Donegal v Tyrone Ulster Championship

[BluestackBoy]

Have Donegal progressed from last year?  Do they have the same hunger? Will their first 15 stay injury free (cause they have nothing on the Bench). Maybe, but my money is on Tyrone.

Where in the name of God did you get the idea that Donegal have nothing on the bench!! During the league when there were up to 6 regulars missing then we were thin on the bench no doubt, but at full strength our bench is just fine. 

By that I mean Donegal's bench is nowhere near as strong as their first 15 and will struggle to replace anyone who gets injured. Your point of having 6 regulars missing during the league actually backs up my point as looked what happened to you without those players. Tyrone's bench is that bit stronger this year and they can make 3 or 4 changes without weakening the team. That can not be said for Donegal.

The quote you used was that Donegal have "nothing on the bench". If you meant something else, then say something else.
Of course Donegal's bench is not as strong as the first 15. If it was they would be on the team, but players like Christy Toye, David Walsh,  Dermot Molloy & Martin McElhinney featured in just about every game last year. The only reason they are not better known is that Donegal went through the whole campaign with virtually no injuries so they never got a chance to play 70 mins.

And when these players got their chance in the league - they were relegated! So are you saying that they weren't really trying in the league? Surely they'd have been breaking their balls to break onto the starting 15? Or are they just not good enough? In which case it's a fair assessment to question the quality of the Donegal bench!

Fair enough Donegal were relegated but the division was so tight that at one point in the second half Donegal were only two points short of being in a semi final place. Nobody outclassed them & in the end the Donegal scoring difference was 0 wheras Kildare who qualified for the semis had a scoring difference of -8. Dublin apart there wasn't much between the other teams in Division 1

But Kildare had 8 points and Donegal had 5?

Correct, but the point that you were making was that the reason Donegal were relegated was because their subs were not up to the job. A kick of the ball one way or another would have seen a completely different league table. There was nothing between the teams in Div 1 this year, Dublin excepted, which is displayed by the fact that one team can get to the semi finals with a worse scoring difference than a team that gets relegated.

[ONeill]

Donegal won 2 of the last three league games last year, including a hammering of Mayo.

[BennyHarp]

Have Donegal progressed from last year?  Do they have the same hunger? Will their first 15 stay injury free (cause they have nothing on the Bench). Maybe, but my money is on Tyrone.

Where in the name of God did you get the idea that Donegal have nothing on the bench!! During the league when there were up to 6 regulars missing then we were thin on the bench no doubt, but at full strength our bench is just fine. 

By that I mean Donegal's bench is nowhere near as strong as their first 15 and will struggle to replace anyone who gets injured. Your point of having 6 regulars missing during the league actually backs up my point as looked what happened to you without those players. Tyrone's bench is that bit stronger this year and they can make 3 or 4 changes without weakening the team. That can not be said for Donegal.

The quote you used was that Donegal have "nothing on the bench". If you meant something else, then say something else.
Of course Donegal's bench is not as strong as the first 15. If it was they would be on the team, but players like Christy Toye, David Walsh,  Dermot Molloy & Martin McElhinney featured in just about every game last year. The only reason they are not better known is that Donegal went through the whole campaign with virtually no injuries so they never got a chance to play 70 mins.

And when these players got their chance in the league - they were relegated! So are you saying that they weren't really trying in the league? Surely they'd have been breaking their balls to break onto the starting 15? Or are they just not good enough? In which case it's a fair assessment to question the quality of the Donegal bench!

Fair enough Donegal were relegated but the division was so tight that at one point in the second half Donegal were only two points short of being in a semi final place. Nobody outclassed them & in the end the Donegal scoring difference was 0 wheras Kildare who qualified for the semis had a scoring difference of -8. Dublin apart there wasn't much between the other teams in Division 1

But Kildare had 8 points and Donegal had 5?

Correct, but the point that you were making was that the reason Donegal were relegated was because their subs were not up to the job. A kick of the ball one way or another would have seen a completely different league table. There was nothing between the teams in Div 1 this year, Dublin excepted, which is displayed by the fact that one team can get to the semi finals with a worse scoring difference than a team that gets relegated.

Donegal's style of play means teams aren't going to rack up big scores against them, so you'd expect their score difference to be low. Donegal have made a habit of winning those tight games - in this league campaign they didn't - why not? I'd say its because the replacement players are short of the quality needed and if Donegal have injuries to a few key men - especially Murphy and McFadden then they will struggle, just like Tyrone did when they lost key men in 06 and 09. I'd say in 2013 Tyrone may be more able to absorb injuries than Donegal. But we'll wait and see.

By the way, if we use your logic and judge things by points difference then Tyrone were only beaten by 2 points last year by Donegal - does that mean they were a kick of the ball away from being All Ireland Champions?

[rrhf]

I think you are over egging it. Donegal are a division 2 team. Tyrone are a full 8 places ahead of them, I think Donegal in 5 months will still be on division 2, Tyrone will be looking at all Ireland s

[BluestackBoy]

I think you are over egging it. Donegal are a division 2 team. Tyrone are a full 8 places ahead of them, I think Donegal in 5 months will still be on division 2, Tyrone will be looking at all Ireland s

Haha dream on. What you are looking forward to is what we had last year only in reverse!!!!

[J70]

I think you are over egging it. Donegal are a division 2 team. Tyrone are a full 8 places ahead of them, I think Donegal in 5 months will still be on division 2, Tyrone will be looking at all Ireland s

Brave words! There's always a few Tyrone boys here boasting about what their team is going to do! Last year was the same.

[BluestackBoy]

Have Donegal progressed from last year?  Do they have the same hunger? Will their first 15 stay injury free (cause they have nothing on the Bench). Maybe, but my money is on Tyrone.

Where in the name of God did you get the idea that Donegal have nothing on the bench!! During the league when there were up to 6 regulars missing then we were thin on the bench no doubt, but at full strength our bench is just fine. 

By that I mean Donegal's bench is nowhere near as strong as their first 15 and will struggle to replace anyone who gets injured. Your point of having 6 regulars missing during the league actually backs up my point as looked what happened to you without those players. Tyrone's bench is that bit stronger this year and they can make 3 or 4 changes without weakening the team. That can not be said for Donegal.

The quote you used was that Donegal have "nothing on the bench". If you meant something else, then say something else.
Of course Donegal's bench is not as strong as the first 15. If it was they would be on the team, but players like Christy Toye, David Walsh,  Dermot Molloy & Martin McElhinney featured in just about every game last year. The only reason they are not better known is that Donegal went through the whole campaign with virtually no injuries so they never got a chance to play 70 mins.

And when these players got their chance in the league - they were relegated! So are you saying that they weren't really trying in the league? Surely they'd have been breaking their balls to break onto the starting 15? Or are they just not good enough? In which case it's a fair assessment to question the quality of the Donegal bench!

Fair enough Donegal were relegated but the division was so tight that at one point in the second half Donegal were only two points short of being in a semi final place. Nobody outclassed them & in the end the Donegal scoring difference was 0 wheras Kildare who qualified for the semis had a scoring difference of -8. Dublin apart there wasn't much between the other teams in Division 1

But Kildare had 8 points and Donegal had 5?

Correct, but the point that you were making was that the reason Donegal were relegated was because their subs were not up to the job. A kick of the ball one way or another would have seen a completely different league table. There was nothing between the teams in Div 1 this year, Dublin excepted, which is displayed by the fact that one team can get to the semi finals with a worse scoring difference than a team that gets relegated.

Donegal's style of play means teams aren't going to rack up big scores against them, so you'd expect their score difference to be low. Donegal have made a habit of winning those tight games - in this league campaign they didn't - why not? I'd say its because the replacement players are short of the quality needed and if Donegal have injuries to a few key men - especially Murphy and McFadden then they will struggle, just like Tyrone did when they lost key men in 06 and 09. I'd say in 2013 Tyrone may be more able to absorb injuries than Donegal. But we'll wait and see.

They were only one point better the previous year, & this year came into the league just after winning an All Ireland, playing their club championship, celebrating & travelling all round with the cup & to cap it all went on holiday in January. Add that to the injuries & it is no wonder things didn't go great. Look I know as well as anyone that the odds of winning again this year are stacked against them, history tells us that. It was just the line that said we had "nothing on the bench" that got me going a bit. Like you say time will tell but a good debate will keep us all going till then!!

[Fuzzman]

We all have our own biased way of looking at things and naturally enough, having won an AI and beaten all the big teams along the way Donegal must feel quite confident of being there or there abouts.
As we all know teams who often win the AI don't necessarily play that well in the early rounds and often teams like Cork, Kerry, Dublin & more recently Mayo can almost freewheel into the quarterfinals, although of course they will get caught out the odd time but with the qualifiers now they've a good chance, as Tyrone have shown themselves now twice before.
Of course McGuinness & Co would love to prove all the doubters wrong and win their first game as defending AI champions, so I suppose its a huge tough game for them to have such a big test so early on. This rarely happens in other provinces, maybe with the exception of Meath v Dublin or Mayo v Galway but even then lately the challenge hasn't been that great.

Just wondering do the Donegal wans on here think Tyrone have improved or got weaker since they played them last year. I appreciate its hard to say as its only the league so far but to me I'm much more optimistic about the year ahead and even if we lose in Ballybofey I'd be more than hopeful of beating most teams in the back door and who knows how we go if we built up momentum like other years. Back in 2008 we weren't too hopeful after losing to Down.

[donegal lad]

I think you are over egging it. Donegal are a division 2 team. Tyrone are a full 8 places ahead of them, I think Donegal in 5 months will still be on division 2, Tyrone will be looking at all Ireland s

Sorry to disappoint but we not a div 2 team till 2014 still played div 1 football in 2013 against the top teams. Granted we did get relegated but you'd be a foolish man if you think jim didn't learn something from it. Last year we were 15 minutes away from being relegated when we were losing to Armagh in the last game of the league and it didn't seem to have many ill effects on the team and think it will be same story this year

[BluestackBoy]

We all have our own biased way of looking at things and naturally enough, having won an AI and beaten all the big teams along the way Donegal must feel quite confident of being there or there abouts.
As we all know teams who often win the AI don't necessarily play that well in the early rounds and often teams like Cork, Kerry, Dublin & more recently Mayo can almost freewheel into the quarterfinals, although of course they will get caught out the odd time but with the qualifiers now they've a good chance, as Tyrone have shown themselves now twice before.
Of course McGuinness & Co would love to prove all the doubters wrong and win their first game as defending AI champions, so I suppose its a huge tough game for them to have such a big test so early on. This rarely happens in other provinces, maybe with the exception of Meath v Dublin or Mayo v Galway but even then lately the challenge hasn't been that great.

Just wondering do the Donegal wans on here think Tyrone have improved or got weaker since they played them last year. I appreciate its hard to say as its only the league so far but to me I'm much more optimistic about the year ahead and even if we lose in Ballybofey I'd be more than hopeful of beating most teams in the back door and who knows how we go if we built up momentum like other years. Back in 2008 we weren't too hopeful after losing to Down.

I see Tyrone as a much stronger team this year than last. The addition  of Morgan's 60 yds free kicks is a huge addition & I think both teams will be there or there about. Home advantage might be enough to swing it for us, but there isn't much in it.

[rrhf]

I think you are over egging it. Donegal are a division 2 team. Tyrone are a full 8 places ahead of them, I think Donegal in 5 months will still be on division 2, Tyrone will be looking at all Ireland s

Sorry to disappoint but we not a div 2 team till 2014 still played div 1 football in 2013 against the top teams. Granted we did get relegated but you'd be a foolish man if you think jim didn't learn something from it. Last year we were 15 minutes away from being relegated when we were losing to Armagh in the last game of the league and it didn't seem to have many ill effects on the team and think it will be same story this year

I think Morgans 5 points from the half way line in Ballybofey will have a huge bearing. 

[J70]

We all have our own biased way of looking at things and naturally enough, having won an AI and beaten all the big teams along the way Donegal must feel quite confident of being there or there abouts.
As we all know teams who often win the AI don't necessarily play that well in the early rounds and often teams like Cork, Kerry, Dublin & more recently Mayo can almost freewheel into the quarterfinals, although of course they will get caught out the odd time but with the qualifiers now they've a good chance, as Tyrone have shown themselves now twice before.
Of course McGuinness & Co would love to prove all the doubters wrong and win their first game as defending AI champions, so I suppose its a huge tough game for them to have such a big test so early on. This rarely happens in other provinces, maybe with the exception of Meath v Dublin or Mayo v Galway but even then lately the challenge hasn't been that great.

Just wondering do the Donegal wans on here think Tyrone have improved or got weaker since they played them last year. I appreciate its hard to say as its only the league so far but to me I'm much more optimistic about the year ahead and even if we lose in Ballybofey I'd be more than hopeful of beating most teams in the back door and who knows how we go if we built up momentum like other years. Back in 2008 we weren't too hopeful after losing to Down.

Based on the league, it would certainly seem you've improved, with some new players and returned absentees. As I've said before, my main worry is that we won't be able to match Tyrone's hunger. And the point about stern challenges so early in the season is well made, although that's also the case for you boys! At the same time, McGuinness's preparation and tactics have generally been spot on in the past two seasons, so I would be hopeful that the team will hit the ground running and taking the  game to Tyrone in defensive and attacking swarms and lots of movement. However, at the back of my mind are memories of inconsistency from the likes of McFadden prior to 2011, and images of futile, aimless balls into Murphy from the league. And then Morgan's threat from frees. So I'll be nervous enough, but optimistic given McGuinness's record. Not arrogant and dismissive like one or two of your compatriots!

[donegal lad]

I think you are over egging it. Donegal are a division 2 team. Tyrone are a full 8 places ahead of them, I think Donegal in 5 months will still be on division 2, Tyrone will be looking at all Ireland s

Sorry to disappoint but we not a div 2 team till 2014 still played div 1 football in 2013 against the top teams. Granted we did get relegated but you'd be a foolish man if you think jim didn't learn something from it. Last year we were 15 minutes away from being relegated when we were losing to Armagh in the last game of the league and it didn't seem to have many ill effects on the team and think it will be same story this year

I think Morgans 5 points from the half way line in Ballybofey will have a huge bearing.

They could do or then again murphy putting 1 in the back of the net passed morgan could have a huge bearing. Only time will tell which of us is right 

[Wildweasel74]

Ah sure tyrone challenging donegal last yr was a division 2 team lol

[Whitnail]

From Paddy Power

Donegal  8/13     Draw 7/1     Tyrone 7/4



Can't find hcap market yet but from that, looks like  -2 ,  +2