Quote from: Angelo on September 27, 2020, 02:53:24 PMQuote from: inroundthesquare on September 26, 2020, 11:45:52 AM
I actually agree with a loot of what you are saying. It's just when I see people here criticising as you say one of top players in Peter Harte and then criticising the manager for not getting the best out of the players - can't really have it both ways. Either the players are good enough or not.
The win over Donegal in 2018 was an impressive victory, a lot of talk was how our subs made a huge difference that day - we played a more attacking style of football from that point, should have been well up on Monaghan in the first half but then seemed to get nervy in the second half with the chance of a first All Ireland final in ten years at stake. We were 6/1 outsiders for the Final, realistically Dublin were just a better team, I do take the point that Mayo and Kerry seem to be able to run them close on the big days although not so much in the last 2 years (Mayo took a real hammering in the second half last year, Kerry ended up well beaten in the replay, same margin as 2018 final after playing most of the drawn game against 14 men). The current Dubs are a juggernaut.
Take the Kerry game last year as the most recent large piece of evidence. We were well in control at half time (4 points up). We played some terrific football using Mattie and McShane in the full forward line, using a direct style with arguably our best team on the field (one that played the 2nd half against Cork). Could argue the lack of link up with the half forward line but we were looking in control.
Nearly all the scores Kerry got in the first half were really poor Tyrone errors (from memory stupid free given away by Mattie, Morgan kicked ball directly to Geaney, Richie Donnelly intercepted crossfield pass)
Refereeing decisions and some bad individual errors cost us, let Kerry back into the game and once the Kerry forwards starting rolling they kicked some superb scores. I don't know if you could direct most of the blame to Mickey for that result to be honest. I thought at the time McCurry should have been brought in sooner.
I think this current Tyrone side lacks leaders. You look back at the big games and we have had purple patches in them where things looked good, we started the AI final in 2018 very well, the SF last year against Kerry we started very well and should have been much further ahead. But when the tide turned, we crumbled and we really needed our big men to step up and deliver. We've lost our most reliable player in terms of leadership now in Colm Cavanagh, a warrior who never hid.
Mattie has shown a lot of leadership in the past but he's also had a number of quiet games when we needed more from him. Peter Harte is someone we need more from him, I feel sorry for him with the bullshit he has to put up from the opposition which is largely ignored by match officials, he gets no protection at all but that shouldn't excuse some of his no shows, he needs to be a bit more cuter in how he looks after himself.
McShane emerged as a leader last year but we need more players to step up, guys like Hampsey, Burns, McGeary need to step up to the plate and push Tyrone on. Hopefully McKenna can give this team a shot in the arm. I'm genuinely excited at what the arrival of McKenna can do for Darren McCurry next year.
If the opposition have to worry about McKenna, McShane, Harte and Donnelly then it could free up McCurry to do some serious damage.
If you need 4 opposition defenders to "take care" of the aboved named and then depending on Mc Curry to do "serious damage" Tyrone DONT stand a chance
How many other top counties are "hoping" their 5th/6th/7th best attacker does all the damage??