Donegal v Down Ulster Semi June 23

[Applesisapples]

Not pretty, but I accept Fuzz's point if Armagh were winning like this I'd be fairly content. Maybe the advantage rule will change this.

[Main Street]

I thought it was a fascinating game. Instead of the Donegal avalanche in the last quarter, Down just kept going.
The reality was that it was akin to middleweight sparring away at a heavyweight, just enough to annoy but not enough to knock down.
2 in a rows don't come easy, If Donegal had other ideas (which I doubt), now they know different.

[Radda bout yeee]

Where's Danny hughes at these days?

[naka]

thought it was a horrible game to watch
down`s tactics mirrored donegals
king should have been lined at the start of the match

turning point for me was o hare hitting the post and it going from a one point game to a 3 point games within a couple of minutes. although always felt that donegal had enough to win whilst playing pretty poorly.
as i said  earlier last week for down to win they needed goals which  they never really looked likely to get unfortunately

[north aontroim gael]

thought it was a horrible game to watch
down`s tactics mirrored donegals
king should have been lined at the start of the match

turning point for me was o hare hitting the post and it going from a one point game to a 3 point games within a couple of minutes. although always felt that donegal had enough to win whilst playing pretty poorly.
as i said  earlier last week for down to win they needed goals which  they never really looked likely to get unfortunately

Donegal seem to score with an efficiency no other team can match.  McFadden in particular is great at taking his scores and they are by no means easy chances he converts. (in my opinion he was footballer of the year last year, if he keeps this up he will get it this year)

[RMDrive]

It's interesting to read Jim's comments about the vibe coming from the stand.
"People were saying are Donegal going to have the bottle. I could feel that coming from the stands."

I certainly could sense a fear in the Donegal crowd. The accumulating errors, the unceasing intensity from Down, the forced and unforced substitutions ... for about 10 minutes in the 2nd half you could feel the supporters beginning to think that party was about to end. I hasten to add that it's wasn't driven by cockiness. In fact, all the talk before the game was about how Down were really going to put it up to us and how the media were well off with their predictions. But we've become accustomed to seeing the lads able to up it when required and for a while it looked like that wasn't going to happen. If Down had tagged on a few points at that stage - to draw level for example, I think that would have been the winning of the game for them. Instead the ship was settled (by McFadden and Ryan McHugh mainly) and the "fear" was gone for the last 5-10 minutes. I found interesting that Jim picked up on that vibe too. I wonder do the players sense the emotion of the crowd or are they completely oblivious to it?

[Fuzzman]

I have noticed this before that Jim seems to listen and even get involved with the fans around him.
I'd say the players in the pitch though wouldn't catch onto it.

The one big thing I think that he has done that Harte failed to do with Tyrone is to make the squad much more strong willed and single minded like Armagh were back in their day. Even when Armagh weren't playing particularly well, they would grind out wins from sheer belief and determination.
Down really did put it up to them yesterday but every time there was 2 points in it, Donegal seem to extend it to three again almost at will.

Does anyone know what do Donegal do after a match? Do they not meet up again until the Tuesday or what?

[J70]

I thought it was a fascinating game. Instead of the Donegal avalanche in the last quarter, Down just kept going.
The reality was that it was akin to middleweight sparring away at a heavyweight, just enough to annoy but not enough to knock down.
2 in a rows don't come easy, If Donegal had other ideas (which I doubt), now they know different.

This doesn't apply to McGuinness or the squad, but any Donegal person thinking otherwise should be focused on nothing except the Ulster final. Yesterday should be a wake-up call for any supporters getting cocky. Cavan can certainly not be taken for granted. As for Monaghan, does anyone know when we last beat them in the championship? They beat us in. 08 and hammered us in 07 and 95 (when we all went to Ballybofey expecting a stroll after beating Down and were beaten out the gate by a young Monaghan team who did nothing thereafter!) . Did we beat them in the 80s?

[Main Street]

I thought it was a fascinating game. Instead of the Donegal avalanche in the last quarter, Down just kept going.
The reality was that it was akin to middleweight sparring away at a heavyweight, just enough to annoy but not enough to knock down.
2 in a rows don't come easy, If Donegal had other ideas (which I doubt), now they know different.

This doesn't apply to McGuinness or the squad, but any Donegal person thinking otherwise should be focused on nothing except the Ulster final. Yesterday should be a wake-up call for any supporters getting cocky. Cavan can certainly not be taken for granted. As for Monaghan, does anyone know when we last beat them in the championship? They beat us in. 08 and hammered us in 07 and 95 (when we all went to Ballybofey expecting a stroll after beating Down and were beaten out the gate by a young Monaghan team who did nothing thereafter!) . Did we beat them in the 80s?

No matter what kind of team we sent up to Donegal, we came away victors.
But unfortunately, us Monaghan folk aren't allowed yet to salivate at the thoughts of turning over a fancied Donegal team for the umteenth time in a championship game. But if Cavan should get through, Donegal would have less to worry about and the prestige of the Ulster Final would certainly be the loser.

[J70]

Well if the prestige of the final is at stake, let's hope Donegal get the opportunity for a historic and rare win over Monaghan!

[lenny]

I'm a neutral fan and have no real love for Down but i thought the ref had a shocker yesterday. He gave Donegal some really soft frees early to get them settled and also Down had to work really hard for their frees. Also Donegal will struggle with the same gameplan next year. All their cynical fouls around the midfield area will result in black cards and they will soon run out of players. Having said that Down were fairly cynical on a few occasions also.

[From the Bunker]

I'm a neutral fan and have no real love for Down but i thought the ref had a shocker yesterday. He gave Donegal some really soft frees early to get them settled and also Down had to work really hard for their frees. Also Donegal will struggle with the same gameplan next year. All their cynical fouls around the midfield area will result in black cards and they will soon run out of players. Having said that Down were fairly cynical on a few occasions also.

Agree with the above statement, but that is no fault of Donegal. Referee had a shocker. His consistency was terrible. I had to turn over from RTE coverage With Martin Carney to the BBC with Oisin. Martin ( a Donegal man) naturally papered over the cracks of the referees performance where as Oisin called it as it was! Anyway Donegal were still the better team. They controlled things (even the referee).

[snoopdog]

it will be interesting to see how far Down go for the rest of the summer. if they are in the qf draw a few big teams will want to avoid them after yesterdays game.

[wildrover]

it will be interesting to see how far Down go for the rest of the summer. if they are in the qf draw a few big teams will want to avoid them after yesterdays game.

By the QF stage there usually will only be big-hitters left. Any team with All Ireland ambitions would relish Down in a QF. That is not to say Down would not be capable of causing a shock, but any one of Dublin/Mayo/Donegal/Cork would seriously fancy themselves and with good reason. Kerry mightn't because of the apparent hoodoo Down have over them (has to end some day) and Tyrone mightn't because I would put Down on par with them and yet the media and their supporters would probably heavily favour Tyrone.

[elk]

it will be interesting to see how far Down go for the rest of the summer. if they are in the qf draw a few big teams will want to avoid them after yesterdays game.

I always thought Down classed themselves as a big team !!!