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GAA Has Never Been Better - Why So Much Complaining

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Replying To Gaillimh_Abu:  "I am certainly old enough to remember the 90s. It was a very exciting era but I have to admit that when I have rewatched some of the big games from those days, they were nowhere near as good as I had remembered them. Last season produced some outstanding football games and the quality of passing and shooting nowadays is better than ever."
The game is now more like the way All-Ireland 7's were played with back passing and side passing being the norm-Of Course there are some great matches, however most matches are difficult to watch with the day of individual skills being coached out of the game. Its is all about systems now with the manager being firmly in control with guys more often in the gymn then on the football pitch spending more time than most full-time professionals.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 24/02/2020 10:18:45    2269612

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This is so true, you don't even have to go back too far
When the great Tyrone team of the noughties were winning all irelands and playing this 'puke football' we had the same cynicism and harsh critiques from pundits. We now just have more pundits echoing the same stuff over and over.
The fact was, Tyrone were ripping up the form book, trying to play football in a different way. But, the nucleus of modern football starts with that team. They rarely kicked silly passes, everything was done at pace and done right. I remember seeing their hand drills in a warm up before the All Ireland against Kerry in 05, I didn't see them drop one ball in it. Everything was immaculate, precision incarnate.
I have to admit, when I saw Tyrones style in the 03 victory I was one of those people deriding it as awful to watch. This was more down to the fact that I had seen how good they had played before that infamous semi against Kerry in 03 and I couldn't understand why they had resorted to this.
But my opinion changed completely by their follow up victories in 05 and 08. There was nothing else you could do but give credit where it was due. They had an ridiculously talented team.
I think a lot of people struggle with changing their minds in general when it comes to football

keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 24/02/2020 10:59:56    2269629

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Replying To duckula20:  "I think it can be boiled down to a very simple point. The games have never been more professional as a result cynicism has come in and whilst it's lauded as 'closing out a game' or 'sticking to a game plan' seeing cheating for want of a better word annoys punters. I will state this is by most teams now, it's just the way the game has gone.

The ethos of gaa has always been knocking several shades out of each other then having a pint, leaving it on the pitch, those days are history and unfortunately the level of cynicism which we continue to see will tear at the heart of the game until something is done about it and that's why people complain and give a general air of dissatisfaction with the game currently."
Going out to try knock the oppositions best player or break his leg like the good old days is cynicism too and cheating has always been a thing. All thats changed in that regard is you got older

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 24/02/2020 11:05:41    2269631

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You really think everyone was whiter than white before???

Only difference to the 'old days' is there are 20 cameras and social media to highlight everything

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 24/02/2020 14:11:04    2269740

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Agree with this thread, most of the criticism these days is aimed at gaelic football and I feel it has never been better. We have cracking matches every weekend in the league. Look at the number of great forwards in the game - Clifford, Seanie O'Shea, Shane Walsh, Cathal McShane, Murphy, McBrearty, Conor McManus and the entire Dublin forward line. Brian Howard is just a joy to watch. It is more difficult than ever to score but somehow these great forwards and others still manage it.

I was recently speaking to a club coach who has been at it for 20 years or more. He told me that the skill level these days is just unreal, there is simply no comparison with 20 years ago. Nowadays every club side at underage level has a few exceptional players, back 20 years ago you would be lucky to have 1 good player on each side. If you did have 1 good player on your club underage side, he tended to be way ahead of the rest of your players.

My main gripe is the fixtures calendar. It's just far too crammed at certain parts of the season. However I am more than happy with the standard of football being played.

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1873 - 24/02/2020 14:52:47    2269760

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Replying To witnof:  "You really think everyone was whiter than white before???

Only difference to the 'old days' is there are 20 cameras and social media to highlight everything"
I do agree with that in that there was a lot of serious stuff going on both on and off the ball. It is interesting now that you never see any club touraments.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 24/02/2020 16:08:29    2269792

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Replying To browncows:  "I do agree with that in that there was a lot of serious stuff going on both on and off the ball. It is interesting now that you never see any club touraments."
Some of those Club Tournaments were dangerous....

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 25/02/2020 09:28:21    2269971

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Some of the negativity on the Galway forum has been huge. Some posters were moaning about the end of Galway GAA as recently as last October and November. They read the Sunday papers too much if you ask me. (Sunday papers and RTE sports tend to be fairly anti GAA)

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2517 - 01/03/2020 19:24:29    2271302

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What annoys me is I watched Dublin vs monaghan and Dublin vs Tyrone matches on rte and the bias towards Dublin was shocking. Are the commentators not supposed to be impartial.I can't listen to the commentary any more I have to put on mute. It's just annoying I really didn't care who won but they nearly have me cheering for monaghan!

tom84 (Cavan) - Posts: 334 - 01/03/2020 20:03:37    2271319

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Replying To tom84:  "What annoys me is I watched Dublin vs monaghan and Dublin vs Tyrone matches on rte and the bias towards Dublin was shocking. Are the commentators not supposed to be impartial.I can't listen to the commentary any more I have to put on mute. It's just annoying I really didn't care who won but they nearly have me cheering for monaghan!"
Since when have commentators on TV or radio meant to be impartial? They havent ever really. Nearly always will be one who favours one or the other side playing

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3499 - 01/03/2020 20:39:19    2271347

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Replying To galwayford:  "Some of the negativity on the Galway forum has been huge. Some posters were moaning about the end of Galway GAA as recently as last October and November. They read the Sunday papers too much if you ask me. (Sunday papers and RTE sports tend to be fairly anti GAA)"
That's extremely paranoid about papers and TV.

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3499 - 01/03/2020 20:39:55    2271348

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GAA Has Never Been Better - Why So Much Complaining
Sure... Hurling is certainly in a better place today than in the past based on your comments. The playing surfaces are much more pristine today allowing a faster and more skillful game, winter hurling is easier on the eyes these days compared to the heavy pitches of the past, because of it.
Don't know if football is any better or worse it's a case of "who cares" in my case...

murrax (Wexford) - Posts: 90 - 02/03/2020 00:40:26    2271476

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