No pundit is perfect but it seems people are going out of their way to find fault in what he is saying recently.

I dunno Breff, he does make some good comments but it is like he can destroy 5 good ones with 1 bad one.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 29/06/2015 17:34:07    1744941

basically hes saying gibraltar should be able to compete with germany in soccer if they work hard enough.its an idiotic argument.numbers always win out.

kavvie (Clare) - Posts: 505 - 29/06/2015 17:42:51    1744950

kavvie
County: Clare
Posts: 253

1744950 basically hes saying gibraltar should be able to compete with germany in soccer if they work hard enough.its an idiotic argument.numbers always win out.

Lol yeah, imagine Germany trying to compete with India or China.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12121 - 29/06/2015 17:50:24    1744954

He's a dreadful pundit who wouldn't be able to name 3 Leitrim footballers. I don't think he is the sharpest tool in the box. Another awful one on the telly is Tommy Carr. Spouted jibberish all game in the Westmeath game. Really showed a lack of intelligence and understanding of the game, which would explain his record as manager.

Daith (Kildare) - Posts: 1171 - 29/06/2015 17:55:11    1744959

breff soccer isnt popular with the majority of people in india or china.

kavvie (Clare) - Posts: 505 - 29/06/2015 17:57:32    1744960

kavvie
County: Clare
Posts: 254

1744960 breff soccer isnt popular with the majority of people in india or china.

Ah right so "numbers always wins out" *except with specific caveats applied inconsistently

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12121 - 29/06/2015 18:21:04    1744970

kavvie
County: Clare
Posts: 254

1744960
breff soccer isnt popular with the majority of people in india or china.

-----
Yes but the minority in China or India is still bigger than the majority in Germany. I think the point that McHugh was trying to make is that population isn't everything. While that's true, success breeds success so if you look at a county with a population of 20K who have not won anything it is difficult to get buy-in from potential players, supporters of sponsors that they ever will win something. That is why the championship structure has to change with seeding, more matches, group stage type structure etc. to bring the weaker counties on and increase their exposure to championship football. Something like that anyway.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 29/06/2015 18:22:15    1744975

The people to complain to are RTE they employ him, really crass comments you have to wonder about his suitability. Really silly comments from a very silly man.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 29/06/2015 19:08:11    1744996

Brett, you have it the wrong way round. It's fair to criticize a big county or nation who are underperforming. And it's fair to praise a small county or country who are overachieving. But not the other way round. Germany are hardly a minnow in terms of population and resources.

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts: 767 - 29/06/2015 19:24:53    1745005

I was there when McHugh told a fellow county man of mine as bluntly as you like that 'Antrim will never be a successful county'. This was just after we had reached an Ulster final with a relatively young squad. Make what you want of that statement as I guess so far he is right but it contradicts the hell out of his view last night. Either he doesn't know what he's talking about or he cannot resist seeking publicity however good or bad it may be.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2386 - 29/06/2015 20:51:12    1745071

29/06/2015 17:08:01
bennybunny
County: Cork
Posts: 2825

.

The most sensible comment of the night was made by Jim McCrory (Down manager) He was saying that his teams objectives were met for the year given that they got out of Division 2 and how he would spend the summer looking for players so that they could stay in Division 1. Dessie Dolan and Tomas O Se then say that it is all about the championship. Maybe it was all about the championship but now it is all about the championship for 4-6 teams only. The rest of the teams should, if they are not doing so, take a leaf out of Jim McCrory and Colm Collins (Clare)and openly admit that the league is their priority. As for Down should be beating Wexford, I am sure they would have if it was an important league game on their way to winning something that they were capable of winning rather than a meaningless championship game where they are simply prolonging the agony before getting an unmerciful hammering in a few weeks.Now the players can go back to their clubs. Reflect on a good year and look forward to next year.

Nonsense. I would far rather that Down compete in the championship than do well in the league. The league is simply a means to an end, an opportunity to play against the better teams before we inevitably head back to division 2 after a series of beatings. I don't think a single person in Down would consider this a 'good year'.

OgraAnDun (Down) - Posts: 406 - 29/06/2015 21:01:29    1745079

benjyyy
County: Donegal
Posts: 1131

1744870
He also seemed to suggest that 'wee 6' in Ulster were not as good anymore because the troubles are over...I was watching through my fingers when he said that, car crash stuff!

yes this was definitely the most "contraversial point he made" I thought it was a bit of an awkward moment.

another thing he said was that Dublin played a challenge game recently v Cavan to help them cope with a blanket defence. I don't think this is true, perhaps some of my Cavan coleagues could shed some light on it. sometimes Mchugh has just too many words and not enough breaths. you would nearly need to record it and play it back in slow motion. there is some truth in what he was trying to say about the Leitrim situation. I mean Donegal is a big county but population-wise it's not great. Maybe what he was saying was if we can do it and Monaghan can do it then why can't Leitrim. However I think Leitrim are an exception with regards to having a very small rural population and as Dessie Dolan pointed out losing a man like Emilyn Mulligan this year has had a major effect on them, other counties would be able to absorb that but not Leitrim. I would rather listen to McHugh any day than Brolly though.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 30/06/2015 09:48:34    1745173

Ogra

(1) Nonsense.

(2) I would far rather that Down compete in the championship than do well in the league.

The league is simply a means to an end, an opportunity to play against the better teams before we inevitably head back to division 2 after a series of beatings.

(3) I don't think a single person in Down would consider this a 'good year'.

1. Fair enough.

2. Your opinion but you are a supporter. If I were a player and if I were to listen to you, you would tell me to effectively give up my life for 8 months to put all my efforts into a competition that I have NO hope of winning whilst simultaneously ignoring a competition that I have a very good chance of winning. Now, to me, that is nonsense.

3. You are wrong there. Jim McCrory is happy with how things went. I am assuming he was interviewed for the job by the county board (who represent the clubs who are the GAA in Down). I assume in that interview he would have outlined his vision for Down football. I am sure the county board listened to him and other candidates that set out their vision and opted for McCrory. Therefore, a priori, they would see this year as success. To be fair, I do not know the internal politics of the Down county board and there is also the possibility that McCrory told them he would give them Sam within 12 months. If so, he should be sacked. I doubt he well because looking at this Down team and where they are in the pecking order, this year was very successful.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 30/06/2015 10:23:34    1745191

He probably based his comments on what he did with Cavan in 97. Basically took them from nowhere to win an Ulster championship and lose s final in 3 year term. Not many pundits have managed a provincial winner have they? They all talk a great game but how many of them actually won something as a manager? I see where MCHugh is coming from. A bit of hard work and anything is possible. Didn't Westmeath , Clare, Cavan, Sligo All have their day in the sun in the last 20 years? Weren't Louth , Wexford, London , let rim Fermanagh a credit to their counties recently nearly pulling off major shocks? Yes work hard and it pays off. It's easy to sit like o hara curran whelan o rourke brolly and moan about managers . What did any of them ever manage?

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 30/06/2015 11:01:48    1745229

Yeah thought a lot of what he was saying was way off the mark and a bit disrespectful to be honest. The point he was making about it's up to the Counties to get businesses to invest is an easy point to make if you are from Donegal, Kerry, Dublin etc who have had success and are going to be there or thereabouts come August/September. Counties like this are going to be more attractive to businesses etc than the likes of the smaller/weaker (whatever you want to call us/them) who are maybe going to have a couple of games and that's their Championship season over. Take the example Brolly gave during the live games that Kerry were able to lift £1m recently or the fact that the Dubs are able to attract sponsorship from the likes of AIG - can you see the likes of Leitrim (as they were the case study used) being able to generate near the same amount of money or even a fraction of it? I don't know how you can curtail this as at the end of the day the Counties who can get the investment aren't doing anything wrong but it puts them in a position where they can invest more money then at the grass roots level and in the development of their players and therefore maintain the gap. FIFA introduced the Financial Fair Pay and I know this was to try and stop clubs from operating on a continuous loss while spending big on players etc to keep them as the top clubs in their leagues e.g. if you look at the current debts of the some of the biggest clubs in the world:

Real Madrid - $750m
Barcelona - $530m
Man Utd - $510m
Arsenal - $320m
Liverpool - $210m

Then how are clubs who are trying to live within their means realistically compete on a domestic/European front? Yes you have the exceptions like Bayern and Chelsea who are operating without Debt (though Chelsea is being bankrolled by a Billionaire) but it's no coincidence that its the Clubs with the biggest debts who are doing the best year in year out. Look at poor old Rangers 1872-2012, they spent 2-3 decades spending money they hadn't got and in the end they met the ultimate fate and ceased to be.

I know its a different ball game in the GAA and that Counties like Dublin, Kerry etc are probably living within their means but the point is that the gap between these Counties who can get money and those who can't is going to continue to widen and create a more elite split. I just think that it's not good for our games and that it's something those who sit in HQ should maybe be looking at or thinking about.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 30/06/2015 11:07:10    1745236

Awnnnn,Clare have won 1 Munster in 100 years,Westmeath 1 Leinster in 130 years.These counties really have very little hope.As i said already,the likes of Leitrim will come with a good team every 50 years or so.History has told us as much.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 30/06/2015 11:36:30    1745263

Offside_Rule your whole point is sort of debunked though when you bring in Donegal. Don't forget we hadn't won a match in Ulster before Jim McG came in so we weren't a superpower by any means. It all has to start somewhere.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 30/06/2015 11:48:59    1745275

Excellent post Offside Rule.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 30/06/2015 11:52:01    1745279

Offside_Rule your whole point is sort of debunked though when you bring in Donegal. Don't forget we hadn't won a match in Ulster before Jim McG came in so we weren't a superpower by any means. It all has to start somewhere.

Not really benjyyy - was looking at the current top teams and of all the Ulster counties Donegal would be the easiest to get business peoples money from at present. God, can you imagine us going around the businesses with all the press we have had over the last number of months!

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 30/06/2015 12:16:30    1745317

It has to be all down to money or lack of it for underage structures, Leitrim have solid underage teams but it isn't happening at adult level, where are the Leitrim players working if it's within the county or in Sligo then they should be well able to train hard together but if most lads are in Dublin, Cork or UK then it's next to impossible, McHugh was in charge of Sligo IT a few years ago why doesn't he put his name forward for the Leitrim job whenever it becomes available in a few years time and we'll see what he can do, I'm tired of pundits giving out about players or teams and then don't put their name forward for the job such as Colm O'Rourke for Meath or Joe Brolly for Derry. Any player that puts on the jersey either at club or county level deserve respect maybe the structures within a team or county can be criticised but not the dedication of players, look I'm not happy with the way Mayo are set up and maybe a few players are too weak in my mind but it's the management that pick the players and clubs that put them forward for trials, they may be flying at training where we the public don't see them

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 30/06/2015 12:27:44    1745332