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New Donegal Manager

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Replying To Green_Gold:  "Really admire the way Tyrone have played this year, they have got the right mix between defence and attack. Cathal McShane is one of the best forwards in the country yet had to content himself with a place on the bench as he wasn't at peak fitness. This would never happen in Donegal, we are hell bent on starting our big name players when they are half fit or out of form.

The positive from yesterday is that it shows we are not a million miles away from being contenders. We all agree on the main issue - lack of intensity in our defensive tackling or tough tackling markers. I feel we need to be a bit more pragmatic and pick 6 out and out defenders and tackle with intensity. That will mean keeping some of our better attacking players on the bench but it has to be done. If Declan added a good defensive coach to his backroom team I think this would get supporters back onside."
You are 100% right, that would never or rarely happen in Donegal as we already seen in the past 2/3 seasons.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 13/09/2021 09:27:19    2380162

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Replying To Donegal_abroad:  "Agree with a lot of that. Tyrone were happy to bring big players on as impact subs, maybe we could learn from that ourselves.

If we played Tyrone next week though we would be playing a different outfit than 2/3 months ago. I rated us as stronger than Tyrone previously and that's part of my frustration that we haven't pushed on more. But those Tyrone players now have All Ireland medals and will be a different proposition for us from here on. The gap is big enough for me unfortunately because our defending isn't on the level of a top 4 team."
Defence is out problem, sort that out and we can rival any other team in the Country.

Two defensive problems in recent years.

1. We just have so many defenders missing or not fully fit in 2020 and 2021, like Stephen McMenamin has been carrying injuries all year and Odhran McFadden Ferry hadn't returned to full fitness in 2021. We lost Conor Morrison just as he was starting to show his capabilities, and also lost Paddy McGrath and long-term Kieran Gillespie. Getting and keeping our defenders fully fit is a must if we are to attempt anything.

2. Our half back line is non existent as a defensive structure in most matches, the attacking style we adopted in 2018 seen us deploy 2 small pacey wing backs. This was great for attack, but left us vulnerable in defense and reduced our ability to force turnovers. A solution in 2021 was to drop Hugh McFadden into the half back line to provide some physicality, but it had minimal impact, as we still played with two light wing backs who struggled to block runners or force turnovers.

We have players like Paul Brennan, Caolan Ward, Tony McClenaghan who can step into the half back line if needed, We can't believe certain players should have an automatic starting place, when they aren't producing the goods. Either set them straight and bench them, or forget being manager.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 13/09/2021 09:41:56    2380166

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We've beaten the All Ireland winners 4 out of the last 5 times we've played them. We lost to them with 14 men. We lost to Tyrone with the exact same team as they played the year before when we lost to them. Its not like they've discovered 5 or 6 new players.

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1142 - 13/09/2021 22:01:34    2380445

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Replying To TheRock2121:  "We've beaten the All Ireland winners 4 out of the last 5 times we've played them. We lost to them with 14 men. We lost to Tyrone with the exact same team as they played the year before when we lost to them. Its not like they've discovered 5 or 6 new players."
Your right..

But they have improved and we have declined.

eunans4ever (Donegal) - Posts: 1595 - 13/09/2021 22:34:13    2380461

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Replying To eunans4ever:  "Your right..

But they have improved and we have declined."
This attitude of bonner is building, and give him another year or two. Its been 4 years
What did brian dooher say the last day, why wait to next year. It may never come. Now thats what i call a winner, and a winning mentality.
I wish bonner all the best, and hope he proves me completely wrong.
I am just not confident that he has that mentality to bring us to the next level.
And donegal deserves a manager with a winning mentality, lets not waste another 20 to 30 years before we start competing with the big teams again.
Its frustrating being a donegal supporter, knowing there are plenty of great footballers here, but something always holds us back.

We have proved we are good enough in flashes, but consistency wins all Irelands.
That ruthless drive.
Lets hope bonner and his backroom team push us to that level

The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 687 - 15/09/2021 01:19:01    2380780

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Replying To TheRock2121:  "We've beaten the All Ireland winners 4 out of the last 5 times we've played them. We lost to them with 14 men. We lost to Tyrone with the exact same team as they played the year before when we lost to them. Its not like they've discovered 5 or 6 new players."
I remember listening to Enda McGinley last year on devenney show after we beat tyrone he listed out dgl talent and compared it Tyrone he was saying how much more we had and our options and hopes for future were so much brighter...10 months later look where we are....but honestly folks I read brehanys article yesterday about other counties scoofing mayo and to get their own houses in order first and he was probably having a dig at likes of dgl...how do we expect to be at top table with the way we are running our ship.. .the debacles of last 30years have been a farce tbh...losing McHugh to Cavan in 90s probably would have won us all Ireland, way we treated mcivor , circus over John Joe appointment, mcguinness having to apply 3 times and being laughed out of interview because he wanted to display a plan and then doing everything for him to fail, and now offering a 2 year extension to a man who has shown in his 7/8 years that he can't get us to a semi final...the whole set up is badly wrong...talking to ppl in Tyrone etc they have genuine fball ppl involved and doing massive work in schools, colleges, coaching structures and garvaghy is a credit to them, I don't know if any of ours ever kicked a ball....compare our situation to Kerry.. .a man only there 3 years 1 all Ireland final, kick of ball of another, multiple all Ireland minor titles as manager, they set up a committee to get the best man in for the good of Kerry football...peter Keane has to reapply and go through interview process...no friends or buddies down there...then we wonder why we aren't in all Ireland's finals or semis

marty234 (Donegal) - Posts: 158 - 15/09/2021 10:18:25    2380814

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For the umpteenth time clubs had 5 weeks to sort a manager and they didn't. Stop repeating yourself which your good at, Kerry players obviously don't want Keane that is why jack o Connor left Kildare. Donegal players must be happy enough with the set up and that is why bonner is still there. You were calling for bonners head after the Tyrone game in his first year, so everybody knows your agenda.. plenty of people like you about who contribute nothing but have plenty to say. Going by this week you have plenty friends in Mayo keyboard warriors I mean.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 15/09/2021 11:00:40    2380828

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Replying To rorysboys:  "For the umpteenth time clubs had 5 weeks to sort a manager and they didn't. Stop repeating yourself which your good at, Kerry players obviously don't want Keane that is why jack o Connor left Kildare. Donegal players must be happy enough with the set up and that is why bonner is still there. You were calling for bonners head after the Tyrone game in his first year, so everybody knows your agenda.. plenty of people like you about who contribute nothing but have plenty to say. Going by this week you have plenty friends in Mayo keyboard warriors I mean."
Like I said here before, Peter Keane so unlucky not to have toppled the Dubs. Absolutely no winking and nodding in that part of the world, like it should be. The Sam is the ultimate prize, Peter Keane does not have a snowballs chance in hell, with their 5 man steering committee to find a new manager, yetMcGrath and Donegal county board don't see things that way. Easily could have cleaned house, and sent Bonner out to pasture.For the record Rory, why don't u try a new slogan 'the keyboard warrior thing is getting stale as is the constant 'repeating'. Guess u like listening to ur self.

thelowball (USA) - Posts: 400 - 15/09/2021 11:54:43    2380853

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Replying To marty234:  "I remember listening to Enda McGinley last year on devenney show after we beat tyrone he listed out dgl talent and compared it Tyrone he was saying how much more we had and our options and hopes for future were so much brighter...10 months later look where we are....but honestly folks I read brehanys article yesterday about other counties scoofing mayo and to get their own houses in order first and he was probably having a dig at likes of dgl...how do we expect to be at top table with the way we are running our ship.. .the debacles of last 30years have been a farce tbh...losing McHugh to Cavan in 90s probably would have won us all Ireland, way we treated mcivor , circus over John Joe appointment, mcguinness having to apply 3 times and being laughed out of interview because he wanted to display a plan and then doing everything for him to fail, and now offering a 2 year extension to a man who has shown in his 7/8 years that he can't get us to a semi final...the whole set up is badly wrong...talking to ppl in Tyrone etc they have genuine fball ppl involved and doing massive work in schools, colleges, coaching structures and garvaghy is a credit to them, I don't know if any of ours ever kicked a ball....compare our situation to Kerry.. .a man only there 3 years 1 all Ireland final, kick of ball of another, multiple all Ireland minor titles as manager, they set up a committee to get the best man in for the good of Kerry football...peter Keane has to reapply and go through interview process...no friends or buddies down there...then we wonder why we aren't in all Ireland's finals or semis"
Marty234 Are you from Mayo or formerly from Mayo? I noticed some patterns in how write messages that is similar to a few other posters on HS who all use a similar type of sentence spacing to you, specifically

Ulsterman (Antrim) 11/09/2021 - "Oh....it's no recommendation......but in my case I'll make an exception".

Cbar (Mayo) 12/09/2021 - "And when you talk about stupidity....in the 2013 final Brogan got a tap in goal from a high ball in....8 years later the same thing happens with the same keeper....how could anymore feel sorry for us....it's incompetance of the highest degree".

Bainisteoir (National) 15/08/2021 - "thought ye were dead and buried at halftime...31 counties will be behind ye in the final... football really needed this result, football now needs Mayo t win ... Kerry dominance will not be much better than the Dubs".

Marty234 (Donegal) - "...Compare our situation to Kerry ... " or "good of Kerry football ... peter keane has to reapply and go through interview process... no friends or buddies down there... then we wonder why we aren't in all Ireland finals or semis".

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 15/09/2021 12:31:32    2380868

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Replying To marty234:  "I remember listening to Enda McGinley last year on devenney show after we beat tyrone he listed out dgl talent and compared it Tyrone he was saying how much more we had and our options and hopes for future were so much brighter...10 months later look where we are....but honestly folks I read brehanys article yesterday about other counties scoofing mayo and to get their own houses in order first and he was probably having a dig at likes of dgl...how do we expect to be at top table with the way we are running our ship.. .the debacles of last 30years have been a farce tbh...losing McHugh to Cavan in 90s probably would have won us all Ireland, way we treated mcivor , circus over John Joe appointment, mcguinness having to apply 3 times and being laughed out of interview because he wanted to display a plan and then doing everything for him to fail, and now offering a 2 year extension to a man who has shown in his 7/8 years that he can't get us to a semi final...the whole set up is badly wrong...talking to ppl in Tyrone etc they have genuine fball ppl involved and doing massive work in schools, colleges, coaching structures and garvaghy is a credit to them, I don't know if any of ours ever kicked a ball....compare our situation to Kerry.. .a man only there 3 years 1 all Ireland final, kick of ball of another, multiple all Ireland minor titles as manager, they set up a committee to get the best man in for the good of Kerry football...peter Keane has to reapply and go through interview process...no friends or buddies down there...then we wonder why we aren't in all Ireland's finals or semis"
Agree 100%, can't see Bonner doing any better than he has done already, I have very little confidence for the future with the current set up.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2756 - 15/09/2021 12:33:23    2380870

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "Agree 100%, can't see Bonner doing any better than he has done already, I have very little confidence for the future with the current set up."
I would agree that Declan Bonner and his management team haven't been able to learn from their mistakes in recent years and its been frustrating, particularly with team selection and use of the bench.

I mean they aren't always bad, but they do seem to be inconsistent in terms of performance. Losing that 2020 Ulster final to Cavan really ****** me off, also the 2019 Super 8 game in Castlebar, we should have put both of those teams away.

My problem with replacing Bonner right now is simply who is there to take over? I don't think there is another management team with suitable credentials within the County to step up and take over. And there seems to be strong opposition to a manager from outside the County taking over, so do you replace Bonner with a sub-standard management team for now just to get rid of him or stick with him until a more promising Manager makes themselves available.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 15/09/2021 13:03:06    2380879

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "Agree 100%, can't see Bonner doing any better than he has done already, I have very little confidence for the future with the current set up."
Totally agree with you ! Bonnar has had a serious generation of talent under him that is sadly under performing . I was attacked here at suggesting Enda McGinley for the role as Donegal manager but he is a born winner and has done an excellent job with Antrim .
I would like us to look at Rory Gallagher again as well , i still think he has the edge required to be a successful manager and with the players more mature now I think he could bring us to the next level .

On another topic Has Kieran Gillespie done his knee again ? what a waste of talent he was if he has

ballyshannon (Donegal) - Posts: 176 - 15/09/2021 13:12:03    2380881

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Replying To thelowball:  "Like I said here before, Peter Keane so unlucky not to have toppled the Dubs. Absolutely no winking and nodding in that part of the world, like it should be. The Sam is the ultimate prize, Peter Keane does not have a snowballs chance in hell, with their 5 man steering committee to find a new manager, yetMcGrath and Donegal county board don't see things that way. Easily could have cleaned house, and sent Bonner out to pasture.For the record Rory, why don't u try a new slogan 'the keyboard warrior thing is getting stale as is the constant 'repeating'. Guess u like listening to ur self."
I would agree that Kerry GAA are certainly less patient for All Ireland success than Donegal GAA, which is perhaps understandable considering the proven financial backing and infrastructure that Kerry have had for many years now, and their sustained underage success. Also rumours that previous All Ireland winning manager Jack O'Connor may have indicated a willingness to return to managing Kerry probably played into it too.

Donegal GAA could have followed suit and moved to oust Bonner, but who do they replace him with? There didn't seem to be any former All Ireland winning managers lined up to fill the Donegal hot seat.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 15/09/2021 13:13:40    2380883

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Replying To ballyshannon:  "Totally agree with you ! Bonnar has had a serious generation of talent under him that is sadly under performing . I was attacked here at suggesting Enda McGinley for the role as Donegal manager but he is a born winner and has done an excellent job with Antrim .
I would like us to look at Rory Gallagher again as well , i still think he has the edge required to be a successful manager and with the players more mature now I think he could bring us to the next level .

On another topic Has Kieran Gillespie done his knee again ? what a waste of talent he was if he has"
I'm not opposed to bringing in an outside manager, even a former Tyrone player if it could take us to the next level.

My problem with Rory Gallagher is that he brings a lot of baggage, he can be a divisive character and he also under performed with Donegal, he could have done much better, but made the same repeated mistakes over and over again, always a great league performance because he had them training full tilt from early in the year, and then we fell flat by the time we reached the Ulster final. In fairness he brought us close in 2015 and 2016, but just couldn't seal the deal.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 15/09/2021 13:32:46    2380890

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Replying To Commodore:  "Marty234 Are you from Mayo or formerly from Mayo? I noticed some patterns in how write messages that is similar to a few other posters on HS who all use a similar type of sentence spacing to you, specifically

Ulsterman (Antrim) 11/09/2021 - "Oh....it's no recommendation......but in my case I'll make an exception".

Cbar (Mayo) 12/09/2021 - "And when you talk about stupidity....in the 2013 final Brogan got a tap in goal from a high ball in....8 years later the same thing happens with the same keeper....how could anymore feel sorry for us....it's incompetance of the highest degree".

Bainisteoir (National) 15/08/2021 - "thought ye were dead and buried at halftime...31 counties will be behind ye in the final... football really needed this result, football now needs Mayo t win ... Kerry dominance will not be much better than the Dubs".

Marty234 (Donegal) - "...Compare our situation to Kerry ... " or "good of Kerry football ... peter keane has to reapply and go through interview process... no friends or buddies down there... then we wonder why we aren't in all Ireland finals or semis"."
Good spotting commodore the secret is out. Had my suspicions about this poster all along. Lol

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 15/09/2021 13:49:23    2380892

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Replying To ballyshannon:  "Totally agree with you ! Bonnar has had a serious generation of talent under him that is sadly under performing . I was attacked here at suggesting Enda McGinley for the role as Donegal manager but he is a born winner and has done an excellent job with Antrim .
I would like us to look at Rory Gallagher again as well , i still think he has the edge required to be a successful manager and with the players more mature now I think he could bring us to the next level .

On another topic Has Kieran Gillespie done his knee again ? what a waste of talent he was if he has"
What excellent job did he do with Antrim sure they lost about ten points in the championship. A born winner yea. I wudnt be calling it that. Yous are easy fooled by paper talk

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 15/09/2021 13:52:33    2380897

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Replying To thelowball:  "Like I said here before, Peter Keane so unlucky not to have toppled the Dubs. Absolutely no winking and nodding in that part of the world, like it should be. The Sam is the ultimate prize, Peter Keane does not have a snowballs chance in hell, with their 5 man steering committee to find a new manager, yetMcGrath and Donegal county board don't see things that way. Easily could have cleaned house, and sent Bonner out to pasture.For the record Rory, why don't u try a new slogan 'the keyboard warrior thing is getting stale as is the constant 'repeating'. Guess u like listening to ur self."
Any word of bonners backroom team lowball. Should be interesting could be the start of a glorious period. Heard one name mentioned be exciting if true.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 15/09/2021 13:55:09    2380899

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Replying To ballyshannon:  "Totally agree with you ! Bonnar has had a serious generation of talent under him that is sadly under performing . I was attacked here at suggesting Enda McGinley for the role as Donegal manager but he is a born winner and has done an excellent job with Antrim .
I would like us to look at Rory Gallagher again as well , i still think he has the edge required to be a successful manager and with the players more mature now I think he could bring us to the next level .

On another topic Has Kieran Gillespie done his knee again ? what a waste of talent he was if he has"
I hadn't heard anything about Kieran Gillespie recently, hopefully not, poor fella has been through a lot since 2017.

Donegal must have been hit worst than any other County for defenders, Kieran Gillespie, Paddy McGrath, Conor Morrison and even promising Luke Keaney had to end his career prematurely due to hip issues, and he was brilliant.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 15/09/2021 14:08:50    2380904

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Any word of bonners backroom team lowball. Should be interesting could be the start of a glorious period. Heard one name mentioned be exciting if true."
Why don't u stop the suspense and let us know Rory!With Bonner at helm no back room would get me too excited! U must be chuffed at the pomp and pageantry emulating from the Tyrone camp. Croke Park baby,now further away than ever for Donegal .Sadly.

thelowball (USA) - Posts: 400 - 15/09/2021 14:17:31    2380907

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Replying To thelowball:  "Why don't u stop the suspense and let us know Rory!With Bonner at helm no back room would get me too excited! U must be chuffed at the pomp and pageantry emulating from the Tyrone camp. Croke Park baby,now further away than ever for Donegal .Sadly."
Don't gave up lad. Get the New Jersey and hopefully it'll be a long glorious summer. In bonner we trust. Hopefully the legend that is bonner will finish off in style . one of our most decorated managers ever.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2410 - 15/09/2021 14:25:19    2380909

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