Normally I wouldn't react to an article like this, but the man has really riled me. Hunt is living in cloud cuckoo land - the idea that GAA members wouldn't know what hit them in terms of the lifestyle of a professional soccer player a joke. Obviously an amateur with a day job doesn't have time to rest all day - it must be hard earning tens of thousands to sit on the sofa and slabber about our great association.

peter_venkman (Down) - Posts: 320 - 30/11/2014 12:20:03    1675544

2 sides to every story.

Seamus Coleman from Killybegs reckons the opposite. The pre season at everton is a month of what the gaa footballers do for 6 months of the year. I don't know what the hurling commitment is like but I am sure it is the same as football now. Hunt is obviously talking about his own personal level of commitment, there is nothing wrong with this, but is he speaking for all the professional players in the premiership? Likewise, Karl Lacey visited Arsenal as part of his studies, and spoke to world cup winner Podolski. He couldn't believe the program and regime that Lacey had to go through. Ant this is from a German world cup winner as well as a top London professional team.

If I were to pick a story or an anecdote to put both games in perspective, I would consider Podolski before I would consider a reading or Ipswich town players angle. Just my perspective.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 30/11/2014 12:35:54    1675546

Idiot.

Praising himself and his mentality, What is it they say ? "Self-praise is no praise"

The thing i dont get is, He says GAA players wouldnt be able to handle the professionalism, But many GAA players over the years have left this country to play professional soccer in England/Scotland from a GAA background.

Also, He mentions rest an awful lot in his article, Perhaps if he didnt rest so much .. he wouldnt have been such a bang-average footballer. Look at the great players.. Cristiano Ronaldo for example. He trains for 7 or 8 hours a day at times and has become probably the best footballer in the world.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 30/11/2014 12:42:30    1675547

The 2 set ups are completely different. UK soccer pro = 70 games for 40 weeks x90 mins. It's normally 2 games a week. Of course they get rest because they are professionals and have no job to go to outside their sport. The set up and structure allow this. Due to this rest they are often thriving at 35-36 years of age. In contrast a good GAA player is also playing 2 (even 3) times a week. However the poor guy has to do a 40 hour working week outside his sport i.e. He is not getting rest. Far from it. Due to this GAA set up the GAA guy has most likely peaked at 25 years of age and is totally killed out by 28-30. What does he do but retire at 30. This is the general way - there are exceptions like Shefflin and Dessie Dolan. We saw in the last week with all the GAA retirements of guys around 30 years of age. That won't happen in pro soccer. Wouldn't it be nice to see Hogan, O Neill and O Sullivan playing inter county football freshly till they are 36-37 years of age. No chance with the present GAA set up. Also pro rugby players are going till 35-36 years of age - BOD, ROG, POC, etc.

Redslayer (Westmeath) - Posts: 100 - 30/11/2014 13:04:25    1675549

Ha sure jaysus by the sounds of things Stephen Hunt sleeps most of the day, every day and earns a nice few quid doing it, I'd say most Gaa players could commit to that no problem!

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 30/11/2014 13:26:14    1675552

He picks somebody up from the airport and tells that person he really should be resting.Id say that journey was a barrell of laughs.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/11/2014 13:43:31    1675555

He does a lot of resting on the bench on match day also.A pretty regular occurrence throughout his career.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/11/2014 13:45:32    1675556

All this resting sounds like hard work steven. Get a real job like the rest of us. This guy is an actor.

Brolly (Monaghan) - Posts: 4472 - 30/11/2014 14:28:02    1675562

Relax lads, hes only responding to a Joe Brolly comment about soccer players being bad role models. All hes said is that its a tough career in soccer (low job security, no social life, have to be away from family/home) aswell, that there's alot of sacrifices to be made (much like in GAA).

extranjero (Wexford) - Posts: 375 - 30/11/2014 14:28:28    1675563

Steven Hunt is perhaps the only man capable of out-trolling Joe Brolly.

Seriously, Hunt is quicker witted than your average soccer player and he's a GAA fan himself so by complaining about how hard professional soccer is cos you've to rest all the time, he's clearly taking the piss. Can't believe ye've all taken the bait.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 30/11/2014 14:40:35    1675565

Hunt..best be silent and be thought the fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!!

sob (Meath) - Posts: 492 - 30/11/2014 14:48:08    1675567

I suppose some of the hurling stars might find the soccer ball odd but over all the Hunt article is not important. How many premier stars would be useful in GAA championship? lol

suckvalleypaddy (Galway) - Posts: 1676 - 30/11/2014 14:56:50    1675569

Roundball,if you substituted dim for quick,your on the ball.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/11/2014 14:56:53    1675570

roundball
County: Tipperary
Posts: 2192

1675565
Steven Hunt is perhaps the only man capable of out-trolling Joe Brolly.

Seriously, Hunt is quicker witted than your average soccer player and he's a GAA fan himself so by complaining about how hard professional soccer is cos you've to rest all the time, he's clearly taking the piss. Can't believe ye've all taken the bait.

possibly, its hard to know with one article. I must read it again and put it in this context.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 30/11/2014 14:57:51    1675571

Ah, I see his point. If inter-county players find it difficult to combine training/playing while also working a 40+ hour week in another job, imagine how they'd cope with training/playing and, erm, resting instead.
Wait...

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 30/11/2014 15:05:23    1675573

"It always amuses me to hear soccer players described as role models. They're nothing of the kind." Thats the quote attributed to Mr. Brolly that wound up Mr. Hunt. So if Hunts comments are unfair lads, what about Brollys?

extranjero (Wexford) - Posts: 375 - 30/11/2014 15:10:03    1675577

Eh sorry, Stephen who?????

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 30/11/2014 16:41:25    1675594

I thought it was a good story about the Bradford chairman and (so it seems to me) how he tried to "get" (i.e. entice/seduce/pressure) him to sign for him by getting him to do a medical even though he'd told him he was signing for Reading. Probably took a lot of mental fortitude. Can't agree though with the idea that GAA players wouldn't be able to make it over there.

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1050 - 30/11/2014 16:53:19    1675599

Yea the gaa players would find it difficult spending all that money and lazing about most of the time. Most, but not all to be fair, of the professional footballers are not the brightest tools in the box. However most are certainly tools.

lochgarmanabu (Wexford) - Posts: 1020 - 30/11/2014 16:58:48    1675600

Does he not realize that a gaelic footballer may spend his whole day working hard and then off for a county training ?

MonaghanGlory (Monaghan) - Posts: 738 - 30/11/2014 17:38:05    1675608