24 July 1997 Edition
Sportsview: ABM bandwagon rolls on
It's that time of year again when GAA supporters across the country reassess county allegiances. Take the football championship for example, as the provincial contests reach conclusion you face the following scenarios. The first possibility is that your county are still in the championship and you are gearing up for the big trip to Croke Park as in the case of Kerry and Cavan.
The second and more likely possibility is that your team have hung up their boots for this year and now you have to remain either an interested neutral or a committed supporter of a second team.
PICK AND MIX
One of the more notable traits in this annual pick and mix is that Ulster GAA fans will support whatever team comes out of the province regardless of inter-county rivalries. However now that Cavan are Ulster Champions it will be interesting to see if this support will transfer outside the Ulster Cycle of the four counties who have dominated northern football in the 1990s.
A second trait is picking an underdog team on which all the committed neutrals can pin their support and vent what at times seems hugely misplaced venom against the current championship favourites.
Cavan's one point victory over Donegal last week has not only given them their first Ulster Championship since 1969 but has also given them the official PUT (`pet underdog team') nomination for 1997.
ANYBODY BUT MEATH
Cavan then for many GAA fans carry not only the support of their own county, and possibly their province, but also that of thousands of other GAA fans. This year the object of their ire is Meath. Last year's All Ireland champions must be the most begrudged winners since either of Kerry's epic runs between1978 to `81 and 1984 to `86 or any victorious Dublin team you care to mention.
Meath were not fancied at all last year. They had to beat All-Ireland champions Dublin to win in Leinster and then take on the Ulster Champions and 1995 All-Ireland finalists Tyrone in the semi's before facing Mayo in the final.
This seems to me, an obviously uninformed fan, to be a momentous achievement. Meath a dominant team of the 1980s and early 1990s had come, not unlike Manchester United, out of a transitory rebuilding period to win the championship. Even though my support rests firmly with Dublin, I had to admire what they had achieved.
BULLYBOY TACTICS
Instead of being lauded as rightful victors Meath were condemned by all in sundry. After the 1996 All-Ireland semi-finals the whinelines into RTE's daytime radio shows were jammed with outraged GAA `fans' complaining about Meath's bullying tactics against the poor unprotected Tyrone boys.
Listening to Tyrone supporters complaining about fouling and dirty play is for me a revelation. I must have imagined all those bruising Ulster Championship encounters especially those between Tyrone and neighbouring Derry. They never happened.
The reality that Tyrone as a team were severely limited by their over dependence on Peter Canavan, limitations that had been clearly exposed by Dublin a year earlier was ignored. Yes it was a dirty match, but are we really expected to believe that Tyrone were unwittingly set upon by a wily Meath?
REPLAY BONANZA
Now in 1997 Meath are back in that twilight of 1991 fighting endless replays just to get out of Leinster. They beat Dublin by the narrowest of margins and have twice come back from seemingly completely lost positions to live again against Kildare. Surely this would merit commendation but now interest in Meath's progress is a bizarre ritual of people watching the games in the hope that they will lose.
Yes it would be great to see Cavan go all the way, but for Meath to win two in a row is no less an achievement. What we all really want to see is good football and no amount of pet underdogs can guarantee that.
BY NEIL FORDE
The second and more likely possibility is that your team have hung up their boots for this year and now you have to remain either an interested neutral or a committed supporter of a second team.
PICK AND MIX
One of the more notable traits in this annual pick and mix is that Ulster GAA fans will support whatever team comes out of the province regardless of inter-county rivalries. However now that Cavan are Ulster Champions it will be interesting to see if this support will transfer outside the Ulster Cycle of the four counties who have dominated northern football in the 1990s.
A second trait is picking an underdog team on which all the committed neutrals can pin their support and vent what at times seems hugely misplaced venom against the current championship favourites.
Cavan's one point victory over Donegal last week has not only given them their first Ulster Championship since 1969 but has also given them the official PUT (`pet underdog team') nomination for 1997.
ANYBODY BUT MEATH
Cavan then for many GAA fans carry not only the support of their own county, and possibly their province, but also that of thousands of other GAA fans. This year the object of their ire is Meath. Last year's All Ireland champions must be the most begrudged winners since either of Kerry's epic runs between1978 to `81 and 1984 to `86 or any victorious Dublin team you care to mention.
Meath were not fancied at all last year. They had to beat All-Ireland champions Dublin to win in Leinster and then take on the Ulster Champions and 1995 All-Ireland finalists Tyrone in the semi's before facing Mayo in the final.
This seems to me, an obviously uninformed fan, to be a momentous achievement. Meath a dominant team of the 1980s and early 1990s had come, not unlike Manchester United, out of a transitory rebuilding period to win the championship. Even though my support rests firmly with Dublin, I had to admire what they had achieved.
BULLYBOY TACTICS
Instead of being lauded as rightful victors Meath were condemned by all in sundry. After the 1996 All-Ireland semi-finals the whinelines into RTE's daytime radio shows were jammed with outraged GAA `fans' complaining about Meath's bullying tactics against the poor unprotected Tyrone boys.
Listening to Tyrone supporters complaining about fouling and dirty play is for me a revelation. I must have imagined all those bruising Ulster Championship encounters especially those between Tyrone and neighbouring Derry. They never happened.
The reality that Tyrone as a team were severely limited by their over dependence on Peter Canavan, limitations that had been clearly exposed by Dublin a year earlier was ignored. Yes it was a dirty match, but are we really expected to believe that Tyrone were unwittingly set upon by a wily Meath?
REPLAY BONANZA
Now in 1997 Meath are back in that twilight of 1991 fighting endless replays just to get out of Leinster. They beat Dublin by the narrowest of margins and have twice come back from seemingly completely lost positions to live again against Kildare. Surely this would merit commendation but now interest in Meath's progress is a bizarre ritual of people watching the games in the hope that they will lose.
Yes it would be great to see Cavan go all the way, but for Meath to win two in a row is no less an achievement. What we all really want to see is good football and no amount of pet underdogs can guarantee that.
BY NEIL FORDE