Louth vs. Sligo

[pedro]

I wouldn't usually start a thread like this but seein as there are a few Sligonians posting I might as well.

At the start of the year both teams would have imagined themselves at the other end of the table but sure you have to go with what you have. Following Louth's heavy beating of Sligo in 2006, we will have to be wary of Sligo looking for revenge. If we can perform to near the level of the Longford game I think we should win. I have to say Sligo have really disappointed since their Connaught win, if we had to have beat Cork last year, I think we would have easilt beat Sligo in the Quarters. They still seem to be poor in the forward line and may try to employ their defensive game on Sunday.

I'll go with a 3-4 point win for Louth. However, a good performance will be more important

[magpie seanie]

I wouldn't have thought Sligo would challenge for promotion but would have hoped we'd be in better shape than we are. I'm getting like a broken record keeping going on about how we are a bad league team and there are specific reasons for it in my eyes. Jordan is a new intercounty manager and new to the Sligo scene and its taken him a while to adjust. While some seem ready to wield the axe I'd cut him a bit of slack. For a man under as much pressure he didn't demand the use of good U-21 players and seems to be very amenable to clubs. Ok - results are the most important thing and they have been poor but I think they will come. I'd have problems with a lot of the team selections but again - I'd imagine as he gets to know the scene better he'll get that closer to right as time progresses.

The penalty for demotion to Div 4 of no qualifiers is pretty unfair and hopefully we can still save our skins with two good performances. Ironically if we had failed in the end to avoid Div 4 last year it would have made no difference as we went through the front door to the quarters.

For this Sunday it will have to be the radio for me due to club committments. Would like to see Stephen Henry, Karol O'Neill, Brendan Phillips get some game time. I know we are as good as any of the teams in the Division on our day so hopefully the turning point is this weekend. A draw or win would be massive. We are capable but would be second favourites. Complacency from Louth would be welcomed!

[GalwayBayBoy]

I'm getting like a broken record keeping going on about how we are a bad league team and there are specific reasons for it in my eyes.

History would show ye're not much of a championship team either Seanie.

Sorry Seanie. Couldn't resist. I just see that phrase from you so often.

[magpie seanie]

We saw how relevant league form was last July didn't we GBB?

Big Cullinane won't count on a hard, fast pitch but he's playing well for you now. We could do with him for the next couple of weeks.

[Owenmoresider]

I wouldn't have thought Sligo would challenge for promotion but would have hoped we'd be in better shape than we are. I'm getting like a broken record keeping going on about how we are a bad league team and there are specific reasons for it in my eyes. Jordan is a new intercounty manager and new to the Sligo scene and its taken him a while to adjust. While some seem ready to wield the axe I'd cut him a bit of slack. For a man under as much pressure he didn't demand the use of good U-21 players and seems to be very amenable to clubs. Ok - results are the most important thing and they have been poor but I think they will come. I'd have problems with a lot of the team selections but again - I'd imagine as he gets to know the scene better he'll get that closer to right as time progresses.

I'd go with that. Better to give the U21's like Henry, Grady and maybe Coen (more of a threat than Kelly going on U21 games) a go rather than turning back to the likes of Flannery, who have been there and haven't done it. Davey would want to up his game too to justify his return. Will Sweeney be granted another chance to disprove the theory that he cannot start in a game? Will McTernan get another run tafter a decent outing last Sunday? Will O'Neill get a chance at all? He'd want to assemble some polaroids pronto.

[Teeling Gael]

I possibly have been most critical of Jordan than anyone one on here in the sense that I have questioned whether his Croosmolina experience has prepared him for intercounty management sufficiently. Think its a fair question. Dont think he has been helped by his late appointment( no ones fault) and the carryover of selectors from previous regime in that they obviously know last years panel better than U21's etc and it is obvious to date than that some of last years panel are struggling to readjust to a different gameplan undr Jordan.

We are all aware that we are struggling in midfield  (with O Hara no longer having the staying power to play midfield , Beirnes avergae introduction to intercounty , Doohans/ Mc Gartys retirement and Taylors injury). However it is the constant changing of the forwrad line to th extend that most days it now resembles a senior clubs forwrad line rather than an inter county attack than is more disappointing. Worry slightly about talk off all the U21's. Dont think either of the midfielders have the physique yet for senior football and think Henry is a more natural half forward than midfielder regardless ( Mano ?? ). Coen unquestionably will be a quality intercounty footballer as i think will Farrell, Gaughan and Ewing but whether its in their best interests and long term Sligos, to be brought in at this moment and time , I would question. Dare I say it , that the Tommy Murphy cup might be a better introduction for them. Incidentally I may in a big minority here , but I am fully supportive of the Division 4 team not getting a second chance.

On Sunday, I expect it to be no different from our last visit to Louth where we were well beaten.

[Owenmoresider]

Worry slightly about talk off all the U21's. Dont think either of the midfielders have the physique yet for senior football and think Henry is a more natural half forward than midfielder regardless ( Mano ?? ). Coen unquestionably will be a quality intercounty footballer as i think will Farrell, Gaughan and Ewing but whether its in their best interests and long term Sligos, to be brought in at this moment and time , I would question. Dare I say it , that the Tommy Murphy cup might be a better introduction for them. Incidentally I may in a big minority here , but I am fully supportive of the Division 4 team not getting a second chance.

On Sunday, I expect it to be no different from our last visit to Louth where we were well beaten.

Agree re Henry, didn't think he should have been MF for T'strane either, but at wing-forward could be effective. They shouldn't be thrown-in a la Maughan but there may need to be a gradual shake-up and if they can make a difference to our chances of survival, then use them. Don't think we will win, but don't expect the beating of the last time, indeed a result of any kind would be valuable.

[Louth Exile]

I have to say that I am confident of a Louth win, given Sligo's current form, Louth's last outing in Longford with Paddy Keenan back, the result two years ago and home advantage you would have to be. It won't be the tally the last time that the teams met though, I thought from a pychological view point Louth should have fixed the game for the Clans field where they played Sligo two years ago. So for those of you travelling from Sligo, do note that the game is Dowdallshill and not the Clans where we played two years ago! Given that we don't have one decent county pitch we like to move the NFL fixtures around the place!

[magpie seanie]

Sligo somehow contrived to lose this game after leading by 6 with about 15 mins left. According to the radio Louth got two quick goals. Sligo kept fighting and looked to have salvaged a draw with an equaliser in the second minute of the two minutes of injury time. However, with mayhem breaking out all over the place the ref forgot about his watch and Louth stole the points with a point four and half minutes into injury time. That's what they said on the radio anyway. A fierce cruel blow for Sligo. Will need to win by a few next weekend to stay up.

[sligoman2]

Another heart breaker  made even worse by wins for leitrim and Longford...

[Owenmoresider]

Disaster. one small consolation in longford's win is that Limerick have now been dragged into the relegation dogfight, and they play Leitrim on the last day. But we have it all to do. To lose having been six up makes it worse, but sounds like the ref done us in the end. It was McCormack yes? If so he certainly has it in for us.

[Supermanscat]

Well that certainly was depressing! Any word on the u21s? I got the full list of my mate at the weekend of who got called up: Gaughan, Henry, McGowan, Gilmartin, Coen, Scanlon, Stenson, Doherty, Ewing, Murphy. Any of these lads feature today? Couldn make the game due to club commitments!

[Louth Exile]

I was at the game myself. The first thing I should do is apologise for my stupid comments in my earlier post (which I am going to leave there as a reminder to myself to have some cop on in the future). I will have to admit that Sligo definitely deserved to get something from the game, they were the better team. But Louth are a team who only too often both this year year and last in the league have been very unfortunate to be one point the wrong side of a result, so from that point of view it is about time that we for once got the one point victory that we didn't deserve. Pillar Caffrey and Dave Billings were at the game checking out Louth and I can assure that he didn't see much to be worried about from a Louth viewpoint!

The ref was supposed to be Mc Cormack from Meath, but it wasn't in the end, the ref was from Down (can't remember his name). I can assure of you of one thing though, he did not in anyway rob Sligo. LMFM was lit up with texts after the game from Louth supporters berating the ref, he was terrible. This having been said, there was a good 4 or 5 mins injury time to be played at the end of the game, it was not announced across the loudspeaker how much injury time there was, but I certainly felt that 4/5 mins was warranted. Why? A combination of referee fussiness and huge amount of Sligo time wasting that went unchecked. The goalies kickouts were particularly notable (In one instance after a Louth point there was a ball sitting on the 21 and he went to retrieve a ball from behind the goals) I don't blame him for this, Sligo had a six point lead, facing a strong wind and the ref was letting them away with, Louth would have done the same in that position.

Were Sligo robbed? Yes, but not by the injury time winner, but by the two goals within a minute half way though the second half.

Sligo played well in the first half and went in with a four point lead, which I felt at the time would not be enough for them. It is important to emphasise just how tricky the wind was, Sligo in the second half coped much better against it than Louth had in the first. Sligo were taking their chances when they presented in the most part, but Louth were finding it hard to create scoring opportunities in a conjested Sligo defence and when they did create were not able to account for the wind.

I was particularly impressed with Sligo in the opening ten minutes of the second half. This was definitely their best spell, they came out and played well against the wind, moving the ball well, creating space and taking some good scores from play. When the turning point came it was initially started by a long ball (50 yards+) from Paddy Kennan in midfield. Aaron Hoey had been moved in to the full forward line, where Shane Lennon was having an off day. When the ball landed in, it was just the two aforementioned in there and between them they created the chance that put Lennon through on goal and he duly obliged. The second goal was a lot more fortuitous! Derek Crilly hit a free from 55 yards that dropped short and wide, the ball broke kindly for Judge and he didn't need to be asked twice. It was a cruel blow for Sligo.

From a Louth viewpoint the things that contributed the win in the second half were:
- Bringing on Conor Mc Guinness in defence where he proceeded to give the best display of any Louth defender on the day
- The switch of Aaron Hoey into the full forward line, where his ability to win ball (which none of the FF line had been able to do up until that point) created the platform for the win.
- The coming to life of Ronan Carroll and to a lesser degree Colin Judge in the second half. Judge did some good grafting. Carroll scored two good points, including the winner, won some good ball and made some cutting runs. He actually outshone Paddy Kennan in the middle before he was very harshly sent off for a second yellow

Louth have showed a huge inconsistency in the league this year, interspersing good and bad performance, following the pattern, they might actually play well against Wexford (but my money won't be on it!)
Limerick - bad
Down - good
Leitrim - good
Fermanagh - bad
Longford - good
Sligo - bad

[SLIGONIAN]

Louth exile, very honest assesment of the game from you. Well done. For my view go to hoganstand. . The sligo sunshines on this board dont deserve my view and probabaly dont want it. But with none of yee there ahhh.

Owenmoresider there you are whinging about the ref that didnt even ref and you yourself wasnt at the game. How can anyone have an opinion that wasnt at the game? I didnt see the movie but I thought it was great ... Ref gave more fair play to sligo but made honest mistake at the end.

I was very proud of Sligo yday, and despite seanie wishful thinking on his part (betting on draw in limerick leitrim draw on the div 3 thread) which is something any true sligo gael wouldnt find funny. Its unthinkable for us that could happen and certainly not something id joke about. Seanie please refer to leitrim game thread, your comments on letirm fans were rich considering Down fans abuse towards ohara were ten times worse and you stuck up for them shower even though you werent at game in my thread a few weeks back. But I do know it was more about because I said it about them than anything else.

[Hound]

Louth exile, very honest assesment of the game from you. Well done. For my view go to hoganstand. . The sligo sunshines on this board dont deserve my view and probabaly dont want it. But with none of yee there ahhh.

Ah jaysus. You can't stop giving your reports just because some of your compadres don't agree with you (well you can of course, but you shouldnt!). There's more than Sligo people that have a gander.

I have to say that the two counties that I enjoy reading threads about most are (excluding the Dubs of course) Sligo and Meath.