National Football League 2024

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MrMaguire2002

Well-Known Member
GAAGael said:
Give me a lend of your crystal ball. Team selection and game plan was shocking, end of. Rian hasn't been at the races since Galway game 2 years ago - living on his name atm. An All Ireland is not easy won at any level.
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You at the Ulster final last year? He was far better that day than the Galway game the previous year.
 
ragingbull

ragingbull

Well-Known Member
ArmaghMartin said:
Midfield is a big concern for me personally don't think Mackin or Crealey are strong enough for us in midfield.
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Midfield didn't lose us the game it was the decision making from forwards poor kicking on goals,given the ball away at times team selection from management,plus when players aren't involved in the game enough you take them of or switch positions & Donegal got scores easter than Armagh at times cause it was easy at times for them to get into Armagh half of the pitch half backs to slack
 
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Peter grimes

Well-Known Member
Skimmed through recent pages. Grumbling about selection, tactics and closing out games. “Counterbalanced” by stuff about it not mattering or possibly even a positive in terms of keeping powder dry.

IMHO a lot of that on either side is nonsense or near nonsense.

For me selections have been and were today spot on. You could argue in retrospect that McMullen did not work but I would also note that defensive and back tracking wing forwards tend to be the players getting knocks. McMullen starting and Shields on to bench just looked the next cabs off the rank to me. Big name players haven’t exactly staked their claim with their sub appearances throughout the league. Hard to argue with selections.

The argument that today didn’t matter is near nonsense. If given the option of finishing 3rd or losing the league final you would clearly choose today’s disappointment. But playing so poorly and losing to an under strength Donegal cannot be seen as a positive.

That we have more positives than negatives to extract from today is total nonsense.

The complaints about closing out games I have some but limited sympathy with. By and large we were digging things out in the final stages but I would have to watch back what we did when we hit the front late on.

I think the bigger issue was the lacklustre performance in the first half and the sheer awfulness of the first 25 of the second half. We looked “over coached”. Afraid to make positive decisions. Afraid to trust skills and teammates. I like little tactical nuances. Pushing 3 men up on a Donegal kick out but facing out looking at the runners rather than the kicker intrigued me. But a few kickouts later we did the same and never noticed that was a Donegal player behind the 3 facing out! Following instructions but not thinking on our feet. Massive amount to be worked on.
 
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BananaMan

Active Member
JoeH said:
And if the result had been a point in our favour there wouldn't be a word.
Can't single out one player
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Not singling out the player at all. I like him. And I said it in the ground before throw in that he shouldn't have started. It's a criticism of the management not the player.
By all means build up your young players with meaningful game time but a debut today (excluding McKenna Cup)?? It was not the day for it which showed in how nervous he was in his shooting with 4 bad shots.

If it was something to do with this bug that McGeeney is talking about then fair enough.
 
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John

Member
I know this team is better and overall I believe this team is in a better position starting the championship than last year. As to our performance today I will accept we were most likely off the pace due to the bugs impact. That couldn't be controlled and hopefully the players realise how it can affect so many plans. So they shouldn't suffer from a lack of confidence going forward. Stay positive.
 
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ArmaghMartin

Active Member
ragingbull said:
Midfield didn't lose us the game it was the decision making from forwards poor kicking on goals,given the ball away at times team selection from management,plus when players aren't involved in the game enough you take them of or switch positions & Donegal got scores easter than Armagh at times cause it was easy at times for them to get into Armagh half of the pitch half backs to slack
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Donegal cleaned us out in midfield till last 10 mins. Our midfield isn't out good enough.
 
T

Throwball

Well-Known Member
Wide ball said:
I agree with this, how many teams don't play a player from dominate club chams, we have great depth but when you start Joe McElroy and of burns in half forward line that is a negative set up imo, I'd have both in half back, we have 2 players not afraid to kick the ball forker and grugan and first sub off was one of those 2, I just feel we have no confidence in our own ability until the game is near lost, but look at Derry, who we should of beat last year, they believe in themselves, we don't that's the difference and maybe management has to take responsibility
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Just because a fella is wearing number 12 doesn't mean he is playing wing forward- or wearing number 7 means he is playing wing back.
 
martin

martin

Member
BananaMan said:
Darragh McMullan should not have started today having not played a single second of league football. And I say that as someone who commented in the McKenna Cup thread on here that I think he's a good footballer but not ready. Today showed that.

It's not the end of the world but it's yet another disappointment. Success breeds success and a winning mentality. We need to get over the line somewhere but I fear now we're just gonna be walking out of Clones and Croker the same way again later this season.
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"Darragh McMullan should not have started today having not played a single second of league football."

Walter Walsh made his debut for Kilkenny hurlers in the All-Ireland Final.
 
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Wide ball

Well-Known Member
The thing Armagh do which sickins me is they push up on kick outs then start getting joy kick a few points and as soon as they go ahead they drop off let the opposition get a short one away and then concede a point, happend today but also numerous occasions over last few years
 
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Armaghball

Well-Known Member
Wide ball said:
Well for a start the 2 oneills should start then you could argue for cumskey and Hughes and there is a few others fit for the bench
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Hughes isn’t on the panel so probably hard enough to start him.

No idea what’s happened Cumiskey? He was starting most of last year. Is he injured or left the panel? 2 O’Neills are obviously in our best 15 but if you watch them they aren’t 100% fit yet and clearly their minutes are being managed. Wouldn’t worry too much there.
 
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Armaghball

Well-Known Member
BananaMan said:
Not singling out the player at all. I like him. And I said it in the ground before throw in that he shouldn't have started. It's a criticism of the management not the player.
By all means build up your young players with meaningful game time but a debut today (excluding McKenna Cup)?? It was not the day for it which showed in how nervous he was in his shooting with 4 bad shots.

If it was something to do with this bug that McGeeney is talking about then fair enough.
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If you were going to give a young lad a debut, Cork was the place to do it. Maybe McCambridge had that bug. He’s probably our best man marker and Donegal clearly have a number of excellent forwards that needed marking. That’s probably the biggest indicator that we weren’t all out yesterday tbh.

If we play like we did for that 10 minute spell near the end for a full 70 we would tank that Donegal team so while yesterday was very disappointing I wouldn’t be overly worried.
 
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