# Louth v Meath replay?



## Liamos (13 Jul 2010)

Should Louth be granted a replay against Meath? In fact should Louth not just be awarded the match? After all, Meath really should have lost the match by 1 point.


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## Sunny (13 Jul 2010)

Louth should be kicked out of the Championship because of the behaviour of their supporters.


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## Liamos (13 Jul 2010)

Louth brought 25,000 fans with then to Croke Park. So because 5/6 idiots attack the referee the team should be kicked out?


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## Sunny (13 Jul 2010)

Liamos said:


> Louth brought 25,000 fans with then to Croke Park. So because 5/6 idiots attack the referee the team should be kicked out?


 
Yep. I don't care what mistake he made, nobody deserves to be assaulted. The Steward didn't derserve a bottle thrown from the top tier of the Stand to hit in the head. 

GAA is turning into a sport of scumbags with on field and off field violence at every level including under-age. I went to an under 12 game a few months ago where my nephew was playing and the ref was pushed around at half time by parents. UNDER 12! 

I am getting sick of the sports I love being dragged down my mindless idiots. I feel really sorry for the Louth players but what happened on Sunday was a disgrace. And I don't mean the refereeing mistake.


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## Mpsox (13 Jul 2010)

Sunny said:


> Louth should be kicked out of the Championship because of the behaviour of their supporters.


 
Why should Louth GAA be held responsible for the actions of people who may not be members of the GAA or bought their tickets from the Louth County Board or via their club? Why should Louth be punished for the abject failure of the Croke Park authorities to control the situation. if anything, Louth deserve credit for the way their manager and a couple of players tried to protect the ref when they saw what was happening

If you followed this train of thought, then would you throw Tipp out of the championship for homophobic abuse of Donal Og Cusack by a couple of idiots on the terraces or Kilkenny for racist abuse by one person of Sean Og O'hailpin in Nowlan Park last year?. If we threw teams out of championships because of the behaviour of a small number of idiots, then there wouldn't be much of a championship left. 

As for a replay, no, Louth should not get a replay. I have a lot of sympathy for them and if it happened my teams, I'd be up in arms over it. Trouble is, where do you draw the line?. If Waterford had lost by a point on Sunday, should they have got a replay over that dubious point that Cork got in the first half, if Cork had lost, should they have got a replay over the dodgy free Waterford got at the end. The list goes on and on and on and you can look at any match where there was less then a score in it and find a "reason" for a replay.


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## Ceist Beag (13 Jul 2010)

Liamos said:


> Should Louth be granted a replay against Meath? In fact should Louth not just be awarded the match? After all, Meath really should have lost the match by 1 point.



No to both. Referees often make mistakes, why should this be any different? Should Waterford be awarded the Munster hurling title as a Cork point was actually wide? Or what about any game where the ball has been shown to cross the line in soccer or a player was offside? This is no different albeit that the mistake was much more blatant than normal.
That said the GAA should get their act together about the selection of umpires. They should be trained as referees in the same way linesmen are and they should not be appointed by the referee (who tends to choose his mates!).


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## The_Banker (13 Jul 2010)

Louth, as far as I am concerned should be put out of the championship. In any other sport in the world in which the teams fans attacked an official (no matter how few launched the attack) the team would be thrown out of the competition and even when they are let back they would have to play games behind closed doors.

But this is ireland and this is the GAA so nothing will be done.

The Louth fans continually boo'd and jeered any Meath free kicks and Sean Boylan (ex Meath manager) was attacked after the game as well by Louth fans. 

All the media attention appears to be following the story of the replay. They should be following the thuggish element that has seeped in the GAA and been left to grow uncontrolled for many years. They are now reaping  what they sowed in regard to pitch invasions that they have only paid lip service to stopping, poor stewarding and putting gate receipts above all else.

Assualts on referees happens in the GAA every weekend but in small games not seen on TV. Now that it has been emblazoned on our TV screens for all to see it I hope something is done. But I doubt it.


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## Shawady (13 Jul 2010)

Liamos said:


> So because 5/6 idiots attack the referee the team should be kicked out?


 
I was speaking to one of my colleagues this morning. She was at the game and said there were a large number of Louth fans throwing things down from the stand that was not shown on TV. She said they were full of drink and fairly aggresive.


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## Sunny (13 Jul 2010)

Mpsox said:


> Why should Louth GAA be held responsible for the actions of people who may not be members of the GAA or bought their tickets from the Louth County Board or via their club? Why should Louth be punished for the abject failure of the Croke Park authorities to control the situation. if anything, Louth deserve credit for the way their manager and a couple of players tried to protect the ref when they saw what was happening
> 
> If you followed this train of thought, then would you throw Tipp out of the championship for homophobic abuse of Donal Og Cusack by a couple of idiots on the terraces or Kilkenny for racist abuse by one person of Sean Og O'hailpin in Nowlan Park last year?. If we threw teams out of championships because of the behaviour of a small number of idiots, then there wouldn't be much of a championship left.


 
Because this is not the first time this has happened. Club sides have been kicked out of championships for assaults on referees by their supporters. Why should County teams be any different?


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## RMCF (13 Jul 2010)

Liamos said:


> Louth brought 25,000 fans with then to Croke Park. So because 5/6 idiots attack the referee the team should be kicked out?



Yes, 100%.

How else do you stop idiots running on the pitch? So either their own fans go and grab them, or they get their team fined or thrown out of the competition. 

When that happens, you might get 2 idiots running on, then fine them again, and keep doing it until no-one runs on !! Its simple. They have managed to get it sorted in football, so there is no reason for it to happen in GAA.

And don't forget these idiots didn't just run on to the pitch, they tried to assault the ref. There is no place ever in any sport for that.


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## VOR (13 Jul 2010)

In an ideal world Meath would agree to the replay and the GAA would reject it based on the actions of the fans. 
IMO Louth are lucky to be still in the championship. The GAA cannot give in to these thugs and allow a replay. What sort of signal does that send to every other idiot out there?
And the GAA need to start spending money on training stewards to do their job. They were utterly useless on Sunday. That's not the fault of the stewards. It is the fault of the GAA.


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## micmclo (13 Jul 2010)

Clubs have been thrown out of championships for incidents like this, you cannot touch the referee or any official.

Just because it's a high profile county game it shouldn't be any different.

The GAA will issue some statement condemning what happened and then do absolutely nothing


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## dockingtrade (13 Jul 2010)

refereeing error,  part of the game so no replay. If there was replay then people in games where they lose by a point,  could go back through a game find a guy took 6 steps before he passed the ball to a scoring player etc etc etc.


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## Mpsox (13 Jul 2010)

Sunny said:


> Because this is not the first time this has happened. Club sides have been kicked out of championships for assaults on referees by their supporters. Why should County teams be any different?


 
The only club sides that I am aware of (and I'll stand corrected on this) that were kicked out of the championship for something similer was where the people involved were players, officials and/or members of the club or were from the family of players of the club in question. A club or a county cannot and should not be held responsible for actions of the general public, regardless of what colours they wear or who they are shouting for. If the people who attacked the ref on Sunday are members of the GAA, then perhaps there is a case for far stronger action against Louth, but only if they are members

Wasn't in Croker on Sunday (far more pressing events in Thurles !!) but I always worry a little when I see a band-wagon approaching. I remember Louth beating Carlow in the championship in Parnell Park last year, can't have been no more then 2-3000 Louth fans at the game. Where have the other 20000 "die hard" fans been for the last few years?


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## PyritePete (13 Jul 2010)

IMHO Louth should be awarded a replay. THe GAA cant keep burying its head in the sand when it comes to controversial decisions. My point is, it has happened far too often in hurling & football for the GAA not to do anything about. Saying there is nothing in the rule book about awarding a replay in this situation is a cop-out. Leaving the decision to the meath players and management is according to Bernard Flynn (meath ex-player) the GAA abdicatiing its responsibilities. I am not from Louth.

THe thugs should be banned for life I dont care which county they come from, including my own. The actions of these thugs makes it easy for the GAA to do nothing even though Louth suffered a major injustice. Its all too convenient.

The GAA is an amateur organisation - just look at the level of stewarding/Gardai presence on Sunday.


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## MrMan (13 Jul 2010)

Mpsox said:


> The only club sides that I am aware of (and I'll stand corrected on this) that were kicked out of the championship for something similer was where the people involved were players, officials and/or members of the club or were from the family of players of the club in question. A club or a county cannot and should not be held responsible for actions of the general public, regardless of what colours they wear or who they are shouting for. If the people who attacked the ref on Sunday are members of the GAA, then perhaps there is a case for far stronger action against Louth, but only if they are members
> 
> Wasn't in Croker on Sunday (far more pressing events in Thurles !!) but I always worry a little when I see a band-wagon approaching. I remember Louth beating Carlow in the championship in Parnell Park last year, can't have been no more then 2-3000 Louth fans at the game. Where have the other 20000 "die hard" fans been for the last few years?



Why only if they are members? Many people enjoy the GAA games and get involved locally but don't take up membership.


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## VOR (13 Jul 2010)

Mpsox said:


> If you followed this train of thought, then would you throw Tipp out of the championship for homophobic abuse of Donal Og Cusack by a couple of idiots on the terraces or Kilkenny for racist abuse by one person of Sean Og O'hailpin in Nowlan Park last year?. If we threw teams out of championships because of the behaviour of a small number of idiots, then there wouldn't be much of a championship left.



If it kept happening then action would have to be taken. That's if the GAA are serious about stomping out violence and racism. I am sure that the good people of Tipp and Kilkenny would point out the culprit quickly if they believed that their county would lose home advantage for the next game or a worse punishment. 
How often do you see people thrown out of the stadium at GAA matches?


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## Mpsox (13 Jul 2010)

MrMan said:


> Why only if they are members? Many people enjoy the GAA games and get involved locally but don't take up membership.


 
Why should Louth GAA be punished if they are not members? Surely that's not fair?


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## MrMan (13 Jul 2010)

Mpsox said:


> Why should Louth GAA be punished if they are not members? Surely that's not fair?



I can support my county without being a member of the GAA is my point. Membership is only a part of the GAA, what you're saying is that those that don't pay a fee don't have a legit voice.


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## TheShark (13 Jul 2010)

And lets not forget that many "genuine" Louth supporters were on the phone to Fitzgibbon St Garda Station on Sunday evening giving the names and addresses of those involved in the assault on Mr. Sludden.
Lets hope these thugs find themselves "slopping-out" in the Joy in the near future.


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## The_Banker (13 Jul 2010)

Mpsox said:


> Why should Louth GAA be punished if they are not members? Surely that's not fair?


 
Was it fair on the referee to be punched and shouldered as he tried to get off the pitch?
Was it fair on the steward to get hit with a bottle over the head on the sideline?
Was it fair that a former Meath manager is assualted by Louth fans after the game?
Was it fair that the Maeth players were assaulted on the pitch by Louth players when they offered to shake hands after the game?

Everyone keeps saying it was only a handful of Louth supporters that acted like thugs. From what i could see it was a lot more than a handful.

Louth should be thrown out of this years championship. I would say the same if my own county (Cork) behaved in the same manner.

It is only a matter of time before someone is killed at an inter-county GAA game. The same problems as Sunday could manifest at another game in Thurles, Pairc Ui Chaoimh or The Gaelic Grounds where there is even less stewarding than Croke Park.

For far too long the GAA has spoken about the amatuer ethos when it suits them. Its all about amatuer when it comes to paying out money (to stewards/players/referees etc..) but it is oh so professional when it comes to taking in money (gate receipts, TV rights, Sponsorship etc...)


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## csirl (13 Jul 2010)

http://www.independent.ie/national-...st-gaa-8364470000-in-three-years-1599619.html

GAA President is a former high ranking FAS official. The fact that the GAA voted in someone like this as their President says a lot about the organisation.

My opinion - GAA and organisational ability dont belong in the same sentence. Too much politics, stroke pulling and gombeenmanism tolerated in the organisation. Not surprising that attendances and membership are falling.


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## VOR (13 Jul 2010)

The GAA is a superb organisation not because of the top people but in spite of them. The issue is not the GAA in our communities who do a fine job to keep pitches playable and club houses lit and heated. 

The issue here is just as The Banker has outlined. The central council and provincial boards portray an amateur ethos when it suits them but can then negotiate whopping big commercial deals as good as any of the pros. 

The penny-pinching central committees and the provincial boards must take the safety of players, officials and fans more seriously and implement measures to stop people encroaching on the pitch.
They must also put aside their hunger for money and throw counties out of the championship when fans act violently.
God help us all but even the FAI could manage to have nets all the way around Croke Park to stop pitch invasions. And they are the most incompetent bunch of all!!!


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## Ash 22 (13 Jul 2010)

I think Louth should be awarded the game as to me they were the actual winners. Meath officials should do the decent and honest thing and stand up and say we do not deserve this trophy, we did not win it fair and square, of course that won't be done as its grab all at any cost. The guy who threw the ball into the net was'nt man enough to say he was wrong. 
What happened to the referee was deplorable but you cannot blame the Louth players for the actions of a few thugs.
Meath are only deluding themselves thinking they won this title.


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## MrMan (13 Jul 2010)

Ash 22 said:


> I think Louth should be awarded the game as to me they were the actual winners. Meath officials should do the decent and honest thing and stand up and say we do not deserve this trophy, we did not win it fair and square, of course that won't be done as its grab all at any cost. The guy who threw the ball into the net was'nt man enough to say he was wrong.
> What happened to the referee was deplorable but you cannot blame the Louth players for the actions of a few thugs.
> Meath are only deluding themselves thinking they won this title.



Referees decision is final is generally accepted even though mistakes are often made. a bitter pill to swallow but such is life.


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## Ash 22 (13 Jul 2010)

I know refs decision is final but in this situation ref admitted he made a mistake. I suppose if this happened to maybe Kerry or Tyrone we would'nt be as put out but the fact Louth have waited so long for this moment and to be taken from them in such a manner is so cruel.


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## RMCF (13 Jul 2010)

At the end of the day, its only a game. 

I am a passionate football fan, and have got very angry about refs decisions througout my life, but I have NEVER run on to a pitch to punch him. 

Thats the difference.

If you think thats acceptable behaviour, or condone it, then there is something wrong in your head imho.


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## Lex Foutish (13 Jul 2010)

I find it incredible that so little mention has been made in the media about the gross incompetence of the umpires!!! 

They were each approximately 4 metres from the incident. Hundreds of Louth supporters in the stand clearly saw what happened and the umpires didn't! 

Should have gone to Specsavers, boys!


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## Ash 22 (13 Jul 2010)

Yes the umpires were in a better position to see this than the ref and clearly they did see it as no flag was raised immediately.


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## PyritePete (13 Jul 2010)

AFAIK the ref picks his umpires...it seems that to be an umpire you need grey hair (I have that) be portly (yep that too) and be visually challenged !! 

I have the full set...

Just looking at the umpires over the years and the goings on in Thurles and Croker, highlights the need to change these guys to be actual referees.


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## PyritePete (13 Jul 2010)

a lot of people seem to be missing the point...its ok to say that the ref made a mistake and move on ?  But where is the solution to these controversial match-defining situations ? It doesn't matter whether its Louth or any other county.

Its only until the GAA do something (like the rugby TMO) that this would 

- then take the spotlight from the ref
- prevent him from abuse
- seeing scenes like this repeated etc

I won't hold my breath though


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## gianni (13 Jul 2010)

Meath won the game through a (very) dubious decision but they still won the game. There are plenty of dubious decisions in plenty of games, why should this be any different ? 

Because it happened in the last minute? 
Because Louth hadn't won the title in 50 years?


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## Lex Foutish (13 Jul 2010)

gianni said:


> Meath won the game through a (very) dubious decision but they still won the game. There are plenty of dubious decisions in plenty of games, why should this be any different ?
> 
> Because it happened in the last minute?
> Because Louth hadn't won the title in 50 years?


 
Liam Hayes made similar points on with Matt Cooper this evening, Gianni. 

He felt that, because it was Louth, who hadn't won the title in 50 years, we're thinking it's terrible and there should be a replay. And that if it was Meath or Dublin we'd be thinking, tough toe nails, it was a goal. Get over it!

Personally, I think it's a bit of a joke thinking that the Meath players or County Board should have to make the decision on whether or not there should be a replay.

The referee has now admitted in his report that it wasn't a goal and it shouldn't have been awarded. Surely it's up to the GAA to have a rule dealing with such situations instead of depending on the good will of the other team to offer a replay.


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## Firefly (14 Jul 2010)

Anyone hear the Louth-Aid sketch on Gift this morning? Fantastic - try and get it if you can. Instead of "Do they know it's Christmas-time at alllll" it was "Why did he play extra time at alllll".


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## PyritePete (14 Jul 2010)

Lex made the same point as me - its up to the GAA to sort it out. Its more than just the refs mistake, the umpires too have to be held acountable as they were only yards away. 

It doesn't matter which county is involved as these type of situations will keep occuring until the GAA does something about it. Which county will be next to feel aggrieved - then will they be told the same - ah its just the refs mistake and accept it ?

It simply cant continue. By the GAA doing nothing it solves nothing.


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## Liamos (14 Jul 2010)

I don't think anyone is claiming that what happened to the ref was "regrettable but understanding". Of course it was wrong and the idiots who did it shoud be charged with assault and banned from going to any future games.

With regard to 

The point has been made that the referees decision is final and and any mistake he makes is unfortunate and just one of those things. Well what about the fact that the GAA do now look back at games and retrospectively award yellow / red cards. eg Paul Galvin. If a referee can change his mind after viewing a replay of a certain incident involving a player committing a foul, then why can't he do likewise when a player scores an illegal goal?


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## Latrade (14 Jul 2010)

Seems refs are the new bankers. Except they make mistakes which dent local pride and bragging rights rather than global economies. 

It's unfortunate and can happen to any side at any time. The sustainablilty of the world isn't attached to the outcome of any sport, so you allow for human error whether it be player or ref. Utlimately though, you soak it up and move on.

I agree it is for the GAA to sort out, except every single official passed the buck down to the disgraceful situation where the Meath players had to decide. That's just pathetic and unfair to the players. The GAA should have just said immediately that there was no replay.

My only issue with video technology is that it is used in order to punish players after the event. The result of the game still stands, but the player is punished. The same should and could apply to refs in some way. 

I'd be all for punishing Louth for their fans, even if it was only a handful, those scenes were a disgrace. However, it was the GAA who failed to control the crowd and who continue to fail to control the crowd rather than Louth. So any punishment should be proportional to that.


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## Sunny (14 Jul 2010)

Liamos said:


> I don't think anyone is claiming that what happened to the ref was "regrettable but understanding". Of course it was wrong and the idiots who did it shoud be charged with assault and banned from going to any future games.


 
*Louth midfielder Brian White *blasted Sludden for his decision and called for him to quit refereeing. 

White termed the awarding of the goal ‘a disgrace’, but doesn’t believe that Meath will offer to replay the match. 

"I was about 25 or 30 yards out and I just saw him (Sheridan) rolling across the line with it. I saw the referee pointing out and I thought he was just giving a free out, which would have been the correct decision. 

"I heard the referee got hit going off the field, we don’t like to see that either but he needs to have a good look at himself in the mirror and maybe just quit refereeing. 

*Thomas O Se in todays Irish Times*

Without wishing to trivialise what happened, I couldn’t believe Martin Sludden stood there with his notebook out trying to book players after the final whistle.
If that was me I would have been well gone out the gap. It was time to head for the hills. The Garda might have ushered him along a little bit quicker if he’d known how things were about to pan out.


And

[broken link removed]





​


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## Shawady (14 Jul 2010)

No replay.

[broken link removed]


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## MrMan (14 Jul 2010)

Liamos said:


> I don't think anyone is claiming that what happened to the ref was "regrettable but understanding". Of course it was wrong and the idiots who did it shoud be charged with assault and banned from going to any future games.
> 
> With regard to
> 
> The point has been made that the referees decision is final and and any mistake he makes is unfortunate and just one of those things. Well what about the fact that the GAA do now look back at games and retrospectively award yellow / red cards. eg Paul Galvin. If a referee can change his mind after viewing a replay of a certain incident involving a player committing a foul, then why can't he do likewise when a player scores an illegal goal?



I think players can be done for incidents that the referee did not see, he did see the goal incident.


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## csirl (14 Jul 2010)

This incident is sympthomatic of a wider problem in the GAA i.e. unethical coaching. 

Firstly, if players are coached to play within the rules, and coaches actively deal with any of their players who dont, then you get less fouls and so less decisions for the referee to make.

The continual foul play that seems to be systemic at intercounty level also impacts on the referees performance in another way. Because a lot of off the ball stuff happens, the referee is more easily distracted and has to keep an eye on off the ball stuff. If he is keeping his eye on off the ball stuff, then he cannot concentrate as much on the action around the ball. You might say that there wasnt any off the ball stuff happening at the time of the incident, but that doesnt mean the referee hasnt been keeping an eye to make sure. In a bad tempered game, a referee can end up concentrating a lot more on the peripheral stuff than the ball. There is also the fatigue factor. Continual ill tempered play throughout a game will take its toll on the referee's concentration. 

All this comes back to coaching. The lack of discipline on the field at GAA matches is a reflection on the caliber of people who coach. Good coaches produce clean players.


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## Liamos (14 Jul 2010)

The point is MrMan the referee couldn't possibly have seen the goal incident. He was so far behind the play. That's why he should have consulted with his umpires.


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## DB74 (14 Jul 2010)

He should have but he didn't

If we were to trawl every GAA game to find incidents of injustice we would never have a Championship played.


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## MrMan (14 Jul 2010)

Liamos said:


> The point is MrMan the referee couldn't possibly have seen the goal incident. He was so far behind the play. That's why he should have consulted with his umpires.


I thought he did consult with the umpires and in an case if he thought he saw a legit goal then it stands even if he made a mistake.


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## Mpsox (14 Jul 2010)

MrMan said:


> I thought he did consult with the umpires and in an case if he thought he saw a legit goal then it stands even if he made a mistake.


 
from what I saw on telly he only spoke to one umpire and it seemed to be to tell him to put the flag up, It certainly wasn't a detailed discussion.

However the ref also has said in his report that he was blowing for a penalty and then when the ball hit the net, he let it stand. A bit of a strange interpretation of the advantage rule and I'm left thinking that he just panicked.

Full marks to JP Rooney of Louth though who has said
- I’m delighted that there’s no replay. It would have been an anti-climax. That’s it, what’s done is done and we will try to forget about it now. It will be hard to get it out of our heads but we were training this evening and there was a big group there again. We’ll look forward to the next game and life goes on. When you see what happened in Donegal over the weekend, it puts everything into perspective. That was a real tragedy.

I like this Longford joke as well (Longford won the minors)

-Non-Longford Person trying to make conversation with a Longford fan after the Louth Meath match:

NLP: 'Did you see the whack the referee got? Wasn't that awful?'

Longford fan: 'What whack? Where?!!'

NLP: 'On the pitch, after the match. After the goal that wasn't a goal…'

Longford fan: 'What goal? Where?!!'

NLP: 'During the Louth Meath game – the senior final?'

Longford fan: 'God, was there a second match? I only saw Longford win. After that…. Well, everything's a blur…'


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## DB74 (16 Jul 2010)

Firefly said:


> Anyone hear the Louth-Aid sketch on Gift this morning? Fantastic - try and get it if you can. Instead of "Do they know it's Christmas-time at alllll" it was "Why did he play extra time at alllll".


 
Here it is

[broken link removed]


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## csirl (16 Jul 2010)

In work someone was passing around a photoshopped picture of certain soccer player's head put on a meath player with the caption:

"Thierry An Mhi"


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