Down Club Hurling & Football

[Square Ball]

It's near time for Down Fanatic to post up a div 3 preview. usually a good read. no pressure!

Go on DF, you know you want to.

[Bitta-Banter]

Division 3 to me looks weaker with the teams leaving Division 2 (Dundrum & Tullylish) weaker than the promoted teams (Glassdrumman and Carryduff),therefore other established Div 3 teams have a greater chance of promotion.

[Mid Down Gael]

Best of luck to St Malachys Castlewellan in tomorrows all ireland final.

[DownFanatic]

It's near time for Down Fanatic to post up a div 3 preview. usually a good read. no pressure!

Go on DF, you know you want to.

No chance. Wouldnt know where to start with Division 3 this year. Its a complete lottery with 6 or 7 teams all capable of topping the pile come the season's end.

P.S. Regarding the league starting next Friday. If Down U-21's win on Wednesday then the Friday games will obviously have to be a starred series. Taking this in to account, will we then see the county board shifting a starred set of fixtures to next Friday and then putting the original non starred set of fixtures on later in the season?

[RGU08]

Peter Turley (rgu) is to start at full back 2moro, jackie lynch out with a broken wrist

[Square Ball]

It's near time for Down Fanatic to post up a div 3 preview. usually a good read. no pressure!

Go on DF, you know you want to.

No chance. Wouldnt know where to start with Division 3 this year. Its a complete lottery with 6 or 7 teams all capable of topping the pile come the season's end.

P.S. Regarding the league starting next Friday. If Down U-21's win on Wednesday then the Friday games will obviously have to be a starred series. Taking this in to account, will we then see the county board shifting a starred set of fixtures to next Friday and then putting the original non starred set of fixtures on later in the season?

DF

just looking at you post again, do you think they would do that at such short notice?

[gorm agus bui]

Peter Turley (rgu) is to start at full back 2moro, jackie lynch out with a broken wrist

He is the ideal choice for the position after his displays last year but would have worries about his readiness for a game given his length of time away from training and games over the last few months. No one one with more balls than him on the panel!!

[DownFanatic]

It's near time for Down Fanatic to post up a div 3 preview. usually a good read. no pressure!

Go on DF, you know you want to.

No chance. Wouldnt know where to start with Division 3 this year. Its a complete lottery with 6 or 7 teams all capable of topping the pile come the season's end.

P.S. Regarding the league starting next Friday. If Down U-21's win on Wednesday then the Friday games will obviously have to be a starred series. Taking this in to account, will we then see the county board shifting a starred set of fixtures to next Friday and then putting the original non starred set of fixtures on later in the season?

DF

just looking at you post again, do you think they would do that at such short notice?

Square Ball, I wouldnt be surprised if this is the way things pan out if Down get the victory on Wednesday. Id say the county board will make the decision late on Wednesday night and all clubs will be informed on Thursday morning.

Its just a hunch but certain things, especially fixtures, are never set in stone with the county board in exceptional circumstances like this.

[Dubh driocht]

Congratulations to Ross and the boys on winning division 3- mission accomplished - and dodgy umpire is half-way to payola

[dodgy umpire]

Congratulations to Ross and the boys on winning division 3- mission accomplished - and dodgy umpire is half-way to payola

with div 3 behind us the ulster championship will be a cake walk!

(i put 10 pound on down to win div 3 and ulster championship with combined odds of 5/2 and 25/1)

[behind the wire]

Roscommon 0-15 Down 0-17

Just in from Roscommon. a good few supporters made the trip, probably more down supporters than roscommon.

A win is a win but thats about as positive as it gets. although promotion was obtained the performance still leaves alot to be desired especially considering the fact that todays opposition we poor. i dont like to criticise anyone who is obviously doing their best, but i think i can safely say that full back would not be aidan carr's best position. started very poorly and my only surprise was that ross didnt make changes earlier (he moved conor garvey to full back).

the team needs to cut out the silly mistakes before championship time. wrong options taken on several occasions and forwards were guilty of a few very bad misses. benny coulter missed with a fisted effort when a goal looked the more likely option and paul mccomiskey missed a free which he would score 99 times out of 100.

down always look dangerous when they play the early ball but it is only tried on the odd occasion. as always very slow to move the ball out of defence. there are usually about 6 players within 14 yards of the man holding the ball which usually results in alot of needless passing sideways.

roscommon looked like a poor outfit however had they been able to take some very easy chances which fell their way they could very well have won the game. they were also able to continually run through the middle of the down defence without a hit going in.

second half a bit better but the problem still remains regarding the size of the gap between the full forward line and the rest of the team, usually around 60 yards. when down turn over possession they need to break much quicker so as to make use of the forward threat.

on a positive note the long range point kicking was excellent. 0-17 is a good return. carr hughes and mccomiskey all fired over points from long range and stevie kearney took the score of the day with an effort from 50yards on the run.

glad to see another win but as i said the opposition was very poor.

referee didnt do alot to help either side, gave strange decisions both ways. roscommon had a man sent off following an off the ball incident.

p.s. hyde park is a big stadium but the facilities were terrible. the toilets were similar to what you would see in a third world country. newry is an absolute palace compared to that place.

[gorm agus bui]

The aim at the start of the campaign was promotion, so now that has been achieved maybe the whingers can now get back behind the team as we prepare for the championship.
Well done boys!!

[behind the wire]

The aim at the start of the campaign was promotion, so now that has been achieved maybe the whingers can now get back behind the team as we prepare for the championship.
Well done boys!!

Not sure if the whingers comment was aimed at me, if it was i dont mean to come accross as whinging - i was simply trying to provide an honest bit of analysis about the game.

you are right, the objective has been achieved and the lads should be congratulated.

[gorm agus bui]

The aim at the start of the campaign was promotion, so now that has been achieved maybe the whingers can now get back behind the team as we prepare for the championship.
Well done boys!!

Not sure if the whingers comment was aimed at me, if it was i dont mean to come accross as whinging - i was simply trying to provide an honest bit of analysis about the game.

you are right, the objective has been achieved and the lads should be congratulated.

No defiinitely not aimed at you on the basis of your analysis. Just that over the course of the campaign there have been guys calling for Ross's head and the main reason for their wanting his head was because he had omitted "such and such" from their club.
I think we are definitely moving in the right direction and now look forward to May with a bit more confidence

[Pangurban]

Behind the Wire has provided the most incisive and accurate piece of analysis of the faults in this Down team. Faults which management have consistently failed to recognise and address. Against any kind of decent opposition we will be cruelly exposed. There is potential in this Down squad, but i still have no confidence in the present management to bring it to any kind of fruition. The place to resolve problems is on the training ground, not shouting impotently on the side-line, but i see no evidence of work to address the problems which Behind the Wire and many others have enumerated. If we are to have any kind of run in the championship, then it is time for all genuine supporters to stop hoping and start whinging