portadownarmaghfan
Well-Known Member
The most thoughtful post of the last week in my opinion, amidst all the hysteria and Mc Geeney bashing .
Armagh v Fermanagh (A) USFC 2018
- Thread starter Admin1
- Start date
Ard Mhacha 13
Well-Known Member
I have purposely avoided this site over the past week, @PatMustard is 100% correct in his/her assumption, this defeat really hurt & I knew being on here wouldn't help. I have not read many of the post match posts but would surmise they went something along the following lines:
1. Geezer out
2. Worst Armagh performance EVER
3. It's the County Boards fault, they are all yes men.
4. Time to get Oisin or 1 of the McEntees on the line.
5. Discussion of the players who are not currently playing for the county, it's all Geezer's fault.
6. We still have yet to win an Ulster Championship match under Geezer.
6. We still can't play against a blanket defence.
7. Does Geezer have a gameplan?
8. Geezer great Armagh player but that doesn't make him a great manager.
& not forgetting
9. GEEZER OUT!!!
So basically the same stuff I read every single time Armagh have a below par performance under whichever Armagh manager is in charge, because let's be honest there have been similarly bad performances under managers since Big Joe stepped down. I would also be fairly certain there are members of the forum who have posted on this thread who never posted at all during the League when things were going reasonsbly well & we were winning matches. I can't decide whether that is because these supporters don't attend the League matches or is it because they only feel it necessary to post when we lose?!?!!
Yes this performance & result was totally & utterly depressing but I unlike many others do not hold Geezer entirely responsible. He did not kick wide after wide, he did not make basic errors in passing the ball, he did not send the players out to get sent off & he most definitely didn't send them out to lose!!! For me the players have to shoulder at least some of the responsibility, I am reluctant to use the word blame. I do not subscribe to the notion that having Oisin or 1 of the McEntees on the line will miraculously solve the problems we have & will be very interested to see who supporters criticise if things go wrong when someone new is in charge, possibly still Geezer!!!
I am also fed up reading about the players who could or should be playing for the county, many of these have given legitimate excuses (nothing to do with Geezer) as to why they didn't commit this year, are we to believe they are all lying?!? It is a shame that we are missing these players but Geezer can only manage the players he has at his disposal. Maybe I am completely wrong & when Geezer calls it a day there will be an influx of new players eager to wear the Armagh jersey but I will have to wait & see.On the match itself, we still haven't managed to perfect the balance between defence & attack, we are too slow in our counter attack & early long ball played into Andrew does not work when he has 2 men marking him & no-one to lay the ball off to when he does win it. Too often we run the ball into trouble & are either dispossessed or blown for over carrying. We seemed to have a few players having off days, nerves possibly & this appeared to have a negative effect throughout the team. I had worried about our discipline & had felt the referee would play a big part, truthfully I don't think our tackling is as bad as the number of frees given against us would allude to & while the red card for Niall was probably the right call I am bemused as to how Quigley, who punched Brendan in the face only got a yellow, refereeing remains as inconsistent as ever. Also we had 2 points disallowed which were definitely scores & I have had this confirmed from a very reliable source, this should not happen in matches of this magnitude, if it had been closer at the end those scores could have been crucial.
Unlike some others I am hoping we get a good draw in the morning, one which will provide a win & rebuild confidence to get us back on track. We were beaten in the 1/4 final of Ulster last year & had a pretty good run after that & some great days out in the sun. At this point I couldn't care less that it was Fermanagh who beat us, for those with short memories they also beat us in 2004 when we had a team which were challenging for All Irelands! When the Championship comes to a close they will still have no silverware to show for this Season's campaign so how much will a win over Armagh really mean by then.
Everyone on here who has read my posts knows I will always back the manager & squad & I will continue to do so until this Season is over. If Geezer goes at the end of this campaign (which is highly likely) I will support whomever is newly appointed but that is something for another day........
C'MON ARMAGH
Agree 100%. Many are forgetting that this is a very young team (average age roughly around 24/25?) and many are only new to the (starting) team in the last 18 months. I’d say a fire will have been lit under them and they back geezer 100%. Still worrying though that in last year they’ve “froze in the headlights” 3 times (down, Tyrone, Fermanagh), but again a young team still developing.
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
10,raging bull still doesn’t go to any gamesI have purposely avoided this site over the past week, @PatMustard is 100% correct in his/her assumption, this defeat really hurt & I knew being on here wouldn't help. I have not read many of the post match posts but would surmise they went something along the following lines:
1. Geezer out
2. Worst Armagh performance EVER
3. It's the County Boards fault, they are all yes men.
4. Time to get Oisin or 1 of the McEntees on the line.
5. Discussion of the players who are not currently playing for the county, it's all Geezer's fault.
6. We still have yet to win an Ulster Championship match under Geezer.
6. We still can't play against a blanket defence.
7. Does Geezer have a gameplan?
8. Geezer great Armagh player but that doesn't make him a great manager.
& not forgetting
9. GEEZER OUT!!!
So basically the same stuff I read every single time Armagh have a below par performance under whichever Armagh manager is in charge, because let's be honest there have been similarly bad performances under managers since Big Joe stepped down. I would also be fairly certain there are members of the forum who have posted on this thread who never posted at all during the League when things were going reasonsbly well & we were winning matches. I can't decide whether that is because these supporters don't attend the League matches or is it because they only feel it necessary to post when we lose?!?!!
Yes this performance & result was totally & utterly depressing but I unlike many others do not hold Geezer entirely responsible. He did not kick wide after wide, he did not make basic errors in passing the ball, he did not send the players out to get sent off & he most definitely didn't send them out to lose!!! For me the players have to shoulder at least some of the responsibility, I am reluctant to use the word blame. I do not subscribe to the notion that having Oisin or 1 of the McEntees on the line will miraculously solve the problems we have & will be very interested to see who supporters criticise if things go wrong when someone new is in charge, possibly still Geezer!!!
On the match itself, we still haven't managed to perfect the balance between defence & attack, we are too slow in our counter attack & early long ball played into Andrew does not work when he has 2 men marking him & no-one to lay the ball off to when he does win it. Too often we run the ball into trouble & are either dispossessed or blown for over carrying. We seemed to have a few players having off days, nerves possibly & this appeared to have a negative effect throughout the team. I had worried about our discipline & had felt the referee would play a big part, truthfully I don't think our tackling is as bad as the number of frees given against us would allude to & while the red card for Niall was probably the right call I am bemused as to how Quigley, who punched Brendan in the face only got a yellow, refereeing remains as inconsistent as ever. Also we had 2 points disallowed which were definitely scores & I have had this confirmed from a very reliable source, this should not happen in matches of this magnitude, if it had been closer at the end those scores could have been crucial.
Unlike some others I am hoping we get a good draw in the morning, one which will provide a win & rebuild confidence to get us back on track. We were beaten in the 1/4 final of Ulster last year & had a pretty good run after that & some great days out in the sun. At this point I couldn't care less that it was Fermanagh who beat us, for those with short memories they also beat us in 2004 when we had a team which were challenging for All Irelands! When the Championship comes to a close they will still have no silverware to show for this Season's campaign so how much will a win over Armagh really mean by then.
Everyone on here who has read my posts knows I will always back the manager & squad & I will continue to do so until this Season is over. If Geezer goes at the end of this campaign (which is highly likely) I will support whomever is newly appointed but that is something for another day........
C'MON ARMAGH
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
If you haven't improved in 18 months shouldn't be in the team
Do people ever get tired of making the same excuses for poor performances and results... young team... 2 years away... is this another name for the so called 5 year plan.
As already said before, these performances are not just a one off, players letting management down. The last 4 years we have been on the wrong end of harrowing and embarassing defeats... only team in Ireland to have 3 championship defeats in one year... 2 of them to a dreadful Laois team... hammered by Cavan in the league by 17 points which relegated us... beaten easily by Cavan in cship - laughing stock having played a fly keeper who wasn’t even a keeper or on the squad causing several keepers in the squad to quit... failed to get promotion last year... beaten by down... should have been beaten by Westmeath except they kicked wide for about 10 minutes at the end of the game and we nabbed it at the end... beat a Tipperary team and a Kildare team which were 2 good wins before we were embarrassed by Tyrone in croke park. Didn’t score in a whole half against Wexford who were relegated, dead rubber game some might say but the players stayed down the night before...
If it was a one off I’d look past it- but it’s far too often we don’t even turn up.
No doubt the players have a lot to answer for in terms of individual errors... but every year the players go out and play with zero confidence. Every year when things are going wrong on the field- there is no change, management standing with the arms folded as if gobsmacked.
Little respect shown to the clubs in terms of a fixture structure for county players. Even today- some clubs players playing, others not. Clubs expected to hear from players if they are playing. There’s no reason the players should not have been playing this weekend for their club.
There is significant investment going into this squad... manager, strength and conditioning coach, medical team, back room team, holidays etc... we are not like a smaller county who dont plough resources into their county teams and therefore get poor results... we don’t have the resources of other counties but the spend is significant none the less... I’m sick of hearing the same excuses again and again... in transition... young team... 5 year plan... you’re a mcgeeney basher etc... you can’t defend the performances... the sheer lack of vision, tactics... style of play... the fact you could probably pick a team from armagh clubs of boys playing that would beat the current team... there’s so many issues in Armagh football at present that I don’t see improving anytime soon without a change at the helm... and if it doesn’t work... so what... we would struggle to get any worse...
As already said before, these performances are not just a one off, players letting management down. The last 4 years we have been on the wrong end of harrowing and embarassing defeats... only team in Ireland to have 3 championship defeats in one year... 2 of them to a dreadful Laois team... hammered by Cavan in the league by 17 points which relegated us... beaten easily by Cavan in cship - laughing stock having played a fly keeper who wasn’t even a keeper or on the squad causing several keepers in the squad to quit... failed to get promotion last year... beaten by down... should have been beaten by Westmeath except they kicked wide for about 10 minutes at the end of the game and we nabbed it at the end... beat a Tipperary team and a Kildare team which were 2 good wins before we were embarrassed by Tyrone in croke park. Didn’t score in a whole half against Wexford who were relegated, dead rubber game some might say but the players stayed down the night before...
If it was a one off I’d look past it- but it’s far too often we don’t even turn up.
No doubt the players have a lot to answer for in terms of individual errors... but every year the players go out and play with zero confidence. Every year when things are going wrong on the field- there is no change, management standing with the arms folded as if gobsmacked.
Little respect shown to the clubs in terms of a fixture structure for county players. Even today- some clubs players playing, others not. Clubs expected to hear from players if they are playing. There’s no reason the players should not have been playing this weekend for their club.
There is significant investment going into this squad... manager, strength and conditioning coach, medical team, back room team, holidays etc... we are not like a smaller county who dont plough resources into their county teams and therefore get poor results... we don’t have the resources of other counties but the spend is significant none the less... I’m sick of hearing the same excuses again and again... in transition... young team... 5 year plan... you’re a mcgeeney basher etc... you can’t defend the performances... the sheer lack of vision, tactics... style of play... the fact you could probably pick a team from armagh clubs of boys playing that would beat the current team... there’s so many issues in Armagh football at present that I don’t see improving anytime soon without a change at the helm... and if it doesn’t work... so what... we would struggle to get any worse...
armaghforsam
Member
Matt mcneice annaghmore I think he is talking about niall
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
I think Tyrone stuffing us took the shine off our run.
Ard Mhacha 13
Well-Known Member
I thought Ricey was modelling himself on Jesus, rather than George.
Welcome back, by the way
Thanks @PatMustard have i missed anything?
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
Ricey modelling himself on my left foot!
Looked more like Charles Manson to meRicey modelling himself on my left foot!
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
Not a thing. Just @ragingbull going on about some wedding he went to in London. My God, he never shut up about it. You're lucky you missed it
pablo
Well-Known Member
The team had a look of uncertainty about them that suggests they were uncomfortable/unfamiliar with the roles they were asked to play. Possible that there may have been a collective 'freeze' among the players once they lined out, but given what happened over the previous few years opening championship games for Armagh, you would have thought they would have gone out chomping at the bit to prove a point. They looked confused and lacking in confidence
Interesting that in all the discussions about missing players who might have made a difference last Saturday, there has not been much mention of the impact that Sheridan's absence may have had. He is one of the few success stories from the past few seasons and has emerged as a real leader in this team. Does a lot of work between the 45s and I suspect Fermanagh would not have had it so easy breaking through from midfield if he had been available. Need him back badly.
Big Jim
Well-Known Member
Me too! Who's Charles Manson??
Folks we've a poll running on accessibility to the forum. Could we ask that as members, you all take a few seconds to check it out and cast a vote please? Closes next weekend. http://orchardfans.com/index.php?threads/members-poll.208/
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
Yer man who owns Virgin.