Roscommon v Armagh

[Rufus T Firefly]

Most matches other than the turkey shoots are won in the last 10 minutes . I think the Rossies believe in themselves so it should be a cracker with everything to play for going down the home straight. If they get any goal chances they will take them.

Yes, I think they are by a distance the best team that we have played this year.

Chatting to folks around me in the stand last Saturday, including Clare supporters, with both teams going toe-to-toe and the match in the balance, and it was mentioned more than once that Kerry put 32 points (and scores) on Clare and that the game we were watching was nip and tuck. There was a realization that regardless of who went on to win, in the greater scheme of things.........

[giveballaghback]

The spirit of 77 would be enough to carry Armagh through to the Super 8s.  Only worry is whether we have the players of the same abilities?

I have been as critical of McGeeney as anyone else but he has brought this squad to a stage where they are reaching a level of maturity that has been stilted by playing Division 3 for too long.  He has been handicapped by the withdrawals of players for whatever reasons and by injuries, although they affect all teams.

They have the potential to beat Roscommon if McGeeney can resist his usual impulse in bigger games to change the style of play to supposedly deal with the opposition threat like in last year's Tyrone match.  Best to build on the current game plan and go for it against Roscommon, we would rather go down attacking than wilt against a reasonable but flaky Roscommon team with some amended defensive system.

Completely agree on that last point.

I hate defensive football but watching a mimic is worse than watching the real thing

The spirit of 77? you surely mean the luck and incompetent ref of 77 Mr. Collins of westmeath, Mickey Freyne had a perfect goal disallowed for square ball, Armagh got a penalty to bring them back into the game and the foul was clearly yards outside the area if it was a foul at all and if you think im doting just read Eugene McGees book "great all-ireland semi finals" and he says everything I have said here and of course we had the very sporting Armagh manager walking across the field and sledgeing the great Dermott Earley before he took a late 45 when the game was level, to the day he died Dermott would not say what O Neill said to him that day, more class than O Neill I would say.

[seafoid]

Most matches other than the turkey shoots are won in the last 10 minutes . I think the Rossies believe in themselves so it should be a cracker with everything to play for going down the home straight. If they get any goal chances they will take them.

Yes, I think they are by a distance the best team that we have played this year.

Chatting to folks around me in the stand last Saturday, including Clare supporters, with both teams going toe-to-toe and the match in the balance, and it was mentioned more than once that Kerry put 32 points (and scores) on Clare and that the game we were watching was nip and tuck. There was a realization that regardless of who went on to win, in the greater scheme of things.........

There is a lot of psychology in provincial matches which is reduced in open draws like the qfs. But it's a good point regardless.

[smelmoth]

Against Clare, I seen a player miss a free kick an u14 could have scored, 18 wides kicked, and stray kick passes all over the pitch.

Armagh cannot be as wasteful this week either or they will be shooting themselves in the foot.

I mentioned this on our own forum. The amount of unforced errors that we commit in the way of shooting, aimless passes, poor tackling etc. has been shocking, and has been a symptom of our play throughout the year.

Many of the wides that we accumulated against Clare - just like the Fermanagh game - came from poor long balls played into our full forward line that simply bounced over the head of the attacker and out over the end line. To be fair to Grimley, I think he is an excellent free taker off the ground, but the very dry and parched conditions against Clare meant he ended up taking frees out of the hands and he got them totally wrong.

The key for Saturday will be to try and eradicate all of these errors and ensure that we make best use of our possession, which will hopefully maximize our chances of victory.

He was knocking them over out of his hands against Sligo. Looks like he made that switch after been taken off frees previously

[smelmoth]

Most matches other than the turkey shoots are won in the last 10 minutes . I think the Rossies believe in themselves so it should be a cracker with everything to play for going down the home straight. If they get any goal chances they will take them.

Yes, I think they are by a distance the best team that we have played this year.

Chatting to folks around me in the stand last Saturday, including Clare supporters, with both teams going toe-to-toe and the match in the balance, and it was mentioned more than once that Kerry put 32 points (and scores) on Clare and that the game we were watching was nip and tuck. There was a realization that regardless of who went on to win, in the greater scheme of things.........

Im an optimist and reckon there is a lot more ability in this Armagh side. But I can't see how they could get close to Kerry or Dublin. There is a bunch of counties behind that who on a good day can get close to Kerry and Dublin and on a bad day (or very bad day) would be vulnerable to a county like ourselves. In the near term it's Monaghan, Roscommon, Donegal, Kildare, Meath, Down etc etc we need to bench mark ourselves against in league and championship.

An inability to get close to Dublin shouldn't mask failures against a frankly awful Laois side, poor performances/results against Wexford, Wicklow, Longford, Louth, Fermanagh, Sligo or massive tactical implosions against Cavan, Tyrone or even Fermanagh.

The Dublin thing is for Croke Park to sort. The other stuff is for us to sort

[Solo_run]

Question for Armagh fans

If you had to choose between :

A) England winning the world cup
B) Tyrone winning Sam again
C) Root Canal treatment

which would you choose ?

Never had one but I would go for C without the local anastehtic

[tonto1888]

Yet again on this forum ,attack anyone who doesn't toe the party line ! We have enough experts on here analysing or making excuses for the inability of Armagh to get within an asses roar of a top team. The stats speak for themselves and have been well documented ,

I'm not interested in bashing players or management but am sick of the endless posts ignoring the facts and pretending we are making progress , all I ask is for debate on how to improve into consistently maximising the undoubted talent there is in the county . Putting structures in place to avoid the peak and trough cycle we have been on since the formation of the gaa.

Who attacked you? What's the party line?
Can you not provide an analysis?
What structures should we put in place?
And how do we maximise the talent?

[Armamike]

Question for Armagh fans

If you had to choose between :

A) England winning the world cup
B) Tyrone winning Sam again
C) Root Canal treatment

which would you choose ?

Never had one but I would go for C without the local anastehtic

Root canal's not that bad. 

[maddog]

The spirit of 77 would be enough to carry Armagh through to the Super 8s.  Only worry is whether we have the players of the same abilities?

I have been as critical of McGeeney as anyone else but he has brought this squad to a stage where they are reaching a level of maturity that has been stilted by playing Division 3 for too long.  He has been handicapped by the withdrawals of players for whatever reasons and by injuries, although they affect all teams.

They have the potential to beat Roscommon if McGeeney can resist his usual impulse in bigger games to change the style of play to supposedly deal with the opposition threat like in last year's Tyrone match.  Best to build on the current game plan and go for it against Roscommon, we would rather go down attacking than wilt against a reasonable but flaky Roscommon team with some amended defensive system.

Completely agree on that last point.

I hate defensive football but watching a mimic is worse than watching the real thing

The spirit of 77? you surely mean the luck and incompetent ref of 77 Mr. Collins of westmeath, Mickey Freyne had a perfect goal disallowed for square ball, Armagh got a penalty to bring them back into the game and the foul was clearly yards outside the area if it was a foul at all and if you think im doting just read Eugene McGees book "great all-ireland semi finals" and he says everything I have said here and of course we had the very sporting Armagh manager walking across the field and sledgeing the great Dermott Earley before he took a late 45 when the game was level, to the day he died Dermott would not say what O Neill said to him that day, more class than O Neill I would say.

Who's idea was it to go fighting with Kerry in 1980 ? You were motoring well at one point.

[Cunny Funt]

Not many managers have better qualifier records than that.

[Armamike]

The spirit of 77 would be enough to carry Armagh through to the Super 8s.  Only worry is whether we have the players of the same abilities?

I have been as critical of McGeeney as anyone else but he has brought this squad to a stage where they are reaching a level of maturity that has been stilted by playing Division 3 for too long.  He has been handicapped by the withdrawals of players for whatever reasons and by injuries, although they affect all teams.

They have the potential to beat Roscommon if McGeeney can resist his usual impulse in bigger games to change the style of play to supposedly deal with the opposition threat like in last year's Tyrone match.  Best to build on the current game plan and go for it against Roscommon, we would rather go down attacking than wilt against a reasonable but flaky Roscommon team with some amended defensive system.

Completely agree on that last point.

I hate defensive football but watching a mimic is worse than watching the real thing

The spirit of 77? you surely mean the luck and incompetent ref of 77 Mr. Collins of westmeath, Mickey Freyne had a perfect goal disallowed for square ball, Armagh got a penalty to bring them back into the game and the foul was clearly yards outside the area if it was a foul at all and if you think im doting just read Eugene McGees book "great all-ireland semi finals" and he says everything I have said here and of course we had the very sporting Armagh manager walking across the field and sledgeing the great Dermott Earley before he took a late 45 when the game was level, to the day he died Dermott would not say what O Neill said to him that day, more class than O Neill I would say.

You're still sore then.  Did Roscommon not contribute anything to their own downfall that day or was it all due to bad luck, refereeing and bad sportsmanship?

[weareros]

The spirit of 77 would be enough to carry Armagh through to the Super 8s.  Only worry is whether we have the players of the same abilities?

I have been as critical of McGeeney as anyone else but he has brought this squad to a stage where they are reaching a level of maturity that has been stilted by playing Division 3 for too long.  He has been handicapped by the withdrawals of players for whatever reasons and by injuries, although they affect all teams.

They have the potential to beat Roscommon if McGeeney can resist his usual impulse in bigger games to change the style of play to supposedly deal with the opposition threat like in last year's Tyrone match.  Best to build on the current game plan and go for it against Roscommon, we would rather go down attacking than wilt against a reasonable but flaky Roscommon team with some amended defensive system.

Completely agree on that last point.

I hate defensive football but watching a mimic is worse than watching the real thing

The spirit of 77? you surely mean the luck and incompetent ref of 77 Mr. Collins of westmeath, Mickey Freyne had a perfect goal disallowed for square ball, Armagh got a penalty to bring them back into the game and the foul was clearly yards outside the area if it was a foul at all and if you think im doting just read Eugene McGees book "great all-ireland semi finals" and he says everything I have said here and of course we had the very sporting Armagh manager walking across the field and sledgeing the great Dermott Earley before he took a late 45 when the game was level, to the day he died Dermott would not say what O Neill said to him that day, more class than O Neill I would say.

You're still sore then.  Did Roscommon not contribute anything to their own downfall that day or was it all due to bad luck, refereeing and bad sportsmanship?

Was a great team. At the risk of irking our neighbours during their time of sorrow, they were the best team I ever saw never to win an All-Ireland. Three games in particular were thrown away: Armagh in 77, Dublin 79 and of course the All-Ireland in 1980. We were the architects of our own misfortune. Gay left an awful soft goal in that slipped through his hands in 77, Finneran should have started in 79, even then his goal of the year put us in a winning position. If we continued to play the type of football we did in semi-final win over Armagh, we would have beaten Kerry. Even O'Dwyer always maintained that is the one Kerry should have lost. Of course Ros got blamed for the foul fest. Kerry then were whiter than white and ref was too naive to see Spillane faking fouls, or catch their pulling and dragging on our forwards. We are a long time waiting to even get a schniff of Sam since.

[laoislad]

Not many managers have better qualifier records than that.

Laois beat them twice.....

[BennyCake]

Not many managers have better qualifier records than that.

Is it just me or is McGeeney looking years younger as Armagh manager?

[tonto1888]

Not many managers have better qualifier records than that.

Is it just me or is McGeeney looking years younger as Armagh manager?

It's because he didn't have the cap on in that picture. The cap adds years to him