I was thinking that.. should have put another couple down just to be sure.
Oh.. and Denis.
League 2021
- Thread starter niall1980
- Start date
I was thinking that.. should have put another couple down just to be sure.
Oh.. and Denis.
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
Was i playing
2 actually
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
It's mad we're the only team that has beaten Monaghan the year so far
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
There’s 3 Ciarans and 2 Kierans???
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
There's 3 Mc
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
Shields with a leg brace on
Take the first 10 minutes out of it yesterday and it was a very good performance from Armagh
Keeper got nearly all his kick outs away
Defence was solid and rarely under pressure
And the attack was breaking and scoring
Thought we could’ve won by 14/15 pts yesterday as my only complaint was that we missed some very easy chances.
Big win in what was probably our most important match in the last 13 years
Keeper got nearly all his kick outs away
Defence was solid and rarely under pressure
And the attack was breaking and scoring
Thought we could’ve won by 14/15 pts yesterday as my only complaint was that we missed some very easy chances.
Big win in what was probably our most important match in the last 13 years
Patrick-Armagh
Well-Known Member
I don't think we can under estimate what a massive win this was for Armagh football in so many respects. We've been inching toward Division 1 football for years now and to make it there was a massive achievement. Had we come straight back down, it would have been a real hammer blow. Next year we will hopefully see a resumption of a full league format and the chance to welcome Kerry, Dublin and Mayo to the Athletic Grounds. Those are the games we want to be playing in, to test ourselves against the best, have great games under lights and get feel good factor back into Armagh football, after such a tough two years for everyone.
The win also sets us up perfectly for the Ulster Championship. We are on the 'easy' side of the draw if there is such a thing and this win should give us a massive boost going into the game against Antrim. Who knows where this season can take us. We've shown that we can compete with Tyrone and Donegal (in the league granted) and both of them have come off bad losses to Kerry and Dublin and have major worries over their two key players, Murphy and Canavan. Thankfully our injury list looks like it is starting to clear up.
As for the game yesterday, apart from the first 20 minutes, I thought we were excellent. We controlled the game, never looked like throwing it away like we have done so often, took our chances and saw the game out brilliantly. I can't think of one player who didn't perform well. Obviously the two O'Neills will get a massive amount of credit and rightly so, but I thought Grimley was excellent again and has developed into a top midfielder, very much in the mold of Brian Fenton. Jemar Hall was excellent and the amount of work he gets through is crucial to making the team tick. Defensively we looked a whole lot better as well. We all know this is a weakness in the team and the decision has clearly been made that if we don't have good enough 1-on-1 defenders, then we'll just defend en masse and then break forward. Clearly this has it's downsides, as you are just inviting teams onto you and we've seen the problems it causes against Tyrone and Donegal. I think it's the lesser than two evils, than leaving defenders 1-on-1 where we tend to foul and give away easy frees.
I'm delighted for Kieran McGeeney and the whole backroom staff. We've clearly made progress and if you can't see that at this stage, then you just don't want to. Yes we've under performed in games and made mistakes, but that is going to happen. We don't have the overall playing quality of Dublin or Kerry, who can relay on producing quality players all over the field. So we all just have to live with that and know that there will be games where we under perform or get stuffed or things go wrong. Few teams have the luxury of that not happening. Bringing in Ciaran McKeever and Kieran Donaghy seem to be very good appointments at this stage and hopefully over time their influence and insight will take the team on ever further. McGeeney has developed a very strong panel of players and is keeping it fresh with new, talented and hungry players being introduced to the panel. I didn't know much about Ross Finn or Tiernan Kelly, but they have made an impact and add more pace, mobility and doggedness to the team. Losing Jamie Clarke at the start of the season was a blow, but I honestly don't think we would have played much better with him in the team, such has been the quality of our forward play. It was great to see Murnin back out on the field and despite looking a little rusty at times, that catch for the mark at the start of the second half was spectacular. If he can stay fit (which is a big if), we have another serious weapon to add into the forward line.
Well done to the Armagh squad and staff. We've achieved one goal of staying in Division 1, so let's drive on and meet another one of getting to an Ulster Final.
The win also sets us up perfectly for the Ulster Championship. We are on the 'easy' side of the draw if there is such a thing and this win should give us a massive boost going into the game against Antrim. Who knows where this season can take us. We've shown that we can compete with Tyrone and Donegal (in the league granted) and both of them have come off bad losses to Kerry and Dublin and have major worries over their two key players, Murphy and Canavan. Thankfully our injury list looks like it is starting to clear up.
As for the game yesterday, apart from the first 20 minutes, I thought we were excellent. We controlled the game, never looked like throwing it away like we have done so often, took our chances and saw the game out brilliantly. I can't think of one player who didn't perform well. Obviously the two O'Neills will get a massive amount of credit and rightly so, but I thought Grimley was excellent again and has developed into a top midfielder, very much in the mold of Brian Fenton. Jemar Hall was excellent and the amount of work he gets through is crucial to making the team tick. Defensively we looked a whole lot better as well. We all know this is a weakness in the team and the decision has clearly been made that if we don't have good enough 1-on-1 defenders, then we'll just defend en masse and then break forward. Clearly this has it's downsides, as you are just inviting teams onto you and we've seen the problems it causes against Tyrone and Donegal. I think it's the lesser than two evils, than leaving defenders 1-on-1 where we tend to foul and give away easy frees.
I'm delighted for Kieran McGeeney and the whole backroom staff. We've clearly made progress and if you can't see that at this stage, then you just don't want to. Yes we've under performed in games and made mistakes, but that is going to happen. We don't have the overall playing quality of Dublin or Kerry, who can relay on producing quality players all over the field. So we all just have to live with that and know that there will be games where we under perform or get stuffed or things go wrong. Few teams have the luxury of that not happening. Bringing in Ciaran McKeever and Kieran Donaghy seem to be very good appointments at this stage and hopefully over time their influence and insight will take the team on ever further. McGeeney has developed a very strong panel of players and is keeping it fresh with new, talented and hungry players being introduced to the panel. I didn't know much about Ross Finn or Tiernan Kelly, but they have made an impact and add more pace, mobility and doggedness to the team. Losing Jamie Clarke at the start of the season was a blow, but I honestly don't think we would have played much better with him in the team, such has been the quality of our forward play. It was great to see Murnin back out on the field and despite looking a little rusty at times, that catch for the mark at the start of the second half was spectacular. If he can stay fit (which is a big if), we have another serious weapon to add into the forward line.
Well done to the Armagh squad and staff. We've achieved one goal of staying in Division 1, so let's drive on and meet another one of getting to an Ulster Final.
Was a strange league campaign given the condensed nature of it. I believe if it had have been over the 7 game format we would have survived comfortably ahead of Roscommon, Galway and Monaghan, on par with Tyrone and Donegal, Kerry and Dublin clear.
Yesterday was a solid performance against a team I have an irrational dislike for. Really don’t like Roscommon. They have an arrogance than is unearned. Anthony Cunningham the manager being the prime example of it so to win yesterday was a bit sweeter.
On the game itself as has been said the first 15 minutes was poor. McStay made a huge issue about the water break, and I would have to agree with him to a point. There was a significant switch of dynamic after the 1st break. The Roscommon momentum was stopped and we got on a run. Rian settled into his game after snatching at a few balls and Jemser Hall started finding space. A few of the points round the goals were well worked with good runs and fast hands. I wonder what influence Donaghy has had on that as fast hands were his trade mark and a clear cross over from basketball.
At this stage we were winning midfield and breaking their attacks down comfortably enough. Swarm defence was working well and they never looked likely to breach us. The base of this was coming though from a dominance round the middle with Grimley, the O Neill’s interchanging from FF and MF and a lot of loose ball being picked up by Hall, Forker, McCabe and McCay. Roscommon made a substitute and he brought them back into it but they never really threatened our goal.
Second half we pushed on and they never really looked up for it at all. Management used our substitutes well, Burns and Turbitt put in good second half shifts, Hall looked gassed when he came off so wasn’t a bad change. The whole team ‘managed’ the second half well and Roscommon never got into it. They needed a goal but never looked close to it. We finished it out well and we’re very comfortable and the winning margin was not undeserving.
overall the team did well, kick outs steady, defensive shape was strong, midfield dominant and forwards took some excellent scores, Rian, Oisín and Soupy had some excellent scores. On Soupy a bit of a curates egg I felt. Worked his absolute socks off, covered so much ground, but sometimes his decision making was lacking. Against the next level teams that is exposed. And that takes me on to my inevitable caveat point, the one issue I would have was that sometimes with our defensive system and breaking in transition our final pass, final decision was off. This was not exposed yesterday but will be against faster, stronger opposition, which it was against Donegal. We played well but the opposition has to be factored in and I didn’t see any of the required aggression from Roscommon that will inevitably be the case in championship.
With championship in mind we should not underestimate Antrim. They have basically a free hit against us but they are playing good football and will be hard to beat. They have a run of confidence. The confidence of promotion as against the confidence of avoiding relegation? Hard to tell which is most important. We have the quality to win but like everything it’s 1 game at a time. It is an old cliche but it is true!
Yesterday was a solid performance against a team I have an irrational dislike for. Really don’t like Roscommon. They have an arrogance than is unearned. Anthony Cunningham the manager being the prime example of it so to win yesterday was a bit sweeter.
On the game itself as has been said the first 15 minutes was poor. McStay made a huge issue about the water break, and I would have to agree with him to a point. There was a significant switch of dynamic after the 1st break. The Roscommon momentum was stopped and we got on a run. Rian settled into his game after snatching at a few balls and Jemser Hall started finding space. A few of the points round the goals were well worked with good runs and fast hands. I wonder what influence Donaghy has had on that as fast hands were his trade mark and a clear cross over from basketball.
At this stage we were winning midfield and breaking their attacks down comfortably enough. Swarm defence was working well and they never looked likely to breach us. The base of this was coming though from a dominance round the middle with Grimley, the O Neill’s interchanging from FF and MF and a lot of loose ball being picked up by Hall, Forker, McCabe and McCay. Roscommon made a substitute and he brought them back into it but they never really threatened our goal.
Second half we pushed on and they never really looked up for it at all. Management used our substitutes well, Burns and Turbitt put in good second half shifts, Hall looked gassed when he came off so wasn’t a bad change. The whole team ‘managed’ the second half well and Roscommon never got into it. They needed a goal but never looked close to it. We finished it out well and we’re very comfortable and the winning margin was not undeserving.
overall the team did well, kick outs steady, defensive shape was strong, midfield dominant and forwards took some excellent scores, Rian, Oisín and Soupy had some excellent scores. On Soupy a bit of a curates egg I felt. Worked his absolute socks off, covered so much ground, but sometimes his decision making was lacking. Against the next level teams that is exposed. And that takes me on to my inevitable caveat point, the one issue I would have was that sometimes with our defensive system and breaking in transition our final pass, final decision was off. This was not exposed yesterday but will be against faster, stronger opposition, which it was against Donegal. We played well but the opposition has to be factored in and I didn’t see any of the required aggression from Roscommon that will inevitably be the case in championship.
With championship in mind we should not underestimate Antrim. They have basically a free hit against us but they are playing good football and will be hard to beat. They have a run of confidence. The confidence of promotion as against the confidence of avoiding relegation? Hard to tell which is most important. We have the quality to win but like everything it’s 1 game at a time. It is an old cliche but it is true!
gael_force_orchard
Well-Known Member
Congratulations to management and players yesterday, a must win game and win they did. I felt we moved the ball a lot quicker than against Tyrone or Donegal and the really big thing of note was the discipline the backline and supporting players showed, so credit to everyone involved. A lot of players really put in a shift yesterday but I think a few honorable mentions have to go to Mc Cabe, Mc Kay, Hall and Hughes. Kickouts were spot on, I thought McKay was excellent and Hall delivered the end product that his effort deserved.
The discipline in defence and then the extra speed and commitment to transition to attack was evident. It was a super performance and to be honest roscommon had nothing but arrogance left about them at the end. When a team is displaying petulance and ripping the jerseys off the opposition in the dying minutes then you know they have been well beaten.
2 wins and a draw in the games we played would have had us on 5 points, likely enough to stay up in a full campaign anway. 7 games against quality opposition to come in another 7 month's. Onwards to Antrim and I think we will and should beat them by about 7 points, they wont roll over and will be dogged, but we will beat them.
Once again congratulations to all, defensively disciplined, most haste to transition to attack and a few stand out performances, the league ended well and it was great to see in game management and close out well.
The discipline in defence and then the extra speed and commitment to transition to attack was evident. It was a super performance and to be honest roscommon had nothing but arrogance left about them at the end. When a team is displaying petulance and ripping the jerseys off the opposition in the dying minutes then you know they have been well beaten.
2 wins and a draw in the games we played would have had us on 5 points, likely enough to stay up in a full campaign anway. 7 games against quality opposition to come in another 7 month's. Onwards to Antrim and I think we will and should beat them by about 7 points, they wont roll over and will be dogged, but we will beat them.
Once again congratulations to all, defensively disciplined, most haste to transition to attack and a few stand out performances, the league ended well and it was great to see in game management and close out well.
Armagh_paul
Well-Known Member
Same. I cannot stand them. I'm not sure if there were comments made by Cunningham in relation to Cross back when he was manager of St Brigid's
Good post. However I have to disagree somewhat with the water break stopping their momentum. They went 5-1 up in the 13th minute. We came into it a bit and scored the last point before the break, which was 5/6 mins after their last score
I would concede we were coming back into it and they had tailed off but definitely there was a real push from the water break on and I think a lot of that had to do with us getting to grips with the MF which may have coincided with instructions during the water break.
I think the break needs to be done away with completely. If it is to be retained then it should be just that, a water break, with water bottles handed out by Maor Uisces and 2 officials standing beside the teams. No management allowed
gael_force_orchard
Well-Known Member
I could be wrong on this as gaago picture quality wasnt amazing and I used a hmdi lead from laptop to the tv, though I felt that a point was given to roscommon that looked a bit wide, and possibly 2 given wide against armagh that looked over. Again I could be wrong.
Armagh_paul
Well-Known Member
Both water breaks were on a Roscommon kick out. McStay had a meltdown over it and listening to every second of it was enjoyable.
Fully agree that they should be done away with.
Big Jim
Well-Known Member
Really really really pleased with the result yesterday. Some great accurate responses provided already and fair in the criticism of some areas that we still need a lot of work on. That bit alone "we still need a lot of work on" shows just how impressive the win was, when it was a 9 point victory and some things were not great. Good to see @bcb1 back along with a few others. Definitely passes a bit of time reading constructive posts instead of the drivel from the likes of............. erm, me!!
Water break!!! Hate the bloody thing. Momentum break is definitely more accurate. We seemed to deal better with it yesterday than Roscommon and used it well.
On the point made about the change in our set up in terms of the defensive game and the quick hand passing, my opinion is that it's a work in progress. The team looks to have bought into the new system and each game seems to show a little progress with the understanding between the various sectors on the field and on the line.
I hope this new system is why Blaine was effective yesterday. I desperately want to see him retain a place on the squad even if only for a bit of continuity going into the championship and next year's league campaign.
Fantastic to see Brendan Donaghy back on the field again. He definitely looked like he has lost no confidence nor skillset. Same for Andrew Murnin. Jeez what a mark and if that's not inspirational to youngsters, then there's no hope. I'm thankful I've always been an advocate of Jamar Hall. The lad proves consistently he has a great tactical brain and bottle for the dirty battle.
Everyone else has been well covered too, including the new cubs. I would however also caution about taking Antrim for granted. Yes they are beatable. Yes we should have the power to overcome them and yes we have home advantage. Just remember who last year's Ulster champions were and who played them in the first round. Then think about how they should have easily been beaten by Antrim until they ran out of steam. This year they have belief and Enda McGinly. A fair combination even if you set aside our usual dislikes.
Hope the lads have a challenge game or two ahead of our independence day show. It'll give a further chance to hone this new format.
Just a "and finally" no one mentioned the ref. I think that speaks volumes and again I honestly think he gave us a fair chance overall. It's all we ever ask or should ever ask.
Water break!!! Hate the bloody thing. Momentum break is definitely more accurate. We seemed to deal better with it yesterday than Roscommon and used it well.
On the point made about the change in our set up in terms of the defensive game and the quick hand passing, my opinion is that it's a work in progress. The team looks to have bought into the new system and each game seems to show a little progress with the understanding between the various sectors on the field and on the line.
I hope this new system is why Blaine was effective yesterday. I desperately want to see him retain a place on the squad even if only for a bit of continuity going into the championship and next year's league campaign.
Fantastic to see Brendan Donaghy back on the field again. He definitely looked like he has lost no confidence nor skillset. Same for Andrew Murnin. Jeez what a mark and if that's not inspirational to youngsters, then there's no hope. I'm thankful I've always been an advocate of Jamar Hall. The lad proves consistently he has a great tactical brain and bottle for the dirty battle.
Everyone else has been well covered too, including the new cubs. I would however also caution about taking Antrim for granted. Yes they are beatable. Yes we should have the power to overcome them and yes we have home advantage. Just remember who last year's Ulster champions were and who played them in the first round. Then think about how they should have easily been beaten by Antrim until they ran out of steam. This year they have belief and Enda McGinly. A fair combination even if you set aside our usual dislikes.
Hope the lads have a challenge game or two ahead of our independence day show. It'll give a further chance to hone this new format.
Just a "and finally" no one mentioned the ref. I think that speaks volumes and again I honestly think he gave us a fair chance overall. It's all we ever ask or should ever ask.
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JoeH
Well-Known Member
The most important result of the last ten years was achieved yesterday with a certain amount of aplomb
IMHO this result is more important than any championship result as even if we won ulster or the all Ireland it can not give us division one status.
Look at Cavan and Tipperary - both recent provincial winners, both relegated yesterday
It appears we are now playing like a division one team and as I said in a previous post we are a top 5 or 6 team now. We seem to have a decent depth in our squad and only the injuries gave put a blot on that stat
Absolutely brilliant that Andrew Murnin is back playing. Alongside soupy they were arguably the best two players in last year's club championships.
And to take on turbo, Ryan Kennedy, James Morgan, brendy, Conor O'Neill and jarly og (you can make a very strong argument that most of them should/could be starting) is fantastic
Brilliant for everyone involved and hopefully next year we can all attend and hopefully build on this
It can not be over estimated the impact of teams like mayo, kerry, Dublin, monaghan coming to the AG. For sure we will be away to Donegal and Tyrone and possibly Kildare so we will have monaghan at home.
That leaves the other three - at least two of them have to come to us
Exciting times but very important that Antrim are taken very seriously
They are winning games especially in the last ten minutes or so. That's a great habit to have and they have nothing to lose
IMHO this result is more important than any championship result as even if we won ulster or the all Ireland it can not give us division one status.
Look at Cavan and Tipperary - both recent provincial winners, both relegated yesterday
It appears we are now playing like a division one team and as I said in a previous post we are a top 5 or 6 team now. We seem to have a decent depth in our squad and only the injuries gave put a blot on that stat
Absolutely brilliant that Andrew Murnin is back playing. Alongside soupy they were arguably the best two players in last year's club championships.
And to take on turbo, Ryan Kennedy, James Morgan, brendy, Conor O'Neill and jarly og (you can make a very strong argument that most of them should/could be starting) is fantastic
Brilliant for everyone involved and hopefully next year we can all attend and hopefully build on this
It can not be over estimated the impact of teams like mayo, kerry, Dublin, monaghan coming to the AG. For sure we will be away to Donegal and Tyrone and possibly Kildare so we will have monaghan at home.
That leaves the other three - at least two of them have to come to us
Exciting times but very important that Antrim are taken very seriously
They are winning games especially in the last ten minutes or so. That's a great habit to have and they have nothing to lose
Armagh_paul
Well-Known Member
For once it doesn't feel like a false dawn - we have had many of them in the past. This has been years in the making - for some (myself included) it has been a bit too long. However it does feel like there is stability, no offence to Jamie Clarke but it felt like his coming caused unintentional disruption and denied a player who does want to be there a chance to develop.
We are a few defenders away from being a team to be reckoned with!
We are a few defenders away from being a team to be reckoned with!