Mayo v Armagh- Round 3 Qualifier

[Over the Bar]

Was this the fault of the referee too?

https://twitter.com/untitledgaa/status/1145044385484218368?s=21

You still here? A clip with absolutely no context to it? What happened in the lead up to that? What was said or done?

So you're suggesting the that the Armagh no 5 may have been justified in committing that act of cowardice??

Reread what I read and answer properly. And as for acts of cowardice, have a look st your own players first

If you're talking about McCann he got punished and rightly so. Lots of unsavoury incidents happen in the heat of battle v opponents.  Taking your frustration in losing out on a man of 50+, engaged in conversation, when facing the other direction takes a special moment of cowardice.  Then to top it all he immediately hides behind the no 12.  Pathetic.

And you saw everything that happened did you? A little shove is hardly taking out frustrations is it. I guess with school out we have 7 weeks of putting up with you

Again you're alluding to the fact that no 5 may have been justified in his actions and somethiing may have happened beforehand that meant he deserved to be shoved.   Why continue to grasp at straws and not just call it out for what everyone else can see .... a trampish act?

A trampish act. Don't make me laugh. A trampish act would be putting your fingers down the throat of some defenceless player on the ground. Now, who would do that. While it doesn't look good, nowhere close to trampish, I'm not gonna judge it on that small piece of video

I guess when you've a manager who thinks it's ok to shoulder barge an opposing player who is blind-sided at half time and an ex-captain who verbally abuses the girl carrying the flag during the band parade you begin to understand young Forker didn't lift such behaviour off the ground!

[tonto1888]

Was this the fault of the referee too?

https://twitter.com/untitledgaa/status/1145044385484218368?s=21

You still here? A clip with absolutely no context to it? What happened in the lead up to that? What was said or done?

So you're suggesting the that the Armagh no 5 may have been justified in committing that act of cowardice??

Reread what I read and answer properly. And as for acts of cowardice, have a look st your own players first

If you're talking about McCann he got punished and rightly so. Lots of unsavoury incidents happen in the heat of battle v opponents.  Taking your frustration in losing out on a man of 50+, engaged in conversation, when facing the other direction takes a special moment of cowardice.  Then to top it all he immediately hides behind the no 12.  Pathetic.

And you saw everything that happened did you? A little shove is hardly taking out frustrations is it. I guess with school out we have 7 weeks of putting up with you

Again you're alluding to the fact that no 5 may have been justified in his actions and somethiing may have happened beforehand that meant he deserved to be shoved.   Why continue to grasp at straws and not just call it out for what everyone else can see .... a trampish act?

A trampish act. Don't make me laugh. A trampish act would be putting your fingers down the throat of some defenceless player on the ground. Now, who would do that. While it doesn't look good, nowhere close to trampish, I'm not gonna judge it on that small piece of video

I guess when you've a manager who thinks it's ok to shoulder barge an opposing player who is blind-sided at half time and an ex-captain who verbally abuses the girl carrying the flag during the band parade you begin to understand young Forker didn't lift such behaviour off the ground!

You're boring

[Rufus T Firefly]

Just wondering what the Armagh lads who travelled to castlebar thought of machale park and the stand?

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit, the result notwithstanding. The stand is much bigger in reality and than it appears on the TV and when it was full, as it was last night, it really adds to the atmosphere. The Mayo supporters were magnificent last night and are one of the reasons why I'd love to see them win an All Ireland.

For ourselves, one that got away. I've said it before that we have no killer instinct and we repeated what we did all year by spurning wonderful goal chances. You simply cannot do that at this level. I thought Mayo were a wee bit more cute than our lads - good at winning frees and running down the clock. I hasten to add that is an observation and not a complaint. I wish our lads could do that.

Although the result represented a crushing disappointment, it has been a very enjoyable year and there are reasons to look forward to 2020 with optimism, provided we can keep everyone on board.

[Tubberman]

McGeeney and the Armagh players are worthy of more respect and appreciation than I was giving them before the match. They play a very good brand of football (bit too much off the ball stuff but not a major thing) and when they pressed our kickout in last 15 they had us completely pinned in and we were struggling badly. They were unlucky on the night and i hope mcgeeney sticks around and they make the super 8s or even win ulster next year.
We are still in it. i thought super 8s would be a decent year before the injuries struck.  Now, it's probably as much as we can hope for.
it's important for the squad to get there though or they risk falling away completely when the older heads retire and we're left with lads who don't have the experience of the big days.

[Armaghtothebone]

Just wondering what the Armagh lads who travelled to castlebar thought of machale park and the stand?

Death trap
As I was entering the ground I couldn't work out why there was such a crush.
It turns out that every part of the stadium is accessed from one set of gates.

[Armaghtothebone]

Was this the fault of the referee too?

https://twitter.com/untitledgaa/status/1145044385484218368?s=21

You still here? A clip with absolutely no context to it? What happened in the lead up to that? What was said or done?

So you're suggesting the that the Armagh no 5 may have been justified in committing that act of cowardice??

Reread what I read and answer properly. And as for acts of cowardice, have a look st your own players first

If you're talking about McCann he got punished and rightly so. Lots of unsavoury incidents happen in the heat of battle v opponents.  Taking your frustration in losing out on a man of 50+, engaged in conversation, when facing the other direction takes a special moment of cowardice.  Then to top it all he immediately hides behind the no 12.  Pathetic.

See that's your first mistake, assuming it's McCann he's referring to .
Could be
McCann
Jordan
McMenamin
O'Neill

Take your pick

[From the Bunker]

Just wondering what the Armagh lads who travelled to castlebar thought of machale park and the stand?

Death trap
As I was entering the ground I couldn't work out why there was such a crush.
It turns out that every part of the stadium is accessed from one set of gates.

Agreed. It's just one big bottle neck!

[Randy]

Just wondering what the Armagh lads who travelled to castlebar thought of machale park and the stand?

Death trap
As I was entering the ground I couldn't work out why there was such a crush.
It turns out that every part of the stadium is accessed from one set of gates.

It's worse going out I'd say. We walked out the gate at corner of pitch opposite the stand and it was malogen. 

[brokencrossbar1]

The final result was expected but the manner of it not. I thought we could go toe to toe for a while but they would pull away and win with a bit to spare. The way we came back at them and could have nicked it is very good for the future.

There were lots of positives. Jemar Hall, Paul Hughes, Brendan Donaghy, Soupy, Jamie, they all played really well. Others played in bursts and contributed. We have the nucleus of an excellent team and they played above expectations.

The is a downside though and I think yesterday for all it's positives was as clear an example of how far we are actually away from the top table as it was showing how close we are.

Defensively we tackled well but still gave away too many scoreable frees. Also indiscipline saw frees brought forward or frees for pulling off the ball closer to the goals. Also we need a keeper. I'm sorry but he is simply not good enough. Harsh as that may seem he does not inspire confidence and his kick outs are too scratchy. If there is nothing better in the county then something needs to change. I think it was very telling that the management asked at least one out field player to become a keeper, allegedly causing him to leave the panel.

Also we are 2 defenders short of a top tier team. James Morgan for all his faults is one of them and was coming into a bit of form when he got injured. He has been wrecked with injury and how he recovers will be interesting. An obvious loss for us in the club but you suck it up and get on. There needs to be at least 1 more defender out there. What is very telling is that if you take the Cross players out of the team there is only 1 player from the other recent county champions playing consistently from the start inAidan Forker. Genuinely I find this baffling. Cullyhanna too are the bridesmaids wfor the last number of years and they only have 1 player. I would hazard a guess that there are proven winners of these teams who are the equal to or better than what is there already but also know how to win big games.

In midfield Burns has had the year of a senior debutant, flashes of brilliance, periods of anonymity and a lot of inexperienced play. He has the potential to be an excellent midfielder but I fear that people have Jack O'Se'd him before he is even close to it. He has a great engine, great hands on him when he has the opportunity to catch it but can be a bit clueless sometimes and plays like he is still playing underage in that he puts the head down and runs into traffic a lot. A lot of blind alley running. Also physically he was bullied on Saturday. He was pulled into a few physical tussles and wasn't fit for it. Looking to the ref too much. You need to win those fights yourself. Experience will hopefully bring that into his game but its a harsh lesson that you learn from quickly or get out of the heat. Grimley is a decent midfielder who can chip in with some good scores and works hard. I think he too can be caught with his decision making, the last free and shot being a prime example. People are saying the management should have had more input but lets face it the players need to take responsibility on the field and the shot for nothing was wrong. A if Oisin Mc and an experienced Ben Crealy add significantly to this area.

In the forwards Hall, Soupy, Nugent, have been solid all year. This has been the best I have seen Jamie in a long time, pity from a selfish point of view he is going to London but that's his call. Grugan had a curates egg of a year. He played reasonably well at the weekend but I thought he has been very poor all year up to this. I genuinely do not think that the captaincy sits well with him and I think it saved his position on the team a few times. Like Burns Rian had the year of a debutant but he has the potential to be what he wants to be. To score 3-21 at 20 years of age in your debut year is exceptional but his decision making was questionable, particularly shot selection. That will come. What did impress me was his general coolness under pressure and his discipline in general. He has a temper and he held it. He could be the Micheal Murphy of this team and when his brother is fully fit I think that will release him. They both work really well off each other. He really has the potential to be the best. Put him in Dublin and he is young player of the year this year and championship top scorer. What needs to happen now is that the likes of Duffy, McQuillan, young Turbitt from CE and a few others need to be blooded consistently.

In terms of the management, they have had 5 years. From what I have heard another 2 years is there for Geezer to accept or reject. McCorry has made a difference but I would freshen up the rest of the management structure. Change can refresh and reinvigorate. I genuinely believe that there needs to someone from our club on the sideline, may seem as arrogance or bias but there is too much talent coaching within our club that would add greatly to the Armagh set up but is not being utilized. I think at key times at the weekend and over the championship as a whole mistakes have been made on the line. Hard decisions need to be made at times and I think they were not done fast enough or at all. Egos need to be left at the door when the team walks in and I include the managements in that. I do think sometimes that there is still a wee bit of 'coffee in Grounded in our training gear' about this group and that there is a lack of steel about some of it. A few hard homes truths at training would change that.

The reality is that we beat a poor Down team, lost to a Cavan team who were beaten with ease by Donegal, beat a Monaghan team on its last legs with a few key men not playing and beaten by a Mayo team struggling with injuries, form and who are notoriously brittle in the Qualifiers. We struggled in Division 2 and could easily have gone down. We are improving but its a long road to be at the levels that the effort and expense that are being expended warrant. The CB will give the manager another run at it, financially he is doing a serious amount of work for them so they cannot let him go but at least the results at least warrant another go at it. Honestly, if an Ulster Final wasn't at least made and a serious run at winning Division 2 this season then I would have to question should the whole management team stay on. Give them the change to do that. If they don't then I think its time for change.

[Applesisapples]

Geezer is no doubt an unlucky manager. From the off Deegan was giving us soft frees, I think Andy bought the first pointed free when really he wasn't fouled.

The game was played in a sporting manner apart from some handbags at half time. Armagh will be back and will fancy an ulster title next year.

Anyhow we are the walking wounded after that so Cork or Galway in the draw would finish us I reckon.

Deegan seems to be one of those refs that gets easily influenced by the roars of the home crowd. I'll be very surprised if Mayo didn't beat Cork while a game v Galway would be harder to call.

Maurice Deegan has undue influence on the outcome of matches he referees, especially in tight encounters. Yet he still gets appointed.

[Applesisapples]

The final result was expected but the manner of it not. I thought we could go toe to toe for a while but they would pull away and win with a bit to spare. The way we came back at them and could have nicked it is very good for the future.

There were lots of positives. Jemar Hall, Paul Hughes, Brendan Donaghy, Soupy, Jamie, they all played really well. Others played in bursts and contributed. We have the nucleus of an excellent team and they played above expectations.

The is a downside though and I think yesterday for all it's positives was as clear an example of how far we are actually away from the top table as it was showing how close we are.

Defensively we tackled well but still gave away too many scoreable frees. Also indiscipline saw frees brought forward or frees for pulling off the ball closer to the goals. Also we need a keeper. I'm sorry but he is simply not good enough. Harsh as that may seem he does not inspire confidence and his kick outs are too scratchy. If there is nothing better in the county then something needs to change. I think it was very telling that the management asked at least one out field player to become a keeper, allegedly causing him to leave the panel.

Also we are 2 defenders short of a top tier team. James Morgan for all his faults is one of them and was coming into a bit of form when he got injured. He has been wrecked with injury and how he recovers will be interesting. An obvious loss for us in the club but you suck it up and get on. There needs to be at least 1 more defender out there. What is very telling is that if you take the Cross players out of the team there is only 1 player from the other recent county champions playing consistently from the start inAidan Forker. Genuinely I find this baffling. Cullyhanna too are the bridesmaids wfor the last number of years and they only have 1 player. I would hazard a guess that there are proven winners of these teams who are the equal to or better than what is there already but also know how to win big games.

In midfield Burns has had the year of a senior debutant, flashes of brilliance, periods of anonymity and a lot of inexperienced play. He has the potential to be an excellent midfielder but I fear that people have Jack O'Se'd him before he is even close to it. He has a great engine, great hands on him when he has the opportunity to catch it but can be a bit clueless sometimes and plays like he is still playing underage in that he puts the head down and runs into traffic a lot. A lot of blind alley running. Also physically he was bullied on Saturday. He was pulled into a few physical tussles and wasn't fit for it. Looking to the ref too much. You need to win those fights yourself. Experience will hopefully bring that into his game but its a harsh lesson that you learn from quickly or get out of the heat. Grimley is a decent midfielder who can chip in with some good scores and works hard. I think he too can be caught with his decision making, the last free and shot being a prime example. People are saying the management should have had more input but lets face it the players need to take responsibility on the field and the shot for nothing was wrong. A if Oisin Mc and an experienced Ben Crealy add significantly to this area.

In the forwards Hall, Soupy, Nugent, have been solid all year. This has been the best I have seen Jamie in a long time, pity from a selfish point of view he is going to London but that's his call. Grugan had a curates egg of a year. He played reasonably well at the weekend but I thought he has been very poor all year up to this. I genuinely do not think that the captaincy sits well with him and I think it saved his position on the team a few times. Like Burns Rian had the year of a debutant but he has the potential to be what he wants to be. To score 3-21 at 20 years of age in your debut year is exceptional but his decision making was questionable, particularly shot selection. That will come. What did impress me was his general coolness under pressure and his discipline in general. He has a temper and he held it. He could be the Micheal Murphy of this team and when his brother is fully fit I think that will release him. They both work really well off each other. He really has the potential to be the best. Put him in Dublin and he is young player of the year this year and championship top scorer. What needs to happen now is that the likes of Duffy, McQuillan, young Turbitt from CE and a few others need to be blooded consistently.

In terms of the management, they have had 5 years. From what I have heard another 2 years is there for Geezer to accept or reject. McCorry has made a difference but I would freshen up the rest of the management structure. Change can refresh and reinvigorate. I genuinely believe that there needs to someone from our club on the sideline, may seem as arrogance or bias but there is too much talent coaching within our club that would add greatly to the Armagh set up but is not being utilized. I think at key times at the weekend and over the championship as a whole mistakes have been made on the line. Hard decisions need to be made at times and I think they were not done fast enough or at all. Egos need to be left at the door when the team walks in and I include the managements in that. I do think sometimes that there is still a wee bit of 'coffee in Grounded in our training gear' about this group and that there is a lack of steel about some of it. A few hard homes truths at training would change that.

The reality is that we beat a poor Down team, lost to a Cavan team who were beaten with ease by Donegal, beat a Monaghan team on its last legs with a few key men not playing and beaten by a Mayo team struggling with injuries, form and who are notoriously brittle in the Qualifiers. We struggled in Division 2 and could easily have gone down. We are improving but its a long road to be at the levels that the effort and expense that are being expended warrant. The CB will give the manager another run at it, financially he is doing a serious amount of work for them so they cannot let him go but at least the results at least warrant another go at it. Honestly, if an Ulster Final wasn't at least made and a serious run at winning Division 2 this season then I would have to question should the whole management team stay on. Give them the change to do that. If they don't then I think its time for change.

I find it very hard to disagree with anything in this post. I was comparing McGeeney's decision making versus Cavan the second day to Cody for Kilkenny, no sentiment just make the hard call, you're not performing and you get hooked, wether on 20 minutes or 60.

[rosnarun]

I cant believe all the whinging people are doing about The ref here , Jame clarke should have been black carded after about 2 mins if you care to rewind the video now that would have changed the GAme. and peobable 2 more could have got them . almost every time mayo got a free they were blocked from taking it and theis firectly cost them 2 points which would have made all the difference .
I was sitting beside a former Armagh inter county ref who was a referees accessor , he had no problems with deegan apart from the bit of showboating when  he alsmost for got to Show (grugan and Harrison?)

[highorlow]

With respect, but that's an awful lot of bollocks fitted into 1 post. I can only presume you watched on the TV while drinking a few pints in a bar.
Soft frees ?? .... i have never in all the games of football i have watched, ever seen a team persistently foul as much as Armagh did in the first half. FFS, Deegans hand was nearly up indicating an advantage for Mayo for half the bloody first half. If he had blown the whistle every time, then there would have been no play at all. Not a single repercussion for all this .... not even a tick. Cynical, dirty fouls. But good luck to them, they got it away with it  ... but don't come out with a complete BS of a 1st half analysis saying Mayo got soft frees

And in the second half .... what were the 2 Armagh frees near the end of the game for  - both of them close to the McHale Road sideline, one of which O'Neill kicked wide ? No more or less soft than the frees that Cillian kicked. Or are we only allowed to highlight a debatable free if it is scored ?

Take a chill pill. I was at the game.

[APM]

I cant believe all the whinging people are doing about The ref here , Jame clarke should have been black carded after about 2 mins if you care to rewind the video now that would have changed the GAme. and peobable 2 more could have got them . almost every time mayo got a free they were blocked from taking it and theis firectly cost them 2 points which would have made all the difference .
I was sitting beside a former Armagh inter county ref who was a referees accessor , he had no problems with deegan apart from the bit of showboating when  he alsmost for got to Show (grugan and Harrison?)

What I find interesting about this game is the number of neutrals (on here and elsewhere), columnists and pundits who have mentioned how hard he was on Armagh.

[Lar Naparka]

I cant believe all the whinging people are doing about The ref here , Jame clarke should have been black carded after about 2 mins if you care to rewind the video now that would have changed the GAme. and peobable 2 more could have got them . almost every time mayo got a free they were blocked from taking it and theis firectly cost them 2 points which would have made all the difference .
I was sitting beside a former Armagh inter county ref who was a referees accessor , he had no problems with deegan apart from the bit of showboating when  he alsmost for got to Show (grugan and Harrison?)

+1
I have to agree with your first paragraph. I can understand Armagh fans feeling they left the game behind but if Mayo had been Dublin or any of the other top teams, Armagh would have been beaten out the gate. That's a bit harsh but it's the objective truth, (IMO of course.)
Mayo had stepped up a gear coming into the closing stages and moved 5 points clear. They then did what Mayo supporters have become used to- they lost concentration and almost blew their chances as Armagh came back at them. That usually happens in every game Mayo is involved i and probably will happen next weekend too, unfortunately.
An RTE NEWS NOW copywriter got it bang on yesterday. The headline read, "Mayo almost manage to lose...." and I can't find fault with that.
As regards Maurice Deegan, Mayo supporters have had their own reasons for giving out about his decision making in a few championship games in recent years. I don't think anyone could say that he favoured us and I saw no reason why I would think he was any different on Saturday. It can be argued that we got a few hairline decisions but he didn't set out to make up for previous games or anything like that.
Arrmagh were just as cynical as Mayo but they didn't get away with as much because Mayo are more experienced at fouling.