Choose Monaghan - 12 Like(s)
Choose Monaghan. Choose expecting Finty to score a goal. Choose beating Carlow in the Championship but remember losing to them the last time we were there. Choose playing "Hit the Diff" in Crosshaven and the place going buck mad. Choose Buggy bringing toilet roll in the bag for the away games. Choose not being fit to jive but doing it anyway. Choose wondering if the young one at the end of the Tuam Beats video is single. Choose asking a Cavan fan if he's so proud of 1947 could he name the team. Choose him walking away. Choose occasionally playing Sean McCaffrey's commentary on You Tube. Choose eating cakes at wakes. Choose knowing most of the National Anthem. Choose only singing it in the North to piss off the Queen. Choose Gary McKeown and Mickey Duffy doing Duelling Banjos on accordions. Choose considering calling your son Paul. Choose missing shouting "Don't shoot" at Dick Clerkin. Choose Dick shooting anyway and scoring. Choose missing Nudie. Choose chasing girls in Armagh jerseys in the Glen of a Sunday night. Choose having to choose between Declan Loughman and Dermot McDermott for boots and gloves. Choose standing on the hill in Ballybay so you won't get into a row. Choose only going to mass on Championship weekends. Choose silage getting done in hours rather than days. Choose to publically denouncing Sean Cavanagh. Choose to secretly admitting that Dick would have done the same. Choose to not missing to old Magheracloone pitch. Choose laughing at "Last Calls" two hours after closing. Choose saying Malachy Clerkin when you mean Malachy O'Rourke. Choose doing laps of the town with half a hand on the steering wheel. Choose short cuts to Clones. Choose using your kids to get selfies with Monaghan players when you're old enough to know better. Choose a Monaghan part time farmer putting a Carlow full time farmer on the flat of his back. Choose playing air guitar to Thunderstuck. Choose wishing Jack McCaffrey's grandparents had stayed in Monaghan. Choose going to Division One games and expecting to win. Choose 10 cups of tea a day. Choose pretending you know each Monaghan player personally. Choose rumours on match days. Choose Niall Markey singing "The Rattlin Bog". Choose Marty Mone forgetting the words. Choose six players getting sent off in one go in Ballybay v Blayney game in 90's and then having a smoke together. Choose 3 changes to Monaghan team that was selected. Choose going to Ulster Final in 2013 more in hope than confidence. Choose living through the 90's and not even sniffing an Ulster Final. Choose being thankful to be able to witness this gutsy, talented team. Choose being proud to be from Monaghan. Choose Monaghan.

FootblockREF (National) - 02/08/2017 13:21:50

The Sunday Game - Awful Coverage - 8 Like(s)
Brolly's time is up. He made the fatal mistake of changing what made him great. Whatever you made of the Sean Cavanagh rant, it was spontaneous and from the heart. But 2 years later he's trotting out the Marty Morrissey is ugly quote which was a glib as it was hurtful. Last week he gave RTE all the rope they needed. When's the last time Joe, or indeed any of the regular analysts told you something you didn't know? I remember the semi final between Armagh and Tyrone in 2005, and he was waxing lyrical about the game with an almost youthful exuberance. Those days are long gone. Now it's either fawning over Dublin by saying how great they are or fawning over Dublin by dissing their opponents. And then there's the constant interruptions which are just rank bad manners and the hissy fits when someone interrupts him. There's a reason why Dunphy got removed from the soccer coverage, it's because most people are sick of someone constantly repeating themselves and making it all about them. I'm sick of this "Sure he's a gas man" mentally. Big decision for RTE now. Will he be on the evening show on Saturday night? Sky have showed that pundits who concentrate on the game and not their personal agenda is the best method. Do I want to be entertained while watching GAA?

FootblockREF (National) - 10/09/2019 17:19:16

Championship 2017 - 7 Like(s)

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - 02/08/2017 11:09:02

El Clasico 2020 Monaghan Vs Cavan - 6 Like(s)

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - 11/11/2020 13:36:50

Monaghan GAA thread - 6 Like(s)
Now that the dust has has settled we need to have a long hard look at this Monaghan set up. Not the management personnel, let's face it, Banty has the job for as long as he wants, although I'm sure he'll get rid of Liam Sheedy and bring in some other out of left field personality next year. But what I don't understand is why this team is set up in a manner that is nothing like its managers personality. I don't know Banty well but I played against him a few times,once in a championship match in Aughnamullen where he missed a late chance and had to be carried off the pitch because he was so inconsolable. He's a hugely passionate man so why are his Monaghan teams set up like they are driving with the handbrake on? Where is the manic intensity that Monaghan fans are only dying to get behind. Look at the Dublin game and the way the players fed off the crowd. Where did that go? Our tactics are mired in timidity and negativity. Thats not what this county is about and that is not what inspires people. Look at how we hunted down the Mayo players for the Conor Leonard Penalty? Where was that hunger and drive for the previous 70 minutes? Look at Armagh yesterday,it looked like were playing a different sport to us. I don't mind losing in the qualifiers because let's face it we're in a competition we can't possibly win. But could we go down swinging? When the last time that happened? Imagine being a Clare hurling fan this morning. Disappointed, yes. But proud that you went toe to toe with maybe, by the time they're finished, the greatest team of all time. When's the last time we could honestly say we did that for 70 minutes? Was it Kerry 2008? When's the last time you felt moved enough to give a Monaghan team a rousing ovation at half time in a Championship game? Also this was Mayo we were playing, the team that has literally invented new ways of throwing away leads yet we let them play around with the ball 50 yards out from our goal while we set up our "zones". Penalties, Black Cards, Footblocks, forget them all. This game was lost in the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half where we barely created a single chance against the worst Mayo team in a generation. We actually scored more against the wind than with it. There's maybe up to 6 players, absolute legends, who might be announcing their retirements in the coming days or weeks, did they deserve better than Barry Cassidy on Saturday? Yes. But they deserved better from their management too.

FootblockREF (National) - 06/06/2022 08:26:09

Your First Game At Croke Park - 6 Like(s)

FootblockREF (National) - 09/11/2019 07:31:13

El Clasico 2020 Monaghan Vs Cavan - 5 Like(s)

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - 31/10/2020 19:33:01

Monaghan GAA thread - 5 Like(s)

FootblockREF (National) - 03/05/2023 14:17:36

NFL 2021 - 5 Like(s)
To all the idiots who took 35 average minutes by Darren Hughes last week as a sign of his decline. Have some respect.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - 23/05/2021 08:47:54

It's as if Ulster just doesn't exist! - 5 Like(s)

FootblockREF (National) - 04/09/2017 15:36:35

Malachy's Successor - 4 Like(s)

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - 31/08/2019 19:09:48

Testimonials for individuals - in the GAA? - 4 Like(s)
I think Cooper has permanently damaged his legacy by this.

FootblockREF (National) - 26/09/2017 10:40:19

Joe Canning - 4 Like(s)
I notice there has been no comments on this thread since the semi final. Assuming that means that Joe's performance has shut up all the naysayers. Here's some classic GAA logic; If you do an interview and play well it has nothing to do with the interview. However play poorly and it has everything to do with it.

FootblockREF (National) - 18/08/2017 07:38:50

Tyrone V Meath Nfl Rd 1. - 4 Like(s)

FootblockREF (National) - 16/01/2020 16:47:10

Donegal "Won't Have A Team" On Sunday - 4 Like(s)
Very disappointed with Bonnar. This is pulling a stunt. Unfortunately for him, very few people care now because it's only the McKenna Cup and less will care in a weeks time. He should have been aware of this issue when he picked his panel at the start of the year. Shouting at the top of your voice doesn't make you right.

FootblockREF (National) - 09/01/2020 18:37:47

Football Allstars 2020? - 4 Like(s)

FootblockREF (National) - 11/12/2020 22:16:51

Did Jonny Cooper dive? - 4 Like(s)
McManus did make contact with Coopers head but it wasn't enough to justify Coopers reaction. In my opinion there are only 2 kinds of posters who don't think Cooper exaggerated the reaction. The posters for whom no Dublin player can do wrong or the poster who never kicked a ball in their life. Also as many previous posters have said, this is nothing new. Its a major problem in the game and its getting worse every year. And the reason is that there seems to be no downside for the guy faking the injury. No coverage of it on The Sunday Game which means Jim Gavin' s hissy fit worked. Have to listen to Wolly tomorrow.

FootblockREF (National) - 07/08/2017 16:42:59

HS Readers' Football Team Of The Decade - Goalkeeper - 4 Like(s)
In 2034, the GAA will be 150 years old. I would imagine that they will have a team of the last 50 years at that time. I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that Cluxton will be on that team. Player of the Year, Player of the Decade, Player of the Half Century.

FootblockREF (National) - 05/12/2019 17:06:19

All Ireland Final - Who You Shouting For? - 4 Like(s)

FootblockREF (National) - 28/08/2019 14:06:06

El Clasico 2020 Monaghan Vs Cavan - 4 Like(s)
Disgrace, total disgrace. Banty has to go. Tactically clueless. 7 points up against a team that will play Division 3 football next year. Fortune favours the brave. What I hate about this management set up is how little faith they have in their panel. The players were told essentially to hang onto a lead against Cavan, not Dublin, not Kerry not even Donegal, Cavan, just shocking. What were the tactics in the first half? Playing 12 behind the ball with a gale force wind behind them. Only got the lead because McManus caught fire and that Cavan were muck at the back. Then Cavan allow us our own kickout for the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half, what kind of stupidity was that? If they had pushed on like they did after the water break at least we would have been spared the extra time. As usual, the sideline froze during the game and the usual suspects, O'Hanlon and McCarthy get hauled off. Then bringing Conor back on with 2 minutes left. But our tactics in the second half were everything Monaghan football isn't. Not the first time Banty has pulled this rubbish. We had a gale force wind in first half v Derry in 09 and he played 11 behind the ball and we got caught when Derry, a far inferior team to us (but not as bad as this Cavan side) beat us in 2nd half. I honestly don't know what happens now. Mayo at home was the last game we won. All seemed great leaving Clones that day. Since then we've played Kieran Hughes at FB v Donegal which, surprise, surprise, didn't work, flattered ourselves to a defeat v Kerry, should have got bet out the gate against Meath last week and now exited a Championship that couldn't have had an easier passage to the final if we hand picked it. This could be the end of an era. Very few can hold their heads up. Malone, Kieran Duffy and Ryan Wylie would be the only ones. Banty has to go. Time to accept that whatever our deficiencies on the pitch, off the pitch we are absolutely nowhere.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - 31/10/2020 16:42:08