ragingbull
Well-Known Member
Hughes was off the line for every single Donegal spot kick
Ulster Championship 2024
- Thread starter ragingbull
- Start date
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
The 2 Brian's won Ulster Finals
jpowell100
Well-Known Member
I think it’s unfair that the same 5 players had to start taking penalties again, should go though the full 15 at that stage.
We had more than enough chances to win the game in normal time especially. It gets to the stage where it can’t be blamed on bad luck anymore unfortunately. Shame as we played some lovely football in the first 50 minutes or so
We had more than enough chances to win the game in normal time especially. It gets to the stage where it can’t be blamed on bad luck anymore unfortunately. Shame as we played some lovely football in the first 50 minutes or so
Armaghball
Well-Known Member
Did they? I’d have the blame on the players tbh. Few boys just didnt show up.
Jeez your hard to please
That was some mess with the 3 mins additional time and then the ref blew it up very soon after that announcement. Bad communication there by the technical department, us in possession too could’ve went on and potentially have got the winning score. Not that it matters now, ah it’s not easy being an Armagh fan
Armaghball
Well-Known Member
Was it a bad decision or just poorly executed?
JoeH
Well-Known Member
That’s a real sickening loss. Our forwards made a bit of a hash of it again. Donegal were so much better at taking their opportunities and working positions for shots. It’s baffling how people think we have a top level set of forwards. We must have had twice as many turnovers but made their job easy by giving the ball back too easily with poor shooting. Conaty had two or three poor misses, soupy as well and rian had a few poor ones too. Those lads played well otherwise, but those misses are criminal in a game like that.
In saying that the not shooting marks is a red herring. Jarly og isn’t a free taker and his was far enough out, he’d have been 50/50 at best and soupy had a poor effort drop short from the same spot earlier in the second half. If anything tk shouldn’t have shot his either and we should have held on as we had roughly another minute still to find a score when he caught the ball.
Genuinely don’t think there can be too much criticism of our plan or how we were set up by management. Surely it’s up to the players to not miss easy scores and go and win the thing. The only real criticism I’d have for management is that we didn’t make subs early enough. Duffy looked excellent in extra time he could’ve been on earlier or instead of jarly og. It felt that we didn’t make those changes because we were ahead most of the second half, if we were a point behind the cavalry would’ve been brought on and they probably would have carried us over the line.
We often wasted plays after long periods of possession because they were pushing up man to man and we struggled to find space to progress forward. The last one in extra time is an example, they were man to man all over the pitch and we were forced into the corner and coughed the ball up easily after holding possession for a couple of minutes, all because we struggled to create that overlap which eases the pressure on the ball carrier. I’m sure people will love me saying it, but Rafferty would have completely changed that dynamic for us especially in those long phases of knocking the ball around late in the second half, but it would have been a huge call for management to make that change. Blaine was clearly uncomfortable on the ball when he wasn’t able to quickly shift it laterally, that side of his game was exposed today, and Donegal took advantage of it.
In saying that the not shooting marks is a red herring. Jarly og isn’t a free taker and his was far enough out, he’d have been 50/50 at best and soupy had a poor effort drop short from the same spot earlier in the second half. If anything tk shouldn’t have shot his either and we should have held on as we had roughly another minute still to find a score when he caught the ball.
Genuinely don’t think there can be too much criticism of our plan or how we were set up by management. Surely it’s up to the players to not miss easy scores and go and win the thing. The only real criticism I’d have for management is that we didn’t make subs early enough. Duffy looked excellent in extra time he could’ve been on earlier or instead of jarly og. It felt that we didn’t make those changes because we were ahead most of the second half, if we were a point behind the cavalry would’ve been brought on and they probably would have carried us over the line.
We often wasted plays after long periods of possession because they were pushing up man to man and we struggled to find space to progress forward. The last one in extra time is an example, they were man to man all over the pitch and we were forced into the corner and coughed the ball up easily after holding possession for a couple of minutes, all because we struggled to create that overlap which eases the pressure on the ball carrier. I’m sure people will love me saying it, but Rafferty would have completely changed that dynamic for us especially in those long phases of knocking the ball around late in the second half, but it would have been a huge call for management to make that change. Blaine was clearly uncomfortable on the ball when he wasn’t able to quickly shift it laterally, that side of his game was exposed today, and Donegal took advantage of it.
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northarmaghgael
Active Member
I have been a massive geezer supporter throughout the last 10 years, maybe because I always had a soft spot for him as he was someone I looked up to when he was playing or because he was genuinely a good manager, I don’t know. But after that today I can’t see (unless he goes and wins the all Ireland) how he can stay on. Correct me if I am wrong but this is now the 5th peno shootout we have lost from Monaghan in 21’ now I think it’s gone beyond supporters and people saying its bad luck. I had said last year after the QF that the whole set up is very much like the 2 Brian’s tenure in that McGeeney has brought this team as far as he can, it’s now time to pass the baton on. The sad reality however is that when he does go, a group of core players (AF, Grugan, Soupy, Murnin) could all potentially leave with him.
Not too serious
Active Member
Anyone else find it odd that an interview with Paddy Burns about winning Ulster was played over the ground and on a big screen right in front of the Donegal warm up.
Mark my words, he will not go of his own accord. He will have to be dragged out kicking and screaming and Armagh county board don’t have the b*lls to do that. It’s always been the Geezer show.
And I don’t buy the argument that a core group will leave. They will want to give it a try with a fresh management.
Patrick-Armagh
Well-Known Member
Sickening. Absolutely sickening. Honestly, I don't know how the squad recovers from this one. We did so many things right. But yet again, crucial parts of the game let us down. Teams in and around our level now know, that coming down the home straight, if they hang in there, they will get chances and if they take them, then we will break. It's not a pleasant thing to say, but by now it's the reality. People will say that it's down to the management. Others will say that it's the players. Some will say that it's both. And they are all right. At this stage, there's no clear defining mark that you can point to and say "that right there is the problem." It's a multitude of things. The longer you go without winning and the more games you lose in the same fashion, the bigger the challenge is to overcome it and year on year, the cruel loses and physiological impact has a snowballing effect.
We've had our chances to win a couple of Ulster titles at this stage and we haven't got it done. That's the reality. It's so incredibly devastating for the fans, management and most importantly the players, who put their lives on hold and commit their entire selves to this, night after night, match after match, season after season. As someone else mentioned, it could be a situation for Armagh to win an Ulster title, some of the players and management who've gotten us to the brink, don't get to taste the success themselves. It's a heartbreaking thought, but that's life and sport for you.
We've had our chances to win a couple of Ulster titles at this stage and we haven't got it done. That's the reality. It's so incredibly devastating for the fans, management and most importantly the players, who put their lives on hold and commit their entire selves to this, night after night, match after match, season after season. As someone else mentioned, it could be a situation for Armagh to win an Ulster title, some of the players and management who've gotten us to the brink, don't get to taste the success themselves. It's a heartbreaking thought, but that's life and sport for you.
Armagh_paul
Well-Known Member
A risk we didn't need to take. At 4 points up Donegal could no longer flood the defence, they had to come out and that would have opened up space. The more points we added the easier it would have been to score against them.
I really do find it hard to legitimise penalty shootouts in my head. Maybe if we got a win in one of them I'd feel different but 4 penalty shootouts have cost us 2 Ulster titles and 2 All Ireland semi finals. I mean come on!!
McGeeney this and McGeeney that, wasn't him who kicked TKs mark or Conaty's 14 yard attempt in extra time.
Has some boll!x put a Mayo style curse on us in recent years that we haven't heard about?
I go to every damn match up and down the country and these players and managers don't owe me a thing. Because for all the Armagh related things I do, they do ten fold, sacrificing far more for the cause than me or anybody else.
I'm gutted, totally and truly gutted and yet what else can be done other than brushing ourselves off and turning our attention to Westmeath.
McGeeney this and McGeeney that, wasn't him who kicked TKs mark or Conaty's 14 yard attempt in extra time.
Has some boll!x put a Mayo style curse on us in recent years that we haven't heard about?
I go to every damn match up and down the country and these players and managers don't owe me a thing. Because for all the Armagh related things I do, they do ten fold, sacrificing far more for the cause than me or anybody else.
I'm gutted, totally and truly gutted and yet what else can be done other than brushing ourselves off and turning our attention to Westmeath.
The Dark Knight
Active Member
Spot on . Literally could not agree more or word it better.
Small margins and Lady Luck not on our side for even 1 of the shoot outs. Fact is we are punching , our success at club (bar cullyhana) and county underage isn’t good, McGeeney is getting the best of out of the players I feel
Ná habair é
Active Member
I think finals should always go to a replay - think the players deserve it. Hate penalties (that's soccer not Gaelic)
GUTTED.
GUTTED.
Armaghabroad22
Active Member
Also fully agree. I'll add that we were unlucky not to have been awarded frees in the run up to both TKs mark (off the ball foul on the 45m line) and Conaty's 14yard attempt (push in the back).
Would need to rewatch the game, but it was a game of small margins and unfortunately those wee decisions and breaking balls didn't go our way. Throughly gutted for the team, management and players.