ulster semi final tyrone v donegal

[north down]

Really disappointed with the result yesterday - it could all have been so different if they had taken more of their scores in the first half. Have to say though that the Donegal defenders block on the Stephen O'Neill goal chance was top drawer. Did this Tyrone team run out of steam yesterday and are there too many miles on the clock?  For me the jury is stilll out - (apart from the wides in the first half and the missed frees), a combination of the loss of Kevin Hughes and a couple of unfortunate errors late on cost us. Anyway congrats to Donegal and lets now look forward to Longford and the qualifiers. 

[Main Street]

Miles on the clock doesn't account for that missed easy late free or Swift crucially spilling the ball in a soft tackle.
I knew Joe McMahon was a good defender but I hadn't realised just how good he is.
Pity about his glass jaw though.

[saffron sam2]

I am a purist, always have been and always will be.

Sunday was shocking, I almost got to the stage of supporting Tyrone. But then I realised that Donegal's performance is the logical next step in the evolution of the blanket defence / puke football, beloved of the Bushmen. How long until we get a scoreless draw?

Where is the Donegal we've grown to love and patronise? Great footballers, playing with gay abandon, seeking only their next pint. The county that gave us Martin McHugh and Tony Boyle. The county with the most potent double F line in the country. The county of Daniel O'Donnell and Bridie Gallagher.

Watching on Sunday I was reminded of the infamous Greg and Trevor Chappell underarm bowling incident and the words of their brother Ian which, when paraphrased, are as apt as any.

"Fair dinkum, Greg, how much pride do you sacrifice to win $35,000? Because, brother, you sacrificed a lot in front of a huge TV audience and 52,825 people."

May Donegal's summer be a short one.

[sheamy]

speaking of that wee bollocks McCue, it's funny how he's been quiet this year on slagging off the 'modern game'

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/less-can-be-more-2588911.html

McHugh was one of the chief architects of Donegal's breakthrough All-Ireland success of 1992 and went on to manage Cavan to their last Ulster senior title in 1997.

McHugh agrees that having only 26 instead of 30 players on a football pitch means that only the most skilful players would survive.

"The concern should be about the spectacle of the game and what people want to see. Crowds are down and it's not all about the recession -- it's because the game is not attractive to watch anymore," he says.

"Football skill is being lost and it's all about fitness now and players don't get a chance to show their skill.

"There's no doubt an average player can make himself better in the modern game by improving his fitness and that's not the way it should be -- it should be about skill, class and talent.

"Football now is all about gym programmes and physique and power and yet, ironically, the game is less physical than it ever was," adds the former Donegal star forward, who argues that current teams are already trying to create more space for inside forwards.

"Levels of fitness are so high now that your corner-back is as fit as your midfielder. Most teams are taking a corner-forward out anyway and using him as an extra defender or in midfield to leave two men inside -- so it wouldn't be that different having 13-a-side."

He also believes that preventing teams from easily dropping defenders back would lead to an increase in goals.

"Outside of Dublin, there's no one really scoring goals now.

"You can go to an inter-county game and not see one real goal chance. But I reckon in a 13-a-side game there'd be on average 10 real goal chances, and goals excite people and they want to watch that. You go to watch the likes of Benny Coulter play football and not be pulled and dragged."

[tonesfirstandlast]

speaking of that wee bollocks McCue, it's funny how he's been quiet this year on slagging off the 'modern game'

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/less-can-be-more-2588911.html

McHugh was one of the chief architects of Donegal's breakthrough All-Ireland success of 1992 and went on to manage Cavan to their last Ulster senior title in 1997.

McHugh agrees that having only 26 instead of 30 players on a football pitch means that only the most skilful players would survive.

"The concern should be about the spectacle of the game and what people want to see. Crowds are down and it's not all about the recession -- it's because the game is not attractive to watch anymore," he says.

"Football skill is being lost and it's all about fitness now and players don't get a chance to show their skill.

"There's no doubt an average player can make himself better in the modern game by improving his fitness and that's not the way it should be -- it should be about skill, class and talent.

"Football now is all about gym programmes and physique and power and yet, ironically, the game is less physical than it ever was," adds the former Donegal star forward, who argues that current teams are already trying to create more space for inside forwards.

"Levels of fitness are so high now that your corner-back is as fit as your midfielder. Most teams are taking a corner-forward out anyway and using him as an extra defender or in midfield to leave two men inside -- so it wouldn't be that different having 13-a-side."

He also believes that preventing teams from easily dropping defenders back would lead to an increase in goals.

"Outside of Dublin, there's no one really scoring goals now.

"You can go to an inter-county game and not see one real goal chance. But I reckon in a 13-a-side game there'd be on average 10 real goal chances, and goals excite people and they want to watch that. You go to watch the likes of Benny Coulter play football and not be pulled and dragged."

The biggest wee hypocritical bollox in the gaa.

[blanketattack]

I really can't see how a similar team can line out against Longford. Donegal would have been torn to shreds by Tyrone two/three years ago. The lads just couldn't do the things they were able to do a couple of years ago. I honestly am glad we didn't win today, the limelight of an ulster final and the possibility of a heavy defeat by Derry would have been a disaster.

Best we can hope for is a decent run through the qualifiers and give some of the younger lads a run out. The next 3-5 years depend on these lads being given the chance. They're learning nothing on the bench.

The 02/05/08 lads have been Tyrone's greatest servants and provided us with so much joy but it really does look like some of their time is up.

02/05/08???
I'm hoping you're talking about something that happened on May 2nd 2008 because for a Tyrone person to forget the year of their first All-Ireland would be sacrilegious!!!