Dave Hannigan's article today.

[ColinR]

A couple of facts here.
"but millions upon millions of tax-payers money was handed over, no questions asked, to the organisation."
COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY UNTRUE.
In total, €19 million of "taxpayers money" has been "handed over" to the GAA.

is €19m not millions upon millions, which would make the original quote completely and totally true.

(sorry for being a bit petty!)

[monutdfc]

Blackrock regularly play in schools soccer and won the Tony O'Neill Cup last year against St. McCartans, Monaghan in Belfield - that's a reply to other posts, not you Soko.

Unfortunately, it was not my Alma Mater (St Macartan's) that Blackrock defeated in that final but rather St Patrick's Cavan.

Gaelic football has always been the number one sport in St Macartan's which is fair enough I suppose (except that according one particular priest of the gaa zealot type it is written into the constitution of the school), but when I was there the soccer team were treated like second-class citizens. I think things have improved since.

[hamish]

Unfortunately, it was not my Alma Mater (St Macartan's) that Blackrock defeated in that final but rather St Patrick's Cavan.

Gaelic football has always been the number one sport in St Macartan's which is fair enough I suppose (except that according one particular priest of the gaa zealot type it is written into the constitution of the school), but when I was there the soccer team were treated like second-class citizens. I think things have improved since.

Apologies - it was St. Patricks not St.McCartans - I really will have to stop posting at all ours of the morning. I was at quite a few St.McCartans games and their attitude to all sports was top class. Things have changed. Fair play.
Soko, stop the nonsense about making things up - Garbally, Clongowes etc have soccer pitches and kids can play there BUT my point was do these schools enter FAI Schools competitions and do they bring in coaches etc to coach the students interested in football. Any school can toss up a couple of acres for a kickabout but DID YOU get the opportunity to represent your Cork school in the various Munster Cups and had you a teacher willing to enter teams in the competitions. If so, what happened?
Look Soko, forgive me me if I sound a patronising bsatard, I respect your points of view but I still think I'm right on this one. Let me tell you a little sceal. I captained the Garbally school team against St. Mary's of Galway in 1972 after we fought like fcuk to get a team in to Connacht football. (It lasted one more year after that and the rugby boys killed it). Stephen, a teammate of mine, recalled that recently and said it was one of the proudest days of his life that he could represent his school playing the game he loves. Do you see where I'm coming from? Would not YOU have liked to be able to say the same thing?
I agree with the other posts, rugby IS making great efforts to expand the game from its base. Why? The game will die otherwise. I fully support this, by the way but I DON'T support exclusivity, self indulgence and elitism in sport.
Cheers, man. Sir H.

[Troy.McClure]

To be utterly fair, I'm still outraged over the Irish Soccer team playing Chile (included one Mr. Dunphy) straight after the murder of Allende by CIA

You must have been in rages during USA '94 so?

[patsh]

Spot on, its obvious this fool has no idea what he's talking about but he's heard stories you know

Ah the typical reply from the rugger bugger, a little abuse and then the superior attitude to think you know something about me. One must never denigrate the guys, must one?...

[patsh]

is €19m not millions upon millions, which would make the original quote completely and totally true.

(sorry for being a bit petty!)

You are not being petty, just intensely pedantic.....

[patsh]

Ballax Patsh. ....

Ballax back to you.
I have recent (3 months ago) close experience of snobbery and elitism from rugger buggers, based entirely on birthplace, school and social class.
I don't give a flying f*ck for rugger boys attitudes and opinions on this forum or anywhere else, so I couldn't care less about the attempts at abuse, but I know from certain, experienced at first hand, events what attitudes did exist and are still extant to this day.
I repeat, it is SICKENING to think of no-necked, privileged gurriers being allowed to use Croke Park.
Actually when they are eventually allowed in, maybe the Revenue Commisioners could arrest the entire attendance, I'm pretty sure they would find a lot of tax-cheats, slave labour employers and general low-life thieves masquerading as the "great and good" of this country.

[hamish]

Becuse of the prejudices towards “soccer” in the 40s and 50s by schools and the church, it meant the sport was only played by a small number of people, usually in the inner cities of Dublin and Cork. This deprived the game of many many people who might have become involved. Watched Bill Cullen on the Late Late on Friday, he said he was expelled from school aged 13, because his picture appeared in the paper with Home Farm. Incredible when you think of it. Liam Brady suffered the same fate when he refused to play GAA and turned out for St Kevins in the early 70s. Thankfully the country has moved on from those dark days. The FAI are a badly run organisation. Football should be organised similar to the GAA. One club per parish. Until this is done, football will remain the poor relations. The other sports have had a head start on football as regards facilities. This is slowly being rectified, especially in country areas like Mullingar Athletic and Town, Edenderry, Parkvilla and many many more throughout the country.

Dead on Drummerboy, but I would state that the improving of facilities is going at a phenomenal rate. Mullingar Athletic's Gainstown ground is sensational. I remember an Ennis teavher in 2000 arriving for Primary Finals ans saying "FCUK it, we have nothing like this!!!" Some places still have some catching up to do, obviously. Regards Parkvilla, if your'e up in Navan, check out the Meath & District League grounds on the Trim road - amazing. Another town I know in that league, Kingscourt, recently announced a six figure ground development scheme - this club didn't exist a few years ago!! Amazing!
I'll take a break for a while, lads, as I've just seen the muppet elected a Pope and I'm thoroughly depressed. And we criticise the FAI for who they select as their top man? Jeez.

[hamish]

You must have been in rages during USA '94 so?

Nah, Slick Willy was in charge then!!! On second thoughts..........

[Soko]

Apologies - it was St. Patricks not St.McCartans - I really will have to stop posting at all ours of the morning. I was at quite a few St.McCartans games and their attitude to all sports was top class. Things have changed. Fair play.
Soko, stop the nonsense about making things up - Garbally, Clongowes etc have soccer pitches and kids can play there BUT my point was do these schools enter FAI Schools competitions and do they bring in coaches etc to coach the students interested in football. Any school can toss up a couple of acres for a kickabout but DID YOU get the opportunity to represent your Cork school in the various Munster Cups and had you a teacher willing to enter teams in the competitions. If so, what happened?
Look Soko, forgive me me if I sound a patronising bsatard, I respect your points of view but I still think I'm right on this one. Let me tell you a little sceal. I captained the Garbally school team against St. Mary's of Galway in 1972 after we fought like fcuk to get a team in to Connacht football. (It lasted one more year after that and the rugby boys killed it). Stephen, a teammate of mine, recalled that recently and said it was one of the proudest days of his life that he could represent his school playing the game he loves. Do you see where I'm coming from? Would not YOU have liked to be able to say the same thing?
I agree with the other posts, rugby IS making great efforts to expand the game from its base. Why? The game will die otherwise. I fully support this, by the way but I DON'T support exclusivity, self indulgence and elitism in sport.
Cheers, man. Sir H.

Our school did play in Munster cups etc... and weren't that bad actually. We had a huge mix of GAA, soccer and rugby players in our school but it just so happens that rugby is by far the highest profile sport played there. People didn't complain about having to play in second rate GAA competitions because thats not where we were strong. Are you going to give out about Colmans etc... not expanding in to rugby fields? I know Newbridge have practically abandoned rugby and become predominantly GAA orientated so good luck to them.


Once again though, who were you talking about in Cork as I know this one for fact and you seem to have given up this point altogether. People like Patsh have completly ignored me too......... bar Cork Con name where the elitist clubs in Cork. You cant because you're full of ####.

[hamish]

Look Soko, I have not given up on any point. I'm delighted to see your school took part but I repeat, there are too many schools who deliberately snub soccer or give it a low profile - Cork is only one county, by the way so stop the know-it-all BS - you sound anally retentive. As for me talking sihte, you can do better than that. You conveniently overlook the thrust of my post so I can only presume your'e not too convinced of whatever point you are trying to make.

[Superhoops]

..... maybe the Revenue Commisioners could arrest the entire attendance, I'm pretty sure they would find a lot of tax-cheats, slave labour employers and general low-life thieves masquerading as the "great and good" of this country.

Steady on now patsh, the entire attendance won't all be from Cork will they?

[patsh]

Steady on now patsh, the entire attendance won't all be from Cork will they?

There will be far too many from here.....
Not as many as the revolting D4 jackeens though.

[Soko]

Look Soko, I have not given up on any point. I'm delighted to see your school took part but I repeat, there are too many schools who deliberately snub soccer or give it a low profile - Cork is only one county, by the way so stop the know-it-all BS - you sound anally retentive. As for me talking sihte, you can do better than that. You conveniently overlook the thrust of my post so I can only presume your'e not too convinced of whatever point you are trying to make.

I'm just calling you out for making bs statements thats all. You never did name that school from Cork.


Patsh is the one full of #### and I'd love to hear more of his opinions of how rugby toffs have ruined his life, I really would


And I never tried to act as if I know it all, read one one of my first posts as an admission. I do however know about Munster schools and I've stated what I know, not much about any other schoools. Go ahead and read back on my posts before you come out with this tripe.

[Bosco]

In terms of Rugby in Dublin,everything patsh is saying seems to be spot on in my experience.However it seems to be people from cork who are slating him and calling him a bull****er.I have had no experience of rugby in cork but munster rugby in general seems alot different then that of d4 dwellers