"GAA has sold out on its principles by opening Croke Park" - Ulster chairman

[Fionntamhnach]

Don't have much time for Greenan considering his spoilt-child like rants at opportune moments regarding the amendments of Rule 42, so forgive me for not caring about that piece above much. But for someone who seems to be passionate about not wanting to see "garrison" games in Coke Park, I wonder does he have the same enthusiasm for trying to see hurling be played in clubs across Ulster? Because in the province, in most clubs you'll see as much effort put into promoting hurling as you see for rugby or soccer.

[magpie seanie]

That's rubbish Fionntamhnach - you cannot lay that at Greenan's door. There is little or no will in the area you mention to promote hurling. That's not Greenan's fault.

It amazes me how its ok to fire vitriolic abuse a GAA officials who put in massive hours for little or no reward but players are beyond reproach.

[bingobus]

Bingobus - that post is a disgrace. There are a lot more than players in this association and people like Greenan probably give more time than players for less reward.

And if you want his tickets why don't you ask him for them?

Did I ask for his tickets? If he's so against the notion of accepting the tickets shouldn't even cross his mind.

I know people do buckets of work for clubs and counties yet will not accept one dime for it. Many would be out of pocket. Yet he has jumped onboard an All-star trip to Dudai. If it was the Ozzie rules down under I could see his reason for been there and fair play to the senior officias who go as they are representing the members of the GAA. But a glorified friendly in the desert? Whats his role?

[thewobbler]

Off tangent perhaps - but given his opinions on Croke Park why then, during his stewardship, has the Ulster Council given its backing to a new sports stadium at the Maze, in which the GAA would become permanent bedfellows with the IFA and URFU? From my perspective, the GAA has no need for this stadium whatsoever, yet from what I am led to believe the project would not have got off the ground without the support of the GAA.  

The Ulster Council certainly couldn't make anymore money from a gate at this new ground than they could from the tax-free, GAA-owned ground in Clones.

So according to the logic displayed by Mr Greenan in the interview above, all the Ulster Council are in fact doing in supporting this idea is giving soccer and rugby in the north the ability to earn substantially greater gate revenue.

[Hardy]

Cavan lads, I know how you feel, coming as I do from the county that gave Hector Ó hEochagáin to the world.

[thewobbler]

It amazes me how its ok to fire vitriolic abuse a GAA officials who put in massive hours for little or no reward but players are beyond reproach.

A long, long time ago in GAAboard world, I identified Magpie Seanie as a blinkered hypocrite. He took exception to my comments and hasn't replied (directly) to me since then.

This is perhaps the finest example yet of this hypocrisy.

Seanie spent the last few months of Sean Kelly's presidential tenure belittling the man at every possible opportunity, blaming him for every ill in the game, posting slanderous comments about his reasons for being involved with the GAA.

Yet now, when it suits his petty little mind, he pulls this out of his hat.

[Fionntamhnach]

That's rubbish Fionntamhnach - you cannot lay that at Greenan's door. There is little or no will in the area you mention to promote hurling. That's not Greenan's fault.

It amazes me how its ok to fire vitriolic abuse a GAA officials who put in massive hours for little or no reward but players are beyond reproach.

While of course I can't lay that responsibility on Greenan, in the back of my mind I have never seen Greenan been as enthusiastic to promote hurling in Ulster the same way he bleats on about rule 42.

And trust me, I've put in plenty of voluntary hours for no reward and even been kicked in the balls metaphorically over some of it, but it makes no-one immune from challenging the viewpoints of anyone who makes their opinion in a flippant non-constructive fashion. There are many decisions at club, county and national level that don't go the way I'd like them to but I don't go on a perpetual whinge about it.

[Mayo4Sam]

Is this the same lad who made that disgraceful politic speech in croke park the day of the first ulster final played there?

This was a genuine question? Is this the same fella?
I thought he was a disgrace that day and was embarassed to be listening to what he was saying

[cavanmaniac]

I've said it here before, Greenan is an egomaniac, arch self-publicist who constantly bangs a loud controversial drum on various matters so he can sit back and marvel at the outspoken, blood and thunder, staunch and independent-minded heroic leader of men he thinks himself to be. I know this guy of old, trust me. His pathetic speeches on the steps of Croker, referencing political issues that have no place during any Cup presentation, shows that he considers his own agenda more important than the duties he's there to discharge, is willing to not only breach unspoken rules of decency but will also bypass acute embarrassment of himself in front of thousands if he thinks he can grab some publicity. Greenan makes me want to puke. Every stunt like this, his refusal to stand for Sean Kelly included, are all calculated moves on his part to increase his profile, feed his instatiable ego and make no mistake about it, in his mind, pave the way to stand for the Presidency. If he ever makes the highest office in the GAA, it will mark a darker day for the GAA when he sits down at his desk in the Hogan Stand than it will when Brian O'Driscoll et al ply their trade there for a few years before going back to where they came from. This constant inward-looking perspective and implicit failure to ackowledge that these fantastic GAA sports have a hold so great on the hearts and minds of Irish people that a few years of other sports at Croker will not even dent, is what's saddest of all about people like Greenan and their views. Bottom line, they lack confidence in their own product and fear the big bad international sports, despite fighting them off for years. The real battle ground with rugby and soccer is in treatment of players, welfare and making sure we keep them interested and well looked after, and has f**k all to do with stadiums if you ask me.

There were men like Greenan painting apocalyptic pictures when the ban was removed, it was the same when the ban on RUC and security forces was debated...and last time I looked the GAA hadn't crumbled because they were done away with. A few years of soccer and rugby at Croke Park - and let's not forget that Nickey Brennan has been quite strong in his handling of this so far and I for one don't expect him to keep rolling over if Lansdowne doesn't get underway soon - shouldn't kill it either.

I don't want to get into discussing the merits or lack of in Greenan's points, some of them are well enough made even if the one about Croker promoting other sports is a red herring - Croker or not these sports will have a high profile, they did before they will after - but what prompted me to post is that yet again, Greenan is elbowing his way into the public arena with more bluster and pulpit thumping that's frankly embarrassing to himself and his office. Whether you agree with some or all of what he's saying, fair enough, but don't be sucked into thinking he's a searing GAA evangelist with the association's best interests at heart. Michael Greenan looks out for Michael Greenan, end of.

[AZOffaly]

People who don't see fit to play our national anthem at all times do nothing for me

I like this sentence. Does he go around with Amhrán na bhFiann playing in an iPod or something?

[Fionntamhnach]

There are a lot of hypocritical posts. We can surely run Greenan down, but someone offers a view on Kelly and it is a full scale defense. Amazing.

Maybe its the way that both Grennan and Kelly deal with the issues at hand is what brings out the reactions against them, whereas Brennan is much more diplomatic in his public responses.

[ziggysego]

Greenan's a broke record. I wasn't keen for opening Croke Park to rugby and soccer. Now it is, I accept the will of the majority of the GAA and I shall try my best, from what I can do, to make it successful. Ulster doesn't need to be seen as the Dark Ages of the GAA.

[magpie seanie]

Ziggy - if it was a straight YES v. NO vote then no-one could have any grounds for complaint. There were conditions and a blind man can see they are not fulfilled. That's the point the man is making. People who suggested that it was possible that Lansdowne would actually be available for these games were pilloried at the time of the debate remember (and from this thread you can see that the modus operandi of name calling and abuse is still alive and well).

I don't know an awful lot about Greenan in fairness and would disagree somewhat with his comment about the rugby and the national anthem but I don't think he should be criticised in this instance for telling the emporer that he has no clothes.

On the ticket thing I'd say anyone desperate to go to the games could do worse than go through Mr. Greenan's bins in the next few weeks.

[BottleOfStout]

I agree with Greenan on principles of opening  Croke Park.  And even worse,  The GAA have rescheduled both All Ireland Hurling semi-final bacause of the rugby.

[Romeo]

Ziggy - if it was a straight YES v. NO vote then no-one could have any grounds for complaint. There were conditions and a blind man can see they are not fulfilled. That's the point the man is making. People who suggested that it was possible that Lansdowne would actually be available for these games were pilloried at the time of the debate remember (and from this thread you can see that the modus operandi of name calling and abuse is still alive and well).

I don't know an awful lot about Greenan in fairness and would disagree somewhat with his comment about the rugby and the national anthem but I don't think he should be criticised in this instance for telling the emporer that he has no clothes.

On the ticket thing I'd say anyone desperate to go to the games could do worse than go through Mr. Greenan's bins in the next few weeks.

`

If a guy is going to come out with a controversial stance, he has to expect criticism, whether you agree with that or not! And you don't really believe that about the tickets........................