Corcaigh v Dún na nGall

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

 

Kerry looked good.

[tyssam5]

The fact that this is Donegal's fifth weekend out in a row can't not be a factor in this embarrassment. I think the qualifier schedule is ridiculous as it stands. There's not really much point in taking the second chance that the qualifiers offer if they're gonna flog you to death by the time you get back to the business end.

Given Kerry's performance today I will bring this one up again? OK they only had to play 4 game to Donegal's 5 and had (arguably?) weaker opposition. But Kerry showed if you want to win 4 game in 4 weeks means nothing. Then again they are a special team. 

[RMDrive]

The fact that this is Donegal's fifth weekend out in a row can't not be a factor in this embarrassment. I think the qualifier schedule is ridiculous as it stands. There's not really much point in taking the second chance that the qualifiers offer if they're gonna flog you to death by the time you get back to the business end.

Given Kerry's performance today I will bring this one up again? OK they only had to play 4 game to Donegal's 5 and had (arguably?) weaker opposition. But Kerry showed if you want to win 4 game in 4 weeks means nothing. Then again they are a special team. 

Yeah, all the talk of 5 games in a row as an excuse has to stop. We weren't hard done by and it wasn't the only reason for the loss.
However I think it's reasonable for Donegal people to look for reasons for the poor display and there is no doubt that the team looked tired right from the off. I believe that this is an internal issue. According to Spillane, Kerry went for 2 days R&R this week. Could Donegal have benefitted from something like that? How much training did we do this week? Were we flat out in training? Did the management team recognise that we tired during the week and did they try to do something about it? Why were lads started if they were obviously out of steam?
All these are internal questions that should be answered but they have nothing to do with the qualifier schedule.

[tyssam5]

The fact that this is Donegal's fifth weekend out in a row can't not be a factor in this embarrassment. I think the qualifier schedule is ridiculous as it stands. There's not really much point in taking the second chance that the qualifiers offer if they're gonna flog you to death by the time you get back to the business end.

Given Kerry's performance today I will bring this one up again? OK they only had to play 4 game to Donegal's 5 and had (arguably?) weaker opposition. But Kerry showed if you want to win 4 game in 4 weeks means nothing. Then again they are a special team. 

Yeah, all the talk of 5 games in a row as an excuse has to stop. We weren't hard done by and it wasn't the only reason for the loss.
However I think it's reasonable for Donegal people to look for reasons for the poor display and there is no doubt that the team looked tired right from the off. I believe that this is an internal issue. According to Spillane, Kerry went for 2 days R&R this week. Could Donegal have benefitted from something like that? How much training did we do this week? Were we flat out in training? Did the management team recognise that we tired during the week and did they try to do something about it? Why were lads started if they were obviously out of steam?
All these are internal questions that should be answered but they have nothing to do with the qualifier schedule.

I would seriously doubt that. Still the Dubs have taken the bad look off the thing for you! Everyone will forget about Donegal. (except yourselves of course)

[RMDrive]

The fact that this is Donegal's fifth weekend out in a row can't not be a factor in this embarrassment. I think the qualifier schedule is ridiculous as it stands. There's not really much point in taking the second chance that the qualifiers offer if they're gonna flog you to death by the time you get back to the business end.

Given Kerry's performance today I will bring this one up again? OK they only had to play 4 game to Donegal's 5 and had (arguably?) weaker opposition. But Kerry showed if you want to win 4 game in 4 weeks means nothing. Then again they are a special team. 

Yeah, all the talk of 5 games in a row as an excuse has to stop. We weren't hard done by and it wasn't the only reason for the loss.
However I think it's reasonable for Donegal people to look for reasons for the poor display and there is no doubt that the team looked tired right from the off. I believe that this is an internal issue. According to Spillane, Kerry went for 2 days R&R this week. Could Donegal have benefitted from something like that? How much training did we do this week? Were we flat out in training? Did the management team recognise that we tired during the week and did they try to do something about it? Why were lads started if they were obviously out of steam?
All these are internal questions that should be answered but they have nothing to do with the qualifier schedule.

I would seriously doubt that. Still the Dubs have taken the bad look off the thing for you! Everyone will forget about Donegal. (except yourselves of course)

LOL. Yeah I have to admit I was thinking that during the game. And embarrassingly I was also keeping an eye on the score to see if Dublin would get beaten by more than us. It's humiliating the depths I have plunged to! 

[rrhf]

Donegal have issues

[orangeman]

Donegal have issues

What to do with the new manager.

[RMDrive]

Donegal have issues

Oh do you think?

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

LOL. Yeah I have to admit I was thinking that during the game. And embarrassingly I was also keeping an eye on the score to see if Dublin would get beaten by more than us. It's humiliating the depths I have plunged to! 

Was doing the same myself, happily Kerry won by more!
Sad really! 

[J70]

The fact that this is Donegal's fifth weekend out in a row can't not be a factor in this embarrassment. I think the qualifier schedule is ridiculous as it stands. There's not really much point in taking the second chance that the qualifiers offer if they're gonna flog you to death by the time you get back to the business end.

Given Kerry's performance today I will bring this one up again? OK they only had to play 4 game to Donegal's 5 and had (arguably?) weaker opposition. But Kerry showed if you want to win 4 game in 4 weeks means nothing. Then again they are a special team. 

Yeah, all the talk of 5 games in a row as an excuse has to stop. We weren't hard done by and it wasn't the only reason for the loss.
However I think it's reasonable for Donegal people to look for reasons for the poor display and there is no doubt that the team looked tired right from the off. I believe that this is an internal issue. According to Spillane, Kerry went for 2 days R&R this week. Could Donegal have benefitted from something like that? How much training did we do this week? Were we flat out in training? Did the management team recognise that we tired during the week and did they try to do something about it? Why were lads started if they were obviously out of steam?
All these are internal questions that should be answered but they have nothing to do with the qualifier schedule.

Were they not off until Wednesday evening this week? That said, they did look tired from the start, but I don't think it can all be blamed on that. As many have pointed out, it was a tactical disaster on the part of the management, and one which they did nothing to address. How many points did Cork score by waltzing up unchallenged through the centre of the pitch and chipping it over the bar? Rory Kavanagh seemed to bear the brunt of the criticism on the Sunday Game, but most of the team seemed to throw in the towel far too early, with a few exceptions such as Cassidy and Murphy. I couldn't really condemn the likes of Lacey and Neil McGee as there was literally wave after wave of attacks coming at them. Plus, Lacey held his man scoreless for more than 3/4 of the game, and at least one of his points came when Lacey had to go across to help Neil McGee close down his man who was heading for goal. Also, maybe I'm being too harsh, but it seems that in these frequent games where everything goes pear-shaped and they end up getting hammered, some Donegal players get embarrassed by how easily their man is beating them, and decide that it is easier not to try than to put themselves in the embarrassing position of getting beaten again and again. Again, maybe too harsh, but there are very few teams who are the receiving ends of such huge defeats with such regularity as Donegal are.

Monaghan in Omagh 2007 (maybe not on the scoreboard, but it was extremely one-sided and they just gave up with 25 minutes left).
Tyrone the same season - started well, but threw in the towel early in the second half and could have been beaten by much more.
Armagh in 2004 and 2005 (the latter more notable for the disgraceful loss of discipline by the Donegal players, rather than giving up).
Dublin 2002 - similar to yesterday and the Armagh and Tyrone games in 2004 and 2007 - just threw in the towel.

As for why other men were not started- we simply do not have the squad depth. With Toye, Gallagher and Bonner out, we were already down three top players. That said, you'd hope that those men might have made a difference, especially around the centre of the field and in the half-forwards, but how much closer would we have got, given the gameplan?

Oh, and the Kerry-Dublin result did make me smile! No offense to the Dublin lads here, but it does take a bit of the heat off us!