Quote from: snoopdog on April 28, 2024, 05:26:30 PMsome people need to get real, Armagh have been playing consistently in the top 2 divisions for last few years, they've been in Ulster finals and later stages of all Ireland series. We've just got promoted from division 3, we couldn't win it this year or get out of it last year. We couldn't win last year's tailteann cup, that's the reality of were we are at.Quote from: ardtole on April 28, 2024, 09:53:02 AMI've been going to Down matches since the 80s and yesterday was nothing short of dreadful.Do Down have the players to go toe to toe with Armagh? Should the ball be kicked aimlessly up the pitch to come straight back at you? Down needed to sort out their defence and it looks like they are getting there. The forwards will hopefully improve
We were 2 points up with approx 15 mins to go v Armagh in an Ulster semi final and my main concern was, I hope this doesn't go to extra time.
If playing like that is what it takes to be competitive, it's not a price worth paying as far as I'm concerned, and judging by the size of the crowd, I'm not alone. Would there have been 2000 Down supporters in Clones yesterday?
I recognise that plenty will take positives from yesterday's performance and to a degree, I can see where they are coming from. Laverty done nothing wrong yesterday, he broke no rules as such but mother of God, the powers that be must take action sooner rather than later because as a spectacle that game yesterday is unacceptable.
And I don't think I'm looking through rose tinted glasses about games from previous era's, plenty of them were poor too. I know Jarlath Burns has put together an impressive looking task force to deal with the predicament football finds itself in, and I'm sure they can use yesterday's game as an indicator of what drastic measures are needed to cure our game.
Down are not alone either, a lot of counties employ similar tactics, at times we have played excellently under Laverty, Cavan away last year in the Tailtain cup was a great performance. But I really do hope there are rule changes made to avoid what happened yesterday repeated. And even if we won yesterday, I'm sure I would be saying the same thing.
But still some people think we should go toe to toe with them in a shootout. It might have been more entertaining but we would have lost by 10plus points.
The management and players had a plan to contain Armagh and keep the game close and it worked, a few missed chances ultimately cost us.
Down are definitely on an upward curve but to go to the next level we need to add quality especially in the forwards and that is easier said.