What now for Armagh?

[Armamike]

As a few other posters here have said, things need freshening up with players, management and tactics. There's no need for witchhunts or personal attacks on certain players, but a dose of reality is needed all the same.  The tactics under the present management, while bringing a good deal of success, haven't changed much over the years and teams have long since cottoned on.  When you have ball winners of the calibre of Clarke and McDonnell you will always win a fair percentage of the long ball - but with Clarke out this year, Armagh were only firing on one cylinder, and that was never going to get us too far.  New ideas are needed but i would seriously doubt if Joe can provide them and furthermore get the players to believe.   We have some really good young talent in the side and on the panel and with the right coaching and management i don't think any of those lads will let themselves or the county down. The likes of Dyas, Toner, Lavery, Donaghy have all shown great potential over the 2 matches.  I just think it's a great shame that a couple more didn't get to sample some championship action this year and will now have to wait another year at least to make their debut.

This will be the first year since 1999 that Armagh have not made Croke Park and August in the championship. That level of consistency is a fantastic indictment of the contribution of all the management teams and players involved over the period. They have set the benchmark now for future Armagh teams and young players to aspire to, and that is probably their greatest achievement.

Despite the gloom felt by Armagh supporters today it should be borne in mind that Armagh football is in a far better state than it was 10 years ago.  The success at senior level has rippled down to underage level, where the interest in gaelic games in the county is probably at an all time high, with good structures and coaching now in place for underage development.  It's no coincidence that in the past 3 years Armagh have won 3 Ulsters and 1 AI at various underage grades.  Armagh teams of the future may not be winning silverware every year, but they will be competing for it on a regular basis.

 

[Orior]

Its back to the road bowls for me. And perhaps try and get my handicap down.

[corn02]

I for one would rather see people debate players and tactics rather than just sit back and go "well done lads, great journey." Every fan in Armagh knows exactly what this group has given us since 1999, and that respect is held by every Armagh fan. I am an anti-Joe man but even the most biased blinkers could not argue that he worked wonders for us in 2002.

Thank you lads but success breeds success, and I think it is a sign of the change in Armagh GAA that most are not prepared to sit back and wait twenty years for another surge at glory and instead expect Armagh to remain at the top.

[corn02]

To be fair Derry nor Doneagal had the guts of ten years being consiered contenders.

[Armamike]

I said it on the old board, but I always felt Armagh people didnt celebrate their success in 2002 enough. It was as if it was just the start of something big. 3 in a row. It was actually said in front of me in a pub one night that Armagh would win 3 in a row, because "the Down barstewards" had never won 3 in a row, well we still havent managed 3 in a row, but we still have more than you.

What are you blithering on about, man?  You obviously weren't around Armagh much over that winter? So you met one eejit in a pub who slabbered about winning 3 in a row - big deal.

[armawman]

It is difficult to understand the criticism of Stephen Kernan. He scored two excellent points yesterday. For the first point, he created loads of space for himself by sidestepping the Derry defender. The problem for Armagh was that they couldn't get enough space to shoot, so any player like Stephen who can create space like this is certainly worth his place on the team. The second point was also a great effort from distance.

Armagh only scored nine points in total and Stephen scored two of the best of them, so what's the problem? He is only a new member of the championship team, so what do people expect from him ? Do they expect him to score five or six points? This year Armagh have needed scoring forwards, but when a fellah like Stephen comes along and scores a few great points, some supporters slag him off. He plays in the half forward line so two points in a game is a very good return from a half forward.

Supporters are meant to get behind the team and management. If everyone roared Stephen on and encouraged him and built up his confidence, I'm certain that he would score even more. Remember he comes from very good stock, his father was a superb forward and Aaron is also excellent. Stephen was brilliant during the Under 21 All Ireland and Peter Rafferty had great faith in him.

And anyway, he's obviously made of stern stuff because he's stood up against any of the criticism which he has received and proved his doubters wrong with two great scores yesterday. Fair play to you Stephen.   

[Armamike]

Armagh only scored nine points in total and Stephen scored two of the best of them, so what's the problem?

You have to look at any one player's overall contribution to the team over the 70 mins, not just the fact that he contributes 1 or 2 points on the scoreboard.  The Derry half back line caused us a lot of problems going forward, without a hand placed on them. This wasn't all down to Stephen though.

[corn02]

Armawman, 6 posts and three of them have been the same.

[Over the Bar]

I said it on the old board, but I always felt Armagh people didnt celebrate their success in 2002 enough

I spend many's a day / night in Armagh in 02/03 and believe me, they celebrated it enough!

[corn02]

Of course youse Tyrone bastards got a more sustained celebration.

[SuperDooperCooper]

The inevitable 'what now?' after a championship loss. It happens to 30 teams each year as only one can win it's last game each year.
Fail to win that last game then you get written off for ever more, never to be heard from again. The team gets ridiculed from outside and gets ravaged from within. It's the Gaa way. Past successes count for nothing anymore. Yet Kerry 2001 & 2003, Armagh 2001, Cork Hurlers 2002 all teams who were wrote off after bad defeats from which they were supposed to never to be seen again yet all went on the following year to great success.
Change has to happen for sure but Armagh can be back eating from the top table again next year. Clarke, Mallon, Toal (in his prime in '05) and the bould Francie were all massive losses. Unfortunately Geezer (whose legs may finally have given out) didn't get to leave the stage as he should (ala the Pony last year) but McGeeney should be remembered for what he was, a player who left it all out on the pitch. Great man, great team, great future. Ard Mhaca Abu.

[topgun]

The inevitable 'what now?' after a championship loss. It happens to 30 teams each year as only one can win it's last game each year.
Fail to win that last game then you get written off for ever more, never to be heard from again. The team gets ridiculed from outside and gets ravaged from within. It's the Gaa way. Past successes count for nothing anymore. Yet Kerry 2001 & 2003, Armagh 2001, Cork Hurlers 2002 all teams who were wrote off after bad defeats from which they were supposed to never to be seen again yet all went on the following year to great success.
Change has to happen for sure but Armagh can be back eating from the top table again next year. Clarke, Mallon, Toal (in his prime in '05) and the bould Francie were all massive losses. Unfortunately Geezer (whose legs way finally have given out) didn't get to leave the stage as he should (ala the Pony last year) but McGeeney should be remembered for what he was, a player who left it all out on the pitch. Great man, great team, great future. Ard Mhaca Abu.

thanks

[full back]

Why are all the Kerry posters being so nice
Maybe you know the All Ireland is NOW yours to lose

[Kerry Mike]

Why are all the Kerry posters being so nice

yerra tis in our nature to be nice to the down trodden, but MikeSheehy2 will probably change that later on when he logs on!!!

Maybe you know the All Ireland is NOW yours to lose

I suppose t'would be arrogant of us to state, 'tis always been the case...

[magickingdom]

Why are all the Kerry posters being so nice
Maybe you know the All Ireland is NOW yours to lose

ha ha not true!

couldnt believe my eyes when i saw the armagh result yesterday, i would have put my house on them. people forget that in last years semi final they were only 2 points down with 2 minutes to go before giving away the crucial goal. thought this year would be a great chance for them as it was really the last throw of the dice one way or the other and the back door would be a great route for them to give it a go. sorry that it was not to be tho. like km i will always remember their ai win, it was a great day to be in croke park (once i got over the fact that kerry could not score a point in the last eleven minutes to level it up! (and if only mcconville HAD scored that penalty)).. they brought great glamour, crowds and no little bite to football this past decade and i for one hope we havent seen the last of them...