Down Club Hurling & Football

[Crossman]

For the life of me I just can't see the justification for starting Dan McCartney today at corner back,seems no matter how many howlers this man has it's continually overlooked. He was poor v Monaghan and ritely taken off just in time,he was awful v Sligo in challenge game recently and poor when he came on v Meath last week,and has anyone forgotten the performances v cork earlier this year? I'm sure jim McGuinness hasn't and I'm sure he was very pleased when he looked at our teamsheet...

[Mourne Rover]

Dan McCartan has had some excellent performances this season, including against Dublin and Fermanagh. He has his strengths and weaknesses, like all our defenders, but his experience and organisational skill could be crucial today. We should be getting behind all our players in the run-up to the game and assessing them afterward.

[Leo]

We were blown away by a far surperior team in the second half but some of our choices in the first half when we were well incontention point to where our problems really lie, notably Kevin McKernan's continued proneness to turn-over ball leading to 3 points in a row for Donegal, Dan McCartan's "accident waiting to happen" every time (nice guy, legendary family, but time to get the blinkers off), no physicality around the breaking ball (Poland is a gem but he will not win "dirty ball"), and with Laverty on fire in the championship he practically played as a half back!!! - hence no real threat on the Donegal goal and Durkan never touched leather in the first half other than kick-outs.
McGuinness won all the calls.
A lot of work to do and Tipp will not fear us at all.
The unsung heroes of 2010 (Rooney & Rafferty) are badly missed.

[whitegoodman]

Disappointing

Played ok for 40 mins but lost shape, discipline, heart and spirit after the 2nd goal went in.

Mcveigh was ok, kick outs could have been a bit quicker and he was at fault for at least one score with a bad kick out but generally ok.

Thought the 2 dans performed admirably until the last 10 mins when the game was over and McFadden took out.

Hard to no how brannigan, ohagen, Carr and mcardle went as they seemed to be overrun for a lot of the second half. I certainly wouldn't have subbed Carr at the time. Also when playing a team like Donegal u need ur half backs to be comfortable on the ball and unfortunately brannigan isn't. A couple of his up n unders were embarrassing to be frank.

Ambrose Did well in first half but tired, king wasn't really in the game and could have been replaced.

Poland tried and was probably one of the better players.  Mckernan was poor and am not sure where he lies at this stage.  Doyle did a lot of things well but clearly tired, lost McGinnis for the goal and missed an easy free which was very important at the time.

Laverty wasn't in the game much probably due to him being out the field too much. Ohare did ok when he got the ball but service was lacking, wouldn't have taken him off. Benny was clearly not fit and was poor along the line bringing him off and then back on.

Apart from eoin, the subs made little impact, don't see what maginn brings to the party , especially at half back, Danny wasn't fit and spent the majority of the time in our full back line.

Bad day at the office for our management but they will have to earn their stripes this week to pick the players up for next week. Realistically we should be beating tipp and a quarter final would be another successful year.

[forevergreen]

Hard to not sound like Roy Keane, but time for we done ok but beat by a better team is over, We let the hype get to us.
We abanbdoned everything we done well in first half in second and resorted to put it in and hope it sticks.

Donal O'Hare should have stayed on and taking him off to be replaced by a half fit Danny Hughes was disastrous.
Dan McCartan  was cleaneed out 2nd half and lucky to stay on. Brendan McCardle was very good gopng forward on front fooot but he hadnt a clue defensively and was a weakness. We badly missed Garvey and his cutting edge.

Choc is a great lad but not county class, his hoof and hope kicks highlighted willingness but not a know how on how to use the ball.

Mc kernan was alert and willling but when is he gonna realise if he kicks it,it just might not go over,  better to take next and possibly better option.

James has an impossible task to lift them for next week  but no better man, where there is a will there is a way.

One last lash for benny and co and then it just might be a year to rememember

[supersub]

Not sure if we did let the hype to us or were simply beaten by the better team on the day. Fair enough once they got 5/6 infront down seemed to be totally overrun and it was very disappointing but maybe that is the difference, this Donegal team are in their prime and the Down team is somewhat off this pace over the course of a full championship. I think having to keep finding replacements for so many key players has taken away from what James has to work with as well. Players like Garvey Rooney M Clarke Mooney Hughes Rafferty McComiskey J Clarke are hard to replace in one go and we have basically lost all of them for part/all of this season. Doyle and Carr to an extent have been decent replacements, and Laverty has been a revelation but I feel the panel is now severely stretched in terms of reliable match winners or game changers if the first XV aren't available!

Edit - just so a certain person keeps his knickers on if he decides to come back and grace the board with his supremacy.

[Leo]

"the panel is now severely stretched in terms of reliable match winners or game changers if the first XI aren't available!"

If this is the quality of discussion on this thread, I am away.

[Gabriel]

Very little to add except to agree with all who say we've learned nothing from past losses. The defence was wide open today and, as with previous losses to Cork, there were a lot more goals there for the opposition if they wanted them. Aidan O'Rourke was brought in specifically to work on the defence but there's little or no sign of any system in place, and that was exposed by quality opposition today. Not in a million years would Donegal allow goals to be scored by runs straight through the middle as happened twice today. On paper we should beat Tipp but, as we know all too well from the 2010 experience against Sligo, all the advantage in the round 3 qualifiers is with the team that's built up momentum week after week.

   On a minor note I hate all this f**king about with 'mind games' in the team selection before games. I doubt Jim McGuinness was too thrown off when it was announced that, lo and behold, Kalum King and Liam Doyle would actually be starting. Don't see any point in it whatsoever, and a fat lot of good it did today.

[lfdown2]

Very little to add except to agree with all who say we've learned nothing from past losses. The defence was wide open today and, as with previous losses to Cork, there were a lot more goals there for the opposition if they wanted them. Aidan O'Rourke was brought in specifically to work on the defence but there's little or no sign of any system in place, and that was exposed by quality opposition today. Not in a million years would Donegal allow goals to be scored by runs straight through the middle as happened twice today. On paper we should beat Tipp but, as we know all too well from the 2010 experience against Sligo, all the advantage in the round 3 qualifiers is with the team that's built up momentum week after week.

   On a minor note I hate all this f**king about with 'mind games' in the team selection before games. I doubt Jim McGuinness was too thrown off when it was announced that, lo and behold, Kalum King and Liam Doyle would actually be starting. Don't see any point in it whatsoever, and a fat lot of good it did today.

I think this is what annoyed me the most today, it wasn't smart diagonal balls played to the Donegal FF line that beat us or high balls in to Murphy, it was plain to see (to me anyway) that after the first goal Donegal realised that gaping hole there was right down the middle of our defence and exploted it over and over again, I was disappointed that James or bakroom team didn't spot it and/or weren't able to plug it.

[NP 76]

I see the game is on saturday at 4 in Mullingar

[urbangael]

disappointing day in Clones, too many of our lads just not good enough that is the harsh reality.... how many Down players would start for Donegal??? I'd suggest 3 or 4 at a push. 

[NP 76]

Just after watching the match again and it just gets worse. I left the game yesterday thinking how do we get up to that fitness.We have to many ball players and not enough dogs to do the dirty work.We have no one with the physical strength of the likes of Galvin to win dirty ball. I think we have players running about the field not actually knowing what they are doing. a prime example of this is Mc Kernan. I dont want to be always singling him out as i have said this before but i think it needs to be addressed. He was brutal yesterday and i honestly dont know how he stayed on the field for 53 mins. He gave away 3 crucial possessions which they scored from and also only half heartely contested a catch of which they scored the goal.He just ran about looking around without actually picking up anyone or even trying to stop the runner coming through the middle.People are quick to critise Choc but at least he sticks with his man and still gets up to support play. Our defenders bar O Hagan and Brannigan give the forwards to much time on the ball they are happy to jockey them instead of being in their face and not giving them a chance to pick a pass.Donegal and Dubli have taken 2 - 3 years to get up to the physical condition they are in. we need to be starting now to put these lads on a plan to build them up. There is no point waiting until January and then starting. Bring all they young lads on board and start building for the future with group sessions throught out the year instead of leaving them to do it on their own as it is plain to see it is not working.They all have to buy into this and it cant be done in half measures.There seems to be lads on that panel who are content to come along for the spin and maybe i am wrong are not pushing hard enough.There is a good fitness team in place with them but it is going to take time it cant be changed year after year just like the management team. We have come along way from James has taken over and anyone who thinks we havent is fooling themselves.We have to look beyond each individual year and plan for the long term or it will be 18 more years before we win anything

[EagleLord]

Better side won, no complaints, no real point in over-analyzing it lads. Donegal were just far superior in all departments.

What annoyed me was Down fans, dozens, and then into the hundreds, leaving with 15mins of the game still to play. Ridiculous. Support to the team til the whistle. Downs last point, it seemd like only me, and the 4 or 5 Down people around me applauded it.

[Pangurban]

Sad end to the careers of some great Down servants over the past 10yrs. They leave with reputations intact and will be fondly remembered. Now is the time to start rebuilding and develop our fringe players, beginning with the Tipp game

[supersub]

"the panel is now severely stretched in terms of reliable match winners or game changers if the first XI aren't available!"

If this is the quality of discussion on this thread, I am away.

Dizzy up there on that high horse? Catch yourself on, a blatant mistake, hardly a GAA beheading, don't be so small minded.

If that's your attitude good riddance and it'll be better without you.