Armagh v Donegal USFC 14/06/2015

[mackers]

Why would Armagh supporters jeer Donegal when their own team was sat back with a packed defense when 10 points down?  Especially to the extent that Donegal wasted 8 minutes flinging the ball about, with no pressure exerted, amongst themselves around their half - back line and midfield!

Not saying either that it's not frustrating (Kerry did it to us for a couple of minutes late in last year's final), but you can't fault a team for playing keep ball when that far ahead.

It was actually Donegal supporters onto their own team to attack and put Armagh to the sword

Really?

Well that's idiotic too.

Game was won. Well won. And Armagh were camped in their own half. Team did the right thing.

I disagree. I'd want my team to keep pushing but there you go.  They played keep ball until some of the Armagh players lost the head and barge in and foul them.  Murphy would dander up to the free, take 90 seconds to hit it.......but here's the important bit.....he put it over!  As I said, frustrating to watch.

are you seriously lamenting about Donegal's tactics when 8/9/10 points up playing on your home pitch?

I'm saying it was frustrating to watch.  Do you enjoy watching a team pass a ball about on the half way line?

[StephenC]

Why would Armagh supporters jeer Donegal when their own team was sat back with a packed defense when 10 points down?  Especially to the extent that Donegal wasted 8 minutes flinging the ball about, with no pressure exerted, amongst themselves around their half - back line and midfield!

Not saying either that it's not frustrating (Kerry did it to us for a couple of minutes late in last year's final), but you can't fault a team for playing keep ball when that far ahead.

It was actually Donegal supporters onto their own team to attack and put Armagh to the sword

I didn't hear any boo's from where I was standing. There were a few shouts from Armagh folks for their team to get after Donegal, but no booing and certainly not from Donegal people.

Armagh needed to come out and get the ball, instead they left a couple of forwards to chase around after the Donegal lads. I think we were smart to take advantage of that.

[BluestackBoy]

What did people expect Donegal to do?

There they are 8-10 points ahead  on a sweltering warm day & the opposition have not one but two sweepers!!!

They took the clever option & said to Armagh "If you want the ball come & get it" but Armagh didn't seem to want it as Donegal were allowed to pass laterally at their ease.

[SouthDublinBro]

Those 3 defeats in 2002/03 must still be hurting.

Just the one where Ray Cosgrove missed the free. Although I still find it amusing how the greatest Armagh side of all time barely pipped one of the weakest Dublin teams in history.

On the subject of the game, I wasn't surprised to see Donegal look a lot stronger without that overrated waster Colm McFadden playing. I still wouldn't be too worried about Donegal's performance from a Dublin perspective, their game last year vs the Dubs was their world cup final. They won't be able to replicate it again so soon.

[JoG2]

Why would Armagh supporters jeer Donegal when their own team was sat back with a packed defense when 10 points down?  Especially to the extent that Donegal wasted 8 minutes flinging the ball about, with no pressure exerted, amongst themselves around their half - back line and midfield!

Not saying either that it's not frustrating (Kerry did it to us for a couple of minutes late in last year's final), but you can't fault a team for playing keep ball when that far ahead.

It was actually Donegal supporters onto their own team to attack and put Armagh to the sword

Really?

Well that's idiotic too.

Game was won. Well won. And Armagh were camped in their own half. Team did the right thing.

I disagree. I'd want my team to keep pushing but there you go.  They played keep ball until some of the Armagh players lost the head and barge in and foul them.  Murphy would dander up to the free, take 90 seconds to hit it.......but here's the important bit.....he put it over!  As I said, frustrating to watch.

are you seriously lamenting about Donegal's tactics when 8/9/10 points up playing on your home pitch?

I'm saying it was frustrating to watch.  Do you enjoy watching a team pass a ball about on the half way line?

I enjoy a team rolling over at home without a whimper even less. your angst should lie squarely at the feet of your own county Mackers

[JoG2]

Those 3 defeats in 2002/03 must still be hurting.

Just the one where Ray Cosgrove missed the free. Although I still find it amusing how the greatest Armagh side of all time barely pipped one of the weakest Dublin teams in history.

On the subject of the game, I wasn't surprised to see Donegal look a lot stronger without that overrated waster Colm McFadden playing. I still wouldn't be too worried about Donegal's performance from a Dublin perspective, their game last year vs the Dubs was their world cup final. They won't be able to replicate it again so soon.

McFadden had a poor 18 months by his own high standards but I thought he was excellent against Tyrone

[yellowcard]

Those 3 defeats in 2002/03 must still be hurting.

Just the one where Ray Cosgrove missed the free. Although I still find it amusing how the greatest Armagh side of all time barely pipped one of the weakest Dublin teams in history.

On the subject of the game, I wasn't surprised to see Donegal look a lot stronger without that overrated waster Colm McFadden playing. I still wouldn't be too worried about Donegal's performance from a Dublin perspective, their game last year vs the Dubs was their world cup final. They won't be able to replicate it again so soon.

Absolutely hilarious.

[J70]

Those 3 defeats in 2002/03 must still be hurting.

Just the one where Ray Cosgrove missed the free. Although I still find it amusing how the greatest Armagh side of all time barely pipped one of the weakest Dublin teams in history.

On the subject of the game, I wasn't surprised to see Donegal look a lot stronger without that overrated waster Colm McFadden playing. I still wouldn't be too worried about Donegal's performance from a Dublin perspective, their game last year vs the Dubs was their world cup final. They won't be able to replicate it again so soon.

1. McFadden was superb against Tyrone.
2. Were you worried about this Donegal side before last year's meeting?

[StephenC]

Those 3 defeats in 2002/03 must still be hurting.

Just the one where Ray Cosgrove missed the free. Although I still find it amusing how the greatest Armagh side of all time barely pipped one of the weakest Dublin teams in history.

On the subject of the game, I wasn't surprised to see Donegal look a lot stronger without that overrated waster Colm McFadden playing. I still wouldn't be too worried about Donegal's performance from a Dublin perspective, their game last year vs the Dubs was their world cup final. They won't be able to replicate it again so soon.

Winning the world cup last year did indeed soften the blow of losing the AI final.

[giveballaghback]

Donegal played around with Armagh in that second half like a cat with a mouse, I have never seen anything like it in senior championship football before, it must have been hard for Armagh supporters to watch, what happens next for Armagh I just dont know, they will be hard to motivate for the qualifiers.

[always_next_year]

Donegal played around with Armagh in that second half like a cat with a mouse, I have never seen anything like it in senior championship football before, it must have been hard for Armagh supporters to watch, what happens next for Armagh I just dont know, they will be hard to motivate for the qualifiers.

Its not too often that Armagh get beatings like the did yesterday. The  last time I can remember feeling anything similar was against Kerry in 06. Hard to take but we will bounce back.

[Throw ball]

Donegal played around with Armagh in that second half like a cat with a mouse, I have never seen anything like it in senior championship football before, it must have been hard for Armagh supporters to watch, what happens next for Armagh I just dont know, they will be hard to motivate for the qualifiers.

I would say the opposite. Armagh are proud and will want to prove a point.

As for the Donegal playing the ball about. At that stage I feel Armagh were resigned to defeat and did not want to push up on Donegal in case they got caught out and suffered a bigger defeat.

The Dubs may joke but Donegal are a serious team and when they hit a purple patch they can match anyone. Cute as hell too. Always the sign of a top team.

[giveballaghback]

I agree Donegal are a serious outfit, best tacklers by a mile, they just do enough in the tackle to avoid a free, I have no douth Armagh will be back, the best thing that could happen for Armagh would be for Donegal to go on and destroy another top team and I think they will, this is going to be a very interesting season all round, Donegal v Kerry all-ire semi would be some feast!

[twohands!!!]

I posted about Donegal's subs and squad depth after the Tyrone game. Had a look at the sub made in this match.

Mentioned my doubts about Donegal's squad depth before the game

The substitutions today didn't exactly do much to disprove this.

M McHugh for O'Reilly (39)
A Thompson for Toye (66)
D Walsh for McElhinney (70)
D McLaughlin for McFadden (70)

- Donegal's 2nd sub is working in another country while the 18th and 19th players came on in injury time.

A Thompson for E McGee ht
H McFadden for McBrearty 50
D Walsh for C Toye 56
G McFadden for McElhinney 65

You would have said that yesterday was the perfect day to use all 6 subs but the fact that Donegal only used 4, 2 of which were used to cover injuries suggests that management do not have much faith in the squad depth. It's one thing to be stuck on the bench when it's a tight game and the management keeps an experienced battle-hardened All-Ireland winner on the pitch ahead of you but in a game that's done, dusted and put to bed like the 2nd half of yesterday's game was is pretty much the perfect scenario in which to give the squad players a run-out, lads down the pecking order can surely feel a mire aggrieved not to be given a run. If you are one of those squad players you have to be thinking that the managers basically not going to give you a run unless things get really desperate and that your chances of starting a game are utterly tiny.

Colm McFadden was out with a virus so while he was named in the match-day squad he wasn't an option. I would imagine if he was fit he would likely have seen some game-time but in a sense once the squad guys saw him absent they must surely have figured their chances of getting a run increased a fair bit so that only makes it worse, thinking "Colm was out, we'd hammered Armagh off the pitch and were cruising and I couldn't even get 5 minutes"

A related interesting point to ponder is that McBrearty wasn't actually named in the starting 15 given the damage he did. I really don't think this was a dummy team move but a "legitimate" late replacement given McFadden's illness.Wonder did any journo ask Gallagher about this?

It's not an issue now, but I believe before September comes there's decent odds its very likely to be one - even going the direct route Donegal have a minimum of 5 more games to play if they get to the final.

I haven't checked but from memory I'm pretty sure that Dublin, Mayo and Kerry used all 6 subs in their championship games and are I would be surprised if all of those 3 didn't do so in all their games in the championship.

What made me think of it was reading a report of the Clare Cork game and seeing Clare had only used 3 subs while in the middle of an injury crisis.

In terms of teams with injuries at the weekend Clare had something like 6/7 likely starters out and Meath had something similiar. Kerry had 4 on their injured list and I think Cork had 4 too. Basically Donegal have had 1 player out through injury/illness (Colm McFadden) in the 2 games so far and it's very hard to see them maintaining that level of squad fitness for the remainder of the championship.

[tonto1888]

Donegal played around with Armagh in that second half like a cat with a mouse, I have never seen anything like it in senior championship football before, it must have been hard for Armagh supporters to watch, what happens next for Armagh I just dont know, they will be hard to motivate for the qualifiers.

I disagree, I think they will use it as motivation. Go and show everyone we are not as bad as we were against Donegal. Go and show everyione we can play. Thats what Id be doing if I were McGeeney anyway