Kevin Cassidy is in bother with the boss.

[fearglasmor]

Its McGuinness' choice to pick who he wants the same as it his his choice to use whatever tactics he likes.

But mark my words..........it will all end in tears......in tears I say.

[J70]

All the same he hardly going to be asked to turn on the xmas tree lights in Omagh this year.

Fair enough. I'm not defending what McLoone did. It was, at best, a very reckless and dangerous attempted tackle chasing a bouncing ball. He should have got the line. But whether it was deliberate, either by McLoone or, much worse, ordered by McGuinness, is a totally different charge and not to be made lightly.

But Cassidy's "revelations" do raise a question and cast an unflattering light on Donegal's tactics, perceived or otherwise. If Cassidy wasn't acting totally of his own initiative, it's a small step from "get in Peter Harte's face - it'll put him off his game" and "Connolly is a loose canon, wind him up and get the referee to send him off" to "McMahon is only back, he will be a bit vulnerable. Hit him a good rattle the first chance you get and take a yellow if you have to".

I don't mind the give McMahon a rattle stuff if its hit him with a solid shoulder or something legal. A box in the jaw is something else completely, especially for a lad who just broke it and has a job to go to the next morning. As for the verbal stuff, I can't stand it, but every team does it, so what are you going to do? Following from that I wouldn't mind winding Connolly up as much - its the telling the ref he hit someone when you don't know that is the problem.

[yellowcard]

McGuinness and Donegal will be in the spotlight from day 1 this season and they will have to refine the tactics that proved successful last year because this year the negative cat is out of the bag. Whilst they rode the crest of a wave last season, only an AI final appearance will be deemed as progress this year, a task that I feel is beyond this side. Last season they were the most pre-programmed side in GAA history, it will be interesting to see how they evolve this year.

I hope that any fresh gameplan will include playing Murphy close to goals and not as a sixth half back. Whatever you say about Donegal they always provide plenty of column inches for the scribes!

[J70]

McGuinness and Donegal will be in the spotlight from day 1 this season and they will have to refine the tactics that proved successful last year because this year the negative cat is out of the bag. Whilst they rode the crest of a wave last season, only an AI final appearance will be deemed as progress this year, a task that I feel is beyond this side. Last season they were the most pre-programmed side in GAA history, it will be interesting to see how they evolve this year.

I hope that any fresh gameplan will include playing Murphy close to goals and not as a sixth half back. Whatever you say about Donegal they always provide plenty of column inches for the scribes!

Don't disagree with much of that, but Murphy played up front most of the season, except the Dublin game and maybe parts of the Antrim one.

[donegal_abu]

McGuinness and Donegal will be in the spotlight from day 1 this season and they will have to refine the tactics that proved successful last year because this year the negative cat is out of the bag. Whilst they rode the crest of a wave last season, only an AI final appearance will be deemed as progress this year, a task that I feel is beyond this side. Last season they were the most pre-programmed side in GAA history, it will be interesting to see how they evolve this year.

I hope that any fresh gameplan will include playing Murphy close to goals and not as a sixth half back. Whatever you say about Donegal they always provide plenty of column inches for the scribes!

Just want to say i agree about the fresh game-plan bit. Murphy was played forward abit this year but has so much more potential if left right up on the edge of the square the whole time. Its been seen in all his club games & in australia this year the damage he is capable of, so i hope Jim takes note on whats missing when Murphy isnt left up full forward for the 70 mins.

[cadence]

just read about this. sad state of affairs, but if there's a code of conduct and if cassidy is none too repentant as he's quoted as saying in an article, there's less wriggle room for mcguinness. tough call, but the right one imo. can't have players challenging the manager and team's code of conduct. he can say all he likes when he's retired, why didn't he do that?! tut, tut.

[INDIANA]

just read about this. sad state of affairs, but if there's a code of conduct and if cassidy is none too repentant as he's quoted as saying in an article, there's less wriggle room for mcguinness. tough call, but the right one imo. can't have players challenging the manager and team's code of conduct. he can say all he likes when he's retired, why didn't he do that?! tut, tut.

I think the players are entitled to challenge lunacy.

When will donegal fans realise that all mc guinness did was dumb down gaelic football rather then up-skill anything. The latter takes managerial talent the former doesn't.

Terrible to see talent being reduced to playing like apes. Its garbage in my view to suggest Donegal couldnt get to an all-ireland semi playing conventional football with the quality at their disposal.

In my view Mc Guinness's biggest issue with Cassidy is that he simply confirmed that they had been effectively brain washed into playing caveman football and he doesn't like being exposed like this.

[fitzroyalty]

Less of the sensationalist shit for once Indiana, he took a team that got clean humped the other year by Armagh, yes Armagh, to the verge of an AI, winning their first provincial title since 1992. Also the first team to break the Armagh/Tyrone strangehold held since 98.

Can't ignore the facts, he's worked wonders up there. Donegal were a pub team before he took over.

[INDIANA]

Less of the sensationalist shit for once Indiana, he took a team that got clean humped the other year by Armagh, yes Armagh, to the verge of an AI, winning their first provincial title since 1992. Also the first team to break the Armagh/Tyrone strangehold held since 98.

Can't ignore the facts, he's worked wonders up there. Donegal were a pub team before he took over.

And are already on their way back to being a pub team

[LilySavage]

Breaking News...........
Kevin Cassidy real reason for being put of the team was because he crossed the line.
The half way line


Haha brilliant! mcGuinness is a clown, had he let this go without acting on it, it would all have blown over. Now the whole country is aware of it and he will either be without one of his best players or be forced to make an embarassing climbdown when Cassidy returns.

[Blowitupref]

Dublin also had to "Dumb" down their game to win the All Ireland, yes not to the extreme Donegal did however without the defensive style Dublin could have shipped another hammering like they did in 08,09.

For year's under different management Donegal played free flowing football without success fitzroyalty is correct McGuinness worked wonders.

[Zulu]

I wouldn't accept he performed wonders or that Donegal were a 'pub team'. He certainly got them pulling in the same direction and got them to commit to a better of the field lifestyle and attitude but he did nothing imaginative or revolutionary on the pitch. I would agree with Indiana when he says Donegal could have gone as far as they did playing more conventional. Yes they broke the Tyrone/Armagh stranglehold of Ulster but these were a shadow of their former selves and they had their fair share of luck this year. In fact luck is the cornerstone of the Donegal plan in many ways, keep the game as tight as possible and the winner will probably be the team that scores a goal or gets the most scoreable frees. Dublin got a few soft ones to beat Donegal and Donegal got the penalty when Derry didn't to swing the Ulster final their way.

I'm not convinced that Jim's way will be successful and I think he is one dimensional and this 'experiment' will end in tears.

Dublin also had to "Dumb" down their game to win the All Ireland, yes not to the extreme Donegal did however without the defensive style Dublin could have shipped another hammering like they did in 08,09.

That's nonsense, Dublin got a better balance between defending and attacking. Donegal had no such balance.

[Blowitupref]

Dublin got a few soft ones to beat Donegal and Donegal got the penalty when Derry didn't to swing the Ulster final their way.

Speaking of nonsense? that penalty Donegal got (which i believe was a foul) was irrelevant as they would have won that game anyways & It wasn't Dublin's better balance that beat Donegal it was those soft frees.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Dublin got a few soft ones to beat Donegal and Donegal got the penalty when Derry didn't to swing the Ulster final their way.

Speaking of nonsense? that penalty Donegal got (which i believe was a foul) was irrelevant as they would have won that game anyways & It wasn't Dublin's better balance that beat Donegal it was those soft frees.

You could be at those sort of arguments all night.

Had Tomás O'Connor's legitimate goal stood in the quarter-final? etc.

[Zulu]

Dublin got a few soft ones to beat Donegal and Donegal got the penalty when Derry didn't to swing the Ulster final their way.

Speaking of nonsense? that penalty Donegal got (which i believe was a foul) was irrelevant as they would have won that game anyways & It wasn't Dublin's better balance that beat Donegal it was those soft frees.

Eh? What are talking about? You don't know who would have won that game if Donegal didn't get their penalty or if Derry had got theirs, to suggest you do is plain rubbish.

While the soft frees certainly helped Dublin, the fact they were trying to score led to those frees whereas Donegal pretty much gave up on the concept of scoring, so yes Dublin's better balance of attacking and defending was the core reason they won.