Ronnie O'Brien: Time Magazine Man of the Century
that is all
that is all
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I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one. -
That OWC couldn't hit a barn door from 5m.
Can't even win a rigged vote on their own doorstep.Comment
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the issue of replacing God Save The Queen was debated on Off The Ball last night with of the Kenny Donaldson, UUP spokesman on the community and voluntary sector, it's on the playback service at http://media.newstalk.ie/Comment
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That's one interpretation, I suppose; another might be that when it comes to rigging these things, OWC members are not so adept or practiced as their opponents. Or even that with around 1,000 (?) reasonably active posters from a total membership of a few thousand, OWC's "circulation" is drastically lower than that of the Belfast Telegraph.
Either way, that (Tony O'Reilly-controlled) Bellylaugh poll has about as much credibility as eg this Poll by your National Broadcaster:
http://www.rte.ie/tv/irelandsgreatest/
I mean to say, Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately?
What the Hell is wrong with the other Members of the Band?
As both a musical genius and a thespian of Olivier proportions, Keith Duffy is a veritable Renaissance Man, yet he doesn't get a mention!
I am reminded of the phrase by James Joyce, where he characterised Ireland as being like "The old Sow that eats its own Farrow" - not that that nonentity deserves to be in such a Poll...Last edited by EalingGreen; 23/03/2010, 1:30 PM.Comment
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Thanks for the alert, but is it available yet? I've checked through the OTB playback schedule and the most recent edition I can find is 18th March. Maybe I'm missing something?
Anyhow, for anyone interested, OWC ran two Polls on the topic of replacing GSTQ as the NI footballing anthem last year and with a healthy response of about 700-odd voters in each, returned a clear 2:1 majority in favour of change.
This exercise is being repeated at the moment, and with 326 votes cast so far, the response is 236 (= 76.4%) to 77 (=23.6%) in favour of............
...replacing GSTQ.
Therefore if this indicates anything about the mindset of your average OWC member, it is that by a 3:1 majority (and rising?), we must all be implacable, Loyalist Bigots (or "small-minded refusniks", as one poster on here so charmingly phrased it)
Last edited by EalingGreen; 23/03/2010, 1:26 PM.Comment
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a bit more accurate guidance to the Newstalk OTB program.
off the ball - monday - part 3
from 30mins on to 40 mins approx
Interview with Kenny Donaldson, a cheerful chap who states in the interview that he is a practicing Unionist
He says that the atmosphere at WP has radically changed from what it was some years ago.
Did he also say "Phil the Coulter" ?
a sort of a Percy French slip of the tongue.Comment
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Interesting. Might be time to set up a poll for what you'd replace it with?Thanks for the alert, but is it available yet? I've checked through the OTB playback schedule and the most recent edition I can find is 18th March. Maybe I'm missing something?
Anyhow, for anyone interested, OWC ran two Polls on the topic of replacing GSTQ as the NI footballing anthem last year and with a healthy response of about 700-odd voters in each, returned a clear 2:1 majority in favour of change.
This exercise is being repeated at the moment, and with 326 votes cast so far, the response is 236 (= 76.4%) to 77 (=23.6%) in favour of............
...replacing GSTQ.
Therefore if this indicates anything about the mindset of your average OWC member, it is that by a 3:1 majority (and rising?), we must all be implacable, Loyalist Bigots (or "small-minded refusniks", as one poster on here so charmingly phrased it)
Teenage Kicks? How cool an anthem would that be!!!Quoting years at random since 1975Comment
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Imo you're being highly disingenuous with that interpretation of your experience on OWC, Predator.
For when, following a period of "lurking", you first started posting on the Board (around the France play-off), you received little or no adverse comment. However, when you took exception to some (only some, btw) of the response to the Duffy defection, your attitude visibly hardened.
Now that's fair enough, except that a hardening of attitude in response to what you consider to be unreasonable remarks is one thing. It is quite another when you descend to petty, even risible, argument* to try to bolster your case.
When you did that, you should not be surprised if people began to consider you a troll.
P.S. You may not be aware of it, but one of the posters with whom you have had the strongest run-ins is actually a fellow Donegal man. However, unlike you, he supports a local club team (Harps), not one from another county (country?) at all...
* - For those who don't know, Predator strongly defended the motives, manner and timing of Duffy's switch, which is fair enough. Except that when presented with clearly contradictory and damning evidence of Duffy/his Da saying one thing, whilst simultaneously doing something quite different, rather than withdrawing gracefully, Predator tried to rely on the "defence" that the guy posting on OWC as "Duffs" was not in fact who he claimed to be (Duffy's Da). Pathetic, really...
You said it, Predator, "some" posters. In my experience (admittedly limited to a bare handful of MB's), every such forum has its share of "silly" posters, including this one.
Indeed, I have had exactly the same reaction here i.e. "what are you even doing on this Board?" etc. Imo, the proper reaction is to stand your ground and make your point (ideally without resorting to the sort of weak or "silly" argument you employ, when backed into a corner)
Speaking of "silly", why can you not see that the likes of eg Norwood and Gibson are different in one crucial aspect, namely that Norwood has grandparents born within the jurisdiction of the Association he wishes to represent, whilst Gibson does not. The correct comparison with Norwood should be the likes of James McCarthy, or your beloved Shane Duffy, both of whom comply with the (ancestral/residential) eligibility requirements imposed on every other single footballer on the planet who wishes to represent an Association within whose jurisdiction he was not born.
As for the de facto sectarian nature of the FAI's recruitment policy, as every new case of defection emerges, the incontrovertible fact that they are exclusively from the Nationalist/Catholic community, combined with the equally incontrovertible evidence of the FAI being prepared to make the first approach, points ever more directly to the point that they are only offering opportunities to one community in NI.
Which, considering the FAI's deceit over "not making the first approach", makes sense i.e. if they were to approach promising youngsters from the Unionist/Protestant community, they would risk being turned down flat, and their activities being exposed for all to see.
Still, we're the bigots in all this...Last edited by EalingGreen; 23/03/2010, 2:25 PM.Comment
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It's definitely there, I was listening to it myself this morning. I listened to it a few times to get his name and position correct
Kenny states right at the start that this is his personal opinion and not that of the UUP
Click "Listen Back"
Scroll down to Off The Ball, and select it
Click Monday 22nd
It's in Part 3, about 30 minutes in
Might be a different result if they followed Kenny's suggestion!Anyhow, for anyone interested, OWC ran two Polls on the topic of replacing GSTQ as the NI footballing anthem last year and with a healthy response of about 700-odd voters in each, returned a clear 2:1 majority in favour of change.
This exercise is being repeated at the moment, and with 326 votes cast so far, the response is 236 (= 76.4%) to 77 (=23.6%) in favour of............
...replacing GSTQ.
Therefore if this indicates anything about the mindset of your average OWC member, it is that by a 3:1 majority (and rising?), we must all be implacable, Loyalist Bigots (or "small-minded refusniks", as one poster on here so charmingly phrased it)Comment
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You are not delusional Tets
I have already given the link for Listen Back
The problem for some might be where to find 'listen back' on the newstalk site as there is no obvious link.
The 'listen back' link can be found at the bottom of the home page under 'Most Popular'Last edited by geysir; 23/03/2010, 2:31 PM.Comment
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Thanks for that - I shall give it a listen when I've a mo.a bit more accurate guidance to the Newstalk OTB program.
off the ball - monday - part 3
from 30mins on to 40 mins approx
Interview with Kenny Donaldson, a cheerful chap who states in the interview that he is a practicing Unionist
He says that the atmosphere at WP has radically changed from what it was some years ago.
Did he also say "Phil the Coulter" ?
a sort of a Percy French slip of the tongue.
As for Kenny Donaldson, by "practising" Unionist, I think he meant "active" i.e. as the UUP's Spokesman on the Community and Voluntary section, he is actually an office bearer.
And he is well qualified to remark on the "radical changes" which have been made to the atmosphere at WP, since he is a regular NI fan. In this respect, he is very different from eg Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice), Ian Paisley Jr. (DUP) and David McNarry (UUP spokesman on Sport), all of whom are now rushing to the barricades to defend the playing of GSTQ at Windsor, despite their never darkening the doors of the place that any of us fans have ever noticed.
Then again, there is an Election due...
Anyhow, here is another Statement by Donaldson, from his Party's website, which may be of interest:
Whilst I appreciate that many (all?) of the sentiments expressed may find little favour on this forum, I still think it is rather bold, even brave, for a Unionist politician to speak out against the playing of GSTQ at NI games, at this particular time.
Let's hope his is the voice of the future!
P.S. Re the Phil Coulter slip, I suspect you may be correct, though "Phil the Fluter" was only known for one Ball (singular), unlike "Phil The Coulter", who is pretty much all balls these days...Comment
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Tbh, one of the earlier Polls did pursue that avenue. However, the problem is that those who would retain GSTQ invariably justify their stance on the basis that there is no concensus on what should replace it.
Which, until the decision is actually made to find a new Anthem, will always be a problem for those of us who are pro-change i.e. if a third support GSTQ, then they only need to split the vote amongst three alternatives in order still to be the largest "choice".
As far as I'm concerned (and a majority of the pro-changers?), we need to establish the principle first, then deal with finding the alternative.
Would do for me; in fact, just about anything would do, although I am increasingly being drawn to this particular version of another popular candidate:
Comment
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i think this would capture the diversity of Northern Ireland and its people - and sung by one of your own.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.Comment
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Perhaps so, but I wasn't basing it solely on my own experience. Recently Danny Invincible was suspended from the site for a rather long period following his (in my opinion, reasonable) posts on the thread dedicated to 'Owen''s facebook page, for allegedly holding two accounts through which he supposedly posted 'offensive' comments and made threats. Ask Danny Invincible for the responses he received from his inquiries; they're quite childish.
I actually did receive quite a bit of adverse comment around the time of the play-off, admittedly from 'some' rather than all. What you're saying is that my attitude 'hardened' because I defended Duffy and others' decision to change, something which was somewhat of a contrarian position on the message-board. I'd actually say that certain posters' attitudes to me (and others, including Danny Invincible) 'hardened'.
You're actually combining two arguments - the compensation one and the 'defection' one.
My arguments were not petty, although I suppose there may be an element of humour somewhere in there. Indeed, while most posters (including my fellow Donegal man, fhtb) were up in arms about the FAI's perceived 'poaching' of Duffy and others, I raised the point that the players who defected were free to and did make first contact with the FAI and I pointed to evidence which clearly shows this to be the case. The only 'refutation' I got was the outcry that Liam Brady had been in contact with Duffy (which was after Duffy and others had contacted the FAI) and the fact that after a trial with Seán McCaffrey's 17s, he continued to play for NI.
In both the argument over compensation and 'defection', posters kept relying on a post from an anonymous character named 'duffs' and I suggested that such information is not something worthy of basing an argument on, since, for all we know 'duffs' could be anyone. I was hardly relying on this; au contraire, many OWC posters were. Perhaps they're the pathetic ones?
I certainly was aware. What point are you trying to make here EG? I know quite a few Donegal men who support Derry. Indeed, many of those who live close to the border do.
It's tragic...
We have a different interpretation of FIFA's rules.
We'll see the CAS appeal goes and whether or not FIFA change their rules.
Calling the nature of the FAI's recruitment policy 'de facto sectarian' is ridiculous. You might as well be calling any player from NI who wishes to play for the Republic sectarian. If you want to talk about real sectarianism, we can and it's certainly got nothing to do with the FAI's recruitment policy.End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!Comment
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Sounds like it could have progressed into a 'I am Spartacus' moment.In both the argument over compensation and 'defection', posters kept relying on a post from an anonymous character named 'duffs' and I suggested that such information is not something worthy of basing an argument on, since, for all we know 'duffs' could be anyone. I was hardly relying on this; au contraire, many OWC posters were. Perhaps they're the pathetic ones?Comment
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