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

Meath and Dublin are like England and Ireland in Rugby
in that even when Ireland are miles better than England, and can beat them at will, you would still back England to win in Paris over Ireland. For no other reason then, they can, have done, and will do.
Dublin are far better than Meath and have been for the best part of 7 years now. Beating them on a regular basis and winning Leinster at a canter.
But Meath have made 2 All Ireland Semi Finals in recent years. And have beaten teams along the way that we just cant.
Meath dont fear anyone, Meath dont care about reputations. They just see each team as another obstacle. They are mentally strong.
Dublin often take the field beaten before a ball is thrown in. Mentally fragile.
If you told me one of Dublin or Meath would win Sam this year and gave me 100 Euros to back either one, I would lay it all on Meath

bald eagle wrote:

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

bald eagle wrote:

samin10 wrote:I wouldnt be shocked at all.

Meath have performed better in their semi finals than Mayo did in either final in 04 or 06.

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

Agree 100% Samin.

So what you're trying to say is that Meath won't get to the QF in 2010 because they didn't do that well in 09 or 08 and they have been poor in the league?

I don't think it'd be a shock as i can't see 8 teams that are better than them and to slag them off for the passage they got to the QF last year is very unfair, you can only beat what's in front of you after all and Meath had no control over who they played.

They are a better team than you give them credit for!

I'm saying that the reason that they had bad performances in 2008 and 2009 and so far 2010, is simply because the quality of footballers and the skill is not there. I never said Meath won't get to the quarters(please read all of my post) I said it would be a shock-and it would. You can't see 8 teams that are better than Meath?!?! Mayo, Dublin, Kerry, Cork, Tyrone, Derry, Monaghan, Galway-that's 8 so far! I could go on....

Please do........

I would say Kildare, maybe even Armagh and Donegal, though they'd be near the same par as Meath.

Essie what is this grudge you have against us? You are so certain that we won't do well, and it sounds awfully like you really don't want us to.

I think i'll let all my replies be written by Samin as again i agree with him. There is no way Derry should be seen as better than Meath, nor Monaghan for than matter too. It's a lazy way out to quote the league above them.

Kildare, Armagh and Donegal? Again a matter opinion but i think not. If you had mentioned Down then i would have agreed with you!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

samin10 wrote:Dubs are obviously hard to beat in Leinster championship. But yes youse are brutal against non leinster teams

I'll have to check but I don't think we have beaten a non Leinster team in the Leinster Championship during our five in a row run .....

Derry

RoyalGirl wrote:Essie what is this grudge you have against us? You are so certain that we won't do well, and it sounds awfully like you really don't want us to.

I hold no grudge against any county. I have an opinion, am I not allowed to express that RG? Whatever happened to free speech?

EstherMayo1951 wrote:
I can say with certainty that Galway and Mayo are better than Meath, I would also say Derry and Monaghan are.

I wouldn't say with certainty that any of those are. I think Galway may turn out to be the best of those this year, but can't see how you can say the others are definitely better than Meath. And slightly off the point, I wouldn't say Derry or Monaghan are really any better than Down, Armagh or Donegal.

bald eagle wrote:I think i'll let all my replies be written by Samin as again i agree with him. There is no way Derry should be seen as better than Meath, nor Monaghan for than matter too. It's a lazy way out to quote the league above them.

Kildare, Armagh and Donegal? Again a matter opinion but i think not. If you had mentioned Down then i would have agreed with you!

I disagree, but sure it's your opinion!

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

RoyalGirl wrote:Essie what is this grudge you have against us? You are so certain that we won't do well, and it sounds awfully like you really don't want us to.

I hold no grudge against any county. I have an opinion, am I not allowed to express that RG? Whatever happened to free speech?

Express away I'm just curious as to the dislike you seem to have for us.

LW wrote:
Dublin are far better than Meath and have been for the best part of 7 years now. Beating them on a regular basis and winning Leinster at a canter.
But Meath have made 2 All Ireland Semi Finals in recent years. And have beaten teams along the way that we just cant.
Meath dont fear anyone, Meath dont care about reputations. They just see each team as another obstacle. They are mentally strong.
Dublin often take the field beaten before a ball is thrown in. Mentally fragile.
If you told me one of Dublin or Meath would win Sam this year and gave me 100 Euros to back either one, I would lay it all on Meath

Fair play Liam. Honest and fair, and probably sums it up.

RoyalGirl wrote:

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

RoyalGirl wrote:Essie what is this grudge you have against us? You are so certain that we won't do well, and it sounds awfully like you really don't want us to.

I hold no grudge against any county. I have an opinion, am I not allowed to express that RG? Whatever happened to free speech?

Express away I'm just curious as to the dislike you seem to have for us.

Again, where is this dislike coming into the equation? It's called an opinon, not a 'dislike.' RG, attack the post, not the poster.

I can't see how reciting a number of counties can prove Meath reaching the A.I quarter finals can prove to be a shock. Meath are a well drilled, physical team with some talented players who have reached the semis twice in 3 seasons, a feat which most of those counties mentioned have failed to achieve.

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

RoyalGirl wrote:

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

RoyalGirl wrote:Essie what is this grudge you have against us? You are so certain that we won't do well, and it sounds awfully like you really don't want us to.

I hold no grudge against any county. I have an opinion, am I not allowed to express that RG? Whatever happened to free speech?

Express away I'm just curious as to the dislike you seem to have for us.

Again, where is this dislike coming into the equation? It's called an opinon, not a 'dislike.' RG, attack the post, not the poster.

Girls Girls Girls....jaysus !!
Calm down!! Have a kit kat and relax!!!

Thomas Clarke wrote:

LW wrote:
Dublin are far better than Meath and have been for the best part of 7 years now. Beating them on a regular basis and winning Leinster at a canter.
But Meath have made 2 All Ireland Semi Finals in recent years. And have beaten teams along the way that we just cant.
Meath dont fear anyone, Meath dont care about reputations. They just see each team as another obstacle. They are mentally strong.
Dublin often take the field beaten before a ball is thrown in. Mentally fragile.
If you told me one of Dublin or Meath would win Sam this year and gave me 100 Euros to back either one, I would lay it all on Meath

Fair play Liam. Honest and fair, and probably sums it up.

Its depressing but its true TC.

LW wrote:Meath and Dublin are like England and Ireland in Rugby
in that even when Ireland are miles better than England, and can beat them at will, you would still back England to win in Paris over Ireland. For no other reason then, they can, have done, and will do.
Dublin are far better than Meath and have been for the best part of 7 years now. Beating them on a regular basis and winning Leinster at a canter.
But Meath have made 2 All Ireland Semi Finals in recent years. And have beaten teams along the way that we just cant.
Meath dont fear anyone, Meath dont care about reputations. They just see each team as another obstacle. They are mentally strong.
Dublin often take the field beaten before a ball is thrown in. Mentally fragile.
If you told me one of Dublin or Meath would win Sam this year and gave me 100 Euros to back either one, I would lay it all on Meath

Very well said. Best post so far.

LW wrote:
Its depressing but its true TC.

Yes, I'd agree Liam. Gilroy is getting plenty of stick just now, a lot of it warranted, but you can see why he is doing it. He is trying to make the Dubs hard to beat again, to rebuild morale. The strategy is very defensive, and while I wouldn't have seen enough of some of his new lads in big games to be sure, I'd guess that a lot of the boys he is trying are also tougher mentally than some of those he is weeding out.

They have secured division 1 status while rebuilding, and if Dublin can win Leinster and not get tanked by anyone after that, I think Gilroy will be happy with his year.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

LW wrote:
Its depressing but its true TC.

Yes, I'd agree Liam. Gilroy is getting plenty of stick just now, a lot of it warranted, but you can see why he is doing it. He is trying to make the Dubs hard to beat again, to rebuild morale. The strategy is very defensive, and while I wouldn't have seen enough of some of his new lads in big games to be sure, I'd guess that a lot of the boys he is trying are also tougher mentally than some of those he is weeding out.

They have secured division 1 status while rebuilding, and if Dublin can win Leinster and not get tanked by anyone after that, I think Gilroy will be happy with his year.

Can you tell me what players have being weeded out

mullins wrote:
Can you tell me what players have being weeded out

Well Mullins, as we've already established, you and I view Gilroy's plan differently. You seem to be of the opinion that he is not actually trying to establish a new style of play, but rather trying to fool everyone into thinking that this is the case. You also think that he is losing games deliberately to take the pressure off come the summer.

On the other hand, I think he is definitely trying to change things, and it is quite clear that a number of players who featured heavily under Caffrey are no longer first team regulars. As for names, well Cullen, O'Shaughnessey, Casey, Keaney (Keaney might re-emerge yet), Vaughan. Even Ryan & Whelan were surpluss to requirements last year, although I'll mention them seperately as they brought a lot more to the table than some of the others I mentioned.

LW wrote:
Girls Girls Girls....jaysus !!
Calm down!! Have a kit kat and relax!!!

Not until Sunday I'm afraid Liam-I'm off them for Lent

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

LW wrote:
Girls Girls Girls....jaysus !!
Calm down!! Have a kit kat and relax!!!

Not until Sunday I'm afraid Liam-I'm off them for Lent

Your off Kit-Kats?
What a random thing to give up!!

Oh your off chocolate...ahh I see !!!
I gave up giving things up a along time ago!!

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

samin10 wrote:

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

bald eagle wrote:

samin10 wrote:I wouldnt be shocked at all.

Meath have performed better in their semi finals than Mayo did in either final in 04 or 06.

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

Agree 100% Samin.

So what you're trying to say is that Meath won't get to the QF in 2010 because they didn't do that well in 09 or 08 and they have been poor in the league?

I don't think it'd be a shock as i can't see 8 teams that are better than them and to slag them off for the passage they got to the QF last year is very unfair, you can only beat what's in front of you after all and Meath had no control over who they played.

They are a better team than you give them credit for!

I'm saying that the reason that they had bad performances in 2008 and 2009 and so far 2010, is simply because the quality of footballers and the skill is not there. I never said Meath won't get to the quarters(please read all of my post) I said it would be a shock-and it would. You can't see 8 teams that are better than Meath?!?! Mayo, Dublin, Kerry, Cork, Tyrone, Derry, Monaghan, Galway-that's 8 so far! I could go on....

Well its all about opinions, i dont think any one of Derry, Monaghan or Mayo and possibly Galway could say with any degree of certainty that they are better than Meath. I would say Meath are at least on a par with any one of them.

I can say with certainty that Galway and Mayo are better than Meath, I would also say Derry and Monaghan are.

By better you mean Mayo would beat them? Why didnt they do it last year? i watched that game last year and to be honest i thought Meath won because they were the better team (nothing to do with ref). If it was Kerry, Tyrone or Cork who were unlucky and got beat by Meath by a point then maybe they could claim to be better and put it down to a blip. But Mayo? A team who have proved nothing. Bold statement

Thomas Clarke wrote:

mullins wrote:
Can you tell me what players have being weeded out

Well Mullins, as we've already established, you and I view Gilroy's plan differently. You seem to be of the opinion that he is not actually trying to establish a new style of play, but rather trying to fool everyone into thinking that this is the case. You also think that he is losing games deliberately to take the pressure off come the summer.

On the other hand, I think he is definitely trying to change things, and it is quite clear that a number of players who featured heavily under Caffrey are no longer first team regulars. As for names, well Cullen, O'Shaughnessey, Casey, Keaney (Keaney might re-emerge yet), Vaughan. Even Ryan & Whelan were surpluss to requirements last year, although I'll mention them seperately as they brought a lot more to the table than some of the others I mentioned.

1 No point us arguing about gilroys plan for the summer time will tell who was right or wrong - I have my views on it ill wait and see...

2 Im not the only Dub that believes Giller might be happy to prepare for the championship below the radar.....

3 All the players you mentioned above bar whealan and ryan are part of the panel...So no weeding done yet Tc Giller is working with about 50-60 players at the moment so no one knows what the panel will be-And i believe the door is opened for Shane or Ciaran to rejoin the panel if they wished

LW wrote:

EstherMayo1951 wrote:

LW wrote:
Girls Girls Girls....jaysus !!
Calm down!! Have a kit kat and relax!!!

Not until Sunday I'm afraid Liam-I'm off them for Lent

Your off Kit-Kats?
What a random thing to give up!!

Oh your off chocolate...ahh I see !!!
I gave up giving things up a along time ago!!

I'm off anything chocolate, sugary, or anything that would be regarded as a treat! Counting down the days, hours and minutes 'til Sunday-then I'm going to have a binge on all things chocolate

Thomas Clarke wrote:
Yes, I'd agree Liam. Gilroy is getting plenty of stick just now, a lot of it warranted, but you can see why he is doing it. He is trying to make the Dubs hard to beat again, to rebuild morale. The strategy is very defensive, and while I wouldn't have seen enough of some of his new lads in big games to be sure, I'd guess that a lot of the boys he is trying are also tougher mentally than some of those he is weeding out.

They have secured division 1 status while rebuilding, and if Dublin can win Leinster and not get tanked by anyone after that, I think Gilroy will be happy with his year.

I can't agree here TC for a number of reasons. The Dubs have been hard enough to beat - aside from two QF whackings in the last two years. I don't think you will learn anything about the mental strength of a player during a league match (home or away) on a cold winter's night. The white heat of Championship battle in front of 80,000 people is a different animal altogether.

The thing that would concern me is that there is a new system in operation which is simply not working - not effective a lot of the time. They conceded 2-13 to Cork and 1-14 to Galway. Despite the 'focus' on defence they conceded far too many cheap scores to Galway last Saturday - more so when they were down to 14 men. In addition they are scoring very little. I don't mind new ideas but only when they are effective.

KerryKatriona wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:
Yes, I'd agree Liam. Gilroy is getting plenty of stick just now, a lot of it warranted, but you can see why he is doing it. He is trying to make the Dubs hard to beat again, to rebuild morale. The strategy is very defensive, and while I wouldn't have seen enough of some of his new lads in big games to be sure, I'd guess that a lot of the boys he is trying are also tougher mentally than some of those he is weeding out.

They have secured division 1 status while rebuilding, and if Dublin can win Leinster and not get tanked by anyone after that, I think Gilroy will be happy with his year.

I can't agree here TC for a number of reasons. The Dubs have been hard enough to beat - aside from two QF whackings in the last two years. I don't think you will learn anything about the mental strength of a player during a league match (home or away) on a cold winter's night. The white heat of Championship battle in front of 80,000 people is a different animal altogether.

The thing that concerns me is that there is a new system in operation which is simply not working - not effective a lot of the time. We conceded 2-13 to Cork and 1-14 to Galway. Despite the 'focus' on defence we conceded far too many cheap scores to Galway last Saturday - more so when they were down to 14 men. In addition we are scoring very little. I don't mind new ideas but only when they are effective.

'We'???? Sounds like you have a bit of an identity crisis Kerry. Bit of a slip up there