An Uachtarán, Aogán Ó Fearghail

[magpie seanie]

He's a very polished individual, he's absolutely spot on on this, and I'm happy to see him giving the association a robust defence instead of letting those gobshites the RTE studio bad-mouth the game week in week out. If they hate the game so much then we should take that into account the next time the broadcasting rights come up for negotiation and give TV3 or TG4 a shot at it. They might actually be professional in their coverage and might have something positive to say for a change.

Indeed. Except that wasn't what he complained about. That was my immediate reaction - time someone called out those gobshites, but not for saying unkind things about individuals. Take them on for their relentless rubbishing of the game and pathetic production standards.

This is going on for more than a decade yet the GAA still award them the contract to show the matches. Money talks. The GAA top brass can't have it all their own way. Take less money and give everything to TG4 if you really give a shit.

[Beffs]

The new "pres" wasn't delivered to the Association last week in a basket, this guy has his head screwed on and hopefully he won't tolerate the shite we've been hearing out of RTE this last 20+ years.How he makes himself look like a bold child i'll never know?

It might come as a suprise to you but a role on the Sunday Game is not the be all and end all, at the end of the day its a few couch potatoes sitting around pontificating in their spare time, I get the impression Aogán Ó Fearghail has better more worthwhile things to be doing with his time, but he is well within his right to call these flat track bullies out any time he feels like it, he is President of the Association after all.

Not tolerate how exactly? He has no control over what RTE's GAA pundits say, any more than you or I do, or the IRFU & the FAI have control over what comes out of Eamon Dunphys or George Hooks mouths. RTE are in the business of making money & getting people to watch their programs. If having controversial pundits on, gets more people tuning in to see what they'll say next, then there is nothing to stop them from keeping on doing that, if it works for them. It clearly has up to now, if the Sunday Game ratings are anything to go by.

The president of the GAA is perfectly entitled to express the opinion that comparing GAA teams to the Taliban is crass & offensive. He is right. It is. But that is all it is, an opinion. He has eff all power to dictate to RTE what they can or can't say. They could of course sell the broadcasting rights to someone else, but as RTE are the only ones with pockets deep enough to give the GAA the coverage it gets, that ain't gonna be happening any time soon.

If I were him, I'd be far more worried about the likes of Carney and Canning still doing games for RTE and the piss poor state of the commentary when they are at the microphone. That is the kind of thing that drives people away from the game and over to watch it on the BBC instead. That is far more damaging to the GAA "product" that is on offer to advertizers & the viewing public, than Joe Brolly or Pat Spillane acting the maggot for a few minutes imo.

[tiempo]

The new "pres" wasn't delivered to the Association last week in a basket, this guy has his head screwed on and hopefully he won't tolerate the shite we've been hearing out of RTE this last 20+ years.How he makes himself look like a bold child i'll never know?

It might come as a suprise to you but a role on the Sunday Game is not the be all and end all, at the end of the day its a few couch potatoes sitting around pontificating in their spare time, I get the impression Aogán Ó Fearghail has better more worthwhile things to be doing with his time, but he is well within his right to call these flat track bullies out any time he feels like it, he is President of the Association after all.

Not tolerate how exactly? He has no control over what RTE's GAA pundits say, any more than you or I do, or the IRFU & the FAI have control over what comes out of Eamon Dunphys or George Hooks mouths. RTE are in the business of making money & getting people to watch their programs. If having controversial pundits on, gets more people tuning in to see what they'll say next, then there is nothing to stop them from keeping on doing that, if it works for them. It clearly has up to now, if the Sunday Game ratings are anything to go by.

The president of the GAA is perfectly entitled to express the opinion that comparing GAA teams to the Taliban is crass & offensive. He is right. It is. But that is all it is, an opinion. He has eff all power to dictate to RTE what they can or can't say. They could of course sell the broadcasting rights to someone else, but as RTE are the only ones with pockets deep enough to give the GAA the coverage it gets, that ain't gonna be happening any time soon.

If I were him, I'd be far more worried about the likes of Carney and Canning still doing games for RTE and the piss poor state of the commentary when they are at the microphone. That is the kind of thing that drives people away from the game and over to watch it on the BBC instead. That is far more damaging to the GAA "product" that is on offer to advertizers & the viewing public, than Joe Brolly or Pat Spillane acting the maggot for a few minutes imo.

At the awarding of the next rights contract, assuming RTE get a package of sorts, lock in a service level agreement with regards to personal attacks on other members of the Association. For example, when someone's looks or manliness are brought into question then the pundit in question should be disciplined. It would be unacceptable to bring Donal Og's sexuality into the equation, why would other personal attacks be passable. Also if a pundit says live "I've had enough of this, I want nothing more to do with this..." then ensure that they are held to their statement and promptly replaced with someone willing to discuss the merits of the game at hand.

[Stall the Bailer]

All of us as GAA members have responsibility in the promotion of Gaelic Games, it is a key part of the main Aim of the association. Aogán as our figure head should be leading the way in this. The media don't care about this at all, they will sensationalize  and ridicule the GAA if attracts them viewers/readers/listeners. Fair play to Aogán in highlighting this negativity and disrespect from RTE.

[Beffs]

At the awarding of the next rights contract, assuming RTE get a package of sorts, lock in a service level agreement with regards to personal attacks on other members of the Association. For example, when someone's looks or manliness are brought into question then the pundit in question should be disciplined. It would be unacceptable to bring Donal Og's sexuality into the equation, why would other personal attacks be passable. Also if a pundit says live "I've had enough of this, I want nothing more to do with this..." then ensure that they are held to their statement and promptly replaced with someone willing to discuss the merits of the game at hand.

I'm sorry, but that is very naive. No broadcaster on the planet is going to sign up for a deal that restricts what they can or can not say. RTE would never agree to the shackles being put on their pundits like that. And the GAA can't force them too. RTE has them by the balls. No one else can afford to give the GAA the coverage that RTE do. Setanta, TV3, TV4, BBC and Sky can't or won't do it.

[tiempo]

The new "pres" wasn't delivered to the Association last week in a basket, this guy has his head screwed on and hopefully he won't tolerate the shite we've been hearing out of RTE this last 20+ years.How he makes himself look like a bold child i'll never know?

It might come as a suprise to you but a role on the Sunday Game is not the be all and end all, at the end of the day its a few couch potatoes sitting around pontificating in their spare time, I get the impression Aogán Ó Fearghail has better more worthwhile things to be doing with his time, but he is well within his right to call these flat track bullies out any time he feels like it, he is President of the Association after all.

Not tolerate how exactly? He has no control over what RTE's GAA pundits say, any more than you or I do, or the IRFU & the FAI have control over what comes out of Eamon Dunphys or George Hooks mouths. RTE are in the business of making money & getting people to watch their programs. If having controversial pundits on, gets more people tuning in to see what they'll say next, then there is nothing to stop them from keeping on doing that, if it works for them. It clearly has up to now, if the Sunday Game ratings are anything to go by.

The president of the GAA is perfectly entitled to express the opinion that comparing GAA teams to the Taliban is crass & offensive. He is right. It is. But that is all it is, an opinion. He has eff all power to dictate to RTE what they can or can't say. They could of course sell the broadcasting rights to someone else, but as RTE are the only ones with pockets deep enough to give the GAA the coverage it gets, that ain't gonna be happening any time soon.

If I were him, I'd be far more worried about the likes of Carney and Canning still doing games for RTE and the piss poor state of the commentary when they are at the microphone. That is the kind of thing that drives people away from the game and over to watch it on the BBC instead. That is far more damaging to the GAA "product" that is on offer to advertizers & the viewing public, than Joe Brolly or Pat Spillane acting the maggot for a few minutes imo.

At the awarding of the next rights contract, assuming RTE get a package of sorts, lock in a service level agreement with regards to personal attacks on other members of the Association. For example, when someone's looks or manliness are brought into question then the pundit in question should be disciplined. It would be unacceptable to bring Donal Og's sexuality into the equation, why would other personal attacks be passable. Also if a pundit says live "I've had enough of this, I want nothing more to do with this..." then ensure that they are held to their statement and promptly replaced with someone willing to discuss the merits of the game at hand.

No broadcaster on the planet is going to sign up for a deal that restricts what they can or can not say. RTE would never agree to the shackles being put on their pundits like that. And the GAA can't force them too. RTE has them by the balls. No one else can afford to give the GAA the coverage that RTE do. Setanta, TV3 and TV4 certainly can't do it.

Service level agreement i.e. set of standards to adhere to. It's common place in marketing which is the relationship the GAA has with RTE. The GAA has every right to protect its product and the image of the product from attack by an organisation that it provides rights to. RTE by way of focusing on column inches and outlandish comment are gearing their coverage towards advertisers and viewing figures, this is not necessarily in the best interests of the Association.

The Association has to find a balance between advertising and exposure, and protecting its members from attack from a service provider. As said previously I'm sure TG4/TV3 could put together a live summer programme without lowering the tone of the broadcast so as to take away from the sporting event it is covering, and all without a set of standards, therefore RTE should be told to smarten up and get in line with respect to personal attacks or move aside as the rights are given to another state broadcaster, realising also that that broadcaster will take with it the lucritive advertising revenue I'm pretty sure RTE would be bending over backwards to comply.

[Syferus]

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

[tiempo]

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

Everything in moderation they said, too much of a good thing they said... it's the unhealthy gushing levels of positivity coming from the RTE pundits that's the obsession here isn't it, they are far too optimistic in their outlook, a glass half full they said.

[Beffs]

Tiempo, TV3/Setanta can't afford to cover the AI champo the way that RTE do. If they could, they would be doing it already. And there is no way the GAA are going to hand over the All Ireland championship, to a station that broadcasts in a language that most people can not speak or understand. And I am just stating a fact there. I'm not looking to kick off one of those "our native language is a part of who we are" debates.

[Stall the Bailer]

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

RTE have being award the responsibility of showcasing our games to the Irish public. When they disrespect, sensationalize  and ridicule our games, members and volunteers they should be brought to account.

[AZOffaly]

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.

[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.

[tiempo]

Tiempo, TV3/Setanta can't afford to cover the AI champo the way that RTE do. If they could, they would be doing it already. And there is no way the GAA are going to hand over the All Ireland championship, to a station that broadcasts in a language that most people can not speak or understand. And I am just stating a fact there. I'm not looking to kick off one of those "our native language is a part of who we are" debates.

RTE are a long established state institution hence they have the resources to put on a good show. There is no saying with the increase in advertising revenues and other improvement opportunities available upon the awarding of the summer championships what TV3/TG4 would be capable of, I am sure they are not lacking the wherewithal, they have proven in the past with League, Championship and Club coverage that they are more than capable, in fact some here prefer their programming.

As for the Irish TV station broadcasts in Irish shocker, it's definitely better we don't go there. As a non Gaeilgeoir however it has never put me off the games, and as the channel is only broadcast in Ireland then why would it be of concern to a global audience as they won't be watching on that channel anyway?

[AZOffaly]

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

[tiempo]

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.

So the GAA should not try and crack down on pundits who are negative, but the pundits should be free to lobby the GAA with respect to defensive football on a publilc platform which they are given to promote the game, and attempt to give the impression that it is the overwhelming will of the Association for further rule changes?

The negative TV punditry is an attempt at heavy handed propaganda (given their platform to reach the masses). As stated earlier, RTE have the GAA by the balls, well that simply isn't true and the GAA President especially is entitled to protect those members of the association who have been subject to personal attack - the gold standard of negative punditry.

Some people just want things all their own way eh...