Paudie Hughes

[Sandy Hill]

He got a wee bit of a grilling in the Irish News today, John Brennan also had some choice words for his display yesterday.

I don't like giving off about refs when they make genuine mistakes - but the incident at the end of inury time yesterday goes beyond a mistake in my book.

The game was a pedestrian affair that had long disintegrated into challenge match territory. There was hardly a solid tackle let alone niggle all game - a procession.

And in the final act of the game, Conleth Gilligan and an Antrim player grabbed each other and fell to the ground, wrestled briefly, then got to their feet as the whistle blew.

Given his bloodlust for flashing yellows, I figure he might incorrectly reach for a pair when an iota of common sense would have a ref tell the players to cut it out, game over, etc. Yellows weren't warranted in my reading of it.

For him then to produce 2 straight reds before blowing full time tells me he officiates the game in a personally vindictive spirit.

He went against the rules and furthermore completely against the spirit of the game and seems to have consistent form in this regard.

A genuinely spiteful official who geniuinely takes satisfaction in penalising players?Either way a ruination for the game as a spectacle.

Spot on!!!!

[thewobbler]

It is kind of telling that some 30 comments in, not one person has an shred of empathy for Paudie or for his style of referereeing.

Would the GAA refereeing committee take notice should we end up with thousands of voices dissenting against him?

I want referees who let us play football. Is it too much to ask?

[DuffleKing]

It could be worse, you have been spared Ollie Hearty being inflicted on the national stage.

There is worse coming!  Look at the Tyrone Monaghan Minor fixture on Saturday in the Irish News today and it is alot worse!

Is hearty in the middle for this?  hearty isa clown if i have ever meet one. Type in yosemite sam to google image and you will see the hooting tooting varment  Cowboy boots and a pistol. I have always found Hughes controversial enough but he is the same for both teams so he has always been one fo the better ones for us and there are a few cowboys that have robbed us over the years.

Ah jaysus, Olly Hearty.

Those of you who don't know armagh football and think Paudie is bad... think Paudie love of attention and add in a vindictive, deliberately cheating, "i'm the ref and there's not a thing you can do" attitude and you have Hearty.

[illdecide]

Just count your lucky stars that none of you outside Armagh have to put up with Ronan Quigley from Silverbridge...

P Hughes def drops a few clangers but to be fair to him he's been ok for us recently

[ogshead]

In the Armagh 'B' final last year he gave a penalty for a foot block. The player did block the ball with his foot but he was 10 yards from the player who kicked it. Oh yeah, then he sent the player off... he loves showing the cards!!

[Applesisapples]

He seems like a bit off an ass to be fair..  Surely the sign of a good ref is that no one talks about them after a game. But again the GAA top brass seem to pick the more harsh refs for big games and this takes away from the spectacle usually.  I wonder did he ever play himself?

At the start of the championship last year the refs were told to referee the handpass really tightly. The Derry Armagh game was the first one to be reffed like this and it was a farce. From then on all the other championship games were reffed less and less tightly with regard to the handpass rules. Most refs now apply common senese to allow the game to flow. At the moment Hughes is the only ref who refs this rule really tightly and he is way over the top. He has almost completely destroyed every game i've seen him ref.

In fairness to him it's not his fault if he applies the rules. In the Cork Armagh game on Sunday a number of players fouled the ball when passing and the Ref ignored it...Who is applying the rules? Paudie is a good ref who can be a little fussy at times and doesn't deserve the crap being peddled about him here. No Ref no Games. And if we are all honest we all wear tinted glasses when watching games.

[Applesisapples]

Are there no moderators here? some of this stuff is libelous.

[Canalman]

In fairness the referee's job is solely to apply the rules. V surprised this thread has survived so long. Spiteful stuff imo.

[omagh_gael]

Are there no moderators here? some of this stuff is libelous.

It's a digrace isn't it Paudie.

[mountainboii]

Poor Paudie. I remember he was a ref we'd like to see show up at underage level. He was one of the more amiable characters. Where did it all go wrong?

[pintsofguinness]

It could be worse, you have been spared Ollie Hearty being inflicted on the national stage.

There is worse coming!  Look at the Tyrone Monaghan Minor fixture on Saturday in the Irish News today and it is alot worse!

Is hearty in the middle for this?  hearty isa clown if i have ever meet one. Type in yosemite sam to google image and you will see the hooting tooting varment  Cowboy boots and a pistol. I have always found Hughes controversial enough but he is the same for both teams so he has always been one fo the better ones for us and there are a few cowboys that have robbed us over the years.

Ah jaysus, Olly Hearty.

Those of you who don't know armagh football and think Paudie is bad... think Paudie love of attention and add in a vindictive, deliberately cheating, "i'm the ref and there's not a thing you can do" attitude and you have Hearty.

Spot on, you've Paudie and then you have an out and out cheat. 

I don't actually mind Paudie - he's fussy but you know what you're getting and he's the same for both teams.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Disgraceful comments about ollie hearty on this thread. Utterly pathetic bile about a very good GAA man

[pintsofguinness]

Disgraceful comments about ollie hearty on this thread. Utterly pathetic bile about a very good GAA man

Dry your eyes, why aren't you crying about things said about the other refs named in the thread?

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Because one ref is being called over fussy and incompetent, the other is being called a cheat.

Are you incapable of understanding the difference?

[pintsofguinness]

egotisitcal
a bit off an ass
shocking arrogant
all ego
officiates the game in a personally vindictive spirit
A genuinely spiteful official
a disgrace
ejit
his own club people cant have him (from a down man!)
clown
clown (again)

I may have missed a few

Your crying for Ollie Hearty would be a bit more understandable if you didn't add your own little story on Paudie.