Mayo and Kerry have and use a lot more money than meath. I think the mayo team spent more on the seniors than the dubs last year. All the top teams have and use much greater resources than ourselves.

We are currently top 10 and not top 16 as you say.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 24/08/2014 22:00:28    1641454

Hmm hard to know where we stand at minute. We might be just inside the top 10. But really those ahead of us are getting further ahead.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 25/08/2014 13:02:14    1641652

I think the impact of the substitute bench yesterday in the Mayo versus Kerry match is something that MOD needs to study carefully and learn from it. Meath really needed a goal against Armagh in the last 10/15 minutes of the match and sadly we had nobody on the bench that was ever likely to cause any panic in the well organised and physically strong Armagh defence. Introducing Joey Wallace at this stage of the match was just unfair on the player, the Wallace brothers are very important players in the future of Meath football and both can be admired for their commitment and efforts so far and have plenty to offer in the future. However, at that stage of the match we needed experience and some power/physical presence to help create a goal chance, the likes of Sheridan,Farrell, Ward and Queeney are players who possess these attributes and certainly if a couple of them had been available to be introduced for 10/15 minutes then we would have had some chance of creating a goal chance. I think MOD has been very naive in basing his squad selection basically around pace as we are way too physically weak to challenge the Division 1 teams with the current squad of players.

Royal_Rover (Meath) - Posts: 72 - 25/08/2014 13:58:42    1641709

I know we have had problems at under-age etc.But even so,at Senior level,we just look behind the times.No matter who the management team is,we never look fit enough,conditioned enough,or professional enough and you simply have to be...

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 25/08/2014 14:31:59    1641740

Royal Rover

I take your points and you have merit,yes sometimes kicking long ball in can cause a problem.However some of the players you mentioned would have no interest being on the bench and coming on for 5 minute cameos.In the game in question,I could he could annd should have at least thrown SOR in their..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 25/08/2014 14:34:52    1641745

I reserve judgement on the positive until I hear what MOD has to say for himself at the next co board meeting . There are a lot of negatives to be addressed first .

royalpainter (Meath) - Posts: 874 - 26/08/2014 11:18:23    1642136

Ziggy I think that's a very generalised and if I may say so wrong remark. The players mentioned by royalrover Farrell, played many time as a sub, queeney would only be delighted to play as a impact sub, and sherridan was a sub for majority of last year. While every player wants to start all I'm sure would be happy to play their part if needed. The only one I can say who you might be referencing is cian. Its unfair on the others to automatically assume they wouldn't want to. And in one case I know for sure he would have no problem inbeen used as a sub .

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 26/08/2014 17:39:52    1642475

RD

Ya I agree actually,I was referring more towards Ward..Although Sheridans impact as a sub last season was very poor,and Farrell? No thanks..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 26/08/2014 21:25:15    1642697

Having Ward on the panel is a no-brainer as he is the best forward playing football in the county. If you keep planning for 5 years time with 19/20 year olds you will not win much (up and down the country there have been clubs and county teams planning for 5 years with little to show). How do you know how good a 20 year old will be in 5 years time ?. I think it is good to bring new players into the panel with pace but they need to know when to be able to pass the ball (unlike some there at present). I go back to what I said somewhere else; you need a couple of backs with pace who can man-mark and distribute the ball well (they are not presently in the panel). You need significant more work rate and pace in the half forward line. I do think that between Gillespie/Meade and O'Rourke you have cover for midfield (with O'Rourke being used on the edge of the square at times like Donaghy). I would start by building my defence by putting Keoghan at centre half back. There is no use having corner backs if you do not have a good half back line. Just analyse the matches we won this year and who was the CHB?

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 27/08/2014 11:09:23    1642843

browncows

Not a fan of Meade to be honest,people talk bout his workrate,but doesn't seem to be clever enough in tackles or picking up players.Gillespie is excellent though..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 27/08/2014 11:23:13    1642851

Ziggy32001 - I forgot to add for mid-field you have young players like Flanagan coming into the panel

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 27/08/2014 12:50:10    1642900

Jaysus above does any topic on this forum not turn into a Cian Ward debate...

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 27/08/2014 13:03:44    1642915

worth pointing out that meath minors were one score from beating dubs in this years Minor championship.

also u21s just fell short and if things had gone their way in first half may have won it.

for all the negativity about underage structures, we HAVE been the only team in leinster consistently competing with what is a professionally structured county. Don't throw the toys out just yet

dubsout (Meath) - Posts: 220 - 27/08/2014 14:11:09    1642983

Agree Browncows,although not sure how good Flanagan is or can be,yet..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 27/08/2014 15:31:39    1643050

You could also point out that if Cavan had got a bit of fair play from the Ref it would have them that won the u21's, not the Dubs

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 27/08/2014 18:47:32    1643180

Royalpainter Agree with you....Very hard to be positive until CB meet MOD and co. and have a constructive meeting to review this year,and why we went backwards. This poster has seen Meath in championship matches for 60 years now. I have never seen the team so short in fitness,teamwork,and above all so short in fighting spirit. I hope that meeting grasps that nettle now !! Anything else is a waste of time if we have to avoid further dismal displays!!

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1227 - 27/08/2014 19:31:31    1643189

Nobull. I've been watching them for 40 plus years and got to say I'm somewhat in agreement with you. The lack of fitness and any plan b , was a worry. But the most worrying thing going forward is lack of spirit within the team. We can say this player didn't play well or this player did play well, but spirit is a team thing aswell as individuals and non existed this year. Was it over training? Lack of confidence? Lack of leadership? I have no idea. The plan b and fitness can be sorted out before next year. But it will mean nothing if the spirit isn't there.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 27/08/2014 22:00:24    1643266

Royal and No Bull, couldn't agree more. For years now we've had a distinct lack of leadership, physical toughness, an effective gameplan or consistency. Draw comparisons to the current team and the great teams of the Booylan era and you'll quickly grasp what i mean.

Leadership - Bar Kevin Reilly and Donal Keoghan there's no current player who seems ready to die for the cause or who you'd follow into battle. Compare that to Lyons, Harnan, Foley, McEntee et all of the 80's and Dowd,Fay, McDermott and Giles in the later half of the 90's. Those were men you'd follow anywhere and i don't see players like that in the current team

Physical toughness - there's none against the physical teams from us. Its all well and good having Kildare saying we never expected Meath to be this physical but we're dominated by Dublin and any northern team we play every year. For too long we've allowed ourselves to be dominated in this way. Lads whilst more physical bulked up are not able to stand up for themselves. How many times have we seen meath players stand up to an opponent, legally or illegally at a crunch moment. McMahon (i think)was floored by McAuley in the LF and no one checked McAuley or gave him a clatter for it. The current players just don't seem to have the stomach for a fight. At a minimum McAuley would've gotten a belt or shove for it during Boylan's tenure at worst. And this is why teams are pushing us around, they know we'll do nothing about it. Time to "Man Up"

Gameplan - This is where MOD is sorely lacking. After 2 years none of us know what his gameplan or philosophy is. Does he know himself? Are we defensive or offensive?? Without an effective gameplan its hard for the players to know what they are doing. How often did we see MOD pick teh same 15 in any game in the same positions. Its hard for players to function as a unit and have an understanding when they don't know where they're playing each week. Dublin, Donegal Mayo and Kerry palyers all know their positions and system, we quite patently don't. MOD also lacks the ability to see things on the pitch and make an effective change. The last 2 LF's Keoghan marked brogan out of the game but the other dubs corner forward destroyed us and MOD left the same man on that player each time. .

Consistency - we;re totally inconsistent. This is a function of the above factors and lack of a gameplan. When's the last time we won 3 championship matches in a row. 2010 i'd hazard a guess at and thats patently not good enough. Until we get some consistency and start winning bunches of games consistently we're not going anywhere

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 28/08/2014 09:09:04    1643279

Rd

yet people want Cian Ward back,he won't help in that department..

We need to move on,continue using the younger players,and try to develop a team that works hard and is fit.The other question though,is the team really nnot fit enough,or is it a case of some players not willing to work hard enough for 70 minutes?

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 28/08/2014 09:49:09    1643296

here here ziggy

dubsout (Meath) - Posts: 220 - 28/08/2014 10:15:05    1643308