Messages

Since the start of last year Derry have only lost 2 games, 1 by a point in an AI semi and one in a league final. People talking about us peaking too early don't seem to realise this Derry team have went flat out for every game for the past 4 years. The old timing your run adage is from a bygone era when you had a month between championship games.

With five games to play it looks like three teams (Derry, Mayo and Kerry) are aiming to win the league Dublin might be a 4th if the old guard Fitzsimons, McCarthy, Cluxton,Mannion start to feature in the remaining games.

As for the rest staying up is the prime

With five games to play it looks like three teams (Derry, Mayo and Kerry) are aiming to win the league Dublin might be a 4th if the old guard Fitzsimons, McCarthy, Cluxton,Mannion start to feature in the remaining games.

As for the rest staying up is the prime objective for Monaghan,Roscommon, Tyrone and Galway as all look to get players back and in form before the championship gets up and running.

I don't think Kerry want to win the league.

With five games to play it looks like three teams (Derry, Mayo and Kerry) are aiming to win the league Dublin might be a 4th if the old guard Fitzsimons, McCarthy, Cluxton,Mannion start to feature in the remaining games.

As for the rest staying up is the prime objective for Monaghan,Roscommon, Tyrone and Galway as all look to get players back and in form before the championship gets up and running.

I don't think Kerry want to win the league.

objective for Monaghan,Roscommon, Tyrone and Galway as all look to get players back and in form before the championship gets up and running.

I don't think Kerry want to win the league.

That's why they abandoned the Clifford rest schedule after 1 game and brought David on before half time in their second game.

[Derry have approached every league campaign like this for the past 3 years and have managed to keep it going deep into the championship.]

Mayo and Derry both like greyhounds out of the traps in this years League campaign. However it's a long season and Mayo ultimately flattered to deceive during last years League.

Derry have approached every league campaign like this for the past 3 years and have managed to keep it going deep into the championship. The GAA media seem obsessed about timing your run, usually as an excuse for the big counties losing.  This team has been unbelievably consistent for 3 years now, so the only criticism left is to say we are trying to hard to win every game.

McFaul's best position is definitely at 6, it's a pity for him that McKinless is also so good at it and probably more dangerous as an attacking threat. McFaul very good at linking the play though.

I agree with you Estimator, some pressure on Scullion coming in to that game against a gale force wind with a packed Celtic park and very little experience in county football. He did very well in the circumstances and got most of his kick-outs off.

The big difference being that Derry needed to keep winning Leagu games to get promotion. I'm not saying it's a bad thing at all to be winning League matches but it doesn't guarantee success later in the summer either. In fact I'd probably put a division one League title above a provincial title now that they have become diluted. It depends where a team is at in its development and a League title for Derry would be another staging post marked off enroute to trying to win Sam Maguire.

There is no way a Div 1 league title is above an Ulster championship. It's not even near it in terms of fan interest, media interest and what it means to the players. Look at Clones last year for Armagh Derry vs the Mayo Galway league final.

Mayo and Derry both like greyhounds out of the traps in this years League campaign. However it's a long season and Mayo ultimately flattered to deceive during last years League.

Derry have approached every league campaign like this for the past 3 years and have managed to keep it going deep into the championship. The GAA media seem obsessed about timing your run, usually as an excuse for the big counties losing.  This team has been unbelievably consistent for 3 years now, so the only criticism left is to say we are trying to hard to win every game.

McFaul's best position is definitely at 6, it's a pity for him that McKinless is also so good at it and probably more dangerous as an attacking threat. McFaul very good at linking the play though.

I agree with you Estimator, some pressure on Scullion coming in to that game against a gale force wind with a packed Celtic park and very little experience in county football. He did very well in the circumstances and got most of his kick-outs off.

Derry need sort out the right foot free taker, easy one missed today due to this, a man who can consistently  score 45, learn Conor McCloskey to actually shoot (He was in position to score 3 pts from close enough range)Reserve keeper nowhere near as good as Bradley from Glen as Back up.When McGuigan has a bad game he really does, no in-between. Derry still need a target man to slot in between McGuigan and Murphy.

I'd say that's the first scoreable free McGuigan has missed this year. Toner has also hit a few from that side but doesn't always start

[it looks like the clear aim for Derry is to win every competition they'll enter.]

Does any team actually wanrt to win the League under the new system?
Does winning the League benefit anyone ?

And why are Derry 5/2?

https://www.oddschecker.com/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/national-football-league-division-1/winner

Why I think was highlighted by the strong team selection by Mickey Harte for round 1 of the league. Like Jack O'Connor on his return to Kerry it looks like the clear aim for Derry is to win every competition they'll enter.


NFL final is set for March 31st and should they reach it they'll still have three weeks to prepare for the opening round of the Ulster championship.

That will require
1. steroids
2. scoring forwards
3. no injuries

You love Derry Seafoid!

The whole country will be delighted if after 3 years Derry finally get a few serious injuries, so they can gloat about our lack of squad depth and burning out our players. Credit to the backroom team who must be doing something right to manage workloads. If only Galway could do the same.

Does any team actually wanrt to win the League under the new system?
Does winning the League benefit anyone ?

And why are Derry 5/2?

https://www.oddschecker.com/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/national-football-league-division-1/winner

As long as you're not playing a championship game the week after the league final like Mayo last year then I would say yes there are benefits to winning the league. Kerry won it the last time they won the AI, Dublin won D2 last year and won the AI. Derry did well last year and got to D2 final. Winning is a good habit and it creates momentum.

I thought Conor Doherty had a great game, continuing his form from the McKenna cup. In fairness he was good at the end of last year too and seems to have bulked up a bit over winter. Good to see other boys step up and be leaders in this team.

I had similar worries about our lack of goals but when is the last time we scored 2 goals against a top team. Donegal last year maybe, but you could argue they weren't a top team. You can't compare hammering lower half div 2 teams Vs div 1 football.

I don't think there are any significant changes in style v last year.

I tried to listened to this, when he said he put on the uniform of the UDR to protect the whole community I switched straight off.

Same and then he said he was working night and day

Is Conor Glass the most impactful player in the GAA? Not a better player but more impactful on his team.
Is his contribution to Glen and Derry greater than what Clifford has brought to Kerry and Fossa?

Not in my view. As a Derry fan i'd be more worried if Rogers or McGuigan were missing for us. Don't get me wrong Glass is a great player but McGuigan is central to everything we do in attack and Rogers is just a brilliant player. Argument could also be made that McKinless is more irreplaceable as well.

I don't think you can say Glass is the most impactful player in the GAA when it is debateable if he is the most impactful player in his own team.

McKinless also a major influence also though Glass influence could grow this year

Glass didn't have his best year in a Derry jersey last year. Brendan Rogers was much more influential and had a greater impact on Derry performing well. Glass prob had a better season than Rogers the year before that. I don't think both have quite managed to hit their best at the same time - yet!

To my mind Glass has been the major factor behind Derry's renaissance. I would agree he wasn't as influential in games last year as he had been the year before. I think that's in part because of the lack of a break he got, culminating in an injury in the league final (and again little or no break to recover from that properly) and the defensive midfield sweeping role he was given.
I suspect the example and standards he sets have rubbed off massively on the rest of the squad. The contributions from guys like Rodgers and McKinless have improved beyond all recognition over the past couple of years, so for me he's Derry's most important and influential player. Is he more important to Derry than Clifford to Kerry though? I think he might be, but I never want it tested!

The major factor behind Derry's renaissance was Rory Gallagher. Adding the return of Glass and getting commitment from McKinless all added to it but without Gallagher we would not be where we are now. The likes of McKaigue and Rodgers were always top players they just didn't have the structures in place to allow that to be shown at the top end of county football.

Is Conor Glass the most impactful player in the GAA? Not a better player but more impactful on his team.
Is his contribution to Glen and Derry greater than what Clifford has brought to Kerry and Fossa?

Not in my view. As a Derry fan i'd be more worried if Rogers or McGuigan were missing for us. Don't get me wrong Glass is a great player but McGuigan is central to everything we do in attack and Rogers is just a brilliant player. Argument could also be made that McKinless is more irreplaceable as well.

I don't think you can say Glass is the most impactful player in the GAA when it is debateable if he is the most impactful player in his own team.

The football pod back today. 1 free show and 1 behind the paywall every week. I enjoy listening to the lads but it's a bit Dublin/Kerry centric. Shown today by the fact they spent more time talking about Dean rocks retirement than they did talking about the all Ireland club final.

Credit where its due. Glen were persecuted for years as a townie club that would never deliver. You only have to go back to start of Derry thread here to see that. In fact all towns were written off, as the rural clubs were the predominant forces.

Then Coleraine won it and in time Magherafelt crossed the coveted line...before Glen kicked the doors down altogether  not just winning Derry, but Ulster and now AI.

People talk about tradition, I say go ahead and make your own history. Glen proved that.

Imagine if Derry could get the city producing more quality teams how much of a force they could become in football. North Derry wouldn't be a hotbed for footballe either would it?

Coleraine bucking that trend of course.

If formerly garrison towns that are now soccer towns could be converted to Gaelic fortresses

1, Sligo and Longford would not be on the no Sams list
2. Louth would be ahead of Meath on the Sam roll of honour

For football counties, having a soccer town is like having a strong hurling area in your county. It means not leveraging your population in full. Derry is the 6th most populous county but Kildare, Meath, Tipp, Wexford and Kerry have lower population and more Sams.

Conveniently ignoring that half the county is from a unionist background.

Is that not less of a factor in Tyrone and Derry than it is in Antrim and Down ?

Tyrone definitely. Co. Derry outside of the city might be more unionist, or close to 50 50

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_districts_in_Northern_Ireland_by_religion_or_religion_brought_up_in

That's council districts which is pretty irrelevant for this discussion, most of the Derry clubs would be in causeway or mid Ulster. Derry Strabane is half in Tyrone

Credit where its due. Glen were persecuted for years as a townie club that would never deliver. You only have to go back to start of Derry thread here to see that. In fact all towns were written off, as the rural clubs were the predominant forces.

Then Coleraine won it and in time Magherafelt crossed the coveted line...before Glen kicked the doors down altogether  not just winning Derry, but Ulster and now AI.

People talk about tradition, I say go ahead and make your own history. Glen proved that.

Imagine if Derry could get the city producing more quality teams how much of a force they could become in football. North Derry wouldn't be a hotbed for footballe either would it?

Coleraine bucking that trend of course.

If formerly garrison towns that are now soccer towns could be converted to Gaelic fortresses

1, Sligo and Longford would not be on the no Sams list
2. Louth would be ahead of Meath on the Sam roll of honour

For football counties, having a soccer town is like having a strong hurling area in your county. It means not leveraging your population in full. Derry is the 6th most populous county but Kildare, Meath, Tipp, Wexford and Kerry have lower population and more Sams.

Conveniently ignoring that half the county is from a unionist background.

Is that not less of a factor in Tyrone and Derry than it is in Antrim and Down ?

Tyrone definitely. Co. Derry outside of the city might be more unionist, or close to 50 50