Down Club Hurling & Football

[Pangurban]

Most of these lads have been around the panel throughout our extended four year experimental phase, so is it not a damning indictment of the whole system that we are still no closer to agreement on who are best twenty are yet alone our best fifteen. We need a settled team and we need it quickly, decision time is here, no more wasteful unproductive experiments. Ross must make his mind up and stand or fall by his decision, thats management.

[Fíor Gael]

Lads you are all reading a lot into a Dr. McKenna cup game on a wet Wednesday in Omagh in early January. Hold fire at least until the national league when the team has a couple of games under their belt.

[Leo]

Inetersting that with all thies "experimentation" and "ne blood" over the last 3-4 years the tentative selectioons in this board always come back to the same core squad.

The problem has been the consistent failure to address the  three key positions on the team around which all other positions can be filled. Most mamangers will start building from No. 6. There is a compelling case for now setling on Laim Doylse for that posuiiton - strong, athletic, good fielding, good ball retention - and given the right encouragement could be a real leader for the future.

Now to full back, our greatest failing in recent years. The days of the old catch and kick man are gone but you still need a big player with physique but also mobility. I am impressed a bout the physical development of James Colgan but don't see him having enogh for midfield where we are well served by Gordon (and Ambrose?). Time I think to concentrate in making Colgan our No. 3 for the future. It worked with Conor Deegan. I'll save this thread to remind you in a few  years that you heard it here first.

Finally No. 11. We have to accept we are unlikely to see another Greg Blaney in the near future (what county is?) but we again need a player who can forage, block, contest possession and with the brains to see the quick pass and the ability to deliver the long ball. John Clarke has alwayus been my man for this role but I see some suggestions that he could be deplyed at 14. If not Clarke, then the only player in the squad who comes close to these requiremenst is Ronan Murtagh.

Start with these positions and we have good enough players to fill the rest.....

[amallon]

Leo I think all your suggestions are worth a try at least.  I think Michael Walsh is the best CHF we have, but we need him fully fit. 

The McKenna cup should have been the time to be trying out these things but the fact that so many of our certain championship starters are playing with their colleges makes this experimentation difficult.  Maybe Harte was right and the Uni's and Poly (sorry couldn't resist) shouldn't be in the competition.

[Fíor Gael]

  I think Michael Walsh is the best CHF we have, but we need him fully fit. 

Aidan, when are we going to see Micky Walsh at his best?? He has the ability and the physical attributes but never seems to fully deliver. Is it a confidence thing or do we just over rate him?

[amallon]

I think Michael has just been plagued by one injury after another.  IF he is fit I think he is our answer at CHF but he really needs to stay injury free.  He has had terrible bad luck with injuries and has played through the pain on ocassions.  His dedication to keeping himself in shape even through his injuries has to be admired and I'd go as far to say he is in the same veign as Mickey Linden when it comes to looking after himself.

Bitta-banter it takes balls to post a team up here for the rest of us to shoot it down.   I'm unsure on the goal keeper position, but I think McVeigh has the edge over the other contenders.  Connell doesn't inspire me with much confidence when I've seen him.  Brendan Grant isn't on the panel and I don't think he will be back this year even if they come begging him in the summer.  If Paul Murphy is fit he is an auto starter for me, maybe at wing back with Murtagh moving forward instead of doran.  Danny Hughes is another definte starter in my book.  I'd have Sexton in as well.  Did you overlook him or did you mean to leave him out? 

I think the following players are guaraunteed to start come championship if fit.

Paul Murphy
Ronan Murtagh
Ronan Sexton
Michael Walsh
Benny Coulter
Dan Gordan
Ambrose Rodgers
John Clarke
Paul McComiskey

Do you know what the scary thing about the above list is?  We still don't know where most of their best positions are and these are the core of our team.  Some may see it as a good thing that Paul Murphy could be used in mid field or half back, or that Murtagh will be in defence or in the forwards but I'd rather know that the management know where Murtaghs best position is.  I don't think they do for most of the players above.

[thewobbler]

Time I think to concentrate in making Colgan our No. 3 for the future. It worked with Conor Deegan. I'll save this thread to remind you in a few  years that you heard it here first.

Don't mean to bum and blow Leo but I brought this same idea up here before we played Donegal in Ballybofey two years ago. Colgan reminds me of Cormac McAnallen in many ways. Big, strong, sensible footballers with all the basic skills, who maybe lack the athleticism required of intercounty midfield, or the finesse required for intercounty forward lines. Leaders of men too.

I heard a strong rumour though that one of the reasons Colgan left the county squad last season was that he was being put under pressure to play a defensive role, and he doesn't see himself in that position. Could be nonsense, but there rarely is smoke without a fire in Down football.

Amallon - your last post is very much on the ball, and that is worrying. I don't think Mickey Walsh is a cut and dried starter though - he has been below par in too many big games for Down over the years. Liam Doyle, on the other hand, is a sure fire starter if he's even 75% fit.

[Pangurban]

I could live with that team Fivetimes, best selection i have seen yet, particularly the choice of Gordon at FF, have long argued it is his best and natural position

[ONeill]

Could anyone from in and around the Castlewellan area pm me please. I'm looking for a bit of information about a priest who was stationed there in the 70s.

[Mourne Rover]

Some of the suggestions from 5ive Times make sense, but, after a full year as a county midfielder, there is no evidence that Jackie Lynch is really a county player. He is a big strong guy, who might be worth keeping on the bench for a while in case of injuries elsewhere, but it is fairly clear that he does not have the speed of movement or thought necessary for this level.

While some of us have been proposing Colgan as a full back for a while, the firm indications are that he does not want to play there. His problem is that, while he has the ability, pace is a concern if he wants to be a Down midfielder. Those who saw him come on as a sub for UUJ against Tyrone last week felt he was carrying more weight than he should have been. He certainly cannot be compared to Conor Deegan, who in his early years in the senior team was second only to Mickey during training sprints, while Cormac McAnallen was no slouch either.

Dan is in many ways a natural full forward, potentially as good as Donaghy, but, like Benny, he could be standing on the square for a very long time waiting for the ball to arrive in the present set-up. The difficulty is that, while he has the size and the skill for midfield, he is lanky rather than muscular. Switching Benny and Dan on a regular basis during big games would make sense.

We all know how good Walsh was as a teenager, and if he comes home from London he might still have something to offer, but he has simply not delivered consistently in recent years and he could not logically be selected ahead of Hughes.

If we were playing in the championship tomorrow, and everyone was fit my central players would be McArdle at full back, Doyle at centre half, Ambrose and Dan at midfield, Clarke at CHF and Benny at no 14.

[downredblack]

Whats the weather like up there, Is Newcastle still on ?

[bridgegael]

any word of when the leagues start and have the fixture lists been released yet??

[whyarerefssobad]

the match is off today

[bridgegael]

why could the match not have been moved to newry or castlewellan maybe??

[lfdown2]

newry flooded as well and said that they couldn't get burren!

not sure why they didnt try anywhere else, ballykinlar would have taken it im sure!