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I think he was the boy in front of me...sounds like him. Done nuthin but shout "NO CHANCES FRANCIS". feckin eejit but kinda likeable not like that other shower between us 

jasus I was gonna say 10 but 5 will do....

am I right in saying (and I know this counts for little) that Armagh haven't beat Derry for a good number of years in league or championship?

I think the Ulster semi final in casement in 2005 when John Toal got a goal was the last time (I could be wrong). Since then Derry have won the three meetings (qualifier in Clones), league in Celtic Park and Crossmaglen.

It's safe to say neither will have much fear of the other I think...

I heard armagh minors have still got 10 of last years AI team/squad? that would make them a serious outfit. Is this true?

All the unionists, the english tories and a fat tangoed ex UTV presenter couldn't beat a young woman from Tyrone...

can't see either of the games being on. Omagh is not good at the best of times during the early part of the year.

Derry 3-03  fermanagh 0 -05
Half Time

[Seán Cavanagh admits that 2009 was tiring]

Seán Cavanagh admits that 2009 was tiring

Tyrone's Sean Cavanagh has admitted that the 2009 campaign 'wore him down', a statement perhaps that give some credence to the view expressed in Harte's autobiography that 'the roof caved in' on the 2008 footballer of the year.

The comments by the Red Hand supremo centred on the player's omission from the All-Ireland semi-final team to start against Cork after complaining of flu-like symptoms on the morning of the game, have not caused a rift between the two.

In Tuam on Sunday, Cavanagh made his second seasonal appearance when he was introduced at half-time.

Afterwards, he acknowledged that 2009 had been a tiring year. Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said: 'I feel an awful lot fresher. Even mentally I feel stronger. I felt that in 2009 I was getting a wee bit tired and a wee bit stale. I'd been on the go for a long time.'

He acknowledged that 2008 was an 'exceptional year' and that a seven-month break from the Cork game up to this month has now had serious benefits.

'I felt I needed a bit of a break. I can feel my body a bit stronger now as well. I had been playing with injections in my ankle for the past few years and my ankle hasn't felt as strong since I was 16 or 17. I'm really looking forward to building on my fitness and improving on my sharpness.'

Cavanagh feels strong enough to start a match and dropped a hint to that effect after Sunday's defeat to Galway.

'With every training session and every game I can feel myself getting sharper. I don't think I'm too far away, but I suppose you'd have to ask Mickey that. I wouldn't say no to 70 minutes against Kerry in Omagh next weekend.'

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2010/0324/tyrone.html

poor lad, Dessie Farrell is obviously a tough boss...

who's in charge of Down this year?

Interesting though that Down can turn out u21 teams even with a lack of ulster minor titles.

I would usually expect a 2nd string intercounty senior team to beat an u21 team. u21s (apart from maybe 3-4 men) are usually way behind seniors in physical development.

[you would assume the team would have been well prepared]

The defeat last night seems to have caused a few ripples throughout Tyrone.  This management team has taken quite a bit of flack over the past number of years but perhaps the players at their disposal are not quite as good as the general consensus would suggest.  The step up post minor football is substantial. 
The problem a lot of the teams coming through now is they are compared to the batch of minors form 97-98 and to be honest most would find it hard to compare.  I for one dint think the minor team of 2008 was as good as the one of 1998 for example. Granted in recent years there seemed to be players omitted who should have been involved but barring injury most potential players seemed to be involved last night.  Also Ryan Porter was involved in the U21 set up this year, he is a well respected coach with an excellent reputation so you would assume the team would have been well prepared.

I'm not being funny but I think the Tyrone team looked very well prepared. Their overall conditioning was superior to the Derry team (bar the few who are on the senior squad). God knows some of these days we might actually start to get our act together...

GOK at full back, Lynch at CHB, Derry reverting back to their minor days of 2002.

decent mix of 2002 men and 2007 men developing. remains to be seen if they can gel and develop a decent system of play that works under pressure.

fair enough fear...I knew there was something to that effect. hadn't the words to hand. point still stands though. It's very easy to crouch over a fella and prevent him standing up once he goes down. very grey area.

nrico, now we're cooking!

'swarming the player'. where does that stop and the two man tackle rule come into effect? If a player goes to ground after catching a ball, is it right that 3 men stand over him not letting him back onto his feet? 50% of the time the free kick goes for "over-carrying" (impossible as you are not taking steps!) and 50% of the time it goes to the fella on the ground. Utter madness.

I think there is a lot of merit in what you are saying and it's entirely possible the proposed rules are an over-reaction to what is in fact a problem that has been a failure to define, or rather implement consistently, the rules around the tackle properly.

I am not usually in favour of tinkering with the rules. However, I have not heard one good reason why the mark is a bad idea. I think it is an excellent idea.

On Sunday in Casement Park, Patsy Bradley from Derry gave a master-class in the art of high fielding taking 4-5 marks - a few of which brought applause from both sets of supporters! All of the resultant kicks were quickly taken in order to gain most advantage.

It simply rewards the skill of the high field and doesn't slow the game down as some are suggesting. Of course it could be used to slow the game by a team with a lot of good high fielders in a winning position. However, that's a small price to pay to see the skill displayed more frequently.

Without the mark the player who performs the catch is automatically at a disadvantage as more often than not they are easily swallowed up by a crowd of opposing players.