Why wont die hard GAA fans admit football these days is muck?

It was mostly one dimensional stuff when you really look at it. For example in Tyrone v Kerry games Kerry ran into traffic, Tyrone would hunt in packs and win it back.

Eventually teams copped on like Kerry not run into traffic and be more patient with the ball.

Dublin and Kerry (in particular) had to adapt even more when Donegal appeared with the more extreme defensive counter tactic.

Some people get their kicks bumping a thread to call something shite several hundred times over.

They do kick the ball, but the problem is the weaker sides go for the safe option constantly. Sorry for referring to Dublin again, but they are the team I have seen the most of, and have shown the different options if teams are brave enough.

The peak recent era of Dublin had the ability to switch the play quickly from one side of the pitch to the other, head up that type of thing with a kick pass. The problem is players with no confidence rarely do it and go for the easy backwards and sideways handpass.

Ironically Dessie Farrell purposely made his team more direct with less handpassing, however they are not as consistent as the great Dublin teams were.

It is combination of poor rules in GAA and poor teams. The top level teams can still come up with good standard stuff variation. The good teams evolve within the rules and look for the best way of winning a game imposing their style on the opponent forcing errors.

The weaker teams and/or teams with poor managers look for the easy safe option, where they play NOT to get beaten rather than try and get a win/draw.

I understand exactly what you are saying too much handpassing. Former Kerry great Mick O'Connell agreed with you to the extent that he refused to call it "gaelic football" only "Gaelic".

But it can be a vicious circle where the poor teams constantly funnel back, then a better team is forced to play keep ball for while. Eventually though the better side will break down the mass defence, if they have enough movement and speed of thought, and quick ball.

Roscommon played really well v Dublin in this years championship, they actually caused havoc to the Dublin defence on many occasion. But towards the end of the match Dublin scored some great goals breaking at pace, quick interchange with Jack McCaffery heavily involved. Again providing options and movement was key to it. It probably is more appreciated at a live game, rather than on telly in fairness.

In my opinion it can be a thing of beauty where there is a build up a team probing for weakness, then bang, speed, passing, movement they break, and finish it with a goal or a point.

The good sides play with a purpose they don't hit aimless balls, the poor sides looks for the easy option particularly where their manager is not very tactically astute or brave. So with the poor sides it can be a CONSTANT sideways backways job, no risk nothing.

The game of Gaelic Football has evolved where possession is king, and it is up to the rule makers to catch up to it forcing the weaker sides to be braver, and their managers to think tactically.

It is if the players -

1. Are brave enough to try and execute attacks
2. Have a manager that encourages them to do so
3. Have players intelligent enough to have the movement to execute such attacks

I will use the goals against Roscommon by Dublin to show what can be done -

Goal 1 for Dublin v the Rossies @1:35 -

A counter attacking break from Dublin considered interchange of hand passes quick low ball, players offering options and interchange with Fention and Basquel, Roscommon did not know to mark. Finished deftly by Baquel.

Goal 2 for Dublin v the Rossies @ 2:08 - 2:26 counter attacking break at speed from one end of the pitch to the other - Roscommon did not even get a touch. Less than 20 seconds from one end of the pitch to the other. Jack McCaffery's incisive run was integral here drawing players out of position.Finished by Con O'Callaghan who got the most from play in the championship thus far.

Both goals were even more impressive at the game itself, as it gave full appreciation of the players use of space, and players providing angles.

The problem Jim Gavin, E.Fitzmaurice are trying to solve is the sides who constantly play with limited ambition and do not vary their play. The problem is not solely the evolution of football and the lack of rules catching up. It is the teams that are unwilling to create and play safety first. There was absolutely nothing wrong with those Dublin goals. I was at the game. I remember the goals for the level of skill involved in them, the level of movement and options provided in both.

I was at that 2014 Donegal v Dublin one as well. that one is cited as the one that made Jim Gavin change tactics and not go gung ho. more precision based stuff.

In the early part of that match Dublin were hitting points from way out, it looked like Donegal were going to get walloped. From what I remember a grey haired Christy Toye came on as sub and destroyed Dublin. Donegal were lethal on the counter and Dublin no idea how to cope with Donegal. For the life of me I still cannot understand why Gavin left Dennis Bastick on the bench. It was a game suited to power and big units. I would put it down as Jim Gavin's biggest error of his tenure.

In the recent Roscommon game there was a mix of everything to be honest, but there were plenty of parts of the game that I know you would hate, where Dublin and Roscommon played "keep ball" working a score conserving energy/probing side to side. I felt it was one of those slow build psychological trillers.

But what Roscommon did that a lot of teams were/are afraid to do v Dublin they pressed right up on Dublin making life really difficult. It really threw Dublin early on as they were not used to it. I enjoyed the match because both sides were not afraid to vary the play. If more teams did that football would be better overall.

I am going to be really interested to see what rule changes Gavin and Fitzmaurice come up with. Because from the sound of things Fitzmaurice wants any rule changes throughly tested and any loopholes/unintended consequences figured out, before trying them in proper high level games.

Well Spillane, jack o shea,dinny Allen,Sean o Neill to name but a few.