Tyrone v Kerry All Ireland Final 2008

[reddgnhand]

I only hope that Tyrone will adopt above board tactics. It would be better for them to lose gallantly rather than reverting to puke football and winning Sam, for which they will get no credit and will tarnish the proud name of Ulster.

Also the Jeckyll and Hyde nature of Tyrone needs to be factored in. In the last 12 months they' ve lost Championship games against mediocrities like Meath and Down, struggled profusely against Mayo (who put up a much more credible challenge than either Dublin or Wexford). Kerry would not have lost to either Meath or Down and would have brushed aside the challenge of Mayo.

We feel your pain. This is great he is losing the will to live.

[thejuice]

My head doesnt know but my gut feeling is Kerry

[Over the Bar]

LOL.  Search back for Fearon's post in July, stating that Armagh were going to set the record straight and claim their 2nd All-Ireland this year!  

If Tyrone beat Kerry on 21st September, expect to find him swinging from a rope along with a few other bitter apples in the home of anti-football!

[nrico2006]

I love this talk of Kerry having the better players too - good craic!

[Over the Bar]

I love this talk of Kerry having the better players too - good craic!

No they do.  We don't stand a chance.  Kerry will do 3 in a row without getting out of 2nd gear.  They will show the same unnerving accuracy in front of the posts as in the 2 Cork games.   We might as well not bother turning up.   And their defense is unbeatable....

[his holiness nb]

A very interesting one, a month ago I wouldnt have given Tyrone a chance, now I'd be about 51/49 for them winning. Re "better players" I definately think Kerry have more talented players, but the fitness levels of Tyrone in the past 2 games has been awesome. Higher fitness levels quite often more than make up for being a little less skillful.

Now before you Tyronies jump on me, there are some fantastically skilled players in your side, my comments are purely in comparison to the Kerry players.

Its going to be one hell of a battle out there, thats for sure and may the best team win.

Hopefully we will see a final contested in good spirit too.
theres been a lot of negative stuff from these two sides this year, I hope not to see any of it in the final. If all the nonsense is put aside, this should be a cracker.

[JMohan]

If I was a Kerry man I'd be a little worried that they're fitness doesn't seem fully up to the mark for 70 minutes of hard football, they seem to tire a little in the last 15.

AFS - just a few points
Murphys crown has slipped a little this year - I'm not as confident in him as before.
O'Sullivan's confidence is shook this year and while he's a good defender I think he's had a bad year all round.
While I agree in general, with the game Tyrone play I can see Harte and Ricey having good games as after 10 minutes positions mean nothing.
McMahon will have a far bigger impact on the game than Sheehan IMO.

That apart it's pretty fair ... though we all know that it'll pan out very different in the team game

[Zapatista]

I love this talk of Kerry having the better players too - good craic!

They do, only the most short sighted of Tyrone men can't see this:

Devine - Murphy - I've gone for the one that doesn't allow points bounce over his bar.
Gourley - O'Sullivan - O'Sullivan isn't great at FB but he's a good CB, and Gourley is a weak link back there for Tyrone IMO.
McMahon - Griffin - Tie.
Ricey - O'Se - Ricey's point scoring exploits disguise the fact that he's a dodgy man marker. O'Se is the best in the business.
Harte - O'Se - See above word for word with Harte instead of Ricey.
Gormely - - O'Mahony - Tie.
Jordan - Young - Jordan's recent form sneaks it.
McGinley - O'Se - McGinley has been good recently no doubt, but O'Se has been immense for years.
Holmes - Scanlon - Scanlon is a hugely underrated player who'd be the top man in the middle in nearly any other county but Kerry.
McMahon - Sheehan - Tie, both good at what they do.
McCullagh - O'Sullivan - O'Sullivan is the best CHF in the country by some distance.
Dooher - Galvin  - Tie, top two in the country in their position
McGuigan - Walsh - Walsh has scored more and contributed more in the last couple of games for Kerry than McGuigan has for Tyrone.
Cavanagh - Donaghy - Tie, both outstanding players.
Penrose - Cooper - No doubt here.

I'd have Kerry ahead in 8 or 9 with Tyrone only on top in a couple of positions at best. Though the way Tyrone have managed to play as a unit largely renders individual talents irrelevant so it still wouldn't surprise me if they managed to win. Tyrone also have the best manager in the country which helps too.

That's conclusive so. I see point scoring from half backs and defending by forwards are not considered pluses.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

I have to say im really looking forward to what should be a cracking game.....Heres my take on it.......

Looking at Tyrone, i think its fair to say theyve played two bad teams in recent weeks, all this talk of dublin not showing up and stuff like that.....thats buls*it...Dublin are a mediocre team.....When faced with preassure they crack....As for wexford, they did well but didnt have the legs or experience to compete with tyrone....

Kerrys last few games has been much tougher, yesterdays game against cork will have brought them on leaps and bounds....they look like a team on a mission....But they wont have faced anything like the intensity fo this tyrone team....People talk about tyrones style of play, and the secrets of it....There arent any secrets to it....Hard work has brought the team where they are...
To the final itself, i have a few worries about the tyrone team......Gourley at 2, holmes at 8 and mc cullagh at 15.....Yesterday mc cullough was fantastic, Its a tough call but is ther a place for the mecurial brian mc guigan??  I have my doubts...When you see mc culloughs array of passing, hez a class act....As for gourley, he has to go...Mossy quinn gave him the runaround and he was caught yesterday for lyngs goal...

Talk of midfield possession is irrellavant...do kerry think john devine will kick the ball down the throats of Darragh os Se..No...short kickouts will be the order fo the day....Build from the back as tryone like to do....A tatic brought in by Paddy Tally.....

Defensively id put Gormley on Young Walsh, Mc Mahon on Donaghy & Ricey On the Gooch, Jordan will pick up O sullivan, Harte will play on Sheehan and that leaves AN Other to pick up Galvin ...Personally id play D Mc Caul or PJ Quinn....

That same Dublin team ran Kerry very close in last years semi. Would rate them at least as good as Cork who crumble under pressure every bit as much as Dublin.

On a seperate point about Kerry having the better players. There was a lot of talk about this in 2005 as well when Tyrone outplayed them for much of the 70 minutes and won the game.

[T Fearon]

I too hope for a great final. My gripe is with the fickle fairweather Tyrone "fans" (they came out of the woodwork yesterday) who would have had Harte hung after the Down game, yet after two wins against mediocre opposition, when they were tested for about 20 minutes, they have the best manager and best team of all time.

If they beat Kerry fair and square, without resorting to underhand tactics I will acknowledge Tyrone as a great team and Harte as a great manager

[dodgy umpire]

Tony, if tyrone beat kerry it will not be down to underhand tactics

[Over the Bar]

If they beat Kerry fair and square, without resorting to underhand tactics I will acknowledge Tyrone as a great team and Harte as a great manager

I'm sure the opinion of a serial competition entrant will mean a lot to them.  

[FL/MAYO]

Looking forward to this should be a great game, I think Tyrone have a great chance as they have improved immensely since their poor display against Mayo. Kerry are a great team, if they beat Tyrone in the final it will validate them as one of the great Kerry teams. It will be a cracker, the display of the full back lines on either team will be the key to which team wins.

[On_the_Couch]

I too hope for a great final. My gripe is with the fickle fairweather Tyrone "fans" (they came out of the woodwork yesterday) who would have had Harte hung after the Down game, yet after two wins against mediocre opposition, when they were tested for about 20 minutes, they have the best manager and best team of all time.

If they beat Kerry fair and square, without resorting to underhand tactics I will acknowledge Tyrone as a great team and Harte as a great manager

Having read some of what you have posted about Tyrone I've no doubt that farweather supporters is not your only gripe about Tyrone.

[nrico2006]

A few dubious ties there.  Cavanagh is better than Donaghy.  Bold statement, but true.

You have made alot of comparisons between Tyrones starting team from Sunday with a Kerry team which includes a few players who weren't part of the team on Sunday (Galvin & O'Se).  I would doubt that Holmes and Penrose will start the final.  I would have McMenamin ahead of Marc O'Se given both players current form, and Dooher anyday ahead of Galvin.  As for Darragh O'Se, we are going on this years form not 2000 or any other year.  How he played then doesn't matter now.