Messages

Everybody loves hooters.

Or at least most men.

[Actually thought Loughrey did as well as I've seen anyone on O'Donoghue]

Enjoyed that! Weather atrocious, Shehan was easily man of the match despite what that Carney tool said. Actually thought Loughrey did as well as I've seen anyone on O'Donoghue. Corks marquee forwards, who were so dangerous in the league had zero impact.

I thought Loughrey was excellent.

Ye can say what ye like about him but none of ye would would be complaining if he played for ye're county:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ZjZUmrDBQ

Same Sligo team selected

James Horan on Newstalk has backed your view Mano - suggesting Gilmartin will start as part of a three man midfield.

It makes sense. We will be annihilated in midfield from kick outs if we don't get a ball winner in there or at least to disrupt Mayo from getting clean possession. Don't think Gilmartin for C Davey will make much difference in terms of mobility and he will be more of a threat in the air. Mayo will be much more clinical with possession than Roscommon were.

I think either option involves a trade off. My point was that defensively we will be weakened by Gilmartin. It all adds to the intrigue.

I think Mayo will have too much power for us in any event.

For me, the minor match is of more importance to Sligo than the Senior. A good run by our minors will set the tone for underage panels coming behind them.

[I know Leitrim is a bit backwards]

The poor bus didn't have a great day itself yesterday either. Apparently when going through the village of Fenagh in Co. Leitrim the bus got caught up in Cemetery Sunday! One badly parked car and trailer meant the bus couldn't get passed so John Evans and a few of the lads had to get off, and push the trailer out of the way! 

Not your regular warm up routine!!

That was a fûcking mess. Cars parked both sides of the road on a narrow road. I know Leitrim is a bit backwards but did their Gardai call in sick the week they thaught traffic control in Templemore?

And Roscommon is....?

Same Sligo team selected

James Horan on Newstalk has backed your view Mano - suggesting Gilmartin will start as part of a three man midfield.

Does gilmartin have the legs and speed to cover back when we lose the ball?
Kelly and Marren will have to work hard to get possession as they will be marked very tightly.  We need a great performance from the whole team and if we get it we could cause another big upset.

Sligoman2 here are the reasons I would include Gilmartin

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaa-statistics-sligo-under-pressure-to-resolve-kickout-conundrum-1.2286279

Sligoman2's point is well made. The wing forwards are vital to the defensive set up and put in huge work. Gilmartin cannot fulfill their roles. From kickouts he is clearly a ball winner but its when we don't have the ball that's the issue.

[We managed to beat them even when they won the minor league this year. Sligo have developed a similar mental block with us that we have with Galway and Mayo.Let's not break the circuit in the biggest game of the lot. Prediction, Sligo will to try to Tyrone us but fail, relatively comfortable victory in the final 15 minutes. This isn't our moment of truth.]

Really poor performance, admittedly with a great comeback that masks that somewhat. Midfield won a mountain of balls but we never looked like scoring a point. We just couldn't kick the ball, almost everything we got to their 45 we elected to lump ball in on top an isolated player that was being double marked. Didn't look like we were reading the field well at any point. Really disjointed stuff.

I do think there are some players there that have brighter days ahead but in terms of basics something went very wrong tonight.

Sligo are good but like their seniors are non-existent in the air and it will prevent them from getting the best from that team. CK would want to temper his expectations because if they're supposed to be AI contenders there's no way we should have been anywhere near them with the performance we gave.

Didn't you say the following in advance of the senior game on Stolensheep?

We managed to beat them even when they won the minor league this year. Sligo have developed a similar mental block with us that we have with Galway and Mayo.

Let's not break the circuit in the biggest game of the lot. Prediction, Sligo will to try to Tyrone us but fail, relatively comfortable victory in the final 15 minutes. This isn't our moment of truth.

Whatever about CK's predictions, you are one to talk.

Congratulations to St Farnan's on our input.

Do you have any point bringing up something about a senior game (from another forum no less) here?

You seem a little obsessed to say the least.

I made my point.

[We managed to beat them even when they won the minor league this year. Sligo have developed a similar mental block with us that we have with Galway and Mayo.Let's not break the circuit in the biggest game of the lot. Prediction, Sligo will to try to Tyrone us but fail, relatively comfortable victory in the final 15 minutes. This isn't our moment of truth.]

Really poor performance, admittedly with a great comeback that masks that somewhat. Midfield won a mountain of balls but we never looked like scoring a point. We just couldn't kick the ball, almost everything we got to their 45 we elected to lump ball in on top an isolated player that was being double marked. Didn't look like we were reading the field well at any point. Really disjointed stuff.

I do think there are some players there that have brighter days ahead but in terms of basics something went very wrong tonight.

Sligo are good but like their seniors are non-existent in the air and it will prevent them from getting the best from that team. CK would want to temper his expectations because if they're supposed to be AI contenders there's no way we should have been anywhere near them with the performance we gave.

Didn't you say the following in advance of the senior game on Stolensheep?

We managed to beat them even when they won the minor league this year. Sligo have developed a similar mental block with us that we have with Galway and Mayo.

Let's not break the circuit in the biggest game of the lot. Prediction, Sligo will to try to Tyrone us but fail, relatively comfortable victory in the final 15 minutes. This isn't our moment of truth.

Whatever about CK's predictions, you are one to talk.

Congratulations to St Farnan's on our input.

Tipp, Limerick or Laois/Wexford. All doable matches.

I think we'd struggle against Tipp, Laois or Wexford.

Subs were the difference, coen and Rooney made a big diff when they came on with Coen scoring two points.
I would expect coen to start the next game in place of Brehony who seemed to struggle and was easily knocked off the ball.  Marren was non exisrent once again and may be injured but we can't be carrying any passengers.


Fair play top Flanagan for changing the midfield I think McIntyre and McDonnell both did well.

Tough luck to Wicklow, they had a lot of wides in the second half

I'm a bit rushed here but will give a brief summary of the game as I saw it.

Sorry Sligoman2 but Rooney was not good in my opinion  (he would not be in my team (but then who am I?)) and Coen pulled out of a 50/50 challenge when the game was in the melting pot. He was also outmuscled a fair but. That said, he did take his point very well to go ahead when Wicklow had levelled.

McDonnell was absolutely outstanding. He fetched a few great balls; he won breaking ball and run with real pace at Wicklow. He is going to be a very good footballer. This week we had more aggression; created overlaps and fought for the ball around the middle. Also we varied our kickouts although there was still too much delay in getting the ball kicked out  - even in the first half.

With all the ball we did win our ball into full forward line was poor but then Adrian Marren was not really showing - he doesn't look right to me. Kelly came out to CF in the second half when brehony went off and he largely controlled matters. The full back line played well as did midfield and half forward line. TOday there was some intensity and attempts to vary the play(we created some very good moves) and crucially the hand passing errors were well down on the last day (though not eradicated). We should have won the game by more if the final ball was right but then again I have seen many games where Sligo would have capitulated when the home team levelled matters well into the second half. The changes made in the lineup at least brought more work rate and intensity to the team.

We wont be worrying anyone else left in the draw but it is nice to win a game and Aughrim (though a lovely spot) is no easy place to go to - even if Wicklow are not very good.

what rules are those?

recruiting in kids from areas that don't have hurling clubs?

Ever hear of Western Gaels?

And is it Easkey, or Easkey/St Farnans?

This whole situation has been handled badly by the county board and the people behind this team. Personality clashes are no reason to go off and do your own thing but of course in Sligo if you have enough political clout you can do what you like.

Don't think you even need political clout Sean. You just need to have more bottle than the sleveens on the county board. They're the regulators here and could have put an end to it all.

It's a pity because it appears hurling is doing well in West Sligo. Having been in Croker yesterday I'd prefer it to having to watch the dire football we are treated to by all counties.

["Great Britain" is not a Nation State, but the UK is]

As for Gmac and Mcilroy representing Ireland at the World Cup,well there was no one else they could have played for.
There is no Team GB in Golf (outside of the Olympics) and they couldn't play for England,Scotland or Wales so Ireland was their only option apart of course from the option of not playing at all.

Nice attempt at "squaring the circle" there, LL, but there is no logical resolution to this.

For example, "Great Britain" is not a Nation State, but the UK is, and the UK includes NI. By contrast, Golf in Ireland is organised on an all-Ireland basis, yet Rory and GMac etc get designated as "Northern Irish" by the PGA/R&A. The Olympic Committee of Ireland claims to represent the whole of the island, yet "Team GB" [sic] may pick athletes from NI, since the official (i.e. not "brand") name of the team is "Great Britain and Northern Ireland". And as regards precedent, the only other time Golf had national team entries in the Games was pre-partition, so the only "local" team competed under the name "Great Britain and Ireland".

I personally don't believe Golf should be in the Games, but if it must, my take is as follows. People from NI are automatically entitled to call themselves British or Irish or both. Therefore they should be entitled to choose for themselves whether they are "British" golfers or "Irish" ones.

As for which they might choose, assuming Rory is in the world's top 15 come 2016 (v.likely but by not guaranteed, imo), then I suspect he will go "British" - if nothing else, his Agent/Sponsors/Corporate backers etc would see the financial advantage to this.  And as Harrington argues, it would also free up a place for another Irish golfer.

As for Gmac, I doubt he will be top 15 by then, but it's possible and if he is, I strongly suspect he would opt to be British. That said, if the only way he could 'make the cut' would be by being "Irish", and he's bothered about being an Olympian, then that may be his choice (imo).

And however it turns out, insofar as I can summon up any enthusiasm for Olympic Golf, good luck to both of them. 

Not sure either Great Britain or the UK are nation states. Sovereign entities or sovereign states maybe but not nation states. There are very few nation states left as far as I can see.

I just wish we would just shut up and keep our heads down and focus on football only and none of the side shows.


Fair enough, but I dont believe this (the venue!) to be a sideshow at all. I think Co. Board

We're in the last 12 despite only playing well in patches that's all that matters so less of the persecution complex, we'll just keep our heads down and keep driving on.

Its hardly a persecution complex u clown. As stated above , it doesnt suit many Sligo people either. Its the last place I expected this game to be played.

Less of the clown talk, that's not funny.

Lots of Kildare fans in the past month or so are starting to whinge about everything from the treatment of SJ, to the muppet show (aka TSG), to losing home venue, to refereeing appointments, to fixed draws and now the choice of venue, reading back I see the point you actually make is valid but lost in all the moaning and whinging going on I just wish we would just shut up and keep our heads down and focus on football only and none of the side shows.

are 100% right to loge an appeal even though it wont matter a wit this time. Maybe next year though, the GAA use more sense as a result of our concerns re venue.

Lads for the Sligo crowd it could be more of a pain getting home than for you lot. I live in North Kildare and was back in KIldare after the Connacht Final at 5.15pm. Friends of mine got home to Sligo later than that. The only heavy flow of traffic likely to be hit by the Kildare fans is from Athlone to Roscommon and vice-versa but thats a short spin. Kildare Co Board are more concerned that this is a venue with which Sligo are more familiar I suspect.

A nice article that pretty much sums up the football relationship between the two counties. Of course we are still superior in all other aspects of our relationship  Good luck to all today, enjoy the game and mind the bad roads.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/pain-game-a-constant-for-connachts-forgotten-men-3168479.html