So ladies and gents what is your overall thoughts on our league performance this season, are you happy, sad or indifferent and how hopeful are you heading into the championship?

Negatives for me would obviously be missing out on promotion, which would have happened if we'd have held on against Donegal and of course the massive injury list. But on the positive side we should have a lot of those players back for the summer, our squad is stronger than last year and most importantly MOD seems to have sorted our defence out because it was a major worry.

Overall I don't think the league went too badly, certainly it finished very well for us and I'd be hopeful that all going well we can make the AI quarter finals this year. Whether we do that as Leinster champions is another story but I think to make any real progress we need to make the last 8 and I think we're more than capable of doing so.

So what do you's think?

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 08/04/2014 11:30:36    1572165

I witnessed a remarkable display in ballybofey and one not far off a level of championship, which has not been duplicated in the latter few games .very proud and delighted with the whole team and management putting aside the clones massacre .tormey has matured to no end as an intercounty footballer and is my stand out man .
I do notice a lot of the crowd (older) are still not comfortable with the possession / handpass game . But never moan when we win and let's be honest it was the only way to beat Down ,but this group are only a few of the die hard tradionalists and I also believe this is the way Banty ( wasn't a fan ) wanted Meath to play , but got so much stick for ( myself included). So did banty break to mould for O dowd to come in and play that style ?
Either way we are a team that are progressing and developing and another year in Div 2 won't hurt us whatsoever

royalpainter (Meath) - Posts: 874 - 08/04/2014 12:41:41    1572222

Ye Division 2 will be very competitive again next year, although probably not quite as good as this year given Monaghan and Donegal's promotions but still, Westmeath and Kildare and indeed Cavan will provide excellent derby games for us next year.

I to was critical of Banty, especially after he got us relegated, ok he broke the mould and tried to get us playing a more modern (well negative really) style of play. But I think the problem was that he just isn't great tactically and we looked like a very vulnerable side under him, but also I just prefer MOD as a person, in my opinion under Banty it was all about Banty, O'Dowd has a far better manner.

Again though, if we can get a few of those injured players back before the championship I would be reasonably excited heading in, we may not make another Leinster final (laws of averages and all that) but then again we may just win Leinster, who knows. Biggest thing for me though is getting to the last 8, we need to do that this season to make progress.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 08/04/2014 14:05:20    1572291

I'm not to bothered about promotion this year. We would most probably have come straight back down again next year. Another year in a competitive enough D2 will do them no real harm. This time next year, who knows ... aim for promotion and with one years more experience together, hopefully be able to achieve it and be better prepared for the step up to the top flight.

The injury list, particularly the loss of young Wallace is a big blow for the rest of the season. Good to see McMahon get some senior action. SOR's return (no doubt improving with each game he plays) and what Andrew Tormey brings to the starting 15 is the big plus for me, from this years league campaign.

I would like to see a little less complacency from some folk here though. Talking about Leinster finals with Dublin is a bit premature. Kildare may not be high flyers atm and will badly miss JD, but they haven't gone away.

AI QF has to be the minimum standard this year for it to be considered a success of sorts, whatever route we take!

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 08/04/2014 14:57:40    1572341

GlasagusOr

I would like to see a little less complacency from some folk here though. Talking about Leinster finals with Dublin is a bit premature. Kildare may not be high flyers atm and will badly miss JD, but they haven't gone away.

In fairness Glas I have acknowledged that we may not even make a Leinster final this year, purely on the laws of averages we're bound to miss out sometime soon, I mean we went 9 years without a Leinster final appearance in recent history. We should take nobody for granted not even bottom of the league Carlow because we nearly paid a devastating price 2 years ago against them. After that it could be Kildare or Louth or even Westmeath, 3 teams who savour beating Meath and all that before potentially playing Dublin in a Leinster final so no, nothing should be taken for granted!

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 08/04/2014 15:24:42    1572370

Well out of 7 games,there was just one game were we let ourselves down,I would be happy enough with the campaign as a whole,we almost got promotion and I still think we are not a league team.Big negative is all the injuries...

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 08/04/2014 15:29:51    1572377

Royalpainter

I agree with you,I said before we MUST change our tactics and be able to adapt accordingly,we can play football etc against certain teams,but against the Ulster teams especially we need to play differently,we did this against Down,as they found it much more difficult to get through us like Armagh did for example..This shows that management have learned a lot in that way too...

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 08/04/2014 15:33:20    1572383

Htaem,

Sorry, I wasn't referring to your posts and this particular thread (I should have made that clearer!). It's obvious you are cautiously optimistic and not taking anyone for granted. No I'm referring to other posters on other threads (although nobody specifically, just what appears a widely held view here) since the draw was made, talking as if the path to the Leinster final is paved for a Dublin vs. Meath final. Hopefully that's what will unfold but there is a lot of football to be played beforehand.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 08/04/2014 15:42:52    1572399

You are right Glas,Dublin might not make the final!! :D

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 08/04/2014 15:47:14    1572411

ziggy

Well out of 7 games,there was just one game were we let ourselves down

To be honest ziggy I was even more annoyed by the Armagh result than the Monaghan one, we never played up in Clones, it was a complete no show but at least Monaghan have shown themselves to be a very good side. Armagh with all due respect are a pretty poor team and have been hit with plenty of injuries aswell so I'd have fully expected us to beat them, especially at home.

But in sense maybe it was a blessing in disguise because it forced MOD to change his ways, we all enjoyed the all out attack system used in january but it just left us too weak at the back and the team needed to be more balanced and crucially develop a plan B if plan A doesn't work.

Anybody know who's expected back before the summer and who's not going to make it? aside from Wallace of course who sadly is out till next year.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 08/04/2014 15:47:48    1572412

The fact that we are missing Wallace,well I really hope O'Sullivan makes it back,excellent player,who can make as big of an impact..To be honest I don't think David Bray will cut it..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 08/04/2014 15:54:13    1572425

GlasagusOr

Sorry, I wasn't referring to your posts and this particular thread (I should have made that clearer!)


Ah jaysus no apology necessary lad, to be honest I didn't really think you were referring to me anyway and you're probably right, maybe too many of us are expecting another shot at Dublin in the final. But in a way it's nice to see that our expectations have shifted and hopefully the younger generation watching Meath are going to be expecting regular Leinster finals (and hopefully a bit further but we'll leave that for another day).

Success breeds success, 9 years without a Leinster final for Meath was a very tough pill to swallow, but I suppose making 3 out of the last 4 has raised confidence considerably and long may it continue. I'm absolutely desperate not only to make another Leinster final but to beat Dublin in one and while not even making the final this year is very possible, it will still be extremely disappointing.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 08/04/2014 16:11:05    1572441

I hope biggie reilly is saving his form for the championship. Disappointing league by his standards.

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1790 - 08/04/2014 20:32:01    1572630

Biggy does this every year! Comes good the last league game of the year, remember Tyrone a few years ago...and will absolutely boss it first few rounds of the championship! Don't know why but it always seem to take him until championship to get his fitness back.

Meathmaster (Meath) - Posts: 251 - 09/04/2014 09:14:51    1572709

Over all i am disappointed because the objective at the start of the campaign would have been to be promoted and that has not been achieved the Monaghan game was a disaster i couldn't see how MOD and Co.fell for Monaghan white wash once again which is worrying going forward but with out going into individual games and overall great come from that disaster and aramgh game is positive,,but i said at the outset that promotion was achievable but for a mascure in Clones point diff wise it could have been achieved.and maybe sneaked a point in Donegal
i don't understand why people are so pleased with playing div 2 football div 1 is a must for development of this team and to win a All-Ireland name me one team that one a All-Ireland from div 2 in past 10 years lets ? and lets be honest that's where we want to be well at least challenging .. and i cant say i agree with "well if we went up to Div 1 we would come straight back down again"maybe so but we would learn alot from been there that's loser talk far as i am concerned.

but on a positive MOD has done well to pick the team up after MON/Armagh defeats and team look to move the ball sharper and there seems to be great energy about the team coupled good experience/game time for Tormey,SOR,D Tobin,B Mc Mahon etc..lets live and hope and maybe we will end up as Sky game in QFinals in August would be nice

bobkarlgees (Meath) - Posts: 1263 - 09/04/2014 10:06:03    1572733

well aren't you just mr. glass half full

dubsout (Meath) - Posts: 220 - 09/04/2014 12:12:30    1572820

Bob, it's called realism. We are not ready for D1 as of now plain and simple. The Monaghan game and our inability to handle Jamie Clarke of Armagh would back that up. Then there is the attitude/mentality to the league in general. It has improved somewhat under MOD but there is still some way to go. Our recent form would suggest an improvement where having a winning mentality is concerned but we very much lack killer instincts. Go through the motions far too much at times. Just because we were moments from a result in Donegal that would have resulted in promotion doesn't mean we are D1 standard. We do tend to compete with D1 teams fairly well in the summer months/championship (although we still have to take a big scalp) but in the winter time tend to be very ordinary/mediocre.

I would like Meath in D1 as much as anyone, but better if it is at a time when they are good enough with the strength in depth (and not a long injury list) to be truly competitive and able to sustain a long stay there. We hope the Meath team get back to the top flight sooner rather than later but it is the younger players our hopes should be pinned on if we are to remain there long term. We are in transition. As more prospects come of age (gain experience at senior level), coupled with the established ones there already, with another championship year under MOD and another competitive D2 league, they will be better prepared to make the step up next year than they are right now.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 09/04/2014 12:41:32    1572841

bobkarlgees

I think you're taking too much of a hard line, Rome wasn't built in a day you know, Meath's league records have never been spectacular even when we were winning All-Irelands but granted times have changes and the league is more important for preparations now. But MOD is doing a good enough job so far, before O'Dowd our away record in the league over the last 5+ years (and probably longer, can't remember) had been appalling, also under Banty we'd only won 3 league games out of 14 and got relegated in year 2, shocking stuff!

Contrast that to O'Dowd who's already won 9 league games out of 14 and 5 away from home, so there is progress being made. Next year I would hope to push for promotion but the key thing is if we go up, we need to stay up. There's absolutely no point in one season in div 1 full of trouncings then straight back down, no we need to keep building.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 09/04/2014 12:49:32    1572853

Htaem

I agree totally with what your saying MOD is doing a good job and progress is been made..but look at the bigger picture its about time we all woke up and smelt the coffee here Div 2 football is not where Meath need to be and its about we got the lead out of our behinds and made it happen opportunity lost IMO. hard to know at this stage but its looking like div 2 is going to be a complete dog fight next year

bobkarlgees (Meath) - Posts: 1263 - 09/04/2014 13:17:53    1572873

Bob

We probably all want to see Meath in div 1, apart from being beneficial to our championship progress it's also financially better for the county, with big names guaranteed in Navan. But again div 2 will be very competitive next year aswell and it should set us nicely for the championships ahead.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 09/04/2014 13:35:09    1572885