Wexford Vs Armagh - Feb 1st

[Goats Do Shave]

I'd be happy enough with Uladh's original team.... T start off with.

I'd be worried about Rodger's kick outs & fielding.... Seems a great shot stopper though!

I think Full back might be Toner's best position, though Donaghy has been brilliant there any time I've seen him.

O'Rourke has still got it. He's quick enough for McGuigan. He's always done well enough on Dooher. Versus Sean Cavanagh? - I wouldn't fancy anybodys chances – I'd like to see Donaghy take him on though.

[dexter]

I agree with Uladh about Aidan O'Rourke. A centre half back will tend to drop back in front of his full back line, that is the nature of the position. His reading of the game is superb as is his distribution, who else has the same vision. Ok his pace is not the best but lets keep C. McKeever where he is most effective ie marking the oppositions best player.

[Armamike]

Lads we have to be honest here, we are not blessed with the talent that other county teams have and indeed what we have been used to the last 10 years. Armagh can't have any passengers i.e. dropping guys back to cover and our half forwards doing likewise, that was OK doing that 5 years ago when we had Marsden, McConville, McDonnell, Clarke and McKeever who were all naturally scorers but worked their socks of. Now we have the workers but they are not in the scoring class of the 5 mentioned above so we have to stick to a game plan that suits us and that we will score from and it sure as hell won't be the crop served up last year.

What the new system will be is any ones guess because i haven't a clue and good luck to Peter trying to come up with one. Defenders defend, midfielders do a bit of everything and forwards score sounds simple i know but we have to have forwards in a scoring position not in our half back line...

Ok, time for another rant.  

The system of play shouldn't be too complicated to work out - if it's complicated then it's not going to work.  More times than not over the past few years we have the scenario of Clarke and McDonnell isolated up front.  It asks too much of them and it's too easy to counteract by any half decent opposition.  For a number of years now Armagh haven't been getting enough support from the halfback line and from the half forwards.  The likes of Ciaran McKeever as a wing back needs to be getting forward more. He likes to sit deep and man mark. Fair enough, but it hinders us.  A few years back Armagh had Andy McCann and Kieran Hughes getting forward on both wings. Both men knew when to defend and when to attack. In the half forwards McEntee and McConville could drop deep AND get forward. We need more of that now.  Our half forwards now play a very turgid game. Others here have said the likes of Vernon are restricted in how they play. I'd agree.  Maybe we don't have the quality of the likes of McEntee and McConville any more, but we do have young players there who have performed well at underage level in successful sides. They have something going for them. I just think the whole mindset is wrong. It's up to the management to devise a simple game plan that is a winning one and get the players to buy into it. We've got fit young players like Vernon and Mallon who are good going forward but we're not getting the best out of them.   Under the 2 Brians and through the first few years of Kernan's time, the team left nothing on the pitch - as a supporter you'd go away after the game feeling that they'd thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it. Can't say that anymore. If you look back at the last championship game against Wexford, the performance was either reserved or downright lazy depending on the way you look at things.  Guys dropping deep, not getting into the game, taking the easy option, leaving it for others (i.e Clarke and McDonnell) to do something. None of this is anything new though, it's been the way the past few years.  Our management/players just seem to be very slow learners.  

[bennydorano]

IS Stevie available?  Did I hear that himself and McGrane were only coming in for the later league games?

[Goats Do Shave]

Team I'd expect to see next week, without injury news...

                Rodgers

Shannon     Donaghy       Finn Mo

JP            A O'Rourke      McKeever

        Toner & Lavery

Marty    McKeever    Toal

Henderson    Clarke       Mallon         

If the Sigerson lads are awailable, then Vernon, Courtney & Forker could see some action hopefully.

[corn02]

Team I'd expect to see next week, without injury news...

                Rodgers

Shannon     Donaghy       Finn Mo

JP            A O'Rourke      McKeever

        Toner & Lavery

Marty    McKeever    Toal

Henderson    Clarke       Mallon         

If the Sigerson lads are awailable, then Vernon, Courtney & Forker could see some action hopefully.

That should be pretty accurate GDS.

[mountainboii]

Hopefully we've seen the back of this Clarke at midfield crap anyway.

[Off The Fence]

I know Armagh are missing a the Cross Crew and all that but B Mallon could be under pressure to nail down a spot.  Team looks about right all things considering.  Will be an interesting game.

[Orior]

Think I'll get my "worried" post in before Bennydorano gets his in.

I'm very worried that we'll get badly beaten on Sunday. The team has no swagger, guile or lethal cutting edge. With the exception of Clarke, our forwards will look uncomfortable, midfield will be awol, and our backs will look vulnerable and off pace.

[bennydorano]

Think I'll get my "worried" post in before Bennydorano gets his in.

A pessimist is rarely disappointed.

[mountainboii]

Any Wexfordians out there able to give an insight into what kind of team they'll have out on Sunday? boro mentioned that there'll be no Mattie Forde or Red Barry, is this true? If those lads are missing I'd be quite confident of an Armagh win.

[fan01]

is marty o'rourke still aloud to play even if he did get 2 yellow cards in the mckenna cup..?

[thejuice]

Mattie Forde declared fit for Sunday.

Forde wins fitness race
27 January 2009


Mattie Forde has been declared fit to start Wexford's national football league Division Two opener against Armagh on Sunday.

It was believed that the brilliant forward might miss the first two rounds of the competition through injury, but manager Jason Ryan says the talismanic attacker has recovered from the problem that plagued him during the latter stages of the Model County's extraordinary 2008 championship run.

However, the news on other fronts is mixed for the boss, who has a few experienced men back but a number of key players unavailable for selection for a variety of reasons:
"We had a challenge game with Cavan on Saturday. Mattie played in that game and came through it 100%. He's fit and looking forward to Sunday's game.

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=106155

[This Years Model]

The O'Byrne Cup lineouts were highly experimental, and I don't know what team lined out against Cavan - or in any challenges for that matter, so I can't speak with any authority ....

I think we have to take a serious look at no. 3 and 6 for this year. It might be significant that Brian Malone was played in both O'Byrne Cup games, as he is probably the most suitable successor to Philip Wallace at full-back. He was tried at Centre-Back a couple of times last year, but always seemed to end up in the full-back line, and seems to prefer to be facing the ball coming in. He's such a good footballer that he seems to always be the one to turn to when there's a hole to be plugged, or the need for an extra defender, as transpired in last year's All-Ireland Championship. I think he could do a job as full-back for a stint anyway.

The enforced absence of David Murphy gives Ryan his opportunity to have another look at centre-back. My preference would be for Eric Bradley or Rory Stafford. We didn't have much cover in defence last year, and if this HS report is to be believed we're already down 3 of our best 7 defenders for Sunday. (Edit: Make that 4, as Adrian Morrissey is committed to Kilmacud Crokes). So it looks like one or two new faces to come in. George Sunderland could get the nod at corner or wing-back, but this new yellow card system ..... let's just say, it wouldn't suit him ..........

Even without Barry and Roche (and Forde) we have a queue of decent forwards lined up for a change. The return of Diarmuid Kinsella and Shane Cullen - and also David Fogarty - is an enormous boost to the county.

If Ryan continues in last year's vein, the team should be announced early in the week, usually Wed night.

[Donagh]

Heard today that the Sigerson players have been called into the Tyrone squad for the Dublin game - presumably we'll have Vernon and Courtney? Also did A O'Rourke not get a suspension at that match in Davitt Park the other week?