USFC Round 1: Derry vs. Antrim

[PlayWithTheWind]

well slim you were wrong for a change 

2 out of 3 wasnt bad though!

[Derry Daisy]

Paddy won his appeal last night so will be available for selection on sunday, although I wouldn't be surprised if he tells the county where to go!!!!!!!!!!

[johnjoe]

Agree with you there Daisy.

Baker leaves the set up, obviously a bit pissed off with something going on, Peter Doherty brought in over his head or something. Skinner asked to leave the panel shortly after, and Paddy gets the book thrown at him (rightly or wrongly) by a county board representing a county he has served so well for years.

I`d say dont even mention the county set up round Bradley way right now. No doubt their focus this year is JML, and I`d say they (glenullin) are as good as whats about Derry at the minute. Talk about a one fingered salute that would be.

Class acts, both, no doubt about it. Big winnersto be the Mitchells. If I was Madden I`d be delighted the way these side shows are going, from a club perspective. Talk about motivation!

With those two available, Derry would have one of the most potent forward lines in the country. Without them, well whats another year. Imagine a forward line without two guys who would always get you 8-10 points from play on most given days.

[lynchbhoy]

Derry would have one of the most potent forward lines in the country. Without them, well whats another year. Imagine a forward line without two guys who would always get you 8-10 points from play on most given days.

only if the ball gets delivered into the FF lin John Joe.
Derry's biggest problem over the past 12 - 15 years (that I have picked out) has been a severe lack of ball or quick ball into the FF line.
It wouldnt matter who you have in it Jesus flanked by Osama bin Laden and Matt Connor - if the ball doesnt come in quickly enough or not at all, then your team are not going to be getting too many scores.
The FF is THE score getting line. If you dont score, you tend to lose.
If Derry get that right out the field, then i'd agree with you even more.
Otherwise its just potential.

[johnjoe]

Lynchbhoy, seen Skinner two or three times recently, and he is on FIRE. Twice the player, leaner, meaner, sharper than his NFL performances. Sorry, but a full grade, or two, better than Barry Mc Goldrick or Gavan Donaghy, or a Diver at 12.

Would offer much more as a scoring threat too. Hypothetical though for Sunday, but going forward,  a defining choice in store for PC in terms of his managerial tenure!

A manager always wants access to his best players!

[lynchbhoy]

Lynchbhoy, seen Skinner two or three times recently, and he is on FIRE. Twice the player, leaner, meaner, sharper than his NFL performances. Sorry, but a full grade, or two, better than Barry Mc Goldrick or Gavan Donaghy, or a Diver at 12.
Would offer much more as a scoring threat too. Hypothetical though for Sunday, but going forward,  a defining choice in store for PC in terms of his managerial tenure!
A manager always wants access to his best players!

Dont get me wrong JJ.
I think the two Bradleys are top drawer.
BUT the problem is out the field. Derry have great ability to win posession - have very good midfielders and are rarely beaten there. the problem is in the distribution and SLOW distribution into the FF line.
If the ball isnt delivered quickly, then the defender is up with the run the likes of the Bradleys make - so makes scoring even more difficult.
But any ball is better than no ball in. Derry seem to @rse about with it round the middle third of the pitch and eventually get dispossessed.
The Bradleys are superb. The passing into them (and all FF lines over the past 15 years) has been rubbish/non-existant.

[johnjoe]

Only an opinion, but with/if the two Bradleys back in and settled into the set up, I really believe youse are serious dark horses for Ulster and beyond. Without them Derry still look like quality all over the pitch, and just look at the quality of your possible subs bench.

Joe O Kane, Ciaran Mc Keever, Liam Hinphy, Paul Murphy, Keenan/Mcgoldrick/Mc Eldowney. add in the two Bradleys, and just think of the unbelievable competition for places there.

Cant think there would be too much slacking at training, or any room whatsover for complacency. A managers dream.

First time since 93 Derry has had such a strong panel, with the subs bench the best for years. A reflection on the quality at the minute in the Oak Leaf county. Having said that, I`ll be with Antrim all the way on Sunday, win lose or draw.

[lynchbhoy]

First time since 93 Derry has had such a strong panel, with the subs bench the best for years. A reflection on the quality at the minute in the Oak Leaf county. Having said that, I`ll be with Antrim all the way on Sunday, win lose or draw.

A ferrari without a steering wheel aint much use JJ !

[loughshore lad]

First time since 93 Derry has had such a strong panel, with the subs bench the best for years. A reflection on the quality at the minute in the Oak Leaf county. Having said that, I`ll be with Antrim all the way on Sunday, win lose or draw.

A ferrari without a steering wheel aint much use JJ !

Lynchboy I enjoy all your quick comments about Crozier and his inability as a manager. Derry quite simply have not got the players to break into the top tier and win the All Ireland. They have a few very talented players but on the whole they dont have the mentality or the footballing quality required. All this talk about clubs taking precedence over the county is just an excuse. County players in Tyrone are every bit as (and in some cases probably more) committed to their blubs than their counterparts in Derry.
You talk about Tyrone having average players but an excellent manager and that it is the manager who sets them apart. I dont agree, yes Harte is an excellent manager and master tactician but it was the quality of the players that made the thing work in 2003 and 2005. Harte has been the manager since 2003 and the seasons where he didnt suceed where those when he was missing the real quality players. Take this year for example, Brian McGuigan wont play and I will be amazed if Tyrone win the All Ireland without him.

[Will Hunting]

So Loughshore Lad, Tyrone have great quality players (and this is why they won 2 all-irelands), but take one of these players away and they have no chance?

Derry are missing a top-quality manager, Tyrone have one, and this is why they will always be amongst the favourites to win Sam.

[loughshore lad]

So Loughshore Lad, Tyrone have great quality players (and this is why they won 2 all-irelands), but take one of these players away and they have no chance?

Derry are missing a top-quality manager, Tyrone have one, and this is why they will always be amongst the favourites to win Sam.

Tyrone have 5 players who are exceptional - Ricey, Gormley, Cavanagh, O'Neill and Mulligan. Then you have McGuigan who makes the difference and can control the game in the really tight situations.
In order to win the really tight games Tyrone need all these guys in peak shape and for this reason I think McGuigan will be too much of a miss.
Derry have two exceptional players in my opinion - Kevin McGuckin and Paddy Bradley however neither of these two guys have consistently did it at county level against the likes of Tyrone, Armagh and Kerry

[tbrick18]

So Loughshore Lad, Tyrone have great quality players (and this is why they won 2 all-irelands), but take one of these players away and they have no chance?

Derry are missing a top-quality manager, Tyrone have one, and this is why they will always be amongst the favourites to win Sam.

Tyrone have 5 players who are exceptional - Ricey, Gormley, Cavanagh, O'Neill and Mulligan. Then you have McGuigan who makes the difference and can control the game in the really tight situations.
In order to win the really tight games Tyrone need all these guys in peak shape and for this reason I think McGuigan will be too much of a miss.
Derry have two exceptional players in my opinion - Kevin McGuckin and Paddy Bradley however neither of these two guys have consistently did it at county level against the likes of Tyrone, Armagh and Kerry

A bit harsh to say Derry only have 2 exceptional players....what about Lockhart, Diver, Gilligan, McCloy (best full back in the country for 2/3 years in my opinion)? We have as many exceptional players as Tyrone. The difference is defo the management and the non-existant tactics deployed in derry teams of recent years. If we got our tactics and management right I think we could seriously push for Ulster and All-Ireland honours. As it stands, Ulster is a possibilty but nothing more.

[Louper]

i think it was spillane who said that every county has 15 players that are as good as any other in any other county, its how you use them that makes the difference. i agree with lynchboy that the distribution just isnt quick enough. if we had the ball pumped in first day the 2 bradleys wud destroy any defence! u can take one man out of a match but u cant handle 2 like that! derry also must use ALL of their players. colin devlin is a class act and because of derrys fascination with kickin the ball to the bradleys (which any team will now see as predictable) colin devlin was made to look like a joke against armagh a couple of years back! i felt sorry for him...and thats hard for me to say bein from the loup   

[Maximus Marillius]

Delvin has not the strenght to be consistant county forward, he has potential, but alot of weights work to do.

[loughshore lad]

Delvin has not the strenght to be consistant county forward, he has potential, but alot of weights work to do.

Totally agree here. The lad has had a lot of injuries but he was not even a regular on the Ballinderry team 2 seasons ago and now Derry folks are talking about him being a potential county star?? He has potential but an awful lot of improvement to make in order to reach county standard/

So Loughshore Lad, Tyrone have great quality players (and this is why they won 2 all-irelands), but take one of these players away and they have no chance?

Derry are missing a top-quality manager, Tyrone have one, and this is why they will always be amongst the favourites to win Sam.

Tyrone have 5 players who are exceptional - Ricey, Gormley, Cavanagh, O'Neill and Mulligan. Then you have McGuigan who makes the difference and can control the game in the really tight situations.
In order to win the really tight games Tyrone need all these guys in peak shape and for this reason I think McGuigan will be too much of a miss.
Derry have two exceptional players in my opinion - Kevin McGuckin and Paddy Bradley however neither of these two guys have consistently did it at county level against the likes of Tyrone, Armagh and Kerry

A bit harsh to say Derry only have 2 exceptional players....what about Lockhart, Diver, Gilligan, McCloy (best full back in the country for 2/3 years in my opinion)? We have as many exceptional players as Tyrone. The difference is defo the management and the non-existant tactics deployed in derry teams of recent years. If we got our tactics and management right I think we could seriously push for Ulster and All-Ireland honours. As it stands, Ulster is a possibilty but nothing more.

None of the players you mention are as good as their counterparts on the Tyrone team with the exception of McCloy and that is purely because Tyrone dont have a decent full back at the moment. McCloy is suspect as was highlighted by Donegal in the championship last year.