GAA nothing compared to Professional Soccer

tastyt

An excellent piece by Sweeney no bull****, abuse or sneaky chip on the shoulder digs. Just common sense and a balanced argument

tastyt

tastyt wrote: »

Ha yes imagine, they would run the show

Not against this man they wouldnt :pac:

(pic from a Wicklow junior hurling match i believe)

Littlehorny

Littlehorny wrote: »

Only comparison i can think of is Graham Geraghty going to Arsenal for a few weeks trial and he said that the training was handy. Paul Merson commented that Geraghty was one of the fittest fellas he ever met.
Modern day soccer is all about running, todays players look like middle distance runners where as gaelic football and hurling has a lot more physicallity involved so where a GAA player may struggle to last 90 mins running, a soccer player would struggle with the toughness of our sport.

Thats a fair and balanced point to be honest.

Gael85

Deleted User wrote: »

Not against this man they wouldnt :pac:

(pic from a Wicklow junior hurling match i believe)

Is that Wayne Rooney in that photo

Gael85

Gael85 wrote: »

Is that Wayne Rooney in that photo

Too handsome for Rooney :pac:

kksaints

Deleted User wrote: »

Not against this man they wouldnt :pac:

(pic from a Wicklow junior hurling match i believe)

Is that photo actually real? Always thought it was a crude photoshop.

TheMilkyPirate

kksaints wrote: »

Is that photo actually real? Always thought it was a crude photoshop.

And what part exactly do you think was photoshopped?

gormdubhgorm

Lads you do realise that hunt hurled at under age level? It was on the second captain's programme. So at least he does have some past connections with the GAA.

But in fairness he is does not seem like the brightest lamp on the street.
So even if his comments are correct they will be over shadowed by the more eloquent Joe Brolly (waffle).

Strongbow10

Littlehorny wrote: »

Only comparison i can think of is Graham Geraghty going to Arsenal for a few weeks trial and he said that the training was handy. Paul Merson commented that Geraghty was one of the fittest fellas he ever met.
Modern day soccer is all about running, todays players look like middle distance runners where as gaelic football and hurling has a lot more physicallity involved so where a GAA player may struggle to last 90 mins running, a soccer player would struggle with the toughness of our sport.

good grief what a load of rubbish.

soccer nowadays is all about running? therefore they have the edge in fitness.

But GAA lads have a bit more meat on their bones there they have a definite edge in physicality.

Weight does not relate to strength, train some of the so called physical players in GAA under a full time regime and they may be alot more trim and athletic than how you see them currently. And they may be alot fitter and physically stronger too.

Stephen Hunt is about as articulate as a sheepdog, and his article is pure rubbish. He didnt even make the point he wanted to make in the correct way.

What he more than likely meant was that soccer is a cut throat business, for every Ronaldo there are tens of thousands of guys just as talented who don't make the cut.
Scratch that, for every Stephen Hunt theres probably tens of thousands of lads who didnt make it in same position.

The guys who make careers in the upper division possess unbelieveable mental strength and have to more than likely scratch and claw to get noticed and then have to beat off competition who may even be more talented. And its like this for their entire careers.

Why he felt the need to say GAA players would struggle with such competition, I dont know. Of course they would struggle, 99.99% wouldn't possess the technical skills.
I suspect he has taken his fair bit of flack from GAA men letting him know how cushy he has it in such a woman's game when in reality, for a lad with ordinary talent he has done extraordinarily well to take himself up through the divisions to perform for some time at the highest level in the game if you count the English top tier as being top level. Personally, i'd even have his achievements in the championship as being pretty damn impressive and to scratch and claw his way up there takes immense mental strength and testicular fortitude.

Not every soccer player is a millionaire having it easy, nor is the route to the top as easy as detractors will say. They are paid handsomely at the top (and even the rungs below) but there is usually a serious degree of hardship and sacrifice for years before.

You only need to look at the vast amount of irish lads who go across the water only to return home due to homesickness/unable to cope with not being the best lad on the pitch anymore

bruschi

Strongbow10 wrote: »

You only need to look at the vast amount of irish lads who go across the water only to return home due to homesickness/unable to cope with not being the best lad on the pitch anymore

that was essentially what he was trying to say, and his follow up article stated that. Why he needed to use GAA as the starting point to get there I havent a clue. It was an utter nonsense piece, and what is worse is the amount of media about it since. That piece by Eamonn Sweeney was as bad, and missed every point that Hunt or his detractors said and essentially bore no relation to the argument.

Strongbow10

bruschi wrote: »

that was essentially what he was trying to say, and his follow up article stated that. Why he needed to use GAA as the starting point to get there I havent a clue. It was an utter nonsense piece, and what is worse is the amount of media about it since. That piece by Eamonn Sweeney was as bad, and missed every point that Hunt or his detractors said and essentially bore no relation to the argument.

I think Sweeney's article is great, sure he uses the opportunity to have a pop at GAA, but there's not a lot incorrect in what he said.

Strongbow10

Strongbow10 wrote: »

good grief what a load of rubbish.

soccer nowadays is all about running? therefore they have the edge in fitness.

But GAA lads have a bit more meat on their bones there they have a definite edge in physicality.

Weight does not relate to strength, train some of the so called physical players in GAA under a full time regime and they may be alot more trim and athletic than how you see them currently. And they may be alot fitter and physically stronger too.

Stephen Hunt is about as articulate as a sheepdog, and his article is pure rubbish. He didnt even make the point he wanted to make in the correct way.

What he more than likely meant was that soccer is a cut throat business, for every Ronaldo there are tens of thousands of guys just as talented who don't make the cut.
Scratch that, for every Stephen Hunt theres probably tens of thousands of lads who didnt make it in same position.

The guys who make careers in the upper division possess unbelieveable mental strength and have to more than likely scratch and claw to get noticed and then have to beat off competition who may even be more talented. And its like this for their entire careers.

Why he felt the need to say GAA players would struggle with such competition, I dont know. Of course they would struggle, 99.99% wouldn't possess the technical skills.
I suspect he has taken his fair bit of flack from GAA men letting him know how cushy he has it in such a woman's game when in reality, for a lad with ordinary talent he has done extraordinarily well to take himself up through the divisions to perform for some time at the highest level in the game if you count the English top tier as being top level. Personally, i'd even have his achievements in the championship as being pretty damn impressive and to scratch and claw his way up there takes immense mental strength and testicular fortitude.

Not every soccer player is a millionaire having it easy, nor is the route to the top as easy as detractors will say. They are paid handsomely at the top (and even the rungs below) but there is usually a serious degree of hardship and sacrifice for years before.

You only need to look at the vast amount of irish lads who go across the water only to return home due to homesickness/unable to cope with not being the best lad on the pitch anymore

Thats a great post sir, i tip the hat to you

gormdubhgorm

I would consider myself a big GAA fan.

So I thought about the title of this thread that the GAA is nothing to professional soccer.

What does the GAA have?
1) Some huge stadiums great infrastructure (most of these stadiums are empty most of the year)
2) Sense of community (do it for the parish etc)
3) Fierce national pride when taken as a whole particularly by those from ulster
4) Competition as high as county level with the occasional playing of a tokenism hybrid sport.

What does soccer have?
1) A lot huge stadiums and infrastructure which are full most of the year round
2) Sense of community for those who actually live in the area and support their local team This can happen at any pro level in lower/higher leagues.
3) Fierce national pride at international level
3) Competition as high as inter-continental/international level. Most countries in world the play soccer

What does soccer have that the GAA does not these things

1) legal payment for players

2) A structured fixture list!!!!!

3) More competition between teams look at the state of Connacht/leinster/munster in the football no competition. There are only about ten teams that play hurling to any decent level. Ten and that is at a stretch!

4) More competitive games. For any decent excitement for neutrals in the football they have to wait until August and a county player might only get two noteworty games all year! As the league is always "only the league"

And "The stick them soccer lads in junior b hurling match and see how they fare" is like one my auld fella would use. He only likes watching soccer teams with names of players he can say!

On fixtures alone and championship structure how can the GAA even pretend to compare themselves to soccer? When there is a world cup year on you get the odd GAA commentator in hurling/football say "you can keeeep yeeer lionel meeees-iiii he wouldn't have got a score like that....!!!"

Cop on!