McKenna Cup 2024

[blewuporstuffed]

Most years they have the biggest selection with the universities. That plus they have s shed load of injuries to players this year aswell.
But that's an aside to the basic principle that the Mckenna cup is a competition to allow managers to prepare for the League. And if Tyrone were losing 10 out of their panel then it makes a nonsense of it and reduces it to a farce. Let the players decide who they want to play for (And I would hope any of them with any real motivation to play county football would declare for the County).

The other side of it is, that unlike say cavan or antrim or whoever, MH harte is looking longer term towards still being involved in august & september, so alot of the more senior players are given the mckenna cup off (gormley, cavanagh, joe etc) leaving harte bringing in more new faces (and alot more students) than alot of counties for the mckenna cup.

To be honest , i would prefer stuck by the rules and released the players to the universities, but that doesnt look like something that is going to happen

[Fuzzman]

Mackers at first I thought yeah Mickey was just being stubborn but when you think of it from the players point of view. Most of them want to make the county squad or starting team and they know its highly competitive. They are the ones busting their ass week in week out training like professional players these days so do you not think it should be there choice.
A young player like McAliskey got his chance last year in the McKenna cup and that ended up in getting more chances later in the summer. With the league so important now to stay in the top division young players know that if they get into Mickey's plans early in the year then they've some chance of proving to him they're worthy of playing in the league & hopefully championship.

Mickey is hard man to change his mind and so making a good first impression is important for most of these players. I would imagine if you asked players like McAliskey and McKenna to line out for their colleges they'd be none too happy as they'd be thinking they won't be getting on in league matches then later.

[mackers]

Fuzz, do you not think that exact same predicament is reflected in the other 31 counties in Ireland?  Why should Tyrone's situation be any different to any of the other counties in Ireland?
I think that MH's theory is, and he has gone on record as saying that, he's only in the McKenna Cup to win it.  The other managers only use the McKenna Cup to try out players and they use it as a set of challenge matches.  MH is quoted in today's Irish News complaining that different games in the same group have different throw in times. Does he really think that someone from Donegal will be sitting in Omagh radioing Jim McGuinness to let him know how many more points they need to score to qualify out of the group?
Tyrone posters will say that this sort of attitude has led him to a lot of success, fair enough, but his perspective on the McKenna Cup could actually end up ruining it. 
My view is that the other 8 inter county managers and the university managers have bought into a different spirit within the McKenna Cup.
For every player that would rather play for their county there is one that would rather play for their university.  I was talking to one guy who is on a county panel (not an established member by any means) and he was glad of the opportunity to play for his college as this was his last year there.  There have been numerous players quoted in the papers with the same attitude.  Leaving it up to the players would be very unfair to them.

[regal]

Armagh are 3/1 with the bookies tonight. If Kieran Toner is fit it would give armagh a big lift. I would be happy enough if Jamie Clarke spent the evening wrapped up somewhere warm (Sallys?) as it's hard to see the benefit in playing him?

[mackers]

Kieran Toner is reported not to be fit.  Jamie Clarke may need a game before the league, he hasn't played much football since last July.

[AFS]

Armagh team tonight:

Philip McEvoy
Andy Mallon
Charlie Vernon
Paul Hughes
Mark Shields
Tony Kernan
Ciaran Rafferty
Ethan Rafferty
James Lavery
Eugene McVerry
Kyle Carragher
Stefan Forker
Robbie Tasker
Jamie Clarke
Niall McConville

[laceer]

Are armagh TV showing the match?

[AFS]

Nah, it's in Omagh.

[omagh_gael]

Ty 2-05 Ar 0-02. Some things never change ;-)

2-09 to 0-04 ht

[Captain Obvious]

Bad night for Armagh, better to happen now than the league.

[JP]

Ah shite give us some sympathy and blow the whistle :/

[omagh_gael]

4-12 to 0-05

[Milltown Row2]

Ah shite give us some sympathy and blow the whistle :/

Kick them when they are down, Armagh if same position you'd be saying the same, some hammering though. Not missing too many

[JP]

Least the game offers definitive proof that playing 7 fowards with 2 attacking half backs does not work.

Just in case anybody doubted it.

[Aaron Boone]

I just checked Paddy Power live betting and Armagh were +24 on the handicap!