ROSCOMMON v GALWAY, CONNACHT SFC

[James062]

What's d story wi Joyce
Will he star next game and what position will he operate ?

[seafoid]

New year,same old SG,with same old boring Spillane anecdotes

Play in the quick long ball to the full forward line. Yawn!

I think he was going overboard in his praise for Galway as well. As you said, they play 'nice' football, but you have to take into account how bad Ros were. That allowed Galway to make hay, there's no chance they'd be given those opportunities against the top teams, even Mayo.

Galway won their last AI in 2001. Ironically the Game took a dramatic change the next couple of years with the use of the blanket defence. Galway still hold their own in Connacht where you are allowed to play football. But they have not won a game outside of Connacht since 2004 and have only beaten louth since 2002. This is because mentally they have not adapted to the change. Anyway well done to Galway today, they did what they had to do.

They lost a  few tight matches over that time as well. Meath last year, for example. They weren't far off Kerry in 2008.
I don't think the theory is that comprehensive.  Galway didn't really do justice to themselves over the last few years.

[galwayman]

Very pleased with the performance and the win today.
I certainly wasn't expecting that kind of a win and actually had a slight fancy for Ros beforehand.
Saying that,nobody will be getting carried away with today.Ros were poor.
Realistically I would expect us to beat Sligo at home in the semi final but I think we are not at Mayo's level at the moment.
Saying that we would definitely have a chance of beating them at home.

Anyway it was a good overall team performance today.Conroy had his best game in a senior jersey yet.hopefully he can keep it going for the season.O'Donnell has improved immeasurably over the last two years but may come under pressure from Tom Fahy for his place.
It was great to see Mikey Meehan back and he looked surprisingly sharp given his long lay off.Himself and Padraic are the definition of impact subs.
Army will improve over the coming weeks as he is only just on the way back after injury.
Johnny Duane -much like Blake - is a fine player but will struggle against a player with real pace.

[From the Bunker]

New year,same old SG,with same old boring Spillane anecdotes

Play in the quick long ball to the full forward line. Yawn!

I think he was going overboard in his praise for Galway as well. As you said, they play 'nice' football, but you have to take into account how bad Ros were. That allowed Galway to make hay, there's no chance they'd be given those opportunities against the top teams, even Mayo.

Galway won their last AI in 2001. Ironically the Game took a dramatic change the next couple of years with the use of the blanket defence. Galway still hold their own in Connacht where you are allowed to play football. But they have not won a game outside of Connacht since 2004 and have only beaten louth since 2002. This is because mentally they have not adapted to the change. Anyway well done to Galway today, they did what they had to do.

They lost a  few tight matches over that time as well. Meath last year, for example. They weren't far off Kerry in 2008.
I don't think the theory is that comprehensive.  Galway didn't really do justice to themselves over the last few years.

They lost by 5 points. Mayo lost their AI QF in 2005 by 3 to Kerry and they were well off the mark. What both games had in common were that the media revelled in how good the Football was. Spillane said this is how football should be played, no like that puke football which Kerry lose to.

[ross matt]

So much bluster from Roscommon fans here and elsewhere in the last month or two. For this team?! They haven't moved on from their 09 beating in Castlebar at all. They're every bit as bad now. The 'best forwards in Connacht' are hopelessly slow and immobile. A horrible day levelled the playing field in last years Connacht Final and kept the score respectable and added to a fluke Connacht title the year before gave an inaccurate view of their standing. They are a mid table Division 3 team for a reason.

Galway on the other hand are boiling nicely. They'll fancy their chances for Connacht from here, and have every reason to.

Enjoy your glaoting you sad little person. Hope it stays fine for ya.

[Farrandeelin]

CK may be sad. He might not be the tallest person on earth, but he wasn't gloating. Ros were horrid today and seemed way off the pace. Flat from the word go.

[ardal]

What's d story wi Joyce
Will he star next game and what position will he operate ?

Think Paris did it in for him, and after Finnegans Wake, he probably deserved it. He'll always write on the left of kilter.

No further comment needed me thinks, although but I a lowly humble man

[maigheo]

So much bluster from Roscommon fans here and elsewhere in the last month or two. For this team?! They haven't moved on from their 09 beating in Castlebar at all. They're every bit as bad now. The 'best forwards in Connacht' are hopelessly slow and immobile. A horrible day levelled the playing field in last years Connacht Final and kept the score respectable and added to a fluke Connacht title the year before gave an inaccurate view of their standing. They are a mid table Division 3 team for a reason.

Galway on the other hand are boiling nicely. They'll fancy their chances for Connacht from here, and have every reason to.

very unfair post cosmo and that anaylis is some thing you would hear from some fella in a pub that has never attended a game in his life.Of course Ros have moved on from 09 and  could have retained there connacht title last year with a bit of luck.

[ross matt]

First of all congrats to Galway on well deserved win. They played their traditional stylish football but they also added bite, agression and physique. It's not their fault that we provided no opposition today and to their credit they never took their foot off the pedal. The only down side for them is that they weren't tested and will have learned little as a result.

I really thought these type of days were over for Roscommon. As either O'Rourke or Spillane said afterwards in the last 2 seasons they've won a connacht title.... were unlucky not to add a 2nd against a strong Mayo side and performed well versus Tyrone in Croker. How and why have we fallen back so much?

Management selection and tactics have to take a large share of the blame.... the zonal marking and constant conceeding of possession just invited attacking half backs like Bradshaw and O'Donnell to run on it. Why so little high ball in to the full forward line like Galway did? The selection of poor John Rogers on Bradshaw was a disaster. Why didnt O'Gara start? He scored 2 points and was much more direct in his play when he came on. Whereas rogers was eaten alive and it was his mistake for the 1st goal. Fitness and sharpness looked vastly inferior to Galway's. We were 2nd to every ball. Galway also looked much more physically imposing.

But the players themselves were so nervous and error prone. After we went a point up early on Keenan and Shine missed very easy chances. The team just never settled. Cregg was the only one who took the game to them. Shine looked disinterested and unhappy in the corner. He must have had half a dozen wides and should have off loaded the ball to mannion when he was in on goal in the first half. Kilbride scored an early point and won alot of ball but never once tried to take his man on. Morale looks very poor and the signs for the qualifiers aren't good. Finneran's injury or playing division 3 are no excuses for poor work ethic and attitude.

Since 2006 we have won a minor AI, 2 provincial minors, 2 minor leagues, 2 provincial u-21s and a provincial senior. That should make that this current side should be at least competitive with Galway today like we were v Mayo last year. This is a complete collapse.

Anyway best of luck to the tribesmen going forward. Like I've often said when they are on this kind of form they are good for football in general. Mulholland has certainly got their feel good factor back in a very short space of time and deserves great credit for that.

[ross matt]

Des Newton just said that it was 'understandable' that the Roscommon players just played out the last 20 mins.

I m sorry, but if Des really thinks that then he s in the wrong job.

I know Moysider his interview really bothered me. Very composed and articulate but in a very detached way as if the loss and manner of losing didnt bother him or as if he was expecting it to be that way.

[ross matt]

New year,same old SG,with same old boring Spillane anecdotes

Play in the quick long ball to the full forward line. Yawn!

I think he was going overboard in his praise for Galway as well. As you said, they play 'nice' football, but you have to take into account how bad Ros were. That allowed Galway to make hay, there's no chance they'd be given those opportunities against the top teams, even Mayo.

Galway won their last AI in 2001. Ironically the Game took a dramatic change the next couple of years with the use of the blanket defence. Galway still hold their own in Connacht where you are allowed to play football. But they have not won a game outside of Connacht since 2004 and have only beaten louth since 2002. This is because mentally they have not adapted to the change. Anyway well done to Galway today, they did what they had to do.

They lost a  few tight matches over that time as well. Meath last year, for example. They weren't far off Kerry in 2008.
I don't think the theory is that comprehensive.  Galway didn't really do justice to themselves over the last few years.

[/b]

+1
They were always better than they looked for the last few years. Probably not as good as they looked today either but they should never have fallen back so badly.

[Lar Naparka]

It was a case of sheep in a heap for Roscommon once again and there is absolutely no pun intended.
In the Connacht final last year they had every chance of beating Mayo but poor judgement throughout, plus Mayo's greater tactical awareness, saw them come up short.
Playing into the hospital end, they tried time after time to hand pass the ball to within scoring distance, whereas Mayo had used ground passes up to the corner forwards to do the same thing.
They seemed to be playing like novices but yet there were defending champions and really should have been more composed.
I kept an eye on Fergie O'Donnell and he was doing his proverbial nut so I knew they weren't following his instructions but were making it up as they went along.

Based on that display, I didn't think they had a hope against Tyrone.
So I was amazed at the display they put on right up to the closing stages. The lads you expected big games from were all willing and able to oblige and they looked a serious, polished side –until they collectively lost the plot.
I put it down to a lack of confidence rather than ability and I'd say most reasonable people would agree with me on that.
Des Newton was a wholehearted player who always gave his best so I expected a lot more from his side than we got today. I think he has a hell of a job on his hands as he tries to get his team's mental approach firmed up.
Galway on the other hand, knew what they had to do from beginning to end. They played like a unit that had been together for years and went about their job with a minimum of wasted effort.
They are a class act in the making. Maybe there was an element of beginner's luck involved but Mulholland has every right to be a happy man tonight.

I dunno about the Rossies. Iif they manage to re-discover the form they began the game against Tyrone with, they can still have an extended run in the qualifiers.

One thing for certain, most of their problems lie in their brains and not in their boots.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Enjoy your glaoting you sad little person. Hope it stays fine for ya.

Well, for the record, I'm 5 foot 11 (you can decide yourself whether that counts as 'little' or not) and I think I'm a sound enough fella (but then again I would, wouldn't I?) - but I most certainly wasn't gloating (or 'glaoting'), far from it. My team weren't playing today so I have nothing to gloat about, even if I wanted to.

I was just shocked by how bad Ros were today relative to how we were told they were shaping up. They haven't been on tv and play in D3 so the likes of myself obviously hasnt seen them this year. The noises were positive, as they often are from Roscommon. On the field though they couldn't do much right at all. passing, catching, intensity...all brutal. I could only compare it to 2009 as I think we all believed Ros had improved massively since then. I don't think that now having seen them today. Or if they had, they've regressed to that level again. A 'bad day at the office' can't account for what happened today, there are clearly serious problems with, put simply, the ability of many of the players versus the standard required at this level.

I also didn't resort to personally insulting fellow posters like you did ross matt. You may be unhappy today but there's no use taking your frustration out on people who are just commenting on the game as they saw it, it doesn't show either yourself or your county in a particularly good light. Play the ball, not the man.

[ross4life]

Another black day for Roscommon football I'll try not to be too critical on the players as Keenan,O'Gara,Carty,Shine etc are still in their early 20s but today's team was more established than 2008 Salthill,2009 Castlebar so that display/performance was the worst i've seen, in truth the contest was over once Galway scored the 2nd goal we had the chance to make the scoreline a bit more respectable but the lads didn't seem interested. Something is seriously wrong when a team that hadn't won a championship in three years on Irish soil can win today by 14pts in 2nd gear & remember only two years ago Galway struggled to beat New York.

Longford (Div 3) beat Laois a Div 1 team, Cavan Div 3 gave Donegal (Div 1) a decent game. The only good thing about today from a Roscommon point of view was the 10,000+ support all we ask for in return in effort to be competitive clearly they didn't give that today & Seeing that Kilkenny don't play in the championship i don't think their would be a side in Ireland we would have beaten with that woeful display.

P.S Cosmo Kramer, It's easy to kick once down. Cop yourself on like a good lad.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Great analysis from Ross Matt there. Always a joy to read a man who knows his beans. I hope to be as lucky with my paper tomorrow, but I'm not hopeful.

Shocking day for Roscommon, great day for Galway. Galway are like Down - one win can lift them like no other counties. They really don't do doubt once they've got their kick-start.

Other fellas have mentioned Newton's attitude here. If I were from Roscommon, I'd be quite worried about it. It's a long wait 'til the qualifiers. They're still something there to play for but if Newton's ok with lads running up the white flag today, well, it's not a good sign. It's odd to see a Roscommon team with so little bite. Very odd.

Galway raging hot favorites for Connacht now, of course. Red hot. You'd light your Woodbine off them, they're that hot.