(Oldest Posts First)
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Firstly i am shocked at the common them around Down football of: "Time to rebuild" after a defeat. We have been attempting a rebuild since 1994 with no success. Again, we hear "sure we got to the All Ireland in 2010". If that is the level of 'success' we are happy to revel in, then we are in a deeper hole than some of us fear. lagael (Down) - Posts: 43 - 21/03/2022 07:26:52 2406071 Link 0 |
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I am following gaelic games for 40 years (I am just gone 50 now) and remember the National Leagues of early and mid 1980s when like any other county Down were holding their own, getting to proper league semi finals and finals (not these "cup for anything" now given out for Division 1,2,3, and 4. All very well saying nice to get a cup at end of league etc...Offaly beat Down in a good Division 3 final around 2006 or so...does anybody even remember that, I bet Offaly players do more so than Down players at the time...its all about money now and tv rights, so much so I cannot wonder how like back in the 1980s we arent treated now to two nights coverage (propper coverage) 2 divisions of a Sunday night, and 2 of a Monday night, even reverse that then the following week etc. Everything now, Gaelic football, hurling and camogie are now crammed into one night, highlights start at 0-03 to to no score even and then its 0-12 to 0-09 and if you go to put the kettle on you will miss the match you want to see. The hurling is rediculous with this light ball and scoring is like PS4 or PS5..the anoraks think its great to see, I am a traditionalist and want to see a bit of hurling as well as all these 4-30's and 7-28's scorelines.. Back to Down football, football changed around the early 1990's, I often wonder was the the hysteria generated by Dublin and Meath drawing all the times in 1991 and we were glued to the tv outside of the counties concerned for the next installment, forgotten from that year of course Meath were very very lucky to draw with Wicklow in the previous round. Dublin had a big sponsor then, and I often wonder did the capital citys GAA chiefs see all the gate receipts and say this needs to be harnassed and kept going (I am saying that probabl wrong but you know what I mean) The big sponsors then like Bank of Ireland and Guinness came on board, yes my own Offaly benefitted in 1994 and 1998 in hurling and 1997 Leinster football and 1998 National league..Down won of course in 1991 after and 1994 with Donegal and Derry geting great wins in between and the GAA like me were delighted to see teams come from sort of nowhere really to win these all Irelands..Ulster would have been looked at similar to Connaught champions back then, good enough but Leinster and Munster generally got over them in the end. Some counties seem to have adapted to this change in football where the marketing and what have you all seem to be the in thing..players from all counties standing with Sam McGuire and Liam McCarthy cups to launch the championships...the majority of the players thats the nearest they will every get to both cups....not a slight at all but fact..round robins, two tiers you name it, all were introduced to "promote the game" but the reality is, if your not competing for the All Ireland series, winning Division 2, 3 or 4 league finals are not even peacemeal in reality. The marketed the Allianz league to death, the chances of a 1986 Laois (or Monaaghan in 1985) happening were done away with...Cavan winning Divison 3 and the chance to play Kerry finishing top in Division 1 in the League quarter final in what was then a glamour tie, even in the National football league, all that wasnt attractive to the GAA anymore, it didnt happen often enough I suppose, Armagh finishing 2nd playing Meath or Down, no one game no use to the GAA..Now one cannot keep up with all the matches, they criss cross so much often teams put out weaker teams saving themselves for relegation play offs such is the finanancial constraints, and I could go on and on and on.. Down to me, are a county who never really (2010 aside) picked up the level and progressed on - Meath are similar in ways..i wont mention my own Offaly, and then you have the Longfords, Carlows, Wicklows and Waterfords (absolutely no disrespect to any of them at all) but where does all this new system leave them, if former strong teams havent adopted or fitted into the "new marketing" and new professional set ups..where does that leave them..the answer is in where both teams like Down and Meath are now, and those below them..yes Tyrone won last year, will they win this year realistically, probably not, Donegal Derry and Monaghan will knock around and win a big game here and there but ultimately wont win the top prize either..the stats prove that..so while its all great for the image and weld yourself to the couch for 2 hours of a sunday night to watch 20 matches in rapid fire..wouldnt it be nice to sit down tonight at 9.30 and watch Division 3 and four games properly, scrutinised by another panel and see 10 or 15 minutes highlights of each game and we wouldnt have lads looking curiously at you when you say Sam Mulroy of Louth is a great player or Quigley from Fermanagh only in the headlines because of human error..that will be forgotten too, like Derrys sending off last week which looks like having cost them promotion after yesterdays loss to Galway...but it was only Derry to the chiefs who want Dublin to stay up, Kerry to be in the final against maybe Tyrone, and Mayo to be hanging around there or there abouts too...the lesser teams just sit their quietly, your turn MIGHT come some day..maybe....or maybe not.. Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1034 - 21/03/2022 20:12:18 2406331 Link 0 |