Ulster Final 2008 - Armagh vs Fermanagh

[Uladh]

Ferm, I presume you're talking about the free given against Little in the dying minutes. It was clearly a legitimate hand pass but he took a mad dive and in my mind anyway deserved nothing (at the time I presumed the ref gave the free out for the dive).

That would be the one.  The free was definitely given for a throw ball

Yeah, should have been for the dive. can lads get booked for diving?

[Slapdash]

Yeah, should have been for the dive. can lads get booked for diving?
[/quote]

Unless the ref can categorise it under something else there is nothing in the rulebook.  Sure Martin O'Rourke wouldn't last a game if there was

[bennydorano]

Vernon would be far better suited in the centre (MF or CHF), the WF role is one he only plays for Armagh, I never thought he looked comfortable even at U21 County level playing it.  He's a natural defender/Midfielder, I think he's too inexperienced to play MF at the moment but will end up there some day soon. 

It looks fairly obvious that he's been given a specific job, that involves doing donkey work that goes largely unnoticed (I watched the game last night and thought he looked ok on TV,whereas I thought he was poor enough while at the game).  I can clearly remember McGrane giving off to him at the Cavan game for going for a ball in centre MF- so it obviously is part of the plan.
I'd love to see him line out at CHF on Sunday with Donaghy CHB(AOR sweeping) and both in the mix for fielding & break ball. 

It will be interesting to see what McDonnell does, nothing major I'd expect.

[TheHeckler]

The situation with the crowd on the hill was a joke yesterday. I arrived at 11.40 and we weren't allowed in. The stewards wanted clarification from the Ulster Council that the Hill Terrace actually meant the Hill and not the O'Duffy terracing behind the goals. I asked some official how they had left it to an hour after the place opened to get this clarification and he told me to effectively get lost. The crowd began to get bigger and they still weren't letting us in. Thankfully somebody gave the go ahead but clearly from other people's posts the organisation seems to be have been a shambles. One of the stewards said that problems with overcrowding occured at the Down V Armagh game and they didn't want it repeated.

That's an absoute disgrace.  I was at the Armagh v Down game the last day and could only get tickets for the Hill (which wasn't ideal as I have young chlidren).  That day I probably spent more time keeping an eye out to make sure they weren't being trampled, than I probably did as to what was going on on the field.  the Hill was absoultely bunged - steps and passageways packed full with spectators.  I couldn't understand why the O'Duffy terrace looked so empty.  When you're in that type of situation you can't help but think of major disasters that have happened in other sporting stadiums.

For Sunday's game we were in the Eastern stand, and the problem there was that a lot of people sat wherever they felt like (and not according to seats per ticket) - and other people came along to sit in the seats as printed on their tickets - and nobody would move.  when I watched the match later that evening you could see a few empty sections within the stand, and yet the reality was in other sections people were virtually sitting on top of each other. 

Health and safety issues should be a major priority - but what can you do when you have stewards who obviously either cannot read, or have not familarised themselves with the layout of the grounds?  The ground regulations as per programme states "a person may not obstruct a gangway, stairway or circulation area at any time".  At the Down v Armagh game the stewards and the garda let people congregate like that well before throw-in but did not move them on.  Could they not see that the O'Duffy terrace or any other areas have spare capacity and move people onto those areas rather than excluding them totally?  I feel sorry for those people then who did not get into the ground, when they had paid for their tickets - especially when it is down to poor organisation on the GAA's part.   It's a shame that this situation was allowed to happen again, and spoiled the day for so many.

[Hardy]

The Health and Safety Executive should come down heavy on these clowns in the Ulster Council and force them to get their act together before there's a major disaster in Clones. Someone of my acquaintance complained to a steward in Clones a few years ago about a seating issue. Your man wasn't interested. Then my friend saw a green blazer down by the fence and approached him, in very courteous terms. The response? "If you don't stop causing trouble you'll find yourself outside the gate"!

[armaghniac]

I was in the O'Duffy terrace, which wasn't unpleasantly overcrowded. However my ticket said enter by gate x1-x9 (not sure of the number) but I couldn't reconcile this number with the numbers actually on the gates at the O'Duffy terrace.  Surely it is possible to put the right gate number on the ticket!

[Onion Bag]

them numbers mean nothing, you can just go through any gate

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Vernon would be far better suited in the centre (MF or CHF), the WF role is one he only plays for Armagh, I never thought he looked comfortable even at U21 County level playing it.  He's a natural defender/Midfielder, I think he's too inexperienced to play MF at the moment but will end up there some day soon.

Charlie's hardly much less experienced than Kieran Toner particularrly given his experience at Sigerson level. I do think we need to make a change somewhere around the centre. The half back line had a poor match but its been our strongest line all year so I wouldn't t**ker with it yet. Possibly play Vernon at midfield and DOnaghy in the half forwards. It'd be harsh on Toner to lose his place but he could always been brought in.

The other issue is whether we can afford to play both Brian Mallon and Stephen Kernan in the same forward line given their lack of physicality which can impact on the amount of breaking ball they win.

[bennydorano]

Dont know if you picked me up wrong Tac but I certainly wasn't advocating Vernon instead of Toner: in addition to as a third MF'er or CHF.  Toner was one of our star performers on Sunday IMO.

[orangeman]

Dont know if you picked me up wrong Tac but I certainly wasn't advocating Vernon instead of Toner: in addition to as a third MF'er or CHF.  Toner was one of our star performers on Sunday IMO.

I too thought Toner was very good but Armagh simply couldn't get a ball in the last 20 minutes - not even a break !

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Ulster all stars??

             R Gallagher
A Mallon     Bellew     K McGuckin

T McElroy R McCluskey C McKeever

     M McGrath D Gordon

E Maguire S Kiernan S Cavanagh

S McDonnell R Clarke S Johnston

Definitely a few very debatable positions here

Cavanagh played 2games in ulster championship against us, in the 2nd he was totally ineffective.  I'd take him out of the eqaution and replace him with Ryan Keenan.  I know Keenan's frees on sunday were woeful but his workrate is immense, and against monaghan and derry he was exellent

Are you sure you were at the game? Cavanagh played out of position and still scored 3 from play, won 2 or 3 very scoreable frees and set up a couple of other points.

[Bulwinkle]

PS Anyone else, like me, on this Board,able to claim that they have attended both Armagh Fermanagh Ulster Finals, in 1982 and 2008?

God you are really, really great.
I`d love you as my favourite mate.
Ì`d be your friend and listen to all the words you say,
In fact whenever you post i do feel a tiny bit gay.

You are the fountain of knowledge and the reason for my life,
In fact i might marry you and ditch my wife.
You are the cream of the milk you are the flake in my ice-cream,
Whenver i close my eyes its of you that i dream.

I suppose you got a free ticket in `82.

[open her out]

in reference to the hill on sunday how come it has become so over crowded, im sure in previous years i presume clones sold out for matches 2-3 times a year with a certain amount of tickets allocated to the hill. what makes the ulster council think that it can now hold more people??? sunday past was a disgrace about 20 minutes into the senior match 2 garda officers started forcing people in in front of me an it was packed before they started if this continues someone will get hurt.

IF YOU ASK ME ITS PURE AN UTTER GREED!!!!!

[armaghniac]

An accusation of greed is unfair, for one thing if there are few tickets, like Tyrone and Louth, and fans cannot attend then there is criticism then too. When the Ulster final was in Croke Pk this greed word was around when all that was happening was that more people were able to go.

One wonders if some of the people there did not have tickets, but secrured entry by climbing over the fence, giving a backhander to the gateman, going to wrong part of the ground or whatever.

[Throw ball]

From an Armagh point of view I was wondering if we have to find a place for Tony Kernan on Sunday if Maurice Deegan is referee. There is bound to be plenty of frees and this could prove decisive.