Messages

[I fancy us very strongly. We've been going relatively well in Div 1 this year, we could have gotten second season syndrome but we held our own against some of the big teams and although we've found ourselves in a bit of a relegation fight I think we'll have enough to pull through.Our full forward line has been hard to stop in the championship to date and I think Cullaville will struggle with that too whilst I hope we can deal with their threat up front.]

Well one way or the other Cullyhanna won't have to deal with playing Cross in the final.

I'm sure I could find someone to take a bet with ya! I fancy us very strongly. We've been going relatively well in Div 1 this year, we could have gotten second season syndrome but we held our own against some of the big teams and although we've found ourselves in a bit of a relegation fight I think we'll have enough to pull through.

Our full forward line has been hard to stop in the championship to date and I think Cullaville will struggle with that too whilst I hope we can deal with their threat up front. Few of my trasna mates would be high rolling gamblers so I'm sure we could strike a deal!

It's nice to hear you saying something constructive for a change.

I feel so vindicated now.

Cross aren't going to be in the final so the debate is somewhat irrelevant. 

Cross thrive on that sort of attitude.

Well one way or the other Cullyhanna won't have to deal with playing Cross in the final.

I'm sure I could find someone to take a bet with ya! I fancy us very strongly. We've been going relatively well in Div 1 this year, we could have gotten second season syndrome but we held our own against some of the big teams and although we've found ourselves in a bit of a relegation fight I think we'll have enough to pull through.

Our full forward line has been hard to stop in the championship to date and I think Cullaville will struggle with that too whilst I hope we can deal with their threat up front. Few of my trasna mates would be high rolling gamblers so I'm sure we could strike a deal!

[How can this be allowed to happen?]

I see on armaghgaa.net there that the Championship Final is fixed for Crossmaglen.

This is nothing short of scandalous. Granted they're not in the final yet but it is highly likely that they will be and the County board are giving them an advantage yet again.

They train on that ground, they play there week in week out and they'll have all their home support in their own back yard if they reach the final. This is surely worth 3 points at least to any team. How can this be allowed to happen? There are many other grounds capable of holding the game, shouldn't it be a neutral ground, decided on as and when the finalists are known?

I doubt there is any other county in Ireland where this sort of thing goes on.

Because we told the county board they had to play the Final in Cross and that was that

Don't be so childish, no one is saying that. I just believe in creating a level playing field for all participants and no team should be given home advantage for a championship final.

The same shit happens every year that the Final is played in Cross.  There are regulations in relation to playing county finals and they have to be played at designated County grounds simple as that.  We never bitched when we had to play the Ogs in the Athletic Grounds.  The County Board have not been able to get teh Athletic Grounds finished therefore it has to be played in Cross.  Whether or not a field is capable of holding the game is completely different from the rules that surround the fixture.  if you or anyone else has a problem with this go to the Armagh convention, raise it as an issue, have the county delegates vote on it, if it is passed then it can go before HQ and let them make the decision as it is from the top that the directive has come.  If you don't want to do that shut your whinging mouth and get over it.

Typical bullying Cross attitude.

So the if the Granemore lads get past Dromintee they'll have put out two of the bigger Div 1 teams and they'll then be expected to go Crossmaglen and try and beat them in their backyard with all the trappings and advantages that brings for Cross.

A venue that may involve a participating team should be the first to be ruled out. If there are directives in place meaning it has to be played at a county ground then in these extraordinary circumstances - and they are extraordinary circumstances, only people in our county won't recognise so - then it should be brought to the Marshes.

cross have to get to the final first sammy son,then they,l be in their backyard,,anyway teams relish goin into the lions den and we for 1 never feared goin to cross and had some mighty battles through the years with them,home and away.. id gladly play in a county final wherever the venue

And during these occasions when you mighty and fearless warriors went into the 'lion's den' who came up top on the all important scoreboard?

[with new H&S laws and other red tape it rules out any other venue other than Crossmaglen]

There are designated county grounds in Armagh and 2 out of the 3 are under construction so that just leaves Crossmaglen, with new H&S laws and other red tape it rules out any other venue other than Crossmaglen. So thats where the match is and as BC! said "build a bridge and get over it". The teams in the semi finals will (at this stage) only be too glad to be playing a championship final in Crossmaglen.

Next year it will be back to the Athletic grounds so thats that

So semi-finals are exempt from these laws and rules then? 

[How can this be allowed to happen?]

I see on armaghgaa.net there that the Championship Final is fixed for Crossmaglen.

This is nothing short of scandalous. Granted they're not in the final yet but it is highly likely that they will be and the County board are giving them an advantage yet again.

They train on that ground, they play there week in week out and they'll have all their home support in their own back yard if they reach the final. This is surely worth 3 points at least to any team. How can this be allowed to happen? There are many other grounds capable of holding the game, shouldn't it be a neutral ground, decided on as and when the finalists are known?

I doubt there is any other county in Ireland where this sort of thing goes on.

Because we told the county board they had to play the Final in Cross and that was that

Don't be so childish, no one is saying that. I just believe in creating a level playing field for all participants and no team should be given home advantage for a championship final.

The same shit happens every year that the Final is played in Cross.  There are regulations in relation to playing county finals and they have to be played at designated County grounds simple as that.  We never bitched when we had to play the Ogs in the Athletic Grounds.  The County Board have not been able to get teh Athletic Grounds finished therefore it has to be played in Cross.  Whether or not a field is capable of holding the game is completely different from the rules that surround the fixture.  if you or anyone else has a problem with this go to the Armagh convention, raise it as an issue, have the county delegates vote on it, if it is passed then it can go before HQ and let them make the decision as it is from the top that the directive has come.  If you don't want to do that shut your whinging mouth and get over it.

Typical bullying Cross attitude.

So the if the Granemore lads get past Dromintee they'll have put out two of the bigger Div 1 teams and they'll then be expected to go Crossmaglen and try and beat them in their backyard with all the trappings and advantages that brings for Cross.

A venue that may involve a participating team should be the first to be ruled out. If there are directives in place meaning it has to be played at a county ground then in these extraordinary circumstances - and they are extraordinary circumstances, only people in our county won't recognise so - then it should be brought to the Marshes.

#

I would have no problem with that whatsoever.  Get your club delegate to propse it at the next AGM.

I will do! But theres surely nothing now restricting them from holding it in the Marshes so long as the Down county board agreed to it?

I don't think it's necessarily a 'give every advantage to Cross' type of thing either by the way, just our county board officials are so arrogant and would never go to Down admitting they have no suitable ground to hold our county final in.

[How can this be allowed to happen?]

I see on armaghgaa.net there that the Championship Final is fixed for Crossmaglen.

This is nothing short of scandalous. Granted they're not in the final yet but it is highly likely that they will be and the County board are giving them an advantage yet again.

They train on that ground, they play there week in week out and they'll have all their home support in their own back yard if they reach the final. This is surely worth 3 points at least to any team. How can this be allowed to happen? There are many other grounds capable of holding the game, shouldn't it be a neutral ground, decided on as and when the finalists are known?

I doubt there is any other county in Ireland where this sort of thing goes on.

Because we told the county board they had to play the Final in Cross and that was that

Don't be so childish, no one is saying that. I just believe in creating a level playing field for all participants and no team should be given home advantage for a championship final.

The same shit happens every year that the Final is played in Cross.  There are regulations in relation to playing county finals and they have to be played at designated County grounds simple as that.  We never bitched when we had to play the Ogs in the Athletic Grounds.  The County Board have not been able to get teh Athletic Grounds finished therefore it has to be played in Cross.  Whether or not a field is capable of holding the game is completely different from the rules that surround the fixture.  if you or anyone else has a problem with this go to the Armagh convention, raise it as an issue, have the county delegates vote on it, if it is passed then it can go before HQ and let them make the decision as it is from the top that the directive has come.  If you don't want to do that shut your whinging mouth and get over it.

Typical bullying Cross attitude.

So the if the Granemore lads get past Dromintee they'll have put out two of the bigger Div 1 teams and they'll then be expected to go Crossmaglen and try and beat them in their backyard with all the trappings and advantages that brings for Cross.

A venue that may involve a participating team should be the first to be ruled out. If there are directives in place meaning it has to be played at a county ground then in these extraordinary circumstances - and they are extraordinary circumstances, only people in our county won't recognise so - then it should be brought to the Marshes.

[How can this be allowed to happen?]

I see on armaghgaa.net there that the Championship Final is fixed for Crossmaglen.

This is nothing short of scandalous. Granted they're not in the final yet but it is highly likely that they will be and the County board are giving them an advantage yet again.

They train on that ground, they play there week in week out and they'll have all their home support in their own back yard if they reach the final. This is surely worth 3 points at least to any team. How can this be allowed to happen? There are many other grounds capable of holding the game, shouldn't it be a neutral ground, decided on as and when the finalists are known?

I doubt there is any other county in Ireland where this sort of thing goes on.

Because we told the county board they had to play the Final in Cross and that was that

Don't be so childish, no one is saying that. I just believe in creating a level playing field for all participants and no team should be given home advantage for a championship final.

I see on armaghgaa.net there that the Championship Final is fixed for Crossmaglen.

This is nothing short of scandalous. Granted they're not in the final yet but it is highly likely that they will be and the County board are giving them an advantage yet again.

They train on that ground, they play there week in week out and they'll have all their home support in their own back yard if they reach the final. This is surely worth 3 points at least to any team. How can this be allowed to happen? There are many other grounds capable of holding the game, shouldn't it be a neutral ground, decided on as and when the finalists are known?

I doubt there is any other county in Ireland where this sort of thing goes on.

As i referred to in the hurling thread, county finals are to be played in county grounds.

Although there is a number of grounds capable of holding it two of the three potential grounds are under development and are unavailable.

Rubbish, why does it have to be in a county ground? Surely this is not something that should be a concrete rule in the interest of keeping a level playing field for all the participants.

Carrickcruppen, for one, is capable of hosting this game, they've hosted county games before.

I see on armaghgaa.net there that the Championship Final is fixed for Crossmaglen.

This is nothing short of scandalous. Granted they're not in the final yet but it is highly likely that they will be and the County board are giving them an advantage yet again.

They train on that ground, they play there week in week out and they'll have all their home support in their own back yard if they reach the final. This is surely worth 3 points at least to any team. How can this be allowed to happen? There are many other grounds capable of holding the game, shouldn't it be a neutral ground, decided on as and when the finalists are known?

I doubt there is any other county in Ireland where this sort of thing goes on.

Granemore V Dromintee

Crossmaglen V Maghery/Cullyhanna

Odds courtesy of Paddy Power:

Crossmaglen 1/8
Dromintee 7/1
Granemore 10/1
Cullyhanna 16/1
Maghery 16/1
Ballymacnab 25/1

Although I do believe it's a cert, I wasn't expecting Cross to be that short! a bit short on Ballymacnab too, it should be more like 25 million to one given their current circumstances.

[Firstly]

Is there a bigger egomaniac on the board than Winsamsoon? He states firstly that he's barely seen some of the contenders, therefore knows little about them, then he continues to give a detailed rating on each team left in the competition. Does he think his opinion is valued so much that we are prepared to accept guesswork and hearsay as good analysis?

Firstly i think you are misunderstanding the purpose of a discussion board. It will be a collection of people views from all walks of life discussing topics. They will each have different opinions and look at things from different perspectives, hence the debate.

Secondly i have seen all  the teams that are still involved in the senior championship this year, but may not have seen them all in the championship. I have also played against them for the last ten years so i think my detailed account would be based on my personal experiences .

Thirdly by posting up my OPINIONS on the teams left in the championships i was inviting debate on the issue. I can clearly see though that you haven't got the intelligience to discuss or debate the issue at hand. This is evident as your only post has been a personal attack on me. Try debating the issues instead of sitting back reading posts and then deciding to attack people. It isn't rocket science so give an opinion on the fourthcoming games . I'm not into these personal attacks
[/quote]

The old 'this is a discussion board' argument. Original.

[Don't think any senior championship games were ever won in a bookies so the odds they quote mean fcuk all]

Don't think any senior championship games were ever won in a bookies so the odds they quote mean fcuk all

I think cross are certs for the championship . Dromintee imo simply aren't good enough in a lot of areas, cullyhanna share the same flaws. Maghery are too light to beat cross but play a good brand of football . The only team i feel can put it up to cross is Granemore, the reason i say this is because i haven't seen much of them and going by the result at the weekend and the comments about their performances i am willing to place them at number two . If i had to rate  the teams left in the championship in terms of winning it at the moment it would be as follows

Cross 9/10 - Very tight defence when at the top of the game and plenty of scoring forwards. Small chink in the armour would be the midfiled,. Gave them 9 because there is always a chance.

Granemore- 7/10   A decent forward line and midfield could possibly secure enough possession at midfield to trouble the cross.

Cullyhanna- 6/10- Not enough scoring forwards too reliant on MC Keever and Mackin. Any decent team should contain them up front and notch up enough scores to win.

Dromintee 6/10 - A team that had potential but always failed to fulfil it. Too reliant on a few individual players that can't seem to stand up and be counted for big games. This could have been down to a psychological barrier with the cross and i may have to eat these words but i feel their defense is dodgy enough and not enough scoring forwards.

Maghery 6/10- Will try all day and run all day but will be too light in defence and around the middle. May edge the game with Cullyhanna because of their pace and scoring forwards but can be very wasteful up front at times (plus the two lads missing won't help them)  I would fancy cross to beat them by at least 7

That's how i see it anyway lads i look forward to the scathing attacks 

Bookies odds don't mean f*ck all, they follow the money. So it's generally a good idea of what people who are prepared to put cash on the line believe what's going to happen. Of course they are wrong sometimes, thats the beauty of sport but they are right most of the time.

Is there a bigger egomaniac on the board than Winsamsoon? He states firstly that he's barely seen some of the contenders, therefore knows little about them, then he continues to give a detailed rating on each team left in the competition. Does he think his opinion is valued so much that we are prepared to accept guesswork and hearsay as good analysis?

["champions elect"]

"hughes and toner had a great battle at midfield with toner only really coming into it late on."

This is simply not true - Toner was excellent from start to finish....Ogs had no answer to him.

Correct. Toner bossed midfield. McClelland was excellent aswell considering his circumstances.

Can't see past Cross regaining their title. I think the biggest threat will come from Cullyhanna if they overcome Maghery. Think they'll relish a good go at Cross. Dromintee will no doubt choke if they get to the final. Granemore were impressive though that was against a poor Ogs side, so its hard to judge them. Their forwards are unreal though and will cause any team problems.

I don't know about that Fitzie, Dromintee and St Pats will fancy their chances against Cross. After the Og's beating Cross last year a few teams would have a bit more beliefe now, Dromintee are vastly experienced and i think they could be the surprise winners this year. St Pats are 2-3 players short of a good team.

Would agree there about Dromintee, I reckon it is there's to lose this year.  It is set up for them as Cross are not as strong as they have been, St Pat's/Maghery I just think are a small bit short.  Granemore though could be the winners as there is nothing expected of them.  the thing is though can they cope with the tag of the team that beat the Ogs?  How will Dromintee deal with the "champions elect" label that they will no doubt pick up?

What are you smoking!? Who, other than you just there now, is labelling Dromintee as "champions elect"?

Dromintee are decent and I've no doubt you believe they pose a threat which explains your outlandish statements trying to tag them as favourites but I think their best chance to win the championship has been and gone.

The bookies will seriously disagree with you anyway. Cross were 4/9 before the weekend and I'd expect them to be in and around 2/7 now at best with Ogs gone. It's Cross' championship to lose.

don't know  why the bridge was overlooked for either of the games.

Maybe because their main pitch is a disgrace.