Down Club Hurling & Football

[Pangurban]

Confusion on and off the field. A game gifted to a mediocre Kerry team.   Positives were a much improved defensive performance, in so far as breaking down attacks and regaining possession, but still too slow out of defence and were turned over to often. MF just about held their own and won their fair share of Ball. Apart from Hughes and Lavery the attack was largely anonymous  and presented little threat. Poland tried hard to hold up the Ball and be creative, but with no one showing for the Ball it was difficult for him. What really worries me is that at this stage of the season we do not have a settled team, which barring injuries picks itself, and it does not appear that management know who would comprise their best team and what system would best suit them

[seanaglis]

Hard to know what the plan is at present -but we need to sharpen up on and off the field.
First things first. For a county who leads the way in communication and have pioneered some very innovative ideas this season, someone needs to take control . It is not good enough for supporters not to know the team before the game. You set out your fifteen with confidence and make your statement. There is no advantage to the opposition, just confusion for supporters and , it looks like, players also.
Secondly, the programme has a team which is different than the team who takes the field. So why buy a programme ?Then you have a substitution where the programme states that 25 is Marcus Miskelly, the announcer states that is Marcus Miskelly, presumably the TV commentator states it is Marcus Miskelly. Yet Gerard Mc Cartan comes on at 25. Now, for the players involved, their families,their clubs and the Communication people etc- this is an insult. The PRO must be well pissed off and the County Board need to sort it.
Thirdly, the team that lined out was probably about right as we must assume that Doyler is injured - not sure why Carr didn't start- but why not start Ambrose?I thought the defence did OK in the first half- while Costello got caught out once, he defended well and could feel unlucky to be called ashore before half-time.Peter Turley, Big Dan and King were good and Damien Turley and Daniel Mc Cartan had reasonable games. Poly , Maginn and Danny put in good shifts, Laverty is good value, Benny was marked out of it (again) while Arthur Mc Conville / Eoin Mc Cartan just aren't up to it.
Finally, we need a bit more passion . Ambrose is the natural leader and with no Marty Clarke to orchestrate the attack, it is going to be a long hard season. We should have been ahead at half-time but the last 20 minutes were close to embarassing. The Bandwagon jumpers will soon disappear which is no bad thing as some of the shouts from the crowd are pathetic. Ah well...

thats more than half the team youve mentioned as playing good or reasonable? what match were you watching?

Gordon the only positive for me

Dan McCartan? What game were you watching? All he did was foul his man (when he actually got near him). Sheehan kicked a couple of scores that came from his fouling

[ardtole]

I felt sorry for McConville in the ff line. He made plenty of runs but the mf and hf handpassed to death, were very deliberate in the build up and regulary carried the ball into contact and coughed up posession. The 4 or 5 times the ball went in quickly and long he done quite well, set up a few chances won a couple of frees. I thought the half forward line was poor today, maginn, lavery, hughes and poland are too similar, fast and nippy but lack a physical presence. I am not looking forward to enniskillen at the end of may, the draw is not as appealing now as it was when the draw was first made.

[sebastion]

If anybody is saying that over 50% of Down team had decent games,you were at a different game I was at,Down were poor on the line and even worse on the field

[redandblackareback]

Absolutely shocking today, not a score for the last 20 odd minutes when Kerry were clearly there for the taking. Too many average players playing all over the field and the team look lost playing this defensive side ways hand passing crap 

[The Marshes]

On the pitch: Can't pass, can't catch, can't score. These things are taught at under 6 level. No point in trying 'fancy' systems when they are unable to do the basics. Dan Gordon was the only Down player who would have got on the Kerry team today and that Kerry team were average at best.
But what I was disappointed in the most was the lack of discipline from the players.

Off the pitch: A Down official running the width of the pitch to tell the referee to get on with it when a Kerry player was injured then coming back to the dugout and calling him a 'w**ker' in front of subs and spectators, disgraceful. Also disrespectful to players in the way he spoke to them.

A serious lack of discipline on the sidelines which filtered on to the pitch today. Not good enough

[SHEEDY]

really poor on and off the field today. whats the big secret about team selection? can it not be named a couple of days before like every other county does. no team announcements over the tannoy today led to confusion for everybody trying to work out who was and wasnt playing. down pride themselves on their PR work, today wasnt their finest hour.
on the field, the less said the better. a very medicore kerry team were ther for the taking. only dan gordan stood out in a very disappointing display

[Mourne Rover]

A bitterly cold day and a disappointing display after a reasonably promising start. The failure to name our team in advance has become something of a joke, and suggests a lack of confidence and planning along the sidelines. There were even two further changes from the tean listed in the programme, and the incident when Gerard McCartan came on  wearing the wrong jersey, and was announced over the PA as Marcus Miskelly, completed a poor impression of our set-up.


In fairness, we looked the better side early on and should have been three or four up after ten minutes. Unfortunately, Danny Hughes and Conor Laverty both missed fairly straightforward chances and Arthur McConville put two kickable frees both wide at the near post. Our confidence started to fade away. and Kerry, without being brilliant, eased into a lead which they never really looked like losing.


There was little sign of a game-plan on our part, practically no spark up front and a general lack of leadership which indicated that relegation is going to be hard to avoid on this forn. Mayo, who have won both their games so far, will be a tough place to go next week. On a good day, we are capable of getting something out of the trip, as we did last year, but the mutterings from the stand at the final whistle today did not indicate any great confidence among the regulars about our prospects.


Brendan McVeigh did not have a shot to save, and his clean sheet definitely represented progress after the four goals conceded in Cork. His kick-outs were also decent, apart from one which went straight to the Star.


Owen Costello made a couple of  mistakes but competed well and his replacement two minutes before the break was harsh. A more prominent player from a bigger club would very likely have been left on until half-time. Daniel McCartan had a ropey first half but improved as the game wore on.  Our best defender was Conor Garvey, who had a fine game even after his early yellow card and might be a long-term option at full back. His second yellow late on made no real difference to the result.


Peter Turley did well at centre half, apart from one misplaced pass, and his replacement was a surprise. Damien Turley was OK, without making a huge impact, while Choc Brannigan worked very hard without looking convincing.


Our midfield completed well, and Kallum King still got his tackles in after his early yellow. Dan Gordon had a fine game, giving big Donaghy very little room and kicked one of the best points of the day.


Most of our problems were up front, where the individual performances were not all bad but we never clicked as a unit and we lacked any real focal point. Hughes, Poland and Maginn covered a huge amount of ground without really hurting Kerry, and while they all had their moments, they may be too similar to start in the same half forward line.


McConville, apart from one catch late on, did not look comfortable and might have been replaced earlier. Laverty had some brilliant touches, but was in and out of the game. He could easily have received a straight red for appearing to drop his knee on a defender on the ground,  but the referee, who made a few iffy calls, somehow concluded that he was on a second yellow and sent him off. The way in which Laverty successfully convinced the linesman that a mistake had been made was the most entertaining episode of the day.


Benny's display was a concern, and his league form generally has not been what we would expect. A goal might get him up and runimg, but - unless he is carrying another injury - the familiar burst of pace and the explosive turns have been sadly lacking.


Few of our subs made an impact, although it was great to see Ambrose at least make a couple of runs with the ball. His recovery has been very slow, but we need him badly. Having Liam Doyle back would also give us a big lift, as would his frees,  but it is a worry that he seems to struggle to play consecutive games

[alba2]

Not sure what game some people were at today with the previous comments. But i dont care what club costello is from - he got cleaned end off.  there were people sitting beside me and every time the ball went near him and his marker - there were nervous echoes around the place.  the lad is out of his depth - but is not on his own.  Arthur Mc Conville on our county team - i have seen it all.  i have seen very ordinary club players boss him about in club games and there he is in full forward for Down seniors today.  Had a couple of frees to settle him into the game and fluffed them.  Aidan Brannigan running about the place throwing in late challenges and acting the hard man with galvin - im sure Galvin was thinking to himself who is this prat.  So Galvin just done what he does best - got possession and linked play.  Someone said garvey had decent game - what the ****? Declan O'Sullivan gave a masterclass today in gaining possession - holding possession - linking play and indeed scoring - all four things mentioned are what you expect from your forwards - so what did Garvey do that was so good i ask?  Midfield - is Kalum King the stupidest person in down - he watched one of the defenders getting booked for third man tackle - so what does he do twice in the next two mins - third man tackles.  He was lucky he wasn booked th first time.  Big dan was good - impressive on a good player and kicked few scores which were good efforts.
As regards the naming of the team - a complete disgrace and the supporters should act with their hands in the pockets at the next home game and buy no programmes.  this is not on and calling out a wrong players name going into the fray is a joke too.  the line seem to question everything by the referee and the linesman - i read recently that Kerry were being accused of being yaps - they need to look at down.  But all is not lost - 4 games left and i feel it will come down to the derby with Armagh.  That is d day for both teams i feel.

[Leo]

MR, I usually wait for your post before trying to make sense of any game and again you are not too far off the mark - but for me the highlight of a "DIRE" performance was Laverty squaring up to the Star in the second half.
Gordon played them on his own, a salutory lesson to those who would confine him to the square after the stupid experiment that has gone on for far too long in our full back line.
Who was full back today? Was it Turley (at last) a natural for that position but who has never played there for county before? Or Garvey, who is our most effective half back since the days of Wilie Doyle?
I know positions are fluid in the game but I'd still be happier to have a settled no.3  - a key position - and, three years into this management, not only do I not know where we are with this but neither do they!!
As for the failure to announce a team, and no public announcement at the game,
(a) I purchsaed a programme for £3 where the team has no relationship to that which lined out and numbers are all over the show
(b) the bloody loudspeaker never stopped with adverts for tea a and soup and calls for obeying stewards and such crap but no announcement of the actual team
and
(c) I went home and watched on TG4 where the commentators had Arthur McConville as Anton McArdle.
Who is in charge here?

I'm thinking the team reflects our organisation at present - the so-called "Dow Way". F**k!
We are becoming a joke.

[dundrumite]

Not sure what game some people were at today with the previous comments. But i dont care what club costello is from - he got cleaned end off.  there were people sitting beside me and every time the ball went near him and his marker - there were nervous echoes around the place.  the lad is out of his depth - but is not on his own.  Arthur Mc Conville on our county team - i have seen it all.  i have seen very ordinary club players boss him about in club games and there he is in full forward for Down seniors today.  Had a couple of frees to settle him into the game and fluffed them.  Aidan Brannigan running about the place throwing in late challenges and acting the hard man with galvin - im sure Galvin was thinking to himself who is this prat.  So Galvin just done what he does best - got possession and linked play.  Someone said garvey had decent game - what the ****? Declan O'Sullivan gave a masterclass today in gaining possession - holding possession - linking play and indeed scoring - all four things mentioned are what you expect from your forwards - so what did Garvey do that was so good i ask?  Midfield - is Kalum King the stupidest person in down - he watched one of the defenders getting booked for third man tackle - so what does he do twice in the next two mins - third man tackles.  He was lucky he wasn booked th first time.  Big dan was good - impressive on a good player and kicked few scores which were good efforts.
As regards the naming of the team - a complete disgrace and the supporters should act with their hands in the pockets at the next home game and buy no programmes.  this is not on and calling out a wrong players name going into the fray is a joke too.  the line seem to question everything by the referee and the linesman - i read recently that Kerry were being accused of being yaps - they need to look at down.  But all is not lost - 4 games left and i feel it will come down to the derby with Armagh.  That is d day for both teams i feel.

I dare you to share your true identity

[PAULD123]

Yesterday was a shambles in every aspect. Umpire's that couldn't do their one job, A referee that couldn't remember who he'd booked, a programme with team sheets that were totally incorrect, an announcer that didn't know his own players, coaches that showed disrespect to officials, and most importantly players that looked like they wanted to be somewhere else (on both sides).

Having said that disappointing as it was it is not a reflection of what will happen in June. And it is not the team that will be desired for June. Going on the impression that James now seems to favour three big men around the middle you could say that Gordon, Ambrose, Turley. would all start. In addition Gerrard McCartan will come in at full back, Doyler and McKernan and half back, possibly Rooney will be added. Mcomiskey will be fit and King will possibly start on the square. That is a dramatically different team to yesterday.

However, although those changes would help to gain more possession, yesterday we didn't suffer too badly from possession. The problem was a total lack of penetration. In addition we missed half a dozen free kicks. Kick outs were interminably slow and allowed all runners to be marked up. McVeigh needs to start being sharper and taking notice of runners. A two-man full forward line is not working as Benny is too easily marked out of it.

But all is far from lost and hopefully a bad day like this can glaringly highlight where improvements need to be made.

[Mourne Rover]

A couple of points about the recent comments. If our firm policy is to take off a player who makes a mistake,  fair enough. However, Down players made mistakes all over the pitch yesterday without that happening. The one who was singled over was a relative newcomer from a D4 club, two minutes before the break. There is very little chance that an established player from one of our main clubs would be treated in that way, and it left a bad taste.

Garvey was up against a very fine opponent yesterday, got a fairly harsh yellow after five minutes and still competed well, winning his share of the ball and giving away practically no frees. He operates on the edge sometimes, but we need some guile at the back if we are to progress.

Gordon's period at full back is unlikely to be over, as he was fairly clearly told to do a marking job on Donaghy yesterday. Donaghy was named at full forward but spent the entire game out the field. Gordon more than matched him, and kicked two outstanding points, but our fragile defence means that he may still be needed on the square.

Peter Turley has been tried at full back before, in the USC away to Fermanagh in 2009, and should certainly be given a run in the same position again.

Our main problems were at the other end, as we still have too many talented and fast but light forwards. We need at least one ball winner down the middle, and putting Kallum King at full forward in Mayo may be a start.

We also have to hope that Benny, a hero for the last 12 seasons, begins to find his form. Another game like yesterday would mean that he may no longer be regarded as an automatic starter, but a goal would  change everything

[5 Sams]

Lads just a few points on some of the comments above. Benny and his "supposed loss of form". He was marked in turn by two very good players in Ó Sé and O'Mahoney yesterday who have a bucketload of AI medals between them.
Coulter was outstanding in the Railway Cup last week. He could hardly have lost his form since then.

I said earlier in the week that we had a chance against what I thought was a "weaker" Kerry team than normal. Bollix..there was nothing weak about them and they gave us a lesson in holding possession and opening up scoring chances for colleagues. Keane and Galvin pulled the strings while Sullivan and Sheehan punsihed us for indiscipline and poor marking. Down hadn't got the same nouse or guile when building an attack from the halfway line onwards and ran down blind alleys most of the time. This led to Coulter being starved of good ball to open up the Kerry defence.

On the programme issue...someone said that we should stop buying programmes as a protest....there's no sense in that as the guys who put the programme together (Down Supporters Club??) can only work with what Wee James and his team give them.

As for the PA...the announcer simply hadn't a clue....not one word of Irish....getting his own players names wrong....fcuk sake who in the county doesnt know who Aidan Carr is ....I have done the job myself in the past and while it is not easy..... a little preparation goes a long way....

[whitegoodman]

5sams Im sorry but that was the weakest Kerry side I have seen in years.  If you take Mark O'shea out of their defence it is average, their midfield was average and aside from  terrific players in Declan O'Sullivan and Galvin, their forward line was average.  Donaghy is living off form from 3 or 4 years ago.  He played at wing forward for the majority of the game yesterday and didnt want to know, partly down to Dan Gordon and partly down to his attitude.  The first half display from both teams was brutal.  Could you imagine what they would have done against us with Darren O Sullivan and Cooper playing!!!!

On Down, its pretty depressing to see how far back we have gone in 2 years.  The freshness, inventiveness, cheekiness and general threat from our forward line is completely gone.  Some of this may be down to the manager, the new coach, no marty clarke or maybe the effects on some of the hatfield last monday night!!!!

You will not win any games with maginn, poland, hughes and lavery in the one forward line at the same time.  All lovely footballers but as could be noted by one point in the first half yesterday when there were 3 or 4 lovely passes out the field only to be dispossessed by bigger more powerful men.  Big 2 of them max, my preference being Hughes and McCumisky when fit.  Whatever McConville is doing in training failed to show yesterday and if he was playing for free taking this didnt work either.  Poland didnt seem to have any confidence from frees either and when u compare this to Sheean we are miles apart.  Coulter looks a shadow of what he was a year or 2 back and shouldnt be immune from getting the curley finger if required.  He is still our inspiration and leader but we badly need him to start firing like he can.  Eoin McCartan was unable to have any effect on the game as has been the case in the last number of games he has been introduced.  Last year and 2 years ago we seemed to have options to come on and make a contribution but this seems to have gone.  Come back clarkes and murtagh, please.

Il get to the defence, midfield and management when Im a little less depressed.........