Mayo v Billie Joe, 13th March 2011 McHale Park

[muppet]

A week of doom and gloom it is so.

[naka]

Guys any updates on Ronan Clarke, I recall in his interview he said he was gearing towards Monaghan, then POR said that he wouldnt be ready for another few weeks,indeed if i am correct he was going to play a few club games first.This seems to have gone very quiet with a game next weekend  in which I anticipate he wont be playing and then only two games left in the  league season and more importantly only 10 weeks til the championship.
R we being too optimistic with regards his return

[moysider]

A week of doom and gloom it is so.

A depressing weekend it hasto be said. But i think we can look forward to the Dublin match with some optimism.

[muppet]

A week of doom and gloom it is so.

A depressing weekend it hasto be said. But i think we can look forward to the Dublin match with some optimism.

Of course we can!

Some of us only give up our optimism at the final whistle of the summer.
Some give it up early in the summer.
Some don't make it to the end of March.

[BerfArmagh]

Guys any updates on Ronan Clarke, I recall in his interview he said he was gearing towards Monaghan, then POR said that he wouldnt be ready for another few weeks,indeed if i am correct he was going to play a few club games first.This seems to have gone very quiet with a game next weekend  in which I anticipate he wont be playing and then only two games left in the  league season and more importantly only 10 weeks til the championship.
R we being too optimistic with regards his return

http://www.hoganstand.com/Armagh/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=143968

[naka]

Guys any updates on Ronan Clarke, I recall in his interview he said he was gearing towards Monaghan, then POR said that he wouldnt be ready for another few weeks,indeed if i am correct he was going to play a few club games first.This seems to have gone very quiet with a game next weekend  in which I anticipate he wont be playing and then only two games left in the  league season and more importantly only 10 weeks til the championship.
R we being too optimistic with regards his return
great news

http://www.hoganstand.com/Armagh/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=143968

great news

[mackers]

Guys any updates on Ronan Clarke, I recall in his interview he said he was gearing towards Monaghan, then POR said that he wouldnt be ready for another few weeks,indeed if i am correct he was going to play a few club games first.This seems to have gone very quiet with a game next weekend  in which I anticipate he wont be playing and then only two games left in the  league season and more importantly only 10 weeks til the championship.
R we being too optimistic with regards his return
great news

http://www.hoganstand.com/Armagh/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=143968

great news

There's nothing specific in it. We've been hearing he's coming back for a long time. Maybe some of the Ogs posters could brighten our day with something specific.

[mountainboii]

Afs reckons mayo were woeful, maybe they were but a goal divided  the teams in the end.

Genuinely felt Mayo were the poorest opposition we've faced to date. Perhaps it was just an especially poor day for yous. We only won by a goal because we're no great shakes ourselves.

[mountainboii]

Armagh is such a wonderful place

Well said there.

There's one fair county in Ireland
With memories so glorious and grand
Where nature has lavished its bounty
On the orchard of Erin's green land

You do know folksongs are fueled on high levels of whiskey? anyways was nothing more than a cheap dig by AFS, no mention of Sligo,Longford or is St brigids influencing his thoughts?

Sligo and Longford are lovely.

Who is St Brigids?

What is wrong with Strokestown?

[mountainboii]

Not sure Cross' result is going to have any impact at all on a side that may well be entirely made up of non-Cross men. Can't see most of our lads caring much one way or the other. I know I don't.

Fair play to the lads that travelled. I didn't bother myself and very much feel like I've missed out. I know safety is our only real ambition but a victory over Kerry would put us into the shake up for a place in the final!

Suppose I'm working on the assumption that at least a couple of Cross lads will be involved.

[ross4life]

Armagh is such a wonderful place

Well said there.

There's one fair county in Ireland
With memories so glorious and grand
Where nature has lavished its bounty
On the orchard of Erin's green land

You do know folksongs are fueled on high levels of whiskey? anyways was nothing more than a cheap dig by AFS, no mention of Sligo,Longford or is St brigids influencing his thoughts?

Sligo and Longford are lovely.

Who is St Brigids?

What is wrong with Strokestown?

St brigids are a wee footballing club on the banks of the beauitful lough ree & if you happen to be passing through Strokestown again? stop off at Stokestown park house for another truly picturesque sight.

[moysider]

Afs reckons mayo were woeful, maybe they were but a goal divided  the teams in the end.

Genuinely felt Mayo were the poorest opposition we've faced to date. Perhaps it was just an especially poor day for yous. We only won by a goal because we're no great shakes ourselves.

Ah yeah, I don t doubt you for a minute there. We did not look good the last day and on that form we would not survive.

[highorlow]

Of course we can!

Some of us only give up our optimism at the final whistle of the summer.
Some give it up early in the summer.
Some don't make it to the end of March

How are the ladies fixed this year?

[armaghniac]

What was the story with music at McHale park? Before the game there seemed to a trumpet playing bars from Roddy McCordy, the Sash, A Nation once Again and Rule Britannia (the latter would have been better next week for the jackeens). The the national anthem started and stopped after a bit, people kept singing, but the tape came on again from the beginning! Fierce strange, altogether.

[RedandGreenSniper]

When you do experiment and when do you put out your strongest team?

There's a good argument for experimenting when you are against opposition who will not destroy you (Armagh) and not doing too much of it against the likes of Dublin and Cork who could end a couple of fledgling careers very quickly.
The counter argument is that games against Armagh are the games you can win IF you want to stay in Division 1 and experiment away against teams you expect to lose against, lads will have less pressure on them yadda, yadda yadda.

The way to look at yesterday is that if Horan was very concerned with staying in Division 1, he picked the wrong team by not playing Richie Feeney or Ronan McGarrity. And not a horse for the Armagh course in James Kilcullen and possibly Aidan O'Shea.

But clearly Horan isn't too concerned with Division 1 status. I would be of the opinion that Richie Feeney and Ger Cafferkey are nailed down in the half-back line with a spot remaining. James Burke was already auditioned there (whilst not doubting his ability, I don't share Moysider's estimation of his contribution thus far) and so yesterday was a chance for Horan to play two players - Peadar and Ruairi O'Connor - who are also fighting for that spot (I would argue about Kevin McLoughlin for here too but more anon). When Gardiner was in trouble, Feeney was thrown in, although arguably not early enough.

Same goes for midfield. McGarrity is going to start. Yesterday was a chance to give two players a crack at it - Gibbons and Parsons. When Parsons was struggling (I think he did pick up an ankle injury), McGarrity was dispatched. I don't think Horan erred too much in those calls. In the full-back line Tom Cunniffe looks nailed on (despite struggling against McDonnell, as would any defender in Connacht), Cathal Hallinan and Alan Feeney are battling for full-back and Keith Higgins will probably edge Chris Barrett for left-full back. But guys are being given plenty of chances to audition so that an informed decision can be taken.

In the forward line I'd worry a bit more. Our half-forward line really struggled in the physical stakes. Kevin McLoughlin had the greatest difficulty, then Dillon and then Campbell. I'd repeat my concerns about Kevin being so one sided for a number 12 but do think he deserves another go, because Armagh's game certainly doesn't suit him. Alan Dillon was off colour yesterday and while Campbell did compete, he didn't excel.
Andy was good without being great, Doherty showed flashes when he got the chance (his goal was an absolute gem) but poor Killer is really struggling. Just not on his game. We need to see him hit the form of 2009 if he is to nail down a place.

I'd concur with the poster who said Aidan O'Shea is an option at midfield. He was immense there on Saturday for the Under 21s. But don't forget his brother Seamie either, coming back from injury. A suitable foil to McGarrity? Perhaps. And then there's the injured trio of Donal Vaughan, Trevor Howley and Alan Freeman.

Sunday was disappointing but far from terminal. Getting relegated won't be terminal either. But, on the point that losing is not a good habit, what I would most want to avoid now is shipping heavy defeats to Dublin and/or Cork. That would really hurt this team's development. There we need to see a strong Mayo team in my opinion.