soccer is the universal game we play it in the slums of the earth to the richest estates its that simple , but us irish are lucky that we have our gaelic games it helps defines us

hipster (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 29/04/2009 22:15:56    271757

Soccer stinks. And it's not even close to Gaelic Football or Hurling in athleticism. Basketball and hockey are far more demanding also.

mikeyjoe (USA) - Posts: 415 - 30/04/2009 03:47:53    271981

I said it before and il say it again.

Plough up every soccer field in the country and plant spuds on them!

the seal (Meath) - Posts: 583 - 30/04/2009 12:59:22    272255

There is a lot made of the skills in soccer, dribbling, first touch etc... But in my mind watching Dara O Se catching a high ball at midfield and soloing through defences to score a great point, Eoin Mulligans two goals V Dublin in 2005 (one in the league) where he threw the dummy passes and sent the Dublin defence the wrong way also Ciaran McDonald, Padraic Joyce and Maurice Fitzgerald all have made me more excited than Messi, Ronaldo and Thierry Henry have in the last twenty years. I think Gaelic is a purer game, where the physicality only highlights how great the best players really are under pressure. Dont think Ronaldo would nut meg Francie Bellew a second time. Also the parish and county give people a sense of where they are from, an attachment to a team. Couldn't possibly see a Nicholas Anelka type in the GAA, playing for Dublin, Tyrone and Kerry in ten years. Still I must admit I like soccer, rugby, and most ball games so I am not blinkered just Gaelic Football excites me more.

bananapublican (Leitrim) - Posts: 878 - 30/04/2009 13:25:56    272300

Soccer is by far the harder game to play you have to be more skillfull ,intelligent and physically stronger to play at a high level .When posters say soccer players are softer I think it just means they wont hit a lad a box from behind .The violence in our games at this time is quiet sickening and is starting to lead us down a slippery slope that no one seems to have the courage to say stop.

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 30/04/2009 13:28:03    272304

haviong played all four codes of the gaa, soccer, rugby and basketball the easiest by far to play is soccer, what skill is there???? lets see, i kick the ball forward mmmm tough, then the ball comes at me i stop it and then i kick the ball forward!!! not the toughest or most skill full game by any means.

gealic is very difficult to learn and play, you have far more stuff happening at a faster pace than in moset soccer games, hurling is more skillfull than the two puttogether. you wanna talk about controll? try stopping a ball mid flight thats going at 110 km an hour plus on a stick and bring it down to your hand while another person is trying to stop you and hit you???? try that for controll!!!!!


skill games
1. hurling
2. gaelic football
3. handball
4. basketball
5. rugby
6. soccer

rich dublin (None) - Posts: 425 - 30/04/2009 13:39:18    272323

Re rich dublin

I agree with you about the point you made regarding hurling. But seeing as soccer is such an easy sport to master I take it that you must feel a bit foolish in your chosen career path, having decided against playing the game at a professional level & all the financial rewards that that would have entailed.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9919 - 30/04/2009 14:00:52    272357

Skill Games/ Team
Hurling
Soccer/football
Basketball
Rounders
Lacrosse
Handball
Baseball
Cricket
Netball
Tug of war
Rowing
Toss the horsehoe
Polo
Rugby League
Rugby Union

Real Kerry Fan (None) - Posts: 2957 - 30/04/2009 15:46:39    272493

Personnally I'm a soccer man but can see a lot of peoples points about difficulty I played both soccer and gaelic and stuggled at the GAELIC.

But what I dont agree with is some peolles interpretation of soccer. It is not just the big leagues, the Man U,s the Barelonas, etc. Personally I follow Dundalk FC in league of Ireland first because of my place of birth and I love live football. I find the Irish league fairly similar to that of league 1 and 2 in England. Players get hit they get back up. Not every soccer player is a Ronaldo and I think its wrong to paint them all with the one brush!

officialpenguin (Cavan) - Posts: 1 - 30/04/2009 15:56:26    272503

lockjaw very funny but no need for it,

rich dublin (None) - Posts: 425 - 30/04/2009 16:03:06    272511

I think a lot depends on what level you are playin at too at each sport. if you are playin senior football and playing premier league soccer in your county, both of which i have done, then there isn't alot in the difference. i think a fast paced gaa match over a fast paced soccer is more intense and faster and physically tougher. i play defence in both and in gaa its tougher as you are man to man marking and constantly on the go and its harder to win the ball. theres less time on the ball as a defender in gaa (most of time) but i think when in comes to control and skill, i think soccer requires an awful lot more in both. its easy enough catch a ball but to have good close control in soccer is a comendable skill. when it comes to watching one over the other it depends. a good championship gaa match -v- a good cup game in soccer. GAA anyday. by far one of the best sports to watch. however i would lkie to see GAA played at much higher level. i play a high level of rugby and it being my first sport - rugby players are by far better conditioned players then gaa players (i'm talking amateur - AIL and top junior div's) - stronger and faster and it leads to the game being a lot more difficult to play(not by the nature of the sport but by the plyers themselves). there is nothing i like to watch more then a lad playing club football who is fast strong and fit and who looks after himself. nothing worse then watching a match full of hungover out of shape lads. it rarely happens in rugby cause it would hurt. but to some my point up, if all 3 were played at the same standard then gaa is the best to play and watch and probaly the toughest (might not be as skillfull as soccer or as tough as rugby but a good combination of those from the two)

S15 (Mayo) - Posts: 26 - 30/04/2009 16:20:45    272529

Ah richdublin only having a bit of the aul craic. Relax baby!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9919 - 30/04/2009 16:28:29    272537

Realkerryfan I couldn`t agree more with your jaundiced view of Rugby in fact i secretly know that you drafted your list to enable you to show your distaste for everything oval. My aul Da used to say that Rugby is the only sport in the world where the object is to kick the ball out of play!! I just cant derive any enjoyment from it even though im always glad to see Ireland have success.

gaelantrim (Antrim) - Posts: 1616 - 30/04/2009 17:28:57    272602

''I used to play Hurling,Gaelic Football & soccer but then I just fell out of love with them because I was bad'' - Donncha O'Callaghan

Duffy89 (Wexford) - Posts: 3320 - 30/04/2009 17:30:30    272607

Realkerry i definitely think that 'Ring a ring a roses' deserves to be placed between toss the horseshoe and polo.

gaelantrim (Antrim) - Posts: 1616 - 30/04/2009 17:37:44    272617

lockjaw has a very strong point with rich dublin there,haha wat a header!

odhranmacGD (Donegal) - Posts: 42 - 30/04/2009 18:21:12    272666

Soccer, unless it features Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Barcelona and a few others, is boring. At 90 minutes it is about 50 minutes too long.

As a spectacle Gaelic football would be better, and these days more and more are turning to watching Rugby, league or union, in preference to soccer.

Skill wise, Gaelic has ball control, soloing, catching, passing. Soccer has less than that.

Tactically, due to off side, it may require more thought and tact and cunning, such as Rory Delap.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 30/04/2009 19:01:05    272708

I dont knowmuch about soccor except that I find it boring. In my opinion it has one skill. Kick the ball and most of the million pound players seem to be able to do this best when kicking backwards. Now if someone would pay me several thousand a week to do nothing except kick a ball I reckon I could learn to kick it forwards.

derryman (Derry) - Posts: 3246 - 30/04/2009 20:05:01    272756

i had the misfortune to go and see bohs and sligo a couple of year back and i can safely say it was the most boring 90 mins of me life.last year me mates soccer team was short a few players so as our season was over i went along and played.i played centre half and remember thinking afterwards how slow and soft they were and how you could barely touch them without the ref giving a free and of course the ol melee was nowhere to be seen.and while we are on the subject i think a new law should be brought in that any irish man that refers to an english soccer team as " we" should be sent to the joy for six months.

finglas full ba (None) - Posts: 636 - 30/04/2009 21:48:58    272832

I hate soccer,it is boring lethargic tripe.people say that soccer players are overpaid,well my view is that they shouldnt be paid at all.ronaldo is considered extremely skillfull,well i for one dont think he is,it is that most other soccer players have no skill at all and can do nothing that any of the rest of us couldnt do ourselves.

enda.muldoon (Derry) - Posts: 318 - 30/04/2009 22:34:20    272875