Mayo and Donegal under most pressure? - 11 Like(s)

GaryMc82 (National) - 02/08/2016 23:01:10

Jimmy McGuinness. An Overrated manager? - 5 Like(s)

GaryMc82 (National) - 12/07/2016 11:27:51

GAA Grounds Unavailable - 5 Like(s)

GaryMc82 (National) - 05/02/2022 12:54:06

Blanket defence taking the enjoyment out of hurling - 5 Like(s)
Gaelic football in particular had a tactical awakening, which was broadly labelled the blanket defence. In reality it is following most other major team sports like soccer, Rugby and American football, and evolved into a "Tactical Systems" sport. And this will evolve further and further as time goes on. I think too many people sit up on a high horse dreaming about glorious era's that never really existed, there were a lot of games years ago that were muck. You get the odd game that is poor to watch, but most games are as good of a quality. It comes down to what you expect from a game, what kind of average score you expect from games.

GaryMc82 (National) - 27/05/2016 13:50:31

Leo McLoone - 4 Like(s)
I respect Gary and the other posters, but they have got to look where Jim left us very unlucky not to have won a second All Ireland's. Gary says we have improved from last year, but that is not the barometer to judge us by, it's where Jim left us . I sincerely hope I'm wrong ,but I can't honestly see us beating Cork never mind reaching another All Ireland, I am still saying and hoping (Come-On-Donegal) Tonyjack61 (Donegal) - Posts:119 - 27/07/2016 17:55:48 2014 was the end of the road for some Donegal players, but some of them didn't retire and Rory Gallagher didn't drop them. So 2015 ended up being an kinda extended last hurrah, which seen Donegal bow out in a low tempo match against Mayo, lacking the kind of intensity we would normally associate with them. For Example: Declan Walsh put in the kinda performance against Galway in 2015, that hadn't been seen from Karl Lacey since 2011/2012, yet Declan Walsh, like Leo McLoone who put in a belter against Galway, didn't get a start in the next game against Mayo. Yet the problematic Mark McHugh made the starting lineup against Mayo, and positioning him as sweeper ended up seeing Aidan O'Shea score a goal. Donegal have improved from 2015, but they maybe haven't reached their full potential this year, and the blame for that can be squarely laid at Rory Gallagher's feet. He is the team manager, and yet he seems blind to the benefits of using his full bench in any Championship game, or dropping players who aren't performing well. I don' think he is a bad manager, but he needs to be more open to addressing his mistakes.

GaryMc82 (Donegal) - 27/07/2016 18:56:06

AI Football Quarter-finals - 4 Like(s)
The system is the system, so could you Ulster boys stop convincing yourself you'd have 30 All-Ireland if only you were somewhere else because you wouldn't! TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts:1484 - 06/07/2016 09:56:34 We probably would have actually, as the men of Ulster as part of the Ui Neill have historically been a superior specimen, thus why we pretty much ruled the bulk of this Island for 1000 years before the mid 1600's through the alternating Northern/Southern Ui Neill. Yet you don't hear us calling ourselves "THE KINGDOM", we are too modest for that aul chat.

GaryMc82 (National) - 06/07/2016 15:18:06

Brexit - GAA - 4 Like(s)

GaryMc82 (National) - 25/06/2016 13:28:38

Justin McMahon retires - 3 Like(s)
Michael Murphy's toes will be happy

GaryMc82 (National) - 06/09/2017 17:57:46

Monaghan V Donegal - 3 Like(s)

GaryMc82 (National) - 26/06/2016 15:24:04

Donegal : Championship 2016 - 3 Like(s)

GaryMc82 (Donegal) - 12/07/2016 17:38:34

AI Football Quarter-finals - 2 Like(s)
Ulster football was not labelled a hindrance in the early 90's or early 00's. The best teams always get through. Kerry had to fend off Armagh in extra time in a replay in 2000. Ulster has a competitive province. If the best team or teams in any given year come from other provinces that will be reflected in the final and eventual winner. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts:4730 - 07/07/2016 08:03:43 Having a strong Ulster Provincial Championship is a good thing, especially if the top 4 teams are seeded and kept apart for the Quarter final's/Preliminary round. This year provided us with the most balanced Ulster Championship for quite a few years, allowing for two very competitive Semi final's, both requiring replay's and tactical adjustments and learning's for all teams. The problem with the Ulster Championship in recent seasons was having two of the top sides face of in preliminary round match in late May, and that is where the real problem exists. These two sides had to ramp up their intensity for late May, sustain it then until August. While Kerry didn't play a competitive game until the last week of July, and Dublin didn't play a truly competitive game until late August. Even Mayo struggled to be really challenged last year. A fresh sharp team is needed for the All Ireland series, and that can be hard when a team has been running at full tilt since April/May. If the top 4 sides in Ulster could be in different QF's, It might change that.

GaryMc82 (National) - 08/07/2016 01:43:39

Is the GAA prioritising money over people??? - 2 Like(s)
In fairness the GAA do a lot of things right, and in sporting facility terms we are miles ahead of any other sporting org in Ireland. From a Corporate point of view, they probably are focused on doing their own jobs, which is to manage the GAA Corporate side of things well, and meet revenue targets etc. But that is something that is needed, and this will work for us all in years to come.

GaryMc82 (National) - 07/09/2017 17:32:25

Sunday Game team of the year - 2 Like(s)
They should maybe re-brand it "Team of the last 5 or 6 weeks" to reflect it true design. Mayo stumbled into the All Ireland final, and prior to reaching the All Ireland final, they looked really poor all season in the Championship. Late on during the first AI Final, I thought to myself "What if Mayo win this, RTE would struggle to put more than maybe 2 of them Mayo players on the team of the year" if honestly based on performances during the whole Championship. Now In fairness, Mayo's defensive players really came to life in the final and replay and deserve their place. But when you see outstanding players like Ryan McHugh and Peter Harte were outstanding in almost every Championship game this year, with Harte maybe playing lowly against Mayo. You have to ask whether it is fair to pick a team based on a final and replay.

GaryMc82 (National) - 02/10/2016 00:10:11

White Elephant GAA Projects - 2 Like(s)
Look at Limericks situation with the Gaelic Grounds, I've posted a link from their own board Look at McHale Park and the GAA having to step in This is what happens when the cost of development far outweighs the commercial revenue it can generate I'm sure Linericks situation will get even worse now with Corks 70 million development soon available in Munster now too €40 million of tax payer/GAA funds should be spent far more productively at present jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts:16038 - 15/10/2016 11:14:53 1 I think you make a valid point, as these are not Stadiums that are sold out 20-30 times per year. While I am broadly in favour of upgrading Provincial Grounds, adding better roof coverage, more seating, better toilet facilities and area's for tea/refreshments, I am not in favour of spending £70/€70 million on a corporate events centre. These facilities could be upgraded for a fraction of that type of money. However with regards Games Development, youngsters often to aspire to play in front of a sold out Stadium playing for their County. I often see Croke Park mentioned as hardly ever being filled, but for every young Gael growing up, Croker really is the theatre of dreams, the place they all want to end up playing in.

GaryMc82 (National) - 15/10/2016 11:29:47

Is the current GAA product worth the bother??? - 2 Like(s)
I love the current football product, very competitive across all provinces.

GaryMc82 (National) - 26/07/2016 01:53:28

Tyrone contenders? - 2 Like(s)
I don't understand why you're defending Donegal people coming to this thread to bash Tyrone a team on the rise, considering they're building up a Cork team that just can't seem to get it together on another thread. At the end of the day a couple of Donegal players could have been black carded and that includes Michael Murphy, we've seen this year how Donegal go without Murphy, it's a shocking reality! All we have after the game is the result and you have to live with it as Tyrone people had to live with it for 5 years, a thread entitled "Tyrone contenders?" Is really not the place to come and air out your washing about the mistakes of Donegal, is it now!? Seansy48 (Tyrone) - Posts:76 - 22/07/2016 13:03:50 I'm defending them because your points are biased towards your own side, and your maybe not looking at the bigger picture here. - On one hand here, we have a thread about "Tyrone Contenders?", which is strongly based on them just having overcome Donegal in the Ulster final last Sunday and can they now push on and win the All Ireland ( Which I think they can). - On the other hand your slagging Donegal fans for discussing reasons they failed to beat Tyrone on Sunday, maybe failing to consider that Donegal were leading in Injury time after the 70 minutes, and lost to some wonder shots. I think both of these sides (Tyrone and Donegal) are on the rise, you act like Tyrone have been away rebuilding and you just came back to beat the 2011/2012 Donegal side who are at end of life. When in fact Donegal have been rebuilding as last 2 or 3 years, and seem to be on the upward trend again. Both teams have an average squad and starting 15 age of around 25 years, both sides are fielding younger sides than Dublin, Kerry and Mayo. As for them building Cork up, It's not because they think Cork are consistently outstanding, rather that they recognise that all Provincial runners up always struggle to lift team morale after a big loss in a final and rarely perform well in their Round 4 qualifier any year. Donegal are playing a Cork side who seem to be getting some momentum together after a poor National League and Provincial Campaign, and know Cork have the players to cause an upset against any of the top sides.

GaryMc82 (National) - 22/07/2016 17:14:59

Donegal : Championship 2016 - 2 Like(s)
Fermanagh are a serious outfit, a close look at their National League results this season will show they are no pushover. Pete McGrath is a superb manager, and last year showed they are a team with ambition and a decent game plan. I expect Fermanagh to be even better this year, and I think Donegal will be out on their ear if they don't treat Fermanagh as a serious threat. The Donegal camp have been exceptionally quiet since the National League Semi Final, a game which I believe people read far too much into. They've also been very unpredictable during the National League, using a variety of players and even playing styles. In truth this may the hardest to predict Donegal team in years, something I feel could make them very dangerous.

GaryMc82 (Donegal) - 26/05/2016 21:06:52

Dublin v Tyrone Semi-Final - 2 Like(s)
I'm excited about this Dublin v Tyrone match, Dublin have have established themselves as the most dominant team of this decade with 4 All Ireland titles, while Tyrone now look set to rejoin the elite top 4 and have an air of confidence about them. DUBLIN: We already know what Dublin bring, they play with high intensity all over the pitch and with real intelligence. Their exceptional forwards and half forwards mean that opposing teams are reluctant to push out on them, as if the opposition lose possession, it will have a high probability in resulting in a score for Dublin. Dublin's midfield is among the top 3 in the Country, their defence is strong and well drilled. And Cluxton is phenomenal, precision kick-outs and stopping ability. TYRONE: Mickey has taken time to build this team, and it was time well spent. They previously threatened to make the breakthrough in 2013 and 2015, but last season when they finally managed to beat Donegal was the first time people believed they had something about special about them. Tyrone's problems in recent years hasn't been due to a lack of talent, but rather more to do with them struggling to find the right combination. They have produced exceptional forwards and half forwards within the County, and have worked hard on the defensive side of their game. MANAGERS: I don't believe Jim Gavin's comments that he hadn't seen Tyrone play since February/March, he is a bit of a cute hoor like that, peddles the whiter than white persona on tv, when privately he and his backroom team have studied all of their key rivals very closely throughout the Championship. Jim Gavin is very competitive, and very professional in his approach, expect no stone to be left unturned. Likewise Mickey Harte will have had one eye on Dublin all year, they are after all the team to beat. He is another buck that has no slows in him, and will provide Dublin with a very thorough tactical examination in this game. VERDICT: Tyrone by 4 or 5 points - I believe they will bring a level of hunger that Dublin might just struggle to match. The teams are fairly closely matched in when you balance out their attacking and defensive capabilities, kick-out strategies and the fact both have strong benches. Dublin have the experience edge, all of their players have already won All Ireland titles unlike the majority of Tyrone players, but the downside of that might be a lack of hunger in comparison to Tyrone. And I think this might just drive them on that bit harder. Dublin are very hard to beat though, they are strong all over the pitch and Tyrone will need to start well and maintain that focus and discipline throughout the match.

GaryMc82 (National) - 22/08/2017 21:32:13

Mickey Harte stays - 2 Like(s)
Harte deserves to stay if he wants to after all his success. However, if he doesn't become more attack oriented, at least against the top teams, there is no point in him continuing. It may take a few years to get the balance right, but Tyrone need to be showing progress each year in that regard. eoghan6688 (Galway) - Posts:21 - 09/09/2017 10:41:24 2 The balance isn't far off, because aside from not having won an All Ireland since 2008, he has still managed Tyrone to 4 x Ulster Championships since then (2009, 2010, 2016, 2017), and have also reached All Ireland Semi finals in 2013, 2015 and 2017, however its their failure at this stage that has led to the questioning of Mickey Harte's ability to continue managing Tyrone seniors. In part they are correct to at least ask such questions, no doubt the people of Kerry would be asking them too. For me the actual issue is the type of player in the Tyrone panel, while Tyrone have an abundance of very talented players, the current bunch lack the arrogance and grit of that exceptional team of the 2000's. Most who faced them back then would tell you many of them were a bunch of pr$$ks on the field. These current boys are a bit too nice.

GaryMc82 (National) - 09/09/2017 21:50:20

Monaghan V Donegal - 2 Like(s)
Was just looking at GAA GO, and I think this match should have been broadcast on that facility, as it is not being broadcast live by either Sky or RTE. And according to guidelines, GAA GO cannot broadcast games in the UK or Ireland that Sky or RTE are broadcasting live. In this particular case, the Monaghan v Donegal replay is not being shown live on any channel, so GAA GO could stream this game. This is an Ulster Football Championship Semi Final replay, and there are qualifier games getting air time today. Some overpaid amadan should get a roasting over this

GaryMc82 (National) - 02/07/2016 15:41:11