Whats everybodys team predictions ?
Will Hearty retain the goalkeeping spot ?
Will Kieran Toner move to midfield and Donaghy move to full back ?
Both teams will be looking for a good start to the campaign
Meath pushed Armagh all the way in Cross last year.
Looking forward to the game and will be making the trip down - have to get use of these season tickets lol
BTW - Setanta are covering the match live.
McEvoy
Mallon
Toner
Donaghy
A Kernan
McKeever
Duffy
Vernon
Lavery
B Mallon/J Clarke
Swift
T Kernan
McDonnell
Clarke
Forker
Back line is solid as any. I realise midfield is weak though I think Toner is best at fullback, I have seen him in action a few times in that position and have been impressed every time. Otherwise, T Kernan can kick frees, J Clarke can take his scores, Swift can catch and field as well as take long range points. I have included Forker as I think he deserves to line out in the league to show us what he can do in an orange jersey as he did alright in a UUJ one against us, Mc Donnell and Clarke are self-explanatory
I would say ours will be something like this
1.Brendan Murphy/Paddy O'Rourke/David Lyons
2. Davey Dalton
3. James Macken
4. Eoghan Harrington
5. Cormac McGuinness
6. Barry Regan
7. Gary O'Brien
8. Brian Meade
9. Mark Ward
10. Peader Byrne
11. Seamus Kenny
12. Ollie Lewis
13. David Bray
14. Jamie Queeny
15. Cian Ward
With Stephen Bray, Niall McKeigue, Stephen Kennedy, Sthephen Sheridan, Graham Reilly and others to come off the bench. Nigel Crawford might be available too.
Ardmhachaabu. Not a bad team there although I would be worried about McKeevers fitness at the minute and would keep Donaghy a CHB because of this. We could then bring in another back. P Kernan would be my favourite here as I would like to see if he is up to it - although would not be disappointed to see Shannon there. Up front I do not thing J Clarke is available and thing B Mallon is out of form. I am stuck as to who I would like to see play in the half forward line instead. Could see Mackin being given another chance.
I would like to see McKeever and McKenna getting a run out from the bench.
Quote from: ardmhachaabu on January 30, 2010, 10:17:59 AM
McEvoy
Mallon
Toner
Donaghy
A Kernan
McKeever
Duffy
Vernon
Lavery
B Mallon/J Clarke
Swift
T Kernan
McDonnell
Clarke
Forker
Back line is solid as any. I realise midfield is weak though I think Toner is best at fullback, I have seen him in action a few times in that position and have been impressed every time. Otherwise, T Kernan can kick frees, J Clarke can take his scores, Swift can catch and field as well as take long range points. I have included Forker as I think he deserves to line out in the league to show us what he can do in an orange jersey as he did alright in a UUJ one against us, Mc Donnell and Clarke are self-explanatory
Very very good selection in my opinion.
I agree on Toner at full back but I think midfield is so poor that we can't spare him.
McEvoy
Mallon
Donaghy
P.Kernan
Vernon/Duffy
McKeever
A.Kernan
McKenna/Mackin
Toner
J.Clarke
Swift
T.Kernan
McDonnell
Clarke
Forker
Oh! Almost forgot Austin.
He definately has to be in there somewhere, maybe to partner Toner
Would like to see;
McEvoy (only really on the basis that himself and Hearty should rotate for the McKenna Cup and league and its McEvoy's turn)
A Mallon
K Toner
P Kernan
B Donaghy
C McKeever
K Dyas
J Lavery
C Vernon
R Austin
A Kernan
J Clarke
S McDonnell
R Clarke
S Forker
I think its worth trying Toner at full back but you have to also consider the effect it'll have on Donaghy who did so well last year. If he settles well in the half back line I think it could be a positive change. Aaron Kernan in the forwards is worth a look for 3 / 4 matches in the NFL I feel.
Aye, doubt Jamie Clarke will be available as he'll be lining out in this:
Quote from: drici on January 30, 2010, 03:06:07 PM
First Round:
Sun 24th January: Naomh Conaill (Donegal) 1-08 Foreglen (Derry) 0-10
Sat 30th January: Truagh Gaels (Monaghan) V Omagh St. Endas (Tyrone)
Sun 31st January: Kickhams Creggan (Antrim) V Burren(Down)
Sat 6th February: Belturbet (Cavan) V Crossmaglen Rangers
Quote from: AFS on January 30, 2010, 06:39:46 PM
Aye, doubt Jamie Clarke will be available as he'll be lining out in this:
Quote from: drici on January 30, 2010, 03:06:07 PM
First Round:
Sun 24th January: Naomh Conaill (Donegal) 1-08 Foreglen (Derry) 0-10
Sat 30th January: Truagh Gaels (Monaghan) V Omagh St. Endas (Tyrone)
Sun 31st January: Kickhams Creggan (Antrim) V Burren(Down)
Sat 6th February: Belturbet (Cavan) V Crossmaglen Rangers
Good point, I wasn't sure whether to include him or nor because of his other commitments but erred on the side of caution, I will have B Mallon in his place then ;)
Quote from: TacadoirArdMhacha on January 30, 2010, 05:44:15 PM
Would like to see;
McEvoy (only really on the basis that himself and Hearty should rotate for the McKenna Cup and league and its McEvoy's turn)
A Mallon
K Toner
P Kernan
B Donaghy
C McKeever
K Dyas
J Lavery
C Vernon
R Austin
A Kernan
J Clarke
S McDonnell
R Clarke
S Forker
I think its worth trying Toner at full back but you have to also consider the effect it'll have on Donaghy who did so well last year. If he settles well in the half back line I think it could be a positive change. Aaron Kernan in the forwards is worth a look for 3 / 4 matches in the NFL I feel.
Is young Moriarty from the Lurgan area not available to play?
Quote from: Carbery on January 30, 2010, 08:57:05 PM
Is young Moriarty from the Lurgan area not available to play?
Yep he's available - took part in 2 or 3 McKenna cup games.
I kinda think that full back and centre half back are not positions that want to be tampered with, once the right persons are found. I think O'Rourke should pick his numbers 3 and 6 early and have a good understanding through the end of the league and into championshp. By all means he should have alternatives to cover injuries etc
Always thought that Toner was a better FB than midfielder and the last few weeks have backed that up, what about a FB line of A Mallon, K Toner and B Donaghy? McEvoy is well ahead of Hearty in goals for me. HB line of P Duffy, C McKeever and AK.
Midfield continues to be a disaster zone. For the Meath game I would play Lavery as we have been wiped out aerially in Navan on the last two visits which has resulted in us getting a couple of complete stuffings. I'd play Ronan Austin alongside him to see a bit more of what he's made of. If he can cope with the Meath midfield challenge he may get an extended run.
The HF problem is similar to the midfield one, I'd try Swift, Mackin and Dyas for a bit of physicality and a chance of a long range point or two (pity that J Clarke is unavailable).
FF line of Stevie, Clarke and Forker and hope they get some decent service. Would be nice to give Meath a match in Navan for a change.
What's the story with David McKenna, someone I had high hopes for? Is it a commitment problem or injury?
Quote from: mackers on January 31, 2010, 02:03:45 PM
Always thought that Toner was a better FB than midfielder and the last few weeks have backed that up, what about a FB line of A Mallon, K Toner and B Donaghy? McEvoy is well ahead of Hearty in goals for me. HB line of P Duffy, C McKeever and AK.
Midfield continues to be a disaster zone. For the Meath game I would play Lavery as we have been wiped out aerially in Navan on the last two visits which has resulted in us getting a couple of complete stuffings. I'd play Ronan Austin alongside him to see a bit more of what he's made of. If he can cope with the Meath midfield challenge he may get an extended run.
The HF problem is similar to the midfield one, I'd try Swift, Mackin and Dyas for a bit of physicality and a chance of a long range point or two (pity that J Clarke is unavailable).
FF line of Stevie, Clarke and Forker and hope they get some decent service. Would be nice to give Meath a match in Navan for a change.
What's the story with David McKenna, someone I had high hopes for? Is it a commitment problem or injury?
I would agree that Toner is a better full back. But I would still rather see him in midfield before Lavery.
If we had a decent midfield then I like you Mallon, Toner, Donaghy sounds good
Lavery has played 3 games in midfield recently and we have been wiped out by inferior outfits to Meath!
Swiift has had a good year and would like to see him get a chance.
McKenna I think is almost over a long running injury, I think we are ll hopefull he can come on and do good things for the county
Would have slight reservations about Donaghy at CB. The poorest performances I've seen him give all seem to have come from that position: U21s v Cork 2007, Championship v Derry 2007, Railway Cup v Leinster 2009. I suppose he's improved a lot since 2007, and the Railway Cup game could just have been a blip, but I'd still harbour a few doubts. I reckon he'll end up somewhere in the HB line eventually.
Quote from: AFS on January 31, 2010, 08:48:27 PM
Would have slight reservations about Donaghy at CB. The poorest performances I've seen him give all seem to have come from that position: U21s v Cork 2007, Championship v Derry 2007, Railway Cup v Leinster 2009. I suppose he's improved a lot since 2007, and the Railway Cup game could just have been a blip, but I'd still harbour a few doubts. I reckon he'll end up somewhere in the HB line eventually.
I would say that he probably will alright.
Well is there anyone else (toner aside) that you would like to see in there?
If all were fit and well I would go with:
1: O'Rourke
2. Harrington
3. Macken
4. Dalton
5. Kenny
6. McGuinness
7. Reilly
8. Crawford
9. Gillespie
10. Byrne
11. Big Joe
12. Lewis
13. Ward
14. Queeney
15. S Bray
I'd persist with Macken for now.
We haven't much in the way of other options at FB and the games might bring him on.
Meade won't be available I presume.
Quote from: Benny Barnaveld on February 01, 2010, 01:46:09 PM
Quote from: AFS on January 31, 2010, 08:48:27 PM
Would have slight reservations about Donaghy at CB. The poorest performances I've seen him give all seem to have come from that position: U21s v Cork 2007, Championship v Derry 2007, Railway Cup v Leinster 2009. I suppose he's improved a lot since 2007, and the Railway Cup game could just have been a blip, but I'd still harbour a few doubts. I reckon he'll end up somewhere in the HB line eventually.
I would say that he probably will alright.
Well is there anyone else (toner aside) that you would like to see in there?
Francie Bellew
Lol
According to GAA.ie this is on Setanta 1.
Can you get that channel across the water? Think I promised to take herself out that night. feck it anyway
Where is Shane O'Rourke these days?Aussie rules?
Quote from: thejuice on February 02, 2010, 12:04:40 AM
According to GAA.ie this is on Setanta 1.
Can you get that channel across the water? Think I promised to take herself out that night. feck it anyway
take her out the night before instead.
Quote from: Bitta-Banter on February 02, 2010, 02:30:54 PM
Where is Shane O'Rourke these days?Aussie rules?
Still in recovery I think.
I think he played a bit with the club near the end of last year, though Im not sure.
There are a few other young lads like Battersby that have yet to come through as injury has hampered them in making their debuts at adult level.
Brian Farrell and Caomhin King are on holidays in Australia for the winter and aren't back yet either. Might see them at the end of the year.
Big Joe is out injured anyway.
Out -
Joe,
Moyles,
Meade,
Gilsenan,
K Reilly,
Wheres good for a pint or two before the game in Navan ?
Newry :D
Very Good Tony ;D
Berminghams, just down from Newgrange hotel or Ryan's on the main street.
Are Armagh going to name their team tonight or do we have to wait right up to the last minute before hearing the team like McDonnell used to do?
I thought Mc Donnell only became aware of the Armagh team for any fixture, when someone leaked it to him?
Mackers I hope the team is named tonight. I firmly believe that the cloak and dagger method adopted by McDonnell last year actually increased the rumour and leaks as people looked for information. Hopefully that will not continue. As for the team I would think the University ones may miss out this time. Would not be surprised to see Henderson in the full forward line with Clarke and McDonnell. No matter what the team we need a good show this weekend. Given our great record in Navan a good show may be a 1 or 2 point defeat! Still I will be there making use of my knew season ticket.
If Henderson plays and does as well as the first game last year, I'll be happy.
No sign of Rufus, normally he's the man with the inside track!
Armagh manager Paddy O'Rourke has named his team to play Meath in Navan:
http://tinyurl.com/ycm5cf6
1. Paul Hearty
2. Andy Mallon
3. Brendan Donaghy
4. Paul Duffy
5. Aaron Kernan
6. Ciaran McKeever
7. Finnian Moriarty
8. James Lavery
9. Kieran Toner
10. Joe Feeney
11. Charlie Vernon
12. Mal Mackin
13. Ryan Henderson
14. Ronan Clarke
15. Stevie McDonnell
The full 24:
1. Paul Hearty
2. Andy Mallon
3. Brendan Donaghy
4. Paul Duffy
5. Aaron Kernan
6. Ciaran McKeever
7. Finnian Moriarty
8. James Lavery
9. Kieran Toner
10. Joe Feeney
11. Charlie Vernon
12. Mal Mackin
13. Ryan Henderson
14. Ronan Clarke
15. Stevie McDonnell
16. Philip McEvoy
17. Gareth Swift
18. Vincent Martin
19. Michael McNamee
20. Kevin Dyas
21. Tony Kernan
22. Paul kernan
23. Barry Shannon
24. Colm Watters
Disappointed not to see Toner continue at FB, but it looks like a degree of experimentation is continuing. It allows us to get a look at Vernon at CHF, which may not be a bad thing. The rest of that HF line looks weak, would've perferred to see Swift ahead of either Mackin or Feeney.
Not sure about Duffy at CB, but again, worth a try.
Would've thought McEvoy would be in goals. I'd like to think he's in pole position and Hearty is in just to try to redeem himself after a mistake or two in the last game.
No Forker or Brian Mallon in the 24 seems strange. Are they injured?
Still a strong enough team, it'll be disappointing if they go the same way as the last couple of teams we've sent down to Navan.
Quote from: illdecide on February 05, 2010, 11:33:46 AM
1. Paul Hearty
2. Andy Mallon
3. Brendan Donaghy
4. Paul Duffy
5. Aaron Kernan
6. Ciaran McKeever
7. Finnian Moriarty
8. James Lavery
9. Kieran Toner
10. Joe Feeney
11. Charlie Vernon
12. Mal Mackin
13. Ryan Henderson
14. Ronan Clarke
15. Stevie McDonnell
Defence is very strong, be interesting to see how the HF line do. I'd rather see Duffy playing in the HB line but I'm sure he's gald to be starting
I suppose we won't name a team until 5 mins before the throw-in. ::)
:-[
Meath (NFL v Armagh) - P O'Rourke, N McKeigue, J Macken, E Harrington, M Burke, C McGuinness, G Reilly, N Crawford, M Ward, C O'Connor, S Bray, P Byrne, D Bray, J Queeney, C Ward.
Happy enough with the half-back line, midfield and forward line.
Uneasy about the FB line though, especially as they are up against Clarke and McDonnell.
I think Brian Mallon has been ill all week and is not able to play.
I have decided to make a mini weekend end of this having secured reputable accommodation in the Meath area tomorrow night,for less than 50 euros on Saturday night (for both my spouse and myself). That is my contribution to the flagging Tourism and Hospitality Industry in the 26 counties and I am glad to report that the booking was made accurately, promptly completely without any date mix ups etc. ;D
PS Can season ticket holders park at the back of the O'Mahony's Stand?
Paul Duffy never was and probably never will be a CB, his marking is too loose and I would swap him and Finn Mo (which may well happen) as Duffy was going well in the McKenna Cup at HB. Looks like O'Rourke has added height to the MF area by bringing Toner out from FB and remembering the tankings that we've got in MF during our recent visits to Navan I agree with that. Presumably that's why he has gone for Mackin at HF, although like AFS I'd have Swift in there ahead of Feeney.
If we can win a bit of ball in MF we'll make a game of it.
Chris O'Connor at RHF? Extra defender?
R Austin is injured (calf injury) so thats why he's not in the 24
I'd say he's there to play the Seamus Kenny role.
If he gets much of it he has the pace to go forward and take a score.
Remember Limerick?
I do indeed. It hadn't occurred to me before, but he could be good choice for the Galvin/Dooher/Peadar Byrne/Evan Kelly role OK.
Quote from: Jinxy on February 05, 2010, 12:45:52 PM
Meath (NFL v Armagh)
P O'Rourke,
N McKeigue, J Macken, E Harrington,
M Burke, C McGuinness, G Reilly,
N Crawford, M Ward,
C O'Connor, S Bray, P Byrne,
D Bray, J Queeney, C Ward.
I don't know if we could put out a much better Full back line at this time of year to be honest. I heard Dalton borke his thumb against DCU so he's out as well as.
I would be worried about the midfield though, Ward and Crawford haven't played together in a while and don't seem to compliment each other too well when they do.
O'Connor might be quite effective further up the field, will be interesting to see. We can do a fair biit of damage with that forward line if they get going.
Does anyone know if you can watch Setanta online anywhere? Free preferably!
If you go to this link you will get to see streaming games if theyre on setanta or tg4, click on the small tv on the right and that will open up links to that game, you might need to download some extra software like sopcast or such.
http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=sports
This was posted on Orchard County. Do not know if it works or costs anything (or has viruses) but may be worth a look.
Quote from: Throw ball on February 05, 2010, 07:11:21 PM
If you go to this link you will get to see streaming games if theyre on setanta or tg4, click on the small tv on the right and that will open up links to that game, you might need to download some extra software like sopcast or such.
http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=sports
This was posted on Orchard County. Do not know if it works or costs anything (or has viruses) but may be worth a look.
this link is virus free and the viewing will be free :)
The first post in the thread below will be updated with a stream around 10 minutes before throw in and no additional software will be needed
http://armaghgaa.info/forum/f5/meath-vs-armagh-national-league-div-2-a-291/
Quote from: ArmaghGAAforum on February 05, 2010, 08:28:17 PM
Quote from: Throw ball on February 05, 2010, 07:11:21 PM
If you go to this link you will get to see streaming games if theyre on setanta or tg4, click on the small tv on the right and that will open up links to that game, you might need to download some extra software like sopcast or such.
http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=sports
This was posted on Orchard County. Do not know if it works or costs anything (or has viruses) but may be worth a look.
this link is virus free and the viewing will be free :)
The first post in the thread below will be updated with a stream around 10 minutes before throw in and no additional software will be needed
http://armaghgaa.info/forum/f5/meath-vs-armagh-national-league-div-2-a-291/
Good news for those who cannot make it.
Can our Meath friends help. Understand there are roadworks on the Slane to Navan road. Would there be much of a holdup. Cheers.
Thanks for the links lads. I'm afraid I cant help with the traffic news as I'm abroad.
Half Time
Meath 1-06
Armagh 0-06
Played at half the pace of a championship match. Bray got the goal but it was sloppy. Meath came out well at the start but McDonnell is making hay now and has Armagh back in it.
Paddy O`Rourke off to a flier. ;) Good thinking from the Meath Keeper to end the game.
Final score Meath 2-08 Armagh 0-13
Quote from: Trevor Hill on February 06, 2010, 09:08:07 PM
Paddy O`Rourke off to a flier. ;) Good thinking from the Meath Keeper to end the game.
Final score Meath 2-08 Armagh 0-13
not the worst result in the world....an improvement if anything. don't think we need to worry about relegation anyway
I suppose we can take some little comfort from tonight's performance - but
* when are we going to get rid of Hearty; he should've stopped the cross which resulted in the first goal, he nearly busted Andy Mallon and looked decidedly dodgy throughout
*what was with the substitutions? neither of the Kernans was at the hunt; surely Barry Shannon, on last year's performances would be a wiser replacement than Paul Kernan?
*were young Forker and Brian Mallon not available tonight or Kevin Dyas?
*woeful half forward display tonight
*why was Henderson taken off?
Just back from Navan. Very disappointed not to get at least a draw, as I thought we were the stronger team for a lot of the game. For pretty much twenty minutes either side of half time there was only one team in it, but we started poorly and finished meekly. I'm gonna have to get a look at the free from which Meath got their winning point on Sky+, looked a ridiculous decision at the time. Ó Conamha was frustrating for both sets of supporters, perhaps not the worst ref going but one of the most inconsistent.
Thought the FB line was a bit of a mixed bag. Mallon was steady enough as usual. Donaghy had a poor enough game. He is on the small side for a FB and Queeney showed that an opponent with 4 or 5 inches on him can cause bother. I don't think Toner would've allowed Meath score that second goal. Duffy was alright, but he's a disaster waiting to happen at CB. These days CBs don't stay in their corner and often find themselves under high balls on the edge of the square as their opponents play with two man FF lines. Duffy will struggle in these circumstances. He's a good player, but I wouldn't play him anywhere other than the HB line.
HB line struggle a bit too. Wasn't impressed with Moriarty, he offers a bit going forward but he's a poor enough defender and fouls much too often. McKeever had a solid enough return but lost his man a bit more than he should of. Kernan was decent going forward. On the whole the ease with which Meath cut straight through the middle was a bit worrying. The defence will have to become a tighter unit over the next few months.
Midfield competed well but seem to fade in the last 10 when we really needed to push on after going level. The pick of the Armagh men around the middle was probably Vernon, even though he lined out at CHF. I don't think he offered much more from that position than he normally does at midfield, and I'd perfer him to return there allowing Toner to head back to FB. I still believe that, while Toner is a steady but unspectacular midfielder, he has the ability to be a top FB. Its been said that we can't afford to take him out of the middle, but on tonight's showing you can't help but wonder if we can afford to take him out of the FB line.
The other HFs were average. Mackin didn't make as many mistakes as in the couple of McKenna games, but he doesn't offer a whole pile in general. Feeney huffed and puffed and was well involved, but, as a forward, he needs to take more responsibility and look to shoot more often. His first instinct always seems to be to pass. I think Swift sort of played in the HF line, he drifted about a lot trying to get into the game but it just didn't happen for him.
FF line was the McDonnell show really. His good form continued, but he would've been better served with Clarke up with him. There seemed to be a lot of high balls hit in that Clarke would win plenty of, but the boys tonight didn't seem capable to. I thought Henderson was a bit of a passenger for the most part. Scored a nice point but struggles to win his own ball. Probably wasn't helped by the poor delivery tonight though.
Subs didn't do a whole pile, hopefully we'll have more strength in depth when the likes of Mallon, the Clarkes and Forker return.
Not an awful first showing, with a lot more fight than the last two vists to Navan, and we played some nice stuff at times, but the forwardline, with the exception of McDonnell, still looks rather toothless. Always disappointing to lose your first game, as it makes promotion chase an uphill struggle from the start. I'll watch the video and have to come back here and change everything I've written.
The one thing about Gerry Kinneavy is that he is consistently inconsistent. At best it was a very soft free that led to Meaths last score. We know all about him.
Very disappointing that our work rate and territorial advantage failed to yield at least a point, but when you concede two silly goals and fail to convert a whole host of chances, you get what you deserve.
Big plus point was the second half energy and character to score 6 unanswered points after a terrible goal conceded at the very start of thesecond half to leave us 6 behind.
Of course Kinneavy is a p***k but we shot ourselves in the foot big time with the goals. Still plenty to look forward to and far from our worst ever fisrt match in the league in recent years
Thought it was simply a matter of individual errors costing us the match. I didn't see the first goal but as a unit the defence were simply too lax, the 2nd goal was terrible defensively - there's no way Meath should have found ti so easy to catch a ball uncontested in front of goal, shrug off a full back and put it into the net. Thought there were some basics errors, things like a 2nd man going to tackle the player with the ball leaving a man free inside. Paul Duffy simply isn't a corner. I think we're at least 2 players short in defence. I'd move Toner back to full back as well.
Must say I'm surprised at AFS's comment that the midfield competed well - thought they were poor enough throughout. Charlie Vernon got the only mark of the game for Armagh - I'd prefer to see him lining out at midfield, albeit that he played in that general sector.
In attack, its the same old story - without Clarke, if Stevie isn't going to do it for us - who is?
Quote from: TacadoirArdMhacha on February 06, 2010, 11:46:46 PM
Must say I'm surprised at AFS's comment that the midfield competed well - thought they were poor enough throughout. Charlie Vernon got the only mark of the game for Armagh - I'd prefer to see him lining out at midfield, albeit that he played in that general sector.
I'll have to have another look at it but I thought they did well enough until the last 15 minutes or so. Meath certainly didn't dominate like they've done a couple of times recently against us.
Despite the closeness of the score it didn't look like either team were going to burst themselves for a win. While I'm glad we came out of it on the right side of it we can't be too happy with the performance. Completely out fought for long periods of the game and playing that long ball into the forwards while it worked on occasion ultimately it looked aimless and just gave the ball away cheaply.
Pleased enough with our backs, McDonnell didn't do too much damage and Paddy O'Rourke was never troubled.
We just need to make better use of possession. Happy with the good spread of scorers and Mark Ward did quite well in midfield along with Crawford.
Some of the referee's decisions were strange and at times I think we did get a few soft free's, but I guess it's February football and it is what it is. We'll see what challenge Down will offer us next week and we'll have a better idea of where we are.
How many games has Hearty's poor keeping lost us now? >:( TAM, I'd agree with AFS I thought we competed well against a big midfield but we blew a gasket in the last 10. Thought Charlie showed glimpses of what he's capable of scoring a great point. We were the better team for long periods but bad goalkeeping and a poor bit of FB play cost us the game. Donaghy had an unusually poor game. Thought Duffy had a great game but has no interest in saying back to defend which will come back to bite us if he continues in the corner. We seemed to be more fluid with some good movement in the forward line. I thought Feeney and Henderson showed well but the scoring duties still fall on Stevie.
Overall we deserved to get something out of the game in what I reckon will be our toughest game along with our trip to Donegal. Important that we back this performance up with a few wins in the next run of games.
Back from the game and despite much of the criticism some other Armagh supporters may be giving I was actually quite pleased in the heart shown. This early in the season it is a good sign, and given our last couple of performances in Navan makes it even better. Hearty made a massive howler for the first goal but after that was reasonable. The problem at the minute seems to be that he has lost confidence and is prone to one massive error per game. In the first half the full back line got roasted. Andy found his man too strong for him but as usual competed well. Duffy will never make a corner back. buut looks great going forward. After the second goal went in there was a substantial improvement. Donaghy was outfielded for the second but I actually thought he did ok after that. i have said many times and will say again I think he is a half back. He is filling in at full back because he is a good footballer. He should be playing in the half back line with Toner at full back.
The half back line gave no protection to the full back line at all in the first half. McKeever was obviously not fully fit . Finnian was getting battered all through by his man and fouled back too often but kept at it and improved as the game went on. Aaron played his best football when he went to the half forwrad line. Midfield did better than they have of late. I still think however that Toner needs to play further back.
I actually thought that Feeney played very well in the second half. He made many good runs but just needs to get a bit of confidence so that he shoots more often. He was better than many half forwards we have seen in the last couple of years. Vernon played a stormer for about fifty minutes and then seemed to run out of steam. I am not a great fan of Mackin but must say he surprised me with how well he did play. Nothing spectular but effective.
Stevie played very well. Henderson will take a chance when he gets it. Swift tried very hard but seemed to be playing an unfamiliar role. I think he needs to get a chance at half forward to see if he is what we need. Of the three subs I actually think the Paul Kernan one was the most effective as it released Aaron to a more advanced role.
Will also say that I walked across the pitch after the game and it was quite slippy, although in great nick.
Quote from: AFS on February 07, 2010, 12:09:51 AM
Quote from: TacadoirArdMhacha on February 06, 2010, 11:46:46 PM
Must say I'm surprised at AFS's comment that the midfield competed well - thought they were poor enough throughout. Charlie Vernon got the only mark of the game for Armagh - I'd prefer to see him lining out at midfield, albeit that he played in that general sector.
I'll have to have another look at it but I thought they did well enough until the last 15 minutes or so. Meath certainly didn't dominate like they've done a couple of times recently against us.
On this, because I'm a sad w**ker, I kept a rough count of who won the kickouts when rewatching the game there. I had Meath only just winning, by 20 to 18. I had Armagh ahead 14-8 at half time, so maybe losing three times as many as we won in the second half clouded the memory a bit. Interestingly, despite Meath winning the first 7 kickouts of the second half Armagh scored 5 points to nothing in this period (the Meath goal was scored before there were any kickouts).
Even more disappointed not to have got anything out of the game after seeing it again. Meath were a bit shit, especially in the second half. We gifted them their first goal, and they got two of the softest frees they'll get all year to end the match, yet they still only won by a point.
I thought that our half forward line was pretty interesting.
We know that we struggle for scoring half forwards, and I also think that we are pretty weak in the midfield department (by this I mean we don't have 2 midfielders who are head and shoulders above the rest).
Perhaps POR thinks, "OK, I know we struggle for half forwards so let's effectively play 4 or 5 midfielders in the hope to dominate possession".
We played with 4 midfielders yesterday - Lavery, Toner, Vernon and Macken.
I think that this may not be the worst ploy in the world. The problem yesterday was that all 4 of them ran out of gas with about 15 minutes to go.
It will be interesting to see if we continue with this shape to the team.
Not sure that I would give Stevie as much praise as others on here. Plenty of times he came deep, demanded the ball of the youngsters but then gave it away in a silly fashion.
Also thought that Feeney shaped up really well as a link man.
Couldn't believe that the Rosocommon pr1ck gave that last free. If only Clarkie got frees so handy in front of the posts.
Don't understand why Ryan Henderson was subbed. Tony Kernan did nothing when he came on to replace him.
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 07, 2010, 07:08:10 AM
I thought that our half forward line was pretty interesting.
We know that we struggle for scoring half forwards, and I also think that we are pretty weak in the midfield department (by this I mean we don't have 2 midfielders who are head and shoulders above the rest).
Perhaps POR thinks, "OK, I know we struggle for half forwards so let's effectively play 4 or 5 midfielders in the hope to dominate possession".
We played with 4 midfielders yesterday - Lavery, Toner, Vernon and Macken.
I think that this may not be the worst ploy in the world. The problem yesterday was that all 4 of them ran out of gas with about 15 minutes to go.
It will be interesting to see if we continue with this shape to the team.
Not sure that I would give Stevie as much praise as others on here. Plenty of times he came deep, demanded the ball of the youngsters but then gave it away in a silly fashion.
Also thought that Feeney shaped up really well as a link man.
Couldn't believe that the Rosocommon pr1ck gave that last free. If only Clarkie got frees so handy in front of the posts.
I'd say that you're right in that analysis Joe, but it's important that the HF forwards/midfield carry the ball like Charlie, Mackin and Feeney did at times. If your half forwards aren't going to score they need to occupy the defenders by carrying the ball and drawing defenders out. For too long we have been getting ball in midfield and lumping it into Clarke and McDonnell and letting them fend for themselves with defenders gathered round them cause they knew there was no other threat.
Quote from: mackers on February 07, 2010, 12:20:32 PM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 07, 2010, 07:08:10 AM
I thought that our half forward line was pretty interesting.
We know that we struggle for scoring half forwards, and I also think that we are pretty weak in the midfield department (by this I mean we don't have 2 midfielders who are head and shoulders above the rest).
Perhaps POR thinks, "OK, I know we struggle for half forwards so let's effectively play 4 or 5 midfielders in the hope to dominate possession".
We played with 4 midfielders yesterday - Lavery, Toner, Vernon and Macken.
I think that this may not be the worst ploy in the world. The problem yesterday was that all 4 of them ran out of gas with about 15 minutes to go.
It will be interesting to see if we continue with this shape to the team.
Not sure that I would give Stevie as much praise as others on here. Plenty of times he came deep, demanded the ball of the youngsters but then gave it away in a silly fashion.
Also thought that Feeney shaped up really well as a link man.
Couldn't believe that the Rosocommon pr1ck gave that last free. If only Clarkie got frees so handy in front of the posts.
I'd say that you're right in that analysis Joe, but it's important that the HF forwards/midfield carry the ball like Charlie, Mackin and Feeney did at times. If your half forwards aren't going to score they need to occupy the defenders by carrying the ball and drawing defenders out. For too long we have been getting ball in midfield and lumping it into Clarke and McDonnell and letting them fend for themselves with defenders gathered round them cause they knew there was no other threat.
I think the quality of ball into Clarke and McDonell is the crucial issue. There were far too many lofted 50 / 50 kicks into the full forward liune which gave little chance of claiming quality possesion. Ideally the half forwards should be good passers with the ability to chip in with a couple of points a game. Brian Mallon should fit this mould though he hasn;t had a great last couple of years.
Glad we won but pretty disappointed with the performance.
We still look like we're making it up as we go along.
No real system or intelligence behind what we do.
Cian Ward missed 3/4 frees he'd normally knock over.
Did nothing in general play either.
Not happy with Stephen Bray at centre forward.
Put him in the corner and have a FF line of him Queeney and D Bray.
Move Wardy out to 11.
We badly miss Big Joe.
We have no full back and Harrington is not the solution either.
We'll have to think outside the box to solve this problem I think.
Liked the look of Ollie Lewis when he came on.
Crawford was anonymous for 3/4 of the game, caught a few balls towards the end.
It's a better start than last year but I think we were pretty lucky to get the win.
I only saw the highlights, so it was hard to interpret what I was seeing. For instance, Crawford didn't touch the ball in the 45 minutes-or-so of action I saw. That can hardly have been an accurate reflection?
We seemed to be struggling for possession at midfield and I'd be concerned that we went through the whole game without catching one kick out.
The only real interest for me in these games is to see how newcomers/non-regular players are doing and to try and discern if a tactical plan is being developed. I couldn't say on the latter, but I'm delighted to see Queeney seeming to fulfill his potential. We could have a real problem selecting a forward line from himself, Farrell, Ward, the Brays, Joe, Byrne, O'Rourke if/when he's back.
I'd be worried about the backs, though. Each of the defenders seemed to struggle with his one-on-one, against what didn't seem a stellar forward division, with the exception of Macken, who seemed to be doing well at full back. He's a natural footballer, if a little rash-looking at times. From the highlights, it seemed our problems started from the moment he was taken off. Why was he taken off, by the way? Because he had a yellow card and was looking in danger of another? Whatever, I don't understand why he wasn't replaced by Moyles, or McGuinness moved to full back, or something. It seemed from the TV that Harrington was moved to full back? It didn't work.
Edit - see Jinxy has answered some of my questions before I asked them.
Match report up on Official Website
http://tinyurl.com/yzqkzac
Will follow later on with several audio interviews
Meath V Armagh National Football League Highlights 2010 (http://armaghgaa.info/forum/f5/meath-vs-armagh-national-league-div-2-a-291/index3.html#post1418)
Hardy we had 5/6 marks in the 2nd half.
Macken was poor and rightly taken off.
Crawford was as quiet as I ever saw.
Paddy O'Rourke and Donal Murtagh react to Armagh defeat - Audio
http://www.armagh-gaa.com/Football/News/Armagh-v-Meath-audio.aspx
Quote from: Jinxy on February 07, 2010, 01:04:24 PM
Hardy we had 5/6 marks in the 2nd half.
Macken was poor and rightly taken off.
Crawford was as quiet as I ever saw.
OK. Somebody said above Vernon made the only mark of the match. I wasn't allowing for the exclusively Armagh-centric view of some Armagh supporters.
Interesting about Macken - shows the problem with highlights.
Quote from: Hardy on February 07, 2010, 01:30:41 PM
Quote from: Jinxy on February 07, 2010, 01:04:24 PM
Hardy we had 5/6 marks in the 2nd half.
Macken was poor and rightly taken off.
Crawford was as quiet as I ever saw.
OK. Somebody said above Vernon made the only mark of the match. I wasn't allowing for the exclusively Armagh-centric view of some Armagh supporters.
Interesting about Macken - shows the problem with highlights.
Think that was me said that. Apologies, I was just referring to Armagh, Meath had a few marks right enough.
Just messing, TAM.
Edit - on checking, I owe you an aopolgy. You said Vernon made the only mark of the match for Armagh. My mistake.
Is Henderson doing anything this year to win over the sceptics? Loads of talent but never seems to have any supporters outside Lurgan.
Eventually made it to Navan last night - between the diversions and the fog - the journey took longer than expected.
It was an encouraging display in relation to heart and determination - going 6 points down straight after the restart was a big blow - but Armagh came back well
Apart from Stevie - thought Charlie was our best player.
Henderson took two lovely points from play
Hearty was at fault for the 1st goal - I'd say O'Rourke will prob rotate the goalkeepers in the league
Ref was bad for both sides - however Meath did get two very dubious frees at the very end - whch they gladly took.
As always we will need to win all our home matches.
The Season Ticket worked ok - a few signs wouldn't go a miss though outside the ground.
PS
Did anyone else see Armagh's warm up tactics ?
I was impressed with Vernon.
Strong, fast and covered a lot of ground.
Well able to take a score too.
Quote from: Jinxy on February 07, 2010, 02:18:50 PM
I was impressed with Vernon.
Strong, fast and covered a lot of ground.
Well able to take a score too.
Its funny you should say that, I was discussing Charlie lining out on the 40 with a friend a we both thought his score taking might be the thing that let him down. What do others think?
Quote from: Midman on February 07, 2010, 02:38:54 PM
Quote from: Jinxy on February 07, 2010, 02:18:50 PM
I was impressed with Vernon.
Strong, fast and covered a lot of ground.
Well able to take a score too.
Its funny you should say that, I was discussing Charlie lining out on the 40 with a friend a we both thought his score taking might be the thing that let him down. What do others think?
Seems to miss more than he scores, but he's a midfielder so I wouldn't be too bothered about his scoring ability to be honest. If he can learn to lift the head and make better use of the ball when he wins it, he'll be a great asset for us for the next decade. Just needs to cut a few of those surging runs short and play the ball earlier at times.
Quote from: ArmaghGAAforum on February 07, 2010, 12:56:24 PM
Meath V Armagh National Football League Highlights 2010 (http://armaghgaa.info/forum/f5/meath-vs-armagh-national-league-div-2-a-291/index3.html#post1418)
Not to well up on the tech things but would there be ant reason why I cannot watch this or listen to the interviews?
You might want to try the original source for the interviews, not the copied vesion:
http://www.armagh-gaa.com/Football/News/Armagh-v-Meath-audio.aspx
Quote from: Shortso79 on February 07, 2010, 02:10:36 PM
PS
Did anyone else see Armagh's warm up tactics ?
Was it the bumping?
no, they had big hand held yokes, like they use in the rugby, and each player had to run through them, to simulate a double shoulder charge/ 2 man tackle. I am guessing it was introduced by Mc Gurn.
Re the season tickets well when we went in they had a wee girl, about 12 or 13, who God help her couldn't work the scanner, a queue was forming but another lassie turned up and sorted the problem. Very far from satisfactory and unprofessional, why they simply can't have a turnstile for season ticket holders with an experienced operator is beyond me. Then when we got in we were informed, again by another yong lassie of school going age, that a section sealed off was for season ticket holders, about 10 minutes before the throw in. Really in season two this should be sorted out with signage etc
Quote from: orange2009 on February 07, 2010, 01:13:00 PM
Paddy O'Rourke and Donal Murtagh react to Armagh defeat - Audio
http://www.armagh-gaa.com/Football/News/Armagh-v-Meath-audio.aspx
Jaysus, i never like any manager (or assistant) citing passion, commitment and pride as a positive after defeat or victory. That is the bare minimum expected from a county footballer.
Quote from: Aghdavoyle on February 07, 2010, 09:03:55 PM
Quote from: orange2009 on February 07, 2010, 01:13:00 PM
Paddy O'Rourke and Donal Murtagh react to Armagh defeat - Audio
http://www.armagh-gaa.com/Football/News/Armagh-v-Meath-audio.aspx
Jaysus, i never like any manager (or assistant) citing passion, commitment and pride as a positive after defeat or victory. That is the bare minimum expected from a county footballer.
You're right but I think they were proud of the team as they fought back from six points down. Must say that when we went six points down I thought we were for another mauling in a venue where that has happened more than once. The team did show a lot of bottle.
Ultimately though we were still beat and I remember the same sort of reaction to the Tyrone defeat in the championship last year and look what happened after that, probably our worst championship performance in a decade. Next week's match is a very important one, we need to cut out the silly mistakes and build on some of the good parts of last night's match.
Was there a melee just after half time?
Not really.
A bit of handbags.
Think McKeever gave Bray a knee in the leg or something to spark it off.
Quote from: full back on February 08, 2010, 12:14:10 PM
Was there a melee just after half time?
Bit of hand bags before the ball was thrown in, not sure how it actually started... There was a lot of welcoming shoulders, with players entering the field though throughout. All contributed to a very exciting atmosphere & game, I thought.
and the resulting loss of concentration undoubtedly led to Armagh conceding a silly goal seconds later, and losing the game.