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Couldn't tell you who plays who now, but think the commentators referred to the pairings, so I think it might be predetermined, yes (definitely no repeat pairings, they said).

Caught a few minutes of Derry v Cavan u20 qf. Anyone who missed it, didn't miss much.

Cavan were putting on a clinic in the ills of the game, going through the greatest hits of mind-numbingly awful attacking play. It's hard to understand any team being coached to take the field these days with such predictable, clichéd tactics. Might be a poor crop, I dunno, but Larry Reilly shouldn't be near that team next year.

Edit: FT 1-14 to 0-7.

If Monaghan can constantly put it up to Tyrone than why can't Cavan.

We've a awful inferiority complex when it comes to Tyrone beaten before we hit the field.

Let's hope it's changed under this management.

As that Tyrone side can be vulnerable.

Our contemporary record against Tyrone in Ulster SFC is absolutely deplorable. What few draws we managed when catching them on the hop the first day were routinely followed by chastening hammerings in the replays. You'd think the underage successes would have changed the mindset but nope. No victory in SFC over Tyrone since 1983! If we pull it off this year there'll be some surge of self belief.

Handy win for Monaghan tomorrow?

If Cavan are as poor as they finished the league it will be handy win for Monaghan. However this is championship playing the neighbours and live on BBC and RTE if no kick and competitive showing from Cavan it will speak volumes about them.

Best value bet is Monaghan ahead at HT but Cavan by a couple at the end.

I hope you go ahead and put a shít load of money on that one.

 

Absolutely made up Cavan bagged the two points there. So much the better we had to dig it out, too often we wilt when the fat's in the fire.

If we keep the heads in the next few weeks it could end up a great league for the relegation favourites.

Didn't see it but reading between the lines of comments and reports, key takeaways are that we're trying to attack a bit instead of the listless metronomic shuffleball we'd resorted to under Graham; by all accounts we defended resolutely away from home; we've two points banked at the first time of asking under a rookie manager, in a division where round one results suggest the going will be very hot and heavy betimes.

The team was always likely to be amped up for the first game and Donegal next weekend at Breffni is a huge step up, but you'd happily go along to support any team that gives it a lash and dies with its boots on. I think that's the minimum requirement for fans.

Well done to the players and management, something we can build on and a small bit of positivity about the place at last is a refreshing change of outlook.

Well lads, any news leaking out about the new county setup yet? Any additions, subtraction, losses, gains or new developments?

Well that's a shocking draw for Cavan in Ulster. I don't recall ever seeing a worse one.

Absolute nightmare.

We've had our fair share of soft ones too, tbf. The only good thing is that, if it wasn't the case already, it will really focus minds on the league and the need to hit the ground running in Division 2 to secure a run in the Sam Maguire. After that, anything we do in the Ulster SFC is a nice bonus.

A bit of a leap of faith is a good way to look at it. Some interesting backroom names there, hopefully they're on the ticket for the longer term and not just intercounty tourists.

Raymond has a big job ahead of him with very little experience but the people around him should help there. You couldn't be overly confident but of course we wish him the best of luck. As the fella says, a few decent early league results would get people onside and build momentum.

Raymond Galligan is the new senior team manager.


Discuss.

Down's Danny Hughes has put himself forward for the job, the Celt has revealed.

I know little to nothing about him - perhaps revealing enough in itself - but thinking in terms of McGeeney, James Horan and Mickey Harte, but hearing Galligan, McDermott, Jason Reilly and Danny Hughes instead, kind of underlines my earlier point about us having fierce delusions of grandeur here in Cavan! The plainer view from outside puts a different shade on things for sure.

Of course, any one of those guys might well turn out to be a great appointment, and let's hope so. Just very hard to be positive given Cavan's (largely) lamentable fortunes over the years.

Any word on who is in the running for the senior job?

Celt today hinted that Hyland might well be nominated by one of the clubs, the man himself was quoted and wasn't ruling himself out by any means. Not sure what he'd bring that was any different to the first go around when - imo - he did a lot of good work but left a few big wins behind too before running out of road similar to Mickey.

On McGeeney, I share a lot of the misgivings but even someone as flawed as him is probably too high on the pecking order for Cavan as we currently stand. We're distinctly third rate and it'll only be when we stop codding ourselves about our history and legacy and status, and go back to the basics, with a lot of humility, and build from the bottom up, that things will improve sustainably. Two senior ulster titles in 54 goddamn years, for all our huffing and puffing and dreaming (me as bad as anyone) tells a tale we'd rather not acknowledge but it's there and time to stop hiding from it. So many counties have risen, fallen, and risen again in that time but we've remained mired for the most part and that's a sign we're doing it wrong too often.

However it worked behind the scenes I do think he'd have been repeating Terry Hyland's error of one year too many if he stayed on. The arse has fallen out of things entirely, and of course we'll never know how he'd have shaken it up in the 12 months ahead, but the robotic inertia of the senior team's play felt like an endurance test or form of torture this year, and he has to carry the can for that. No doubting he gave it his all though, as well as one helluva bright day against the odds.

Early mentions of Malachy O'Rourke to replace Graham. Whatever you think of him as a candidate, it's hard to imagine he won't be in the county board's thoughts.

You think Cavan would be ahead of Donegal, and possibly Tyrone & Armagh and their changes in mgt?

A few will be in for him I'd imagine, yes. Cavan's place in the pecking order is fairly diminished as well but he has club management experience here, not sure about the other counties but maybe there also. Hard to think of any Cavan men with the managerial chops to do the job either.

Interesting the Celt reported a lot of the current panel being in favour of Graham staying and he was veering that way until catching the board on the hop late in the day and stepping down. I find that very hard to credit but they know more than me about it I suppose.

Early mentions of Malachy O'Rourke to replace Graham. Whatever you think of him as a candidate, it's hard to imagine he won't be in the county board's thoughts.