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Stirling Moss - No.7

Here is one for yas;

For those who can remember, who was the better captain and leader (not player), DJ or POR ?

Maybe its an unfair question given there were so many leaders in that team.

POR was a passenger in 1991, he wore No.6 but never played there. Always moved onto the 'weakest' forward. A leader in his size but not in his play. DJ drove the team on 1994 and lead by example, he was a scrapper and did whatever needed to be done to win.

As for putting Dan Gordan as the best number 3 at any stage is bewildering. Donncha O'Connor scored 5 points of him in 2010, he was never a man marker and had a terrible game that day, maybe costing us a win. The line must also take alot of the blame for not making a change sooner.

[Pete McGrath selects best 15 from men he played with or managed - Irish News todayTHE brief was to pick his best side from the men he played alongside or managed and Pete McGrath has come up with a truly formidable, star-studded line-up that spans over 60 years from the late Leo Murphy, a team-mate in his early days with St Bronagh's, Rostrevor, to Stephen Cluxton, who remains a key part of the all-conquering Dublin team of today.In between those two, Pete had the difficult task of selecting players from the Down, Ulster, St Colman's, Fermanagh and Louth teams and the club sides he was involved with. Andy Watters spoke to the vastly-experienced All-Ireland winner as he selected his best XV.1 Stephen Cluxton (Ireland)I managed Stephen in the 2004 International Rules home series. At that stage he hadn't yet become the iconic figure that he now is but even then the International Rules player had to be an extension of an outfield player in how he used the ball. Cluxton played exceptionally well against the Australians and, given what he has become since, it would be impossible for anyone asked who was the greatest 'keeper they ever managed not to say 'Stephen Cluxton'.I also had to consider Neil Collins, given all he did in the 1990s, Mickey McVeigh who was another very good goalkeeper and Niall Morgan, who did goal when I managed the Ulster team, but I have to go with Cluxton.2 Ryan McMenamin (Ireland)AUSTRALIA in 2005 was a very difficult tour, the matches were brutally physical but he was one of the Ireland players who certainly stood up to the Aussies. By that time he had won two All-Irelands with Tyrone and went on to win a third.When you look at corner-backs, Ryan had everything – he had the aggression, he had physicality and he was a good footballer, he could go forward and mentally he was very, very strong.There were good footballers in the Down full-back line like Paul Higgins and Micheal Magill but I've decided to go for Ryan.3 Leo Murphy (Rostrevor)I CAME into the Rostrevor senior team in 1969 and I played with the great Leo Murphy for six years. He was an iconic Down full-back from the 1960s and by that time he had retired from inter-county football but he was still a relatively young man.Football then was a bit more physical than it is now and you had big Leo at the edge of the square and he was a very dominating, physical and controlling figure. He was a hero to me given that he was an All-Ireland winner with Down and he was a marvellous man as well as being a marvellous footballer.4 Tom O'Hare (Down)AS A young guy coming into the Down senior team in 1972/73 Tom (an All-Ireland winner in 1968) was still playing. Gerry O'Neill, the former Armagh manager, said Tom O'Hare was 'the Beckenbauer of Gaelic Football' and he was. He could read the game so well and he made playing left corner-back a cool position to play in because he had the attributes of a really classy footballer – the sense of anticipation, fielding ability, use of the ball... A man who was ahead of his time.5 Tomas O Se (Ireland)HE was in the Ireland team in 2004 and 2005. In what was a very physical tour of Australia, Tomas got stuck into it and played with his usual verve and energy. He is one of the outstanding Kerry players of all time and when you've managed a man like that, it would be very hard to keep him out of your all-time greatest team.6 Barry Breen (Down)AT centre-half backs it's Barry Breen. He played there in the '94 Down team, he was midfield in 1991. I managed Barry at minor level as well and he resembled Tom O'Hare in many ways in that his reading of the game and his use of the ball was superb. He was someone who always seemed to have a lot of time in possession. He wasn't fast but he was very deceptive in his movement and the ground he could cover. A very intelligent player and a natural footballer who didn't need coaching, he just seemed to fit into whatever position you played him in. In 1994 his contribution at centre half-back was very important.7 DJ Kane (Down)AN understated footballer in certain ways, he had drive and focus and a ruthless streak, in the good sense of the word. He was very good on the ball, you just have to watch the Ulster final of 1994 to see how often he got forward.I couldn't go past DJ at number seven.8 Sean Cavanagh (Ireland)HE played for me in 2004 and 2005 and he loved the International Rules game. His contribution to the Tyrone successes was immense. He had running power, fielding ability and scoring ability and as the game evolved from the 'noughties' on it suited him even more. It became a running game where positions weren't that important and it was about covering ground, anticipating and getting forward and he had all those qualities.In my time with Fermanagh, Eoin Donnelly was in that mould in the sense that he is a high fielder, he can cover ground and has good vision.9 Colm McAlarney (Down)ANOTHER player I played with. In all the midfielders I have seen down through the years to the present time, I think McAlarney would be right up there with the best of them. Jack O'Shea himself said that he modelled his game on Colm McAlarney. Colm's running ability, his athleticism, his accuracy in possession for scoring and passing... It was his sheer infectiousness, he had such great enthusiasm for the game, he just wanted to play and he played with such energy and vibrancy. A marvellous footballer.10 Brian Dooher (Ireland)ANOTHER International Rules man. He never let me down in the Ireland series. He was the ideal team player, the amount of work that he did, his selflessness on the ball, his scoring ability and tackling ability... For any manager Dooher would be a dream player to have in your squad because of what he did and for the example he would show.After long deliberation I went for him but Ross Carr was a great man and a great player in the '90s. He was a similar player to Dooher and an expert free-taker as well. It was a tough call.11 Greg Blayney (Down)THE ultimate number 11 in how the position was played then and probably how it is still played today. A playmaker, very strong, very courageous, his ability to win breaking ball was almost uncanny and his physical strength in retaining possession, breaking tackles and then delivering the inch-perfect pass... A man who found it so hard to take defeat, he was just an absolute winner from day one.12 Padraig Joyce (Ireland)FROM Galway, he played for Ireland in the two years I was manager and he was the captain of the team. Led by example, a wonderful footballer. Like all the top forwards he had vision, he had scoring ability and the facility to find space and of course his performances for Galway in the two All-Ireland finals would make him stand out as a very accomplished, first rate forward.13 Mickey Linden (Down)WHEN I look back at all the players I managed or played with, if you're looking for a corner-forward then Mickey would be a no-brainer. The man's pace, his scoring ability, the fact that he taught himself how to kick better with his left foot than his right foot! In 1994 Mickey was 31 and his performances that year, right back to the classic against Derry at Celtic Park through to the final against Dublin on an awful day at Croke Park were superb. His scores, his strength on the ball... By that time Dublin knew that Linden was the man they had to stop but they failed, they couldn't stop him. He put in another really top-drawer performance as he had been doing all year. At top of the right, Mickey Linden is the man.14 Sean O'Neill (Down)ANOTHER Down player I played with. Ask anyone who played alongside him: 'Who is the greatest player you ever played with?' I would say they would go for Sean. I personally think he's the greatest forward that ever played the game. His pace, his ball-winning ability, his uncanny ability to do the unexpected – defenders never knew what he was going to do. He could go right, go left, lay it off, take them on... He could rise, flick the ball on. The sense of menace that Sean O'Neill created whenever he had the ball close to goal is second to none although Peter Canavan might come close. O'Neill would get on any team no matter what era and you had to play with him to realise his determination to win. The sense of mission that he brought to every game he played was something that I have never experienced in any other player. He was a unique player and in many ways a unique person.15 James McCartan (St Colman's College and Down)I MANAGED James at St Colman's College and minor, U21 and senior level with Down. You could take certain qualities that Mickey Linden and Sean O'Neill had and you would find them in James. He was totally fearless, his ball-winning capacity for a small person was exceptional. On the ball his balance was superb and he was almost impossible to dispossess and he could think his way through a game. I saw matches where James was being neutralised by an opponent but he would always find a way and it took just three or four flashes from him and he could change a game by taking a man on and laying the ball off for a critical score or finding the net himself.The '94 performance at Celtic Park was exceptional and his scores in the All-Ireland final of 1991, when Meath physically threw everything at him, was superb. The harder they hit him the better he got and I always feel that really great players save their greatest performances for the biggest occasions and James did that. Himself, Greg and Mickey were probably the best triangle of forwards that you would ever see on any team.OverviewI HAD three or four contenders for every position but I had to ask myself: 'Who is the guy that I really can't leave out?' So that is what swung the decision in that person's favour.Those are the marginal calls you have to make in picking any team, I had to make them in real life when I was picking real teams for really big matches and for this team I still tried to apply the same principles.There are so many great players who I had the privilege of playing beside and managing, and 'privilege' is the word I would use. Whenever you sit down and think about it, you begin to appreciate the whole array of great players as well as great people you had the privilege of playing with or coaching.]

Pete McGrath selects best 15 from men he played with or managed - Irish News today

THE brief was to pick his best side from the men he played alongside or managed and Pete McGrath has come up with a truly formidable, star-studded line-up that spans over 60 years from the late Leo Murphy, a team-mate in his early days with St Bronagh's, Rostrevor, to Stephen Cluxton, who remains a key part of the all-conquering Dublin team of today.
In between those two, Pete had the difficult task of selecting players from the Down, Ulster, St Colman's, Fermanagh and Louth teams and the club sides he was involved with. Andy Watters spoke to the vastly-experienced All-Ireland winner as he selected his best XV.

1 Stephen Cluxton (Ireland)
I managed Stephen in the 2004 International Rules home series. At that stage he hadn't yet become the iconic figure that he now is but even then the International Rules player had to be an extension of an outfield player in how he used the ball. Cluxton played exceptionally well against the Australians and, given what he has become since, it would be impossible for anyone asked who was the greatest 'keeper they ever managed not to say 'Stephen Cluxton'.
I also had to consider Neil Collins, given all he did in the 1990s, Mickey McVeigh who was another very good goalkeeper and Niall Morgan, who did goal when I managed the Ulster team, but I have to go with Cluxton.

2 Ryan McMenamin (Ireland)
AUSTRALIA in 2005 was a very difficult tour, the matches were brutally physical but he was one of the Ireland players who certainly stood up to the Aussies. By that time he had won two All-Irelands with Tyrone and went on to win a third.
When you look at corner-backs, Ryan had everything – he had the aggression, he had physicality and he was a good footballer, he could go forward and mentally he was very, very strong.
There were good footballers in the Down full-back line like Paul Higgins and Micheal Magill but I've decided to go for Ryan.

3 Leo Murphy (Rostrevor)
I CAME into the Rostrevor senior team in 1969 and I played with the great Leo Murphy for six years. He was an iconic Down full-back from the 1960s and by that time he had retired from inter-county football but he was still a relatively young man.
Football then was a bit more physical than it is now and you had big Leo at the edge of the square and he was a very dominating, physical and controlling figure. He was a hero to me given that he was an All-Ireland winner with Down and he was a marvellous man as well as being a marvellous footballer.

4 Tom O'Hare (Down)
AS A young guy coming into the Down senior team in 1972/73 Tom (an All-Ireland winner in 1968) was still playing. Gerry O'Neill, the former Armagh manager, said Tom O'Hare was 'the Beckenbauer of Gaelic Football' and he was. He could read the game so well and he made playing left corner-back a cool position to play in because he had the attributes of a really classy footballer – the sense of anticipation, fielding ability, use of the ball... A man who was ahead of his time.

5 Tomas O Se (Ireland)
HE was in the Ireland team in 2004 and 2005. In what was a very physical tour of Australia, Tomas got stuck into it and played with his usual verve and energy. He is one of the outstanding Kerry players of all time and when you've managed a man like that, it would be very hard to keep him out of your all-time greatest team.

6 Barry Breen (Down)
AT centre-half backs it's Barry Breen. He played there in the '94 Down team, he was midfield in 1991. I managed Barry at minor level as well and he resembled Tom O'Hare in many ways in that his reading of the game and his use of the ball was superb. He was someone who always seemed to have a lot of time in possession. He wasn't fast but he was very deceptive in his movement and the ground he could cover. A very intelligent player and a natural footballer who didn't need coaching, he just seemed to fit into whatever position you played him in. In 1994 his contribution at centre half-back was very important.

7 DJ Kane (Down)
AN understated footballer in certain ways, he had drive and focus and a ruthless streak, in the good sense of the word. He was very good on the ball, you just have to watch the Ulster final of 1994 to see how often he got forward.
I couldn't go past DJ at number seven.

8 Sean Cavanagh (Ireland)
HE played for me in 2004 and 2005 and he loved the International Rules game. His contribution to the Tyrone successes was immense. He had running power, fielding ability and scoring ability and as the game evolved from the 'noughties' on it suited him even more. It became a running game where positions weren't that important and it was about covering ground, anticipating and getting forward and he had all those qualities.
In my time with Fermanagh, Eoin Donnelly was in that mould in the sense that he is a high fielder, he can cover ground and has good vision.

9 Colm McAlarney (Down)
ANOTHER player I played with. In all the midfielders I have seen down through the years to the present time, I think McAlarney would be right up there with the best of them. Jack O'Shea himself said that he modelled his game on Colm McAlarney. Colm's running ability, his athleticism, his accuracy in possession for scoring and passing... It was his sheer infectiousness, he had such great enthusiasm for the game, he just wanted to play and he played with such energy and vibrancy. A marvellous footballer.

10 Brian Dooher (Ireland)
ANOTHER International Rules man. He never let me down in the Ireland series. He was the ideal team player, the amount of work that he did, his selflessness on the ball, his scoring ability and tackling ability... For any manager Dooher would be a dream player to have in your squad because of what he did and for the example he would show.
After long deliberation I went for him but Ross Carr was a great man and a great player in the '90s. He was a similar player to Dooher and an expert free-taker as well. It was a tough call.

11 Greg Blayney (Down)
THE ultimate number 11 in how the position was played then and probably how it is still played today. A playmaker, very strong, very courageous, his ability to win breaking ball was almost uncanny and his physical strength in retaining possession, breaking tackles and then delivering the inch-perfect pass... A man who found it so hard to take defeat, he was just an absolute winner from day one.

12 Padraig Joyce (Ireland)
FROM Galway, he played for Ireland in the two years I was manager and he was the captain of the team. Led by example, a wonderful footballer. Like all the top forwards he had vision, he had scoring ability and the facility to find space and of course his performances for Galway in the two All-Ireland finals would make him stand out as a very accomplished, first rate forward.

13 Mickey Linden (Down)
WHEN I look back at all the players I managed or played with, if you're looking for a corner-forward then Mickey would be a no-brainer. The man's pace, his scoring ability, the fact that he taught himself how to kick better with his left foot than his right foot! In 1994 Mickey was 31 and his performances that year, right back to the classic against Derry at Celtic Park through to the final against Dublin on an awful day at Croke Park were superb. His scores, his strength on the ball... By that time Dublin knew that Linden was the man they had to stop but they failed, they couldn't stop him. He put in another really top-drawer performance as he had been doing all year. At top of the right, Mickey Linden is the man.

14 Sean O'Neill (Down)
ANOTHER Down player I played with. Ask anyone who played alongside him: 'Who is the greatest player you ever played with?' I would say they would go for Sean. I personally think he's the greatest forward that ever played the game. His pace, his ball-winning ability, his uncanny ability to do the unexpected – defenders never knew what he was going to do. He could go right, go left, lay it off, take them on... He could rise, flick the ball on. The sense of menace that Sean O'Neill created whenever he had the ball close to goal is second to none although Peter Canavan might come close. O'Neill would get on any team no matter what era and you had to play with him to realise his determination to win. The sense of mission that he brought to every game he played was something that I have never experienced in any other player. He was a unique player and in many ways a unique person.

15 James McCartan (St Colman's College and Down)
I MANAGED James at St Colman's College and minor, U21 and senior level with Down. You could take certain qualities that Mickey Linden and Sean O'Neill had and you would find them in James. He was totally fearless, his ball-winning capacity for a small person was exceptional. On the ball his balance was superb and he was almost impossible to dispossess and he could think his way through a game. I saw matches where James was being neutralised by an opponent but he would always find a way and it took just three or four flashes from him and he could change a game by taking a man on and laying the ball off for a critical score or finding the net himself.
The '94 performance at Celtic Park was exceptional and his scores in the All-Ireland final of 1991, when Meath physically threw everything at him, was superb. The harder they hit him the better he got and I always feel that really great players save their greatest performances for the biggest occasions and James did that. Himself, Greg and Mickey were probably the best triangle of forwards that you would ever see on any team.

Overview
I HAD three or four contenders for every position but I had to ask myself: 'Who is the guy that I really can't leave out?' So that is what swung the decision in that person's favour.
Those are the marginal calls you have to make in picking any team, I had to make them in real life when I was picking real teams for really big matches and for this team I still tried to apply the same principles.
There are so many great players who I had the privilege of playing beside and managing, and 'privilege' is the word I would use. Whenever you sit down and think about it, you begin to appreciate the whole array of great players as well as great people you had the privilege of playing with or coaching.

Just a few thoughts. I would have thought he would have show more allegiance to his own men who went to war for him in his All Ireland's. Cluxton instead of Neil Collins, Mc Menamin ahead of Paul Higgins and Dooher before Ross Carr, those decisions just don't make sense to me. Just ok views on DJ Kane, looks like he had to pick one of his captains.

[Liatriom to take a kilcoo man to get them back up]

Bridge men heading to Stone and Saval, Clarke and poacher to Ford, I also heard that Moran is leaving Kilcoo when campaign is over? Mickey Mcveigh to take the town. Liatriom to take a kilcoo man to get them back up

Paddy Hardy isn't a Kilcoo man. Gearoid Adams going to Burren.

[Great night all the same Sunday and yesterday]

Tough loss for us but very proud of the lads. They give it all and are a credit to the club. Great night all the same Sunday and yesterday and very much deserved. We will be back.
Our premier reserve team is poor and shoukd be much better. I think the top 3/4 teams in reserve football would compete high in division 3 and a certain thirds team as well from what I seen.
Saturday evening did not really work and I think Sundays were actually better

Nothing like celebrating failure.

You missed one of the best opportunities for a county title. Kilcoo were there for the taking but your reluctance to go for the throat cost you. Far too conservative, safe and lacking belief.  You would have thought Barney would have had you in better shape. Burren and Clonduff will also be kicking themselves. They always reckon that in any broth, scum rises to the top.

[I'm just stating the facts]

I hope that black and white shower have a wee bit more about them today than they did last week during the minor final when I heard a Mayobridge county official had to be removed from the sideline as the Kilcoo supporters were shouting all sorts of abuse at her. They have turned themselves into a real soccer crew with their antics and the shit they do and say both on and off the pitch. They can't get beaten by enough today.

I'm sure the mayobridge folk will welcome the kilcoo supports and players bus through the village with stone throwing like they do every other year

You see, that is the problem with you Kilcoo people. Big enough to give plenty but hate taking it. Ignore the facts and come back with some other shite. It's like your appeal for the sledging in the minor semi final, the lad admitted it and then had to apologise so what are you appealing against to Down and the Ulster committees?

BTW, are you mid down gael resurrected? Plenty of fist pumping in the crowd today MK

not mid down Gael, not from kilcoo I'm from east down and would rather kilcoo won, I'm just stating the facts about what happens every year kilcoo go through mayobridge. but sure we won't talk about that just slate kilcoo instead

yes and ignoring the fact that the Kilcoo supporters gave a county board official such abuse that she had to leave the sideline last Sunday. If they have been stoned every year that is totally wrong but I have never heard it mentioned before in all the years of Kilcoo success.

cause kilcoo don't go yapping about everything that goes on they just get on with it. There is plenty of mouthing goes on in the stands every club has them

Absolutely, every club has mouths. But when it gets very personal and directed at one individual that's the issue I have.

You seem to know an awful lot about Kilcoo and are backing them constantly for a man not from there.

[I'm just stating the facts]

I hope that black and white shower have a wee bit more about them today than they did last week during the minor final when I heard a Mayobridge county official had to be removed from the sideline as the Kilcoo supporters were shouting all sorts of abuse at her. They have turned themselves into a real soccer crew with their antics and the shit they do and say both on and off the pitch. They can't get beaten by enough today.

I'm sure the mayobridge folk will welcome the kilcoo supports and players bus through the village with stone throwing like they do every other year

You see, that is the problem with you Kilcoo people. Big enough to give plenty but hate taking it. Ignore the facts and come back with some other shite. It's like your appeal for the sledging in the minor semi final, the lad admitted it and then had to apologise so what are you appealing against to Down and the Ulster committees?

BTW, are you mid down gael resurrected? Plenty of fist pumping in the crowd today MK

not mid down Gael, not from kilcoo I'm from east down and would rather kilcoo won, I'm just stating the facts about what happens every year kilcoo go through mayobridge. but sure we won't talk about that just slate kilcoo instead

yes and ignoring the fact that the Kilcoo supporters gave a county board official such abuse that she had to leave the sideline last Sunday. If they have been stoned every year that is totally wrong but I have never heard it mentioned before in all the years of Kilcoo success.

I hope that black and white shower have a wee bit more about them today than they did last week during the minor final when I heard a Mayobridge county official had to be removed from the sideline as the Kilcoo supporters were shouting all sorts of abuse at her. They have turned themselves into a real soccer crew with their antics and the shit they do and say both on and off the pitch. They can't get beaten by enough today.

I'm sure the mayobridge folk will welcome the kilcoo supports and players bus through the village with stone throwing like they do every other year

You see, that is the problem with you Kilcoo people. Big enough to give plenty but hate taking it. Ignore the facts and come back with some other shite. It's like your appeal for the sledging in the minor semi final, the lad admitted it and then had to apologise so what are you appealing against to Down and the Ulster committees?

BTW, are you mid down gael resurrected? Plenty of fist pumping in the crowd today MK

I hope that black and white shower have a wee bit more about them today than they did last week during the minor final when I heard a Mayobridge county official had to be removed from the sideline as the Kilcoo supporters were shouting all sorts of abuse at her. They have turned themselves into a real soccer crew with their antics and the shit they do and say both on and off the pitch. They can't get beaten by enough today.

Eamonn Burns was always a leader in Down football. He stood up in '91 and '94 when he was needed and yet again in 2016 when the county couldn't get a manager, he stood up. He was abused from everyone, and in particular on here, when things didn't go our way but he kept coming back. He took us to the Ulster Final in 2017 and I'm sure this gave him great pride, though the result never went our way. He was slated again in 2018 and sadly walked. We don't have enough men like Eamonn Burns who will put their shoulder to the wheel whenever they are needed. RIP Eamonn, you can be proud of your contribution to Down football in so many ways.

[walk]

Not much talk of minor final between Burren and Kilcoo , Kilcoo should walk it going by 2 years ago u16 but feel the mighty Burren have progressed more.
In fairness some special talents in Burren , they just have a habit of producing serious players .
Will be a delight to watch them beat Kilcoo.

Would that be talk or walk? The shit they did to Mayobridge in the semi final was as low as I have ever heard. The players and management should hang their heads in shame. I hope Burren give them a lesson but I can't see it. It will be a title won by Kilcoo in shame.

[because the same referee had abused him from the other side of the fence in a recent game.]

Two despicable deeds over the last week. A young player goading his opponent over his dead mother and another player assaulting a referee because the same referee had abused him from the other side of the fence in a recent game. Lads, where the hell are we going in Down football?

Lotto, where do you get your info? Surely a referee, quite a seasoned one too, would not abuse a player over the wire - Especially when he knows he will be on a pitch with him at some point. As hard to believe as the tooth fairy. Just don't see this as having any merit. What it does is try to soften the act.

from what I hear the faloon  brothers where doing a lot of slabbering at the kilcoo and Clonduff game on Saturday night

Paul Faloon is one of the quietest men you would meet and I find this very hard to believe, his brother is a different story.

apparently Paul was unhappy with the ref and his brother was giving a few of the kilcoo players abuse. What club do they come from?

You said they were doing alot of slabbering.  Now there is a long way between being unhappy at a referees performance and slabbering about it, Paul no and Kevin yes. Compare that with Rice who shouts and roars at all who will listen to him, sitting in the same place in the stand every game. Clubs for the Faloons, no ideas and Kevin refs more in Armagh than Down

[because the same referee had abused him from the other side of the fence in a recent game.]

Two despicable deeds over the last week. A young player goading his opponent over his dead mother and another player assaulting a referee because the same referee had abused him from the other side of the fence in a recent game. Lads, where the hell are we going in Down football?

Lotto, where do you get your info? Surely a referee, quite a seasoned one too, would not abuse a player over the wire - Especially when he knows he will be on a pitch with him at some point. As hard to believe as the tooth fairy. Just don't see this as having any merit. What it does is try to soften the act.

from what I hear the faloon  brothers where doing a lot of slabbering at the kilcoo and Clonduff game on Saturday night

Paul Faloon is one of the quietest men you would meet and I find this very hard to believe, his brother is a different story.

[because the same referee had abused him from the other side of the fence in a recent game.]

Two despicable deeds over the last week. A young player goading his opponent over his dead mother and another player assaulting a referee because the same referee had abused him from the other side of the fence in a recent game. Lads, where the hell are we going in Down football?

Lotto, where do you get your info? Surely a referee, quite a seasoned one too, would not abuse a player over the wire - Especially when he knows he will be on a pitch with him at some point. As hard to believe as the tooth fairy. Just don't see this as having any merit. What it does is try to soften the act.

Why would I try to soften the act of hitting a referee, this is never acceptable behaviour in anyone's book no matter what the provocation. This seasoned referee apparently shouted abuse over the fence during a recent game at the guy who is supposed to have struck him, believe it or believe it not.

Two despicable deeds over the last week. A young player goading his opponent over his dead mother and another player assaulting a referee because the same referee had abused him from the other side of the fence in a recent game. Lads, where the hell are we going in Down football?