Limerick and Clare

[juteman]

Watched this game today and was not impressed by either side.Limerick were awful and lacked everything one would want in a team, hopefully they won't be able to pick it up before next week and if we can get at them early they might lie down as they did today.
Clare were better but very predictable.I hope they keep Markham at full forward.Limited player they think is great.Their forward threat is Gilligan,the rest are mediocre.

Now if only we can get our heads right!!

[Kevin]

Limerick have a decent league, could have beaten Tipp. Then this?

I'd prefer two tough games against these two. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The way we've been playing lately, every game will be tough.

Clare were 'not so good' but still won comfortably. I guess we'll have to see if that is meaningful.

[Ron]

It's reported in today's Metro that Joe McKenna has stepped down as Limerick manager after yesterdays mauling. Something about a meeting today (monday) to deal with the matter (appoint caretaker manager perhaps etc.)

[Loughers]

Did you hear Davy Fitz y'day? Unreal.

[Lone Shark]

It's an awful pity McKenna couldn't have just held on till the end of the year - as it is they'll be a bit boosted by the new man for the next game, irrespective of who he is.

In saying all that, there's really no need to be afraid of them based on that display. Even if they do pick it up a bit, they still aren't playing cohesively at all.

Talk about making a monkey of league form.

[Bord na Mona man]

That was some laugh with Davy Fitz! Especially the Clare woohoo at the end of his rant. It was brilliant that the tv picked it up.

It's wrong that he gets personal abuse thrown at him on the terrace, but that kind of carry on doesn't help his cause.

[Bord na Mona man]

It's hard to know how Limerick's performance yesterday will affect things.
I knew they were poor, but never would have guessed they were that bad.
There might be a backlash, but the Limerick panel contains a few players with really bad attitudes, so hopefully we can turn them over.

[Bally Boy]

It is disapointing to hear that Joe Mckenna has resigned, i honestly believe that limerick although they were poor yesterday would definitely give offaly socks of it. They are all big strong men, something that we havent had to deal with in a while. In the end this is goin to be the deciding game as to who will go through. It all depends on how limerick react to yesterday and then loosing their manager this morning.
Anyone wonder why the goalkeeper for limerick was taken off yesterday, apparently he wasnt taken off. At half time he togged in of his own accord and told Joe mckenna " If you think im going back out there to have another 2-3 goals put past me because of them 3 useless C***ts in front of me you have another thing coming. i take it thats the last we will be seeing of him in a county jersey

[naasmanxrhode]

I had some pity for Davy Fitzgerald, nobody deserves what the Cork supporters were calling him or so I thought. He was disgrace on TV yesterday ranting at the Limerick player. He deseves everthing that that he gets, asshole!!!!

[Lone Shark]

Okay, cards on the table first, so people can decide for themselves whether I'm biased or not - I've had the pleasure of meeting Davy and chatting with him first hand, and a pleasure it was. It was only a one off meeting, but I found him highly likeable, and as such am probably disposed towards excusing the man for some of his on field antics. But read on and decide for yourselves whether or not I'm biased in what I say.


The Clare psychology has always been to be wound up beyond belief before they take the field. We've seen Anthony Daly nail a Limerick player with a shoulder after the parade before the Munster Championship match in 1995, we've seen the start of the replay against Waterford in 1998, and I once worked with a girl who went out with Seanie McMahon for a while - apparently he was just to be avoided in the three days before a game. These are just some of the examples.

But Davy has always been much more visible than any of these, and as such tends to be the focus of the ire of all who find that kind of thing distasteful. He gets it from fans, and he gets it from players, and he keeps wearing his heart on his sleeve. Some of the stuff that gets said on a GAA field to upset players astounds me by times, and he tends to hear the worst of it. The Cork match was typical of that - nobody needs to hear about a marriage break up from drunken yobs on the terrace. That he didn't react then was a credit to the man in my eyes.

As for the Limerick game yesterday, in the run up to that close range free, Fitzgerald took a few wallops from a range of Limerick lads who were all picking on him, to the point where he had to get away from them. Bearing in mind that they weren't able to put the ball past him by legal means and could only give him a few digs, I think the comment about that being "all that you're good for" was very understandable. I wouldn't go so far as to say acceptable, but definitely understandable.

He's got picked on before, and as BnaM man said, he will again because that kind of thing will stick in the minds of people, but give me a heart on the sleeve nutter over an off the ball striker and dirt-disher any day. Davy's not the worst.

For those who don't like his mannerisms, I'd say that given time and profile, the day will come when a lot of people will say the same about Brian Carroll. He's also on the smaller side and comes in for rough treatment from bigger men, I'd say the day will come (if it hasn't already) where he too will have to deal with some deeply unsavoury comments from markers and drunk supporters alike, and he's not shy about turning to the crowd and making his feelings known when he's wound up. We don't really see it as much because he's one of our own, but I'd say to some other counties he could come across as a Davy-like figure. Just in the interests of balance here.

[azoffaly]

I agree Lone Shark. 100%.

The one thing I would say is that while I understand why Davey is so wound up and psyched, and agree he is a nice fella 'in the flesh', it is an awful pity he loses the run of himself. Thing is he knows he goes ape sometimes, and he knows it does him no favours, but he can't help that and has made the decision to sacrifice being liked for being the best he can be, which to him includes the psychological stuff.

All the shouting and roaring is more to psyche himself and his team, and the Clare crowd, up, rather than 'trash talking' the opposition.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Did you hear Davy Fitz y'day? Unreal.

Big excitement about David Fitzgerald going 5 matches wothout conceding a goal. Incidentally Dylan Hayden was the last man to score a goal against him, in Portlaoise last year.

Interesting to note, Brian Mullins has now gone 4 matches without conceding a green flag. That was against Dublin in the round 3 qualifier last year.

[Loughers]

If he's such a gent, why did he throw out a group of girls from his pub for simply being from Offaly? He was chatting away with them until he asked them where they was from. When they told him, he told them to finish their drinks and get the f*ck out. Lovely. I know one of them and she's not a bullsh1tter.

[Plain of the Herbs]

If he's such a gent, why did he throw out a group of girls from his pub for simply being from Offaly? He was chatting away with them until he asked them where they was from. When they told him, he told them to finish their drinks and get the f*ck out. Lovely. I know one of them and she's not a bullsh1tter.

Where dit the Pipsqueak find the time to be present in the pub at all? Surely he could be spendin' his time running on Lahinch beach, pumping iron in the gym or sparring in the boxing ring? All very relevant training techniques for a hurling goalkeeper.

[Bord na Mona man]

If he's such a gent, why did he throw out a group of girls from his pub for simply being from Offaly? He was chatting away with them until he asked them where they was from. When they told him, he told them to finish their drinks and get the f*ck out. Lovely. I know one of them and she's not a bullsh1tter.

Are you sure? I heard a similar version of that story with Paidi being the publican.
Maybe we could start taking publicans to court for breaches of equality legislation?