Where now for Galway?????

[GalwayBayBoy]

I'm certainly not against Joyce staying on. His experience could still be vital considering that there will probably be a bunch of young lads introduced for next year. However I think we have to stick with Meehan at full-forward. It's his natural position and he was transformed once he was started there last Saturday and he gave Fay his fill of it. The corner just doesn't suit him.

Think Ja has already said he'll be packing it in. Savo and Deccie I'm not sure about. I think Deccie will hang on. Not sure about Savo.

[Clarin Pearl]

Dead Right GBB. Meehan has been pillaried by the national critics all year(brolly particularly). Forde has nearly destoyed him in the corner. There won't be room for Savo starting. Deccie meehan has lost a few yards. He is still as good as whats out there.

Before we can get to picking a team though, the back room team is as important. We have the bones of a great team here. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Getting them all organised to play together is going to be a tough job.  I have no idea who to get in.

There are still players who won't pass the ball to each other on that team. Both sides need their heads knocked together.

[AhFeckRef]

FFS. It's like 94 all over again!. Sligo or Leitrim make a breakthrough and suddenly Connacht football is in crises! Galway or Mayo make a breakthrough and the provence is on top of the world. Give me a break. That's a load of S**it.

[blast05]

FFS. It's like 94 all over again!. Sligo or Leitrim make a breakthrough and suddenly Connacht football is in crises! Galway or Mayo make a breakthrough and the provence is on top of the world. Give me a break. That's a load of S**it.

I think the whole of Connacht were equally sh*te in the early 90's.
As for this year, its up to Sligo to put in a serious performance as a minimum in the QF's to prove wrong the septics who are insisting the standard was down this year and that this Sligo team are not as good as the team of a few years ago. Its harsh on them that they haven't got the credit they deserve yet but thats the reality ....  in my view, it has been a sort of a condescending credit being given from the national media in the same way as i recall Mayo getting credit for getting to the league semi finals in 1996.

[armaghniac]

FFS. It's like 94 all over again!. Sligo or Leitrim make a breakthrough and suddenly Connacht football is in crises! Galway or Mayo make a breakthrough and the provence is on top of the world. Give me a break. That's a load of S**it.

Unlike 94 there is now the backdoor. Neither of the "big" teams in Connacht have made any impact in the qualifiers, suggesting that things have slipped a bit.

[Duine Eile]

Duine eile You fancy Billy Joyce for manager? Ah now you know im codding with ya

Oh very funny!Though he did get us to a semi final in 88(or 89?) which is more than Forde managed with probably a much better bunch of players. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, we'll probably see the usual few names being troted out, ie John Tobin, Frank Doherty and the likes. I think we should stay inside the county this time though, we need someone who's going to have an ear to the ground, knows who to look out for on the club scene etc.

I know people here agreed with the decision not to start Padraic Joyce, I'm not one of them.(Surprise, surprise.) Bar Mike Meehan and Nicky Joyce, the forwards had no shape or urgency about them until Padraic came on in the second half, he's not afraid to let a roar when it's needed and do a bit of rearranging, in short they had no leader. Think we're all agreed though, we do have the makings of a great team, still not convinced about Doherty but Finian Hanley is becoming a fine full back, he's only 22, Damien Burke beside him is a brilliant corner back when he's on his game, needs a few more games like the Mayo match to boost his confidence. We have Coyne and Blake battling for the no.6 shirt, again 2 lads the right side of 25. Mid field, is definitely a problem area and needs sorting. There has to be a couple of decent midfielders in this county somewhere, let's hope we find them for next years championship. Up front, Nicky Joyce and Mike Meehan are going to be our main threats for the next few years, again only 22 or 23 both of them. Add in guys like Padraic Joyce, and we have a formiddable looking line up, they just need that little bit of something to make them gel. Hopefully a competent management team is the little bit that's missing and will be put right before long.

By the way on a Killererin note i threw a few bob on them for the frank fox...wide open with corofin gone and i know Padraig joyce being the man he is will be mad to show everyone he'd not finished..plus Nicky who was sublime the last day wont be stopped..mike mitchell, Tommy J, Damien Fla, Jonathon keane...good players

Wide open indeed, still very wary of Salthill though.Caltra are beatable from what I've seen of them so far this year, all in all, not a lot to choose between any of the teams left. Tom the Bomb had a great game at corner back against Dunmore actually, covered acres of ground. Johnny Keane, Declan Kelly and Micheal Keane are 3 to look out for the future though.

[MaroonAndWhite]

There was never a chance that Joyce was going to quit. It said loads about both men that it took joyce to give out about cullinane to Forde for the most obvious move of the match to happen. Bane in for cullinane. Padraig is a cocky fecker when he gets going but he was so right. He came on and sorted out the half forward line in a way that Fallon just wasn't doing.

I'd still be looking for John Devane to get a run again(i'm not the biggest club football watcher). It was a joy to see Mikie Meehan hitting frees from 50 yards. 2 beauties at either end of the field. The threat from the 40 has to return to drag out the oppositions bulk defence.

Clarin Pearl, you obviously dont know PJ.....theres nothing cocky about him, he just knows what hes about unlike Forde. He captained Ireland to compromise rules titles, been a selector with Ireland, won 3 all Irelands, two county titles, a couple of All Stars, Player of the Year etc etc etc....entitled to some degree of confidence I suspect!!! And a definite Galway manager in the future.......hopefully a bit away yet though - we can get more out of him.
Did anyone else see Cullinanes kick pass early in first half.....a 20 yard kick pass and he wellies it over sideline. He has no interest in anything other than niggling players from the opposition that foul a Galway man. If he applied himself as well to getting the high ball at midfield as he did to that shite hed be better served. That said, Doherty kept hoofing it down the middle even when we were not winning any clean possession.
God willing we wont go back to the days of Tobin anyway....or bring in someone like Paidi or Permatan Maughan (sorry Rossies!). Id like to see an insider again for the simple reason that in all the club matches Ive gone to in last 3 years (and thats alot), there was never a sign of Forde so even if there was better options out there, he never knew about them.
Roll on 2008, theres no way it can be as bad as last two years!

[MaroonAndWhite]

By the way, that should have read 2 All Irelands, I got a bit over excited!!!!

[magpie seanie]

The fact that you would let the preceived standard (or at least Mayo and Galway people's opinion of the standard) of football in Connacht detract from something that ye had waited on for 32 years is beyond me however and strikes me as very insecure.

Nothing is taking away from the win in my eyes. I don't really care a whole pile for what people who couldn't name 5 of our team a month ago think. That in itself shows what they know about football. If us fellas in Sligo listened to the like of this from Mayo and Galway over the years we'd have packed up playing ball and taken up cricket or something.

If teams are keen to draw us then that is great. I couldn't wish for more than a team who might think we're a soft touch.

[DJGaliv]

Saw this written by a poster on hoganstand and it makes interesting reading:

By the way DJ Galiv Cillín de Paor would be a great choice by any new manager....You clearly havent seen him in club games in the last 3 years against the so called great county players! he's a fantastic player..i guarantee you ask any county player if he should be on the squad and you would get a positive reply....before u reply to me i aint from his club or know him but you my friend are clueless!!!!!!

I've seen enough of Cillín de Paor to know that he's not intercounty standard. I know him, very sound lad, played against him on numerous occasions and never had any trouble marking him. If the likes of him, Cullinane, Breathnach and Bradshaw are on the panel then we will struggle.

Bíonn craic aisteach ag an gcomortas!!..An Cheathrú Rua abú!

I'm not for one minute saying you have any affinity for, or connection to An Cheathrú Rua.


I think you should stop calling people clueless, and smug idiots. Especially when you think that the likes of de Paor should be called up, and Doherty, Blake, and Mattie Clancy aren't county standard. If you want to start name calling head back to hoganstand, this place is for reasoned debate. Good lad.

in my view as reagrds galway we just have guys who aint up to this level and no matter what they wont be...im talkin of Mullahy,Doherty,Blake even..these guys are below average..Breathnach,mike comer and Matt Clancy never are inter county either

As ye have said, according to Jim Carney, Joyce is staying on for at least one year, maybe two. Where is he supposed to fit in? Meehan is the main man now should lead the forwards from no. 14.
Could Joyce persuade Paul Clancy and Michael Donnellan back? Those two would be huge additions to our half forward line. Two creative workers alongside Nicky Joyce in the half forward line would be perfect. I'd say if we got a new high profile boss with a bit of sense about him the likes of Donnellan and Clancy could be enticed back. Colm O'Rourke would be my choice. He knows his football, is ruthless and commands instant respect. Eoin O'Donnellan or Pete Warren wouldn't be too bad either.

[DJGaliv]

The fact that you would let the preceived standard (or at least Mayo and Galway people's opinion of the standard) of football in Connacht detract from something that ye had waited on for 32 years is beyond me however and strikes me as very insecure.

Nothing is taking away from the win in my eyes. I don't really care a whole pile for what people who couldn't name 5 of our team a month ago think. That in itself shows what they know about football. 

If teams are keen to draw us then that is great. I couldn't wish for more than a team who might think we're a soft touch.

Ah will you stop your moaning Seanie. The topic of this thread is "Where now for Galway?" not "Why aren't everyone saying Connacht football is as good as ever contrary to all known evidence?"

Sligo have been given huge credit since they won the Connacht title. Galway supporters have been nothing but gracious. Nonetheless, the fact remains Sligo are not a top side. They lost half their games in Division 2B this year, and are due to play Division 3 football next year. The only county we have left, has only three provincial titles, and never won an All-Ireland. It is based on pure fact that Sligo would be everyones first choice in the quarters.

Respect isn't just given out, it's earned. It's up to Sligo now to go out and build on the success of one provincial title, and earn it. They have only made three provincial finals in thirty years. That's shockingly poor. I'd love to see Sligo win an All-Ireland, and will be supporting them for the rest of the year. I don't think any team left in the championship is a soft touch. However, any knowledgable football fan will see a Sligo team who have only beaten New York, a dreadful Roscommon, and a dying Galway team, as their favoured opposition.

It is entirely up to Sligo to show that the provincial title was not a flash in the pan, a la Clare, Westmeath, or Leitrim and add start putting in consistent performances in big games. If they start making quarter finals on a regular basis then people won't be so quick to presume Connacht football is on the way down, until then it's fair to say so. Mayo and Galway have both reached the end of the road with a few vital players, and both counties aren't nearly as good as they were over the last seven years. Obviously due to this Connacht football isn't as difficult to win as it was when Galway were getting to All-Ireland's in 2000 and 2001, or Mayo in 2004 or 2006.

The Connacht football championship this year has been of a poor standard. Every team that has gone out from it has been beaten almost immediately by teams from outside the province. Mayo beating a decimated Cavan being the exception. They subsequently were thrashed by Derry.

If us fellas in Sligo listened to the like of this from Mayo and Galway over the years we'd have packed up playing ball and taken up cricket or something.

Well ye must have been listening to them since 1976 so.

[Fishead_Sam]

I don't think Mayo people would have been boasting too much in the late 70's or early 80's must have been Roscommon & Galway people in those days.

[myball22]

I think it's a long road back for Galway really. We need at least two midfielders, two half backs, and two half forwards to be unearthed from somewhere. We're still waiting for a number of players to step up to the mark but they never really done so.

We've won a lot of Connacht minor titles in recent years yet never made in past the quarter final stage so not sure if the talent is there at underage. The only way to know this is to bring in a number of the young lads and see if they can compete at the higher level.

It's hard to see any big name taking over the Galway job now. A number of people thought in 97 that there was potential there but it's hard to see it at present. However can't think of anyone in the county I would have faith in to do the job. Anyone spring to mind?

[GalwayBayBoy]

However can't think of anyone in the county I would have faith in to do the job. Anyone spring to mind?

The two that have won club All-Ireland's are Frank Doherty with Caltra and Eoin O'Donnellan with Salthill but I wouldn't exactly be convinced by either of them.

How about Bunty Boche?

[seanshunt]

Will people please please please stop mentioning Pete Warren's name in the same sentence as Galway County senior manager, he was Forde's right hand man for god's sake, cut any links with this administration and get someone who know's how to put out a team with a plan 'A' not mind a plan 'B'. Be careful what ye wish for, ye just might get it.
For the westies, N. Galway will always have more players on any Galway football team, its the home of the sport in Galway, bar Carraroe in the mid 90's I cant remember any other western club winning a senior championship, De Paor is a decent footballer and a sound skin and is as good as Cullinane but lord help us over the next few years if we need to rely on these type of pllayers