National Forum

Joe Brolly Finished With RTE

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I used to like Brolly years ago. He used to analyse games and delivered it with passion and enthusiasm. You could tell he just focused on what was in front of him which is all I would really ask of a pundit.

In recent years he has become a broken record. Repeating the same message worded slightly differently. All roads lead to his football idealism now. You could have two teams fighting tooth and nail over 70 minutes and all he wants to talk about is how they arent up to the standard of the standard bearers Dublin even when Dublin arent playing. He seems to be talking from the stand point of somebody running for GAA presidency rather than doing the job that RTE pay him to do.

Any time he talks or writes an article now there it's just a case of "here he goes again". Either he has lost the run of himself or he has different objectives now than he used to have but either way I wont miss what he brings to the studio at present.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 12/09/2019 10:42:14    2234671

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Replying To moc.dna:  "I would be really interested in getting a FOI from RTE to see whether the GAA had any contact or request with RTE in relation to this. Joe Brolly is a questioning voice that is needed within the GAA which has become more autocratic over the years. Similarly Colm O Rourke who has asked tough questions & highlighted certain issues within both the GAA & GPA & being castigated for same. We need these voices heard as it has now reached all levels within the GAA that if you put your head above the parapet to question the group think, you are a radical. Many of the issues Joe & Colm raise are very valid & serious. Major financial irregularities last year in Galway which were sent to Croke Park, yet the details were never publicly published or whether anyone was prosecuted or punished in any way. Everybody is afraid to ask the hard questions. Are Joe & Colm infallible, no. Do they make cock ups in analysis, yes. Interesting that RTE drop Joe but leave Ciaran Whelan & Pat Spillane.
RTE & the GAA will soon have all the Yes people they need as panelists all following the script."
yes but they both have also a platform in the newspapers. Colm and Joe both write for the Sunday Independent and probably other publications too. A live game or a highlights show is not the forum to be constantly airing your opinions or grievances with the state of the game. People find it annoying . All we want is analysis of the games in hand . Joe always compared every other team less favourably to which ever team was top dog at that particular time. "Dublin wouldn't do that". You wouldn't get Donegal doing that", " That's not what Tyrone would do" . etc etc. He expects every team to do what the top team does whilst ignoring the fact that all teams are not equal and never will be. There will always be winners and losers. That's how sport works and we must not condemn the losers for not being winners. His domineering , bullying and shouting down of other panelists and presenters was even more annoying for the viewer that his views. He needs to take a break and reflect. RTE could do worse than do look at the SKY coverage to see how proper match-day analysis works.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 12/09/2019 10:50:40    2234678

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Replying To Joxer:  "It's all entertainment though isn't it, including the game of ball. Joe stops people from going out to make a cup tea and take out the Digestives. They want to see the emotion and clashes with Spillane. It brings the best out of the all even if Joe's trigger point is a nonsense and 50% of the time it is. But it gets the debate going and analysis juices flowing. Cardboard cut outs aren't going to do that."
I tune in for the game, not for a clown at half time promoting himself by insulting amateur players and coaches for a laugh. If you want to tune in to see a lad making up stuff as you said yourself half the time, then fair enough. Dunphy was great in terrible Champ Leagues games and dull Irish games but his stick got old as well. And when it came down to big nights like European finals when the viewing figures were huge regardless he just came across as someone who didn't have a notion what he was talking about. Same as Hook in the rugby, was funny for a while then it went OTT. Sport can survive without self serving clowns looking for attention.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 12/09/2019 11:45:53    2234697

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Replying To The_Fridge:  "Ahhhhh yes. The "snowflake argument." Great for the oul Twitter analysis and generally acting ignorant. But that's another topic altogether.

I 100% agree with the sky/balance to be struck. I really like Sky's analysis, I think everyone can agree its miles ahead off RTE's (as RTE don't really do analysis, more about agenda's and one upmanship), but I think they need a bit more off script opinions.

RTE have to mix it up, throw in a journalist or take 5-6 mins of HT to do in depth analysis then let them rant away.

What is really missing is a mid week show, preview upcoming games with a fun element mixed with interviews."
Yeah a bit of balance with proper analysis would be fine. You will never get that with Joe on the panel though because he wants to be talking all the time and make it all about him and his soundbites.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 12/09/2019 12:01:48    2234707

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Love him or hate him he stokes entertainment. Its a shame he can't be as measured on tv as he is in his column in the Indo which I usually find better than the usual stuff.
The outcry from people about his removal shows how ridiculously sensitive people are to punditry in the modern day. Pundits get stuff wrong and they also have opinions different to your own, so what, thats how free speech works.
I could watch Joe talking rubbish more than I could another ex player drone on without taking a strong position on anything and saying everyone is great ala Dessie Dolan. Sure anyone can do that.

keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 12/09/2019 12:09:27    2234709

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Replying To keithlemon:  "Love him or hate him he stokes entertainment. Its a shame he can't be as measured on tv as he is in his column in the Indo which I usually find better than the usual stuff.
The outcry from people about his removal shows how ridiculously sensitive people are to punditry in the modern day. Pundits get stuff wrong and they also have opinions different to your own, so what, thats how free speech works.
I could watch Joe talking rubbish more than I could another ex player drone on without taking a strong position on anything and saying everyone is great ala Dessie Dolan. Sure anyone can do that."
Agree 100%.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 12/09/2019 12:41:07    2234717

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Replying To keithlemon:  "Love him or hate him he stokes entertainment. Its a shame he can't be as measured on tv as he is in his column in the Indo which I usually find better than the usual stuff.
The outcry from people about his removal shows how ridiculously sensitive people are to punditry in the modern day. Pundits get stuff wrong and they also have opinions different to your own, so what, thats how free speech works.
I could watch Joe talking rubbish more than I could another ex player drone on without taking a strong position on anything and saying everyone is great ala Dessie Dolan. Sure anyone can do that."
A lot of his columns are rants about issues that he has no proposed solutions for. They're clickbait. Of course they're better than the 'usual stuff' because they are brutal, but them being sopoor doesn't make his column any better.

If you shelling out you're hard-earned cash to go an watch entertainment would you be as equally satisfied if they stopped their music / comedy / spoonbending routine to bore us with a monologue about kick out strategies or blanket defences?

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7335 - 12/09/2019 12:56:02    2234721

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But what does he actually bring to the table? Very little if nothing...bar his rants.

Spillane and O'Rourke are always a weight around the ankle and need to go............the game has moved on

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 12/09/2019 13:02:11    2234724

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Replying To Liamwalkinstown:  "I genuinely believe what most people didn't like about Brolly was that he was a non Dub, who eulogised about the Dubs
It doesn't suit most people's narratives to have a non Dub be their chief cheerleader
It doesn't sit with their norms
What most people like is to be able to have a cut off a Dublin pundit who got too big for his boots
When that pundit is not a Dub, they don't know how to act

Joe is gone because too many eejits got the hump at a non Dub, championing the Dubs
The same fellas will be sick as parrots on Saturday when we win 5in a row to bloody spite them!"
Come out of that young Liam. We have yere measure now :-)

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 12/09/2019 13:18:40    2234732

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Replying To keithlemon:  "Love him or hate him he stokes entertainment. Its a shame he can't be as measured on tv as he is in his column in the Indo which I usually find better than the usual stuff.
The outcry from people about his removal shows how ridiculously sensitive people are to punditry in the modern day. Pundits get stuff wrong and they also have opinions different to your own, so what, thats how free speech works.
I could watch Joe talking rubbish more than I could another ex player drone on without taking a strong position on anything and saying everyone is great ala Dessie Dolan. Sure anyone can do that."
His column has been awful for years, including the one last week where he basically disclosed his whole phone conversation with David Gough for more attention seeking. Better than what? Roy Curtis in the Sunday World? They are on a par.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 12/09/2019 13:23:49    2234735

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As far as regular columnists in papers go these days, I'd argue that a lot of them could get labelled with the 'clickbait' tag. Take MacKenna for example, for every clickbait article he regurgitates about Dublin funding or Irish rugby, he can write some superb stuff like his pieces about Mo Farah. I think Brolly is capable of the same, for example his interview with Peader Heffron a couple of years ago was terrific.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you GNR, he's written some articles about Mayo as recently as this summer that would pi** off the most ordinary of Mayo fan, even non Mayo fans would take issue with a lot of what he said.
I do find it strange that they're going to drop him now especially since he has said worse things on air such as the Sean Cavanagh piece or when he was talking absolute rubbish about Colm Cooper being a choker.

keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 12/09/2019 13:35:48    2234737

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Never now cent see anyone loose a job to be honest.

As a commentator can think of worse then Joe. I suspect it's all a bit of hyperbole and he will be on the couch picking the team of the year.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 12/09/2019 13:57:53    2234746

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Will RTE ever get away from the ex-county player as analyst model? Plenty of knowledgeable GAA people that can analyse, tell us something we may not know already and do it with a sense of humour at times.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7335 - 12/09/2019 14:17:20    2234749

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Criticism of a ref is a big no no. The ref can sometimes get it wrong but he has to go to work in the morning, all those Joe's are making refs pack it in. Worth noting that joe got it wrong when he criticized the ref in all Ireland final

heartbroken (Galway) - Posts: 370 - 12/09/2019 14:39:51    2234756

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Imagine he spent 4 years complaining about the Holmes/ Connelly scenario only to be replaced by Rochford himself.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 12/09/2019 14:42:27    2234759

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Enough said now. Dunphy weighing in. Birds of a feather who like to hear themselves talk at the expense of real conversation.

Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 2655 - 12/09/2019 14:47:32    2234763

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Replying To keithlemon:  "As far as regular columnists in papers go these days, I'd argue that a lot of them could get labelled with the 'clickbait' tag. Take MacKenna for example, for every clickbait article he regurgitates about Dublin funding or Irish rugby, he can write some superb stuff like his pieces about Mo Farah. I think Brolly is capable of the same, for example his interview with Peader Heffron a couple of years ago was terrific.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you GNR, he's written some articles about Mayo as recently as this summer that would pi** off the most ordinary of Mayo fan, even non Mayo fans would take issue with a lot of what he said.
I do find it strange that they're going to drop him now especially since he has said worse things on air such as the Sean Cavanagh piece or when he was talking absolute rubbish about Colm Cooper being a choker."
He had some good points in his article about us mixed with a load of rubbish. It was the tone and language used that probably annoyed Mayo people more. For me that's the thing about Brolly, why write an article criticising a team, and possibly even making suggestions for improvement, when you can write shockjock stuff guaranteed to draw in some readers. Most of his articles are poor example of punditry and journalism. McKenna used to be a decent writer too before going a similar route. Difference is though that writing is McKenna's trade, for Joe it's a pastime.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7335 - 12/09/2019 15:08:36    2234769

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "Imagine he spent 4 years complaining about the Holmes/ Connelly scenario only to be replaced by Rochford himself."
What goes around comes around. Brolly nice guy good guy but arrogance was his downfall I have long since dispensed with Sunday game 10 times more words than action and it has spewed a type of punditry that places more emphasis on 'soundbite' than real bite . Looking forward to Saturday it amazes me that the pundits seem to think Dublin will learn more and improve more than Kerry. Fact is 15v 15 in first half in the drawn game you would have expected Kerry to have gone in with a further 3 -2 added to their total. Could it be that Fenton Mannion and O Callaghan played as well as they were allowed to play. 15 of Kerry's 21 the last day played in their first All Ireland final. It reminded me of Cork in Pairc Uí Chaoimh In '87 many including myself thought that Cork had blown their chance, but younger legs and hungrier desire kicked in in the replay and Kerry's 10 year famine began. I feel it could be the same for Dublin I am confident that Kerry's improvement continues apace on Saturday. Sam for Kerry on Sunday!! something I could not see coming with Jack Sherwood at full back and Paul Murphy at centre back against Monaghan Galway and Mayo earlier in year. Mega improvement in the space of 4 months Anois teacht an Ríocht Cíarraí Abù [Kerry forum very claustrophobic!! you either sing to the 'gurus' tune or you're out]

37sowhat (Sligo) - Posts: 752 - 12/09/2019 15:18:08    2234773

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "He had some good points in his article about us mixed with a load of rubbish. It was the tone and language used that probably annoyed Mayo people more. For me that's the thing about Brolly, why write an article criticising a team, and possibly even making suggestions for improvement, when you can write shockjock stuff guaranteed to draw in some readers. Most of his articles are poor example of punditry and journalism. McKenna used to be a decent writer too before going a similar route. Difference is though that writing is McKenna's trade, for Joe it's a pastime."
MacKenna is a barstool journalist now, used to have the odd good article but a shambles now.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 12/09/2019 15:23:00    2234774

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I've always like a bit of controversy but he took to a whole new level, what are the odds of him going to sky after all the bashing he has given them (btw im not new my old account got banned with explanation I was PyatPree)

DuhallowRed (Cork) - Posts: 267 - 12/09/2019 15:55:40    2234780

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