Down Sen Footballers 2007

[downredblack]

From the BBC

Daniel Hughes has been included in Down's squad for Sunday's Gaelic Life McKenna Cup game against UUJ.
Manager Ross Carr didn't include any of the team that started in Down's championship defeat by Sligo in Sunday's draw against Antrim.
However, Hughes was a championship regular last summer and is called up to the squad for the Burren contest.
Neil Sweeney and Joe Doran are added to the panel which will be minus injured Stephen Kearney and Ruairi McArdle.
Downpatrick club-man Peter Turley and his namesake from the Saval club drop out of the squad after being involved against Antrim as does Kevin Duffin.
McArdle and Kearney picked up injuries in Sunday's game against Antrim.
Kearney was stretchered off in the second half at Downpatrick because of ankle ligament damage while McArdle sustained a knee injury.

[wobbller]

 All quiet after today.Any thoughts or views?

[Dubh driocht]

Wasn't there but if the BBC report is accurate, the form of Colgan and the scores from Downey and Boyle justify the decision of Ross and DJ to take a different path to Mickey Harte.Colgan could be the man ifor CHB or midfield as long as he's not expected to keep UUJ, An Riocht and Down together - he is still 19 after all.

[Fear Boirche]

Colgan could be the man ifor CHB or midfield as long as he's not expected to keep UUJ, An Riocht and Down together - he is still 19 after all.

....and Down U21s!

[Brick Tamlin]

Jeez boys it wasnt good at all yesterday inho.
Il try not to go into too much detail.

the best down players on view yesterday were wearing blue jersies - Colgan was the best Midfielder on view bar none, as the game wore on he seemed to get stronger & Stronger as the game wore on - came into his own in the 2nd half when UUJ really put down to the sword.Quite worrying to think that none of our midfielders could stiffle his influence on the game - could be the answer to Down's no 6 problem.

Packie Downey possibly the best forward on view too - solely for the amount of havoc he caused down's defence - played the target man role to perfection - took scores from all angles, showed in front, layed off or broke ball and generally was a pain in the arse for down defence. Would be quite an addition to Ross squad later on if he kept this kind of form up.

John Boyle was chief playmaker on the park and looked every inch a no 11 of the future for down. Time and again cut through the down defence with ease, sprayed ball about the forward line with great effect and nearly every penetrating run he made yielded a UUJ scorre. Correct me if im wrong but gave at least 2 different markers the run around.

As for the Down team there really wasnt much to shout about, players playing out of position aside, not being too familiar with each other etc i would have expected alot more from some of the players that took the field, especially people that had previously played under POR. Actually their performance probably reaffirms to Ross etc who isnt fit for the squad.

Mc Veigh - Did what was expect of him, quiet match, didnt have much to do. The goal was a terrible f*ck up between him and Rooney which was just disastrous.

D Rooney - Played out of position, was due to trach Lynch out the field as roamin 3rd midfielder but that tactic never materialised and looked out of place at stages - Lynch didnt do too much damage though and never really lost him.

S Toner - After last weeks fine performance this week was pretty forgettable - Started sprightly and showed well in 1st 15 mins or so but after that he was strugglin with Downey's brute aggression and size, could neither get hands in to break ball or win cleanly out in front - although dont forget the size difference, maybe he shouldnt have been left on Downey for that long.

P Mattews - His first match back after a long absence was a pretty quiet one, didnt do too much wrong, although one thinks he would be alot more comfortable and maybe offer alot more in the half back line.

Colm Murtagh - Scored a monstrous point near the end, put himself about as usual (bordering on GBH sometimes) and generally got stuck in, but he was part of a half back unit that was dragged all over the field at times. Mobility has to be questioned.

C Mc Crickard - this wasnt one to remember for the Fontenoys man, was given torrid time by Boyle in 1st half, got his hands on some good ball but really his distribution let him down badly, just a bad day at the office for him, can definitely do better.

A Carville - Kicked himself a fine point in first half and got through alot of donkey work around the middle but he was among a number of big strong  Down men that won frig all possession in middle 3rd.

Magic Johnston - a let-down to say the least, given the hype. Really think this one passed him by and again was one of those that struggled in midfield.

Jackie Lynch - Added little to a sinkin ship - caught maybe 2 clean balls or am i being generous.

Gribben was quite lively when on the ball, ran some good lines and took his goal very well, one of the better performers, looked like he has learnt from last year or improved somewhat.

Barry Doran although anonymous for long spells showed a good range of passing and intelligent link play but offered no real threatgoing forward but then again he is supposed to be a link man - must mention dreadful free kick - near hit the scoreboard it was that far wide.

Danny Hughes showed hunger for the ball, looked lively but again tried too much on his own (Maybe due to the fact that he had limited options.) Mooney got to grips with him and physicaly was more than able to put danny under pressure. His day was summed up when his 2nd marker Murray got up from corner back to kick a lovely score 5 mins from end. His selection didnt have the desired affect.

dont get me wrong there is absolutely no questioning the comittment, enthusiasm and hunger of most of those boys yesterday but for me they just either cant cut it at this level or they just happened to have a bad game and things didnt go their way, and in a way i suppose its probably becomming clearer to Ross etc who is fit for it and who isnt, after all thats what he is using these games as-trials
By the way i got bored going through every player so stopped half way.anyone care to take up where i left off.

[downredblack]

Wasn't at it  thank God . Sounds like the bulk of 6 or 7 players Ross is looking for will be found in our U21 squad .

[downredblack]

With the National League less than a month away does anyone know If Ross and DJ are doing any work with our " regulars" from last year ? Will we see a few more of them line out against Donegal ?

[goldenyears]

the regulars are back in full training with the others at this stage.

the others will see out the mckenna cup then be culled, i am guessing less than 6 will be kept. no u21s/sigerson players will initially be included, no u21s will be included at all.

[downredblack]

GY , have you heard how things are going ? Are the senior players happy with the approach from the new management ? You usually have a bit of inside info .

[amallon]

No U21's - Is that for the whole season or just until the U21's are over?

[downredblack]

Hope he doesn't keep the u21's away from the team during the league , Sure we are looking for a bit of fresh blood about the place to freshen things up . A bit of league experience will do them no harm (IMO)

[goldenyears]

I believe all delighted, great approach, training extremely tough at minute (one regular quoted as hardest training he has ever done), lots of hard work going on, v professional approach with a v good hands on man management style is what I heard. Maybe some diff stories will come out when the mckenna cup crew get ditched, but then after the results they can hardly blame anyone else...

Most of regulars v impressed, but watch out when the teeth get stripped! a few surprises in store i feel ie ould hands getting dumped from the panel|! boys that maybe think they are a sure thing!

[goldenyears]

Learning curve: Ross Carr saw his Down side lose by 13 points to UU Jordanstown in the McKenna Cup on Sunday, but the Clonduff man insists his experimental panel can learn from the experience


THE ice bath might have felt a bit more comfortable. A 13-point beating from UUJ's Sigerson Cup hopefuls left the rookies Down manager Ross Carr handed trials to at Burren for Sunday's Dr McKenna Cup game with bruised pride.

It proved a harsher than anticipated experience, but for Carr it was valuable nonetheless.

Attitudes are likely to be that more focussed on the demands when they resume practice drills this week, with many likely to try out the learning curve again on Sunday at MacCumhaill Park against Brian McIver's Donegal.

Carr admitted "the luckiest ones" in the experimental squad he and assistant manager DJ Kane are running the rule over prior to the return of rested regulars for the NFL were those not on the pitch to experience such an emphatic defeat.

But, the McKenna Cup is serving a purpose and while the students' victory margin was unsatisfactory, it can only drive on the players on trial to work to improve.

"What we were hoping for was that we could get a group of players that would keep battling away and battling away," said Ross.

He added: "Unfortunately, there was that much of a difference, a gulf in class, and it was nearly impossible for people from midfield up to shine because they were under so much pressure.

"Afterwards we said to them it's not just about training. You have got to be able to go out and produce it on a given day and if you need to get better you've got to get playing against better teams and against Jordanstown I suppose the luckiest ones were those who didn't get to play."

He said that the management did not want any of those involved heading home from Burren thinking that because they had just represented a county team that had been beaten by 13 points (1-19 to 1-6) their chance "was over". Carr stressed that the process cannot "work like that".

Opportunities will continue to be given for the Donegal match, after which the squad will be revised, the seasoned county players of the past few years will return to prepare for the National League, with a number of those being looked at during the McKenna Cup hopefully graduating to the NFL panel.

Carr pointed out, however, that the inexperienced group they are working with at the moment "have also got to realise too that they have got to be able to step up to the mark, and if that's the standard that has to be attained well then we've got to get to that standard We've got to get the personnel that are able to do it, and some people are going to be disappointed".

There were plenty of positives for Down's management, though, the majority delivered by UUJ's performance as Jordanstown started with six Down players, U21s, used seven in total, with star performances on the day coming from Warrenpoint play-maker John Boyle at centre half-forward, Eamon McConville at half-back and Drumgath's Packie Downey in the full-forward line.

Boyle and Downey contributed six points between and created many more chances for others to profit by.

Ross said: "The supply of the ball into the Jordanstown full forward line was excellent. Their support play out of defence and from midfield opened up a lot of space. John and Packie definitely revelled in that space. James Colgan competed very very well in the middle of the field and Eamon McConville played very well at wing half back and Shane O'Hagan did well in corner back. They are all U21s, and it is a big plus for Down."

Conor Gribben and Adrian Carville showed well at times for Down's select, Gribben scoring

1-2, but on Sunday management will be hoping that the collective "step up to the mark" a bit better at Ballybofey after the lessons taken from UUJ's display.

[TORGAEL]

So, who from all the down players who have been competing in the McKenna cup will make it onto the panel fort the national League ? Any thoughts on which established players who might not make the cut ?

[Pangurban]

IN...Lynch, Doran, Gribben
Out...Doyle