GAA and FAI

Quite a bit about this in the indo on sunday. anyone see it?
basicaly two pieces - one which looked like it was written by a GAA press officer it was so biased - saying how they are not gettin on at all.
no mention of Thomas Davis in it either eventho there have been couple of court appearances last week. Just seems like the GAA are gunning for a row or a chance to humiliate the FAI(like they need any help in that!!!)
I would have prefereed if we had a played our home games in cardiff/glasgow or manchester to be honest. Might have got a better deal as well.

Here's Cathal Dervan's piece from today's Star -

KOH

GAA WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN TO SEE RIVAL SPORT DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY

Stadium shambles leaves soccer in an almighty lurch

Cathal Dervan - The Star

It is the time of year to spare a thought for the homeless — so let’s wish the FAI well as the world gangs up against them yet again in their search for a new home for Irish soccer. Let’s face it folks, those of us in the Irish football family are facing into another spell as the nomads of the nation’s sporting community. From the Lansdowne Road residents to the Michael Guiney suits in Drumcondra and on to the Tallaghtban of the West Dublin GAA, no one likes us - but we do care. We care so much that the FAI really should cut their losses, move the Wales game in March to Tolka Park and tell the begrudgers to stick their Fainne badges where the sun don’t shine.

It is time for a reality check and a wake up call as the implications of all those decades when previous FAI regimes brushed the stadium issue under the Merrion Square carpet come home to roost.

Truth Number One - the GAA don’t want us at Croke Park. They’re not brave enough to stand up and admit it in Irish or English, but the Pioneer Pin brigade in Croker would be quite happy if soccer just disappeared off their agenda altogether. They’d rather welcome a 32 county rugby team to their North Dublin headquarters, some of whom won’t sing the national anthem and all of whom will openly stand to attention in February as they play God Save The Queen for their English visitors.

The GAA can’t even let the soccer team train on their patch. They would rather have Donnacha O’Callaghan’s red underpants on the sacred ground than Damien Duff’s silky skills. And they’re not alone.

Truth Number Two - their GAA brethren out in Tallaght want to prolong the suffering of Shamrock Rovers fans everywhere and delay their arrival in the satellite town as long as possible. The Thomas Davis Club are seriously worried that the presence of the Hoops in their catchment area will undermine their attractiveness as an outlet for the youth of Tallaght. Well lads, the behaviour of your GAA bosses in Croke Park towards Tallaght’s finest Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne isn’t doing you much good on that score. And just in case you haven’t noticed, soccer long ago passed gaelic football and hurling as the biggest participation sport for the youth of this country.

Truth Number Three - many of the residents in and around Lansdowne Road aren’t all that keen on the idea of a super stadium literally springing up over their doorsteps as their deliveries at this week’s oral hearings would seem to suggest. The FAI and the IRFU still believe in the Lansdowne Road project. They still believe the GAA’s rent boys will take their money in 2007 and in 2008, even if the price goes up year on year.

Shamrock Rovers and Thomas Davis, if they are truthful, know that the new Glenmalure Park will open as a soccer only ground as soon as the barristers stop earning handsome fees on the back of it.

They all believe in Lansdowne, Croker and Tallaght because they have to. Those of us who don’t subscribe to the manifesto though are allowed think otherwise and we should. Why are we building a new Lansdowne when there are green field sites all over Dublin county that could easily accommodate a national stadium with transport links and car parks that don’t come complete with the clampers? Why does the national stadium have to be built in traffic jam Dublin? Why does everything in this country have to centre on a capital city that is now a nightmare to get in and out of? And why didn’t the FAI solve their own problems when they had the chance to build eircom Park almost a decade ago?

The sad reality here is that Bertie Ahern’s interference stopped eircom Park in its tracks, the same eircom Park that would be up and running now but for the bullying acts of the government of the day. All Bertie succeeded in doing when he stopped eircom Park was splitting the FAI down the middle and leaving us hanging onto this hope of a new Ale Lansdowne when really he wants Irish soccer to move elsewhere.

The amazing reality is that the Bertie Bowl site out in Abbotstown is still untouched by human hand. They are in the process of building all around it but have yet to build anything on it.

I’ll bet they’re waiting for the Lansdowne Road project to collapse and the GAA to finally come clean and admit they don’t want soccer on their Holy Ground though they’re quite happy to accept €3.5m from the soccer-playing tax-payers for their floodlights. When all that falls into place Bertie will tell us he told us so and build his bowl. Five years from now we’ll all be watching the Ireland team in Abbotstown — remember where you read it first.

I am far from being a fan of Cathal Dervan's writings but i have to say I agree with a lot of this article. Eircom Park should have been built and soccer would now have it's own home and not be going cap in hand to an organisation where a lot of its leaders fear and loathe soccer and therefore will do all in their power to make things as difficult as possible for the FAI. Obviously they don't fear rugby as much as it's fan and player base by and large don't impinge on GAA. This is not a rant against GAA supporters the majority of which have no interest in the politics of the whole thing.

If the GAA did a u-turn on their deal it would not be seen favourably by the government & could result in less grants...

Pointless enough article but not expect much of Dervan anyway...

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Originally Posted by pete

Pointless enough article but not expect much of Dervan anyway...

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This part is far from pointless, we are in a battle for hearts and minds in Tallaght. To quote Thomas Davis's Chief bigot to "the last man standing".

Truth Number Two - their GAA brethren out in Tallaght want to prolong the suffering of Shamrock Rovers fans everywhere and delay their arrival in the satellite town as long as possible. The Thomas Davis Club are seriously worried that the presence of the Hoops in their catchment area will undermine their attractiveness as an outlet for the youth of Tallaght. Well lads, the behaviour of your GAA bosses in Croke Park towards Tallaght’s finest Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne isn’t doing you much good on that score. And just in case you haven’t noticed, soccer long ago passed gaelic football and hurling as the biggest participation sport for the youth of this country.

KOH

Anyone who uses the word brethren is weird for a start. Shameful actions from the GAA and scandalously late words from the soccerwriters and the FAI.

Nothing unusual

Rubbish article, full of the same old cliches. Why is it that so many football fans get into namecalling and finger-pointing hysterics with the GAA? Talking about the GAA like it's some sort of evil empire is just doing the exact same thing as GAA morons who talk about the evils of the garrison games.

Dervan knows as well as anyone else that if the GAA did not want the FAI/IRFU in Croker, they would not be there. No one circles the wagons like the GAA and they've never given a toss for negative publicity.

And why does he think that the GAA would rather have rugby instead of soccer? And why bring the anthem thing into it? Rubbish.

There is something awful going on out in Tallaght, though. There are awful elements within the GAA but pegging the organisation as a band of Fainne-wearing pioneers is less than pathetic.

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Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

This part is far from pointless, we are in a battle for hearts and minds in Tallaght. To quote Thomas Davis's Chief bigot to "the last man standing".

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However he hasn't added anything new to the debate.

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Originally Posted by pete

However he hasn't added anything new to the debate.

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He's the first non GAA writer to report on it.

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Originally Posted by pete

However he hasn't added anything new to the debate.

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Since the FAI belatedly came out in support of Rovers this has begun to make ripples in the media. Dervan's piece is an example of this. We - as a football community - need to reach out to the general public on this. Especially to non-bigoted ordinary GAA members and non-committed football fans. Not everyone's as sussed as you pete. ;)

KOH

i'm glad i dont buy the star.

as donal mentions the irony that pervades the article is appalling. the things he said should be confined to a dark nook of a pub, instead he's fueling a 'debate' that does nothing for either party. tabloid journalism at its finest.

It does not exactly fill me with pride when this whole GAA / soccer issue comes up ... but I was under the impression that we would definitely be playing our next few home games at Croker - is this now in doubt then?

Its good he is bringing the behaviour of Thomas Davis to the attention of people who wouldnt know much about it. Their behaviour is pretty poor form at best and not really in the spirit of sport. why give grants to an organisation that will spend it on lawyers? grants should be suspended to any club that uses money to bring other clubs to court.
there is no reason why the GAA, rugby and football cant co-exist happily in tallaght. Its not as if the place is overflowing with amenities or things to do. And am open to correction but isnt one of the most successful of the Dublin GAA teams (kilmacud crokes) operating out of what is traditionally rugby territory?

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Originally Posted by Emmet

It does not exactly fill me with pride when this whole GAA / soccer issue comes up ... but I was under the impression that we would definitely be playing our next few home games at Croker - is this now in doubt then?

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no its not in doubt.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Anyone who uses the word brethren is weird for a start.

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As is anyone who uses the phrase 'family of football'.

The standard of that article was barely above the level of an internet rant.

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Originally Posted by Billsthoughts

no its not in doubt.

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Correct it's not in doubt for 2007 but no agreement has been made for 2008.

As for the article it's self, typical s**t I'd expect from a tabloid, full of name calling and the same old cliches as stated above.

I'll wait for an article in The Times or Indo from a soccer leaning writer to make up my mind on the rights and wrongs of the debate

The only good thing about the article was highlighting the problem between Rovers and Thomas Davis out in Tallaght. Otherwise it was a poorly researched rant from a very poor journalist in my opinion.

you're right about kilmacud bill, very close to blackrock too!

the fact is kids should be encouraged to play all sports, bickering from 'opposing' sports does nothing to aid youngsters getting away from the playstation( or foot.ie for that matter!!) and all other distractions that many a good man has succumbed to. but there will always be the small-minded few who see their way as the only way(thomas davis?)

i would be very quick to jump on the back of anyone who suggests otherwise(nothing like a bit of bravado at the end of a post!)

One of the worst examples of 'cheap shot' journalism I have ever come across.

Dervan is supposed to be a professional journalist and while I am quite happy for any writer to put their own slant on any story, resorting to cheap jibes is a sure sign of a weak argument.

The 'Tallaghtban of the West Dublin GAA' has an element of wit about it but 'the Pioneer Pin brigade in Croker' is insulting to those who actually wear the pin and believe in what is stands for (I am not one of them, I hasten to add!), and many of whom have no association with nor hold no gra for the GAA.

If Dervan is that anti-GAA then perhaps he will stand by his principle and refuse to set foot in the place. Will he? Not bloody likely. Journalists are often considered to be the bottom of the barrel and Dervan does nothing to dispel that view.

Its with amazing consistancy that the incompetents who run football try to hide their shorcomings behind the intransigence/bullying of the GAA. The weak state of professional soccer, under resourced and under supported, has sfa to do with the GAA.
On Fannings article, it's not the GAA's duty to bail out the incompetent FAI gobs who negotiated the Croke Pk. rent contract. The first rule when dealing with a rival is get the the verbal agreements/promises put into the small print.