Messages

He wasn't charged so I see no need to do that. The Subday World is a shameless paper, he was questioned last year but they time their story coincidentally around the Adam Johnson conviction. If he was charged then I would say get rid but on this evidence I don't think it's warranted.

As far as I can read into it, he was questioned and the case has been passed on to the prosecutor so he may still be charged. Whether true or not, the fact that it's another unsavoury scandal with McCarron doesn't bode well and this is an extremely sinister thing he has been accused of.

This doesn't look good for McCarron. Time to cut our losses on him?

http://www.sundayworld.com/news/news/tyrone-star-quizzed-over-girl-15

Do the same people who believed Neil McGee was deliberately trying to break the Kerry player's fingers now argue that McCarthy was trying to make one of the Donegal players go blind in one eye?

It all comes down to tyrones most recent failure - lack of consistent free taker. Very scorable free at end to seal the game and O'Neill hadn't the balls! Let people delude themselves all year about titles but if u don't have that forget about it!!!!

Complacency cost it, terrible miss from O'Neill but was more from a lack of focus and complacency than pressure.

At the end of the day, it was a game that meant little to us. What we really need to learn is how to kill games off when on top, Bradley and McAliskey spurned great goal chances tonight which would have put things to bed. We were made sweat for results against Galway and  Laois had our keeper to thank for great saves late on after dominating those games, tonight we finally played the price.

It was a flat performance, it brought up some big improvements that must be made. It's a reminder for us not to be getting carried away but the fact is the result doesn't render any damage to us, promotion is sealed and a few areas needed to improve upon have been highlighted.

Pretty flat performance tonight, conditions didn't help but disappointing not to hold out for the result.

We've got away with a few times already this year, Laois and Galway being obvious ones where we were cruising along and nearly threw it away, tonight it happened. Hopefully it's a lesson learned as what really separates us from the top teams now is being ruthless and putting teams to bed when we are on top.

McCurry was dreadful tonight, I do rate him but I would suspect his place is under serious threat come Championship now. Thought McCarron had a very poor game tonight as well. Positives were Colm Cavanagh, Rory Brennan and McAliskey.

tyrone not bad at 8/1. don't forget tyrone's u-21 all-irelands in the nineties and noughties were won back to back!

Unless Tyrone are fudging the birth certs I don't think those lads will be able to help win this one.

Ha few wins in the league and yous are the c**ks of the walk. I say it again, this group got to an AI final! We get out of ulster i would fear anyone

I see you have your usual wonderful turn of phrase redhandwhatever.

And can't see the obvious joke in Syfín's post.
We Connacht lads need to put an oul every time we post a joke for the benefit of the literal minded Ulster bucks.

Do ye put those smileys beside your performances outside of Connacht? Will you be dumped out of the AI series by a fourth different county from the O6 for the fourth year running this year?

I know its often the way with minor teams that a lot fall by the wayside but that list seems hard to believe.

So do you think McKenna will make it this year? Like his dad he was a good fielder of the ball but seemed a bit slow or had no urgency from what I remember.

What about the big Omagh lad Grugan. Will he be back or has he gone too?
Will this Conlan lad make it this year? He looked good in the McKenna cup but haven't seem much of him since.

I know it's only March but who would your best 15 be at the moment?

I don't know what McKenna cup games you were at but I was at all of them and Conlan was v. poor, would have been one of the ones after the campaign I'd have looked at and said "didn't take his chance, he'll be one to go when the cut is made".

I think Conlon was unlucky in that he was played out of position at wing forward and full forward but you do need to have versatility.

2008 Final: TYRONE: T Harney; F McQuaid, G Teague, R Tierney (0-02); S MacRory, P Harte (0-01, 0-01 pen), R McNabb (0-01); N McKenna (0-02), R Keenan; C Gervin (0-01), D McNulty, M Donnelly (0-02); K Coney (0-05), P McNeice (0-03, 0-03f), C O'Neill (1-03, 0-02f).
Subs used: S Warnock for Teague (25-29 mins, blood sub), M Rogers for Keenan (47), K Mossey for MacRory (48), S Warnock for McNulty (49), B McGarvey for Tierney (78).

2010 Final: TYRONE: C Spiers; S McGarrity, C Clarke, HP McGeary; N Sludden (0-1), M Donaghy (0-1), E Deeney (0-1); H Óg Conlon (1-0), C Grugan (0-2); R Donnelly, T Canavan (0-1 free), R Devlin; S Tierney, J McCullagh (0-4), R Ó Néill (0-2, 0-1 free).
Subs: P McNulty for Donaghy (40), L Girvan for Devlin (48), D Donnelly for Tierney (54).

Out of the two minor winning teams we have brought through Peter Harte, Ronan McNabb, Mattie Donnelly, Niall McKenna, HP McGeary, Niall Sludden, Richie Donnelly, Ronan O'Neill, Conor Clarke and Padraig McNulty onto the current senior panel and all are set to play key parts in the coming year with the exception maybe of Clarke and McKenna.
10 Minors through to seniors with 8 of those being key players within the squad isnt the worst of returns.

When you look at the 2009 minor panel, you can see that the backbone of this squad is made up of the 2008-2010 minor sides as at minor in 2009 were:

Tiernan McCann
McNamee
Morgan
Tierney
McAliskey

Tyrone suffered a narrow defeat to Armagh at minor level in 2009, who went on to the capture the AI that year. If Ulster had a backdoor like the other provinces have then I'm pretty sure they would have been competing at the business end for an AI that year.

Just wondering what's the latest story with Niall McKenna?
I know he's been in and out of the panel over the years and had a few injuries but will we see him back in the team this year.

Actually looking at the 2008 AI winning minor team not too many made it through to the seniors.
Is McNabb sitting out the national league or where has he been this year?
Who was C.O'Neill at 15?


T Harney; F McQuaid, G Teague, R Tierney (0-02); S MacRory, P Harte (0-01, 0-01 pen), R McNabb (0-01); N McKenna (0-02), R Keenan; C Gervin (0-01), D McNulty, M Donnelly (0-02); K Coney (0-05), P McNeice (0-03, 0-03f), C O'Neill (1-03, 0-02f).

McNabb and McKenna are still part of the senior panel but are both recovering from long term injuries, in McNabb's case an ACL and I'd be surprised if he played any major role this year for us given the timeframe.

Ronan O'Neill fit for this weekend. Hopefully he can keep his impressive recent form up.

I'm optimistic about the year ahead, we're going well and seem to be building up plenty of competition for places but I wouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves yet. We still have to crack Donegal in Championship and Ulster is always difficult, think our game is much more suited out of the confines of Ulster and on the quick pitch of Croke Park on a dry day.

It would be great to take an Ulster Championship but I think we'll have to be at our level best to do it.

Its not the team.  Its the tuppence hal'penny manager...

It's both, Deila needs to go but there are some truly insipid, gutless players there. Giving journeymen mercenaries like Kazim Richards and Cole two year deals just smacked of desperation, the squad is a complete mess with a handful of proper central midfielders in the squad, one reliable striker, one injury prone winger and about 10 samey average no 10 types. I can't even watch us these days, ultimately Deila is the manager and he's responsible for the state of the squad but even if he goes at the end of the season the new manager inherits a complete and utter mess.

Of the players I'd keep:

Gordon

Sviatchenko
Simunovic
Tierney
Lustig
Izzy

Rogic
Brown
Bitton

Griffiths


Everyone else in the squad can do one as far as I'm concerend, some of them to a greater extent than others but we basically have all of the following players competing for the same position:

Commons
Rogic
Mackay Steven
Allan
Johansen
Armstrong
Chrisie
McGregor

None of them are really that good, Rogic seems to be the one who has a bit more class than the others at the minute. Commons looks done, Johansen has gone to shit and the others just aren't good enough. There seems to be zero thought into signing players, we just seem to be doing it for the sake of it.

I nearly choked on my tea reading that last comment. O'Donnell was undoubtedly a great player and seems like a real gentleman too. Caused Tyrone alot of problems in his day but seriously ahead of O'Neill. I don't think so

Yes. I would have Stevie McDonnell over any forward to play in the last 20 years with the exception of Canavan and probably Mickey Linden (Linden's prime was before then though).

I would say the 02 - 08 period was as good a period of football in terms of depth of quality teams as we've had in a long time. Armagh won one All Ireland in that period and were unlucky not to add another, they did so by being one dimensional and entirely predictable. They sent early direct ball into McDonnell and Clarke all day long and yet as predictable as they were, teams just found McDonnell (and Clarke to a lesser degree) extremely hard to stop.

O'Neill played in a team who had other top class players there to take the strain and weight off him and while I do take on board Armagh had some other top class players, Tyrone had a much more varied approach to the game and could afford to leave O'Neill on the bench for some big games. McDonnell was a guy who was the focal point for that Armagh team, everyone knew they were going to hit him all game long, they did and very few were able to curtail him.

That's no slant of O'Neill, it's how good McDonnell was.

[The most unmarkable player the game has seen in the past 20 years I would say.]

The most unmarkable player the game has seen in the past 20 years I would say. He had it all, strong as an ox, superb in the air, great ball winner and could kick superbly off both feet with the deadliest of eyes for goal.

I'd love to be able to watch those three Tyrone-Armagh games in 2005 in their entirety. They were amazing battles. They were so closely matched but Tyrone just had that extra bit of quality in their depth where they could bring lads off the bench who could change games. Armagh generally were lacking in that department.

Be-f**king-have lad, Shane Sweeney had him well marked and was scoring points off McDonnell for Tyrone ffs, sure he wudnt houl a candle to Stevie O'Neill nevermind Canavan.

Great player yes, unmarkable no.

Well that's bullshit as McDonnell nearly always performed against us, even in those tight niggly affairs where the big names really struggled to impact, you could feel the air of panic around when the ball would go in his general direction.

Canavan was the greatest I have seen without doubt but Stevie McDonnell is as close to him as I've seen. The great thing about McDonnell was he could win any sort of ball, if it was put in the long and high he would win it as he had a great pair of hands and anticipation. If it was put in at his chest he could win it as he was so physically strong, he could hold his marker off. In on the ground he could win it as he also had pace and was quite agile, able to spin and kick off either foot. He was such a complete player that he must have been an enduring nightmare to mark, to physically strong to get into a tussle with, too deadly to stand off and give him a bit of space, too much of danger on the high ball to play in front of.

I loved Stephen O'Neill, one of the greatest we've had but I would have McDonnell over him every single day of the week.

The most unmarkable player the game has seen in the past 20 years I would say. He had it all, strong as an ox, superb in the air, great ball winner and could kick superbly off both feet with the deadliest of eyes for goal.

I'd love to be able to watch those three Tyrone-Armagh games in 2005 in their entirety. They were amazing battles. They were so closely matched but Tyrone just had that extra bit of quality in their depth where they could bring lads off the bench who could change games. Armagh generally were lacking in that department.