This Needs To Stop!!! - 10 Like(s)
https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/its-atrocious-stuff-former-dublin-manager-tom-carr-claims-you-would-have-to-pay-him-to-watch-modern-gaelic-football-37180940.html after a fantastic weekend of hurling its easy to see how football can be treated as the poor relation for a week at least for entertainment value, I've seen my fair share of poor games in my lifetime but i've seen an equal amount of very entertaining breathtaking battles from all ireland finals (most recent 2016/17) right down to league games in a wet Breffni park. pundits have been vocal for years now on the biggest threat to gaelic football and I'm thinking of Brolly who was the first to voice concerns, but in the last 3 years or so and particularly this year the criticism has escalated to become a monster at risk of consuming our game. first of all i will admit that the level of tactics as interesting as they are, are actually having a negative effect on our game however the constant criticism is putting football at serious risk in every club in every county. articles like the above are the go to subject now and is what sells papers apparently but to the extreme detriment of the game. as i read in another forum on this, no other sports pundits criticise the game like gaelic football. this level of criticism is brainwashing the public, it is the NO. 1 threat to our game!!!!

theweanling (National) - 03/08/2018 10:01:27

Ballyragget - 5 Like(s)
I'd be no shrinking violet myself when it comes to the partying, I've been abroad and i've been to the strip clubs and it is good craic i won't deny, standard is better too....but christ what were these lads at, there was reportedly about 30-40 people in the place during this and not one person thought ''hold on a minute this isn't a good idea', I''ll let them away with the stripper part cos its not really a big deal but then it turns out about 10 lads have phones and have sent it all around the world. Again you could live with that, an odd lad will lose a sensitive girlfriend or get a slap from the mammy or the wife for being there, but then it turns out their actually escorts and one lad is video'd receiving a ''sex act'' that also goes all around the world!!!!!! There's just so many moments in this whole debacle that it should and could have been stopped but jesus when it got to the sex part!!!!! then the defence on their twitter page being 'boys will be boys' and the hashtag referring to someones manhood. come on like!!!! this is nothing got to do with catholic ireland or whatever people are saying. However i won't condemn the lads, they know they done something regrettable, we all have, and like most of us doing something regrettable we learned the hard way from it. Just a pity some people felt the need to film it and upload it. I cant see that being good for team morale

theweanling (National) - 27/10/2017 10:59:35

As AI football finals go.. - 4 Like(s)
the question asked was simple, its not intended to be subjective. I was a (mayo) neutral and of all the all irelands i've seen i'd put this second. the best all ireland i've seen was in 2008. Now it had it all!!!! 3 in row, the two heavy weights of that era battling to prove who was the best of the noughties up to that point, Galvin coming on,Stephen o' Neill coming on, the twin towers being taken down, Doohers point, Dara o Shea's point on one leg literally, the beards!!!!

theweanling (National) - 10/10/2017 14:43:18

Donegal Sec Comments. - 4 Like(s)
i understand your sentiment but first of all. there is no irony in her comments. she didn't come up with the defensive style of play for Donegal. you can't make her responsible by the association of just being from Donegal. Secondly i always defend and feel Donegal senior team 2011-14 get a far harder time over their tactics than they deserve. yes 2011 was mind blowing for a lot of us. for the 1 millionth time i'll fleetingly reference the semi final v Dublin. however 2012 Donegal were a joy to watch, their defence was solid, aggressive, skilful and effective but their counter attack was the best we've seen in recent GAA history and i include Dublin in that. just my opinion btw.....Donegal 2018 i felt were a great team to watch. their performance in the ulster final was reminiscent of 2012 and against my own county in the first round they were equally as good!!! the problem lies with copy cat coaches making a name for themselves, playing it safe and most importantly don't have the players to play an effective counter attacking game.

theweanling (National) - 07/12/2018 11:29:00

Is it foolish to trust ''the system'' too much? - 4 Like(s)
I first thought on this after the Donegal/ Tyrone game in June when Donegal were flat and got hammered by tyrone I know a lot of Donegal people and the one thing i learned was that from top to bottom of the club and county scene all teams were playing the same system of players back in numbers, defending, breaking and covering zones etc etc. I remember at the time (3-4 years ago) people were lauding this saying that all the players coming up will know the system to a tee and it'll be second nature to them come senior level. But strangely its having a negative impact on players. they're only part of a pack now and no one feels the need to have an individual impact. it happened with tyrone on sunday. they were very very confident in their ability and in the system they played to the point where no one took responsibility. Players were covering space and pointing here there and everywhere but no one put in a tackle. Are young players footballing abilities been stunted by this over reliance on a plan and less of an emphasis on their individual skills ?

theweanling (National) - 29/08/2017 12:32:23

The Sunday Game - 3 Like(s)
the sunday game has become a joke!!!! some of the pundits only want to talk about the shortcomings of ''the game''. so we hear about styles of play, blanket defenses, men behind the ball, sweepers, defensive game plans, two-tier systems, funding etc etc etc. all the boring old platitudes that started back 20 years ago nearly. theres a handful of them in both hurling and football combined that want to analyze the game. to think the evening after two spectacular semi-finals (I'll say that again- all Ireland semi-finals!!!!!) they spent a large proportion of the time talking about how they saw the opposition in the media to the sweeper!!!! and how it made them feel!! and somehow the english were brought into it. what was all that about. meanwhile, penalty shouts weren't discussed nor were the 65 shout (i don't think) amongst several other talking points of the two days action. I'll also mention that I had great hopes for Joanne, I really thought she was a brilliant appointment after Lyster (he now looks like a massive loss) but she comes across as almost angry sometimes or domineering. much different from what I remembered her in previous years.

theweanling (National) - 29/07/2019 11:41:39

Fair Play Tomás O'Sé - 3 Like(s)
i don't understand why some people here are so dead against these young lads wanting to give it a shot!! Kennelly no matter what you say is giving these lads a LIFE EXPERIENCE. if they don't like it they come home. simple. I went out to new Zealand years ago and spent a good length over there but i wanted to come home. But it was a fantastic experience and one i'll never forget. Its not Tomas or anyone else's decision to make. Some of these lads could go over and win an AFL trophy and cherish it just as much as an all ireland. Perhaps some of them same lads could only ever dream of winning an all ireland anyway.....But one thing that will definitely happen is that they'll broaden their horizons, get to know a new culture, challenge themselves and get paid. Does anyone begrudge Shane Long, Mick Galwey, Gavin Duffy, Tommy Bowe, Sweetnam, Niall Quinn etc etc. Not at all. its a bigger world that the parish and they only get one life. If they want to do it good luck to them.

theweanling (National) - 24/05/2017 15:52:17

The Allianz FL Thread (Division 2, 3 & 4) - 3 Like(s)

theweanling (National) - 20/02/2018 09:28:21

National League 2019 - 3 Like(s)

theweanling (Cavan) - 11/02/2019 15:56:21

The Allianz FL Thread (Division 2, 3 & 4) - 3 Like(s)

theweanling (National) - 19/02/2018 15:28:28

Donegal's Motion Fails - 3 Like(s)
this whole thing stinks of a set up!!! three other delegates (Meath and wexford) got up and supported the GAA in allowing dublin play their neutral game in croke park!! why did they feel the need to stand up and support? yet not one delegate supported Donegals motion. yet i haven't spoken to any GAA person who hasn't at the very least questioned Dublins playing of neutral games in croke park. the rules aren't transparent. Kildare were being almost bullied into playing in croke park last year against Mayo until there was a mini revolt. As for people making the point that if you're good enough to beat dublin you'll beat them in croke park and to stop making excuses. that doesn't stand up for me. playing at home is a massive advantage. even for Dublin (one of the best teams of a generation) any time they were caught or nearly caught has been away from croke park. thats a fact!!! fairness obviously doesn't come into it.

theweanling (National) - 25/02/2019 10:59:29

Frank McGlynn - 3 Like(s)
frank deserves all the plaudits he gets in the next week or so even though he'll not want any of it.. he was one of those players that got on with the job, was totally committed and totally honest. he was also one of them ost intelligent footballers around and the sight of him taking on the ball and charging down the wing put the fear into every team bar none. good luck in the retirement frank. you'll be missed by all football people around the country

theweanling (National) - 06/11/2019 10:44:20

Virginia Detour Possible in Future? - 3 Like(s)
Haha you're a bit more confident of getting the opportunity of coming down again than the majority of cavan supporters. it was a great occasion yesterday. some of cavans debutants must have been buzzing playing their first cavan game on front of 20 + thousand people. I'm sure that'll give them the hunger to want to stay in the top flight. fair play to the travelling support yesterday, there was a good bit of craic in the stands and you brought a great buzz overall to the town. it's wishful thinking but it would be great to meet you later in the year

theweanling (National) - 06/02/2017 09:26:52

Christy Toye aka Magnus - 3 Like(s)
what a loss Christy is (with all respect to the other two boys, Rory got his day, Walsh was always a solid man to have on your team and stood into the fold without any fuss, done his job well and there was no more word about it) Christy deserves a special word though. he was a beautifully relaxed player who just oozed calm. He wasn't just calm and collected in any old game. think of the biggest games since 2011, v Kildare- 2011, v Mayo- 2012, v Dublin- 2014 and Tyrone 2016. he came to within a whisker last year (as someone else said) of being the hero again. what about those powerful runs in 2014 against Dublin that single handedly lifted Donegal of the turf and dragged them back into the game. His pace and balance on the ball under pressure was outstanding. You could argue he was the catalyst to Donegals great era, after his vital goal and point against a very experienced Kildare team in 2011. I wonder did he mean that pass into murphy though............

theweanling (National) - 12/01/2017 09:44:56

The Future Of Inter-County Football - 3 Like(s)
the culture in the GAA is changing too. Back when it was straight knockout there was a bit of a tribal feel to it. you really had to put in a massive massive performance if you wanted to continue playing in the championship. That tribalism and desire floated around for a while after the qualifiers came in but it has all but evaporated now. That was the finger print of the GAA!!! The one thing i will say and this is causing problems everywhere including Kildare and Meath is tactics. Now i'm a big fan of tactics and i love studying games and match ups etc but low risk football is not enjoyable overall. The cavan/ Donegal game a few weeks ago was like watching a game of snooker. it was just silent the whole game. I'm presuming half the people were literally studying the game in silence and the other half that would love to cheer and shout really had nothing to cheer about. Although football in the 90'S and so on was a poor standard when compared to now the games were epic cliff hangers. there was beauty in its blemishes The negativity around GAA these days too is a major issue. the amount of complaining about standard of play etc etc is outrageous. nobody is ever happy. dare i say it there has been a very very high proportion of outstanding games this year so far, but people don't care because ''awh sure leitrim wouldn't have a hope against dublin''. just take each game as it is, a contest between two teams......... I know some parts of this are contradictory, I'm just thinking out loud at what i think the SOME of the issues are.

theweanling (National) - 28/05/2018 17:15:48

Quitting The Club - 3 Like(s)

theweanling (National) - 16/03/2018 10:27:53

Championship 2020 - 2 Like(s)
here we are again, who'd have thought after last year it would be a repeat never mind on a cold wet November on front of empty stands. there is no doubt that donegal are raging hot favourites. theres not just one or two or even 5 players that need watching, its an entire team and bench of super footballers, the potential weaknesses you talk about wouldn't even be mentioned in 30 other counties (outside yourselves and dublin) that been said of course there is potential for an upset, just look at cork!!! but lets be realistic, a litany of things would need to go wrong for donegal and a lot would need to go right for cavan, along with that its very hard to replicate two almighty comebacks with fierce intensity like cavan have done twice this year in championship. from a donegal perspective i would warn you not to read too much in to the armagh game. armagh although being promoted this year are average at best and massively overrated. id put cavan above them (ignoring league status) truth be told if cavan put anything in to the league armagh wouldn't have been promoted. its a shame to have to sit at home watching it as last year was a great occasion (disregarding the result for us) of all the counties in ulster i always felt we had the best relationship with donegal. but for 70 minutes that'll have to be parked if the unthinkable is to happen.

theweanling (Donegal) - 17/11/2020 14:25:16

Female Coaches within the Intercounty Scene. - 2 Like(s)
Never mind women managing men's teams, i think its much more important that ladies teams come to a stage where they're at the very least equally represented on the sideline. As it stands there's literally only a handful of women managing ladies teams. In a world of sexism and by god we're hearing lots of it today i think the role of ladies in GAA (which is mens football) is always being highly appreciated. the steps are already being taken in GAA (without any big song and dance), we have referees, chair people in clubs and board members at the highest level and in fairness if and when the day comes that a woman takes the reigns as president of the GAA it won't be debated, it'll be celebrated or even better still it'll be just ignored as it will be just cool!!

theweanling (National) - 20/10/2017 10:27:04

GOAT - 2 Like(s)
there seems to be a lot of people out today to discredit dublins achievements using any means possible. this dublin team is unbelievable, they do not make mistakes!!! over 80% score conversion in the semi final, something similar in attacks to chances on goals, frees converted are above 85% over the whole year, that's phenomenal. people on here saying that kerrys team and kilkennys hurling team were better. what are you basing that on? nothing....only sentiment!!!!! if any of you have the time go and prove it by gathering up the stats on both of those teams in their 4 in a row exploits. the answer will come back Dublin clear as day!!! take into consideration that they won yesterday missing Brogan, Flynn, Connolly and Bastick, players that were indispensable during all their other final wins!!!! will it last forever?? i honestly don't know (population and money being the one difference between them and Kerry/ Kilkenny) but history tells us it won't. for the good of football here's hoping. history also tells us that after Kerry and Kilkennys dominance a new era of greatness began for football and hurling.

theweanling (National) - 03/09/2018 10:16:36

It's Cavans to lose in 2018 - 2 Like(s)
The lesser famous curse of course tells the story of a Mayo priest on his way to the missions in county Monaghan in late 1952. As he crossed into Cavan (a big rival of Mayo at the time) The Cavan boys were bantering away telling him that only for Cavan took a rest in 1951 they'd have won no all ireland. He got right p*ssed off and told them Cavan would win no all Ireland until Mayo did. He then went on to Monaghan and cursed them to Never win an all Ireland because Patrick Kavanagh wrote some poem insinuating Sex before Marriage. talk about Contrary !!!!!!!

theweanling (National) - 05/09/2017 11:37:38