The reason why it would be a surprise if Meath reached the Quarter-final stage

I also notice that 'Kerry's' post doesn't say that it has been edited, although she has now changed from what I have copied via the 'quote' button ('we' has become 'they'). If I edit a post it says it has been edited, as does Sebastian's & Mullins on the page or 2 above this.

So why doesn't Kerry's say it has been edited? Could it be because it was done by someone with Moderator privileges??...

Thomas Clarke wrote:I also notice that 'Kerry's' post doesn't say that it has been edited, although she has now changed from what I have copied via the 'quote' button ('we' has become 'they'). If I edit a post it says it has been edited, as does Sebastian's & Mullins on the page or 2 above this.

So why doesn't Kerry's say it has been edited? Could it be because it was done by someone with Moderator privileges??...

TC Women might have special privileges on here unless kerrys a

mullins wrote:
TC Women might have special privileges on here unless kerrys a

Whisper it Mullins, whisper it, but I think we might just have got a strong clue that that indeed may be the case. At the very least, we are now sure that she is a Dublin supporter with special privileges when it comes to editing posts!

I am just privileged I suppose. My current udder half is a Dub and its all we with him.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

mullins wrote:
TC Women might have special privileges on here unless kerrys a

Whisper it Mullins, whisper it, but I think we might just have got a strong clue that that indeed may be the case. At the very least, we are now sure that she is a Dublin supporter with special privileges when it comes to editing posts!

Who could Kerry be

Personally I don't think it would be that much of a shock if Meath were to reach the QF. They are capable fo beating anyone on their day. They don't have as good a set of footballers as some of the counties mentioned, but when they're on their game they have a mental and physical edge that few can match.


On a different note, I find it highly ironic that posters are saying Meath must be a good team because they've reached two semi's in three years, and yet these same posters refused to give Mayo any credit in years past for reaching two finals in three years. Both teams were extreme let-downs in their respective finals/semi-finals, yet Mayo are bottlers, and Meath are a great team.

Spot the hypocrites.

Thomas Clarke wrote:I also notice that 'Kerry's' post doesn't say that it has been edited, although she has now changed from what I have copied via the 'quote' button ('we' has become 'they'). If I edit a post it says it has been edited, as does Sebastian's & Mullins on the page or 2 above this.

So why doesn't Kerry's say it has been edited? Could it be because it was done by someone with Moderator privileges??...

TC can you not remove the 'reason for editing' bit at the end of a post, i thought everyone could delete that bit, maybe not!!!!!!

Don't think so Boc. Just tried it on one of mine on a previous thread that I had edited - didn't give me the option. Maybe it can be done, but I don't know how. In any event, it might be a good time either for KK to come clean and reveal who she is, or slip quietly and permanently into cyberspace?

Thomas Clarke wrote:Don't think so Boc. Just tried it on one of mine on a previous thread that I had edited - didn't give me the option. Maybe it can be done, but I don't know how. In any event, it might be a good time either for KK to come clean and reveal who she is, or slip quietly and permanently into cyberspace?

with any luck she'll take a few Kerry men with her!!!!!

Hardly surprising that Mayo like to reference the referee in last year's Quarter Final. Its the endless hard luck stories that probably give them so much false hope. You can blame the ref or alternatively, you can blame it on the poor Mayo defending. A bit like the Henry handball last October. Yeah he handballed it but what was the ball doing bouncing around the six yard box? Yeah the penalty was harsh but what was O'Malley doing with his arm around Bray's neck? No version of the tackle teaches that. O'Malley's inability to tackle induced that penalty. Similarly, for Meath's first goal, true, David Bray hopped the ball twice but he could have hopped it another ten times and no Mayo player would have got near him. And the sideline, nobody in underneath that sideline kick knew what way it should have went, the simple fact is that Mayo couldn't deal with the ball that came in and Meath capatilised. If Mayo supporters want to deflect criticism away from the Mayo backs, fair enough, I doubt John O'Mahony will be that naive. Use the excuses to make you feel better but don't get sidetracked from reality. The ref did not lose that game for Mayo. Mayo lost if for themselves.

As for the Dublin match, yeah we played poorly as a whole. And so did Dublin but it was by no means a miracle of Mother Nature that Dublin played so bad. Kerry hardly excelled themselves against us either? Is this all just a co-incidence or are there things in Meath's play that prevent teams from playing? Latter in my opinion. Meath's strongest weapon is their tackling. The Meath defence, as a unit, are fairly strong. As a defender, tackling is key and in the last year or so, there's been a noticeable improvement in tackling, in both the forwards and the backs. This is probably down to the influence of Robbie O'Malley, arguably the greatest exponent of the tackle in Gaelic Football. Dispossessing an opponent by slapping the ball out of his hands, shouldering him off the ball, or simply knocking him off his stride to force an error can all be considered sub-skills of the tackle. Even the Darren Fay special of anywhere but my man's hands is a type of tackle. I have not read one message on here suggesting any of the things mentioned are a problem for the backs. Meath's low concession of frees is also very positive, given the "cuteness" of some forwards in the tackle nowadays. That should not be under-estimated. So as a team of tacklers, what teams are better than Meath? Maybe thats why Dublin and Kerry played so poorly. Meath have the best set of tacklers in the game in my humble opinion.

In any case, Esther's opening post is irrelevant. Endless lists of scores from matches two and three years are not what I was asking for. And it still dosen't explain how it will be a shock if Meath reach a quarter final? I'm sure if I trawled through Mayo's record, I'd find as much to suggest they're no good.

No, can Esther please to me what areas Meath are lacking in? I try to refrain from commenting on teams other than Meath, where possible, as I don't see enough of them to them make an informative reply. Dublin, Tyrone, Cork and Kerry could be viewed as exceptions as we see so much of them. Esther hasn't seen anywhere near enough of Meath to say it would be a shock for them to reach a quarter final. Her opinion is based on results. She hasn't a clue how Meath play or why they won and lost those games. But they won and lost them and thats all she thinks matters. Unfortuntely for her, the reason we lost a game three years ago could no longer be a problem for us now. Meath have their problems and lots of them but Esther hasn't a clue what they are.

Anyway, we're not going that well in the League and Leinster is looking beyond us again. But, for a fifteen minute period in the first half against Dublin last year and for the first forty five minutes against Wexford, we played the best we've ever played in years - two games that we went on to lose. There's a certain inconsistency there but there's also incredible potential for an All-Ireland. If we got the consistency right, we're as good as the top tier of three.

samin10 wrote:I would rather face Mayo (the biggest bucklers in history) in championship football than ever face Meath.

Don't worry Samin, Armagh aint gonna get near the 1/4 finals this year anyway so no chance of Mayo proving you wrong

Thomas Clarke wrote:Don't think so Boc. Just tried it on one of mine on a previous thread that I had edited - didn't give me the option. Maybe it can be done, but I don't know how. In any event, it might be a good time either for KK to come clean and reveal who she is, or slip quietly and permanently into cyberspace?

If you edit a post before anyone else replies to the thread, an edit message will not appear.

If you edit a post after someone has replied to the thread, then an edit message will appear below your post.

Think thats the jist of it.

You learn something new everyday, thanks Loyal!

So, it could now be a Dub who isn't a Mod, but has been here for at least 6 months. Doubles the list of possibilities to 2!

Thomas Clarke wrote:You learn something new everyday, thanks Loyal!

So, it could now be a Dub who isn't a Mod, but has been here for at least 6 months. Doubles the list of possibilities to 2!

TC No Dub would pose as a woman -well maybe a southsider

Aye them dubs are very proud people

black&white wrote:Personally I don't think it would be that much of a shock if Meath were to reach the QF. They are capable fo beating anyone on their day. They don't have as good a set of footballers as some of the counties mentioned, but when they're on their game they have a mental and physical edge that few can match.


On a different note, I find it highly ironic that posters are saying Meath must be a good team because they've reached two semi's in three years, and yet these same posters refused to give Mayo any credit in years past for reaching two finals in three years. Both teams were extreme let-downs in their respective finals/semi-finals, yet Mayo are bottlers, and Meath are a great team.

Spot the hypocrites.

I don't think anyone is saying that Meath are a great team, they aren't, what people are trying to state is that it wouldn't be a shock for them to reach the QF of the All Ireland, as the thread implies.

Are Mayo any bigger bottlers than Cork from the last 3 years? I don't think so, Cork have had 2 All Ireland finals recently and have been terrible, yet no one is calling them bottlers. There is selective memories from some posters as you say, i personally don't see much difference in Mayo getting beaten in their AI Finals to Corks 2 big days out. Funny how no one mentions them eh?

Swinford2009 wrote:

samin10 wrote:I would rather face Mayo (the biggest bucklers in history) in championship football than ever face Meath.

Don't worry Samin, Armagh aint gonna get near the 1/4 finals this year anyway so no chance of Mayo proving you wrong

personally i think we have a good chance of making the quarter final at least but a lot will depend on the draw. I think we will be beaten Ulster finalists.

To be honest i think there is more chance of us meeting Mayo in the back door than in the quarter final anyway as i think Galway will be the automatic quarter finalists from Connacht. Just worry about yourselves getting to quarter finals.

bald eagle wrote:

black&white wrote:Personally I don't think it would be that much of a shock if Meath were to reach the QF. They are capable fo beating anyone on their day. They don't have as good a set of footballers as some of the counties mentioned, but when they're on their game they have a mental and physical edge that few can match.


On a different note, I find it highly ironic that posters are saying Meath must be a good team because they've reached two semi's in three years, and yet these same posters refused to give Mayo any credit in years past for reaching two finals in three years. Both teams were extreme let-downs in their respective finals/semi-finals, yet Mayo are bottlers, and Meath are a great team.

Spot the hypocrites.

I don't think anyone is saying that Meath are a great team, they aren't, what people are trying to state is that it wouldn't be a shock for them to reach the QF of the All Ireland, as the thread implies.

Are Mayo any bigger bottlers than Cork from the last 3 years? I don't think so, Cork have had 2 All Ireland finals recently and have been terrible, yet no one is calling them bottlers. There is selective memories from some posters as you say, i personally don't see much difference in Mayo getting beaten in their AI Finals to Corks 2 big days out. Funny how no one mentions them eh?

Big difference is anyone can see that Cork were vastly improved last year and look capable of pushing on again. Cork went into last years final as favourites such was their improvement last year. Everyone knew Mayo had no chance every time. Cork and Mayo have served up some of the worst performances in all-ireland final history in the 00's but while Mayo went from a decent team to a very average team Cork have progressed from a decent team to a good team and likely to push on to win all-irelands

So does the fact that they have progressed mean that they haven't bottled their last 2 apperances in AI finals? Dress it up how you like, they have, and are bottlers. They played some great football to get to the AI final then shat the bed and got destroyed!

Cork on their day are awesome and aside from Limerick game were the form team of 2009. But last year was a real kick in the teeth. There is no guarantee it wouldn't happen again of faced by green and gold. Maybe they have a type of Dubs syndrome!

The last 8 obviously are a quarter of counties in Ireland - and they are never 8 Div 1 teams. For the last few years you can guarantee at least one surprise in the last 8. I wouldn't consider Meath a 'shock' team so therefore it wouldn't be a shock to see them in the last 8.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Cork on their day are awesome and aside from Limerick game were the form team of 2009. But last year was a real kick in the teeth. There is no guarantee it wouldn't happen again of faced by green and gold. Maybe they have a type of Dubs syndrome!

The last 8 obviously are a quarter of counties in Ireland - and they are never 8 Div 1 teams. For the last few years you can guarantee at least one surprise in the last 8. I wouldn't consider Meath a 'shock' team so therefore it wouldn't be a shock to see them in the last 8.

This all hinges on the word shock IMO. There a good few counties that could reach a QF without it being a shock. You may consider it unlikely that they will, but not a shock.

Armagh, Monaghan, Down, Donegal, Derry, Kildare, Meath, Mayo etc.

Aye RMD - thats what I'm getting at and therefore we have now proved the theory that it would not be a surprise if Meath got to the last 8!

bald eagle wrote:So does the fact that they have progressed mean that they haven't bottled their last 2 apperances in AI finals? Dress it up how you like, they have, and are bottlers. They played some great football to get to the AI final then shat the bed and got destroyed!

I wouldnt say they got destroyed last year and personally i think they were just beaten by the better team on the day. The big difference between Cork and Mayo for me is that Cork are vastly improved on what they were in 2007 and IMO they will win an all-ireland within the next couple of years something that i cannot say about Mayo. So in short, Cork like Mayo in the past decade have given us some of the worst all-ireland final performances in history but to put the two in the same category (as bottlers) is unfair on Cork as they clearly are much closer to addressing the problem than Mayo. Cork have progressed since 2007, Mayo have gone backwards since 2006

samin10 wrote:

bald eagle wrote:So does the fact that they have progressed mean that they haven't bottled their last 2 apperances in AI finals? Dress it up how you like, they have, and are bottlers. They played some great football to get to the AI final then shat the bed and got destroyed!

I wouldnt say they got destroyed last year and personally i think they were just beaten by the better team on the day. The big difference between Cork and Mayo for me is that Cork are vastly improved on what they were in 2007 and IMO they will win an all-ireland within the next couple of years something that i cannot say about Mayo. So in short, Cork like Mayo in the past decade have given us some of the worst all-ireland final performances in history but to put the two in the same category (as bottlers) is unfair on Cork as they clearly are much closer to addressing the problem than Mayo. Cork have progressed since 2007, Mayo have gone backwards since 2006

You see, I hate to see this type of comment from someone, because it shows that they haven't a clue about Mayo football. Look back to 2006, Mayo had a match against Leitrim, they just won that match, although Harte(midfielder) was sent off that day. Against Galway in the Connaught final, Mayo didn't play very well, they picked it up the last 15 minutes, but they were far from their best. Against Laois, they were way below par, again in the rematch too. Against Dublin, Mayo picked up their game. Mortimer played exceptionally well, McGarrity of course was disgustingly fouled by Whelan so went off, that's when Mayo started to go downhill a bit. In the second half, they staright away went 7 points to the bad. A Moran was brought on, scored a goal and points from Mortimer and McDonald etc. secured the match. Mayo played magnificently that day in some areas, but not after half-time. I won't even mention the final.

How have Mayo gone backwards since then? They have got fantastic new talents in the likes of Aidan and Séamus O'Shea, Varley, Vaughan and McLoughlin as well as others. You are only basing Mayo's 2006 season on one match, you're not looking deeply into their other encounters. I would call that surface analysis. Mayo have improved since then, psychologically they are getting stronger. They're scoring more goals, which was a problem for them back in '06. Forwards back in 2006 needed improvisation, their forwards have improved. Samin, that was a very loose statement.

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

samin10 wrote:

bald eagle wrote:So does the fact that they have progressed mean that they haven't bottled their last 2 apperances in AI finals? Dress it up how you like, they have, and are bottlers. They played some great football to get to the AI final then shat the bed and got destroyed!

I wouldnt say they got destroyed last year and personally i think they were just beaten by the better team on the day. The big difference between Cork and Mayo for me is that Cork are vastly improved on what they were in 2007 and IMO they will win an all-ireland within the next couple of years something that i cannot say about Mayo. So in short, Cork like Mayo in the past decade have given us some of the worst all-ireland final performances in history but to put the two in the same category (as bottlers) is unfair on Cork as they clearly are much closer to addressing the problem than Mayo. Cork have progressed since 2007, Mayo have gone backwards since 2006

You see, I hate to see this type of comment from someone, because it shows that they haven't a clue about Mayo football. Look back to 2006, Mayo had a match against Leitrim, they just won that match, although Harte(midfielder) was sent off that day. Against Galway in the Connaught final, Mayo didn't play very well, they picked it up the last 15 minutes, but they were far from their best. Against Laois, they were way below par, again in the rematch too. Against Dublin, Mayo picked up their game. Mortimer played exceptionally well, McGarrity of course was disgustingly fouled by Whelan so went off, that's when Mayo started to go downhill a bit. In the second half, they staright away went 7 points to the bad. A Moran was brought on, scored a goal and points from Mortimer and McDonald etc. secured the match. Mayo played magnificently that day in some areas, but not after half-time. I won't even mention the final.

How have Mayo gone backwards since then? They have got fantastic new talents in the likes of Aidan and Séamus O'Shea, Varley, Vaughan and McLoughlin as well as others. You are only basing Mayo's 2006 season on one match, you're not looking deeply into their other encounters. I would call that surface analysis. Mayo have improved since then, psychologically they are getting stronger. They're scoring more goals, which was a problem for them back in '06. Forwards back in 2006 needed improvisation, their forwards have improved. Samin, that was a very loose statement.

2006, Mayo got to an all-ireland final, they were far from great but it still takes a decent side to get there. 2009 they deservedly get knocked out by Meath (a team that would shock you if they got to a quarter final). If you are basing Mayo's improvement on national league performances then you have not learnt your lesson (ie Mayo always look good in national league but do little in championship). How can you say they have got better when they get to a final in 06 and in their last championship game they get knocked out by someone who (without actually saying it) you make out to be rubbish. If thats progress then they must have been really bad in 2006.