Roscommon v Armagh AI Round 1 Quailifer

[NaomhBridAbú]

i watched Armagh v Tyrone in the lst round and genuinely thought that you would be playing at the later stages of teh competition - i didnt see this result coming at all...whilst Roscommon are no bad team, the expectation was that armagh would win this one...did i hear that Paddy o'rourke has resigned??

[Wildweasel74]

Guys Armagh has un realistic expectations, up to 1999, Armagh hadn't won an ulster title since `82, you have been spoiled with success, taking for granted that's good teams come along on a regular basis, it doesn't happen like that!good teams come and go, down and Derry had good teams in the early nineties, should have won more but didn't, though they expect the current teams to be as good as previous teams, football is not like that! Longford from div 3 beat us last night, i keep saying that shouldn't have happened but the reality is i cant except we are not any good any more, and keep thinking of days gone by, playing in Div 1/2 doesn't mean we are so far ahead of div 3 teams that its only  a matter of turning up, it doesn't happen it soccer as weaker teams turn over better teams on a regular basis. Giving up supporting your team will not help, supporters support their team through thick and thin or you end up like Derry with only 200 supporters going to games!!

[JP]

Guys Armagh has un realistic expectations, up to 1999, Armagh hadn't won an ulster title since `82, you have been spoiled with success, taking for granted that's good teams come along on a regular basis, it doesn't happen like that!good teams come and go, down and Derry had good teams in the early nineties, should have won more but didn't, though they expect the current teams to be as good as previous teams, football is not like that! Longford from div 3 beat us last night, i keep saying that shouldn't have happened but the reality is i cant except we are not any good any more, and keep thinking of days gone by, playing in Div 1/2 doesn't mean we are so far ahead of div 3 teams that its only  a matter of turning up, it doesn't happen it soccer as weaker teams turn over better teams on a regular basis. Giving up supporting your team will not help, supporters support their team through thick and thin or you end up like Derry with only 200 supporters going to games!!

To be honest expectations going into this season where the lowest I can ever remember them. We aven't done anything of note in the championship since 2008 so its not like we were expecting an All Ireland. This game always had the potential to cause an upset but it is the manner of defeat that is shocking. To throw away a comfortable 5 point lead that we gained without ever moving out of 3rd gear. Roscommon upped their game and we couldn't match it. We were clueless and there is something fundamentally wrong. Apparently Paddy is gone now so hopefully someone will come in with a long term plan and start the re-building process.

[ross matt]

I certainly didnt see that coming. Last year it wouldnt have been a shock so perhaps Ross are finding their way back to top form. Great to see the players showing the character to pick up the pieces after the Galway  wipe out.

[John o connor]

To Let Morgan Athletic Grounds ( approx 6 months )

Good grazing land for sheep , cattle etc .
Contact Armagh county board for details

[Captain Obvious]

This stuff about expectations is nonsense. It's not unreasonable to expect your team to score more than one point in 35 minutes of football against anybody, never mind Roscommon.

Two points in 35 minutes. Worst part only about 4 or 5 other attempts in that 2nd half.

[stew]

To Let Morgan Athletic Grounds ( approx 6 months )

Good grazing land for sheep , cattle etc .
Contact Armagh county board for details

fack away aff newbie.

Gut check time in the orchard, we need to look what has transpired this season and figure out who is committed in the management team, and the panel in moving us forward, if it were up to me i would be giving youth a chance with a few veterans mixed in and I would try and get the panel hungry again.

Listening to that today in the second half was as hard a listen as i have ever experienced and I have been following the county since 75.

Nobody needs to over-react here, they should take a few days, review the season and feck paddy out on his arse, good man but the players are not listening anymore and some of them need to be moved on as well.

Grimley will do me, otherwise McEntee or Geezer!

[Bensars]

To Let Morgan Athletic Grounds ( approx 6 months )

Good grazing land for sheep , cattle etc .
Contact Armagh county board for details

fack away aff newbie.

Gut check time in the orchard, we need to look what has transpired this season and figure out who is committed in the management team, and the panel in moving us forward, if it were up to me i would be giving youth a chance with a few veterans mixed in and I would try and get the panel hungry again.

Listening to that today in the second half was as hard a listen as i have ever experienced and I have been following the county since 75.

Nobody needs to over-react here, they should take a few days, review the season and feck paddy out on his arse, good man but the players are not listening anymore and some of them need to be moved on as well.

Grimley will do me, otherwise McEntee or Geezer!

Was Grimley not the man brought in to solve these problems ?    He doesent seem to have added anything. Come to think of it, what has he done at Cavan, Kildare or armagh(post 2005).  Looking like a lot of the urban myth that he was the brains behind the Kernan years is just that !
No doubt about it Mc Geeney will available in a few weeks, whether he wants to take a sinking ship is another thing !

[Dennis The Menace]

Grimley will do me, otherwise McEntee or Geezer!

Is that the same Grimley that takes the credit when Armagh win and hides behind O'Rourke when they lose? Catch yourself on.

Geezer will get the road from Kildare after their next hammering. He has built a team of gym monkeys who can't play football, have won the square root of f**k all. His only interest is in his bank balance, which means Armagh can't afford him.

McEntee will stay with Cross and bring them to three in a row. And there is the biggest problem that faces any potential Armagh manager. How are they meant to prepare a team when some of their best players are unavailable because of their involvement with Cross? Cross' success is killing the county team.

If there was such belief in this current crop of Armagh players then why were all the so called fans sitting at home listening to the game on the radio?

[Brick Tamlin]

is there some sort of split on Armagh behin the scenes or what?
what is the crux of the problem.
some people on suggesting that Grimley should be let in charge is ridiculous to me, sure he is part responsible for the so called debacle of a year.
McGeeney if he had any sense wouldnt touch it i wouldnt think, although if he is knocked out in the next gane then he would be glad of the job offer.

[Rossfan]

.
If we go on with the zonal defence nonsense or havent improved on the Galway performance I fear anither disaster.
Hopeful there will be improvements in tactics/attitude/fitness and if we're there or thereabouts with 10 to go you'd never know.

The above two sentences could sum up today's game of two halves from Ros.

Still can't believe the heart and determination and fight we showed in the second half.
Did it come from the players themselves in spite of the management I wonder
Anyway well done to our lads ,  Pride restored , a great win and even if Armagh were poor and maybe spiritless ... that's their problem.
Hopefully we won't be drawn away from home in the farthest ends of the Country on the day before our Minors face the rhubarb enemy in the Connacht Final.

[Orangemac]

is there some sort of split on Armagh behin the scenes or what?
what is the crux of the problem.
some people on suggesting that Grimley should be let in charge is ridiculous to me, sure he is part responsible for the so called debacle of a year.
McGeeney if he had any sense wouldnt touch it i wouldnt think, although if he is knocked out in the next gane then he would be glad of the job offer.

See Aaron Cunningham tweeting earlier that there is an anti-Cross mentality in the Armagh set up. If some of the best players in the county are not making themselves available then Armagh are going nowhere.

[armaghniac]

Team management can't blame Cross when they had only two starters in today's team they obviously don't appreciate their talent or consider it essential to have them available throughout the year.

The performance in Tralee had a lot of heart and not a Cross player about the place. Now I know it was February and championship is different, but in what way did we build on that performance?

[Syferus]

Well.. I don't hate to say I told you so 

Armagh met a Roscommon side in a determined mood today. Even after the first half I felt we it was harsh to be five down, we had created just as many (if not more) chances as Armagh and we simply didn't convert, Compton, Senan and even Domican had open shots that they missed.

Armagh were basically the Jamie Clarke Supporting Band, such was their reliance on their (absolutely brilliant) corner forward.. He was un-markable in the first half and at times it was like watching an artist paint your headstone. Everything went through Clarke and the other five forwards were reduced to five cardboard cut-outs whose sole purpose was to spread the defence for Clarke. Outside of that Armagh had little invention, were being beat in the middle and were having a horrible time trying to contain all of our full-forwards and Cregg.

At half-time you got the feeling that our championship was ebbing away unless we could sprint out of the blocks in the second half. Des gathered the players on the field after the first half and whatever he said, whatever he did, led to a serious increase in intensity in the second half. No one could accuse the panel of not having fight or pride, or of disharmony, today. The belief it takes to look at a scoreboard and see yourself down by double scores against one of the 'top' teams in the country, a team even our own supporters doubted we could beat even at our best, and think 'hey, let's do this' is something truly special and this panel showed they have a hell of alot more ambition than to simply giving a good account of themselves.

The second half was wonderful in all but shooting - we systematically dismantled Armagh, from Purcell picking up Clarke and stopping the feed of ball to him by clogging up the half-back line and preventing the quick long balls that Clarke was destroying us with. Ger came on at the half and I, like most , groaned. Why Ger? Well Ger showed us why. His kick passing was beautiful and fed Senan with ball that continually sent Armagh's bakcs into a frenzy.

We should have dispatched Armagh very easily in the second half, with two clear-cut goal chances and plenty of wides from just about everyone. I'd go as far as to say Armagh proved the worst Ulster team to visit the Hyde this season, with both Antrim , and especially Cavan, offering more than Armagh did. The emperor didn't even have a loin-cloth today.

We completely broke their spirit and reduced them to brawling in an attempt to break a 'soft Connacht team'. Our men more than stood up to them physically and when balls needed to be one, when shots needed to be blocked, we were there. it was a remarkable displace of passion, skill and selflessness.


I thought the five players making their first starts played well - Kilroy may have only got a half but he made a couple fantastic runs at Armagh's defence and his contributions will have been over-shadowed by Ger's absolutely wonderful play in his steed in the second half.

Cathal Shine was the real deal in the middle, contributing massively to our best midfield display in many years. He was only getting better as the game wore on, passing well and his point just before his injury was the icing on a very impressive first outing. I can't imagine he won't be fit for two weeks' time and what a joy it is to have a good midfield selection headache for a change!

Collins was one of our best players, mixing it in the middle, winning breaking, pushing forward and nullifying his man almost completely, he can be very proud of his work today.

Compton was, like his brother yesterday, stunning in the air. Whatever's in the water in that family, it's led to two of the purest fielders of ball I've seen. He didn't kick for goal so well, but his strength was apparent, holding off two and three Armagh backs before passing the ball and he looks like someone well equipped to live up to the hype. One area I'd like to see more action from him is support play - Senan broke inside the Armagh defence and Compton didn't run into the goal area to offer an outlet, something that would have lead to an easy goal. Instead of three points Senan was forced to take a low-percentage shot that went across the face of the goal.

Daly wasn't flashy but as always he looks so assured and calm on the field, I've seen very few players come into a senior set-up and look so completely at home, perhaps the purest footballer of the lot.

Cregg defies superlatives, he simply is one of the finest footballers in the country and he is well on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats to have graced the primrose and blue jersey. Armagh tried everything, fouling, throwing him around, pining him to the ground, even injuring him him but my God did h e shut them up. The fight he showed today, the sheer will to win, to keep going while he was out on his feet, to run at Armagh even when he legs should have been gone, to score the insurance point, was majestic. That lad is the model for the entire panel; play as hard, as honestly, as Cregg and very few teams will beat us.

Donie's huge point in the second half was the moment when you realised we had this one, and he played deeper than usual and it worked very well - won a couple wonderful balls in the middle and was allowed use his under-rated vision to bring others into play. He did have a good few wides too, including a Longford-esque garryowen, but he produced his best performance of the year when it mattered most.

Senan was a constant threat, his goal completely changing the game. Again shooting let him down but we saw why he's so highly rated today.

Seanie Mc was immense at the back in the second half, in the right place so many times, mopping up so much ball. Purcell, unsung for so long, delivered on perhaps the most difficult marking job in the country, well done sir, you deserve ever plaudit going your way. Carty was much improved, his man being almost anonymous throughout the game. Ian Kilbride and Domican delivered, as did Mannion in the second half and Finneran looked wonderful when he came on for Shine.

All in all it was the capstone on one of the best weekends for Roscommon in many years, a team who knew they were better than they showed and made sure everyone knew it.

If anything it was the perfect performance moving forward - our poor shooting ensuring we won't get too carried away and that should mean we focus on allying better shot taking to the ambition and doggedness of this performance. We're better than a once-off win.

Pride restored; now for the second act.

[theticklemister]

I say ye have writers cramp after that one!