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Topic:
Gaelic football is 'boring' -- Liam O'Neill
frasiercrane
(1,843 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 13:37
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'Irish Independent'
By Colm Keys
Monday April 16 2012
Liam O'Neill's first official function as GAA president yesterday was to open the new dressing-rooms in his home club, Trumera.
But at 9.0 this morning he was back in the classroom of the local school where he is principal to begin the final term and put the concept of whether the modern president can continue to fit a working life around his association duties to its strictest test.
The practice of the GAA seconding a president has been prevalent for more than a decade now and has invariably been a point of heated discussion during some of the more contentious issues to arise -- from state grants to GAA players to the payments-to-managers document.
O'Neill will be a school principal first and a GAA president second during working hours until the school year ends at the end of June.
It was his intention that such an arrangement would remain in place for his three-year term, but the diary in the weeks after his unopposed appointment 12 months ago essentially dictated that he couldn't be both and he now plans to take a leave of absence from his teaching duties.
After the conclusion of Congress on Saturday evening, the new president told the story of what changed his mind.
"In one weekend in June last year,I left my school and went off to another school to give prizes. I came home, got washed and changed and went off to Ballyragget, which would be 25 miles away from my house. I was home at 12.30am and was up again at 3.30am to get a 6.30am flight to open up a pitch in Coventry.
"I couldn't get a flight back until 10.30pm. I was up the next morning for a club match, had to go to an inter-county match that afternoon and that night, I ended up in Croghan, 50 miles away, turning on lights at 10.30 at night.
"I was home at 12.30am and straight to school the next morning. Somebody said to me: 'I heard you were in Birmingham, you must have had a great time!'
"That was that weekend. I was also out the previous Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
"I thought at one stage I could do it. But, even if you were superman and you could do it, nobody would believe that you could teach the next day anyway.
"The children are the most important. I don't say that in any sanctimonious way. Any of you who have children know that.
"If you're dressing up children and sending them to school, you want the man who's there to be in good form and you don't want his mind on the latest GAA controversy, wherever that might be.
"What we'll get between now and the summer will be an interesting exercise for those who say the president shouldn't be full-time. We'll have 10 weeks together to find out whether it's possible or not."
On September 1, O'Neill will start his leave of absence and devote all his time to the issues that will be central to his term -- the area of games, their discipline and the way the fixtures are rolled out, the financial governance of units, the development of officers, the challenge of sustaining youth involvement and urbanisation.
In his first press briefing, the new president acknowledged that Gaelic football, in its current guise, had become "boring," an observation that will give some hope to the legions falling out of love with the game.
"Just when you think it is in bother you get a great game of football, a great All-Ireland final. That happens time and time again," he said.
"However, the defensiveness of the game at the moment and the over-use of the handpass is slowing it down and it's boring.
"It's not what our supporters want, we like physical contact and we like the game moving forward."
A playing rules committee will continue to operate under O'Neill's presidency, but may involve different people with different ideas.
Setting a template for managers was another issue he touched upon.
"At some stage we are going to have to set a standard for what we call the person in charge of a team, whether it is the term manager or what.
"With the International Rules we have a tour manager and then you have people who coach the team. I wonder should we change the model around a bit or look at it.
course
"Should the GAA devise a course for managers and explain to people on the course that you don't get to be a club or county manager without having done the appropriate course?
"It wouldn't be about control, but it might be able to effect change."
O'Neill, who was an architect of the disciplinary rules changes that narrowly failed to succeed at Congress three years ago, believes the principles of what they proposed have worked anyway, with less round-the-neck pulling prevalent in games.
The incoming president envisages a new work group being set up to modify the previous proposals.
"I think in any disciplinary system from now, we will be looking at making sure that the person who is wrong pays," he said.
"I hope we can get away from this thing of the easy fine rather than identifying who causes bother and suspending him."
O'Neill broke with tradition by opting not to name his key committee chairmen until the next Central Council meeting on Saturday, April 28.
In his parting address, outgoing president Christy Cooney told delegates it was "time to deliver" on the issue of payments to managers.
- Colm Keys
frasiercrane
(1,843 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 13:41
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A bit of an exaggeration from O'Neill there.I would be almost certain that after Liam O'Neills three year term no rule changes will be introduced in football because most of these potential ruile changes being mentioned in the papers are completely unfeasible and there isnt enough support for one particular rule change that would improve the game
ollscoil
(2,616 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 13:53
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A very poor comment from O'Neill, if he said that there are issues with the game then he'd be right but football still produces a high percentage of good games. I think if refs allowed a bit more physicality there would be a better flow to games and less frustration.
EastIsEast
(115 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 14:08
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So sick of this 'legions falling out of love with the game' lazy muppetry. Where is the evidence for that? Crowds, TV audiences in recent years as high as ever.
The reality is that legions are falling out of love with hurling, where attendances are plummeting...
glasandbán
(2,046 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 14:21
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Think a little too much is being made by the headline made out of a small comment considering many other things were touched on in his comments. I think most people would agree that many teams in football have become too defensive and that the handpass seems to be overused in the modern game. Hardly sensational comments I would have thought.
The Badger
(862 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 14:24
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Unbelievable statement for a GAA president to say about football. Legions of fans turning away? Wheres the evidence for this. Stop getting the jitters everytime Pat Spillane comes out with terms like 'puke football,'shi'ite football' etc. Football is the best supported sport in the country
N16
(1,724 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 14:26
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A bit of a sensational thing to say but I think he was probably having a swipe at teams like Donegal and the negative way they have been playing which quite frankly is boring. He got his wires crossed a bit.
bluesky
(559 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 15:26
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Originally posted by N16:
A bit of a sensational thing to say but I think he was probably having a swipe at teams like Donegal and the negative way they have been playing which quite frankly is boring. He got his wires crossed a bit.
i don't think he has seen his own county laois play this year
most supporters from laois won't watch them with the blanket game McNulty has them playing.
CourtyBoy
(98 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 15:26
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To be fair, the legion of fans comment is an add on by the journalist and not a direct quote from O Neil.
cerebus
(3,258 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 16:07
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Originally posted by frasiercrane:
"Just when you think it is in bother you get a great game of football, a great All-Ireland final. That happens time and time again,"
Yerra only when the lads lose.
bully bull
(130 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 16:07
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Poor comment by O'Neill. If anything the football championship has been more entertaining than the hurling championship in recent years and definately more competitive. The hurling is a damp squib up until the quarters and even at that your lucky to get 2 close games out of the 4.
sub of the day
(521 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 18:19
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More pigeons than patrons in Croke Park yesterday.National league semi finals, 4 counties, who during the summer would enjoy huge followings, couldn't muster 12,000 between the four of them.As a comparison the FA cup semi final (also a secondary competition) drew over 80,000 from the single city of Liverpool.
Utility Full-Forward
(723 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 18:27
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I dont find football boring, Im acyually beginning to find intercounty hurling boring though. I Prefer club hurling
ollscoil
(2,616 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 18:48
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Originally posted by sub of the day:
More pigeons than patrons in Croke Park yesterday.National league semi finals, 4 counties, who during the summer would enjoy huge followings, couldn't muster 12,000 between the four of them.As a comparison the FA cup semi final (also a secondary competition) drew over 80,000 from the single city of Liverpool.
You're having a laugh right? I've noticed you post largely on league of Ireland soccer, often replying to your self but you've now moved onto agenda driven idiotic posts on comparisons between soccer and the GAA you feel reflect poorly on the GAA.
sub of the day
(521 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 19:52
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Address the topic, trying to ridicule the poster just makes you look small.
ollscoil
(2,616 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 19:57
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No it doesn't, posting idiotic small minded posts about attendances in one sport verses another underlines your 'smallness'. The topic is about Liam O'Neill's comment on football and has nothing to do with the attendance at either sports event. Your point is so utterly ridiculous that it doesn't warrant addressing by any right minded person.
frasiercrane
(1,843 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:02
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Originally posted by sub of the day:
Address the topic, trying to ridicule the poster just makes you look small.
No rivalry between any of the teams competing.Barely nobody travels for league matches.Each county is about 3 hours drive from Dublin.League is nowhere near as important in the GAA as the FA cup is in soccer.I was surprised there were 10000 at it I would have expected half that to be there.
sub of the day
(521 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:10
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So why did less than 12,000 attend?
Cold?
Only the league?
Couldn't be arsed?
Too much travel?
Recession?
Live on TV?
ollscoil
(2,616 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:12
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Have you a point?
sub of the day
(521 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:14
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Have you an answer?
ollscoil
(2,616 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:19
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You posted this rubbish so what point are you trying to make, if you have one then I might be able to address it?
frasiercrane
(1,843 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:32
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Originally posted by sub of the day:
So why did less than 12,000 attend?
Cold?
Only the league?
Couldn't be arsed?
Too much travel?
Recession?
Live on TV?
I gave you the answer above.Matches being on TV is also anopther reason for the small crowd which I forgot to add
sub of the day
(521 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:36
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Re lack of rivalry between competing counties, do you think the "crowd" would have been substantially bigger had it been Cork V Kerry?
frasiercrane
(1,843 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:40
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Originally posted by sub of the day:
Re lack of rivalry between competing counties, do you think the "crowd" would have been substantially bigger had it been Cork V Kerry?
15000 were at the Cork Kerry match erlier this year.They get over 30000 everytime they meet in Munster. So if cork had been playing Kerry the match would probabl have been moved to Killarney and the crowd would have been much larger
ollscoil
(2,616 Posts)
Posted:
16-Apr-2012 20:51
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FC stop answering this guy, he hasn't made any point and is simply trying to get a dig in at the GAA under the guise of an 'interested observer'. Nobody with any knowledge of Irish sport would be overly surprised that the crowd yesterday was small. If it was Kildare v Dublin in one of the semis there would have been a much bigger crowd. All the counties involved have had big crowds at their home league games so there is no need to try an explain this to a man that isn't looking for an answer.
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