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The Last 5 Years In Football

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Replying To clondalkindub: "Free dinners delivered straight to your front door get it right and don't forget the ball boys." Sorry will do my best to get it right next time . superbluedub (Dublin) - Posts: 2837 - 21/03/2019 17:55:15 2174241 Link
Replying To Jackeen: "Dublin are a fantastic side and will go down as the best ever alongside the Kerry team of the 70's/80's but i doubt they'd have been able to do 4 in a row in any other period in the previous 30 years." The problem with a post like that is that we will never know. Just like we will never know had Dublin been a better team in the noughties, would Tyrone and Kerry have had it all their own way. It's all subjective and a matter of opinion really." Definitely. I was lucky enough to attend almost all of Dublin's championship games in the 80s and 90s. I saw the great Offaly, Kerry and Meath teams many times. It is subjective but the only comments I can make about the teams today versus back then is that never have the levels of athleticism, player commitment, skill and game management (tactics) been greater than they are now. The Dublin and Mayo teams of 2 or 3 years ago would have beaten those teams of two or three decades ago with ease. What if those players back then were subjected to today's training and diet regimes, could they be better? Who knows, that's a different question. But today's top teams are fitter, more skilful and more game savy than those teams of yesteryear, no question. Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 21/03/2019 19:21:00 2174251 Link
Replying To Joxer: "Definitely. I was lucky enough to attend almost all of Dublin's championship games in the 80s and 90s. I saw the great Offaly, Kerry and Meath teams many times. It is subjective but the only comments I can make about the teams today versus back then is that never have the levels of athleticism, player commitment, skill and game management (tactics) been greater than they are now. The Dublin and Mayo teams of 2 or 3 years ago would have beaten those teams of two or three decades ago with ease. What if those players back then were subjected to today's training and diet regimes, could they be better? Who knows, that's a different question. But today's top teams are fitter, more skilful and more game savy than those teams of yesteryear, no question." I'd agree with that and it's true of any sport really. The best teams nowadays would completely crush teams of the past simply because they are better trained and prepared than ever before. I don't think that takes away from teams of the past in any way. GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 21/03/2019 20:31:47 2174261 Link
Replying To Joxer: "Definitely. I was lucky enough to attend almost all of Dublin's championship games in the 80s and 90s. I saw the great Offaly, Kerry and Meath teams many times. It is subjective but the only comments I can make about the teams today versus back then is that never have the levels of athleticism, player commitment, skill and game management (tactics) been greater than they are now. The Dublin and Mayo teams of 2 or 3 years ago would have beaten those teams of two or three decades ago with ease. What if those players back then were subjected to today's training and diet regimes, could they be better? Who knows, that's a different question. But today's top teams are fitter, more skilful and more game savy than those teams of yesteryear, no question." " The Dublin and Mayo teams of 2 or 3 years ago would have beaten those teams of two or three decades ago with ease". There's no way of every knowing this. Subjecting those players to today's training and diet regimes is not even the half of it. The game was reffed completely different then especially when it comes to tackling and steps. Skill and craft was more important to athleticism. Actually subjecting today's players to the rules in the book would be a great start. Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 21/03/2019 21:34:54 2174266 Link
Skill and craft was more important to athleticism. You forgot brutality :D realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8596 - 21/03/2019 21:54:26 2174275 Link
Replying To Hardtimes: "" The Dublin and Mayo teams of 2 or 3 years ago would have beaten those teams of two or three decades ago with ease". There's no way of every knowing this. Subjecting those players to today's training and diet regimes is not even the half of it. The game was reffed completely different then especially when it comes to tackling and steps. Skill and craft was more important to athleticism. Actually subjecting today's players to the rules in the book would be a great start." We can only speculate but I think the speed and stamina of today's players would be too much, players train smarter and far more often now and from a younger age, they would adjust to the rules quickly. I think it would be a massacre personally. It would be the same in soccer, rugby or any other sport too. That's a good point about the over carrying and tackling. The game really has changed an awful lot. GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 21/03/2019 21:58:13 2174276 Link
Replying To Joxer: "Definitely. I was lucky enough to attend almost all of Dublin's championship games in the 80s and 90s. I saw the great Offaly, Kerry and Meath teams many times. It is subjective but the only comments I can make about the teams today versus back then is that never have the levels of athleticism, player commitment, skill and game management (tactics) been greater than they are now. The Dublin and Mayo teams of 2 or 3 years ago would have beaten those teams of two or three decades ago with ease. What if those players back then were subjected to today's training and diet regimes, could they be better? Who knows, that's a different question. But today's top teams are fitter, more skilful and more game savy than those teams of yesteryear, no question." This really drives me nuts, its like soccer in the UK is only relevant since the premier league began. It basically forgets the top players that went nefore the advent of super sunday bla bla bla. The Kerry team of the late 70s early 80s where as fit as any team today they may not have been gym enthusiasts like the modern day player but so what, benching X means not a jolt in football terms. Jacko,Spillane,Paidi, Mullins, Brogan Snr, Giles,Geraghty, Tohill, Sean Og de Paor, Walsh, to name a few would walk onto that Dublin team. Dublins 4 in a row is an incredible achievement but it is set against a backdrop of arguably a very poor period for most other football counties. westkerry (Kerry) - Posts: 1250 - 21/03/2019 22:12:04 2174279 Link
Replying To Joxer: "You're confusing sarcasm with wit. Cork, Meath, Down and Galway have been out of the picture for a couple of decades. Mayo have been the new Galway and Tyrone the new Down. Cork is a hurling county. Donegal and Monaghan have more than replaced any other traditionally strong counties. Nothing wrong with the standard over the past 5-10 years just one extremely good team leading the charge." cork have been one of the best football counties for years up till recently so i dont quite understand you there. alano12 (Dublin) - Posts: 2208 - 21/03/2019 22:12:25 2174280 Link
think impossible to compare eras as you can only be the best of your time, same applies to messi/maradona/pele etc..no doubt dublin head and shoulders above the rest over the last few years outside of mayo. Think there is a major lack of depth in football these days and has been pretty poor era for a lot of counties but mayo are a pretty good side...noughties in my view was a very strong time for football. alano12 (Dublin) - Posts: 2208 - 21/03/2019 22:15:47 2174281 Link
Replying To realdub: "Skill and craft was more important to athleticism. You forgot brutality :D" There was certainly a lax attitude to striking. I think there's probably a lot more pulling and dragging now. Wouldn't remember the 70s. 80s a bit hazy too. Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 21/03/2019 23:25:03 2174288 Link
Replying To GeniusGerry: "We can only speculate but I think the speed and stamina of today's players would be too much, players train smarter and far more often now and from a younger age, they would adjust to the rules quickly. I think it would be a massacre personally. It would be the same in soccer, rugby or any other sport too. That's a good point about the over carrying and tackling. The game really has changed an awful lot." Sports people nowadays are definitely in peak shape. Rugby teams now would massacre teams from any previous era with any referee. I'm not so sure too many top soccer players though would fancy meeting some of the 80's hardmen with an 80's ref. Massacre could be an apt enough description but not exactly how you think. With today's ref however it's an easy call. You'd imagine GAA teams now should be better equipped than teams back then but you shouldn't underestimate the amount of adjusting to the rules needed. Over carrying and tackling would be a huge issue for a team now. Even taking men on now. You go through them instead of around them. Not sure how a ref from the 80's would see that. I'd imaging ball carrier would be done for charging. GAA is a contact sport but what was legal contact then and now are very very different. Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 21/03/2019 23:45:38 2174289 Link
Replying To alano12: "cork have been one of the best football counties for years up till recently so i dont quite understand you there." Cork have won 5 Munster titles in 2 decades in a province where they have only one other county competing. They've appeared in 4 AI finals in the last 25 years winning 1 title. For the second city they're poor enough but like I said they're a hurling county first. Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 22/03/2019 00:06:16 2174290 Link
Replying To westkerry: "This really drives me nuts, its like soccer in the UK is only relevant since the premier league began. It basically forgets the top players that went nefore the advent of super sunday bla bla bla. The Kerry team of the late 70s early 80s where as fit as any team today they may not have been gym enthusiasts like the modern day player but so what, benching X means not a jolt in football terms. Jacko,Spillane,Paidi, Mullins, Brogan Snr, Giles,Geraghty, Tohill, Sean Og de Paor, Walsh, to name a few would walk onto that Dublin team. Dublins 4 in a row is an incredible achievement but it is set against a backdrop of arguably a very poor period for most other football counties." Today's players are elite athletes. Players in the 70s and 80s were having pints in the run up to games and smoking in the dressing room at half time. They wouldn't live with the sheer athleticism of today's players. While it may be great to fantasize about Jacko dislodging Fenton from a Dublin team and Spillane shifting out Dermot Connolly or Ciaran Kilkenny, today's players are on a different level, all two footed, hitting points from both sides, foot passing with either foot over 30/40 yards. I remember Michael O'H nearly having a heart attack when Mikey Sheehy flicked a ball up on the run in the 70s as though he had performed a miracle, now every player does it. Teams are training almost all year round 5/6 nights a week, playing club, college, IC football almost all year. The skills are second nature to them and the fitness is unreal. Lift up the Bomber or Jimmy K's jersey in the day and you saw a keg of beer. Lift up Ciaran Kilkennys or James O'Donoghue's and you see a 6 pack. Different level. Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 22/03/2019 00:19:15 2174293 Link
Replying To Hardtimes: "" The Dublin and Mayo teams of 2 or 3 years ago would have beaten those teams of two or three decades ago with ease". There's no way of every knowing this. Subjecting those players to today's training and diet regimes is not even the half of it. The game was reffed completely different then especially when it comes to tackling and steps. Skill and craft was more important to athleticism. Actually subjecting today's players to the rules in the book would be a great start." Well you're right about the tef'ing for sure. Skill and craft is great when you have the ball but you try getting that ball with the speed and ball movement pace of today's teams and it's a differest story. Today's teams have plentry of skill and craft too! The game was much slower back then, albeit with a lot more foot passing, some of it very inaccurate. We can only speculate and we can only comment on what we have witnessed over the past 3 decades or so. Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 22/03/2019 00:28:09 2174294 Link
I've been at every All Ireland senior football football final since 1972 . The most competitive decade I remember is the nineties . There were eight different winners . The biggest winning margin in any final was four points . In 1990 Cork defended the title they won in 1989. Throughout the nineties no team successfully defended the title. This is the only full decade in the history of the football championship where this has happened. Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 22/03/2019 01:34:02 2174301 Link
Replying To alano12: "cork have been one of the best football counties for years up till recently so i dont quite understand you there." Didn't cork win the all ire in 2010?? That's just 9 years not even yet. Down played them in the final, Meath were in all ire semis: quarters 4 /5 times upto 10 . royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 22/03/2019 07:34:06 2174304 Link
Nobody likes an era when their own team isn't there or thereabouts.... yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11236 - 22/03/2019 08:23:16 2174310 Link
Replying To Joxer: "No disagree. It's the same in any era. Between 2003 and 2010 there were only two decent teams Tyrone and Kerry. Dublin retired both of them in 2011. The 70s and 80s were dominated by Dublin and Kerry, granted with a great Offaly team in there too. 90s was a mixed bag with Meath, Down and Dublin with dEcent teams. More recently between 2011 and 2018 we've had arguably the greatest team to ever play the game, the best Donegal team of all time and the best Mayo team of all time. It's no different to any other era it's just that Dublin have had a phenomenal team that is perhaps now begining to wane. If Dublin weren't there people would be raving about how competitive it is. The signs are that Kerry are coming and Galway also building. In Leinster it looks like Meath may be waking up from their slumber and Kildare are forming up it seems. Intetesting years ahead." Has cork disappeared from this era? PyatPree (Cork) - Posts: 376 - 22/03/2019 08:33:48 2174313 Link
How good are/were this Mayo team too, many say the best never to win an All Ireland which is certainly true of the last 30 years but how do they compare to the teams who've won All Irelands the last 30 years? Many say their unlucky to be in the same era as the Dubs but I don't necessarily agree with that. Talent wise I look back at the teams who've won All Irelands the last 30 years and which teams Mayo were better than and I don't see too many. Kerry in 2014 by Kerry standards weren't the greatest Kerry team we've seen but Mayo failed to beat them when the All Ireland would have been there for the taking. This Mayo team have been brilliant and have fantastic character to keep coming back but one of the reasons they were able to do so was the lack of quality opposition. JDF (Galway) - Posts: 322 - 22/03/2019 09:16:51 2174315 Link
Replying To PyatPree: "Has cork disappeared from this era?" In fairness Cork appeared in 3 finals during the noughties winning 1 but I think few would question that the standout teams were Kerry and Tyrone. Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 22/03/2019 09:41:43 2174321 Link