The rain lingers but save me from Brolly

There has been a lot of comment in the wake of the ill-tempered Ulster SFC clash between Derry and Monaghan on Sunday. And rightly so. It was hard to watch.

Tony Davis, the former Cork defender and current pundit on 'The Sunday Game', remarked on Sunday night that respect of any sort was sorely missing on the Celtic Park pitch. Davis hit the nail on the head and is a pundit of some standing in my view.

Joe Brolly, the Eamonn Dunphy of 'The Sunday Game' is not. Brolly really gets my goat. On a continuous basis. He has irked many a player, county and supporter down through the years with his opinions.

But it is not Brolly's opinions that triggered my anger on Sunday, though they were outrageous and somewhat off the mark as usual. Had 'The Sunday Game' floorstaff brought in a coffee table for Messrs. Brolly, O'Rourke and Spillane on Sunday, the former All-Ireland winner with Derry would have surely put his feet up on it during transmission, such was his leisurely demeanour during Michael Lyster's questioning.

Granted. The IKEA-esque furniture on the set of the aforementioned bastion of Sunday GAA coverage looks uncomfortable at best but surely Brolly could afford the Irish GAA public the respect of straightening up to give the impression he is not at home on the couch in Dungiven watching the fare in his sweat pants and 1993 All-Ireland jersey. Socks pulled up.

Brolly's fellow countyman, Anthony Tohill, appeared later on Sunday night and had the good grace to address Des Cahill's hardly probing questions in the correct manner. Tohill was a no-nonsense player and he is a no-nonsense pundit. Brolly was a decent player but a show-off.

It is not hard to show-off in the company of Lyster and O'Rourke. Spillane represents a stumbling block for Brolly in that he is more than capable of arguing his point and more than willing to bring the successful barrister down to earth.

Spillane is not everybody's cup of tea. That goes without saying. But give me Spillane over Brolly any day. Particularly on Sunday.