Who are the team of the decade?

[ONeill]

Really is a pointless argument. I'd imagine Kerry would have whalloped us in 06/07 if they'd met us early instead of Meath or Laois.

Who were the team of the 90s by the way? Meath? Down?

[puskas]

Not pointless at all. It's what keeps people going.

Of course they would have walloped you last year that's not the point. The point is Tyrone were never going to win it last year. The litmus test was they couldn't beat never mind wallop you in a year that Tyrone were a contender. Hope you take my point.

(Can't believe I'm arguing a pro-Tyrone line against a Tyroneman).

[puskas]

Who were the team of the 90s by the way? Meath? Down?

With 8 winners over 10 years there can't have been one. This one has had only five different winners with one year to go. Tyrone are ahead with one year left for Kerry to pull it out of the fire by beating Tyrone preferably in the final not in an early round. I'd have Armagh a distant third for their longevity. No-one else really comes into the picture.

[Bogball XV]

Tyrone for me. For all the talk about 4 All-Irelands to 3, if you apply the "deep down" test, I suspect that Kerrymen in their guts will know that when the hard questions were asked they failed to find the answers in the decade-defining games.

Tyrone have had only one crushing defeat, Sligo 2002, comparable to Kerry's collection of Meath 2001, Armagh 2002, Tyrone 2003, Tyrone 2005, and arguably Tyrone 2008 too.  Too many seminal failures to be a team of the decade. They passed the Armagh test in 2006, the real All-ireland Final that year, so I wouldn't call that year's All-Ireland a soft one despite the Mayo capitulation/demolition job in the final, but there will always be question marks over 2004 (the other contender Armagh failing to make the final) and 2007 (when there was no other serious contender).

You can't be a team of the decade if you have a monkey on the back. Kerry have one, Tyrone don't.

Were Kerry to beat Tyrone on their way to the All-Ireland in the last year of the decade however..

Holy fcuk!! Okay, Kerry for me.

[Bogball XV]

Really is a pointless argument. I'd imagine Kerry would have whalloped us in 06/07 if they'd met us early instead of Meath or Laois.

Who were the team of the 90s by the way? Meath? Down?

Obviously Derry, about 10 or so NFL titles

[Frank Casey]

If Tyrone can retain Sam next year then they'll have my vote, otherwise its got to be Kerry. They've been in 7 of the nine finals played in this decade, 8 out of ten including a replay, and the last five on the trot. Four wins is no bad return although Tyrones record of 3 wins from 3 finals this decade is nothing to sniff at. Who the opposition was or was not at any stage is not Kerry's fault or problem.

As the Beamish add states "consistency in a world gone mad".

[puskas]

If Tyrone can retain Sam next year then they'll have my vote, otherwise its got to be Kerry. They've been in 7 of the nine finals played in this decade, 8 out of ten including a replay, and the last five on the trot. Four wins is no bad return although Tyrones record of 3 wins from 3 finals this decade is nothing to sniff at. Who the opposition was or was not at any stage is not Kerry's fault or problem.

As the Beamish add states "consistency in a world gone mad".

If you count all All-Irelands as equal then you're right, but some are more equal than others I'd argue.

An All-Ireland where you have an easy run to the final and destroy poor opposition in the final is of course an All-Ireland in the history books but like it or not, it will be widely regarded as a soft All-Ireland. Just like most Armagh fans will admit Armagh's Ulster this year was a soft Ulster and does not mean they are the best team in Ulster. Tyrone are.

Kerry's AI wins in 2004, 2006 and 2007 are tainted by the nagging feeling that they weren't tested by the other contenders for team of the decade who for various reasons, screwing up on the way to the final or a chronic injury lists weren't available to play Kerry. Not Kerry's fault of course, more All-irelands in the history books, but ultimately damaging to their claim to team of the decade

Just my opinion, but I think it's the reason why deep down Kerry fans will acknowledge that with just one year to go they can't claim to be team of the decade. Close but no cigar.

[Frank Casey]

I'm based in Langerland and I hear this soft All Ireland thing all the time. That is bulls**t. There is no such thing, there are soft individual matches but no such thing as a soft campaign. You cannot fault any team for the quality, or lack of it, in their opposition. Would it be churlish to question Tyrone's victory because of mistakes Kerry made - yes it bloody well would.

The first line of my earlier comment stands - retaining Sam next year gives Tyrone serious bragging rights, not doing so just gives them a third one in a row.

To settle it lets just ask the Tyrone and Kerry teams to give walk overs in their opening provincial championships games next year. That gets over the talk of the Ulster minefield versus the Munster cakewalk. Let them both go into the qualifiers straight off and see what happens.

[puskas]

I'm based in Langerland and I hear this soft All Ireland thing all the time. That is bulls**t. There is no such thing, there are soft individual matches but no such thing as a soft campaign. You cannot fault any team for the quality, or lack of it, in their opposition. Would it be churlish to question Tyrone's victory because of mistakes Kerry made - yes it bloody well would.

The first line of my earlier comment stands - retaining Sam next year gives Tyrone serious bragging rights, not doing so just gives them a third one in a row.

To settle it lets just ask the Tyrone and Kerry teams to give walk overs in their opening provincial championships games next year. That gets over the talk of the Ulster minefield versus the Munster cakewalk. Let them both go into the qualifiers straight off and see what happens.

Fair enough that's your opinion. I think there is such a thing as soft titles. I'm from Armagh and I think our Ulster campaign this year was a soft Ulster. Not complaining of course it's another notch on the Ulster bedpost for what it's worth, shag all these days, but that doesn't change the fact that it was soft, and will be perceived as soft. Teams will get always get luck and bad luck of the draw, easier and more difficult routes to a title, 2nd best teams will screw up on the way etc. All these will affect the perception of the value of a victory.

To use a soccer analogy, who was/is perceived as the best team in the world in 1954, 1974, 1982, not the winners of the World Cup in those years. Titles aren't everything.

[Frank Casey]

To use a soccer analogy, who was/is perceived as the best team in the world in 1954, 1974, 1982, not the winners of the World Cup in those years. Titles aren't everything.

You'll get agreement on who won in those years, not so easy on who was the best team. End results are what counts whether we like it or not.

[puskas]

Agreed, to an extent.

Kerry's 35 AIs are indisputable and to be envied. I'm just saying that in some years they won the All-Ireland that for reasons beyond their control and hence not their fault they were tested less than they might have been, hence the All-ireland was 'softer'. It's not a criticism of Kerry but a statement of fact. The concept of All-Irelands which are softer than others does exist. Come on, surely a Kerryman would have taken more pleasure in and given more value to their All-Ireland in 2004 had they beaten Armagh in the final and not Mayo, look at the pleasure you boys got out of the 2006 defeat of Armagh. And rightly so. You won a harder All-Ireland and deserved the plaudits, beating one of the other big 3 at the time. Likewise in 2007 had Tyrone been fit to mount a more serious challenge and you'd beaten them.

[comethekingdom]

For Kerry to get any credit for AI wins - Kerry will have to beat Kerry. Thats according to Mickey Harte yesterday - to be the best you have to beat Kerry!!!!! 

[Frank Casey]

For Kerry to get any credit for AI wins - Kerry will have to beat Kerry. Thats according to Mickey Harte yesterday - to be the best you have to beat Kerry!!!!! 

Would Spillane call that puke football???

[ONeill]

Not pointless at all. It's what keeps people going.

Of course they would have walloped you last year that's not the point. The point is Tyrone were never going to win it last year. The litmus test was they couldn't beat never mind wallop you in a year that Tyrone were a contender. Hope you take my point.

(Can't believe I'm arguing a pro-Tyrone line against a Tyroneman).

No, can't accept that. Surely being a contender every year (and winning the majority) is better than being a contender in only 3 out of the 9 years already. It's not Kerry's fault Tyrone weren't a contender in 00/01/02/04/06/07.

[Frank Casey]

Agreed, to an extent.

Kerry's 35 AIs are indisputable and to be envied. I'm just saying that in some years they won the All-Ireland that for reasons beyond their control and hence not their fault they were tested less than they might have been, hence the All-ireland was 'softer'. It's not a criticism of Kerry but a statement of fact. The concept of All-Irelands which are softer than others does exist. Come on, surely a Kerryman would have taken more pleasure in and given more value to their All-Ireland in 2004 had they beaten Armagh in the final and not Mayo, look at the pleasure you boys got out of the 2006 defeat of Armagh. And rightly so. You won a harder All-Ireland and deserved the plaudits, beating one of the other big 3 at the time. Likewise in 2007 had Tyrone been fit to mount a more serious challenge and you'd beaten them.

Right then I'm going to strike the 2000 and 2006 All Irelands from the record as we only beat Armagh on the way and needed a second chance to do it in 2000. as well as only beating Connaught opposition in the finals. Tainted forever we shall now only claim 33.