Loughnane's stinging attack on Ulster Hurling

The Chessplayer

Anyone catch Ger Loughnane's post-match swipe at the Ulster ref and umpires following the Munster v Connacht (Galway) match the other night, after a goal was mistakenly disallowed. He said that Ulster umpires are bound to make mistakes when it comes to hurling given their inferior understanding of the sport compared with rest of the country.

Any Ulster viewers pick up on that comment? Also, any thought on the final itself? I thought it was a decent match. I think it's great to see the best players line out together in the one team (ok Connacht = Galway), and I'm surprised it doesn't command a larger attendence.

Erin Go Brath

Yeh, was a good game surprisingly. Connacht did well, fair play to them. As for Loughnane, didn't catch his post match interview. He's an absolute gob****e of the highest order anyway, so anything coming out of his mouth wouldn't surprise me.

Mossy Monk

The Chessplayer wrote: »

I'm surprised it doesn't command a larger attendence.

They could at least advertise it. I know lots of people who didn't know it was on.

The Chessplayer

Erin Go Brath wrote: »

Yeh, was a good game surprisingly. Connacht did well, fair play to them. As for Loughnane, didn't catch his post match interview. He's an absolute gob****e of the highest order anyway, so anything coming out of his mouth wouldn't surprise me.

I like Loughnane - he's a straight talker.

premierstone

The Chessplayer wrote: »

I like Loughnane - he's a straight talker.

umm straight from he's ar*e

The Chessplayer

Mossy Monk wrote: »

They could at least advertise it. I know lots of people who didn't know it was on.

Didn't know it was on myself - pure coincidence I caught it on the box, I live nearish Croker and someone had asked me for directions to the stadium. I had just presumed they were going to a Camogie final or something like that.

kevmy

Loughnane is full of sh1t alright but he mightn't actually be wrong in a way. If you ref/umpire less games at a higher level it is tougher to make the step up. I mean would you put a junior B football ref from Kilkenny reffing an important game? I wouldn't at least not without him proving himself along the way.

Also if the point is specifically about umpires they're a joke. The ref and the linesmen (who are usually refs themselves) have to go through a process to get to a high level. Umpires are just lads brought along in the car for the day. More should be done in the training of umpires to bring them up to a higher level. Get them more involved in the reffing of a game and they could be of big benefit. As they are they're severely underused

blackbelt

It was only this year that I started a thread on Loughnane after his comments annoyed me when Dublin beat Galway in Parnell Park.

He can come out with outrageous comments alright.Should quarantine him with Dunphy on New Years Eve with 10 bottles of JD for all our amusement.

bugler

The shocking decision to disallow that late Connacht goal led to the comments. It was a patronising comment, but what do you expect.

The Chessplayer

bugler wrote: »

The shocking decision to disallow that late Connacht goal led to the comments. It was a patronising comment, but what do you expect.

Yes it was a patronising comment, but in fairness it's true.

Loughnane's a big loss to RTE. The hurling panelists are brutal. Mulcahy's not the worst, but Cyril has no personality. The only reason people have a gripe with Ger is because he always tells it like it is.

Erin Go Brath

The Chessplayer wrote: »

The only reason people have a gripe with Ger is because he always tells it like it is.

No its not. :rolleyes:
The reason people have a gripe with him is because he's always talking complete bollox. I used to like him back in the day, but now he's like something you wind up, and then the button breaks.

yahoo_moe

kevmy wrote: »

Also if the point is specifically about umpires they're a joke.

It was about the ref and his linesmen and I thought it was a real cheap shot... in fairness to the ref, it was a weird one - in real time, I was sure it was legit because I saw the ball come off a hurl but I'd no idea that it had been the defender's hurl. Presumably the ref was mainly looking at Higgins carrying the ball in and he hadn't even moved his hurl yet to swing so even though it was wrong, it was an understandable decision to think he might have hand-passed it in

kevmy

The Chessplayer wrote: »

Loughnane's a big loss to RTE. The hurling panelists are brutal. Mulcahy's not the worst, but Cyril has no personality.

Thats not fair on Cyril but I agree that being on the panel doesn't suit him. He's better as a co-commentator. Duignan should be on the panel tbh he's impressed me over the last couple of years as being very sharp

Vegeta

My dad is an inter county hurling ref (hasn't done any big games or anything) and the umpires do get training. A one day course or something minimal like that

Erin Go Brath

kevmy wrote: »

Thats not fair on Cyril but I agree that being on the panel doesn't suit him. He's better as a co-commentator. Duignan should be on the panel tbh he's impressed me over the last couple of years as being very sharp

I agree. Duignan has a great knowledge and he comes across as possibly the best panellist imo. Mulcahy is likeable too. Not a huge Cyril fan, but I've nothing against him either, possibly more suited to co-commentator as you say, not so sharp on analysis imo. Loughnane is good for entertainment value mostly, and ruffling a few feathers. I certainly don't take him too seriously.

aidan24326

I'm a Galwayman and I have to say Loughnane has been giving me a pain in the hole over the past few months. He's too fond of the sound of his own voice, doesn't know when to shut up sometimes. Of course all will be forgiven if we win the All-Ireland next year but his first year in charge has been underwhelming to say the least. Time for more action and less talk.

I'd agree with the points about Michael Duignan, definitely the best of the RTE hurling analysts/commentators. Knows his stuff and just calls it as he sees it with no nonsense.

Tomthepost

kevmy wrote: »

Loughnane is full of sh1t alright but he mightn't actually be wrong in a way. If you ref/umpire less games at a higher level it is tougher to make the step up. I mean would you put a junior B football ref from Kilkenny reffing an important game? I wouldn't at least not without him proving himself along the way.

Also if the point is specifically about umpires they're a joke. The ref and the linesmen (who are usually refs themselves) have to go through a process to get to a high level. Umpires are just lads brought along in the car for the day. More should be done in the training of umpires to bring them up to a higher level. Get them more involved in the reffing of a game and they could be of big benefit. As they are they're severely underused

I think that Loughanes comments are an absolute disgrace!!! It was an insult to Ulster Hurling, an insult the administration and the snobbie type of comment that does nothing for weaker counties all over the country trying to develop the game.
Question Kevmy, Have I missed something? Was the Referee last Saturday a junior B ref from a weaker county???
I doubt it somehow. I criticise the GAA on alot of things but I;m sure the referee, the umpires, and linesmen last Saturday night has done games before at the highest level.
I needed to see two replays on TV before I could tell it was a goal. Was there other incidents of note in the game that you have issues with???
Has a referee or his officials from Kilkenny never committed a bigger crime????
Loughane should apologise! Has been great for the game in general but sometimes should count to three before he opens his big mouth.

premierstone

And does it mean that referees from clare had no idea what they were doin between 1914 and 1995 when btw King Ger more Ulster teams contested all ireland finals than Clare - not that that was difficult;)

oh yeah and what county was Jimmy Cooney from???

padraig_f

I saw the interview. He probably shouldn't have said it but to be fair to him, they grabbed him for the interview out on the pitch immediately after the match which his team had narrowly lost, and I think he was still pretty fired up.

I think RTE could show a bit more consideration to the losing team and give them a bit of time to cool down before they interview them.

An Citeog

padraig_f wrote: »

I saw the interview. He probably shouldn't have said it but to be fair to him, they grabbed him for the interview out on the pitch immediately after the match which his team had narrowly lost, and I think he was still pretty fired up.

I think RTE could show a bit more consideration to the losing team and give them a bit of time to cool down before they interview them.

Nah, RTE and the general public want to hear the controversial stuff. There's nothing better than hearing what a manager really thinks than what he's allowed say without getting into trouble.

Tomthepost

padraig_f wrote: »

I saw the interview. He probably shouldn't have said it but to be fair to him, they grabbed him for the interview out on the pitch immediately after the match which his team had narrowly lost, and I think he was still pretty fired up.

I think RTE could show a bit more consideration to the losing team and give them a bit of time to cool down before they interview them.

Do you not think he should apologise? Dealing with the media is part of the modern day job by the way.

johnnyrotten123

padraig_f wrote: »

I saw the interview. He probably shouldn't have said it but to be fair to him, they grabbed him for the interview out on the pitch immediately after the match which his team had narrowly lost, and I think he was still pretty fired up.

I think RTE could show a bit more consideration to the losing team and give them a bit of time to cool down before they interview them.

Sorry that would be a bad move! There is a reason the media do that - it is precisely in the hope of catching the manager/player saying what he really feels instead of allowing him to let off steam behind the four walls of the dressing room and then blandly answering questions outside 30 minutes after the game has ended. Imagine the Premiership reporters being allowed to rush up to Ferguson after City had beaten them in the derby with a controversial penalty nine minutes into injury time. Now that would be television!

Saying that, you could catch Loughnane puffing on a cigar on a deckchair after winning the All-Ireland and he'd probably still say what he said...:)

The Chessplayer

Tomthepost wrote: »

Do you not think he should apologise? Dealing with the media is part of the modern day job by the way.

Apologise for what? He was right. Not point in fudging the issue - Ulster people simply don't understand the game to the same extent. Hats off to Loughnane - pity there isn't more out there like him.

premierstone

The Chessplayer wrote: »

Apologise for what? He was right. Not point in fudging the issue - Ulster people simply don't understand the game to the same extent. Hats off to Loughnane - pity there isn't more out there like him.

To the same extent as what or who?? What kind of an absolute ridicilous generalisation is that, its the most stupid thing iv heard in along time tbh :mad:

Duiske

The Chessplayer wrote: »

Apologise for what? He was right. Not point in fudging the issue - Ulster people simply don't understand the game to the same extent. Hats off to Loughnane - pity there isn't more out there like him.

Would you care to explain why exactly Ulster people don't understand hurling to the same extent as people from the Republic ? Pretty sweeping comment that. Can you post something to back it up ? I'm genuinely interested.

The Chessplayer

Duiske_Lad wrote: »

Would you care to explain why exactly Ulster people don't understand hurling to the same extent as people from the Republic ? Pretty sweeping comment that. Can you post something to back it up ? I'm genuinely interested.

Wasn't a partitionist comment, as I'm including Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan when I say Ulster. Hurling is not understood to the same degree up north as it's never been a strong game anywhere north of Meath. It's just not and never has been engrained in the sports culture up there, in primary schools etc. Antrim is the only success story.

My point is that the gulf between the Liam McCarthy and the Christy Ring is smaller than the gulf between the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard....and the gulf between the Liam McCarthy and Christy Ring is pretty big.

The Nicky Rackard (where most of the Ulster hurling counties are) is absolutely shocking.

Also, look at last year's division 2 results to see how Ulster teams faired against Leinster/Munster/Connacht's second string, i.e. Wicklow, Carlow, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare, Roscommon, Kerry.

bowsie casey

premierstone wrote: »

oh yeah and what county was Jimmy Cooney from???

He is from Galway the bollox . Hope he got a new watch for Xmas 1998. I'm sure there were BIFO's queuing up to send him pressies that year !!

johnnyrotten123

The Chessplayer wrote: »

Wasn't a partitionist comment, as I'm including Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan when I say Ulster. Hurling is not understood to the same degree up north as it's never been a strong game anywhere north of Meath. It's just not and never has been engrained in the sports culture up there, in primary schools etc. Antrim is the only success story.

My point is that the gulf between the Liam McCarthy and the Christy Ring is smaller than the gulf between the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard....and the gulf between the Liam McCarthy and Christy Ring is pretty big.

The Nicky Rackard (where most of the Ulster hurling counties are) is absolutely shocking.

Also, look at last year's division 2 results to see how Ulster teams faired against Leinster/Munster/Connacht's second string, i.e. Wicklow, Carlow, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare, Roscommon, Kerry.

Yes, so what you really mean is that hurling isn't as strong in Ulster as it is in other parts of the county. It isn't because they 'do not understand' the game as much as other counties. Give them some credit! There are many reasons why hurling is not strong in Ulster. And by your rationale, is hurling not 'understood' outside of Galway in Connaught either? Come on, just admit it was a rash comment and swallow your pride!

Erin Go Brath

The Chessplayer wrote: »

Apologise for what? He was right. Not point in fudging the issue - Ulster people simply don't understand the game to the same extent. Hats off to Loughnane - pity there isn't more out there like him.

You didn't think you were going to get away with a comment like that did you?

blackbelt

Bullsh1t,

Just because Ulster is the weakest province in terms of hurling,nobody has the right to say Ulster people have a less understanding of the game.Just because they don't play as well as Munster/Connaught/Leinster teams is no reason to slate the provinces knowledge of the game and its rules.

Such idiocy.Its Loughnane grasping at straws as he always does.

Duiske

The Chessplayer wrote: »

My point is that the gulf between the Liam McCarthy and the Christy Ring is smaller than the gulf between the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard....and the gulf between the Liam McCarthy and Christy Ring is pretty big.

Thanks for the reply. I'd agree obviously that Ulster counties are pretty weak compared to the more established hurling counties, but that in no way equates to a lack of understanding of the game. If you follow the logic that weak counties have less understanding of the game, then because I am from Kilkenny I should be an expert ?.

The fact is, Loughnane shot his gob off about match officials handling of one particular game,( which by all accounts could have been better) and went on to attribute it to a province wide lack of understanding of the game. Laughable.

And remember, this is not the first time Loughnane spewed forth his guff this year. In July he accused the Kilkenny players of using dirty tactics to win games. That was just a week before Kilkenny dispatched Galway from the Championship (3-22 / 1-18) in a match, incidently, in which Galway picked up 4 yellow cards to Kilkenny's 1 !!!

blackbelt

And also his outroar after the Dublin-Galway game in Parnell Park where he stated that if they played in the exact same fashion against Kilkenny,they'd lose by 20 points.This was a week or two after Dublin drew with Kilkenny when they could have won.

Tomthepost

Cant believe some of the comments I have read. Thank God for Gaelic Football where all teams, from whatever province are afforded some symbol of respect (bar Killkenny perhaps for self-inflicted reasons)
Chessplayer thank you for starting up this wonderful topic but please tell me you are taking the pi*s?
Nearly every county has an area where hurling is main game. What an insult to the people from these areas!

johnnyrotten123

Checkmate I think!

MrJoeSoap

Mossy Monk wrote: »

They could at least advertise it. I know lots of people who didn't know it was on.

It got plenty of coverage in the morning papers the two weeks before it.

blackbelt

The attendence for this was down big time due to Leinster not making the finals in either code.

MrJoeSoap

Exactly. As good an occasion as it could be under lights in Croker, I can't see it ever working. There just isn't enough interest, which is a real shame.

Pride Fighter

Perhaps a league format where every Province plays each other at least once could be the answer.

MrJoeSoap

The time of year doesn't really suit that format though (doesn't even really suit the current format to be honest). Too many players will be playing in important club games to be either available or fully fit to play inter-provincial.

Pride Fighter

It could be done at the end of the league season. Instead of having league semis and finals the league leader just wins the division that way it could be held in April-May. Either way the fixture list needs to be overhauled and interest in the interpro's rekindled.

MrJoeSoap

Pride Fighter wrote: »

It could be done at the end of the league season. Instead of having league semis and finals the league leader just wins the division that way it could be held in April-May. Either way the fixture list needs to be overhauled and interest in the interpro's rekindled.

Agreed on both points.

blackbelt

I like the M Donnelly Cup/Old Railway Cup and think that it should definitely be retained.

I think there is a way to get interest back in it and get good attendences for it.

Play it on St Patricks Day as the curtain raiser to the Club Championships.The club championships could be played under lights.The club championships have always had a decent attendence and in 2004,demand exceeded supply/GAA organisation and yours truly was one of thousands to get in free.:D

With this proposal,attendence in Croke Park on Paddys Day will increase and do a world of good for both competitions.

MrJoeSoap

blackbelt wrote: »

I like the M Donnelly Cup/Old Railway Cup and think that it should definitely be retained.

I think there is a way to get interest back in it and get good attendences for it.

Play it on St Patricks Day as the curtain raiser to the Club Championships.The club championships could be played under lights.The club championships have always had a decent attendence and in 2004,demand exceeded supply/GAA organisation and yours truly was one of thousands to get in free.:D

With this proposal,attendence in Croke Park on Paddys Day will increase and do a world of good for both competitions.

Yeah good point, a combination of the club championships and inter-provincials would surely solve the venue/attendance problem. What time does it get dark at on St. Patricks day?

blackbelt

Depends,if there is cloud cover,you're looking at losing an hours daylight.I'd imagine it would get dark at 7pm or thereabouts on Paddys Day.

Pride Fighter

It does not matter when there is floodlights though.

blackbelt

Seriously,I hope they keep the interpro competition going.It is an interesting competition.

I say put them all on the same day in Croke Park,have a quadruple header and see the attendence go up even more.

The Chessplayer

Tomthepost wrote: »

Cant believe some of the comments I have read. Thank God for Gaelic Football where all teams, from whatever province are afforded some symbol of respect (bar Killkenny perhaps for self-inflicted reasons)
Chessplayer thank you for starting up this wonderful topic but please tell me you are taking the pi*s?
Nearly every county has an area where hurling is main game. What an insult to the people from these areas!

Point taken about certain areas being strong in hurling, but the standard would be absolutely shocking. I just don't think hurling will ever take off in a big way in the North, as it's not taught in schools etc.

Although Antrim have done ok in recent years which is good to see.

The Chessplayer

blackbelt wrote: »

Seriously,I hope they keep the interpro competition going.It is an interesting competition.

I say put them all on the same day in Croke Park,have a quadruple header and see the attendence go up even more.

Quadruple header??? They should just play them in other grounds. I hate this lark where camogie finals and women's football finals play at Croke park with only a handful of hardened fans. Send them to Parnell park.