Cheeky arrogant Dubs at it again

[stephenite]

From todays Examiner

   


29 May 2007

Leinster reject Dubs' 'insensitive' Croker bid

By Brendan Coffey
LEINSTER Council chiefs yesterday flatly rejected a cheeky bid by Dublin officials to have Sunday's second replay of the football championship clash between Wicklow and Louth moved from Croke Park.


A formal request was submitted to the provincial council yesterday morning, seeking that GAA headquarters host only the eagerly awaited Dublin-Meath quarter final clash on the basis of incredible ticket demand in the capital and because 'the Louth Wicklow game could be accommodated elsewhere.'

Leinster Council chairman Liam O'Neill described the move as "insensitive" to GAA people in Wicklow and Louth. Asked if the move amounted to arrogance on Dublin's part, O'Neill said: "I don't disagree with that view."

Wicklow manager Mick O'Dwyer agreed, saying: "They are of course (arrogant). The stadium is there for all the counties to use, not just the Dubs. We had a huge crowd in Parnell Park on Sunday and if we were in Croke Park we would have had a way bigger crowd."

The request to have the stadium given over to Dublin is not the first time the metropolitans and the Leinster Council have clashed over venues. Last year Dublin pushed to have their first round Leinster clash with Longford moved from Pearse Park to Croker because of a similar demand for tickets.

"It's a huge promotional opportunity for us to have Wicklow and Louth children in Croke Park to see their heroes. We're about fair play, we're not about money," said O'Neill, a candidate for next year's GAA presidency.

"The original fixture was for Wexford to play the winners of Louth and Wicklow anyway. We only got the (Dublin) request this morning. We take a very strong view on fair play and we're not even entertaining it. My view would be if the Dublin County Board wants to go to Wicklow and Louth people, explain why they shouldn't play in Croke Park and get an agreement from both, then we might listen," added O'Neill.

So far Dublin have been given nearly 22,000 tickets. They originally received all 8,000 tickets for Hill 16 and 9,000 stand tickets. Last week they requested an extra 1,200 tickets on Tuesday, 1,000 on Wednesday and another 7,000 on Thursday. Yesterday morning they asked for another 2,000 and with the vast majority of 10,000 family tickets destined for the capital, they have received 30,000 in total so far.

"It's only when the soccer is over that the Dubs get interested," said one Wicklow official.

Louth and Wicklow will be meeting for the third Sunday in a row and it's expected that the winners will be given a two-week break before their meeting with Wexford in the quarter-final.

Wexford football manager Paul Bealin has suggested that the game be played as a double header in Croke Park with the Leinster SHC meeting of Wexford and Dublin on June 9, which is fixed for Nowlan Park.

However Croke Park is unavailable for nearly three weeks from June 5th for pitch maintenance which gives rise to an interesting problem if Meath and Dublin draw at Croke Park on Sunday — that of where to play the replay.

The next game scheduled for HQ is the winners of Dublin/Meath and Offaly/Carlow in the Leinster SFC semi-final on Sunday June 24.

[dubinhell]

Yawn !!!

although they could play one game on Sat and the other on Sunday if Louth/Wicklow are going to bring so many people.

[Gnevin]

Everyone talks about maximizing crowds but then it comes to the Dubs we should minimize the Dubs by playing as many games as possible before hand . It makes sense even if your to Culchie to admit it

[INDIANA]

won't be whingeing when they'r looking for money to buy footballs and sliotars- and it's the dubs who are paying for it- i mean like play another record. As for Micko maybe someone should ask him is he paying tax on his salary in wicklow because some of us would love to know.
As for O Neill - i'd have more respect for insects crawling on the ground.

[Shamrock Shore]

Why oh why do we hear the same every year from the Dublin County Board? Soon, alongside the first cuckoo 'sighting' in the letters pages of Madame Editor's paper, there will be equal billing given to the first sounds of whingeing over tickets from Dublin County Board.

Ignore it......it's just an early sign of summer.

[magpie seanie]

when they'r looking for money to buy footballs and sliotars- and it's the dubs who are paying for it

What a crock of shit! I can guarantee you that not one sliothar or football bought by my club has been paid for by the Dubs.

This problem arises every year and there is only one solution. Dublin must be split into 2 or 3 seperate entities. To have one county senior football team out of 1.5m people is a joke really.

[Billys Boots]

To have one county senior football team out of 1.5m people is a joke really.

Oh Seanie, you'll be getting a call from Joe Duffy over that.  You'd think, with that big a pick, they could knock a decent side together.

[Shamrock Shore]

It was originally a double header, wasn't it, with Wexford v Louth/Wicklow as the opening game.

When the Leinster council made these fixtures earlier in the year where was the complaints then?
Was anyone in Dublin County Board awake at the meeting or are the rest of Leinster all agin ye like last year for the game in Longford 

[magpie seanie]

My comment might be seen as a wind up but I genuinely believe that Dublin needs to be split to maximise the GAA's potential in the capital.

[INDIANA]

This problem arises every year and there is only one solution. Dublin must be split into 2 or 3 seperate entities. To have one county senior football team out of 1.5m people is a joke really."

we had this debate before and we don't want three teams -one will do. we've won 1 all ireland in 23 years so we're hardly going to compete effectively with 3 teams - and the 1.5million is an anachronism and thedebate has been debated to death here- i could be all day explaining why the 1.5 million people argument is bullshit. but i'll stick to the point.
micko is shooting the louth/wicklow fans in the foot- some of them may not get tickets now - if we're trying to maximise revenues- you know to build clubhouses-buy football- pay for floodlights- develop grounds this is a dire way of doing it.

[magpie seanie]

How many All-Irelands have Sligo won in the last 23 years? How many teams would ye be able to set up from areas of 60,000 population or less?

By the way the maximising revenue thing was a bit of a red herring used in the Rule 42 debate. The GAA has plenty of cash and is not drieven by maximising revenues.

[Billys Boots]

the 1.5million is an anachronism and thedebate has been debated to death here

It hasn't, as far as I'm concerned.  I still haven't heard a good argument why this can't happen.  We have a population of 32,000 in Longford, including players of other sports, foreign nationals, blah, blah, blah.  I think multiple teams in Dublin would make the sport(s) more competitive in the capital.  F*ck tradition - ye have a tradition of being sore losers and whingers - do ye want to keep those too? 

[ludermor]

F*ck tradition - ye have a tradition of being sore losers and whingers - do ye want to keep those too? 

classic

[Gnevin]

It was originally a double header, wasn't it, with Wexford v Louth/Wicklow as the opening game.

When the Leinster council made these fixtures earlier in the year where was the complaints then?
Was anyone in Dublin County Board awake at the meeting or are the rest of Leinster all agin ye like last year for the game in Longford 

11 V 1 , hmm i wonder who wins that vote 

Lets not forget their will be about 5,000 - 8,000 a practically empty Croke Park , instead of the Great Atmosphere of a good crowd in the nell

[Sean3]

A small point in the general argument but the population of Dublin is 1.18 million, not 1.5 million (2006 census).