The 7 Shouted Phrases That Everyone Hears At GAA Matches

Learn these seven phrases and you'll blend right in at every provincial ground in the land...

7. 'Go out to 'im'

A specific shout reserved for those occasions (increasingly rare these days) when teams are caught short in their own back line and one brave, solitary defender has to deal with an onrushing attacker bearing down on goal while the impish corner forward he has responsibility for marking peels away from him looking for the pass.

The man in the crowd believes that the immediate, fire-fighting job is the more urgent one. The defender must meet the onrushing attacker, and make him pass the ball at least. While, the man in the crowd is not strictly wrong, the sophisticated defender often attempts to hover between the attacker and the corner forward until the last moment.

6. 'One o' yis'

The obligatory exclamation whenever more players than is necessary (ie, more than one) from the same team compete for the same ball. They run the risk of breaking the ball conveniently into their opponent's waiting arms.

It is a classic man in the stand 'advice' - gruff, commonsensical and rather obvious.

5. 'Put it up'

Invariably shouted triumphantly in the direction of the umpire as the ball sails high over the bar. It is usually shouted late in the game when an insurance point is struck or after a decisive flurry of points in the second half.

Umpires, for their part, have a habit of pedantically waiting for the ball to actually pass the threshold of the crossbar before reaching down for the flag. I speak only of competent umpires here.

4. 'Take him off'

Usually exclaimed amid a hail of groans after a struggling forward, short of confidence, has sent another dismal shot wide of the post.

Shouted with a mixture of faux-pity, condescension, anger and disgust. Supporters tend to be too annoyed to worry about the player's mental state. Should he find his form later in the game, they will praise him fulsomely, utterly unembarrassed by the fact that they had called for his removal earlier.

3. 'Ah go home, to fuck'

Recommended

Supporters are very keen that referees who are having a bad game or who are giving a great number of frees against their team (essentially the same thing) return to their families and their place of residence as soon as possible, preferably before the game has ended.

Often the supporter will consult his programme, which he will have rolled up and crammed into his back pocket, so as to ascertain the county from which this demon in black or yellow comes, so he can personalise his abuse all the more.

For instance, the referee at Sunday's Westmeath-Roscommon game was told, at every available opportunity, usually by the home supporters, that he should return to Longford without delay.

2. 'Let it in'

It is quite amazing that the phrase hasn't been used as the name of a GAA based periodical or website, or a crappy sports quiz show

Who remembers 'A Game Of Two Halves' by the way? One feels some trepidation writing the name of that show. RTE have surely employed some shaded ex-secret service men to track down and detain anyone who draws attention to it's previous existence.

Whenever more than two consecutive handpasses are strung together, there will be disgruntled calls from the 'patrons' urging whoever is in possession to 'let it in' or, in more urgent circumstances to 'for jaysus sake, let it in'.

'Let it in' roughly translates as 'lamp the ball in the general direction of the full forward', a tactic that remains steadfastly beloved of the man in the Stand.

1. 'Get rid of it'

The great advantage 'get rid of it' has over 'let it in' is that it can be shouted in any area of the field.

Whereas those who shout 'let it in' are desirous that the full forward get his hands on the ball, those who shout 'get rid of it' don't care much who collects the ball after it is gotten rid of.

Ideally it will be a member of the team they support but they aren't too fussed.

A defender who collects the ball deep in his own half must treat it in the manner one treats a grenade that ends up in one's possession.

He must heave the ball in the direction of midfield, preferably closing his eyes as he hits it. Only then can any man outside the parameters of the pitch relax.