i think monaghan will win. play like they did in the second half today and they could win by 4 or 5 points
Its supposed to be played at a neutral venue. Does Clones qualify?
Monaghan are obviously favourites after past month or so, but if Donegal perform, we can win this. Cassidy and Gallagher will need to repeat their performance from last night if we are to have a shout. Another thing is that we are fairly vulnerable to the high ball into the full-back line, just as Tyrone were today. Karl Lacey will be well fit for Tommy Freeman however.
i think it should be in clones. no other stadiums in ulster big enough. maybe could be in celtic park derry?
Quote from: anportmorforjfc on July 15, 2007, 07:04:27 PM
i think it should be in clones. no other stadiums in ulster big enough. maybe could be in celtic park derry?
You must be expecting quite a crowd!
Omagh would be the spot for this. Can hold 20,000+ and has a great new covered stand.
i think there will be a big crowd, never thought of omagh
What about Cavan or maybe even Croke as a double header?
How much does Brewster hold?
J70,
Around the same as Omagh but there still doing H&S work so its out of the equation for approx the next 2 months
Enniskillen is still unavaible due to pitch work as far as i know. Would have Cavan as favourite at the minute - think it holds over 20000 easily.
Breffni holds aup around 30,000 I believe. Its the natural place for it unless the GAA try a double header in Croke Pk with Cork/Louth.
It's a pity these 2 had to draw each other as they would be capable of beating the rest ,except Cork perhaps.
It would be hard to blame na hUltaigh for being cynical about these draws. ::)
Quote from: Rossfan on July 15, 2007, 07:22:54 PM
Breffni holds aup around 30,000 I believe. Its the natural place for it unless the GAA try a double header in Croke Pk with Cork/Louth.
It's a pity these 2 had to draw each other as they would be capable of beating the rest ,except Cork perhaps.
It would be hard to blame na hUltaigh for being cynical about these draws. ::)
Won't Cork V Louth be played next week?
it will, monaghan and laois wont play until saturday or sunday week because they played today
Quote from: J70 on July 15, 2007, 07:24:00 PM
Won't Cork V Louth be played next week?
Forgot about that :-[
Derry Laois the same weekend so?
That wont need a very big ground. :P
Monaghan will win this fairly comfortably
Quote from: Pangurban on July 15, 2007, 09:14:39 PM
Monaghan will win this fairly comfortably
Perhaps, but given that Down were still in the game with them until the last few minutes, us Donegal people will live in hope! ;)
it depends how monaghan play. look at derry barely beat armagh and stuffed mayo. its all on the day
I would expect the game to be in Omagh (which i quite like as a venue). It's a nice distance from each county. I'd be happy with Cavan, although it would be a bit of an unfair trek for the Donegal folk.
I'd be relatively optimistic that Monaghan can take Donegal - I wouldn't have said that at the start of the year - i had a smal bet on Donegal to list both Ulster and All-Ireland!
Hopefully we can extract some revenge for our defeat to Monaghan in '95, after we had beaten the then All-Ireland champions Down in the previous round!!! ;D
I can't remember playing Monaghan since then
Quote from: The Voice Of Reason on July 15, 2007, 10:13:41 PM
Hopefully we can extract some revenge for our defeat to Monaghan in '95, after we had beaten the then All-Ireland champions Down in the previous round!!! ;D
I can't remember playing Monaghan since then
I remeber that being one rare ray of light for Monaghan in a very dark decade!
Quote from: The Voice Of Reason on July 15, 2007, 10:13:41 PM
Hopefully we can extract some revenge for our defeat to Monaghan in '95, after we had beaten the then All-Ireland champions Down in the previous round!!! ;D
I can't remember playing Monaghan since then
I was in Ballybofey that day. There was a huge amount of complacency in the county in the lead-up to that game - I remember my father saying that, given our history, we could be in for a rude awakening given the overall dismissive attitude towards Monaghan. From Declan Bonner's first-minute penalty miss onwards, Monaghan just seemed to be far, far hungrier, and probably should've won by more than the nine points they did. They looked a shit-hot side that day, and I was very surprised that they did basically nothing after that.
RTE analysts on Sunday game have called this in favour of Donegal.
The last league meeting I remember was in Ballyshannon in 2003 or 2004, when Brendan Devenney single-handedly won a match during which we were second-best for most of the time. He scored three goals that day, including an injury time strike to level the game, after which John Gildea scored the winning point with the last kick.
And speaking of forwards, I wonder who McFadden will replace, if anyone? Young Murphy has apparently done very well in the last two games, as has McMenamin and Bradley. I presume Woppa will drop to the bench though.
I'd be very surprised if there are 30 players on the park by the full-time whistle in this one. Depends on the referee of course, but having now had first hand experience of both teams in this Championship, should they persevere with their hitherto not-so-controlled aggression, it's a certainty I'd say ;)
Banty and Brian Mc Iver would do well to rein it in, just a little.
Quote from: Fear ón Srath Bán on July 15, 2007, 11:15:35 PM
I'd be very surprised if there are 30 players on the park by the full-time whistle in this one. Depends on the referee of course, but having now had first hand experience of both teams in this Championship, should they persevere with their hitherto not-so-controlled aggression, it's a certainty I'd say ;)
Banty and Brian Mc Iver would do well to rein it in, just a little.
Indeed. And Tyrone's appeals for Oscar Nominations in the 'Look at me, i've just been shot' category have been duly noted.
when do we find out the venues and times for the qualifiers
THis afternoon, they say. I think I've heard them on RTE radio sports news about 1:40 before.
This is the one game that I am looking forward to the most. There will be some very good battles all around the field and i would think there will not be more than a point in it whatever way it goes. I think that both teams have good plahyers in the crucial areas of the field but i think the game could be won and lost in both teams half forward lines... Hegarty could prove the undoing on Monaghan as he as probably being one of the most consistant players for Donegal over the last number of years and can do untold damage to teams if given the chance.. On either side of him you probably will have Toye and Roper. Toye needs to play which Donegal people say he hasnt done so far. i'm a great admier of Toye's and have watched him through schools games and right up through minors and U21's. He is a quality player that has an abundence to offer any team he would play pn.. Roper will run forever and is the grinder of the team..On the Monaghan side you have Freeman and Golloghy. I feel that Golloghy has alot to offer Monaghan and is a pacy and strong lad..Freeman is the leader and will work to no end occasionaly popping up with a couple of scores. The problem I think they have is at No.11. Paul Finlay is an immense talent although I think his best position is in Centre Field alongside Eoin Lennon. Would it be best playing Damien Freeman at 11 or would they try Shane Smyth there for a start? I know he is a young fella with still alot to learn but he is a very good prospect!!
Al in all a great game is hopefully in waiting.
Donegal have all the ace cards here I think - they can't lose !
Quote from: Maguire01 on July 15, 2007, 09:38:18 PM
I would expect the game to be in Omagh (which i quite like as a venue). It's a nice distance from each county. I'd be happy with Cavan, although it would be a bit of an unfair trek for the Donegal folk.
How right was I? ;D
Quote from: orangeman on July 16, 2007, 03:25:45 PM
Donegal have all the ace cards here I think - they can't lose !
donegal can and prob will lose.. they just dont have the same fight in them as monaghan have.
Do you not think that getting Monaghan up to the same pace again will be a problem ?
In a word, No.
Sunday's game will only make them stronger and there'll be no nerves this time. I'm not saying that they'll definitely win - it's probably 50/50.
Let's hope we can bring a similar sized crowd to Omagh!
Quote from: Maguire01 on July 16, 2007, 09:43:10 PM
In a word, No.
Sunday's game will only make them stronger and there'll be no nerves this time. I'm not saying that they'll definitely win - it's probably 50/50.
Let's hope we can bring a similar sized crowd to Omagh!
I'd hold my hat off to Monaghan if the managed to bring the same numbers from Clones to Omagh, they must have had about 20,000 of the total attendance, maybe more.
Made for some atmosphere; and proves the point the Ulster Final should remain in Clones for good
Quote from: gwan-ye-boy-ya on July 16, 2007, 04:46:26 PM
Quote from: orangeman on July 16, 2007, 03:25:45 PM
Donegal have all the ace cards here I think - they can't lose !
donegal can and prob will lose.. they just dont have the same fight in them as monaghan have.
Hopefully we'll hear plenty of this kind of talk from the media for the next 12 days! ;)
I'd be happy if Monaghan can bring 9/10 thousand. That would be a good turnout. There was people home from all sorts of places for the game Sunday, doubt they'll travel again.
I think Monaghan will be mentally and physically well prepared but I would have doubts about their ability to get enough scores.
Don't see why Monaghan can't lift it again for this one -- it's not as if they hadn't big games before Tyrone. Should be an interesting midfield tussle, if Cassidy's back in the groove there and Gallagher re-established, and I think it will come down simply to a product of midfield prevalence -- whoever wins most primary possession there will win the game.
This will be a real test and both teams will fancy their chances. Donegal had a tough ulster and never reached the heights of their league form. But they haven't become a bad team and show signs of getting back on track over the past few weeks. The week off will help them too. Monaghan will take heart from their final display and the disappointment can be overturned and the positives taken from the game. It's hard to call.
Many people at the start of the championship had this pairing as a possible ulster final.
McFadden, Dunnion and Roper all back for Donegal, really looking forward too this match, will be a tough one and love it when other people start writing us off, takes a wee bit of the pressure off the team.
Hopefully will be a good match and I think we (Donegal) can steal it by 3 points.
Will it be all ticket?
Quote from: J70 on July 17, 2007, 01:15:39 PM
Will it be all ticket?
Would have thought that if it's defo in Healy Park then it will be all-ticket.
Who got sent off for Donegal again Westmeath and will they be back for Monaghan game?
Quote from: GrandMasterFlash on July 17, 2007, 04:36:37 PM
Who got sent off for Donegal and will they be back for Monaghan game?
Colm McFadden, I'm sure he will. Presuming he only got a month?
Will he not get a longer sentence as its his second red in a short space of time.
Quote from: bingobus on July 17, 2007, 04:38:07 PM
Quote from: GrandMasterFlash on July 17, 2007, 04:36:37 PM
Who got sent off for Donegal and will they be back for Monaghan game?
Colm McFadden, I'm sure he will. Presuming he only got a month?
Mc Fadden was sent off against us, and got a month, he'll be back for your game. Bonner & Mc Cready were sent off against Westmeath, but on two yellows each, so they'll be there for your game too.
Big question to be asked of the Banty now. Does he go back to the system that has served him well this year or go to the gameplan used in second half with Corey at FF? Said it before on here that Corey if prob the best FF in the county but he has been as good at FB for the county to date and I don't think the Banty will want to make to many changes. We don't have too many options at the back.
Young Nudie could do a job back there but as he hasn't got any game time to date I doubt he'll be thrown in. Hes strong, has pace and good defensively quality. But maybe his day will come in the next few years.
I can see Colm Flanagan starting. Maybe Morgan losing out. Would love to see Dessie in the half back line, as he has a great engine and can easily join in with the attack. But again his displays at CB might result in staying there.
In attack, Hanners must be under pressure but he can't be totally disheartened from Sunday. The ball played into him and Tommy got was woeful at times. He kicked one great point but maybe tried too hard at times. Lost control of ball on couple of occassions. Would be great impact sub but would would start in his place? Hugh McElory/Paul Meegan - did little of note when introduced on Sunday. I'd go with McElroy myself.
Hopefully Finlay will be back to his best. Thought he made little impact on Sunday. One from play but he was slow to make himslef available at times and Carlin caused us problems due to Finlay not tracking him. Kicked some lovely frees and I think a full 70 minutes display was just not in him. Should do better against Donegal.
Which Donegal will show up on Saturday week? Should be back on track with two wins behind them and I'm sure they will want to put the Tyrone game down to a poor day at the office. An All-Ireland qtr final after winning the National league wouldn't be a bad year and at the Qtr final stage anything can happen.
I think Vinney will be full-back again. If not JP will be moved to defence and Flanagan will most likely replace young morgan this time. Jap needs to be out the field and not at Full-Forward. We could play a full-forward line of Rory - Vinny - Tommy but I think we will probably just try Hughie or throw smith back in to the 14 jersey
Banty has options so it would be very hard to predict - even if he had the team alredy named.
1 S Duffy,
2 D Mone, 3 V Corey, 4 C Flanagan,
5 D McArdle, 6 G McQuaid, 7 D Freeman (Capt),
8 E Lennon, 9 JP Mone, 10 D Clerkin,
11 P Finlay, 12 S Gollogly, 14 R Woods,
13 C Hanratty, 15 T Freeman
Only change would be Flanagan in for Morgan
It looks like Donegal will be picking 6 forwards from these options
Mc Fadden, Devenney,Bonner, Kavanagh
,Roper,Murphy,
Bradley, MHegarty,Wappa, Sweeney, Mc Dermott, Toye
Id be going with the first 4 as certainties, then Roper and Murphy.
with Sweeney lined up to replace Roper after 45 mins or so, and Toye/Bradley/Wappa all in line for some action in the 2nd half.
Thoughts?
donegal have many forward options the forwards in the squad include; brendan devenney colm mc fadden christy toye conal dunne michael doherty michael murphy rory kavanagh ryan bradley ciran bonner johnny mc loone davis walshe odhran doherty adrian sweeney kevin mc menamin benny byrne michael hegarty and brian roper
i would go with
devenney murphy mc fadden
bradley bonner kavanagh
with kavanagh drifting around the middle and murphy dropping out from the full forward line..
Quote from: thebandit on July 18, 2007, 11:02:42 AM
1 S Duffy,
2 D Mone, 3 V Corey, 4 C Flanagan,
5 D McArdle, 6 G McQuaid, 7 D Freeman (Capt),
8 E Lennon, 9 JP Mone, 10 D Clerkin,
11 P Finlay, 12 S Gollogly, 14 R Woods,
13 C Hanratty, 15 T Freeman
Only change would be Flanagan in for Morgan
OR....
1 S Duffy,
2 D McArdle, 3 JP Mone, 4 C Flanagan,
5 D Mone, 6 G McQuaid, 7 D Freeman (Capt),
8 E Lennon, 9 D Clerkin,
10 P Finlay, 11 S Gollogly, 12 R Woods,
13 C Hanratty, 14 V Corey, 15 T Freeman
The reason I'd try Corey in FF is Karol Lacey.. He's a great corner back and would most likely pick up Tommy. I think having Corey there is a great 'option' and if not working/not needed could be pulled back out the field. Wouldn't have to change the team dramatically to do this, jsut move him to FB and bolster MF with JP if necessary. JP can play either FB or MF and Vinny can play either FF or FB. Options can't be a bad thing... This is all quite hypothetical I'd imainge and can't see Banty changing the team dramatically from that which started again Tyrone.
Quote from: J70 on July 17, 2007, 01:15:39 PM
Will it be all ticket?
Has anyone heard yet, I've scoured various GAA sites and cannot find out??????
Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on July 19, 2007, 11:42:45 AM
Quote from: J70 on July 17, 2007, 01:15:39 PM
Will it be all ticket?
Has anyone heard yet, I've scoured various GAA sites and cannot find out??????
The stand is all Ticket, the other parts of the ground will be pay at the gates. Was informed by the County board yesterday.
Quote from: bingobus on July 19, 2007, 11:58:01 AM
Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on July 19, 2007, 11:42:45 AM
Quote from: J70 on July 17, 2007, 01:15:39 PM
Will it be all ticket?
Has anyone heard yet, I've scoured various GAA sites and cannot find out??????
The stand is all Ticket, the other parts of the ground will be pay at the gates. Was informed by the County board yesterday.
Thanks for that Bingobus
From the Donegal website...
Ticket information for Donegal v Monaghan
18/07/2007 19:19
Admission to the stand in Healy Park in Omagh for the clash of Donegal and Monaghan on Saturday week next will be by ticket only.
Tickets are priced at €25 and clubs should have their orders placed with county treasurer, Charlie Cannon or county secretary, Crona Regan by 1pm this Saturday.
Admission to the terrace doesnt require a ticket, €20 is payable at the gate and u-16s go free to the terrace.
There will be a limited number of concession tickets available for OAPs in the stand
I have to depend on TV or Radio coverage.
I see that RTE are planning live coverage of the Laois V Derry game.
That leaves BBC NI, is there any chance that they would cover it live ?
Hardly likely as they are not one of the 6 county teams
Quote from: Main Street on July 19, 2007, 03:01:30 PM
I have to depend on TV or Radio coverage.
I see that RTE are planning live coverage of the Laois V Derry game.
That leaves BBC NI, is there any chance that they would cover it live ?
Hardly likely as they are not one of the 6 county teams
T'is a fecking bollox, would love to catch this one, but won't, because of those muppets in Montrose.
Monaghan would be my choice to come out of this one, Donegal just havent performed well enough in the championship to survive.
Close one this, very hard to call, might go for Monaghan if on good form, if not Donegal.
Quote from: Redgreenery on July 19, 2007, 11:26:27 PM
Close one this, very hard to call, might go for Monaghan if on good form, if not Donegal.
How high do you want your fence sir? ;)
Quote from: Redgreenery on July 19, 2007, 11:26:27 PM
Close one this, very hard to call, might go for Monaghan if on good form, if not Donegal.
yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah...............
donegal to win by at least 4
Any news from the weekend from either camp?
Have sweeney and devenny spoke yet?
Quote from: The Subbie on July 23, 2007, 01:36:47 PM
Any news from the weekend from either camp?
Have sweeney and devenny spoke yet?
From what I hear Monaghan have a clean bill of health, are training well and looking forward to the Quarter finals ;)
In the Irish News today that Dunnion is only 50-50 for Saturday, and Paddy McConigley is very doubtful as well.
Must be a bit of a worry for Donegal to have two corner backs doubtful - especially given our two corner forwards!
So its the same 15 for Monaghan with Corey remaining at full-back for now. Damien will drop back to half-back and JP will more than likely operate as a 3rd midfielder again. Finlay to drop deep leaving Tommy and Hanners up front. Roll on Saturday!!
Referee: Jimmy McKee, Ard Mhacha
Assuming that Monaghan finish with at least as many men as Donegal -- this referee won't be as shamefully reluctant as Derek Fahy to give yellows after yellow -- they'll win by two I'd say.
Quote from: Fear ón Srath Bán on July 25, 2007, 01:34:29 PM
Referee: Jimmy McKee, Ard Mhacha
Assuming that Monaghan finish with at least as many men as Donegal -- this referee won't be as shamefully reluctant as Derek Fahy to give yellows after yellow -- they'll win by two I'd say.
Hope you'll be eating your rather nice hat there Fear, I'll even buy you a pint in the "Allstars" to wash it down! ;)
Dun na nGall to win by three points.
Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on July 25, 2007, 03:22:37 PM
Hope you'll be eating your rather nice hat there Fear, I'll even buy you a pint in the "Allstars" to wash it down! ;)
Dun na nGall to win by three points.
Good man, GDA, look forward to it. (Be happy for your lads to win, just think you'll be beaten on this particular occasion ;D)
Looking forward to this. Not quite the same excitement as for the Ulster Final, but Omagh is a nice tight ground and should be close to full on Saturday. Here's hoping we can book ourselves a quarter-final place - it would really prove that we've progressed this year. It would also be further evidence that we're right up there with the best in Ulster.
Oh, and the weather's looking good:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=4720&links (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=4720&links)
:)
Another big performance needed from the lads for this one. But should have enough to progress.
Would love a crack at the Dubs.
Think Donegal might sneak this. They have had two games to acclimatise to the qualifiers and get their head round the Tyrone defeat. Monaghan really impressed me against Tyrone with their fitness, game plan and will to win but the main fear for them will be can they lift themselves to that level of performance again? It could prove very difficult and if they cant Donegal might sneak through.
It seems that Damien Freeman is an injury doubt (don't know what with).
Still confident though!
Quote from: thebandit on July 27, 2007, 04:49:31 PM
It seems that Damien Freeman is an injury doubt (don't know what with).
Still confident though!
Heard a wee rumor about Damien too, don't know if any truth in it though
I'd suggest leaving for Omagh early tomorrow. Traffic can be a nightmare. Also, don't try and get anywhere near the ground or you'll still be trying to get out on Sunday. I've seen it pretty bad with the ground less that one third full.
Roll on 7pm tomorrow!
is there any were online i could watch the games today....from the states,
Yeooow! 3 hours and counting.
Irish News give it to Donegal, Hoganstand to Monaghan, RTE to Monaghan, Bookies to Donegal.
Should be a great game.
Monaghan a goal up, Vincent Corey.
On Rte it sounds as if there are 3 commentators from 3 different radio stations sharing the same microphone.
Finlay point
11 mins
1.1 to 0.1
Donegal defence in all sorts of problems, Monaghan: 1-05, Donegal: 0-04
It sounds as if Monaghan took up where they left off against Tyrone..
2 scorable frees missed by Monaghan
Feck, throw in ball in the monaghan goal area and its cut straight to a horse race
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/sol/newsid_6310000/newsid_6316300/6316389.stm?bw=bb&mp=rm&news=1
Ah that's better, is it shared live coverage with the Derry game ?
HT 1.5 to 0.5
Yes, but the fifteen minute delay in Omagh is a help
Mon 1-06 Don 1-05
How long is left now?
Jaysus Monaghan have the beating of them if they hold out.
That goal against the run of play, looks like it's hotting up for a finale.
Hanratty point
5 pts lead
Donegal discipline starting to fly now.:)
18mins gone in the 2nd half
still
2.7 to 1.5
Donegal resorting to giving away frees
finlay point from a free
Vincent Corey point.
Mons 7 pts clear
Monaghan have it won so. Once Donegal lose the disopline its all over.
Game over - 10 points in it now - where do Donegal go from here ? All the old problems starting to resurface - ok a National League is some degree of consolation - but they simply peaked too early in the season.
The big man Corey is creating all the problems, catching the attention of the donegal backs and Freeman etc are getting space.
Another mon point from a foul on Hanratty
26mins played
Why have Donegal abandoned the playing style that won them the league? The attitude seems to be, if in doubt retain possession and revert to lateral hand passing. Look at the success other teams are having by letting quick, early ball into the forward line.
I haven't forgotten when Donegal pulled a 4 point game out of the fire in injury time.
I'll wait for the whistle
Keep the faith !
Monaghan defence on tops.
2.10 to 1.5
5 mins + left
Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on July 25, 2007, 03:22:37 PM
Quote from: Fear ón Srath Bán on July 25, 2007, 01:34:29 PM
Referee: Jimmy McKee, Ard Mhacha
Assuming that Monaghan finish with at least as many men as Donegal -- this referee won't be as shamefully reluctant as Derek Fahy to give yellows after yellow -- they'll win by two I'd say.
Hope you'll be eating your rather nice hat there Fear, I'll even buy you a pint in the "Allstars" to wash it down! ;)
Dun na nGall to win by three points.
Commiserations there GDA, but I'll buy you a jar now, from my winnings on my Derry-Monaghan double! ;)
Oh, and I meant two
goals above ;D
Donegal fans head for the exit ;D
Hugh McIlroy on for D. Freeman
Shoring up now
Apprently some Donegal cars seen there now in Newtownstewart ?
Brilliant Tommy Freeman point
It's comprehensive, Donegal have been rubbed in it.
QuoteApprently some Donegal cars seen there now in Newtownstewart ?
After sucking the monaghan regs dry.
The way this game went was a bit of a shock was it not ?
Sin é, 2-12 to 1-7.
Well done Monaghan.
Yep, Donegal were hot enough favs,
Monaghan won pulling up
That's a bad hammering boys ! A real tanning !
Sounds like Monaghan had won Sam, judging by the noise in the background on Ocean.
You have to realise it's been a long while in coming - tonight they beat the National League Champs don't forget ( whatever that means ).
Congratulations to Monaghan.
Oh but of course - was going to be tough to lift themselves after the Ulster Final, but they did it in style. The Donegal whingefest in full swing on Ocean now, not least about the Monaghan followers.
Quote from: Owenmoresider on July 28, 2007, 08:59:23 PM
Oh but of course - was going to be tough to lift themselves after the Ulster Final, but they did it in style. The Donegal whingefest in full swing on Ocean now, not least about the Monaghan followers.
[/quote
What are they complaining about ? The score line looks fairly clear .Were Monaghan dirty tonight ?
It didn't sound as if Monaghan had to put in anything more than legal tackles this time.
They got off to a flyer with an early goal, learnt some lesson after Tyrone.
No more internal criticism really, may be a shake-up in Donegal after this.
Re Monaghan, yer man reckoned that the supporters' celebrations were unnecessary, given the stage they are at. Much better to be doing your celebrating in April I suppose.
Were there any donegal fans left to be insulted by the celebration :)
It feels like we have just arrived into the big time now.
Donegal will be crowned Biggest Dissapointment of Championship 2007
It just proves yet again that the league still means very little. Donegal were flying during the league.
Fantastic result lads. You'll make for stiff opposition in the quarters
Donegal are still National League Champs and will have silverware for the dinner dance !
Quote from: orangeman on July 28, 2007, 09:27:01 PM
It just proves yet again that the league still means very little. Donegal were flying during the league.
Said at the time, that the gargantuan efforts that Donegal had made to win the NFL title would cost them in the Championship. Tyrone and Kerry have managed both in recent years, but the critical difference was that neither of us busted a gut to win the League -- it fitted in perfectly with the teams' progressions to peak shape for the Championship, but never an end in itself.
Agree wirth you there Fear - I was at the National League Final and Donegal played as if it was the Championship - and I am on record as saying that they shouldn't have beat Armagh either - they struggled against Leitrim -
I'd love if it was Dublin next but only if there was a fair ticket distribution and pigs might fly.
Main Street - you will have no problems with ticket allocation even if it is Dublin - the only problem with tickets is AI Final day. And by the way, congratulations.
Thanks,
I'll book my plane tickes so :)
Taken from the bbc website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/6920878.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/6920878.stm)
Quote
Brian McIver has stepped down as Donegal manager after Saturday night's 2-12 to 1-7 defeat by Monaghan in the third round of All-Ireland qualifiers.
McIver told the players of his decision after the game at Healy Park.
The Tyrone man took charge in September 2005 and led Donegal to last year's All-Ireland quarter-finals where they were narrowly defeated by Cork.
His side won the National Football League this year but lost heavily to Tyrone in their Ulster SFC semi-final.
The county had high hopes of progressing from last year's appearance in the last eight but, in the end, fell well short.
McIver had formerly led Ballinderry to an All-Ireland club title in 2002 and was a surprise choice to succeed Brian McEniff as Donegal boss.
Just back from Omagh. Absolutely amazing display - in particular from our backs, our supposedly weak area at the start of the year, yet they frustrated Donegal at every move... and that's without Vinny Corey!
The only surprise at the game was the fact that Monaghan were only 3 points up at half time. Then when Donegal got the goal in the second half, i thought we'd lost it. However what we got was the best response imaginable. To hold Donegal to just 2 more points for the rest of the game was immense!
Finlay, Hanratty, Corey, Freeman, Lennon all put in amazing displays. Roll on a quarter final! Personally i'd like a go at the cheeky Dubs!
With regard to Donegal, i quite fancied them at the start of the year - actually had a few quid on them! However, i'm not quite sure how they were such favourites with the bookies for this game, After Tyrone hammered them, they just about managed to get past Leitrim before beating Westmeath - it's hardly comparable to Derry's run through the qualifiers, meeting Armagh and Mayo.
Anyway, happy days! Is a great year for Monaghan. We've beaten Down, Derry and Donegal and ran Tyrone very close. I think we can genuinely say that Monaghan are no longer in the second tier of Ulster teams!
Quote from: Maguire01 on July 28, 2007, 11:34:30 PM
I think we can genuinely say that Monaghan are no longer in the second tier of Ulster teams!
Absolutely, I'd say you're right up there. Congrats.
Oh, and whilei wouldn't get this carried away just yet, it's not often you read this about Monaghan!!!
Taken from RTE.ie
Quote........as Monaghan cantered home to mark themselves out as genuine All-Ireland title contenders.
Enjoy Maguire :)
Don't believe the hype, Monaghan are the same as Fermanagh, a few back door wins will help improve their self esteem. But when it comes to the business end of the championship they will be found lacking. By all means enjoy your victory, but leave it to the big boys to decide where Sam resides for the next 12 months. With any luck you will be able to see him as he travels through Monaghan town & Emyvale on his way to Aughnacloy and another 12 months with Cuthbert
:)
The big boys just don't look as big as they use to.
Pipe down Windmill
Quote from: gwan-ye-boy-ya on July 16, 2007, 04:46:26 PM
Quote from: orangeman on July 16, 2007, 03:25:45 PM
Donegal have all the ace cards here I think - they can't lose !
donegal can and prob will lose.. they just dont have the same fight in them as monaghan have.
well well well.... i was right,, a stoned hippy would have more fight in him than donegal..the oriel men were pure class all over the pitch and ill give hanners a mention after quiet games against derry n tyrone.. he came on tonight and played a stormer.
and by the way omagh is a f*^kin nightmare to get out of... sitting still for nearly 2 hours killed the buzz.......
Omagh was a bit of a disaster! It's a lovely ground and a great pitch, but had far too few turnstiles and a very serious lack of toilets.
There were also turnstiles that only accepted either euro or sterling - is it too difficult to be able to do both at the one gate?
As for parking, i parked in one of the town centre car parks about 10 mins away from the Gortin Rd and had no problem getting out. I know from experience of even small matches that you don't go near the Gortin Rd.
Quote from: Windmill abu on July 29, 2007, 12:09:51 AM
Don't believe the hype, Monaghan are the same as Fermanagh, a few back door wins will help improve their self esteem. But when it comes to the business end of the championship they will be found lacking. By all means enjoy your victory, but leave it to the big boys to decide where Sam resides for the next 12 months. With any luck you will be able to see him as he travels through Monaghan town & Emyvale on his way to Aughnacloy and another 12 months with Cuthbert
As for this, it's rubbish. We
are at the business end of the championship. We have beaten Down, Derry and Donegal comprehensively. We gave Tyrone a scare in the Ulster final too. And please don't belittle Fermanagh's runs through the qualifiers - they were there on merit just as Monaghan are now. Teams come and go in cycles. Tyrone haven't been world beaters that long don't forget! (And despite your cockyness, i think you'll find that the vast majority of Monaghan people have been very vocal in their support for Tyrone over the last few years - and
if Tyrone get further than Monaghan, i expec we still will be.) Arrogance however, is not an attractive quality.
Unbelievable performance, I'm seriously hoarse today!
Duffy - Kickouts fairly good, no chance for goal.
Dessie - Young Player of the year. Outstanding. Has seen off Coulter, Bradley and now Devenney.
Flanagan - Rock Solid throughout.
Strimmer - Much better performance.
D Freeman - Hampered by a calf injury, still won a lot of breaks.
McQuaid - Could impose himself more, still played well.
JP - A bit off the pace, looks happier at 3rd midfielder to be fair.
Spindley - Won the midfield battle
Dick - Worked very hard
Jap - Caught a lot of vital ball after the Donegal goal. Fed the ball in well.
Rory Woods - Playmaker in chief.
Manzie - Didn't look out of place at this level.
Jinxy - Quiet today, will have a stormer in Croke Park.
Vinnie - Unstoppable
Tommy - Outstanding.
Hanratty - Was threatening, takes too many steps.
Darren Hughes - Shored things up.
Paul Meegan - Finished up playing wing back, didnt shirk the challenge.
All credit to Banty and McElkennon, they were very well prepared, level of fitness was very impressive. Donegal threw in the towel.
We were late getting there, abandoned the car at Lidl and took a taxi! Finished up walking out past all the traffic afterwards ;D
Happen to be home at the moment, so I went along to Omagh for my first championship game for three years. How little things have changed! Still the same hot and cold forward, still the throwing in the towel when things start to go wrong. At the time, I reckoned the likes of Gaoth Dobhair Abu were a little premature with their optimism back in February and March - it gives me no pleasure to say "I told you so!"
The game reminded me a bit of the Derry-Mayo match: we were blessed to be only three points adrift at half-time (Monaghan have a few issues with their free-taking!). At the start of the second, we got the equalizing goal, put a stranglehold on midfield, and proceeded to hit a series of appalling wides before Monaghan got their second goal. After that, Finlay cleaned up at midfield and it was only a matter of what the final margin would be, as Donegal fumbled and footered and could get nothing going in terms of forward play. I don't think Devenney or McFadden won a single ball all night, in contrast to Freeman and Cory who were constantly showing and making runs (Lacey tried manfully, but found Freeman a serious handful with the quality of some of the ball being put into the corners). How McIver could wait until midway through the second half to make a change in the full-forwards was beyond me, although the usual slow build-up and wall of Monaghan men to counter it didn't help matters.
Hard to know where we go from here. Its unlikely Sweeney will be back, while the likes to Devenney and Hegarty may be considering their options. We still have a big problem at full-back, and while Murphy looks to have the makings of a decent target man, he's not the quickest. McFadden will always be inconsistent, especially with the manner of the supply he gets, while, with the exception of Rory Kavanagh, the half-fowards have not contributed enough, although the injuries and chopping and changing did not help. Its no surprise to see McIver step down, as there's probably not much more he can give or get from this very inconsistent squad of players. Who'll get (or want) the job now?
Good luck to Monaghan from here on. I didn't see any triumphalism (although I left a few minutes early :-[), but I'd be celebrating too if my team had emerged from nowhere like they have.
It did seem that Donegal threw in the towel from early in the 2nd half - did they ?
Donegal did seem to throw in the towel with about 15 minutes left. Monaghan were playing with them from then on.
As for trimphalism, what's the problem with celebrating getting to the quarter finals for the first time? It's not like it was an 'in your face' sort of thing - by the time of the final whistle there can't have been more than a few hundred Donegal supporters left in the ground.
Bigger teams seem to think you should only celebrate when you win the AI final - see the reaction (i.e. lack of) when Tyrone won the Ulster a couple of weeks ago, and similarly with Kerry when they win the Munster. For the 'traditionally' smaller teams, getting to these final stages is a big deal - why would anyone begrudge us some celebration?
Fair play to Monaghan! All of a sudden an All Ireland semi-final could beckon, the dreaming can begin for them.....
As for Donegal, they just don't cut it at the business end of things, that is apparent from the last number of years.
What was the story with the refusal to accept sterling at the turnstiles? I had relatives with me from England, and they had to borrow euros from me to get into the game. The match was played in the UK, so why wouldn't the GAA accept the local currency? They even advertised the admission fee as 20 euro or £17. Madness. ???
typical GAA i suppose :-\ sure isnt 20euro not worth about 14pound
Quote from: J70 on July 29, 2007, 03:10:28 PM
What was the story with the refusal to accept sterling at the turnstiles? I had relatives with me from England, and they had to borrow euros from me to get into the game. The match was played in the UK, so why wouldn't the GAA accept the local currency? They even advertised the admission fee as 20 euro or £17. Madness. ???
You could pay in Sterling - i did - but only on certain turnstiles. They were clearly marked as such. I can't understand however, why all couldn't manage to deal in both sterling and euro.
I did not see the game yesterday but if Monaghan play like they did in the Ulster final...hitting hard and throwing their bodies around to good effect they will be a handful for any team that's left. The problem now will be the hype and expectations from their supporters that will have to be controlled somehow before it affects the team's performance in the next game.
Quote from: FL/MAYO on July 29, 2007, 04:00:30 PM
I did not see the game yesterday but if Monaghan play like they did in the Ulster final...hitting hard and throwing their bodies around to good effect they will be a handful for any team that's left. The problem now will be the hype and expectations from their supporters that will have to be controlled somehow before it affects the team's performance in the next game.
In truth, i don't think Monaghan's supporters are too demanding - nor do we expect miracles. Don't get me wrong, i think Monaghan can go further and will put up a mighty challenge for whoever they meet, but there's no
unrealistic expectations.
Quote from: Maguire01 on July 29, 2007, 04:04:42 PM
Quote from: FL/MAYO on July 29, 2007, 04:00:30 PM
I did not see the game yesterday but if Monaghan play like they did in the Ulster final...hitting hard and throwing their bodies around to good effect they will be a handful for any team that's left. The problem now will be the hype and expectations from their supporters that will have to be controlled somehow before it affects the team's performance in the next game.
In truth, i don't think Monaghan's supporters are too demanding - nor do we expect miracles. Don't get me wrong, i think Monaghan can go further and will put up a mighty challenge for whoever they meet, but there's no unrealistic expectations.
I would love to see them progress... as I said they just need to keep their style of play and you might be suprised how far they go.
I did not see the game yesterday but if Monaghan play like they did in the Ulster final...hitting hard and throwing their bodies around to good effect they will be a handful for any team that's left. The problem now will be the hype and expectations from their supporters that will have to be controlled somehow before it affects the team's performance in the next game.
QuoteIn truth, i don't think Monaghan's supporters are too demanding - nor do we expect miracles. Don't get me wrong, i think Monaghan can go further and will put up a mighty challenge for whoever they meet, but there's no unrealistic expectations.
I would love to see them progress... as I said they just need to keep their style of play and you might be suprised how far they go.
It is time to put up or shut up for Monaghan. The underdog tag has worn a bit thin at this stage. Either you have ambitions for an all ireland or you don't.
Gallant losers are just that "LOSERS"
Quote from: Windmill abu on July 30, 2007, 01:10:04 AM
It is time to put up or shut up for Monaghan. The underdog tag has worn a bit thin at this stage. Either you have ambitions for an all ireland or you don't.
Gallant losers are just that "LOSERS"
Eh, hold on there mister - of course we have ambitions to win an All Ireland; what county doesn't? But when we're in our first quarter final, we're not going to get carried away.
Don't forget, Tyrone only lifted their first AI in 2003. They had been 'galant losers' (or sorry, is that just 'LOSERS') for many days in the run up to that.
Monaghan have come further this year than expected, and as for the underdog tag wearing thin, i expect in all honesty, Monaghan will remain the underdog no matter how far they progress. They've come, relatively speaking, from nowhere - all the other teams, with the exception of Sligo, have been to quarter final stage on a much more regular basis.
Can any of the Donegal posters put up a reasonably argument as to why this crop of Donegal players going back 5/6 years always calf?
QuoteI'd be celebrating too if my team had emerged from nowhere like they have.
I wouldn't agree with this J70. This team have been gaining momentum since 2004 when they beat Derry and Meath to win the Div 2 league. They also had good championship wins over Wexford and Louth and drew with Armagh in recent years.
What really helped this eyar was the Under 21 crop - they all trained together and the U21 run helped build up a lot of momentum early in the year. Plus, the emergence of the likes of Hanratty, Benny McKenna, Shane Smyth and Donal Morgan has freshened things up a lot!
Quote from: Maximus Marillius on July 30, 2007, 08:51:12 AM
Can any of the Donegal posters put up a reasonably argument as to why this crop of Donegal players going back 5/6 years always calf?
We're a bunch of chokers :-[
From hoganstand.com;
Brian McIver has a parting shot at his players
03 August 2007
Brian McIver has a parting shot at his players
Brian McIver who recently resigned as Donegal team-manager after his sides defeat by Monaghan in the All-Ireland SFC third round Qualifier in Healy Park, Omagh had a few parting words about his players in a local newspaper. The up-front Ardboe native has told a Co. Board meeting that Donegal GAA people deserve much better in his analysis of last week-end's crushing defeat to Monaghan which ended their championship hopes for this season.
The Donegal side were routed in the final 20 minutes of that game and McIver described the period as 'unacceptable'.
"What happened in the closing minutes of the game in Omagh is totally unacceptable and must not happen again,'' he said.
"There are no excuses for what happened in the closing twenty minutes against Monaghan and also Tyrone. It is not acceptable.
"I would not accept it from a schoolboy team and most definitely not from a county team and it must not happen again. The Donegal side were in contention and we drew level after half-time. Indeed, we were in a great position to go on and win the game. Even when Monaghan scored their second goal I still believed there was enough time to turn it around.
"But at the end of the day, the players did not want it badly enough in the closing twenty minutes when the game was still there for the taking.
"There are a lot of good GAA people in Donegal and they deserved much better than we saw last Saturday evening in Healy Park, Omagh.
"The players must be prepared to wear their hearts on their sleeves. That is something that I have been encouraging them to do. But on Saturday evening last it was not the case,'' he concluded.
Just actually got to sit down and watch this game,
Neil Gallagher is a dirty dog and should have walked twice and could have
taken Barry Monaghan along with him for company. Not that it matters much now
and its good enough for them. Refs need to start growing balls if they're to work
at this level imo.
I just knew by Mc Ivor's timing of his resignation that he was peeved ! This is proof - sound man is Brian.
i heard karl lacy was out on the sauce a week before the monaghan game
Quote from: heurebag on August 04, 2007, 01:18:02 PM
i heard karl lacy was out on the sauce a week before the monaghan game
Hoorbag you are living up to your name, good man!
Quote from: Tyrones own on August 04, 2007, 06:27:51 AM
Just actually got to sit down and watch this game,
Neil Gallagher is a dirty dog and should have walked twice and could have
taken Barry Monaghan along with him for company. Not that it matters much now
and its good enough for them. Refs need to start growing balls if they're to work
at this level imo.
I take it the tv cameras missed incidents like Rory Woods laying a series of digs into Barry Monaghan's ribs then.
Quote from: Maximus Marillius on July 30, 2007, 08:51:12 AM
Can any of the Donegal posters put up a reasonably argument as to why this crop of Donegal players going back 5/6 years always calf?
As McHugh was saying last week, its not just this group. Even in his term, Donegal would often exit the Championship with heavy hammerings at the hands of teams which would not necessarily be much better teams. The hunger and the players to lead and take responsibility when things are going wrong seems to be missing from a lot of Donegal teams. We've won All-Irelands at various levels when players like McHugh and Manus Boyle could be depended upon to step up when needed, but they seem to be the exception.
Devenney was saying that they had not done the necessary heavy training this year due to their concentration on the latter stages of the league, but if that's true and that is what it takes for Donegal to win a league, I think they'd be better off leaving the league to teams who can win it while doing the stamina work. Donegal need to be extremely fit to effectively play the type of game we play, but even allowing for that, the likes of Monaghan, Tyrone, and to a lesser extent (this year) Armagh, were able to counteract the running game by flooding their midfield and defence with players. Against Monaghan, the failure of Devenney and McFadden to win any long ball whatsoever, due to either being crowded out or failing to make the necessary space by making good runs, meant that we had no other option but to try to work it up the field. Apparently Devenney has trained very little over the past few months due to injury - if so, it showed, and you'd have to wonder why McIver didn't make the change much sooner. Monaghan's Woods and Finlay were able to deliver loads of good passes because they kicked early and because Corey could win high ball and Freeman had acres of space to run into in the corners. The contrast was unbelievable! It was particularly illustrated by Hanratty when he came on - he is exactly like Devenney was six or seven years ago when he was nigh unmarkable, with his pace and accuracy. Michael Murphy won a few good balls early on, but once he was pulled out the field, that option disappeared for Donegal. Maybe he'll turn into a top-class ball winner or maybe not, but its something we desperately need, along with getting the likes of McFadden to get some consistency into his game.
J70 this does not answer my fundamental question, why od Doneagl players calf when the going gets tough, and particularly over the past 5/6 years. It si easy to say they don't have the balls for it....but why is that so
Quote from: Maximus Marillius on August 07, 2007, 12:11:47 PM
J70 this does not answer my fundamental question, why od Doneagl players calf when the going gets tough, and particularly over the past 5/6 years. It si easy to say they don't have the balls for it....but why is that so
I'm sure the likes of Brian McIver and Mickey Moran are similarly perplexed! :) I don't know the answer, but it is clear that when the opposition gets to grips with our gameplan that we don't have other options at the moment, such as the big ball-winning full forward. As you say, that does not explain the various collapses, such as the most recent one against Monaghan when we gave up after Freeman's goal, despite being only four points down and having completely dominated possession for the previous ten minutes. There doesn't seem to be many players who are willing to take the responsibility and rally the team in those situations. You can rely on the likes of Karl Lacey, Barry Dunnion and Rory Kavanagh to plough on and give their all, but many of the others just seem to hide. Maybe its a tradition thing or a collective lack of self-belief, given that we won nothing whatsoever of note until the last 35 years, and haven't won a huge amount since then.
Interesting piece on the Monaghan game from a former player. He doesn't spare the management from criticism either.
Hapless capitulation at Healy Park
Donegal's senior football season came to an abrupt end at Healy Park, Omagh on Saturday evening, writes Paul McGonigle.
The defeat was hard to take in itself but the utter capitulation of the side after Monaghan's second goal was really difficult to understand. After restoring parity with Rory Kavanagh's excellent finish early in the second period we then dominated for five more minutes but failed to add to our tally with Kavanagh who was one of our better performers guilty of two poor wides. Once Thomas Freeman stole in after a break ball from Neil McGee to finish past Paul Durkin then it was lights out for Donegal as we were unable to grab the game by the scruff and take it to our opponents.
The intensity with which Monaghan opened the game was a step up from what we experienced against Westmeath and Leitrim in the earlier rounds. They were much hungrier and more aggressive than us and their willingness to support and run for each other was not matched by the league champions. That said had Paul Durkan not made his apparently now customary blunder then there would have been nothing between the sides at half time. Maybe it's just me but do our goalkeepers in general make more basic errors than that of any other county's? The failure to collect a simple high ball while under no pressure was completely inexcusable at this level and the punishment was fitting.
Prior to this Donegal had opened the scoring with a quick long ball to big Michael Murphy who laid the ball off to Rory Kavanagh for an excellent finish. It was a tactic we all felt should be maintained as Monaghan were intent on flooding their defence as well as fouling their opponents in around the midfield area. However we persisted to overplay the ball in the middle third and invariably lost possession. This wasn't helped by the poor efforts of both Brendan Devenney and Colm McFadden in the full forward line. How Brian McIvor decided to remove Ryan Bradley from the game and leave Devenney on is beyond me and many other more neutral observers. At least Ryan was trying whereas the Eunan's club man touched the ball a full three times in the first half of the match. It was a soft decision from the bench and as one Adara man put it "an easy option" for the selectors.
It was particularly poor fare in that half but to go in at the break down only by that ridiculous early goal and with the wind at our backs we had right to feel a bit of optimism. After Kavanagh's third contribution and fifth point we looked like the only team in it. But football is a fickle game and the wides were compounded by Monaghan's first raid down field with a long high ball resulting in Freeman's sharp finish. After that we stopped. All over the pitch the heads went down and even off the pitch the management seemed uninterested as Monaghan sub Ciaran Hanratty was allowed to roast the old legs of Niall McCready. Up front Colm McFadden was trying to kick frees from the front row of the stand!! It was all very hapless indeed and completely devoid of any leadership.
Leaving the ground I told a clubmate that that would be the end of Brian McIvor. I have for some time expected him to go when the season ended and despite my worries over the Monaghan game I believed we had enough quality to beat them and that our season would not yet be finished. There is an element of the Donegal squad with neither the desire, pride and more importantly the intelligence to give the jersey the respect it deserves. This small minority needs to be weeded out once and for all if we are truly to fulfill our potential. It will be a difficult task for any new manager and unfortunately we now have to go through all the hoops to find the right man or men for the job.
With the senior club championship now to take centre stage we can only hope that we discover some new talent. For now we are left to support Monaghan, Derry and Tyrone as our Ulster representatives in the last eight.