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A member of my family played county level football for many yrs till recently. It was a v healthy hobby, an honour to play for her county, and she made great friends. She wouldn't have dreamed of asking for expenses to pay for her hobby. Ladies football has v little money, as members of county boards would tell you; being on a county board is a thankless task

It's a good point.

Has similar a few years back in the club. Few players, usual suspects, complaining about membership, getting fed after training, travel etc.
the captain, a true diehard, came back with them and laid out what it would cost them to join a gym, get PT (coached) 3 times a week, physio session 1 a month,  bit of gear they getting and that was just the financial benefits they getting. The he asked them if they played golf, knowing the did, and what that costs them even to play in a weekly competition. All for a sport they enjoyed they get basically for free. He locked them down on that one.

Multiply that for a county player and they get multiple times. They give a lot but get it back and are entitled not to be out of pocket with what they generate. Can the ladies stand on the same footing? Not at present.

The sense of entitlement from these execs and the absolute smugness and disdain they have with respect to questions they are being asked is on another level.

They are basically looking at it and defending it from a commercial viewpoint. That what they done and used the barter account was to drive further commercial revenue and maintain client relationships. Like happens all the time in the corporate world. On the face of it,  that would carry water but when they seem to be on the receiving end, plus the side contract for Tubs and it's public money and the financial situation in RTE with staff cuts and disparity in wage levels, it's a total shit show for them. Plus they don't seem to have a straight story between them.

They need to release the handbrake and be more direct. Anyone remember when they beat Dublin in Croke Park in the league last year, playing more direct attacking style. Was outstanding performance.

I know it was early league match but how many teams can do that to Dublin in Croker, in that style. League or not. No doubt they are stronger defensively now but as others have said they need to merge a bit more between that and this year.

I think they're probably as good as most of the others outside Dublin and Kerry. Tyrone, Derry, Galway, Mayo, maybe Monaghan and Roscommon a a bit below.

This is the bonkers thinking I'm here for  You've just been beat by one of the teams that "maybe" a bit below you. If not further than a bit below you.

The reality is you've won sweet Fanny Adams and if they below you, beat them. In sport you earn reputation by beating teams and winning. Armagh got relelgated this year. In their group they struggled over Westmeath at home, got beat well by Tyrone and then popped Galway who haven't performed this year.  They had an easy path to an Ulster and then in two clutch games they choked when they seen the winning line. Armagh are exactly where they are. They aren't as good as the others or they'd still be playing.

Lots more coming out in the wash today. Reality is that these barter or slouch accounts are absolutely rampant across state companies and Government department. The amount they spend on events, staff outings, hosting, entertainment, etc etc is huge.

A lot of people sweating at the minute and hoping this doesn't escalate. And it's from big state bodies to the local councils. Dressed up as conventions, junkets etc but it's everyone.

Private business do it but it's their funds to do as they please. The state bodies are never left behind. Every Friday is like Christmas Day in some of those offices.

One of the GAA's greatest strengths is hindsight.

Debate about teams having to play 3 weeks in a row. Hasn't been mentioned in the months previous to this. But now it's an issue by some pundits cause the "better" teams didn't get to the last 4. We seem obsessed with trying to create structures that the best teams on paper get to the last stages. It's the nature of the competition that there should be risk and reward for progressing at various stages.

If they had been scheduled  a weeks rest and played and say Mayo beat Dublin or Tyrone beat Kerry, the opposite debate would be heard that the better teams where unprepared by waiting weeks without a game and those that played 3 games in 4 weeks and got a weeks rest are  more game conditioned.

Otherwise we just go league basis or straight knockout as any other way is going to have variations of games V rest.

It needs shouted out loud that this not gender issue.

The disparity in expenses between men's GAA and ladies offshoots is no different to the pay disparity between soccer players and rugby players in this part of the world, no different to the exposure disparity between golf players and croquet players in this part of the world.

The amount of money available, the levels of exposure given, are directly related to the interest levels of the general public.

It needs shouted out loud that this is not a gender issue.

Excellent summary.

This should be challenged. I've failed to see any players driven promotion if their own game and I'd attend ladies games. There is some that seem to have put themselves on an even ledge with the men's game but have been given a hike there by the GPA and gender equality drive.

Ladies soccer have put far more effort into promoting their sport and climbed to the where they are.

I really can't see where they coming from. Get a senior panel to commit year in year out is a massive struggle for some  counties, huge turnover every year and it's not cause of expenses or how they looked after. To me this seems to a few isolated counties problems been thrown at every county board.

The GAA needs to throw this back at LGFA, camoige board and the ladies themselves and ask what they bringing to the table as they can barely organise games never mind resource themselves. They looking and taking but offering little.

The Intercounty captains statement today, I doubt they even read it. Email sent out to the GPA reps with the contents and then issued on their behalf. That the way they've operated in the past.

mickey graham to replace mc geeney! sweet jesus.

Well he has an Ulster 

Actually, Grahams managerial record is way ahead of McGeeney. Forgot his Leinster club. Had the relegations with Cavan but has taken them back into Div2 against Armagh next year. All the while he has lost some of his best players along the way. He wins things. Something Armagh lack.

I am off the opinion that the only way for a county to truly progress is with an inside man as the temptation is too strong for an outside man to do the wrong thing for short term gain. There are probably the odd exception to the rule (you might argue Mickey Harte is but lets see what shape Louth are in when he leaves). So when you strip out the outside men, do you have better internal candidates than what is there already.

I do think bringing in outside help in your backroom team is a good way to get new ideas and expertise though, but with a inside man with the final say.

It's about the right person, inside or outside. Plenty of bad examples of both.

Somethings the outside man will make the right decisions to make that breakthrough. Malachy O'Rourke in Monaghan, Gallagher in Derry, McStay in Roscommon, Micko and Paidi back in the day. They make not have the long term in mind but they don't have the baggage of the past. Some counties don't need that breakthrough and have their own men to shake things up.

Backroom is key nowadays and that's the big thing to get right. Again, there is very diligent good people in every county that don't have to be high profile from an outside county. We have a lot of recently retired county players who are latching onto high profile roles without cutting their teeth in club or underage county and we don't really know what they taking to the job.

Armagh are a bit like Cavan in that they've a manager that has run his course probably but when you look out there for the next manager you might be inclined to stick with the devil you know.

I'd strongly disagree there. That's fear rather than making the right call for the right reasons.

There is lots of people out there. You just have to be ambitious - Louth going after Harte; Antrim with McGinley and then Andy McEntee. Down getting Laverty.

Was Gallagher an obvious one to Derry? Manages will travel, Mark Doran going to Clare, Tally to Kerry.

Could they sell a project to Malachy O'Rourke? Oisin McConville? McEntees? Mickey Graham? Enda McGinley? Jim McGuinness? Pat Gilroy?

I think some overthink it. Top managers love the challenge and the chance to make a breakthrough.

Mad the way some people think. What have Andy McEntee, McGinley,  Laverty and a couple more on that list done that would put them ahead of McGeeney?

Completely missing the point. The list you referred to was about counties going for Managers that you wouldn't have been in their normal radar, outside the box. McGinley on other list of bigger names, maybe not as obvious, but had potential in Antrim with a lesser panel.

Listen, be happy with Armagh. Yous are talking yourselves into him been to the solution and the players/development/club scene been the problem. That's fine, you can't change that but you can change a manger. The reality is I don't think he's ever won anything as a manager. Lot of those names mentioned have, at various levels and achieved plenty.

The biggest fault I can see is that McGeeney didn't win the exact same type of match twice this year - Derry and Monaghan. Both very similar and there to be won, yet he approached the Monaghan game the exact same. Hasn't learned. The Galway game last year that he seems to dine on round here, he should have lost well but Galway buckled. You can't keep sending teams out to win tight games by 1 or 2 points. He does.

mickey graham to replace mc geeney! sweet jesus.

Well he has an Ulster 

Actually, Grahams managerial record is way ahead of McGeeney. Forgot his Leinster club. Had the relegations with Cavan but has taken them back into Div2 against Armagh next year. All the while he has lost some of his best players along the way. He wins things. Something Armagh lack.

Armagh are a bit like Cavan in that they've a manager that has run his course probably but when you look out there for the next manager you might be inclined to stick with the devil you know.

I'd strongly disagree there. That's fear rather than making the right call for the right reasons.

There is lots of people out there. You just have to be ambitious - Louth going after Harte; Antrim with McGinley and then Andy McEntee. Down getting Laverty.

Was Gallagher an obvious one to Derry? Manages will travel, Mark Doran going to Clare, Tally to Kerry.

Could they sell a project to Malachy O'Rourke? Oisin McConville? McEntees? Mickey Graham? Enda McGinley? Jim McGuinness? Pat Gilroy?

I think some overthink it. Top managers love the challenge and the chance to make a breakthrough.

Some dive by McManus at the end, but once again, Armagh stupid fouling haunts them again,

Was it a dive or a foul?

It was a definite foul  but with McManus enhancing the drama. The script was already written for that last piece of drama, everybody knew their lines except Armagh and the ref was right on cue.

I see the GAA have stated that a wide was the correct call.

"During the Armagh v Monaghan game yesterday the Hawk-Eye score detection system returned a 'data unavailable' message. The GAA requested an explanation from Hawk-Eye who concluded that the message was a result of operator error.
The GAA is happy that the system review confirmed the on-field decision by the referee taken at the time."

I wonder what the operator error was?
And if the review showed it was in fact a point and Monaghan happened to lose the game in ET or penalties, another secret to buried in the Croke park cellars and the operator falls out of a 5th floor window?

Hawk-eye gives some bother in the GAA. Does it give the same amount of trouble in its other sporting applications? I read it costs between €7-8k per game!

I was sure this was a point on the day. Have looked for a reply and have not seen any.

McGeeney and Co are clouded with a losers tag at this stage. Between losing big games, relegation and style of play, it's hard to shake that off after 8 or 9 years. If donaghy is a forwards coach I don't know what he is doing with them.

As an example - Keane in Kerry was close, had the players at underage but one failure and he was gone. They went after a proven winner with a strong backroom team. They believed they had the players but seen that a year with risk is just a year wasted, they wanted a change of direction.

Armagh are labouring. Maybe McGeeney is overachieving but I don't know what he has achieved in his county Mgt career to date.

Regards the underage, it's a help to have strong structures in place but having 1 starting county senior player come through each year is a good year, other years you might get two panel members, a good team you'll get a starter and panel members. It's hard work but you have to give them game time. McConville in Armagh was very strong at club level but doesn't seem to fit current mgts plans. Many others like him?

Are too many resources been put into the senior set up and underage neglected? A county centre of excellence is a must these days. I remember Laverty talking about the disappointment he faced taking Down underage teams to Tyrone, Derry, Monaghan etc and seeing what they had and him unable to tell the players where they'd be training the following week. It's been massive for Louth to have it but our schools are still so far behind and players spread around them. I don't think Leinster schools are as focused as the Ulster schools and it shows. A work colleague raves about the Monaghan schools and that 3 compete now at the top level and they make finals and semi finals regularly.

Few observations on yesterday.

Armagh the most over coached team I've seen. I don't think they play off the cuff bar trying to get the keeper into play. Was in lower hogan behind the Armagh Mgt. Tactics board on hand for discussions between Donaghy, McGeeney and McKeever, same for subs going in. In the first period of extra time, when Armagh had the extra man, Donaghy was telling the players to calm down, flapping his arms as if he was going to take off. What were Armagh doing at this point, playing the ball slowly sideways and backways. Calm down indeed.

The Hawkeye failure could have cost Monaghan. In our seats in real time it looked well inside the post. Everyone said same round us. Umpire on far side never moved a foot to get right angle.

McGeeney trying to give McManus verbals on his first free, from near sideline. What a clown. I did enjoy that O'Neill hit a serious free just after it. Two fine placed ball kickers.

Armagh learned nothing from the Derry game. Man up and never looked like using. They seem to have a reluctance to shoot allowing Monaghan get blocks and bodies back. The Monaghan defending was brillant at times, if a little last ditch but very honest.

Are Monaghan one of the top 4 sides in the country? In reality no, but that where they find themselves. Is there a big performance in them to take a scalp? You just never know.

Wasn't sure where to mention this but GAA planning at its best. All Ireland Football quarter finals this weekend as is the Football Feile. While hard to find a spot, they could have been aligned with a hurling weekend and the Hurling feile on this weekend.

Just to keep up:

This should be a standalone game in Croke Park where only Armagh fans can get tickets, all non match traffic is banned from M1, toll charges are waived in addition to unlimited trains and the game is to receive blanket free to air coverage on all channels?