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The Best Ulster side of the last 30 years?

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Replying To REDANDBLACK30: "I never said we were a great team but we were very good that year with Coulter, Clarke, Hughes etc in the forward line. Its just bias if you can't see we played great that day. We were winning by 9 points before Kerry got a last gasp penalty. We also didn't have to employ any systems or tactics we just went for it from the off (Poland goal within the first minute)." you werent a great team that year...down were an ordinary side who caught kerry on the day..look at who down faced in the semi. cork who were out of sorts that year turned it on for a half and beat down...it was a very poor championship alano12 (Dublin) - Posts: 2208 - 27/07/2016 14:57:21 1890986 Link
Replying To REDANDBLACK30: "Its easier with a safety net than it was before the qualifiers came in. You can lose a match and still win the All Ireland. You can have one bad match when before you couldn't." its not easier..you have to beat more teams...you had a much easier route to the final in the old system a lot of the years...for years connaught and ulster were poor so any year the dubs or kerry played them it was fairly straight forward getting to the final alano12 (Dublin) - Posts: 2208 - 27/07/2016 14:58:33 1890987 Link
Replying To REDANDBLACK30: "None of them teams were any serious threat. Tyrone had some great players but they had plenty of luck in that they won three and yet were beaten in two of those campaigns. Could Down/ Derry/Donegal have won more??? You seem to be blinded that more recent equals better. Surely you can see that if you have two chances (and sometimes the qualifier route was the better route) it was easier to win the All Ireland? ?? If you can't see that this conversation is pointless? ??" God almighty plenty of luck! People are outrageous, Tyrone of the 2000s are surely the most unfortunate team of recent times. He was more than just a great captain he was the leader, the heart beat and he galvanised an already very talented Tyrone team, you have to bare in mind he was preferred to Dooher as great a captain as Dooher was , 3 All Irelands but I know alot of Tyrone fans will be wondering forever how many we'd have had the events of March 2nd 2004 not happened Seansy48 (Tyrone) - Posts: 237 - 27/07/2016 14:59:09 1890988 Link
Replying To alano12: "its not easier..you have to beat more teams...you had a much easier route to the final in the old system a lot of the years...for years connaught and ulster were poor so any year the dubs or kerry played them it was fairly straight forward getting to the final" No we didn't we had very hard routes to winning both All Irelands. Our route in 1991 was Armagh, Derry (twice) Donegal, Kerry, Meath. 1994 All Ireland Champions Derry in their own backyard, Monaghan, Tyrone, Cork, Dublin at Croke Park??? How were they easy routes??? Derry were brilliant, Donegal All Ireland Champions 92, Tyrone All Ireland finalists 1995, Meath had a super side, Dublin excellent in that period. Kerry not vintage but with their tradition, Armagh is a local derby for us etc. The teams Tyrone lost to in the 03-08 period its fairly plausible they could have slipped up against many of those sides. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 27/07/2016 16:41:04 1891060 Link
Replying To alano12: "you werent a great team that year...down were an ordinary side who caught kerry on the day..look at who down faced in the semi. cork who were out of sorts that year turned it on for a half and beat down...it was a very poor championship" I said we weren't a great team but we had some very good players that year. We got a bit of luck along the way but to say we didn't play great against Kerry in that match is nonsense. We raised our game to beat a Kerry side that was an all time great side. They were missing a few players but they still had Cooper, Donaghy et al. If Kerry had played poorly you would have an argument but they didn't they had goal chances etc in an end to end game. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 27/07/2016 17:07:58 1891079 Link
Replying To alano12: "its not easier..you have to beat more teams...you had a much easier route to the final in the old system a lot of the years...for years connaught and ulster were poor so any year the dubs or kerry played them it was fairly straight forward getting to the final" Under the old system you had to peak every given day. The qualifiers provided a much easier route to final like for ourselves in 2010. They provided a get out of jail free card. With the lack of strength in depth in the 2000s it was a fairly straightforward run to the quarter finals. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 27/07/2016 17:21:04 1891093 Link
Down deserve huge credit for breaking the mould in 1991, as them winning that All Ireland made Donegal believe they were good enough to push on 1992, and likewise for Ourselves in 1993, before Down took another one in 1994. That period changed the general mentality in Ulster football, and created the platform for Armagh and Tyrone to push on and lift All Ireland's. Teams in Ulster looked at All Ireland's as something they could challenge for, rather than just watch others win. I would like to see Derry and Down rise to a standard where they can seriously challenge Tyrone, Donegal and Monaghan, as I think that would improve the general standard further. GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 27/07/2016 17:32:40 1891101 Link
surely it's Crossmaglen? wishfulthinkin (Cavan) - Posts: 1680 - 27/07/2016 17:32:54 1891102 Link
Antrim hurlers might be included in this as well. They caused a few shocks back in the day and all from a very small group to work with. Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 27/07/2016 17:54:17 1891109 Link
Would i be wrong in thinking the best top 5 ulster forwards in the last 30 years would be ! 1 Peter Cavanagh 2 Greg Blaney 3 Mickey Linden 4 Seán Cavanagh (Midfield/Full-Forward) 5 Oisín McConville WhyTheLongFace (Meath) - Posts: 876 - 27/07/2016 17:57:38 1891114 Link
Replying To GaryMc82: "Down deserve huge credit for breaking the mould in 1991, as them winning that All Ireland made Donegal believe they were good enough to push on 1992, and likewise for Ourselves in 1993, before Down took another one in 1994. That period changed the general mentality in Ulster football, and created the platform for Armagh and Tyrone to push on and lift All Ireland's. Teams in Ulster looked at All Ireland's as something they could challenge for, rather than just watch others win. I would like to see Derry and Down rise to a standard where they can seriously challenge Tyrone, Donegal and Monaghan, as I think that would improve the general standard further." If there had been a qualifier system in that period Down and Derry would have been there or thereabouts every year. Use were our most feared opponent in those years. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 27/07/2016 18:01:32 1891116 Link
Seriously?? In his four years Pillars team didnt beat a single decent team team. Not one. To say they were very competitive is absolute nonsense. As for suggesting they could have won an All Ireland...laughable. you really are clutching at straws here bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4624 - 27/07/2016 18:04:15 1891117 Link
Replying To WhyTheLongFace: "Would i be wrong in thinking the best top 5 ulster forwards in the last 30 years would be ! 1 Peter Cavanagh 2 Greg Blaney 3 Mickey Linden 4 Seán Cavanagh (Midfield/Full-Forward) 5 Oisín McConville" Muldoon has to be up there DoireCityFC (Derry) - Posts: 1580 - 27/07/2016 18:52:18 1891137 Link
Replying To DoireCityFC: "Muldoon has to be up there" Muldoon the Zlatan ibrahimovic of Gaa :) P Bradley is actually the top scoring forward in Ulster football ! WhyTheLongFace (Meath) - Posts: 876 - 27/07/2016 19:19:58 1891158 Link
If there had been a qualifier system in that period Down and Derry would have been there or thereabouts every year. Use were our most feared opponent in those years. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts:1325 - 27/07/2016 18:01:32 Down had more of an aura about them back then, I hate to see them doing so poorly as past few years, I think we all know Down are capable of much more. As for the Qualifiers, I don't know anymore whether if it would have made much difference. I see Ulster teams play out of their skins in the Ulster Championship, with high intensity and hunger on show, then fail to show up in the qualifiers. In part this is because of the short turnaround and them knowing that its difficult to beat Provincial Champion in Quarter finals if you reach that far. GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 27/07/2016 20:51:31 1891209 Link
I think in years to come, we'll really appreciate even more some of these teams mentioned. I think probably biggest underachievers have to be that fantastic Armagh outfit (they had everything) and of course ourselves. Should have at least featured in an AI Final over last 5 years!!! Brolly (Monaghan) - Posts: 4472 - 27/07/2016 21:03:03 1891216 Link
The pre and post qualifiers argument is so stupid. In all years there's only ever 1 All Ireland winner. Every All Ireland win is equal. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 27/07/2016 21:23:01 1891224 Link
Replying To WhyTheLongFace: "Would i be wrong in thinking the best top 5 ulster forwards in the last 30 years would be ! 1 Peter Cavanagh 2 Greg Blaney 3 Mickey Linden 4 Seán Cavanagh (Midfield/Full-Forward) 5 Oisín McConville" You could pick any five but would Aidrean Sweeney and Tony Boyle not get a look in and all SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 27/07/2016 21:27:26 1891227 Link
Replying To DoireCityFC: "Muldoon has to be up there" Peter Cavanagh was a great one... remind me again, who did he play for ? s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 27/07/2016 21:40:05 1891231 Link
Replying To GaryMc82: "If there had been a qualifier system in that period Down and Derry would have been there or thereabouts every year. Use were our most feared opponent in those years. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts:1325 - 27/07/2016 18:01:32 Down had more of an aura about them back then, I hate to see them doing so poorly as past few years, I think we all know Down are capable of much more. As for the Qualifiers, I don't know anymore whether if it would have made much difference. I see Ulster teams play out of their skins in the Ulster Championship, with high intensity and hunger on show, then fail to show up in the qualifiers. In part this is because of the short turnaround and them knowing that its difficult to beat Provincial Champion in Quarter finals if you reach that far." Our best players won't commit to playing for us at the minute so its an uphill struggle for us to compete now. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 27/07/2016 21:43:42 1891239 Link