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So that's it. Couple of things about yesterday.

Very disappointing to have got such a tough away draw in the first place. 5 matches played in the championship this year and all away if you count the Dublin match. Worst of all no kudos gained with respect to the qualifiers by having won two championship matches ---- we were in the pot with those we beat ( Kerry, on the other hand, get into the last round of the qualifiers as a reward for beating Clare)

Westmeath have shown that they are competitive generally and I suppose have the consolation of promotion to a 'real' Div.1 and those Div 2 medals as a consolation.

The choice of an Armagh man to referee was a bit odd. It clearly enraged the crowd and was an unnecessary added factor in an already tense game. The level of abuse doled out to him in the first half was huge and I am sure from looking at his demeanor that he was under pressure. Certainly his umpires and linesmen were and they received multiple threats of grievous harm that I heard. After the 45 incident two bottles were thrown at the umpire involved and you could see he was greatly unnerved. When the referee made the error about which way the free was going we heard the biggest shout of the day.

Glennon got a couple of handy frees in the first half which surprised even him. He has a habit of turning very fast on his man and as a tall man often slips. These frees drove the crowd mad and we were lucky to get them. The switch Tyrone made on him greatly reduced his input.

frees had a big part to play in our defeat. Firstly quickly taken frees led to direct possession reversal on two occasions and Tyrone scores. these were calamitous when they occurred and must have seriously damaged morale. Secondly the close in free Denis Glennon missed in the second half was unfathomable. His address of the ball and orientation was unsuitable for such a tap over and it was very costly. It came at a time when they were under severe pressure and their early second half lead had been reversed.
The dismissals occurred soon afterwards . Brian Dooher is a great man to have when the game reaches a turning point. Westmeath fell for it hook, line and sinker.
The change from 15 to 13 was not as catastrophic as it should have been and at times I was counting Westmeath fellas to make sure that two had actually been sent off. Tyrone should have romped home but didn't and then.....Dessie, Dessie ,Dessie.

The general assertion that Westmeath are fine defensively, competent in midfield but need one or two more effective attackers was shown to be the case again. paradoxically  this problem might ease a bit as Dessie declines.

Feck it anyway........

That's very good ONeill. Would you ever tell corn02 to go to the bottom of the class

[S]

Anyone have any idea what the Tribune meant by this yesterday?

Send Down For Giles?

17 points to 3! How come our boys don't get to meet them when they're in this sort of form. I suppose Coyler will get the mallet after this.

Tipperary 0-6 Westmeath 0-15 ( 0-1 to 0-7 at halftime.....wind with westmeath in first half)

good display by the backs again. smyth had a good show also. any threat from tipp got a good response from westmeath. doubts about goalscoring remain with denis glennon missing a good chance. David Glennon  got a couple of good scores when he came on. Dessie pretty reliable but Tipp conceded loads of bad frees.... at least 4 for pickups.
Flanagan not used. No injuries evident as yet although Healy had a leg bandage at half time.

What next?

tip 0-1 wh 0-7 at half-time

So if, say, Westmeath are beaten by Dublin and are one of the two teams drawn to play a prelim match, they will have to win that match (having won two championship matches already) in order to be at the same starting point as teams that have won no match at all. I feel a moan coming on.

Any word on Flanagan....?

(I note The Sunday Game omitted the potential importance of his being injured and included him as one of the problems the Dubs will have to face)

Any word....?

I'm accusing the fella in the stile of not giving stubs back. This fact opens raises the possibility of scams.  The untorn tickets can be returned to the kiosk and can remain 'unsold'. Whether it occurs or not is unknown but tickets are divided in two to prevent the possibility. Perception is everything.

Just watched the highlights there on RTE, they didnt show the sending off at all, quite bizarre. Was only mentioned by Lyster in the post match interview with O'Flatherta.

I think they call it a 'score edit'. Bit mad though as it was a pivotal moment

Bought my ticket for this evenings match in the booth opposite the ground. On going thru' the style yer man checks my ticket but doesn't give my stub back. Am I too suspicious for my own good? To whom should I complain? Would such a complaint make a shite of difference?

First half was as bad as I've seen. Shocking stuff at times. Can't complain too much though, with a six-point win over those boys that beat the lard out of us for years. A substantial away win in the championship for Westmeath.

Flanagan looks bad though. I didn't like the way he WASN'T limping after half time. Suggests articular rather than muscular. Duffy did make a difference when he came on and thats encouraging for the next time. But no Flanagan.....

Good idea to keep Glennon on for the second half despite him being disappointing in the first. As the Offaly backs tired he made hay .. . . . his confidence was poor and he was reluctant to take responsibility for goal attempts.

Did you ever see a keeper get as many high balls as Connaughton got in the first half?  He was fairly reliable under them though. He nearly got caught though by that crazy habit keepers have of Hanging out of the crossbar when they think the ball is going over. The bounce back into play with him acting the mick could have cost us dearly.  On the plus side great kick-outs as usual and he made a good effort for the penalty.

DOD was disappointing in the first half and gave away considerable ball.

ALL IN ALL a reasonable performance with some hope against Dublin..... but with no Flanagan........?

  Yes. These derby matches are a curse if you border with five other counties. Bring on Kings County.

Could have easily lost it despite being well ahead in most areas of the pitch for most of the match. It might have been an idea to make a couple of subs towards the end as many Westmeath boys were clearly becoming fatigued. The Longford comeback also coincided with Flanagan's move to the rear... it was very obvious. Dessie looked off the pace at times and made basic uncharacteristic errors. Did O'Flaharta need him to get matchtime? I  was sure Bannon would come in after half time.

Is it just me or do I notice  the Sunday Game boys carrying a patronising sneer when discussing Longford/Westmeath as if they were U-16's . .. "they've a lot to learn yet". This stuff drives me mad. Give Westmeath a virtual bye into a provincial final (Munster/Connaught) and a population of a few hundred thousand and they might win more titles. Oh Yeah, an odd home game might help. In order to even get a whiff of Dublin Westmeath have to beat Longford and Offaly away. This then entitles them to play against Dublin in their backyard. Bring the Dubs out to nice provincial  ground for their first round matches, I say. They should have to earn their Croke Park outings like us poor waifs. Ah Feck...... I'm beginning to sound like my father. 

Nice touch after the match when the players from both sides were surrounded by gossouns as they warmed down and nobody tried to stop it. My young fella was horrid impressed at getting so close to them so soon after the match.

One small point. How mad is it expecting the keepers to lep over advertising to retrieve a ball in a space created by two lines of that hoarding. Its unfair and insulting for senior players.

With regard to the pipe band, I think they are fine but I would be glad not to hear them for the third year in a row next year.

I thought all you boys would be firefoxed by now.