Whoever wins this is guarnteed Division 3 football next year.
Sligo are a big disappointment this year and I havnt a clue how or when we will solve our problems. I hope next Sunday we can wake up and put in a big performance and a win in the bag. We need momentum for the championship..
All I know is potential of our players is far greater than what we have shown so far. If we reach that potential it will be long summer. I will be in Aughrim Sunday so looking forward to it.
Will walshe start for wicklow?
Look on the bright side you have hear a genuine opportunity to maybe get Mick the dreaded sack.
I think we will win but it will be tight, maybe only a point in it. Our record against Mr O'Dwyer isn't bad at all. At least after last weekend we can be pretty hopeful that the team that is picked this time out will work their socks off. That might be enough.
As you probably know Im a leeds fan. You'd want to see the workrate of Michael Gray on Friday night against preston. It was unbeliveable. Throwing himself intelligently into taclkes. Chasing players all over the field. You could see this man was hungry and that there was no way he let leeds down. Ive heard alll the leeds jokes lads but I merely went from seeing that to seeing 3 Sligo teams with no way near the same intensity or workrate.
Shouldnt it be guarnteed? I dont know if you were at game and it doesnt matter but when I dont see that same intensity and workrate I tend to edge on having the opinion that anyone not giving that workrate or intensity isnt giving 100%.
Like on an other point Sligo scored 1-4 in last 5 mins and you could see the workrate and intensity was higher.. why wait?? Why arent the players workrate higher for 70mins?
Thats probably why my opinions can come across controversial because I sometimes get this feeling that some players think theyve made it when the get a Sligo jersey and forget that winning medals is what its all about..
Do any of my fellow Sligonians see what I am trying to say??????
I am assuming O Hara will be suspended which is a huge blow-he needs to realise he cannot be mouthing at referees any longer.
Will Thomas Walshes transfer request go through this week-it appears Carlow have appealed the transfer again. If he plays he will be rusty anyway as he hasn't played this season yet.
As Stan said for the Irish team recently 'We don't play well in February'. A drier sod should help this light Sligo team-hoopefully they will pull it off at the weekend but it won't be easy in Aughrim
How often has O'Hara been sent off in the last year? I know it shoudl have been davey last summer but he seems to have a fierce high rate of red cards, as do sligo in general.
I agree Mano. I do feel sorry for Eamonn because he is obviously being targetted but he will have to mend his ways cos he's too valuable a player to us to be watching from the stand. I think we do play better on a dry sod as well (even some of the not so small guys) but it will take a fair bit of doing to get what we want next Sunday. My gut just tells me that things are coming together for this panel. its a huge game. Much easier to stay in Div 3 than get out of Div 4.
Mayo4Sam - O'Hara has been sent off 3 times already this year (v. Leitrim in FBD and v. Waterford and Antrim in League). It happens when the opposition and the ref are out to get you but I'm sure Eamonn will learn his lesson and get things right. I wouldn't have though we have that high a rate of sendings off in general though.
As someone who always keeps an ear out for sligo reports it seems that ye have an excessively high sending off rate.
As for O'Hara being targeted, i dont see enough of sligo to comment but if he is then he should be a lot cuter, hes too experienced to be falling for this
My dad and myself talked at length about ohara and sendings off. Dad said Mickey kearins was targetted in his games but was alot cuter and got them back not through mouthing but through sticking it over the bar. it seemed to inspire him.
Imagine how deflated the opposition would be if all there antics only fuelled ohara abilities. They would stop and then he would destroy them. Everyone knew back in the day that if you stopped kearins you stopped SLIGO.. Not as one man a team today but Ohara could learn alot from speaking to Kearins in my opinion.
Seanie I hope your gut feeling is right.
Great result and by all accounts a very good performance. Overall the league was just as could have been expected. Division 3 is about right for us. Delighted that we've consigned Micko to Div 4 and Tommy Murphy. A good day.
Listened to the game on via the internet and, to be fair, Sligo sounded very impressive. I think they were nine points up at one stage. I still don't know why Gerry McGowan is making the team.
There was an interesting comment at the end of the game by Barnes Murphy when he noted how well as a unit Sligo performed without O'Hara. He probably didn't mean it the way it sounded. For me, a fit O'Hara would start every time although I think it does hurt the team that he draws so much attention from the opposition and referrees. Quinn and Tony Taylor sounded like they had a good game. Curran had a good game - could there be a 'Paul Galvin-esque' role for Curran? He's tigerish and aggressive and seems to win alot of loose ball. By the sounds of it Sweeney scored a great point and played well when he came on. However, he has only played well this year against teams that ultimately finished in the bottom four of the division so his pedigree is open to question.
Just to return to O'Hara. His sendings off have generated alot of comment in recent weeks regarding a perceived vendetta against Eamonn by referees. A few people have also noted that Eamonn needs to keep his mouth shut and, more importantly, stop retaliating to every bit of provocation. I think both opinions are partly correct. What can be done to address this situation? In my opinion I think it has to be addressed as he has had three red cards already this season. From the management and Eamonns perspective he has to stop mouthing and stop following fellas around to get a clip on them. On the other front, what can be done to address what is clearly a negative perception referees have of Eamonn before the game even starts?
Great win for Sligo and as one who saw both teams playing Tipperary in the league, I thought it would be a close game, but felt that home venue might swing it for Wicklow. Between the Mick O'Dwyer hype and the Thomas Walsh transfer from Carlow, I do'nt think many tears will be shed for Wicklow ending up in Division 4.
Sligo V Wicklow
Well done yday lads on powerful performance. I was at the game and we were very impressive at times. Best performance of the year.
Greene 6 good kickouts
Harrison 9 outstanding and goalline clearance
MCGuire 8 very solid
Donovan 8 Very solid
J Davey 10 man of the match. fantastic going forward and back
McNamara 6 not a half back for me bring in J Martyn PLease!!
McGovern 7 very solid
Quinn 6 did ok broke alot of ball
Taylor 7 another decent display
S Davey 9 Back with a bang outstanding in open play
Brehony 9 outstanding scores
Curran 9 won tonnes of breaks and was like a terrier
Kelly 8 great ball winner as usual but cant score(no composure)
Gallagher 6 fought hard but doesnt get too involved
McGowan 4 all he did was nearly get sent off..Brehony is very slow on the line to take him off....43mins to be precise.
Sweeney 8 got 2 great scores give him more chances
All in all was happy. T Brehony is very slow to change things things like Mcgowan which disappoints me but was extremely happy coming out of Aughrim. Fair play on great display.Alot more hunger and desire.
Big question left? Are Sligo better team without OHARA?? I think team maybe mentally rely on him too much that they dont work as hard maybe when he plays.
Imagine if we worked as hard as yday with o hara. We would rattle a few cages.
NY next and best of luck. Was proud the way the players reacted yday and workrate was excellent.
Very good performance from what i heard on radio. A lot of lads like the 2 Daveys, Taylor, Curran, Sweeney coming back into form. In my opinion improved performance coincided with the improved weather and the hardening of the ground as there is a lot of speed throughout in the team.
To answer Sligonians question i don't think Sligo are a better team without O'Hara. I think they maybe played a lot harder to conteract his loss-however they have to keep this kind of workrate up. I think that or Egan should be considered for the roving corner forward role as they are both good defensively, are strong and are good carriers of the ball. Leave the 2 bigger lads around the middle
Agree with a lot of that Mano. Obviously O'Hara will come back into the team, probably at wing forward where his pace and power can be used to maximum efferct driving at thew opposition. Let Quinner and T. Taylor do the donkey work in the middle. Egan will also be in contention (has he been injured recently?). Competition for places is hotting up but we look reasonably settled from 1 to 9. Some good players not getting in at present.
The point about the hard ground is a key one. We do struggle big time on mucky pitches. Hopefully we've seen the back of them for now. Roll on New York (4 weeks this Sunday!).
Its one thing being settled but I dont see McNamara startin centre back. Id be worried if he did. He hasnt played well enough there to justify him staying there.
Also I have big question mark over Kerian Quinn. To me hes not a starter for championship. For a big lad he never catches a ball in midfield and got injured sunday. Looked leggy and didnt really add anything to the win. Donkey work dont reall y see him doing that either.
Obviously Gerry Mcgowan wont start again as he was useless.
I would definitly start J Martyn centre back. He was impressive at start of year only for the injury is preventing getting back.
One of the most interesting things last couple a weeks was DOOHAN and MCGARTY were on subs bench last 4 weeks and no run out or anything. Must not be fully fit but cant be a million miles away.
My Team to CSFC start based on the fact I was at all FBD and League games except Wexford is:
Greene
Harrison
McGuire
Donovan
J Davey
J Martyn
P McGovern
O Hara
Taylor
S Davey
Brehony
Curran
D Kelly
Sweeney
McNamara or Gallagher
Doohan, Mcgarty, egan, marren, quinn all my first choice subs who can make an impact.
The jury is still out on McNamara at centre back but I'd like to see it persisted with. It could have potential. Jonny Martyn is unlucky to not be in the team as he was playing great stuff early in the year but he'll get his chance again. We know what he can do so I reckon Breheny will continue looking at McNamara at centre back in challenges etc.
QuoteI have big question mark over Kerian Quinn. To me hes not a starter for championship. For a big lad he never catches a ball in midfield and got injured sunday. Looked leggy and didnt really add anything to the win.
You're in a small, bitter minority if you have doubts about Kieran, especially after the last two games. Now I wasn't there but from speaking to several who were there and listening to the radio your above statement is rubbish. Plain and simple. You obviously have some sort of issue with him but I coudn't let that tripe pass. It really annoys me. I heard fellas from your neck of the woods giving out about him the first time he got the ball against Meath. He proceded to evade two tackles and lay off a good ball so we made sure to tell your clubmates. There are none so blind as those who do not want to see.
Well Sligonian, I guess its good that enough players are showing well to generate debate on a starting 15. It leaves Tommy B in a good position as there are players to bring on(J Martyn def being high up that list) who can make a difference. My side would be:
Green
Harrison
McGuire
Donovan
Davey
O'Hara
McGovern
Quinn
Taylor
Davey
Breheny
Curran
Kelly
McNamara
Egan/K o'Neill
Still not convinced on McNamara @ cb. Hands up..wasn't at Wicklow game but the ease with which Antrim seared through our centre was worrying. Think Eamonn could do a job there.
Quinn is a certainty at mf. He's getting back to himself. Tony T has really started to open his shoulders and his ball winning and tackling bode well. A good tall mf pairing that will ensure we at least break even.
I like mano's suggestion of Egan as roaming cf.Would see Karol O'Neill as an option there too and prob better score taker. Don't see Sweeney as a reliable player come ch'ship.
Forward line is a bit of a lottery.The key is to have Davey and Breheny(usually quiet against bigger teams in ch'ship) as they are the source of most of our scores. Sean is a real enigma...listening to the Wicklow game he seemed to have a stormer yet vs. Antrim he looked like a lad brought down out of the stands.
It's the challenge game circuit to find a settled team now.If ye want a bet lads...try www.cashmans.ie( Cork bookies) ...we're 12/1 for Connaught. Put on a 100e and if we make the final(ie beat Ros) and ye get itchy feet ye can always cover the bet with a bit on opposition! ::)
Never thought about O'Hara at 6. Mano - did you ever see him play there at club level? Interesting buckass I must say.
I take it you were at the minor game last night. Hear it was a good performance, second half especially.
Quote from: magpie seanie on April 10, 2007, 12:52:28 PM
Never thought about O'Hara at 6. Mano - did you ever see him play there at club level? Interesting buckass I must say.
He played 6 a few years back when there was a few injuries in that position. He was able to surge forward and create scores but left a lot of space for the centre forward and you can't do that at county level.
I would find a place for Egan in the championship team preferably in the forwards. He was a forward all his life until Coirrigan put him at centre back 3 years ago. He is at his best i believe dropping back as a wing forward or corner forward and runnig at defences.
There are a lot of options on the bench this year which can only be good for competition for places.
I also would persist with Quinn. It is his first year back at this level after a break of a few years and i think he has done well. We don't have an abundance of high fielding midfielders in the county at the mement and i think Eamonn might be better placed on the wing.
Att Magpie Seanie : Whats the point arguing with me when you werent at the last 2 games? If I wasnt at the games I wouldnt comment like after the wexford game. I have to see for myself. I dont expect you to agree either because your a Coolera stranhill man. If I told you I spoke to quinn this year and think hes a sound fella would you believe me? All I care about is Sligo football. To say Ive something against him or any Sligo player is delusional and something for you to look at yourself.
All I said is he never catches a ball which is true. He tries to break it every time which then turns into lottery of break winners. Did he add to Sligos performance last sunday well you werent there so can you say Im talking rubbish. Quinn just doesnt cut it for those reasons and to my eyes he is slow but to yours hes a greyhound. Fair enough neither of us pick the team so our opinions dont really count. Oh and alot of people would agree with me too but it doesnt make a difference because I trust my own judgement.
Mano O Hara at 6 could be best call Ive heard in a long time. Id have s davey at midfield then with taylor. Maybe put martyn half forward. Lots of options which is good.
Its good to have so many options a few weeks away from championship. One which has been tried before and has failed is Davey at midfield. He simply does not defend in that position, his workrate for a midfielder is poor and he doesn't catch any ball either. I would have him on edge of the square or on the wing as he is accurate in front of goal. Also Martyn will come into contention but in fullback or half back line.
On that bet..pcsports in Galway have Sligo at 14/1.
Ya good performance Seanie. Good team spirit with them.
What I'd like about Eamonn at 6 is his relish of the big hit and speed in on breaks. I take your point Mano on the high fielding stakes but there's rarely more than a half dozen clean catches in a ch'ship game now. looking to the Ros game there's a good chance he will have to take O'Neill again as he did last time in the Hyde(Remember..O'Neill gave a display for 20 on Maye be4 O'Hara took his mind off the ball).
Also referring to Sligonian's point, it's interesting that Sligo's best periods of play have been at times when Eamonn has been off(vs Leitrim in FBD, Vs Antrim @ end, Wicklow). Dunno if it's the 14-man syndrome(or a vrsion of it in Aughrim) or just a coincidence.
Sligonian, fair play..you made the Aughrim journey so you're a/c is primary. However, the handful of lads(from a couple of different clubs) that I talked to said Quinn played well and worked hard. Davey is a non-runner @ midfield simply because he has no reverse gear.Martyn @ half forward...don't think he'd pick himself there.
It's amazing..when the smell of cut grass hits the nostrils there's always optimism aplenty. 14/1 is a pessimist's price!
Sligonian - I was at the Antrim game and it was clear that Quinner helped to lift things round the middle when he came on. The rest of your rant like Davey in midfield and Martyn in the half forward line speaks volumes for your judgement.
2 things I noticed this year was martyn was accurate from play and found himself forward against tipp and wat and took all his chances. His passing into frowards was top class too. Other thing was S Davey was no good with back to goal in FF position. Looked way more comfortable facing the goals. He was switched to midfield sun and did very well. So I definitly wouldnt put him FF and martyn I think has potential qualities for a half forward.
Good comeback and I would expect knit picking at this stage. As plain for everyone to see I picked my SLIGO CSFC team above so refer to that. I am merely suggesting that these drastic enough positional switches be tried in challenges so dont take them too serious.....and who knows mcgarty and doohan may stake claims for starting. I remember J Martyn didnt start a league game and sligo played donegal in a challenege and he destroyed devenny and started in CSFC marking frankie dolan. No disputing Quinn works and gives it everything. Fair play to him and more than likely will start but I wouldnt start him.
Fair play to ya Sligonian. If nothing else you've got a bit of a debate going which is a welcome return to Sligo related threads.
Thanks, the more interest in Sligo football the better. We might all have different ideas, opinions etc but rememeber we are all one at the end of the day. That is we are all from Sligo so lets stick together and support the boys everywhere they go. No doubt this summer will be a rollercoaster of emotions but we love it. ;D
Quinner nice fella, played on him a couple of times recently his best days are behind him he was a good servant to Sligo football but if the team is to progress this year we have to move on. There is still a place for him in the panel he could be used as a good old traditional spoiler for 20 minutes if we were in trouble around the middle of the field. A good lad gave it all for the county down through the years but every dog has his day.
Looking forward to league games this weekend at least the county players are back with their clubs.
Sligo clubs should follow mayo lead and introduce the quota system were county players must play 80% of club league games.
Was talking to a mayo footballer Sunday night and after playing against Tyrone in the league he was turning out for his club on the bank holiday Monday and mayo with a league semi final on the Sunday against galway.
If Sligo was in a similar position club league games would be called off for a month.
The county Board fixtures committee should take a long hard look at them selves. Its harder at the moment to get off the county panel than it is to get on it.
Sligo county players should play 80% of the club league games and then maybe the standard of club football might go up a small bit in Sligo and improve the quality of county players.
I'm not going to go over old ground on Quinner so I'll just agree to disagree strongly with you.
I suggest we move the club stuff onto the other thread.
QuoteO Hara at 6 could be best call Ive heard in a long time. Id have s davey at midfield
While I will freely admit to having seen very little of either in play over the past three years, I saw enough and know enough of what I saw between 1997 and 2003 of two lads that are now, I think, 30 and 27 respectively (i.e too old and set in their ways to be changed) to know that this would be a recipie for disaster. While it is an advantage to have a CHB with an attcking capability - either ball in hand or as a foot passer - the first job is to defend that space and to hold a line. O'H @ 6 would be way way too loose. Davey is not a man to track back so playing him in MF comes with a cost. If I were an opposition manager, I'd find huge gaps down the middle against that pair in those positions.
I see your point and agree in a way. As in my team for the championship I would put Sean Half forward and Ohara midfield. ID put J Martyn centre back. McNamara doesnt really contribute there. But one thing I wish people would do is comment on my team rather than my speculation on various players positions. Because I mean for that experimentation in challenges etc.. and if it works really well, well then food for thought.
Any chance any other sligonians will post there team for the championship or will I create SLIGO CSFC thread for that?