Laois v Armagh - NFL Round 5 - Sunday 18th March

[Armaghgeddon]

How many players have we got missing now...

Kernan
Hearty
J Clarke
R Clarke
McVerry
Makin
Swift
Vernon
McDonnell
Geoghan
Toner
McKeever
Mallon
Donaghy

Quite sure im missing at least another 4.

[our_fella]

GK's
Hearty
Geoghan

Defenders
Aaron Kernan
James Morgan
Mallon
Donaghy
McKeever

MF
Vernon
Toner
Mackin

Fowards
J Clarke
R Clarke
McVerry
Makin
Swift
Vernon
McDonnell
Tony Kernan

Then add in any other cross lads.. So far thats 18 players....

[DuffleKing]

f**k sake lads we're missing players all right but it feels embarrassing to be listing excuses

[Armaghgeddon]

Not listing excuses, but we shouldn't be so disheartened. We are on the verge of probably our 3rd tier team and while relegation is looking highly likely I dont think Armagh are as bad as the last 3 games suggest.

[Don Johnson]

So what did the thug do to get sent off?

[our_fella]

Duffle_King, seriously, how many of the players that started today would start v Tyrone come c'ship time?

[Captain Obvious]

If Mayo,Laois can beat Armagh with ease then Armagh deserve to be playing Division two football.

[armaghniac]

Vernon came on today, but we are short. The ref waved his leg when sending McKeever off, so perhaps he is supposed to have kicked someone?

[omagh_gael]

According to the bbc report the Armagh camp are claiming that they are completely in the dark as to why he was sent off.

[mountainboii]

Michael Duffy is a dickhead.

The above is the only thing you can read into the events of today. I have never seen anything resembling that farce at any level in all my years watching football. Would make you reconsider how you spend your money and weekends.

[armaghniac]

There was a bit of drama at the sending off when an incredulous McKeever refused to leave the field and Grimley, POR et al came on and persuaded him to come off. At the end of the game there seemed to be some interchange between Grimley and the ref.  Hard to know what, if anything, happened.

All in all a disappointing day. The first half saw packed defences with Laois able to pop the odd point from 25m out and Armagh trying unsucessfully to walk it in. The Laois gaolie did great work, even when Armagh did get a goal in the 2nd half he had parried the ball, but it fell to a forward on the rebound. In the second half it seemed that Armagh would be completely overrrun, but the arrival of Vernon, Kingham and MOR helped and when Armagh got the goal we were in contention. But Armagh missed some points that they should have had. The Laois goal was probably a point that dropped short in the square and they had more luck in the square than Armagh were having. The wind was changeable and some of the Armagh passes went long in the second half, a bit like the Cross game at this venue some weeks ago.

[Agent Orange]

Armagh were always going to lose to Dublin, they will bounce back with a comfortable enough win tomorrow.

Ref beat Armagh today.

[laoislad]

Armagh were always going to lose to Dublin, they will bounce back with a comfortable enough win tomorrow.

Ref beat Armagh today.

Should they put a little asterisk beside Laois's league points total?

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Look none of us know what Ciaran did or didn't do. He is adamant he didn't do anyting to merit a red card and seemed genuinely shocked and distraught when he was sent off. I doubt there will be a successful appeal as there is unlikely to be any video evidence and therefore nothing to dispute the assertion of the fourth official that he kicked a Laois player.

Apart from the atrocious display from the referee, the reason we lost that match is simple enough; during the first half we controlled possession and terrority yet our opponents were registering scores from long range, converting almost every chance they had yet Armagh had possession 4 times in the Laois penalty area but couldn't manage a single point. Had we converted some of our three gilt-edged goal chances or been awarded a penalty for either of the clear fouls in the Laois penalty area, the outcome may have been entirely different. Laois were the more clinical of the sides and grew in confidence as the scale of our scoring ineptitude became apparent. They probably deserved their victory though were looking very shaky before comedic defending gifted them their goal after Armagh had worked very hard to get back into the match. Neither side would appear likely to enjoy a prolonged summer.

I thought Paul Grimley's behaviour at the end was very poor. No matter how poor the referee was, rushing onto the pitch to remonstrate with him, then pushing two volunteer stewards is hardly going to help the situation.

Very little hope for the Down or Donegal matches at this stage. The best XV absentees is almost certainly a much better outfit than the fifteen who will take the pitch.

[Dont Matter]

Ref wasn't great, we'll never know if McKeever deserved to be sent off. Both teams were missing a good few players but if everyone's honest, both teams wont go far in the Summer.
For Laois I think our team is too slow and not enough scoring forwards.