Off The Ball Official Thread <Mod Note - Post #1, #533, #6651>

Tell me how wrote: »

PeterTheNinth wrote: »

Yeah, it was great and IS typically great. Kimmage seems not to be on it as often now that he is on with Today FM which is a huge pity. Can't believe that they did not ask Andy Lee about the Billy Joe Saunders fight on Saturday night. I mean he was talking about losing his title to BJS, surely it would have been interesting to get a comment on him. Did Joe even KNOW that Billy Joe Saunders had fought the previous night?

I'm sure they had discussed it off air but that it was not a discussion about Andy's prospects in the same way that a mid week conversation would be.
I agree with respect to missing Kimmage. He's always worth listening to but maybe what's rare is wonderful.

I find he can take over the slot when he's on and hardly ever gives the other panelist a chance to speak but he is very good. Prob be better if he was on again if it was just him and Joe

applehunter wrote: »

The Newspaper review was very good this week.

Their paper reviews are one of the few joys left in weekend radio. They seem to have a good knack for picking a rounded panel.

Probably a couple of days late but just wanted to say fair play to Gilroy on the McCarron interview.

Heard McCarron on a few things now and he's generally got a soft ride (especially from Parkinson)....Gilroy has been the only one to call him out on his bullsh1t and his insincerity. Yes, he has a gambling addiction but there's a whole bunch of other stuff going on that he seems quite happy to brush over.

Anyway, I'm frequently critical of Gilroy but fair dues in this instance imho

I heard McCarron interviewed on Second Captains. When I heard about the Tinder incident I pictured the scenario in a particular way...

He gets matched to a girl on Tinder, exchanges a few messages, arrange to meet up. He gets there, she's clearly 15, figures it out after five minutes, gets out of there, end of story.

I've no problem with that, it's not McCarron's fault. You've been misled, you leave immediately. The fact that the DPP determined there was no case to answer kinda confirms that to me. The DPP's office would have had access to a lot more information than any of us, Gilroy, McDevitt, the media, etc.

Of course the truth could be a little different. Just because she got an STD test doesn't mean she slept with McCarron. That type of thing needs to stand up in court and be subjected to examination, her father saying she got an STD test proves nothing.

And just cos the DPP couldn't find a case, doesn't mean there wasn't a case.

I just hope the girl is okay and learned a bit of a lesson, it was a dangerous game she was playing.

I hope McCarron keeps his life together and doesn't relapse.

elefant wrote: »

I think he was asked directly on OTB if he had sex with the girl while she was underage, and he flat out refused to comment or discuss further, apart from trying to make out like he was the only victim in all this.

He dealt with it really poorly in the interview. And, although he said he's not trying to blame anyone else for his issues, he constantly seemed to put the blame on anyone but himself.

Yeah, I can't argue against any of that. Actually, to be honest I didn't listen to Ger's interview with him, I was more commenting on his other media appearances.

It was interesting that by the time Off the Ball interviewed him the media portrayal had kind of changed compared to Second Captains which was a week plus earlier.

Cheers

PeterTheNinth wrote: »

I think when the story is presented on radio, there's this sort of presumed guilt for the guy, and the assumption that the girl is young and naive and must have been taken advantage on. But the truth is that there are many girls that age that would do anything to get their man, be that Niall Horan or the local county footballer.... And this never seems to be taken in to account.

I had complete sympathy for him. I think most men in his peer group would.

His OTB interview changed that. And I'm not saying he's a guilty of breaking any laws. But that again, everyone is to blame but himself. The only thing he was sorry about was that his book launch was impacted.

Big blow for Newstalk they lose GAA rights.

McCarron comes across as such a dislikable character, literally at every turn he is blaming someone else. His parents for the gambling, the girl for the tinder episode, the bouncer in temple bar. He sees himself as a victim.

For those that didn't hear the OTB interview here are the violent incidences in his own book:
- Punching Damien Barton
- Choking out a derry player
- Common assault conviction on a traffic warden
- One punch KO of a guy outside a chipper
- Breaking a guys jaw one christmas in Enniskillen
- Punched a guy in Athy who tweeted he was gay
- Alleged DUI and resisting arrest - thrown out
- Sending off in 2009
- Lituanian forklift driver
- Omagh niteclub incident
- Wants to fight with his neighbour while he is breaking into his house

When Ger Gilroy asked him about the 15yo he started talking about if you've never been to the edge of taking your own life you'll never know what its like, as Gilroy said what has that to do with having sex with a 15yo?

This is my view of McCarron purely (as opposed to depression and suicide) but I actually think he's full of **** around that too. The interview with Wooly talks about how he thought about throwing himself in front of a train and was going to do it. His brother was ringing him and ringing him and he says he doesn't know why but he eventually answered the phone.
We all hear about cries for help, I had a cousin who tried it several times before eventually going too far. This isn't even a cry for help, its an attention seeker looking for pity. I call bull****.

And as for claiming gambling is a disease, just like cancer

Theres an argument around whether gambling should be called a disease or not, to compare it to cancer is outrageous.


The hilarious thing is that he is so self absorbed, he has no idea why anyone would do anything to him. The Ricey example is ridiculous, he's your favourite player but you lose respect for lads that sledge you? The irony is outrageous.

Horrible c**t

ballsymchugh wrote: »

he's a seriously belligerent bollox recently. that only gets you so far.

Having to debase yourself in promotional videos that people watch in the hope of seeing you get hurt can't be good for your mood to be fair to him.