The actual biggest problem facing football is people trying to change it!

We've had Joe Brolly and now Ciarán Whelan putting their oars in on "what absolutely needs to be done" to save Gaelic Football. There's been the Eugene McGee and his Football Review Committee as well countless articles in the papers, and many a thread on here, suggesting rule changes left right and centre.

There's talk of reducing from a 15 man game to 13, limiting handpasses, abolishing handpasses, no fisted scores, the mark, the keeper must kick the ball over the 45, teams must keep x amount of players in the oppositions half, players must do a little dance before being allowed to handpass, more subs, less subs, the keeper not allowed take frees, defenders not allowed cross half way and many many more!

The problem, as I see it, is that there's a lot of people who have decided that there simply MUST be a change, and that something simply must be done!

Now I am not against rule changes in fact, if something good could be devised and trialled and make the game a better spectacle without taking from the game then why not. However what I am against is the idea that "doing something is better than doing nothing at all!"

To be honest, making no rule changes at the moment is preferable to the rule changes that have thus far been suggested. I really hope that the GAA doesn't push through some ridiculous rule change that could ruin football for awhile.

Despite what the naysayers would have us believe Gaelic Football is in a very healthy state. It is by far the most popular sport in Ireland and all that despite masses of negative media coverage.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 14/05/2015 10:40:08    1723500

MesAmis

How many teams can realistically win this year's all Ireland football title?

How many of the others will adopt an ultra defensive strategy to beat the genuine all Ireland contenders?

Out of those who don't adopt the defensive strategy how much will their average beating be by?

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 14/05/2015 10:52:45    1723513

MesAmis,


You make good points but this isn't a problem so long as these changes aren't implimented - easy solution!

All this arguing about styles of play. . .teams will play to whatever style they see fit. They will play the game within the rules set out for all teams. The biggest problem IMO is that the games are unfair and that there isn't a level playing field for all teams.

Referees come in for a huge amount of criticism, and while it is often justified, that doesn't mean it is deserved.
Some things simply must be taken out of the referees hands - namely the timekeeping. There is still only 1 clear and obvious reason why this has not gone the way of ladies football and that is simply that the powers that be want the referee to be able to "play for a draw" or allow one team to win if it will make the organisation some coin. Another easy solution, one that is in place in Ladies Football, and one that is FAIR!

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5012 - 14/05/2015 11:02:41    1723521

To be fair some changes might do no harm, now I'm not referring to anything in particular and in fairness you have acknowledged that you're not against changes but I do like to see the Gaa interacting and considering changes, they don't have to implement most of them of course and the game would be a complete mess if they did.

I agree that there's too many suggestions from journalists and analysts though who love nothing more than to tell everybody what is wrong with football and then try to convince people that they alone have the solution. Just because the likes of Spillane, Brolly and Whelan etc are on telling us that football is in trouble and needs changing (not direct quotes obviously) doesn't necessarily make that the case.

I suppose though because gaelic football is the biggest sport on this island, it's also open to the most scrutiny, be it rightly or wrongly that's the way of things.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 14/05/2015 11:12:18    1723525

I actually agree with most of what you say.

I think that the game should be allowed to evolve as it has been doing for decades rather than trying to surgically alter it.

All that I feel is missing is for the Championship to have some sort of balance between potential path to winning it including number of games and perhaps a more random element of determining fixtures.

But as for the game itself - leave it alone and lets see how the brains that are sending teams out chance things to overcome the most recent tactical fads and on and on and on.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 14/05/2015 11:19:02    1723533

As the saying goes "bad press is good press"

There's a reason soccer is the most successful sport in the world.. CONTROVERSY! It gets people talking about it.. a weekend hardly goes by in the EPL without some video going viral of some player/ref/lineman making a F up of some sort, and FIFA love it!

As you said GAA is the most popular sport in Ireland.. no prizes as to why that is! Brolly and Whealan and Spillane and co. are either doing the GAA a lot of favors with all their giving out or are part of the grander scheme of things in my opinion.

Uncle_Fester (Meath) - Posts: 217 - 14/05/2015 11:19:09    1723534

man watch any soccer match and you will see teams getting 11 players back in their half to protect goal
it happens in gaa and the media conemn it
but yet soccer reamins the beautiful game????????????

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 14/05/2015 11:35:11    1723545

soccer fans are a lot more appreciative of good defending sadly..people in the gaa are unable to appreciate good defending

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 14/05/2015 12:21:58    1723574

Good post Mesamis. I for one always look forward to the new championship season and dont really give a hoot to all the people trying to name as many negative aspects of the game they can think of. In Ireland you can never keep everyone happy so I just let it in one ear and out the other.

If you take for example Kerry v Dublin 2011 and 2013, Kerry v Mayo last year(x2), i thought they were very enjoyable games win,lose or draw but you had people everywhere trying to nitpick and find faults with every part of the games. Mainly people from non footballing counties or from sections of northern posters, i feel anytime there is a decent match takes place they have some gripe about it. Can anyone tell me a match in the last 5 years in the ulster championship that was anywhere near as exciting as the matches i mentioned above?? I think ill be waiting a while

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts: 898 - 14/05/2015 12:22:03    1723575

Well said my friend from Dublin ( Amiss)

The attendances are very good ( especially in the minor competitions, like O'Byrne etc,)

We will always have poor games regardless of the code or sport, butin my opinion the game is in a very healthy state...

Yes Dublin and Kerry are ahead of the rest but in all sports there is always a few who are ahead of the other competitors....

the analysis on RTE is brutal, lets face it, it is a comedy show, no real analysis of the point or the goal, or the great block......no its a bad game...

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1673 - 14/05/2015 13:03:00    1723603

KY4SAM2015 I think some of the 'Northern' stuff being cited in the Kerry Mayo games last year was not to do with the entertainment but rather the double standards regarding the argy bargy going on and how it was reported or scrutinized.

Likewise Kerry Dublin in 2013 was a highly entertaining affair but again judged by different standards than other games with far more focus on the positives of this encounter rather than the negatives. For a start you had the juvenile defending on show and the inability to highlight this could create the perception that defending is not a skill while had it been Tyrone who did the foot trip on Gooch to stop a goal scoring opportunity this would have dominated the press headlines in the after match of the game. So again the 'Northern' view was probably more one of looking for a level playing field on reporting than complaining about the spectacle as such.

What the games you mention have in common is that they were all contests and this is why I believe they will be fondly remembered. Dublin roll out the champagne football most times they take the park but a lot of the games are instantly forgettable because they are such one sided affairs.

Finally what counties are non-footballing counties? As far as I am aware the game is even played in Kilkenny :)

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 14/05/2015 13:04:00    1723604

Great post MesAmis, agree 100% with you. The game just evolves and will be completely different in 10 years time. Why do games need to be high scoring to be entertaining, this isn't basketball. Every sport has poor games, if you look at any soccer game there is very little happening for large parts of the game. The three big problems I think the GAA need to address before messing with the rules are 1. A proper fixtures calendar 2. too many one-sided games 3. implement the black card properly (now that is here to stay)

JimTheLegend (Donegal) - Posts: 247 - 14/05/2015 13:10:56    1723610

if you defend in gaa its negative or immoral....especially if you are from tyrone as theres something sinister about slapping the ball out of somebodies hand in the correct fashion

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 14/05/2015 13:15:12    1723619

Anyone thinking that the game is fine....

Donegal winning the AI a few years back is that they had a defensive system but had an extraordinary counter attack, very hard to play against.
But the problem with that is that since then how many counties and clubs are following the Donegal style but dont have the same fluency and it jsut becomes a defensive chore.

These games are becoming depressing to watch and these ***** games are on the increase.
So I dont believe the authorities should stick their head in the sand and hope all this negativity goes away as it wont.

I like the Brolly idea and hopefully something like that will be seen tried out

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 14/05/2015 13:59:33    1723639

Ya the real issue,is the fact that many teams have tried the Donegal model,but are not good enough to do it! Like the last poster said,they have not got the fluency,class or counter-attacking ability that Donegal have,so in the end,they are just defensive..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 14/05/2015 14:34:58    1723657

But if the real issue is that other teams have tried to copy Donegal but don't have the same fluency, they will get no success and surely not adopt these tactics forever. We just need to let the game evolve. I think there is an overraction to the Donegal and Dublin game last year. I agree some games do get bogged down but that can happen regardless. You get good and bad games no matter what style of football is being played.

JimTheLegend (Donegal) - Posts: 247 - 14/05/2015 14:45:22    1723660

Some good responses and posts there.

I think the message I'd like to see out there is that we must not change the game for changes sake.

I'm also talking exclusively about rule changes to the game rather than revamping competitions/schedules etc, which is another debate entirely.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 14/05/2015 15:04:59    1723669

Naysayer

Thats where you and I differ, I enjoyed the games i highlighted above as i would prefer open games with high level of foot passing and goal/point scoring.
Yes the defensive aspects of the game might not be of the standard you would like but we cant expect every game to be perfect. Whether kerry were playing in them games or not is irrelevent as i do enjoy more open games.

However, i respect where you are coming from as the defensive play wasnt as good as it should be. Its a part of the game that my own county certainly has to improve on and with fitzmaurice on board i would expect him to have a plan for any such encounters later on in the year.

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts: 898 - 14/05/2015 15:07:13    1723671

Great post here by MesAmis.

For those (Ziggy and Woops) that do seem to think there is a problem...The game will evolve for the teams that are not able to add the attacking dynamic. If you listened to the last word (last friday) Paul Earley, Dick Clerkin and James Horan did speak to this, albeit indirectly. Some teams, ourselves, maybe started out with this as THE game plan but you need to build on it to progress. Monaghan do have a further aspect to their game and can kick scores (when there is a fully fit forward line) as well as anyone. I was at a great game this year in Blayney v Cork and it was exhibition stuff (we were unlucky in the end) because that was the way to play that particular game.....Ziggy in particular should know we like to rack up a big score considering the last two times we have met!

It just takes people to stop with this nonsense. (Insert team here) play too defensive/blanket/puke football, Dublin have it too easy in leinster, blah, blah, blah. Things will evolve and differing counties fortunes will wax and wane.

seanfinn (Monaghan) - Posts: 360 - 14/05/2015 15:19:57    1723676

KY4SAM2015 i think Kerry proved last summer they are as tactically astute as the best of them.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 14/05/2015 15:28:59    1723679