USFC SF: Monaghan v Fermanagh - Sunday 3rd June at 2pm - Healy Park Omagh

[johnnycool]

Several teams have had been labelled as taking the league too seriously in recent year with good league form but nobody ever mentions it when it comes to Monaghan. I just don't know what to think of them, I thought they'd cruise Ulster after the Tyrone game and had a great chance of making the semi's but after that yesterday its going to be very difficult.  They've suffered defeats to Longford, Down & Fermanagh in the last 3 years, its become all too familiar a pattern.

Is O'Rourke is under a bit of pressure if Monaghan go out early?

Not being an expert in football but watched the game yesterday and Monaghan flatter to deceive and certainly weren't up for the battle like Fermanagh.
When McManus was getting dragged about like a raggy doll by the two Fermanagh lads it took quite a while for a Monaghan man to step up and even then he went down like a sack of shít when the fullback threw him about also.
You wouldn't dare do that on a Kilkenny hurler in their prime if you liked living.

That shows there's issues there and even at that they nearly pulled it out of the fire only for the soft underbelly to be exposed by a looping high ball into their box.
Great teams do what it takes to win and worry about perception afterwards.
McManus will need to console himself with All star awards in November as they won't be picking up any medals before that.

[yellowcard]

Several teams have had been labelled as taking the league too seriously in recent year with good league form but nobody ever mentions it when it comes to Monaghan. I just don't know what to think of them, I thought they'd cruise Ulster after the Tyrone game and had a great chance of making the semi's but after that yesterday its going to be very difficult.  They've suffered defeats to Longford, Down & Fermanagh in the last 3 years, its become all too familiar a pattern.

Is O'Rourke is under a bit of pressure if Monaghan go out early?

Not being an expert in football but watched the game yesterday and Monaghan flatter to deceive and certainly weren't up for the battle like Fermanagh.
When McManus was getting dragged about like a raggy doll by the two Fermanagh lads it took quite a while for a Monaghan man to step up and even then he went down like a sack of shít when the fullback threw him about also.
You wouldn't dare do that on a Kilkenny hurler in their prime if you liked living.

That shows there's issues there and even at that they nearly pulled it out of the fire only for the soft underbelly to be exposed by a looping high ball into their box.
Great teams do what it takes to win and worry about perception afterwards.
McManus will need to console himself with All star awards in November as they won't be picking up any medals before that.

Doubt if McManus will getting anywhere near an all star award this year if it's based on championship performances. Anonymous yesterday.

Fermanagh stole it but Monaghan have no plan B when they come up against a defensive side. They played laterally too often and rarely penetrated the blanket. If they had played Hughes and McManus inside and kicked the bloody ball to n they could have caused damage but instead played the sort of crab football that is hard to watch. Fermanagh were like Donegal light from 6 years ago, it was a truly awful game of football.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

As a Dublin fan with Monaghan roots and supporting Monaghan as my 2nd team since the Centenary final against Meath I was f*cking delighted that they lost yesterday.
That was an abomination of a performance from a team which has thoughts of winning Ulster and competing for the All-Ireland.
The sooner O'Rourke learns that with forwards like McCarron/McManus etc that running back to your 45 whenever the opposition have the ball doesn't work without fast athletic players and an ability to kick the ball accurately to your forwards.

[J70]

Going to be a tough final for Down or Donegal.

No it won't, Donegal are no world beaters but they will win Ulster at a canter.

Can't see any rationale for that at all. True, ourselves and Down will have been well forewarned about what will be waiting, and there should not any complacency, but Fermanagh put up a ferocious defense in that game (as, to be fair, did Monaghan, for the most part). Whoever wins ithe final will grind it out with 12 or 13 points winning it.

My one hope would be that, if we get there, we will do a bit better with fast runners with support attacking Fermanagh. On the other hand, McBrearty will be triple marked and won't getting any space either inside or on that outside loop he does around the 45.

Free takers will want to be on their game, especially from long range.

[Brick Tamlin]

Is it me or does anyone else not think that Fermanagh were lucky to win with what was just a jammy oul goal to steel the game?
I mean Monaghan stuggled surely but they always looked like they would overtake the wee green men in last quarter and win out and only for a shot that dropped short and ended up in the net they were a beaten docket.
Fermanagh dont have the firepower to win games but rather have the set up not to lose games (if that makes sense).

Monaghan will be sick (Again) and O'Rourke will have to have them bounce back from this to get them back on track.
Again, does anyone else not think that Beggan is as dodgy as hell under high balls. If i recall right he has had a few ropey cameos over the years under high balls.

[haranguerer]

Of course you can say they were lucky at the end. But they worked hard and got themselves into a position where it was in the melting pot with 5 minutes to go -and so were able to capitalise on that.

I'm not sure you can really comment on the firepower Fermanagh have or otherwise - they play very defensively so there aren't as many scoring opportunities, but I don't think you'd say the same about monaghan and the fermanagh front 6 scored 3 times as much from play as their monaghan counterparts 

[inthrough]

Is it me or does anyone else not think that Fermanagh were lucky to win with what was just a jammy oul goal to steel the game?
I mean Monaghan stuggled surely but they always looked like they would overtake the wee green men in last quarter and win out and only for a shot that dropped short and ended up in the net they were a beaten docket.
Fermanagh dont have the firepower to win games but rather have the set up not to lose games (if that makes sense).

Monaghan will be sick (Again) and O'Rourke will have to have them bounce back from this to get them back on track.
Again, does anyone else not think that Beggan is as dodgy as hell under high balls. If i recall right he has had a few ropey cameos over the years under high balls.

Spot on. Yes its a great result for Fermanagh but they were as jammy as hell and no way is 1-8 going to win an Ulster final or anything else for that matter.

[Targetman]

A couple of weeks ago O'Rourke was a tactical genius for getting the better of Harte, its wonderful how things change so quickly, I suppose Gallagher has that title for now, until Eamon Burns takes it off him on Sunday!!!

[trailer]

Fermanagh very lucky indeed. It was a Hail Mary ball. But Monaghan must be sick. Jesus if ever there was a handy Ulster this year was it. Down & Donegal very much in transition and a relatively poor (if well organised) Fermanagh standing in their way. They'll probably exit in the qualifiers now as that is the norm for them. Expect O'Rouke to walk away if he's not pushed. The blame lies at his door, they weren't focused and got caught. He should have had them better prepared.

[Maroon Manc]

Come off it, they weren't that lucky. Beggan not great under the high ball and Monaghan hardly have the tallest of full backs.

Fermanagh got two of their tallest players around the edge of the square and when the Fermanagh man kicked it in he was less than 40 meters out.

[the goal was on]

fairly lucky goal at end and got what I thought was a few non existant frees. When one teams sets up with 15 behind the ball and is very hungry most teams need to mirror them or you'll get caught out. Fermanagh were pretty clueless with the ball but extremely orgainsed with it. Though Monaghan had it and it would have left them in good position going into the final.

[yellowcard]

Slightly lucky but having said that Monaghan simply didn't do enough to win the match either. They tried to out grind Fermanagh in an arm wrestle instead of kicking over the mass defence. It made for an ugly spectacle and such a tactic always leaves you open to a sucker punch since Fermanagh were always in the match. Monaghan played the last 10 minutes with a spare man yet still lost the match. O'Rourke has been a brilliant manager for them but they don't appear to have a plan B when teams set up as defensively against them. The Fermanagh players can feel vindicated for ousting Pete McGrath in favour of Gallagher after yesterday's win.

[Maroon Manc]

fairly lucky goal at end and got what I thought was a few non existant frees. When one teams sets up with 15 behind the ball and is very hungry most teams need to mirror them or you'll get caught out. Fermanagh were pretty clueless with the ball but extremely orgainsed with it. Though Monaghan had it and it would have left them in good position going into the final.

Both teams were on the receiving end of dubious decisions from the ref, looked like Kieran Hughes threw the ball when he was on the floor for Monaghans first score from play.

[omagh_gael]

Rory Gallagher mentioned in his post match interview that they felt Monaghan were vulnerable to the high ball so exploited that. You could say it was good planning or it could equally be confirmation and hindsight bias at it's finest.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Would a gaelic footballer be recognised in a protestant town ?

Stupid remark, seriously

Seafold stalking again!  I suppose it does easily beat the tedium of what passes for life in Strabane, but hey, has self respect dropped to such low levels to be almost absent??

Undergone an irony bypass in your post-Healy Park trauma?

A stupid remark is a stupid remark, and welcome to the club (yet again)