Realistic Hopes for Your County 2012

[nrico2006]

I hope that Tyrone belnd in new players during the league and bring these players through to the championship.

I also hope that the All Ireland U-21 title is captured.

[Maguire01]

I also hope that the All Ireland U-21 title is captured.

I hadn't even realised it escaped.

[lynchbhoy]

Do well in the league, would love to win it but don't expect to tbh. To finish in the top 2/3 would be great though

dont see why they couldnt win it.
Top teams in the country are Cork, Dublin and Donegal imo in that order.
All three of them are known to nosedive and be a bit erratic. the dubs can improve a lot more on this more so than the other two.
Again all imo.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Garrycastle to make the club final and then sneak it. Would be a great lift to the county.

Finish mid table in the league. Beat Louth and put it up to the Dubs in Leinster.

[donegal_abu]

Do well in the league, would love to win it but don't expect to tbh. To finish in the top 2/3 would be great though

dont see why they couldnt win it.
Top teams in the country are Cork, Dublin and Donegal imo in that order.
All three of them are known to nosedive and be a bit erratic. the dubs can improve a lot more on this more so than the other two.
Again all imo.

Your right we are probably capable of winning it, but I just don't want to get hopes up. After last year everyone is expecting great things from the Donegal boys this year & I just donno how they are going to fare against division 1 teams! Hopefully your right though

[Tubberman]

Do well in the league, would love to win it but don't expect to tbh. To finish in the top 2/3 would be great though

dont see why they couldnt win it.
Top teams in the country are Cork, Dublin and Donegal imo in that order.
All three of them are known to nosedive and be a bit erratic. the dubs can improve a lot more on this more so than the other two.
Again all imo.

Your right we are probably capable of winning it, but I just don't want to get hopes up. After last year everyone is expecting great things from the Donegal boys this year & I just donno how they are going to fare against division 1 teams! Hopefully your right though

Ye won the league in 2007 sure, so no reason why ye couldn't win it in 2012.
But I would hardly be worrying about it, as 2007 showed (and 2001 when we won it) it doesn't automatically make you AI challengers.

[lynchbhoy]

Do well in the league, would love to win it but don't expect to tbh. To finish in the top 2/3 would be great though

dont see why they couldnt win it.
Top teams in the country are Cork, Dublin and Donegal imo in that order.
All three of them are known to nosedive and be a bit erratic. the dubs can improve a lot more on this more so than the other two.
Again all imo.

Your right we are probably capable of winning it, but I just don't want to get hopes up. After last year everyone is expecting great things from the Donegal boys this year & I just donno how they are going to fare against division 1 teams! Hopefully your right though

I've been expecting great things since Devenny burst onto the scene....so its been a while now ! Still have great talent and have since that time Devenney emerged, but last year was the first they managed to remotely harness it !

[lynchbhoy]

Do well in the league, would love to win it but don't expect to tbh. To finish in the top 2/3 would be great though

dont see why they couldnt win it.
Top teams in the country are Cork, Dublin and Donegal imo in that order.
All three of them are known to nosedive and be a bit erratic. the dubs can improve a lot more on this more so than the other two.
Again all imo.

Your right we are probably capable of winning it, but I just don't want to get hopes up. After last year everyone is expecting great things from the Donegal boys this year & I just donno how they are going to fare against division 1 teams! Hopefully your right though

Ye won the league in 2007 sure, so no reason why ye couldn't win it in 2012.
But I would hardly be worrying about it, as 2007 showed (and 2001 when we won it) it doesn't automatically make you AI challengers.

if you look at the winners of the league this past decade or more you will see Kerry, Tyrone, Armagh and Cork feature heavily.
Derry, Mayo, Wexford underachived but the leage showed what they were possibly capable of.
imo

[GalwayBayBoy]

Keep the score down.



But to be serious from a Galway perspective I think we have to hope that we have bottomed out now and that the slow climb back up will begin. Whether it will take 1 year, 3 years or 5 years I just don't know. I find it hard to believe we could get any worse than we have been in recent years. There is just too much talent in the county for them to fall much further. A bit of self-belief and confidence would help as well. Two things sorely lacking of late. After a lean 5 year spell at underage level (well apart from the 2007 minors) the last two minor teams have been very close to reaching the AI final the past two years having lost two semi-finals at the death. The U-21's won the All-Ireland last year and in some style so there is a good glut of good young players coming through. Alan Mulholland will hopefully be given time to develop these lads so probably better off doing that in division 2 rather than in division 1 to be honest. A bit of luck with injuries would help as they have bedevilled us in recent years. I don't think Joe Kernan or Tomas O'Flaharta for example ever had even anything close to a fully fit squad to choose from during their time in Galway.

So in the league not too bothered about promotion just yet. Division 2 is a good standard anyway. Will probably be a fairly young squad so they will probably win a few and lose a few. As long as they learn.

Championship if they beat Roscommon they will begin to fancy themselves and will be dangerous. Even average Galway teams have won Connacht titles so not impossible that they could do the same. But lose against Roscommon and you don't know how they will react to the qualifiers. Especially with young players. Not to mention we have shown no real appetite for the qualifiers in recent years.

[Derry Optimist]

If  Derry have all their injured players fully fit and if Fergal Doherty and Joe O'Kane commit themselves to playing for the Oakleaf county this year I have no doubt but that Derry can win this year's Ulster championship, regardless of whom they play. When you add Paddy Bradley, Eoin Bradley ,Fergal Doherty, Patsy Bradley, Brian Mc Callion and Joe O'Kane, amongst others, to last season's Provincial final side the world is Derry's football oyster. I  think John Brennan should give more serious consideration to a new no 3 and a new no 6 instead of only the numbers he mentioned in the Irish News. I believe Niall Holly and Fergal Doherty, respectively, should man these central positions. Chris Mc Kaigue and a rejuvenated Joe O'Kane would add both class, versatility and steel to a defence which was left exposed by the system of play employed last year. Over to you John and your management team.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Sadly I find few grounds for optimism this year, the possible positive impact of Paul Grimley apart.

I would say avoiding relegation though I fear this may fail to realistic test. As for the championship, one big performance is about all we dare to hope for at present.

As mentioned before, the under 21s should be well placed for a decent run but there would appear to be quite a deal of water under the bridge since 09 and not all flowing in a positive direction.

[From the Bunker]

Keep the score down.



But to be serious from a Galway perspective I think we have to hope that we have bottomed out now and that the slow climb back up will begin. Whether it will take 1 year, 3 years or 5 years I just don't know. I find it hard to believe we could get any worse than we have been in recent years. There is just too much talent in the county for them to fall much further. A bit of self-belief and confidence would help as well. Two things sorely lacking of late. After a lean 5 year spell at underage level (well apart from the 2007 minors) the last two minor teams have been very close to reaching the AI final the past two years having lost two semi-finals at the death. The U-21's won the All-Ireland last year and in some style so there is a good glut of good young players coming through. Alan Mulholland will hopefully be given time to develop these lads so probably better off doing that in division 2 rather than in division 1 to be honest. A bit of luck with injuries would help as they have bedevilled us in recent years. I don't think Joe Kernan or Tomas O'Flaharta for example ever had even anything close to a fully fit squad to choose from during their time in Galway.

So in the league not too bothered about promotion just yet. Division 2 is a good standard anyway. Will probably be a fairly young squad so they will probably win a few and lose a few. As long as they learn.

Championship if they beat Roscommon they will begin to fancy themselves and will be dangerous. Even average Galway teams have won Connacht titles so not impossible that they could do the same. But lose against Roscommon and you don't know how they will react to the qualifiers. Especially with young players. Not to mention we have shown no real appetite for the qualifiers in recent years.

[Hill16 Blues]

More of the same for us I hope! If we approach year with same intensity as last year we won't be too far off. Would hope 2/3 more of u21 all Ireland winning team make the breakthrough particularly Gary Sweeney & John Crowley. If they do we will go very close! Roll on 2012!!!

[GalwayBayBoy]

Keep the score down.



But to be serious from a Galway perspective I think we have to hope that we have bottomed out now and that the slow climb back up will begin. Whether it will take 1 year, 3 years or 5 years I just don't know. I find it hard to believe we could get any worse than we have been in recent years. There is just too much talent in the county for them to fall much further. A bit of self-belief and confidence would help as well. Two things sorely lacking of late. After a lean 5 year spell at underage level (well apart from the 2007 minors) the last two minor teams have been very close to reaching the AI final the past two years having lost two semi-finals at the death. The U-21's won the All-Ireland last year and in some style so there is a good glut of good young players coming through. Alan Mulholland will hopefully be given time to develop these lads so probably better off doing that in division 2 rather than in division 1 to be honest. A bit of luck with injuries would help as they have bedevilled us in recent years. I don't think Joe Kernan or Tomas O'Flaharta for example ever had even anything close to a fully fit squad to choose from during their time in Galway.

So in the league not too bothered about promotion just yet. Division 2 is a good standard anyway. Will probably be a fairly young squad so they will probably win a few and lose a few. As long as they learn.

Championship if they beat Roscommon they will begin to fancy themselves and will be dangerous. Even average Galway teams have won Connacht titles so not impossible that they could do the same. But lose against Roscommon and you don't know how they will react to the qualifiers. Especially with young players. Not to mention we have shown no real appetite for the qualifiers in recent years.

They, we, tomatoes, tamatoes, etc, etc, etc.

[Captain Obvious]

Galwaybayboy, in your case they for Liverpool & we for Galway.