National Forum

New Donegal Manager

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Nothing against Bonner but he's had 4 years and the last two years have seen us on a downward spiral.

Martin McHugh has done little of note at managerial level bar winning Ulster with cavan almost 25 years ago, he won a sigerson with it Sligo with a team packed full of ringers so no huge achievement there!! And neither he or his best buddy with the "great football brain" could get kilcar to a county title.

Gary mcdaid has no success on his CV at intercounty level.

Malachy O'Rourke is a great shout, he's an ex Fermanagh man living in Tyrone, I don't think he would have any worries about taking Donegal as he isn't a Monaghan native.

Other than than him Jim McGuinness is the only other name that obviously would be a no brainer but as others have pointed out he seems committed to soccer career.

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 920 - 24/07/2021 08:46:50    2363346

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Bonner did very well the first two years but the team have stood still these past two seasons. We haven't been able to make the transition to genuine All-Ireland contenders and possibly have gone backwards. However some of the names being mentioned here send shivers down my spine, only Jim McGuinness and Malachy O'Rourke have achieved anything at inter county level. Unfortunately it seem unlikely Jim will go back to gaelic any time soon. This group of players look tailor made for him. I would be happy with Malachy O'Rourke as he did a great job with Monaghan. If we can't get McGuinness or O'Rourke then we probably need to stick with Bonner.

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1876 - 24/07/2021 11:32:37    2363380

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Challenging for and winning All Ireland titles is the objective for Donegal.

i am happy for Declan Bonner to stay on, I think him and his team have a done a good job, but now need to take it to the next level.
- Our current system of play is good, but is becoming predictable and the big teams will deal with that.
- We should be able to match up man to man against any team in Ulster and win the majority of battles.
- If a player is consistently not winning his battle with his opposite number in Ulster, then he shouldn't be regularly starting or isn't suited to that role/position.

i couldn't see O'Rourke or McGuinness showing interest in it, so I think there is nobody else right now who is in a position to challenge Declan Bonner for it.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 24/07/2021 11:50:31    2363383

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Donegal looked fairly good against Tyrone and Kerry in 2019 and would seem to have stalled somewhat since but these last two campaigns so say the least have not been normal for any team and may not be a great barometer as to where we are at.On the plus side Langan and O'Donnell have really come on a ton and we have unearthed Mogan and hopefully Connor O'Donnell.On the negative side injuries have curtailed the development of the likes of Jason McGee and Oisin Gallen.Injuries to Eoghan Ban ,McBreaty,McMenamin and Murphy and the disappearance of Ward and O'Baoill from the team have not helped the cause.It also probably highlights that we might not have as strong a squad as we think.An interesting thought struck me i.e. how many Donegal players would be sure starters on the Tyrone team.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1059 - 24/07/2021 20:53:01    2363619

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Replying To gunman:  "Donegal looked fairly good against Tyrone and Kerry in 2019 and would seem to have stalled somewhat since but these last two campaigns so say the least have not been normal for any team and may not be a great barometer as to where we are at.On the plus side Langan and O'Donnell have really come on a ton and we have unearthed Mogan and hopefully Connor O'Donnell.On the negative side injuries have curtailed the development of the likes of Jason McGee and Oisin Gallen.Injuries to Eoghan Ban ,McBreaty,McMenamin and Murphy and the disappearance of Ward and O'Baoill from the team have not helped the cause.It also probably highlights that we might not have as strong a squad as we think.An interesting thought struck me i.e. how many Donegal players would be sure starters on the Tyrone team."
8 anyway. Patton, Mc Menamin, Ban, Ryan, Mogan, Langan, Murphy,. Mc Brearty,

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1142 - 25/07/2021 00:03:58    2363709

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Replying To gunman:  "Donegal looked fairly good against Tyrone and Kerry in 2019 and would seem to have stalled somewhat since but these last two campaigns so say the least have not been normal for any team and may not be a great barometer as to where we are at.On the plus side Langan and O'Donnell have really come on a ton and we have unearthed Mogan and hopefully Connor O'Donnell.On the negative side injuries have curtailed the development of the likes of Jason McGee and Oisin Gallen.Injuries to Eoghan Ban ,McBreaty,McMenamin and Murphy and the disappearance of Ward and O'Baoill from the team have not helped the cause.It also probably highlights that we might not have as strong a squad as we think.An interesting thought struck me i.e. how many Donegal players would be sure starters on the Tyrone team."
Don't think O Baoil and Ward left the team, Bonner just didn't pick them on first 26, instead he went for small
runners who could not defend and as a result lost games that should have been won if right teams were picked, that is defenders doing the job of defenders , getting the right mix is the answer and Bonner didn't get that this last few years.

jacktheboy (Donegal) - Posts: 407 - 25/07/2021 09:52:35    2363742

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Replying To Commodore:  "Challenging for and winning All Ireland titles is the objective for Donegal.

i am happy for Declan Bonner to stay on, I think him and his team have a done a good job, but now need to take it to the next level.
- Our current system of play is good, but is becoming predictable and the big teams will deal with that.
- We should be able to match up man to man against any team in Ulster and win the majority of battles.
- If a player is consistently not winning his battle with his opposite number in Ulster, then he shouldn't be regularly starting or isn't suited to that role/position.

i couldn't see O'Rourke or McGuinness showing interest in it, so I think there is nobody else right now who is in a position to challenge Declan Bonner for it."
Would Martin Regan be in contention? He has a fantastic record with Glenties & they show no sign of letting up. Utterly dominant in the league so far, 2019 county champions, 2020 final coming up and will surely be favourites for the 2021 edition.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9155 - 26/07/2021 09:35:24    2364174

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Would Martin Regan be in contention? He has a fantastic record with Glenties & they show no sign of letting up. Utterly dominant in the league so far, 2019 county champions, 2020 final coming up and will surely be favourites for the 2021 edition."
In time he definetly could be a candidate. Massive step from club to County ,need to manage at u20 or assistant manager level first before taking over a County team.Or manage a smaller county like Sligo ,Leittrim etc.

ifindoubt (Donegal) - Posts: 133 - 26/07/2021 13:37:37    2364276

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Would Martin Regan be in contention? He has a fantastic record with Glenties & they show no sign of letting up. Utterly dominant in the league so far, 2019 county champions, 2020 final coming up and will surely be favourites for the 2021 edition."
Possibly, I don't enough about him or whether his success with Naomh Conaill is down him specifically or the squad he has at his disposal. Of the candidates within the County, he would certainly be the front runner on merit alone.

I wouldn't write him off anyways.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 26/07/2021 13:53:01    2364284

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Replying To ifindoubt:  "In time he definetly could be a candidate. Massive step from club to County ,need to manage at u20 or assistant manager level first before taking over a County team.Or manage a smaller county like Sligo ,Leittrim etc."
I don't see what good managing the likes of Sligo or Leitrim would do for anybody, this panel has potential but they are drifting of course badly lately, not many years left in the mighty Murph so if we are to be in contention for Sam anytime soon it has to be McGuinness to lead us again.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2757 - 26/07/2021 19:29:34    2364425

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "I don't see what good managing the likes of Sligo or Leitrim would do for anybody, this panel has potential but they are drifting of course badly lately, not many years left in the mighty Murph so if we are to be in contention for Sam anytime soon it has to be McGuinness to lead us again."
Forgot about Sam till we unearth a few defenders. Mc Guinness knows that.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 26/07/2021 19:57:23    2364440

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Forgot about Sam till we unearth a few defenders. Mc Guinness knows that."
Unearthing a few quality defenders would be most welcome. But I think first & foremost it's a question of attitude, and McGuinness alluded to this in his recent Irish Times column. He wasn't just singling Donegal out either, but highlighting the significant drop in standards of defending in general.

You still see teams with a heap of men behind the ball, yet somehow runners are allowed swan through without a hand being laid on them. Even Cork had some joy in the first half against Kerry at the weekend in this regard.

Attitude, controlled aggression and most importantly CONTACT! That doesn't mean we need to conjure up All Star defenders from thin air. Just need a sea change in intensity from what we've seen of late, and a manic desire to properly defend. Landing lovely scores is well and good, but we need to adopt a mindset where stopping handy scores at the other end is valued as highly again.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9155 - 26/07/2021 22:02:36    2364502

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I think the reason we are an attack minded team is the fact we don't have quality defenders. (we might have good quality defenders if everyone was fit, Paddy Mc Grath was on the bench alll year and that says a lot. Great player but his race is run. But why wasn't anyone else on the bench instead? Because we dont have anyone currently better!!! ).


We play an attacking half back line quite simply because we don't have the quality of player needed as an out and out defender. Some posters mentioned alternatives to the current half back line we have, and I can't see it working. We gave these players a chance in league and my memory goes back to the Kerry game last year when we were ripped apart and a lot of these alternatives were badly shown up.

I'm happy enough sticking with our guns and playing a side like this going forward if everyone is fit.

Patton

Mc Cole, Mc Menamin, Morrison

Ryan Ban. Mogan


Odhran Mc Neilis Mc Gonagle


Langan, Murphy, Thompson

Brennan, Niall, Mc Brearty

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1142 - 27/07/2021 10:13:13    2364584

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I think we got over spooked by the way Monaghan cut through us in the league.Every top team that plays attacking football will be vulnerable when ran at.I think that this ides that we have to have 6 out and out defenders is out of date.I think all players from 2-7 should be fast and be comfortable at taking a score but that does not mean that they should not be able to tackle with intensity and defend properly.It is always said that Kerry have a weakness in defence but when you see how well their full backs can attack and take scores it more than makes up.The nature of the game now is that it is almost 15 backs and 15 forwards interchangeable.It takes very big scores to win games now and very often with marquee players well marked backs when they get forward must be able to take scores.We have too many players that would baulk at taking a shot from 10 yards.I think we should become even more attack minded and work at teaching everybody to tackle properly.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1059 - 27/07/2021 11:29:58    2364625

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Replying To gunman:  "I think we got over spooked by the way Monaghan cut through us in the league.Every top team that plays attacking football will be vulnerable when ran at.I think that this ides that we have to have 6 out and out defenders is out of date.I think all players from 2-7 should be fast and be comfortable at taking a score but that does not mean that they should not be able to tackle with intensity and defend properly.It is always said that Kerry have a weakness in defence but when you see how well their full backs can attack and take scores it more than makes up.The nature of the game now is that it is almost 15 backs and 15 forwards interchangeable.It takes very big scores to win games now and very often with marquee players well marked backs when they get forward must be able to take scores.We have too many players that would baulk at taking a shot from 10 yards.I think we should become even more attack minded and work at teaching everybody to tackle properly."
Agree to an extent. But you see the Mayo lads like O'Hora, Keegan and Mullin. Great footballers but you get the sense that they take more satisfaction out of sickening the lads they're marking than anything they might do further up the pitch.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9155 - 27/07/2021 11:51:57    2364639

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If somebody was looking at the 2010 Donegal team and were asked what we were lacking in order to win an All Ireland title or Ulster title, they probably would have made up a list of positions we were lacking in and yet Jim McGuinness adapted players for these positions.

It not a lack of quality players, it is a lack of proper defensive coaching, although 2011-2014 we usually dropped the 3 half forwards back to our own 45 as cover, so they had a lot of added protection. Perhaps we need to add a slightly more defensive dimension to our team again, try to get the balance right.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 27/07/2021 12:50:21    2364669

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Replying To gunman:  "I think we got over spooked by the way Monaghan cut through us in the league.Every top team that plays attacking football will be vulnerable when ran at.I think that this ides that we have to have 6 out and out defenders is out of date.I think all players from 2-7 should be fast and be comfortable at taking a score but that does not mean that they should not be able to tackle with intensity and defend properly.It is always said that Kerry have a weakness in defence but when you see how well their full backs can attack and take scores it more than makes up.The nature of the game now is that it is almost 15 backs and 15 forwards interchangeable.It takes very big scores to win games now and very often with marquee players well marked backs when they get forward must be able to take scores.We have too many players that would baulk at taking a shot from 10 yards.I think we should become even more attack minded and work at teaching everybody to tackle properly."
I agree, far too much made of the league match results and particularly the Monaghan goals.

However one thing that needs to addressed is our half back line, we can't field both Ryan McHugh and Peadar Mogan at the same time as having all of our half foward line and full forward line on the pitch, and not expect to get exposed defensively. We are too top heavy in attack, so usually if we are turned over, our full back line is badly exposed and it makes us look frail at the back.

I think Management should not be trying to fit these men all on the pitch, and instead focus on who they need on the pitch at the start and who can do damage from the bench later.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 27/07/2021 13:01:30    2364675

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Replying To TheRock2121:  "I think the reason we are an attack minded team is the fact we don't have quality defenders. (we might have good quality defenders if everyone was fit, Paddy Mc Grath was on the bench alll year and that says a lot. Great player but his race is run. But why wasn't anyone else on the bench instead? Because we dont have anyone currently better!!! ).


We play an attacking half back line quite simply because we don't have the quality of player needed as an out and out defender. Some posters mentioned alternatives to the current half back line we have, and I can't see it working. We gave these players a chance in league and my memory goes back to the Kerry game last year when we were ripped apart and a lot of these alternatives were badly shown up.

I'm happy enough sticking with our guns and playing a side like this going forward if everyone is fit.

Patton

Mc Cole, Mc Menamin, Morrison

Ryan Ban. Mogan


Odhran Mc Neilis Mc Gonagle


Langan, Murphy, Thompson

Brennan, Niall, Mc Brearty"
Yeah but Bonner fired together a team last minute for the Kerry league match last year, to rest our top players and its not a fair assessment of what they can do individually. It was just that they didn't have time to click as team against a strong Kerry side.

Paddy McGrath may have recovered, but I suspect he never recovered to his previous best, otherwise Declan Bonner would have had him on the field this year. Its a serious injury, hopefully he will make it back for one last year or so with Donegal, but if not, he will be remembered and respected as a true warrior and seriously tough character.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 27/07/2021 13:09:56    2364683

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i never heard so much rubbish , we dont have the defenders such a loser's attitude , similar would have been said of the squad and county when McGuinness took over .

Declan Bonnar is too nice and hasnt the edge for intercounty mgtement and this attitude is written all over his teams .

when did we really have top class defenders ? even with the mcgees . lacey etc.. we played and blanket aka.. working back and putting pressure on the ball with our bodies not running back and doing absolutely nothing when back there ..

its up to manager to put a team out with serious hunger and edge and know what each player is good at !

there has been alot of McHugh / small man banishing and i have been a top culprit for that ! But in fairness the lads give everything and its not there fault that in the physical stakes they struggle . Its up to the manager not to expose players weaknesses, Ryan Mchugh is brilliant going foward and brillaint to watch put struggles when asked to defend , is it fair that Ryan Mchugh plays integral part in our defensive system ? of course not ! that is rubbish mgtement .


Do our fowards work hard enough off the ball ?
Do we really have six amazing fowards , that we cant drop two of them to aid our defence ? we dont score too many ? So that simple fact suggests no !!

i am not saying we are blessed with a team that is seriously underachieving but for sure i see a team playing with no structure , especailly in the defence and i see a team that doesnt learn from its defeats and that has to be down to the manager

ballyshannon (Donegal) - Posts: 176 - 27/07/2021 13:40:00    2364701

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Agree to an extent. But you see the Mayo lads like O'Hora, Keegan and Mullin. Great footballers but you get the sense that they take more satisfaction out of sickening the lads they're marking than anything they might do further up the pitch."
Just because you are a good footballer that can attack and score should not stop you from being able to tackle.These type of players should also have the speed to get back quickly as well.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1059 - 27/07/2021 13:53:22    2364710

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