Messages

It just gives the same types of louts who shout abuse at players during matches a chance to write down their bile. Players should either use the bs as motivation or ignore it completely. It's really that simple.

Twitter is what it is, though, and people need to realise there's a desire in everyone to talk about themselves or things that pop into their heads. The whole 'I don't understand new technology x' meme is ten times more grating than the tech itself. You don't like it, fine, but if you really tried and still failed to understand Twitter then I'm at a loss for words.

With no Rogers,Shine on the field yesterday & Heneghan not interested in frees anymore Claffey was given the job to take a few distance frees i just hope that's that last time i see him trying them.

Keenan smashing the crossbar was incredible miss & the goal ruled out for a square ball should have stood as Finneran ran into the box.

Looking at the Divison now Longford,Wexford are the favourites to get the two promotion spots but we have done well to be in the hunt (remember some pundits had us tipped for relegation) Antrim were poor yesterday but a win v Longford would put them right back in it.

Tipp,Offaly look certain for the drop now we regrouped after relegation i'm sure both of them can as well. Sligo,Cavan are in limbo won't get relegated or promoted by the looks of it.

Claffey only took the one, it was worth a go because McDermott was assured enough taking short frees but the one long one he hit was about the only mistake he made all day long. Strange that he and not Heneghan, the free-taker that McDermott's own club, wasn't taking them.

The irony of Claffey's screwed kick was that it ended up in Cregg's hands just outside the square and he missed a guilt-edged shot himself, I've rarely seen a player hold his head in his hands for as long as Cregg did, the water-boy was probably about to wheel the oxygen tank out!

[with us playing in D1 as recently as 2008]

The difference at the moment is all three of Longford, Roscommon and Wexford are very confident in their abilities to compete at higher levels and are coming off good 2011 championship form. If one of them crashed and burned in the 2012 championship it might damage them but right now they'd have zero fear of the vast majority of D2 teams.

Wexford yo-yo'd after their All-Ireland semi but they've obviously built a very dangerous outfit over the last two years, but for a Masterson mistake Dublin wouldn't have been Leinster champions and but for a questionable point they'd have been in an All-Ireland quarter-final.

This Longford team is the finest I've ever seen, they play with a great unity and belief, as fit as any D2 team, and coming back from two sucker punch goals in the first half and a five point deficit in the second half to beat us (Roscommon) last week typifies the progress they've made.

The current Roscommon team has the potential to be a D1 team, of that I have absolutely no doubt. We're loaded with young players that'll take a few more years to fully develop but this squad is the most complete Roscommon panel since the early 90's, a team itself that was severely unlucky not to make the 1991 All-Ireland final. Roscommon historically have been a D1/D2 team, with us playing in D1 as recently as 2008, our recent skid down the league has done a very good job at masking the fact that we tended to, even when championship form was off, be a threat to any team in the league.

All three are coming off good championship form, Longford pushed Tyrone to the limit last year and we had a back-to-back provincial title in the bag (how many D2 teams can claim that?) but for a blizzard and were more than equal to Tyrone before our inexperienced bench meant we had no answer for subs of the quality of Brian Dooher and Owen Mulligan. That's a Tyrone squad that was better than the team currently cutting shreds through D2.

So if all three have a good chance of beating three of the current D2 teams, Galway, Westmeath and Louth, that alone that means at least one of the soon-to-be-promoted teams has a very good chance of being in D2 come 2014, and that's disregarding the fact Monaghan, Derry or Meath would be particularly confident of beating any of those teams. The standard gap is lower for these three counties than some others who've made the step up. Obviously the tie between the two promoted D3 teams next season will be crucial in deciding who stays up, but the teams coming down from D1 next season are unlikely to be as hot as Tyrone are this season either.

Westmeath have a bit of the Roscommon's about them at the moment, a team not doing anything in the championship but able to pull results out in the league, they're definitely are caught in the middle ground between D2 and D3. Tipp and Sligo didn't preform last year - Sligo are a team still damaged from the 2010 Connacht final - but the crop coming up will make D2 the most unpredictable division in the league next season.

Mayo Micks cousin? Roscommon were in Div 2 in 08. While Longfords form has surprised me this season they have been building under Glen Ryan for a few years now. It will be interesting to see how they get on against Wexford (the best team in Div 3 IMO) in their last league game, provided both teams have something left to play for. To say Roscommon and Longford are better than Galway, Westmeath and Louth and would put it up to Monaghan, Derry or Meath is a bit of a leap of faith. Wexford as they showed in championship last year would comfortably fit into the yoyo bracket between 2 and 3 with ourselves Louth, Antrim and Sligo. I'm not sure what Galway have done to be in this grouping, they have five points on the board after 4 games with a lot of new faces on board this year, they deserve the benefit of the doubt at the moment anyway.

It was a lot more murky than that. In 2007 we got to the final of the old D2(A+B), topping our division, but because of the restructure we ended up in the new 'D2' that contained Dublin, Monaghan near their peak, Meath, Armagh and Cork. That was not a normal D2. And, of course, Westmeath won the final.

Galway haven't won a single championship game in Ireland since June 2009; any fair Galway supporter would tell you that on form all those three teams have been better than them over the last number of years. Neither Derry or Monahgan have shown any more consistency or ability above and beyond what the best three teams in D3 have, indeed Roscommon have a provincial title in the last two seasons and Wexford were desperately unlucky themselves last season. Louth haven't showed much at all since last year's league and I couldn't see many rating them as better than any of the three. And with all due respect to Westmeath, the other three wouldn't be going in to face you with any trepidation and would likely be fairly confident of being able to beat you, at least privately.

We'll see, but Roscommon, Longford and Wexford have being making continuous progress for a couple years now while most of the other teams bounding around D2/3 have shown inconsistent form in league and championship games, Louth, Sligo, Tipp, Westmeath, Monaghan and Galway are coming off disappointing championships.

It should be points difference, but as this is the GAA, I expect it will be head-to-head like last season (when Monaghan were relegated from D1, despite being 6th in the table).

The official guide is fairly clear - when 2 teams are involved it's head to head and any more than 2 it's scoring difference.

Which is the fairest system, if you beat a team you deserve to be ahead of them if you're on equal points.

For me little difference between Div 1 & 2 our division is a level below it. Longford/Wexford may cope alright in Div 2 as both are free scoring & that's something you need to be before moving up a level. We have done well with all the players missing but it's been more hard graft than impressing to be honest. The last time we got promotion to Div 2 (2008) we were out of depth & Galway,Mayo gave us two bad beatings in championship only in the last few years have we found or feet & i think if we are lucky enough to get promoted this year we'll be in better shape than 2008 to compete.

And it all fairness in 2008 we were in the middle of complete implosion. We've now had a good four years of progress, which for me began with that 20 point drubbing in Castlebar in '09 and a gritty response to knock Wexford out over two games in the qualifiers. We did drop off into D4 in 2010 but it wasn't like we were non-competitive, we'd actually lead D3 with three games to go. It finally feels like Roscommon are building towards something and even though the performances aren't there right now it's so great to see the team pulling out good results, they've really built confidence over the last two and a half seasons. I can only imagine where this team will be in three years if they all stick at it, our ultimate aim in the league has to eventually be a competitive D1 team. If Mayo can do it..

So if all three have a good chance of beating three of the current D2 teams, Galway, Westmeath and Louth, that alone that means at least one of the soon-to-be-promoted teams has a very good chance of being in D2 come 2014

Again, chances are the two newly promoted teams will only be playing one of these teams(most likely Galway) in 2013.

It's much the same with Monaghan and Derry, though. Meath are always a team I find hard to judge, they seem to be able to compete with top-tier teams on the odd occasion but overall they're the epitome of a D2 team. I don't see much reason to think they're going to beat any of those three D3 teams off the field.

The difference at the moment is all three of Longford, Roscommon and Wexford are very confident in their abilities to compete at higher levels and are coming off good 2011 championship form. If one of them crashed and burned in the 2012 championship it might damage them but right now they'd have zero fear of the vast majority of D2 teams.

Wexford yo-yo'd after their All-Ireland semi but they've obviously built a very dangerous outfit over the last two years, but for a Masterson mistake Dublin wouldn't have been Leinster champions and but for a questionable point they'd have been in an All-Ireland quarter-final.

This Longford team is the finest I've ever seen, they play with a great unity and belief, as fit as any D2 team, and coming back from two sucker punch goals in the first half and a five point deficit in the second half to beat us (Roscommon) last week typifies the progress they've made.

The current Roscommon team has the potential to be a D1 team, of that I have absolutely no doubt. We're loaded with young players that'll take a few more years to fully develop but this squad is the most complete Roscommon panel since the early 90's, a team itself that was severely unlucky not to make the 1991 All-Ireland final. Roscommon historically have been a D1/D2 team, with us playing in D1 as recently as 2008, our recent skid down the league has done a very good job at masking the fact that we tended to, even when championship form was off, be a threat to any team in the league.

All three are coming off good championship form, Longford pushed Tyrone to the limit last year and we had a back-to-back provincial title in the bag (how many D2 teams can claim that?) but for a blizzard and were more than equal to Tyrone before our inexperienced bench meant we had no answer for subs of the quality of Brian Dooher and Owen Mulligan. That's a Tyrone squad that was better than the team currently cutting shreds through D2.

So if all three have a good chance of beating three of the current D2 teams, Galway, Westmeath and Louth, that alone that means at least one of the soon-to-be-promoted teams has a very good chance of being in D2 come 2014, and that's disregarding the fact Monaghan, Derry or Meath would be particularly confident of beating any of those teams. The standard gap is lower for these three counties than some others who've made the step up. Obviously the tie between the two promoted D3 teams next season will be crucial in deciding who stays up, but the teams coming down from D1 next season are unlikely to be as hot as Tyrone are this season either.

Westmeath have a bit of the Roscommon's about them at the moment, a team not doing anything in the championship but able to pull results out in the league, they're definitely are caught in the middle ground between D2 and D3. Tipp and Sligo didn't preform last year - Sligo are a team still damaged from the 2010 Connacht final - but the crop coming up will make D2 the most unpredictable division in the league next season.

I'd question that. Longford, Roscommon and Wexford are fully capable of at least being mid-level D2 teams right now. All three I'd rate higher than Galway, Westmeath and Louth and on an almost even keel with Derry and Meath, depending on the venue all three would have a very real shot at beating those two.

I just think what it takes to succeed in D3 isn't the same thing as what it takes to succeed in D2 and some D3 teams end up mired in the middle of D3 when they could just as easily be in the mid-table of D2 if they did get promoted.

Huge call by Newton to drop Shine, he was off-form but for a manager to have the balls to drop his star player two months into his term is certainly bold. Shine didn't cut a happy figure on the sideline but knowing the lad and his family's football pedigree he should use that disapointment to drive himself back into form, he'll be needed next weekend.

We controlled this game completely apart from the first score of the game, Antrim's goal. Antrim were toothless and were choked out of the game very fast. Without being too biting, Antrim are not even in the promotion picture now. We played within ourselves the entire match and easily won, we played with much more intensity against Longford and lost, I can't see how Antrim beat Longford next week or Wexford later in the league.

The ref didn't help our cause in the second half, disallowing a goal, giving huge marginal calls to Antrim in almost every instance so I wouldn't be as harsh as to say we were poor - our finishing was poor but our defence and our passing was good.

Darren McDermott is a serious player. You can start pencilling him in for the championship 15 at this point, every single game he's played he's performed in. There's such a comfort in having a keeper of Claffey's quality, two huge saves today and if not for him a David Kelly goal would have probably won the 2010 Connacht final for Sligo. Cathal Dineen made his return to the starting line-up in the pre-match shuffle and continued his fine form against Tipp. Finneran is a real workhorse, so many times you see him in the full-back line clearing ball and he still manages to get forward. Niall Daly looks wonderfully assured for such a young player, he rarely ever makes the wrong decision. Ian Kilbride has introduced a physicality to our defence that was missing, too. Cregg is looking better than ever, some wayward shots but his energy, skill and passing were second to none. Every Roscommon supporter would glad to see Senan Kilbride back in the county colours, though they'll need to be feeding him better ball and supporting him more than they were today.

It all sets up what should be a promotion decider in Wexford next weekend. If the winner of that game doesn't get promoted they'll have no one to blame but themselves.

Totally beautiful day today and the same promised tomorrow. Should be a fantastic game!

This needs to be Dempsey's last shot at it. Massive underachievement since he took over the 21s. I'm surprised he's still involved to be honest. The last two years have been a shambles relative to the quality he has had at his disposal.

You met Roscommon teams of more than equal talent the past two years, don't be surprised if you beat Galway and lose in Kiltoom. Any of Mayo, Roscommon or Galway would likely have won the All-Ireland coming out of Connacht last year such was the standard, and we blew a big chance to at least make the All-Ireland final in 2010.

Top of the table clash against Antrim. really looking forward to it!!!

You have no place in the Division 2 thread.

We will in two months time. 

[The PYOY is, like all GAA awards, too weighted towards a player's given county making the semi-final or final of the All-Ireland.]

You're taking it all wrong - he could well develop into a very good player but right now he's over-hyped for what he is on the field. He's only 20, give the lad a chance before you bet the house on him.

You are rubbishing him based on 4 games. Then you are asking us to give the lad a chance while saying he is a 'completely unspectacular presence from play' and 'he's not someone any team will be bothered about facing'.

He is the reason we beat you last year in the Connacht Final. He played very well from play against the All-Ireland Champions in the quarter Final and his goal (temporarily) dragged us back into it against Kerry in the All-Ireland semi. He is Connacht's 3rd YPOTY after Keith Higgins and Michael Donnellan.

No one is betting any houses, we are simply recognizing a serious debut season from a teenager and we hoping that he raises the bar again this season. You Roscommon lads mightn't rate him but I would suggest other counties will be keeping a close eye on him from play.

What the hell?

He had a great season for a 19 year old senior rookie but in the context of the team and of senior standard he was nothing eye-seering. I've said already his best attribute was his clear head and ability to handle the pressure of taking frees.

Keane said he won the YPOY almost by default  because there wasn't much competition and to a degree that's correct - the year before Donie Shine played far better overall but was over-looked for Aidan Walsh, another player who is being hyped up too much. The PYOY is, like all GAA awards, too weighted towards a player's given county making the semi-final or final of the All-Ireland.

This is ridiculous and all too typical of Ireland. You seek out players to knock, then when something likes awards are used as evidence against you then knock the awards. You ignore the goal being played above in an All-Ireland semifinal ridiculously comparing it to a goal scored in the winter in the FBD league by a Rossie that nobody saw. You then rubbish Aidan Walsh's superb All-Ireland Final performance again suggesting a Rossie, naturally, deserved the award. Aidan Walsh was a shoo-in for YPOTY in 2010 to anyone with an objective viewpoint.

If it weren't for O'Connor we would not have been in the semi-final, we would have lost the Connacht Final. That is why we were in the latter stages. Walsh was a principal reason that Cork won the All-Ireland Final in 2010. It is precisely because of their efforts in getting their teams to the latter stages or indeed winning the final, that they won the awards.

It has very little to do with Shine - Walsh mostly only became a serious presence in games after they rotated Nicolas Murphy in, invariably in second halves - Murphy was so good and game changing in his appearances that season I'd go as far as to say he was a borderline All-Star - when Murphy could boss the midfield and give Walsh space and ball to operate with. It's alot easier to look good on a team that was as loaded with quality players at the right age as that 2010 Cork team than it was to be given bad ball and tight angles and turn them into great points and frees like Donie did that year. Donie was more important to us winning Connacht in 2010 than O'Connor was to winning it in 2011. I wouldn't subscribe to Walsh being 'superb' in the final either.

Donie Shine, too, has been over-hyped. You're taking me saying players are being over-hyped as if that means they're bad players or they lack potential, that's completely not the case. It's just that I see a general disconnect from the perception of O'Connor and his actual performances.

What are you talking about? Walsh won the award mainly because of his fielding, especially in the Final. How did Murphy help him with that?

Now you are saying Shine is over-hyped.  You are the only one talking about him on this thread and you were the one suggesting he was overlooked for YPOTY.

Do you have anything positive to say about any footballer?

Why are you dead set on absolutisms?

Shine was deserving of the YPOY in 2010, but he's been hyped up as our star player and he's easily not - yet - even our best forward. Senan Kilbride is, for my money, the most complete forward not only in Roscommon but Connacht. He's a very classy forward who has vision, size, skill and the temperament to dictate games. Shine also has all those things but right now Kilbride is the better player. I guess we're just lucky to have two big men of the calibre of Kilbride and Shine but Kilbride has been overlooked mostly when people outside the county and in the national media discuss our team in favour of talking about Shine. It's put un-needed pressure on his shoulders, but I guess that is the lot for any player that announces themselves like he did in 2010.

Anyways, it's a similar situation with O'Connor, but he was younger than Shine was in 2010 and because of that has a longer road to go before he reaches a point of teams setting out to stop him. If he makes it it's all good but being YPOY and scoring a goal doesn't change that he was unremarkable from play last year.

[The PYOY is, like all GAA awards, too weighted towards a player's given county making the semi-final or final of the All-Ireland.]

You're taking it all wrong - he could well develop into a very good player but right now he's over-hyped for what he is on the field. He's only 20, give the lad a chance before you bet the house on him.

You are rubbishing him based on 4 games. Then you are asking us to give the lad a chance while saying he is a 'completely unspectacular presence from play' and 'he's not someone any team will be bothered about facing'.

He is the reason we beat you last year in the Connacht Final. He played very well from play against the All-Ireland Champions in the quarter Final and his goal (temporarily) dragged us back into it against Kerry in the All-Ireland semi. He is Connacht's 3rd YPOTY after Keith Higgins and Michael Donnellan.

No one is betting any houses, we are simply recognizing a serious debut season from a teenager and we hoping that he raises the bar again this season. You Roscommon lads mightn't rate him but I would suggest other counties will be keeping a close eye on him from play.

What the hell?

He had a great season for a 19 year old senior rookie but in the context of the team and of senior standard he was nothing eye-seering. I've said already his best attribute was his clear head and ability to handle the pressure of taking frees.

Keane said he won the YPOY almost by default  because there wasn't much competition and to a degree that's correct - the year before Donie Shine played far better overall but was over-looked for Aidan Walsh, another player who is being hyped up too much. The PYOY is, like all GAA awards, too weighted towards a player's given county making the semi-final or final of the All-Ireland.

This is ridiculous and all too typical of Ireland. You seek out players to knock, then when something likes awards are used as evidence against you then knock the awards. You ignore the goal being played above in an All-Ireland semifinal ridiculously comparing it to a goal scored in the winter in the FBD league by a Rossie that nobody saw. You then rubbish Aidan Walsh's superb All-Ireland Final performance again suggesting a Rossie, naturally, deserved the award. Aidan Walsh was a shoo-in for YPOTY in 2010 to anyone with an objective viewpoint.

If it weren't for O'Connor we would not have been in the semi-final, we would have lost the Connacht Final. That is why we were in the latter stages. Walsh was a principal reason that Cork won the All-Ireland Final in 2010. It is precisely because of their efforts in getting their teams to the latter stages or indeed winning the final, that they won the awards.

It has very little to do with Shine - Walsh mostly only became a serious presence in games after they rotated Nicolas Murphy in, invariably in second halves - Murphy was so good and game changing in his appearances that season I'd go as far as to say he was a borderline All-Star - when Murphy could boss the midfield and give Walsh space and ball to operate with. It's alot easier to look good on a team that was as loaded with quality players at the right age as that 2010 Cork team than it was to be given bad ball and tight angles and turn them into great points and frees like Donie did that year. Donie was more important to us winning Connacht in 2010 than O'Connor was to winning it in 2011. I wouldn't subscribe to Walsh being 'superb' in the final either.

Donie Shine, too, has been over-hyped. You're taking me saying players are being over-hyped as if that means they're bad players or they lack potential, that's completely not the case. It's just that I see a general disconnect from the perception of O'Connor and his actual performances.

You're taking it all wrong - he could well develop into a very good player but right now he's over-hyped for what he is on the field. He's only 20, give the lad a chance before you bet the house on him.

You are rubbishing him based on 4 games. Then you are asking us to give the lad a chance while saying he is a 'completely unspectacular presence from play' and 'he's not someone any team will be bothered about facing'.

He is the reason we beat you last year in the Connacht Final. He played very well from play against the All-Ireland Champions in the quarter Final and his goal (temporarily) dragged us back into it against Kerry in the All-Ireland semi. He is Connacht's 3rd YPOTY after Keith Higgins and Michael Donnellan.

No one is betting any houses, we are simply recognizing a serious debut season from a teenager and we hoping that he raises the bar again this season. You Roscommon lads mightn't rate him but I would suggest other counties will be keeping a close eye on him from play.

What the hell?

He had a great season for a 19 year old senior rookie but in the context of the team and of senior standard he was nothing eye-seering. Moran, Dillion and Mort are all better players than him and I'd probably put him at the same level as Freeman at this point. I've said already his best attribute was his clear head and ability to handle the pressure of taking frees. I don't see how that's rubbishing him.

Keane said he won the YPOY almost by default  because there wasn't much competition and to a degree that's correct - the year before Donie Shine played far better overall but was over-looked for Aidan Walsh, another player who is being hyped up too much. The PYOY is, like all GAA awards, too weighted towards a player's given county making the semi-final or final of the All-Ireland.