Just watched Trevor Giles on Laochra Gael there such a nice fella yet I use to hate him and all them Meath players with a passion, I hated how they were so bloody tough, I hated how they were never bet ever, I hated their wannabe hill 16 supporters , basically I hated everything about that great Meath team but I won't lie I really miss a great Meath team.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 12/04/2016 13:13:53    1844679

I think deep down we all do if we are honest great team to hate! forget it though they are gone they wont win an AI for twenty years at least (if ever)

coopersleftfoot (Kerry) - Posts: 91 - 12/04/2016 14:27:12    1844720

A proper footballing county.
Id like to see some of the full time coaches in Dublin operating near the borders of other counties to start operating over it also. It could really help counties like meath and could start in the morning.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 12/04/2016 14:39:25    1844729

As a Dub, nothing warms the blood like a Leinster final V Meath. To see Meath in the state they are currently in, genuinely is saddening to me. I love them as much as I hate them. I have nothing but Gra for the Meath team of 91. It was a group effort what happened that year, and we all lived to tell the tale together. Am I happy to see Meath reduced to where they are now, and the our games with them reduced to side shows....100% no, I'm not.

Ask Celtic fans are they happy to see Rangers and the state of them in recent years, and 90% will say they are. They will say its great and long may it continue. But, I would bet u the majority are silently happy that the Huns are back next year and the SPL can return to SOMETHING of what it used to be, because the way it is now, is a disaster.

Leinster football is similar. Do I want to lose Leinster finals to Meath...?? NO! But I want them to mean something again. I want to beat them by a point, not a cricket score!

The championship used to begin in early June for us. We would spend May looking forward to it. Nowadays, it doesnt start in reality until August. That, is sad.

The current situation is shambolic, and it needs to change, and soon, Very soon. But for me, the blame lies with Meath, Kildare etc, not Dublin and not funding. Why are Donegal and Mayo able to pool rescources and Meath and Kildare, counties with far more resources, not? Look at Fermanagh last year and what they did and how little they have to work with in comparison.

These counties (Kildare/Meath) need to take a long look internally, there in, for me, lies the problem.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 12/04/2016 14:40:08    1844730

Still have nightmares about 2001!!!!

Keep them down as long as ye can Dublin ;)

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 12/04/2016 14:44:14    1844736

Yeah very good program on TG4. Im a bit young to fully remember that Meath team in the early to mid 90s but from watching Laochra gael seems they had some seriously good footballers during that time.

Giles seemed like a very nice fella and showed great bottle to score two superb frees after missing the peno in one of the finals..perhaps a player who perhaps should be given more credit..never see him mentioned much as one of the great players during that period but seemed like a very good player. Loved the short sleeve shirts in the pi**ing rain too-)

Would be great to see Meath back to those glory days but a long way off at this stage.

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts: 898 - 12/04/2016 14:49:09    1844738

Bar the 2010 Leinster final,i always liked Meath and was shouting for them against Cork in '87,'88 '99.As Master said,great footballing county.The one thing that irked me about Giles on Laochra Gael was his anger and disappointment at some Meath fans who verbally insulted his parents at the '01 final.Every county has them but i'll never understand it.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 12/04/2016 15:06:32    1844750

A proper footballing county.
Id like to see some of the full time coaches in Dublin operating near the borders of other counties to start operating over it also. It could really help counties like meath and could start in the morning.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts:15317 - 12/04/2016 14:39:25


Go onto the Meath pages , listen to why their supporters feel they are not performing , they are honest , its not down to coaching .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 12/04/2016 15:08:44    1844752

I watched Laochra Gaeil last night as well. Giles really was a superb footballer.

I don't miss Meath at all though. They're still there, just rubbish. It's bloody great.

Enjoy it while it lasts because it won't last forever!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13794 - 12/04/2016 15:11:17    1844754

I posted earlier on the Meath page on the back of the Trevor Giles piece , I loved watching TG when not playing against us , he had vision great kick passing skills and would be more than good enough to play around in this era . What always came across was he seemed a nice bloke who loved his football .As for Meath what a horrible horrible bunch that I sorely miss , agree with another poster our Leinster wins don't carry the same gravitas as when those feckers made us work for them. Going to HQ as close neighbours they could really bring the numbers with them and you knew it was going to be a battle in the stands and on the pitch.
If the Meath pages are anything to go by ,club in fighting committee squabbles killing what chance there is of a renaissance, despite what the Master would have you think.

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 12/04/2016 15:16:52    1844757

Still have nightmares about 2001!!!!

Keep them down as long as ye can Dublin ;)

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts:1268 - 12/04/2016 14:44:14


Theres only so many spankings you guys can give Cork before it stops being fun , same here I could never ever shout or wish for my county to lose just goes against the grain , but I really miss games against an old foe that I feel I know the result beforehand ,

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 12/04/2016 15:19:29    1844760

Enjoy it while it lasts because it won't last forever

unfortunately I think you are wrong 2001 is a long time ago now people probably said the same about Offaly once also! meath are gone and don't look like ever coming back as a force, their underage teams have done nothing to prove otherwise. 2010 was the last kick of a dying football county

coopersleftfoot (Kerry) - Posts: 91 - 12/04/2016 15:26:36    1844767

In fairness to Cork, its rarely they don't give us a proper game in the Championship. Should have pipped us last year in Killarney in drawn game.

I'll expect them to have a right go at us again if we meet in the Munster final this year.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 12/04/2016 15:28:52    1844769

unfortunately I think you are wrong 2001 is a long time ago now people probably said the same about Offaly once also! meath are gone and don't look like ever coming back as a force, their underage teams have done nothing to prove otherwise. 2010 was the last kick of a dying football county

coopersleftfoot (Kerry) - Posts:57 - 12/04/2016 15:26:36

Of course it won't last forever. That's what makes this current era so special.

Dublin will regress/Meath will improve eventually. After Meath hammered us in 2010 you'd be laughed off this forum it you had have suggested that Dublin would be the best team in the country over the following 5 seasons!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13794 - 12/04/2016 15:39:02    1844774

Kerry Cork is a 50/50 game with home advantage adjusting those figures as history shows.

Meath on the other hand aren't even likely to win a provincial title in the next decade such is the state of play in Leinster Champ, never thought I'd say that are watching the great Meath sides of 80's and 90's(not forgetting 2001 - how could I)

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 12/04/2016 15:40:15    1844776

A number of good footballers without doubt but when the strict rules came in to play and you couldn't thumb the head of guys I am afraid Meath fell away!

They moved on to try and score Tries at times :)

MR (Louth) - Posts: 2570 - 12/04/2016 15:42:08    1844780

Ye watching Laochra Gael on Giles (easily one of Meath's best ever) certainly brought back many great memories as a Meath fan but also despair at the appalling state of Meath football currently.

Leinster is always better when you have a few good challangers for Dublin and our teams of the 80s and 90s certainly provided plenty of ferocious competition that made for a great rivalry between both the players and fans, helped of course by the fact that we're bordering counties. It was hugely exciting and nerve-racking going into a game against Dublin (often a Leinster final) when it was 50/50 and both teams desperate to beat each other, the competition was far richer for it. Beating Dublin was and probably still is only second to winning an AI for Meath fans, but it's a rare treat these days.

Kildare also provided us with some great games, the 3 game saga in 1997 was brilliant and Kildare had their share of great days to, 1998 Leinster Final being an obvious one, incredible to think they haven't won Leinster since 2000! Louth are also well worth a mention, they've never handed Meath an easy victory.

On a national stage we had plenty of great days as well, and plenty of cracking games against the likes of Cork, Kerry, Donegal, Roscommom, Mayo, Tyrone etc we didn't win many friends though.......it was great actually :-)

Nice to know we're missed of course, we're like that ex you thought you'd never get rid of, you couldn't stand the sight of us until we left, now you miss us, awww ;-)

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 12/04/2016 16:21:11    1844813

Htaem
Lets get one thing straight buddy.....its not that we miss ye.....its that we miss beating ye when it mattered!!!!

i think this has its roots with the back door. It destroyed hardcore provincial rivalries by its very nature.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 12/04/2016 16:27:52    1844819

Htaem (Meath) - Posts:7087 - 12/04/2016 16:21:11

Now don't get carried away just one tongue lashing from that Ex girlfriend would be enough to remind you of why you dumped her ,
IMO maybe because we had a few hard nuts ourselves I was never as put out about Meath the way some lads were and are , similarly Tyrone came along and replaced Meath as the poster boys of hate , neither team getting enough credit for the players they had , the game has evolved mostly for the better but god thems were good days the 80s and 90s

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 12/04/2016 16:33:12    1844823

Damothedub, a lot of that infighting seems to disappear when a county has a good young team on the up. Galway has always been ravaged with it, but you didn't hear much about it around the late 90s... This idea of professional gaa employed coaches, doing so on a per county basis is completely backward. A professional coach employed by the gaa should work for the gaa as a whole. If you were a builder, would you refuse work because it is in the neighbouring town?

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 12/04/2016 16:34:55    1844824