Interview with Jody Gunning

[naasmanxrhode]

Extract from Offaly topic}
Exclusive interview with Jody Gunning

By David Farrell

"It's time for Cribben to get tough" says Gunning

Former Offaly footballer Jody Gunning has reservations concerning some members of the current Offaly senior football side saying they feigning injury when it suits them.

The two time All-Ireland medal winner claims those players are leading the trainer Tom Cribben on a merry dance and that he will have to get tough with them.

Gunning, who managed Offaly U21's to the All-Ireland title in 1988 says that players who make themselves unavailable one week due to injury but are magically healed the following week belong in the stands or at home watching Coronation Street.

Outspoken Gunning, also has strong views on the current referee situation in Offaly believing the yellow card has cost the game all physicality and should be burned.

According to Jody some referees definitely favour certain individual players and that perhaps it would be better to bring in outside referees for championship games.

In this exclusive interview, Gunning, the only Offaly man to manage an Offaly team to All-Ireland success talks passionately about his club Rhode and how winning a medal for another club doesn't hold the same value.

He also discusses the most talked about twins since Jedward, the McPadden's from Clonmore whose transfer to Rhode is the hottest topic in Offaly football.

Do you think Rhode should have beaten Kilmacud Crokes or what went wrong?

'Well I think perhaps we weren't physical enough body wise. I think we weren't big enough in certain areas and Kilmacud are a very big strong team. I think when Mark Dunne went out of it in midfield after twenty minutes that's when we lost it. If Mark had of kept up the same level of performance and the same supply of ball he was given to Paschal and Niall then I think we would have won. A lot of people think Rhode and Offaly for that matter are over reliant on Niall McNamee and there is no doubt Niall is a very skilful player but Rhode have some great players. I mentioned Mark Dunne already and Alan McNamee is too. I know sometimes people say he looks a bit lazy but big men always seem to look lazy. Shane Sullivan, Brian Darby and Anton Sullivan are all great footballers'.

Did a lack of strength in depth play its part?
'Oh yes it definitely played its part. Also we don't have those lads or enough of them lads that are 6ft or more. Most clubs do. Then you have the Dublin clubs buying players. We are a small club and that's why we lost the last two Leinster finals'.

If you win a medal with another club does it demean what you win by not winning it with your own club?
'Yes I think it does and I feel sorry for Laois in particular. For some reason Laois have lost a lot of club and county players to Dublin clubs over the last few years. Leinster seems to be the worst affected province. I spoke to a prominent Laois man last week and I asked him about it and he just said 'what can you do about it if they want to go'. I think your county loses out on that. Longford have lost out over Brian Kavanagh. People can say he still plays county football but he's not playing with his own'.

Every year Rhode have appeared in the Leinster final they have failed to retain the Dowling cup. Can they change that pattern this year?
'Yes they can. Things are tight enough between maybe three or four teams and anyone of them teams could win it. Rhode, Clara or Tullamore will perhaps contest the final again this year. It is a pity that a few more teams aren't up challenging but I have always said and I stand by my view that the sooner we get back to parish teams the better for Offaly football. It has to come to the day that parish football will come back. Get the best footballers playing together for their parish. I can't see for the life of me why lads in Croghan wouldn't want to play for Rhode or lads in Ballyfore with Edenderry or the parish of Daingean as a whole. Why would they best players in that parish not want to get together and play the best they could because if they did, well then you would get results'.

Would you be in favour of going down the route of Kerry football and having a divisional championship?
'I am not into the whole divisional things no. When I trained Offaly U21 in '88 I asked the county board to play the divisional thing. I thing maybe if you had it run right over the years it could work but it would take a four or five year trial to get it sorted. If you look at the interprovincial championships now the glamour is gone out of it. There was a time when you played for your province it meant you were an exceptional player, now lads opt out of it. Overall I don't think it would benefit Offaly football'.

Regarding parish rule what concerns a lot of people is the lesser players are cast to one side. How could that situation be handled?

'Well I would bring it back to where it was before. I would do away with intermediate football and let the Croghan and Clonmore lads play with Rhode and then the other players could play junior 'A' with Croghan or Clonmore. The same is to be said for Edenderry and Ballyfore. That is the way it was before and it was a success'.

Is the current standard of club football in Offaly hampering the likes of Rhode and Clara when they compete in Leinster?

'That is a very hard question because when you look at the two teams they have both been there or thereabouts so you would say no. Then you could say yes because if Tullamore, Edenderry, Walsh Island and Gracefield could step up to it and put more pressure on Rhode and Clara then they would have to dig deeper. I can only speak for Rhode and for the amount of effort and commitment they have put in over the last two years I could honestly say they couldn't have done anymore to win a Leinster club title'.

Roy Malone is currently managing Rhode during the league campaign. Do you think he would be a good candidate to replace Tom Coffey whenever that time comes?

'Well you would probably have to speak to Roy about that because I have never discussed it with him. I am sure there would be a number of candidates for the job whether they are from Rhode or outside the club. I am sure there are plenty of people with aspirations to have the Rhode job and when the day comes that Roy does retire you know maybe he will want the job, but I am sure there will six or seven lads that will want it too'.

Do you expect Rhode to be affected by the current recession? Will they lose any players to immigration?
'At this moment in time I would have to say no but things are not improving at this time in Ireland so you would never know. The problem is it is like a rot and when one or two go then it turns into four and six. Hopefully it doesn't come to that but I know must clubs around the country are been hampered by immigration'.

What are your opinions on the whole saga regarding the McPadden twins transfer from Clonmore to Rhode?

'Firstly I will say I have huge time for Clonmore. I managed them for a while and they put in a great effort. I am delighted they are doing well. Look from their point of view it is their own towns-land and they want to play the best players they have. My opinion on the situation and the same applies to Croghan is that best players should play for the senior team which is Rhode. The second best play intermediate if there is intermediate for Croghan and the third best play for Clonmore at junior. As lads go out of senior grade then they should be let play intermediate or junior football. As far as the McPadden's are concerned they should play for Rhode I think they should play for Rhode. They are only young men and they want to play football at the higher standard and there is only one way they will improve and that is by playing the higher grade. It was the same for David Bannon who in my opinion lost an inter-county career by playing junior football. If he had of come to Rhode ten year earlier he would have been centre half back for Offaly for many a year'.

Has this damaged the relationship between Rhode and Clonmore?

'I don't think so. If lads want to play for Rhode from Clonmore, lads like Philip or Jimmy Foy want to improve their status or play a higher grade then I think an agreement can be sorted out between Rhode and Clonmore and the same for Rhode and Croghan. We are all living locally here so we should sit down and talk about it. The better lads should play with the better team.

Can you see Clonmore's argument that they need to keep their better players though to improve their club?

'I can see their argument very well yes. But the lads that wish to transfer are wishing to improve the standard of their football and their ability. When you go to a county board meeting the county board have to want them lads to improve and move on to the county senior team and to play at a better grade'.

Do you think there is a chance Clonmore will withdraw from underage football with Rhode due to this incident?

'I don't think that will happen because the people in Clonmore are very mature and they realise a lot of their players have gotten a lot of medals out of having played for Rod Og. They know Rhode has been good to their players and they have been successful and have gotten the opportunity to play minor and U21 for Offaly'.

Club transfers appear to be creeping into the game more often that people would like these days. Do you think the GAA is in danger of losing its identity?

'I don't think Leinster council are been fair to clubs to be honest. Fair enough if a lad from Rhode moves to Westmeath or somewhere and he builds a house with his wife or something on that lines but lads who go up to Dublin to work and get a transfer but spend the weekend back home now that is wrong. This issue needs to be taken a long look at. You are robbing and looting clubs from the country and the bottom line is that Dublin clubs are poaching the best players. They don't go after the mediocre player they are poaching the best players who are working up in Dublin, whether it's in I.T or in the airport. It's a complete farce. I experienced it myself one time in Cork. I worked in Cork for a while and after just three days down there I had two letters sent to the office to me to see would I transfer. One was from Nemo Rangers'.

As a former player and a staunch Gael, would you have ever played for another club?

'I couldn't see it now no. Rhode is my club and I have never even thought about it. It never goes out of my head or heart. This is my club and it always will be. If there ever was any player from Rhode thinking of transferring I would advice them that this club was good to me and is their club. You can only be from one place'.

Do you think that most real Gaels would never wear the jersey of another club, unless it was circumstances beyond their control, for example moving to Cork?


'I think that if I went to play for another club in a different county and we won a county title well I think you would have the glory of winning that title on the day and probably for a day or two afterwards. When you come to my age and sit down and think about it it's not the same. There is not the same grandeur. Occasionally four or five of us meet up for a drink and we talk about the great days we had with club and county. We laugh and we tell jokes about one another and lads from the club. I don't think you can do that when you win one with another club. The camaraderie just wouldn't be the same'.

You are heavily involved with Rhode underage over the last number of years. What players do you expect to make the breakthrough to the senior setup over the coming years?

'I think in about three or four years time that if we haven't won a Leinster in the interim then we would be looking at a Leinster title. The lads I have had for the last four or five years are good lads that want to play football, they want to learn, they listen and they want to move on. I don't know of any of them that would want to give up football. They were in the field hail, rain or snow. Never once did I get an excuse 'I can't make it today' because lads that do that aren't really interested. I have never experienced that in Rhode. I often think if you win too much at underage it can sometimes be a bad thing. Okay it is great to win but when you win so much at underage you can't automatically assume you will win it at senior grade and you mightn't appreciate it at senior grade. Although that is up to the trainer of the day to bring you back down to the job at hand. You must improve, commit yourself and you have to look at yourself and say 'do you want to play for the club and do you want to win'. Then you have to say 'do I want to play for the county'? If you do then you must realise that this is a second job for you'.

Do you rate the U21 championship?

'Yes I do. Very highly I might add and I will tell you why. If you take two lads and one lad is just slightly better than the other. The U21 championship is the last step for the second lad to make senior grade. It is his last chance and I reckon there are more players to be got out of the U21 championship than there is out of minor. I would also raise the minor age group to nineteen'.

Rhode have a great tradition of their former players getting involved with teams and giving back to the club. How important do you think that is?

'It is terribly important. Over the years we had Liam Swaine, Martin Heavey, Paddy McCormack and Stephen Darby. Now you have lads like Roy Malone, Ken Kelleghan and Anthony Hyland getting involved. I am taking a year out but I hope to be back next year. At the same time there is nothing to stop young lads from going to former players who aren't involved and asking them what they need to do to improve'.

In all your time involved with underage over the years has the way you handle players changed much?

'Oh god yes it has changed dramatically. I have trained a lot of teams and the commitment back then was tremendous. It is a different type of commitment than these days. A lot of them boys were in the cattle shed with no water and no showers. These days you have warm showers, masseurs and doctors. You have celebrities coming in to give pep talks and now it's got to the stage you have to provide food. When I first started with Offaly we trained in O'Connor Park and the whole tracksuit thing was just starting off. Some lads had tops and some lads had leggings and more lads had nothing. The frost was that bad that when we got back into the dressing rooms and got handed a bottle of milk that top would be blown off it. Then maybe a salad sandwich too and that was your thanks for coming to training. Now these days they have to have a steak meal. It was a big difference that back then lads were working hard at manual labour, whether it was on a farm or in the bog but now that lads are in I.T and office jobs. I mean fair play to them for making themselves more knowledgeable but it's a different type of training now because times have changed'.

Does it help that there are no other distractions in Rhode in regards to sport?

'Rhode GAA is a religion. One would have to say it is 'the religion' in the parish. Soccer clubs have tried to start on two occasions and made absolutely no difference to the club. If there was a match in the field the church would be empty'.



Offaly U21's play Westmeath in the first round of the championship on Wednesday, how do you think they will fare in Leinster?

'That game could be a Leinster final. Offaly U21's can win a Leinster at any one time and I wish them the best of luck. Martin Murphy is a good man and I know a lot of those players. We have a reasonably good tradition at U21 football. As I said it is the last chance for a guy to prove himself as to whether he will be a senior county player or will he be an ordinary club player. Westmeath had a very big win over Laois and over the last few years they have proven strong and are putting great work into underage'.

Are Offaly putting a good effort into underage?

'Yes we appear to be improving. I have trained all Offaly teams from U14 right up to senior and I have seen some great lads who have fallen by the wayside. What I would like to see is when Offaly have a match somewhere that there is an extra twenty lads brought on the coach and we play a 'b' team. Surely to god somewhere along the line you would get a player or two. I also think we don't take junior football serious enough. It just seems to be dismissed but there are definitely four or five lads out there that are worth a shot. If you could get them playing it is a third of your team'.

How big of a loss will Anton Sullivan be?

'Anton will be a big loss because he is a quality player. I had Anton for four or five years at underage and he has a great head on his shoulders. He would come and talk to you and you would have to listen to what he said because he has a very mature football head on a very young body'.

Bernard Allen has emerged as a threat for Offaly seniors this year. Do you expect him to start in the championship?


'He is a very good player. I had him at underage and he is definitely a scoring forward which is very important in Offaly. He's not afraid to come out and get the ball. I have to say I didn't think he would make it when I had him but he has matured very well and I am very happy for him. I am disappointed with some lads who I did have at underage that haven't gone on to better things. They should have pushed on'.

Do you think Offaly can gain promotion from division three?

'Yes I do for certain. They had a bad game against Wexford and I think Tom Cribben is still trying out lads because every time they've a game there is someone different playing. One problem I have with the senior team at the minute is there seems to be a lot of lads carrying injury whether they are genuine or not I don't know. It is very simple to feign injury. You can say you're injured and fake injury. I looked at the two games the last two Sundays and there are lads who aren't fit to play and then been brought on after a quarter of an hour. I think if you're injured you should have you're clothes on and not be togged out'.

Is it a problem that Offaly still don't seem to know their best fifteen?

'Well yes it is a problem and I go back to saying are players trying to fake their football ability or put one over on the trainer. I think you want players that are available every Sunday unless they are genuinely injured and to me you can't just be injured for one Sunday. If the injury is bad enough then you just don't get over it in a week whether it is a twist or a sprain. You just can't be unavailable one week and magically healed the next Sunday. I am a little bit concerned over how lads in Offaly say 'oh I am injured I can't play'. Fair enough if you have a stomach bug or something on those lines then fair enough you can be fit for the second Sunday but if you're injured then that's a different kettle of fish. It's a cop out. If you are injured then you can't play simple as that and when your back your position has to be reviewed. You should not be in the dug out able to come on. Then you have lads that are 'injured' when it suits them'.

Could you see Offaly reaching the Leinster final this year given the possible route they have?

'I could yes but they won't have it easy against Wexford. I seen that league game and they are a typically big strong team. I think that Wexford match could be the hardest on route to a Leinster final but I do think they could reach one'.

Ciaran McManus is still soldiering on for Offaly. How do you rate his contribution to the cause over the years?


'Ciaran McManus is a one off. There is no other person in Offaly that keeps himself in the same shape and that is why he is there so long. How often is he injured? How often can he not play? How often have we seen him being dropped, coming on and retaining his place? The man looks after himself and every single player should do the same. Now you hear people talking about lads that injury prone but in my opinion you are only injury prone when you're not fit. It is up to you to look after yourself. If every other player but themselves into that position wouldn't they be better off. Going back to my day as a player people might say there wasn't as much training done in them days well I can tell you there was as much training done in Offaly as there was in Kerry, Down, Galway and Dublin. So whether lads were just hardier than lads these days I don't know, But I have no memory of any player ever saying I can't play I am injured. If they were injured they had a fracture. Our lads were committed to the cause and when you're committed to the cause you will succeed'.

After the whole situation that occurred in 2009 regarding the Offaly management, do you think players should have a say in the management team?

'I think something similar happened with the hurlers but I don't know enough about the hurling to comment on their situation, I hope that whole thing is dead and gone in Offaly GAA. Richie Connor was picked as the trainer. He was passed by the clubs and passed by the county board and bottom line he should have been kept on as trainer. The same thing with Gerry Fahy he should have been kept too. Players should have no say in who they do or don't want. If they want to go home well then let them go home and watch Coronation Street or Fair City if they like because only mature people and not footballers watch Fair City. If you want to represent your county it doesn't matter who is over you'.

Stephen Darby was the favourite for the job at the time. Why do you think he was overlooked?

'Stephen Darby could have filled the boots of any trainer in any county. He takes the job of training a team the same as he does his own job as a teacher. I honestly don't know why he was overlooked and I couldn't honestly say he would have improved the situation but I will say this. I would prefer to have him on my side than against me'.

How would you assess Tom Cribben's reign so far?

'I have some mixed feelings about his reign so far. I think too many players are dictating the play to him. I think he should be more firmer with players. I know Tom and I have nothing against the man. I know he has been successful with clubs in Kildare and obviously Edenderry in 2001. But I think he is too lenient with the players and he should be a bit tougher with them'.

As a former referee, do you agree that the current standard of refereeing in Offaly needs to be addressed immediately?

'I think it is a serious problem that most of the referee's today have never played at a high standard. The men that are referee don't know what it takes to win. This yellow card is needs to be burnt! There is no toughness in football anymore. Players are getting a yellow card for pulling a jersey now. They are trying to make football a running game now. Well sure that's fine let them pick it up off the ground and throw the ball. They'll have us playing Australian football shortly'.

What are you views on the theory that some referee's are purely interested in the money and not the game itself?

'Well I have never spoken to any referee that said he was in it for the money but I am sure there are some referee's that are just like that. Some are in it for the glamour and some that want to give something back to the game. I do honestly think referee's favour certain players, maybe I done it too as a referee but nobody ever told me'.

Is it acceptable that referee's that are making mistakes are not been punished?

'Well there is supposed to be an assessor at all club games but I do agree that within Offaly they don't seem to be answerable to anyone. The only referee that seemed to be punished was Martin Sludden after the Leinster final. You honestly couldn't blame the Louth supporters that day. They hadn't won a Leinster since 1957'.

Would you be in favour of bringing in referee's from other counties for championship matches?


'I wouldn't have any problem with that all in fact I think it would be a very good thing. When I played in county finals for Rhode we had referees from Dublin and Kildare'.

[Lone Shark]

If you win a medal with another club does it demean what you win by not winning it with your own club?
'Yes I think it does......"

".......I can't see for the life of me why lads in Croghan wouldn't want to play for Rhode or lads in Ballyfore with Edenderry or the parish of Daingean as a whole. Why would they best players in that parish not want to get together and play the best they could because if they did, well then you would get results'.

Good man Jody. That makes perfect sense. He couldn't imagine leaving Rhode to go to a bigger club like Nemo, and yet can't understand why lads mightn't want to leave Brigids or Clonmore to go to a club like Rhode.


Cheers to NaasmanrxRhode for posting up the interview, but I can't say I'd come away from that thinking that Jody Gunning has some great insights into modern management. There's a lot of damning with faint praise in there too.

[Long John]

Good man Jody is right.

You are robbing and looting clubs from the country and the bottom line is that Dublin clubs are poaching the best players. They don't go after the mediocre player they are poaching the best players who are working up in Dublin, whether it's in I.T or in the airport. It's a complete farce

"Robbing and looting clubs" but if they go to Rhode they are doing so to improve the standard of football they are getting. Give me a break. He really is talking some muck there.

So in Jody's opinion a player living in Dublin most of the week should not transfer but the lads living in Clonmore and Croghan should transfer to Rhode so they could improve themselves by playing at a higher grade. Rubbish.

[Bord na Mona man]

He is contradicting himself all over the place.
Slating Dublin clubs for bringing in players and then advocating Rhode taking in all comers.
Expressing that he couldn't countenance switching clubs himself, yet expecting Clonmore lads to do it in the blink of an eye.
You couldn't make it up.

A running theme in these interviews seems to be old timers sounding off about the youth of today.
Surely the key to successful management in any discipline is to adapt to changing circumstances?

[The Magpie]

So, it's Ok to want to play with the "best" team in the parish - given that there was once a parish rule and even though it no longer exists, that's still Ok.

But:

the bottom line is that Dublin clubs are poaching the best players. They don't go after the mediocre player they are poaching the best players who are working up in Dublin, whether it's in I.T or in the airport. It's a complete farce

you can't want to play in the "best" team in Dublin

By Jody's logic, transferring to the best team in the Parish is Ok, but transferring to the best team in the Country is not. If anyone can tell me the difference, I'm all ears.

[High School Musical]

Ha ha, he has no idea what he's saying.
Its black one minute & white the next.
Good interview to read, but poor Jody is spouting a load of muck. Make up your mind man!!!!

I also agree with that point about older lads rubbishing players of today too.
Some of them seem to think that they were the greatest ever generation of footballers.

[Fargo Boyle]

That was some pile of steaming dung.

Talk about a pot calling a kettle black.

He could never play for another club beacuse he is a "true gael" yet he wants all of the Clonmore and Croghan lads to come play with Rhode. Some dirt. Typical Rhode bullshit

By the way High School Musical - that is some avator you got there

[bazza]

Jody just seems to be hell bent on getting that elusive Leinster crown for Rhode. His logic seems to be that Rhode can take all the best players in Croghan and Clonmore to beef up their team and that the likes of Brian Kavanagh should be sent back to Longford. If Rhode don't win Leinster with the whole parish I wonder will he look to see if there is any hope of Edenderry's best playing with them or maybe taking the pick of Clara or Ferbane also.

The interview is one big contradiction. He talks of how it wouldn't feel the same winning a title with an adopted club yet if the Croghan and Clonmore lads were with Rhode he'd have no problem toasting that victory all year long.

He's very degrading of Croghan in particular. They were unlucky to be relegated last year and will probably win intermediate this year.

Hard and all as it might be for Jody to believe, not everyone loves Rhode as much as he does and some guys might just be happy to represent their local club and area.

[High School Musical]

By the way High School Musical - that is some avator you got there

Thanks Señor Boyle, I got it as a Christmas present.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Hot showers! Food after training! Whatever next? Soap, shampoo and all that 'oul stuff. Profiteroles for dessert.

Oh god yes it has changed dramatically. I have trained a lot of teams and the commitment back then was tremendous. It is a different type of commitment than these days. A lot of them boys were in the cattle shed with no water and no showers. These days you have warm showers, masseurs and doctors. You have celebrities coming in to give pep talks and now it's got to the stage you have to provide food. When I first started with Offaly we trained in O'Connor Park and the whole tracksuit thing was just starting off. Some lads had tops and some lads had leggings and more lads had nothing. The frost was that bad that when we got back into the dressing rooms and got handed a bottle of milk that top would be blown off it. Then maybe a salad sandwich too and that was your thanks for coming to training. Now these days they have to have a steak meal. It was a big difference that back then lads were working hard at manual labour, whether it was on a farm or in the bog but now that lads are in I.T and office jobs. I mean fair play to them for making themselves more knowledgeable but it's a different type of training now because times have changed.

Does this mean that persistent fouling to gain an advantage over a better opponent is to be encouraged, in the Gospel according to Jody? Oh brilliant. Nothing like an oul faction fight. Next thing he'll want to ban blood-subs - shure wasn't it fierce manly playing on with a blood-stained bandage around your head and looking like you'd been savaged by an alsatian

I think it is a serious problem that most of the referee's today have never played at a high standard. The men that are referee don't know what it takes to win. This yellow card is needs to be burnt! There is no toughness in football anymore. Players are getting a yellow card for pulling a jersey now. They are trying to make football a running game now. Well sure that's fine let them pick it up off the ground and throw the ball. They'll have us playing Australian football shortly'.

[High School Musical]

Shirt-pulling should be legalised.
In fact I think we should see more of it on the field.
Its one of the most manly things that a player can do out there.

High-fielding, the chip pick-up, a shoulder to shoulder challenge, kicking off both feet and shirt-pulling, these are the real skills and qualities what make Gaelic Football what it is.

Jody, I salute you!!!

[High School Musical]

Do you think Rhode should have beaten Kilmacud Crokes or what went wrong?

'Well I think perhaps we weren't physical enough body wise. I think we weren't big enough in certain areas and Kilmacud are a very big strong team. I think when Mark Dunne went out of it in midfield after twenty minutes that's when we lost it. If Mark had of kept up the same level of performance and the same supply of ball he was given to Paschal and Niall then I think we would have won. A lot of people think Rhode and Offaly for that matter are over reliant on Niall McNamee and there is no doubt Niall is a very skilful player but Rhode have some great players. I mentioned Mark Dunne already and Alan McNamee is too. I know sometimes people say he looks a bit lazy but big men always seem to look lazy. Shane Sullivan, Brian Darby and Anton Sullivan are all great footballers'.

Hold on a minute, is Jody blaming Mark Dunne for the defeat against Kilmacud?
If so, that’s nice of him to lay the blame on the door of an 'outsider'.
A few of his home-grown lads didn't help the cause too greatly that day, namely Mark Dunne's midfield partner, who in my opinion was the worst player on the field that day bar none. FACT (as they say over in Rhode)

Second half Kilmacud took it to a level that Rhode couldn't match on the day.
Rhode did underperform in the 2nd half but they would have needed a serious slice of luck along with everyone playing to their potential for them to win this game.

[Doon Massive]

I remember when I was a young lad we had to walk 27 miles to school in our bare feet, over mostly broken glass and brambles, with a sod of turf under our arms for the fire in school that day. It rained every day and was colder than the artic most days. Then we got beaten around the place for the day, went home to work the land, had a bowl of porridge if we were lucky, and off we went to a bed, shared by 15 others.
But we were happy.

[Bord na Mona man]

Jody Gunning = One of Monty Pythons' Yorkshiremen!


FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
Aye, very passable, that, very passable bit of risotto.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
Nothing like a good glass of Château de Chasselas, eh, Josiah?
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
You're right there, Obadiah.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Who'd have thought thirty year ago we'd all be sittin' here drinking Château de Chasselas, eh?
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
In them days we was glad to have the price of a cup o' tea.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
A cup o' cold tea.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Without milk or sugar.
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
Or tea.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
In a cracked cup, an' all.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Oh, we never had a cup. We used to have to drink out of a rolled up newspaper.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
The best we could manage was to suck on a piece of damp cloth.
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
But you know, we were happy in those days, though we were poor.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
Because we were poor. My old Dad used to say to me, "Money doesn't buy you happiness, son".
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Aye, 'e was right.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
Aye, 'e was.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
I was happier then and I had nothin'. We used to live in this tiny old house with great big holes in the roof.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
House! You were lucky to live in a house! We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, 'alf the floor was missing, and we were all 'uddled together in one corner for fear of falling.
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
Eh, you were lucky to have a room! We used to have to live in t' corridor!
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
Oh, we used to dream of livin' in a corridor! Would ha' been a palace to us. We used to live in an old water tank on a rubbish tip. We got woke up every morning by having a load of rotting fish dumped all over us! House? Huh.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Well, when I say 'house' it was only a hole in the ground covered by a sheet of tarpaulin, but it was a house to us.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
We were evicted from our 'ole in the ground; we 'ad to go and live in a lake.
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
You were lucky to have a lake! There were a hundred and fifty of us living in t' shoebox in t' middle o' road.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
Cardboard box?
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
Aye.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of 'ot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to 'ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit' bread knife.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.
ALL:
They won't!

[durra1]

If Jody had his way we'd all be living in De Valeras wonderland.

Hes obviously got a bee in his bonnet about ' IT and office jobs'. Well for Jody and his GAA dream team who can make a living off the land and sites these days ...

Clown ..