USFC Round 1 : An Cabhan V An Dun

[Brick Tamlin]

Right lads think its time we got this one up and running.
anyone care to open with opinions on likely line-ups of the teams, injury news, current form of players etc etc.

From a Down perspective i have to say i hate being drawn against Cavan so often in that they can be very much like ourselves and blow hot or cold on any given sunday. I feel that both teams (maybe im wrong here) could have potentially done so much more damage if they were drawn in opposite sides of the draw. I feel that no-one really likes to play Down or Cavan in championship because of the unpredictable nature of each team.

As a Down man im very worried about Lyngs re-emergence from injury and at full tilt and fit too pulling the strings in the forward line.
Cavan defence can definitley be tested by our forwards but our defence would need to be shit-hot disciplined to not concede a bagful of frees for Lyng or Pierson to convert.

[cavanmaniac]

In brief, either set of forwards have the winning of the game if their respective midfields and half backs and forwards are doing the business at kickouts and break ball situations.

On the basis of what I've seen so far, Cavan are in a hell of a lot of bother in this regard. You'd hope the Roscommon game will lead to some changes in lineup and tactics etc. so that we can at least make this a close match. We should manage that at least given that we're at home and Down have had a very poor league and confidence can't be high udner Ross Carr at the moment.

[mylestheslasher]

Well as I see it there are two possible outcomes....

1. Cavan have a plan b which we have not seen in the league to date. This plan involves breaking ball in the middle and attaking the breaks and getting a big target man in the FF line. If this is the case I think we will give Down a tough game and could potentially win (although I'd have my money on Down).

2. We don't change anything much from the league. If we go that road I can't possibly see how we would beat Down.

Hopefully it will be a good game of tough championship football anyhow as last yrs game was a let down given that it was shown on TV too.

[Hollow Man]

OR

The Cavan supporters could get behind a team who went through their group unbeaten, won promotion to division two, and then in their first EVER game in the new Croker only lost by five points despite a brutal injury list and kicking 16 wides.

Nah, that will never happen!

Better to whinge the whole year about how crap they are and how there's no hope for them. If they win, then you can cry that Down were shite and we'll lose the next one. If they lose, sure you said it all along...

I for one am not going to run a team who are making a massive effort and who have got some brilliant results into the ground. If they lose to Down, it won't have been for want of effort - that's good enough for me.

[mylestheslasher]

OR

The Cavan supporters could get behind a team who went through their group unbeaten, won promotion to division two, and then in their first EVER game in the new Croker only lost by five points despite a brutal injury list and kicking 16 wides.

Nah, that will never happen!

Better to whinge the whole year about how crap they are and how there's no hope for them. If they win, then you can cry that Down were shite and we'll lose the next one. If they lose, sure you said it all along...

I for one am not going to run a team who are making a massive effort and who have got some brilliant results into the ground. If they lose to Down, it won't have been for want of effort - that's good enough for me.

Hollowman, What sort of an idiot are you. All I gave was an honest opinion on how I see the game going. Doesn't matter what the team are like I'll be at the match supporting them all the way. like I have for over 25 years. Seems to me you are extremely paranoid and tend to read everyone elses post in some sort of negative slant. Is your real name McElhennon - he seemed to have a very low opinion of the Cavan supporters as do you. Are we not allowed to express opinions anymore. Would you prefer I said that Cavan are one of the top 6 in the country and will blow Down away?? Maybe you should stick to the hoganstand board until you develop some manners.

[Hollow Man]

Would you prefer I said that Cavan are one of the top 6 in the country and will blow Down away??

No, I'd prefer you to give the team a chance and not write them off. They're doing alright considering the low base they've come from. This sort of negativity creeps in - it's similar to Meath in '01 when they hammered Kerry, the whole county thought they'd win it and the players bought it.

A lot of Cavan supporters do nothing but complain - nothing is good enough, not even seven unbeaten matches in their group. Many have Cavan written off already - this creeps in too.


Myles, would you agree that supporters going around grumbling and predicting the team's impending doom because they haven't reached their exalted level of expectancy contributes to poor results on the big day?

Before the league, would you have been happy with an unbeaten run through the group, and then a 5 point defeat when we were missing four or five important players?

I'm actually happier than I was before last Saturday. We now know Hannon is our first choice full back, and that Gallagher can't cut it. We also know that Brennan's not an inter county midfielder, and that Lyng is flying. While we were finding out all of this, getting a competitive match and priceless Croker experience, Down were resting or playing club games.

Oh yeah, you can't come any higher than first in a league group either.

Thank you for calling me an idiot. Now please excuse me while I learn manners...

[cavanmaniac]

ORI for one am not going to run a team who are making a massive effort and who have got some brilliant results into the ground. If they lose to Down, it won't have been for want of effort - that's good enough for me.

Or some common sense.

Nobody denies the guys are putting in an effort. So is practically every county team. It's a given in this day and age. This is what they sign up for when they get on the panel, it's what supporters expect when they travel and support etc. I'm not going to write them a poem in tribute for it.

If 'brilliant' results include scraping by the likes of Antrim, Wicklow, Waterford and escaping with a draw against Wexford etc. then you have a strange idea of brilliant results. My idea of brilliant results would be those achieved by Donegal. Cavan have done okay under a new management, carrying some injuries and experimenting, but okay is all. With the playing resources and facilities we have we can't we aim a little higher than mere respectability in Division 2B and being somehow content with a  defeat at Croker to a middle ranking side that could easily have been 10 and not just 5 points?

I admire your positivity on one hand but you need to be realistic. You slagged me and myles off for being down on the team but your rose-tinted view of the matter is worse, and thinking that very basic achievements are 'brilliant' isn't exactly raising the bar ambitions wise to help the team progress is it? The truth lies in between. We're doing ok from a very low starting point but there's some glaring steps need taking to help us be even better and we shoudn't stop and clap ourselves on the back until we've left no stone unturned to get the last drop out of the team. We've yet to do this.

We really have slipped along way if our supporters are telling each other we should be happy just because the team is putting in the effort. For Jasus sake. That's the least they should do.

[Uladh]

So Hollowman...

Who's the boss Keoghan or Grimley?

[downredblack]

How is the weapon of mass destruction (Dermot McCabe) getting on these days ?

[Brick Tamlin]

Sorry to butt in lads but ive always looked upon the Cavan team this last few years as serious underachievers. Like ourselves in Down the young talent is definitely there along with a few older heads, its god awful that ye have to be satisfied because of players willingness to be competitive at best or put in an effort, or just be ok. For me youse have had a decent enough league campaign without really moving up a gear or two, moving nicely along, but its now time youse rattled a few cages in Ulster Championship and shut those orange and (to a lesser extent) red& white eejits up.

[cavanmaniac]

How is the weapon of mass destruction (Dermot McCabe) getting on these days ?

Injury free but not fit for 70 minutes if Croker was anything to go by, and desperately in need of support in the middle of the field if he's to concentrate on his own game and not get bossed about.

[The Bottom Brick]

Good post Cavanmaniac, would agree with that although hollow has a point but is going overboard

With the playing resources and facilities we have

We have no more resources or facilities than most counties. In fact, I'd say with our 40 clubs we definitely have less than most

This is a bit of a myth, the idea that we have great resources, history etc - we're whipping boys, that's what we have been since the 60's unfortunately and I think we as Cavan supporters need to learn this and lower our expectations

I think what Hollow is saying is that with our record in recent years, we should be delighted not downbeat! Much as it pains me but it's true

[Mourne Rover]

There are 46 football clubs in Down, so we are pretty well in line with Cavan. The record of both counties are also fairly similar over recent years in terms of underachievement. Head to head is also tight. We stumbled to a narrow win last year, although Cavan should have beaten us on their second half display. The first game in 2004 was a draw, and we should have won the replay comfortably but ending up losing to a couple of dodgy late goals. In 2001, we lost by a point to Cavan at Casement and should at least have got a draw. There's not a huge amount of confidence in either camp, and I certainly would not rule out another draw this time round. Hopefully, the new Marshes would be available for any replay.

[trim blue]

Mourne River, think you have the blinkers on about '01, you may have been close on the scoreboard but your goal led a charmed life at times, McCabe was absolutely outstanding all day, great fielding, great sideline point, set up goal for Jason. We should have won by 6/7 points that day.That was a good Cavan team who pushed Tyrone mighty hard in the final that year. We're both pretty close now and it'll be another close one in May.

[The Bottom Brick]

The record of both counties are also fairly similar over recent years in terms of underachievement.

Well you have won two senior All Irelands, two minor All Irelands and reached one (?) All Ireland Under 21 final and won a few Ulster clubs in the last 16 years.

We've won one Ulster senior title, one Ulster Under 21 title, no minor and no club.