doublehop
County: Kildare
Posts: 4001

1622061
When there are no stand-out teams in football everyone complains about the apparent poor standards, a few teams come along and raise the standard and we all give out about how predictable it all is. There's no pleasing some people.


Well said man, was thinking exactly the same thing myself.

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8596 - 20/07/2014 20:44:43    1622321

There was plenty of good football played in all 4 finals. It just so happened that in some of the games it largely came from one of the counties. I remember us getting hockeyed by Galway in the 80's.... it wasn't the end of world. We improved. Meath will beat the Dubs again, Cork could still do something this year and Galway are improving. These things come in cycles. At least now there are a number of genuine contenders for the AI in addition to the favourites... something which hasn't always been the case in the past. People forget so easily.

Pericles (Mayo) - Posts: 2521 - 20/07/2014 21:19:09    1622387

OhtobeARossie
County: Roscommon
Posts: 84

1622073
All 4
Provincials should be scrapped

Jesus rossie, The hammering Armagh gave ye hasn't sat well on your shoulders has it?

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 20/07/2014 21:26:59    1622407

I think these boyos who spend their lives marking down games for not being as good as some mythical game they saw in 1967 or whenever need seriously to get a life. It's like restaurant critics - their whole shagging night is ruined if the soup is too cold. Miserable shower.

Games apparently are automatically considered 'bad' if they're (i) defensive and low-scoring or (ii) too one-sided.

I think this is bull.

For instance, I enjoyed the Ulster Final. Monaghan are not as bad as Donegal made them look, and it was quite an achievement to keep a quite good Monaghan team so well shackled. Teams employ defensive tactics like that all the time in other sports and it's lauded - only in Gaelic football is there an uppity obsession with free-scoring games as the be-and-end-all. I accept that some people love games with poor defending and tons of scores. Each to their own. Some free-flowing games are fantastic.

But I have equally enjoyed tight games with a bit of needle in them and where a score has some value. The basketball approach - 'up the field, not a hand laid on you - score; down the field, not a hand laid on you - score' - does little for me. (Now that Tyrone has a basketball 'defence', I'm going to have to get used to it though.) Similarly, 'frees out of the hand', apparently introduced to 'speed the game up', to me are just boring (quite apart from the fact that every player steals a few yards). Can't beat the 'shootout tension' and skill of a well-taken free off the ground. The pause and the suspense adds to the game.

Also enjoyed the one-sided Munster Final this year. It's always interesting to see a good team cutting loose against old rivals. Just as the KK wipe-out of Waterford a few years ago was one of the most one-sided games ever, but it was fascinating.

I go to or watch each game determined to find something good about it. I've been going to games for over 40 years and I've enjoyed every one.

I suppose I need to improve my taste and in so doing become as miserable and had-to-please as some of the boyos from the superior counties!

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 20/07/2014 21:38:44    1622428

Hill16
Fair enough, maybe I should have named the thread provincial finals which was the best ? ;-) I'm very negitive. But in fairness the sting is gone out of them this year for some reason , you can't beat a good tight final.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 20/07/2014 21:59:40    1622464

legendxix


Donegal v Monaghan - "northern final"?? WOW!

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5016 - 21/07/2014 08:43:32    1622479

When Arkle was winning Gold Cups and when Frankel was destroying all comers no one thought they were bad races. I love watching this Dublin team. Don't care whether they win by 1 or 31.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 21/07/2014 09:09:44    1622492

Yesterday's clipping at the hands of Dublin was hard to take, expected a contest for the first 50mins at least. Congrats to the Dubs on a very impressive performance. Game was effectively over before after 20mins, and that's being generous. Same as Munster final where I (along with most others) had expected a close game. Mayo always had too much in the tank for Galway and the match pretty much came to it's inevitable conclusion. Ulster final was the now traditional dogfight, pretty much the pattern for most Ulster games. Donegal got into the winning position and you just knew it'd take a minor miracle for Monaghan to get back at them. Good football played by Dublin,Cork, Mayo, glimpses from Donegal, Monaghan, Galway. Everyone else playing catch up. At least for once you can clearly say that the AI winner will not be coming from the qualifier series.

moylagh (Meath) - Posts: 484 - 21/07/2014 09:44:40    1622519