Sean Boylan was on Off the Ball recently actually talking about his time as manager of Meath. A wonderful interview about a time when footballers were tough, and had a bit of integrity to them. Worth a listen.
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Meath had little integrity about them.
Hereâs another good one, the Down glory years its called, which is kind of ignoring the real glory years. Incidentally, also involves an ulster player not unfamiliar with the dark arts.
How is that any different to fm how he usually looks?
Two more orifices in which Tyrone people are taking it.
Great comedy here - stunning ripose from wee James 
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The simple fact with all this shit is if the officials were ably assisted half of these episodes would have been nipped in the bud.
the ref on Saturday was directly in front of what happened McCann, Im not sure if he saw it as he may have been writing in his notebook but there are 6 other official to assist them and all they seem to want to do is keep their mouths shut. Itâs pathetic.
The photo of Marsden shows nothing as anything can be made look dramatic in a single snapshot, but @Nembo_Kid like his Tyrone pals are in full siege mentality mode. they have a machiavellian approach to the game akin to the LA raiders of the la 70s and early 80s. Just Win Baby, beat them by playing football, adapt and overcome.
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Joe Brolly called Brian McGuigan out a year ago, coming in the wake of his laughable interview last night, its quite informative
Brollyâs Bites - Tyroneâs tactical fouling has changed the culture of the game!
Sunday 04 August 2013
Joe Mahon said in the papers on Tuesday that Tyrone were far too nice!
We need to be more ruthless in defending a leadâ he remarked.
More ruthless? Is Mickey Harte planning to deploy tear gas against the Monaghan forwards tomorrow?
Meath only managed to score a goal from play in the first half because Eamonn Wallace is a sprint champion.
Wallace took the pass as he cut in towards goal. Ryan McKenna, realising the danger, dived after him to carry out the obligatory rugby tackle but missed. The boy was just too fast.
The scene was an exact replica of a Tommy Bowe try, the winger avoiding the despairing dive of the covering defender with the angle of his run and his sheer pace.
In the second half, young Newman was not so lucky, Conor Gormley being close enough to casually haul him down. Conorâs matter of fact body language said it all.
It is simply what Tyrone do. If the forward is through on goal drag him down. Sean Cavanagh â perhaps the best player of the modern era â twice rugby tackled opponents in the dying stages.
Stephen OâNeill did the same and was sent off on the second yellow. As one Tyrone man tweeted; âFair play to Stephen. He took one for the team. Tyrone abu!â
During that last quarter, getting through the Tyrone lines was impossible. They reminded me of riot police at the Short Strand, minus the batons. âBack off son, Iâm warning you. One more step and Iâll have you.â
So they dragged the opponent down, kicked the ball away, jostled him like bouncers, delayed the free, then regrouped and began the process all over again.
When a journalist from the Irish Times had the temerity to ask Mickey Harte about it afterwards, you know what he said? âSo what?â When there is no argument, resort to the language of the playground. Meanwhile Brian McGuigan, fast becoming the Chemical Ali of the Tyrone movement, advised âcriticsâ to âwise upâ and praised Tyrone for the âcalm and cool way we closed out the game.â
âClosing out the gameâ has become a euphemism for dishonest and unethical behaviour. A language has been invented around this foul strategy that seeks to make it respectable.
It wonât be long before tactical fouling is described as âa civil and religious liberty.â
After the game, I was roundly attacked by Tyrone supporters. I summarise their points; 1. Joe is jealous; 2. Joe is biased; 3. Others do it; 4. Meath were dirty against us the time of the Big Snow and 5. Joe is a disgrace.
The self righteousness of Tyrone folk on this subject is almost as unpleasant as the strategy itself.
Their team is quite entitled to play this way. However, I am also entitled to point out that it is unpleasant and unsporting.
The big worry is that it is becoming part of the culture of the game. When someone as renowned and respected as Mickey Harte is publicly endorsing it, then we are in serious trouble.
It is of course correct â as many Tyrone people have pointed out â that others are doing it.
Pub Quiz question: Who said this last week: âIf weâre five points up and a fella is going for goal in the last few minutes, weâre going to pull him down.
âIf that means getting a second yellow card and going off or a black card under the new rules or whatever, weâre still going to do it. At the end of the day, weâll just bring somebody else on instead. Cynicism is now part of the game.â
The answer is Mayo midfielder Aidan OâShea, who at least has the balls to call it what it is.
And weâre told we just have to accept this? âGet realâ, âWise up Brollyâ, âDonât be so naĂŻveâ. (naive is the euphemism for not cheating.)
Imagine the scene at Croke Park tomorrow: Monaghan three points up with a minute to go. Sean Cavanagh goes through one on one against the goalie. Dessie Mone launches himself full length from behind and manages to sweep Seanâs foot, bringing him crashing to the ground outside the penalty box. Tyroneâs last chance evaporates. Monaghan win:
âQ. Mickey Harte, youâd have to say that was a magnificent last minute intervention by Dessie Mone?
A. In fairness Marty, it was text book stuff, right out of the top drawer. Obviously itâs something we work on a lot with our players but youâd have to say that one was a beauty. Weâre disappointed but wish Monaghan well in the next round.â
Back in the RTE studio:
Q. So Joe, youâve been looking again at Dessie Moneâs tackle?â
A. Well Michael, it was a classic. For the boys and girls watching at home, this is something they should watch again and again. When coaches are explaining the art of the tactical foul to their underage teams, this is the clip they should show them.â
Q. Youâd have to agree Pat, it was a very special moment.
A. Well Michael, it was top drawer stuff alright. Watch the way he dives from almost two metres behind. At all times, heâs focussed on Seanâs right foot (the leftâs for standing on) and he just about manages to get the flick on it.
Q. Cavanagh looked very, very angry Colm as he got to his feet? You can see from the shots weâre looking at that he is absolutely incensed?â
A. He needs to get real Michael. Itâs not good to see such an unsporting reaction from the Moy man.
Q. Joe?
A. I agree Michael. If I were one of his team mates Iâd be telling him to âwise up.â
Tyrone are no longer Yids but Egyptians - de-nile.
I listened to Off the Ballâs coverage of the Tyrone fiasco on the way to work this morning, I found it to be excellent coverage. Brian McGuigan came across well, but had little answer when challenged on this Colm O Rourke Meath team issues and his sly digs are âcutenessâ. Thankfully he accepted the antics that Tyrone go on with and of course condemned Tiernan McCann for his actions. It was most likely a little unfair for him to have to answer for this Tyrone teams ills, but he did as best he could. Parkinson and Molly handled the entire matter in a very accomplished manner.
I thought Anthony Moyles put it best when comparisons were made with the Meath team. He accepted they were a hard, dirty physical team, but that they were called that at the time, and hated in many quarters for it, and they accepted that label because they felt it was needed to be done to win. Tyrone do all of this, and do it far far worse, and have added elements of nastiness drilled into them. Thats fine if they want to win, if they decide this is what they need to stoop to, in order to win then, fine. But accept it that you are all of these things, and accept that you are going to be criticised for it. Tyrone canât and wonât.
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I listened to the Hogan piece yesterday evening. Hogan has a career in broadcasting ahead of him if he wants it Iâd say. Very honest but articulate at the same time - and more importantly doesnât throw out the standard shite that comes from a KK hurler. The follow up discussion between Kelly and Jamesie was a bit dour. Jamesie is good but Kelly didnât really add anything.
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Kelly is a complete ham of a pundit.
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Awful. Nothing to add.
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Youâre comparing apples with oranges. Tyrone donât mind being the criticism that comes our way with the way we play the game, itâs the double standards in comparison to other teams and their indiscretions which is hard to take. If itâs good for the goose then itâs good for the gander but the Southern media donât take take that route and treat Tyrone (and Ulster football by extension) as unique and use them as fall guys for anything they donât like on the game.
Itâs bang out of order.
Endless waffling, doesnât know when to stop.
Cliche after cliche after cliche
Aidan OâMahony was vilified for his dive, Michael Shields the same, the difference with these instances is that they are perpetrated by individual players. I am all for the Machiavellian ( seems to be my word of the week) approach but there comes a time when one must show some class and by extension honour. It was a great win for Tyrone on Saturday with some wonderful football and the best defensive systme in the game but alas now it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
I donât buy this shite about the southern media all getting on a bandwagon in relation to this episode, the simple fact being that there has been a steady undercurrent since the u21 v. Tipp.(I donât agree with Tipp not letting the Tyrone manager in either, take your beating with some class.)
There hasnât been anything like that in relation to other teams be it reported instances or actual instances.
Ultimately the disdain for Tyrone is borne from the fact that so many of there players seem to be adopting these win at all costs tactics; McCann, 2 Cavanaghs, Meyler to name a few. When people see this as a concerted effort throughout a team it will rankle them as it spoils a good game with stoppages.
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Listen the u21 was a complete hatchet job on Tyrone. If anything they were the most sinned against team that day, up until the last 10 minutes Tipp had conceded much more fouls. MOTM Cathal McShane was targeted from throw in, he was kicked, stamped, hit off the ball, victim off frontal charges and late hits all game long. Yes Tyrone were very cynical in closing the game out but we had spent 50 minutes of that game being on the receiving end of cynicism.
The way that game was reported in the aftermath was unbelievable and completely misrepresented what actually took place. The old adage if you slung enough mud it will stick and Tyrone have been Tyrone victims of this. Itâs all hush hush and sweep sweep when other sides engage themselves in the actions that Tyrone have.
let me know when you address the points I made.
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Them boys will know they didnât perform to the best of their ability, Cody will have a chat with them over the few days and theyâll have to put in a serious effort in training over the next few weeks in the run up to the final cause they know that thereâs no room for complacency in the Kilkenny set up