Ulster SFC: Derry v Donegal 27th June 2015

[J70]

Only 4 Donegal subs again - that's the 3rd game in a row

Mark McHugh for Colm McFadden 57
Anthony Thompson for Christy Toye 61
David Walsh for Patrick McBrearty in injury time
Hugh McFadden for MartinMcElhinney in injury time

Also Donegal had no-one missing with any injuries

Overall Donegal's squad depth is paper thin and it's very hard not to see it catching them down the road.

Maybe. Injuries affected us two years ago for sure. But as with any team it depends on who, although we maybe have more irreplaceable players than most.

[redzone]

Always found it curious has how Donegal never have any injuries hardly

[J70]

Always found it curious has how Donegal never have any injuries hardly

Lacey was crocked in 2013. McGlynn too. Plenty of others have missed games here and there, but thankfully not too many long term ones.

[Whitnail]

Poor game but in fairness i was half pished.
Was having a bit of banter with a few derry lads
they'll be hard to break down in the qualifiers but the way I see it the lads & management knew they'd be facing monaghan in the final & it was about getting over the line no gameplan, no fluid football  whatsover just a 70 min brawl.


Any positives .... er no. If anyone from Donegal can take positives from that then fair dues.

We had a difficult draw ,this was a test of endurance, it was an awfull game of football.

[twohands!!!]

Only 4 Donegal subs again - that's the 3rd game in a row

Mark McHugh for Colm McFadden 57
Anthony Thompson for Christy Toye 61
David Walsh for Patrick McBrearty in injury time
Hugh McFadden for MartinMcElhinney in injury time

Also Donegal had no-one missing with any injuries

Overall Donegal's squad depth is paper thin and it's very hard not to see it catching them down the road.

Maybe. Injuries affected us two years ago for sure. But as with any team it depends on who, although we maybe have more irreplaceable players than most.

It's a fact of life that you are going to get injuries. You can either hold your hand up and throw in the towel or you can take steps to do what you can to minimise it - from what I've seen Donegal seem to have almost adapted a "well if injuries happen, injuries happen" approach given how little has been done in terms of improving squad depth, especially as regards giving younger players starts during the league - Donegal had the lowest number of starters in regular league 19 ; by comparison Dublin had 31 Generally Donegal's selections in the league did very little in the way of trying to develop the squad options.

The substitution policy in the Armagh game was woeful beyond comprehension - game over, cruising and use only 4 subs. WTF
Donegal could have thrown on 2 of the squad players and aided their development while simultaneously resting 2 of their core members who have a lot of football played. Even in terms of keeping the lads in the team on their toes - lads look like they are under very little in the way of competition in terms of retaining a starting place. You look at the options the other top teams have and the only way to describe Donegal's squad depth is feeble.

Overall it's impossible not to see this catching Donegal down the track

[kickingmule]

Donegal - the new Tyrone.  Flying through the air.  What about the tackle on Johnston?  Was it not a foot block?

Pure muck.... Ulster football  has hit rock bottom..

[BluestackBoy]

One week Donegal are top drawer, next week they are hopeless, the truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle.

As Dublin found out in the league, Derry are a formidable defensive unit & they don't allow anyone to look good against them.

However even allowing for that Donegal were poor today. The way Derry tore through them at times was staggering as was some of the shooting.

There is a lot of work to be done before the final but nobody in the Donegal camp will be under any illusions about where they stand.

[screenexile]

Donegal - the new Tyrone.  Flying through the air.  What about the tackle on Johnston?  Was it not a foot block?

Pure muck.... Ulster football  has hit rock bottom..

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[BluestackBoy]

2 Black cards given in error there and Donegal making a meal out of them... They've killed the game the last 5 minutes which is what the better teams do.

Strange you should say that Indiana when these are 2 teams you've struggled to beat the last year!!

Shocking game of football/basketball.  Derry left that behind them. Donegal cyncially killed game in last 5 min. Thought Ryan McHugh hurt himself the way he through himself to the ground for 2nd derry black card

Just seen the tackle on tv. How anyone could say that it was not a red card offence let alone a black card is either stupid beyond belief or still hasn't got over last August.

A bit of both probably.........

[omaghjoe]

Jaysus these Dublin ones would sicken ye. Believe me I dont like either team but I found the match greatly entertaining, unlike Dublin's last farcical game.   

I thought it was a decent game of football, but you always got the impression that Donegal where gonna win it but Derry have a few exceptional players that could have swung the game back around at any time.

There was some great battles around the pitch. Pity the ref hadnt gave Holly and Gallagher reds because they are a dirty pair of hoors.

Fergal Doherty is a machine for Derry, he may not be the player he was but still very good today in a very hard hitting area. First time I got a real good look at O'Boyle as well, he seems to be a real handful on the square. McKaige excellent also.

Was impressed with Toye for Donegal I always get the impression that he is slightly renegade when it comes to the system. And of course Murphy again even tho he can be absent for long periods he can just pop up get a score from nowhere and lift the entire team. McFadden also with the point of the day with two men hanging of him, took a brutal hit in the 2nd half as well. Although overall Donegal seemed a bit lackadaisical today but that may also have been down to Derry tactics and they ground out the win.

Monaghan will gave Donegal a good rattle but are unlikely to be able to push them over the line. I wonder after today will they go for the "lump it into Vinny" tactic that they used in Bantytimes. Unlikely, as even tho it appeared to cause Donegal problems, the Monaghan management will have noticed Derry didnt get many scores from it.

Not sure Derry will go much further, historically they havent been big on the qualifiers they always seem to lose a bit of bite for them, but we'll see as I have said before they have the players

[J70]

Do the Derry boys think James Kielt would have made any difference to you today?

[screenexile]

Do the Derry boys think James Kielt would have made any difference to you today?

Yeah he's a proven free taker from the left hand side and we missed at least 2 today! Skinner isn't a free taker unfortunately.

Read on twitter that Sean Leo, O'Boyle and Skinner were tactical rather than enforced changes. Pretty mind boggling if you ask me!!

[omaghjoe]

Do the Derry boys think James Kielt would have made any difference to you today?

Yeah he's a proven free taker from the left hand side and we missed at least 2 today! Skinner isn't a free taker unfortunately.

Read on twitter that Sean Leo, O'Boyle and Skinner were tactical rather than enforced changes. Pretty mind boggling if you ask me!!

Bound to have made a difference and highly disappointing that he left the panel/wasnt getting a start.

Sorry if its been discussed elsewhere but what was the backstory with that anyway, why wasnt he getting a start?

Also thats mindboggling about the substitutions.

[BluestackBoy]

Jaysus these Dublin ones would sicken ye. Believe me I dont like either team but I found the match greatly entertaining, unlike Dublin's last farcical game.   

I thought it was a decent game of football, but you always got the impression that Donegal where gonna win it but Derry have a few exceptional players that could have swung the game back around at any time.

There was some great battles around the pitch. Pity the ref hadnt gave Holly and Gallagher reds because they are a dirty pair of hoors.

Fergal Doherty is a machine for Derry, he may not be the player he was but still very good today in a very hard hitting area. First time I got a real good look at O'Boyle as well, he seems to be a real handful on the square. McKaige excellent also.

Was impressed with Toye for Donegal I always get the impression that he is slightly renegade when it comes to the system. And of course Murphy again even tho he can be absent for long periods he can just pop up get a score from nowhere and lift the entire team. McFadden also with the point of the day with two men hanging of him, took a brutal hit in the 2nd half as well. Although overall Donegal seemed a bit lackadaisical today but that may also have been down to Derry tactics and they ground out the win.

Monaghan will gave Donegal a good rattle but are unlikely to be able to push them over the line. I wonder after today will they go for the "lump it into Vinny" tactic that they used in Bantytimes. Unlikely, as even tho it appeared to cause Donegal problems, the Monaghan management will have noticed Derry didnt get many scores from it.

Not sure Derry will go much further, historically they havent been big on the qualifiers they always seem to lose a bit of bite for them, but we'll see as I have said before they have the players

Good post omagh,

I was chatting to a few Monaghan men at the game & one of them told me on the way out that he would sleep a bit better in his bed that night, I couldn't disagree with him.

The only concern I had from the game was the ease with which Derry got through our defensive cover, what Dublin would have done with that freedom I shudder to think.

You're a bit bit hard on Holly & Gallagher, there was nothing much to it But what our Sky watching brethern will have made of it God only knows

[Schkite]

Monaghan will gave Donegal a good rattle but are unlikely to be able to push them over the line. I wonder after today will they go for the "lump it into Vinny" tactic that they used in Bantytimes.

I doubt it, seeing as Vinny hasn't been deployed beyond the half back line in a number of years. No, Vinny will be assigned to Murphy I'd imagine. Kieran Hughes will be the target man if  we play that way, hopefully he'll have a similar impact to two years ago