Relegation a disappointment for Armagh, but need some perspective. In a very competitive division, Armagh have been blighted by injury (and loss of form in some cases), throughout the league and have been robbing Peter to pay Paul in a number of important positions.
They were competitive in every game, with a score difference of -3. Not taking away from Monaghan's achievement, it may have been different had Mayo something to play for yesterday. But only 4 times in the last 10 years has 5 points been enough to keep you up, so we can have no complaints.
The negativity in the games v Galway and Kerry was disappointing. But in both cases, the opposition was also negative and as I said after the Galway match, it's like a zero sum game. When one team goes that negative now, the other will have to do likewise.
In terms of yesterday's game, it was probably the best Armagh played so far this year, despite some rustiness in the lads coming back from injury. The failure to push up and drive on in the second half manifested itself again after they went ahead with 10 minutes to go. Management must take some responsibility for this, but so too must the players. There needs to be better leadership and decision making on the pitch.
In the last five years, Dublin, Mayo, Roscommon and Galway have all been relegated and each have bounced back quickly and improved. Meanwhile, Kildare, Meath, Cavan, Cork and Down have stayed down. Armagh need to make sure to come back to the top table and they are well equipped to do so.
Finally, for all of the giving out about McGeeney and there has been some fair criticism, I'd be far more concerned about the lack of underage success in Armagh since 2009. The real concern is that the current competitiveness of this team is built on a house of sand and that when the elder statesmen of this team retire, that we haven't many replacements coming through. I think that is why some supporters are losing the run of themselves with impatience: they realise that we have a window to achieve something now, that will start to close in the next 18 months.
They were competitive in every game, with a score difference of -3. Not taking away from Monaghan's achievement, it may have been different had Mayo something to play for yesterday. But only 4 times in the last 10 years has 5 points been enough to keep you up, so we can have no complaints.
The negativity in the games v Galway and Kerry was disappointing. But in both cases, the opposition was also negative and as I said after the Galway match, it's like a zero sum game. When one team goes that negative now, the other will have to do likewise.
In terms of yesterday's game, it was probably the best Armagh played so far this year, despite some rustiness in the lads coming back from injury. The failure to push up and drive on in the second half manifested itself again after they went ahead with 10 minutes to go. Management must take some responsibility for this, but so too must the players. There needs to be better leadership and decision making on the pitch.
In the last five years, Dublin, Mayo, Roscommon and Galway have all been relegated and each have bounced back quickly and improved. Meanwhile, Kildare, Meath, Cavan, Cork and Down have stayed down. Armagh need to make sure to come back to the top table and they are well equipped to do so.
Finally, for all of the giving out about McGeeney and there has been some fair criticism, I'd be far more concerned about the lack of underage success in Armagh since 2009. The real concern is that the current competitiveness of this team is built on a house of sand and that when the elder statesmen of this team retire, that we haven't many replacements coming through. I think that is why some supporters are losing the run of themselves with impatience: they realise that we have a window to achieve something now, that will start to close in the next 18 months.