Sligo - the Division Four thread, farewell, it's been nice knowing you....

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Worth commenting (and I couldn't think of anywhere else to do it) on how well Waterford have done in the year this year. A winning goal today adnt hey'd have had an excellent chance of promotion. John keily seems to be doing an excellent job. Just shows that there is progress possible in every county if the work is put in.

[aontroim]

For the final I don't think the result in Casement is going to have much bearing.  Obviously I would love to see Antrim win the title to add to promotion, but I don't think we will catch Sligo as cold again in the opening quarter of the game.  Would love to be proved wrong. Aontroim Abu!

[magpie seanie]

Delighted that promotion is sewn up without the trip to Aughrim. It's great to have a competitive game next week to try a few things with the result not mattering. CHB looks again to be an issue. On Sligonian's suggestion - I remember O'Hara being tried in the HB line earlier in his career and it did not go that well. Maybe with the additional maturity of the years of experience he might adapt better.

Congrats to Antrim too.

[SLIGONIAN]

Sligo beat wicklow 11-10, not as important as it could of been but wins breed confidence and long may it last. Now the div4 final this saturday in longford, i see Antrim have objected to the venue.  Doubt anything will come from it. Itd be a good sign to turnaround the defeat earlier and put in a good performance.

Good luck to our ladies tomorrow in Down.

[SLIGONIAN]

Good to finish top of the table, not that it matters.

No it doesnt, ye can have that, We'll take the cup

[Owenmoresider]

Nice to finish off with a win, keep the momentum up for the final next week. No more Division Four...for a year at least

[SLIGONIAN]

Nice to finish off with a win, keep the momentum up for the final next week. No more Division Four...for a year at least

Id be confident enough of Antrim and Sligo showing well next yr. Both teams were well ahead of the chasing pack this yr. Both have to aim for promotion and believe in themselves like Tipp who I completely underrated and did brilliant and i congratulate them on that.

On another note, the SLIGO 2009 range is on azzurri, with the new Sligo Jersey. back to the black and white , will have to see in the flesh before i judge it properly, but on first impression im not overly impressed, no collar again.

[magpie seanie]

Not sure there's much point in a Division 4 final to be honest. Good to win 8 out of 9 though. Would be far happier with 2 points off Antrim in Div 3 next year than a cup next weekend.

[paddypastit]

Its time O Hara was put in the HB line, its our weakest line, ewing isnt big enough for chb, disappointly and suprisingly phillips has got his chance and not taken it

As Seanie says... that has been tried before and the result wasn't good.  Having worked closely with the guy over the years, he was never ever one to approach a game on the basis of blocking or marking an individual opponent.  He is far far too loose to play in there and putting him at #6 would backfire, especially against a cute mover like Joyce whose game is all about subtelty, which is not part of EO'H's bag at all.  As for BP, as I have said here before on more than one occasion, nobody that was close to the county set up in the first three or four years of this decade would be in any way surprised at what hasn't happened... and let's leave that particular debate there.

[SLIGONIAN]

Its time O Hara was put in the HB line, its our weakest line, ewing isnt big enough for chb, disappointly and suprisingly phillips has got his chance and not taken it

As Seanie says... that has been tried before and the result wasn't good.  Having worked closely with the guy over the years, he was never ever one to approach a game on the basis of blocking or marking an individual opponent.  He is far far too loose to play in there and putting him at #6 would backfire, especially against a cute mover like Joyce whose game is all about subtelty, which is not part of EO'H's bag at all.  As for BP, as I have said here before on more than one occasion, nobody that was close to the county set up in the first three or four years of this decade would be in any way surprised at what hasn't happened... and let's leave that particular debate there.

Well paddy, any chance of a suggestion or solution from yourself? I take your points on O Hara and prob agree, BP after his harps performances at chb hasnt materialised for the county. Dissappointed i have to say and McNamara isnt the answer either, dont really understand lets leave that particular debate there comment, CHB should be debated IMO, its only football related, maybe im missing something.

You know if i were the manager, i would got Johnny Martyn 100% fit and tryed him in there at CHB. Always rated him highly.

[magpie seanie]

Not sure there's much point in a Division 4 final to be honest. Good to win 8 out of 9 though. Would be far happier with 2 points off Antrim in Div 3 next year than a cup next weekend.

There goes a man who is shitting himself....

Couldn't care much less to be honest. Div 4 cup is much worse than the Tommy Murphy cup really. The most important game for me next weekend is in Ballymote on Sunday.

[SLIGONIAN]

Not sure there's much point in a Division 4 final to be honest. Good to win 8 out of 9 though. Would be far happier with 2 points off Antrim in Div 3 next year than a cup next weekend.

There goes a man who is shitting himself....

Couldn't care much less to be honest. Div 4 cup is much worse than the Tommy Murphy cup really. The most important game for me next weekend is in Ballymote on Sunday.

I agree partly, really only the Div1 final counts for anything the rest really dont. But i think a win will do us no harm and keep confidence up more than a challenge game would or tm cup.

[paddypastit]

Sligonian - the 'leave it there' comment is reference to talking about a / any given person in a public forum like this - no issue with discussing the team or any position thereon.
The solution in my experience is not always about one individual.  You could look at different types to play there depending on who is around them.  As an example, John Divilly was absolutely central to Galway's '98 AI but he wouldn't fit into or look like fitting into a lot of teams. You can have a 'McNamara type' at 6 - although I personally wouldn't play him as an individual in defence at all - as long as there is a 'lock down across the HB line that comes from two defensively minded wing men and a MF structure that always has a holding player. To conclude with a specific answer on the team now, I'm a little limited in that I've had little sight on a recurring basis of any of the guys that have come into the set up in the past three years or so so I don't have the perfect answer, I can only give a view on those that I know. I would share your views on Martyn 100% however.

[Gold]

Not sure there's much point in a Division 4 final to be honest. Good to win 8 out of 9 though. Would be far happier with 2 points off Antrim in Div 3 next year than a cup next weekend.

There goes a man who is shitting himself....

Couldn't care much less to be honest. Div 4 cup is much worse than the Tommy Murphy cup really. The most important game for me next weekend is in Ballymote on Sunday.

I'll tell you what's worse--all of Antrim's Round 2 club games scheduled for this Wednesday night have been called off due to this game--thats a farce --the first round of club games was 15 days ago --so it will probly be the following wednesday at best when the club games are back on--thats nearly 25 days--thats a disgrace

Dublin never call off a game due to the county(club league games)--they play right through regardless of whether or not the county has a game--the county players just dont play

There is more to GAA than the 15/20 players playing a county game

[SLIGONIAN]

Well its great to back and see the outstanding standard of football . Congrats to our lads but worrying stuff i saw today.

Ok we won but i was disappointed with Antrim as they were poor today. We werent much better. We have a lot of work to do before June 28th. Our team is a mess, and all this naive praise of the management is very premature. We got our start ok with a great move with marren finishing off a lovely score, then we owned the ball for first 10 mins with only 2 points to show, this was down to us making stupid decsions in the final third, Antrim lived off scraps early on and looked clinical then they dominated and went into a 6-2 lead and we got goal from coen i think from the outstanding Chalie Harrison forward run (when in the 1st we looked second best this man was mesmeric, well done to him fantastic and lead by example), then sean davey was disgracefully pulled for overcarrying, quick free then goal, the ref may aswell have kicked in himself. It didnt end there with this clown. Our 2 wing forwards were coming way too deep leaving to much distance till ff line. Sligo were in trouble in a number of positions with stenson getting roasted by no7 and hb line very loose. ohara steadied the ship when he came on and no7 influence dissapeared.

Then Sligo finished the half with our best football picking off some lovely scores. Level at ht 1-6 a piece.
2nd half we started brightly and dominated midfield, I thought TT did stupid lazy things but overall did well, needs to speed up in possesion, lad thinks in the back garden too often, mullen does go about his business queitly but did fine. Marren and coen got another few good scores to put 1-10 to 1-6 ahead, itd have been nice to kick on but we went asleep again and let them back into it. S Davey got sent off, was a good distance away but seemed to push away his opponent with arm, seemed harmless enough, but made contact with nose by the looks of the lad getting up, i just didnt think intent was there as ive seen davey do try to shrug players off with a leading arm before, might caught him with the elbow, well i'll put this way how the antrim lad who did something worse IMO on similiar lines stayed on I'll never know, disagraceful and alot more venom in his action i thought from the momemtum carried into the charge, glad gaughan got up.

Antrim then levelled but we got 2 scores form gaughan and marren to win it out deservedly. 1-12 to 1-10.

On first viewing i was disapointed with our forward gameplan of the wing forwards playing so deep, it killed us in the 1st half, costello was a major disappointment, but everyone tells me that he was way better in every other game so hopefully just a bad day blip, or if not brehony we need you back asap. I was reall y disappointed all our so called genuises on the line didnt take him off until 69 mins, anyone explain that? We cant afford coen and kelly on the same team, too similiar and if anything coen is better as he is fast but can score something kelly cant seem to do conssitently. Our hb line for me is  a mess, joyce will destroy ewing, ewings ok but is too easily overtaken and if mcnamara gets 10yds within his man were doing well, j davey fights hard but fouls alot, so all in all we really dont have a good defensive hb line, loose, very light, 2 not tall, but all are good on the ball. FB line majestic, although asleep for the goal. FF line needs sweeney, and for me marren and coen either side.

HF line with ohara, not sure about costello, but brehony no games looks likely he wont be match fit for galway so costello hopefully back to his old self, s davey gets stuck in and worked hard so you need that and maybe gaughan introduced quicker for whoevers not in form. Great to see marren stepping up to the plate and coen too i think could do damage.

Was disppointed how many times we gave away the ball and how many times in our grasp it fell out, also for long periods our decison making in the Forward line was bad, very bad and our shape was handicapping aswell. Too many problems at this time of yr to be sorting that should already be sorted.

Lastly on the ref, couldnt be arsed repeating this clowns name, but what are the GAA at, 2 intercounty refs in crowe and reilly linesmen for div3 final and we get an idiot from clare. On antrim cunnigham impressed me but ye are poor so im not getting carried away on todays win.

Congrats to Tipp Aswell. Some very good young players, no3, 6, 10, 9, 13 and 15 all impressed me. But div3 is shite too by the looks of things so we'll wont be far away from top next yr.