fair play to donegal on the day they were the better team.
from a dublin point of view
this team owes us nothing that was the first bad performance in 2 years,
2 national league titles,2 leinster titles and an all ireland title.
people forget they are only human and not machines.
unfortunatly for 13 of our players that started it happened to be their worst game of the year on the same day.
paul flynn and diurmuid connolly were the only two players on the day to perform
and its a credit to the two guys that they got us into a 9v4 lead
and if connolly had of put the ball in the net from point blank range
it actually would have been game over just like the monaghan match.
such margins do games change,from their on we never looked like winning really.
people will point blame at dublins full back line for goals but i find that totally wrong and lazy analysis.
just like the first half of the league semi final v cork our midfield didnt track back at all.
mccauley was our worst player on the day, he got cleaned out in the air,ran into players loosing the ball
and didnt bother chasin back which was clearly evident all day.
for me gavin got it wrong leaving him on the pitch for the full match and sent out the wrong message.
I also thaught he made a bad choice to change the team before throw in,
deveraux had been playing great so far should defo have started,
if kev mac wasnt fit then it had to be andrews to take his place for me,
costello is a great player but he didnt start him in any of the matches in leinster or against monaghan
and asking the young lad to come in from the start in an all ireland semi final was a big ask,
where as andrews has a much calmer and wiser head on his shoulders for picking balls off.
I thuaght the guys last night didnt actually analyse the match at all really
donegals first and third goal were definatly questionable free outs,
as the ball was dropping in for the first goal,michael murphy clearly pushes rory o carroll before the ball comes near them
o carroll fell to the ground and it allowed murphy challenge cluxton in the air alone.
also mcfaddens goal he appears to show the ball to cluxton
which is a foul and then switches hands before kicking it which is also a foul.
not taken anything away on the day donegal were the better side
we will be back next year

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2014 14:38:01    1646050

agree mcauley was poor..lot of posters taking shots at mcguiness all year have some apologizing to do now..looks like using his power to get the club v county thing sorted has paid off..this guy is pretty special no question

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 01/09/2014 14:45:20    1646058

I don't agree with the criticism of young Costello. He opened the Donegal defence more than once with his pace, and made a terrific play to set up Connolly's goal chance. Costello was as good as the two Brogans and better than O'Gara on the day, and I thought that any of these players could have been substituted before him.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3446 - 01/09/2014 14:52:43    1646067

01/09/2014 14:16:47
Lockjaw
County: Donegal
Posts: 3561


I reckon we did ok lads, what do you think???

-----
in the first 45 minutes I dont think we conceded a free inside 60 yards. Cluxtons miss in the first half was a 45

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 01/09/2014 14:53:40    1646070

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 384

1646058
agree mcauley was poor..lot of posters taking shots at mcguiness all year have some apologizing to do now..looks like using his power to get the club v county thing sorted has paid off..this guy is pretty special no question

i wouldnt neccessarly give mcguinness all the credit like the media are going into overdrive on.
I thaught the donegal players took their chances when they got them more so than any tactical masterstuff.
the fact of the matter from a dublin viewpoint was that if connolly had of put that goal chance away it was game over.
mcguinness himself all but said that even that he couldnt see after 15 minutes where they would get a result from.
I certainly have always said he was a very clever manager and he has done great with that bunch of players for donegal.
at 9v4 up we should have been a lot more clever.
leaving rory o carroll track murphy out around midfield and having fitzimons left one on one with mcfadden was madness.
o carroll is not a player to have out the field,hes a full back and fitzimons was at sea all day.
we had a 5point lead,all we really had to do for the rest of the game was keep them at arms length by not letting them score a goal
even with all the wides we were always going to out point them and the longer the game would have went on
the more donegal would have had to go looking for a goal which would have resulted in them becoming more open at the other end.
in the end it was the other way around they got the goals and allowed them to funnell the 13 men back to prevent us getting a goal we needed at that stage.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2014 15:13:39    1646105

i agree he had luck in that dublin didnt take their chances early on but give the man proper credit hill..who else could possibly do this with that donegal side?...he will achieve complete vindication if they beat kerry.....at the end of the day dublin didnt take their chances and were kept out...they completely wiped out dublins full forward line and the likes of mcauley who live off running through teams were completely nullified...only flynn and connolly were able to have any regular success..gavin very tactically naive and was not able to change things

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 01/09/2014 15:22:19    1646112

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 386

1646112
i agree he had luck in that dublin didnt take their chances early on but give the man proper credit hill..who else could possibly do this with that donegal side?...he will achieve complete vindication if they beat kerry.....at the end of the day dublin didnt take their chances and were kept out...they completely wiped out dublins full forward line and the likes of mcauley who live off running through teams were completely nullified...only flynn and connolly were able to have any regular success..gavin very tactically naive and was not able to change things

i have said he has done great with that bunch of players
but yesterday i dont honestly feel it was down to him and any kind of tactics he displayed
it was more down to his players on the day they took their chances and were the better team on the day.
you say that he completly nullified or done this or that
but lets be honest 13 of dublins starting 15 didnt perform on the day, we put in a similiar performance against mayo
in the 2012 all ireland semi final aswell and horan wasnt lauded with a tactical masterclass.
even when we were on top in the first half it was ultimatly down to two guys flynn and connolly that were on fire.
you cannot expect to win an all ireland semi final with so many players not on form on the day.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2014 15:32:10    1646116

Jim McGuinness got it right on the day.

Dublin fans, move on. It's done. We will have to come back again next year.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 01/09/2014 15:33:23    1646119

Congratulations to all the Donegal posters here. Manager and team where immense on the day. No complaints from this dub, we where beating on every level. Now go and do the double in the final. Now maybe Dublin can get some respite from the media (after they have stuck the knife in) that like everyone else we are beatable on the day.

p.s. Christy toye was immense for yis yesterday.

bluedubstar (Dublin) - Posts: 835 - 01/09/2014 15:36:29    1646124

waynoI
County: Dublin
Posts: 9931

1646119
Jim McGuinness got it right on the day.

Dublin fans, move on. It's done. We will have to come back again next year.


if that a dig at me its a bit of a ridiculous one wayno.
its a discusiion thread on the dublin v donegal match
whats wrong with discussing the game?
nobody is questioning mcguinness as a manager
the point im making is that it wasnt any great tactics on his behalf that won the game
it was more down to the donegal players performing better than our players on the day

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2014 15:40:02    1646128

congratulations to donegal on a fantastic and well deserved victory, and i hope you can do it again in the final. im sure the knigdom will have plenty of respect for you after watching yesterdays match.

pig.ignorant (Derry) - Posts: 655 - 01/09/2014 15:44:21    1646135

if that a dig at me its a bit of a ridiculous one wayno.
its a discusiion thread on the dublin v donegal match
whats wrong with discussing the game?
nobody is questioning mcguinness as a manager
the point im making is that it wasnt any great tactics on his behalf that won the game
it was more down to the donegal players performing better than our players on the day

_________________________________________


It really wasn't a dig at anyone.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 01/09/2014 15:46:09    1646141

Sick as a pig and still half drunk.


Well done to Donegal. Handed us our bottoms on a plate.

And to quote Foresst Gump : "That's all I have to say about htat."

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 01/09/2014 15:47:23    1646143

I think mcguinnes did great, but people are taking credit away from the players with the love overdrive . I mean Murphy, lacey, macfadden would walk on any team in the country, mcbrearty, McHugh and the McGees aren't far off either, theres always the bones of a great team there. That said, yesterday he (jmg) played an absolute blinder, one of the great manegerial displays of our time, adjusting the gameplan, the line of defence, substitutions, etc.
From our point of view, I couldn't understand how forward some of our defenders were let wander. Cooper got two balls up in the forwards in the first half and he honestly looked like he didn't know what to do there. I wouldn't give him stick for it but, he's a natural corner back after all, not a centre forward.
Ah well.... Next year well be back, meaner n ever!

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 01/09/2014 15:52:35    1646150

Hill16

Good to see your bringing your thoughts to every forum on this game. However you are wrong. Mcfaddens goal was legitimate as he held the ball in two hands before kicking it. Murphys push was blatant but was as a result of O Carroll fouling him trying to go for the ball.

you pick out two very subjective points to discuss on a great game

SamT2012 (Donegal) - Posts: 66 - 01/09/2014 16:18:42    1646190

this dublin team are seen as a far better team than the 2012 version...the 2012 version was not playing particularly well while this team was wiping everybody out and was seen as unstoppable and people were suggesting they would dominate football for the next few years...it quite clearly was a tactical masterclass..sure dublin had chances but very few...they grabbed a lead due to some incredible long range score taking which was never going to be sustainable....in the end they ran out comfortable winners and the dublins defence was ruthlessly exposed while dublin were not able to create a whole lot after the initial spell

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 01/09/2014 16:20:26    1646192

@Hurlingdub Sick as a pig and still half drunk.


Well done to Donegal. Handed us our bottoms on a plate.

And to quote Foresst Gump : "That's all I have to say about htat."

LOL. Best comment I've read on here in along time,hard luck to Dublin,the game could have gone a lot differently but for Durkans great save,
Ye'll be back contesting for SAM next year again for sure.
Roll on the Kingdom.

TirChonaillabu2 (Donegal) - Posts: 344 - 01/09/2014 16:20:42    1646194

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 386

1646112
i agree he had luck in that dublin didnt take their chances early on but give the man proper credit hill..who else could possibly do this with that donegal side?...he will achieve complete vindication if they beat kerry.....at the end of the day dublin didnt take their chances and were kept out...they completely wiped out dublins full forward line and the likes of mcauley who live off running through teams were completely nullified...only flynn and connolly were able to have any regular success..gavin very tactically naive and was not able to change things

i have said he has done great with that bunch of players
but yesterday i dont honestly feel it was down to him and any kind of tactics he displayed
it was more down to his players on the day they took their chances and were the better team on the day.
you say that he completly nullified or done this or that
but lets be honest 13 of dublins starting 15 didnt perform on the day, we put in a similiar performance against mayo
in the 2012 all ireland semi final aswell and horan wasnt lauded with a tactical masterclass.
even when we were on top in the first half it was ultimatly down to two guys flynn and connolly that were on fire.
you cannot expect to win an all ireland semi final with so many players not on form on the day.

Well maybe, just maybe, they weren't let be on form. It's a bit disingenuous to suggest that Donegal win because 13 Dublin players weren't on form, in fact it's ridiculous. Dublin were rattled yesterday by a team who believed deep down they could beat them, Dublin haven't played a team with that belief prior to yesterday and it showed. Cluxton, Brogans, MDMcC didn't know how to respond and when Cluxton doesn't know the rest don't as he is the launch pad for everything good about Dublin. Donegal put Dublin under pressure and Dublin couldn't respond. Donegal didn't let Dublin play yesterday, I think that's the reason they won more than Dublin being "off form".

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 01/09/2014 16:37:31    1646224

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 393

1646192
this dublin team are seen as a far better team than the 2012 version...the 2012 version was not playing particularly well while this team was wiping everybody out and was seen as unstoppable and people were suggesting they would dominate football for the next few years...it quite clearly was a tactical masterclass..sure dublin had chances but very few...they grabbed a lead due to some incredible long range score taking which was never going to be sustainable....in the end they ran out comfortable winners and the dublins defence was ruthlessly exposed while dublin were not able to create a whole lot after the initial spell


yes and i agree we are a far better team now than we were in 2012
but the fact that they didnt perform like they have done all year has to be spoken about too
they had a bad day at the office it can happen
they are humans not machines
the media spoke all that rubbish about being unbeatable
did anybody ever believe that ?
i certainly didnt and i dont think any of the dublin panel or management even listened to that
in fairness it was country people spouting the lines about dominating for the next decade
so much so that our finances are even being discussed to be lowered, total overdrive nonsense.
on the day donegals players performed and dublins didnt
I dont think anybody is giving the donegal players the credit for this win.
on the day they took their chances and dublin didnt
to say dublin didnt create a whole lot after the initial lead is strange seen as we had 10 very scoreable wides
in the second half alone.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2014 16:42:13    1646227

to put it down to having a bad day at the office is being disrespectful to donegal i feel...donegal are the reason dublin had a bad day at the office..they completely knocked them off their game and out of their comfort zone and made it very difficult for them...as regards chances yes dublin had some bad wides in the second half but i am more speaking about goal chances..at that stage the dubs looked a bit clueless and things were just not happening for them as donegal had knocked them off their game..you couldnt say the dubs were having a bad game at 9-4...it was when donegal got to grips with them that the performance dropped off and the donegal players and management deserve full credit for that

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 01/09/2014 16:48:34    1646233