Round 4 Qualfier: Armagh v Meath

[Nigel White]

What was the attendance?  I got soaked as I was sitting in row K of the Hogan. Mind you pints of Carlsberg at €5 a throw soon dried me out.  Must be the cheapest place for drink in Dublin

[illdecide]

What was the attendance?  I got soaked as I was sitting in row K of the Hogan. Mind you pints of Carlsberg at €5 a throw soon dried me out.  Must be the cheapest place for drink in Dublin

TGI's up near my hotel was €4 a pint of Bud

[Throw ball]

Enjoyed the game yesterday bar about 7-8 mins of the first half where we switched off but in fairness Meath hit a few cracker pts during that spell. Jamie Clarke didn't have a good game but keeping him on still takes the attention of the opposing teams best defenders... I thought S Campbell, A Mallon, big Charles where best for Armagh, A Kernan was quiet first half but had an impressive 2nd half. Some people around me were giving off when mistakes were made but it was obvious people like that never played the game as any player will tell you playing in them conditions yesterday would be impossible not to make mistakes.

I was very surprised with the crowd there yesterday, I thought Armagh had the biggest support there and we would have had the longest journey to make, def thought the double header would have attracted about 45000 but there you go. Looking forward to Donegal next week which will be a tough ask but we have a chance

Thought the same about Jamie when I was at the game. Then watched it on Sky+ when I got home and was surprised at how well he did play.

[INDIANA]

Ard Ri, you could be right about Cillian O'Sullivan. He could turn out to be a great footballer but I'd be a bit more cautious. He is no impressive than Graham Reilly or Damian Carroll were at their age. You might also have watched him for years but you haven't watched much of him in the last 2 because he was in Australia a lot of last year and injured since the middle of February this year. Again another reason to be cautious when rating him. He's missing a lot of football at a crucial age.

I agree with you there's no obvious evidence of progress and yesterday had a touch of the soullessness about it. But on the Ratoath thing, the underage teams have been dominated by players from Ratoath recently. I don't think there is any bias there. Daire Rowe is by all accounts a great prospect and I'm sure will get his chance in time. To be fair to you, the Joey Wallace thing hasn't worked but it was a gamble the management thought was worth making. Who knows what he was doing in training. If you've seen Cillian O'Sullivan for years, you've surely seen Wallace a bit too and he's been an obvious candidate as one who stands out.

I think when managers start talking about 5 year plans- you can forget about it.

Sean Collins in Clare has done more in one year in Clare then Meath have achieved in 2 years.

I can't understand why you'd get rid of experienced players even to bring off the bench. Especially when Meath's impact players this year have been so underwhelming its been beyond belief. Pace and skill have to go hand in hand. To me Meath are picking pace for the sake of it.

As I've said previously James Mc Entee is a fine player yet he's nowhere to be seen. So I don't know what the talent identification process is in Metah but having seen their u16 team recently they are set for a long spell in the doldrums.

[Sea The Stars]

Ard Ri, you could be right about Cillian O'Sullivan. He could turn out to be a great footballer but I'd be a bit more cautious. He is no impressive than Graham Reilly or Damian Carroll were at their age. You might also have watched him for years but you haven't watched much of him in the last 2 because he was in Australia a lot of last year and injured since the middle of February this year. Again another reason to be cautious when rating him. He's missing a lot of football at a crucial age.

I agree with you there's no obvious evidence of progress and yesterday had a touch of the soullessness about it. But on the Ratoath thing, the underage teams have been dominated by players from Ratoath recently. I don't think there is any bias there. Daire Rowe is by all accounts a great prospect and I'm sure will get his chance in time. To be fair to you, the Joey Wallace thing hasn't worked but it was a gamble the management thought was worth making. Who knows what he was doing in training. If you've seen Cillian O'Sullivan for years, you've surely seen Wallace a bit too and he's been an obvious candidate as one who stands out.

I think when managers start talking about 5 year plans- you can forget about it.

Sean Collins in Clare has done more in one year in Clare then Meath have achieved in 2 years.

I can't understand why you'd get rid of experienced players even to bring off the bench. Especially when Meath's impact players this year have been so underwhelming its been beyond belief. Pace and skill have to go hand in hand. To me Meath are picking pace for the sake of it.

As I've said previously James Mc Entee is a fine player yet he's nowhere to be seen. So I don't know what the talent identification process is in Metah but having seen their u16 team recently they are set for a long spell in the doldrums.

It's probably easier to say that as a Dublin supporter Indiana. I'd give Micko the benefit of the doubt and give him the 5 years. If you look at it, Meath got out of Division 3 and finished third in Division 2, two Leinster Finals have probably cemented Meath's status as second to Dublin in Leinster. It's not what the supporters will settle for but in my opinion it's not bad looking at the bigger picture with what's available.

James McEntee is a good youngster. He missed the u21 campaign with injury and only came into the senior panel after that. He's the same age group as Joey Wallace. Maybe he's unlucky not to be getting the chances Joey got. Also agree Meath are not going well at underage.

[INDIANA]

Ard Ri, you could be right about Cillian O'Sullivan. He could turn out to be a great footballer but I'd be a bit more cautious. He is no impressive than Graham Reilly or Damian Carroll were at their age. You might also have watched him for years but you haven't watched much of him in the last 2 because he was in Australia a lot of last year and injured since the middle of February this year. Again another reason to be cautious when rating him. He's missing a lot of football at a crucial age.

I agree with you there's no obvious evidence of progress and yesterday had a touch of the soullessness about it. But on the Ratoath thing, the underage teams have been dominated by players from Ratoath recently. I don't think there is any bias there. Daire Rowe is by all accounts a great prospect and I'm sure will get his chance in time. To be fair to you, the Joey Wallace thing hasn't worked but it was a gamble the management thought was worth making. Who knows what he was doing in training. If you've seen Cillian O'Sullivan for years, you've surely seen Wallace a bit too and he's been an obvious candidate as one who stands out.

I think when managers start talking about 5 year plans- you can forget about it.

Sean Collins in Clare has done more in one year in Clare then Meath have achieved in 2 years.

I can't understand why you'd get rid of experienced players even to bring off the bench. Especially when Meath's impact players this year have been so underwhelming its been beyond belief. Pace and skill have to go hand in hand. To me Meath are picking pace for the sake of it.

As I've said previously James Mc Entee is a fine player yet he's nowhere to be seen. So I don't know what the talent identification process is in Metah but having seen their u16 team recently they are set for a long spell in the doldrums.

It's probably easier to say that as a Dublin supporter Indiana. I'd give Micko the benefit of the doubt and give him the 5 years. If you look at it, Meath got out of Division 3 and finished third in Division 2, two Leinster Finals have probably cemented Meath's status as second to Dublin in Leinster. It's not what the supporters will settle for but in my opinion it's not bad looking at the bigger picture with what's available.

James McEntee is a good youngster. He missed the u21 campaign with injury and only came into the senior panel after that. He's the same age group as Joey Wallace. Maybe he's unlucky not to be getting the chances Joey got. Also agree Meath are not going well at underage.

But its more fixable in Meath then other  counties and it sure don't take 5 years.

You've a stack of clubs, not a lot of hurling to worry about. You need to pick your best players and forget 5 year plans. Focus on training your players correctly from a younger age.

But Mick O Dowd isn't going to see that part of it so he needs to forget about 5 year plans.

Just on Mc Entee he kicked 0-5 from play in the Dublin SFC for UCD. So he wasn't doing too badly.

What about the likes of Barry Dardis? Knows where the posts are. Put O Rourke in front of the goal instead of asking him to mark the fittest GAA player in Ireland. I really think your management have done a poor job this year.

[Sea The Stars]

Ard Ri, you could be right about Cillian O'Sullivan. He could turn out to be a great footballer but I'd be a bit more cautious. He is no impressive than Graham Reilly or Damian Carroll were at their age. You might also have watched him for years but you haven't watched much of him in the last 2 because he was in Australia a lot of last year and injured since the middle of February this year. Again another reason to be cautious when rating him. He's missing a lot of football at a crucial age.

I agree with you there's no obvious evidence of progress and yesterday had a touch of the soullessness about it. But on the Ratoath thing, the underage teams have been dominated by players from Ratoath recently. I don't think there is any bias there. Daire Rowe is by all accounts a great prospect and I'm sure will get his chance in time. To be fair to you, the Joey Wallace thing hasn't worked but it was a gamble the management thought was worth making. Who knows what he was doing in training. If you've seen Cillian O'Sullivan for years, you've surely seen Wallace a bit too and he's been an obvious candidate as one who stands out.

I think when managers start talking about 5 year plans- you can forget about it.

Sean Collins in Clare has done more in one year in Clare then Meath have achieved in 2 years.

I can't understand why you'd get rid of experienced players even to bring off the bench. Especially when Meath's impact players this year have been so underwhelming its been beyond belief. Pace and skill have to go hand in hand. To me Meath are picking pace for the sake of it.

As I've said previously James Mc Entee is a fine player yet he's nowhere to be seen. So I don't know what the talent identification process is in Metah but having seen their u16 team recently they are set for a long spell in the doldrums.

It's probably easier to say that as a Dublin supporter Indiana. I'd give Micko the benefit of the doubt and give him the 5 years. If you look at it, Meath got out of Division 3 and finished third in Division 2, two Leinster Finals have probably cemented Meath's status as second to Dublin in Leinster. It's not what the supporters will settle for but in my opinion it's not bad looking at the bigger picture with what's available.

James McEntee is a good youngster. He missed the u21 campaign with injury and only came into the senior panel after that. He's the same age group as Joey Wallace. Maybe he's unlucky not to be getting the chances Joey got. Also agree Meath are not going well at underage.

But its more fixable in Meath then other  counties and it sure don't take 5 years.

You've a stack of clubs, not a lot of hurling to worry about. You need to pick your best players and forget 5 year plans. Focus on training your players correctly from a younger age.

But Mick O Dowd isn't going to see that part of it so he needs to forget about 5 year plans.

Just on Mc Entee he kicked 0-5 from play in the Dublin SFC for UCD. So he wasn't doing too badly.

What about the likes of Barry Dardis? Knows where the posts are. Put O Rourke in front of the goal instead of asking him to mark the fittest GAA player in Ireland. I really think your management have done a poor job this year.

Yeah I couldn't understand why Dardis didn't start for the u21s. He's still u21 next year so he might get his chance then to shine.

I would agree too it's not the manager's job to be looking 5 years down the line. His job is get the best out of the team that particular year and someone else should be worrying about the future.

Still there's not much structure in Meath and maybe Micko is taking responsibility for that. I'm happy to see him remain. There's not much good changing the manager every 5 years.

[Jinxy]

Well done to Armagh, fully deserved their win.
Clueless stuff from us as usual.
Paddy O'Rourke, Keoghan, Tobin and Tormey can hold their heads up high in terms of their efforts this summer.
As for the rest of the squad and management, please see my comments following the Dublin game because I can't be arsed typing them out again.

[balladmaker]

Armagh going forward are a joy to watch, and Croke Park suits them with loads of space to attack, and always another man coming up on the shoulder to take the ball at speed.  They showed great composure in possession, and alot of them young lads with little or no experience of Croke Park.  From relegation to Div 3 a couple of months ago, to where Armagh are now is some transformation.

Jamie Clarke is worth his place every time should he never touch the ball.  The amount of times he pulls the opposition defence all over the place, and creates so much space for other forwards is unreal, he's a class act every time he touches the ball.  Campbell, Dyas, the Forkers, Carragher, Kernan's ... all are stepping up to the mark, and is the whole team.

Donegal will be a very tough nut to crack next Saturday, but Armagh have a chance.  It's all bonus territory from here on, no pressure on the team, they're obviously enjoying themselves at present, and long may they continue.

Would like to acknowledge the Meath supporters after yesterday's game, all very gracious in defeat, fair play lads.

[Harold Disgracey]

Taken from the Armagh discussion forum:

Right folks. Please take time to read this as I feel strongly about this.

Its been a long time since I posted a comment on this site, although I regularly link in to read all the various insightful (and some less insightful) contributions about our county players and county team's performances.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game last night and the result and also the Monaghan/Kildare match - I even found myself cheering when Monaghan scored their first goal!

Anyway, most of you will be familiar with the big "Garvaghy Road Orangemen On Tour" banner which the Breen brothers from Portadown have taken to Armagh matches all over the country for the past decade and and half. It has appeared at McKenna Cup matches, N/League matches, and Championship matches. You name the ground - that banner has been there - especially not far away from the goal end-lines where it has been seen on TV on countless times. The lads and their banner have seldom missed a game.

As genuine county fans, they have followed Armagh through the glory years and the lean years.

What many people do not know is that each time before they leave for an Armagh game, they go to St John's cemetery to place the Armagh flag over their brother's grave. He was an ardent Armagh fan who died too young.

That said, I don't know how many of you saw or noticed the incident involving the Breens in Croke Park at Saturday's match. The lads had spread their banner across several rows of empty seats in the old Canal End (now the Davin stand).

Given the ongoing and horrific events in the Middle East, the Breen brothers had added four words to their banner -"We Stand With Gaza" - along with a Palestinian flag.

At half-time, Croke Park officials - not the stewards, but the well-paid men in green jackets - sought to remove the banner. When the Breen's refused, 'the men in green jackets' threatened them with the Gardai.

The Gardai dutifully arrived and threatened them with arrest.

Sitting at the far end of the Cusack Stand, myself and a number of other fans were too far away to help the lads.

Clearly, such a banner was deemed by 'the men in green jackets' as possibly upsetting to some SKY viewers.

After a lot of arguing, the lads reluctantly removed the banner.

However, during the second half, when all "officialdom" had left the area in the belief that the brothers had been cowered, they again spread their banner out once more where it stayed until the final whistle. And at the final whistle, they raised aloft the Palestinian flag.

Next Saturday, Armagh are back in Croke Park - its been a long time since we've been there two weekends in a row!!

The Breen bothers will also be back with their banner.

Yes, I know there are those who say you shouldn't mix sport and politics.

But opening up Croke Park to other games was done for political as well as financial reasons.

Inviting and hosting the British (or as our Celtic cousins in Scotland would say) the English Queen to Croke Park was done for political as well as 'national reconciliation' reasons.

Putting "We Stand With Gaza" on a banner may be political to some, but given the civilian death toll and the hundreds of children slaughtered there, it is also a very basic humanitarian sentiment shared by tens of thousands of ordinary GAA members, players and supporters.

Saturday's 'Irish News' (2/9/14) had an article on page 7 stating that the Michaela Harte Foundation had launched an appeal to help those children suffering in Gaza. Michaela's widower, John McAreavey, was quoted as stating that he had been "horrified by the death and destruction in Gaza".

I have no doubt that, at some time in the near future, John and the Michaela Harte Foundation will most likely seek to promote that cause in Croke Park.

Just like the Breen brothers who have also been horrified by the death and destruction in Gaza.

Hopefully, the Breens will stand with their banner behind the Goals in Hill 16 next week.

All I am asking is that Armagh, Donegal, Dublin and Monaghan fans all stand firmly beside the Breen brothers next week in case 'the men in green jackets' try to stop their banner's message from offending the sensitivities of some SKY viweres.

If we all stand together, 'the men in green jackets' will not be as keen in enforcing their petty censorship.

[BennyCake]

The buckfast brigade was out in full force last night I noticed.

The language from a small number of Armagh fans was digusting. I thought it was drunk teens, but no, middle aged folk. No doubt attending their first Armagh match in 10 years. I also noticed a small number give the ref dogs abuse, and standing up giving the middle finger towards the play. Embarrassing is not the word.

I know all counties have them, but try to remember theres young kids about. When people resort to this behaviour, they're not only letting themselves down, but their county too.

[illdecide]

The buckfast brigade was out in full force last night I noticed.

The language from a small number of Armagh fans was digusting. I thought it was drunk teens, but no, middle aged folk. No doubt attending their first Armagh match in 10 years. I also noticed a small number give the ref dogs abuse, and standing up giving the middle finger towards the play. Embarrassing is not the word.

I know all counties have them, but try to remember theres young kids about. When people resort to this behaviour, they're not only letting themselves down, but their county too.

Couldn't agree more... I seen a few in the lower Hogan who could hardly stand...def embarrassing alright as the other counties look at the rest of us sober guys and tar us all with the same brush...

[armaghniac]

The buckfast brigade was out in full force last night I noticed.

The language from a small number of Armagh fans was digusting. I thought it was drunk teens, but no, middle aged folk. No doubt attending their first Armagh match in 10 years. I also noticed a small number give the ref dogs abuse, and standing up giving the middle finger towards the play. Embarrassing is not the word.

I know all counties have them, but try to remember theres young kids about. When people resort to this behaviour, they're not only letting themselves down, but their county too.

The plonker with the giant umbrella who stood up halfway through the half in the middle of the Cusack Stand and argued with all around him and stewards is also an example of the type of "fan" that we could do without. No genuine fan would obstruct the view of others.

[heffo]

Political banners have no place in Croke Park or any other GAA ground.

[manfromdelmonte]

Taken from the Armagh discussion forum:

Right folks. Please take time to read this as I feel strongly about this.

Its been a long time since I posted a comment on this site, although I regularly link in to read all the various insightful (and some less insightful) contributions about our county players and county team's performances.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game last night and the result and also the Monaghan/Kildare match - I even found myself cheering when Monaghan scored their first goal!

Anyway, most of you will be familiar with the big "Garvaghy Road Orangemen On Tour" banner which the Breen brothers from Portadown have taken to Armagh matches all over the country for the past decade and and half. It has appeared at McKenna Cup matches, N/League matches, and Championship matches. You name the ground - that banner has been there - especially not far away from the goal end-lines where it has been seen on TV on countless times. The lads and their banner have seldom missed a game.

As genuine county fans, they have followed Armagh through the glory years and the lean years.

What many people do not know is that each time before they leave for an Armagh game, they go to St John's cemetery to place the Armagh flag over their brother's grave. He was an ardent Armagh fan who died too young.

That said, I don't know how many of you saw or noticed the incident involving the Breens in Croke Park at Saturday's match. The lads had spread their banner across several rows of empty seats in the old Canal End (now the Davin stand).

Given the ongoing and horrific events in the Middle East, the Breen brothers had added four words to their banner -"We Stand With Gaza" - along with a Palestinian flag.

At half-time, Croke Park officials - not the stewards, but the well-paid men in green jackets - sought to remove the banner. When the Breen's refused, 'the men in green jackets' threatened them with the Gardai.

The Gardai dutifully arrived and threatened them with arrest.

Sitting at the far end of the Cusack Stand, myself and a number of other fans were too far away to help the lads.

Clearly, such a banner was deemed by 'the men in green jackets' as possibly upsetting to some SKY viewers.

After a lot of arguing, the lads reluctantly removed the banner.

However, during the second half, when all "officialdom" had left the area in the belief that the brothers had been cowered, they again spread their banner out once more where it stayed until the final whistle. And at the final whistle, they raised aloft the Palestinian flag.

Next Saturday, Armagh are back in Croke Park - its been a long time since we've been there two weekends in a row!!

The Breen bothers will also be back with their banner.

Yes, I know there are those who say you shouldn't mix sport and politics.

But opening up Croke Park to other games was done for political as well as financial reasons.

Inviting and hosting the British (or as our Celtic cousins in Scotland would say) the English Queen to Croke Park was done for political as well as 'national reconciliation' reasons.

Putting "We Stand With Gaza" on a banner may be political to some, but given the civilian death toll and the hundreds of children slaughtered there, it is also a very basic humanitarian sentiment shared by tens of thousands of ordinary GAA members, players and supporters.

Saturday's 'Irish News' (2/9/14) had an article on page 7 stating that the Michaela Harte Foundation had launched an appeal to help those children suffering in Gaza. Michaela's widower, John McAreavey, was quoted as stating that he had been "horrified by the death and destruction in Gaza".

I have no doubt that, at some time in the near future, John and the Michaela Harte Foundation will most likely seek to promote that cause in Croke Park.

Just like the Breen brothers who have also been horrified by the death and destruction in Gaza.

Hopefully, the Breens will stand with their banner behind the Goals in Hill 16 next week.

All I am asking is that Armagh, Donegal, Dublin and Monaghan fans all stand firmly beside the Breen brothers next week in case 'the men in green jackets' try to stop their banner's message from offending the sensitivities of some SKY viweres.

If we all stand together, 'the men in green jackets' will not be as keen in enforcing their petty censorship.

what has Gaza got to do with their brother's grave?