Ulster Championship 2024

[BananaMan]

I know we are all gutted and this one feels like it will sting for a while but is there absolutely no credit being handed out to Donegal at all here?

Reverse the roles, imagine Donegal were 4 up going into the last quarter ....we would totally have been expecting a big push from Armagh to drag ourselves back into it.
I know we see things through our orange lenses, but we really do seem to forget sometimes there is another team on the field trying every bit as hard to win as we are.

 

[Armaghball]

I know we are all gutted and this one feels like it will sting for a while but is there absolutely no credit being handed out to Donegal at all here?

Reverse the roles, imagine Donegal were 4 up going into the last quarter ....we would totally have been expecting a big push from Armagh to drag ourselves back into it.
I know we see things through our orange lenses, but we really do seem to forget sometimes there is another team on the field trying every bit as hard to win as we are.

Ah all credit to them. But we should have never let them back

 

[Armaghball]

For me there is one real leader on the team - Oisin O Neill, but no good throwing him on with 10 mins left when the lead had already been blown

Thought he was brilliant when he came on, Nugent as well

 

[Armagh_paul]

I know we are all gutted and this one feels like it will sting for a while but is there absolutely no credit being handed out to Donegal at all here?

Reverse the roles, imagine Donegal were 4 up going into the last quarter ....we would totally have been expecting a big push from Armagh to drag ourselves back into it.
I know we see things through our orange lenses, but we really do seem to forget sometimes there is another team on the field trying every bit as hard to win as we are.

Donegal took their chances - exceptionally clinical in front of the posts - difficult to beat teams when they are in that sort of form. As much as I do not like Donegal, they were worth their win even though we didn't help ourselves - that was an Armagh problem, not a Donegal one.

 

[Wide ball]

I do think soupy, turbitt and Conaty both more in the first half grugan, all played well then oisin, Nugent and jarly og all played well when they came on

 

[ArmaghMartin]

If Jimmy or Harte was in charge off us. We would have won the game yesterday. Time and time again this management has let us down when the big games come around. Our best midfielder sits on the bench every single game. Only gets a few mins towards the end off the game. How Nugent doesn't start for this side is beyond me. Until we get rid off the management failure is going to continue

 

[Peter grimes]

If Jimmy or Harte was in charge off us. We would have won the game yesterday. Time and time again this management has let us down when the big games come around. Our best midfielder sits on the bench every single game. Only gets a few mins towards the end off the game. How Nugent doesn't start for this side is beyond me. Until we get rid off the management failure is going to continue

I think Nugent and the subs more generally, should have come on earlier but I think the decision not to start Nugent was correct. He looked far from sharp against Fermanagh but is definitely moving in the right direction.

Oisin is a harder one to call. He has played well, not least on Sunday but I suspect he couldn’t last a full game. I don’t know that for certain but management certainly will, either way.

But now that Nugent has regained his sharpness, these are strong subs and we should be making more use of them. Thought we dithered yesterday, but the initial selections were correct.

Something there for the Geezer In and the Geezer Out camps.

 

[Wee man]

Thought he was brilliant when he came on, Nugent as well

He was - and one of the few who can kick scores over the blanket from the 40m range as he proved yesterday with a super point.
The only reason I can fathom as to why he isn’t starting is that management are trying to ease him back after injury
But surely that phase is now over

 

[JoeH]

He was - and one of the few who can kick scores over the blanket from the 40m range as he proved yesterday with a super point.
The only reason I can fathom as to why he isn’t starting is that management are trying to ease him back after injury
But surely that phase is now over

Who does he start in front of ?

 

[Wee man]

Who does he start in front of ?

Given that positions mean little in todays game ( he was playing at 6 when he came on but started injury time at FF) I would have him in front of Jarly Og / McElroy

 

[JoeH]

Given that positions mean little in todays game ( he was playing at 6 when he came on but started injury time at FF) I would have him in front of Jarly Og / McElroy

Jarly Og wasn't a starter and the energy and running power of McElroy is unmatched.
Aidan most certainly knows where the posts are for sure
But to get the ball back when defending and then move forward requires pace.

 

[Big Jim]

I've sat quiet to reflect before commenting and have little to add. Well maybe to agree it's daft to call for the manager to be run out of town right now and some even saying "X" would have done a much better job!! Easy to say but prove that!!

Watched it back there now before coming on here. Biggest thing I picked up on was Oisin defending Kieran McGeeny when challenged about him "instructing that the ball was played backwards because he didn't want to score!" Just listen to Oisin's reply and watch his body language. Many have accused him of "not liking" or "not getting on with " Geezer. That one snippet answers more than any conspiracy theorists!

On the actual game itself, 17 minutes in the wife turned to me and asked "why are you staying so calm on this one?" "Easy. We aren't going to win it!" "Why?" "We are too controlled out there and both teams are playing some lovely stuff. We're going to extra time and we'll lose it either after ET or penalties!!"

I truly wish I could prove that is what I said, because it genuinely is. I just got "that" feeling!

 

[Orangeade]

Fixtures

 

[Wee man]

Jarly Og wasn't a starter and the energy and running power of McElroy is unmatched.
Aidan most certainly knows where the posts are for sure
But to get the ball back when defending and then move forward requires pace.

Not to take away from McElroy - he is a serious athlete and agree he does a lot of running and hard work but O Neill is on a different level.
Joe isn’t gonna kick a score from the 45 or play that killer ball.
O Neill has all the attributes to be the leader that the team badly needs and for me he has to be starting games.

 

[Revenge]

Can we not talk about new management. I'm not a huge fan of McGeeney but 90% of the time I feel I am fair when criticising him. I don't think yesterday was his fault, the team collectively fell apart which is hallmark Armagh.

I don't think we have any real leaders on that team or anyone who wants to make that claim, it's really odd to see. I do wonder how the team would perform with Rafferty, he seems to pick himself up and go time and time again.

I think this is the real problem we have good players but no leaders, no one to step up looking for the ball to go and win the game like a Connor Glass. I got the impression when the game was there to be won nobody wanted the ball.

 

[Throwball]

So the solution to all our problems is to start Oisin O'Neill and Aidan Nugent? If only things were that simple. Who do you drop as well as Joe McElroy? Which of Oisin O'Neill or Aidan Nugent has the pace of Joe McElroy and the defensive discipline to cover the spaces and all the other selfless work? If they start we are also losing 2 impact players, with experience, to take of the bench. That is all before you consider their injury records and the likelihood playing a full game at inter county pace might have on their longer term playing capacity. The best players don't always include the 15 best players.

As for yesterday. Armagh played extremely well...but so did Donegal. To say Armagh threw away leads is , to dome degree , disrespectful to Donegal. Armagh didn't let them in for easy scores. They took all their half chances. They played football of the highest order. Much has also been said of Jarly Og and Soupy not trying to score their marks. IMO Jarly's was , for him, about a 1 in 10 chance of scoring. Soupy, maybe 50:50. To miss would have given Donegal another platform to attack.

The Westmeath game will be a real test. Not only because of their ability but also for Armagh's ability to recover after yesterday. Hopefully everyone can get to Athletic Grounds and give them 100% support on the day.

 

[Pat Cully]

I think this is the real problem we have good players but no leaders, no one to step up looking for the ball to go and win the game like a Connor Glass. I got the impression when the game was there to be won nobody wanted the ball.

We have 4/5 lads on the line that are looking for the ball every time they get on the pitch
Oisín and Aiden Nugent are big big leaders but just aren’t getting the minutes.


Yesterday the biggest problem was our attitude after going 4 pts up and the lack of early substitutions

We should have been kicking on instead of protecting a lead with 15/20 minutes left

 

[Armaghball]

I would definitely like to see Duffy, Nugent and O’Neill get more minutes either from the start or being brought on earlier. As @Throwball says you though cant just drop McElroy for a Nugent or Oisin as we need boys like him doing the hard unglamorous work up and down the field, obviously different players have different strengths, you won’t see Joe doing the attacking damage the others might but then you wont see the others do the defensive stuff. (Not to call those boys lazy or anything but you don’t want them stuck in our defence)

 

[Wide ball]

For me anyways Nugent, Rian, oisin, turbitt, grugan and Campbell are our best forwards and should all be starting if that means one goes to midfield to get a worker on so be it, but my problem with the Armagh set up is it's the same as most teams and I would just prefer play more attacking players because we had 15 in our own 45 alot and I just think surely you can defend with 10 players in the same area? It's all just zonal defending now anyway, if you can't zonal defend without taking every player back I just don't see the point in it, that is not saying Armagh haven't done that well I just think you don't need 15 to do it, w players that have played well all season where poor imo which is burns and McGrane, I know positions don't matter anymore but I'd loved to have seen our best 15 player,

Hughes or Rafferty is a coin toss
Mccambridge
McKay
Forker
Conor O'Neill
Ciaran mackin
McElroy or McCabe
Crealy
Mcpartlan or jarly og
Campbell
Rian O'Neill
Grugan
Tubitt
Oisin O'Neill
Nugent

That game is harder to take just because it's the same old failing again, and tbh if we see more of the same in the next few games it will frustrate the life out of the fans, Armagh always seem to lose those tight defensive games against similar level opposition, I'd rather go down down swinging than out with a whimper

 

[Armaghball]

For me anyways Nugent, Rian, oisin, turbitt, grugan and Campbell are our best forwards and should all be starting if that means one goes to midfield to get a worker on so be it, but my problem with the Armagh set up is it's the same as most teams and I would just prefer play more attacking players because we had 15 in our own 45 alot and I just think surely you can defend with 10 players in the same area? It's all just zonal defending now anyway, if you can't zonal defend without taking every player back I just don't see the point in it, that is not saying Armagh haven't done that well I just think you don't need 15 to do it, w players that have played well all season where poor imo which is burns and McGrane, I know positions don't matter anymore but I'd loved to have seen our best 15 player,

Hughes or Rafferty is a coin toss
Mccambridge
McKay
Forker
Conor O'Neill
Ciaran mackin
McElroy or McCabe
Crealy
Mcpartlan or jarly og
Campbell
Rian O'Neill
Grugan
Tubitt
Oisin O'Neill
Nugent

That game is harder to take just because it's the same old failing again, and tbh if we see more of the same in the next few games it will frustrate the life out of the fans, Armagh always seem to lose those tight defensive games against similar level opposition, I'd rather go down down swinging than out with a whimper

Obviously everyones opinions are different but no Murnin is a strange one for me. Conaty has been brilliant but I wonder would he be better as an impact sub against tired legs?