Fermanagh v Dublin AIQ/Final

[AZOffaly]

I just read McGuinness' article there at lunch time, and I agree with a lot of what he is saying. He articulated it better than I did as well. However there's a fundamental flaw in the tenet of his article, i.e. that the GAA took action after the Cavanagh foul. The Black Card was brought in in the congress before, it just wasn't due to be implemented until the following year, so Brolly took advantage of the Cavanagh incident to show a 'prime example' of cynical fouling.

But back to the main point, I agree with Jimmy. I found the whole weekend a bit of a worry, and I found Fermanagh's attitude towards the result disconcerting rather than refreshing.

I've found the medias attitude towards the result disconcerting. They have really hyped how well Fermanagh did.

That too. That's the patronising attitude I was talking about earlier.

[Mayo4Sam14]

To people talking about a second tier, who are you going to put in the top tier if there's 3/4 teams well ahead, 6 at a maximum, you still have to have 10-13 teams, who are they going to be?

[Jinxy]

Some people have proposed a top tier of 16.
There would be some unmerciful hammerings when the top 4 play the bottom 4.
Ultimately the divisional structure in the NFL is the most equitable.

[haranguerer]

I just read McGuinness' article there at lunch time, and I agree with a lot of what he is saying. He articulated it better than I did as well. However there's a fundamental flaw in the tenet of his article, i.e. that the GAA took action after the Cavanagh foul. The Black Card was brought in in the congress before, it just wasn't due to be implemented until the following year, so Brolly took advantage of the Cavanagh incident to show a 'prime example' of cynical fouling.

But back to the main point, I agree with Jimmy. I found the whole weekend a bit of a worry, and I found Fermanagh's attitude towards the result disconcerting rather than refreshing.

I've found the medias attitude towards the result disconcerting. They have really hyped how well Fermanagh did.

That too. That's the patronising attitude I was talking about earlier.

Fermanagh easily beaten, but fought to the end is the jist of the most positive articles I've seen. Perhaps you've seen others?

A lot of the talk around this game is proving the fact that no matter what occurs, people will interpret it to suit themselves.

In the studio last week, they were lining up a campaign for a two tier championship, and its show piece example was to be this game. This forum is full of disparaging remarks about the Sunday game panellists, yet its also full of their parrots. You can say what you want about how far Fermanagh were away, but the fact of the matter is they were competitive for the whole game. I only saw the stats for one half, but in that half they had 60% of the possession. It was less easy to point to the result or the game itself to back up a misguided campaign, so instead they reference how players and fans reacted to their respectable loss as evidence for the need for a second tier. Its ludicrous.

Structures in the GAA do need overhauling, but the last place they should be even looking at starting is by splitting the flagship competition into two or more tiers. It would be madness.

[AZOffaly]

I don't want multiple tiers!! Jaysus I've been consistent on that for years. But when I see a reaction like Fermanagh's to an 8 point defeat, it makes me wonder. Is that genuinely seen as an achievement worthy of celebration?

Maybe I'm completely misreading their smiles and the rest of it (after the game), but to me it looked like they were celebrating not getting obliterated. Is that what it has come to?

[INDIANA]

I don't want multiple tiers!! Jaysus I've been consistent on that for years. But when I see a reaction like Fermanagh's to an 8 point defeat, it makes me wonder. Is that genuinely seen as an achievement worthy of celebration?

Maybe I'm completely misreading their smiles and the rest of it (after the game), but to me it looked like they were celebrating not getting obliterated. Is that what it has come to?

You could see it before the game. A section of their fans on the Hill pissed as farts and beaten before the ball was thrown in.

It's a fine line celebrating a defeat and being too disappointed about one. But the debate is now tiresome and if I were a Fermanagh fan I'd be embarrassed about being viewed as a gallant loser. They should have left the field then doing a lap of honour celebrating an 8 point defeat.

Reminded me of Dublin doing something similar in 2002 after the replay against Donegal . Despite having won it was an embarrassing ending to the game for a Dublin fan. But then that Dublin team had a lot of things wrong with it. Armagh must have been pissing themselves laughing at us.

[deiseach]

Drunk people on the Hill. Won't someone please think of the children?

[deiseach]

I don't want multiple tiers!! Jaysus I've been consistent on that for years. But when I see a reaction like Fermanagh's to an 8 point defeat, it makes me wonder. Is that genuinely seen as an achievement worthy of celebration?

Maybe I'm completely misreading their smiles and the rest of it (after the game), but to me it looked like they were celebrating not getting obliterated. Is that what it has come to?

Yes, that is what it has come to.

[yellowcard]

Its laughable that people posting comments on a message board are lecturing other counties players on how they should behave in defeat. I hope that Leitrim, Waterford, Carlow etc are taking note the next time they get to a quarter final to make sure they storm off down the tunnel and ignore their supporters who want to celebrate their seasons journey.

[deiseach]

Its laughable that people posting comments on a message board are lecturing other counties players on how they should behave in defeat. I hope that Leitrim, Waterford, Carlow etc are taking note the next time they get to a quarter final to make sure they storm off down the tunnel and ignore their supporters who want to celebrate their seasons journey.

But that's enough about Stephen Cluxton

[INDIANA]

Its laughable that people posting comments on a message board are lecturing other counties players on how they should behave in defeat. I hope that Leitrim, Waterford, Carlow etc are taking note the next time they get to a quarter final to make sure they storm off down the tunnel and ignore their supporters who want to celebrate their seasons journey.

If that's levelled at me I've lectured my own county in the same post for doing the same in the past.

[trileacman]

Some people have proposed a top tier of 16.
There would be some unmerciful hammerings when the top 4 play the bottom 4.
Ultimately the divisional structure in the NFL is the most equitable.

I Disagree. The move to a 4 tier league structure has seen power hoarded towards the top 6. The old 2 tier league allowed a better mix of teams and a more equitable chances come championship time.

It's the same in hurling. The move to the Christy Ring/ Nicky Rackard was heralded as a great idea but has clearly siphoned power down to fewer and fewer teams with each passing year. Antrim, Offaly and Wexford's decline continues unabated, how far away does Offaly's and Wexford's mid 90's success seem now? What are the chances of similar success in the next 3-5 years for these teams?

It dawned on Socrates he was the smartest buck about because he realised he knew nothing. Nowadays every arsehole has an opinion on making football more competitive, and I'd say 99.5% of them will change absolutely f**k all, a good 50% will make the status quo even worse.

PS. The most infuriating aspect of all this is how sleazy and manipulative some fcukers are to peddle their own ideas. None more so than Joe Brolly and his ilk that have even went the step of hijacking the names of the recently deceased to further their own objective. Unable to stand their ideas up on their own merits, poor Paudi O'Se has now been dragged into this to add gravitas to ravings of a jumped-up, four-eyed, motor-mouth.

[INDIANA]

Some people have proposed a top tier of 16.
There would be some unmerciful hammerings when the top 4 play the bottom 4.
Ultimately the divisional structure in the NFL is the most equitable.

I Disagree. The move to a 4 tier league structure has seen power hoarded towards the top 6. The old 2 tier league allowed a better mix of teams and a more equitable chances come championship time.

It's the same in hurling. The move to the Christy Ring/ Nicky Rackard was heralded as a great idea but has clearly siphoned power down to fewer and fewer teams with each passing year. Antrim, Offaly and Wexford's decline continues unabated, how far away does Offaly's and Wexford's mid 90's success seem now? What are the chances of similar success in the next 3-5 years for these teams?

It dawned on Socrates he was the smartest buck about because he realised he knew nothing. Nowadays every arsehole has an opinion on making football more competitive, and I'd say 99.5% of them will change absolutely f**k all, a good 50% will make the status quo even worse.

PS. The most infuriating aspect of all this is how sleazy and manipulative some fcukers are to peddle their own ideas. None more so than Joe Brolly and his ilk that have even went the step of hijacking the names of the recently deceased to further their own objective. Unable to stand their ideas up on their own merits, poor Paudi O'Se has now been dragged into this to add gravitas to ravings of a jumped-up, four-eyed, motor-mouth.

Myopic at best. Wexford have won the last 3 u21 Leinster hurling titles. Laois have improved. Kerry are back playing A championship hurling for the first time in 10 years.

Offaly and Antrim's decline has a lot to do with themselves. A lot of former Offaly hurlers have great media jobs but I'm always confused as to why they don't get involved at development level. Antrim were invited into the Leinster minor and U21 competitions and keep declining the offer.

[yellowcard]

Its laughable that people posting comments on a message board are lecturing other counties players on how they should behave in defeat. I hope that Leitrim, Waterford, Carlow etc are taking note the next time they get to a quarter final to make sure they storm off down the tunnel and ignore their supporters who want to celebrate their seasons journey.

If that's levelled at me I've lectured my own county in the same post for doing the same in the past.

It was a general comment not directed specifically at you but if your comparing Dublin to Fermanagh it's like comparing Real Madrid to Shamrock Rovers, hardly comparable.

[AZOffaly]

Offaly's decline is ALL to do with ourselves.