National Football League 2023

[armaghtimmy]

Not sure about wanting to be entertained, the buzz I’m talking about was the connection between the team and fans that we experienced last summer , that comes from belief , a team playing to their strengths and fulfilling their potential leaving and it all behind, I’m not getting it this year , anyone at the matches can hear the grumbling in the crowd ,maybe the team has peaked last year and that’s our lot , but I feel there’s a bit more there , fine lines are apart of elite sport , however we have fallen short on the fine lines this year which suggests the strategy is wrong , strategy comes from management and they need to adjust , currently we aren’t winning and if the results are taking precedence then that is falling well short as well .

Agreed... If we were coming out one point winners and playing rubbish, a lot of it would be washed over. But when you aren't getting over the line, everyone has a right to question decisions and performance. A win in Omagh and (you would hope) a comfortable win over Antrim, hopefully racking up a big tally could leave us in a lot better place in just a few short weeks.....

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

Two things;
1. Criticism of the management is not the same as calling for them to be removed.
2. Lose the "Sir", that shite gives me the scour.

1. If I could respectfully suggest a slight amendment to your statement - Criticism of the management is not necessarily the same as calling for them to be removed. There are many on here who quite clearly do link the two.

2. Fair enough.

 

[Armaghball]

Your posts are seldom recently and as always quite welcome @Rufus T Firefly but I find myself disagreeing with yourself on the key point about management performance this year .

Just to be clear I haven’t asked that their will be a change in management and have been around the block to know that their is no change imminent or should their be , but the performances and the style of play have been nothing like the games against Dublin , Tyrone , and Donegal 2 last year . I take your point about narrow margins but being against Kerry and Galway in the 2nd half I felt an inevitability that we would get beat and particularly against Kerry we were on damage limitation mode.

Last year we played with a swagger generally had quick transition from defence to attack and the long quick diagonal ball where’s that gone this year? have the players made that decision to act like this or is this with management.

The point about the execution and butchering of goal chances is correct , Galway , Donegal have been excellent examples , to me this shows a massive lack of confidence and the inability for players to make decisions because they aren’t giving the freedom on the pitch to do so .

I’m sure McGeeney is an inspiration and a leader but perhaps his talent is getting the best out of a mediocre group and bringing them to another level, is he able to nurture talent such as O’Neill etc and bring them on , I’m not so sure , the greatest managers know how to tailor special talents (Ferguson Cantona ) is McGeeney all about the collective and the best players suffer because of this?

We could debate all day about where Armagh are if they are top 6 or top 10 etc , it doesn’t matter , all I know is I got a real spring in my step last year watching them , they lifted us up and gave us something to look forward too for a number of weeks , that for me was success , the promise of the small chance that something could happen , I’m not getting that this year , I want that buzz back , the chance to go to Clones and Croke Park with the kids , sunny days where we are one tribe together, it only takes one spark , I haven’t given up hope yet …..

Superb post @William Of Orange

Hard to disagree with any of it.

Genuine question to yourself and to everyone, would you prefer if we went to Omagh, parked the bus and won 7-6 in a snooze fest, or went out all guns blazing and lost 3-17 to 3-18 and possibly get relegated?

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

Superb post @William Of Orange

Hard to disagree with any of it.

Genuine question to yourself and to everyone, would you prefer if we went to Omagh, parked the bus and won 7-6 in a snooze fest, or went out all guns blazing and lost 3-17 to 3-18 and possibly get relegated?

The win - every single day of the week.

 

[Armaghball]

An underrated massive moment from the game . 1-4 to 2 points last seconds of first half. Galway get 45. Zero chance of scoring the wind is that strong. Someone and I don’t know who causes the 45 to be moved up to a 90 percent chance free. 4 point lead instead of 5 at half time. An inexcusable lapse in discipline which consistently happens every match. In a 1-8 to 1-6 match every score has to be earned like blood from a stone so u can’t hand them away like this.
Armagh scored one point from a feee Saturday night when a Galway man slipped and touched it on the ground.
Zero personal fouls. Now the ref was part of That as Duffy was 100 percent fouled when he tried to fist the point but it still shows a vast difference in discipline levels between the sides

Add to that Nugent causing a free in to us to turn into a hop ball for shoving the Galway lad who had fouled I think Mackin. It’s an issue that’s been always there for us, I remember in the qualifier game against Mayo a few years ago we gave away a silly free and I think got it moved up as well to a scoreable one near the end.

So frustrating but then again it’s easier to have a calm head when you aren’t in the thick of it.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

Not sure about wanting to be entertained, the buzz I’m talking about was the connection between the team and fans that we experienced last summer , that comes from belief , a team playing to their strengths and fulfilling their potential leaving and it all behind, I’m not getting it this year , anyone at the matches can hear the grumbling in the crowd ,maybe the team has peaked last year and that’s our lot , but I feel there’s a bit more there , fine lines are apart of elite sport , however we have fallen short on the fine lines this year which suggests the strategy is wrong , strategy comes from management and they need to adjust , currently we aren’t winning and if the results are taking precedence then that is falling well short as well .

In this instance, I couldn't disagree more. The fine lines that I have referred to have been down to individual errors of judgement, wrong choices, desperately poor execution and indiscipline. I'm at a loss as to how you can blame that on the system.

 

[William Of Orange]

In this instance, I couldn't disagree more. The fine lines that I have referred to have been down to individual errors of judgement, wrong choices, desperately poor execution and indiscipline. I'm at a loss as to how you can blame that on the system.

Oh my , on that synopsis we are well over the lines and they aren't as fine as you think I would suggest . I think we know who’s job it is to remedy them.

 

[PatMustard]

The win - every single day of the week.

But are you just saying that because:

1. We’re playing themmuns?
2. We need something to be sure of staying up?

If we were safe, and playing say, Mayo, would you give the same answer?

 

[Armaghball]

In this instance, I couldn't disagree more. The fine lines that I have referred to have been down to individual errors of judgement, wrong choices, desperately poor execution and indiscipline. I'm at a loss as to how you can blame that on the system.

I don’t like the current system and bar a few short spells we have been awful to watch.

The fine lines/individual errors work both ways- McKay doesn’t drop that ball against Kerry, we don’t give away a daft free that day, Rian doesn’t make a balls of the pass to Forker from a 45, we score the goal against Galway, Rafferty doesn’t make a balls of that catch for their goal, Rian scores a handy free (and we get the point for the one that was over but given wide)
We could easily be sitting on 9 or 10 points having beat the 2 all ireland finalists last year and one of this years hot favourites,

However Beggan doesn’t make a balls of that kick out, Mayo score a goal into an empty net, they don’t blaze a couple of handy chances wide and we could be sitting far worse off and already relegated. Fine margins, rub of the green etc etc.

We are more than capable of competing at this level, don’t think we’ve been more than a couple of scores off any team in the 2 years we’ve been in division one, it’s just those small improvements needed to push on from being competitive against the best teams to actually beating them regularly.

No better time to do it that against Tyrone on Sunday, hopefully a good performance and win and then we can build on that and get a run to an Ulster final. Well capable of it.

 

[Armaghball]

But are you just saying that because:

1. We’re playing themmuns?
2. We need something to be sure of staying up?

If we were safe, and playing say, Mayo, would you give the same answer?

If we were safe i would say no brainer, go for it and give supporters something to get excited about.

To be honest I don’t think we’ll beat Tyrone at that defensive shite, we’re more than a match for them if we go man for man imo. So best of both worlds, play good football and win

 

[Naka]

any word on Oisin O Neill /james Morgan?

 

[Wide ball]

Superb post @William Of Orange

Hard to disagree with any of it.

Genuine question to yourself and to everyone, would you prefer if we went to Omagh, parked the bus and won 7-6 in a snooze fest, or went out all guns blazing and lost 3-17 to 3-18 and possibly get relegated?

Always prefer to win, but in saying that I was sitting on Saturday and we where 3 points up and I was saying it was brutal to watch and that it would put you off going again, I'd always prefer play attacking football

 

[PatMustard]

If we were safe i would say no brainer, go for it and give supporters something to get excited about.

To be honest I don’t think we’ll beat Tyrone at that defensive shite, we’re more than a match for them if we go man for man imo. So best of both worlds, play good football and win

Yes, but remember what happened in the same scenario last year, when we went to Donegal. And the management were criticised for playing key players (some who got suspensions), in an effectively meaningless game.

 

[William Of Orange]

Kicking Out: Constant tinkering making life difficult for Armagh's attack

WHEN Tyrone come out in Healy Park on Sunday, their team will look a lot like this.

www.irishnews.com

 

[Gaamaniac]

Superb post @William Of Orange

Hard to disagree with any of it.

Genuine question to yourself and to everyone, would you prefer if we went to Omagh, parked the bus and won 7-6 in a snooze fest, or went out all guns blazing and lost 3-17 to 3-18 and possibly get relegated?

Without doubt the win
But we cant ply this way and win by single points in tight games. When was the last time we won a tight game? Fair enough maybe include donegal this year but they are brutal.

We can only win if we go all out attack and hammer teams. Think about past results, we never win the 1-2 point games

 

[Armagh_paul]

Superb post @William Of Orange

Hard to disagree with any of it.

Genuine question to yourself and to everyone, would you prefer if we went to Omagh, parked the bus and won 7-6 in a snooze fest, or went out all guns blazing and lost 3-17 to 3-18 and possibly get relegated?

I would 5h1t myself in front of everyone if it guaranteed Armagh a win. Usually good teams get better, we were a good team but are getting worse.

 

[Wide ball]

If we were safe i would say no brainer, go for it and give supporters something to get excited about.

To be honest I don’t think we’ll beat Tyrone at that defensive shite, we’re more than a match for them if we go man for man imo. So best of both worlds, play good football and win

I agree when it comes to defensive shite I think Tyrone Derry and even Galway are the best

 

[Wide ball]

Kicking Out: Constant tinkering making life difficult for Armagh's attack

WHEN Tyrone come out in Healy Park on Sunday, their team will look a lot like this.

www.irishnews.com

Great read

 

[Wide ball]

Yes, but remember what happened in the same scenario last year, when we went to Donegal. And the management were criticised for playing key players (some who got suspensions), in an effectively meaningless game.

We can go for teams and rest some key players in that situation, like play kierans and mcconville rest Grugan and Rian, it's a situation we are not in now so can't even have the option

 

[niall1980]

Superb post @William Of Orange

Hard to disagree with any of it.

Genuine question to yourself and to everyone, would you prefer if we went to Omagh, parked the bus and won 7-6 in a snooze fest, or went out all guns blazing and lost 3-17 to 3-18 and possibly get relegated?

Obviously you want to win but such a defeat would be a lot easier to take than Galway/Kerry/Roscommon this year