Antrim Football Thread

[country bumpkin]

The maths at this stage are straight forward. We need to beat Westmeath, and we need Fermanagh to do us a favour and go to Limerick and turn them over. Thankfully after their draw today they still have an outside chance of promotion, and therefore all still to play for.

All we can do is put on a performance at home against Westmeath and hope for results going in our favour in Limerick..but it's out of our hands at this stage.

Jeez, a bit harsh BS......

[FermGael]

The maths at this stage are straight forward. We need to beat Westmeath, and we need Fermanagh to do us a favour and go to Limerick and turn them over. Thankfully after their draw today they still have an outside chance of promotion, and therefore all still to play for.

All we can do is put on a performance at home against Westmeath and hope for results going in our favour in Limerick..but it's out of our hands at this stage.

Bannside explain to me how Fermanagh can go up.
Antrim have us on head to head and we have a inferior scoring difference to Westmeath and Antrim.

I suppose if Antrim and Westmeath draw and we beat Limerick by say 18 points then we are up.
Thats just not happening

[imtommygunn]

https://www.gaa.ie/football/football-league-roinn-3/tables

If Antrim and Westmeath draw and you beat Limerick then that leaves four teams on eight points. You need to win by 17 plus points though... head to head wouldn't matter as it should only count for two teams being level and score difference otherwise.

[FermGael]

https://www.gaa.ie/football/football-league-roinn-3/tables

If Antrim and Westmeath draw and you beat Limerick then that leaves four teams on eight points. You need to win by 17 plus points though... head to head wouldn't matter as it should only count for two teams being level and score difference otherwise.

So as i thought we can't get promoted .
Not saying we won't be going for the win though

[imtommygunn]

It is still mathematically possible... (though highly highly unlikely!(unfortunately))

[Sportacus]

Every team (in any sport) can have an off day, and today was exactly that. We were hammered today, make no mistake about that. Very few players can look in the mirror tonight and say they did well, ironically a few who can were some of the first to be taken off! There were a few who got the full tenure (yet again) and I've no idea how they managed to get full game time.

Today was as poor as I can recall. I was hoping to be able to post something much more positive, but if we are going to call a spade a spade, we have no place in division two on today's performance.

Louth looked like a well drilled team today, we were the exact opposite. We looked like we had met up in the carpark before the game....that's the stark reality! Bad weekend at office all round, hurlers hammered and minors mauled.

We were beat by 4 points and Louth had a fairly late goal. Is "hammered" a bit strong?

[Saffsof82]

Nope, BS is totally correct. We're were outplayed and out thought in every line of the pitch, score line really flatters us. Wide open at the back, Ricky hung out to dry, Louth should have had 2 goals in the first 5 minutes. I don't get why we didn't play the same system as our other games. Mick dropping in front of the D , killing that space and then starting our attacks from deep. Mick played as an orthodox mid fielder and we didn't have any cover for the full back line.

[Pjoe]

Every team (in any sport) can have an off day, and today was exactly that. We were hammered today, make no mistake about that. Very few players can look in the mirror tonight and say they did well, ironically a few who can were some of the first to be taken off! There were a few who got the full tenure (yet again) and I've no idea how they managed to get full game time.

Today was as poor as I can recall. I was hoping to be able to post something much more positive, but if we are going to call a spade a spade, we have no place in division two on today's performance.

Louth looked like a well drilled team today, we were the exact opposite. We looked like we had met up in the carpark before the game....that's the stark reality! Bad weekend at office all round, hurlers hammered and minors mauled.

Correct Bannside. Outplayed in almost all sectors. Aside from Kevin Small, the players introduced looked out of their depth at this level.  One of our most effective forwards (and has been for the past couple years) taken off when we needed scores. One of out least effective forwards (and same for last couple of years) remains on for the full duration.  Great that we are in a position to push for promotion, but we have not moved forward as massively as some on here think. When it comes to the crunch games we seem to revert to old habits. 

[bannside]

There's a time for giving fellas their senior debuts, but usually it's the Mc Kenna cup and not the last ten minutes of a vital game. And when we need a goal (we didn't have time to rattle off 4 or 5 points) why the hell did we not stick Big Pat and Conor Murray in around the square, and land three or four on to top of them, with breaking ball winners Dermot or Ryan there to collect the scraps....hold on...those two had been most surprisingly  removed from play earlier!

Instead Pat finds himself out near the sideline in the middle third any time he was on the ball. I mean...this is basic stuff we are talking about.

This enduring loyalty to certain players who are consistently underperforming needs to end, and fast...in defence as well as attack, if management want to retain their integrity and support of the majority who can see through this. I'm putting that out there because only a few were seeing it in the earlier rounds, but now everyone is talking about it.

Hopefully we can bounce back on Sunday with a win to finish off the campaign and send supporters home thinking that whether we do enough now to go up or not, that at least our progress curve is still intact.

[EOC1923]

Surely if Antrim win on Sunday and Fermanagh also win we are up? Is this not the case?
Sounded like a bad day at the office all round listening to the (biased) radio commentary. We have had a good campaign no matter what but for me the state of our underage teams and the hammerings we are shipping weekly is a much more pressing matter. Until this changes anything happening at senior level wont be sustainable for long.

[Saffsof82]

Totally right EOC, our good run at senior level is only papering over the cracks. Minor has been very poor for a very long time, a few decent teams in the last 30+ plus years, but no minor title since 82. U20 or u21 is exactly the same. U20 are away to Derry in the championship on Friday week, if they get within 10 points of this Derry team that will be a good result for this group, thats just the reality of where we are at.

[Spike]

Didn't play well yet dug in and beaten by four.  Louth fully deserved their win but think its a bit harsh to suddenly be trashing the management when we are greatly exceeding our expectations in Div 3.  To be in this position with promotion to play for on the last day is to be commended.    We all have our opinions on football and the personnel on the pitch  - a case in point is that i personally don't agree that in todays age of football, aimlessly lumping a ball into the square like in the 1970s is the way to go as some others here believe. 

We wanted progress, and we have got it.  Don't let the allure of Div 2 tarnish the goodwill and support the team have been getting lately.

As a side note, Div 2 looks like different gravy compared to Div 3.   A chasm between the 2.  Be careful what you wish for.
Whatever happens next week, good or bad, Antrim have a big off-season to be ready for it.

[Dunsilly King]

Ah bannside is as see through as a bang of auld air. When his son was on the panel with Lenny he gave them his full backing. And I watched that team play some shite permanently in D4. The common denominator in his criticism of yesterday isn't Lenny. 

[bannside]

DK you're entitled to your opinion but I have been going to Antrim games home and away for a long time and have to say yesterday was as flat and lethargic a performance as I have seen. Hopefully it was just a bad day at the office, but please call it as it is and stop trying to play the man here and not the content. Were you at the game? What is your opinion, happy enough with that?

I'd say you're one of those who only go to county matches because you've a relation on the pitch. If you were even there at all.

Since your derisory comment about Portglenone being chokers, a few days before your club threw away a seven point lead in Ulster Club you lost a lot of credibility here.....Especially after you went into hiding for a month after. I know it's a bit belated, but would you care to comment about that, or wish to withdraw any allegations about chokers?

[JimStynes]

Relax lads. We are falling out with each other very early on this year. It's usually about May/June before the fall outs start.