Messages

Losing Luke is a big setback.  We don't have anybody to fill that gap.
It goes beyond this weekend's match.  There's potentially lots of football available to Westmeath this summer.  The team is very young and the possibility of gaining significant experience and growth is there.
Loughlin would have been pivotal to that. This makes the hill a lot steeper.
It remains to be seen how the lads will respond.

Should Westmeath not still be well placed to win this game? Kildare have not been pulling up too many trees this year and the manner of the win against Meath should give Westmeath massive confidence. Was very surprised to see Kildare favourites to win this.   

What are the thoughts on Dublin Louth?

I have changed my mind a number of times this week as to who I think will win the game.  Strange place for Louth going into a games as favourites.  Brennan will know them inside out but momentum is certainly with Louth. 

54 goals this season  for Harry Kane . Not sure how strong a league the German league is , but that's some scoring to be fair

Let's hope he  picks up an injury that will rule him out of the World Cup. Then we can all sleep soundly knowing England  will  be nowhere near winning it.

The  rest  of that squad  have had poor to average seasons: Saka Foden Palmer  Rice Watkins etc, and hopefully will continue that poor form into the  tournament

Is Rice not one of the favourites for POTY? The supporting cast for Kane have been poor could be argued Gibbs-White more deserving of a place on the plane that Foden or Palmer. 

Well that Ticketmastershit is some shit show. Couldn't get clicking the tickets quick enough before they disappeared.

And coming online at 2pm? That helps only the unemployed and tech savvy retired folk.

An awful website and customer experience trying to get tickets for anything. 

It'll be interesting to see some of the match ups in Armagh v Down. I could see Ciaran Mackin trying to pick up Murdock, his Rambo style could suit this encounter. I'd be very concerned about Daniel Guinness as well, Joe McElroy if fit maybe.

McElroy for Guinness a good shout.  Big ask for Mackin being out for so long to go toe to toe with one of the form players in Ireland, Kelly would be the man for the job for me. 

Ronnie and Selby both gone this afternoon. Is that 11 world titles between them?

Whu beat Selby.

Wu yize Chinese player, 22 looks about 12

Wu is second favourite which I find strange appreciate he is on the easier side of the draw. 

Big chance for Allen to make final though his record at the crucible is not great.  Hawkins has reached a couple of finals so won't be overawed by him. 

Far better team won. If Down keep playing like that they won't be stopped in Ulster.

If they lose to Armagh by fewer than 10 I'll be shocked.

Interesting..why?

Indeed

Pretty simple. I think Armagh are a much better team who got their poor performance out of the way in the Tyrone game and will be all out to win Ulster. I don't think they'll be anywhere near as exposed through the middle as Donegal were today and I don't think this Down team, at this point in their trajectory, have it in them to put two performances like that back to back.

I'll be very happy to be proved wrong though, as the hubris from the Armagh fans this year is unbearable.

Down under Laverty have produced good performances in Championship over the last few years beating Louth, Clare convincingly last year and running Galway and Armagh very close in the last few seasons. 

They have been able to solve a problem position in the Goalkeeper and Burns is excellent.  I expect this to go to the wire.  Down when they have their tails up are a tough proposition for anyone.  Pat Havern can't be afforded the space McGurn was at the weekend.

Langan was a huge loss for Donegal yesterday, possibly one of the most influential players in Ireland at moment and did a great job on Murdock last year.  Down were excellent and fully deserved the win and are a better outfit than they where two years ago. 

No GAA+ only I think, niblock probably seething

Game was one of Gaa + picks so BBC couldn't show it.  Derry Monaghan next week is the same.

What's going on in Tyrone?  I ask because, with all the great youth teams and the strong Senior base, I thought Tyrone would be on the rise - certain to dominate Ulster in the near future.  Like the high expectations for the Cork hurlers.

Instead they seem to be "spinning their wheels".  Are people expecting future Tyrone teams to be at Kerry's consistent level, maybe even a Tyrone dynasty?  Just wondering how relevant youth success is to senior football.

Any predictions?

Underage success now, more than ever, is less of an indicator of future senior success due to the age groups.
There's a huge gap between u20 and senior football.
Tyrone have lots of small skillfull forwards and that's not the physical profile needed for the new rules game. Tyrone still relying on old heads, I can see them falling back a bit further before being realistic challengers again.
There's a few "big" u20s at the minute, like O'Neill, who looks like he is almost ready to step up, but not many more. So as the likes of Donnelly, McCurry, Morgan etc retire, there's no obvious replacements coming through.

I think with underage teams, they would have less time to develop tactics/structures the same way senior teams would, kids would lapse a bit more with these things also. 

Tyrone seem to produce highly skilful underage players year in year out, which always makes them formidable at underage as generally tactics aren't as strict, its more skill v skill, best players win.   

If football was played the way it was 20years ago, Tyrone seniors would be entering another golden generation.  As it is, having a good structure in place is a vital cog to a good team.  You only have to look at how mcguniness has Donegal operating at the highest level again.

There is very much tactics at underage.  While we can never tell if football was played the way it was 20 years ago and the rules were the same where Tyrone would be, smaller men would struggle 20 years ago also, unless you are exceptional e.g. Canavan.  20 years ago there was also tactics also. 

Is that Cathal mccarron from dromore/naas involved with Tyrone 20s?

He changes from week to week depending on what's gone on.  Had Armagh as real contenders a few weeks ago and now they're down the pecking order after last weekend.

Bottom line is Spillane doesn't really rate any team outside Kerry. Never has.

Clerkin always has an 'interesting' take on things.  Saying this week that Tyrone and Armagh snuck in and got AIs in recent years when they weren't the best teams.  Who were actually better then Dick?  Tyrone beat Kerry and Mayo (who had beaten Dublin). Armagh beat Kerry and Galway.  Am i missing something?

The narrative that Tyrone fluked an all Ireland in 2021 still gets peddled by these spoofers. Beat Kerry and Mayo as you said, but also Monaghan, Donegal (in Ballybofey) and Cavan who were Ulster champions the year before.
Same with yourselves 2 years ago. Played great stuff that year but of course if it isn't Kerry or Dublin it's a fluked All Ireland.

its hard to take but IM sure none of the Armagh or Tyrone boys who were on those winning teams give a fiddlers......

Ah wouldn't worry too much about Pat, get a good laugh at him but don't take his views too seriously. Donegal don't seem to get the same bitterness Armagh and Tyrone do though.

Tyrone and Armagh 100% deserved their All Irelands, Tyrone were exceptional against Kerry and Mayo in 2021, would have loved to have seen how we'd have got on against them in Ulster that year but we had a horror show defensively against Monaghan in a brilliant game after Blaine Hughes got covid.

We 100% deserved our win in '24, had been beaten in so many heartbreaking penalty shoot outs before that, yes rode our luck against Kerry and Galway at times but beat them both deservedly, also tanked many peoples favourites for the All Ireland that year Derry while topping the group for the second time. 

That win in Derry was probably understated at the time would have given the group a real belief. 

Huge loss for Armagh, some whole in the middle now and add to that Callum O'Neill picking up a shoulder injury (says Gaelic Life).  Hopefully Murnin is fit to start again.  Any idea how far away Ciaran Mackin is?

If there is no Murnin or Mackin we are in bother, add in Grimley retirement and no Rian that's 6 potential midfield options off the table from last year.  Would possibly be a midfield of Duffy and TK for the weekend. 

[or, Man City win FA Cup]

Chelsea beat and overtaken by Brighton. 6th get Europa I take it? How many for Conference league then?

The baseline is....

Champions League:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Europa:
5th and FA Cup Winner

Conference:
Carabao Cup winner

- Man City won Carabao Cup , so that Conference spot goes to the League
- If they win the FA Cup, that Europa Spot goes to the League
- England have "won" the extra Champions League spot

so,

Champions League:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Europa:
6th and FA Cup Winner (Leeds, Chelsea, Southampton)

Conference:
7th

or, Man City win FA Cup

Champions League:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Europa:
6th and 7th

Conference:
8th


Then, Europe outcomes...

- If Villa win the Europa League and finish top 4 - nothing changes above
- If Villa win the Europa and finish 5th - then the 6th place Europa Spot becomes a Champions League spot. The Europa spot disappears. 6 English teams in Champions League
- If Forest win the Europa, then they are in Champions League
- If Palace win the Conference, then they are in the Europa. Unlikely to have a knock on impact , as Palace would need to qualify via league also , for the place to move down.

Be some craic trying to manage the Championship and Champions League in one season!

Are Chelsea to miss out on any form of European competition next season? Beaten 3-0 by Brighton tonight a 6th defeat in 7 games

Will Iriola be the next Chelsea Manager? Absolute basket case of a club since Abromovich left.

Fairly gone tits-up over the last while.

Still think they haven't played well for a sustained period since November. Or maybe their style of football made it look that way.

Hard to see Arteta having the appetite to go again next season if nothing is won this season.

Don't see why he would leave/where he would go with them being so close on a number of fronts.  Four trophies was being mentioned up until a few weeks ago.  They should get to a champions league final (having been given a most favourable draw along the way) and could win the league yet as City have a few tricky fixtures on the horizon. 
In fairness to him he didn't park the bus at the weekend as he has in the past.