Donegalman
Going back to your idea again of doing a study of sport and the GAA in particular along the border regions I think it's a must.
Also we should have interviews with some of or any of them that are still alive of the Donegal minor team of 1956---- first Donegal team to win a minor Ulster title.
Also interview any of the older men who played county football with Donegal at that time.
I remember the 1963 semi final v Cavan with the late Harry Laverty (RIP) scoring two goals that day to get Donegal into their first ever Ulster final. Remember M o Heair referring to him as ' little Harry Laverty'
Also Des Houlihan a corner forward from Laois who played with the county but sadly died young (RIP)
And the famous penalty we got but were not allowed to take against Galway in a National league semi final
I wonder in the history of the GAA did such a thing happen to any other county??
Yes we would have a lot to talk about and to me it would be very interesting if we could get people who were involved with the GAA in Donegal 60 or 70 years ago to talk about their experiences.
And don't forget the BAN existed back then , you could not play soccer or attend any soccer or foreign games functions.

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 09/05/2016 20:57:08    1853438

TRS, Sam, fair enough if you were not trying to lessen these achievements but saying Cavan, Kerry etc would have fewer titles if Donegal and Tyrone had become organised sooner gave that impression. Similarly I'd have no time for anyone who might say Donegal and Tyrone would have fewer titles if county's like Wexford and Tipperary had continued to focus on football rather than hurling. I notice alot of begrudgery and a siege mentality approach creeping into football - the game should always be about respect and a love of one's own county rather than a bitterness towards others.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 09/05/2016 21:37:44    1853451

Ever since we won our first All Ireland in 1901
KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts:399 - 08/05/2016 13:52:55

Your piece is persuasive, but starting it with this glaring error rather undermines the rest!

an tseabhac (Kerry) - Posts:428 - 09/05/2016 19:59:02

Fair enough I was out by 2 years...my knowledge of the early 1900s isnt up to the required standards

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts: 898 - 09/05/2016 21:58:26    1853459

No, you are out by 10 years.

an tseabhac (Kerry) - Posts: 441 - 10/05/2016 15:07:52    1853652

PS I'm really splitting hairs :)

an tseabhac (Kerry) - Posts: 441 - 10/05/2016 15:15:45    1853656

I was concentrating on the football angle of things but if you want to document our dominating hurling truimphs of the time then go ahead..im sure you will find a few hours to go through all of them and educate me on here when you have a chance.

By the way according wikipedia we are short 2 football All Ireland's as Wicklow have taken our titles for 1903 and 1904. So im also out by 2 when claiming to have 37 Sams -).

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts: 898 - 10/05/2016 15:41:22    1853671

So im also out by 2 when claiming to have 37 Sams -).

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts:403 - 10/05/2016 15:41:22 1

Ehhh...no, you're out by 7...the Kingdom has 30 Sams.

This is fun!

an tseabhac (Kerry) - Posts: 441 - 12/05/2016 12:12:13    1854335

I know, but when you say "some Kerry posters" its kind of misleading imo, you know as well I do that if Pat Spillane said something along the lines of "some Ulster teams are overly physical" or "some Ulster games are horrible to watch" youd be spitting feathers.

No I wouldn't be, Ulsterman might be spitting feathers, but I tend to be less sensitive and would respect him not tarring all with the one same brush. I would agree with both statements by the way, some are horrible to watch, and some Ulsters teams are overly physical.

Yes, some kerry fans are arrogant, but so are some Tipp fans, some Kilkenny fans, some dublin fans etc. so why single out kerry fans all the time?

Have I really singled Kerry fans out though? I think the mass response from Kerry posters turns a small comment into a bigger debate, which naturally highlights that I am very much here arguing against a good few of the Kerry Posters. When I respond to the majority of posts directed towards me, It then looks that way,


And while I agree that great managers/coaches/pundits dont necessarily have to have a bucketload of all irelnad medals, I do feel that someone like brolly has absolutely no place lecturing the likes of colm cooper, kieran donaghy etc in how to play football.

Why has "Someone like Brolly" no place lecturing the likes of Colm Cooper and Kieran Donaghy on how to play football? What do you mean "Someone like Brolly" by the way?


He was never half the player those guys are, so who is he to belittle them (especially the gooch, who Brolly has been slagging off for the last ten years). joncarter (Galway) - Posts:2366 - 09/05/2016 14:52:10

I though Joe Brolly was actually a brilliant player back in the day, but perhaps didn't have a strong enough team for long enough to properly showcase his talents on the big stage in the pre-qualifier era. Number of All Irelands does not equate to football knowledge, that comes down to personal intellect. Brolly is a Barrrister and a very smart cookie behind his very controversial comments, which sometimes overshadow some things he highlights correctly.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 12/05/2016 19:51:17    1854498

What i mean by "someone like Brolly" is someone who simply wasnt as good as the Gooch.
Its like Robbie Savage giving Ronaldo tips on how to play football.
Again, I agree that medal tally doesnt equate to football knowledge, but there is a difference between football knowledge and lecturing a player who is better than you ever were on how to play football.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 14/05/2016 16:50:02    1854903

ah now come on Jon, we all live for telling players how it should be done on here and I doubt there's an AI medal between the lot of us.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2386 - 14/05/2016 17:26:37    1854913

What i mean by "someone like Brolly" is someone who simply wasnt as good as the Gooch.
Its like Robbie Savage giving Ronaldo tips on how to play football.
Again, I agree that medal tally doesnt equate to football knowledge, but there is a difference between football knowledge and lecturing a player who is better than you ever were on how to play football.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts:2371 - 14/05/2016 16:50:02 1

Ultimately it comes down to football knowledge, something that doesn't necessarily require a great playing career, something some of the very best managers have already demonstrated around the world, not just in GAA circles. Playing ability doesn't come into it, ability to analyse football footage accurately does. In Joe Brolly's defence, he was a great player who won 4 National league titles, 2 Ulster titles and 1 All Ireland medals and also won County club championships and Ulster club championship in an era where Ulster football was exceptionally strong. He was considered exceptionally talented, albeit a mouthy bol**ks.

The debate on whether Colm Cooper was better than other players is something detailed analysis can probably answer in terms of his on field statistics/game ratio. The debate on whether All Ireland winner Joe Brolly has a right to scrutinise Colm Cooper is an undoubted yes, while whether or not that scrutiny is balanced and accurate is a different matter that needs to be determined.

No team or county likes scrutiny, especially not Kerry. But its clear that posters and indeed former players from Kerry based on comments in the recent past, feel that having acquired more All Ireland medals does or should exempt them from scrutiny and criticism. I do not include Tomas O'Se in this though, I feel he calls it as he sees it.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 16/05/2016 12:18:03    1855253

His article yesterday was pure gold

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 16/05/2016 12:27:02    1855255

His article yesterday was pure gold

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts:6652 - 16/05/2016 12:27:02

I thought it was pure waffle, like a mesh mash of pointless views with little or no conclusion or point to what he was saying. He started with West Ham, and I thought that was going somewhere, but I think he lost track half way through in a rant about McGuinness and Donegal before turning to Tyrone near the end.

Joe wishes he was Jim McGuinness and previously wished he was Mickey Harte, he wishes he had of done that type of management thing and recently alluded to Kieran McGeeney saying "Your such a waste of talent" or something along those lines, almost suggesting or hinting that McGeeney felt Joe could have done something great had he applied himself to management rather than talking waffle on tv.

Exceptionally smart man in many ways, but In between some of his more insightful thoughts, he allows his frustration to seep out, that in all of his perceived wisdom, he hasn't transferred that wisdom or intellect onto coaching anybody above the age of 12-14 and achieved anything. He is currently on course to be another Pat Spillane, an old age former somebody who couldn't or didn't manage, and regrets that in later years.

I think Joe should give it a rattle, whether its with Dungiven or somebody smaller, see what ye can do, bring in fitness experts etc and give it a proper go. Practice what you preach, and put it to the test.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 16/05/2016 18:54:57    1855446

Pat Spillane has a lot more going for him re tradition and medals than Brolly.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 16/05/2016 21:09:38    1855479

Pathetic,braindead argument to equate a mans All Ireland medals to his quality as a pundit.Well done lads.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 18/05/2016 10:41:18    1855888

Whilst not in a coaching capacity Joe dragged his belfast club from div 4 to div 1 in 3 years . They were all young fellas who I'd say took great inspiration from playing with him - one of them actually playing for Cork now !!
I think he's excellent and a breath of fresh air who on the whole takes the game for what it is - a game ! He loves having a dig at Kerry but blatantly obviously only to wind up Spillane who talks like he's running for election down there . I think Joe is also the most insightful and coherent, (not to mention passionate ) of the 3 amigos when analyzing too .

Finsceal (None) - Posts: 559 - 18/05/2016 11:11:59    1855906

Whilst not in a coaching capacity Joe dragged his belfast club from div 4 to div 1 in 3 years . They were all young fellas who I'd say took great inspiration from playing with him - one of them actually playing for Cork now !!

I think he's excellent and a breath of fresh air who on the whole takes the game for what it is - a game ! He loves having a dig at Kerry but blatantly obviously only to wind up Spillane who talks like he's running for election down there .

I think Joe is also the most insightful and coherent, (not to mention passionate ) of the 3 amigos when analyzing too .



What capacity was it? Lets give the manager and coach all the credit here, Joe was just a player.

He is scathing of his criticism of the 'game'. While I do agree we should all be critical of the game, his criticism is very unbalanced and negative towards certain counties.

He possibly is the most balanced and coherent of the '3 amigos' for want of a better term, but in fairness, it wouldn't be difficult to be better than his 2 colleagues.

In short, I think that he is well able to play the game, winding people up for the sake of it, taking under them as well as over them as they try and make a point, picking at kerry, being an expert after the event and not before it etc etc. Dont get me wrong, I think that he was an excellent footballer and he has his moments on camera, but he is not the savoir of the game.

Wheelan, John Early and Tomas Oshea should now replace those lads with some fresh and balanced analysis. Or Osisn McConville.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 19/05/2016 14:16:12    1856396

I would not be a fan of Brolly but he does write well and has the football and educational background to do so. I am not a top chef trained by Albert Roux but I know which food I do and don't like. Does not being a gastronomic genius stop me from commenting on food? No likewise with Brolly. He has every right to comment on Kerry even though he doesn't have 10 All Irelands.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9703 - 19/05/2016 14:38:23    1856407

clever man! For those who dislike him due to he fact he changes his opinion I ask who does'nt? Does it not take a brave man to see when he is wrong once seeing new facts and evidence and then change his mind? If a change of opinion is a reason for not liking someone then I should hate 99% of the people on here.

As far as I can tell he is the only pundit (for lack of a better word) who gets talked about in such high volumes on here so is therefore fulfulling his role perfectly........entertainment. I know i couldnt hold down a full time job, and then try and keep every arm chair pundit who has never played county in the country happy and id like to know if anyone on here believes they could! If so send the ol CV to RTE and see how far you get

p.s to the mayo lad who compared him to eamon. yes he has won less than his fellow pundits but has won more national titles than every mayo player since 1951 (including league titles) sorry he said some things about your county.......make sure you tell your mammy the bad boy said mean things about you! ;)

2 county club, 1 ulster club, 1 sam, 2 ulster, 4 league and 2 all stars. I think he understands the game more than all of us on here!!!

Some people need to develop thicker skin

DoireCityFC (Derry) - Posts: 1580 - 21/05/2016 08:04:39    1856925