opinions (UNLESS YOUR SAYING HOW GREAT THEY ARE), they obviously want yes men and to wrapped in cotton wool all there live which i find sad. Someone once said to me that your honesty will get you nowhere, and hes right, if i tell people what they want to hear for the rest of life i'll go places, how sad that is though. Deep down i hope Most respect Honesty.

Isnt ironic though that based on my opinion on football matters i get personal abuse but thats ok. Im a sc**bag, rat, weasal, evil, becuase i dont think so and so is good enough for Sligo.

Well put, Sligonian; it's obvious that you are both sincere in your beliefs and 100% dedicated to the Sligo cause. But then, most on here know that anyway and have known this since you first started posting here.
I've no doubt that you have the potential to become a great coach and motivator somewhere, sometime.
However, on aspect of the above post puzzles me.
As you put it:
No man can say i hide behing my keyboard, no man
To me, that means you want people to know who you are and are ready to defend your opinions against all comers.
So why then do you bother to use your screen name and not post under your own name?
It certainly seems to me that you want people to know who you are and at the same time, you object to people giving their objective opinions about what you post.

As saffron sam 2 succinctly puts it:
Anyone who posts or lurks on this board is a valid target for acerbic comment.

Now, you know I'm not being personal here when I say that you don't seem to realise that you are seeking to deny to others the rights you claim for yourself.
Put it this way; you post something that is critical of some player  and feel you are entitled to do so because you are expressing your personal opinions and should be entitled to do so.
Someone else either reads you post or, worse still, hears about it from somebody who probably adds to it in passing it on.
So:
Isnt ironic though that based on my opinion on football matters i get personal abuse but thats ok. Im a sc**bag, rat, weasal, evil, becuase i dont think so and so is good enough for Sligo.
Don't forget that many people won't see what you post as objective and valid criticism. It will come across to them as personal attacks on the players in question. Once you  put them up, your views become public property  and many people don't really understand the nature of Internet forums. You might as well have posted it in the Sligo Champion as they will see it.
If you really, really want to epress your personal opinions, you might consider posting under a different pseudonym and this time don't pass your identity about. Either that or post under your real name.
Right now, you have seem to have the worst of both worlds.

[SLIGONIAN]

I was out last saturday night in Sligo and 2 men i dont know called me Sligonian, one shook my hand, the other was just shouting not aggresively but pointing. Ive known for a few yrs and accepted that everyone in Sligo knows my identity. So tbh i always say things on here that i would stand by, i have made mistakes too and apologised but 98% of my posts i believe are sound.

Last yr a parent of Sligo county footbaler called to the door, didnt want to speak to me but my Dad, Im 29 btw, but he wanted to shut me up, i came to the door anyway, and this man was angry very angry and threatening all sorts, i said to his face what i thought, i said imo your son isnt intercounty standard and that i never said anything personal about him. He said i did. I told him to why if i affect your son so much does he read what i say. He said he doesnt, but his friends do and wind him up. Now i dont know what this fellas friends were saying to him, could of been exagerrating my words. He told me not to mention his son ever again and that his son nearly lost his mind. I said if it affects him that much i wont say anything about him. My Dad agreed with what i said and we both were angered by this approach especially as this man didnt want to talk to me and involved my Dad.

I felt bad after the encounter, but first thing i did was check back on all the things i said about this lad, none of it was personal, all football related, and i even blamed the management for picking and said its not his fault hes not good enough. I dunno what his firends said to him nor do i feel responsible.. This lad is obviously very sensitive and cant handle criticism at all so he needs protection, im not sure intercounty is for him though as i suspect in future someone else may criticise him. It was never my intention to have such a negative impact on a player.

Its a tricky issue, i work in construction so i developed a thick skin early on, and criticism and pointing out my mistakes made me better at my job, i bring the same approach to football but its not all criticism there plenty of encouragement aswell, i feel however too many county players are wrapped in cotton wool by the people around them and it does them no favours. You only have to look at the mentality of Sligo footballers at present, not near tough enough mentally imo.. Too many yes men is never a good thing, and i was never one of these people, it does isolate you but i think deep down you get more respect from people. I agree that no player goes out to lose, but some players are lazy and workrate imo is fair game to criticise but you better be right.

Ive stopped posting on Hoganstand last 6 months, my post regarding Sligo on here are fewer by the day and i will eventually stop. I have aspirations of coaching and i know i wont get roles if im on here or anywhere.

Everyone is watching, parents, players, coaches, managers, County Board etc.. they all read my posts and everyone knows me so it leaves me vunerable. The other side of the coin too is our posts or opinions arent 100% reflection on us as poeple and certainly a few mistaken words shouldnt be held against you for eternity. Players coming on here for ego graitification only to find criticism maybe hit hardest but i have little sympathy tbh. Our opinions change aswell and i hope any Sligo player proves me wrong aswell if i dont rate them. But definitly after last yrs incident i would be more aware of how it affect some players and ive stopped my analysis of games in public more to with my future involvement in coaching than anything else. No man can say i hide behing my keyboard, no man. But its clear all the above dont want to be talked about or people to have opinions (UNLESS YOUR SAYING HOW GREAT THEY ARE), they obviously want yes men and to wrapped in cotton wool all there live which i find sad. Someone once said to me that your honesty will get you nowhere, and hes right, if i tell people what they want to hear for the rest of life i'll go places, how sad that is though. Deep down i hope Most respect Honesty.

Isnt ironic though that based on my opinion on football matters i get personal abuse but thats ok. Im a sc**bag, rat, weasal, evil, becuase i dont think so and so is good enough for Sligo.

Well put, Sligonian; it's obvious that you are both sincere in your beliefs and 100% dedicated to the Sligo cause. But then, most on here know that anyway and have known this since you first started posting here.
I've no doubt that you have the potential to become a great coach and motivator somewhere, sometime.
However, on aspect of the above post puzzles me.
As you put it:
No man can say i hide behing my keyboard, no man
To me, that means you want people to know who you are and are ready to defend your opinions against all comers.
So why then do you bother to use your screen name and not post under your own name?
It certainly seems to me that you want people to know who you are and at the same time, you object to people giving their objective opinions about what you post.

As saffron sam 2 succinctly puts it:
Anyone who posts or lurks on this board is a valid target for acerbic comment.

Now, you know I'm not being personal here when I say that you don't seem to realise that you are seeking to deny to others the rights you claim for yourself.
Put it this way; you post something that is critical of some player  and feel you are entitled to do so because you are expressing your personal opinions and should be entitled to do so.
Someone else either reads you post or, worse still, hears about it from somebody who probably adds to it in passing it on.
So:
Isnt ironic though that based on my opinion on football matters i get personal abuse but thats ok. Im a sc**bag, rat, weasal, evil, becuase i dont think so and so is good enough for Sligo.
Don't forget that many people won't see what you post as objective and valid criticism. It will come across to them as personal attacks on the players in question. Once you  put them up, your views become public property  and many people don't really understand the nature of Internet forums. You might as well have posted it in the Sligo Champion as they will see it.
If you really, really want to epress your personal opinions, you might consider posting under a different pseudonym and this time don't pass your identity about. Either that or post under your real name.
Right now, you have seem to have the worst of both worlds.

Im not sure thats where im coming from, i started posting 10 yrs ago on Hoganstand, i was anonymous for most of the first few yrs and then most people started posting we know who you are, but i hadnt a clue who anyone else was. I have thought about posting under my own name in the past but im heading in the direction of stopping posting altogether for my own best interests. Your kinda right about me having worst of both worlds but ive made some good friends on forums. On HS i never passed my identity about and most of the Sligo lads on here knew my identity long before i ever pm'ed them so i dont think i wanted everyone to know who i am, its just a fact now and i now accept it.

I dont object to anyone coming in against my opinion at all, i welcome a good debate, my point is that the comebacks to my football opinion are usually personal attacks on my character, nothing to do with my football opinion and the persons dont even argue the points i make, just that im a clown, lowlife etc....

I am not withholding anyones right to judge my footballing knowledge or footballing opinions but I AM withholding people thinking im some sort of evil person because i think so and so is poor footballer. As i said above my days are coming to an end on here, but i have no problem with my identity being known, i just wish i knew everyone elses identity aswell.

[Farrandeelin]

I'm sure there're lots of Mayo posters who know who I am. Don't care to be honest if they do or not.

[ziggysego]

I'm sure there're lots of Mayo posters who know who I am. Don't care to be honest if they do or not.

I know who you are too. I do, I do!!

[Lar Naparka]

I'm sure there're lots of Mayo posters who know who I am. Don't care to be honest if they do or not.

Well, I'm mighty glad not too many Mayo people know who I am- especially one John O'Mahony! 

[supersarsfields]

^{Now, you know I'm not being personal here when I say that you don't seem to realise that you are seeking to deny to others the rights you claim for yourself.
Put it this way; you post something that is critical of some player  and feel you are entitled to do so because you are expressing your personal opinions and should be entitled to do so.}

But he's not really. There is nothing to stop someone Who disagrees with him doing exactly what he does and challange him on here on any of his opinions rather than calling round to his house.   

[Lar Naparka]

^{Now, you know I'm not being personal here when I say that you don't seem to realise that you are seeking to deny to others the rights you claim for yourself.
Put it this way; you post something that is critical of some player  and feel you are entitled to do so because you are expressing your personal opinions and should be entitled to do so.}

But he's not really. There is nothing to stop someone Who disagrees with him doing exactly what he does and challange him on here on any of his opinions rather than calling round to his house.

Yeah but the problem is that you don't know who is going to read what you post and you can't tell them how they are go about responding to you.
Remember Tony Fearon and the fuss about his personal details being published on OWC?
Tony made a big laugh out of some OWC lads calling around to his place of work for a chat. Now, I wouldn't be too worried about those who called openly. I'd be more worried, if I were Tony, about some f**ker who might be lying in wait for me some night with a baseball bat.
Now, as I see it, poor Sligonian is having a rough time of it with people who know his identity giving him abuse. I do know the man and I take him to be an honest individual who wouldn't dream of posting anything he doesn't believe to be true.
However, his identity is well-known at this stage and he really should know what to expect if others object to what he posts. I don't see any point in using a screen name when your cover is blown and you know you will meet people who are going to abuse you over what you have posted.
I agree that there is nothing to stop people who disagree with him coming on here to challenge him and anybody else on any of their opinions but nobody has to do that. Why should they?  As long as they stay within the law, they have the freedom to react in any way they choose. There isn't much to stop them coming on here but there is nothing to force them to do it either.

I'm certainly not saying that he deserves the abuse he gets but he has to expect it if he keeps posting under his present alias and continues to give outspoken opinions when he does.