Jamie Clarke,the GAA's answer to Stephen Ireland?

[Rossfan]

Only for kicking a ball the Examiner would never have heard of Jamie Clarke.

[The Subbie]

Only for kicking a ball the Examiner would never have heard of Jamie Clarke.

Neither would you or me or most people here.
What seismic point in the discussion are you moving towards ?
Don't hold back now .

[Rossfan]

Ye have 34 pages because he's good at kicking a ball.

[T Fearon]

Yes but he is happy to kick balls for Crossmaglen Rangers and a Junior Soccer team but not for Armagh.While not wishing the lad any ill whatsoever,and acknowledging his right to do as he pleases,his decision is still a massive let down to his county and its supporters who,despite being relegated, will still be out in force in Cavan today.I don't see how this can be described as courageous.To the contrary it's taking the easy way out and showing disrespect to your teammates and supporters.

Five players,including D Mc Kenna,left the Armagh squad after the defeat by Cavan three years ago,while the Championship was in progress,to go to the States.I don't think any of them played regularly for the County again.

[Smokin Joe]

Yes Tony, you just criticised the action, there was no personal insulting of Jamie whatsoever

He will be back for  Cross come Championship time.He always is

If you're going to be a hateful bastard at least stop trying to weasel out of what you actually said.

[T Fearon]

That will be another decision he makes.

[lemallon]

Yes but he is happy to kick balls for Crossmaglen Rangers and a Junior Soccer team but not for Armagh.While not wishing the lad any ill whatsoever,and acknowledging his right to do as he pleases,his decision is still a massive let down to his county and its supporters who,despite being relegated, will still be out in force in Cavan today.I don't see how this can be described as courageous.To the contrary it's taking the easy way out and showing disrespect to your teammates and supporters.

Five players,including D Mc Kenna,left the Armagh squad after the defeat by Cavan three years ago,while the Championship was in progress,to go to the States.I don't think any of them played regularly for the County again.

Gavin MC Parland starts today.

[T Fearon]

Fair enough,but that decision did hamper their county careers.Lets salute the likes of Andy Mallon,14 years unbroken service,apart from a short period due to relocation to Dublin,who have nothing to prove and continue on,regardless whether Armagh are in the All Ireland Final or out of Ulster in the first round.

[brokencrossbar1]

Tony here's how it is. After the AI club semi Jamie said that's it I'm taking a few years away and I'm not committing to anything. He said to Cross and Armagh management he wasn't going to be around. He went away to Paris and Australia for a while. When he came back from Australia the Armagh club stuff had started but he never once played for us. I don't think he even went to a single game. He played about 3 games in total for the Cartwheel over a period of 4 weeks, just for a bit of craic. They won the cup and somehow in your mind he has made some big commitment to soccer that he refused to make to Armagh. Why can't you see that he simply does not want to play?  Guess what, there's a bigger world out there than Armagh and the GAA!  He has made a life decision for himself so have some decency and respect it. If anything I should be the one bitching about it more than you. Let's be honest here Armagh are not challenging for titles with or without Jamie. We were a kick of a ball away from an AI club final this year and a fully fit and fully focused Jamie would have made a huge difference but it wasn't to be and isn't going to be for the near future. We are disappointed but guess what life goes on. Players come and go. Deal with it.

[T Fearon]

We will deal with it,but we will still feel let down,as I presume the people in Cross feel.

[Syferus]

Why are ye silly enough to give Fearon the attention he craves.  All yer doing is ensuring he'll do the same again in the future.

[The Subbie]

Ye have 34 pages because he's good at kicking a ball.

I said don't hold back.
Ye did.

[brokencrossbar1]

We will deal with it,but we will still feel let down,as I presume the people in Cross feel.

You can speak for yourself about feeling let down. No one has the right to feel let down. He is going to America to work and live his life as many other young men do. You can feel disappointed but you have no right to feel let down as he owes you, me, anyone nothing. This is ridiculous tony and I want to ask you something. You portray yourself as the uber-supporter of Armagh yet you have spent days posting on this thread criticising a young Armagh man for making a decision about his life and undermining him yet at the same time you haven't posted once about the game v Cavan on the match thread. You're an agenda driven fraud Tony. Your posts have an under lying thrust to try to open up some issue about Cross v Armagh or some issue about the Armagh management. At least have the balls to say it instead of using it as a vehicle for a character assassination of a young man who happens to be a friend of mine.

[Disillusioned]

The Examiner article gives a great insight to a very mature young man who has had the courage to make a decision to live his life to the full.  Too many of us live our lives within multiple constraints put in place by ourselves, the expectations of our families and our communities to follow well trodden paths.  If most of us were honest we are probably jealous of Jamie and his decision to go his own way.  As he says in the article he is open to persuasion but has managed to hold to his own decisions for the immediate future.  The extent of pressure that is exerted by those who set family and community expectations on the young to conform to the centre ground is really immense and Jamie must be applauded for not only going his own way but being a role model for other young people who can see to the horizon and a bigger and better world beyond the confines of parish, county and country. The article also shows the maturity and sensitivity of Jamie when he recognises that his decisions may be hurtful and difficult for the older members of his community when he mentions not wanting to hurt Mrs McConville. Playing football is not life, it may be a facet of a life well lived and enjoyed, it is recreation to be enjoyed and not endured.  Full marks to Jamie to decide to get off the treadmill because football has become too serious for many involved and developed into a game where the ultra talented and free spirited are no longer needed, the system has become more important than the individual.  Well drilled athletes are becoming the successful norm at the expense of the truly talented being able to express themselves.

On the other hand and in the extreme, Tony provides a mirror for us all in terms of how the conservative nature of our society demands that the young should conform to its expectations and in this instance to be slaves to these expectations because of some type of cultural debt that is owed.  Tony's views may be far from our own but they are just a concentration of thoughts and feelings that lurk in the minds of many of us.

Good luck to Jamie Clarke, I hope all works out for him but he should be safe in the knowledge that there will always be a welcome for him in his family and community should he decide to return to his roots in Crossmaglen.

[north aontroim gael]

T Fearon feeling let down because a young lad won't do what he wants.

Having read a few of his posts he seems like an idiot. I would much prefer it if T Fearon did not share his idiotic notions on a public forum.

I too feel let down that T Fearon won't do what I want.

Life is so unfair. I'm going to do what any middle aged man should do. I'm gonna start a thread and gripe about it.