Where now for Galway?????

[marty88]

The Pub

[mouview]

Don't lose heart completely. A friend of mine (and a person well known in Galway GAA circles) told me a story after the Connacht final about when he and another man returned home after seeing Galway lose to Longford in a league match some time back. Drowning their sorrows in the pub they speculated if they would ever see Galway win Sam in their lifetime again. The year? 1997.

The team as it stands needs major surgery, especially in midfield. Cullinane, Bergin, Coleman et al simply aren't good enough footballers to seize hold of a game the way the great Kevin Walsh could. The defense also needs shoring up where a more critical look at the Corofin backs must be done. The whole method of play needs to change too with proper delivery to the forwards a priority.

[mannix]

Rock and a hard place.
Need to be tough to beat the best teams,kerry etc but need to be able to play football to match them too and today galway are a shadow of the 2001 team and cannot do both the rough and football at the same time.Mayo are in the same boat, bleak times in store for the west.Sligo and co are not bad but will be killed by tyrone dublin or the like.

[GallBoss]

New faces given a chance to get to the same levels of fitness of the existing players it doesn't just happen over three FBD league games. There are club footballers there who I would like to get an extended run with Galway not the couple off weeks and then get discarded. Declan Meehan was not a regular until the 2000 campaign after being on the panel from 1996. Paul Clancy similar story. Sean Og similar story. So give some of the outstanding club players a real run at this level and not the token 1 or 2 FBD league games.

For example I'd be talking about
Michael Mitchell ----Killererin
Brian Kilroy ------Caltra
Paul Gately -----Caltra
Colm Colleran ----- Mountbellew Moylough
Cilin De Paor ----- Cheatar Rua
Brian Faherty ------Moycullen

[Goin Down]

Where now for Galway??

Simple, Get rid of the old lads such as P Joyce, and spend the next 2 years with some new young players building a team, then Galway might have the tinest of chances of reaching 'an ok team' status again.

[DJGaliv]

Cilin De Paor ----- Cheatar Rua
Brian Faherty ------Moycullen

If we're relying on those two lads we may as well not field next year. Christ almighty.

Lads, I wouldn't be to disheartened at all. I'm actually quite positive about the future. Our failings have been identified, and Forde is on his way out. Both good news. We are far too reliant on the older guys in the panel, and Forde's decision to axe Joyce I think was vindicated in that it allowed Meehan to finally step out of his  shadow. I was delighted to see Meehan perform so well after all he had to deal with earlier in the year.
We have the nucleus of a very good team. Despite Forde's faults, he has successfully replaced a lot of our so called irreplaceables. Doherty, Hanley, Blake, Nicky Joyce, and Armstrong have all come in and done quite well for McNamara, Fahy, Mannion, Donnellan, and Finnegan respectively.

Galway football isn't in such a bad state that it can't realistically aim to win a Connacht title next year, and a place in the quarter finals. That in itself would be progression.

After seeing Mattie Clancy's performance against Meath where I thought he got through a trojan amount of work, I think we are missing some scrappers, some guys to win the break, do the dirty stuff, around the half forward line. No team in the country starts six individual scoring forwards. It's unneccessary.

We also have absolutely no tactic in the forward line. It's been an awful long time since I've seen us engineer a score, like nearly every other county does. All our scores are off the cuff. It'll get you through the league, but come championship you'll find it a lot harder to progress. I'd love to know who our forwards coach is, he'd want to be shot.

Out with the old and in with the new. Now, hopefully will signal the retirement of Joyce and Fallon. While they're still very good footballers, they're halting the progress of those coming up. Meehan will no doubt take on Joyce's position as leader of the forward line. With him and Armstrong at 14 and 15, I don't think that there'll be many defences in the country that could hold them both.

What we also need is a bit of patience with some of the younger players. Just look at Nicky Joyce's transformation. From a half decent league player for the county, he now looks like a star of the Galway attack. As good as Meehan or Armstrong. While some of the young lads who have been around the panel are plainly not good enough, Cullinane for example, there are a lot of guys in there that could well come good in the near future.

What we are crying out for is a midfielder. Coleman is a wing forward, or maybe even a wing back. I' like to see him given a go at 7 to beef up our half back line. Coleman, Cullinane, and Geraghty are all not good enough to play midfield for a county like Galway. In fact, Cullinane and Geraghty should be dropped from the panel. Cullinane has absolutely no football in him. When he got the ball, Meath just let him have it, and doubled up elsewhere. They new as does everyone else he's half decent at winning it in the air, but after that, there's nothing.

Fitzgerald and the two Meehans have had a difficult year, and I think that next year we'll see a big improvement in their performances. I don't think Deccie will retire, and I wouldn't want him to either. Caltra will probably win Frank Fox, and sure he'll be captain.
I do agree that the Corofin bias in the defence has to stop too. It reminded me of the minor teams five-ten years ago where all there'd be is Corofin lads who were picked just because of who they played for, regardless of their standard. Comer and Sice are too light for intercounty football. Neither should be anywhere near the team. I'd stick with Damien Burke, and Fitzy though. Playing behind a beaten midfield and a light half back line including the likes of Comer and Sice was doing neither of them any good.

1. Doherty
2. Fitzgerald
3. Hanley
4. Burke
5. Meehan
6. Blake
7. Coleman
8. Bergin
9.
10. Clancy
11.
12. Joyce
13.
14. Meehan
15. Armstrong

I'd make that three players we need to find in the league to go looking towards Croke park next year. A midfielder, and two scrappers in the laf forward line. Not a bad position for any incoming manager to be in.
Doom and gloom my arse, at least now all the talk of 2001 will be over.

[magpie seanie]

What a difference a couple of months makes. After beating Mayo convincingly Galway were on for a serious tilt at the AI and wondered who they would get in the quarters. After all they've just beaten the team that lost the previous AI final and won the U-21 AI last year.

FF to now. Leitrim give them their fill of it with an honest but limited side. Sligo outplay them but only struggle over the line as the weight of history takes its toll. This then means Connacht football is rubbish.

Sorry if I don't subscribe to this bullshit.

[Deal_Me_In]

Will Forde definately go? What do the tribesmen think of someone like Charlie Mulgrew taking over? He done reasonably well with a limited fermanagh side, had them well drilled and they played with a gameplan (most of the time)

[GalwayBayBoy]

After beating Mayo convincingly Galway were on for a serious tilt at the AI

I don't know where this idea came from but it wasn't from any Galway fans. Even after the Mayo game I think we realised the limit of our ambitions was a Connacht title and hopefully maybe win a game in Croker.

Just cause the media got carried away with themselves doesn't make it reality unfortunately.

[An Fhairche Abu]

What a difference a couple of months makes. After beating Mayo convincingly Galway were on for a serious tilt at the AI and wondered who they would get in the quarters. After all they've just beaten the team that lost the previous AI final and won the U-21 AI last year.

FF to now. Leitrim give them their fill of it with an honest but limited side. Sligo outplay them but only struggle over the line as the weight of history takes its toll. This then means Connacht football is rubbish.

Sorry if I don't subscribe to this bullshit.

Go back and look at the posts from serious Galway contributors after the Mayo game. If you find one that tips us for an All Ireland I'd be surprised.

I think that you are taking the fact that Sligo won a Connacht title (well deserved and I was delighted for Sligo GAA folk) when Galway, Mayo and Roscommon all have poor to middling teams and the fact that some will say that Connacht football is weak at the moment because of this, as some sort of slight on that achievement, which you shouldn't.

The Sligo defence bottled up Micheal Meehan far better than one of the best full backs of the past decade could do last Saturday, I would give ye every chance against in the Q-finals regardless of the opposition, perhaps you're being a tad sensitive maybe seanie?

If I have mis-interpreted your post my apologies

[belleaqua]

I dont share the the view that Connacht football is set for a return to the bad old days. While there will be a transition period for both Galway and Mayo i feel they will be challenging within 3 years again. Both have lots of up and coming talent to work with.

Galway have a spine of a great team in Hanley, Blake, Bergin, Coleman, Joyce, Meehan and Armstrong. Joyce, Fallon and Savo have to be replaced with new blood and it will take time. this time next year we could find ourselves in a position similar to Meaths now.

I hope Warren doesnt get the job, maybe O'Donnellan will be a candidate. someone with fresh idea from within the county itself is needed and the burden of expectation dropping will also help.

I think Meehan showed saturday that for whatever reason, himself and Joyce could never gel together which was a pity. Meehan proved his worth as leader of the attack where everything went through him. was delighted to see him put in such a good performance especially after the difficult year he has endured personally.

[magpie seanie]

Saying that Connacht football is poor at the moment is (1) a slight on Sligo's achievement and (2) incorrect.

Did ye think Connacht football was poor when Galway beat Mayo? No-one did.

perhaps you're being a tad sensitive maybe seanie?

Maybe I am but it does grate that even when you DO win something you have folk from Galway and Mayo still looking down their noses at you telling you the stadard was poor cos they didn't win it. I knew after we won it that it was only a matter of time before that shit was trotted out.

Also -

Galway were on for a serious tilt at the AI and wondered who they would get in the quarters

is not the same as Galway will win the All-Ireland.

[Fishead_Sam]

Saying that Connacht football is poor at the moment is (1) a slight on Sligo's achievement and (2) incorrect.

Did ye think Connacht football was poor when Galway beat Mayo? No-one did.

perhaps you're being a tad sensitive maybe seanie?

Maybe I am but it does grate that even when you DO win something you have folk from Galway and Mayo still looking down their noses at you telling you the stadard was poor cos they didn't win it. I knew after we won it that it was only a matter of time before that shit was trotted out.

Also -

Galway were on for a serious tilt at the AI and wondered who they would get in the quarters

is not the same as Galway will win the All-Ireland.

Don't worry Magpie Seanie how is that much different from people saying is was a poor Championship when Mayo gets to the Final, we get that all the time.

[An Fhairche Abu]

Saying that Connacht football is poor at the moment is (1) a slight on Sligo's achievement and (2) incorrect.

Did ye think Connacht football was poor when Galway beat Mayo? No-one did.

perhaps you're being a tad sensitive maybe seanie?

Maybe I am but it does grate that even when you DO win something you have folk from Galway and Mayo still looking down their noses at you telling you the stadard was poor cos they didn't win it. I knew after we won it that it was only a matter of time before that shit was trotted out.

Also -

Galway were on for a serious tilt at the AI and wondered who they would get in the quarters

is not the same as Galway will win the All-Ireland.

You won't find anyone after the Mayo match who gave us even a prayer of winning the All Ireland.

Sligo's win was more than merited, best of luck to ye in the rest of the championship. 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. My uncle (a Mayoman) is fond of telling me that "ye only beat Kildare" to win in 1998, I be some eijit if I let that take away from what was my best day ever as a follower of Galway football.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Connacht football is of a poor overall standard at present. How anyone can argue otherwise is beyond me. We have one team in the last eight and with greatest respect they are the team that everyone will want to draw.

Galway and Mayo have very average teams right now. Both knocked out of the championship and well beaten by relatively average teams in their own right. Things might change for both when the old wood is jettisoned and some young blood is introduced but it will take a little time. Roscommon have a downright poor team which I think even they would admit. Leitrim at least are playing somewhere near their best and maximising their resources but they are still a fairly limited outfit. Sligo are doing the same and even a bit more on top of that. They have been the best side in Connacht this year.

Compare that to a few years ago when over roughly the same period of time Galway were one of the best teams in the land, Mayo had a fine side capable of reaching the business end of the Summer and both Roscommon and Sligo were quarter final material. Nobody can tell me the standard in general hasn't slipped a lot. This isn't a slight on Sligo. This is just fact so there should be no need to sugarcoat the pill.

Now sometimes things can change quickly and maybe there will be a sudden improvement next year but I don't really see it.