Donegal v Dublin semi final 28-8-11

[thewobbler]

An ongoing nonsense postulation from various analysts over the past few years has cited long early ball and long range shooting as the only ways to beat a blanket defence.

Today I'd think that Kevin McMenamon largely proved a theory of mine that the best way to beat the blanket is to stop it covering you.

In the 1st half, Dublin did little but kick pointless balls into the trap. Even if Brogan won a ball, he was swamped and isolated.

McMenamon single handedly changed Dublin's methods. His clever running, both off and on the ball,  was a constant feature of the 2nd half. It meant that Dublin maintained possession, but more importantly, did so with enough momentum to ensure that the blanket had to keep moving and keep re-forming.

When teams learn to commit wholeheartedly to running diagonal, handpassing lines against Donegal's system, they will get in front, and Donegal will have no choice but to become more expansive.

I still say fair play to McGuinness this yer though. If this is the first year of a bigger plan - one in which Donegal use their defensive knowledge and base as the platform for better football - then I wouldn't be long firing the chequebook at him and dragging him to Down. If his football ethics are purely defensive, I'll even respect that too. But he needs at least one more marquee forward before he'll top this year's end position.

[johnpower]

fascinating game . Every score had to be fought for . I am sure this will help Dublin big time . For me Dublins greater fitmess ,better subs and Donegals lack of a forward threat other than McFadden .

[INDIANA]

only a sado maschiost found thar fascinating. it was shite it was beyond puke football. and donegal have descreated gaelic football with thar shite  today. it wad a disgrace.

[OverThePostsAWide]

Glad to see Dublin win, because at least it ensures that the final will be between two teams who want to win it by playing football.
There is no place in an All Ireland Final for the type of shite that masquerades as football in Donegal.

When you consider the thrills and excitement that the soccer in England provided today, would it be any surprise to see our kids turn their backs on the Gaa, when you see the trash that was on offer in Croke Park today.

For the wellbeing of the Gaa, football needed that Dublin win today, because the alternative would have been to see the life strangled out of the All Ireland Final as well.

Man Utd scored as many goals today as Dublin scored points.

[Hardy]

only a sado maschiost found thar fascinating. it was shite it was beyond puke football. and donegal have descreated gaelic football with thar shite  today. it wad a disgrace.

If it was shite, there were two arses on the grunting-mug.

[ONeill]

Depraved I know, but I was sorta fantasising about how Kerry would have coped against Donegal.

[johnpower]

only a sado maschiost found thar fascinating. it was shite it was beyond puke football. and donegal have descreated gaelic football with thar shite  today. it wad a disgrace.

What was the faciniating was  Dublins inability to counteract the well known system of donegal for most of the game .What were you expecting ?

[INDIANA]

donegal are a jokeshop. manus boyle should get 9.8  for feigning injury. hope he sleeps well tonite

[johnpower]

Depraved I know, but I was sorta fantasising about how Kerry would have coped against Donegal.

Not sure I would have expected more ball ballooned in ontop of the full forward line .Not been at the game I am not sure how much work the Dublin forwards were doing off the ball

Is the Donegal system the most severe example of blanket defence ?

[squire_in_navy_slacks]

Glad to see Dublin win, because at least it ensures that the final will be between two teams who want to win it by playing football.
There is no place in an All Ireland Final for the type of shite that masquerades as football in Donegal.

When you consider the thrills and excitement that the soccer in England provided today, would it be any surprise to see our kids turn their backs on the Gaa, when you see the trash that was on offer in Croke Park today.

For the wellbeing of the Gaa, football needed that Dublin win today, because the alternative would have been to see the life strangled out of the All Ireland Final as well.

Man Utd scored as many goals today as Dublin scored points.

Man Utd are c***ts..............

[bcarrier]

There were two of em innit . It was as Pat said shi-ite. Donegal are at best Kildare lite and with proper refereeing would have been gone in QF. Kildare- Dublin would have been such a superior spectacle. The strange thing about it all is that it has virtually no bearing on final as Kerry cant do the Nordie defence  and B Brogan might score ten . Gooch might score 11 though.

[cadence]

fascinating game . Every score had to be fought for . I am sure this will help Dublin big time . For me Dublins greater fitmess ,better subs and Donegals lack of a forward threat other than McFadden .

i couldn't agree more john, it was jaw-dropping the intensity of it! i thought it was brilliant while we had the legs for it. it was an amazing spectacle where every blade of grass counted.

mcguinness's tactics were flawed only in the sense that our players weren't fit enough to see it through and we didn't play well enough. our passing let us down and we lacked a bit of vision too to pick the pass when the defence splitting pass was there. plenty to work on.

frank mcglynn was huge too. he was all over the shop.   

[ross4life]

Bernard Brogan got MOTM on the sunday game  when a game ends 8-6 one of the defenders deserves that award.

[AZOffaly]

Bernard Brogan got MOTM on the sunday game  when a game ends 8-6 one of the defenders deserves that award.

On what basis did they give it to Brogan? I thought Ger Brennan was very good, which shows you how weird it was.

[Tony Baloney]

I found it fascinating too but, at the same time, detested the way Donegal persistently and consistently passed backwards when they actually broke free over the half forward line. It was conservative football in the extreme and I suppose it's Donegal's prerogative to play that well. Ugly and frustrating to watch though and on a lesser stage than today (devoid of the prize at stake) it would be wretched.

I think that's spot on ONeill. The match was immensely interesting given the numerous sub-plots and the immensity of the occasion. I found today's game compelling in its own right but the reality is that if this was the prototype for how Gaelic football is to develop then our games are likely to become significantly less popular.

But at the end of the day Jim McGuinness deserves credit in my eyes. I saw Donegal deliver two gutless shameful displays against Armagh last year yet twelve months later they are a transformed team capable of giving severe difficulty to the best in the country. The players are generally the same individuals who performed so abysmally in 2010 and so the manager can take immense credit for their magnificent progress. And indeed but for some fairly fortunately awarded frees to "even up" the sending-off Donegal could have gone all the way.

They got a lucky break against Kildare to get them to this match so as the cliche goes these things even themselves out

Ulster teams have been hammered in the south over the past 10 years for the blanket defence, but by resorting to an ultra-defensive mode e.g. 14 men behind the ball, you have to attack fast and in numbers. Donegal didn't seem to have thought through the attacking part of the game.