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Post by Annascaultilidie on Apr 5, 2012 12:55:23 GMT
Good day for you so Micheal!!
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Apr 5, 2012 14:13:08 GMT
This McKeever thing is becoming ridiculous.
Firstly, why would he make up the "British b*****d" comment? Secondly, it's obvious there was a deal done behinds doors at Croke Park, which subsequently made Armagh a laughing stock in the GAA.
But from the article above, it says there wasn't sufficient evidence to charge McKeever for whatever happened in the tunnel. OK, so if there wasn't enough evidence, why was McKeever sent off in the first place?
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seamo
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Posts: 2,016
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Post by seamo on Apr 5, 2012 14:29:20 GMT
Something "inappropriate" was said to McKeever; McKeever DID KICK OUT, and HE DID DESERVE A RED CARD. It's pretty obvious that all this did happen, as someone already said "why make it up?".
What was said can't be proven, so an underhand/sly deal was cut between all sides to brush this one under the carpet, all in order to avoid tackling what could be deemed a messy situation with regards to what was said. All of which would have added to the usual chorus of some "North-South divide" within the GAA.
As a wise and corrupt, yet 'somewhat' fictional character once said: "I mean, this some shameful shlt."!!!
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Post by Seoirse Ui Duic on Apr 5, 2012 15:03:21 GMT
I've worked out that 5 teams can finish on 6 points after Sunday (if Down, Dublin , Mayo lose, Laois win and Armagh draw). What then? +/- difference? It's the result versus each other that counts. So for example the result of Armagh v Down.
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Post by Mickmack on Apr 5, 2012 17:42:59 GMT
This McKeever thing is becoming ridiculous. Firstly, why would he make up the "British b*****d" comment? Secondly, it's obvious there was a deal done behinds doors at Croke Park, which subsequently made Armagh a laughing stock in the GAA. But from the article above, it says there wasn't sufficient evidence to charge McKeever for whatever happened in the tunnel. OK, so if there wasn't enough evidence, why was McKeever sent off in the first place? all reasonable points Ard Mhacha
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Post by Mickmack on Apr 5, 2012 17:44:18 GMT
Good day for you so Micheal!! A fella would nearly need to be suffering from terminal naivety not to question how the CCCC operates
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Post by Corner Back on Apr 5, 2012 19:04:46 GMT
I've worked out that 5 teams can finish on 6 points after Sunday (if Down, Dublin , Mayo lose, Laois win and Armagh draw). What then? +/- difference? It's the result versus each other that counts. So for example the result of Armagh v Down. If two teams finish level on points it goes on head to head. If more than two teams finish level on points it goes to scoring difference
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Post by MrRasherstoyou on Apr 6, 2012 8:22:19 GMT
Galway-Kildare should indeed be very interesting, a real test of Kildare's credentials. If they get through that, it's a huge boost for them ahead of the summer IMO, the final with Tyrone would be another big game, but I feel somehow this game is the one they must win. Would also be a sign of a real Galway revival if they take Kildare. Huge game or Meath football too, not to mention the others fighting to stay up in div2. Would be some achievement for Westmeath considering their recent years.
My predictions for the sunday:
Donegal to beat Armagh narrowly. A must-win for them I feel, they cannot afford relegation if they are to build on last year. Not much less important for Armagh, especially Paddy O'Rourke, under pressure from Armagh fans, with Paul Grimley a likely successor in waiting from what I hear. Kerry-Mayo could go either way but I'd have to go with the better, more experienced team winning. Mayo typically struggle after a big win. If they pull this off it will be a serious achievement, even allowing for Kerry not needing the win. Down to beat Laois. Again a huge game for both. If Down are to prove they can be a serious force and not just a one-year wonder they must reach the league semis. Doing it without Martin Clark would seal it as a real deal. If Laois are to have any chance of stepping up a level they must be avoiding relegation. Cork to beat Dublin. Speaking of one-year wonders, all the talk of clever tactics, conditioning, intense training games, post-All-I hangovers etc etc etc cannot in any way excuse a team that wants to prove they can remain a serious force not managing to even be the top 4 of the league. No excuse whatsoever for the performance the last day. Dublin have a terrible record against Cork in League & championship for at least 15 years. If you add in the 1989 All-I semi defeat where Dublin led by 7 points then it's quite clear that Cork are very much their bogey team for most of the last 23 years. Cork are already in the semis, but I'm sure know that to keep Dublin out of the semis would be a serious set-back for one of their main rivals for the All-I.
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peanuts
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Post by peanuts on Apr 6, 2012 9:06:58 GMT
Cork are not yet in the semis. If Mayo, Dublin and Down win they will all be on 8 points.
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Post by kerrygold on Apr 6, 2012 9:35:49 GMT
Probably one of the poorest leagues in years, three teams could qualify on eight points this time. If I remember kerry missed out on qualification twice on 10 points, the powers that be have diluted the league by introducing the semi final game which must look like a waste of a weekend for club games now. Of course croker will tell us that the hurling format and div 1 of the NFL are a major success.
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Apr 8, 2012 8:21:49 GMT
I'm off soon for a couple of days in Donegal. I've packed the calculator. I could well be needing it around 4pm!
We could be relegated or qualify for the semis. Division 1 has been a strange one this year.
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Post by Chinatown on Apr 8, 2012 9:51:07 GMT
I'm off soon for a couple of days in Donegal. I've packed the calculator. I could well be needing it around 4pm! We could be relegated or qualify for the semis. Division 1 has been a strange one this year. Strange but entertaining
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Post by sullyschoice on Apr 8, 2012 14:01:41 GMT
Dublin are shocking in the first half of their game
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Post by misteallaigh abú on Apr 8, 2012 19:40:56 GMT
Delighted that Kildare managed to qualify for the final, just finished watching it and it was a great match with lots of good quality. Plenty of good moves and a nice open game. Johnny Doyle is some man, he was simply inspirational when the chips were down. It was great to see Dermot Earley come on and have an influence too. Peter Kelly had an excellent game all through as had Emmet Bolton. You would have to have some sympathy for Galway, when the great P Joyce came on, his vision and cuteness opened up the Kildare defence. His cross field pass to Paul Conroy late in the game served to highlight how valuable he still is to Galway.
Cork, when they played direct, were quite effective. They played quick ball in to their full forward line and made hay in the first half. They were always in control, despite a spirited rally from Dublin, who proved, again, that without the class of the Brogans that they are very beatable. I still don't understand why Cork revert to the laborious hand passing when they have the upper hand up front.
Meath were pathetic today, by all accounts. Division 3 beckons. There has been so much upheaval there in recent years, worrying times indeed for the royals.
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Post by sullyschoice on Apr 8, 2012 21:38:36 GMT
Surely Dublin have someone better at taking frees that Diarmuid Connolly. Shocking stuff today.
Derry let me down for a 7 way accumulator that included a Kildare Galway Draw.
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Apr 8, 2012 21:41:58 GMT
Well, I chucked the calculator in the Finn River, as it wasn't needed at full time! ;D
We led most of the game, but Donegal came back well. They probably deserved the win.
Ah well, its not the end of the world. So it's Division 2, along with Wexford, Longford, Westmeath and the likes. New places to visit in 2013.
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Post by southward on Apr 8, 2012 22:14:24 GMT
Surely Dublin have someone better at taking frees that Diarmuid Connolly. Shocking stuff today. Derry let me down for a 7 way accumulator that included a Kildare Galway Draw. Ouch
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Post by southward on Apr 8, 2012 22:18:23 GMT
Well, I chucked the calculator in the Finn River, as it wasn't needed at full time! ;D We led most of the game, but Donegal came back well. They probably deserved the win. Ah well, its not the end of the world. So it's Division 2, along with Wexford, Longford, Westmeath and the likes. New places to visit in 2013. Surprised ye went down - thought it would have been Donegal and Laois. I hindsight, was the win in Tralee possibly not the best thing that could have happened ?
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falveyb2k
Fanatical Member
"The way this man played today, if there was a flood he'd walk on water. Jack O Shea"
Posts: 1,920
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Post by falveyb2k on Apr 8, 2012 23:56:15 GMT
An interesting situation may be coming up. Now if(and I stress IF) Kerry and Cork meet in the league final then the league final should by rights take place in Killarney under the arrangement between Kerry and Cork. However, the Gaa has the division 1 and 2 finals down as a double header for the 29th. So the question is will the Gaa stick to their plan? Would Kildare and Tyrone draw enough of a crowd on their own? Do the Gaa have to stage the game because of corporate boxes or tickets sold? Most importantly what do the players and managers want?
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Post by sullyschoice on Apr 9, 2012 10:10:24 GMT
My thoughts on this are quite simple. The GAA sell their premium seats and corporate boxes to people/companies on the basis of having X amount of flagship /marquee matches in HQ, both football and hurling. They are re-selling some of the 10 year seats at the moment.
If they start to take league finals and other games out of HQ then it makes it less attractive for the people who release the purse strings for these big money purchases.
I dont hold a premium seat (but a friend of mine has access to 8) but I can assure you if the "Big" games were removed from the schedule those who do wouldnt be long about making a fuss over it.
They may only get 20,000 for a double header, but they will still get the revenue from the €1000 per year 10 year seats.
I am looking forward to strolling in for free with our season tickets.
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Post by glengael on Apr 9, 2012 11:23:31 GMT
Well, I chucked the calculator in the Finn River, as it wasn't needed at full time! ;D We led most of the game, but Donegal came back well. They probably deserved the win. Ah well, its not the end of the world. So it's Division 2, along with Wexford, Longford, Westmeath and the likes. New places to visit in 2013. How was the trip to Donegal, Ard Mhaca, did you gain any insights on their footballing hopes for 2012 or did you steer clear of such discussions during your break? It's been a strange old League, I was at Kerry v Armagh and thought that ye looked well (even allowing for Kerry's poor performance , attitude etc). Did the longer than usual absence of the Crossmaglen contingent have a bearing?
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Apr 11, 2012 12:19:56 GMT
Well, I chucked the calculator in the Finn River, as it wasn't needed at full time! ;D We led most of the game, but Donegal came back well. They probably deserved the win. Ah well, its not the end of the world. So it's Division 2, along with Wexford, Longford, Westmeath and the likes. New places to visit in 2013. Surprised ye went down - thought it would have been Donegal and Laois. I hindsight, was the win in Tralee possibly not the best thing that could have happened ? Before the league, I half expected us to go down. Nobody gave us a chance (myself included) in our first two games, against Cork and Kerry. The win in Tralee should have Given us the confidence to push on and gather points elsewhere. But Mayo are always a tough team to beat in the league. The Dublin result really knocked our confidence though. We were very lucky to stay up last season. We got 5 points this year and went down. Last year we had 4 and stayed up. Having 3 games at home instead of 4 can make a huge difference to things sometimes. Laois or Donegal at home instead of away, and things may have been different for us. But that's the way it goes. No excuses. We just weren't good enough for Division 1.
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Apr 11, 2012 12:46:26 GMT
Well, I chucked the calculator in the Finn River, as it wasn't needed at full time! ;D We led most of the game, but Donegal came back well. They probably deserved the win. Ah well, its not the end of the world. So it's Division 2, along with Wexford, Longford, Westmeath and the likes. New places to visit in 2013. How was the trip to Donegal, Ard Mhaca, did you gain any insights on their footballing hopes for 2012 or did you steer clear of such discussions during your break? It's been a strange old League, I was at Kerry v Armagh and thought that ye looked well (even allowing for Kerry's poor performance , attitude etc). Did the longer than usual absence of the Crossmaglen contingent have a bearing? I seen plenty of that Donegal fine rain while I was there, but Donegal and that Atlantic breeze is good for the soul. I think Donegal fans are happy enough that their team in going in the right direction, but from talking to a few of them, they know that they need quicker ball into the forward line. Packing the defence is grand, but it scores that win games. Michael Murphy is a fantastic player at full forward, but he's needed around the middle too sometimes. The fella next to me said Donegal need two Michael Murphy's! I think they realise the second year for this team will be difficult. It's hard for players to retain that effort from last year. But they seem confident they can improve on last year. I couldn't understand both teams tactics on Sunday though. Colm McFadden is a big man at full forward, yet Donegal persisted with short passing it up the field. Armagh did the same. Wet conditions, players slipping. It was perfect for direct ball into the full forward line. We played a target man there in a few games, yet this was one time we didn't do it (well, until Kingham was brought on with about two minutes to go). Two Cross players started on Sunday, Aaron Kernan and Jamie Clarke. I think they are the only likely starters come June (I hear Paul Hearty is retiring), so it's not as if Cross men occupy most starting positions. So the missing Cross players is no excuse. Maybe if Stevie McDonnell played, it may have helped our cause. But as of yet, he's given no indication on whether he's returning or not. It doesn't look likely at this stage. Alot of Armagh fans want to see more Cross men in the team. But Stephen and Tony Kernan have made plenty of appearances, but they haven't exactly set the world alight with their displays. James Morgan, Johnny Hanratty, Aaron Cunningham are in the squad now too. But it's a big step-up from club football than county football, and those guys haven't really played county football yet, so you can't expect miracles from them.
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Joxer
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Posts: 1,364
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Post by Joxer on Apr 11, 2012 17:03:31 GMT
I thought Armagh looked very good that night in Tralee...played really good football too. In hindsight, maybe we were so out of sorts on the night, we made Armagh look better than they are. Can't believe that entirely explains their performance in Tralee though and would assume theres more there than came out in the other leagues games. Will be interesting to watch in the Ulster Championship and would like to see more of the football they played in Tralee...although , hopefully not against us next time!
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Apr 18, 2012 21:40:10 GMT
I thought Armagh looked very good that night in Tralee...played really good football too. In hindsight, maybe we were so out of sorts on the night, we made Armagh look better than they are. Can't believe that entirely explains their performance in Tralee though and would assume theres more there than came out in the other leagues games. Will be interesting to watch in the Ulster Championship and would like to see more of the football they played in Tralee...although , hopefully not against us next time! We were fairly good in Tralee. We got a good start, and got scores at crucial times. We weren't great in midfield or in the breaking ball stakes though. That trend continued throughout the league. In all our matches, they have been fairly close games (except Dublin), so we aren't totally out of our depth, but we were on the wrong side of scoreboard more often than not. With Tyrone's retirements last season, it looked as though they might struggle this year, but they are absolutely flying. I honestly do think Tyrone will beat us in the championship, even if we do have home advantage. I haven't seen enough from us in the league to trouble Tyrone. How we'll do in the qualifiers after that is anyone's guess.
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Post by Dermot on Apr 19, 2012 12:40:38 GMT
We've just been hit with another injury .... Kyle Coney no less .. he was flying and looked set to have a great first real year with the seniors ... FFS Thats the two young predicted future stars (they both were unreal at underage) gone for the year... Cant feckin believe it
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Post by misteallaigh abú on Apr 29, 2012 19:28:05 GMT
Cork win their 3rd league championship in a row, a fair achievement. Their defence and midfield were completely on top in the 2nd half. The full back line had the Mayo full forward line under their thumb, Conor Mortimer was afraid for his life out there. When the pressure came on him, as usual, he bottled it. Paddy Kelly was excellent and it was nice to see Goulding come on and score a fine point. They have a very strong panel and come the 10th of June it should be some clash with them. Cadogan was excellent but his hard man act is sad, a bit like our friend Ciarán Mc Keever from Armagh. Great to dish it out but not so great to take it.
Personally delighted to see Kildare get some reward for all of their endeavours. It was an awful, turgid game with relentless lateral handpassing. All that aside, Kildare bossed the last 25minutes, Tyrone scored once in the last 25 minutes of play, that from a close in free near the end. They were short a few through injuries, however, Kildares powerhouse midfielder, Darly Flynn, was injured in Portugal during the week and only played the last 10 or so minutes for Kildare. Mickey Harte will know that they are still a work in progress. They have problems around midfield and Gormley was given more than enough of it by Tomás Connor. Mc Geeney knows that this title will soon be forgotten as Kildare fans focus on the championship and a right good tilt at the Dubs. Lots to work on for both teams.
Maurice Deegan's decision not to award an obvious free to mayo, which resulted in Cork scoring the match winning goal immediately after, was an awful decision.
Can anyone answer me this, why or how is it that Tyrone players, time and again today, were unpunished for sticking their knees into their opponents bodies and heads? This surely is foul play of the most cowardly type, yet it seems to go unpunished?
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Post by sullyschoice on Apr 29, 2012 20:41:15 GMT
Its the perfection of the dark arts.
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Post by Tadhgeen on Apr 29, 2012 21:05:48 GMT
Two brutal games today in my opinion. God help us if this is what the championship is going to produce.
In both games there was constant fouling around the middle and surely something now needs to be done about this.
Whatever happened to the 'must be an effort to play the ball' principle? Most of the fouling I saw on TV today was deliberate and cynical - it's ruining the game.
I'm also sick to the teeth of this keep ball defensive play and surely the time has also come (and probably passed for this year) to ban the pass back to the goalie as was done in soccer years ago?
I ask you where was the footballing skill and flair today? Our game is being destroyed by win at all costs mentality and the powers that be are letting it happen.
Cork proved today that they are a brutally physical team with a very good full back line and a strong midfield.
Tyrone looked disjointed and Kildare looked physically stronger and fitter.
Mayo lost because Moran was kept quite.
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Post by sullyschoice on Apr 29, 2012 22:11:10 GMT
A lot of very suspect hand passes today too. If you take Paddy Kelly and Colm O neill out of the Cork team then they are very limited skill wise. Still a big strong team who will be hard to beat.
Eoin Cadogan got plenty of physical attention today and didnt seem to like it one bit. He who lives by the sword......etc
Thought Tyrone looked quite good at the start of the game but they regressed as the game went on.
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