The Battle for Sam 2009

There are enough fucking rednecks and slackjawed yolkels down around Spanish Point without the Laois football team getting upto hi jinx down there

Where’s Spanish Point?

West Clare… Not far from Lahinch.

It’s KIB man country.

[quote=“ChocolateMice”]Well the Laois football team look to be well prepared and I expect them to cause a few upsets this year…

I was enjoying a quite pint in the Armada hotel in Spanish point on saturday night, watching Ireland v Canada, when in surged about 30 guys…

I knew straight away it was a team of some sorts, but by their antics I thought it was a junior soccer team away for an end of season piss up. I soon clocked a few heads though and realised it was the Laois football team and was stunned to see them, a couple of weeks before a championship match, not only downing pints, but tearing into vodka/ whiskey etc

Of course they totally took over the place, giving guff to locals, wolf whistling at anything in a skirt and every one of them (except Ross Munelley who seemed more interested in the bar man even though he wasn’t drinking) chanced the only two young wans in the bar, who can best be described as mutts(They were all blown out too)

The mic was then grabbed off the one man band in the corner and we were subjected to an hour of inaudible screeching and shouting! They were finally usherd off up to bed by management, of course each carrying 2 or 3 drinks, but i seen most of them make a dash to the function room and crash a local wedding…

Like i said, you would expect it of junior soccer team …but clearly not from a team who are not only representing their county but are on the eve of the first round of the championship.

A shocking display by both the players and management alike! I know it’s amature and I see nothing wrong with players having a pint or two to relax and release a little tension… But the subsequent piss up and display of Homo erotic carry on that we were subjected to was scandalous…

It’s the supporters, and particularly the children, you’d have to feel for in all this… Who will no doubt turn up in large numbers in a few weeks to support their heroes totally ignorant as to the real character and carry on of these chancers![/QUOTE]

Sounds like some fellas blowing off some steam to me CM.

Saying that, this is not out of habit when it comes to this management if my sources are to be believed.

Few of those boys like the vodka. I dont trust any cunt that doesnt drink pints.

[quote=“myboyblue”]Sounds like some fellas blowing off some steam to me CM.

Saying that, this is not out of habit when it comes to this management if my sources are to be believed.

Few of those boys like the vodka. I dont trust any cunt that doesnt drink pints.[/QUOTE]

When are Laois out, if its anything over 2 weeks then i wouldn’t have a bit of problem with them being on the lash together. Inside two weeks at that level is not good really. Whatever about their childish behaviour, i don’t think them having a knees up is anything but good for team moral etc.
Its all about the balance.

[quote=“Bandage”]Dear Lord above.

I agree with what you lads are saying about actual analysis though. They often just spout generic shit about teams having hunger or losing their way or something and then show a few clips of scores but don’t provide the viewer with any information on tactics or playing style or any analysis of what actually caused the result we’ve just seen.[/QUOTE]

That kind of thing is endemic in GAA analysis, especially given that no one is likely to have seen any county bar their own play during the league yet you’d still hear them go on about ‘Mayo struggling in attack or Wicklow having a good midfield’ or stuff like that. Complete bluffing. There’s no way anyone can claim to have a decent knowledge of more than a handful of counties given how infrequently they’re shown on telly.

I actually think Brolly (who is no doubt a prick of a person and unbelievably smug) is one of the best around when it comes to actually analysing teams and picking out the ‘systems’.
He’s the only fella I ever heard pick out Tyrone’s tactic of creating space in a central area in front of goal and runners coming from deep to fill this area. They never shoot unless in front of goal and around 30 metres out either. No one else ever pointed out this.
Over the past two weeks he’s also done very good analyses of Fermanagh, Derry and Monaghan’s tactics and picked out some very good clips to highlight them. EG he showed Fermanagh half forwards just completely ignoring the ball when their own attack broke down and just turning and hareing back towards their own goal.

[quote=“caoimhaoin”]When are Laois out, if its anything over 2 weeks then i wouldn’t have a bit of problem with them being on the lash together. Inside two weeks at that level is not good really. Whatever about their childish behaviour, i don’t think them having a knees up is anything but good for team moral etc.
Its all about the balance.[/QUOTE]

Laois play Louth on June 14th, pucks of time for a blowout.

he defo knows his tactics alright but he’s unbearabley smug and hammers certain teams and players…which is all well and good but he must remember he was part of proabbly the most underachieving team in Gaelic football in the last 30 years as far as winning all-ireland’s go…that derry team of the 90’s had so much talent and all the ingredients to dominate football in their time and should have a lot more than one all Ireland I thought…

Bradley: We weren’t going to be pushed around

Derry’s Paddy Bradley celebrates
25 May 2009

Paddy Bradley revealed that Derry had prepared for a physical encounter with Monaghan and were determined not to be pushed around.

Having lost to the Farney County in each of the past two years, Derry felt they needed to “stand up” to Seamus McEnaney’s side, resulting in one of the most spiteful games seen in the Ulster SFC in a long time.

“There was a lot of big hits out there, but that’s part and parcel of Ulster football,” the Derry goalscorer said.

"People have been writing over the last few years when Monaghan beat us that we hadn’t stood up to the physical challenge.

"That wasn’t going to be the case today. Everything Monaghan threw at us we gave it back, and maybe more.

“It’s probably why we won the game in the end. We were physical, strong and we were fit in the last 10 minutes and I think that showed.”

Gonna go hard on the Rossies this weekend, really cant see the Trim keeping it kicked out to them.

Are we still doing the jaunt up here, am going to be around that area this weekend, could do a meetup under the scoreboard perhaps?

Dublin and Meath game unlikely to sell out

INDICATIONS ARE that Sunday’s big Leinster football meeting of Dublin and Meath will not sell out with around 65,000 projected to attend.

So far, 40,000 tickets have been sold for the quarter-final, which is on a double bill with the Dublin-Antrim hurling championship fixture. Although it’s not possible to identify which of the Dublin supporters are primarily interested in the hurling, interest from Antrim has been weak.

The estimate would be considerably down on the two near-capacity crowds that rolled up for the draw and replay between Dublin and Meath two years ago.

“It’s been slow so far but maybe when the build-up starts this week, it will pick up,” said Leinster chief executive Michael Delaney, who pointed out when the same counties met in the football championship two years ago there was a late surge. “Near the end it improved and in the last week you still expect that there can be more sales. At the moment, though, we’re calling it at 65,000 although you’d hope for a full house as it’s the glamour tie in Leinster. There’s about 40,000 gone and we’d be expecting another 25,000 in the last week.”

The hurling match brings together Anthony Daly’s Dublin, who have a growing reputation as a team going places after comfortably retaining their Division One status in the National League, and the Ulster champions, who are making their senior debut in Leinster as part of the restructured provincial championship. According to Delaney the move doesn’t appear so far to have excited major interest in the north and the match itself hasn’t had a high profile.

“Sales are very slow so far in Antrim. I don’t know whether the tickets have been distributed through the clubs up there but at the moment there hasn’t been much interest. There’s been very little so far about the Dublin-Antrim tie.”

Meath PRO Brendan Cummins’s experience of the fixture goes back 20 years, including the epic four-match series in 1991. He believes that in the current economic climate the projected attendance wouldn’t be disappointing.

“I wouldn’t be downbeat about 65,000. That’s a good crowd in the circumstances. Factor in the recessionary times – it’s a costly day out for a family – and the impact of having the games so easily accessible on television. We can’t have huge viewerships and huge crowds on a continual basis. Something’s got to give.

“Two years ago there was still the lingering novelty value of the new Croke Park and remember it’s not too long ago that 50,000 was a good crowd for Dublin and Meath.”

Since the redevelopment of Croke Park, however, the attendances have all been over 60,000. Nonetheless, 65,000 was the level of interest in both 2002 (65,868) and 2005 (65,846) before the crowds jumped two years ago to 78,002 for the drawn match and 82,200 for the replay.

According to Cummins, Meath have just one injury concern, aside from the long-term absence of Shane O’Rourke, and manager Eamon O’Brien should have a largely full hand when the team is selected either tonight or Thursday.

“Nearly everybody’s okay and Brian Farrell is the only real concern. He didn’t take a full part in training last Thursday but there’s a reasonably good chance that he’ll be available so we’ll probably have a clean bill of health.

“I think the mood in the county is quite optimistic. The team picked up in the league and though it’s not enough to say that the blue jersey inevitably brings out the best in Meath the feeling is that you couldn’t rule us out.”

Finally, details of the Leinster hurling championship semi-final draw will emerge after the Dublin-Meath match on Sunday when the winners of Antrim-Dublin go into the hat with champions Kilkenny, Galway and Wexford.

The two matches will be staged on Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st of this month, at venues to be decided but Croke Park will not be used for either. Galway’s semi-final is expected to be fixed for the Saturday with the other match taking place the following day.

Doherty facing eight-week suspension

A LEADING Ulster official has rejected allegations that football in the province is any less disciplined or more cynical than elsewhere. Danny Murphy’s comments come in the wake of a controversial start to the championship and as it emerges three players, two from Derry and one from Monaghan, have been proposed for eight-week suspensions by the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC).

Centrefielder Fergal Doherty and replacement forward Brian Mullan are the Derry players, and are joined by Tommy Freeman from Monaghan. Doherty was sent off for a second yellow card but his proposed suspension relates to an incident where he is seen kicking at Monaghan’s Dick Clerkin.

Mullan was also captured on camera appearing to knee Conor McManus in the groin whereas Freeman was involved in a tangle with Derry’s Kevin McGuckin. The players have the choice of accepting the proposed punishment or requesting a hearing.

The weekend’s clash between Ulster holders Armagh and All-Ireland champions Tyrone didn’t attract the opprobrium directed at the previous week’s match but featured nearly as many fouls.

“I don’t think there’s any particular problem with the Ulster championship,” said Murphy who declined to comment on the CCCC recommendations. “We’ve gone for several years without any major incidents. There were issues highlighted in respect of the Derry-Monaghan game but if people break the rules they are entitled to be dealt with by them.

“In general the games in Ulster are highly competitive and generally are played within the rules, fairly physical – and nobody has ever tried to deny that – but very fair. Cynicism is not something I have seen in Ulster football over the years.”

Whereas the last statement will hardly create a consensus, Murphy believes that the problem of foul play or indiscipline is no worse in the northern province than anywhere else. “Ulster teams are very competitive and we had two of the most competitive ones yesterday. You can take your own perspective on the world but I genuinely believe that Ulster teams play within the rules.”

He said he believed the high profile of counties from the province – Armagh and Tyrone have won four of the last seven All-Irelands, Ulster’s second most successful phase in All-Ireland history after the 1991-94 sequence of four successive titles – could be an influence on attitudes elsewhere in the country.

“There might be an element of that in that if something is successful, normally people are against it and some might be looking for some way to question what’s been achieved but I would strenuously deny any requirement for Ulster teams to be cynical or over-physical to win anything.

“They play with a level of intensity which is part and parcel of the game here. When we weren’t winning All-Irelands nobody seemed to pay much regard to it. Then we started winning and the word ‘cynical’ suddenly appears.”

[quote=“myboyblue”]
Finally, details of the Leinster hurling championship semi-final draw will emerge after the Dublin-Meath match on Sunday when the winners of Antrim-Dublin go into the hat with champions Kilkenny, Galway and Wexford.

The two matches will be staged on Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st of this month, at venues to be decided but Croke Park will not be used for either. Galways semi-final is expected to be fixed for the Saturday with the other match taking place the following day.[/QUOTE]

Is the hurling semi finals open draw?..or is it ‘open draw’ once kk and galway are kept apart til the final???..

Both if you were to listen to Cyril Farrell.

[quote=“myboyblue”]Gonna go hard on the Rossies this weekend, really cant see the Trim keeping it kicked out to them.

Are we still doing the jaunt up here, am going to be around that area this weekend, could do a meetup under the scoreboard perhaps?[/QUOTE]

From the highlights i thought it looked a very decent game, Leitrim got a superb goal from the full back, will be in the GOTY catogary anyway i’d say.
Enjoyed Tyrone-Armagh 2nd half as well. Tyrone are scryingly fit. Saw Ray Silke had a serious cut off Conor Gormely yesterday in the Examiner, probably a little over the top i thought.
Does anyone know what Tommy Freeman did to get 8 weeks. I don’t think anything i saw him do could be the eqivilant of what the 2 Derry knacks did.

Matty Forde is out for 4-6 weeks and presumably the Championship.

Kildare should beat the handicap against Wexford.

Some fall from last year.

[quote=“caoimhaoin”]From the highlights i thought it looked a very decent game, Leitrim got a superb goal from the full back, will be in the GOTY catogary anyway i’d say.
Enjoyed Tyrone-Armagh 2nd half as well. Tyrone are scryingly fit. Saw Ray Silke had a serious cut off Conor Gormely yesterday in the Examiner, probably a little over the top i thought.
Does anyone know what Tommy Freeman did to get 8 weeks. I don’t think anything i saw him do could be the eqivilant of what the 2 Derry knacks did.[/QUOTE]

no sympathy for the cunt what ever he did…seen him play a few times and he’s some man for mouthing and winding up lads…obviously never got the slap he deserves or else he still wouldn’t be doing it…

CORK (SF v Kerry): A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, A Lynch; J Miskella, G Canty, G Spillane; A O’Connor, N Murphy; P Kelly, P O’Neill, P Kerrigan; D Goulding, J Masters, D O’Connor.

KERRY: D Murphy; M O Se, T O’Sullivan, P Reidy; T O Se, T Griffin, A O’Mahony; T Kennelly, M Quirke; P Galvin, Declan O’Sullivan, D Walsh; C Cooper, T Walsh, D O’Sullivan.

No Dara o Shea there for Kerry. Presumably he’s being groomed for some kind of impact sub role this year. Can’t see him being too happy with such a role myself. When Liam Sammon took over the Galway footballers a similar idea was mooted around Paraic Joyce. PJ went straight up to Sammon and asked him to name any 6 better forwards in the county. He’s started every game since.