UC 2010: Aontroim vs Tír Eoghain 23rd May, Páirc Mhic Asmaint

[OverThePostsAWide]

It's caption time.


Away you'se go lads - brighten up a Monday morning for us.

Liam Bradley initializes the Mickey Harte Animatronic Mark II to take his place while he answers the call to return home by the Derry County Board Chairman

[nrico2006]

A good win, in the circumstances. A massive step-up in application and performance levels from the Dublin debacle of a League capitulation.

No patronising comments on how Antrim could have and should have et cetera, though no team will fancy them in the Qualifiers.

A curate's egg of a performance (again) from Mc Enaney, though he's most definitely afflicted with the current in vogue HQ-inspired infection of blowing up for no discernible or consistent reason, other than to secure a positive tick on his assessor's tick-sheet. An attractive sporting spectacle it doth not make.

Good job the Mc Gourtys didn't start.

Not to take away from them but I think the late start might have been a benefit to them.

I thought Tyrone had a great game yesterday. They won the game in the first half and it was up to Baker to try to counter that. Fair play to him, he did make the right changes. I think Harte had enough faith in the boys he brought on to see the job through (handing out a few debuts in the meantime) and he prob had to replace a few due to the conditions on the day. One or two individual performances could be questioned but all in all the team performed well.

There was some great skill showen on the day too with Stephen O'Neill turning by bouncing the ball between his legs, Mulligans finish and Kavanagh steping over the ball then flicking it up while it ran away from him. It was a great game.

That bit of skill by SON was class yesterday, as was Cavanaghs dummy.  As someone else has mentioned Tyrone really need a playmaker in around the CHF position.  Cavanagh was wasted there yesterday, I would rather see him coming through from the middle.  Whats the latest with Colly McCullagh - is he injured or just out of favour as he would be a prime candidate for the play making role, orin saying that Peter Harte looks made for the position too, but maybe it would be too soon for him. 

[OverThePostsAWide]

Antrim - Ratings (this is only my personal opinion and all these players are ten times the footballer I ever was.  No criticisms are personal and are based on what I saw yesterday and I haven't had time to watch the match back on telly.  Who cares what I think anyway...someone once said "Opinions are like arseholes...everyone has one and they almost all stink")

I care! <shucks> Good summary. I agree with most. Except maybe:

24. CJ McGourty - Overall a good performace.  One cracking point and the poiint at the end I didn't think there was a goal on...

I would be interested to hear if you thought the same after you reviewed it on TV?

...Had he gone for it he probably would have got stick.

Not if he'd scored  If he'd had missed, yes, the "CJ factor" would have kicked in and he would have got stick from some quarters but it wouldn't have been rational. That's the responsibility that goes with being a forward. No different than the difficult choices keepers have to make on dropping balls 

[omagh_gael]

Cheers Doogie and AFS

[Orior]

Was Nelson McCausland at the game?

Yes - he was watching it from the police helicopter that annoyingly hovered over the ground all day.   

There must be some fuel tank in that machine, it wouldn't piss off!

Normally on a day like yesterday you would see trails of smoke from the mountains around Belfast. Did that copter suppress the fire-starting scum?

[Mickeys beard]

[/quote]

Baker:"  OK lads, I'll come clean.  I use this moving cardboard cutout of Mickey Harte to motivate my team at half time.  Worked last year, isn't that right mickey?"
Cardboard Mickey (Baker (through teeth)): "Yesh"

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Antrim - Ratings (this is only my personal opinion and all these players are ten times the footballer I ever was.  No criticisms are personal and are based on what I saw yesterday and I haven't had time to watch the match back on telly.  Who cares what I think anyway...someone once said "Opinions are like arseholes...everyone has one and they almost all stink")

I care! <shucks> Good summary. I agree with most. Except maybe:

24. CJ McGourty - Overall a good performace.  One cracking point and the poiint at the end I didn't think there was a goal on...

I would be interested to hear if you thought the same after you reviewed it on TV?

...Had he gone for it he probably would have got stick.

Not if he'd scored   If he'd had missed, yes, the "CJ factor" would have kicked in and he would have got stick from some quarters but it wouldn't have been rational. That's the responsibility that goes with being a forward. No different than the difficult choices keepers have to make on dropping balls 

Fixed that in my original post ...had a look at the 8 mins of highlights on the BBC website.  Right enough there might have been more of a goal chance for CJ than it looked from where I was.  Probably could have tried to lash it low across McConnell, and with the rueful shake of the head from CJ afterwards (again which I didn't see yesterday) he might have thought the same too!

I know the McGourtys divide opinion around the county but you have to be honest and say they were two of the better Antrim players yesterday (given an admittedly low base).  Irish News gave Niblock MOTM.

[sandwiches_in_the_boot]

Was Nelson McCausland at the game?

Yes - he was watching it from the police helicopter that annoyingly hovered over the ground all day.   

There must be some fuel tank in that machine, it wouldn't piss off!

Normally on a day like yesterday you would see trails of smoke from the mountains around Belfast. Did that copter suppress the fire-starting scum?

PSNI helicopter was there for the POW picket. Apparently they had a banner behind the goals for a lock of minutes too but I never seen it. Was a pain in the ass alright.

[under the bar]

Like Armagh last week it's difficult to assess Tyrone on that game.   Down (provided they advance next week as I expect them to) and Monaghan will be a much sterner test for both counties. 

Whoever suggested that if it's a Tyrone-Armagh final it should be played in Croker needs therapy.   Half the population is struggling for work so catch a grip.   I will never go to another Ulster final that is not played in Ulster.

[sandwiches_in_the_boot]

Padre administers 'the cure' for lack of strategy.

"I don't accept money, but can I suggest a charity... Garvaghey <ahem>"

[Mickeys beard]

From the match yesterday, you could say very little bad about the McGourtys-they were great when they came on.  Intensity shown by Tyrone in the first half was exceptional.  They were first to almost every ball and if they weren't, their right on the borderline tenacious tackling seemed to ensure that they won it back.  Looking back, Tyrone could have been totally out of reach by half time-opted for points when goals were possible.
  Am surprised that Dooher didn't get a bigger mention-thought he was immense- on TV he was in the corner of the screen almost the whole way through the first half.  Always seemed to be the second man for Antim to get through.  Definitely has a settling effect on the team.  Very impressed with penfold's tackling-could play in defence against a small nippy forward if they were stuck.  Himself and Dooher unsung heroes.  Ricey deadly in the first half
       Antrim not going to be far away come August  and Tyrone's first half display has been the best yet in the championship. 

[EC Unique]

Watched a recording of the BBC coverage. Jarleth Burns really is a fool and wee Peter highlighted that fact a few times

[under the bar]

Watched a recording of the BBC coverage. Jarleth Burns really is a fool and wee Peter highlighted that fact a few times

I squirmed at the bit when JB said they should pump high balls in to beat the Tyrone half back line and PC said it wouldn't work as they didnt have a big forward.   JB then changed to say he meant pump them into the corners.  wtf!?!

[OverThePostsAWide]

I know the McGourtys divide opinion around the county but you have to be honest and say they were two of the better Antrim players yesterday (given an admittedly low base).  Irish News gave Niblock MOTM.

To be honest, even my own opinion is divided regarding the McGourty's 

Kevin was immense yesterday. It probably helped that he was left bubbling nicely on the bench for 40mins. You can't fault his effort and contribution for the 30mins he was on. He regularly punches above his weight in terms of the natural physical attributes he has been born with when he puts his mind to it. And, hopefully some of the rashness and self-destructive tendencies he has exhibited in the past have been left behind.

CJ on the other hand is very individualistic and his undoubted talent is a bit hit and miss because it doesn't appear to come with the same drive or team ethic. I don't want to be too hard on the lad - and he may learn - so I'll leave it there. But suffice to say, would he feature with any of the top counties in the country? ...Or even Tyrone? 

There's more to being a top forward than having a sweet-and-sour left foot. The fact that there is a sizable opinion that he is a "must start" for Antrim (and I wouldn't disagree) says more about Antrim than CJ.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

I know the McGourtys divide opinion around the county but you have to be honest and say they were two of the better Antrim players yesterday (given an admittedly low base).  Irish News gave Niblock MOTM.

To be honest, even my own opinion is divided regarding the McGourty's 

Kevin was immense yesterday. It probably helped that he was left bubbling nicely on the bench for 40mins. You can't fault his effort and contribution for the 30mins he was on. He regularly punches above his weight in terms of the natural physical attributes he has been born with when he puts his mind to it. And, hopefully some of the rashness and self-destructive tendencies he has exhibited in the past have been left behind.

CJ on the other hand is very individualistic and his undoubted talent is a bit hit and miss because it doesn't appear to come with the same drive or team ethic. I don't want to be too hard on the lad - and he may learn - so I'll leave it there. But suffice to say, would he feature with any of the top counties in the country? ...Or even Tyrone? 

There's more to being a top forward than having a sweet-and-sour left foot. The fact that there is a sizable opinion that he is a "must start" for Antrim (and I wouldn't disagree) says more about Antrim than CJ.

Could not disagree with a word of this OTPAW....

As for the next day:

McGreevy

Brady
McClean
O'Boyle

Scullion
Crozier
Healy

M McCann
Gallagher

T McCann
Niblock/K McGourty
Loughrey

Cunningham
K McGourty/Niblock
CJ McGourty