Hardly a star.
A forward mainstay for the last decade for Galway, the third most successful county in Gaelic Football.
One of the “terrible twins”. He was terribly average for most of his inter-county career alright.
He was in and out of a Galway team who never made it past the QF stage during his time with them.
Unplayable at U21, never did it at senior level. Sad to see how him and Meehan’s careers didnt reach the levels expected for varying reasons.
Galway featured in 3 All Ireland Quarter finals during Sean Armstrong’s career span of 2005-14.
That doesn’t contradict anything I said. Armstrong was a bit part player in a side which never seriously challenged for All Ireland honours during his time with them.
[QUOTE=“Sidney, post: 1058680, member: 183”]One of the “terrible twins”.
[/QUOTE]
There will only ever be one set of terrible twins in Galway mate…Messrs Stockwell & Purcell
Armstrong delivered one of the finest individual performances ever seen in an underage final scoring a hat-trick of goals against Down in the 2005 U21 football final. He won a club All Ireland with Salthill in 2006, two Connacht senior titles and featured in 3 All Ireland quarter finals. He never reached his potential through a combination of injuries and the cyclical nature of Galway being in the doldrums after their great era of the late 90’s and early noughties. Your sneering comment that he never played made it beyond an All Ireland Quarter final is typical of your usual double standards. You were claiming here only a few short weeks ago that in a truly awful year for Ulster football at every level, merely appearing in quarter finals was the basis upon which dominance in the game should be assessed and that made Ulster the current pre-eminent football province because it produced most quarter finalists in 2014.
[QUOTE=“Manuel Zelaya, post: 993867, member: 377”]3 Ulster sides made it as far as the third round of the qualifiers - which is effectively the last 16. Connacht had 4, Leinster 4 & Munster 5.
Derry were knocked out of the championship at home in Derry by Longford.
Down were knocked out of the championship at home in Newry by Kildare - Hammered to the tune of 10 points.
Cavan were knocked out of the championship at home in Breffni Park by Roscommon - Hammered to the tune of 11 points.
Antrim were knocked out of the championship by Limerick
Fermanagh were knocked out of the championship by Laois.
Tyrone were knocked out of the championship at home in Omagh by Armagh.
Ulster football is at its lowest ebb since the 1980’s.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=“Il Bomber Destro, post: 1022119, member: 2533”]
Ulster is the dominant province in GAA at the minute. We had 3 of 8 quarter finalists this year and we had 4 of 8 the year before. [/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=“Manuel Zelaya, post: 1022177, member: 377”]So now are we to take it you’re saying dominance is based on just this year? Here’s a breakdown of all the main trophies handed out in 2014.
Senior - Kerry
U21 - Dublin
Minor - Kerry
Hogan Cup - Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, Kerry
National League - Dublin
Club Championship - St Vincent’s Dublin
Railway Cup - Connacht
For the dominant force in the game, Ulster didn’t feature too prominently in the winners enclosure.[/QUOTE]
He was ‘bit-part’ solely because of his injuries, a fit Armstrong would have walked into the team, apart from the last couple of years when we had a weak manager.
It’s true to say that Galway were never contenders for an All Ireland during his career. We saw glimpses of what might have been in the classic game V Kerry in 2008, a game we might have won had Armstrong been fit. In truth though, once the game started becoming ultra defensive, it sounded the death-knell for Galway football.
Just when i reckoned Manuel should be put on hide after a few days of old, boring and tedious posting, he lays down a clamping like this.
I said he was a bit part player in a team that never made it beyond the All Ireland QF stage. That’s the highest level of football and one where he only had a negligible impact. Everything else is irrelevant.
I take it then post his debut seasons of 2005, everything that you’ve said about Ciaran McKeever (who you’ve hailed as the most inspirational player in the GAA right now and the second best centre back in the game) is actually just a load of bullsh*t as post 2005 he never again operated on that elevated stage of an All Ireland semi final and final, you put so much store on.
Applying the same criteria, outside of 2010, Benny Coulter’s 15 year inter-county career can be completely written off. Before 2010, he’d never even made it as far as a quarter final and he even failed to win a provincial senior title in his career.
[QUOTE=“Manuel Zelaya, post: 1058793, member: 377”]I take it then post his debut seasons of 2005, everything that you’ve said about Ciaran McKeever (who you’ve hailed as the most inspirational player in the GAA right now and the second best centre back in the game) is actually just a load of bullsh*t as post 2005 he never again operated on that elevated stage of an All Ireland semi final and final, you put so much store on.
Applying the same criteria, outside of 2010, Benny Coulter’s 15 year inter-county career can be completely written off. Before 2010, he’d never even made it as far as a quarter final and he even failed to win a provincial senior title in his career.[/QUOTE]
You’re not very bright as you haven’t grasped my point which I am having to repeat to you again. I’ll go with bullet points this time:
[LIST]
[]Senior Inter county football is the highest level of football
[]Sean Armstrong has had a negligible impact in senior intercounty football
[*]He has been a bit part player for a county who have never seriously challenged for an All Ireland in his time.
[/LIST]
You can draw observations about Armagh all you want but that would be missing the point. Using McKeever as an example to liken to Armstrong is flawed. McKeever has been a regular for Armagh ever since he broke into the team, he has been a protagonist and a leader. Armstrong couldn’t even hold down a regular spot in his side.
[QUOTE=“Jimmy Mc Nulty, post: 1058779, member: 1168”]He was ‘bit-part’ solely because of his injuries, a fit Armstrong would have walked into the team, apart from the last couple of years when we had a weak manager.
It’s true to say that Galway were never contenders for an All Ireland during his career. We saw glimpses of what might have been in the classic game V Kerry in 2008, a game we might have won had Armstrong been fit. In truth though, once the game started becoming ultra defensive, it sounded the death-knell for Galway football.[/QUOTE]
It should also be noted that alongside his man of the match performance in the 2005 U21 final and a huge performance in Salthill’s club final win over St Gall’s, Sean Armstrong also delivered a man of the match performance scoring 3 points from play in Connacht’s Railway Cup Final win back in February bridging a 45 year gap stretching back to Connacht’s last win in 1969. An All Ireland U21 winner, an All Ireland Club winner, Connacht Senior Championship winner, Railway Cup winner - that’s an array of medals that any footballer would be proud of. Its just that senior All Ireland medal that eluded him.
To think that there’s ill informed clowns on this forum who are of the view that Sean Armstrong’s retirement from the game doesn’t even warrant a mention.
[QUOTE=“Manuel Zelaya, post: 1058799, member: 377”]It should also be noted that alongside his man of the match performance in the 2005 U21 final and a huge performance in Salthill’s club final win over St Gall’s, Sean Armstrong also delivered a man of the match performance scoring 3 points from play in Connacht’s Railway Cup Final win back in February bridging a 45 year gap stretching back to Connacht’s last win in 1969. An All Ireland U21 winner, an All Ireland Club winner, Connacht Senior Championship winner, Railway Cup winner - that’s an array of medals that any footballer would be proud of. Its just that senior All Ireland medal that eluded him.
To think that there’s ill informed clowns on this forum who are of the view that Sean Armstrong’s retirement from the game doesn’t even warrant a mention.[/QUOTE]
What was the attendance at the Railway Cup final?
Turns out it was played in front of 600 people, a mickey mouse competition and it shows how badly Manuel is scraping the barrel here. As usual, he has looked to debate anything put the point at hand and I have wiped the floor with him. All you’ve had is dumb ratings as you are too inarticulate to add anything of substance.
The point at hand is that you took issue with Sean Armstrong’s retirement even been mentioned in this thread. Some jumped up soccer type who can’t decide whether he’s from the Armagh or Tyrone part of the United Kingdom or Italy sneering at one of the most technically gifted footballers that one of the traditional powers of the game has produced this century and trying to dictate who should and should not be mentioned in this thread on their retirement. Nobody disputes the fact that it never really happened for Sean at senior level through a combination of injury and Galway not having the personnel around him to mould a champion team.
In describing the Railway Cup as a mickey mouse competition you’ve inadvertently shown yourself up as someone who knows little or nothing about the traditions or workings of the GAA. The Railway Cup and the likes of the Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cup’s remain huge competitions in the GAA calendar.
There’s a lot more to Gaelic Football and Hurling than the semi final and final of the All Ireland senior football championship. For close followers of the games performances the likes of which both Declan O’Sullivan for Colaiste na Sceilge, and Michael Meehan for St Jarlath’s delivered in the 2002 Hogan Cup semi final or Sean Armstrong’s performance in the 2005 All Ireland U21 final last in the memory for a lifetime, regardless of whether or not anything else unfolded in their career. Those are stages where the technical skills of players really can be seen. Contrast that to the lack of skill you see from Donegal, Armagh or any Ulster side come senior championship time.