Messages

Rock doing very well.

You'd imagine Dublin's fitness will tell in the last ten if they can keep their heads

I'd take experience over fitness any day

It's a shame that quality players like Flynn and Kilkenny don't get opportunities to shine in this Dublin system. All they do is move the ball on and fill space in the midfield third.

This is way more enjoyable than I had hoped! Interesting to see how Dublin perform in a tight contest! It's been so long!

I see Diarmuid '8 Steps' Connolly is at it again! It's a nice game for the neutral - count how many times he and Michael Darragh McCauley over carry the ball and never get blown up for it.

Most of the Dubs continously over carry.  You have to fear for Kerry,  real rabbit in the headlights stuff at times and winning very little breaking ball which has them on the back foot far too often

It's not just the Dubs in fairness. It's another one of those annoying little things that have been allowed to slide over the past ten years. Players like McCauley carry 5/6 steps into and out of contact all the time. In his case it's because he's such a poor solo runner. Paddy McBrearty and Darren O'Sullivan are frequent culprits too.

Four points so far from the Kerry kickout

I see Diarmuid '8 Steps' Connolly is at it again! It's a nice game for the neutral - count how many times he and Michael Darragh McCauley over carry the ball and never get blown up for it.

Haven't checked in in absolutely ages!
Have signed up for Belfast & Derry marathons in the next couple of months. Hoping to get around in something starting with a 3 in both then I'll train properly for Dublin. Only able to get two runs a week in due to work and family commitments. Ran a small club marathon a couple of weeks ago in 3.38 but it was a dead flat 3 lap circuit. Ran the second half of Belfast early on Sunday - not looking forward to the industrial estate but I suppose it has to be done.

Watches - I have a cheap Garmin - does the trick! Cost £80 on Amazon.
Foodwise, I eat a snickers at mile 14 and 20 if I need it. Don't like them and wouldn't eat one ordinarily but they give me the boost I need when running over 20 miles. I eat it on the run with an energy drink.

Have you tried loosening laces?

Aye, that's what hit me coming home today. Just wondering if there was anything else to eliminate.

There are loads of pages online about ankle pain and threadmill use ONeill. I'd say you needn't look too far for the source of your problems!

Brian Friel, playwright, aged 86.

A genius! RIP. Love his plays. If anyone fancies a short introduction to his writing, there are 5 short stories on bbc I player radio at the moment. Just search Brian Friel. Was just listening to them last weekend. Took my wife to Dancing at Lughnasa in the Lyric on our second date! I hope you Killyclogher men honour him with a statue at McGinns!

So, for the third time in ten days I've arrived home to find a line full of washing ruined due to slurry being spread. Happened last Monday, on Saturday and again today. 5 loads of washing  including school uniforms having to be rewashed and tumbled dried because of the smell outside. I've no issue with spreading but 3 times in 10 days in a city? I live three miles from Belfast city centre! It would be nice if there was some kind of notification. I'd say the weather conditions are causing the smell to hang around. Any of you farming lads let neighbours know when you're spreading out of courtesy?

I thought this was interesting.

http://www.newstalk.com/Dail-revoked-laws-Ireland-British-rule-King-James-II-Statute-Law-Repeal-Bill

Apparently we still recognise King James II as our King, and we are at war with Denmark and France. We also should be fasting every first Wednesday on account of the plague in London.

The Stuarts were bad news.  Never did anything for us.

All right, but apart from the fountain pen, the diving bell, public transport, road signs, paper money, the fire service, the microscope, the seed drill, coffee shops and the the three piece suit, what have the Stuarts ever done for us?

Was heading out earlier today and had talk sport on the radio... Not sure who was on but by feck the abuse he gave BR was unreal! While Liverpool haven't set the world alight they are only five points off the top and starting to get all their main players back and possible of going on a run of wins... If someone went on the radio and give me the abuse BR got I'd be looking to have a one to one chat with him!!

As a result of Liverpool's success in The 80s there are just so many pundits who are ex-Liverpool players. I remember a few years back someone telling me there were 16 Liverpool title winners on TV and Radio on a weekly basis talking about football. (None of whom had the ability or bravery required to go into management aside from a couple of disasters) To those players, for whom Liverpool was synonymous with winning and trophies, everything that has happened in the past 2 decades (Istanbul aside) must smack of failure. The more modern ex-Liverpool players - Danny Murphy for example, give a much more balanced and fair assessment of Rodgers tenure in my opinion.

He (BR) talks a lot of rubbish at times and makes me cringe on occasion, but he has had misfortune with injuries- Sturridge, Henderson, Benteke; the Balotelli risk didn't come off (it could have!!), he dealt with some difficult issues pretty well (the demise of Gerard, Sterling saga, Suarez affair, other Saurez affair, other other Saurez affair) and a few of his buys just haven't come off. Half of Europe wanted Moreno and Markovic and neither settled, Lallana has been poor by his own admission, a lot of clubs wanted Lovren and I expected him to be a hit, signings this summer have been a big improvement - Gomez, Clyne, Milner and Benteke are starters so a better sign of things to come??

Amazing Bingo! Respect!

It's a trend in all team sports! Mercurial talents are deemed 'luxury' players. There are very few players in GAA at the moment that you would pay an entry fee to watch. I remember going to watch Tyrone and Errigal games and being among crowds walking to the other end of the pitch at half time just to get a better view of Canavan. I'd pay good cash money to watch Mickey Linden and Greg Blayney in a Down shirt, the Gooch and Maurice Fitz. When I first watched Jamie Clarke I thought he was a player of that type but the flair has somehow been slowly pushed, pulled and dragged out of him.

Even at club level, and I played most of my football with a junior/intermediate club, the talented players aren't there. There are lads who can run around all day and kick it 60 yards, but can't solo the ball!! Literally can't solo the ball. I played with lads who wouldn't run out of your way, but could drop a shoulder, or sell a dummy that'd have me laughing at the absurdity of their ability.

That said, I do appreciate the superior fitness, the running ability of players like Diarmuid O'Connor and if you're tucked in the rafters of the Hogan or Cusack Stand some of these tactical games are very entertaining. It was great to see people talking about Ciaran Kilkenny after last Saturday's game - a player who plays the whole game with his head up, always aware of what's going on around him, he has an appreciation of space that some of the mechanical athletes around him depend on.

Hopefully, like most things in sport, it's a phase and we'll get back to the days of jinky corner forwards who are allowed to take on their man and shoot, center forwards like Giles or Ciaran McDonald who controlled games with their vision and precision rather than workrate, center backs who played like generals allowing the game to  revolve around them without requiring an army of foot soldiers to do their work for them.

The whole game is in a terrible state o' chassis!

Good luck Bingo! Hope that cold has stayed at bay!