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When was the Gaelic football last considered good?

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91-94.. Tough hard skilful football. Got a knock? Got up , got on with it. Nowadays it's totally non contact sport. Bit like soccer, passing it a cross the back 4/14.. Wait for your opening. If it doesn't come then retreat even further back . I'd say is possible to run down the clock by 10 mins using the possession game . Wonder who will be the first to try that? Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 20/07/2016 10:44:15 1886854 Link
Replying To Greengrass: "Rubbish . Like. I said , simplistic and unsustainable . There's been plenty of life in the championship this year . I've attended plenty of provincial championship matches this year and they have all been full blooded . Teams don't like losing full stop ." Why do you keep saying unsustainable, do you know what unsustainable means? Im not proposing anything! Again where did i claim teams like to lose and games werent full blooded. Every team that turned up to play Dublin this year and the last few years turned up hoping to keep the score down and if really lucky catch them on a really bad off day. Now is every game like that no but then again i didnt claim that they were. Whats unsustainable about giving an opinion as to when games were better? In my opinion games tend to be better from this stage on in the championship. The same happens every year, we see numerous comments stating the same. tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1353 - 20/07/2016 11:07:08 1886872 Link
Replying To Greengrass: "Gotmilk I go back to the early seventies in terms of attending All Ireland Finals. I have missed none since. Criticising football has been a national past time for as long as I can remember. However it has now reached a crescendo. Most of the criticism is drivel. RTE's "analysis" is pathetic most especially it's live football programmes. Ignore it and enjoy the games. The football championship is the best sports competition in this country." Couldn't agree more - people buying into RTE analysis too much. The game is more professional, every player is an athlete and the tactics are more professional. I've watched many videos of games from 70's and 80's including Kerry The Golden Years and to be frank its all beer bellies and high balls. Also you had that ridiculous hand pass which was more like a throw. And then you had Pat Spillane in his full back line picking up ball - now who invented the puke football where forwards could cross the dreaded halfway line - hmmmmm. I think the game has evolved for the better the only issue is getting all the teams to catch up with the stronger counties and that requires proper funding and coaches - now that's a totally different story. IrishGael3 (USA) - Posts: 1092 - 20/07/2016 11:27:56 1886886 Link
Replying To tearintom: "Why do you keep saying unsustainable, do you know what unsustainable means? Im not proposing anything! Again where did i claim teams like to lose and games werent full blooded. Every team that turned up to play Dublin this year and the last few years turned up hoping to keep the score down and if really lucky catch them on a really bad off day. Now is every game like that no but then again i didnt claim that they were. Whats unsustainable about giving an opinion as to when games were better? In my opinion games tend to be better from this stage on in the championship. The same happens every year, we see numerous comments stating the same." What you had to say is simplistic and unsustainable. That means you have provided no evidence to support your claim that football was good when it was straight knock out. I remember it when it was straight knock out. It was no better than what we have now and at times it was considerably worse. Go back to the late seventies and early eighties and have a look at the winning margins in All Ireland semi finals and tell me that that was good. In the nineties we had a number of very competitive teams and we had a time when we had competitive championships. We had three great teams about for the bulk of the noughties and we again had great competition. We have had provincial championships this year that have thrown up new winners. We have had a competitive series of semi finals and a final in Ulster this year and Galway took out Mayo in Connacht. What happened between Donegal and Monaghan this year was outstanding. What you need is competition not straight knock out. Saying straight knock out was good is simplistic and unsustainable. It does not stand up to scrutiny. I was at a lot of those semi finals and finals when we had straight knock out. Like everything else there were some good and some not so good. Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 20/07/2016 11:43:11 1886892 Link
Football is in good health at the moment I'd say. Some very talented players plying their trade and giving huge commitment. The skill level is as high as it ever was but there are some things wrong with the game. The day of the small nippy lads are nearly gone and gone too are the days of the great mouth watering one on one match ups. Mickey Linden v Paul Clarke springs to mind, Lyons v whichever Dub forward was put on him. Canavan or Gooch paired up against their oppositions best. These were generally left to their own devices to slog it out- wouldn't happen nowadays as the space for these duels would not be afforded. Tackling has changed too and I think some of the better forwards from the old days would find it more difficult now to take a man on. The rules are not being applied properly which in turn has put the emphasis now on upper body strength rather than craftiness. It simply pays to pump iron. There are a number of problems that I can see with the tackle. 1. - Steps. Players are allowed far too many steps. If the initial tackle is good the player in possession just continues to burst through using raw power to try and break the tackle. This inevitably leads to a foul or grapple from the tackler and a free even though the initial infringement was actually over carrying or charging. 2. - Even when an attacking player beats his man it's too easy to get back goal side of him again by fouling which is never called by referees now. It's very subtle but fouling none the less and it's very frustrating to watch. Again the winner here is upper body strength. The defender chasing puts his arm over the shoulder of the player in possession in an "attempt" to play the ball. However the sole purpose of this is to check the run of the attacker using upper body strength and get goal side of him again. There is no attempt to play the ball. It is simply pulling him back. Grappling of the wrist is another ply when you're behind a player in possession. If you let go in time the referee will never call foul but it's long enough to check the acceleration of the player in possession and break his momentum and gives the defender a better chance of getting back goal side or at least into a position to execute a legitimate tackle. There's two or three very simple examples of tweaks to the application of the rules by referees which would free up the game a lot more and give the craftier players a better advantage. Would make a lot more sense than the catastrophe that has been the introduction of the black card. Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 20/07/2016 11:50:16 1886897 Link
Replying To Greengrass: "What you had to say is simplistic and unsustainable. That means you have provided no evidence to support your claim that football was good when it was straight knock out. I remember it when it was straight knock out. It was no better than what we have now and at times it was considerably worse. Go back to the late seventies and early eighties and have a look at the winning margins in All Ireland semi finals and tell me that that was good. In the nineties we had a number of very competitive teams and we had a time when we had competitive championships. We had three great teams about for the bulk of the noughties and we again had great competition. We have had provincial championships this year that have thrown up new winners. We have had a competitive series of semi finals and a final in Ulster this year and Galway took out Mayo in Connacht. What happened between Donegal and Monaghan this year was outstanding. What you need is competition not straight knock out. Saying straight knock out was good is simplistic and unsustainable. It does not stand up to scrutiny. I was at a lot of those semi finals and finals when we had straight knock out. Like everything else there were some good and some not so good." But im not looking to prove anything. The thread is about giving an opinion, nothing else. You do realise there is no actual way of proving or evidence that football was better now than at any other stage?? Youve admitted it yourself there was some good and bad when there was straight knockout, much like there is now. How can an opinion be unsustainable? In my opinion it was more enjoyable when it was straight knockout, i cant prove it was and neither can it be proven it wasnt. Its just an opinion like everything else on here! tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1353 - 20/07/2016 12:07:46 1886910 Link
15:55, 20th June 2015. Last time Antrim won a Championship games. Good times!! Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 20/07/2016 12:39:59 1886930 Link
from 1990 to 2005 we had Cork, meath Galway, Dublin, Derry, Donegal, Tyrone, Armagh, Kerry all winning All-Irelands with Kildare, Westmeath, laois, Mayo, Fermanagh etc all had great runs. by and large this was a wonderful era with Tyrone/Derry/Armagh/Donegal all winning sam for the first time. Westmeath. Offaly and laois winning the Bob Delaney. Clare wining Munster. Down wining Sam for the first time in 23yrs - very iconic with 70,000 welcoming them home in Newry. Galway's sucess was the first in Connacht in such a long-time. Added to Leitrim won the Nestor Cup. Leinster was very competitive. If we look at the period 2005 - 2020 ??????? cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1676 - 20/07/2016 13:25:13 1886960 Link
Replying To tearintom: "But im not looking to prove anything. The thread is about giving an opinion, nothing else. You do realise there is no actual way of proving or evidence that football was better now than at any other stage?? Youve admitted it yourself there was some good and bad when there was straight knockout, much like there is now. How can an opinion be unsustainable? In my opinion it was more enjoyable when it was straight knockout, i cant prove it was and neither can it be proven it wasnt. Its just an opinion like everything else on here!" Grand tearintom. Your point is well made. We're all entitled to our opinions. Apologies if I came across a bit strong. It's just that I feel the football and the footballers of today are subjected to hugely unfair vitriolic criticism. Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 20/07/2016 13:30:38 1886967 Link
Replying To Awwwwnow: "91-94.. Tough hard skilful football. Got a knock? Got up , got on with it. Nowadays it's totally non contact sport. Bit like soccer, passing it a cross the back 4/14.. Wait for your opening. If it doesn't come then retreat even further back . I'd say is possible to run down the clock by 10 mins using the possession game . Wonder who will be the first to try that?" A great period for Ulster football. And some really memorable days. But some truly awful games in that period too. Did you ever see the Donegal - Mayo semi final of 1992. If not then you are lucky, possibly one of the worst games of football ever known to man!! It was soon quickly forgotten about a few weeks later!! HandballRef (Donegal) - Posts: 520 - 20/07/2016 13:56:58 1886991 Link
1990-2005 is the golden era. Great occasions and great games between a wide spread of teams. Then the GAA became a corporate entity and to be honest, having been mad about GAA for 30 or so years, I'm just about keeping tabs with what's going on now as I'm rapidly losing interest. So much BS surrounding the sport now. Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1319 - 20/07/2016 14:18:13 1887011 Link
1980's I have vague memories as a youngster of Kerrys 3 in a row team of mid 1980's, they were a joy to watch, Spillane/ O'Shea/ Sheehy. I remember the late 1980's better (when I started being brought to games). The games were real battles, players gave and took hard tackles and got on with game. Great battles between Meath and Cork. Great players such as Colm O'Rourke. For me the 1990's was the best decade I can remember. Teams played to win, personal duels between forwards and backs (when the quick free from the hand came this allowed forwards to make runs away from backs and have the ball kick passed to them), some very good teams, all playing attacking football . This is best decade I remember (maybe because I don't fully remember the 1980's as I was a kid then ?) 2000's not as good as the 1990's. 2 high quality teams in this decade and some outstanding players (Canavan, the O' Se's etc.). Kerry were the better footballing team but Tyrone seemed to be a bit harder. Tyrone were the first to bring real defensive tactics into game the first year they won All Ireland which reduced the spectacle of games but they were not as extreme as what was to subsequently follow and that team became a bit better to look at in subsequent years. 2010's Some good games but the defensive level of Donegals 2011 tactics were a watershed for the game which have spread and influenced how Gaelic football is played by most teams since. A great Dublin team this decade and some great players (Conolly, O'Shea, Cavanagh etc.) but the overall monotony of the play in most games makes it for me the worst decade I can remember for Gaelic football. Irony for me is with the level of preparation of teams compared to the past it should really be by far the best decade. bdbuddah (Meath) - Posts: 1361 - 20/07/2016 15:38:31 1887092 Link
It has steadily declined since , 10 . Dubs obviously are the exceptions, I guess its golden age was 91 till 2006. From then things just went down a bit. royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 20/07/2016 17:30:06 1887168 Link
98-01 Galway save football every so often. bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4624 - 20/07/2016 18:10:54 1887195 Link
After some of the recent semi final matches involving two of Dublin, Kerry, Donegal, Mayo and Tyrone. Games I am thinking of straight away were: 2013 - Dublin vs Kerry 2014 - Mayo Vs Kerry x 2 2014 - Donegal Vs Dublin 2015 - Mayo vs Dublin x 2 2015 - Kerry vs Tyrone Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 20/07/2016 18:29:07 1887204 Link
Replying To royaldunne: "It has steadily declined since , 10 . Dubs obviously are the exceptions, I guess its golden age was 91 till 2006. From then things just went down a bit." I've been to many many All-Ireland's RD. Look at the highlights of finals from the 80s and early 90s ? Look at 1990 where it finished 11-9 . Do you really think that was good football ? TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 20/07/2016 19:19:27 1887217 Link
Peter Harte, Sean Cavanagh and Odran Mac Niallais kicked points last Sunday that would have graced any era. We are privileged to be able to watch current footballers like Ciaran McManus, Colm Cooper, Diarmuid Connolly, Bernard Brogan etc. Ok, the game is different to the 70s, 80s, 90, and 2000s (the decades I remember) but, for me, today's football is faster, more skillful, and more tactically sophisticated. So far this year, there have been great battles in Ulster (Cavan v Tyrone, Monaghan v Donegal, and last Sunday's final). Galway have reemerged; Clare have made great progress; Tipp and Longford have pulled off big shocks. Not a bad reflection on the year so far!! football first (None) - Posts: 1259 - 20/07/2016 20:48:09 1887257 Link
Replying To TheRightStuff: "I've been to many many All-Ireland's RD. Look at the highlights of finals from the 80s and early 90s ? Look at 1990 where it finished 11-9 . Do you really think that was good football ?" Bad games in every decade, however its the consistent bad games with the odd good one thrown in that is the problem, and i did say the golden age was 90 to 06. Definitely the higher quality of games was played those times, started to dip after 06 but it was more 50?50 as in quality wise, also everyone seems to be going on gaa gold, very seldom does finals for various reasons give a great display, maybe its pressure/nerves or whatever, Meath, Galway was a fantastic game in 01 , Meath Down in 91, Great game, (even if Meath lost both) the Galway Kildare game in 08 , as I said its not just the finals its the whole season, terrible games happened all the time, but these days they are the norm rather than the exception. royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 20/07/2016 20:56:18 1887262 Link
Replying To royaldunne: "Bad games in every decade, however its the consistent bad games with the odd good one thrown in that is the problem, and i did say the golden age was 90 to 06. Definitely the higher quality of games was played those times, started to dip after 06 but it was more 50?50 as in quality wise, also everyone seems to be going on gaa gold, very seldom does finals for various reasons give a great display, maybe its pressure/nerves or whatever, Meath, Galway was a fantastic game in 01 , Meath Down in 91, Great game, (even if Meath lost both) the Galway Kildare game in 08 , as I said its not just the finals its the whole season, terrible games happened all the time, but these days they are the norm rather than the exception." Yeah fair enough RD. Look I even set up a thread on my our own HS page and I slated the way we play football - I actually despise it. Imagine playing Michael Murphy at midfield/ half back. Even when he does play inside , they dont kick the bloody ball into him. The atmosphere in Clones was amazing in before thrown in and then the game started - it was like watching paint dry. It was fine in 2012 when we counter attacked or V Dublin in 2014 but more often than not it is terrible now. TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 20/07/2016 21:21:46 1887276 Link
Replying To gotmilk: "Over the last few years I keep hearing journalists, pundits and Hoganstand posters harp on about the quality of Gaelic football and how it isn't a patch on years gone by. Now a lot of posters here are hoping for a return to the Tyrone and Armagh sides of the early to mid noughties yet others accuse them of killing the game. I've seen posters say they want to see sides play football like Donegal did in 2012. I've seen posters state that the mid 90s is when football was at it's peak, yet i remember Pat and other GAA journalists complain ferociously about the standard of football in the mid 90s. Numerous articles were wrote on Donegal and their short passing game killing football. So posters, can I ask you when the supposed golden era of football was? Numerous posters say we should go back to a time when the game was great but I honestly don't know when that time was. Could someone please help me? Thanks in advance Gotmilk" Wasn't it 2015 for Fermanagh? DoireCityFC (Derry) - Posts: 1580 - 20/07/2016 22:02:51 1887299 Link