2019 Allianz Football League Division 3.

[Heshs Umpire]

I think there won't be much in it. A couple of points one way or another at most. Hopefully we get a few breaks and come home with a win. A draw wouldn't be a huge surprise.

[Unlaoised]

 I believe and expect a five /six point win

[Countyminor]

I believe and expect a five /six point win

Never expect anything with Laois. It soothes the eventual disappointment.

And never include Laois in an accumulator.

But yeah, a 5/6 point win would be lovely, especially given points difference could still play a big role to come.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

All depends on the weather, a wet and windy day and anything can happen..

[Don Draper]

Offaly sent us down to Div.4 two years ago beating us by one point and delighting in it, hopefully we can get our own back on Saturday and do the same to them.  #revengeissweet#

We were f**king shit and deserved to go down. We did more to send us down than Offaly. 

[Jd]

Just a question lads. Does head to head or points differences come into play first. If we beat Carlow andif westmeath beat both Louth and down then will the fact that we beat down put us up

[High Fielder]

We always looked like the better team today, but we still have a number of deficiencies. We have no outlet at midfield at all and the amount of self inflicted pressure this creates can cripple us. It now looks like we are dependent on the short kick out.

Our tackling at the back needs some sort of specialist attention in my opinion. It's fair to say that we have unnatural backs, but opposing players are not put under enough pressure. I was disappointed that we conceded 15 scores against a fairly raw looking Offaly team. I'll give the Offaly lads one thing. They lack nothing in guts and determination whereas we never look like we're at full tilt. That's as bad an Offaly team as I've ever seen, but they still made inroads with too much ease. Their Number 12 consistently gave us problems and was the best player on the pitch in my opinion.

The above said, it was a rotten day and we had the better players. I just feel that there should be a lot more in this bunch, but we lack leaders and we need to address obvious shortcomings

[town1980]

I agree with high fielder we have won the game that's great don't get me wrong but we Leak so many scores we are so open at this stage I think it's very naive and a silly way of playing we should be way ahead of Offaly in my view;; love the way sugru keeps switching and blooding players but I'm not convinced on our system of play but I'm there to be corrected as we have not lost many games under johns stewardship

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Just a question lads. Does head to head or points differences come into play first. If we beat Carlow andif westmeath beat both Louth and down then will the fact that we beat down put us up

Here are the rules concerning this:

If two teams finish level on the same points then their head to head record separates them.
If three teams or more finish level on points then they're separated by scoring difference.

[Countyminor]

Good win today. Some things not so good.

Benny Carroll. There were eyebrows raised when that man was first thrust into the team last year but he's well and truly put those doubts to bed now. So astute and intelligent. Rarely wastes the ball. Must be nailed on come championship. Nice lad as well by all accounts. And a fantastic footballer.

Martin Scully is another that merits a mention. Poked holes in Offaly's defence all day. We've much more of a squad this year. Onwards and upwards.

[Giovanni]

Would agree with High Fielder generally. We looked better than Offaly but we didn't look very good.

I just feel that the work rate isn't high enough in some key areas and, for me, that's one of the main reasons why we seem to be playing in fits and starts. We played well in the first 15 minutes and then were atrocious for the next half hour. The two goals were obviously crucial. Evan did very well to win the first one over the full back's head and Cahillane was probably the only player on our team who could manufacture a goal out of the position he was in.

Some of the stuff was dire though. The free taking was abysmal, the tackling was dreadful and the pace and intensity was really low.

I'm not sure I would blame the midfielders as HF does. I think we need to see a lot more of the half backs and half forwards in this position. Begley should be at wing back I think and Donie never seems to come away with the ball in the middle third. It can't be just about the two midfielders.

I agree with county minor that Benny Carroll was very good again. He does show great composure and leadership. Martin Scully was very good too and I couldn't really understand why he was taken off. We came out of it on the right side but I wouldn't be getting too excited about it.

[on the hop]

It was such an odd line up. We are playing to narrow especially in the forwards. With Donie static in the middle we had Lowry and Bennie Carroll roaming around the middle third. problems appeared again and again on the wings., one was number 12 was always free and got on a lot of ball. They went up the field down the sides several times from short kick outs to score. Donie or if either midfielder never got across to close this space down, they sailed up the line.. They were also working Gareth Dillon down the side. His man got four points from play, nearly all one on ones, but it was mostly unpressurized passes in that killed him. We need both wing backs pinning the forwards back but without Begley out there. There is no real threat that side. The full forward line was very static. Evan should have made real hay against that full back. He has potential to do massive damage but often fades out. Murphy was a big disappointment, looked lost in the corner. I still think he will be dangerous more central.Ross nipped away but I wish he played closer to Evan. It's a pity he hasn't pace to burn markers as he takes up great positions. He gets good ball but often he recycles it back out. Getting the right balance in the forwards still needs a bit of work.

[High Fielder]

I take your point Giovanni and it's fair enough. Maybe it's a lack of planning, a lack of height or movement. Maybe it's all of those and more. It is very obvious at this stage that going long rarely works for us, and you have to have that option somehow. Offaly could see our nervousness and pushed up. We retreated at that point and that allowed them to get some very soft scores. I'd like to see us try something different because without knowing the stats, it feels like we come away with one in four or five when we go long. The short kick out means our backs are constantly working without a break. I often think a lot of our wounds are self inflicted in that regard. There were worrying moments after we went six points up and that was the most disappointing aspect of the day. Just reading on the hop's comments there, I'd agree that the ball in and subsequent scores were largely without pressure being applied.

[on the hop]

When I saw the six named forwards I thought four would stay up the whole time and two ramble. A bit like the Dublin system where all three stay in the full forward line in normal Positions or two up top and one in front. Maybe Ross our in front of the other two as he finds it hard to shake markers.Donie was then the pivot at centre forward, I would rather Benny Carroll there or boyle as they are more mobile and better passers. Once they dropped a sweeper behind Donie, the only ball we could get in was into the corners and this often resulted in the player recycling the ball back out the field. Donie has no real effect as once he turned towards goal he was often bottled up and turned back out the field. I only mention this as it's a constant problem, firstly with how we deal with sweepers. Something Carlow are going to give us plenty of but also the lack of pace from
Midfield and the half forward line. For some reason we just don't seem to get support runners taking the ball off a pass or get ahead of the play as support. If piggott can improve possibly pushing Scully up the field.

[vetoldthe]

Taking this line from Giovanni forum

   The free taking was abysmal, the tackling was dreadful and the pace and intensity was really low.

  This is our big problem all during the league, Why can't Sugrue fix this,