An Uachtarán, Aogán Ó Fearghail

[Syferus]

The obsession this board - and seemingly the GAA presidents too - have with RTE pundits is not healthy or beneficial.

Like it or not, the RTE pundits are presenting our games to the masses. And if anyone thinks that our games are best served by the lampooning of individuals, personal attacks, constant negativity or lack of attention to detail then I dunno, I'm obviously expecting too much.

I expect them to analyse the games, point out interesting tactical elements, and have good discussions among themselves about what's going on. If I wanted to listen to 3 lads talking shite for the sake of having a row, I'd go down to the pub at twenty to one in the morning.

I think it's well within the Uachtarán's remit to try to ensure the games are presented as professionally as possible, and while it would obviously be better done in the privacy of contract negotiations, he has to be seen to defend the organisation if members are getting a raw deal on the TV.

Imagine the rí rá if one of the Sky Sports News presenters said something like 'These guys are useless, slow lazy fools. What sort of nonsense game is this?'. There's be an invasion of England in the morning.

The pres here attacked a lad for making his usual topical joke about defensive football. It made the president look a real dullard getting serious and lecturing Pat and us about the real Taliban - come the f**k on.

The fact also remains Spillane's point, hidden beneath the jokes, that defensive football is a bit shit to watch, is entirely valid. That robs his little reposte of much of its weight.

Likewise his attack on Cake was childish in the extreme.

Are we supposed to respect a president that goes around picking fights with pundits or think it proves he has anything close to the capacity to make meaningful change? Because for me he sure as hell lost most of the goodwill he had for being the new man by falling straight into the same traps Liam O'Niell's tenure was defined by.

He should sort out the quaility of the product on the field and the quaility of how it's run off it and not engage himself in useless media baiting.

RTE are free to be as good or as bad as they feel they want to be, it's not his job to tell any pundit what to say or not to say.

I have no great affection for RTE's coverage but this idea that the GAA should try to crack down on pundits who are negative is absolute folly and if it ever happened it would amount to little more more than lightweight propaganda that the GAA would be ridiculed for. People are free to say and think what they like in this country, I'm afraid.

I suspect this is your real problem here

Hardly. But thanks for trying to distill an entire post down to 'he's from your county so har har that explains it all'.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

He's right though

[AZOffaly]

I never said "har har". We'll just agree to disagree so. I'm comfortable with our president standing up for our members.

[Itchy]

Aogan is dead right, fair play to him. Also, that cake fella is a clown and should join a circus somewhere.

[Itchy]

The big question is why are Roscommon people so thick, perhaps Joe Brolly can pose this question on his next Sunday Game.

[AZOffaly]

Fair enough. I think you are the deluded one. If the GAA put a stipulation in about personal attacks, I bet RTE would sign up to it no bother. I'm not talking about Cakes triangles or puke football. I'm talking about Sean cavanagh as a man, Paul grimley etc etc. it's not acceptable for a national broadcaster, and you can bet your arse the FA wouldn't stand for it on Sky or BBC.

[mylestheslasher]

Personally as a Cavan man I felt the "analysis" of the Cavan v Monaghan match on the Sunday Game was a joke. It could have been written a week before the match such pure shite was spoken. It was also insulting to my own county as well as insulting to Marty. The victims of this brainless analysis are good salt of the earth GAA people doing their best for their counties. No one is saying you cannot call out a team for being overly negative but there has to be a bit of balanced reasoning. Apart from the insulting stuff, much of what was said was plain inaccurate.

In my opinion the analysis this year has been some of the most laziest, poorly researched, midlessly regurgitated tripe that RTE has ever produced. The president of the GAA is absolutely correct to say that he is unhappy with this and fire a shot across the bows of whoever sanctions it. Having SKY involved now is a threat that RTE would do well not to ignore.

[giveballaghback]

At the cup presentation today he spent more of his speech talking about Armagh (the losers) than he did about Roscommon, a president for Ulster and no one else.

[Itchy]

At the cup presentation today he spent more of his speech talking about Armagh (the losers) than he did about Roscommon, a president for Ulster and no one else.

Ah wise up ya bollix

[giveballaghback]

That about sums you up itchy. well done.

[Itchy]

That about sums you up itchy. well done.

What is it with you Roscommon fools, did you want a 10 minute eulogy to the greatness of Roscommon? Can you not just be happy ye won? Like I said wise up ta f**k.

[giveballaghback]

Your showing your class now itchey, top man keep it going

[rrhf]

I'm with the meathman on this.