Wicklow V Sligo (Winners takes it all)

[SLIGONIAN]

Whoever wins this is guarnteed Division 3 football next year.

Sligo are a big disappointment this year and I havnt a clue how or when we will solve our problems. I hope next Sunday we can wake up and put in a big performance and a win in the bag. We need momentum for the championship..

All I know is potential of our players is far greater than what we have shown so far. If we reach that potential it will be long summer. I will be in Aughrim Sunday so looking forward to it.

Will walshe start for wicklow?

[realredhandfan]

Look on the bright side you have hear a genuine opportunity to maybe get Mick the dreaded sack.

[magpie seanie]

I think we will win but it will be tight, maybe only a point in it. Our record against Mr O'Dwyer isn't bad at all. At least after last weekend we can be pretty hopeful that the team that is picked this time out will work their socks off. That might be enough.

[SLIGONIAN]

As you probably know Im a leeds fan. You'd want to see the workrate of Michael Gray on Friday night against preston. It was unbeliveable. Throwing himself intelligently into taclkes. Chasing players all over the field. You could see this man was hungry and that there was no way he let leeds down. Ive heard alll the leeds jokes lads but I merely went from seeing that to seeing 3 Sligo teams with no way near the same intensity or workrate.

Shouldnt it be guarnteed? I dont know if you were at game and it doesnt matter but when I dont see that same intensity and workrate I tend to edge on having the opinion that anyone not giving that workrate or intensity isnt giving 100%.

Like on an other point Sligo scored 1-4 in last 5 mins and you could see the workrate and intensity was higher.. why wait?? Why arent the players workrate higher for 70mins?

Thats probably why my opinions can come across controversial because I sometimes get this feeling that some players think theyve made it when the get a Sligo jersey and forget that winning medals is what its all about..

Do any of my fellow Sligonians see what I am trying to say???

[Mano]

I am assuming O Hara will be suspended which is a huge blow-he needs to realise he cannot be mouthing at referees any longer.

Will Thomas Walshes transfer request go through this week-it appears Carlow have appealed the transfer again. If he plays he will be rusty anyway as he hasn't played this season yet.

As Stan said for the Irish team recently 'We don't play well in February'. A drier sod should help this light Sligo team-hoopefully they will pull it off at the weekend but it won't be easy in Aughrim

[Mayo4Sam]

How often has O'Hara been sent off in the last year? I know it shoudl have been davey last summer but he seems to have a fierce high rate of red cards, as do sligo in general.

[magpie seanie]

I agree Mano. I do feel sorry for Eamonn because he is obviously being targetted but he will have to mend his ways cos he's too valuable a player to us to be watching from the stand. I think we do play better on a dry sod as well (even some of the not so small guys) but it will take a fair bit of doing to get what we want next Sunday. My gut just tells me that things are coming together for this panel. its a huge game. Much easier to stay in Div 3 than get out of Div 4.

Mayo4Sam - O'Hara has been sent off 3 times already this year (v. Leitrim in FBD and v. Waterford and Antrim in League). It happens when the opposition and the ref are out to get you but I'm sure Eamonn will learn his lesson and get things right. I wouldn't have though we have that high a rate of sendings off in general though.

[Mayo4Sam]

As someone who always keeps an ear out for sligo reports it seems that ye have an excessively high sending off rate.
As for O'Hara being targeted, i dont see enough of sligo to comment but if he is then he should be a lot cuter, hes too experienced to be falling for this

[SLIGONIAN]

My dad and myself talked at  length about ohara and sendings off. Dad said Mickey kearins was targetted in his games but was alot cuter and got them back not through mouthing but through sticking it over the bar. it seemed to inspire him.

Imagine how deflated the opposition would be if all there antics only fuelled ohara abilities. They would stop and then he would destroy them. Everyone knew back in the day that if you stopped kearins you stopped SLIGO.. Not as one man a team today but Ohara could learn alot from speaking to Kearins in my opinion.

Seanie I hope your gut feeling is right.

[magpie seanie]

Great result and by all accounts a very good performance. Overall the league was just as could have been expected. Division 3 is about right for us. Delighted that we've consigned Micko to Div 4 and Tommy Murphy. A good day.

[baoithe]

Listened to the game on via the internet and, to be fair, Sligo sounded very impressive. I think they were nine points up at one stage. I still don't know why Gerry McGowan is making the team.
There was an interesting comment at the end of the game by Barnes Murphy when he noted how well as a unit Sligo performed without O'Hara. He probably didn't mean it the way it sounded. For me, a fit O'Hara would start every time although I think it does hurt the team that he draws so much attention from the opposition and referrees. Quinn and Tony Taylor sounded like they had a good game. Curran had a good game - could there be a 'Paul Galvin-esque' role for Curran? He's tigerish and aggressive and seems to win alot of loose ball. By the sounds of it Sweeney scored a great point and played well when he came on. However, he has only played well this year against teams that ultimately finished in the bottom four of the division so his pedigree is open to question.
Just to return to O'Hara. His sendings off have generated alot of comment in recent weeks regarding a perceived vendetta against Eamonn by referees. A few people have also noted that Eamonn needs to keep his mouth shut and, more importantly, stop retaliating to every bit of provocation. I think both opinions are partly correct. What can be done to address this situation? In my opinion I think it has to be addressed as he has had three red cards already this season. From the management and Eamonns perspective he has to stop mouthing and stop following fellas around to get a clip on them. On the other front, what can be done to address what is clearly a negative perception referees have of Eamonn before the game even starts?

[Onlooker]

Great win for Sligo and as one who saw both teams playing Tipperary in the league, I thought it would be a close game, but felt that home venue might swing it for Wicklow.    Between the Mick O'Dwyer hype and the Thomas Walsh transfer from Carlow, I do'nt think many tears will be shed for Wicklow ending up in Division 4.

[SLIGONIAN]

Sligo V Wicklow
Well done yday lads on powerful performance. I was at the game and we were very impressive at times. Best performance of the year.

Greene 6 good kickouts
Harrison 9 outstanding and goalline clearance
MCGuire 8 very solid
Donovan 8 Very solid
J Davey 10 man of the match. fantastic going forward and back
McNamara 6 not a half back for me bring in J Martyn PLease!!
McGovern 7 very solid
Quinn 6 did ok broke alot of ball
Taylor 7 another decent display
S Davey 9 Back with a bang outstanding in open play
Brehony 9 outstanding scores
Curran 9 won tonnes of breaks and was like a terrier
Kelly 8 great ball winner as usual but cant score(no composure)
Gallagher 6 fought hard but doesnt get too involved
McGowan 4 all he did was nearly get sent off..Brehony is very slow on the line to take him off....43mins to be precise.

Sweeney 8 got 2 great scores give him more chances

All in all was happy. T Brehony is very slow to change things things like Mcgowan which disappoints me but was extremely happy coming out of Aughrim. Fair play on great display.Alot more hunger and desire.

Big question left? Are Sligo better team without OHARA?? I think team maybe mentally rely on him too much that they dont work as hard maybe when he plays.

Imagine if we worked as hard as yday with o hara. We would rattle a few cages.

NY next and best of luck. Was proud the way the players reacted yday and workrate was excellent.

[Mano]

Very good performance from what i heard on radio. A lot of lads like the 2 Daveys, Taylor, Curran, Sweeney coming back into form. In my opinion improved performance coincided with the improved weather and the hardening of the ground as there is a lot of speed throughout in the team.

To answer Sligonians question i don't think Sligo are a better team without O'Hara. I think they maybe played a lot harder to conteract his loss-however they have to keep this kind of workrate up. I think that or Egan should be considered for the roving corner forward role as they are both good defensively, are strong and are good carriers of the ball. Leave the 2 bigger lads around the middle

[magpie seanie]

Agree with a lot of that Mano. Obviously O'Hara will come back into the team, probably at wing forward where his pace and power can be used to maximum efferct driving at thew opposition. Let Quinner and T. Taylor do the donkey work in the middle. Egan will also be in contention (has he been injured recently?). Competition for places is hotting up but we look reasonably settled from 1 to 9. Some good players not getting in at present.

The point about the hard ground is a key one. We do struggle big time on mucky pitches. Hopefully we've seen the back of them for now. Roll on New York (4 weeks this Sunday!).