Messages

Marty Morrisey is a hamster

Denis Stevenson was a hell of a corner back

Colm McKinstry?

Whilst agreeing with the broad stream of opinion that the last 15 years have seen the greatest Armagh players we need at least to acknowledge there were occasional gems from the grim past.

Speaking from personal memory only;  surely Peter Loughran was a figure of Allstar standing? I personally rate him higher than Marsden. Armagh's greatest forward. In a different era the better of Oisin Mc Conville



I  also like a triumverate of great unfulfilled geniuses, especially for a county unburdened with natural talent

John Corvan; well documented
Noel Marley; forgotten now but possessed of relentless running power and skill
Jim McKerr; It is enough to say that if he had been switched onto Frank McGuigan that terrible day in Clones would have been curtailed at least

Mark Cavendish. Cheeky Dub? He's from the IoM more or less within the Pale.

Here's an aisy wan. Using which geographical technique will events unfold, they will be mapped.

There's a PhD thesis in the catechism there. I'm rendered horizontal by a spherical sporting object at the title alone ... "Kidney Transplant" ... (truly) masterful.

Entertaining game and great lift for the football year ahead. Still like to see  a bit of defensive  and tackling though but Tyrone will probably carry on with this novelty football until serious championship time. O'Neill was excellent and I was particularly impressed by his strength both winning and holding onto the ball. Coupled with the apparent high level conditioning and fitness levels  of the entire team this suggests they are up for it this year. Dublin too, looked strong and mobile. Ofcourse if the match had been played on a heavy pitch we may not have seen such an open game. I thought McCullough's score with the outside of the boot even better than ONeill's end line effort.

Congratulations Tyrone. It's hard to say it, but they really are a great team. When you start to have a sneaking admiration for Ryan McMennamin it's time to raise your hands, get past the natural (familial in my case) antipathy and say well done. A series of excellent total football performances make them deserving champs. They set the standard now.
Now that that's out of my system I'm away off to a bush like mad Sweeny to mutter and pick at myself for a few weeks.

Aidan O'Mahoney is a truly great footballer. Small dive in first half, no doubt, but my vote for best player in the country.

Westmeath
Monaghan
Limerick
Down

Bennydorano hit the nail on the head as regards midfield problems. Toner and  McGrane (though he tired in 2nd half)  were competitive but Fermanagh were able to deflect  the ball toward the vacant centre half back line or to our half forward line with impunity. Fermanagh players then picked up  uncontested loose ball. While McDonnell was good on the line against Down he failed to address this problem yesterday. I would consider moving A O'Rourke to centre half forward and allow him to drop back from there and play Donaghy in the middle of a conventional half back line.

I would also change Hearty as when the going gets tough he seems to add to the air of panic with kickouts over the sideline and becomes dodgy under the high ball (especially if there is traffic in and around the square)

What exactly is the evidence supporting Paul Grimley's case as a successor?

I think only Olga Korbet has bettered the Tyrone No 9s triple roll in the opening seconds. Was that "Big" Sean?

Since the draw I have been worried about this match. Mind you as the draw happened I gasped and oohed and aahed at all the other possible match ups.
We all know that Armagh's failure over the last 4-5 years is scoring outside the full-forward line. The "Kernan" system, and if we are honest the players available, don't lend themselves to putting teams away in the way that Tyrone or Kerry might. What I can't quite work out for myself is, were we to play a different system, would we have won more AIs? I think not.

That means hanging on to the defensive excellence but somehow incorporating a new line of attack. I wonder if Stevie has quite the pace for corner forward any more but am not sure if he could be FF

McKinney
Mallon, Donaghy, McNulty
Vernon, McGeeney, McKeever
Mc Grane, Toner
M O'Rourke, A Kernan

Marsden , P Toal
McDonnell, McConville,

Stupid team?

"True over the last 3 years Kerry has won 2 AI Senior titles"

Typical Kerry poster. Football began in 2004 did it?