USFC - 2/6/27 - Derry v Down

[jodyb]

Wee James very gracious in his interview. When's the draw? We'll likely get Tyrone . That said they were lucky against Roscommon.

[5 Sams]

Just home. Derry defence utterly superb all day. Kept turning us over 30-40 yds out. When we drew level at half time we thought we were in with a chance as we had whatever breeze there was in the 2nd half....but it wasnt  a factor as Derry were hungrier all over the field. A bad day for everyone in Red and Black today apart maybe from McVeigh who pulled off a wonder save in the 2nd half. One solitary point from Down in the 2nd half says it all. Fcuk but its frustrating watching this team

[ck]

I went to the Derry Sligo game last week and wasn't impressed by Derry at all yet they now find themselves a game away from an AI quarter final.
As for Down, the year has been a disaster, no two ways about it. Down arguably are now in a worse place than when James McCartan took them over. A freak AI final in his first year has been followed with mediocrity at best. Surely James will go?

[glens73]

I went to the Derry Sligo game last week and wasn't impressed by Derry at all yet they now find themselves a game away from an AI quarter final.
As for Down, the year has been a disaster, no two ways about it. Down arguably are now in a worse place than when James McCartan took them over. A freak AI final in his first year has been followed with mediocrity at best. Surely James will go?

It's 2 games they have to win to get to the quarter final

[Hoof Hearted]

I went to the Derry Sligo game last week and wasn't impressed by Derry at all yet they now find themselves a game away from an AI quarter final.
As for Down, the year has been a disaster, no two ways about it. Down arguably are now in a worse place than when James McCartan took them over. A freak AI final in his first year has been followed with mediocrity at best. Surely James will go?

It's 2 games they have to win to get to the quarter final

yep, 8 qualifier winners now meet, with 4 winners to play beaten provincial loser. then its the 1/4's

[Dubh driocht]

CK , apart from not understanding the qualifiers, your awareness of what James has brought to Down is also very limited. Today Derry were sound defensively and we couldn't penetrate; our leaders were well shackled and their leaders dictated the game, particularly Mc Closkey, Bradley and Bell. Mc Iver and Tally will have dissected the last game and spotted how to totally block our progress beyond the 45m line so good luck to them in the next round. I thought our defence did reasonably well- while we missed Rooney's surging runs, Costello had a sound 70 minutes. Dan Mc Cartan was, as ever, tenacious and brave, Ambrose never gave up and Donal O'Hare is the real deal. James got 3 good years in Division 1 out of a limited squad,AI and Ulster finals and a league semi-final so he has earned the right to decide when he goes. It was a sad sight to see Benny make for the dressing rooms at the final whistle; he thought about it and then went to congratulate the Derry boys and lift his own team-mates. I hope he thinks about whether to hang them up or not; what a footballer and superb commitment from the man. My only other thought on today is that we shouldn't have had to go back there in the first place- championship is all about death or glory and it was always going to be a big ask to lift the team a second time at the same venue; remember we are the only team to have won there this year so I think the old rule about not meetings someone a second time in the qualifiers should be restored. Still proud of the lads and still confident in the management.

[Leo]

Even with a man sent off very surprising for any team to score just 1 point in a half of football.

That must be some Derry defence.

Let's not put a tooth in this.
One point in the second half - and that from a free. One point from play in 70 minutes.
When is the last time the great Benny Coulter raised a green flag for Down?
This is a Down team that has betrayed all that is good about Down football and its reputation for forward play. This has been coming for a couple of years now and it is an abomination, utterly unwatchable and at the same time abysmally failing to get results.
The game should be about putting your best foot forward, play to your strengths - how these "scientists" of the game have dragged us all into utterly negative mediocrity is appalling.
Down football has sold its soul to this science and we are the poorer for it - and still OUT of the championship with barley a whimper.
Meanwhile our much vaunted forwards are toiling in the dark depths of our own "blanket-cum-sweeper" system that is the football equivalent of a snuff movie.
Good luck to Derry but their journey will also be short I fear.

[MK]

My only other thought on today is that we shouldn't have had to go back there in the first place- championship is all about death or glory and it was always going to be a big ask to lift the team a second time at the same venue; remember we are the only team to have won there this year


Well said Dd-on a disappointing night for Down football-how can anyone fault a team playing their third game(Div.2 champions twice+All ire champs) away from home .

In contrast you only have to look at Kerry's Munster run:

home to Tipp  q/f
home to Waterford s/f
home to Cork final


Anyway,well done Derry (at home...again)and good luck to Benny Coulter-without doubt Downs  best servant for years !

[Mourne Rover]

We could have no complaints about the result, which probably might have been even more decisive, but having to go back to Celtic Park after winning there barely a month ago made a farce of the competition. Derry are a fine side, and, with their coaches already knowing all about our set-up, they were always going to learn from their mistakes the last day.

Down had a choice between the attacking approach of the last Derry game and the blanket style against Donegal. We went for the latter, and it simply did not work today. It might have made sense if we had been in front in the second half, but we found ourselves chasing a game with 14 men in our own half.

However, in the long term, it is still probably the only way to go. James will hopefully stay, and we can rebuild in the second division next year. Whether Benny is there remains to be seen, and a couple of others may also consider their options, but the likes of Gordon and Garvey are due some decent luck with injuries and McComiskey and O'Hagan should both be back.

It was a deeply frustrating match, as the goal looked to have put us in a strong position playing with the wind after the break, but we were far too tentative in the third quarter and allowed ourselves to get distracted by a series of dodgy refereeing decisions. By the end, our discipline and shape had completely gone and it was not a pretty sight.

McVeigh made another brilliant save from Bradley, and his kick-outs were initially good but largely disintegated as we were wiped out at midfield. McCartan made a couple of brilliant interventions but was among a number of defenders who watched Lynn get four from play. Costello did nothing wrong, and saw his immediate opponent replaced, but may not offer as much as Rooney going forward.

McArdle was considerably improved from the last Derry game and paid a heavy price for retaliating when he was grabbed by the neck as he tried to retrieve the ball for a free in front of the posts. A yellow might have been sufficient, given that Derry got six cards for hauling players down as soon as they got into space, and the free would have brought us back to a two point margin. They won the hop ball, got a point almost immediately and were never going to throw away a four point lead with the extra man.

Quinn was reasonable in the first half but a pretty dreadful shot hit his confidence and he might have been replaced earlier. While Boyle pushes up with great pace, and can be very satisfied with his first season, he would be a much more effective player if he could take a score. Turley was our best defender and one of the most improved figures in the squad overall.

McKernan worked hard without ever making the impact of the last day and it was a pity that he finished an excellent season by foolishly throwing a late punch and inevitably seeing red. King kept his composure throughout, even though Derry targeted his pace, and was very effective defensively while also managing to help set up our goal.

Ambrose had some brilliant moments, and kicked a fine point, but faded towards the end. Poland never really got going in the face of persistent fouling and a couple of his shots were disappointing efforts. Laverty repeatedly got on the ball without really hurting Derry, although the ref did him no favours.

Johnston buzzed around in flashes, but may be better coming off the bench, while Madine won nearly every ball aimed at him but was ultimately swallowed up by a very well organised defence. O'Hare is starting to look like our only reliable scoring forward, tucking away his goal with a touch of class, but we are in trouble if he does not manage two or three from play.

Of the subs, Mallon, like Boyle, has had an impressive debut season, but did not really make an impact when he came on. Throwing in Hughes was a gamble which did not work, while Savage and Damien Turley only made very late appearances.

To finish with Benny, he has been a wonderful servant and and deserves a decent break. The pace is clearly going, although he might still have a role to play dropping deep and winning the ball for others, and it would be great if he gives us at least one more year.

[ck]

CK , apart from not understanding the qualifiers, your awareness of what James has brought to Down is also very limited. Today Derry were sound defensively and we couldn't penetrate; our leaders were well shackled and their leaders dictated the game, particularly Mc Closkey, Bradley and Bell. Mc Iver and Tally will have dissected the last game and spotted how to totally block our progress beyond the 45m line so good luck to them in the next round. I thought our defence did reasonably well- while we missed Rooney's surging runs, Costello had a sound 70 minutes. Dan Mc Cartan was, as ever, tenacious and brave, Ambrose never gave up and Donal O'Hare is the real deal. James got 3 good years in Division 1 out of a limited squad,AI and Ulster finals and a league semi-final so he has earned the right to decide when he goes. It was a sad sight to see Benny make for the dressing rooms at the final whistle; he thought about it and then went to congratulate the Derry boys and lift his own team-mates. I hope he thinks about whether to hang them up or not; what a footballer and superb commitment from the man. My only other thought on today is that we shouldn't have had to go back there in the first place- championship is all about death or glory and it was always going to be a big ask to lift the team a second time at the same venue; remember we are the only team to have won there this year so I think the old rule about not meetings someone a second time in the qualifiers should be restored. Still proud of the lads and still confident in the management.

Agree, I probably have no idea what James McCartan has brought to Down but the hard facts don't lie. He has won nothing, he got relegated and after 4 years he arguably has made little or no notable progress. Also he changed his back room team 3 times in those four years, and was unable to hold onto a host of players who headed off to Aus and USA. Despite this I believe Down always have enough top players to be competitive so please spare me the nonsense that he was working with a limited squad.
McCartan clearly has support up in the Mournes and that's the people he answers to so good luck to him if he stays on.

[orangeman]

Down are so focused on stopping others score that they find scoring difficult themselves.

To see one of Down's grestest and finest forwards being asked to be a part of this Down blanket is a sad indictment of our game.

There's no room for Benny anymore. As someone said a little earlier, Benny might win a bit of ball coming deep.

If that's all Benny has to offer he'd be better playing with the Bridge for whatever time he has left and not being a dove to the "system".

He deserves better than to go out the way it panned out for him this year - a class act who has given memories that will forever remain firmly etched in my mind.

It might sound like sour grapes. But Down shouldn't have had to travel to Celtic Park tonight again. The system is wrong.

Fair play to Brian Mc Iver - he's top class.

[5 Sams]

McIver let himself down along the line this evening. No call for it. Serious verbal abuse of the ref. I was about 20 yards from it and if our manager did what he did in a league game in Down he would be crucified.

[Mourne Rover]

5 Sams, the problem is that McIver's conduct worked. He confronted the referee at the break, without any censure, and then saw his team get every close call in the second half. The best team won on the day, without doubt, but it is ridiculous that managers can get away with this kind of intimidation. If McIver had been sent to the stand at half time, it might have demonstrated that the abuse of referees will not be accepted. The GAA is storing up trouble for itself.

[Gabriel]

My only other thought on today is that we shouldn't have had to go back there in the first place- championship is all about death or glory and it was always going to be a big ask to lift the team a second time at the same venue; remember we are the only team to have won there this year

+1

I agree completely. That Down had to play Derry at Celtic Park twice in three championship games makes a mockery of the current system. The frustrating thing is that there is nothing complex about solving it: last year we were drawn to play Donegal in the All-Ireland quarter-final, but since we had already played them we were put back into the bowl. Why can this not be done for the qualifiers? Derry deserved their win today, but I bet they couldn't believe their luck when they were offered a second bite of the cherry last Monday.

In terms of the system we played today and against Donegal, it's horrible to watch. We are reduced to dependence on Donal O'Hare's accuracy from frees. Most of the match is spent passing the ball around the half-back line unchallenged. But in the modern game there is no other way, we tried to play attacking football against Donegal last year and were mauled. It is taking gaelic football in a bad direction, but we have a choice between being idealistic and being competitive.

As far as this year is concerned, our best players in my opinion have been Kevin McKernan and Peter Turley. Donal O'Hare has come into his own and Niall Madine looks a super prospect. The most depressing aspect has been our routine second-half collapses, I would guess there have been a serious number of matches in McKenna Cup, league and championship where we've scored less than four points after half time.

[5 Sams]

5 Sams, the problem is that McIver's conduct worked. He confronted the referee at the break, without any censure, and then saw his team get every close call in the second half. The best team won on the day, without doubt, but it is ridiculous that managers can get away with this kind of intimidation. If McIver had been sent to the stand at half time, it might have demonstrated that the abuse of referees will not be accepted. The GAA is storing up trouble for itself.

+1 A few parents beside me were really annoyed about it.....continuous serious verbal abuse....I can swear like anyone else but this was sustained and nasty.