The State Of Gaelic Football

[Schkite]

Dublin's last game is in clones against Monaghan. A lot of people like myself would normally go, but watching last Saturday night was bad enough. Don't need to watch same defensive s**te again and see one team win 7-6 on a bank holiday weekend. Far more interesting things to do like watch paint dry!

Why would you automatically assume all Ulster sides will play the same way? Apart from the game away to Donegal, Monaghan have been involved in some quite good games this league.

Last year against dublin it was the same ultra defensive tactic. 13/14 men behind the ball. Any dublin kick out Monaghan dropped almost every player back behind their 45m line. On this message board the only ones who seem to enjoy watching this era of blanket defences seem to be from Ulster. I can't think of anything more depressing going to games knowing it's going to be dour battle between 2 teams playing 13-2 formation looking for a victory by 5-4 or something equivalently boring. No enjoyment in that & must be depressing as hell as a forward to be train and work your guts out to make a county panel/team only to be told to play as defender and be expected to spend more time in your own half than the oppositions

Yes that was one game from last year, one week previously we played out an entertaining high-scoring game with Kildare. Against Dublin that approach was deemed to be our best chance at the start of the game against what was at the time a rampant Dubs side who looked unstoppable. Obviously it didn't work out too well that day but there you go.

Now I'm not saying we play free flowing football week after week, but your original post was a lazy stereotype about a whole province, when you've clearly watched little football involving the teams you're giving out about. The example you've used to back up your point is a game from last year involving your own county. As Throw ball said, Monaghan-Cork was an entertaining game played only weeks ago.

The whole anti-Ulster shite is wearing thin. There's plenty more counties around the country playing defensively, and equally Ulster counties don't set up with 14 men behind the ball each and every game. Of course I'd love to see free flowing football between all counties every week but not all counties have equal quality and resources.

[screenexile]

https://vodhls.rasset.ie/manifest/audio/2015/0330/20150330_rte2fm-gameon-mondaysgam_c20754805_20754806_261_.m3u8

Brolly tells Mickey Harte to f**k off and says he's not going to any more Derry matches while they play like that!

Hard to argue with his premise. I wonder has anyone who has played this way found it enjoyable??

[Throw ball]

Dublin's last game is in clones against Monaghan. A lot of people like myself would normally go, but watching last Saturday night was bad enough. Don't need to watch same defensive s**te again and see one team win 7-6 on a bank holiday weekend. Far more interesting things to do like watch paint dry!

Why would you automatically assume all Ulster sides will play the same way? Apart from the game away to Donegal, Monaghan have been involved in some quite good games this league.

Last year against dublin it was the same ultra defensive tactic. 13/14 men behind the ball. Any dublin kick out Monaghan dropped almost every player back behind their 45m line. On this message board the only ones who seem to enjoy watching this era of blanket defences seem to be from Ulster. I can't think of anything more depressing going to games knowing it's going to be dour battle between 2 teams playing 13-2 formation looking for a victory by 5-4 or something equivalently boring. No enjoyment in that & must be depressing as hell as a forward to be train and work your guts out to make a county panel/team only to be told to play as defender and be expected to spend more time in your own half than the oppositions

Just looked at the division 1 tables there. Dublin matches this year have seen an average of 0.5 points per game scored than Derry matches. And Derry have been crap. Dublin seem to have a bigger problem in the entertainment stakes than playing Ulster teams.

[theticklemister]

I believe when Michael Murphy retires he will come out and state he did not enjoy his football as he didn't get to express himself  as good he knows (and we know) he can play.

[theticklemister]

https://vodhls.rasset.ie/manifest/audio/2015/0330/20150330_rte2fm-gameon-mondaysgam_c20754805_20754806_261_.m3u8

Brolly tells Mickey Harte to f**k off and says he's not going to any more Derry matches while they play like that!

Hard to argue with his premise. I wonder has anyone who has played this way found it enjoyable??

I believe when Michael Murphy retires he will come out and state he did not enjoy his football as he didn't get to express himself  as good he knows (and we know) he can play.

[Mike Sheehy]

If Nordie teams concentrated on developing the skills of Gaelic football we would not be at this impasse.

Why are they so scared of playing football as it should be played ?

[cadhlancian]

Wum

[AZOffaly]

Kevin Cassidy has been fairly critical of this approach as well on twitter.

[ck]

If Nordie teams concentrated on developing the skills of Gaelic football we would not be at this impasse.

Why are they so scared of playing football as it should be played ?

What an idiotic statement. Skill levels have never been higher. Coaching courses in Ulster are streets ahead of the other provinces, that's why I drive from Sligo to them. The issue is the tactics used inside the rules of the game. Nothing will change until the rules do. No manager or coach is doing anything wrong. We are guided by the rules and it's the rules that decide how the game is played.

[blewuporstuffed]

What rule change would you suggest?

[JoG2]

Cassidy, Brolly, Narkinson and a million and 1 other interneters, who have really important stuff to say , every hour of every day, only have  a limited amount of material to work with. Derry play the only blanket defence game I've seen in my time of going to matches (early 80s) and its a godsend for these folk. Derry will go back to the norm against Cork on Sunday and Down in June.

There is mass hysteria from the Dubs as they know they will get dumped out on their ear again this year when playing against a side well versed in the defensive game despite having invested an incredible amount of money trying to win Sam. 

[CavanCola]

Seeing as gaelic football seems to be morphing into an ultra defensive gig the game plan of which is now the same as other games like basketball in particular. How about introducing a 2 or a 3 pointer line out the field? It would reward long range point shooting and possibly reduce the emphasis on defence.

[Keyser soze]

My God there are some shite talkers on here spouting nonsense. Quoting Kevin Cassidy! And Joe Brolly! Sure them two spoofers will be saying the complete opposite next week. Didnt Joe Brolly make the most withering personal attack on Grimley when he was managing Armagh for not setting up defensively against Cavan a couple of years ago.

And fantasising that Michael Murphy will be regretting his role for Doneagal playing defensively. A role which has took him within  a hair of a 2nd Celtic cross. What a pile of steaming sh**e.

Reading this board is like going to a county match and having to listen to the most astonishing drivel from people who have most obviously never played football and go to one or two matches a year at most, and are then are espousing the latest crackpot theory they've seen on last week's SG as if it's their own original and dearly held thoughts.

[AZOffaly]

So you're in favour of it so? And I think you'd find there's a fair bit of football played by people on this board too.

As I said earlier on, from the persepective of winning the games, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

From the perspective of trying to keep our game popular, and keep people wanting to watch and play it, there's a lot wrong with that sort of spectacle.

It's my belief that as soon as the GAA perceive a risk of people walking away from the game as punters or TV viewers, something will change. They'll probably make an arse of it, but they will try to address it.

[Canalman]

Seeing as gaelic football seems to be morphing into an ultra defensive gig the game plan of which is now the same as other games like basketball in particular. How about introducing a 2 or a 3 pointer line out the field? It would reward long range point shooting and possibly reduce the emphasis on defence.

+1.

2 points for a score kicked outside the 45 metre line maybe. 2 points for a score kicked from "tramlines".

You will be savaged here by the many posters well able to point out the problems but not the solutions.

Call me a sentimental old fool but I like watching open football. Tribal grappling matches not my scene tbh.