Antrim Football Thread

[imtommygunn]

Wise up Larry.

[Larry Duff]

Agree that credit must go to Convery and McCarry for their continued committment to the county when both have been poorly treated during Jody's tenure.  It must have been difficult for McCarry to sit out all year while Antrim failed to find a suitable partner for Joe that would allow McCann to line out on the 21.  Someone with his physical presence and drive would have been ideal for the rigours of div 4 football.   Even worse when Joe was injured and was replaced by Aidso, this was compounded when Lorcan Mulvey, a McCarry type player, took over in midfield in the latter stages of the Cavan game which would never have happened had McCarry been playing or even been an option from the bench.  
Obviously Jody knows best, why else go into a season with only two midfielders but carry six injured players on the panel for most of the campaign?

Sorry for going over old ground, on to Saturday.  Reasonable team, expect Jody to employ Brady in his usual roaving role leaving a "bot-two" man full-forward line.

[Glensman]

Larry - do you mean McCann on the 21 or the 40? Would you have him Full Forward?
I assume you meant centre half - I think he'd be great in there, as seen a couple of times this year. Strong on the ball and can take a score.
It would be a toss up between him and Magill for CHF and FF and they could alternate.

Will Paul Close be playing in that defensive role again?

[imtommygunn]

Would love to see McCann at CHF as well.

One of the main problems of Gormley's system, I think, is that he rarely puts a ball player in the HF line. He mainly loads it with workers in Gallagher, O'Neill and Niblock (sometimes Close too) but when they get the ball they are not accurate passers / scorers so the end result is never great. Hopefully Crozier will improve that though.

I'd guess Close will be working defensively.

I'd not put McCarry in Mulvey's league. Mulvery didn't even look half fit. While McCarry is slow to get started when he's going full pelt he can actually fairly move.

[milltown row]

obviously the McCanns have not been at training and have been dropped by Jody who uses his rule of no train no play. sticks to his guns that Jody.

on the team picked it looks starong enough to beat a poor Carlow team, whom i persume have trained as hard as we have.........

as for wee James taking the helm at Naomh Gall i was a little surprised, his name was not mentioned at the early stages and obviously some input from 'Shaws Road' will be very difficult for him to come in and employ his defensive tactis as we dont use them. and with only 4/5 weeks till championship i'm not sure if he can have any real impact. as i think it will be a straight fight with Cargin

[bannside]

Great to see Tony Convery back in a starting role. Definitely one of the classiest defenders in ulster football, with the full respect of all his peers. Big Marty will work all day, a quality badly lacking in the Cavan game. Great to see Kevin Brady make a full return too.

The three of them wouldnt have a decent enemy between them! Good luck lads.

[Hoof Hearted]

McCarry + Convery - a couple of tools
not as bad as thon boy Delargy though

[Maximus Marillius]

McCarry + Convery - a couple of tools
not as bad as thon boy Delargy though

[Gold]

we'd definetly give that team a run hardstation, i'd take PC for 1-5 from play, not for the first time!

[loughshore lad]

Great to see Tony Convery back in a starting role. Definitely one of the classiest defenders in ulster football, with the full respect of all his peers.

If he was that good surely he would have been an automatic starter in the Antrim defence then 

[imtommygunn]

Sometimes you take the comments of fellow clubmen with a pinch of salt loughshore lad...

[bannside]

Yo ho sleepy/mal.

For anyone to suggest TC aint county standard, I`d say its time you took up following a different sport. I`d say if you polled the fifty or so players that have been part of county squads for this last ten years, TC would be on most of their first teams.

Loughshore, I`d imagine Big Enda from your neck of the woods would have a healthy respect for him  - they have been in direct competition three or four times over the years.

Knowing Tony he wont want his merits discussed here in any case. He dosent owe Antrim football one jot and it says bucketloads about the man he is, that he remained on the squad all year watching inferior players getting the nod before him all year.

Getting away from that, anyone here going tomorrow? Surely to god we`ll be far too strong for Carlow!

[Bitta-Banter]

How can you say you'll be too strong for Carlow after the Waterford and Tipperary results?

[loughshore lad]

Loughshore, I`d imagine Big Enda from your neck of the woods would have a healthy respect for him  - they have been in direct competition three or four times over the years.

Knowing Tony he wont want his merits discussed here in any case. He dosent owe Antrim football one jot and it says bucketloads about the man he is, that he remained on the squad all year watching inferior players getting the nod before him all year.

A decent player he may be but one of the classiest defenders in Ulster - I dont think so. Thats a very, very strong statement to make and one that is very over the top in my opinion. Big Enda may hold him in high regard but then again Enda is a decent sort who wouldnt really have a bad word to say about anyone.  I am sure Enda holds many defenders in high regard but I seriously doubt he rates all those players as amongst the classiest defenders in Ulster.

[Hoof Hearted]

your up bannside, that was some lie in you had
i know big tone and marty well and your too easily wound up