Midlu only one curtain is pulled. The other one will be closed if Galway beat us next week.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 09/03/2014 21:49:48    1557392

Didn't get to post yesterday. But left ballybofey sick. We left a point behind us due to our own stupidity, we could've been still in promotion race this morning, we had Donegal stunned, we played tight hard game with players like keoghan, k Reilly , mcdonagh, Harrington, tormy Newman etc all having great games . Gutted

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 10/03/2014 08:11:56    1557416

The worry for Louth,is that they are losing,but losing fairly easily.. Seems they have lost confidence since that Armagh game.In the league form goes out the window,so they could beat Galway in Drogheda..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 10/03/2014 10:07:05    1557479

Don't forget Pauric Hughes royaldunne. I thought he was close to Meaths man of the match.

DLGael (Donegal) - Posts: 111 - 10/03/2014 10:21:47    1557496

DLGael
County: Donegal
Posts: 86

1557496
Don't forget Pauric Hughes royaldunne. I thought he was close to Meaths man of the match.

I presume your having a laugh with that statement

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3748 - 10/03/2014 10:48:46    1557531

I attended the Donegal v Meath match in Ballybofey, and I felt Donegal should really have won that game by 2-4 points in the end despite their terrible start. I noticed from the comments here that many Meath fans feel they deserved the win, but in reality after a dominant 15-20 min opening period by Meath, Donegal began clawing back the score and working their way into it.

Meath started the game on fire, I felt Donegal were simply too relaxed and lax for the first 15-20mins. Meath crowded out midfield, and won almost everything there during that period. Donegal were behind by 5 or 6 points, and then Jim McGuinness seemed to adjust tactics and it really balanced out then.

But the 2nd half was Donegal's, despite Meath opening with 2 points unanswered points. They dominated for most of it, although they made some utterly terrible passes to their forwards. Colm McFadden wasted quite a few chances, despite him constantly getting away from his marker. Brick Molloy had a poor game, and just didn't get into it as a result of being well marked. Odhran MacNiallais too didn't have a great game, although I wouldnt say he was poor.

A draw was a fair result in the end, Donegal probably definitely had the better chances to win it in the 2nd half but wasted so many point and goal chances that a draw is fair. Meath showed the potential that I for one believed they had, they really put on a big performance and the game was played at a good Intensity level.

Both sides will have benefited from this game, a really high octane competitive match that can really bring players on. I've seen Championship matches not anywhere near as Intense as this game.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3026 - 10/03/2014 10:49:32    1557532

GaryMc82
County: Derry
Posts: 931


That's about the best summary of the game that I've seen so far. I couldn't believe the opening 20 minutes how Donegal handed the midfield to Meath. There was loads of space in the middle of the field with the midfielders on either touchline and the Donegal half back line standing beside their full back line at times for kickouts. Meath picked up virtually every break by virtue of having the numbers there. When Donegal pushed up on Meath it was a different story. Some of their misses in the second half really let us off the hook, particularly the goal chance Michael Murphy had when they were two on one with the keeper. Some cheap scores helped us too; one hopped over the bar, we intercepted a short kick out and Durkan fumbled another over the bar when he perhaps should have caught it, but I was delighted we took advanatage of these and got a point out of the game. On the way up I would have gladly taken a draw. When we went a point down during the second half and then got 2 scores to go 1 up, it showed character that you don't always see with this Meath team. Hopefully we'll be able to build on it and see more of the same to keep us in the division.

Greenfield (Meath) - Posts: 524 - 10/03/2014 12:23:30    1557611

royaldunne
County: Meath
Posts: 5562

1557416
Didn't get to post yesterday. But left ballybofey sick. We left a point behind us due to our own stupidity, we could've been still in promotion race this morning, we had Donegal stunned, we played tight hard game with players like keoghan, k Reilly , mcdonagh, Harrington, tormy Newman etc all having great games . Gutted

Let's not get carried away here royal. Yes Meath got off to a great start & had the better of the start of the second half, but Donegal were on top for long periods as well. While you might be gutted that the last kick of the game levelled the scores, overall a draw was fair enough.
What I don't understand is what tactics Donegal were using in the first 15 mins where they ceded midfield completely. At the end of 15 mins they were 06 - 01 down & Meath's tails were up. JMcG changed things & Donegal got back into it but I simply don't get what he was trying to do.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 10/03/2014 16:00:12    1557797

MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
One other thing that needs to be said. The practise of assistant managers running on to the field with instructions needs to be looked at. Both sets of assistants were on & off the field constantly especially in the first half, there is no need for it & it should be stopped.

Ah muckrosss, were you doubting yourself whether Trevor Giles was still retired :P

ClassApart (Meath) - Posts: 1200 - 10/03/2014 16:10:55    1557809

Muck. As I said that's what I felt like leaving. A sideline kick that should have been belted up field, soft enough throw up that many a ref would let pass, a silly 3rd man in to collect the ball. Add Marks kick into durkans hands, Newman's wideetc and yyou see where im coming from. But all that been said today I have a more positive view on it. We went all out for it played like a cohesive unit, which even in galway game we failed to do. But my only worry is that this is Meath all over these past few years can compete and even beat teams that would be seen as ranked higher than them, and fall apart against ones they should be beating or at least competing with. What is needed now is consistency.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 10/03/2014 16:58:36    1557843

Greenfield
County: Meath
Posts: 197

1557611
GaryMc82
County: Derry
Posts: 931


That's about the best summary of the game that I've seen so far. I couldn't believe the opening 20 minutes how Donegal handed the midfield to Meath. There was loads of space in the middle of the field with the midfielders on either touchline and the Donegal half back line standing beside their full back line at times for kickouts. Meath picked up virtually every break by virtue of having the numbers there. When Donegal pushed up on Meath it was a different story. Some of their misses in the second half really let us off the hook, particularly the goal chance Michael Murphy had when they were two on one with the keeper. Some cheap scores helped us too; one hopped over the bar, we intercepted a short kick out and Durkan fumbled another over the bar when he perhaps should have caught it, but I was delighted we took advanatage of these and got a point out of the game. On the way up I would have gladly taken a draw. When we went a point down during the second half and then got 2 scores to go 1 up, it showed character that you don't always see with this Meath team. Hopefully we'll be able to build on it and see more of the same to keep us in the division.


I felt Meath could have had the Armagh game wrapped up at half time, and their first 20 mins against Donegal were phenomenal.

For anybody in any doubt about it, this Donegal v Meath game was played at a very high tempo and was end to end stuff. Meath won everything in midfield with relative ease, and took their chances well.
I thought back to last season, on how many people felt Donegal are unable to fight back if they go 4 or 5 points down in a game. But they have a more determined look about them this year, and definitely changed tactics on the pitch after 20 minutes of the first half. The players who came from the Donegal bench were excellent, especially David Walsh, Karl Lacey and Neil Gallagher.

Meath showed their class, and they have the talent in their squad to have a long summer. Meath do have the key players already in most positions, But they need to work on their 2nd half game plan a bit more in terms of adjusting balls to the forwards. They have clearly worked to improve their full back line, and look a far stronger team now for it.

National League games helps teams sound out weaknesses, and work on different things. I heard the Donegal management and players were actually very pleased by how difficult the game was, and that they got a stiff challenge for 70 minutes. Meath should be equally pleased by how it went, as they look to have addressed earlier defensive issues.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3026 - 11/03/2014 10:22:13    1558103

Donegal will feel they should have won that game on Sunday but as it panned out a draw was a fair result.

One of the reasons we didn't win the game was the silly kick out system for the first 15 minutes which completely gave Meath the upper hand. We had our midfielders spread out and the half back line 30 yards from our own goal leaving a good 20 - 30 yards of clear space between. The obvious plan was to gain the ball at midfield and feed the half back line coming through at pace. The result though was the Meath half forwards stayed a yard or two towards midfield, Meath broke the ball from the kick out and the Meath half forwards gathered it easy. I've seen us try this kick out option is some other games too and although the idea is good it is all dependent on the midfield winning the ball and its mch easier to break a ball than win a ball so the system to my mind is flawed.

We were 6-1 down before we changed this and from that point on we were slightly the better team. We were very slow to get the ball to the full forwards. Michael Murphy was making runs and not being found. By the time he was getting the ball he was out around the 45 and out of the dangerzone. Mc Fadden was being overcrowded as a result and too often the ball came back out. Christy Toye was immense, the defence didn't do too bad apart from the slow ball to the full forwards and the poor defending for the goal.

The sign of a good team is getting a result when not playing well and this was our poorest performance of the league so to grind out a draw from 6-1 down is a decent result but I can't help but thinking that the kick out plan in the first 15 cost us the 2 points.

Galway beating Down helped us to maintain the 2 point cushion at the top but Down will want to bounce back and we've had problems in Newry before so it will be a close game and if we play like last Sunday I'd expect Down to turn us over but hopefully not!!

Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1677 - 11/03/2014 11:01:59    1558137

We'll need a much improved performance from last Sunday's if we're to beat Donegal. Home advantage helps, but the players attitudes must be spot on. I thought they didn't show enough guts against Galway when the going got tough, though maybe I'm being harsh. Wee James didn't seem too concerned which maybe indicates that the players had been through heavy training during the week. It's all about gearing towards the championship at the end of the day. Expecting a decent game vs Donegal on Sunday, great test for both teams.

MourneArmy (Down) - Posts: 1787 - 11/03/2014 12:10:13    1558171

Down v Donegal..............Donegal...Close but if Donegal stop messing about with formations they might shade it.
Armagh v Monaghan...........Armagh....Close as well but home advantage to swing it
Laois v Meath, O'Moore......Meath... Close to call but Meath have their mojo back
Louth v Galway...Galway.....Louth look dead & gone, Galway don't

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 11/03/2014 13:44:03    1558229

Tir Conaill Abu
County: Donegal
Posts: 774

1558137
Donegal will feel they should have won that game on Sunday but as it panned out a draw was a fair result.

One of the reasons we didn't win the game was the silly kick out system for the first 15 minutes which completely gave Meath the upper hand. We had our midfielders spread out and the half back line 30 yards from our own goal leaving a good 20 - 30 yards of clear space between. The obvious plan was to gain the ball at midfield and feed the half back line coming through at pace. The result though was the Meath half forwards stayed a yard or two towards midfield, Meath broke the ball from the kick out and the Meath half forwards gathered it easy. I've seen us try this kick out option is some other games too and although the idea is good it is all dependent on the midfield winning the ball and its mch easier to break a ball than win a ball so the system to my mind is flawed.


It is a learning curve, and the National League is were a team should be sounding out such tactics. Neil McGee was partly to blame for conceding the Meath goal, as he drifted up too far on the right wing along the main stand, and left a huge gap for Meath to run at goal.

Colm McFadden had a bad day at the office. He constantly slipped his marker, but made some bad choices or else things didn't work for him. Specifically in the first half he kicked a drive goal-bound shot, which looked to be a supply ball for Brick Molloy, but Meath easily mopped it up. Donegal were constantly looking for goal's, instead of taking a point. I know they say goals win championships, but in very tight games, points can make the difference.

David Walsh was excellent, and really contributed to Donegal's attack when he came on. Martin McElhinney gave another mighty performance, he is laying down a serious challenge for a starting midfield role this summer. Christy Toye was another man who gave an excellent performance.

Had Donegal beaten Meath in a handy fashion, I actually felt they would then lose in Newry the following week. I just felt if they had won 4 games on the trot, complacency would set in, and Down would hit them hard. But I now feel they will be that bit more alert going into next weekends game.
But Meath gave them one hell of a game, and Donegal will likely be very focused going to Newry next weekend.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3026 - 11/03/2014 13:50:44    1558236

Tir Conaill Abu I agree this year they have tried a few things with the kickouts but I suppose they need to work on these.
Dublin won the All Ireland last year by using a good kickout tactic.

We cant copy the dubs so donegal have been testing out a few other ways (not really successfully but trial and error and all that). Another is the midfielders heading to wings and murphy coming through centre.

The league is the best place to try these things especially when we are already in a good position to gain promotion anyway.

dstuction (Donegal) - Posts: 1209 - 11/03/2014 14:26:07    1558270

Laois v Meath........LAOIS
Armagh v Monaghan....ARMAGH
Down v Donegal.......DOWN
Louth v Galway.......LOUTH

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 11/03/2014 15:59:27    1558328

Laois v Meath............Meath, I'm hoping consistency arrives and two good performances are put back to back
Armagh v Monaghan....Monaghan, still think Monaghan are much stronger overall, realistically we should have beaten Armagh
Down v Donegal.......Donegal, smarting from last weekend Donegal will be suitably motivated to make amends
Louth v Galway.........Galway, Galway got a win and have some hope, Louth have no win and very little hope, Galway to build on last weekend

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3748 - 11/03/2014 17:18:35    1558385

Armagh v Monaghan. One point game in favor of monaghan
Laois v Meath. Laois. They will be smarting after losing at the weekend, and Meath have played their big game last week.
Louth v Galway. Galway, as it is a must win game for them, and Louth are too far back down the road to finish their games strongly
Down v Donegal. We dont do well in Newry, but we beat monaghan for the first time in 31 years last sunday, so another trend breaker hopefully this weekend.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3849 - 11/03/2014 18:00:11    1558421

Laois v Meath........Draw
Armagh v Monaghan....Monaghan
Down v Donegal.......Donegal
Louth v Galway.......Galway

Gaa_lover (USA) - Posts: 3640 - 11/03/2014 18:41:11    1558443