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With all due respects you did not answer my question
I would say Linden played a huge amount of shite games in his career too where he ‘flopped’ on the big stage. He was absolutely unreal in 94 though. A lot of parallels between gooch and Messi. Both are rated incredibly highly by a huge amount of knowledgeable pundits and casual fans. Both physically light skilful intelligent players who are ugly cunts. Both produced spectacular moments of brilliance in huge games and consistent excellence over a long period of time in every type of game. Both also had big occasions where they ‘flopped’, just couldn’t hit the heights and their heads seemed to drop. They looked like luxury players. These flops though are often not as bad as is sometimes made out and every other great player has failed to produce their best on numerous big occasions but don’t get highlighted in the same way as these two. Probably as a backlash against their huge popularity. In short not as good as most people think they are but much better than their critics give them credit for.
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Linden is rated nowhere near the esteem Gooch is/was. Very highly regarded in Ulster football but you would not hear too many of the southern press throw his name about.
Linden had more big games in him. The most impressive AI Kerry won in this millenium was 2014, Gooch didn’t play that year.
He had his flaws same as all players but at the same time I doubt there would be a single Kerry person who wouldn’t pick him on their best team of the 2000s if not all time.
How is Messi not as good as most people think?
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Comparing Gooch to Messi for,one is the GOAT in soccer the other one played for Kerry
Ah that was a great read 
Some fair piss taking going on with sticking Colin Lynch into the best team since 1990s Ye’re awful cunts lads, awful cunts altogether
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Flopped at every major international tournament he’s ever played.
Half the player outside Barcelona he is at it.
Linden didn’t play enough games on the big stage. The whole set up was different. In his career Down won Ulster only twice and it was knockout.
Up to 1991 Down were considered a sort of “coltish” team, lots of potential and firepower but too often a rabble. Even after 1991, they were very streaky, at their best they were by a distance the best football team in Ireland, but when they weren’t on it they were terrible.
It’s the explosiveness of Down at their best that leaves the long lasting impression, those 10-12 minutes early in the second half of the 1991 All-Ireland in particular. The sheer audaciousness of the way they came down and casually ripped Meath to shreds when they weren’t given a hope - Ulster teams had been taken to the cleaners for over two decades previous - remains probably the most impactful 10-12 minutes of football I’ve seen. It was like they were playing a different sport to everybody else. They seemed exotic and cool and dangerous in a way other teams didn’t.
Linden had a great “after life” as a footballer when he was past his peak. He went on for nearly a decade after 1994. He’d pop up every so often with a goal or a good performance. I suppose that longevity has sort of worked in his favour.
I’m surprised Colm O’Rourke hasn’t been mentioned in this conversation. A hardy bastard and a great, great player. The cunt.
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There were some absolutely demented outbursts from yer man today, it says a lot that this one was the most bizarre.
Why? he was a very good player for a very long time. He deserves to be in the conversation at the very least
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Laughable
One thing would be his world cup finals and Copa record for Argentina. He’s been ordinary in the games where theyve lost usually. Same for barca since he last won the CL in 2015. I think he’s been ordinary if not shite in all the games where they were knocked out.
Again every other great player has a similar proportion of shite big games including maradona.
Obviously comparing gooch and Messi is ridiculous with regard to the status of their sports. But within their sports I think there are remarkable similarities to their style of play and how they are viewed by people who love them and hate them.
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He played to a very high level for Kilmaley for years after he quit intercounty which was a testament to his hurling ability
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He was indeed a good player but best midfielder since the 90s? Come off it.
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He was one of the few Clare players who hurled well in the 2008 Munster final at the age of 35. Think he scored 3 points from midfield that day. He was the prototypical modern midfielder - brave, tough, mobile and plenty of style.
I’d have no problem with others being selected ahead of him in these sorts of things but he was a quality and consistent midfielder for a dozen years who could go toe to toe against anyone of his time.
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Ye can’t be on the whiskey this early lads
You are tremendous value!
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I’d rate Lynch very highly. One of Clare’s best from the mid nineties to noughties.
Savage wrists, brave, mobile and intelligent.
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