FERMANAGH V DOWN Preliminary Round USFC

[Trevor Hill]

I'm struggling to understand this mentality, at the minute it just seems like blind arrogance TBH

Its not arrogance, it is the stupidity of one poster, do not tar us all with the one brush. I doubt Pangurban has been too many games this year, if he had been to a few games he would not be quite so cocky.

[ExiledGael]

That is not nor would ever be my intention, i am merely acknowledging Fermanaghs current difficulties, compounded by growing injury list of key players. In view of this anything less than a comprehensive win for Down would and should be considered failure.

That's not confidence or self-belief, it's delusional.
In my honest opinion Ronan Gallagher, Shane Goan, Tommy McElroy, Ryan McCluskey, Marty McGrath, Mark Little and Eamon Maguire would walk onto the Down team. All those should play at the weekend an those are just the ones I'm 100% certain about, you could make a case for a few others, Barry Owens and Mark Murphy are the two real losses to Fermanagh. Fair enough we'll work hard, be well organised, and probably defensive, but we've more than enough quality to beat Down. A lot of those players have beaten their Down and indeed Tyrone and Armagh counterparts many times at McRory level.
In saying that we might also score five points and get well beaten.
Think it's a great test of two fairly evenly matched teams, if one side can't beat the other then there's no complaints and not much point in a long drawn out summer.

[Fermanaghandsam]

Lets cut the hype and bullshit lads. Down will win this easily, and in saying that i am not disrespecting Fermanagh, who in their current form and with their list of injuries, will do well to keep the score respectable. I dont underestimate the ability of the current Down team and management to c**k things up, but to lose this one would be difficult even for them

I just hope Mal sees this and pins it up on the wall, its arrogance like this that holds Down back. Why Down think they are superior to Fermanagh is def something I cant understand. Down have shown little over the last few years, and I wud actually make fermanagh slight favorites but just.

[Pangurban]

Ill warrant i have been to more games than you this year Trevor, and i am telling it like it is , The current Fermanagh team have good players, but injuries ,poor results, and loss of key men like Barry Owens has sapped their confidence. Forget the league, Down are a championship team , and our current squad though weak in some vital areas, have too much for Fermanagh or even Cavan to cope with. Should the unthinkable happen and Fermanagh win, i will be the first to congragulate them, but it would be a major shock, and only someone who does not know football would think differently

[ONeill]

Hope te fcuk Down put us out of our misery and get Fermanagh off the screen and into that backdoor asap and then they'll draw Carlow and it won't be televised.

[FermPundit]

Ill warrant i have been to more games than you this year Trevor, and i am telling it like it is , The current Fermanagh team have good players, but injuries ,poor results, and loss of key men like Barry Owens has sapped their confidence. Forget the league, Down are a championship team , and our current squad though weak in some vital areas, have too much for Fermanagh or even Cavan to cope with. Should the unthinkable happen and Fermanagh win, i will be the first to congragulate them, but it would be a major shock, and only someone who does not know football would think differently

What evidence do you have to support such a statement? I assume your memory have blocked out the last 15 years of championship football.

[ExiledGael]

Hope te fcuk Down put us out of our misery and get Fermanagh off the screen and into that backdoor asap and then they'll draw Carlow and it won't be televised.

You're an ass

[Mourne Rover]

Pangurban, after our last match, against Tipperary, you confidently predicted an early championship exit for Down. Since then, Benny's injury has failed to respond to treatment and Liam Doyle has been confirmed as a definite non-starter. However, you are now saying that we will be far too strong for Fermanagh and and should beat Cavan as well. If you are not simply trying to wind people up, would you care to tell us why you have changed your mind so quickly ?

[Trevor Hill]

Ill warrant i have been to more games than you this year Trevor, and i am telling it like it is

Ross Carr hasn't been to as many games as me this year   As a season ticket holder I have been to every league game, every U21 game and even some of the minor league games and I can tell you that this is a poor Down team, with no gameplan and no idea how to defend. Granted Fermanagh are crap also, they couldn't score in a brothel with a bag of fiver's, but they have a system and they can defend and they will be well prepared.
Down are leaderless both on and off the field and it is the lack of leadership off the field that is holding this current side back. There are no set rules within the county set up. One player cannot go to his club dinner dance, while another can go skiing to Cloisters. Then again Pangurban, you probably don't know much about current events, you think admission should be £6 and you also think Down are still a Championship team. You my friend are living in the past, something that I as a Down man am often accused of.
I wish Down all the best on Sunday and I think they will just about beat Fermanagh, but I don't think we will have a long summer.

[Pangurban]

Good question Mourne Rover. When i predicted an early championship exit, i did not appreciate just how far Fermanagh and Cavan had deteriorated in terms of competiveness. While they have certainly gone backward, Down have improved slightly, and been give a further boost by the performances of the U21s. I can now see us reaching an Ulster Final, where we are likely to be hammered. I still believe we are a poor team but with a potential to be better under different management

[western exile]

Although Down supporters went to Omagh last year with more hope than expectation after failing to gain promotion from Division 3, they came away with much optimism.  Promotion was achieved this year, but still go to Enniskillen with more hope than expectation. The reason being that the team is less settled.  Everyone and his dog knew what the starting team was going to be last year, but not this year.  There are still too many questions that have not been answered fully, none more so than full back.

Here is last years team v. Tyrone in Omagh

           B McVeigh;
L Howard, M Cole, C Murney;
A Carr, L Doyle (0-2, 2f), D Rafferty;
    D Gordon (0-2), J Lynch;
J Fegan, R Murtagh, D Hughes;
J Clarke, R Sexton (0-1), B Coulter (1-0).
Substitutes: P Murphy (0-1) for Murney (31); A Rodgers (1-1) for Lynch (HT); K McKernan for Fegan (HT); P McCumiskey (0-1, 1f) for Clarke (47)

Lynch and Clarke are no longer on the panel, and Doyle, Coulter, McKernan and Rodgers are not available through injury

[western exile]

Trying to guess what Ross will go for this Sunday is harder than picking a winner of the game!  My guess he will go for something like this.

1. Brendan McVeigh
2. Ciarán McGovern
3. Conor Garvey
4. Luke Howard
5. Declan Rooney
6. Aidan Carr
7. Damien Rafferty
8. Peter Fitzpatrick
9. Dan Gordon
10. John Fegan
11. Stephen Kearney
12. Daniel Hughes
13. Benny McArdle
14. Ronan Murtagh
15. Paul McComiskey

16. McAllister, 17. Paul Murphy, 18 Peter Turley, 19. Cole, 20 Kevin Duffin, 21. Colm Murney
22 John Boyle, 23. Ronan Sexton, 24. Jamie O'Reilly, 25. Conor Maginn,

The most likely deviations from the staring 15 are possibly McVeigh, Rooney making way in defence, and perhaps Boyle or O'Reilly being preferred over either McArdle or Fegan in attack.

(Assumes Doyle, Coulter, McKernan and Rodgers are not available through injury)

[wobbller]

Good question Mourne Rover. When i predicted an early championship exit, i did not appreciate just how far Fermanagh and Cavan had deteriorated in terms of competiveness. While they have certainly gone backward, Down have improved slightly, and been give a further boost by the performances of the U21s. I can now see us reaching an Ulster Final, where we are likely to be hammered. I still believe we are a poor team but with a potential to be better under different management

  And who would this different Management be that you so crave?

[downredblack]

I'd go for

McVeigh
Cole
Turley /Garvey
Howard
Carr
Rooney
Murphy
Fitzpatrick
Gordon
Kearney
McKernan
Rodgers
McComiskey
Murtagh
Hughes

[buglebhoy]

The Down team for Sunday is really anyones guess and i'm sure ross is still chopping and changing. I imagine he'll announce it tonight though! I think Down will have this team out.

McVeigh
Howard
Peter Turley
Monk
Carr
Conor Garvey
Rooney
Dan
Kearney
Carr
Benny
Fegan
Danny
Murtagh
McComiskey