Ard Mhacha v Muineachán - 20/02/11 - Ard Mhacha

[Maguire01]

Roll on round 2. Both teams will be keen to get 2 points on the board - it would leave Monaghan in a great position if we could get a second win, although i'd settle for a point at this stage.

It will be a definite step up from the Galway game but we had a bit to spare there and should have another few players back for this.

Is Ronan Clarke going to be back for Armagh?

Looking forward to getting a good look around the Athletics Ground and hopefully after yesterday Monaghan can bring a decent crowd along. We have a fairly good record against Armagh over the last few years - I think we've won our last 2 league encounters and our last Championship head to head.

I expect a tight game and think it's too close to call at this stage.

[Main Street]

It's great to have a win behind you, but thats where it lies.
We only had about 4 or 5 regulars against Galway and just about 10 players made league debuts, with some of them making McManus look meaty by contrast. There isn't much point if Armagh are thinking to gain some sort of revenge for last year, some of our players aren't even old enough to remember it.
Finlay was lost for a while at FF against Galway and needs to be hovering between hf and mf. I hope someone else will be selected at ff.
I'd expect that quite a few of the new and newish players will still be figuring in the team. Mark Keogh looks sound enough in goals. There should still be starting places for McAdam, Turley, Doogan, Downey, McGuinness and possibly Galligan.
Both McAdam and Downey have played on occasion before, but now both of them look to be serious contenders to become regulars.

[mackers]

There isn't much point if Armagh are thinking to gain some sort of revenge for last year, some of our players aren't even old enough to remember it.

It isn't about revenge at all, simply two points. If we don't get them then we're into a relegation dogfight straight away and we'd rather not do that.
We would want to build on our performance on Saturday night and cut out the mistakes that cost us the game.
I have heard that Ronan Clarke won't be back in for this match hopefully Nippy can continue from where he left off on Saturday night.
I'd expect a bigger crowd for this match than the Dublin game, weather permitting.

[armaghniac]

I hope there is a good crowd. There was a very poor crowd from Monaghan at the championship game last year, the Monaghan team deserved better support for one of their best performances. It is unclear whether Saturday night games get as big a crowd as Sunday games, perhaps Sunday will provide evidence.

Attendance at Casement last year and at the Dubs game last week was reduced by heavy rain earlier in the day which would have dissuaded people from setting out. Met.ie suggests much the same on Sunday, but this may yet change.
SUNDAY: Overnight rain will continue to push eastwards across the country during the morning and early afternoon, turning heavy and persistent, with the risk of some spot flooding.

[AFS]

I hope there is a good crowd. There was a very poor crowd from Monaghan at the championship game last year, the Monaghan team deserved better support for one of their best performances. It is unclear whether Saturday night games get as big a crowd as Sunday games, perhaps Sunday will provide evidence.

Attendance at Casement last year and at the Dubs game last week was reduced by heavy rain earlier in the day which would have dissuaded people from setting out. Met.ie suggests much the same on Sunday, but this may yet change.
SUNDAY: Overnight rain will continue to push eastwards across the country during the morning and early afternoon, turning heavy and persistent, with the risk of some spot flooding.

I'd be fairly certain that Sunday afternoon crowds trump Saturday night ones. Night matches are shite.

[Goats Do Shave]

I hope there is a good crowd. There was a very poor crowd from Monaghan at the championship game last year, the Monaghan team deserved better support for one of their best performances. It is unclear whether Saturday night games get as big a crowd as Sunday games, perhaps Sunday will provide evidence.

Attendance at Casement last year and at the Dubs game last week was reduced by heavy rain earlier in the day which would have dissuaded people from setting out. Met.ie suggests much the same on Sunday, but this may yet change.
SUNDAY: Overnight rain will continue to push eastwards across the country during the morning and early afternoon, turning heavy and persistent, with the risk of some spot flooding.

I'd be fairly certain that Sunday afternoon crowds trump Saturday night ones. Night matches are shite.

& they always clash with something!

[Main Street]

The Indo reports that Tommy Freeman will be available for this season at least. He might be available for this game.
Eoin Lennon and Vinny Corey are back in training and Damien Freeman sometime later in the season.
That might be all we need to make a game out of it.

Alas, the great Rory Woods has/or is soon to depart and will not grace an Armagh field with his presence.

[mackers]

I hope there is a good crowd. There was a very poor crowd from Monaghan at the championship game last year, the Monaghan team deserved better support for one of their best performances. It is unclear whether Saturday night games get as big a crowd as Sunday games, perhaps Sunday will provide evidence.

Attendance at Casement last year and at the Dubs game last week was reduced by heavy rain earlier in the day which would have dissuaded people from setting out. Met.ie suggests much the same on Sunday, but this may yet change.
SUNDAY: Overnight rain will continue to push eastwards across the country during the morning and early afternoon, turning heavy and persistent, with the risk of some spot flooding.

The game is on Sunday week, not this Sunday, these Monaghan boys are just very eager in getting the thread up and running.

[Maguire01]

I hope there is a good crowd. There was a very poor crowd from Monaghan at the championship game last year, the Monaghan team deserved better support for one of their best performances.

Whilst it's no excuse for not getting out to support the team, that was in part down to Armagh's decision to take the game to Casement so that Monaghan wouldn't have home advantage. Worked a treat.

[armaghniac]

The game is on Sunday week, not this Sunday, these Monaghan boys are just very eager in getting the thread up and running.

Bollix. I knew that!

Whilst it's no excuse for not getting out to support the team, that was in part down to Armagh's decision to take the game to Casement so that Monaghan wouldn't have home advantage

Should we move Sunday's Sunday week's game somewhere for your convenience?

[Maguire01]

Whilst it's no excuse for not getting out to support the team, that was in part down to Armagh's decision to take the game to Casement so that Monaghan wouldn't have home advantage

Should we move Sunday's Sunday week's game somewhere for your convenience?

Nah, sure Armagh will do rightly. It's not far from a home game.

[Main Street]

The game is on Sunday week, not this Sunday, these Monaghan boys are just very eager in getting the thread up and running.

Our celebrations are out of the way and we look forward, but I suppose we have to appreciate that your last game's postmortem takes a while to get sorted.

[Maguire01]

The game is on Sunday week, not this Sunday, these Monaghan boys are just very eager in getting the thread up and running.

Our celebrations are out of the way and we look forward, but I suppose we have to appreciate that your last game's postmortem takes a while to get sorted.

I like this.

[armaghniac]

and we look forward,

Commiserations. That cannot be much fun for you. Chin up!

[Maguire01]

and we look forward,

Commiserations. That cannot be much fun for you. Chin up!

It's more fun now than it was a week ago! And it's probably at least as enjoyable as it is for you.