Playing at home for the rest of the Season (year)!

[Thisonegoesto11]

I'm all for letting as many people as possible in to games so until their is a 40k stadium in Leinster taking the Dubs out of Croker isn't really an option. Would the DCB ever look to build a 40k stadium in Dublin? With a cap on tickets you'd be guaranteed a great atmosphere under lights and it would probably be close to sold out for league games.

What I do have an issue with is Dublin being guaranteed the same dressing room and end to warm up in wheras it's a lottery for the other 32 counties if they are not playing Dublin. As AZ said

familiarity breeds comfort, comfort breeds confidence and confidence breeds performance.

p.s. we don't get enough reminders on here of Dublin's blood lines and their tradition, great post easytiger.

Dressing rooms are important to Maria Carey but didn't surely no big deal for GAA Footballers
(If they do, throwing Diva like tantrums is the way to get a better dressing room). 

Dublin often start badly. However if they start well, dressing rooms and warm up areas are factors? Players in high tempo games don't suddenly remember their warm up routine or the comforting aroma of their dressing room. Cannot think of a Croke Park game that didn't play out or twist by events on the pitch.

It just boils down to one team against another.

Familiarity breeds comfort, comfort breeds confidence and confidence breeds performance.

Presumably this is only important since 2011? Or was it even a factor when we lost regulary?

Oh it has always been unfair that Dublin get favouritism over every other county in Ireland regarding their match day preparations in Croke Park.

You could maybe, MAYBE, swallow the fact that they like to warm up in front of the Hill but why in the name of Jaysus should they get allocated the same dressing room for each of their visits there when it is a lottery for every other county in Ireland (when they're not playing the Dubs of course)?

No Dub fan will have an issue with Changing dressing rooms or moving games . We have a very good team and firmly believe it make no difference. Croke Park won't win us an All-Ireland and moving us away won't prevent it.
A better team on the day will be our undoing.

No other AI champion has to endure all this nit picking. More reasons will be touted if success continues . Last year we had the McStay punditry of timing Cluxton's free kicks!  Dublin can change rooms/stadiums. Then the focus will shift to free kicks we get , sponsorships, populations, facilities, proximity to an international airport and the  bias of having Ciaran Whelan as a panelist. It'll be relentless until someone gives us a hiding in a game of football.

This is not a nit picking agenda at Dublin or their fans. Hell, if I was offered an edge I'd take it too. Can't fathom how arrangements like this can happen in what is supposed to be a neutral stadium.

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

[AZOffaly]

Thisone, (I'm still not going to type out the full name is it your belief that Dublin garner NO benefit from playing all championship and home league games in Croke Park?

[Banter Panther]

No other AI champion has to endure all this nit picking.

What about Kerry? All their All-Irelands since 1903 have been soft. Cheer up sunshine, it could always be worse.

[Hound]

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

The dressing room argument is a nonsense. All the dressing rooms in Croker are of an equal standard. Since the Spring Series started it just made sense for Dublin to stick with the same one.

Equally people complaining about the Dubs always warming up in front of the Hill are just lazy moaners. Why on earth would the opposition want to warm up in front of Dublin's core fanbase?? There's absolutely no advantage to it. The Mayo wans lauding their attempts to take the Hill in that semi-final as if it was some kind of victory must have clouded memories. It had no bearing on the game, or if it had, it would have been Mayo who were imapcted negatively as they are the ones who started slowly. But I honestly doubt they would have started any better or worse had they gone down to the Canal End initially, and certainly their excellent 2nd half comeback and victory had absolutely nothing to do with where the warm-ups took place!

[Croí na hÉireann]

I'm all for letting as many people as possible in to games so until their is a 40k stadium in Leinster taking the Dubs out of Croker isn't really an option. Would the DCB ever look to build a 40k stadium in Dublin? With a cap on tickets you'd be guaranteed a great atmosphere under lights and it would probably be close to sold out for league games.

What I do have an issue with is Dublin being guaranteed the same dressing room and end to warm up in wheras it's a lottery for the other 32 counties if they are not playing Dublin. As AZ said

familiarity breeds comfort, comfort breeds confidence and confidence breeds performance.

p.s. we don't get enough reminders on here of Dublin's blood lines and their tradition, great post easytiger.

Dressing rooms are important to Maria Carey but didn't surely no big deal for GAA Footballers
(If they do, throwing Diva like tantrums is the way to get a better dressing room). 

Dublin often start badly. However if they start well, dressing rooms and warm up areas are factors? Players in high tempo games don't suddenly remember their warm up routine or the comforting aroma of their dressing room. Cannot think of a Croke Park game that didn't play out or twist by events on the pitch.

It just boils down to one team against another.

Familiarity breeds comfort, comfort breeds confidence and confidence breeds performance.

Presumably this is only important since 2011? Or was it even a factor when we lost regulary?

Oh it has always been unfair that Dublin get favouritism over every other county in Ireland regarding their match day preparations in Croke Park.

You could maybe, MAYBE, swallow the fact that they like to warm up in front of the Hill but why in the name of Jaysus should they get allocated the same dressing room for each of their visits there when it is a lottery for every other county in Ireland (when they're not playing the Dubs of course)?

No Dub fan will have an issue with Changing dressing rooms or moving games . We have a very good team and firmly believe it make no difference. Croke Park won't win us an All-Ireland and moving us away won't prevent it.
A better team on the day will be our undoing.

No other AI champion has to endure all this nit picking. More reasons will be touted if success continues . Last year we had the McStay punditry of timing Cluxton's free kicks!  Dublin can change rooms/stadiums. Then the focus will shift to free kicks we get , sponsorships, populations, facilities, proximity to an international airport and the  bias of having Ciaran Whelan as a panelist. It'll be relentless until someone gives us a hiding in a game of football.

This is not a nit picking agenda at Dublin or their fans. Hell, if I was offered an edge I'd take it too. Can't fathom how arrangements like this can happen in what is supposed to be a neutral stadium.

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

Dermot Earley spoke last year of coming out of dressing rooms and not knowing which way it was to the pitch. Dublin never have this dilemma. It has to benefit Dublin over other counties, small margins but still a margin.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

The dressing room argument is a nonsense. All the dressing rooms in Croker are of an equal standard. Since the Spring Series started it just made sense for Dublin to stick with the same one.

Equally people complaining about the Dubs always warming up in front of the Hill are just lazy moaners. Why on earth would the opposition want to warm up in front of Dublin's core fanbase?? There's absolutely no advantage to it. The Mayo wans lauding their attempts to take the Hill in that semi-final as if it was some kind of victory must have clouded memories. It had no bearing on the game, or if it had, it would have been Mayo who were imapcted negatively as they are the ones who started slowly. But I honestly doubt they would have started any better or worse had they gone down to the Canal End initially, and certainly their excellent 2nd half comeback and victory had absolutely nothing to do with where the warm-ups took place!

You're asking the wrong question Hound. The question to be asked is "Why should Dublin be the only county in Ireland who are guaranteed the same end to warm up in, in what is supposed to be a neutral stadium?"

[ballinaman]

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

The dressing room argument is a nonsense. All the dressing rooms in Croker are of an equal standard. Since the Spring Series started it just made sense for Dublin to stick with the same one.

Equally people complaining about the Dubs always warming up in front of the Hill are just lazy moaners. Why on earth would the opposition want to warm up in front of Dublin's core fanbase?? There's absolutely no advantage to it. The Mayo wans lauding their attempts to take the Hill in that semi-final as if it was some kind of victory must have clouded memories. It had no bearing on the game, or if it had, it would have been Mayo who were imapcted negatively as they are the ones who started slowly. But I honestly doubt they would have started any better or worse had they gone down to the Canal End initially, and certainly their excellent 2nd half comeback and victory had absolutely nothing to do with where the warm-ups took place!

Went 4 points to no score up actually, took Dublin around 15 mins to score first point...Conal Keaney blasting over the I think....

[Dinny Breen]

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

The dressing room argument is a nonsense. All the dressing rooms in Croker are of an equal standard. Since the Spring Series started it just made sense for Dublin to stick with the same one.

Equally people complaining about the Dubs always warming up in front of the Hill are just lazy moaners. Why on earth would the opposition want to warm up in front of Dublin's core fanbase?? There's absolutely no advantage to it. The Mayo wans lauding their attempts to take the Hill in that semi-final as if it was some kind of victory must have clouded memories. It had no bearing on the game, or if it had, it would have been Mayo who were imapcted negatively as they are the ones who started slowly. But I honestly doubt they would have started any better or worse had they gone down to the Canal End initially, and certainly their excellent 2nd half comeback and victory had absolutely nothing to do with where the warm-ups took place!

There is a science to everything, 100% that incident affected Dublin, Pillar Caffrey the Dublin manager lost the plot ffs.  Dublin failed to manage their energy, they were angry and not a place you want to be in, they were too up for after that incident. Everything is related to performance control the controllables and the warm-up is a controllable, Dublin were affected, of course it affected their performance.

Sport isn't about the most talented team or individual, it's about the mental, physical, tactical, lifestyle and technical.  Jim Gavin recognises this probably more than any other manager in the country, there's a reason why Dublin's backroom team is so big.

[easytiger95]

Not too much left to contribute on this one except

1. Dressing room argument is absolutely crazy - the dressing rooms in Croker are mirror images of each other and have identical facilitities, med rooms, warm up areas. Dressing rooms can be in an issue in say a provincial final in a neutral venue - don't know whether Semple has a home (and thus a more comfortable) dressing room but I could see it meaning something there. One thing you're guaranteed at Croker is exactly the same facilities as the Dubs, or whoever your opponent may be.

2. People are saying the Dubs have an advantage yet it has never been an issue up until this year. Now something is either inherently unfair or it is not and it should have been addressed years back.  To kick up about it now that we are winning does smack of sour grapes, whether intended or not. You should have got on to your county boards long before now to rectify this situation if it was unfair. However, home advantage, debatable as it is, is nowhere near as inherently unequal as having to win less matches to get the same title. As counties like Kerry use to their advantage.

3. Some lads are talking about the advantage the Dubs have of sleeping in their own beds. Lord Jaysis lads, this is scraping the bottom of the barrel. the Dubs play away matches in the League. their opponents in Leinster are usually well able to travel on the day - or you should ask Sean Boylan about how he felt travelling the night before bonded his team. And as for when it gets to the All Ireland series, if this is such an issue, lobby your county board to have the quarter finals taken out of Croker. Or to move the National Stadium. Saying the dubs have an advantage because of where they were born is more than slightly ridiculous.

[Thisonegoesto11]

No other AI champion has to endure all this nit picking.

What about Kerry? All their All-Irelands since 1903 have been soft. Cheer up sunshine, it could always be worse.

At least by saying they are soft , it is football related

Even talking about how many more games some teams have to play carries more weight than e.g where a game is played.  (although I personally see no significance in either).

[Thisonegoesto11]

I'm all for letting as many people as possible in to games so until their is a 40k stadium in Leinster taking the Dubs out of Croker isn't really an option. Would the DCB ever look to build a 40k stadium in Dublin? With a cap on tickets you'd be guaranteed a great atmosphere under lights and it would probably be close to sold out for league games.

What I do have an issue with is Dublin being guaranteed the same dressing room and end to warm up in wheras it's a lottery for the other 32 counties if they are not playing Dublin. As AZ said

familiarity breeds comfort, comfort breeds confidence and confidence breeds performance.

p.s. we don't get enough reminders on here of Dublin's blood lines and their tradition, great post easytiger.

Dressing rooms are important to Maria Carey but didn't surely no big deal for GAA Footballers
(If they do, throwing Diva like tantrums is the way to get a better dressing room). 

Dublin often start badly. However if they start well, dressing rooms and warm up areas are factors? Players in high tempo games don't suddenly remember their warm up routine or the comforting aroma of their dressing room. Cannot think of a Croke Park game that didn't play out or twist by events on the pitch.

It just boils down to one team against another.

Familiarity breeds comfort, comfort breeds confidence and confidence breeds performance.

Presumably this is only important since 2011? Or was it even a factor when we lost regulary?

Oh it has always been unfair that Dublin get favouritism over every other county in Ireland regarding their match day preparations in Croke Park.

You could maybe, MAYBE, swallow the fact that they like to warm up in front of the Hill but why in the name of Jaysus should they get allocated the same dressing room for each of their visits there when it is a lottery for every other county in Ireland (when they're not playing the Dubs of course)?

No Dub fan will have an issue with Changing dressing rooms or moving games . We have a very good team and firmly believe it make no difference. Croke Park won't win us an All-Ireland and moving us away won't prevent it.
A better team on the day will be our undoing.

No other AI champion has to endure all this nit picking. More reasons will be touted if success continues . Last year we had the McStay punditry of timing Cluxton's free kicks!  Dublin can change rooms/stadiums. Then the focus will shift to free kicks we get , sponsorships, populations, facilities, proximity to an international airport and the  bias of having Ciaran Whelan as a panelist. It'll be relentless until someone gives us a hiding in a game of football.

This is not a nit picking agenda at Dublin or their fans. Hell, if I was offered an edge I'd take it too. Can't fathom how arrangements like this can happen in what is supposed to be a neutral stadium.

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

Dermot Earley spoke last year of coming out of dressing rooms and not knowing which way it was to the pitch. Dublin never have this dilemma. It has to benefit Dublin over other counties, small margins but still a margin.

Think it was Johnny Doyle who said that? It got laughed out of it in some quarters. He said something along the lines of not knowing which way to go to the pitch.
"Follow your ears Johnny...it 's that bit of light at the end of the tunnel. You'll know it where you are when you get there."

[Bensars]

This arguement occurs every year.

Its only an issue now, when Dublin are winning. The same conditions were in place when Tyrone ,Kerry and Armagh were beating Dublin. If anything back then it was probably more of a hinderance to Dublin.

Some items from memory, Cosgrove missing the pressure free into the hill.  The bluster and march  to the hill before games during Caffreys reign. If anything the weight of expectation has been a curse, and they have underachieved over a 30 year period ( bar the last few )

[Thisonegoesto11]

Fair enough Croí. No idea how dressing rooms are decided but each County should complain if an issue.
Does the dressing room really bother players? (assuming layouts etc are the same).
Either way no one could quantify any benefits. It aids a good start, better morale, worth an extra point or two, etc. 
Can't really benefit one team over another. Unless it is just the principle of the arrangement which I can understand

The dressing room argument is a nonsense. All the dressing rooms in Croker are of an equal standard. Since the Spring Series started it just made sense for Dublin to stick with the same one.

Equally people complaining about the Dubs always warming up in front of the Hill are just lazy moaners. Why on earth would the opposition want to warm up in front of Dublin's core fanbase?? There's absolutely no advantage to it. The Mayo wans lauding their attempts to take the Hill in that semi-final as if it was some kind of victory must have clouded memories. It had no bearing on the game, or if it had, it would have been Mayo who were imapcted negatively as they are the ones who started slowly. But I honestly doubt they would have started any better or worse had they gone down to the Canal End initially, and certainly their excellent 2nd half comeback and victory had absolutely nothing to do with where the warm-ups took place!

There is a science to everything, 100% that incident affected Dublin, Pillar Caffrey the Dublin manager lost the plot ffs.  Dublin failed to manage their energy, they were angry and not a place you want to be in, they were too up for after that incident. Everything is related to performance control the controllables and the warm-up is a controllable, Dublin were affected, of course it affected their performance.

Sport isn't about the most talented team or individual, it's about the mental, physical, tactical, lifestyle and technical.  Jim Gavin recognises this probably more than any other manager in the country, there's a reason why Dublin's backroom team is so big.

Sorry but that is mytholgy/good story taking over the facts.
Dublin threw away an 8 pt lead (?) and got beaten by a wonder Mcdonald point. Did the players on both sides suddenly realise the impact of the earlier incident -  after about 60 minutes of the game?
Dublin fell apart and Mayo got renewed determination. I don't think so but it will make a good story in years to come..

[AZOffaly]

Not too much left to contribute on this one except

1. Dressing room argument is absolutely crazy - the dressing rooms in Croker are mirror images of each other and have identical facilitities, med rooms, warm up areas. Dressing rooms can be in an issue in say a provincial final in a neutral venue - don't know whether Semple has a home (and thus a more comfortable) dressing room but I could see it meaning something there. One thing you're guaranteed at Croker is exactly the same facilities as the Dubs, or whoever your opponent may be.

2. People are saying the Dubs have an advantage yet it has never been an issue up until this year. Now something is either inherently unfair or it is not and it should have been addressed years back.  To kick up about it now that we are winning does smack of sour grapes, whether intended or not. You should have got on to your county boards long before now to rectify this situation if it was unfair. However, home advantage, debatable as it is, is nowhere near as inherently unequal as having to win less matches to get the same title. As counties like Kerry use to their advantage.

3. Some lads are talking about the advantage the Dubs have of sleeping in their own beds. Lord Jaysis lads, this is scraping the bottom of the barrel. the Dubs play away matches in the League. their opponents in Leinster are usually well able to travel on the day - or you should ask Sean Boylan about how he felt travelling the night before bonded his team. And as for when it gets to the All Ireland series, if this is such an issue, lobby your county board to have the quarter finals taken out of Croker. Or to move the National Stadium. Saying the dubs have an advantage because of where they were born is more than slightly ridiculous.

easytiger, I think this has possibly run far beyond the point when it had a point, so this will be my last post because I'm sick of people saying I have some sort of ax to grind against Dublin.  For the umpteenth time, nobody has said that Dublin are winning because they are playing in Croke Park all the time.

What I have said, and will stand over until the cows come home, is that routine is very important to top sportsmen. A familiar routine, doing everything the same way, every big game you play is absolutely a comfort and an advantage. A large, partisan 'home' following is also an advantage (although I do accept the 'crowd getting on their back' exception to the rule). Anyone who denies that this is the case is either just denying it for the sake of it, or oblivious to the sort of thing that goes on in players heads.

Now, as an aside to that, I have also said that I would like to see the earlier rounds played out of Croke Park to increase the sense of occasion, to encourage fuller grounds with better atmospheres. This does not mean that I think the Dubs would fall victim to Wicklow below in Aughrim, far from it, but I do think it would enhance the championship as an event. It would also have the side effect of giving Croke Park back some of its mystique.

I have no doubt that the Dubs would embrace playing early championship rounds down the country. They are a fine team and wouldn't give a shite about facing Laois in Portlaoise.

Also, in a related topic, I'd have Dublin play their league games in Parnell Park. Croke Park is not their home venue, it's the HQ of the GAA. I've no real issue with the whole Super Saturday launches or whatever, but a league game in a 3/4 empty Croker is hardly a big deal either.

Lastly, just to pick up on your point about 'Now we're winning so everyone is whinging'. That's not the case. I've said it since Dublin's league games moved to Croke Park that that would be a big help to players coming onto the Dublin panel. Also in the past, Dublin did play championship matches (and won most of them) down the country. In fact I remember wanting Meath to beat Dublin in that 1991 epic because we were down to play Dublin in the minor semi final. If the Dubs won, we'd have been in Portlaoise. Because Meath won, we got a run out at Croker. So in the 'old days' the Dubs were more of a travelling roadshow and didn't get the same sense of home cooking that they do now. I can't even see how this is being debated to be honest. I'll ask the question again, do people honestly believe that playing every game in Croke Park (apart from away league games) is NOT an advantage?

[Banter Panther]

Dublin are better than everybody. Nobody can see into the future. They won't be better than everybody for ever. They mightn't even win the Championship. They won't win five in a row. Remember Donegal's unbeatable 2012 team? The team that were unbeatable until last year? They now have a degree in losing games. They were awarded a Masters after getting the Shane Curran kicked out of them by Mayo. Cheer up boys and girls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLX_6WwXFUI