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

Not a bad weekend of football that.

Which I might have said for the 37th time on here!

You have you're opinion which I respect but is different to mine.

But I know mine is valid and that's all that matters.! 😅

What you are actually seeing is that there are actually no or very few “ great forewords “ and with a good tight defensive system these players can be almost invisible in a close game.
Back in the day forwards such as Peter Canavan , Bernard Flynn and Barney Rock were capable of winning their own ball, taking a big hit and still taking a score.

They also had far more space to do their thing making it a hell of a lot easier to score compared to the situation today

So scoring averages are higher today than they ever were in the past, there are more scores today than in the "golden years" but you think Peter Canavan would have struggled to score today?

There is a forward mark today but you think those players would have struggled to win their own ball?

Thats quite a take.

The one you are picking there is an outlier, it was probably one of the best games of football in the last 50 years, I was a at it.

But it does not mean that today's football cannot produce great games. The problem is when teams refuse to vary their tactics (Armagh). You need defensive set up teams to at least attempt to counter, like Galway, Derry, Donegal, Louth. Even Dublin are one of the teams who have done both counter attacking football, and controlled football superbly.

It is a question of managers and teams having the courage to try and force errors/make scores or sit back and "hope" the opposition makes a mistake. The really good sides don't "hope". They impose themselves on a game, and can vary their style.

I would argue after 2013 Dublin's off the ball movement moved into the stratosphere, particularly after Dublin lost in 2014. The level of off the ball movement and that type of awareness as a team as a whole did not exist in 2013.

The last great Dublin match I would argue was the 2019 AIF matches v Kerry. Especially the first game where Dublin were a man down, but were so well trained they just pushed Cluxton way up and allowed one Kerry man spare far out on the wing. Yet Dublin dominated. That was top notch stuff. Perhaps not as obvious to the casual viewer on the television. But it was well thought out and well earned.

If you scroll back not very far you'll see people talking about it. Surprised you missed it unless you've just joined the thread.

It is just a question of getting used to change and different styles of play. A lot of GAA people are always nostalgic wether it be a fella from the 70's wanting catch and kick like the good auld days. Or the fellas from the 90's wanting man on man, knock out football.

The fact of life is the top managers and players are now more intelligent than years ago, all teams now have sports analysts, sport scientists. Gaelic Football borrows form all different sports, Rugby League, Basketball and soccer. They watch how players move and create space. Possession is king.

The problems start when the weaker sides/poorly managed sides do not have the nous/intelligence/bravery to use the possession and have the awareness/movement to create space. They just funnel back constantly, ball side to side slowly. The better sides have better variation within their play. Of the less fashionable sides I was most impressed with Louth to be honest.

I have never seen a a full back wide hugging the touchline when in possession before, the idea was for Louth to stretch Dublin when in possession, then funnel back when not in possession going more compact.

I think the game of football itself is fine, the main problem is most of the weaker sides/lazy managers resort to the simple option non stop. Slow stuff funnel back and side to side. That won't win much at all.

There definitely has to be tweaks in the rules of GAA to stop the poor managers/weaker sides constantly playing like that, but overall the game has moved on leaps and bounds since 2013. The problem is managers/weaker sides constantly go for the easy option and do not vary their play.

I have watched the last great Dublin team open mouthed at times, when viewed live their movement was specular, mix of kick passing, hand-passing, head up. movement at speed, loads of options for the player in possession, when they let loose. That is what teams today should strive for. They have to learn the ability to vary their play. Instead of taking the safe easy option.

People who think a particular sport is crap or muck have so many other ways to pass their time these days. No need for anyone to ever see a football game again, if it is so painful for them to watch.

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