Few slabs on the bus, happy out.
Look on it as an opportunity - a rare chance for one of them to win a game outside of Ulster.
Funny as both have made AI quarter finals in the past three years. Strange that the only three teams in the first round draw of the qualifiers who have progressed to that stage of the AI in the past 4 years will be Ulster teams.
Ooooft.
Armagh have lost four times in the last 12 months to what is apparently the worst Laois side in living memory.
Clare (who you were rubbishing only yesterday) have featured in an All Ireland Quarter Final more recently than either Armagh or Fermanagh and are a division higher than them in the National League too.
Ooooft.
4 Likes
To clarify, thats my living memory, perhaps they were as shit at sometime in the past, but I would be very wary of saying that for sure given we were always there or thereabouts contesting Leinster Finals in each decade at some point.
Clare beat Laois after Laois had beaten Armagh*
*Twice
Youâd be going back a while. Laois were generally decent enough right through the 80âs and into the 90âs, Leinster finalists in 1981,85 & 91 and league winners in 1986. Mind you getting knocked out of the Championship by Wicklow in 1986 and Carlow in 1988 were bad days for Laois.
Laois, the worst Laois side in my memory, beat Armagh, 4 times in 12 months.
5 Likes
Were we beaten by Wicklow in 1986? I dont recall that game. Nope, no recollection whatsoever.
Irrelevant, Boycott.
Three Ulster sides who have appeared in All Ireland QF in the past 3 years are in the first round of the qualifiers. None of the other sides entering the first round of the qualifiers has been there in that time.
This is verifiable proof that the Ulster Championship is much tougher than the rest. You can also assess it on league rankings should you wish.
The teams involved in the first round of the qualifiers by virtue of their league ranking:
Cavan (7) *
Derry (15)
Fermanagh (16)
Louth (18)
Armagh (19)
Sligo (20)
Offaly (21) *
Longford (22)
Antrim (23)
Laois (24)
Wexford (26)
Carlow (27)
Limerick (29)
Waterford (30)
Wicklow (31)
London (32)
The weighted scores of the above by province is:
Ulster: 16
Leinster: 24
Connacht 26
Munster: 29.5
Since the qualifiers have been introduced in 2001 the following sides who have entered the first round of the qualifiers who have made it past the QF stage in that particular year are:
2001 - Westmeath - QF
2002 - none
2003 - Armagh (F), Donegal (SF)
2004 - Fermanagh (SF), Derry (SF)
2005 - none
2006 - Westmeath (QF)
2007 - Derry (QF), Meath (SF)
2008 - Tyrone (W), Kildare (QF)
2009 - Donegal (QF), Meath (SF)
2010 - Kildare (SF)
2011 - Kildare (QF)
2012 - Laois (QF)
2013 - Tyrone (SF)
2014 - none
2015 - Tyrone (SF)
2016 - none
Which would leave us at:
Leinster - 8 times a team has progressed from R1 to the QF stage. (16 seasons x 7 entrants) = 112.
8/112 = 7%.
Ulster - 9 times a team has progressed from R1 to the QF stage. (16 seasons x 5 entrants) = 80
9/80 = 11 %
Connacht - Zero
Munster - Zero
If you want to delve deeper:
SF stage:
Ulster 7/80 = 9%
Leinster 3/112 = 3%
Connacht - zero
Munster - zero
Final:
Ulster 2/80 = 1%
Leinster - zero
My problem is that Ulster teams are handicapped by the provincial draw, therefore it would only be fair that they be segregated from each other in the qualifier draw. The problem with the draw was thrown up today when two of the only 3 sides who have appeared in an AI QF in recent years were drawn against each other in a knockout game in mid June.
Fermanagh, Derry & Antrim were bate to death in their Ulster matches with the opposition barely breaking a sweat. Why should they get special treatment for being shit?
10 Likes
Hard to argue with what Andy says here. The precedent has been set, and we simply canât tolerate any interference with our match officials. Iâm sure Dublin GAA will do the decent thing and accept any forthcoming punishment with good grace and dignity.
"The truth of the matter is I understand where the authorities of any sport are coming from when they insist on protecting linesmen and officials or referees.
"We know what happened [Kieran] McGeeney in the past, we know what happened the Tipperary goalkeeper (Evan Comerford). It looks fairly black and white. Itâs nothing personal. But I suppose when you lay your hand on an official you can expect the full force of the law. And I would imagine the GAA would probably have their hands tied on this one."
Wow - thatâs pretty ground-breaking stuff.
Andy has no skin in the game here. Heâs speaking from a completely neutral viewpoint.
We donât need someone completely neutral to tell us that Connolly should be banned for 12 weeks.
I was being facetious bro, Andy is stirring the pot, albeit about one round early given he still has to get beyond Kildare. Heâs still right mind you.
Joe Brolly however has been outlining the rigmarole that has to be gone through to get Connolly what would appear to be the most obvious 12 week suspension in the history of the Association. Its a miracle anyone gets a suspension in the GAA by the looks of it.
Looking at Ulster performance in last year qualifiers vis a vis league position Monaghan (6) and Down (8) both lost at home to Longford (20). Tipperary (22) travelled up to Ulster and beat Derry (14) - Derry had beaten Cavan (10) in previous round. Armagh as weâve already established recorded two of their four losses in the last 12 months to the worst Laois team in living memory. Even Limerick relegated to Division 4 went up to Casement Park and beat Antrim. No surprise after such abject performances in the qualifiers that Ulster was the only province without representation in the semi finals.
In this yearâs league itâs worth noting that in the four league finals, Ulster again the only province without a representative. Of the 6 counties relegated in Division 1, 2 and 3, four of the six were from Ulster.
When you add in at the really poor quality and largely one sided nature of the four matches in the Ulster Championship to date this year, itâs irrefutable that gaelic football in Ulster at the moment is at one of its lowest ever ebbs.
Because it happens in Ulster.
Fermanagh, Derry and Down have all been in All Ireland semi finals since 2004 without an Ulster title to their name.
They should get special treatment as they donât have to just beat Leitrim to get to the last 12.
[quote=âGeoffreyBoycott, post:1180, topic:23156â]
In this yearâs league itâs worth noting that in the four league finals, Ulster again the only province without a representative.
[/quote]A bit hard to have a representative in the Div 4 final Geoff as no Ulster team was shit enough to be in it this year.
I love the cherry picking of 2004 as some sort of benchmark. It also just so happens to be the last time either Fermanagh or Derry got to the AI semi final. Why not pick from 07, within the last ten years. Then only 2 teams from this years first round losers made the AI semi finals, Wexford and Down. Why pick 2004? Iâm sure youâll move the goalposts again and make some other selective dates or qualifications though to suit your argument.
3 Likes