Tyrone v Kerry All Ireland Final 2008

[armaghniac]

backed a county double with a single stake of £1,000 at odds of 75-1

75-1 doesn't seem great odds for a straight double, you could get 33-1 on the senior win, what we the odds on the minors after the first round, no less than 4-1 I imagine.

[under the bar]

I heard this story in May and understand that the bet was laid before a ball was kicked.  Tyrone were 10-1 then and the minors prob 15/2. 

[orangeman]

Does anyone know if yer man from Georgia made it over?

Kerry representatives in the foreign affairs department blocked his visa application - they complained that Tyrone had enough foriegn support !  

[Final Whistle]

cute moy hoors

[orangeman]

cute moy hoors

All of them !!! 

[tc_manchester]

Took this from The Kerryman :
Kerry management made serious errors of judgement
Wednesday October 01 2008

THE fallout from losing a third All Ireland final to Tyrone in six years hit home last week as Kerry supporters surveyed the wreckage of a damaging defeat in which the reigning champions were outsmarted and outmanoeuvred both on and of the field.

So many things went wrong that it is difficult to pinpoint why Pat O'Shea's men, with so much at stake, contrived to play what was arguably their poorest football of the whole year (excluding the league final against Derry and the Munster final defeat by Cork). Three defeats in major finals in one year is bad enough, but when the most calamitous failure comes on the biggest day of all before a sellout crowd in Croke Park there is justifiable bewilderment.

With so many top players under-achieving it was, perhaps, understandable that supporters would find it hard to deal with a situation that was so untypical of Kerry in an All Ireland final. Being beaten so comprehensively in the end hasn't been the only shock.

There were also some poor decisions by management that have compounded the overall disappointment. All of this is perfectly understandable. Kerry supporters demand high standards and they are entitled to expect only the very best on a day when everything is on the line. They didn't get that nor anything remotely near it.

Tyrone's claustrophobic gameplan undoubtedly contributed to what unfolded. Kerry didn't play poorly just by accident; they were presssurised into making numerous mistakes. By now, Mickey Harte is an exhaustive student of Kerry football, which he knows like the back of his hand. Consequently, there is nothing that would have spooked him in terms of tactical innovation.

Harte is a top-class practitioner who would have guessed correctly that the opposition had nothing new in their armoury – which they hadn't. Any fool could have told him how important it was to eliminate the threat of Cooper, Donaghy and Walsh who had signalled their devastating potential well in advance. Equally important, he would have to ensure that pressure was exerted on outfield players in a way that allowed little quality ball being directed into this area. Some of these pressure tactics included obstructionist fouling that mostly went unpunished by the referee.

By moving the tenacious and destructive Conor Gormley to left full-back Harte was clearly intent on presenting Colm Cooper with his biggest test to date. The two McMahons, mostly unrated up to now, were handed the mammoth task of defusing two of Kerry's key players, Kieran Donaghy and Tommy Walsh. When Kerry's front line of attack wasn't functioning and with several fouls being ignored by the referee Tyrone were on their way.

By his own high standards, Kieran Donaghy had a complete off-day with little going right for him. From the start his normal animation appeared to have gone missing and he looked completely out of sorts with himself. In any event it came as a huge surprise to see him being marked out of it. Obviously, his recent injury must have been a factor. He had done little training and for whatever reason wasn't even a shadow of the great player we know him to be.

The Kerry selectors made their first blunder of the day when deciding late in the first half to bring Donaghy outfield to play as a third midfielder. This suited Tyrone down to the ground because it took the opposition's main play-maker away from his normal domain and brought him into an area where he made no impression. Secondly, it clogged up a sector where Kerry were already marginally on top. Absolutely nothing was gained from that experiment.

Tommy Walsh filled the vacant space in front of goal but was getting nothing off his marker. After an early knock the Kerins O'Rahilly's man became a peripheral figure although he did have one half-chance of scoring what would have been a vital goal.

Walsh is a midfielder by inclination and when he blasted the ball against the advancing goalkeeper he did what most outfield players in his situation would have done. Had he chosen to jink the keeper his physical strength would have given him a chance of putting the ball in the net. Alternatively, he might posssibly have been fouled for a penalty.

Colm Cooper was Kerry's lone scoring threat in attack with Declan O'Sullivan foraging deep in defence where he did some great work. He also contributed spasmodically up front and his late goal attempt (had it come off) might have saved the day. With Eoin Brosnan and Bryan Sheehan ineffective on the wings, Kerry's attacking threat was minimal throughout.

Keeping Darran O'Sullivan under wraps for the whole season was a mistake. The Glenbeigh/Glencar clubman is a forward of real quality having proved himself repeatedly when coming on as a sub over the past few years. During the league campaign earlier this year he was among the top five players on the team. The question must arise therefore: Why has he been held in reserve when he should have become a first-choice regular long before now? To deny him that opportunity is not just ill-advised, it is morally wrong and unjustifiable.

Similarly in the case of Tommy Griffin whose exclusion was mind-boggling. After performing so well in both games against Cork the Dingle publican appeared to have done everybody a big favour by sorting out the notoriously troublesome full-back position. That was the presumption, but things turned out very differently. To the absolute bafflement of supporters Griffin was dropped for the next game, the All Ireland final! Making a wrong call in the heat of a big game is an occupational hazard, but when a decision is made in the cold light of day that flies in the face of reason it is hard to acccept.

Paul Galvin's introduction on the 58th minute came far too late. If he was to play a meaningful role he should have been brought on much earlier and allow him, say 10 minutes, to adjust to the pace of the game. Admittedly, he didn't look right after coming on but, given more time, he might have made some kind of impact.

In fairness, the selectors did make some good moves during the year. The introduction of Tommy Walsh in mid-season was a master-stroke while the bold and adventurous step of trying to convert Griffin into a full-back was working until the blueprint was discarded. Micheal Quirke was a success in the replay against Cork. Similarly, the late arrival of David Moran that day reaped rich dividends. This begs the question though: Why have we seen so little of him?

Tyrone have won three All Irelands with a mixture of some very good and some very ordinary players. Their success does not rest with brilliant individual talent. At least five of the side that beat Kerry on September 21 would struggle to make the Tralee John Mitchels' side of the 1960s. Kerry have far better quality, but it is not paying off.
Why this is happening is something that must be addressed before the future can even be considered.

**Just checked on wikipedia and they won 5 championships so they must have been some team. The question is what five couldn't have made it - since it was the 'catch and kick' days who out of the tyrone team would fall down on the old mano-mano style of football

[orangeman]

Tyrone have won three All Irelands with a mixture of some very good and some very ordinary players. Their success does not rest with brilliant individual talent.


Don't think you could argue too much with that. Ordinary mightn't be the right word. They're all good players mixed with some exceptional talent.

[orangeman]

Tyrone have won three All Irelands with a mixture of some very good and some very ordinary players. Their success does not rest with brilliant individual talent.


Don't think you could argue too much with that. Ordinary mightn't be the right word. They're all good players mixed with some exceptional talent.

Better not forget the exceptional manager as well ! 

[ziggysego]

THE fallout from losing a third All Ireland final to Tyrone in six years hit home last week as Kerry supporters surveyed the wreckage of a damaging defeat in which the reigning champions were outsmarted and outmanoeuvred both on and of the field.

Only won two All-Ireland Finals against Kerry....

[nrico2006]

Just read the Kerryman article - I would love to know which 5 too.  If there were 5 from the Tyrone side unable to make it, how many from the Kerry side would there be?  This craic about Tyrone having less individually talented players than Kerry really makes me laugh - yes, Tyrone played extremely efficiently this summer as a unit, but this craic about Kerry having the better individuals is crap.  If this was the case, then why have they been beaten by Tyrone on each major occasion of recent years?  Yes, management and tactics are important but it takes footballers to put the ball over the bar or in the net, and this Tyrone team must surely have one of the highest percentage rates of scores from play of any All Ireland winning side in a while.  Kerry are the kingpins of Gaelic football, but alot of their current players have built somewhat exaggerated reputations based on games against (no disrespect meant) the Clares/Limericks/Waterfords of this world and an annual trilogy with Cork.  As Fear previously mentioned, look at the number of All Ireland titles at all grades these Tyrone players have in comparison to their Kerry counterparts - the medal count doesn't lie.

[feetofflames]

Tyrone have won three All Irelands with a mixture of some very good and some very ordinary players. Their success does not rest with brilliant individual talent. At least five of the side that beat Kerry on September 21 would struggle to make the Tralee John Mitchels' side of the 1960s. Kerry have far better quality, but it is not paying off.

Jody Gormley in GL a couple of weeks ago quoted Chris Lawn at 4 00 in the morning as saying

..they just will never get it...

As long as the Kerrymen still believe they have the better footballers we will keep handing them their asses in croke Park.  Keep believing folks - its fun to watch.     

[Over the Bar]

So long as Kerry people/press continue to insist that they are the better team, they will continue to look for other reasons why Tyrone beat them, tactics, dirty play etc.    It will all come home to roost on the scapegoat manager.  Mickey Harte has already seen two fine Kerry managers off into retirement and rest assured Pat O'Shea will be next.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

How quickly the vintage wine has soured to vinegar down the Kingdom way 

[ONeill]

Some hacks simply believe that a brilliant footballer is one who has just stepped out of a book: Big brown tanned legs; galloping strides and a green/gold geansai on his spine. What's a great footballer? Someone who executes the skills of the game with the fewest mistakes and is consistantly a major player in the game. Preferably two-footed in the solo and shot selection. Someone who intelligently uses the ball by hand and foot and also uses the grey matter when not in possession. Someone who'll condition his body to compete at the highest level. Put all that in a big cauldron and you'll find the majority of that Tyrone starting 15 in it.

[full back]

Some hacks simply believe that a brilliant footballer is one who has just stepped out of a book: Big brown tanned legs; galloping strides and a green/gold geansai on his spine. What's a great footballer? Someone who executes the skills of the game with the fewest mistakes and is consistantly a major player in the game. Preferably two-footed in the solo and shot selection. Someone who intelligently uses the ball by hand and foot and also uses the grey matter when not in possession. Someone who'll condition his body to compete at the highest level. Put all that in a big cauldron and you'll find the majority of that Tyrone starting 15 in it.

I think you have just described Maurice Fitz