Down Club Hurling & Football

[downredblack]

What was Ross Carr's response to the game ? Did anyone hear an interview ?

[Minus15]

Div 3 result
St Paul's 2-11
Glenn 4-5

Something of a freak game. Glenn very lucky to escape with a draw in the end. the score at half time was
3-2 to 1-5. Glenn's full forward line looking capable of goals all game and could have had a few more if it wasnt for the heroics of the st pauls keeper in addition to some poor finishing. any thoughts from the st pauls contributors?

[stpauls]

only one thought on it, horrible.
our defending was attrocious at times, and our forwards need a lot more shooting practice!!
when you take into account we had about 75% of the possession and only come away with a point at the end of the game, there are a number of parts to our game that could be improved on!!

[spiritof91and94]

What was Ross Carr's response to the game ? Did anyone hear an interview ?

Ross Carr was very despondent in his Radio Ulster interveiw and must know the noose is tightening around his neck as this is a failure and everyone in Down knows it.
Packie Downey cant make the U21 team and yet is started yesterday Boys like Murtagh, Sexton & McArdle arent going to set the world alight either. Although when Benny didnt play in the McKenna Cup we scored at will, do players rely on him to much? or indeed does he have a influence in the dressing room over the younger members?
Midfield is a ongoing issue but does the fact that Kalum King has returned to Bryansford and has starred in many pre season games (scoring 3.3 from number 8 v St Johns Belfast) give another option?
Kevin Duffin, James Colgan, Ryan Kelly, Kevin McKernan and Cathal Magee  need to be getting in the mix very soon for Down and the clearout needs to be done before Omagh.

[general]

Div 3 result
St Paul's 2-11
Glenn 4-5

Something of a freak game. Glenn very lucky to escape with a draw in the end. the score at half time was
3-2 to 1-5. Glenn's full forward line looking capable of goals all game and could have had a few more if it wasnt for the heroics of the st pauls keeper in addition to some poor finishing. any thoughts from the st pauls contributors?

yes glenn were very lucky, however st pauls wernt great either in fairness, 2 bad teams lol

heroics of the glenn keeper(micky doran) also won a point for his team! glenn had quite a few poor performances, st pauls threatned with 2 players , number 6 and 14, apart from that nothing special. glen stil missing collie murtagh in midfield

[Minus15]

Div 3 result
St Paul's 2-11
Glenn 4-5

Something of a freak game. Glenn very lucky to escape with a draw in the end. the score at half time was
3-2 to 1-5. Glenn's full forward line looking capable of goals all game and could have had a few more if it wasnt for the heroics of the st pauls keeper in addition to some poor finishing. any thoughts from the st pauls contributors?

yes glenn were very lucky, however st pauls wernt great either in fairness, 2 bad teams lol

heroics of the glenn keeper(micky doran) also won a point for his team! glenn had quite a few poor performances, st pauls threatned with 2 players , number 6 and 14, apart from that nothing special. glen stil missing collie murtagh in midfield

General aka Micky Doran

[passedit]

Mitchels v St Michaels was also a draw. Early days, but i reckon the four teams in action yesterday will be fighting it out for fourth bottom with the other three going down. I was very impressed with Glenn's second half keeper as well (the bxtrd) but some of the defending by both teams was shockin. Also St Pauls managed 8 wides to Glenn's 1 in the second half and that's not counting unforgivably dropping the ball into the keeper's hands.

General, I'm not sure what game you were watching, but the St Pauls 14 missed two sitters and was at least partially responsible for the fcuk up for Glenn's first goal. He also got a thick ear of your corner back so all in all not a great day at the office.

St Pauls will get better but that's three points chucked away so far so next week's rearranged fixture v St Michaels looks a huge four pointer already.

[Minus15]

Can someone clarify what way the relegation palyoffs will work in div 3 this season due to the extra team?Will the bottom placed team be relegated with the next four in a playoff or is it just the bottom three teams facing straight relegation as the previous post from passedit suggests?

[passedit]

Can someone clarify what way the relegation palyoffs will work in div 3 this season due to the extra team?Will the bottom placed team be relegated with the next four in a playoff or is it just the bottom three teams facing straight relegation as the previous post from passedit suggests?

That's what i've been led to believe, but as we all know the DCB will probably wait to see who's affected before making it up as they go along.

[general]

Can someone clarify what way the relegation palyoffs will work in div 3 this season due to the extra team?Will the bottom placed team be relegated with the next four in a playoff or is it just the bottom three teams facing straight relegation as the previous post from passedit suggests?

That's what I've been led to believe, but as we all know the DCB will probably wait to see who's affected before making it up as they go along.

clarification on the matter would better be sooner than later or there could be yet another row with the DCB!!!

its all OK anyway, Mitchel's, St Micheals, bosco and st pauls will be fighting it out anyway!!

[Down Gael]

What was Ross Carr's response to the game ? Did anyone hear an interview ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/sol/newsid_7330000/newsid_7334200/7334250.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1

[BRIDGE LAD]

Well was at the match yesterday also, i dont know where to start! As one of the previous posters said McAllister has looked dodgy, he was at fault for one of the goals, looked dodgy under the high ball all day. Luke howard wasn't too bad, McArdle is defo not the answer to full back, very exposed yest. Cole wasn't much better. Turley hasn't got a clue think he would struggle to get onto the top 4 teams in the county. Ambrose i think touched the ball 5 times, midfield was none existent Rooney lost possesion numerous times and got stupidly sent off, (and thats last years captain).   The quality of ball into the full forward line was just not good enough. Packie just aint good enough dropped every ball he got! Clarke made a massive difference when introduced. Think Aidan Carr might be an answer to centre half back, looked assured on the ball. Leitrim poured through the middle, doyle all over the show.


Downredblack said that down scored free will in the mckenna cup without benny, open your eyes man, every one of them teams were weak very weak! Some people got carried away with that! Mickey walsh would have made a massive differnce yest even mckernan would have been better than ambrose. We had no one to take the ball from the defence and distribute it into the full forward line. Think Fegan needs to be taken out for a few games just not gutsy enough!

Mcveigh, Howard, A.N Other, Cole, Murtagh, Carr, Mckernan, Lynch, Gordon, S Kearney, Doyle, Hughes, McComiskey, Coulter, Sexton or Clarke.

Not a bad side, what ya's think?

[Leo]

Said it before and I'll say it again - Colgan for fullback. Settle him in, give him proper coaching and he could be the lynchpin of the team for years to come. I'm told he doesn't want to play there. If he wants to play for his county he should give it a go.

Agree that Carr is a halfback but can't see Ross playing him there.

Need to play Benny in a free role from the half forward line si he can help midfield aand also roam towards the goal - would be unmarkable. Leave Clarke on the square with McComiskey playing across the line. Gordon needs a worker alongside him in midfield. Lynch  is no Alan Molloy but better than Rooney.

You have no chance of seeing this team:

Alder (still the best keeper in the county)
Murney
Colgan
Cole
Rafferty (or Murphy)
Doyle
Carr
Lynch
Gordon
Coulter
Murtagh
Hughes
McComiskey
Clarke
Sexton

[Down Gael]

Leo, thats not a bad team, though Colgan is untried at full back. In fact he is untried full stop. I`ll make a stab at a team and it wont be too far away from your own.

1 Alder
2 Howard
3 Murney
4 Monk
5 D Rafferty
6 Carr
7 Murphy
8 Lynch
9 Gordon
10 Murtagh
11 Doyle
12 Coulter
13 McCumiskey
14 Clarke
15 Sexton

Like your own team you have no chance of seeing it, but it has more chance of winning something than anything Ross and DJ can f*ck up.

[thewobbler]

Bridgelad - I think you've got three forwards in the half-back line, and I think we would be crucified.

We should stop trying to put square pegs into round holes, and start by playing defenders in our defence. If this means a talented forward has to sit on the bench, so be it.

I have no doubt that Doyle can be a strong influence at centre half-back to the point of controlling games, but he won't be able to do so when the players alongside him aren't capable of covering for any of his defensive shortfalls. I would suggest (once more) going further than this again and playing an extra defender. This idea is only reinforced in recognising that when Coulter is playing, Down show little or no inclination to play the ball to the other full-forwards. So why put two of them in there alongside him? Surely we only need one Sideshow Bob?

But in defence of the defence, if Isaac Newton applied a law to football as he did to physics, it would read something like "when your midfield gets demolished, your full-back line is always going to look awful". And Down, as we have done for the past 5 years, look incapable of winning any sort of regular breaking-ball. This is the biggest problem with Down football at present, and until this problem is resolved, our last line of defence will always look poorer than it is.


1. M McAllister

2. L Howard
3. G McArdle / C Murney (McArdle should get another few games before any decisions are made)
4. C Murney / C McGovern (would rather have Gavin Barry, but I'm presuming that's not going to happen)

13. D Rafferty
5. P Murphy
6. L Doyle
7. M Cole (would rather have Mark Doran, but I'm presuming that's not going to happen)

8. D Gordon
9. D Rooney

10. R Murtagh
11. A Rogers
12. J Clarke

14. B Coulter
15  P McComiskey

Harsh on Sexton, Hughes and Fegan, but that's life.