McKenna Cup 2024

[Maguire01]

Can't find a match report anywhere but just read the scores on twitter there. How did Clarke do? Was he marking McManus

Subbed early on - couldn't handle McManus.

[red hander]

S O'N MOTM -- it's been a while!

Class is permanent, Strabane man, class is permanent... One of the best I've seen, and always a joy to watch in the white/red shirt!

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

S O'N MOTM -- it's been a while!

Class is permanent, Strabane man, class is permanent... One of the best I've seen, and always a joy to watch in the white/red shirt!

Yep, and a great Strabane (suburbs) man he is himself! 

[Fuzzman]

Eh? Are ye gonna claim the Newton and Aghyaran players now as well Fear. What's the story with Freeman this year?

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Eh? Are ye gonna claim the Newton and Aghyaran players now as well Fear. What's the story with Freeman this year?

Was waiting for that! (Only when it suits  ).

[tyroneman]

Think Clarke really needs to settle into 1 position and try to make that his own.

It's not MF as he's just that wee bit too slow. FB seemed to be the place but he really needs another run of games there. Seemed to struggle there tonight 

Thought mcA was excellent. Showed well, took some excellent points. Pick of the forwards (inc SoN)


McBride was also v good. Understated, but did the simple things well and kept the ball moving.

Good performance from Tyrone tonight and with RoN, Coney, mcNabb etc to come back.....things are looking brighter.

MF will still be the problem. Surely Justy must be worth a run there???

[Redhand Santa]

After a disappointing display last week that was pleasing tonight given the amount of new faces involved. We won a lot more breaking ball tonight which was pleasing and a lot of the new boys including McBride and McAliskey showed up well. McAliskey scored a couple of nice points, I'm not convinced he's quite ready yet for county football in terms of ball winning ability but deserves more chances in the league.

Another very impressive display from Cavanagh who got through a lot of work. I personally think if we could get both McMahons fit that one of them should partner him in the middle and the other go to centre half back. Mattie Donnelly also picked up a good bit of ball and Mark Donnelly obviously got the scores. Will leave Harte with a few difficult decisions next week and even more in the weeks ahead if he can get everybody back fit.

[red hander]

 ;

Eh? Are ye gonna claim the Newton and Aghyaran players now as well Fear. What's the story with Freeman this year?

Was waiting for that! (Only when it suits  ).

Jaysus, this east Tyrone boy didnnt mean to start a row with youse westies!!! The guy's a legend east or west!!!!!

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Jaysus, this east Tyrone boy didnnt mean to start a row with youse westies!!! The guy's a legend east or west!!!!!

No worries, Fuzzman well knows that I know that he (and Stevie) are a good mountain or two away from Strabane's river valley! 

[Fuzzman]

 I sure do. Yis kicked him & Dooher enough around  yer valley pitch.  Is Rory McIlroy from the 'head of the town now as well? Lol             

[Fuzzman]

Yeah it all sounds good at the moment with so many 'promising' young lads coming through, Coney & Ronan O'Neill there from last year or two, big Sean & Stevie showing they can still turn it on, Justy & Colm two big men still to come back it all looks very bright. However, the Gaelic instinct in us stops some us getting too carried away. As we saw last year, if you're not strong, super fit and prepared to lay your body on the line for the team then having a bunch of talent won't be enough. Our midfield strategy still seems to be one of forget winning clean ball there and play two guys that can run all day & take scores. Has the defence tightened up or have we just not been really tested so far? We can no longer put Block on people like Gooch and expect miracles but of course I know sweepers & defensive strategies will be used instead which have served us well in the past. In Mickey we trust. I think rebuilding is going well

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I sure do. Yis kicked him & Dooher enough around  yer valley pitch.  Is Rory McIlroy from the 'head of the town now as well? Lol             

Don't be so ridiculous... everyone knows that Holywood (Co. Down) is Ballycolman, not Head of the Town!   

You grossly underestimate the spread of suburban Strabane (when it suits) Fuzzman. 

[upmonaghansayswe]

I haven't had the time to post since the game on Saturday night.

All in all, a useful McKenna Cup run out over the past few weeks with a few good additions to the panel for the league but not many positives to take from the final accept to acknowledge the gap that exists between the top tier and ourselves. But still, a promising league should set us up nicely for a run in Ulster in the summer.

The game itself was a done deal by just after half time, not that Tyrone were exceptional in the first half but the nature of the two goals before half time and the sending off in-between finished it at as a contest. In that respect of that I'd like to comment on the nature of a startling percentage of Tyrone supporters in relation to their conduct throughout the entire game but most alarmingly the second half.
   
First of all, the McKenna cup is a competition that attracts only those fans who really wish to get the intercounty scene going as early as possible. No bandwagon starts in January so it's fair to say that those in attendance last Saturday night are the "hardcore" county support. And given the weather conditions they must be applauded for doing so. (Think I heard the announcer say 5/6 thousand were in attendance and judging by the support around me in the stand Id conservatively say 70% were of Tyrone support). But that by no way makes up for the tone and general attitude of some of these supporters that has made me post this.

Quite simply, I have never heard language and abuse (directed at a referee) of this nature at a McKenna Cup game. I accept that the refereeing performance was not of the highest quality or consistency and many dubious free/decisions were awarded in the first half, many in favour of Monaghan. Tyrone weren't playing great in the first half and two defensive errors lead to the goals, so by half time (despite being 2-7 to 1-4 down), the game wasn't completely finished. So on that point ill pardon some of the vented anger that was on show.   

The second half though is where emotion and anger could not be defended and can only be described as abuse. Again to put into context, this sort of behaviour is par for the course during championship when so much is at stake and blow-ins arrive on the terraces and tarnish the good name of the real supporter. We all have them, and we all see it, but a pre-season final in January does not merit the same tone as high summer. The game was over within 5 min of the second half with Tyrone scoring 1-1. 9 points up against a Div 3 team with 14 men and 30 minutes to play, well most fans would sit back start talking about the local scandal!. But oh no, still every contact with any of their players resulted in an awful outcry of injustice, and profanities hurled at the ref. I won't even quote examples, but there were many and from all around me, and being from Derry didn't help the man in black. And from talking to other fans around the ground, my experience wasn't an isolated one. In general there was a siege mentality in that stand (or my side of it) at a level that I have never witnessed before at the McKenna Cup.

I'm not wishing to tar all Tyrone supporters with same brush. Living and working on the border I would normally have nothing but praise for the Tyrone football people in my area but whatever was in the air last Saturday night was not something I ever associated with the O`Neill county. Maybe it was just blowing off winter cobwebs but it wasn't a pretty sight.

Anyway here's hoping for a fruitful league for the Farney in the coming weeks and months!.

[The Trap]

Im from Tyrone and i cannot stand beside a lot of Tyrone supporters! You will find though that they are generally people who have never played the game, dont have any affiliation to clubs, dont do anything for the GAA in general apart from pay club membership (in order to have a chance of a ticket if Tyrone get to all ireland!!). In short they dont understand the GAA so they behave like soccer supporters as that is what they see on tv!!!

[God14]

I accept your comments 'upmonaghansayswe' & unfortunately, like all counties, we do indeed have a nasty element amongst our hard core support.

However I'd like to point out that this particular referee has history with Tyrone. He's a fairly young & inexperiened ref - however he getting bigger & bigger games this past couple of years ~ firstly McRory Finals there about 2yrs ago, and now onto the intercounty stage

In particular - he effectively dediced the outcome of the Ulster U21 final last year, which I attented. His performance that night was a truely shocking performance of refereeing.

Indeed he needed an escort to get out of McHale park in Mayo last year, as he ballsed that match up as well. Conor Mortimor had plenty to say about him on twitter.

And guess what - he's down to referee Tyrone V Down on Saturday night.