This Seasons' Champion? (Football)

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All right since I've not contributed as much as I've liked to this season I'll try and spark a bit of debate here and hopefully people will contribute and we'll all be happy throttling each other. Out of the counties left who will be crowned this years all-ireland champion and undisputed football deities of the universe, will it be one of the provincial winners or will one of the teams in the qualifiers (Meath!) comeback with a challenge? Will it be Cari's favourite Bernie lifting Sam, do we dare hype up Mayo of the west or will those jammy bar stewards...er..I mean Kerry be too good for the opposition.

Despite more limited knowledge on it I might try and start one for the Hurling folks on here if this takes off.

Aka,

Kerry people happy with Fitzmaurice?.........seems to be universally liked and respected.
Do you think it was time for an outsider who could come with a fresh look at the players in the county??

cork got rated as a great team by not winning all-irelands and having a meaningless semi final record beating teams like sligo roscommon and pre mc guinness donegal the comparison was based on success over 5 years this current cork team have been unsuccessful and no where near a great team.

patrick91 wrote:excuses not as good as thay can be so if on their game they would have won thats just disrespectful cork were ready they couldnt deal with donegal they lost.

cork are over rated they will never be a kerry or a tyrone.

and the last line sounds like sour grapes for once this not anything to do with anti ulster its simply how big teams cant lose without an excuse.

You seem to have failed to grasp the fact that while I think Cork played shoite with poor tactics and all that Donegal were deserving winners. It's not really an excuse it's fact. Would we have beaten them had we played our best, I don't know but we would have given ourselves a fighting chance which we didn't. Donegal were far superior than that 2 point win suggested. There are no excuses here, Donegal's intensity and power was not matched by Cork and it is the main reason why we lost but to say Cork didn not have a part in their own downfall is moronic.

Who ever said Cork were a great team? Don't believe what the media tells you. A great team wins at least 2 AIs

iv never said cork were not gracious in defeat but there is a difference between admiting to being outplayed and having poor tactics. poor tactics points at poor mangement and not at the real fact that counihan is one of the top managers in the country and i doubt any tactics would have changed the result. if cork had of some how fluked a victory on sunday it would have been an injustice but imo they would have won another all-ireland so it nothing to do with management.

Counihan one of the top managers in the county? What planet are you on?


I admitted we were outplayed, and have done since the start I just think we played shoite football and Counihan is clueless.

dosen't seem right telling a corkman they beter than he says usually the other way about but 3 national league divison one titles in a row and all-ireland 2010 cant think of many managers who have beter records in last 5 years.

shoite football because of counihan of shiote football because of the pressure of the donegal system?

League titles, that's straw clutching there they don't matter jack. He has failed to get this Cork team to beat strong defensive systems, employing insanely stupid tactics to try do so, he has to go in my opinon. Cork have had the best squad in the country for 3 years, and have one AI to show for it, management need to be scrutinised.

you cant lay all the blame on management what about the 15 on the field the best team and the best forwards and they cant kick a ball over the bar from 30+ meteres out don't lay all the balme at counihan.

John Cregan wrote:Aka,

Kerry people happy with Fitzmaurice?.........seems to be universally liked and respected.
Do you think it was time for an outsider who could come with a fresh look at the players in the county??

He would not have been my choice. I would have preferred someone with more experience. One year at u21's is'nt very much. But I suppose we will have to give him a chance.
Outside manager? I personally would have no objection if they could bring something to table for the long-term. Not some mercenary. I definitely think Jack O Connor did very well but lacked a small bit of tactical nous when it came to some of the big games. Too many times we played within ourselves and worried about the other teams game plan. Anyhow I cannot see any success for Kerry for the next few years.

Watching the coverage on RTE on Sunday I didnt realise the diet that Pat Spillane said they had. He contributes their current success thanks to eating 8 meals a day and using protein shakes, jesus they must weight train and eat like amateur rugby players these days.

drsambo1928 wrote:Watching the coverage on RTE on Sunday I didnt realise the diet that Pat Spillane said they had. He contributes their current success thanks to eating 8 meals a day and using protein shakes, jesus they must weight train and eat like amateur rugby players these days.

That was just one player, Kavanagh I think but yes they train like professionals. Give this a sconce if you want to know about some of their commitment. http://www.sportpulse.net/content/full-time-amateur-life-gaa-player-2847

Its some commitment, they must absolutley love the game. I never knew they took protein and stuff but that probably explains why they are very lean.

Everyone takes protein. They are lean cause they work hard and are committed, read my link above and you see some of the amount of training and games the players put in.

Football isn't a great sport in my opinon, hurling is far superior imo

Thomond wrote:Everyone takes protein. They are lean cause they work hard and are committed, read my link above and you see some of the amount of training and games the players put in.

Football isn't a great sport in my opinon, hurling is far superior imo

Not this year. The hurling has been dire so far. That Kilkenny/Tipp match had very little hurling in it.

You dont get that lean muscular stature without a bit of protein and maybe a bit of creatine. the hurlers are also lean, but i wonder is there a danger they will soon turn into gym monkeys to the highest extent they can within the limits of football or hurling and perhaps like rugby, be so big that the physicality is vital and skill is secondary.

That's already happened in football, all about fitness it would be a lot more difficult for it to happen in hurling. You can get lean enough without that substance shoite if you work hard enough but yes they are on it.


KK/Tipp was one of the sole poor matches Aka. Cork v Waterford, Galway V KK and Limerick v Tipp were all good games. It can get a bit predictable at times alright that's an issue. I'm surprised a Kerryman even knows what a hurley looks like, you could say the same for those not from Wesht Cork where football is concerned.

Kerry have a growing popularity in hurling. only joking, as long as they are better then London, then they are fine.