Sean Kelly 6th Greatest Irish Sportsperson ever
As voted by the Irish public & shown on RTE last night.
Even thought he is my number 1, I was plesantly surprised he did so well considering cycling is such a minority sport here. For the record the top six were:
6 - Sean Kelly
5 - Roy Keane (wtf!!!)
4 - George Best
3 - Joey Dunlop
2 - Brian O'Driscoll
1 - Padraig Harrington
Even thought he is my number 1, I was plesantly surprised he did so well considering cycling is such a minority sport here. For the record the top six were:
6 - Sean Kelly
5 - Roy Keane (wtf!!!)
4 - George Best
3 - Joey Dunlop
2 - Brian O'Driscoll
1 - Padraig Harrington
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Comments
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He should be number 1 plus he`s a lot more tougher than Roy Keane ever was - would like to have seen Keane ride Liege Bastogne Liege and managed a sprint after 7 hours...
Thats the things with these awards - most people who vote were not even born when Sean was the King of Europe.0 -
Mick Macarthy would still make Sean Kelly s h i t himself though
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Gazzetta67 wrote:He should be number 1 plus he`s a lot more tougher than Roy Keane ever was - would like to have seen Keane ride Liege Bastogne Liege and managed a sprint after 7 hours...
Thats the things with these awards - most people who vote were not even born when
Silly comment that one thats like saying Kelly couldnt control a midfiled and be the best box to box player in the last 20 years, two different sports two hard men within their respective sports cant compare really.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
great result for Kelly given the popularity of the sports he's up against. where did roche come?0
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dave milne wrote:great result for Kelly given the popularity of the sports he's up against. where did roche come?
I believe 32 sporting nominees were picked & the public had to vote for one of them. Roche & Kelly were both in this 32 but Roche did not get into the top 10 (not sure where he finished overall).0 -
Not surprised at that result
Sean was a great professional. I still marvel at that descent of the Poggio to beat Argentin0 -
thomasmc wrote:As voted by the Irish public & shown on RTE last night.
Even thought he is my number 1, I was plesantly surprised he did so well considering cycling is such a minority sport here. For the record the top six were:
6 - Sean Kelly
5 - Roy Keane (wtf!!!)
4 - George Best
3 - Joey Dunlop
2 - Brian O'Driscoll
1 - Padraig Harrington
Why the WTF for Roy Keane? I know many of you Irish feel he let you down in 2002, but he's one of the best centre midfielders of the last 20 years - certainly better than Giles or Brady - and he's got the medals to prove it. I say this as someone who doesn't like him or Man U.
Why's Joey Dunlop there - OK he dominated the TTs, but where are the real Motorbike Racing credentials, like Barry Sheene had, for example.
My favourite Irish sportsmen, bar Kelly and Roche? - Eamonn Coghlan (middle distance runner of the Coe-Cram era), Barry McGuigan, Steve Lomas (good West Ham captain), Eddie Irvine (proper F1 playboy), Olly Campbell, and Willie John McBride.
And I thought the Paddys loved their horse racing, so where are Tony McCoy and Mick Kinane?Twitter: @RichN950 -
Moray Gub wrote:Gazzetta67 wrote:He should be number 1 plus he`s a lot more tougher than Roy Keane ever was - would like to have seen Keane ride Liege Bastogne Liege and managed a sprint after 7 hours...
Thats the things with these awards - most people who vote were not even born when
Silly comment that one thats like saying Kelly couldnt control a midfiled and be the best box to box player in the last 20 years, two different sports two hard men within their respective sports cant compare really.
It's like people who complain Beckham is thick. No one has a go at Stephen Hawking for being crap at football do they?0 -
I'm now wondering who would be the top ten for the UK.
I'd say (in no order - only one from each sport)
Ian Botham
Bobby Charlton (it hurts me to put him ahead of Bobby Moore)
Steve Redgrave
CB Fry (old school champion of everything)
Gareth Edwards
Daley Thompson (my boyhood hero)
Lester Piggott
Joe Calzaghe (or maybe a better unbeaten boxer)
Jim Clark or Jackie Stewart (probably Clark)
Bradley Wiggins*
*Seriously. He has the most Olympics medals of any Britain (joint with Redgrave) - three of them gold and he's showed his versitality in the Tour this year - I think across all disciplines, he's our greatest cyclist ever.Twitter: @RichN950 -
RichN95 wrote:I'm now wondering who would be the top ten for the UK.
I'd say (in no order - only one from each sport)
Ian Botham
Bobby Charlton (it hurts me to put him ahead of Bobby Moore)
Steve Redgrave
CB Fry (old school champion of everything)
Gareth Edwards
Daley Thompson (my boyhood hero)
Lester Piggott
Joe Calzaghe (or maybe a better unbeaten boxer)
Jim Clark or Jackie Stewart (probably Clark)
Bradley Wiggins*
*Seriously. He has the most Olympics medals of any Britain (joint with Redgrave) - three of them gold and he's showed his versitality in the Tour this year - I think across all disciplines, he's our greatest cyclist ever.
Paula Radcliffe (can't miss her out just cos she's a girl!)0 -
ShinyHelmut wrote:RichN95 wrote:I'm now wondering who would be the top ten for the UK.
I'd say (in no order - only one from each sport)
Ian Botham
Bobby Charlton (it hurts me to put him ahead of Bobby Moore)
Steve Redgrave
CB Fry (old school champion of everything)
Gareth Edwards
Daley Thompson (my boyhood hero)
Lester Piggott
Joe Calzaghe (or maybe a better unbeaten boxer)
Jim Clark or Jackie Stewart (probably Clark)
Bradley Wiggins*
*Seriously. He has the most Olympics medals of any Britain (joint with Redgrave) - three of them gold and he's showed his versitality in the Tour this year - I think across all disciplines, he's our greatest cyclist ever.
Paula Radcliffe (can't miss her out just cos she's a girl!)
I think he missed her out becuase when it comes down to the real business nowadays of winning medals at Olympics and World Championships on the track and road she is found wanting ,simply put she just hasnt got it. A bit like David Bedford he held various world records and was fastest man in world etc at his distance but he could not put it together at major championships now hardly anyone one outwith the sport knows his name but everybody knows who Coe and Ovett are. So to even think about PR as being in the top ten all time sportsperson list way off the mark imo.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
RichN95 wrote:I'm now wondering who would be the top ten for the UK.
I'd say (in no order - only one from each sport)
Ian Botham
Bobby Charlton (it hurts me to put him ahead of Bobby Moore)
Steve Redgrave
CB Fry (old school champion of everything)
Gareth Edwards
Daley Thompson (my boyhood hero)
Lester Piggott
Joe Calzaghe (or maybe a better unbeaten boxer)
Jim Clark or Jackie Stewart (probably Clark)
Bradley Wiggins*
*Seriously. He has the most Olympics medals of any Britain (joint with Redgrave) - three of them gold and he's showed his versitality in the Tour this year - I think across all disciplines, he's our greatest cyclist ever.
Most would go along with most of your list put id put Roger Bannister in there,ok he didnt win Olympic gold tin 1952 but his 4 minute mile in 1954 by todays standards seems nothing but back then it was monumental. Fred Perry and WG Grace as well would probably merit a mention as well.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
RichN95 wrote:thomasmc wrote:As voted by the Irish public & shown on RTE last night.
Even thought he is my number 1, I was plesantly surprised he did so well considering cycling is such a minority sport here. For the record the top six were:
6 - Sean Kelly
5 - Roy Keane (wtf!!!)
4 - George Best
3 - Joey Dunlop
2 - Brian O'Driscoll
1 - Padraig Harrington
Why the WTF for Roy Keane? I know many of you Irish feel he let you down in 2002, but he's one of the best centre midfielders of the last 20 years - certainly better than Giles or Brady - and he's got the medals to prove it. I say this as someone who doesn't like him or Man U.
Why's Joey Dunlop there - OK he dominated the TTs, but where are the real Motorbike Racing credentials, like Barry Sheene had, for example.
My favourite Irish sportsmen, bar Kelly and Roche? - Eamonn Coghlan (middle distance runner of the Coe-Cram era), Barry McGuigan, Steve Lomas (good West Ham captain), Eddie Irvine (proper F1 playboy), Olly Campbell, and Willie John McBride.
And I thought the Paddys loved their horse racing, so where are Tony McCoy and Mick Kinane?
No question Keano was our greatest player, but he did let us down badly imo. Don’t want to start another Irish civil war on a cycling forum though!
I look upon Joey Dunlop a bit like Kelly, two humble guys who dominated their sports for a long period of time. He was from the North but like Best, politics or religion didn’t come into in and was as respected down South as he was at home.
You mention horse racing, the trainer Vincent O Brien did get in the top 10
10. Paul Mc Grath
9. Vincent O Brien
8. Christy Ring
7. Sonia O Sullivan
I think polls like this are all a bit of fun and are probably designed to cause comment & debate and are probably as much about who is not in them. You are spot on about WJ Mc Bride & Mc Guigan
BTW, I didn’t know Steve Lomas was Irish0 -
A selection of UK sportsmen I'd like to think would get a mention (ignoring those already mentioned above), i'm taking achievments within their sport here, rather than wider acknowledgement.
Gordon Banks
Mike Brearly
Jonathan Davis
Adrian Morley
Graham Obree"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
NapoleonD wrote:Moray Gub wrote:Gazzetta67 wrote:He should be number 1 plus he`s a lot more tougher than Roy Keane ever was - would like to have seen Keane ride Liege Bastogne Liege and managed a sprint after 7 hours...
Thats the things with these awards - most people who vote were not even born when
Silly comment that one thats like saying Kelly couldnt control a midfiled and be the best box to box player in the last 20 years, two different sports two hard men within their respective sports cant compare really.
It's like people who complain Beckham is thick. No one has a go at Stephen Hawking for being crap at football do they?
Have you been watcing Steve Coogan
"A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"
PTP Runner Up 20150 -
:shock:RichN95 wrote:Why's Joey Dunlop there
Joey Dunlop MBE OBE had more people at his funeral than the rest of that list will if they were all added together (50,000). Truly a legend, and definitely not just 'cause he could rip around road racing course at a fair lick.Aspire not to have more, but to be more.0 -
RichN95 wrote:
Why's Joey Dunlop there - OK he dominated the TTs, but where are the real Motorbike Racing credentials, like Barry Sheene had, for example.
Dunlop fans will tell you that Joey was the best 'real roads' motorcycle racer - probably of all time - after all the majority of his victories were achieved on closed public roads complete with kerbs, manhole covers and dry stone walls. Sheene et all had the luxury of closed circuits that were far easier to learn.
Anyway Joey Dunlop is a legend and quite rightly in the top 10.\'You Come At the King,You Best Not Miss\'0
