Ulster Senior football championship 2024

[johnnycool]

Evidently that was only the Donegal backroom team on the pitch after the game  ...
No wonder the Donegal chairwoman was a bit shell shocked 

[Mikhailov]

I wonder did they ever manage to drag McBrearty off the stand, wittering on for a long time.
Cringey stuff from Niblock too chuckling every time McGuinness did a fist pump.

It wouldn't surprise me if Tyrone beat Donegal in 2 weeks. No great shakes
Also that is a very posh voice of Thomas Kane for a South Derry person.

Tyrone will beat Donegal if they start the right team and introduce subs earlier to inject some energy

[armaghniac]

Armagh had 2 previous marks but didn't take them.

Or to be pedantic, they took them and hit the ball backwards.

[APM]

Armagh had 2 previous marks but didn't take them.

Or to be pedantic, they took them and hit the ball backwards.

Were those not well outside the scoring zone? Were they on the kicker's best side? Kelly took on the mark, but unfortunately he missed like Grugan did last year.

[weejim]

Soupy Campbell was wrongly penalised for palming the ball away on the ground, after he was knocked to the ground while in possession

[trueblue1234]

I seem to be in the minority but I enjoyed the 2nd half more than the first. I can understand why some enjoyed it as it was an outstanding example of long range shooting. But the build up play in between was ponderous and lacked any level of physical contact.
The 2nd was edgier and due to the wet weather there were more mistakes that brought more contact and imo was more enjoyable. Just shows you'll never please all the people all of the time.
Have to feel for Armagh after that. And while now is not the time for picking over the carcass, when they do look back they will have to question why they didn't kill off Donegal when they were 4 up. It's not an ability issue. So it's either poor tactics or they lack resilience. Both would point fingers at the side line.
That said, have to feel for KMcG. With a stroke of luck he could have had two Ulsters in a row. I think for both sakes, depending on how they see out the rest of the year, a change may be required.

[JoG2]

I know it's harsh but 4 clear in the 54th minute of a game where there were a lot of bodies back...
That game should have been put to bed by Armagh.

And they had legs coming off the bench too. Even if both teams looked set up defensive with bodies back a lot of the scores were not under massive pressure.

That being said the striking from distance was top class.

There's 20 mins approx left on the clock. 2 scores will bridge or exceed that gap of 4 points. That's a breaking ball, a mistake, a mistimed tackle etc...4 points can be scored in a minute, that's the beauty of it. Football would be some bore if a team had a 4 point lead and you'd be fairly confident they could hold onto it against a team that's as strong

When you think about, two teams of amateur players going hammer and tongs for 90+ mins, some amazing scores. Very enjoyable, glad I'm someone who enjoys it tbh

[Oraisteach]

Well done, Donegal. Bar the result, it was a terrific game. Some magnificent long range shooting and excellent tackling. My only gripe Is that games should not end on penalties. I wish that Geezerwould not adopt a bunker mentality during the last 10 minutes of every game. However, I do not want to see him go. Despite his questionable endgame tactics, he did not take any of the penalties. If we had won any one of those penalty matches, peoples attitude to the manager would probably be entirely different.Hope that Armagh can bounce back from this defeat and rise to the occasion in the next three matches, which ought to be exciting.

[marty34]

Armagh do too many silky fist pumps.

Forker after the first score. You'd have thought it was the 72nd minute of the game.  Plus nearly every penalty there was a fist pump.

For that reason I was delighted Donegal won.

Donegal has been super this year under Mc Guinness. A team with a mission. Look at where they were at 1 year ago.
You'd love to be at a training session of his. It must be so high end and intense.

The game was excellent. The shooting, from way out by both teams, was quality. Some great scores.  The game had everything.

I like penalties. Probably in the minority but they are drama, if nothing else.

Be interesting to see how these two teams fair out in the group stages.

[balladmaker]

Sickening is an understatement, we left it behind once again.  However, fair play to Donegal, their long range kicking was as good as I've ever seen. 

4 up in the second half, I thought we were looking composed and I actually thought to myself jeez we have this.  Donegal folk around me thought the same.  But Donegal made their way back into it ... we responded well in extra time, and a 2 point lead in the second half of extra time seemed like a winning lead, but again we couldn't close it out.

Armagh would need to be investing in the best sports psychologist they can get, as the mental scars on that team and management must be extreme at this stage.  Really feel for KMcG and the players, very fine margins, they could just as easily be a 2 in a row Ulster champions tonight ... but they're not.

As for penos, a direct result of the shortened season, no final should be ended like that ... we'd all love another outing to Clones for a replay next Saturday evening ... and not to forget the gate proceeds that would come in handy to the GAA.

Met An Uachtaráin, Jarlath Burns, walking up the street after the game, he was as peeved as any Armagh fan after today's experience.

[SouthDublinBro]

Kieran McGeeney has now had 10 years in charge of Armagh with talented enough players. Not even winning ONE Ulster title is embarrassing. It's an ongoing culture of abject failure. Just as how Mayo will continue to not win an AI title until perennial chokers Aidan O'Shea and Cillian O'Connor are excised from that panel, Armagh CAN'T succeed until McGeeney is removed.

[APM]

Kieran McGeeney has now had 10 years in charge of Armagh with talented enough players. Not even winning ONE Ulster title is embarrassing. It's an ongoing culture of abject failure. Just as how Mayo will continue to not win an AI title until perennial chokers Aidan O'Shea and Cillian O'Connor are excised from that panel, Armagh CAN'T succeed until McGeeney is removed.

I'd say you're worried about Armagh!

[ranch]

Gutted would be an understatement. The game plan seemed to work perfectly up until we led 15-11, but we slowly retreated and that extra few metres of standing off the man in possession cost us big time. I don't think management encouraged that, it just happened. Maybe making the subs 5/10 minutes earlier would have helped somewhat.

It's hard not to think this could be our last chance of meaningful silverware for a while given the draw we got this year and last year, as well as some of the more experienced players possibly moving on.
Forker has been on the senior panel since 2012, Soupy, Murnin and Grugan a year or two after him - do they have it in them to give it another crack after such disappointment? Even some of the less heralded players are late 20s/30 years of age at this stage.
I don't think there are any players around the county that are banging the door down to be on the panel that haven't been given their chance. What we have at the moment is the best we have to offer. Hopefully there's more in the tank to give the summer a good crack, but I'd be fearful that our chance has possibly slipped us by for another few years.

[tonto1888]

I know it's harsh but 4 clear in the 54th minute of a game where there were a lot of bodies back...
That game should have been put to bed by Armagh.

And they had legs coming off the bench too. Even if both teams looked set up defensive with bodies back a lot of the scores were not under massive pressure.

That being said the striking from distance was top class.

There's 20 mins approx left on the clock. 2 scores will bridge or exceed that gap of 4 points. That's a breaking ball, a mistake, a mistimed tackle etc...4 points can be scored in a minute, that's the beauty of it. Football would be some bore if a team had a 4 point lead and you'd be fairly confident they could hold onto it against a team that's as strong

When you think about, two teams of amateur players going hammer and tongs for 90+ mins, some amazing scores. Very enjoyable, glad I'm someone who enjoys it tbh

The lazy analysis will be on armaghs failure to close it out. Reverting to type etc. I've seen it already in WhatsApp groups, on Twitter etc. however, that completely takes away from Donegal upped their game. Couple of good scores and momentum shifts. Credit to them. We may meet again yet

[Armagh4sam2024]

Absolutely sickner again but should have taken the marks to try and push further ahead rather than playing keep ball. Unless we win the AI that was prob our best chance of silverware. Maybe it's time for Geezer and Mckeever to give someone else a go next year?