JMcG said that Donegal had no spark on Sunday and other commentators/analysts noticed that they were lethargic even going out onto the pitch.
Anybody think that JMcG had them overtrained and does this take from his aura as a manager? Heard a rumour that they were flogged at a 5 hour training session last Wednesday! (no I wasn't up a tree)

Kerry_inDublin (Kerry) - Posts: 1 - 23/09/2014 11:40:58    1655823

They weren't overtrained. It was just that finally, a team didn't play into their hands, so they had nowhere to counter attack into. It is like the magician, whose big trick has been sussed out. All of a sudden, you see the pigeon under his hat and the big napkin up his sleeve...

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 23/09/2014 11:45:46    1655832

Nope

HandballRef (Donegal) - Posts: 520 - 23/09/2014 11:49:39    1655838

Donegal got beaten by a donegal styled Kerry - end of

royalpainter (Meath) - Posts: 874 - 23/09/2014 11:50:36    1655839

It is a possibility, but unlikely.

I'd imagine the have a S&C coach in place whose job it would be to ensure that wouldn't happen.

jamesjoyce (Derry) - Posts: 126 - 23/09/2014 11:57:20    1655846

Just didnt show up on the big day!....Simples!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 23/09/2014 12:01:58    1655853

Agree with Master.

Kerry just didnt play into Donegals hands.

Simples.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 23/09/2014 12:02:29    1655855

No.

Its fine margins. If Donegal had taken their goal chances and Kerry not taken theirs would you be saying the same about Kerry? After all they only scored 4 points from play. They were clinical on the day and that was the difference.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 23/09/2014 12:06:35    1655857

Hardly,they have been there done, they are not an up and coming team, so I'd be very surprised if preparation wasn't spot on. I think they didn't get any breaks in the match and Master is right Kerry's game plan was good.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 23/09/2014 12:14:16    1655867

Kerry took their two goal chances and Donegal didn't take theirs.

If O'Connor's shot had snuck in and Durcan hadn't passed Donaghy the ball then everyone would be talking about Jimmy Mc the genius who totalled outfoxed Fitzmaurice!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13703 - 23/09/2014 12:26:46    1655880

Kerry won the tactical battle on Sunday, Donegal didn't change their game plan to push forward on Kerry's defence, when they were behind.

thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1729 - 23/09/2014 12:39:13    1655889

truth most big names are won on small margins. you know there was no difference between mayo and kerry really. in fact there was no difference between Cork and Mayo. In truth there wan't much difference between dublin and Donegal , neither was there much between donegal and Armagh, monaghan and kildare etc etc. small margins, so managers should not be lauded or dismissed because of these small margins.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 23/09/2014 12:43:00    1655891

You play them at there own game there average.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 23/09/2014 13:00:25    1655905

23/09/2014 13:00:25
clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 5401

1655905 You play them at there own game there average.

----

To be frank this is becoming tiresome at this stage
Bitter Revisionism
you begrudged Donegal their All Ireland in 2012 and what is worse took up a personal crusade against all star players like Mark McHugh and Neil Mcgee mainly because you have a childish obsession with a Dublin player that isn't fit to lace McGee's boots.
You keep the head down after a compreshensive defeat and then aim to re-write history when a result 3 weeks later suits your agenda.

Maybe GAA should bring in "table football" regulations where 15 players are given their own 10 yard patch of the ground and aren't allowed outside it.

Donegal beat Dublin fair and square this year - out atatcked them - Beat them in midfield - out defended them and - had a much higher accuracy rate when shooting. Likewise we got beat fair and square in the final. We got outplayed in midfield and weren't ready for the intensity of the Kerry half back line. Thats it game over and to the Victor the spoils. As regards comparing Dublin to Kerry or Donegal - I would make one important point. Rory O Carrol, Fitzsimmons, Eoghan O Gara would not get in the Kerry or Donegal panel let alone the starting 15.

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 23/09/2014 13:25:55    1655926

No, Kerry just won the mental battle, the tacticle battle and the physical battle and we're just the better team, it would be doing Kerry an injustice to suggest Donegal were overtrained

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 23/09/2014 13:41:58    1655947

No, Kerry just won the mental battle, the tacticle battle and the physical battle and we're just the better team, it would be doing Kerry an injustice to suggest Donegal were overtrained

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 23/09/2014 13:41:58    1655948

Its kinda a bit unfair on Kerry to be looking for an excuse like Donegal were overtrained, etc. They were just beaten by a better team on the day. If you add in the amount of wides Kerry had, they could actually have won by a bigger margin.

nemogirl (Cork) - Posts: 10 - 23/09/2014 13:50:16    1655959

While Donegal looked a little flat, I though Kerry looked very flat too. In fact the atmosphere felt extremely flat overall, even when watching the Minor game.

Donegal failed to contest the breaking ball in midfield, and in a few Instances left their own big man Neil Gallagher stranded when fielding high ball. This was costly, as it allowed Kerry to gain quite a lot of possession.

Kerry then mopped up the majority of the breaks, and it was this possession that limited Donegal's attacks. The 2nd goal won it, as Donegal had earlier clawed back a deficit and taken the lead for the first time. I sensed at that stage that Donegal were going to win it, But that 2nd goal really killed it.

In attritional games, a goal is a massive score as every point takes so much effort and build up tends to be slow. In this game Kerry got 2 goals, and to be honest that is where the game was won.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 23/09/2014 13:55:57    1655964

Donegal let in a goal before they'd even started playing and then gifted, yes gifted Kerry another in the second half.

It'll be tough no matter how much extra effort you put in when you make things that hard for yourself. Just ask James Horan or Jim Gavin.

Gavvygavgav (Dublin) - Posts: 382 - 23/09/2014 14:04:15    1655972

Such nonsense to suggest Donegal got beaten because they were flat, they got beaten by their own system taken up by Kerry - a team with better footballers.

Donegal's time in the sun is over.

cacsmckilly (Tyrone) - Posts: 1294 - 23/09/2014 14:51:59    1656012