Messages

If anyone thinks DAERA choose culling the cows as the easy option then they should compare the reaction to it to the complete non event rounding them up and taking the cows away would have been. From a reputational and paperwork point of view culling would always be the worst choice and likely more expensive.
Any marksman would have been present as part of the risk assessment. They wouldn't be much use if at home and something went wrong. It may be a balls up but the primary cause was a farmer incapable of looking after his animals.

Is there any information available on what games are being streamed in hurling or football championship?
I am wondering if it is worth getting but no idea what I would be buying.

Positive from the league is that no games (Div 1) as far as I can tell were conceded, they have been played regularly and appear to be reasonably spaced so must be good enough from a player perspective.
Go with 12 - 12 - 14 / 15 and split in the same way Division 2 did this year. Still 16 games but could be more competitive. Or could lead to a pile of dead rubbers in the bottom half with teams in no danger of relegation.

I am presuming the relegation play off has occurred, didn't see it in fixture list or in the results on the website. League and Championship remain seperate so Coleraine are Division 1 but will not be Senior Championship unless they win Intermediate.

What way is minor championship done? And who are favs to get to final

The complete fixtures are on the Derry website if you can find them. First against second in A1 and third against fourth for A2. Both at quarter final stage.

1 - Which team do you support?
Arsenal

2 - How long have you supported them?
11 May 1979

3 - Are you from the same town or city as that club? If not, do you have any personal or familial connection to it? Did you live there for a while? Do you live there now?
No to all.

4 - If the answers to 3 are all no, why do you support this team? How did you pick them out of all that's available?
FA Cup final 1979 choice between Arsenal and Man U, choose Arsenal.

5 - When England plays in international competitions, how do you feel about them? Do you
a - Root for England, particularly any players from your favourite EPL club?
b - Don't have a strong opinion one way or another, but would lean slightly towards wanting England to do well
c - Don't have any opinion at all
d - Have a mild preference for England to lose
e - Vigorously support England's opponents, and yearn for the English to do on the receiving end of a bloody good hiding

E. I support the ROI national team and after that don't care about the results of other teams apart from their effect on ROI. I only care about Arsenal players in the context of them not getting injured or knackered.
It is the same for club teams you will support one and not care about the rest but some you might want to see lose more than others eg. Spurs for Arsenal fans and Rangers for Celtic fans. England are the team you hear about most in NI so not wanting to listen to gloating plays a big part in it.

6 - Are there any local clubs in your own town or city that you could give your support to? If there are but you don't, why not? Is the quality of the competition not worth your while? Are the facilities crap? Did you just never get into it? Is it not well publicised and you don't know the games are on?

I doubt if I knew local (NI) soccer existed when I started following football and with no local teams in the area there was never any particular interest for anyone I knew to attend games.

Longford senior football management have walked.

They hadn't been paid since March I heard

Should never be getting paid, amateur game, taking money away from clubs, what about the volunteers on the gate and who mow the grass and don't get paid.
Mercenaries don't deserve it etc etc.

[Glen]

Banagher V Glen - Glen by 9
Slaughtneil V Magherafelt – Slaughtneil by 1
Ballinascreen V Ballinderry - Ballinderry on penalties (does they go to penalties?)
Steelstown V Swatragh - Steelstown by 4
Faughanvale V Lavey - Lavey by 8
Newbridge V Kilrea Newbridge by 9
Glenullin V Loup - Loup by 3
Dungiven V Bellaghy - Dungiven by 2

It almost looks like the draw was seeded with only one top 8 and one bottom 8 match based on the final league positions could mean a slow start.

City centre was packed at 7 this evening when I left. Disappointed with music could hear very little with pubs and amplification. Never seen so many Antrim jerseys in my life.

Now what do you think...

That we need some decent midfielders, one who can tackle, one who can pass the ball forward and a third one who can run around a lot looking busy. The players listed didn't set the world alight last year but losing them with nothing coming in is concerning.
OX and McCowan are decent cover for domestic matches, but they need to have starters in front of them if the squad is going to be in any sort of shape.
First game of the season was a struggle with no obvious improvement although clean sheet was welcome.

For a limited number of Ireland matches I've gone through Port Tunnel and East Link tolls and parked on street around Bremen Road in Irishtown. Not had any issues. Depending on age of children and what route you are going in to stadium it can be a bit of a walk. You can also get out easy enough through the tolls.

Sammy Wilson investigated by standards watchdog BBC

ROI couldn't let a bomb travel into the north as they could never be sure it would get stopped before the destination. Too many murky figures may want to keep the 'conflict' going.

The number of flicks and hand passes Galway have played into trouble has been astounding. They are incredibly dangerous to themselves anywhere near the halfway line.

Why is the commentary concentrating on the family tree of the players? Ref seems to be doing OK any replays they show look like fouls