Patrique - "If Mike Sheehy, Paidi O'Shea, Ger Power, Ogie Moran and Pat Spillane had been born in Belfast they wouldn't have an all Ireland between them."

With that crowd and some of the players Antrim had at the time (Andy McCallin for instance) - I think Antrim would have taken one of two of the AIs in the 1970s alright (we did win the U21 AI in 1969).

pearsesabu (Antrim) - Posts: 663 - 22/10/2008 09:06:56    123744

patrique most definitely frank mc guigan and i agree spillane the best ever.

reddoctor (Tyrone) - Posts: 1241 - 22/10/2008 09:16:29    123751

HokeyPokey
County: Tyrone
Posts: 360

121882 Michael Meehan

What? after the display Galway gave against Kerry, it could be sooner rather then later!! - Hopefully!

Declan Browne, Mattie Forde, James Nallen,


What about Mort??? ha ha

CrossBar (Galway) - Posts: 362 - 22/10/2008 09:39:44    123773

FAO Patrique

You call on Ollie Collins is bang on, he is one of the best players i've had the good grace to play against, and line out alongside. The fact the man was nominated for 2 All-Stars while Derry were playing in the old All Ireland B Championship say a lot about the hurlier the man was.

There is one hole in your argument, didn't he play in Laveys All-Ireland Club win in 1991?

Bald Eagle (None) - Posts: 1009 - 22/10/2008 10:23:22    123814

Myself!

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 22/10/2008 10:35:39    123828

John Keane two all-stars U-21 AI,but senior very doubtful.Winning two All-Stars with a county like Westmeath surely proves he is great player.

DABLACKSPOT (Westmeath) - Posts: 551 - 22/10/2008 11:07:28    123863

Ollie Canning and Ken McGrath and in football Eamonn O'Hara and Longfords Brian Kavanagh.

galwaycelt (Galway) - Posts: 307 - 22/10/2008 12:02:09    123906

da blackspot he is an excellent player in a poor era for great players.

reddoctor (Tyrone) - Posts: 1241 - 22/10/2008 12:22:10    123939

Paddy Bradley, Sean Marty Lockhart hopefully

tyronemanc (Tyrone) - Posts: 163 - 22/10/2008 13:29:55    124026

red doc wise up everyone knows frank mc guigan - the greatest to never win an all ireland . i bet u are some wee school boy who has no memory of football b4 2003. many ppl on here have been going to matches from 70's ( myself the 80's) that know great players who never got their all ireland

redhandman (Tyrone) - Posts: 431 - 22/10/2008 14:02:26    124060

How about Nudie Hughes - three times all star for Monaghan ????

Bernardo (Monaghan) - Posts: 611 - 22/10/2008 14:46:48    124097

I'd be of the opinion that Nudie Hughes is the greatest never to win an all-ireland, then again I may be biased. Frank McGuigan was a truely brilliant player though and anyone who says he wasn't, merely on the basis that he never won sam, needs their head examining.

mid-mon man (Monaghan) - Posts: 1680 - 22/10/2008 14:51:33    124105

So Red Doc, was Frank McGuigan average? In my opinion he was a better player than anyone on the current Tyrone team, Cavanagh being the only rival, but for me, not as good as Frank. Frank was a legend, I would say only Canavan rivals him as best Tyrone player ever.

Ollie Collins I think was on the Lavey panel in 1991 he did not play. I was aware of that but I left it out because I wanted all those Tyrone "stickball" people to wrack their brains trying to remember a Derry footballer by that name. I think it was Babs Keating who was raving about him one day in a Railway cup game against Munster, and wondered why he wasn't on the Antrim team. I think he fell over when told Ollie was a Derryman. Marvellous hurler.

As was Ciaran Carey, a particular favourite of mine, a natural hurler, great at mid field or centre half. Better than thousands who won all Ireland medals.

And finally, with the talent Antrim had available in the 1970s none of those Kerrymen would have got on the team. Why did we win nothing? Because the Berringer Cup, and the Martin Cup, are considered to be better trophies than Sam Maguire by the people who run Antrim, the big clubs.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 22/10/2008 18:18:33    124398

Dermot McCabe, Seanie Johnson and James Reilly. Every team has good players but few are destined for All-Irelands.

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 22/10/2008 18:30:47    124408

frank mcguigan was an excellent player for tyrone but apart from one cameo appearance in 84, didnt exactly light the fires on the national stage, now did he. he was a wasted talent for the redhands and his glory patrique is only enhanced by romantic old fools like yourself. he didnt touch leather against gerry hargan in the 84 semi and apart from 73 what the hell did he do. apart from score the greatest goal of all time in a mountjoy carnival perhaps. great is bandied about a bit to literally. all ireland missin of the old cv says it all.

reddoctor (Tyrone) - Posts: 1241 - 22/10/2008 21:24:56    124483

Red Doctor, for a Tyrone man that is sacrilege. My work mate Mickey McGee has three all Irelands, three times better than Frank then? I think Mickey will agree with me on this one. I saw Frank in two losing Ulster U21 finals against Antrim, with Gerry |Armstrong and Bab Armstrong dominating him, but that was two games. Frank was a complete footballer.

Think of some of the players with all Ireland medals. The McNulty's, McCullough, McMahon's, Paddy O'Rourke, Johnny McGurk, Gary Coleman, Gary Mason, and Mickey Magill. Just a sample, all from Northern winners. Are these players all time greats compared to Kevin Armstrong, Frank McGuigan, Nudie Hughes and Tommy Murphy?

If you think so, well and good, end of discussion. I may respect your opinion, but would sooner discuss GAA matters with a more informed person.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 22/10/2008 22:12:50    124516

reddoctor i think you are ungracious and a little big headed in your posts. every county has produced great players and most posters can produce lists of same. alot of these players have been honoured with all stars but in your case it seems that the only criteria is an all ireland medal to envoke greatness. you have a short memory it is only in the last decade that tyrone have come to the fore and i am sure tyrone have produced great players. this thread has a title read it

shaneanthony (Sligo) - Posts: 277 - 22/10/2008 22:19:29    124521

I am amazed at Red Doctors comments about the fact that only great men win All Irelands. Well Red Doc its rich coming from you a man who ran his own County dowm on this site so many times during their leaner times in the earlier months of this year. back then those of us who really follow football knew that your county had not gone away and that they were just coming out of a very bad injury crisis. We also knew that it would be the latter end of the Summer before anyone could dare write them off and the rest is history!!!!!!I think a player firstly needs to be gifted in skills to become a good player and to become that you have many sarcrifices along the way and so at present many young footballers give us some great entertainment and for that reason I would not begrudge any of the fore mentioned an all Ireland medal.

border Gael (Monaghan) - Posts: 913 - 22/10/2008 23:03:23    124560

Charlie Gallagher

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12378 - 23/10/2008 00:07:43    124598

patrique County: Antrim Posts: 824 Ollie Collins I think was on the Lavey panel in 1991 he did not play. I was aware of that but I left it out because I wanted all those Tyrone "stickball" people to wrack their brains trying to remember a Derry footballer by that name. I think it was Babs Keating who was raving about him one day in a Railway cup game against Munster, and wondered why he wasn't on the Antrim team. I think he fell over when told Ollie was a Derryman. Marvellous hurler. As was Ciaran Carey, a particular favourite of mine, a natural hurler, great at mid field or centre half. Better than thousands who won all Ireland medals. _______________________________________________________________________________ I'm not 100% myself if he played or was on the panel either patrique, but definately a Derry hurler that would've graced any county side in Ireland in my opinion, including Kilkenny. Some of the things he could do were just awe inspiring Ciaran Carey i've had the good grace to train alongside and i can personally echo everything you say about him. I'm very public in my view of him as a player and a man. I was truly gutted when Limerick lost the Intermediate final last month, just for him alone. I also see some of the "Tyrone" fans are showing themselves up a treat by their sheer lack of knowledge of the ability of some of their greatest ever players!!! Frank McGuigan, AVERAGE? Don't make me laugh!! The man was brilliant, there's just no questioning that!! Unlike some of the Tyrone posters, i don't have a problem acknowledging a great player who should've won an All Ireland medal. It's easy to support when the sun shines!

Bald Eagle (None) - Posts: 1009 - 23/10/2008 08:56:45    124640