A bit late in the day and no thread on this game - probably speaks volumes for the general indifference. If Monaghan win, meh, no big deal... if they don't, then at least that's 2012 wrapped up and maybe we can (hopefully) look towards a new management team for 2013.
Monaghan will have unpleasant thoughts of heading to the midlands for a qualifier after last year's defeat to a poor Offaly side, and on paper, Laois should be a lot stronger. Although I have very vivid memories of Monaghan's 2009 game in Portlaoise where Laois were on the wrong end of a 20 point hammering. That day everything that could go right did go right. Monaghan have fallen well back since.
Monaghan's team:
M Keogh
D Wylie, V Corey, C Walshe
K O'Connell, D Mone, K Duffy
O Lennon, D Clerkin
P Dooney, D Hughes, J Turley
P Finlay, C McManus, T Freeman
Interesting that Darren Hughes is in the HF line - suggests an attacking game by Monaghan maybe? Also good that O'Connell and Dooney get to start, with K Hughes on the bench - suggests that recent form is being considered. Having Hughes, Hanratty and McGuinness on the bench, along with Gollogly, leaves some good options in attack. I have absolutely no idea why Finlay would ever line out at #13.
What to say about this game?
Colour clash.
I think Vinny Corey at fullback has bomb scare potential, he's too slow and cumbersome in there.
I'd have expected K Hughes to be in at FF with Freeman and McManus either side of him and Finlay to float between midfield and the half forward line.
It still looks to be the strongest team Monaghan have put out this year.
Is Northern Sound the only coverage of the game we can expect?
Quote from: Main Street on July 15, 2012, 12:51:14 PM
I think Vinny Corey at fullback has bomb scare potential, he's too slow and cumbersome in there.
I agree - he's not as reliable as he once was in the back-line - maybe he could offer more further up the pitch? Although I suppose we're not really stuck for forwards at the minute.
Quote from: Main Street on July 15, 2012, 12:51:14 PM
I'd have expected K Hughes to be in at FF with Freeman and McManus either side of him and Finlay to float between midfield and the half forward line.
K Hughes hasn't been that consistent in recent games and probably deserves to start this one on the bench. Agree with you on Finlay - he's be wasted at corner forward.
Quote from: Main Street on July 15, 2012, 12:51:14 PM
Is Northern Sound the only coverage of the game we can expect?
You'd think a mouth-watering game like this would be live on at least two channels, wouldn't you? :P
Laois 2-7 Monaghan 0-8
Monaghan sounding poor, considering they were 0-05 to 0-02 up.
Still, the ladies are 24 points up against Donegal in the ladies Ulster final... in the first half!
Laois the better team by a distance so far.
Bit of controversy over our first goal if it went over the line or not.
And still no substitutions from McEnaney.
Not much to celebrate in Portlaoise, but the ladies worth a mention with a 30 point win in a provincial final!
Monaghan Ladies ULSTER CHAMPIONS 2012 Monaghan 5-25 v Donegal 1-7
QuoteMonaghan Ladies ULSTER CHAMPIONS 2012 Monaghan 5-25 v Donegal 1-7
I take it that Donegal Ladies prefer not to use the blanket!
By all accounts, an easy well deserved victory for Laois. Only one team has the blues.
Comfortable enough win for Laois by 2-12 to 0-12.
But of debate about first goal but not sure it would have mattered in the end.
The Monaghan commentators didn't debate the legitimacy of the goal.
Nudie Hughes has been driven demented by the Monaghan display, into the most incomprehensible babble of a review at the end of the match, into what went wrong and where to go.
From division 1 to division 3 in the League and one win from 5 in the Championship. Hopefully this draws a line under a sorry two years. And let's hope McEnaney and his management team have the good grace to call it a day.
Quote from: Maguire01 on July 15, 2012, 04:44:02 PM
From division 1 to division 3 in the League and one win from 5 in the Championship. Hopefully this draws a line under a sorry two years. And let's hope McEnaney and his management team have the good grace to call it a day.
McEnaney has indeed called it a day.
Eamonn McEneaney has stepped down as Monaghan manager following the team's championship exit on Sunday.
The Farney men suffered a 2-12 to 0-12 defeat by Laois in the All-Ireland SFC round two qualifier in Portlaoise.
The former Louth boss took Monaghan to the Ulster semi-finals this year before losing to Down.
Use accessible player and disable flyout menus
McEneaney was Monaghan boss from 1996 to 1999 and returned to the post in October 2010 after the departure of Seamus McEneaney.
"I have given it all I can. The job that has to be done now will take somebody else three or four years to do," said McEneaney.
"I think it is time for somebody to come in and do that. I will be talking to the county board about it.
"I have given Monaghan 20 years as a player and a manager. I have done my level best over the last couple of years.
"I am not a good loser and it is hard to take. I cannot thank all the lads enough for the effort thay have given."
Monaghan's season really turned on that remarkable semi-final defeat by Down in the Ulster semi-final.
They had led 0-11 to 0-2 at the Athletic Grounds but went out 1-14 to 1-13.
Yet another massive disappointing exit from the Championship for Monaghan. The Down game highlighted the edge needed to turn good footballers into winners. Small things needed from the sideline were absent. As an example, when Down were chasing the game, their management had their man, behind the Monaghan goal, harassing Keogh for time wasting. It took at least ten minutes for the ref to intervene and send him back to the dug out. When have we seen this level of business from a Monaghan background team?
Before today's game to hear that Finlay had transferred to play with 'Donegal' in New York, and is travelling in the morning, said a lot about Monaghan's general approach to this qualifier campaign. It was half hearted, as the display in Portlaoise showed. All our eggs were placed in winning an Ulster title. When that didn't happen we needed to be going full throttle through the back door, like Tyrone did against Roscommon. That's where team rebuilding begins, in the heat of Championship.
Eamon McEnaney has been a great servant to Monaghan football, as has Paul Finlay and both don't deserve any crap. Many 'supporters' have been very critical of Eamon harshly. Both have been loyal to Monaghan's cause and deserve immense credit. We need Monaghan men with the will and the required passion to bring us to the level we're capable of playing at. We shouldn't need to be looking outside the county for this.
Where to now? We clearly need a new attitude that looks beyond the 'do or die' in the Ulster Championship. Division 3 is where we can to start blooding new players to benefit from the experienced. As Eamon said, it's going to take 3 years.
Eamonn has of course given plenty to monaghan over the years especially as a player. One of the best ever to wear the white and blue colours. Unfortunately as a manager it hasn't been as rosey. And today summed it up really. We were going backwards at half time a a couple of switches needed to be tried. Yet we waited and waited and some players who were getting roasted managed to remain on the field for most of the game. Not surprised he stepped down. Results speak for themselves.
Return of the Banty?
Quote from: omagh_gael on July 16, 2012, 01:07:39 AM
Return of the Banty?
That would set things back another 5-10 years.
Banty's legacy had its ups and downs but at least I could watch Monaghan games on satellite :)
Who knows when that will happen again.
Are there some likely candidates who would want the job?
Quote from: babarino on July 16, 2012, 12:15:06 AM
Eamon McEnaney has been a great servant to Monaghan football, as has Paul Finlay and both don't deserve any crap. Many 'supporters' have been very critical of Eamon harshly. Both have been loyal to Monaghan's cause and deserve immense credit. We need Monaghan men with the will and the required passion to bring us to the level we're capable of playing at. We shouldn't need to be looking outside the county for this.
Where to now? We clearly need a new attitude that looks beyond the 'do or die' in the Ulster Championship. Division 3 is where we can to start blooding new players to benefit from the experienced. As Eamon said, it's going to take 3 years.
So you question 'supporters' because they are critical of the management? Worth reading Dick's recent column in the Examiner - http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/dick-clerkin/angry-fans-can-raise-standards-197702.html
Yes, Eamonn was a great player, but should never have been appointed as Banty's replacement, given his previous management spell with Monaghan and his time with Louth. There was absolutely nothing to suggest that he was the man to bring us to (in the County Board's words) 'the next level'. It takes more than 'will' and 'passion' to make a team successful.
As for Eamonn saying it's going to take 3 years... well if we hadn't just wasted 2 years... And i'm all for a 'do or die' approach to the Ulster Championship. Let's be realistic - it's our only hope for proper silverware. It's not as if we've sacrificed a few All Irelands to give Ulster a bash!
Quote
So you question 'supporters' because they are critical of the management? Worth reading Dick's recent column in the Examiner - http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/dick-clerkin/angry-fans-can-raise-standards-197702.html
Yes, Eamonn was a great player, but should never have been appointed as Banty's replacement, given his previous management spell with Monaghan and his time with Louth. There was absolutely nothing to suggest that he was the man to bring us to (in the County Board's words) 'the next level'. It takes more than 'will' and 'passion' to make a team successful.
As for Eamonn saying it's going to take 3 years... well if we hadn't just wasted 2 years... And i'm all for a 'do or die' approach to the Ulster Championship. Let's be realistic - it's our only hope for proper silverware. It's not as if we've sacrificed a few All Irelands to give Ulster a bash!
There's no point in having a cut at the decision to appoint E McE now. The 'supporters' I was referring to relate to another popular GAA forum, full of keyboard warriors, who never gave him a chance from Day 1, even after we got trounced in the Ulster final under the previous manager. Of course supporters are entitled to criticise how the team they support perform or how it is managed.
Perhaps I wasn't clear regarding Monaghan's approach to the qualifiers. Good sides are developed in the qualifiers, as we have done in the past under Banty. Any team with any sort of ambition has to give it a lash. And I don't really understand why so many Monaghan supporters dismiss us as perennial All Ireland no hopers. Down have won five with players from a small number of clubs in the south of the county. Offaly have won hurling All Irelands with only a few clubs playing the game. There are many examples of counties with limited resources scooping the big one. Derry in the 90s is a good example.
Luck and timing are important of course. The Monaghan side of '85 would have been good enough to win it in other years. It has been done before with limited resources. Ambition and confidence, necessary ingredients for any success in sport, is very lacking in Monaghan, with the very notable exception of the women.
Listening to lots of supporters at the time of eamons appointment and many including me felt that he was not the right man. Great player and gave plenty to the cause over the years but had no intercounty success wit monaghan or louth in the past. I was willing to give him the chance tho. I went to every game and i got less and less confident that anything was going to happen bar when we beat a poor galway side in our first home league match. I thought maybe?? But then we got relegated. So based on his previous record i think that is why some supporters were not willing to get over optimistic wit his appointment. It could now be a long road back to div 2 unfortunately.
Quote from: timmyot501 on July 17, 2012, 12:05:12 AM
Great player and gave plenty to the cause over the years but had no intercounty success wit monaghan or louth in the past.
Louth won the NFL Division 2 in 2006, beating Donegal in the final in Breffni Park under McEnaney.
Quote from: Maguire01 on July 15, 2012, 04:44:02 PM
From division 1 to division 3 in the League and one win from 5 in the Championship. Hopefully this draws a line under a sorry two years. And let's hope McEnaney and his management team have the good grace to call it a day.
Is that you Hardy?
At least, on the way down, we beat Kildare.
Quote from: babarino on July 16, 2012, 11:30:54 PM
There's no point in having a cut at the decision to appoint E McE now.
Eamon hasn't shown enough these past 2 seasons that he can cut it as manager of the county team.
There are no grounds for optimism.
Quote from: seafoid on July 17, 2012, 09:36:55 AM
Quote from: Maguire01 on July 15, 2012, 04:44:02 PM
From division 1 to division 3 in the League and one win from 5 in the Championship. Hopefully this draws a line under a sorry two years. And let's hope McEnaney and his management team have the good grace to call it a day.
Is that you Hardy?
No. But I'm beginning to see a pattern with these McEneaney lads.
Quote from: Main Street on July 17, 2012, 11:48:12 AM
Quote from: babarino on July 16, 2012, 11:30:54 PM
There's no point in having a cut at the decision to appoint E McE now.
Eamon hasn't shown enough these past 2 seasons that he can cut it as manager of the county team.
There are no grounds for optimism.
He's gone now, and the stats show record was poor. While he was hit badly with injuries, it was when the Under 21 got hammered in Celtic Park a few months ago that it was clear we're not making any progress. He took on more than he could deal with. In fairness to whoever the next manager is, it's going to involve alot more that one man and his background team. The county board clearly have a massive role and every club in the county has to buy into it and pull together.
Quote from: babarino on July 16, 2012, 11:30:54 PM
Quote
So you question 'supporters' because they are critical of the management? Worth reading Dick's recent column in the Examiner - http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/dick-clerkin/angry-fans-can-raise-standards-197702.html
Yes, Eamonn was a great player, but should never have been appointed as Banty's replacement, given his previous management spell with Monaghan and his time with Louth. There was absolutely nothing to suggest that he was the man to bring us to (in the County Board's words) 'the next level'. It takes more than 'will' and 'passion' to make a team successful.
As for Eamonn saying it's going to take 3 years... well if we hadn't just wasted 2 years... And i'm all for a 'do or die' approach to the Ulster Championship. Let's be realistic - it's our only hope for proper silverware. It's not as if we've sacrificed a few All Irelands to give Ulster a bash!
There's no point in having a cut at the decision to appoint E McE now. The 'supporters' I was referring to relate to another popular GAA forum, full of keyboard warriors, who never gave him a chance from Day 1, even after we got trounced in the Ulster final under the previous manager. Of course supporters are entitled to criticise how the team they support perform or how it is managed.
The point is, Banty was given the boot with the promise that a manager would be appointed who would take Monaghan to 'the next level'. There was no basis to suggest that Eamonn McEnaney was the man to do that - many fans (or call them keyboard warriors if you wish) could see this. We had our most successful period in 20 years, even if we did fall at the final hurdle on a number of occassions - in my opinion, there was no point in replacing Banty unless there was a top level manager, with a proven track record of success, waiting in the wings.
And as bad as the 2010 Ulster final was, a drubbing at the hands of Tyrone is a lot easier to take than being well beaten by the likes of Offaly or Laois.