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The Gooch retires

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farewell to the greatest footballer I have ever seen SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2386 - 04/04/2017 19:31:56 1975678 Link
It's a bit scandalous that there are only a handful of replies in here and there are more in the other thread arguing that Canavan was better. One of the best players of the 00s, in his peak one of the best. TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 04/04/2017 19:37:04 1975681 Link
Someone help me out here they keep saying he's 5 all Ireland medals with Kerry, 04 06 07 09? Maybe with the club they mean 5? clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 04/04/2017 19:57:38 1975695 Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fT5rMsUdyY Gael85 (Dublin) - Posts: 1433 - 04/04/2017 20:11:29 1975706 Link
Replying To Ciarrai Abu: "The man my entire generation spent their childhood trying to emulate in their back gardens or playing ball with friends .............. What a genius of a footballer. I suppose the biggest compliment he deserves is that in a era of GAA dominated by negativity, blanket defences, physicallity, bulking up lads, eye gouging et al......... he is still regarded as the greatest. Imagine how good the man would of been if he had played in the free flowing era of 70's & 80's. He walks away with every medal in the game in his back pocket. Thanks for the memories Colm!" Free flowing era ....70,s and 80's lol. Thank god he didn't play then cos he probably would've been battered around that much not to get a kick of the ball! seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 04/04/2017 20:16:11 1975708 Link
The Gooch will always be one of my favourite players who I have had the pleasure to watch. An absolutely brilliant footballer. He was deadly and a great operator to watch. seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 04/04/2017 20:19:19 1975711 Link
The Gooch was an absolutely brilliant player, easily one of the best of the modern era, a pure joy to watch, not only his scoring ability but his eye of a pass was someone you can't teach, just pure natural talent. He is a loss to the game but great players come and go and to be fair to Colm Cooper, he didn't have a bad innings. All the best to him in his retirement, he's left memories that will never be forgotten by those who saw him. Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 04/04/2017 20:34:08 1975719 Link
Replying To clondalkindub: "Someone help me out here they keep saying he's 5 all Ireland medals with Kerry, 04 06 07 09? Maybe with the club they mean 5?" 2014 I don't think he recognises that himself though. TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 04/04/2017 20:45:30 1975726 Link
Replying To TheUsername: "It's a bit scandalous that there are only a handful of replies in here and there are more in the other thread arguing that Canavan was better. One of the best players of the 00s, in his peak one of the best." Was thinking the same, but such is life. A memory of the Gooch I'll always have with me is pretty recent. I went up to Newry for our League game against Down last year. I was sitting very near the pitch and got talking to a Down mother who had brought her two sons to specifically see Gooch - they knew Down were for the drop at that point but she came to the game to give her boys the opportunity to say they saw the great man in the flesh. Anyway about half way through the first half Gooch got the ball and was running up our side of the line, his marker was closing fast but Gooch just drew him in, sold him the false solo, and then turned on his heel and speed off to pop a point over the bar. The two young lads looked up at their mother as if a dragon and just descended from the sky - what they had seen wasn't just a footballers skill, to them it was magic and wonder. For any player to have that effect on young children, they have to have been something great. Take her easy Gooch, we'll miss you. TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 04/04/2017 20:48:38 1975730 Link
One of the greatest of all time. Enjoy your retirement. Thanks for the memories royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 04/04/2017 20:59:57 1975735 Link
Replying To TheHermit: "Was thinking the same, but such is life. A memory of the Gooch I'll always have with me is pretty recent. I went up to Newry for our League game against Down last year. I was sitting very near the pitch and got talking to a Down mother who had brought her two sons to specifically see Gooch - they knew Down were for the drop at that point but she came to the game to give her boys the opportunity to say they saw the great man in the flesh. Anyway about half way through the first half Gooch got the ball and was running up our side of the line, his marker was closing fast but Gooch just drew him in, sold him the false solo, and then turned on his heel and speed off to pop a point over the bar. The two young lads looked up at their mother as if a dragon and just descended from the sky - what they had seen wasn't just a footballers skill, to them it was magic and wonder. For any player to have that effect on young children, they have to have been something great. Take her easy Gooch, we'll miss you." Good post mate, I heard a story today about him hanging on in Dublin after the 2011 All Ireland defeat to Dublin, to take the kids trading at Oliver Plunkets a few days after. A humble lad, but also one who gave back in a low profile way. He lit up many a game against us, in victory and defeat but a gentleman throughout and example to us all ahead of renewed rivalries on Sunday and beyond. Have to say I expected him to go another year, if I'm honest I thought he should have been sprung from the bench in recent years and the one ahead, imagine the lift for the rest of the team seeing him come on. He owes Kerry or the game nothing, but the form he showed for Crokes this year, I thought he defo had a role to play as a game changer from the bench. How do you think this will impact on Kerry this year mate? A loss surely? TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 04/04/2017 21:08:32 1975743 Link
Great, great footballer; the game at National level will be poorer for his absence. Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9706 - 04/04/2017 21:40:47 1975753 Link
Can I add, I'm not a big fan of the ladyball but if I was to compare him to an international sports star it would be Messi realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8596 - 04/04/2017 21:46:57 1975757 Link
Probably a good time to go after winning the club championship medal that he craved. Nothing I can add that hasn't already been said. He will go down as one of the greats, rarely missed the target, never gave the ball away and was a leader on the pitch. I think he could have been a highly effective impact sub this year but he obviously felt that role wasn't for him. I hope he enjoys his retirement from playing. I doubt we have seen the last of him though. GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 04/04/2017 23:25:30 1975819 Link
For me the greatest I ve witnessed. A sad day for all football fans. hootervillian (Meath) - Posts: 308 - 05/04/2017 06:27:09 1975846 Link
A true legend. The game is poorer without him. Knoxboya (Monaghan) - Posts: 358 - 05/04/2017 08:50:49 1975864 Link
Possibly the best player I've ever seen However, I wonder, has Gooch decided to leave it because he's happy to go out on a high with the club all Ireland with Crokes and that he simply didn't see an All Ireland for Kerry this year? He's not that old and as others have mentioned, what a great player to bring off the bench in a crunch match. I think Fitzmaurice would have handled him and his use in the team well. I don't think he would have been training him or giving him the same treatment as younger lads in the team. It just makes me think that it's not there for Kerry this year if Gooch isn't going to give it one more go at the age of 33. keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 05/04/2017 10:03:21 1975893 Link
A privilege to have witnessed him strut his stuff. In later years he was a victim of the new 'blanket' approach which suffocated the life out of his natural scoring instincts sometimes and he would be the first to admit it, his frustration was there for all of us to see. But he adapted and made himself relevant as a playmaker and no doubt was one of the best we have seen. Thanks for the memories gooch!! cuchulainn1 (Louth) - Posts: 246 - 05/04/2017 10:12:26 1975902 Link
Replying To TheUsername: "Good post mate, I heard a story today about him hanging on in Dublin after the 2011 All Ireland defeat to Dublin, to take the kids trading at Oliver Plunkets a few days after. A humble lad, but also one who gave back in a low profile way. He lit up many a game against us, in victory and defeat but a gentleman throughout and example to us all ahead of renewed rivalries on Sunday and beyond. Have to say I expected him to go another year, if I'm honest I thought he should have been sprung from the bench in recent years and the one ahead, imagine the lift for the rest of the team seeing him come on. He owes Kerry or the game nothing, but the form he showed for Crokes this year, I thought he defo had a role to play as a game changer from the bench. How do you think this will impact on Kerry this year mate? A loss surely?" Well username I think a lot of us where hoping he would go for the road for one more summer. I guess for players like this you always want them to go out with the fairytale ending. I was hoping in 15 or 16 we could get another All-Ireland and he could have gone out on that high - the way Alan Brogan was able to finish up, kicking the last score in an All-Ireland victory, the way Brian O'Driscoll got his long goodbye and then on the other hand you had ROG's experience! The again Gooch was always a great clubman so he got to sign off with that great All-Ireland last month. You right in that he could have been a really option to bring on with 10 or 15 mins to go in a game, to take control of it, keep things ticking over, find the right pass etc etc. Even the last night against Dublin, how we could have used him in those last few minutes when we were 2 points up, to take the ball, slow things down, control the match and steer it home. I would have always said that you'll be retired long enough, why not keep going for as long as you can. But maybe the competitor inside didn't want him to be reduced to that sub role and if he wasn't starting he wasn't interested. In fairness even though his only 33, he has been playing for Kerry since he was 18. He played in 6 campaigns in a row that lead to Al-Ireland appearances and played in another 3 on top of that, that's huge mileage. All the while he was the main man for Crokes too. And we have to take account of that horrific injury. We always hoped he could come back and be the player he was, but it was obvious he had lost a little bit of something. Maybe he just felt the body isn't up to it anymore, maybe he's just a little fed up with the way the modern game is gone and how he finds himself in the half back line half the time, maybe he see's the talent coming through and thinks it's time to pass the baton on. I don't know, all I know as a fella who is one age to him, I feel very very old today. Only Kieran left now of that great team. Darragh, Tomas, Marc, Mike McCarthy, Aidan, Galvin, Declan O'Sullivan now Gooch. All gone, but never forgotten. TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 05/04/2017 10:40:41 1975914 Link
Replying To keithlemon: "Possibly the best player I've ever seen However, I wonder, has Gooch decided to leave it because he's happy to go out on a high with the club all Ireland with Crokes and that he simply didn't see an All Ireland for Kerry this year? He's not that old and as others have mentioned, what a great player to bring off the bench in a crunch match. I think Fitzmaurice would have handled him and his use in the team well. I don't think he would have been training him or giving him the same treatment as younger lads in the team. It just makes me think that it's not there for Kerry this year if Gooch isn't going to give it one more go at the age of 33." I wouldn't say that at all. I think it's more a personal decision. He has given 15 years to the Kerry jersey and has nothing left to prove. Truth be told he has been a shadow of the great player he was since his injury in 2014, and has just decided to call it a day. I don't blame him one bit. As for Kerry not being in the running for Sam, same was said in 2014. If you had told me in April of that year that we would be AI champs in September i'd have laughed at you. You just never know. GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 05/04/2017 11:08:20 1975927 Link