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Fair play to Derry and heartiest congrats to all the Derry posters on here and there are many. Admittedly, from a Tyrone perspective I did expect a really tight game with Tyrone winning down the stretch but never imagined this.

Despite a poor Tyrone performance, Derry were much superior in all aspects of the game - fitness, tactically, energy, endeavour etc....fully merited their victory. Gallagher had his homework done and the stories of the players getting flogged at training and doing tortuous running sessions all came to pass as they were on a different level in those facets.

Sometimes it can be difficult to put a team away when you lack experience but Derry were ruthless and in total control from the penalty goal, easily seeing the game out and if they had of wanted could probably got another goal or two.

Now the question is - can they back it up next day out. If they can reproduce that level again, then Derry will be about for the next 8/10 weeks for sure.

Tyrone now have the difficult back door route which has a few big hitters in it. Did I read somewhere that both teams will still have to win 4 more games each to get to AI final.

Well done again Derry men

Tyrone were poor because Derry we so good today, none of your excuses please. Now the question is? Now the questions are - will Tyrone appeal the cards and, judging by his RTÉ interview, does Fergal Logan need a bra?!!!

Derry are probably where we should be, div 2 and challenging at the top.
Previous Derry managers were unlucky with the success of slaughtneil and the unavailability of the spine of the team until mid April on a couple of occasions. There's no way Derry could have survived in div 2 without those players. Div 3 was a different matter entirely and there's no way we should ever have been relegated out of 3 as there was enough talent remaining to survive.
Anyone taking over after that and the only way was up. The easy lifting has been done and Gallagher got a good bounce with the return of glass and also Covid when we drew a horse and cart through the non collective training rule. The knock on from that was that we were probably one of the top 5 fittest teams in the country.
We are somewhere between 9 and 12 in the country at present though sadly lacking another one or two quality forwards.
Unfortunately, Gallagher showed zero respect to the u20 management and squad and for me, the selection of some of those players for irrelevant McKenna cup games was baffling. Our u20s were not permitted to have even one collective session whereby every player could train. Mark doherty was named in Derry's 24 to play Meath and was unused. I like to hear a valid explanation for that decision and why he wasn't left to train with his u20 teammates?
Let's not kid ourselves, Rory Gallagher cares not one jot about Derry or our long term future. All that matters is his CV allowing the gravy train to continue.

A week is a long time in football.

Derry have won 1 game in the Ulster championship in the last decade, from 2012. Level with Antrim.

In fairness, we have won a good few league games in that period and have been in 3 League finals, I think!! Not many other counties have done that! Is there some wisdom towards Sunday in that stat?!

What's the score with McKinless now?

I heard America but don't know if that's right.

Talk about timing if it's true.

Where did you hear that?

From Tyrone men out selling tickets!
So like I said, not sure if it's true. Just repeating what someone told me and they may not know any more than we do.

Did you actually buy a ticket from them Tyrone boys?! Could have a crucial bearing on team selection!!!!

I was trying to generate some good will before the game.

To be fair I'll always buy a gaa ticket regardless of who's selling.
One big organisation after all.

With you on that score. Fair play to you!

A WW2 joke from South Derry. Yanks were stationed locally (true); caused local tension/dislike (normal!). Yank at local petrol station asks "Can a (of) BP."
Local response- "Can a wasp fart?!!!"

What's the score with McKinless now?

I heard America but don't know if that's right.

Talk about timing if it's true.

Where did you hear that?

From Tyrone men out selling tickets!
So like I said, not sure if it's true. Just repeating what someone told me and they may not know any more than we do.

Did you actually buy a ticket from them Tyrone boys?! Could have a crucial bearing on team selection!!!!

What's the score with McKinless now?

I heard America but don't know if that's right.

Talk about timing if it's true.

Where did you hear that?

Just heard that, despite rumours from imposters, all last year's starting Championship  fifteen against Donegal, with the exception of Ciaran McFaul, are fit and raring to face the auld enemy next weekend!! Doire Abu.

If we could again hold Tír Eoghain scoreless until halftime, it would help!!

Any chance you could engage in a grown up conversation?

Surely, if you weren't blinded by your anti-Gallagher rants. Would you keep him another year or not?

Should we sack him immediately, do you think?

Progress back from a place we never should have been to a place we never should have dropped below?

Bit to go yet before pride is fully restored.

As a matter of interest, what would be your 'success criteria" for Derry under Gallagher in the next 12 months? Or under any manager?

The year we were relegated from div 3, Armagh were promoted to div 2. I'd take where Armagh are now.
After that answer, NO!  I 'll just keep an eye on Armagh for the next week and the following 51.

Any further questions?

And yet you accuse others of arrogance.

Looking at PP, Tyrone obviously favs for ulster, then a hair's breadth between Donegal, Monaghan and Armagh. Then the odds more than double to Derry. And double again to the remaining teams.

I'm not sure why it's unrealistic to aspire to bracket Derry with Armagh and, by extension, Monaghan and Donegal.

Aspiration and reality are two very different things. So far, I think that Derry's season has been "successful". Maintained Div 2 status, narrowly missing out on promotion. An upward curve. But I'll keep Ard Mhacha in a headlock for comparison!

Aspire was the wrong word, I should have used expect.
Maintaining Div 2 status can't really be classed as an achievement, given how poor Down and Cork were and how we have routinely got the better of Offaly. If maintaining Doc 2 status is an achievement, then we can hopefully aspire to be like Clare in a few years.
Narrowly clearly has quite a wide meaning; we were a distant third.

A distant third?! Mention that to Shane McGuigan the next time he's dragged to the ground. One attack away from promotion to your bench-mark Ard Mhacha. Or is it now Clare?

Progress back from a place we never should have been to a place we never should have dropped below?

Bit to go yet before pride is fully restored.

As a matter of interest, what would be your 'success criteria" for Derry under Gallagher in the next 12 months? Or under any manager?

The year we were relegated from div 3, Armagh were promoted to div 2. I'd take where Armagh are now.
After that answer, NO!  I 'll just keep an eye on Armagh for the next week and the following 51.

Any further questions?

And yet you accuse others of arrogance.

Looking at PP, Tyrone obviously favs for ulster, then a hair's breadth between Donegal, Monaghan and Armagh. Then the odds more than double to Derry. And double again to the remaining teams.

I'm not sure why it's unrealistic to aspire to bracket Derry with Armagh and, by extension, Monaghan and Donegal.

Aspiration and reality are two very different things. So far, I think that Derry's season has been "successful". Maintained Div 2 status, narrowly missing out on promotion. An upward curve. But I'll keep Ard Mhacha in a headlock for comparison!

Progress back from a place we never should have been to a place we never should have dropped below?

Bit to go yet before pride is fully restored.

As a matter of interest, what would be your 'success criteria" for Derry under Gallagher in the next 12 months? Or under any manager?

The year we were relegated from div 3, Armagh were promoted to div 2. I'd take where Armagh are now.
After that answer, NO!  I 'll just keep an eye on Armagh for the next week and the following 51.

Any further questions?

Progress back from a place we never should have been to a place we never should have dropped below?

Bit to go yet before pride is fully restored.

As a matter of interest, what would be your 'success criteria" for Derry under Gallagher in the next 12 months? Or under any manager?

Yip. You're correct. The history books will show we won all our div 4 league games and then did the same in 3. The crazy appointment of Mcerlean by Mcivor took us to a place we never should have been so promotions out of 4 and then 3 were expected.
A cursory look at the fixtures for this year's league and anyone with even a passing interest in Gaelic football in Derry would have realised that the final 3 games would be the real tests. The draw in Roscommon was credible, the Galway game was a capitulation and embarrassing for us. There is no other way of describing it.
Championship defeats to Armagh and Donegal are in there to be dissected as well.
Flogging players is a short term philosophy that can only end badly. Players aren't stupid. They know when a manager has thrown a player under the bus.
As I said earlier, I think we will be competitive against Tyrone but that style of football will only take a team so far. Fear of losing as opposed to having a crack at it....the problem here is the manager actually doesn't trust ANY of his players.

The arrogance of this post speaks for itself. Doire we're in Div 4 because they weren't good enough to stay in Div 3. Fact.

I would contend that silver hill's post contains much more realism than arrogance.

"The manager doesn't trust ANY of the players" is realism?! The post tries to undermine the progress Derry have made in the last two years and that is very unfair on both manager and players.