Down v Derry 1994

[realredhandfan]

Great point. these matches had much more importance than they do now.  I only watched the first half but it was great again.  Mc Nicholl went down for a crucifixion one time but it was a tough enough hit.  What about DJs solo run along the line?  Linden was one of the greatest.  In fairness 2 marquee forwards on their game on opposite sides is a woderful site.  Gary Coleman was always a limited footballer and only worked his magic when there was a bad referee.  Eamonns blind faith in him probably cost Dery the 2nd all ireland as much as Mc Cabes late goal.  Mc gilligan and Blaney at half time  were going to get fiisty.  Shed have been a tight scrap.  Wonderful stuff.  Up there with Tyrone Armagh semi 2005.   

[Uladh]

ross's hit on McNicholl was fierce.

McNicholl ate the ball and cost derry a lot of scores.

Wee James' first half point when he exploded away from diamond outside the 50 and drove down the centre.

Downey, Scullion and McKeever were great tacklers. McCusker couldn't defend but tortured carr going forward.

McKeever should have been on Linden from the start and certainly 5 minutes in.

Brolly was largely anonymous after a good start and i'd have gormley on my team before him easily.

Greg the Keg did a great spoiling job on McGilligan.

Derry keeper was poor.

The long kick passing was a joy to watch and down's style of play was super.

Blaney was a hell of a player and like so many great finishers, Linden would have been only half the player without him.

The intensity would match anything from today's game and surpass most.

they gulped water out of old milk cartons in them days.

[Onlooker]

Haze makes a great point about the intensity of a first round knock out game, with no second chances or back doors.  We really lost something great, when the various qualifiers and back doors were introduced.  The qualifiers have their great points of course, but there was something special about the straight knock-out championships.   Alas, the old system will never be brought back.

[Uladh]

The obvious and inevitable development is champions league style group stage which will lead into a knockout stage with 16 teams. three group games played three weeks in a row, a two week break to the start of the knockout stages and then a knockout round every second week. championship run off in 12 weeks.

[deiseach]

That match was so good, it was even compelling listening!

[Estimator]

I'm back on board after a long stint away (work purposes)
I remember this game very well, I was standing on the terracing behind the goals, to the Brandywell side of the pitch!  I was absolutely gutted after this game!
IMHO the primary factor that cost us the game, was Coleman Snr's inability to spot that his son was getting roasted by M Linden!! Yet in the Marshes in 93, Scullion (who was playing his first game after an injury) was replaced in the first half because he was getting a clippin from M Linden.

[Maximus Marillius]

Its a pity Derry didn't get their strongest team out on the pitch, would it have made a difference, nobody knows, but that is one of the down sides of the knockout.

[robertemmet]

Saw bit of it last night, good entertainment.  Hard championship football at its best.

So many blocks in the game.

[lynchbhoy]

How anyone can run down either of these two Derry greats is beyond me. I thought tohill had a good game, he would have had a goal early on only for a wonder save from Neil Collins, he scored a good point from close in, even though he over-carried and scored a few frees. McGilligan wasnt bad either, he won practically every ball in the second quarter. Derrys only fault that day was leaving Gary Coleman on Micky Linden, but Kieran McKeever didnt stop Micky from scoring either. Scullion was carrying an injury and shouldnt have started.
As for the referee, I thought it was one of the best refereeing performances I have ever seen. Yes he got a few decisions wrong, but who doesnt in the heat of Championship battle? There is no way he favoured down, if he had done McCuskers goal wouldnt have stood, he carried the ball longer than Oisin ever did 
For me, that was the greatest game of football ever, the intensity was unbelievable, the blocking and tackling was top drawer, some of the best scores ever seen, no one deserved to be on the losing side that day.

for the first part - I have my reasons!
For the second part - I dont agree and if you didnt see the obstructions, third man tackles and frees that whould have been awarded to Derry in the Down defense that were not given - and to end up as Down scores at the other end (at least three from memory I counted last year)
then you were too busy enjoying the game.

[realredhandfan]

I though Mc Cartans first half point summed up the poise and balance of his play. A Low centre of gravity can be used to your advantage and he did.  I think it is a cracking game, and a big arguement could be made against the backdoor champiosnhip by simply showing that tape.  Uladh your suggestion on the champions league style format does not betray your own thoughts on this.  This quality not quantity of fixtures is soimething Im interested in and I envisaged that format as potentially giving the best of both worlds.  Its so important on so many counts.  The reality is that Tyrone/ Armagh took in 20000 people in the Mc Kenna cup last year but one year on the Mc Kenna cup was surely well down on attendance. I believe too many games in the meantime.  I also look at Sean Cavanagh and I believe he has played 2 many game already this season and Steven O neill looks tired with football already.  Without hijacking this thread I would appreciate your views on projected game tournament formats on the Burnout thread.  I am a great believer in quality over quantity in intercounty Gaelic games.      

[heganboy]

There was a comment earlier about someone being moved off Linden after a roasting, yet Coleman stayed on him a full game.
I don't remember anyone consistently handling Linden well. Did he have a bogeyman (eg enda on peter)

[lynchbhoy]

Sorry Lynchboy, maybe you were expecting Down to lie down as they did the previous year in the Marshes. I suppose in defeat we all look for someone to blame, the ref can be an easy target, but in my opinion you are wrong. I think Tommy Sugrue did a great job that day, but maybe I too would have looked for excuses if we had lost.
I had my 16 year old nephew on the phone at lunchtime, who just happens to be a Derry man. Although he was at the game, he is too young to remember it. He told me that it was undoubtedly the greatest game he ever saw. Most people agree with him.

A high octane enthralling and exciting game it was alright.

Excuses - well I suppose they are, but as a northern man - my heightened sense of injustice was going off the radar with that reffing display.
IfI watch it again in the future, I'll note down the mistakes (on both sides) yielded by the ref.
Last time I watched, I counted something like 12- 2 against Derry in the first half before I got so annoyed I had to switch it over to another station and calm down ! 

I have been known to sit watching games with a pen and paper and not the mistakes the ref has made.
I jus tthink that in this day and age a lot of refs do not know the rules, also with the speed of football a second ref or Video technology should be used.

[lynchbhoy]

You should get out more 

Will you be gracing us with your presence on Sunday?

nah - the missus wont let me, I tend to go wild when let loose !

Cant go Sunday and 'dis'grace you with my presence!, we have a game ouselves and I cant miss that!

[Bogball XV]

I never recognised it for the classic it was at the time, so I was interested to see that it did compare very favourably to the best game of recent times, imo, Tyrone v Armagh, All Ireland Semi 2005 - what a game, Derry v Down was probably slightly better in terms of overall quality?  Intensity was pretty similar in both, amazing!!

[tbrick18]

Best game I have ever seen without at a doubt...even if we did get beat. The difference between this game and the Armagh v Tyrone game is that this was pure attacking football from both sides at a breakneck pace with some of the most talented footballers that I have ever seen (note I say footballers and not athletes as I think SOME of todays top players are better described as athletes than pure talented footballers).

There was no emphasis put on defensive play and I think this particular game is a testament as to how the game is best played. Not that I'm against the tyrone/armagh style of play...if someone had told eamon coleman he would be guaranteed a win that day by blanket defense damn sure he would have done it!

As for the refereeing issue...I have only three gripes with sugrue that day. I think Carr should have gone for his "tackle" on McNicholl. The second one was how the down full forward charged the keeper on every kickout (can't remember his name, Adrian somthin). It didnt show it on the tv last night but I remember at the game by the time McCusker actually kicked the ball the full forward was almost on the spot. Not once blew up. So I dont blame the keeper for bad kickouts...I blame the ref for not keeping the full forward back the full distance. That might well have been enough to change the outcome of the game. But we will never know. the third was wee james...how many times did he get away with grabbing karl diamonds arm and falling down to get the free? He was superb that day in all fairness to him.

In all fairness, having watched it again, I think Down probably did deserve to win that day. The supply of ball into Linden was better than the supply Brolly got and the Down half forward line was immense where ours was just mediocre. Burns played better than I remembered but he still ran across the field too much. McCormick started well then disappeared. And McNicholl seemed to just want the ball to himself all day. I agree with the coments made on switching mckeever to mark linden, but Linden would still have scored most of what he got anyway.

I also think Tohill and McGilligan played well that day. I thought Derry midfield edged it slightly. It was just that the Down half forward line was so good.