Ulster v Edinburgh Friday April 21 7:35pm - Viaplay Sports 1 / URC TV / Super Sport

[CIMANFOREVER]

I I thought Ritchie and Watson were possibly the two best players on the park .....

Hamish Watson certainly self-identified as the best referee on the park. Thankfully the duly appointed ref - the one in the yellow shirt - didn't understand Scootish and didn't hand over his whistle to let him get on with it.

Wee Hamish sounds like a posh English lad schooled at prep school and Oakham.

Nah, to me he sounds like the archetypal Scot.

Even though I was giving him plenty last night, I would gladly have had him in an Ulster shirt at any stage of his career, except possibly now.

Even getting past his prime though he's still a quare player.

Respect!

Word

[Cap'n Grumpy]

What weekend are the QFs?

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

Charlie 3's coronation weekend

5/6 May

As a side note, will Charlie III's gig be on TV?

What time does it kick off?

(Someone had to ask - why not me?)

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Oh and it was the 2nd game in a row where Milo didn't look absolutely dung. Mind you for Timoney's try he helped drive him over when he had pretty much already scored, having been watching beside him until then.

Tom Stewart was a lucky boy with a dirty football style challenge on someone as they were scoring one of the disallowed tries. Dan needs to have a word.

Probably as instinctual thing by Tom, as the ball was spilled, that I'm sure he immediately regretted.

Dan words are empty, if he doesn't want to be here and the players don't want him here. It's an issue.

Some of them hate Dan so much that they decided to extend their contracts.

I've no doubt some players are disgruntled, but losing the dressing room is another thing.

I remember reading how when he was ulster, paddy Jackson couldn't stand Les Kiss. Funny how things turn out

So are we taking Fanning's article as Gospel Truth then?

Has the changing room gone mammaries up?

I know it goes against every principle of this forum, but FACTS please gennulmen and Gennulweemen!.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

I remember reading how when he was ulster, paddy Jackson couldn't stand Les Kiss. Funny how things turn out

If only yer woman had tried to les kiss one of the other weemen there, how things might have turned out differently!

[CIMANFOREVER]

I remember reading how when he was ulster, paddy Jackson couldn't stand Les Kiss. Funny how things turn out

If only yer woman had tried to les kiss one of the other weemen there, how things might have turned out differently!

Mutley like snigger...

[Bart S]

Oh and it was the 2nd game in a row where Milo didn't look absolutely dung. Mind you for Timoney's try he helped drive him over when he had pretty much already scored, having been watching beside him until then.

Tom Stewart was a lucky boy with a dirty football style challenge on someone as they were scoring one of the disallowed tries. Dan needs to have a word.

Probably as instinctual thing by Tom, as the ball was spilled, that I'm sure he immediately regretted.

Dan words are empty, if he doesn't want to be here and the players don't want him here. It's an issue.

Some of them hate Dan so much that they decided to extend their contracts.

I've no doubt some players are disgruntled, but losing the dressing room is another thing.

I remember reading how when he was ulster, paddy Jackson couldn't stand Les Kiss. Funny how things turn out

So are we taking Fanning's article as Gospel Truth then?

Has the changing room gone mammaries up?

I know it goes against every principle of this forum, but FACTS please gennulmen and Gennulweemen!.

Not factually incorrect probably since he's a journo, but the slant and timing to me was brad pitt stirring and taking an easy pop at ulster. Timing was interesting as clearly designed to destabilise things.

[CIMANFOREVER]

Are we not getting into the realms of conspiracy theory here?
If it's not factually incorrect, then some at least is correct. True there's always disgruntled squad members in most teams- it's whether there's overall belief in the coaches and how deep any toxicity is. Be interesting to hear from departing retirees.

Lyttle, Gilroy, DV, etc.. DV should have no axe.

[StandUp]

I I thought Ritchie and Watson were possibly the two best players on the park .....

Hamish Watson certainly self-identified as the best referee on the park. Thankfully the duly appointed ref - the one in the yellow shirt - didn't understand Scootish and didn't hand over his whistle to let him get on with it.

Wee Hamish sounds like a posh English lad schooled at prep school and Oakham.

Nah, to me he sounds like the archetypal Scot.

Even though I was giving him plenty last night, I would gladly have had him in an Ulster shirt at any stage of his career, except possibly now.

Even getting past his prime though he's still a quare player.

Respect!

Very much agreed. Not so much now though…

[Bart S]

Not conspiracy theory at all CI. As you say there are always disgruntled squad members but then he throws the likes of Hendy into the mix with no real evidence. I doubt he'd do that with say POM or a leinster player in such a scenario.

And when was the last time an unsettling article was written ahead of a big series of games? I am sure Fanning knew all was not well in the rwc 2019 ahead of the all blacks game or even before the tournament given the tanking by England. Do you think he would have wrote it?

I didn't mind BOD's basket case comment as that's what ulster was under the stewardship of Kiss/Gibbes and most notably Logan. However if a team which is likely to have none or 1 member of ireland's match day first choice squad goes on to outperform a certain other much vaunted province then perhaps he should turn his attention elsewhere also.

I get the bias towards leinster and to a certain extent munster but most of all there's a time and place for this kind of article by an Irish journo on an Irish team and it ain't now.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Not conspiracy theory at all CI. As you say there are always disgruntled squad members but then he throws the likes of Hendy into the mix with no real evidence. I doubt he'd do that with say POM or a leinster player in such a scenario.

And when was the last time an unsettling article was written ahead of a big series of games? I am sure Fanning knew all was not well in the rwc 2019 ahead of the all blacks game or even before the tournament given the tanking by England. Do you think he would have wrote it?

I didn't mind BOD's basket case comment as that's what ulster was under the stewardship of Kiss/Gibbes and most notably Logan. However if a team which is likely to have none or 1 member of ireland's match day first choice squad goes on to outperform a certain other much vaunted province then perhaps he should turn his attention elsewhere also.

I get the bias towards leinster and to a certain extent munster but most of all there's a time and place for this kind of article by an Irish journo on an Irish team and it ain't now.

I get all that.

Wot I want to know is whether there is any truth in wot he writ.

My issue is not so much with fanning - he's a journo. He's paid to write, and paper doesn't refuse ink whether wot's writ is truth or lies (or more likely somewhere in between).

Wot I would like to know is if it's somewhere in between, which direction does it swing to? A couple of disgruntled who don't get as much time as their ego suggests they should, or most of the squad who don't think he knows wot he's on about?

And although I would like to know that, I also know that I'm highly unlikely to ever find out.

My worry is that some on here are taking some or all of this as fact, when we know that facts are scarce on the ground around here - and that's a FACT!

or is it?

[CIMANFOREVER]

Not conspiracy theory at all CI. As you say there are always disgruntled squad members but then he throws the likes of Hendy into the mix with no real evidence. I doubt he'd do that with say POM or a leinster player in such a scenario.

And when was the last time an unsettling article was written ahead of a big series of games? I am sure Fanning knew all was not well in the rwc 2019 ahead of the all blacks game or even before the tournament given the tanking by England. Do you think he would have wrote it?

I didn't mind BOD's basket case comment as that's what ulster was under the stewardship of Kiss/Gibbes and most notably Logan. However if a team which is likely to have none or 1 member of ireland's match day first choice squad goes on to outperform a certain other much vaunted province then perhaps he should turn his attention elsewhere also.

I get the bias towards leinster and to a certain extent munster but most of all there's a time and place for this kind of article by an Irish journo on an Irish team and it ain't now.

Truly wasn't having a go- I'm not a fan of Fanning and rarely if ever read the Indo. I know these articles are syndicated so my interest was piqued after all our forum debate during the "slump" and now this article arrives in the BT, which ( sport wise) is pro- UR. Whether Fanning is fishing on heresay or carefully timed f bombs from inside the squad, or piggy backing on many conspiracies floating since the slump, who knows. But some seems to feel plausible and corroborate some of our ( non factually based) suspicions; the extent is the debatable piece. Is there a " playing " of 2 sides versus the middle for mutual benefit?
Fannings playing to a readership that many of which are either disinterested, neutral, or actively dislike Ulster. Element of clickbait. But to appear in the BT where it plays to a partisan fan base... Fanning doesn't need UR clicks, which is why he protects his interests down South. The BT role is the interesting bit.. who took that decision to run if there wasn't some credence?
Although their Weemens editor and BT in general did go after PJ and SO to be fair.... what a tangled web we weave...

[Dave]

Oh and it was the 2nd game in a row where Milo didn't look absolutely dung. Mind you for Timoney's try he helped drive him over when he had pretty much already scored, having been watching beside him until then.

Tom Stewart was a lucky boy with a dirty football style challenge on someone as they were scoring one of the disallowed tries. Dan needs to have a word.

Probably as instinctual thing by Tom, as the ball was spilled, that I'm sure he immediately regretted.

Dan words are empty, if he doesn't want to be here and the players don't want him here. It's an issue.

Some of them hate Dan so much that they decided to extend their contracts.

I've no doubt some players are disgruntled, but losing the dressing room is another thing.

I remember reading how when he was ulster, paddy Jackson couldn't stand Les Kiss. Funny how things turn out

They aren't contracted to Dan McFarland. He will get a new job one of these days.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Not conspiracy theory at all CI. As you say there are always disgruntled squad members but then he throws the likes of Hendy into the mix with no real evidence. I doubt he'd do that with say POM or a leinster player in such a scenario.

And when was the last time an unsettling article was written ahead of a big series of games? I am sure Fanning knew all was not well in the rwc 2019 ahead of the all blacks game or even before the tournament given the tanking by England. Do you think he would have wrote it?

I didn't mind BOD's basket case comment as that's what ulster was under the stewardship of Kiss/Gibbes and most notably Logan. However if a team which is likely to have none or 1 member of ireland's match day first choice squad goes on to outperform a certain other much vaunted province then perhaps he should turn his attention elsewhere also.

I get the bias towards leinster and to a certain extent munster but most of all there's a time and place for this kind of article by an Irish journo on an Irish team and it ain't now.

Truly wasn't having a go- I'm not a fan of Fanning and rarely if ever read the Indo. I know these articles are syndicated so my interest was piqued after all our forum debate during the "slump" and now this article arrives in the BT, which ( sport wise) is pro- UR. Whether Fanning is fishing on heresay or carefully timed f bombs from inside the squad, or piggy backing on many conspiracies floating since the slump, who knows. But some seems to feel plausible and corroborate some of our ( non factually based) suspicions; the extent is the debatable piece. Is there a " playing " of 2 sides versus the middle for mutual benefit?
Fannings playing to a readership that many of which are either disinterested, neutral, or actively dislike Ulster. Element of clickbait. But to appear in the BT where it plays to a partisan fan base... Fanning doesn't need UR clicks, which is why he protects his interests down South. The BT role is the interesting bit.. who took that decision to run if there wasn't some credence?
Although their Weemens editor and BT in general did go after PJ and SO to be fair.... what a tangled web we weave...

For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?

(Mr Bennett, P&P, Jane Austen)

[CIMANFOREVER]

Not conspiracy theory at all CI. As you say there are always disgruntled squad members but then he throws the likes of Hendy into the mix with no real evidence. I doubt he'd do that with say POM or a leinster player in such a scenario.

And when was the last time an unsettling article was written ahead of a big series of games? I am sure Fanning knew all was not well in the rwc 2019 ahead of the all blacks game or even before the tournament given the tanking by England. Do you think he would have wrote it?

I didn't mind BOD's basket case comment as that's what ulster was under the stewardship of Kiss/Gibbes and most notably Logan. However if a team which is likely to have none or 1 member of ireland's match day first choice squad goes on to outperform a certain other much vaunted province then perhaps he should turn his attention elsewhere also.

I get the bias towards leinster and to a certain extent munster but most of all there's a time and place for this kind of article by an Irish journo on an Irish team and it ain't now.

Truly wasn't having a go- I'm not a fan of Fanning and rarely if ever read the Indo. I know these articles are syndicated so my interest was piqued after all our forum debate during the "slump" and now this article arrives in the BT, which ( sport wise) is pro- UR. Whether Fanning is fishing on heresay or carefully timed f bombs from inside the squad, or piggy backing on many conspiracies floating since the slump, who knows. But some seems to feel plausible and corroborate some of our ( non factually based) suspicions; the extent is the debatable piece. Is there a " playing " of 2 sides versus the middle for mutual benefit?
Fannings playing to a readership that many of which are either disinterested, neutral, or actively dislike Ulster. Element of clickbait. But to appear in the BT where it plays to a partisan fan base... Fanning doesn't need UR clicks, which is why he protects his interests down South. The BT role is the interesting bit.. who took that decision to run if there wasn't some credence?
Although their Weemens editor and BT in general did go after PJ and SO to be fair.... what a tangled web we weave...

For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?

(Mr Bennett, P&P, Jane Austen)

you raised my Sir Walter Scott with JA

[UlsterNo9]

On a complete tangent, we were linked or had a bid on the table for Mata which fell through, just before Nakawara only for it to fall through.

Anyway thank feck we didn't sign Mata, his work rate on Friday night was absolutely abysmal, sure he has some highlights reel, but aside from the show pony stuff he offers very little.