Derry v Donegal

[Zulu]

Tyrone played football and were brilliant in many ways. There were elements that I didn't think were great, like Dooher's diving, but they we're an outstanding team. Donegal however are an abomination and I say that as a man that would normally love to see Donegal do well but under McGuiness they make football unwatchable.

[Wildweasel74]

That style of play wouldn`t beat Dublin, Dublin are very direct with a forceful direct half back line, a wrecking ball in midfield that goes direct all the time, plus pace and power on the wings with Connolly and Flynn, and the scoring power up front, Donegal played powerful well for 15mins after half time, Dublin play that pace for the whole game. Donegal today looked more like the team from 2011 than 2012, That defensive system will get you so far, but only that,

[Whitnail]

I think what fuzzman means is that Donegal play it to the extreme, that could have been a classic game the day if both teams went flat out playing the type of football we seen in the league. Derry totalled reverted to a defensive system they havent used since 2010 but dont have the players to carry out this type of game.

Derry didn't play a blanket defence, they respond to the way they knew Donegal would play. The sooner Donegal are knocked out the better for neutral viewers.

Totally agree and it's not sour grapes. If everybody started playing like Donegal I, for one, would stop going to matches and I don't think I'd even bother watching on TV. Absolutely horrible to watch. Our league games were great to watch because all division 1 teams played attacking football.

Its all well and good playing attacking football and losing losing losing

Derry deserve to be winners,  Brian Mc Gilligan  wasnt a loser he was a class act never got the credit he deserved, he has an AI MEDAL in 1993  was he a league player ,    no he was championship through and through and a winner!!!!!!!!!!

Yea bit in fairness the best form of defence will always be to attack like that brief 2nd half spell proved.
Teams like Monaghan have already sussed the defenseive  system anyway.
Unlike Derry today most teams would have been out of sight by half-time and the blanket would have run it's course.
We'll need more scores against better teams and that'll mean getting more guys forward (like the first 10 mins of 2nd half).
I can take  a bit of criticism cause alot of the time it's warranted. No point in being to sensitive about this stuff.
I can perfectly understand why people want us to lose even if at times it's hypocritical.
I never feel the need to blindly defend our tactics. All this 'proud' Donegal mostly guff does my head in.

[Fuzzman]

The same blanket that Tyrone played for years you hypocrite, BITTER  eh

If you think Tyrone played that type of suffocating negative football to win games 0.05 to 0.04 then point it out to us all
In 2003 we hunted in packs v Kerry and never give them a chance to settle but we didn't systematically set out with 13 men behind the ball. You didn't see Peter Canavan our best forward back in our own defence too often stopping the other team getting inside your own 40 in case they get a free shot for a point.
Yer game v Dublin has to go down as an old time low in GAA
Yes fair play McGuinness has beaten M.Harte several years in a row now but don't even try to say we played to that level of negativity.
For some of the great players you have like Murphy, McBrearty, McFadden McHugh and Lacey they must be fed up playing that crap. That's why McHugh has left IMHO.
Nobody is encouraged to be creative or spontaneous.
It's like bloody robots and if ye win another AI with it don't expect too much neutral support.
It's no wonder people were glad too see the Dubs win last year. Even Meath and Kerry

[anfheardubh]

The same blanket that Tyrone played for years you hypocrite, BITTER  eh

If you think Tyrone played that type of suffocating negative football to win games 0.05 to 0.04 then point it out to us all
In 2003 we hunted in packs v Kerry and never give them a chance to settle but we didn't systematically set out with 13 men behind the ball. You didn't see Peter Canavan our best forward back in our own defence too often stopping the other team getting inside your own 40 in case they get a free shot for a point.
Yer game v Dublin has to go down as an old time low in GAA
Yes fair play McGuinness has beaten M.Harte several years in a row now but don't even try to say we played to that level of negativity.
For some of the great players you have like Murphy, McBrearty, McFadden McHugh and Lacey they must be fed up playing that crap. That's why McHugh has left IMHO.
Nobody is encouraged to be creative or spontaneous.
It's like bloody robots and if ye win another AI with it don't expect too much neutral support.
It's no wonder people were glad too see the Dubs win last year. Even Meath and Kerry

whitewash mate


Even Tyrone in their pomp couldnt beat Donegal when it mattered

And we played football then as well

[Farmer dam]

At the end of the day it's all about who wins. Donegal won Derry didn't. A comprehensive semi final victory for donegal now will get confidence up for the final.

[macdanger2]

Is mcbrearty fulfilling his supposed potential?? He burst on the scene a few years back but he doesn't seem to have progressed

[donegal lad]

Even if you dont like Donegal's style of play you really have to admire the way they can repeatedly win games with an almost identical pattern. Time and again they hang in for first half then do an Aussie style 3rd quarter hard press get their noses infront and then strangle the game out. It ain't pretty but its damned effective, its up to the opposition players and managers to find away through it. I think it is unfair to lambast Donegal for playing in a manner that works for them. For years I listened to all the bull about Tyrone and it never bothered me much when where winning AI's.

Sssh man don't be talking like that do you not know that donegal are evil and deserve no praise at all 

Win this semi final and we be in our 4th ulster final in a row. Minors are favourites to win ulster, our u21s are getting to ulster finals regularly. Things might be looking up for donegal and as someone who's been there in the good and the bad times I know which I prefer. We won that game today playing poorly enough. Never a bad signed when your main scorer doesn't score and you still win

[imtommygunn]

Is mcbrearty still only 20?

Suffered from gareth bale syndrome for the goal chance...

Donegal get very bad press. When their counter attack play is going well it's good to watch. 1st round today so they will fine tune it. People seem to remember this team for 2011. 2012 was vastly different.

[rodney trotter]

Yes they were clearly more attacking in 2012, Donegal scored 2-18 in the Ulster final that year against Down, I think thats one of the highest scores ever in a Ulster final.

[Jell 0 Biafra]

Don't understand all the anti-Donegal stuff to be honest.  Defence is part of the game, and you play the system that gives you the best chance of winning.  First half was tough to watch, but the second half was exciting.  In that respect it was not unlike Tyrone/Down's first game.

[Throw ball]

Was a terrible game. Donegal strangled the life out of the game and Derry did not have enough craft to find a way to survive. I hate the way McQuillan has been refereeing of late. How some of Donegal's tackling were not seen as fouls I will never know. In Lacey, McGlynn, Murphy etc. Donegal have some really top players. Their matches are hard to watch though.

[J70]

I think what fuzzman means is that Donegal play it to the extreme, that could have been a classic game the day if both teams went flat out playing the type of football we seen in the league. Derry totalled reverted to a defensive system they havent used since 2010 but dont have the players to carry out this type of game.

Derry didn't play a blanket defence, they respond to the way they knew Donegal would play. The sooner Donegal are knocked out the better for neutral viewers.

Totally agree and it's not sour grapes. If everybody started playing like Donegal I, for one, would stop going to matches and I don't think I'd even bother watching on TV. Absolutely horrible to watch. Our league games were great to watch because all division 1 teams played attacking football.

Its all well and good playing attacking football and losing losing losing

Derry deserve to be winners,  Brian Mc Gilligan  wasnt a loser he was a class act never got the credit he deserved, he has an AI MEDAL in 1993  was he a league player ,    no he was championship through and through and a winner!!!!!!!!!!

Yea bit in fairness the best form of defence will always be to attack like that brief 2nd half spell proved.
Teams like Monaghan have already sussed the defenseive  system anyway.
Unlike Derry today most teams would have been out of sight by half-time and the blanket would have run it's course.
We'll need more scores against better teams and that'll mean getting more guys forward (like the first 10 mins of 2nd half).
I can take  a bit of criticism cause alot of the time it's warranted. No point in being to sensitive about this stuff.
I can perfectly understand why people want us to lose even if at times it's hypocritical.
I never feel the need to blindly defend our tactics. All this 'proud' Donegal mostly guff does my head in.

I've never been too bothered by the defensive tactics, at least when combined with the breaking in numbers as so exhiliaratingly demonstrated in 2012. Our big problem today was the midfield. We were hammered there for 3/4 of the game and thus on the backfoot far more than vice versa. For the 15 minute period we did dominate there after half-time, we were able to spring people forward in support and it looked really good. But, for whatever reason, Derry wrestled back control in midfield after Neil Gallagher came on and we just fell back again, although we defended very well. However, as you say, this will not be good enough against Monaghan, and perhaps not even Tyrone, whatever about the likes of Mayo and Dublin. Overall though, I thought it was a satisfactory enough win, given the midfield situation and the missed chances (we missed, and made, far more decent chances than Derry) and the fact that we were being written off. A bit like last year's match against Tyrone actually, in that a quickfire blitz in the third quarter won a game in which we were dogged, but otherwise nowhere near the standards of 2012. Hopefully, unlike then, we can improve.

[Thisonegoesto11]

Not a great game but Donegal were efficient and business like in getting the job done.
Will be tough opponents but not sure if they have enough going forward like they did in 2012.

[STREET FIGHTER]

God, Donegal give me ire.
This is like watching greco-roman wrestling.

Ref let them away with it all day. Neil Mcgee had 3 'quiet' words from the ref. Consistent cynical fouling is alive and kicking (literally)

The biggest joke was when McGee was squeezing Emmett McGuckins throat in the 1st half and the Umpire was actually scared to looked at it........then there was the elbow to the chest.........I know its championship football bla bla bla but that's just b*llshit....