makes no sense what he is saying
always thaught he came across an odd type of guy when being interviewed on tv
seems his comments match that thaught now

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 30/11/2014 18:33:04    1675616

Ah lads he is right,I mean how could Noel Hickey work all day Saturday bringing in bales and go out in Croke Park the next day and win an AI,he would never survive all that training and resting.

mooncat (Kilkenny) - Posts: 533 - 30/11/2014 19:08:43    1675629

I'd say Stephen Hunt is some fisherman. Cos he has reeled plenty in today!!

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 30/11/2014 19:18:48    1675636

mike03
County: Limerick
Posts: 889

1675636
I'd say Stephen Hunt is some fisherman. Cos he has reeled plenty in today!!

he didnt put it on twitter as a joke he wrote an article for the newspaper
you could hardly class that fishing, he obviously thinks these things
but obviously he doesnt think them through before writing them down as what he says makes no sense

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 30/11/2014 19:47:19    1675642

Professional Soccer players and politicians don't live in the real world with the rest of us in fairness. They haven't a clue.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 30/11/2014 20:03:01    1675645

Guys, do you not know what kind of a joker Stephen Hunt is ?.
he is allways up for a laugh. He is actually a fan of GAA and he realises he has a handy life playing soccer. he is just winding up everybody, saying "look how hard it is, we have to rest all the time". He is actually self-deprecating.
He is a good character and I don't believe for one moment that he "purposely" fractured Peter Cech's skull whilst playing for Reading.(as one poster suggested)

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 30/11/2014 20:09:19    1675646

The Healy Rae,s dont anyway.Thats for sure.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/11/2014 20:11:27    1675648

royaldunne
County: Meath
Posts: 6513

1675617 GetOverTheBar
County: Tyrone
Posts: 1158

1675559
Wouldn't take much notice of a fairly mediocre player who's greatest 'achievement' was purposely fracturing Petr Cech's skull.

Exactly. And what's worse he never had the decency to say sorry or even call to see was he OK. That wouldn't happen in gaa. Classless man, who spends most of his time warming the bench for a team that have no chance of winning premiere league. Pathetic


To be fair Royaldunne the majority of players in the premier league are playing for teams which have no chance of winning it. Fair play to him for making it to that level where he earns a fortune and gets to rest so much......cant agree with him though on GAA players not being able to cope

frankbhoy77 (Antrim) - Posts: 1300 - 30/11/2014 20:17:46    1675651

Hes not in the Premier League lads.He warms the bench for Ipswich in the Championship.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/11/2014 20:25:22    1675656

I dont think hes winding anyone up goldrick.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/11/2014 20:30:28    1675659

Hill16 that's the point. He put it out there to reel a few in and get people talking about him and his column. Job done!

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 30/11/2014 20:30:56    1675660

i would have to agree with mooncat,

how could the county footballer on the building site from 8am to 5pm and then county training in the evening cope......

or the farmer with his heard of cows
or the doctor with his busy A and E ward
or the fireman on his nighttime schedule
or the teacher with the extra marking etc
or the vet with his late night call -out
or the man who has his own business and sales are down....

yes the premier league is tougher....

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1676 - 30/11/2014 20:46:22    1675666

The article should be used in an explanation of what 'tongue in cheek' means. Can't believe so many people are taking this seriously, his comments about the car of a 'required status' say it all.

OgraAnDun (Down) - Posts: 406 - 30/11/2014 20:49:53    1675669

Ah sure he's an awful bird brain. Any time he is interview he comes across as having very little between the ears. I'd say if Hunt can handle professionalism then most people could to be fair. You could take any thing he says with a big dollop of salt!

Someone made a comment about GAA lads retiring at 30 while rugby an soccer lads go on until mid 30's. That is a bit of a nonsense comment. There's plenty of positions in rugby where having pace isn't a requirement. You just don't survive in top level football or hurling when the speed starts to go. In soccer they don't retire but they drop down to a weaker team. You don't transfer counties in GAA so of course you retire. Remember too none of last weeks retirees are retiring from the game, they are just going to play at a lower level, their clubs and probably will do so until in to their 40's

dahayeser (Cork) - Posts: 337 - 30/11/2014 21:00:42    1675674

Obviously GAA fans are going to react angrily to Hunt's comments but if you examine them, he has a point. Hunt has played GAA and football so I don't think he can be accused of bias either.

Some contradictory comments by posters saying he's "a big time footballer not in touch with the real world" but then saying he's a nothing footballer because he's played with Reading and Ipswich?

Stephen Hunt was an international footballer with 40 caps for his country along with 5 or 6 years playing in one of the top football leagues in the world so I don't think his view can be dismissed as invalid. His commitment and spirit to the cause has never been questioned either.

Yes GAA players put in serious commitment but they might have 10-15 meaningful games all year between county/club championship. Professional footballers have 40-50 games they need to be in top condition for. Perhaps some are out of touch, as Hunt mentioned in his piece, but the demands and pressures they are under are incredible compared to GAA players. So what if you get kicked off the county team in the morning? You still have a job.

I think a good example is that many of our young players have gone into the cauldron of professional sport in the AFL and many have struggled.

Perhaps Hunt is just a big headed professional footballer but simply dismissing his view on the basis that he is insulting the GAA is lazy, the facts have to be examined. Certainly GAA players should be compared to elite athletes. I know Colm Boyle has tweeted on the issue, but he is an elite player from an elite county. Outside of the top 4 or 5 counties in both codes, commitment and quality falls rapidly.

proevo (Meath) - Posts: 296 - 30/11/2014 21:04:53    1675676

Cuderocket
I wouldn't be a fan of the Healy raes politics but I will say 1 thing about them , they are all grafters and they don't seem to live the high life.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 30/11/2014 21:11:24    1675678

Fair comment kingdomboy.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/11/2014 21:34:42    1675685

proevo
County: Meath
Posts: 291

1675676
Obviously GAA fans are going to react angrily to Hunt's comments but if you examine them, he has a point. Hunt has played GAA and football so I don't think he can be accused of bias either.

Some contradictory comments by posters saying he's "a big time footballer not in touch with the real world" but then saying he's a nothing footballer because he's played with Reading and Ipswich?

Stephen Hunt was an international footballer with 40 caps for his country along with 5 or 6 years playing in one of the top football leagues in the world so I don't think his view can be dismissed as invalid. His commitment and spirit to the cause has never been questioned either.

Yes GAA players put in serious commitment but they might have 10-15 meaningful games all year between county/club championship. Professional footballers have 40-50 games they need to be in top condition for. Perhaps some are out of touch, as Hunt mentioned in his piece, but the demands and pressures they are under are incredible compared to GAA players. So what if you get kicked off the county team in the morning? You still have a job.

I think a good example is that many of our young players have gone into the cauldron of professional sport in the AFL and many have struggled.

Perhaps Hunt is just a big headed professional footballer but simply dismissing his view on the basis that he is insulting the GAA is lazy, the facts have to be examined. Certainly GAA players should be compared to elite athletes. I know Colm Boyle has tweeted on the issue, but he is an elite player from an elite county. Outside of the top 4 or 5 counties in both codes, commitment and quality falls rapidly.

Pressure isn't huge for most soccer players.

Stephen Hunt has probably earned more in a couple of years than most GAA players earn in their lifetime.

Doing something you love for huge amounts of money is not pressure compared to what most people experience.

I wonder if Stepehen was told he wasn't getting paid and had to go in a work at a job he didn't really like for 30k a year while still having to put in huge commitment to a sport would he prefer to have that or being paid tens of thousands every week doing something he loves.

I would say at the youth stages of a career most soccer players are uner a lot of pressure to establish themselves but once they get a decent contract the pressure is really off them

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 30/11/2014 22:01:10    1675695

extranjero
County: Wexford
Posts: 9

1675577 "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?
_________________________
I actually agree with that comment, althoughI would extend that to the world of celebrity, pop music, reality TV, etc etc. Seriously would you be happy for your son to aspire to be a Rooney, Suarez or Ferdinand, warts and all?

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 01/12/2014 08:37:41    1675697

One top-level GAA player has made it in English football and he went over there with a B. Comm in his pocket more than 35 years ago. Many, many players try, not all of them with a GAA background, but few succeed. The commitment our GAA players make is phenomenal, some playing colleges, underage and senior county in the same week. Soccer players are being paid ridiculous money at the top level , that's true. I love that the GAA is all about love for the game, pride in the jersey for no financial return. But I must admit I take my hat off to the many who pack their bags in their teens to go in search of the bright lights. Most of them live hand-to-mouth in lower league Scottish and English clubs. A lot return to a League of Ireland because they didn't make it, some need to sign on the dole in the off-season. Nothing glamorous about that. For the few like Long and Coleman, on big money, I say fair play to them. They took a gamble on soccer and backed their talent. But the GAA woman or man is king. Juggling work/studies, family and playing football or hurling for no pay. There's no win bonus in GAA, no Champions League, just honour that all of us are in awe of.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 01/12/2014 09:43:17    1675702