OakGael (Derry) - Posts: 293 - 20/04/2011 16:35:05    915797

agreed. Its a setback but lets see what we can do minus PB. I think we still might surprise a few!

doire abu (Derry) - Posts: 540 - 20/04/2011 19:18:25    915935

That's a serious loss to Derry. Best wishes to Paddy and James.

The Face (Monaghan) - Posts: 890 - 21/04/2011 10:44:23    916114

Hope Paddy will be back next year, I wish him a quick and speedy recovery.

Orlaith (Derry) - Posts: 4282 - 21/04/2011 13:10:16    916245

I hope its not the last we see of PB in derry colours. What a player, he won many a game on his own and will be missed badly. He was showing great form as well and just a shame this had to happen. A true derry man and has given great service this past decade. The best quote from Paddy has to be, "We had some players on the panel in the past and I know they're only there to say they've played for Derry. They came to training, went through the motions and saved themselves for club matches". That sums up derry football in an nutshell. STAND UP Paddy Bradley the best forward i've seen play for derry!

south_derry (Derry) - Posts: 47 - 21/04/2011 15:20:42    916382

I have no problem saying paddy will go down as derry's best ever forward no doubt (his scoring stats prove it)! but no point looking in the past we have to push on no nonsense no injury excuses we have to get to an ulster final the county, the players past and present and us the fans deserve an ulster final appearance.

brolly_4_pres (Derry) - Posts: 356 - 21/04/2011 16:21:45    916434

I would like to wish Paddy a speedy and Full recovery - a great servant to Doire this past 11 years - we have had terrible bad luck with injuries this year

doirebhoy (Derry) - Posts: 344 - 22/04/2011 18:14:55    916948

plagued by injuries this year.....have you just started to follow derry this year? Over the past three years we have had no luck on the injury front at all. We lost Doherty, Patsy Bradley, C Kielt, Muldoon, Carton, Mc Cusker, Mc Cloy, J Kielt (remember the broken jaw) all to championship football with injuries

On Paddy Bradleys injury, I would wish him all the luck and the single mindedness required to get over his career threatening injury, a big lost because he had got himself into the correct condition to play football at this level for the first time in about 3years, and his football was excellent for that reason. Clearly getting dropped had the correct effect on his attitude.

As for the opinion that he Paddy Bradley is the best Derry forwrd ever. Sorry can't agree. Give me Brolly or Gromely any day, both proved repeatedly in Ulster semi finals (how many has paddy played in 10 and lost them all, surely there was one he could have won by himself, an Ulster semi final is a big game) , Ulster finals, All Ireland semi finals and the All Ireland final. I think if you fall into that category you have to prove you got it for thr big occassions, Paddy never did, his fault or not, he never proved it. A one off game here and there in qualifiers isn't just the same. Just my opinion, and Brolly 4 is just entitled to his also.

MickeyMouse (Derry) - Posts: 174 - 23/04/2011 13:27:14    917162

The difference is Mickey mouse is that Brolly Gormley etc played on a great team, Paddy unfortunately has played on, at best mediocre teams and at worst bloody poor teams and still managed to rack up big scores he has single handedly carried the team for years (the stats dont lie he is not the highest scorer in ulster football history for nothing) I f Paddy had been around in 1993 he would have started before Brolly Seamus Downey and Enda Gormley as far as natural ability none of the 3 of them have a patch on him - End of .....

doirebhoy (Derry) - Posts: 344 - 24/04/2011 20:33:38    917803

Don't want to brust your bubble, but Gromely played for derry from 86, when our teams were poor and still managed to win a Ulster championship never mind get past an Ulster championship semifinal, 87 and 92 before we made the break through. Also it is widely recognised that Derry had a team from 04 -07 that should have made at least an Ulster final, with player around like Fergal Doherty, Enda Muldoon, Sean lockhart, Johnny Mc Bride, Paul Mc Flynn, Liam Himphey and Gilligan when they were all inthere prime, yet they could not make an Ulster final, why because IMO the main scorer couldn't produce it when it counted, unlike Gromely who just prodeced it time in and time out under pressure, the type of pressure Bradley could only dream of as he never experienced it. But I would agree with you that he MIGHT have got on ahead of Downey, but none of the other two for the very reasons mentioned. You clearly have a different idea of what it takes to play under pressure and produce the goods then me, and as i said before every body is entitled to their opinion.

MickeyMouse (Derry) - Posts: 174 - 25/04/2011 17:28:47    918120

Don,t want to be taken up wrong as p bradley was a legend but i agree with the post about enda gormley a much under rated player i watched him time and time again in clones and ulster the man at times was hardly fit to walk but he popped up time and again with vital scores.he may have played on good and bad derry teams but with him you nearly alway got the same effort and who can forget him stuffing it up cahalane after the box a legend.

mickeylinden (Monaghan) - Posts: 587 - 13/05/2011 19:50:18    930335

Yes no doubt Paddy Bradley has been the best scoring forward Derry has ever produced and hopefully he will be back next year.

The 93 team was a very good team across the board and PB would have walked on to the forward line. Gormley and Brolly were very good players (and deserved their all-stars) but not nearly as good as bradley. You don't need to be a genius to work out that gormley and brolly had the advantage of playing in a very good team with 8+ greats like scullion, mckeever, h downey and tohill in the side. It's clutching at straws saying that PB was also in a good Derry side containing the likes of Liam Hinphey, McBride and Paul McFlynn - good players but lets be honest, the average gaa fan outside of ulster wouldn't know who they are. One man who knew his football Coleman (RIP) recognised PB as a 'Derry great' - say no more.

topcat1 (Derry) - Posts: 25 - 06/06/2011 21:44:16    949227

Sorry lads but as a Donegal man looking at this topic, ive seen yous many times over the last 25 years and id go for Paddy Bradley as your best forward. Gormley was very good but he had an excellent team around him, something Bradley probably didint have

paddy92 (Donegal) - Posts: 141 - 21/06/2011 13:26:45    961842