Tone of debate declining?

[Bord na Mona man]

Maybe I'm not down with the kids any more, but I detect the level of debate has declined here lately. Especially given that we've been spoiled with some great clear headed postings over the years.

After a defeat there seems to be a raft of posts slating certain players in no uncertain terms. There seems to be less match analysis and more simplistic insult throwing at 3 or 4 individuals. When some posters already have it in for players, it doesn't help matters.

There are a variety of reasons someone can play badly on a given day. They can be hampered with injuries, illness, fatigue, be struggling with the tactics or a thousand others unknown reasons. Any one on us who has played sport will have had days when we performed several notches above our ability and others when we just couldn't put a foot right. It can just happen and it certainly isn't deliberate!

In any team sport it can take a few years from a player making his debut to him to making the step up to the level required. Yet there are posters here who are boiling if a fella isn't delivering as soon as he is handed the jersey.
Its reminds me when Tommy Docherty slated Dwight Yorke after witnessing his debut by saying "If that lad makes a First Division footballer, my name is Mao Tse-Tung." The attitude around here is often the same.

A player might be tried out and eventually make it, or not be up to it, but I believe they deserve some leeway, or if nothing else some respect.
With both teams encountering difficulties for nigh on a decade now, I think expectations should be more realistic for starters.

Personally I'd like to have less of the Hoganstand-esque insult flinging that is creeping in and more of the reasoned debate that has been a longstanding feature of this forum.

[TheManFromFerbane]

Agreed, to be honest, I've started to drift away from the site because it's getting too hard to sift through the shite. I was debating putting up a poll to see who thought a boards.ie type moderating scenario would work here where you had to register with a valid e-mail address and could get bans and even explusions for poorly written posts (either in style or content), but didn't really feel it was my place. But since it's been suggested by someone else I might as well throw it out there.

[Fargo Boyle]

Agreed, to be honest, I've started to drift away from the site because it's getting too hard to sift through the shite. I was debating putting up a poll to see who thought a boards.ie type moderating scenario would work here where you had to register with a valid e-mail address and could get bans and even explusions for poorly written posts (either in style or content), but didn't really feel it was my place. But since it's been suggested by someone else I might as well throw it out there.

Sorry TheManFromFerbane but one of the first rules of boards.ie is no back seat modding, so you would have got a ban for the comment above.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I think the childish comments should not be deleted. When those contributors grow up they can see just how stoopid they were during their formative years

Agreed, to be honest, I've started to drift away from the site because it's getting too hard to sift through the shite. I was debating putting up a poll to see who thought a boards.ie type moderating scenario would work here where you had to register with a valid e-mail address and could get bans and even explusions for poorly written posts (either in style or content), but didn't really feel it was my place. But since it's been suggested by someone else I might as well throw it out there.

[black and red exile]

Well said BNMM, I for one will not be posting on this site anymore from tonight and will have very little interest in even checking it out again. On Sunday week last in Pairc Ui Chaoimh I was talking to one of our injured players who is out of action at the moment, this guy lives eats and drinks hurling and he told me that when he puts on the Offaly jersey he feels like, in his own words ''bursting with pride'', I thought of this player yesterday when his county teamates were torn asunder by so called supporters on this site because I'm sure those same colleagues feel the same pride when they put on the county jersey and to have cowards cutting them to pieces when there is a bad day at the office is sickening.

[turk]

Never give up the quest lads!!

You may be the last of us - Offaly needs us!

[bracknaghboy]

Well said BNMM, I for one will not be posting on this site anymore from tonight and will have very little interest in even checking it out again. On Sunday week last in Pairc Ui Chaoimh I was talking to one of our injured players who is out of action at the moment, this guy lives eats and drinks hurling and he told me that when he puts on the Offaly jersey he feels like, in his own words ''bursting with pride'', I thought of this player yesterday when his county teamates were torn asunder by so called supporters on this site because I'm sure those same colleagues feel the same pride when they put on the county jersey and to have cowards cutting them to pieces when there is a bad day at the office is sickening.

Complete overeaction to a few dodgy comments from new posters on here. These type come and go on forums. Some of the personal comments were over the top yes. However at the end of the day if a lad isn't up to the on a county team then I see no reason why a poster can't say so here as long as there is no name calling or derogatory remarks. I've no doubt that there are many lads on both panels that are "bursting with pride" but there were also players from both panels on show on Sunday who to say were "bursting with pride" in the Offaly jersey would be pushing it a bit but thats life.
The people making personal comments about players need to grow up and so to do people that are upset by them!
If everybody sat back and accepted that because players are training and trying their best you therefore cannot be critical of them or question management or suggest alternative players or whatever then there would be no forums or no written press or opinions.

[old yellar]

I m a newish poster on this site but use another well known site to post about my native county. I agree that you don't ever criticise a lad for his commitment or whether he has desire to play for his county. I think all those who do the work deserve great credit fir the work the do. I might be critical of a players skill level, maybe a mistake he made etc, bad management decisions etc, but I would never be personal in my comments. I think it's a cheap shot. I do feel that all the players who are there are working their hardest for Offaly hurling. Fairplay to them. I know the chap who got the most criticism since he was 13. It's Been his ambition to hurl for his county since then and although I haven't chatted him in awhile, I m sure it still is. I think players are products of a system. This is where I think the reforms are needed. I sincerely hope that Offaly return to being a competitive force on an all Ireland stage in the coming years but things need to be changed.

[the Untouchable]

For me the quality of the posts reflect the current state of the county footballers and hurlers.

I've never been a big fan of people criticizing individuals for the team losing, but to be honest how do you police people's opinion? If you took away peoples right to say what they wanted then you'd probably find that you'd have 6 or 7 posts on every topic all saying the same thing!!!

Also I know its relevant in a kind of a way...but why has so many of the topics been about the state of the country or government elections? I thought this was a GAA website? Sport and politics should never mix!!!

[TheManFromFerbane]

Sorry TheManFromFerbane but one of the first rules of boards.ie is no back seat modding, so you would have got a ban for the comment above.

This site is a f*cking dictatorship!!!

[Bord na Mona man]

Also I know its relevant in a kind of a way...but why has so many of the topics been about the state of the country or government elections? I thought this was a GAA website? Sport and politics should never mix!!!

They don't mix here really. The political topics and the GAA ones run independently of each other.

In the real world of Offaly GAA there is probably more politics (GAA and party) than we'll ever have here.

[wazzaman]

Jesus some of yee lads make me laugh is their a little click going on here with some members yer up each other's holes..

Its a free country so everyone is entitled too their own opinion.. You would swear some of yee lads are professional analysts or something, its only a forum where people can say wat they like when they like..

Another point, After the match Sunday both players off are hurling and football team were out getting rotting drunk in the palace night club in Tullamore partying the night away after giving 2 dismal performance's and Shane Dooley was one of them who supposedly had the flu all week poor thing.. but still i will say he is are best hurler and i dont dislike the chap 2 be honest, i might aswell mention Joe Quinn who was their too..thats 2 Sunday nights ina row after a game Quinn was out.

So lads come on and defend this.. would you see the dubs players out in ''temple bar'' straight after a game if they got hammered in croke park..

I will be interested Wat lone shark as too say in is free paper this week after building up the double header..
We wonder why Offaly fans dont go to watch are team? i can imagine that some people who might av gone to O'Conner park last Sunday who maybe have not attended a game in years has it was a double header just too see was their light at the of the tunnel and give us some hope and pride as we are a very proud county.. I doubt they will return ina hurry!!

[Bord na Mona man]

Its a free country so everyone is entitled too their own opinion.. You would swear some of yee lads are professional analysts or something, its only a forum where people can say wat they like when they like..

And therein lies crux. People can say what they want as there is no brain restriction.
Some have more manners and tact than others in how they say it though...

So lads come on and defend this.. would you see the dubs players out in ''temple bar'' straight after a game if they got hammered in croke park..

Dublin players are regularly in Coppers and Kilkenny hurlers usually in Langtons the night of games.
Staying in on a Sunday night is not going un-lose a game.

[kingscounty]

i agree with the untouchable politics should not mix with gaa theres plenty of sites for 5 point plans and the muck that the politicans are spreading .if people on here cant have their say on offaly football and hurling good or bad ,then how can it be called a debate?the guys giving out here should form a group and email each other, if they cant handle comments from supporters on here then what is the point in having a site at all.pepole comment on what they see good or bad you cant stop anyone from having their say,wheather we like it or not.you either agree or disagree with the comments ,simple

[Lone Shark]

As regards the politics, I'll field that one since I would be one of those who is responsible for a lot of it. Basically this is a site where people with an interest in Offaly GAA spend time, and thus a lot of those people have an interest in life in Offaly generally. Politics is a huge part in that, and since the threads are clearly marked, I don't think they do any harm. The fact that they are some of the most active threads on the board says a lot in my eyes.

As regards the general premise of this thread, the key thing to bear in mind here is that this isn't quite the same thing as saying it in a pub to your mate - this is speaking where everyone can hear and let's be very clear about this - for every poster on this board who says something once a day, or once a week or even once a month, there are twenty more who are reading every word, and a hundred more who will log on and check the stuff of interest to them. What is posted on here gets around, and a lot of people abuse that cloak of anonymity.

I'm very conscious of the fact that I've been critical of players and management in the past, however it's pretty safe to assume that 90% of the readers of this site know who I am, and those that don't can easily pick up the Offaly Indo sports page and see me there. If I say anything that people take offence to, they can come and find me. In a few rare instances people have, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In one instance last year I thought I was going to get my head knocked off by a footballer who took umbrage at reports and assessments I had made in the past. I had no choice but to argue the toss with him there and then, and I did so. He had every right to bring it up with me though, and because I had stats to hand to back it up, then it all came to an non-bloody conclusion.

Now imagine that situation if I had questioned the man's commitment, or integrity? I wouldn't have had a leg to stand on and I'd have fully deserved my probable night in A & E.

That's why the line has to be drawn at discussing what people do and don't do on the field. If you want to go beyond that, and most people would agree it would be better if you didn't, then certainly don't go hiding behind a username.