https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/its-atrocious-stuff-former-dublin-manager-tom-carr-claims-you-would-have-to-pay-him-to-watch-modern-gaelic-football-37180940.html
after a fantastic weekend of hurling its easy to see how football can be treated as the poor relation for a week at least for entertainment value, I've seen my fair share of poor games in my lifetime but i've seen an equal amount of very entertaining breathtaking battles from all ireland finals (most recent 2016/17) right down to league games in a wet Breffni park. pundits have been vocal for years now on the biggest threat to gaelic football and I'm thinking of Brolly who was the first to voice concerns, but in the last 3 years or so and particularly this year the criticism has escalated to become a monster at risk of consuming our game. first of all i will admit that the level of tactics as interesting as they are, are actually having a negative effect on our game however the constant criticism is putting football at serious risk in every club in every county. articles like the above are the go to subject now and is what sells papers apparently but to the extreme detriment of the game. as i read in another forum on this, no other sports pundits criticise the game like gaelic football. this level of criticism is brainwashing the public, it is the NO. 1 threat to our game!!!!

theweanling (Cavan) - Posts: 414 - 03/08/2018 10:01:27    2128679

I agree 100%. I know there are issues with the game of football but there is a lot of good too but we rarely hear about it. Also I don't agree with the ongoing comparisons with hurling mainly by hurling pundits. Its a completely different game so direct comparisons are pointless.

supporter (Donegal) - Posts: 205 - 03/08/2018 10:12:52    2128682

Miami305 (Galway) - Posts: 147 - 03/08/2018 10:20:16    2128687

If he had success as a manager would he complain?

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 03/08/2018 10:29:34    2128689

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 03/08/2018 11:00:12    2128698

theweanling (Cavan) - Posts: 414 - 03/08/2018 11:55:51    2128716

Not one original thought in the whole article.

I can't believe he gets paid for "writing" this rubbish.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 03/08/2018 11:55:55    2128717

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 03/08/2018 11:59:09    2128718

I'm sorrry but what needs to stop?

Does the game itself need to change to be more entertaining or do people need to stop giving their opinion on it not being entertaining?

This idea that somehow people are being brainwashed into believing the games haven't been enerytaining is way way wide of the mark.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1338 - 03/08/2018 12:41:29    2128726

Negativity sells....and it is the Irish Independent so what do you expect? It is becoming Ireland's home grown tabloid

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 03/08/2018 12:47:21    2128728

Failed manager and pundit looking for some attention. Yes there are some problems with football but I also think there are some very obvious solutions for the problems, I mean it's not rocket science, if you want a fast moving attacking game then your rules must facilitate that kind of a game, tactics have adapted to the current rules and exploit them, the game has changed but only because the coaching side of football has become far more professional, I don't think the rules as they stand allow for a fast flowing attacking game. A change to the tackle could stop a lot of the slow build up play we see now if we adopted the compromise rules tackle this in theory would cause the ball to move faster but could effect long kicking as a defender would just have to wait for the forward to land then wrap him up, a solution to that could be to allow a mark inside the 21 only this in theory again would make a long kick profitable but also affords the defender with the chance to win possession. It's not easy changing rules as you have to take into account all the possible side effects of it. Personally I would just reduce the game to a 13 man game with 3 subs this creates space without having to make drastic changes to rules

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1594 - 03/08/2018 12:57:56    2128730

Am I the only one to see a bit of irony in the Topic name and the fact that the post is highlighting an article which a lot of people (myself included) wouldn't have seen but for it been shared in the post? Or are you the brainwasher and this is all part of the ploy to brainwash as many as possible by using Hoganstand as a platform? If you are serious then you would have a better campaign by going out and stealing all the Indos etc from shops and burning them or ordering some sort of Russianesque hit on Mssrs Brolly, Spillane etc. Just don't go down the Perfume Bottle route as that is a bit obvious now. ;-)

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 03/08/2018 13:26:03    2128738

If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck. guess what, it is probably a duck. There is no point in being in denial about what was a good sport that has been gutted like a fish in the name of improvement. Not one of these changes was for the better. My opinion and respect everyone else's.

Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 2660 - 03/08/2018 14:24:57    2128748

It's the usual rubbish that plays to the auld lad in the pub.

There's definitely a certain lack of competition to Dublin that hurts any game they're involved in.

There are other big gaps in quality in match ups that lead to one team setting up ultra defensively.

When you get 2 teams going all out to win though it is a very exciting game.

The Kildare games against Mayo and Galway and the Monaghan Kerry games it's still an exciting game.

Recent Dublin Mayo Kerry encounters have entertained.

Granted we do see too few games that are exciting but I really think it's to do with imbalances in quality rather than the game itself.

I also think moving the league out of February March would be good. For all best the best teams league is a more important competition for them so they devote a lot of their season to football in bad conditions where defense is king.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 03/08/2018 15:43:12    2128774

It's rubbish of course. I'd love to ask Carr when does he think the game was great? Because today the skill level and athleticism is greater than it has ever been. Back in the 80s and 90s the game was slower and seeing forwards kicking off both feet was a rarity. Today two good feet is almost a prerequisite for any forward making a county team. Granted there are "systems" now. Tactics have evolved but the dreaded blanket-only one dimensional tactic of a few years ago now appears to be a thing of the past. The best games I have witnessed for tension, athleticism, skill, intensity...have been in the last 7-8 years. Dublin's semis and finals against Kerry and Mayo over the past number of years have been sensational games. Even the loss to Donegal in 14 was a memorable encounter, if even for the wrong reasons as a Dub. The super 8s this year have produced some cracking games and no doubt that apart from the Dub - Rossies game, we'll have more of the same this weekend. I think it's just pooulist tripe from Carr in the wake of last weekend's hurling games and fans declaring it the "best sport on earth" etc. There is no comparison in terms of the two sports, it's like comparing Backgammon to Monopoly. The playing surface is the same but the similarities end there. Football is what it is, a fast paced (generally) hard hitting game full of the skills of fielding, solo'ing and kicking points off both feet from distance. It's what we love.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 03/08/2018 15:58:48    2128777

Farney (Monaghan) - Posts: 801 - 03/08/2018 16:18:07    2128780

Westfester (Limerick) - Posts: 944 - 03/08/2018 16:50:54    2128782

Lads... Its Tom Carr. Enough said.

westkerry (Kerry) - Posts: 1250 - 03/08/2018 17:01:41    2128786

neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 03/08/2018 17:27:54    2128788

Tommy Carr... We still haven't fully recovered from his time managing us and worse of all he gave us his brother in law once he left.

ispeakwisdom (Roscommon) - Posts: 2487 - 03/08/2018 17:55:42    2128798