Louth Grounds and Team Tactics - Disgraceful

agorm · April 07, 2014, 12:43:45 PM

As this is a GAA forum I just had to make a comment about a couple of things from the game in the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda.

1. State of the Grounds / Pitch. We all know that Louth grounds have the smallest capacity in the country but I wasn't expecting a setup that would be embarrassing to a decent club team. The gates beside the stand were not open and everyone was channelled through one entrance. Toilet facilities brough me back to the seventies. The so call terrace was a hill, similar to which is not even used in Navan.

2. State of The Pitch: Unbelievable that a NFL Div 2 game being played on a pitch not lined, flags useless as they were not upright and the grass too long. When this is coupled with a referee that couldn't keep up with the play it made for more dodgy decision making. I think that Meath should have refused to play on that pitch until it was lined.

3. Stone Age Tactics: I hope that the few Louth supporters that were actually at the game were embarrassed at the tactics employed by Aidan O'Rourke in which a player was sent out to intimidate and obstruct Graham Reilly for the whole game and eventually kicked him to the extent that Graham Reilly was taken off injured. It was so pathetic that the guy (surname also Reilly) ran away from his teammates when they had the ball so that he could go over and stand in front of Reilly. He also stood on the water bottle sent in to Graham Reilly and didnt even stop his squaring up to him even after obviously injuring him and getting a yellow card.

If that is the philosophy of Louth football no wonder they are in Division 3 with the worst facilities in the country.

Let's hope that Meath can continue the upward trajectory and not have to play football low life like this in the coming years.

Orior · April 07, 2014, 01:00:05 PM

What are you trying to say?

agorm · April 07, 2014, 01:54:57 PM

Thankfully it has been about 20 years since I was there and hopefully another 20 until I am there again. Think Brendan Reilly was targeted and stretchered off that day.

The gates beside the stand werent a big issue and, on their own arent worthy of a mention. The fact that they couldnt line the pitch does deserve mention. They should take a trip over to a few club grounds in Meath e.g. Trim, Ashbourne, Simonstown etc if they need lessons on how to prepare a pitch.

Lets hope for the decent GAA folk of Louth that the Co. Board do work on getting themselves county grounds worthy of the name. The truth is that with the main roads that go through the county it would be an ideal venue for many play off matches involving Northern teams.

Regarding the tactics, I am glad to see that they were an embarassment, I am sure the player himself didnt want to ge doing that and then he was substituted after Reilly got injued.

Wildweasel74 · April 07, 2014, 08:56:53 PM

grounds are very poor now, Louth run Derry very tight last year and drew with them the year before, i cant understand how they have fell away so bad as they seemed to have some handy players

IolarCoisCuain · April 07, 2014, 09:08:27 PM

Quote from: agorm on April 07, 2014, 12:43:45 PM
As this is a GAA forum I just had to make a comment about a couple of things from the game in the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda.

1. State of the Grounds / Pitch. We all know that Louth grounds have the smallest capacity in the country but I wasn't expecting a setup that would be embarrassing to a decent club team. The gates beside the stand were not open and everyone was channelled through one entrance. Toilet facilities brough me back to the seventies. The so call terrace was a hill, similar to which is not even used in Navan.

2. State of The Pitch: Unbelievable that a NFL Div 2 game being played on a pitch not lined, flags useless as they were not upright and the grass too long. When this is coupled with a referee that couldn't keep up with the play it made for more dodgy decision making. I think that Meath should have refused to play on that pitch until it was lined.

3. Stone Age Tactics: I hope that the few Louth supporters that were actually at the game were embarrassed at the tactics employed by Aidan O'Rourke in which a player was sent out to intimidate and obstruct Graham Reilly for the whole game and eventually kicked him to the extent that Graham Reilly was taken off injured. It was so pathetic that the guy (surname also Reilly) ran away from his teammates when they had the ball so that he could go over and stand in front of Reilly. He also stood on the water bottle sent in to Graham Reilly and didnt even stop his squaring up to him even after obviously injuring him and getting a yellow card.

If that is the philosophy of Louth football no wonder they are in Division 3 with the worst facilities in the country.

Let's hope that Meath can continue the upward trajectory and not have to play football low life like this in the coming years.

Target somebody? God forbid Meath would ever do that.

agorm · April 07, 2014, 10:13:55 PM

Quote from: IolarCoisCuain on April 07, 2014, 09:08:27 PM
Quote from: agorm on April 07, 2014, 12:43:45 PM
As this is a GAA forum I just had to make a comment about a couple of things from the game in the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda.

1. State of the Grounds / Pitch. We all know that Louth grounds have the smallest capacity in the country but I wasn't expecting a setup that would be embarrassing to a decent club team. The gates beside the stand were not open and everyone was channelled through one entrance. Toilet facilities brough me back to the seventies. The so call terrace was a hill, similar to which is not even used in Navan.

2. State of The Pitch: Unbelievable that a NFL Div 2 game being played on a pitch not lined, flags useless as they were not upright and the grass too long. When this is coupled with a referee that couldn't keep up with the play it made for more dodgy decision making. I think that Meath should have refused to play on that pitch until it was lined.

3. Stone Age Tactics: I hope that the few Louth supporters that were actually at the game were embarrassed at the tactics employed by Aidan O'Rourke in which a player was sent out to intimidate and obstruct Graham Reilly for the whole game and eventually kicked him to the extent that Graham Reilly was taken off injured. It was so pathetic that the guy (surname also Reilly) ran away from his teammates when they had the ball so that he could go over and stand in front of Reilly. He also stood on the water bottle sent in to Graham Reilly and didnt even stop his squaring up to him even after obviously injuring him and getting a yellow card.

If that is the philosophy of Louth football no wonder they are in Division 3 with the worst facilities in the country.

Let's hope that Meath can continue the upward trajectory and not have to play football low life like this in the coming years.

Target somebody? God forbid Meath would ever do that.

Any chance of an example where a Meath player played for the game the way that Louth marked G Reilly yesterday?

Mike Sheehy · April 07, 2014, 11:30:15 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1khn0OxDLA

Top 10 "disgraces" involving Meath and/or Louth

1) The state of the Louth pitch
2) attacking the ref
3) Carrying the ball across the line
4) Stone age tactics
5) declining requests for replays
6) Massive brawls (e.g Louth v Laois, Meath v Mayo)
7) Graham Geraghty's "wide" 45th minute point (what that you ask.....no idea......saw it on wiki!)
8)Dermot O'Brien being late for the All-Ireland
9) Disgraceful Meath fans singing disgraceful Ole's in 2001 semi (b**tards!)
10) Disgraceful attempt at a 3-man sandwich on Ger power than backfired
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q65ovD6zpo#t=0m48s

moysider · April 08, 2014, 12:31:23 AM

This has to be the funniest thread of all times.

armaghniac · April 08, 2014, 12:49:51 AM

The Boyne has long been contested.

thejuice · April 08, 2014, 06:46:33 AM

We didn't target anybody.

We targeted everybody.

Hardy · April 08, 2014, 07:52:04 AM

No point in us targeting anyone. We'd probably miss.

orangeman · April 08, 2014, 08:52:29 AM

Target Express was targeted by Meath men.

stibhan · April 08, 2014, 09:52:31 AM

Meath men complaining about 'targeting' players... the world has turned and left me here!

agorm · April 08, 2014, 12:24:41 PM

Quote from: stibhan on April 08, 2014, 09:52:31 AM
Meath men complaining about 'targeting' players... the world has turned and left me here!

Of course I have seen Mick Lyons etc in action. I was a fan of Lyons, Darren Fay, Kevin Foley. I wasn't a fan of Colm Coyle who I said on several occasions shouldn't play for Meath again. There were a couple of occasions that I was not happy with the tactics employed by Cormac Murphy.

I assume that you weren't at the game. Last Sunday was incredible. I have never before seen a player that seemed to have express instructions to avoid the ball at all costs. If his teammates had the ball and they were starting an attack and he was in a position to get the ball and assist the attack he was completely uninterested and just looking to run over to Graham Reilly. It was naive, childish, Stone Age tactics and it was great to see Reilly get two well taken crucial scores in spite of this attention. Only thing is he succeeded in putting Reilly out of the game.

Tbh, I am no longer as well up on the rules but I would have thought that this behaviour must have been worthy of the black card but maybe not.

Hound · April 08, 2014, 12:31:22 PM

Quote from: agorm on April 08, 2014, 12:24:41 PM
Quote from: stibhan on April 08, 2014, 09:52:31 AM
Meath men complaining about 'targeting' players... the world has turned and left me here!

Of course I have seen Mick Lyons etc in action. I was a fan of Lyons, Darren Fay, Kevin Foley. I wasn't a fan of Colm Coyle who I said on several occasions shouldn't play for Meath again. There were a couple of occasions that I was not happy with the tactics employed by Cormac Murphy.

I would have tagged Foley as being as bad as Coyle. But wouldnt have had a problem with anyone else. I would class Lyons as tough rather than dirty. Fay was class more than tough (although tough as well).

I'd blame the ref more than Louth for the weekend