Banner I am trying to say this nicely but your last post shows your lack of knowledge of football/Mattie Forde and I suspect you are a new recruit to football. Most people know that Mattie is very good with both feet and even this year has scored a number of points with the left. He has scored sideline kicks from both sides of the pitch also and as far as I can remember has done it in the same match. He has been scoring for the last eight or nine years now and real football people have been very aware of him for a long time and most teams have had multiple markers on him but in general to no avail. He has topped the scoring records in league and champioship on a number of ocassions and as far as I can remember he was top league scorer in division 1 a couple of years back even though Wexford were relegated. When you say he is slow we know for sure that you never played on him - but we knew that anyway. He was voted player's player of the year about four years ago and won an all star also in a year when Wexford did not even get to the Leinster final. So how do you reckon he managed that. You may not be aware but his scoring feats include 4-5 against Galway in a division 1 league match (played in Galway), 12 points against Meath in championship and 2-12 against Offaly in the qualifiers. Please come back and apologise to one of the greatest footballers of our generation.

lochgarmanabu (Wexford) - Posts: 1022 - 26/08/2008 12:04:31    84934

Mattie Ford is in the top 3 forwards in the country, dont think he's over rated. If He played for dublin they would definately have won at least 2 or 3 all irelands in the last 5 years.

Robbie.Simpson (Meath) - Posts: 32 - 26/08/2008 12:05:53    84938

I do rate him highly but he has had a few suspect games. Against Fermanagh last year he was a passenger and was eventually substituted. In the railway cup in Paris a few years ago he made no real impression. Injury may have had its role to play though in some of those below par performances (for a player of his acclaim). You have to look at the wider picture though, Gooch looked like an experiment as a forward last weekend so even the best can have bad days. I think he will get an all-star this year and his performance on Sunday (where he claims to be fully fit - no excuses) will be the acid test of his greatness. I look forward to seeing him play and how our defence handles him. Would like to see Justin marking him. Justin has not put a foot wrong all season af FB and this would be a real good test.

John Boss (Tyrone) - Posts: 865 - 26/08/2008 12:08:04    84942

Against Tyrone long range points are the order of the day and there's no one better than Mattie Forde in this dept.

Floops (Dublin) - Posts: 1623 - 26/08/2008 12:08:48    84944

Daytona, I'd be of the opinion that bellew is past it and was obviously badly at fault for forde's goal, I don't think in his prime that would have happened to him or to gormley for example(who will probably mark him this weekend). However forde did have a bad hamstring so I suppose that evened that out a bit. I do agree with you that he's certainly better than stephen bray, he appears to have been a one-season wonder, we'll see next year if he'll be back. And forde must have an allstar already, unless he has an absolute shocker against tyrone.

mid-mon man (Monaghan) - Posts: 1680 - 26/08/2008 12:09:47    84946

To mid-mon I say the people who have been watching Mattie for the last 8 years are not talking him up they are telling it as it is. Tyrone may mark him out of it with a number of men and of course if the ball does not come up the field there is not much a forward can do - on one ocassion in the first half Armagh had 3/4 men on him. I suspect you may be a new recruit also. How many times have you or banner boy seen him playing in the flesh - I can guess!!! Of course you probably saw him when he dumped ye out of the qualifiers in your own backyard two years ago. If you were in Clones that day just to jog your memory it was the day the Monaghan supporters disgraced themselves by booing Mattie everytime he went near the ball. In addition one of your players tried to put him in hospital and the home town referee did nothing about it. Apart from being sour how do sour grapes taste. Go back to the mushrooms it will be nice and dark in there.

lochgarmanabu (Wexford) - Posts: 1022 - 26/08/2008 12:19:35    84971

Robbie.Simpson County: Meath Posts: 4 84938 Mattie Ford is in the top 3 forwards in the country, dont think he's over rated. If He played for dublin they would definately have won at least 2 or 3 all irelands in the last 5 years. ____________________________________________ Say nothing Loyal, they're just trying to wind you up, just bit your tongue, don't react!!!

Loyal2TheRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 4522 - 26/08/2008 12:22:18    84976

Mattie is as good as there is around.He plays in a Wexford team that although it has been the breakthrough team this year, in the past has been pretty avearge.Mattie has stood out and no doubt in a more glamourous side would be given far more rsepect.I remember Derry playing wexford in Parnell park and Mattie even though he was double teamed still managed 1-02 or something like that.Quality shines through.

northpole (Derry) - Posts: 739 - 26/08/2008 12:26:19    84987

lochgarmanabu
County: Wexford
Posts: 82
. He has been scoring for the last eight or nine years now and real football people have been very aware of him for a long time
------------------------
well said mate, i remember hearing of his 4-5 in a league game and thinking to keep an eye out for him. a very good footballer who i am delighted to see in an all-ireland semi,even if he is a bit of a stamper,but i think thats water under the bridge eh?? dont bother replying to these dorks who just want to knock good players.
good luck sunday mate

Rhodejim (Offaly) - Posts: 2888 - 26/08/2008 12:27:30    84988

Mattie's true value to wexford is hard to call. I wouldn't be his biggest fan though I am a fan of the Wexford footballers. He undoubtedly has the pure class that very few others currently or even in the past possess but only on a going day for him. And to my mind there have been too many big days over the past 6/7 years where he hasn't done it.

The Dublin game in carlow in '02 sticks out in my mind as a game where if he had performed to his top level, Wexford would have beaten Dublin that day. The 4 Leinster semi-finals that Wexford lost since then were also pretty much off days for mattie.

Against that, the display he gave in Wexford Park in the qualifer in '04 was up there with the greatest ever individual displays I have seen in my lifetime. That game in particular and the League game in Galway a few years ago are the reasons the media have caught on to him so much.

His disiplinary record up to the last couple of years had been very poor. You have to take into account the hardship he takes but also I believe he is not the bravest footballer to ever tog out. Against Laois this year he ducked from under a high ball into the square and it looked really terrible. I sometimes felt his hardman antics were a cover for a weaker side to his game.

He has the ability to score points that few can match but because of this ability he wastes a lot of possesion as he rarely passes the ball. I honestly think Ciaran Lyng could be much more of a threat for Wexford if Mattie used him more. As regards big game players, i think PJ Banville and Red Barry are well ahead of Mattie so far. (Mattie has at least 4 man of the match belonging to Red on his mantlepiece).

The media this season have shown their ignorance of (Wexford?) football by assuming this remarkable run by Wexford must be mainly down to Mattie. To me, he is only the iceing on the cake. Wallace, Malone, Morris, Murphy, Bradly etc have done most of the hard work.

That said, against bellew the last he came very close to proving my opinion of him wrong. That was some performance in the circumstances. A similar show on Sunday and i'll take it all back.

Best of Luck, Wexford!

PT109 (Limerick) - Posts: 61 - 26/08/2008 12:29:25    84993

Can't understand this reluctance to give the Wexford footballers any credit - and now Mattie! This guy has been doing it for years - didn't he score 3 something against Galway in the league a couple of seasons back. 1-5 against Armagh when clearly struggling with a thigh injury. He is a lovely natural footballer, can make space out of nothing and can score outrageous points. Also has an eye for goal! If he played for one of the 'big' counties he'd be a superstar! As I say Wexford have got no credit over the last few years for what their footballers have done. I'd actually like to see them win Sam cos of this (no offence Tyroneos!) - and still people probably wouldn't rate them!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 26/08/2008 12:30:27    84996

he scored 4-5 against galway and he scored 2-10 against offaly in the qualifiers.i think something mad like 2-9 was from play.

daytona11 (Kildare) - Posts: 4012 - 26/08/2008 12:41:56    85022

God the boards very negative today.

Tommy Walsh, Diarmuid Murphy, Mattie Forde, Keiran Donaghy and more, all getting it in the neck!!!

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12291 - 26/08/2008 12:42:10    85023

Jayo, he actually scored 4-5 against Galway in a league game, in Tuam if you don't mind. The cheek!

aidangalway (Galway) - Posts: 648 - 26/08/2008 12:44:56    85028

Lochgarmenabu, not sure what you mean by new recruit, if that means I've not been to many monaghan games then you're very much mistaken, I've been following monaghan since the 80's, through the dark days of the 90's. What about yourself good sir, have you been following wexford since the pre-matty days? I've seen forde a few times in the flesh, the NFL final in 05, the recent game against armagh, this years leinster final to name a few. I go to a good spread of games so don't assume I don't go further than clones. I was there when wexford beat us in 06, it was two bad teams on the day, ony 14 points between us, and lets be honest whoever wexford were playing that day a selection of the opposition fans were going to boo forde because of what he did the game previous(a bad act which went unpunished). I didn't do so as can't stand that craic but you get that everywhere with the teenagers etc. I notice you don't mention the game the year before when we knocked you out of the championship, matty wasn't so great that day was he, didn't even score from play. Now I'm just responding to your post so don't get me wrong, I do rate forde, he's a great player, he is deserving of an all-star so I don't know what you're getting so uptight about. I simply said I wouildn't agree he's one of the best players of the last number of years. God forgive me for such a statement! I wouldn't put him up there with the likes of canavan or joyce just to give you some perspective of what I mean, and if you think he hould be then wake up. He still has plenty of time to cement his name as a great, just don't build him up to be a legend just yet. It's not like I'm saying he's brutal or anything, it is possible for a good player to still be a bit overrated. Oh and real mature with the stupid insults at the end, if you can't make a constructive argument without spouting tripe like that then I can't help you. I was just giving an opinion, I would love wexford to win this weekend(I just can't see past tyrone), it would be great to see them in the final, it's just people like you make it hard to want that to happen. Best of luck to wexford.

mid-mon man (Monaghan) - Posts: 1680 - 26/08/2008 12:51:47    85042

Is this board a joke??? Matty Forde is class would get on any team in the country. Yea he shoots from anywhere because he's a forward. I would love to see him get a chance to preform on sunday but mickey magic harte is goin to have some horrible tactic ready for matty so hopefully it will free up lyng a bit more.

uncle sam (Dublin) - Posts: 102 - 26/08/2008 13:02:05    85074

Mid-mon my last remark was uncalled for and I gladly withdraw it. My feelings were probably influenced to some degree by 1) some of your earlier posts when you most definitely have failed to credit Wexford for what they have achieved 2) the booing in Clones in 06 - I was there and they were not all teenagers and 3) I have seen Mattie Forde do so many unbelievable things with a football time and time again that it pains me when someone knocks him. As regards whether I followed Wexford before the pre Mattie days. I have since 1955 which is possibly before Mattie's parents were even born. I was in Dr Cullen Park in 1956 when Paddy Kehoe and his team knocked the great Dublin team of that era out of the championship and have been at practically every Wexford hurling and football championship match since and most league matches also. I was in Clones for both those qualifiers which you referred to. Anyone who has seen Mattie perform as I have could only say that he is the most skillful footballer of the current era and has been a marked man since before he was twenty years old and has taken an unbelievable amount of abuse, most of which goes unnoticed. Anyway no hard feelings and I do notice that you have wished Wexford well in some of your more recent posts. Best of luck- and as the man said sure it is only a game anyway but more important than.....

lochgarmanabu (Wexford) - Posts: 1022 - 26/08/2008 13:49:56    85139

mattie forde is the best forward in ireland and ive said that for quite a while now. the man is unbelievably talented.
see all this craic with people saying he's not as good as mortimer, thats complete rubbish!! mortimer is most overrated player in this country. whenever it comes to the big games all he does is bottle it. id have mattie on my team any day over any forward in ireland!

glenn_abu (Down) - Posts: 515 - 26/08/2008 14:26:18    85205

I would rate Mattie Forde the same as i rate Cristiano Ronaldo = marvellous against mediocre/bad opposition but when the chips are down these two are yet to prove themselves match winners against top opposition. Now i would reserve a lot more hope for Forde to prove me wrong (as he may have to do against tyrone) than ronaldo (who is just a pure showman with no ability to lift a team).

My big concern for forde is that in spite of all his talents he goes missing when wexford really needs a lift, best example of this was the leinster final this year when wexford were beaten by 23pts none the less. However i still reckon he has to be in the top 10 fowards in ireland at the moment, nobody can deny that but if hes ever to be considered a great like Fitzgerald, Canavan or Sheehy etc he'll have to stand up and be counted more often.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 26/08/2008 14:37:25    85223

mediocre oppostion like meath??he didnt go missing against armagh.in fact he came to the fore in the last 10 to 15 minutes and tore them apart.just ask anyone from armagh.against dublin wexford lost midfield badly so the ball wasnt going in to him.now its a bit hard to score without the football.if tyrone put two men on forde or play a sweeper in front of him they could be in trouble.the likes of lyng,barry and banville are well able to do the scoring.mattie has done it against the top teams before (galway he scored 4-5).htaem im taking it from reading your posts that you think mattie has something to prove against tyrone??well he doesnt.he's proved himself as one of the best over the last number of years with his exceptional scoring to games ratio.

daytona11 (Kildare) - Posts: 4012 - 26/08/2008 14:43:20    85232