I would imagine he was very hard work. But sure aren’t a lot of us.
As I said about Terry Venables, people never forget how somebody else made them feel.
Is this going to be your reaction any time anyone dies?
I find the platitudes from folk who’d have avoided them in real life nauseating. It happened with Sinead O Connor too. There was substantially less overtly public sympathy or adulation for her in the latter part of her life, when she must have been torn to her fabric.
Dolores O Riordan suddenly became a movement after she died also.
It’s an oirish thing to a degree, or at least it’s a level higher.
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https://twitter.com/fotoole13/status/1731356429250908571
We’ve come a long way since Ballygunner were being referred to as ‘soft, windy, townie cunts’ on here after the Loughmore game two years ago. Some of the faux outrage back then online/radio/podcasts really was laughable.
However, the true connoisseurs of the game like myself and @Cheasty knew back then that they were a serious team who played hard, but fair and we’ve been fairly vindicated since while the cynics and sceptics have had their words rammed back down their throats.
Nap’s performance against Ballygunner looks a lot better in hindsight. They are some outfit
Na Piarsaigh could at least match them physically/athletically for the most part.
I dont think Ballygunner played particularly well v Na Piarsaigh but their organization levels were far superior and saw them through.
Speaking to a few lads from DLS and Mount Sion and they all say that the work rate and physicality that Ballygunner bring is unreal. Some of the BG players might look on the small side but they can all bring a high level of physicality to their game and that is what catches out a lot of teams in Waterford.
Their touch and movement is superb but is nothing without the work rate.
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They acted the pup that day against Loughmore. It was shameful.
Since then, you couldn’t fault them.
They seem to be raising the standard in Waterford anyway.
They are getting stiffer tests there than in Munster for the most part these last few years. The likes of Mount Sion/Roanmore/DLS would probably have snuck a County Championship or two if they were from somewhere else in Munster.
This is their point of difference.
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At first people laughed at drones hovering over the pitch recording their challenge games, next they’ll all be at it.
They’ve had fabulous luck with injuries in fairness. They’ve been on the go for 3 years now with more or less the same 15 who played yesterday with Harry Ruddle and Billy O Keeffe coming off the bench.
A tribute to Shay Fitzpatrick.
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Yeah you’d wonder could the whole thing fall apart if they were missing two or three. The subs that came on yesterday bar Ruddle wouldn’t inspire much confidence.
They reconfigured the team after Borrisileigh 2019, bringing in Foley, Power and Kevin Mahony. Fitzgerald was added in 2022 and its been pretty much the same team that’s played every game since.
As lapsed poster @caoimhaoin once said, your first ‘ability’ is your ‘availability’.
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Not many managers or coaches have the ability to get a team so well drilled and organised. I’d they’re better in that aspect than many county teams.
I think playing the same team every game is the key.
An awful lot of clubs at all levels chop and change way too much from year to year. Especially clubs with a county player or two - one year they’ll play them centre back, the next they’ll be up centre forward. Trying to fit round pegs in square holes.
When you lose a match its always because the team was picked all wrong. Player x should be midfield. Y should be wing back etc etc.
BG would never dream of playing Coughlan/Mahony anywhere other than 3 and 6. Dessie will never be out midfield. Ian Kenny will never move from corner back. It all adds up to a chemistry thats hard to beat.
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They’re not peaking for Waterford.
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Shay Fitzpatrick with the physical preparation and David Franks as Coach the two key men there.
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https://twitter.com/fotoole13/status/1731596236132618611
I’ve an awful feeling Brian Tyers will be in Limerick and Cuan O’Flatharta or Marcus O’Buachalla will be in Armagh.
The musical quality of Brian Tyers pronunciation of ‘Comin Watty Graham On Glown’ is one the great sounds of the Irish language cc @Bandage
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