At present Meath would seem to be easy touch for most teams. Opposition management can see us making the same mistakes week in week out and can plan accordingly. Any team - at this stage of the season - who do not reliable free taker are going nowhere. Well not the direction we want to go.

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2151 - 26/03/2015 19:28:53    1706870

Yes Ziggy it is a sad fact

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2151 - 26/03/2015 19:30:10    1706871

It could be very easy to get too negative about our status at this point. YES it sure looks like we have limited talent pool right now. YES It sure looks like we have a manager who is on a learning curve right now HOWEVER to look at positives and POTENTIAL. This team has produced some very good passages of football at various times so far this year. Of course the problem being consistancy and concentration over 70 plus minutes. I believe if we could manage to play to full potential as demonstrated at times so far this year for the 70 mins,then we would not have such a big hang up about playing in Div.1
So therefore POTENTIAL is the key word,and how we can develop it. Good management will focus on mental fitness and toughness rather than just laps of the track.Seems pysical fitness is up on last year at this point. I remain 100% convinced that mentally we are weak,and that is the big problem.Dont know if MICKO has the wherewithall to deliver on that himself...i doubt it. He can bring in help on that specific area. I had hoped that would have happened already,but apparently not. In summary just getting glimpses of possibilities and potential toghether with the above mental training to sustain these good play passages of course we can play in Div 1 next year if promoted. Its all down to what happens on the day in ANY match.. NO team even in div 1 get it right all the time. Last year Dublin were past the post against Donegal untill mC gUINNESS prepared a team mentally to say NO YOUR NOT. That Donegal team were not world beaters individually,but they had a man with conviction and implanted a can do mentality in his team....No i wont "settle" for div 2 I want us in Div 1 where we have every chance to develop to full potential. Yes maybe a tall order! Over to MICKO to let that potential become real and challenging. You know just one good match when we get it all toghether and some posters would sing a different song overnight.

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1227 - 26/03/2015 20:17:37    1706884

Excellent post nobull

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 26/03/2015 20:54:08    1706896

Spot on nobull.

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1792 - 26/03/2015 21:27:47    1706902

The Great Glenny is very disappointed at last two games both for times espically v Roscommon we were far the better team but mistakes cost us. ODowd is under pressure not that he will be sacked or anything but to show improvement from last few years. I think with Reilly and Gillispie now back in the team Meath will win in Newry Down are no great shakes

glenny (Meath) - Posts: 1108 - 26/03/2015 22:02:06    1706917

I like the look of the team

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 27/03/2015 08:07:02    1706920

Team named on the main page..

Good team and I am happy with the positional changes,especially in the backline. Reilly at 6,Keoghan corner back and Burke wing back,far better balanced defence imo.Obviously Rooney isn't right and I understand why he wants to keep Gillespie in reserve,otherwise I would have Menton at 7 and Gillespie in the middle.Only bad news is,that Bray is still out.But Wallace works well with Newman so hopefully we see some of that.Micko has gone with O'Sullivan and he needs a good game..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 27/03/2015 08:59:42    1706926

Down 1 - 10
Meath 2 -12

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 27/03/2015 09:00:20    1706927

Osullivan is there for his pace along with Reilly and Wallace, in not sure this year has down adapted a more defensive style, but was having a closer look at table, if Meath Laois and Galway win this weekend, us Laois and Roscommon are level on points , on score difference we would still be in promotion position.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 27/03/2015 09:18:54    1706930

Looks to be a better balance to the team selected, now hopefully we'll get a performance and a result to match. To be honest, I'm not too concerned about the result, just want to see a performance where the team play as a collective for 70mins, something we haven't seen for a long time.

moylagh (Meath) - Posts: 484 - 27/03/2015 09:45:43    1706936

moylagh

If we do that we will win for sure.

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 27/03/2015 09:59:47    1706938

Haven't posted in a long while here, but just tempted to throw in my 2 cents .
There are 5 players down to start vs Down who are playing Senior football with their club. It is a fact that there is no other county where this is happening, has Senior standard has regressed to a stage where it is indistinguishable from Intermediate and Junior?. Plenty of sub standard players turning out Saturday even for Division 2, if we are being honest after the away performances to Galway and Roscommon can anyone honestly say they expect anything other than a beating?

highking12 (Meath) - Posts: 184 - 27/03/2015 10:21:30    1706943

royaldunne

you wanted to know how I and many a meath man maintain why meath have no business in division one:
and this list in not exhaustive
1. we are only competitive at best in division 2.
2 we don't have the players , or panel to cope with injuries to our first team.
3. don't have a settled team.(players still being shipped from billy to jack to fill gaps)eg menton, keoghan,harnan tormey etc.
4. no trustworthy free taker
5. to much reliance on S. bray/ (elder statesman of team)
6. G Reilly a world beater....against minnow teams
7. management very raw. took them 35 mins to counteract Kildare kick outs in navan few weeks ago(most in terrace were laughing at their stupidity.

listen getting hiding in division no good for nobody. I see it in the schools every day(most schools competing in B division or lower ....young lads don't have any interest in following senior county football team that gets torn apart at weekends. a lot of the real athletes I see are drifting towards soccer or rugby because there aint no status playing for meath anymore. this is sad but true . don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with aspiring to eating at top table but not unless we have the appetite for it .....and most importantly the ingredients for it .

royalperro (Meath) - Posts: 21 - 27/03/2015 10:48:18    1706954

The last two posts are from guys who obviously know their football- a lot of guys posting based on wishful thinking!

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 27/03/2015 11:29:53    1706970

It doesn't really matter if only 5 players lining out are playing senior football or not.This is not premiership soccer.You play for(generally) the place you are from.You choose from all the clubs not just senior clubs.Ollie Murphy never played senior football for example.If a good enough player plays for a junior or intermediate club what of it? Anyway many intermediate clubs are just as good as many senior clubs.

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 27/03/2015 13:30:16    1707006

Just hoping for a reaction from the players tomorrow night and I have a funny feeling we might just get it, we may not be brilliant but we're better than we've shown so far. We're not going to get promoted again this year which is disappointing but we still have to consolidate our status in division 2 so the next to games are very important and on top of that we could use a boost going into the championship.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 27/03/2015 13:42:05    1707010

Im not sure what the soccer reference has to do with what i said. Yes Meath has always had non Senior players involved of course and you pick an obvious one in Murphy but Senior, Intermediate and Junior grades exist for a reason, to divide equally into competition clubs of a similar strength.
This leaves a number of conclusions such as Senior standards have dropped to a level where its interchangable with Intermediate, or, Not enough Senior players are making themselves available for intercounty. The panel is dominated by non Senior footballers and to have two thirds of the team as such is alarming to me anyway.

Having to shoehorn in Menton at midfield or playing McEntee who has yet to shine at club level but more glaringly is Brian Power who has looked at sea at intercounty says that to me we are not pushing for division 1 but fighting to stay division 2. Div 1 would lead to a scenario such as Westmeath last year where your not winning a game for months at a time

highking12 (Meath) - Posts: 184 - 27/03/2015 14:40:16    1707029

highking12, What a ridiculous post. Cork have won multiple All Irelands with a host of junior club players. They have more Junior clubs than Senior.

Tell me what other Senior club footballers in Meath should be starting. Senior football in Meath is very poor. A Meath player is there on merit as the best possible option for that position. These players have all played county underage, minor and U21. That is where their pedigree is.

When last did you tog out for Meath or indeed a Senior club.

Shivermetimber (Meath) - Posts: 124 - 27/03/2015 14:51:43    1707033

highking

I agree with you that the senior champ is weak,has Brain Power really been so bad for Meath so far??

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 27/03/2015 14:57:08    1707034