Ulster football negative?

[ONeill]

If you read the Grimley thread, you'll see he states:

"There is a different mentality. Southern counties have a pure footballing outlook. Ulster sides see that if they are not good enough, they won't let the opposition be good either. "

Is that a fair assessment in general? Or are our county sides no more negative than others?

[Minder]

In the thread title, should there be a comma after football?

[Zulu]

I don't think any football team is particularly negative. Ulster teams were probably the first to get bodies back to defend in a structured, organised way but all teams do that now. And like the Ulster teams, once they win the ball they try to get it into a scoring position quickly. I would suggest that Ulster teams brought a greater degree of intelligence and sophistication to football and the game is and will be better for it.

[Jinxy]

His time with Kildare obviously opened his eyes to the beauty of Leinster football.

[Zapatista]

He's spot on. However, if an Ulster side see that they are good enough then you're in for a show.

[Jinxy]

Ulster teams just need to stop sh*tting themselves at the mere thought of playing Tyrone.

[norabeag]

Ulster teams just need to stop sh*tting themselves at the mere thought of playing Tyrone.

In what part of Ulster are Kerry, Meath, Dublin then?

[Puckoon]

He's spot on. However, if an Ulster side see that they are good enough then your in for a show.

That seems to be the jist - but it is creeping in in other provinces.

If you are there for the taking an ulster team will press and press - but they wont roll over and let you win.

Are Dromore an ulster side zap??:-)

[Zapatista]

Are Dromore an ulster side zap??:-)

I was thinking more along the lines of Trillick

In what part of Ulster are Kerry, Meath, Dublin then?

[RadioGAAGAA]

Or are our county sides no more negative than others?

Just Tyrone and Armagh.



We certainly had no issues with negativity getting wired into Kerry from the get go. 

[rossglass]

I've noticed a distinct change in Down's style over the last few games. Against Donegal and Tyrone they played a short handpassing game with the sweeper as the majority of Ulster teams swamp the defence and the only way to combat that is to keep possession and try and gradually make ground into the oppositions half. Tyrone are the best team in Ulster in deploying that tactic.

That style continued in the games against Longford and Offaly, but gradually you could see their tactics changing. Colgan was dropped as the sweeper and McKernan came in. From the Sligo game onward Down's attitude changed and the long diagonal ball into the forwardline has been effective.

I have no doubt though that if we had played Tyrone say in the SF, we would have reverted back to the way we played in the Ulster Championship. Its very hard to play long balls into a swamped final third.

I can see the trend continuing in the Ulster Championship, but maybe the likes of Tyrone will learn from Down that a negative style doesn't always work from the QFs onwards.

[mountainboii]

I can see the trend continuing in the Ulster Championship, but maybe the likes of Tyrone will learn from Down that a negative style doesn't always work from the QFs onwards.

Fair play to the Down lads. Not letting this year get to their heads at all.

[pintsofguinness]

 
They're a scream....

[nrico2006]

I think its lazy to call Tyrone 'negative', a proper analysis would clearly show that Tyrone have a structured and disciplined team strategy, which means they defend and attack in numbers.  Other teams try and copy Tyrone's way of defending and playing, yet people continuously criticise Tyrone as being negative without looking at the vigour they bring going forward.  There seems to be this fantasy that Down play in a great swashbucking style, but again Down have attempted to play the Tyrone way and actually on the topic of negativity I recall nearly all the Down team camped out in their own half towards the end of the Kildare game - is this not as negative as you will get?  I don't recall Tyrone ever resorting to tactics like that, tactics that would be akin to what the like of Wolves or Blackpool would employ in the EPL.

[rossglass]

I think its lazy to call Tyrone 'negative', a proper analysis would clearly show that Tyrone have a structured and disciplined team strategy, which means they defend and attack in numbers.  Other teams try and copy Tyrone's way of defending and playing, yet people continuously criticise Tyrone as being negative without looking at the vigour they bring going forward.  There seems to be this fantasy that Down play in a great swashbucking style, but again Down have attempted to play the Tyrone way and actually on the topic of negativity I recall nearly all the Down team camped out in their own half towards the end of the Kildare game - is this not as negative as you will get?  I don't recall Tyrone ever resorting to tactics like that, tactics that would be akin to what the like of Wolves or Blackpool would employ in the EPL.

Do you really think that a team holding on for their first final appearance in 16 years wouldn't defend deep to hold on to keep their lead? If the roles were reversed Kildare would have done exactly the same thing.

I think its very naive to suggest that a team would maintain the same mentality throughout the whole 70 (+5) minutes.

There's no fantasy about Down's style. They play direct, they play quick.

Tyrone have some of the best forwards in the country. If Harte had set his team up to give the forwards the quick ball that they need then it's very likely they'd be in the final.

Similarly they have some of the best defenders in the country. They dont need a 7th man in there.