Laois v Armagh - NFL Round 5 - Sunday 18th March

[Jinxy]

If he didn't deserve to be sent off for that, I'm sure there was something else he did he deserved to be sent off for.

[EC Unique]

He is as dirty a player as there is at present. Always getting sneeky, dirty digs in. Good to see him off.

[mackers]

If he didn't deserve to be sent off for that, I'm sure there was something else he did he deserved to be sent off for.

??

Paul Grimley warned Armagh supporters of a rollercoaster ride at the start of the season and he wasn't wrong.  Armagh should've been well ahead at half time with two one on ones with the keeper falling to the forward that you would want them to fall to and he panicked on both occasions.  Those as well as two stone wall penalty decisions turned down by that eejit of a ref should have been meant that we were out of sight.  Credit to Laois who took some superb long range points esp in the first half.

The players deserve great credit for dragging themselves back into it with 12 minutes to go only for us to give away a soft goal which killed our momentum. 

We are told by the hierarchy in Croke Park that referees must be shown respect but they are ruining our game by allowing sub standard referees take control of top matches.  The singularly worst display of refereeing in my 35 years going to football.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

If he didn't deserve to be sent off for that, I'm sure there was something else he did he deserved to be sent off for.

Stupid (and erroneous) comment.

[Agent Orange]

Paul Grimley warned Armagh supporters of a rollercoaster ride at the start of the season and he wasn't wrong.

What has Grimley brought to the party? Things haven't exactly improved since he came in, yet to hear some people he is the second coming.

[Jinxy]

If he didn't deserve to be sent off for that, I'm sure there was something else he did he deserved to be sent off for.

Stupid (and erroneous) comment.

I doubt it.

[Throw ball]

Armagh people know that McKeever can be a bit borderline at times but today in the first half there was hardly a hard challenge from either team. Both teams went of quite calmly. There was no sign of any commotion in the tunnel as teams walked off or when they came back on. McKeever is getting the raw end of the stick from people on this board as well as referees. If what I was told by a Laois man at the match did happen then McKeever is very unlucky. A man who the GAA trusted to act as spokesman for our sport is being harshly treated. Fifteen years ago he would have been considered soft. We want to see the best players play our game and instead the hierarchy have pushed the rules to a state were a diving cheat gets more respect than someone who stands up to be counted. Players like McKeever are well and good when they want a junket but not good enough at other times. The game is being destroyed.

As for the game. Laois deserved to win as they were better at the basic art of shooting. Armagh missed a bag full and when you do that you do not deserve to win. On saying that 5 of the 6 starting forwards by my counting made their full league debut this year. The team never give in. If we give these players time they may yet make it. For Armagh I thought Anto Duffy was best.

[mackers]

Paul Grimley warned Armagh supporters of a rollercoaster ride at the start of the season and he wasn't wrong.

What has Grimley brought to the party? Things haven't exactly improved since he came in, yet to hear some people he is the second coming.

I find it very difficult to blame the management during this campaign.  Look at the list of players that we are missing.  They are blooding a lot of young players out of necessity rather than choice.  Some of the performances of the young players have been encouraging.

[Goats Do Shave]

He is as dirty a player as there is at present. Always getting sneeky, dirty digs in. Good to see him off.

You still haven't quite forgiven him from saving wee Peter, when he pulled him out of that scufuffle in '05!! 

[EC Unique]

He is as dirty a player as there is at present. Always getting sneeky, dirty digs in. Good to see him off.

You still haven't quite forgiven him from saving wee Peter, when he pulled him out of that scufuffle in '05!! 

Wee Peter sent him up the road a couple of weeks after that and went on to get another medal.

[nrico2006]

He is as dirty a player as there is at present. Always getting sneeky, dirty digs in. Good to see him off.

You still haven't quite forgiven him from saving wee Peter, when he pulled him out of that scufuffle in '05!! 

Wee Peter sent him up the road a couple of weeks after that and went on to get another medal.

I suppose when I think of McKeever I think of the 2005 UFR and his behaviour still annoys me.  He should have been the only one sent off that day.

[Orior]

I will always remember McKeever's victory speech in Casement after Armagh won the U21 championship 

[Fuzzman]

He's a great defender and a strong player but he'll never be liked in Tyrone after the way he treated PTG.


http://www.rte.ie/sport/2005/0904/tyrone.html

Yet I supposed he increased the tension that year and duly got a chance to ram it back down his throat.
All teams need a player like him I suppose but you can just imagine him and Billy Sheehan from Laois in the tunnel alright
They were hardly swapping twitter details now were they but no doubt ye'll all come back at me with

"Where you at the game Fuzzman"
No I wasn't but I'm saying Billy and Ciaran were probably having a good wee natter during the whole game. Billy is no angel as we all know.

[Goats Do Shave]

I will always remember McKeever's victory speech in Casement after Armagh won the U21 championship 

Was the Ulster final in Casement that year? The AI final was in Breffni.

I still think McKeever saved wee Pete that day... sure all them big fellas could have stood on him.

[Agent Orange]

Armagh manager Paddy O'Rourke has spoken of his frustration as why the Orchard men were left with 14 men from half-time yesterday.

Armagh suffered their third straight Allianz Football League defeat when going down to Laois yesterday, with the Orchard County's woes compounded by the half-time dismissal of All-Ireland and two-time National League winner Ciarán McKeever.

"To lose the man at half-time was an incredibly bizarre decision," said O'Rourke.

"We honestly don't know why we lost him, he doesn't know why. He said nothing happened in the tunnel. Why we lost him I don't know."

With the teams ready for the second half, referee Michael Duffy issued a red card to the St Patrick's Cullyhanna clubman before he had thrown the ball in.

McKeever failed to leave the pitch until the arrival of Armagh selector Paul Grimley, who also protested to the Sligo whistler before he ushered McKeever towards the sideline.

Laois manager Justin McNulty, who was part of the Armagh squad alongside McKeever when they claimed league honours in 2004, said that McKeever was sent off because of an alleged strike in the tunnel at the break.

"There was an incident at half-time which the linesman happened to witness which Ciarán was sent off for," he said. "Ciarán will know when you do that sort of thing, you have to pay the consequences.

"It was a striking action in the tunnel which the linesman witnessed right next to him, so you pay the consequences for that."