Tyrone v Donegal - Sunday 18th June at 2pm

[Il Bomber Destro]

I would not be surprised if Longford beat Donegal though, Ulster football is not where it used to be.

I would be very surprised if Longford beat Donegal.

They beat a better Monaghan team last year, lightning doesn't always strike twice but don't be shocked if it does.

I would be shocked if Longford beat Donegal.

[omaghjoe]

Yeah but I haven't seen a team as wide open down the middle since the Jason Ryan era. Hard to read anyhting into a match when one team are set up so badly and their heads drop. Tyrone are obviously a good team and will not be far away from competing in September but there is too much being read into this game.
Roscommon had a great league campaign in 2016 and look where they ended up.

I also felt sad seeing one of the great players of this century in Karl Lacey struggle so badly with his legs gone but then again it also looks like he had a hair transplant and I enjoy the suffering of men that vain.

Monaghan should provide a better guage of where Tyrone are at.

It reminded me of Martin McHughs comments about Down a few years back, coming back to bit him now.

For me this was a good win that you can read nothing into. Donegal were lacking in ability and tactical astutest which meant they were going to lose. But they were also lacking in experience and character which meant they completely folded.

Anyone can look good and have great discipline etc etc when theres nothing in front of ye

This match told us nothing but it was nice to get one over on Donegal two seasons on the trot all the same  esp after all those defeats.

[Jinxy]

Longford won't fear Donegal.

[ONeill]

Granard v Bundoran isn't even a contest.

[southtyronegael]

now that the dust has settled on the game and ive watched it a second time i can see there was a definite shift in tactics from tyrone. longer kickouts, variety of kicking into full forward line, less ponderous fist passing and the result was a very good performance. the tyrone players really seemed to enjoy being allowed to do what they do best and thats play football. donegal shocking poor though so wouldnt be getting too carried away with result.

[omagh_gael]

Still want Mickey's head on a stake, STG?

[southtyronegael]

maybe the penny has dropped with him? maybe he has been on here reading my posts? id say he has decided to go out all guns blazing in his last year.

[BennyCake]

maybe the penny has dropped with him? maybe he has been on here reading my posts? id say he has decided to go out all guns blazing in his last year.

He'll still be there next year.

[southtyronegael]

will all depend on the next few games though. remember this time last year when we scored 5-16 against cavan? alot of talk about all irelands and what a great manager mickey was but it proved to be another false dawn. time will tell.

[Redhand Santa]

now that the dust has settled on the game and ive watched it a second time i can see there was a definite shift in tactics from tyrone. longer kickouts, variety of kicking into full forward line, less ponderous fist passing and the result was a very good performance. the tyrone players really seemed to enjoy being allowed to do what they do best and thats play football. donegal shocking poor though so wouldnt be getting too carried away with result.

Do you ever sit back and think maybe Mickey Harte knows a bit more about football than you do? During the last 3 league games when you were coming on calling for his head it never occurred to you that perhaps he was holding something back for the championship. Not once did that seem to factor into your over the top nonsense. And I'm glad you brought up the Cavan game last year below as you seem to have forgotten about it when talking about how negative Tyrone played football last year. It isn't always easy to play football against the top teams when they go defensive like Donegal and Mayo last year.

Harte is no one trick pony when it comes to tactics and they have varied considerably at times since he took over. His longevity and ability to motivate the players and keep more or less all the top players in the county playing over such a period is testament to the man. Long may he continue managing Tyrone.

[Jayop]

Yeah but I haven't seen a team as wide open down the middle since the Jason Ryan era. Hard to read anyhting into a match when one team are set up so badly and their heads drop. Tyrone are obviously a good team and will not be far away from competing in September but there is too much being read into this game.
Roscommon had a great league campaign in 2016 and look where they ended up.

I also felt sad seeing one of the great players of this century in Karl Lacey struggle so badly with his legs gone but then again it also looks like he had a hair transplant and I enjoy the suffering of men that vain.

Monaghan should provide a better guage of where Tyrone are at.

I don't think there is really. If anything the response has been pretty measured given the nature of the win. The majority of pundits and posters on social media are saying the same thing, it was a brilliant Tyrone performance and probably the performance of the year so far from any team, but it comes with two huge asterisk, 1) Donegal were very poor on the day and that has to be taken into account, and 2) It's still only June so any good performance is in the context of us not even having had a full round of qualifiers or a single provincial final yet. 

Yes it was great, yes it probably elevates us into 3rd most likely to win an all-ireland given Mayo and Donegals failures, but it still leaves us with no idea how we'll do against Dublin or Kerry in Croke Park. That's where we've failed so often the last 5 years and that's the real test.

[Fuzzman]

I think most Tyrone fans felt it was our best performance in about 5 or even 7 years but I think it's also fair to say it was probably Donegals worst performance in maybe 5 years.

[Jayop]

There's no doubt it was. It could even easily be argued it was the best performance since 2008 given it's really the first time we've beaten a top 4 team in the Championship in that time. Our only other good results since then are against the likes of Kildare and Monaghan.

[nrico2006]

There's no doubt it was. It could even easily be argued it was the best performance since 2008 given it's really the first time we've beaten a top 4 team in the Championship in that time. Our only other good results since then are against the likes of Kildare and Monaghan.

What about last year?

[Jayop]

ha, yeah we beat them too last year.

But this was clearly a miles better performance than that.