Who are the team of the decade?

[ardmhachaabu]

Jaysus ONeill 

You had me splutter my tea everywhere

[nrico2006]

Kerry were the more consistent team during the decade (as we all know Tyrone's case wasn't helped by circumstances beyond their control), but when it came down to it Tyrone proved to be the better team.  People can rant on about the 3 head to heads meaning little, but thats nonsense.  If Kerry were the better team, they would have beat Tyrone - they didn't.     

[North Longford]

Suppose it comes down to then.... is the team of the decade the most consistent team of the decade which won the most trophies or the team that on a number of occassions were able to get a group together which could beat this team but who weren't as consistent and didn't win as much?

[Billys Boots]

Tyrone only beat Longford once in the championship, while Kerry beat Longford twice.  So from my very narrow viewpoint, it has to be Kerry.  Incidentally, again from the very narrow Longford viewpoint (as it seems to be the norm on this thread), the most impressive side to play in Pearse Park was probably Fermanagh. 

And the least impressive side to travel to Ballymahon was, ahem, Derry.   

[Olly]

Ciarrai were team of the decade as they were in the semi finals nearly every year and won the most as well. They didnt meet Tyrone in those other years because Tyrone were not good enough to get that far , loosing to inferior opposition to Ciarrai.

I think that Cork re no.2 Tyrone no.3 Armagh no.4 and Dublin no.5 and Mayono.6 .

In terms of winning senior, minor and u21 titles maybe tyrone were overall county of the decade. Kilkenney in hurling, cork in Ladies and Paul Swift in handball.

Commentator of the decade was Ger Canning, analist was Anthony Tohill and tv station was tg4

[Hardy]

analist was Anthony Tohill

Bet you wouldn't say that to his face.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

My argument is that overall success and records are superior indicators of which of two teams is better. Head-to-head meetings, particularly when its such a small number as three spaced games out over five years, don't really mean much in this respect. Over the entire decade, Kerry were very clearly the better team.

Yes, as their 5 All-Irelands would attest to, Kerry were the best overall team of the decade, and therefore team of the decade.

Yet, they were unable to beat Tyrone on the 3 occasions that they met, so I would say that they were not the best team to have played during the decade. And I can't forget the Bomber Liston's words before the final of 2008: "The [Kerry] lads feel that if they don't win this final it will devalue the other All-Irelands that they've won this decade".

So, with so much at stake, they just weren't up to it (their twin 'invincible' towers notwithstanding). But hats off to the team of the decade 

Seriously, 5 All-Irelands is some achievement, and the back-to-backs were too.

[Billys Boots]

I would say that they were not the best team to have played during the decade.

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it - Joseph Goebbels.   

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I would say that they were not the best team to have played during the decade.

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it - Joseph Goebbels.   

Aye, all I have are the results to go on when they were at their peak, and their peak wasn't high enough 

Goebbels was good at ignoring the reality of results too though, a bit like yourself 

[nrico2006]

Ciarrai were team of the decade as they were in the semi finals nearly every year and won the most as well. They didnt meet Tyrone in those other years because Tyrone were not good enough to get that far , loosing to inferior opposition to Ciarrai.

I think that Cork re no.2 Tyrone no.3 Armagh no.4 and Dublin no.5 and Mayono.6 .

In terms of winning senior, minor and u21 titles maybe tyrone were overall county of the decade. Kilkenney in hurling, cork in Ladies and Paul Swift in handball.

Commentator of the decade was Ger Canning, analist was Anthony Tohill and tv station was tg4

Cork number 2?

[Billys Boots]

I would say that they were not the best team to have played during the decade.

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it - Joseph Goebbels.   

Aye, all I have are the results to go on when they were at their peak, and their peak wasn't high enough 

Goebbels was good at ignoring the reality of results too though, a bit like yourself 

Don't stop now FóSB - keep going. 

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Don't stop now FóSB - keep going. 

Ah no, I think you've finally grasped it! 

[muppet]

Ciarrai were team of the decade as they were in the semi finals nearly every year and won the most as well. They didnt meet Tyrone in those other years because Tyrone were not good enough to get that far , loosing to inferior opposition to Ciarrai.

I think that Cork re no.2 Tyrone no.3 Armagh no.4 and Dublin no.5 and Mayono.6 .

In terms of winning senior, minor and u21 titles maybe tyrone were overall county of the decade. Kilkenney in hurling, cork in Ladies and Paul Swift in handball.

Commentator of the decade was Ger Canning, analist was Anthony Tohill and tv station was tg4

Dublin never even made a final. Galway won one and should be ahead of them.

1 Kerry
2 Tyrone
3 Armagh
4 Galway
5 Mayo/Cork
7 Meath
8 Dublin/Laois/Kildare/Fermanagh/Donegal/Derry 

[Mike Sheehy]

Kerry have made a more positive contribution to the game in the last decade which should not be overlooked. Tyrone can't produce natural footballers so their chief aim is to stop the natural footballers on the opposing side.

So I suppose that one could say that Tyrone have been the dominant negative force of the decade and Kerry have been the dominant positive force. I think this is a compromise that everybody can accept as both teams can claim to be the "best of the decade" in something.

[saffron sam2]

This decade does not end until 31 December 2010. Until the 2010 football championship is complete, all discussion of the "team of the decade" is premature.

An eminent accountant joins one of the foremost educationalists of our time in agreeing with me.

The backup gets more powerful all the time.