Stan goes and Delaney stays...same old, same old?


I'm not saying they didnt earn it but no one forced them to earn it, and believe me the jersey wouldnt be left vacant if they pulled out. They are under no compulsion to play for their county team and if its such an ordeal why do they bother?

Maybe they are masochists compelled by some inner imperative and they feel we should help them in their plight, OR
maybe they a) enjoy it, b) have pride in their county and like the respect they get for playing, c) get spin off benefits from their fame (.. high proportion on bankers in the Cork hurling ranks over the years ..) and sure if someone is willing to pay for play as well then they wont refuse.

Its the lack of honesty in the argument that annoys me.
 

The jersey wouldn't be left vacant but would it filled by someone that is willing to put in the amount training required to ensure that they can play to a level of standard that people are willing to play €40-€50 to go and see. Of course they play for pride and enjoyment and some of them might even get spin offs from their 'fame'. On the other hand, how many of us would be willing to put ourselves out there playing a sport for free in front of 80,000 critics where your mistakes make the national papers and then go to work on the Monday.

By the way I don't think they should be paid to play but I also think they need to be treated better by the GAA.

Anyway to be fair we can't blame Stan of the FAI for this!!!
 
Sunny said:
99 people out of 100 would not be able or willing to make the same sacrifces that inter county players make from a young age in pursuit of playing at the top level.
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I don't agree. There are players in my own club (junior grade) who put in tremendous effort and sacrifice a lot in order to play football. For example one particular player who has suffered two cruciate injuries in the past five years and who commuted from England every weekend during the recent season in order to hold his place on the team. There are others who are farmers and who have to milk their cows at 5.30 every evening (thus necessitating them to milk at an ungodly hour in the mornings as well) in order to make training by 8pm. Again there are students and ex-students who have played in key matches on the eve of their exams - some of whom paid a price for this, and there are others who have had to cancel holidays with wives & girlfriends in order to play in certain game.

All of this is in one small and largely unsuccessful club. The GPA would have us believe that they county players are alone in their "hardship". They are 100% right to support the county players but they erode their credibility by ignoring and denying full membership and representation to their club counterparts.
 
 

Agree with you about the GPA (not my favourite organisation) being elitist and about the club players whose efforts would put some professional sports to shame. My only issue it with people assuming that elite sports people are lucky because anyone can come along and do it and that they should be just grateful that they get to wear the jersey and the odd perk and keep their mouths shut.
 
Rovers1901 said:
If Cork were well beaten by Leitrim or some other minnow in GAA circles would those magnificant GAA fans be so sporting???
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Well, Cork were well beaten by Fermanagh in the 2004 Championship in Croke Park and there was no (discernable) booing. Maybe their "supporters" didn't bother travelling On the other hand some elements among the followers of the Tipp hurlers and Dublin footballers don't seem to have any problem in dishing out abuse to players and management when they lose...
Rovers1901 said:
Also every summer there's articles in the press about poor GAA fans being dragged up to Dublin to watch their team....
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In fairness this sort of argument really only flares up when there is a row over the venue for a game. The big hurling powers tend to be fond of asserting themselves in trying to dictate match venues. Sometimes they have a point when near-neighbours like Kilkenny and Tipp are "dragged up to Dublin" to play League play-offs in a quarter-full Croke Park while several more suitable venues lie idle. On the other hand, the Ulster supporters didn't seem to have a problem when the Ulster Final venue was changed from Clones to Croke Park on a few occasions in recent years.
 
Stan well gone now but the question still there - who will succeed him? Have been listening to all the media and ballyhoo over the past few months but the music ringing most in my ear is '' the ideal man for the job is Paul Jewell.'' Now who was the great Messiah who said this? Manager of the tailed off Derby Co. - has done nothing to generate a win and lo and behold in the FA cup - Derby 1 Preston North End 4.
 
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