Where Now For Connacht Football.

[Lar Naparka]

In terms of football ability we are the best in Connacht

After weeks of gloom & doom that's more like the sligonian we all know & love 

That's more like it alright; normal service is being resumed once more.
Right now, he could be confusing "are" with "were."
The Rossies won the Connacht title fair and square this year and I'd say they don't intend letting it go next year without a fight. I've been very impressed with Fergie and the work he has been doing with his side.
A year in Div 4 of the league won't do them a bit of harm and Fergie should have them primed for the championships next year. If he stays and Walsh steps down in Sligo, my money will be on the sheepophiles to win Connacht again.
I can't see Mayo being as useless as they have been for the last 4 seasons either. A new manager, even St Patrick himself, will have them in better shape next year.
A lot could change for the better for Galway as well. They are going through a bad patch now right enough but they never stay down for long. If Kevin Walsh returns, they could be a force to be reckoned with by next summer.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Sligonian should forget about setting his sat nav for Bekan or Scarden either.
He might need to consider Knock instead. After all, it could take a miracle to get Sligo over the first round next year, never mind winning the Connacht title.

[ross matt]

In terms of football ability we are the best in Connacht

After weeks of gloom & doom that's more like the sligonian we all know & love 

Roscommon will find it very difficult to hold on to the Connacht title next year. Galway simply cant be as bad as this year no matter who they have managing them and Meehan will surely be back from injury. Mayo just have too much talent to have  a year as bad as this year. Sligo are in a bad place. They need to regroup quickly as div 2 will be competitive. Leitrim... I really dont know how they can drive on. Not enough players never mind quality ones. Think the 2011 pecking order will be 1.Mayo, 2.Galway, 3.Roscommon, 4.Sligo, 5.Leitrim. Depressing return to the norm I know. However Ross have emerging talent due 06/07 minor sides, this years u-21s and the fact they ran Mayo close in recent u-21 campaigns and were unlucky not to add another title at this grade. Future looks bright enough for them to upset the pecking order again in a year or so. Hard to see any Connacht county winning Sam anytime soon though. Progression to the last 4 would be a realistic but challenging goal.

That's more like it alright; normal service is being resumed once more.
Right now, he could be confusing "are" with "were."
The Rossies won the Connacht title fair and square this year and I'd say they don't intend letting it go next year without a fight. I've been very impressed with Fergie and the work he has been doing with his side.
A year in Div 4 of the league won't do them a bit of harm and Fergie should have them primed for the championships next year. If he stays and Walsh steps down in Sligo, my money will be on the sheepophiles to win Connacht again.
I can't see Mayo being as useless as they have been for the last 4 seasons either. A new manager, even St Patrick himself, will have them in better shape next year.
A lot could change for the better for Galway as well. They are going through a bad patch now right enough but they never stay down for long. If Kevin Walsh returns, they could be a force to be reckoned with by next summer.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Sligonian should forget about setting his sat nav for Bekan or Scarden either.
He might need to consider Knock instead. After all, it could take a miracle to get Sligo over the first round next year, never mind winning the Connacht title.

[SLIGONIAN]

In terms of football ability we are the best in Connacht

After weeks of gloom & doom that's more like the sligonian we all know & love 

Roscommon will find it very difficult to hold on to the Connacht title next year. Galway simply cant be as bad as this year no matter who they have managing them and Meehan will surely be back from injury. Mayo just have too much talent to have  a year as bad as this year. Sligo are in a bad place. They need to regroup quickly as div 2 will be competitive. Leitrim... I really dont know how they can drive on. Not enough players never mind quality ones. Think the 2011 pecking order will be 1.Mayo, 2.Galway, 3.Roscommon, 4.Sligo, 5.Leitrim. Depressing return to the norm I know. However Ross have emerging talent due 06/07 minor sides, this years u-21s and the fact they ran Mayo close in recent u-21 campaigns and were unlucky not to add another title at this grade. Future looks bright enough for them to upset the pecking order again in a year or so. Hard to see any Connacht county winning Sam anytime soon though. Progression to the last 4 would be a realistic but challenging goal.

That's more like it alright; normal service is being resumed once more.
Right now, he could be confusing "are" with "were."
The Rossies won the Connacht title fair and square this year and I'd say they don't intend letting it go next year without a fight. I've been very impressed with Fergie and the work he has been doing with his side.
A year in Div 4 of the league won't do them a bit of harm and Fergie should have them primed for the championships next year. If he stays and Walsh steps down in Sligo, my money will be on the sheepophiles to win Connacht again.
I can't see Mayo being as useless as they have been for the last 4 seasons either. A new manager, even St Patrick himself, will have them in better shape next year.
A lot could change for the better for Galway as well. They are going through a bad patch now right enough but they never stay down for long. If Kevin Walsh returns, they could be a force to be reckoned with by next summer.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Sligonian should forget about setting his sat nav for Bekan or Scarden either.
He might need to consider Knock instead. After all, it could take a miracle to get Sligo over the first round next year, never mind winning the Connacht title.

Just because you win doesnt mean your the best team, Leeds beat Man utd in last yrs FA Cup, are Leeds better than Man Utd? , Leeds were better team on the day as were Roscommon, but i dont believe leeds are better than utd nor do i believe roscommon are better than us at senior. As they say themselves the jammy dodgers were aiming for 2012 Connacht title.

[mjg]

Ah come on sligonian a little dose of reality is needed for your on sanity. Roscommon showed ye had no midfield, centre half back fulll back an propably only three threatening forwards.To say ye are the best team in connacht is ludricous, no matter how bad football is perceived to be in connacht a title still has to be earned, sadly for you sligo were not up to the task

[ross4life]

TBH thats a very poor comparison Sligonian, leeds got a deserved win over second string united team,

Team that started v leeds

Kuszczak, Neville,Brown,Fabio,Evans,Anderson,Gibson,Berbatov,Rooney,Welbeck,Obertan

In bold are the only ones i would consider first 11

Most of this Roscommon panel have been beating the same Sligo players at u16 u18 & u21 so it's no surprise they had no fear by beating Sligo in Senior this year

does that make us better than ye? i guess we'll find out in a few years time

[seafoid]

Connacht football was in a much worse state in the early 90s. Mayo fans will remember 1993.
Galway couldn't win a Connacht title from 1988 to 1994. Things change and surely Mayo will improve and Ros are making shapes and Galway can do better and Sligo aren't that bad either..   

[SLIGONIAN]

TBH thats a very poor comparison Sligonian, leeds got a deserved win over second string united team,

Team that started v leeds

Kuszczak, Neville,Brown,Fabio,Evans,Anderson,Gibson,Berbatov,Rooney,Welbeck,Obertan

In bold are the only ones i would consider first 11

Most of this Roscommon panel have been beating the same Sligo players at u16 u18 & u21 so it's no surprise they had no fear by beating Sligo in Senior this year

does that make us better than ye? i guess we'll find out in a few years time

Ya maybe Ross4life, maybe this is a better one, Galway were the best team in Connacht in 2001.

This is an argument i cant win because Roscommon have the nestor cup fair play to them. Roscommon are light years ahead of us mentally though i will admit but in terms of football ability our lads just didnt perform first half and paid the price. We know we have to find a Fulback, and another midfielder, i think Mark Quinn will be our CHB next yr, and Costello our CHF. Alot went right for Roscommon this yr and alot went wrong for us on the day. I dont think Roscommon would of beat galway or mayo this yr, with the level of performances against london and leitrim. Nobody in Roscommon rated finneran, thats all ive heard from roscommon people since, they couldnt belive his performance, that kinda of freakish stuff is lucky enough imo. No one can tell me if both sligo and roscommon played there potentials roscommon would win. With Roscomon playing very well, us with no CHB, no FB, no Midfield, an injured CHF, we only lost the game by 1pt.

Connacht football was in a much worse state in the early 90s. Mayo fans will remember 1993.
Galway couldn't win a Connacht title from 1988 to 1994. Things change and surely Mayo will improve and Ros are making shapes and Galway can do better and Sligo aren't that bad either..   

The ealry 90s was way worse than now, i expect mayo to definitly improve, galway im not so sure. Unfortunetly if we draw either we are away, so we need to get lucky. We have Roscommon or Leitrim at home so either of them in a connacht semi would be as good as we can hope for. With us not playing london or NY its likely we'll be in qtrs again but i hope not.

[ross4life]

didn't Sligo play their home card in the final? Next time Sligo v Roscommon will be in Hyde Park a place where ye have a decent record & i don't think replays count so ye would be at home to Galway

To say ye have better ability than us is fair enough but... you said ye have the best ability in Connacht, most will tell you if Mayo/Galway played to their potential they wouldn't beat Sligo

[SLIGONIAN]

Sligo played their home card in the final, Next time Sligo v Roscommon will be in Hyde Park a place where ye have a decent record

To say ye have better ability than us is fair enough but... you said ye had the best ability in Connacht, most will tell you if Mayo/Galway played to their potential they wouldn't beat Sligo

We had choice in 07 with Galway and played them in the Hyde, then we played them at home in 09 in Markievicz in connacht semi. As far as i know finals are seperate, and ye'll have choice next time between castlebar and salthill when we meet in final again. If my understanding is correct its definitly fairer. The galway example is a precedent aswell.

Its a tough call on mayo or galway as in galways case imo theyve been consistently poor more than any good, and maybe poor is there level. They were unlucky with injuries though, but joyce is a 1yr older next yr. Mayo are unknowns for me. All depends on the new manager. Neither played to their potential but in the replay Galway played close to it imo. You know if we sort out the above positions we'll improve aswell. So will Roscommon no doubt, as ye will have more absentees coming back. Leitrim if they can keep mulligan, maxwell, regan fit will be hard bet aswell.

No matter what shite is spouted on here, no one can disagree that it wont be one hell of a connacht championship in 2011. Alot of battered pride this yr.

[ross4life]

If we had the choice next time why would we pick Mchale/Salthill over Dr Hyde park? but i have been told if this year's final finish level the replay would have been played in Mchale again so i'm unsure?

We have Leitrim (away) Galway (home) Mayo (home) next time we play them

[Tatler Jack]

In terms of football ability we are the best in Connacht

Just out of interest Sligonian how do you define football ability?

[SLIGONIAN]

In terms of football ability we are the best in Connacht

Just out of interest Sligonian how do you define football ability?

Good call, without any physical or mental advantage everything else is football ability to me. I count a game on 25% mental, 25%physical and 25% football ability and 25% team selection and tactics. ALot of Sligo people said we were on empty for final so physical for us would be 0%, mental in that were cocky and arrogant so again 0%, football ability 25% on the day, ye had mental 25% probably, 25% physical, as leitrim or london took feck all out of ye. Therefore our football abiltiy advantage counted for feck all on the day, which means everything in the teams potential with the ball in hand. See i would have ball winning in mental and physical, movement for me is mental again and ye destroyed us in those areas. I felt yere gameplan was to carry into tackles at pace and win frees and it worked, as ye have a great free taker which is partly football ability but reliant on a ref to give the frees. Now the above are just a simplistic analysis to get my point across, i dont think we were empty but roscommon had more in the tank mentally and physically and it negated our football ability advantage over ye. Yer management won the tactical battle too. Physically is fitness not size as i know ye dont see yourselves that way.

[ross4life]

I felt yere gameplan was to carry into tackles at pace and win frees and it worked, as ye have a great free taker which is partly football ability but reliant on a ref to give the frees.

Just to point out Sligo scored 5 points from frees to Roscommon's 7 we would have won by more if Shine by his standards didn't miss 3 easy ones & not forgotten Costello who only scored 4 points in 3 games... managed 5 points in the final

[Rossfan]

. Nobody in Roscommon rated finneran, thats all ive heard from roscommon people since, they couldnt belive his performance, that kinda of freakish stuff is lucky enough imo.

I suppose twould have nothing to do with good management - preparation/training/mental state etc.
He did reasonably well against Cork too for a good part of the game  until Murphy came on.
They substituted their 2 midfielders .
Whatever about Sligo ...we need a whole new half back line, 2 big midfielders and at least 2 scoring forwards to take the weight off Donie before we can be considered  serious contenders.
We have potential for the HB line, possibilities but only in about 3 years time for midfield and with Senan back and maybe Devaney interested we will have some help for Donie next year.
Mayowr and Galway will be back re juvenated and enthusiastic again next year and Sligo will just have to try again.
And with a likelihood of  no outstanding teams at National level next year Connacht could have a good enough year.
Only last year the question was how bad is Leinster football ...now they have 2 teams in the last 4 and the possibility of an All Leinster Final.

[ross4life]

With his injuries i think we have seen the last of Casey in Roscommon colours as i said before Div 4 will give us a great opportunity to try out something new

                               GK Claffey
                     Fb line of Ormsby,Collins, McDermott
                     HB line of Purcell, Domican McKeague
                 3 man Midfield C. Shine, D. Shine, finneran
                     Same HF Line of Keenan, O'Gara, Cregg
                           Two man FF line of Devaney, Mannion

Sure if it doesn't work change it for the Championship

forgot  about Senan he's sure to make the Starting 15 next year