Handshaking before matches

[muppet]

This is an interesting issue but I don't see it quite the way of the OP.

Supporters have little time for formalities and the lining up and shaking hands before matches often looked very contrived and trite. However that is not the issue at the moment.

The real issue is that the behaviour and reputations of a minority of high profile, so-called professional, footballers has sunk so low that even the most hardened fan finds it cringeworthy to see them forced to decide whether they can drag their social behavior  high enough to pull off a credible handshake.

[Tony Baloney]

I remember a fella in my team offered his hand after a match and had it spat into by an opposing player after a first year blitz at school. Nice touch for an 11/12 year old I thought!

[ONeill]

Hand shake is grand and what separates us from the animals.

Sure isn't that what caused all the bother in Portlaoise. The gentlemanly Derrytresk players went out to shake the hands of the Kingdom lads. They didn't realise that Kerry folk stalled somewhere along the development chart and their arms were swinging wildly around their genital area. Testicle and knuckle mayhem ensued.

[trileacman]

Handshakes before kick-off has been in the GAA for ages,

Never saw a "kick off" in any GAA game

You've never been to a Derrytresk game then.

[johnneycool]

Not a big fan of shaking hands before a game, but will always shake hands with an opponent no matter what happened during the game.

Can't stand bolloxes ranting and raving and carrying grudges after the final whistle!

Once its over, its over, (till the next day     )

[lynchbhoy]

would shake the opponents hand if he offered it.
wouldnt look at him or say anything while doing it.
preferred not to shake hands really.
it was the part of the game that I least looked forward to.

A former All Ireland winner and meath legend managing us one year told us not to shake hands and never wish your opponent luck - as you want the fcuker to have the worst luck in the world for the next hour or so !

i would agree with that, i always shook hands with my opponent before a match, but rarely spoke and certainly never Wished him Good Luck !!!

Brilliant, its fckers like you boys I enjoy marking

if you offered the hand - i'd shake it.
while you'd prob enjoy marking me now, I doubt somehow if this would have been the case 10 or 20 years ago !

Considering I would have been 7 years old I probably would have shat my pants 

I just dont get the whole pysch out thing before games.  Boxing, and other combat sports alright.  But boys can look a bit of a plunker when their man sticks the ball in the back of the net, sometimes through no fault of their own, but they still look like a right one for doing a stare down or whatever.  Maybe somepeople are different, I just see it as a load of balls at this stage (granted, maybe be intimitating when your younger and smaller) its up there with "if we make them come out of the changing rooms first after halftime we will win".

Yer not getting my drift.
It's not any attempt at psyching out anyone - I just didn't like shaking hands before a game and if the opponent offered the hand , I'd shake it- I just wouldn't look at him or speak. Had no prob shaking hands after the game no matter what happened.
They could play it clean or dirty after that , it was all ok by me.

Wee Lavey boy - I'm not from Dungiven.

[ha ha derry]

While shaking hands " My manager told me not to hurt you incase you have to go off and you might bring on a good player" 

[johnneycool]

While shaking hands " My manager told me not to hurt you incase you have to go off and you might bring on a good player" 

That's too witty for a Dungiven man..   

Are you sure its not 'smell your ma' as you sniff your middle finger?

[HiMucker]

Would be some craic if you wheeled your full back on to mark the other teams star forward at the start of a championship game in one of them Hanibal Lecter trollies.  Complete with muzzle and all.

[ha ha derry]

While shaking hands " My manager told me not to hurt you incase you have to go off and you might bring on a good player" 

That's too witty for a Dungiven man..   

Are you sure its not 'smell your ma' as you sniff your middle finger?

That would be more Lavey Johnnycool 

[lynchbhoy]

only handshake story I have is that I rem our 'hard' full back shaking his opponents hand just before a schools junior (u15 ish) match and the st vincents (dublin) full forward giving him a kiss on the cheek.
We were all wary of these 'queer' dubs that day and think they won handy enough - a lot of our lads would hardly tackle them !

[fitzroyalty]

Nothing to do with football but I think 'shaking hands with the president' is a great inuendo for when a ladyfriend *ahem* gets down to business.

[eddie d]

handshake after getting asses handed to us at clonoe, "thanks for coming" handshake   

[SambaSaffron]

only handshake story I have is that I rem our 'hard' full back shaking his opponents hand just before a schools junior (u15 ish) match and the st vincents (dublin) full forward giving him a kiss on the cheek.
We were all wary of these 'queer' dubs that day and think they won handy enough - a lot of our lads would hardly tackle them !

Doesn't send out a great vibe.

[illdecide]

I always shook the hand of my oppenent before a game and gave him a v small nod while doing so (the nod just indicated that you may well recieve some pain later but it's nothing personal), And always shook his hand after the game