AIQF 2017 Tír Eoghain vs Ard Macha, Sat. August 5th @4pm

[Zulu]

McGeeney's post match comments.

He sounds more like an Armagh pundit than the Armagh manager here - you'd swear he has zero influence in terms of how the team went out and played the way he is going on.

Tyrone went out and played the way they were always going to play and Armagh tried to play the way they played against Tipp and Kildare and weren't able to deal with Tyrone's Plan A.

Utterly clueless stuff.

Kieran McGeeney: 'We showed a fair few chinks this year'
Saturday, August 5, 2017

By Paul Keane

Kieran McGeeney believes an 18-point All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tyrone failed to reflect the true quality of his Armagh players.

The Armagh manager described the season as 'a mixed bag', noting that they reached the last eight of the Championship though acknowledging their failure to gain promotion from Division 3 and a disappointing Ulster loss to Down.

"We showed a fair few chinks this year," said McGeeney. "We should have got out of Division 3, we didn't, but we scored highly. Then we had our chance to beat Down in the Ulster championship, but we didn't.

"Coming up here today you're probably coming up against the best defensive unit in the country in terms of how Tyrone play that. It shouldn't have taken them by surprise or shocked them but we seemed to struggle to deal with it.

"Overall, it's a mixed bag. I don't think today probably reflects how good the team is but it does reflect how they're able to deal with that type of defence. But then every team that has gone before them found it difficult to deal with as well.

"You have to be able to move the ball quick, you have to be able to commit men to the attack, more than ones and twos, it needs to be threes and fours and they didn't have that.

"That's why some of our better forwards were easily suffocated, because they didn't have those runners off the shoulder. They showed glimpses of it for 20 minutes in the second-half but when the chances were there they didn't take them and if there's nothing there to fight for, sometimes the team will just lose heart."

McGeeney said it was hard to paint a positive picture after such a convincing defeat.

"It is what it is, I can't really say much more," said the 2002 All-Ireland winning captain. "When the game is over you're left with the facts staring you in the face. We retracted into our shell a wee bit, missed easy chances, ran into cul-de-sacs. I think we're a better team than we showed but that's just the way it went today.

"There's probably a number of factors for it. We played a certain way all year and then when you miss one or two players, that can have a bit of an effect on it. We didn't react well at the start, we wanted to move the ball quickly but didn't and got caught up. I didn't feel that we committed enough men to attack, it was ones and twos instead of threes and fours and lads got caught on their own and were suffocated. Tyrone are very good at that, they've been working on that for a while. Armagh are just going to have to learn how to deal with that."

McGeeney had praise for Tyrone who march forward to the All-Ireland semi-finals with hopes of another title success.

"Any mistake, they pounced on it," he said. "I think they had a 65 per cent shooting accuracy compared to 30 per cent for us. There's a whole lot of things that add up to the result. It wasn't a good day at the office for the boys but I do believe they're better than that."

How do make that out? They had a week to prepare for Tyrone. The Armagh players definitely did daft things but unless you think coaching or managing is simply telling players what they should do and they will do it then it's not surprising Armagh players made poor decisions on the pitch. McGeeney is a good coach/manager and is doing a good job with Armagh albeit they need to start delivering when games count. However, there are a few teams head and shoulders above the rest and Armagh are definitely still amongst the rest at this point.

[tonto1888]

Just in. Tyrone are a serious outfit it will take a very good team to beat them. Even through my disappointment I could only admire them. Well done.
Asdor us the less said about that game the better. I don't think we done ourselves justice. However we have made good strides this year. To make. Ore we absolutely have to get out of division three. That has to happen next year.

Good luck to Tyrone in the next round. It should be some game

[tonto1888]

Colm Cavanagh going mad complaining that an Armagh player dived is the most entertaining part of this game. He really has no shame or any understanding of irony. Awful stuff and Armagh clueless up front

Any comment to make on Jonny Coopers play acting?? In fact the Dubs are giving an exhibition of falling at just the right moment in the tackle. Can't believe the ref is fooled every time.

A Tyrone man complaining about playacting??

Your team were fantastic today tho. Hope we can learn from them

[tyroneman]

Train from Dublin is a nightmare. Chaos at station. No input from staff, train delayed because young fellas boxing each other on the train in front apparantly.

A disgrace that translink/IA seem incapable of managing

The level of alcohol on these trains is also crazy. Should be banned altogether.

[twohands!!!]

McGeeney's post match comments.

He sounds more like an Armagh pundit than the Armagh manager here - you'd swear he has zero influence in terms of how the team went out and played the way he is going on.

Tyrone went out and played the way they were always going to play and Armagh tried to play the way they played against Tipp and Kildare and weren't able to deal with Tyrone's Plan A.

Utterly clueless stuff.

Kieran McGeeney: 'We showed a fair few chinks this year'
Saturday, August 5, 2017

By Paul Keane

Kieran McGeeney believes an 18-point All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tyrone failed to reflect the true quality of his Armagh players.

The Armagh manager described the season as 'a mixed bag', noting that they reached the last eight of the Championship though acknowledging their failure to gain promotion from Division 3 and a disappointing Ulster loss to Down.

"We showed a fair few chinks this year," said McGeeney. "We should have got out of Division 3, we didn't, but we scored highly. Then we had our chance to beat Down in the Ulster championship, but we didn't.

"Coming up here today you're probably coming up against the best defensive unit in the country in terms of how Tyrone play that. It shouldn't have taken them by surprise or shocked them but we seemed to struggle to deal with it.

"Overall, it's a mixed bag. I don't think today probably reflects how good the team is but it does reflect how they're able to deal with that type of defence. But then every team that has gone before them found it difficult to deal with as well.

"You have to be able to move the ball quick, you have to be able to commit men to the attack, more than ones and twos, it needs to be threes and fours and they didn't have that.

"That's why some of our better forwards were easily suffocated, because they didn't have those runners off the shoulder. They showed glimpses of it for 20 minutes in the second-half but when the chances were there they didn't take them and if there's nothing there to fight for, sometimes the team will just lose heart."

McGeeney said it was hard to paint a positive picture after such a convincing defeat.

"It is what it is, I can't really say much more," said the 2002 All-Ireland winning captain. "When the game is over you're left with the facts staring you in the face. We retracted into our shell a wee bit, missed easy chances, ran into cul-de-sacs. I think we're a better team than we showed but that's just the way it went today.

"There's probably a number of factors for it. We played a certain way all year and then when you miss one or two players, that can have a bit of an effect on it. We didn't react well at the start, we wanted to move the ball quickly but didn't and got caught up. I didn't feel that we committed enough men to attack, it was ones and twos instead of threes and fours and lads got caught on their own and were suffocated. Tyrone are very good at that, they've been working on that for a while. Armagh are just going to have to learn how to deal with that."

McGeeney had praise for Tyrone who march forward to the All-Ireland semi-finals with hopes of another title success.

"Any mistake, they pounced on it," he said. "I think they had a 65 per cent shooting accuracy compared to 30 per cent for us. There's a whole lot of things that add up to the result. It wasn't a good day at the office for the boys but I do believe they're better than that."

How do make that out? They had a week to prepare for Tyrone. The Armagh players definitely did daft things but unless you think coaching or managing is simply telling players what they should do and they will do it then it's not surprising Armagh players made poor decisions on the pitch. McGeeney is a good coach/manager and is doing a good job with Armagh albeit they need to start delivering when games count. However, there are a few teams head and shoulders above the rest and Armagh are definitely still amongst the rest at this point.

They played like a team that had seen Tyrone play for the first time a week ago - there was not one thing I saw that suggested they made any attempt whatsoever to change tactics to account for the fact that they were playing Tyrone as opposed to Kildare or Tipperary - maybe McGeeney gave them some instructions in terms of changing how they played and they ignored them but nothing from that interview suggests that.

[balladmaker]

The level of alcohol on these trains is also crazy. Should be banned altogether.

Agreed, ban the drink and there'll not be too many on the trains.  Same crowd carrying boxes of beer onto trains this morning won't be about a game outside of Dublin.  I'm all for a few pints in Dublin, but young fellas unable to hold their drink is a different story.

[Targetman]

2 complete mismatches today, i didn't expect Monaghan to trouble Dublin but thought Armagh would put it up to Tyrone, after 10 minutes it was obvious that it was going to be a formality for Tyrone, a seriously well drilled team that Armagh had no answer to, 18 points is a serious hammering to take, a reality check for Mc Geeney and co, Tyrone and Dublin in 3 weeks will be interesting!

[Fuzzman]

Two hands, do you not think Derry, Donegal, Down, Cavan last year had time to prepare. It's football at a different level and until ye meet Dublin, Kerry and even Mayo you can't appreciate what it takes to compete with that.
You can't kick it on long and of you run with it you need to have your shit together.

I don't think we are at Dublin's level yet but its top easy to just blame managers and tactics. Its takes 2/3 years to prepare her team to reach this level. At least ye are on the way back and could make the big 8 next year again.

[Wildweasel74]

Armagh weren't that good and alot was made that Kildare put it up to Dublin in 2 gear in the Leinster final, Monaghan the 2nd best team in Ulster and a Division 1 team got crushed by Dublin today in 3rd gear, so how was Armagh who could not get out of Division 3 be seen to give Tyrone a game when they got beat easily enough by Down who beat Armagh handy

[omagh_gael]

Just in the door. Couple of things:

- the traffic today was possibly the worst I have ever seen on match day. Perfect storm of 3 Ulster counties, Liverpool match and a Saturday afternoon left the roads crazy. The traffic was stopped on the motorway at Ardee FFS!

- Tyrone left a lot of scores behind them todsy. Thst level of sloppiness will be the ruination of us against the Dubs unless we are more focussed. Strange atmosphere at the game as the writing was on the wall after 10 mins. It was men against boys stuff.

- Dublin were pretty sloppy too, I think we've got s real chance against them. Need more impact on the scoreboard from Mattie and Sludden though, they were quite poor today IMO.

[bennydorano]

Different league. I expected a defeat but not that hiding.  We needed everything to go right & Tyrone to have an off day to have a sniff. Club mate and all that he is I thought Vernon tried his heart out.

We have to take the positives out of the year, we have the makings of a competitive side, a few boys need to get themselves in the gym over the winter as Tyrone's physicality was very evident today.

Tyrone v Dublin will be interesting, I would give Tyrone a great chance, but tbh after watching that today that's taking a leap in the dark as they haven't had to go into their reserves this championship at all and who knows what's there. They would definitely be a bit more formulaic / robotic in their approach; while the Dubs are regimented as well they've far better forwards. Tyrone also have one serious weaklink - Conall McCann in MF.

There really is a huge chasm between the Top 3/4 and the rest.

[Zulu]

Just in the door. Couple of things:

- the traffic today was possibly the worst I have ever seen on match day. Perfect storm of 3 Ulster counties, Liverpool match and a Saturday afternoon left the roads crazy. The traffic was stopped on the motorway at Ardee FFS!

- Tyrone left a lot of scores behind them todsy. Thst level of sloppiness will be the ruination of us against the Dubs unless we are more focussed. Strange atmosphere at the game as the writing was on the wall after 10 mins. It was men against boys stuff.

- Dublin were pretty sloppy too, I think we've got s real chance against them. Need more impact on the scoreboard from Mattie and Sludden though, they were quite poor today IMO.

IMO, you've no chance. I think Tyrone are set up to fail against Dublin, you might beat Mayo but Kerry and Dublin will win every time.

[screenexile]

Two hands, do you not think Derry, Donegal, Down, Cavan last year had time to prepare. It's football at a different level and until ye meet Dublin, Kerry and even Mayo you can't appreciate what it takes to compete with that.
You can't kick it on long and of you run with it you need to have your shit together.

I don't think we are at Dublin's level yet but its top easy to just blame managers and tactics. Its takes 2/3 years to prepare her team to reach this level. At least ye are on the way back and could make the big 8 next year again.

Have to agree with that!

Armagh had one week to prepare for a team that has been working on this current system of play for 3 years. Twohands makes it sound like Armagh should have been preparing for this from the start of the year!!! Fair play to them they did well given the resources they have. Hopefully it's something to build on!

[LCohen]

Just in. Long day. Have read nothing.

Bad day for the super 8 concept. Where are they going to get 8?

Hugely disappointed in our performance. We deployed tactics that were guaranteed to never work. We give in before throw in. Absolute cowardice.

I read all week about the influence of 02. Where was it?

We voluntarily decided to concede possession from all Tyrone kick outs. Was that 02?

We watched this go spectacularly wrong. We did nothing about it. What were the 02 boys saying or doing about it? Giving up? Giving in? Games are unwinnable and that justifies giving up?

We allow McCrory to take McParland for a tour of HQ and do nothing to pass him on. Mickey Harte dictates our tactics. This apparently is something we should settle for??

Mickey Harte's dearest wish was that we would abandon our game plan, retreat to defence, leave one of front, in the central channel, right in the line of their sweeper . We gave Mickey all his christmasses, birthdays and probably the horn at once.

The set up was inexcusable. The failure to respond a disgrace

Stick to our guns. Got beat with our own game plan and actually give it a go and at least there would be some pride. There was no pride in that

[tyroneman]

Very much men against boys. Div 3 vs Top 3.

As I said previously I really didn't understand how Armagh were being given so much credit from (just) beating average teams while Tyrone were being dismissed as not having been tested.

Tyrone dispatched whoever they met with aplomb. You can't ask for more than that.

Armagh really need to settle on a system that works for their players and then get it ingrained over a number of years.

I still think we are a marquee forward or two away from beating the Dubs/Kerry but anything can happen on the day....

Good to see that on a day where many players were poor (compared to normal) we had players stepping off the bench to power us on.

Hope the injury to big Colly isn't too bad. Hospital pass he was given.

So much for renaissance man Clarke. He was never going to get the time and space Kildare offered him and he seemed to be quite frustrated by the end.