Oldsam if we have forwards willing to put in the work to carry somebody then yes I 100% think we should carry a player for frees.

Unfortunately I don't think players have workrate to compensate for deadball specialist

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1792 - 09/02/2016 12:52:11    1823910

Lads surely some of our forawrds need to be dropped? How many points from play did we score from play since half time in armagh game?!

We have very few players that are both skillful and put in a courageous performance when the chips are down.

Cillian o Sullivan is both skillful and a grafter. Potentially a great player. Biggie Newman etc --great skill etc but when the going gets tough are nowhere to be seen. This is a fact. I say drop biggie and Newman for next game

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1792 - 09/02/2016 12:58:27    1823916

Maybe Tormey getting sent off might be bit of a blessing as mod will have to come up with a new strategy.. Something tells me though that whatever he comes up with, it will be completely different to all the posters suggestions..

On another note I think meath will be doing very well to beat cavan. if they go into that game in the same state of mind as last Saturday it will be a heavy loss. I could not believe that MOD came out after stating that he could not understand what had happened as they had prepped so well over the previous week. It just comes across to me like he has zero idea of where his players are mentally.

I have been banging the anti MOD drum now for the past two years but like how bad does it need to get before its too late and we are staring at a dog fight to get promoted out of div 3 again..

Irish_downunder (Meath) - Posts: 631 - 09/02/2016 13:55:41    1823949

Ya It annoyed me a bit to hear MOD say he was at a loss as to why the team performed like that.Its his 4th year....

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 09/02/2016 14:32:25    1823969

Mod running out of excuses..we don't have he talent, maybe some need to except that the so called transition is long over

sob (Meath) - Posts: 492 - 09/02/2016 14:42:25    1823982

First of all I wasn't at the Fermanagh game so crucify me for this comment but I saw the photo of him and Pete McGrath on this site and I just thought he looked very lame, limp - not sure really but he didn't seem like someone angry at a crucial loss or that he knew what he was about. He looked very placid in the photo.

oldsam_newsam (Meath) - Posts: 638 - 09/02/2016 15:02:45    1823990

Jesus I'm glad ur not in charge Bert, let's drop 2 of our only scoring forwards that had an off day, genius.

southmeathgael (Meath) - Posts: 890 - 09/02/2016 15:10:20    1823999

bert09- Reilly is one of the few forwards that we have (spend most of first half defending and stopped almost certain goal on one occassion-unlike some of our 'defenders' who don't defend) and we do need Newman playing well. O'Sullivan plays like a junior football unable to pass the ball jumping all over the place -he got disposed about six times during the match last Sunday-maybe corner forward would suit him where he would not have to part with the ball. We have only one good defender and the only player who can drive forward and set up another player. I would play Keoghan in a central position as he is wasted at corner back and possible at centre back with guys alongside who can attack with accuracy - not guys who are pedestrian. Tormey would be better than two of the backs in the full back line and the third best forward on the panel is in the subs bench. Need someone in midfield who can run maybe Harmen might be best suited there.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 09/02/2016 17:10:08    1824118

Southmeathgael

Do you or anybody know what is the story with Bryan Menton ? I note he played with his club last weekend - is he taking a break from the Meath setup, does he have any intention of rejoining ? I can totally understand if he is frustrated with the way management have messed him around for the last number of years in asking him to play in almost every outfield position at some stage or another. Personally I would like to see him play as a wing forward with defensive duties as I often found him a bit loose as an out an out defender, he is a strong runner and well able to take a score too.

Royal_Rover (Meath) - Posts: 72 - 09/02/2016 17:12:38    1824119

Royal -I would agree with you on Menton and add that he played almost all or most of his underage football in midfield or CF and was a standout player in underage

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 09/02/2016 17:30:56    1824126

Ziggy - I didn't get to the game on Sunday so I didn't realise that O'Brien wasn't even on the subs bench. Did we have any midfielder on the bench? Who went to midfield when Tormey was sent off? Graham Reilly?
Given that we won't have Gillespie back this year (if ever), and Flanagan also looks to be out, and Menton seemingly is taken a year away from it, who else do we have to play midfield? I assume that MOD is intent on going with Rooney and Tormey at midfield, despite Tormey never having played well in the middle.
I presume that Tormey misses the Cavan game. In that case who plays alongside Rooney? Judging by what we have seen this year, then it is likely to be Reilly.
So what then happens if one of them gets injured or sent off?
It just all seems like we are making it up as we go along without any real plan.

anfearbeag (Meath) - Posts: 1134 - 09/02/2016 21:53:05    1824246

I have to laugh (or cry) at people who start shouting that we should drop player X or player y, without any logical suggestion as to who to replace them with. Berts suggestion of dropping the best two forwards we have is just the latest example of this sort of nonsense.
It really doesn't matter if you think that some players are not up to it- you still have to play them if they are the best players you have available to you. You can't go to the opposition manager and say "Sorry about this, we only have a dozen players who are up to this level - any chance we can play 12 a side today" - this isn't under 8s.
So for about the thousandth time on here, I would say that if you are going to suggest that a certain player is not worth his place or should be dropped, name the player that you would pick in his place and we can debate from there.

anfearbeag (Meath) - Posts: 1134 - 09/02/2016 21:59:25    1824249

Iv said it on here before and I think douglas could do the job of supporting midfield role.

Irish_downunder (Meath) - Posts: 631 - 10/02/2016 08:40:42    1824256

One bad result and lets change everything. MOD hasn't a clue. blah blah blah blah blah.... Jeez above people give it a rest. For the first time in recent memory MOD has chosen a consistent team, they had a bad day and suddenly its not good enough, sack him etc.. Talk about knee jerk.. Right things are not ideal but lets not throw the baby out with the bath water. He's here to stay until we're out of the championship. Nothing is going to change there. Look where 5/6 changes a game got us in last years championship. Out of the championship after 3 games. And as for leveling criticism about this player not getting a go, I think MOD has given every half decent player a chance at this stage, some have performed and been retained and others haven't. This happens
I said I'd happily see us relegated if there was a consistent selection with players/ units getting to play regularly together. That's how team develop over time. MOD is doing this for the first time in memory so lets get behind it.

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 10/02/2016 08:59:10    1824263

Brian

In some ways I understand your point but I think supporters are entitled to be very concerned with the level of coaching at this stage. I see no evidence at all that there is any sort of game plan in our forward division when faced with a decent defence, remember against Armagh we scored just one point from play in the second half when playing with a gale force wind and enjoying 70%+ possession while last Sunday we failed to register any score from play. When you look at the forwards that were on duty when they are playing with their clubs they are all heavy scorers in general play so there is something seriously missing when they are in the Meath jersey and at this stage I actually wonder who is the forwards coach !

Royal_Rover (Meath) - Posts: 72 - 10/02/2016 10:28:28    1824292

Colm O' Rourke has made it pretty clear that he is not interested in the Meath manager's job in the future. I think MOD could do a lot worse than bringing him in as a forwards coach, not necessarily on the bench but as an advisor. That's if he is interested of course.

Regarding the comment on Alan Douglas in midfield, he has done well there with Trim & also in the Centre forward position. He has good distribution and is probably worth more game time than he has been getting in the league so far.

trim1 (Meath) - Posts: 162 - 10/02/2016 11:24:06    1824314

Royal agree with your points re forwards and I don't think there's a forwards plan or a forwards coach. I'd have guessed this was Trevor's responsibility last season, so don't know if McCabe or Murphy have taken that on, or even Micko himself who was a decent club forward in his heyday..
TBF its early season and Ulster defences so you'll never score heavily as they're so bunched and playing sweepers etc. The pitch was supposedly very heavy (I wasn't there) so its hard to get a lot of scores from open play. I think TBF in the OBC we did score reasonably heavy from play when less players were dropped back into defences.
Personally good kick passing from half backs and midfield would solve a lot of the bunched defense issues. I think Newman and Lenihan are great at winning ball and scoring quickly so maybe that's the tactic we should be using..

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 10/02/2016 11:29:23    1824317

Since Kevin Reilly retired there are few if any real kick passers in the team behind the midfield pairing (what pairing!). Or at least they are far more likely to move the ball through the hands. If COS is the go to man to link up the play at CHF and Graham Reilly is a wing forward (to best utilise his talents), then we are depending on the other (more defensive) half-forward to be the one to deliver more direct ball to forwards. If Padraic Harnan is now playing in the half-back line, that leaves either Darragh Smyth or James McEntee in that role. The NOM player from what I have seen of club football would need more game time to settle into the position and really step up to inter county level. Alternatively, we would need both Bryan Menton and Donnacha Tobin available to give others options in the half-forward line and at midfield.

The Meath forward line has been physically dominated for many years ... in MOD's and Banty's time. But when Joe Sheridan and Cian Ward were around, this wasn't as severe or critical as it is now. And even if Meath had forwards coaches in the recent past, you still wouldn't think it watching them play. Most good performances (scoring wise) were mostly down to individual talent, be it from Stephen Bray or whoever, than team synergy.

Another thing, if POR got injured or sent off, he would be replaced with a goalkeeper (not the tallest outfield player in the squad). There is no excuse for not having three midfield players (three fully-fit options) in the squad at all times - ones who the manager actually has the confidence in to start or replace others. Not try and fill gaps here and there with other established players better suited to other positions.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 10/02/2016 12:26:24    1824339

I see a C.Gillespie came on for Summerhill at the weekend,I assume that was Ciaran?

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 10/02/2016 12:35:31    1824341

No you may not assume!!

pim (Meath) - Posts: 119 - 10/02/2016 14:22:16    1824393