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To end comparisons between mc geeney and dooher. Dooher has 3 celtic crosses whilst mc geeney has one.  Mc geeney ran off into management of anmother county  when he had another year in him, whereas doohers committment is unflinching total

But as a player McGeeney never feigned injury, never dived, never through himself to the ground to get an opponent sent off. Nobody could ever call McGeeney a cheat.

[And big plunkett runnin half the pitch to score a goal.]

Paddy seems to agree with the Tyrone fans on this one:

Tyrone  4/9 
Draw  15/2 
Armagh  9/4 

Armagh are the same price to beat Tyrone as Down are to beat Cork (both 9/4)! Surely Armagh have a better chance of winning than Down do.

Armagh v Tyrone 1994 = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWh-PmrGa2c&NR=1

Fine goals from Stephen Lawn and Diarmuid Marsden. Plunkett's flowing locks better than his goal.

cheers for that link.  It was a a great days craic!  I was at a 7 aside tournament at healy pk several days after the 94 match and cuthbert showed me some of the missiles that had been thrown on the pitch.  Pieces of lead about the size of yer thumb and sharpened to a point.  lovely! And big plunkett runnin half the pitch to score a goal.  Happy days indeed. 

The only times i have seen Plunkett moving quicker were:

1 - getting away from Mark Grimley
2 - Running begging for the Armagh managers job (thank god for POR)

As Brian Dooher seems to have a vital role in helping persuade players to stick with Tyrone, do Tyrone fans believe he will make a good manager one day? Whilst, at best, Dooher could be described as a poor man's McGeeney, could he be the man to eventually replace Mickey Harte?

OUT

- V Martin
- K Toner
- BJ Padden
- T Kernan

IN

- P Duffy
- F Moriarty
- J Lavery
- B Mallon

I quite like the look of the team. Toner will be a miss but Lavery deserves his chance and he will keep his place if Armagh advance.

6 of the 2004 All Ireland U21 winning team are starting, whilst 4 of the 2007 U21 Ulster winning team (should have won the AI) start.

Looking forward to see if we get more out of Dyas

You obviously have some donegal relatives.... monaghan / roper / devenney. McCloy, gordon. Jesus, they are all pitiful selections.

Tyrone should have won comfortably. Too many turnovers and general mistakes cost them and they are starting to look an old team. Dooher is becoming embarressing for them and why does S Cavanagh go down holding his face when he gets a slap on the hear. A great footballer but just another moy cheat.

It will be interesting to see who armagh match their defenders up against. Derry's forward line is very tall and strong. I would like to see:

A.Mallon - Gilligan
B.Donaghy - Bradley
P.Duffy - O'Boyle
A.Kernan - McGuckian
C.McKeever - Unlucky Enda
K.Dyas - Lynch

To be fair to POR he got the match ups correct against Down. Duffy could struggle with O'Boyle's height if he plays in the full forward line.

If Vernon plays the way he played in the second half against down, armagh will win as derry's midfield is unproven and inexperienced

All lined up for Martin Sludden's return to championship action...

To Meath supporters - is the meath keeper (paddy o'rourke) likely to get a run out in the forwards at some stage? Would he have been close to starting the match?

There are a lot of potential neutrals in Belfast too. Remember that Armagh v Derry attracted 27,000 there in 2005, albeit at a time when when crowds were much bigger. But even half that would a big crowd for a game involving Derry.

Are you sure there was 27,000 at this?

Fair play to Paddy O'Rourke - he seems a quality fella (and as the season progresses he will hopefully prove himself as a quality manager). I thought all the armagh players won their personal battles. I have been critical of the likes of vernon, mackin and padden in the past but they really proved a lot of doubters wrong last night. I was shocked to see andy mallon going to mark hughes (i would have kept him closer to his own goals) but he was superb, as was duffy / donaghy in the full back line. If vernon, mackin and padden can reproduce against derry we will win, but thats a big if. Jamie Clarke will go on to become Armagh greatest ever forward. A big statement, but true.

As for James McCartan. Fair him to him (and tally / mciver) for getting this down team to within 2 points of an all ireland last year because they are fairly crap. But ask st galls / ballinderry / burren players whether they rate him as a good manager and they will say no. Ambrose Rogers will bring a massive improvement as would Aidan Carr and moving dan gordon up the pitch.

Is Brian Mallon injured as i would have him in ahead of mackin / padden? Dyas wont play corner back but it will be interesting to see who each of the defenders will pick up. Possibly:

A.Mallon - McComisky
Donaghy - Coulter
Dyas - Maginn
AKernan - Hughes
McKeever - MClarke
Duffy - Poland

i would fancy armagh to come out on top of most os these battles.

Moortown, i dread to think of what abuse you will be dishing out to armagh and down players on saturday considering how you treat your own county players .... joe mcmahon

[good ball carriers in CV, Malachy Mackin and David McKenna]

I'm hoping for strong direct running from good ball carriers in CV, Malachy Mackin and David McKenna unsettling Down's defensive system and creating space for Clarke and McDonnell.

Unfortunately CV and MM are not good ball carriers. They lose the ball every time they run into a tackle and they are unable to get their heads up to look whats happening around them.

Top Meath officials Barney Allen and Cyril Creavin are set to fill the selector roles vacated by Liam Harnan and Barry Callaghan on Sunday night, according to a report.

The Irish Independent reports that County Board Chairman Allen and Secretary Creavin will take over on an interim basis with Meath's first Championship match of the summer - a clash with 2010 All-Ireland semi-finalists Kildare - set to take place in less than two weeks.

This sounds like a joke. If meath are happy enough enough to employ grimley, banty & mcelkennon as a management team then why not let them manage. Does anyone actually think that these 3 boys are going to listen to 2 county board suits (when i imagine then didnt listen to 2 former meath players).

What position does Geraghty play for his club???