GAILLIMH V TÍR EOGHAIN - Date: 21/03/2010 Time: 2 30 PM, Venue: Tuam Stadium

[mick999]

Anywere online to watch the game?

Should be able to see it here :

http://live.tg4.ie/main.aspx?level=sport&sort=6

I noticed that it's not there yet, but should be later, as TG4 showed the game deffered ...

[Wee Roddy]

Mr 99 you can not be serious about Peter Ward and you really are showing club bias when you suggest McCusker should start. Granted I never got the chance to see yesterdays game, but the Irish News didnt even mention him coming on, so based on the chances he has gotten thus far I would think he is no where near it. I could be proved wrong though.
Was Mugst injured yesterday?

[Final Whistle]

This leaves two blood and thunder home games against Kerry and Dublin - a great way to prepare for the Championship. To defeat Kerry in Omagh would also drag the Kingdom into the relegation mire. Should be fireworks.

Does anyone else agree that deep down this may have been Micky's idea.  He wants the lasy 2 games to be meaningful and has set them up rightly, good championship preparation.  He lined out the team yesterday with this in mind.  You will see a much stronger team out for next week, with McCarron, Mugsy, Carlin, Sean O'Neill, McCusker all likely to start and probably Hub.

I must say that Colm Cavanagh looked to have had a good game although it was still round that middle third where we lost it.  Swift, Justy, Ricey and Gormley had poor days while Davey played to his normal standard (teams are starting to target his defending now as Tyrone's weak point).  I felt McAnulla and McCullagh were OK given the amount of ball that came in their direction.  As for the keeping, Devine looked rusty but still a big improvement from the previous keeper.  If we are going to persist with short and directed kick outs, then Dromore keeper Ward is the best man in the county at it, but for some reason Micky just doesn't want to know him.

As for regegation, it wont happen as we will win the last 2.

I just bust out laughing at work, thanks-you have brightened up my monday blues!!

[mick999]

Was Mugst injured yesterday?

According to the Indo, Mugsy was at a wedding on Sat ...

"  Owen Mulligan didn't play because of a wedding the previous day but, on this evidence, they are not ready to dispense with him either."

[MR99]

Mr 99 you can not be serious about Peter Ward and you really are showing club bias when you suggest McCusker should start. Granted I never got the chance to see yesterdays game, but the Irish News didnt even mention him coming on, so based on the chances he has gotten thus far I would think he is no where near it. I could be proved wrong though.
Was Mugst injured yesterday?

Mugsy wasn't injured which would illustrate the point about Harte wanting to win yesterday.  By the way as you will see from my posts I aint a Dromore man!  Next time you are playing Dromore, just check out the quality of Ward's kicks or watch the DVD of the championship game last year if your haven't burned them all!  As for my prediction for next weeks team, wait till Thursday night before you question it!

[oakleafgael]

Mr 99 you can not be serious about Peter Ward and you really are showing club bias when you suggest McCusker should start. Granted I never got the chance to see yesterdays game, but the Irish News didnt even mention him coming on, so based on the chances he has gotten thus far I would think he is no where near it. I could be proved wrong though.
Was Mugst injured yesterday?

Mugsy wasn't injured which would illustrate the point about Harte wanting to win yesterday.  By the way as you will see from my posts I aint a Dromore man!  Next time you are playing Dromore, just check out the quality of Ward's kicks or watch the DVD of the championship game last year if your haven't burned them all!  As for my prediction for next weeks team, wait till Thursday night before you question it!

Ward is a bomb waiting to explode. He is a grand keeper but a disaster waiing to happen.

[MR99]

Mr 99 you can not be serious about Peter Ward and you really are showing club bias when you suggest McCusker should start. Granted I never got the chance to see yesterdays game, but the Irish News didnt even mention him coming on, so based on the chances he has gotten thus far I would think he is no where near it. I could be proved wrong though.
Was Mugst injured yesterday?

Mugsy wasn't injured which would illustrate the point about Harte wanting to win yesterday.  By the way as you will see from my posts I aint a Dromore man!  Next time you are playing Dromore, just check out the quality of Ward's kicks or watch the DVD of the championship game last year if your haven't burned them all!  As for my prediction for next weeks team, wait till Thursday night before you question it!

Ward is a bomb waiting to explode. He is a grand keeper but a disaster waiing to happen.

I agree with you there, but I am only saying that if we are going to persist with short and directed kickouts, he is the best man for it.  No point in having a game plan if the players aren't there to execute it!

[tyroneman]

I think this NFL campaign will have answered a few questions in MH head for the championship. Forward line will be ok with Mugsy, SON and Sean.

Colm Cav has shown he is not a FF and will do as an adequate man to bring on into the HF line as 3 rd MF. He does not have the discipline to track his man though and does it seem to enjoy the dirtier part of that role.

Mulgrew I'm afraid is not going to make it on evidence so far. He looks classy for around 10% of his time on the pitch but the rest is spend hiding. He can't get the CHF spot at Cookstown and is a mile away from getting it with the county.

Ricey and nephew look like comingto the end of thier automatic selection. Red Sean would seem ideally suited to wing half back rather than the centre where his pace can be used yet he is jot as exposed defensively.

Cass and Hub will do nicely in MF. While they may not be as good as Cork they are solid enough.

Defence is trickier. Block is not as solid as years past and has no pace at all now. Still avid reader and will take CHB for another year. Carlin will take one Corner and The jury is out on the other.

All told I don't think we are in as bad a place as people make out. Were Armagh not relegated in. 2002 or 2003? Yet reached the final in both years?

Coney and Harte look solid prospects. McKenna in another year too.

Not conviced by any of the newer forwards. Much of a muchness to be honest. CHF still a prob. Could see Sean there though. Would it be time for MH to look at players such as Barry Mulligan who got rave reviews all year?
Finally a word for Penfold. He has really stepped up this year and along with Cass is a real reason to be cheerful. The old Enda role would suit him perfectly.   

[goal and a point]

think we have no issues with the forward line - the worry at the minute is the defence - these are the players that wll be starting but will need big improvements.

[blewuporstuffed]

Was Mugst injured yesterday?

According to the Indo, Mugsy was at a wedding on Sat ...

"  Owen Mulligan didn't play because of a wedding the previous day but, on this evidence, they are not ready to dispense with him either."

mugsy didnt play cause he was groomsman at a wedding

[To whom it may concern]

McConnell is surely the man for goals. His career has suffered from Harte's insistence on the rotation policy. Whilst Devine has normally been safe and reliable, McConnell is the better shot stopper. The kick out situation is a weakness. There is obviously the reluctance to kick it down the middle to avoid the opposition gaining the mark; however, we are stronger aerially that in previous years and the further out the field the ball goes the less danger it is.

I couldn't understand why Cathal McCarron was brought on and allowed to follow Galway's roaving forward. Surely he shuda been left in the full back line esp as swift was getting the runaround. Justin looks unsure and McMenamin is running on empty. He hasn't the legs to "break the line" and it appears Sean O'Neill is the only option to do this as doubts persist about Jordan. Gormley has lost pace although his natural instincts and physical presence are bailing him out. The simple question is why was Davy allowed to pick up Bergin? Teams are exposing him and surely this should have been addressed at an early stage.

The key question is whether Cassidy/Colm Cav partnership will be adequate for Antrim? Sean will probably play at 11, Joe at 12, which leaves 10 up for grabs. An adventurous call would be Peter Harte or possibly Penrose if he could be freed up from the full forward line. SO'N and Mulligan if both fit would start inside. Tommy McGuigan is under pressure with Brian McGuigan likely to only have a cameo role.

McCusker has shown promise but it will remain to be seen whether he is still on the panel come May

[sambackamongstthebushes]

Was Mugst injured yesterday?

According to the Indo, Mugsy was at a wedding on Sat ...

"  Owen Mulligan didn't play because of a wedding the previous day but, on this evidence, they are not ready to dispense with him either."

mugsy didnt play cause he was groomsman at a wedding

mugsy wasnt at a wedding but i wonder is that what he told mickey

[blewuporstuffed]

Was Mugst injured yesterday?

According to the Indo, Mugsy was at a wedding on Sat ...

"  Owen Mulligan didn't play because of a wedding the previous day but, on this evidence, they are not ready to dispense with him either."

mugsy didnt play cause he was groomsman at a wedding

mugsy wasnt at a wedding but i wonder is that what he told mickey

as far as the managemnt were concerned he was groomsman at a wedding. do you know otherwise?

[rrhf]

The sooner we can beat Kerry the sooner we stop this infighting. 

[BennyHarp]

As far as i know Mugsy was best man at a wedding on saturday and had arranged to miss this game months ago!

There was quite a few worrying signs yesterday, firstly after reading a lot of good things about Cassidy, it was the first time i'd seen him play this year in the flesh and i was quite disappointed. Three times he stood waiting for possession as his man nipped in front of him - surely your midfielder should be attacking these balls, i personally think he's a decent footballer, but there was a worrying lack of desire on a few occassions from him!

Secondly as previously mentioned, the short kick outs where a complete disaster. Why persist with a tactic that when not effective means losing possession inside your own 45m line and one occassion inside our own 21! This puts the team under pressure straight away!

Thridly the tactic of withdrawing Penrose in the first half and leaving a 2 man full forward is ok - but only if the two up there are ball winners and/or lightening fast. For all their attributes - McAnulla and Tommy are not strong enough ball winners to play that role together, so the ball wasnt sticking up front and so putting us under alot of pressure. Its probably a good tactic if stevie o neill and eoin mulligan are up front but not with two fairly lightweight lads!

Finally, i'm a bit concerned with the form of a few of the defence, but i'd be confident enough of these lads sorting things out by the championship!

Overall, disappointing, but a few positives such as the performance of colly mccullagh and penrose, colm cav showed he can do a job in midfield and Justy proved that we just cant afford to lose him for any length of time (Any update on his injury?)

Looking forward to the next few games as they will have a championship feel to them!!