Down Club Hurling & Football

[Line Ball]

it will be 20 years next year since we won anything and  apart from 2010 we look further away than ever. today was seriously depressing. after Donegal game I was upbeat about a bit of a run to a qf. The draw was a fuckin joke, today basically nullified the win in ulster championship. no disrespect to Derry they were better team. Gaa need to sort this out surely you should get some sort of advantage for winning a champ game. really pissed off tonight. where to now for James and co, a long summer and autumn to contemplate. too early for decisions now. annoyingly we are better than that performance today but we seem to be mentally unprepared in a lot of games we play. rant over

Exactly how was the draw a joke? We beat Derry well a number of weeks back, we had basically the same team today but they wanted it more, had a better system, learned more from the first round game and deserved to win today.

On the second issue about not being mentally prepared, do people actually know how many people are 'involved' and I don't mean voluntarily in this Down set up?  Psychologists are one aspect of team preparation and Down are not alone in employing  people to prepare the team mentally but Moyna and his entourage which includes at least two other individuals with recent inter county management experience does not come cheap. Ross and DJ were getting serious note a few years back so it is obvious that we have failed to learn from previous experience, throwing money at a 'big name' which will guarantee success.  The county board will say they are not paying these men and technically they are not but asking third parties to pay them on their behalf is what is happening.

Today was a shambles and unless there are changes it will be a long time before I pay good money watch Down again. 1point from play in 70 minutes football just isn't good enough.

[snoopdog]

it will be 20 years next year since we won anything and  apart from 2010 we look further away than ever. today was seriously depressing. after Donegal game I was upbeat about a bit of a run to a qf. The draw was a fuckin joke, today basically nullified the win in ulster championship. no disrespect to Derry they were better team. Gaa need to sort this out surely you should get some sort of advantage for winning a champ game. really pissed off tonight. where to now for James and co, a long summer and autumn to contemplate. too early for decisions now. annoyingly we are better than that performance today but we seem to be mentally unprepared in a lot of games we play. rant over

the qualifier system of allowing 2teams to play again in the same venue 2rounds later makes a mockery of the provincial championship it shows how inept the gaa are, they don't care but would take notice if Kerry or Dublin had to do it and media complained about it. yes we beat Derry first day out and we did it playing football but conceded 1.15 we sorted defence for Donegal but we couldn't score that continued yesterday. can we not meet half way in a system that doesn't sacrifice our forwards, maybe develope ike  the dubs and move at pace.
what will moyna et all be doing now for their long summer. personally I don't think there is any mental prep done in Down squad certainly doesn't show on the pitch. Spillane can have a dig at Benny now today on Down getting tactics wrong cause they did.




Exactly how was the draw a joke? We beat Derry well a number of weeks back, we had basically the same team today but they wanted it more, had a better system, learned more from the first round game and deserved to win today.

On the second issue about not being mentally prepared, do people actually know how many people are 'involved' and I don't mean voluntarily in this Down set up?  Psychologists are one aspect of team preparation and Down are not alone in employing  people to prepare the team mentally but Moyna and his entourage which includes at least two other individuals with recent inter county management experience does not come cheap. Ross and DJ were getting serious note a few years back so it is obvious that we have failed to learn from previous experience, throwing money at a 'big name' which will guarantee success.  The county board will say they are not paying these men and technically they are not but asking third parties to pay them on their behalf is what is happening.

Today was a shambles and unless there are changes it will be a long time before I pay good money watch Down again. 1point from play in 70 minutes football just isn't good enough.

[PAULD123]

Every year and often during a year there is a change in the Down management system. McIvor and Tally, then O'Rourke, now Moyna. In 2010 James started with a sweeper, then switched to man for man attack, since then we have tried to play a high holding game then other times a slow build up hand-passing game. This year alone we have played several different ways in the league, sometimes two big men up front, sometimes Benny at half forward and fast small men up front. We tried a defensive approach and it did quite well against Donegal but where did that decision come from, we haven't played that way all year (except a bit against Kildare)

I think James has done a good job but I think he has to stop tinkering with systems, and moving players around. He really should settle on an approach, decide it is how we will play and play that way every time. have players in settled positions with subs coming in to do the same job knowing exactly the role they will play. Not changing the system to suit the new player's particular skills. But whatever is chosen the only way to improve as a team is to all agree to a single game plan and work at it, accept the learning curve but focus on mastering it and aim each game to improve a bit.

If the Donegal match showed a blueprint for success then so be it but then why haven't we been using this system all year, and practicing it in match situations? Of all the top ten sides Down are the only one that I do not know how they will approach the game. I know how each other side will play because they stick to their plan and use games to develop it.

[umpire]

Down Championship 2013 Prediction Competition

There lots more games this time. Will allow for draws in round robin before Quarter finals

Downfanatic, are you organsing this competition this year? or will I have a go this time

Is anyone interesting in competing?

[qubdub]

Count me in umpire for a bit of craic. Burren's to lose, town darkhorses!

[wildrover]

I would also make Burren big favourites for SFC for the quality panel they have at their disposal and the physicality they bring. They also have that sprinkling of star quality needed in Donal O Hare & Kevin McKernan.
I Would put Kilcoo next on the list purely for the fight they show in tight situations and the big-game experience they have picked up since their 2009 championship win.
I Would list Castlewellan and Bryansford as two teams who ability-wise should be in the mix in the latter stages, but have it all to prove in terms of the bottle needed to see out big games (both had kilcoo cornered last year in the championship q.final & s.final respectively).
After that Mayobridge might have enough for a big scalp and no-one would relish playing them while Saval are the only other team that can seriously be talked about. Any team with Danny Hughes, Niall Madine, Stephen Kearney and Caolan Rice in their forward line will be a handful.

[PAULD123]

Would anyone put any of the Castlewellan lads into the Down squad/team?

I think Kilcoo would be my favorites based on the fight they have in them. But of course with Down out, Burren are at full strength, Many of Kilcoo's quality players were not with Down last year and so were available for their club training/games all the time. That potentially slight advantage won't be the case this year.

Whoever wins it though will have my total support in Ulster, I would love to see a Down Ulster champion. It really is time after Burren have come close recently and Kilcoo threw it away last year.

[DownFanatic]

Down Championship 2013 Prediction Competition

There lots more games this time. Will allow for draws in round robin before Quarter finals

Downfanatic, are you organsing this competition this year? or will I have a go this time

Is anyone interesting in competing?

Umpire, tear away. I'll look forward to it.

[Gabriel]

Would anyone put any of the Castlewellan lads into the Down squad/team?

What happened to Kevin Duffin? Thought he was useful in 2012 for the county team and might have felt hard done by not to start more games. Did he leave the Down panel or was he dropped?

[upandwin]

Count me in also Umpire for a bit of banter

[Gaa for life]

As far as I am aware Kevin duffin opted not to be part of the county setup this year. Downs loss has been castlewellans gain. He has been a top performer this year for the town. As I have previously said on here ruiari Mcardle would be worth a run with the county IMO. And also sean dornan who has a few years left with u21s in one to watch

[Down Follower]

Count me in also Umpire for a bit of banter

Me too Umpire.

[Mourne Rover]

Dick Clerkin of Monaghan said on RTE radio tonight that he had sent a text to James McCartan thanking him for the blueprint on how to beat Donegal. It's pretty clear that we would have won in Breffni if all the straightforward chances which fell to our overlapping defenders, and were missed, had gone to forwards instead. It's equally likely that on, yesterday's form, Monaghan would have beaten us in the final anyway, but at least we would still have been in the competition. James may well conclude that we are not so far off the pace and will hopefully stay in his post.

[Leo]

Dick Clerkin of Monaghan said on RTE radio tonight that he had sent a text to James McCartan thanking him for the blueprint on how to beat Donegal. It's pretty clear that we would have won in Breffni if all the straightforward chances which fell to our overlapping defenders, and were missed, had gone to forwards instead. It's equally likely that on, yesterday's form, Monaghan would have beaten us in the final anyway, but at least we would still have been in the competition. James may well conclude that we are not so far off the pace and will hopefully stay in his post.

The fact of the matter is that we did not beat Donegal - and you are probably right that we would not have beaten Monaghan either. With due respect to Dick Clerkin - a solid county player over many years - this "bluprint" is just sticky plaster over the sore of negativity and it is time to get back to playing real football with an expectation of winning rather than a fear of losing. Wee James always put a smile on my face in his playing days - now he is surrounded by the psychologists and scientists of the game, the verve has gone - and we still lose!!

[snoopdog]

Dick Clerkin of Monaghan said on RTE radio tonight that he had sent a text to James McCartan thanking him for the blueprint on how to beat Donegal. It's pretty clear that we would have won in Breffni if all the straightforward chances which fell to our overlapping defenders, and were missed, had gone to forwards instead. It's equally likely that on, yesterday's form, Monaghan would have beaten us in the final anyway, but at least we would still have been in the competition. James may well conclude that we are not so far off the pace and will hopefully stay in his post.

The fact of the matter is that we did not beat Donegal - and you are probably right that we would not have beaten Monaghan either. With due respect to Dick Clerkin - a solid county player over many years - this "bluprint" is just sticky plaster over the sore of negativity and it is time to get back to playing real football with an expectation of winning rather than a fear of losing. Wee James always put a smile on my face in his playing days - now he is surrounded by the psychologists and scientists of the game, the verve has gone - and we still lose!!

Maybe he needs new psychologists, if the 2nd Derry game is anything to go by the players didnt look interested. You cant not just turn up as often as down have over the last 20 years and before. You would never bet on Down to win a game they are as reliable as Galway.