Ulster Semifinal- Derry v Tyrone 21/6/09 Casement Park

[orangeman]

according to RTE sport the Derry county board have banned all Ballinderry adult teams for rest of the year as well as 2 month suspension for Conway and 6 months for the chairman!! What reprecussions will this have for morale in the Derry camp?

Tea and buns at the next training session no doubt according to Mr. Mc Cloy. 

[king of leon]

Does anyone know if the seating in front of the stand is general admission tomorrow or is it ticketed??

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Pretty sure its general admission. Think its £20 there or £13 for the terrace.

[ziggysego]

I want to listen to the game on Radio Ulster tomorrow. Is there an app available on the iPhone to allow me to do this and is Casement Park wi-fi enabled?

[wherefromreferee?]

The Whitefort have nailed their colours to the mast.

Two Oak Leaf Flags. Not a red hand in sight.

I'll either in be The Whitefort or The Bowling Club.  ETA high noon

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Go fcuk yourself Heaney  

Understrength Derry won't stop Tyrone's machine
Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-final: Tyrone v Derry (tomorrow, Casement Park, 2pm, live on BBC2 and RTE2)
By Paddy Heaney
20/06/09

Although Derry are sponsored by Ladbrokes, the Oak Leafers will be hoping that this year's Ulster Championship continues to be a nightmare for the bookies. First, Fermanagh were outsiders to beat Down. Then Cavan were the underdogs against Fermanagh before Antrim caused the biggest shock of all.  So much for the bookies always being right! In fact, Tyrone have been the only team in this year's Championship that has successfully carried the burden of the favourites' tag. The Red Hands can maintain that distinction in Casement Park tomorrow.

Truth be told, the reason Derry haven't been written off is mainly because Damian Cassidy has managed to create a certain aura around himself and his players. Consider the facts. Derry will start without four first choice players: Fergal Doherty, Enda Muldoon, Niall McCusker and James Kielt. And these aren't exactly four ordinary players. Doherty and McCusker are captain and vice-captain, while Muldoon and Kielt possess the type of wizardry which is so necessary against Tyrone's methodical defence.  And yet, there is a real belief that Derry can beat the All-Ireland champions. Again, it's a testament to Cassidy's managerial qualities that the Derry players are so confident they can win.

In previous years, the loss of the latter quartet would have seriously affected the morale of the squad. This is not the case under Cassidy. During the League he continually preached about the importance of developing a roster of players who could be relied upon in Championship football. Despite resting key players like Paddy Bradley and Fergal Doherty – Derry still reached the National League final. The first round victory against Monaghan, a win achieved without Muldoon and Sean Martin Lockhart, further elevated Cassidy's standing among the Derry players.

Make no mistake, Derry believe they can win, and if they were coming up against any other team in the country, they probably would. The trouble is Tyrone present a seriously formidable challenge. In Mickey Harte and Tony Donnelly, Tyrone have a tactical think tank that will not be outwitted by Cassidy. More importantly again, Tyrone's key advantages lie on the field of play with their experience, talent and strength-in-depth. It's no secret that since the day and hour Damian Cassidy was introduced to the Derry players he has tried to develop a system of play. But Cassidy has only been working on his project for six months.

In contrast, Tyrone's gameplan is totally engrained. By this stage it's second nature to the Tyrone players who can stick to the script even under the most pressure-ridden circumstances. Tyrone's huge bank of experience should also help to swing the game in their favour.  When fresh legs are required, Mickey Harte can replace All-Ireland medal winners with All-Ireland medal winners. This is when the injuries and suspensions to seven players will really hurt Damian Cassidy. While his counterpart can bring on seasoned county footballers, the Derry manager will probably have to look to the rookie services of Caolan O'Boyle.

Nevertheless, while Tyrone are in the strongest position, they will need to improve from their last outing against Armagh when they conceded 1-10, kicked 12 wides, and their entire half-back line and midfield failed to score from play. Armagh's well-organised defensive system stopped Tyrone from providing an exhibition of total football, but the Red Hands also contributed to their own failings.  Owen Mulligan struggled in the role of playmaker, and it seems that he presents the greatest threat when he's kept in the scoring zone. Mickey Harte will also have learned from previous encounters between these teams.

In the past, he has relied on Conor Gormley to mark ace predator Paddy Bradley. But the Derry star has a good track record against Gormley, and Ryan McMenamin's fine display on Steven McDonnell suggests that he might pick up Bradley while PJ Quinn will mark Eoin. A few tweaks will make Tyrone more solid in defence and more dangerous in attack. Let's not forget, that despite showing signs of ring-rust, they still kicked 2-10 against Armagh. This ability to conjure scores from the ether is perhaps Tyrone's greatest asset. Sean Cavanagh had two chances and landed two points. Stephen O'Neill kicked 1-1. Both scores were the product of individual class. Brian Dooher also came off the bench to register a trademark wonder point.

We can expect the likes of Cavanagh, O'Neill, Mulligan and Dooher to produce further inspirational scores in Casement Park.  But unlike the game against Armagh, it would be a surprise if Davy Harte, Philip Jordan, the McMahon brothers and Enda McGinley are also kept off the scoresheet. Derry will be good. And they'll probably chalk up a decent tally themselves. However, they are coming up against a Tyrone squad that has greater experience and greater scoring potential.

It promises to be a good game of football, but it should also be a great day for Tyrone and for those punters who back favourites.

Derry tactical take...

AGAINST Monaghan, Derry deployed Paul Murphy and James Kielt as a two-man half-forward line. It didn't yield the intended effect as neither man possessed the necessary pace to win primary possession. Cassidy can be expected to revamp this line of Derry's attack. Eoin Bradley and Enda Lynn are the most likely candidates to be handed these roles.

Derry's attacking options also suffered because of some hesitancy from the wing-backs and midfielders. Players tended to run sideways or look to offload possession. Gerard O'Kane set the example with some direct running.  Armagh only really threatened Tyrone when they started kicking long (not high) balls to Ronan Clarke. This policy produced 1-2 and a red card for Conor Gormley.  In terms of negating Tyrone, it must be accepted that players like Stephen O'Neill will bag a few scores. However, O'Neill's goal against Armagh started with a short kick-out and a run from defence by Conor Gormley.

It's imperative that the Derry forwards are alert to quick kick-outs and counter-attacks from the Tyrone defenders.

Tyrone tactical take...

SINCE becoming Derry manager, Damian Cassidy's objective has been to turn Derry into a team that's reliant on a system, rather than a team that's reliant on Paddy Bradley.

Mickey Harte has reason to believe that Cassidy has yet to achieve that aim. Bradley still accounted for 1-3 of Derry's total of 1-10 against Monaghan. The challenge facing Harte is to identify the man best suited to marking Bradley. In their recent league meetings, the Derry ace took Conor Gormley for three points in Healy Park and five in Celtic Park. Ryan McMenamin did a fine job marking Steven McDonnell in Clones and Harte might put the Dromore man on Bradley.

Tyrone scored 2-10 against Armagh, but they're capable of more. A two-man full-forward line of Mulligan and O'Neill, with Cavanagh roving around inside the 40, could ask serious questions of the Derry defence.

Man of the moment...

Gerard O'Kane (Derry)

THE captain of the Derry All-Ireland winning minor team of 2002 came of age against Monaghan with a man-of-the-match display.  O'Kane forged his reputation as a ball-playing defender who loves to break forward. However, in recent years, he's been forced to take up man-marking roles which haven't suited his natural game. But Damian Cassidy has freed O'Kane from the corner-back slot and given him the license to attack that he always craved.

Reports suggest that O'Kane will mark Sean Cavanagh. The reigning Footballer of the Year will keep O'Kane occupied, but Cavanagh can also expect to spend some time chasing after the Glenullin man.

Team talk...

THE performance of Tyrone's forward line against Armagh will have caused Mickey Harte some concern. Joe McMahon, Tommy McGuigan and Martin Penrose failed to score from play. If Harte makes changes before or during the game it will probably affect this trio. Brian McGuigan sat out the game in Clones with a hamstring injury. McGuigan has since returned to fitness and is expected to play some part, as will Brian Dooher. If Harte needs to rejig his defence, Sean O'Neill will probably be the first man off the bench.

Derry

ENDA Muldoon, James Kielt, Paul Cartin and Patsy Bradley are unavailable due to injury while Fergal Doherty and Brian Mullan are suspended. Niall McCusker is returning to full fitness and he could come off the bench. Given Armagh's success with the long ball, it would be no surprise if McCusker is tried at full-forward. Lavey's Caolan O'Boyle was Derry's best U21 player and he kicked 1-6 when Lavey beat Ballinderry in the first round of the Championship. O'Boyle has impressed at training and is expected to feature.

Key battle...

Sean Martin Lockhart v Stephen O'Neill

THE duel between Derry's best man-marker and Tyrone's best marksman should provide an intriguing sub-plot.

O'Neill's goal against Armagh underlined his brilliance as a forward. He plucked a mis-hit shot from the air with a one handed-catch and then engineered a chance, despite superb marking from Andy Mallon. Lockhart was an attentive spectator at that game in Clones, and no doubt he has studied O'Neill in some depth. However, as Andy Mallon can testify, a defender can do everything right and still struggle to stop O'Neill from scoring.

[Bogball XV]

Go fcuk yourself Heaney  

Understrength Derry won't stop Tyrone's machine
Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-final: Tyrone v Derry (tomorrow, Casement Park, 2pm, live on BBC2 and RTE2)
By Paddy Heaney
20/06/09
In fact, Tyrone have been the only team in this year's Championship that has successfully carried the burden of the favourites' tag. The Red Hands can maintain that distinction in Casement Park tomorrow.

Conveniently forgetting that Derry were similarly priced favs to beat Monaghan as Tyrone were to beat Armagh

[Siggy]

I think(hope) that Tyrone should win this by 4 - 6 points.

[southderryman]

just in the door from dormans, slightly (/very much) under the influenece, but i have heard the derry team named in the paper is the starting line up. (from 2 sources who would know -  a well up bellaghy man and a club-mate of 3 men in the senior panel).i am quite surprised at this - i was infromed mc cloy would not start, - but eoghan brown starting is a surprise. to be frair i've only seen him play fro bellaghy twice this year, annd seen derry training 3 times, however, i think he presently lacks the power for intercounty football. this time 13 hours, i would happily be pleased wrong.

it seems from the starting line up that mcguigan will move from CHB to CHF with barry mcgoldrick moving from MF to CHB and murphy moving from CHF to MF. lynch will seemingly be given a free role around midfield with lynn and brown to track the runs of harte and jordan.

i hope, and pray, we win enough primary possesion and breaks and possesion to limit tyrone to 12/13 points, while getting the neccessary ball to the bradleys to do damge. we are also going to need the mcgoldricks, o kane, murphy, diver, lynn and brown, to chip in with a score each if we are to be successful.

with everyone fit and available, i'd be confdent of a win, with the players we have on show, i'm worried. bur if damien has the belief installed and every man gives his all then we have a chance. not a great chance, but a chance none the less. come on derry, do us proud, thats all we ask.

[gerry]

I want to listen to the game on Radio Ulster tomorrow. Is there an app available on the iPhone to allow me to do this and is Casement Park wi-fi enabled?

You must have being on the beer last night if you think you will get wi fi in casement ziggy

[gerry]

Speed cops at the ballygawley roundabout i wonder how many they get this morning

[Oak Leafer]

Paddy Bradley a major doubt to start....doing a late fitness test as i speak!

Not good news if true

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

The lads having a wild row here. Pat just said that "we need to get away from the barristers, the solicitors."

[Carmen Stateside]

brolly wins

[Jinxy]

This is quality.