Tyrone V Donegal

[ziggysego]

Tony, did you make it through that shopping bag of food I seen you with on Sunday? You know, when I saw you going into the minor game late...... just in time for the second half

[T Fearon]

Ha Ha Ha! Just goes to show you there's always someone watching. Yes I was delayed in traffic and missed the first half of the minor game (wished I'd missed the second half as well). As for the senior game, I decided to bugger off early and miss the traffic jams as the result was a foregone conclusion, though I missed the highlight of the game...Dooher's jaw colliding with Mc Fadden's fist.

Two very disappointing games I thought. You can see why Donegal feared playing Armagh at Clones all the same.

Ziggy, in the bag was merely a couple of bottles of water, two packets of crisps and a snickers (to share) More of a snack than a feast

[ziggysego]

I see some belly sticking out under that orange manternity dress you were wearing Tony. You sure it wasn't a feast?

As for Donegal fearing Clones.... quit grabbing at straws 

[T Fearon]

FFS Who in their right mind wouldn't have pissed off early last Sunday, given that the match was over. Why hang around for a foregone conclusion only to spend an hour in a traffic jam.

[ziggysego]

I stayed, a lot of Tyrone supported stayed as did a hell of a lot of the Donegal supporters around me. Oh and the lone Armagh supporter too, that was sitting behind me.

[Fuzzman]

I have never met the infamous Fat boy slim Tony Fearless Fearon but my image of him is now something like this



Wonder would Tony have stayed til the end if the score was reversed?

[ziggysego]

Tony's cape is orange 

[Redgreenery]

Tyrone totally caught me by surprise in this game, didnt expect the performance they gave, defineatly contenders for Sam. I was very surprised at Donegal, they were caught by surprise too id say and didnt perform to their high league standard when the pressure was on.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

oops wrong thread

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Why hang around for a foregone conclusion only to spend an hour in a traffic jam.

To witness some irresistibly sublime football! 

[J70]

Tyrone totally caught me by surprise in this game, didnt expect the performance they gave, defineatly contenders for Sam. I was very surprised at Donegal, they were caught by surprise too id say and didnt perform to their high league standard when the pressure was on.

Donegal often have days like that when they're fancied: once things start to go wrong, the heads drop, fellas hide, no one wants to take responsibility and it turns into a massacre. For some reason our teams just can't seem to handle the pressure of being rated. Over the past few years, there was Armagh, Dublin and now Tyrone. I remember the nightmare Ulster Final in '91 when we were hot favourites to beat Down, but got taken to the cleaners by Mickey Linden. Monaghan produced their only notable performance of the mid-90s by hammering us in Ballybofey when their young team was expected to be easily beaten. Its the first time its happened under McIver in a meaningful game, so it will be interesting to see how he and the team react. While I don't want Armagh under any circumstances, a tough enough draw in the qualifiers would probably be useful.

[Star Spangler]

Donegal often have days like that when they're fancied

The fact is most teams are affected by the favourites tag.  That's a point I made earlier in this thread - it's a lot easier getting to the top than staying there.  That's why I'd have a lot of respect for Kerry.

[aodhruadh]

J70, I don't agree -  do you not think we need as easy a game as  possible to get the lads back winning again and building confidence ?

We weren't short in leaders and confidence against Mayo in Croke Park when it really mattered - people can say it was only league but let nobody say that it was not a game of huge significance to Donegal - its still a mystery why they were so fragile on Sunday.  It reminded me of the 2nd half of the McKenna cup game earlier in the year.

Wappa, Toye, Hegarty, Doherty,  Dunnion and McCready will all come into the frame for the next day I guess. Maybe starting Eddie isnt the answer after all.

Personally I hope we avoid an Ulster team.

[J70]

Yes, there's obviously an argument to be made for meeting one of the weaker teams. That does not guarantee anything either however. Remember Cavan two years ago? We stood back and let them run rings around us, before Devenney almost single-handedly clawed back an 8 or 9 point lead and missed a last minute penalty. We seem to rise to the occasion more when we're written off, so I would think we'd give most of the better teams that are in the draw a damn good game. Getting a facile win against a poor team isn't going to do us much good, in my opinion, although I doubt if any of the other teams are just going to lie down.

And yes, we pulled it out in the end in Croke Park, but there were warning signs that day too in the way we let Mayo get the better of midfield in the second half. I don't know what McIver is going to do about that situation. Who would you drop to bring all those lads in?

Dunnion will obviously go back into the half-backs, although I'd be tempted to move Cassidy back to wing-back as well in place of McConigley, or maybe swap him with Barry Monaghan. Would you be brining McCready in for Paddy Campbell? Presumably you'd be sticking Neil McGee in at full-back then? What six forwards would you be going with? Wappa, Toye, Hegarty, Doherty and who? Devenney presumably, and Rory Kavanagh? Ciaran Bonner? I can't see Doherty and McMenamin playing, along with Devenney.

[aodhruadh]

I dont think he should or will go with wholesale changes, but I'd say Wappa comes in for McFadden, and Toye comes in for Sweeney... Definitely an argument for putting Cassidy to the half back line, possibly CHB - then what do you do with Barry M (who I thought got destroyed on Sunday despite Jim Carney's opposite opinion) - midfield perhaps... ?

Maybe play Rory K closer to the goals, allowing us to play the more direct ball in. I'd only play Hegarty if the opposition suits (ie. not Armagh)