Ulster Championship 2021

Started by J70, June 21, 2021, 12:14:42 PM

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APM

Quote from: Main Street on June 22, 2021, 05:41:11 PM
A shocking level of arrogance coming from the Armagh contingent here.

Armagh should be beating Antrim handy based on league position.  But it is a serious banana skin and will not want to end up in a dogfight. 
That's the message from most.  No arrogance there. 

However, with no backdoor, every game is "on the day" and there will be surprises.  Armagh need to be very careful with this one. 

tonto1888

Quote from: Main Street on June 22, 2021, 05:41:11 PM
A shocking level of arrogance coming from the Armagh contingent here.

It's hardly arrogance to expect us to beat a division 4 team handily enough now is it

The Trap

Really it should be a semi final line up of the four division one teams, Donegal v Tyrone and Monaghan v Armagh.......anything else would be a shock.........but there is nearly always one.......

ck

Quote from: The Trap on June 22, 2021, 09:57:51 PM
Really it should be a semi final line up of the four division one teams, Donegal v Tyrone and Monaghan v Armagh.......anything else would be a shock.........but there is nearly always one.......

Agree completely.
Armagh will hammer Antrim, we all know that. Donegal will do likewise to Down. There will be no shocks here.
The only "shock" that could come would be Derry to beat Donegal, but I can't see it. Beating Offaly means nothing and Derry really have beaten no-one.
The semi finals should be interesting.

Captain Obvious

Quote from: ck on June 22, 2021, 11:09:47 PM
Quote from: The Trap on June 22, 2021, 09:57:51 PM
Really it should be a semi final line up of the four division one teams, Donegal v Tyrone and Monaghan v Armagh.......anything else would be a shock.........but there is nearly always one.......

Agree completely.
Armagh will hammer Antrim, we all know that. Donegal will do likewise to Down. There will be no shocks here.
The only "shock" that could come would be Derry to beat Donegal, but I can't see it. Beating Offaly means nothing and Derry really have beaten no-one.
The semi finals should be interesting.

Are the defending Ulster champions no one?

Armagh18

Quote from: Solo_run on June 22, 2021, 05:44:12 PM
I wish Armagh fans would stop expecting a win over Antrim. We have won two games in Ulster in the past 5/6 years ffs. Antrim haven't lost a game all season and we have been caught short many times. Cavan reached the final last year and are now in Division 4.
No excuses for not beating Antrim. No disrespect to them but if we lose serious questions need asking.

Itchy

Quote from: Captain Obvious on June 22, 2021, 11:41:36 PM
Quote from: ck on June 22, 2021, 11:09:47 PM
Quote from: The Trap on June 22, 2021, 09:57:51 PM
Really it should be a semi final line up of the four division one teams, Donegal v Tyrone and Monaghan v Armagh.......anything else would be a shock.........but there is nearly always one.......

Agree completely.
Armagh will hammer Antrim, we all know that. Donegal will do likewise to Down. There will be no shocks here.
The only "shock" that could come would be Derry to beat Donegal, but I can't see it. Beating Offaly means nothing and Derry really have beaten no-one.
The semi finals should be interesting.

Are the defending Ulster champions no one?

Seems so judging by this thread

Armagh18

Quote from: Solo_run on June 22, 2021, 06:12:29 PM
Quote from: Captain Obvious on June 22, 2021, 05:53:32 PM
Quote from: Solo_run on June 22, 2021, 05:44:12 PM
I wish Armagh fans would stop expecting a win over Antrim. We have won two games in Ulster in the past 5/6 years ffs. Antrim haven't lost a game all season and we have been caught short many times. Cavan reached the final last year and are now in Division 4.

Would be typical of Armagh to slip up against a team they should be beating comfortably. Antrim haven't lost a game however their form of beating Louth, Sligo and Leitrim by 1 point does not suggest they are in a position to take a division 1 team out so as ever its about whatever Armagh side turns up

There are a lot of things that do not sit well with me when Armagh fans start to fancy their chances. Our history in Ulster under McGeeney has not been great and we always slip up somewhere. Antrim might not be a division 1 team but they should be approached, respected and played against like they are one. No getting ahead of ourselves thinking it is a win in the bag. I don't like the mindset of us expecting a win because it breeds a horrible arrogance that we haven't backed up in the championship. We definitely have a very good team but its time we started living up to the expectations.
Agreed. This bunch of players is good enough to be in D1 and reaching Ulster finals, it's time we started doing that.

Armagh18

Quote from: Captain Obvious on June 22, 2021, 11:41:36 PM
Quote from: ck on June 22, 2021, 11:09:47 PM
Quote from: The Trap on June 22, 2021, 09:57:51 PM
Really it should be a semi final line up of the four division one teams, Donegal v Tyrone and Monaghan v Armagh.......anything else would be a shock.........but there is nearly always one.......

Agree completely.
Armagh will hammer Antrim, we all know that. Donegal will do likewise to Down. There will be no shocks here.
The only "shock" that could come would be Derry to beat Donegal, but I can't see it. Beating Offaly means nothing and Derry really have beaten no-one.
The semi finals should be interesting.

Are the defending Ulster champions no one?
Depends which Cavan turn up....

twohands!!!

Quote from: tonto1888 on June 22, 2021, 09:14:38 PM
Quote from: Main Street on June 22, 2021, 05:41:11 PM
A shocking level of arrogance coming from the Armagh contingent here.

It's hardly arrogance to expect us to beat a division 4 team handily enough now is it

Over the last 11 years of championship, teams who played in Division 4 teams have beaten teams who played in Division 1 just twice.
Longford beating Mayo in 2010 and Carlow beating Kildare in 2018.
The Carlow game was notable in that Carlow didn't kick a single wide in the whole game.

tbrick18

Quote from: Itchy on June 22, 2021, 11:56:34 PM
Quote from: Captain Obvious on June 22, 2021, 11:41:36 PM
Quote from: ck on June 22, 2021, 11:09:47 PM
Quote from: The Trap on June 22, 2021, 09:57:51 PM
Really it should be a semi final line up of the four division one teams, Donegal v Tyrone and Monaghan v Armagh.......anything else would be a shock.........but there is nearly always one.......

Agree completely.
Armagh will hammer Antrim, we all know that. Donegal will do likewise to Down. There will be no shocks here.
The only "shock" that could come would be Derry to beat Donegal, but I can't see it. Beating Offaly means nothing and Derry really have beaten no-one.
The semi finals should be interesting.

Are the defending Ulster champions no one?

Seems so judging by this thread

It hasn't happened for Cavan this year and I suspect their championship will be very short lived.
As for Derry, we've won all our games convincingly this year and have undoubtedly come on in leaps and bounds.
BUT.....we are an unknown quantity against a quality Div1/2 side. We gave Armagh a decent game last year and could have sneaked it but Armagh were better. This year we have improved but that's all we can say and I think expectations need to be realistic. It might be a year early to challenge ulster....but we should be competitive against anyone I think.
If we end up playing Donegal (which isn't a complete given) I think we will not be far away. Gallagher will know them inside out and I'm not sure Bonner is a great tactician.

imtommygunn

While Donegal aren't firing I think Down aren't in great shape. For me Donegal, Monaghan, Tyrone and Armagh 4 best with Derry a bit of an unknown then a bit of a gap with Down Cavan and Antrim below them. Cavan should be up there with Derry but have just dropped off a bit this year. Tbh Down should be too but they have a lot of their better players not playing.

Itchy

I think the nature of this season, the shortness of the league and the championship, means that I would put a major health warning on league performances as a guide to championship. That doesnt excuse the deplorable performances by Cavan this year for example and I think the gap from where they finished the league to where they need to be to beat Tyrone is too much. However I dont actually expect much from Derry who I think were at full pelt in the league. I think Down will improve drastically from the league. Armagh probably put too much into the league and I dont think they will make the final. Just my thoughts on it.

imtommygunn

I do wonder how fit Derry are relative to other teams and whether other teams will catch up.

Down, even talking to some Down ones, don't have much optimism about them at present from the outside looking in.

J70

Quote from: tbrick18 on June 24, 2021, 09:48:04 AM
Quote from: Itchy on June 22, 2021, 11:56:34 PM
Quote from: Captain Obvious on June 22, 2021, 11:41:36 PM
Quote from: ck on June 22, 2021, 11:09:47 PM
Quote from: The Trap on June 22, 2021, 09:57:51 PM
Really it should be a semi final line up of the four division one teams, Donegal v Tyrone and Monaghan v Armagh.......anything else would be a shock.........but there is nearly always one.......

Agree completely.
Armagh will hammer Antrim, we all know that. Donegal will do likewise to Down. There will be no shocks here.
The only "shock" that could come would be Derry to beat Donegal, but I can't see it. Beating Offaly means nothing and Derry really have beaten no-one.
The semi finals should be interesting.

Are the defending Ulster champions no one?

Seems so judging by this thread

It hasn't happened for Cavan this year and I suspect their championship will be very short lived.
As for Derry, we've won all our games convincingly this year and have undoubtedly come on in leaps and bounds.
BUT.....we are an unknown quantity against a quality Div1/2 side. We gave Armagh a decent game last year and could have sneaked it but Armagh were better. This year we have improved but that's all we can say and I think expectations need to be realistic. It might be a year early to challenge ulster....but we should be competitive against anyone I think.
If we end up playing Donegal (which isn't a complete given) I think we will not be far away. Gallagher will know them inside out and I'm not sure Bonner is a great tactician.

I think that's why Rochford was brought on board.

That said, fitness and intensity is what has finished us this past couple of seasons once the skillsets were leveled up as the seasons went on.

Both Cavan and Mayo physically outworked and bullied us in knocking us out in 2019 and 2020. In 2018, we were sitting in a great position, four points up against Tyrone with 15 left, but we couldn't deal with the movement of Lee Brennan and Harte's other subs when introduced in the second half.