Tyrone v Down Ulster Championship First Round 8th June 2008

[laoisgaa]

One of the other journalists said to me last night something about Down not having lost a game under the floodlights in Páirc Esler - is this true? How long are the floodlights there at this stage? 2 or 3 years or more?

[superblues]

this is the first year they are there

[anportmorforjfc]

the semi will be in clones no matter who wins between armagh and cavan

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Tyrone have consistantly produced classic games year on year. You really would have to question how Spillane and the southerners go unchallenged when they talk about Tyrones style of play and how it has ruined football. Kerry havent produced anywhere near as good a games.

Justy McMahon should have been switched off Danny Hughes, it made no sense leaving him on a quick small forward. McGee or Swift should have been brought onto him and Justy used out the field. If we could some how get our injuries sorted we could still get a good run in the qualifiers.

People keep saying Tyrone dont have the strength in depth that was talked about a few years ago but I think thats harsh. We have lost O'Neill and Canavan to retirement. Then last night we were missing McGuigan,McGinley,Mulgrew,Mulligan and Colm Cavanagh (only lasted about 20 mins and was injured before the game even started). Thats 7 forwards. How far would Kerry go without Donaghy,Gooch,O'Sullivan,Brosnan,Galvin,Russell and Sheehan?

[rrhf]

Well done Down you played your part in an epic epoque- ending battle as all great teams need to go through, and I wish you well
Tyrone we had our day and its over - for many players that have given unparallelled service to the county, for the management who have brought us to the promised land twice.  Its sad, its over but we were beat by the aristocracy of Ulster football after a great great battle. We will go so far in the back door but we must realise we need a new team to be built, playing a new system, some will remain and maybe take another Celtic Cross in a new era, and whilst Mickey may wish to remain on for the good of Tyrone football I think he will decide to move on and maybe give it another go in a few years.  How could he not be too loyal to the panel that has brought the big results to Tyrone football.  How can we expect him to demolish and rebuild?  What we seen last night was the dying kick of a great team, that yes were ravaged by injury over the past number of years but thats football - we had won 2 aititles so we cant be greedy - there was probably no more than 2 all irelands in the group of players, some are burnt out mentally, some physically, and some are fine for another few years, but 2 all irelands renders that team and management great and we will never forget their achievements.  I doubt if there is a better management in Ulster never mind Tyrone that Mickey but he must move to the side after this year - the next 3 years could be tough.  Come back in 6 if he wants he is still a young man, but is he ruthless enough with the older players - I think he has proven that he isnt and that he has struggled to bring forward new talent and new ideas on the back of his major successes.
Our day will come again!!    

[Our Nail Loney]

Was workign last night but was totally gripped by this thread, could only imagine what the match would have been like!

Just caught the end of it on the radio leaving work, sounded nuts! First thing tomorrow morning booking sunday 29th off.

Come on armagh!

[tyroneman]

1. Congrats to Down. Deserved the game in normal time, let alone extra time. Don't think they will trouble Derry (although I sincerely hope they do!) if they meet though as MF was the difference for them last night.Diver / Doherty / Muldoon etc would give Down all they wanted and more unfortunately.

2. This is by no means the end of the Tyrone team. Bar Dooher the rest still have another 4-5 good years in them, some (Sean, Penrose, Tommy, PJ, Justin) even more. Factor in young MCKenna, Coney and even the keeper from the minors.......the future is bright enough.

3. Harte for once got his tactics ALL wrong last night. Sean Cav at FF is criminal. I firmly believe we would have won that game with Sean at MF and Tommy in the forward line.

4. 7 combinations at MF spells a complete lack of ideas. This should have been sorted out in the league this past 3 years - it wasn't and came back to bite us big style.

5. Cav comes into MF we score 4 on the bounbce. SO MH moves him back to FF - go figure.

6. Colm Cav will never be a big player for Tyrone.

7. Hub is finished.

Ultimatley we were poor last night, lot of errors, most unforced. Poor choices througout the match. Poor tactics and poor shooting.

We will be back though.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Would agree tyroneman, the obituariies for this Tyrone team are a tad premature -- that's not to say we don't have (some severe) issues, but nothing that's beyond repair, ultimately. Some hard decisions need taken, though.

[Fear Boirche]

As a matter of interest when is it the last time that Down won a first Round Championship Match?

Erm, 2007.

Actually, technically speaking, last year's win over Cavan was in the preliminary round.
The last time they won a first round proper/quarter-final was in 2003 when they went all the way to the Ulster final.

[KIDDO 4]

2008 All Ireland Football Championship 
SELECTION

Kerry  13/8   
Dublin  4/1   
Tyrone  9/1   
Cork  12/1   
Derry  12/1   
Galway  12/1   
Armagh  14/1   
Mayo  20/1   
Laois  33/1   
Wexford  33/1   
Donegal  40/1   
Fermanagh  40/1   
Meath  40/1   
Monaghan  50/1   
Westmeath  50/1   
Down  66/1   
Cavan  80/1   
Sligo  150/1   
Wicklow  150/1   
Kildare  200/1   
Limerick  250/1   
Longford  300/1   
Offaly  300/1   
Leitrim  500/1   
Louth  500/1   
Roscommon  500/1   
Clare  1000/1   
Tipperary  5000/1   
2008-06-29 14:00:00  Each-way bets 1/2 odds first 2


 

)

[Our Nail Loney]

Down outplay Tyrone two matches and the difference there is staggering. 9/1 and 66/1!! And Down can afford to lose a match as well.

[Our Nail Loney]

Don't get me wrong I am not saying to back Down just anyone who back's Tyrone at that price is an eejit 

[Bacon]

Great win for Down. I wasn't at the match but followed it on the radio. Sounded like a really good game. The qualifiers are looking like a tough route to the Q/Fs now. Monaghan, Meath, Donegal and now Tyrone. There's a lot of good sides in there and all will depend on the draw.

[To whom it may concern]

There will be undoubtedly a lot of analysing and debate, but the one prevailing theme should ring true: Down were a lot hungrier for this. For a game and a half, excluding the first 25 mins in omagh, Down wanted this more, they seemed energised, whislt we looked laboured and spent.

I watched both teams come out for extra time; this epitomised the two games in a nutshell: Tyrone trooped out, Down sprinted out, heads up...this was after Tyrone mounting an amazing comeback to force this extra time...it should have been the other way around, Down should have been dejected that they didn't put Tyrone away in normal time; Tyrone were on a roll, there was no spring in their step

Firstly, everyone spoke about our injuries finally clearing up, yet they haunted us more than any other occasion: Mulligan, McGinley, Colm Cavanagh, both McGuigans, Mulgrew....the ghost of Stephen O'Neill still haunts us...

We can't fault the committment of our team, especially the younger ones, they fought back from the dead to take this to the wire, yet Down always seemed to have that edge...

I worry about the hunger and mentality in the camp, i fear they are sick of Harte's voice...the story goes that Mickey spoke at length to Joe McMahon fri night, yet couldn't directly tell him he was on the team until lunchtime sat...Joe's attitude going into the game was, when i spoke to him,- "I'm on anyway, don't know about rest, but couldn't give a f**k anymore"- Joe performed accordingly....he brought disdain and contempt to the tyrone jersey with that shocker of a performance and open goal miss...cheers joe

Throughout both games, the sad reality struck me: Our established stars look a pale shadow of themselves, dooher, ricey, jordan, holmes, conor gormley...the spirit may be willing but the flesh at the moment remains weak...

Think ricey's days look numbered, on every occasion we laboured a few yards behind his man, it's obvious he hasn't the pace for the corner...conor gormley has also look slow and laboured, although he was always of stocky build, he seems slow and heavy...he seemed lost and disinterested in midfield and was pulled all over the forward line by coulter...

I agree, some of harte's tactics were confusing....

1. Why take mellon off when he was flying, he made one run back into defence to dispossess coulter i second half, took a couple of fine catches from midfield, yet he was hauled off?? i actually thought he should have been moved into midfield at half time...

2. Why was brian mcguigan not introduced?? was he injured?? i actually agreed with decision not t start him, as i thought he may have been more effective from bench...

3. Hindsight is a great thing to have in respect of Tommy decision....he simply should be congratulated on his performance, especially that last min kick to send game to extra time...

4. I thought sean had one of his best ever games in a tyrone jersey, he was simply class whenever he go the ball....we needed him in at full forward, yet it highlighted all the qualities he brings around midfield. we missed those...

5. McCullagh confirmed for me what i always thought, when it comes to the crunch, he is not aggressive or forceful enough, i seen him opt out of the ball on a no. of occasions, Joe Brolly is right, when it comes to the decisive moments, we find out the true man and player: McCullagh was cold and looked like a soccer player last night, he only plays in spurts, like we seen in drawn game, yes he is skillful and talented, but he plays with the wing mirrors...as for his 14 yard free miss, see joe mcmahon above...

6. I am sorry, i have to agree with the 100s who can't fathom why Davy gets his place on this team....yes he had a broken nose, but how many times did he touch the ball over the two games?? 5? 6? he is slow and one paced in possession, can't break a tackle, is suspect defensivel when run at...that's all really....

the truth is that we have been found out and neutralised at our own game....how many times were we swarmed and closed in and surrounded whilst moving the ball out of tight situations??? I thought it called for the introduction of carlin of swift; down played with a lot of movement and pace up front, we needed to move the ball at speed out of defence, these two players excell at this...

Yes, Down were lucky, they may have had a point which was wide in extra time, but fortune favours the brave and comitted....

as for the future, back door is there, but the cracks are obvious, first and foremost, we need to reinvent ourselves and match the hunger and intensity of our opponents, that is the fundamental ingredient.

[ONeill]

Well done Down you played your part in an epic epoque- ending battle as all great teams need to go through, and I wish you well
Tyrone we had our day and its over - for many players that have given unparallelled service to the county, for the management who have brought us to the promised land twice.  Its sad, its over but we were beat by the aristocracy of Ulster football after a great great battle. We will go so far in the back door but we must realise we need a new team to be built, playing a new system, some will remain and maybe take another Celtic Cross in a new era, and whilst Mickey may wish to remain on for the good of Tyrone football I think he will decide to move on and maybe give it another go in a few years.  How could he not be too loyal to the panel that has brought the big results to Tyrone football.  How can we expect him to demolish and rebuild?  What we seen last night was the dying kick of a great team, that yes were ravaged by injury over the past number of years but thats football - we had won 2 aititles so we cant be greedy - there was probably no more than 2 all irelands in the group of players, some are burnt out mentally, some physically, and some are fine for another few years, but 2 all irelands renders that team and management great and we will never forget their achievements.  I doubt if there is a better management in Ulster never mind Tyrone that Mickey but he must move to the side after this year - the next 3 years could be tough.  Come back in 6 if he wants he is still a young man, but is he ruthless enough with the older players - I think he has proven that he isnt and that he has struggled to bring forward new talent and new ideas on the back of his major successes.
Our day will come again!!   

Agree 100%.

That's all I want to say on the matter for now.