National League

That was horrendous stuff.

No heart, no desire, no spirit. We're as good as relegated after just 3 games. Indeed it is highly questionable whether the performances we've put in thus far would keep us in division 2.

Time to accept we simply don't have the players in Cavan to compete at a high level. I felt a change of management would bring us to the next level, but we've regressed a lot.

Ned_Stormcrow (Cavan) - Posts: 1071 - 04/03/2017 23:13:13    1963689

Take Johnsons free takin out, not left with much in way of scores.
The team looks directionless, the selections bizarre, the two Murrays playin in full back line???? Take off corner back and replace with corner forward??? Mc Veety in ff line on his own??? Mc Cutchon on with 10 to go what was he to do at that stage?? Someone's havin a laugh and it's not the Cavan fans and I'd say it's not the Cavan panal either.
And the discipline?????were Cavan told to play like gougers?????
So many questions, yeah Terry had brought us to a level and yeah we needed somethin fresh but this is off the radar.......whoever is advisin that manager is makin him look clueless and does not know Cavan players. All the progress of the last few years squandered. I'm sickened. Really thought this was the start of somethin new. Is it my imagination or do the players look a bit bewildered by what's goin on??? The thought of goin to Omagh.

shannon414 (Cavan) - Posts: 228 - 04/03/2017 23:51:16    1963693

Think all the comments are premature. We never beat Donegal under Hyland either. Its easy to lash out from the armchair. The positives from tonight were padraig Faulkner (who terry destroyed confidence wise) last year and conor madden . The manager will learn from this. Hes tried out a lot of new players and still learning. Still alot of players especially forward wise to come back in ,so i think criticism v harch. Cavan will stay up .

Breffinifan (Cavan) - Posts: 91 - 05/03/2017 00:42:51    1963713

The Quiet Man (Cavan) - Posts: 4602 - 05/03/2017 07:58:16    1963726

Very poor performance last night.we didn't seem to have a plan at all. Our discipline is poor. We don't have any forwards that can score from any distance.
Only for Donegal missing so much we would have been beaten by a cricket score.

marita (None) - Posts: 469 - 05/03/2017 08:47:33    1963732

doratheexplorer (Cavan) - Posts: 1467 - 05/03/2017 10:13:01    1963757

fredflint (Cavan) - Posts: 1485 - 05/03/2017 10:44:11    1963765

On reflection I was furious last night feel let down by the players but lads the talent is there to turn it around and agree with the poster who says Faulkner and Madden the positives last night. Madden did well to come back from his previous appearance and worked very hard. Killian Clarke and Gearoid need their positions sorted. The manager needs some kind of strategic advisor to support him. He is obviously a committed passionate football man, he will get it right we need to be patient but he needs to get real and look st his whole panel. Already we are seein the auld favouritism nonsense in there again , it's the road to nowhere so Mattie needs to see that and get it sorted.
Good luck to him and the panel, you have worked hard to get yo division one, you want to stay there just do it .

shannon414 (Cavan) - Posts: 228 - 05/03/2017 10:47:05    1963766

Folks

The task of staying in the Division looks very difficult if not impossible after last night. The three games played to date reflect to some degree where the team is, well behind the likes of Dublin and Donegal and able to put it up to Monaghan.

Last summer on the back of a promotion to Division 1 we were well beaten in the Ulster Football Semi Final by Tyrone, on both days, even if the score board did not reflect same on day one. That's were the current management team took over from. That's there starting point. There is a lot of football to be played between now and the end of July, let's see where things stand at that stage.

kildare blue (Cavan) - Posts: 578 - 05/03/2017 11:26:21    1963776

Clueless, kept going with a long kick, obviously not working and Donegal choked us up everytime. The same against Dublin.
The players are playing out of position. A few obvious changes in my view:

Clarke and Dunne back into the full back line
Faulkner into the half back line
Martin Reilly & Mackey into the half forward line
McKiernan midfield

Cannot experiment with player positions at this level you don't see the top teams at it

McGiolla (Cavan) - Posts: 42 - 05/03/2017 11:32:03    1963778

Poor showing last night.

The only real difference I can now see is that we're going man for man at the back. Donegals counter attack wasn't particularly fast but one that is will rip us to shreds (I'm thinking Tyrone for a start, not to mention kerry!).

Gearoid has to start midfield and stay there. We've NOTHING else.

Galligans kick outs were poor (still good to have him back) but the lack of movement for them is terrible! People was lyrical about Cluxton but it's the movement of the Dublin players in freeing up a man that makes their strategy work.

As mentioned, Madden and particularly Faulkner were very good. Thought the sending off was a bit harsh but Killian wasn't playing well anyway. Mossy off after 10 minutes seemed harsh considering it looked to be for letting Murphy roam free. .we let him do it for the rest of the game too! Donegal left at least 6 or 6 more points behind them too. It couldve been embarrassing!

Why do we stop when we reach the opposition 45!? And why are we so naive at times? Murphy was NEVER kicking that free off the ground. He was always passing to McGlynn yet nobody picked him up.

I was surrounded by 5 or 6 donegal lads on the terrace and they were genuinely surprised at just how bad cavan were.
I tried to explain that we were much better than that but then realised over the 70 mins that we make pretty much the same mistakes week in week out. And it's not down to physical inability. It's a lack of nous, leadership, cuteness, discipline, things that require no talent but that should be the bare minimum expected of an intercounty team at this level.

Like others, I haven't seen any real improvement in the team this year but giving mattie only a year would be a year wasted. He's the man we wanted (given that banty looked like the alternative) so give him time. He has the same glaring issue Terry had tho - Where are we going to get a top class forward from!?

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5333 - 05/03/2017 11:50:29    1963785

Hard luck to the lads last night. There were a few good performances but overall unfortunately Donegal looked the faster, slicker and more clinical team. This Division was always going to be a learning curve and given our known limitations, nights like this were to be expected however ugly it is when it happens. We did battle well for a large part of the game despite what people are saying. We had plenty of the ball at times but no one to kick scores. Sending off left us with an up hill battle- whatever chance we have in this league we have with 15 players on the field. Second half, once the goal went in, mentally we gave up the ghost. I thought Donegal have some really classy players and took their scores well. Bit of speed and acceleration, take a man on to generate shooting space and bang. We looked laboured and uncomfortable in front of goals and frees were our most likely source of scores. Even high balls in to full forward line offered zero threat so we don't even have that option from last year. We need to move on from this and try put something up to Tyrone.
Bit early to be all doom and gloom. Management are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Make changes early you're killing lads' confidence. Make them late you're letting the game run away from you. Try something different you're clueless and know nothing. Stick to the same tried and tested(with limited success), you're stale and dead end. Cut them some slack. It's unlikely this team as it is would have got promotion last year but people are expecting miracles. Management know where we fall short and are trying to address it. Judge them end of next year.

Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 05/03/2017 12:37:08    1963793

Rory Dunne has been a solid full back for Cavan for a good while. Why mess about and put him at MIdfield., That might work in Division 4.

Unless there is some grand plan for the championship, it doesn't look good. Relegation wouldn't give confidence going into the championship anyway.

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2950 - 05/03/2017 12:46:28    1963795

It was always going to be a tough task to stay in this division, the new manager deserves time and support to find his feet, as someone said the right time to judge him is the end of the 2018 season. Having said that, his team selections are truly baffling.

Ned_Stormcrow (Cavan) - Posts: 1071 - 05/03/2017 14:57:19    1963817

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 05/03/2017 16:01:46    1963850

Well at least we found K Clarke and T Corr proper position last night.. If they push up a small bit there could also be room for M Reilly .
I'd also leave R Dunne in his starting position as moving him when He was moved was not fair on Rory nor the general paying public ..

I think Mattie needs time . He's only into his 3rd competitive game . Remember the last man got 4 and a half years and he also failed to beat Donegal amongst others.
I'm just wondering who exactly is helping Mattie on the line? And what is their input?
Is the County Board Sec a selector?

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 05/03/2017 16:06:07    1963853

Yeah they failed they beat Donegal in 2012 when Donegal won Ulster and the All Ireland. and Cavan in Division 3.

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2950 - 05/03/2017 16:15:45    1963862

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 05/03/2017 16:16:09    1963863

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 05/03/2017 16:23:16    1963869

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 05/03/2017 16:35:00    1963883