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New Donegal Manager

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Maybe he's too easy on them , what kind of statement is that to make. Are you telling me players like Murphy who has win everything would want a coach in to be easy on them. Surprised at that statement these players give everything for Donegal football and to be accused of wanting an easy coach is absolutely mind boggling . Rochford has managed at the top level and we should be glad if we hold on to him. Maybe sometimes we should be looking at the players when things go wrong."
I think bringing Rochford in has been a good move, it has definitely brought a fresh way of thinking to Donegal football, I guess the question now is whether he has more to offer in this current role or if he steps up and takes the reigns when Declan eventually steps down. He has definitely earned my respect for the amount of travel he has done for Donegal, he is definitely a very good coach.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 10/09/2021 08:01:35    2379225

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My analysis of what is stopping Donegal from reaching the next level hasn't changed, It definitely our back six, more specifically our half back line. I'm not knocking the quality of the players, just the positioning of some of them, in order to fit them in the team.

Look at Dublin, Mayo and half back lines, they are not small and have pace, grit and strong defensive ability. The can force turnovers out at their own 45, they can still break at pace and yet defend tightly.

While our full back line has been often patched together due to injuries etc, and has been the focus of most people, I can't help but notice how exposed they are match after match, our half back line struggle to force turnovers and struggle in one on one match-ups, which allows the opposition to flood our goal at times and makes our full back line look inadequate.

Part of me thinks this is because Declan Bonner needs to find room for Ryan McHugh in the starting 15 always, so he plays him at wing back, I think this is a serious mistake that other top teams are constantly noting as predictable and they take full advantage. He is more suited to wing forward, we need our half back line to be bigger or more physical and defensively capable.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 10/09/2021 08:13:56    2379227

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "You were taught in school, the word you're looking for is 'thought'"
Terrible now that this forum is about spelling checks and grammar.

Tyrion (Donegal) - Posts: 160 - 10/09/2021 09:38:42    2379244

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "You were taught in school, the word you're looking for is 'thought'"
We're Irish and from Donegal, its our god given birthright to abuse the English language.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 10/09/2021 10:06:57    2379253

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Replying To Commodore:  "My analysis of what is stopping Donegal from reaching the next level hasn't changed, It definitely our back six, more specifically our half back line. I'm not knocking the quality of the players, just the positioning of some of them, in order to fit them in the team.

Look at Dublin, Mayo and half back lines, they are not small and have pace, grit and strong defensive ability. The can force turnovers out at their own 45, they can still break at pace and yet defend tightly.

While our full back line has been often patched together due to injuries etc, and has been the focus of most people, I can't help but notice how exposed they are match after match, our half back line struggle to force turnovers and struggle in one on one match-ups, which allows the opposition to flood our goal at times and makes our full back line look inadequate.

Part of me thinks this is because Declan Bonner needs to find room for Ryan McHugh in the starting 15 always, so he plays him at wing back, I think this is a serious mistake that other top teams are constantly noting as predictable and they take full advantage. He is more suited to wing forward, we need our half back line to be bigger or more physical and defensively capable."
You're bang on there Commodore. Will win nothing unless we sort the defense out.

There is serious compitition then in the half forward line.. Langan, Thompson, NOD, McNiallias and McHugh. Shame to have to bench 1/2 from that lot but looks like the only way.

FootballGuy (Donegal) - Posts: 229 - 10/09/2021 11:21:20    2379278

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Replying To Tyrion:  "Terrible now that this forum is about spelling checks and grammar."
Do it again and you'll have to stand in the corner with the dunces hat on.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2757 - 10/09/2021 12:16:16    2379301

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Bonner has the job now for the next two years, so be it. He has the players to challenge at the top but has to select the right players,defenders as defenders and not fill the team with small light half forwards s who are good on the ball going forward but cannot defend when required.

jacktheboy (Donegal) - Posts: 407 - 10/09/2021 14:18:19    2379353

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Replying To jacktheboy:  "Bonner has the job now for the next two years, so be it. He has the players to challenge at the top but has to select the right players,defenders as defenders and not fill the team with small light half forwards s who are good on the ball going forward but cannot defend when required."
And make the changes in big games that need to be changed. If someone is having an bad day at the office it is no crime but they need to be replaced. It seems in Bonner's tenure up to this point a certain member of the so called footballing dynasty in the south west of the county is exempt for being taken off.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 807 - 10/09/2021 14:54:16    2379364

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Boys and girls we can take about defenders and half forwards till the cows come home but the reality is we are going nowhere, in last 30years apart from mcguinness 4 years we have been very average and big underachievers....the one man that was brought the county forward had a county board who firstly wouldn t give him the decency of a proper interview and then when he got it they did everything for him to fail as he said himself...so we are going nowhere with current set up...look at size of our county and its football.mad ...we should be ashamed when we look at neighbours Tyrone in terms of underage and senior competitiveness....we need to get ppl in board who care about football...if they were there they would now have a new management structure in place or even after Cavan embarassment.last year...love me or hate me in honest about what I'm saying and deep down 95percent know it as well

marty234 (Donegal) - Posts: 158 - 10/09/2021 17:33:44    2379412

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Replying To marty234:  "Boys and girls we can take about defenders and half forwards till the cows come home but the reality is we are going nowhere, in last 30years apart from mcguinness 4 years we have been very average and big underachievers....the one man that was brought the county forward had a county board who firstly wouldn t give him the decency of a proper interview and then when he got it they did everything for him to fail as he said himself...so we are going nowhere with current set up...look at size of our county and its football.mad ...we should be ashamed when we look at neighbours Tyrone in terms of underage and senior competitiveness....we need to get ppl in board who care about football...if they were there they would now have a new management structure in place or even after Cavan embarassment.last year...love me or hate me in honest about what I'm saying and deep down 95percent know it as well"
You don't care about Donegal.?your on a crusade against bonner. We're not that stupid. As I said before you have no answers. Suppose bonner to blame for our lack of under age success too. He's still the only minor manager to get us to an all Ireland final but you'll not mention that, that would be praise. Your getting a bit silly now. Hopefully you'll be at all the Donegal games next year not sitting behind your laptop or phone. In bonner we trust.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 10/09/2021 18:17:05    2379428

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Replying To marty234:  "Boys and girls we can take about defenders and half forwards till the cows come home but the reality is we are going nowhere, in last 30years apart from mcguinness 4 years we have been very average and big underachievers....the one man that was brought the county forward had a county board who firstly wouldn t give him the decency of a proper interview and then when he got it they did everything for him to fail as he said himself...so we are going nowhere with current set up...look at size of our county and its football.mad ...we should be ashamed when we look at neighbours Tyrone in terms of underage and senior competitiveness....we need to get ppl in board who care about football...if they were there they would now have a new management structure in place or even after Cavan embarassment.last year...love me or hate me in honest about what I'm saying and deep down 95percent know it as well"
I don't know the ins and outs of everything as some of you lads seem to do here but I have zero confidence in the county set up now, can see us staying in div 1 and maybe get to an Ulster final if we can avoid Tyrone,
with McGuinness you could believe we could actually win something, I think we have the players, just not the leadership anymore.
Maybe that suits the CB that we stay at this sort of level.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2757 - 10/09/2021 19:53:20    2379459

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "I don't know the ins and outs of everything as some of you lads seem to do here but I have zero confidence in the county set up now, can see us staying in div 1 and maybe get to an Ulster final if we can avoid Tyrone,
with McGuinness you could believe we could actually win something, I think we have the players, just not the leadership anymore.
Maybe that suits the CB that we stay at this sort of level."
Mc Guinness made a big impression on you, every post you write he's in it. Forget about him and move on good lads its a bit tedious at this stage.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 10/09/2021 20:53:09    2379476

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Replying To rorysboys:  "You don't care about Donegal.?your on a crusade against bonner. We're not that stupid. As I said before you have no answers. Suppose bonner to blame for our lack of under age success too. He's still the only minor manager to get us to an all Ireland final but you'll not mention that, that would be praise. Your getting a bit silly now. Hopefully you'll be at all the Donegal games next year not sitting behind your laptop or phone. In bonner we trust."
Yeah he got us there but managed to blow final...just like following year 2015 when we had a very special minor team, just like under 21 team if 2017 which had abundance of talent when dessie farell outfoxed him on line, just like 2016 team that blew it v Tyrone in final a team blessed with talent...just like Cavan in Ulster last year just like Tyrone in ballybofey when we 4 up way 12 mins to go in 2018...decisiin making of this manager cost us all them games ...ill not even mention his first term...see I know and remember all these nightmares and I'm not going to apologise for calling things the way I see them

marty234 (Donegal) - Posts: 158 - 10/09/2021 21:14:56    2379486

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Mc Guinness made a big impression on you, every post you write he's in it. Forget about him and move on good lads its a bit tedious at this stage."
I don't give 2 you know whats if it's tedious for you, you are maybe a bit tedious for the rest of us brown nosing about Bonner,
It was Mc Guinness that brought us from nowhere in 2010 to 2 All ireland finals and a hat full of Ulsters, without him we would have had nothing. Bonner is a decent fella but he is not in the same league as a manager as McGuinness.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2757 - 10/09/2021 21:25:17    2379491

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "I don't give 2 you know whats if it's tedious for you, you are maybe a bit tedious for the rest of us brown nosing about Bonner,
It was Mc Guinness that brought us from nowhere in 2010 to 2 All ireland finals and a hat full of Ulsters, without him we would have had nothing. Bonner is a decent fella but he is not in the same league as a manager as McGuinness."
Nobody saying he's in Mc Guinness league. Are we going to talk about Mc Guinness all year. My only reason for standing up for this management team is because at the moment they are the best available. Players seem to want them which is good enough for me. Clubs got a chance to change but they decided no, don't come back with it was too short a time to oppose him, every dog on the street knew Bonner's term was up after the Tyrone game, so they had 5vweeks to oppose him, but as usual they done nothing about it. No point in talking about other managers now. Get behind the management team who ever it is . for those of yous that goes to games.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 10/09/2021 22:09:02    2379509

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Nobody saying he's in Mc Guinness league. Are we going to talk about Mc Guinness all year. My only reason for standing up for this management team is because at the moment they are the best available. Players seem to want them which is good enough for me. Clubs got a chance to change but they decided no, don't come back with it was too short a time to oppose him, every dog on the street knew Bonner's term was up after the Tyrone game, so they had 5vweeks to oppose him, but as usual they done nothing about it. No point in talking about other managers now. Get behind the management team who ever it is . for those of yous that goes to games."
There wasn't one word from county board on a deadline date until Bonner confirmed his intention to stay...even Donegal gaa update page on fb said this...after 6/7 weeks bonner stated his intention to stay and county board put on a date with a 3 day deadline...what serious candidate would even consider this ...bonner was always getting back in our board don't want a man that tells them what to do...the thing about it is that 90percent have seen this and I have been talking to these ppl they are the genuine ones who have seen the catastrophe of crossmaglen, Ulster semi hammering by Tyrone in 17 and the Galway tanking in Sligo the same year and they still came back...a lot of them now have had enough...they are seeing a very talented group of footballers who should have been in an all ireland last year and this year again fading away and Murphy with 2 years left fading away into sunset....there is a hunger out there for success or something different but county board have failed to deliver this change.

marty234 (Donegal) - Posts: 158 - 11/09/2021 07:15:43    2379531

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Replying To marty234:  "There wasn't one word from county board on a deadline date until Bonner confirmed his intention to stay...even Donegal gaa update page on fb said this...after 6/7 weeks bonner stated his intention to stay and county board put on a date with a 3 day deadline...what serious candidate would even consider this ...bonner was always getting back in our board don't want a man that tells them what to do...the thing about it is that 90percent have seen this and I have been talking to these ppl they are the genuine ones who have seen the catastrophe of crossmaglen, Ulster semi hammering by Tyrone in 17 and the Galway tanking in Sligo the same year and they still came back...a lot of them now have had enough...they are seeing a very talented group of footballers who should have been in an all ireland last year and this year again fading away and Murphy with 2 years left fading away into sunset....there is a hunger out there for success or something different but county board have failed to deliver this change."
I wudnt call them followers you follow your team through thick and thin. You still didn't answer my question about nominating a candidate to oppose bonner. It's all talk now , maybe your not a paid up member of your club. . Yous all though bonner would step down so yous all sat back done nothing, now yous are crying . Tough. A lot of the comments about bonner getting the job are favourable from people I talk too and these are what I call real supporters not of the bar stool type or a keyboard warrior. Enjoy the all Ireland hopefully we'll be there next year.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 11/09/2021 10:18:33    2379558

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Need to be careful now how I spell this, I've met declan twice this week at underage games and we've chatted bout everything from work to weather I personally wouldn't do his head in about the running of the county team when he's out for an evening and he knows that but the one thing I did notice was the amount of people that were wishing him well in the Year ahead and these are people that are at the thick of games from junior to county.
I think he deserves another year at least at it because this last two you couldn't plan your preparations the way you would like to, so just let us all get behind him now and move on.
People seem to forget that he's given his whole life to donegal and in his first stint was very unlucky in 98 with big Geoffs ass of a pass to Joe to not bring us the Anglo celt then. The man has to feel hes something yet to give to the cause and that is commendable and maybe with a little bit of luck next year he will deliver.

Tyrion (Donegal) - Posts: 160 - 11/09/2021 11:59:09    2379576

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4 years and not reaching a semi-final cannot be defended, whatever about the 3 before that under Gallagher.

Since Donegal were last there Tipperary (twice), Cavan, Monaghan, and Galway have all made a semi-final.

greatpoint (USA) - Posts: 427 - 11/09/2021 12:35:02    2379587

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Replying To marty234:  "Boys and girls we can take about defenders and half forwards till the cows come home but the reality is we are going nowhere, in last 30years apart from mcguinness 4 years we have been very average and big underachievers....the one man that was brought the county forward had a county board who firstly wouldn t give him the decency of a proper interview and then when he got it they did everything for him to fail as he said himself...so we are going nowhere with current set up...look at size of our county and its football.mad ...we should be ashamed when we look at neighbours Tyrone in terms of underage and senior competitiveness....we need to get ppl in board who care about football...if they were there they would now have a new management structure in place or even after Cavan embarassment.last year...love me or hate me in honest about what I'm saying and deep down 95percent know it as well"
Try to back your statements up with facts and statistics, don't just throw a wild statement out there with no substance, otherwise people will just assume you are troll.

We've dominated Tyrone at Senior level since 2011, that for the last 10 years, so whatever about underage, we still rival them when it counts. And we probably would have beat them this year had things not fallen apart in the first half so badly for us.

While I agree about how poorly McGuinness was treated years ago, you used this statement to say "...so we are going nowhere with current setup..", you aren't making sense. State detailed facts of what is going wrong if you genuinely feel this way.

The reason we are talking about defenders and half forwards so much lately, is because that is the real problem with the current Donegal team, we are constantly playing two wing backs who can't defend and it leaves the full back line wide open. Forget the current setup talk, this is purely a tactical or team selection issue, with some minor tweaks this Donegal team have the potential to win the All Ireland title.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 11/09/2021 13:05:45    2379593

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