Im going to make a list of every player thats been in or around the panel at various levels and the best club players this yr ive seen.

GKs

Greene, Farrel and durkan.

Defenders

Harrison, Donovan, McGuire, Naughton, Mcgovern, Egan, E Mchugh, Phiilps, Ewing,O Neill, Kivelhan, Kirrane, Bree, C Mcgowan, Gallagher, Martyn, Collins, D Mcdonagh, Mcnamara

Midfield

K Quinn, Horan, O Hara, Bryne, Gilmartin, Henry, Taylor, Wilson

Forwards

Curran, S Davey, Kelly, Breheny, Mcpartland, Marren, Sweeney, McGowan, Cawley, Mcteirnan, P Lyons, D Davey, Coen, O Grady, G Gaughan, Flannery, B Mcdonagh, O reilly, J Rafferty, A Taafe, Raymond, McGee, M Gordon, J Scanlon, F Quinn, M Doddy, B McDonagh

Thats 52 names, right so who would i get rid of from DEFENCE, M McNamara, Kivelhan, O Neill, P Gallagher, C Mcgowan,.....for definite, only man id consider taking back is mcnamara if he is was fit hungry and playing well but he'd have alot to prove and id be playing him in the forward line. The rest are past it, or i dont rate, not fit enough or too slow IMO. Of the rest Naughton, would be debatable and mchugh is a forward IMO, and i think the new manger has to get martyn back involved.

Of Midfield only horan for me would be dropped and O Hara would never play there for Sligo again, Id play him FF and work on a gameplan to get the best out of him there. Quinn would have a major question mark over him and bryne too, neithor played well last yr so both cant be guarnteed there place. If either starts in jan poorly others would be getting there chance despite there young age, like taylor,gilamartin, wilson, henry, but they would be treated the exact same way as quinn and bryne. For me Taylor is no1 choice there at the minute. We cant have players playing shite and keep playing them, last yr that happened the whole way through in every position. Comfort zone has to be avoided.

Forwards, id drop S davey, Cawley, G Mcgowan, id have question mark over a few like mcpartland, flannery, curran,scanlon. McPartland Great player when fit, when not fit no good to us. Flannery suprised me last yr, his league was excellent, scoring and showing well in louth, and then scored 2 play against longford, a shame he got injured so early. Now id have reservations about his pace but he looked the best shape id ever seen him. I probably give both these players a chance but they have to fit and sharp. Curran play chb for club and didnt think he played that well and i dont rate him as a forward either so i am unsure about him. Scanlon is not in great shape but can be lethal on his day not sure again.

The untried and untested like McGee, taafe, doddy, gordon,f quinn, o reilly, raymond, Mcdonagh, rafferty definitly deserve a fbd game and see where there at. Id be fairly confident about some of them doing really well.

Others who were involved last yr, coen, gaughan, lyons, mctieranan, ogrady, d davey, id expect to kick on this yr. I expect more from gaughan and coen, i dont rate ogrady to be honest and lyons and mctieran 2 balymote men have the potential to do well. Davey did well when i seen him last yr.

Then we have breheny, sweeney, marren, kelly who i expect big things from. Its time for sweeney to do well from the start every day, marren looked sharp with curry.

Pushing Ohara into the forwards is the key this yr for me. We have to have a physical presence there and we a mix of players up front. Id have a only rejuvenated mcanamara in forwards, not sure i start mchugh but he isnt a back.

Any Additons? Any diagreements? For what its worth i think we are not as bad as people think, We have good players we just need to give more a chance and the right man to allow our players to express themselves to their full potential whilst not showing too much loyalty like recent managers.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1857 - 08/10/2008 16:20:48    115619

wow Sligonian thats indebt if ever i saw it, right i agree to a certain point, Ohara with-out doubt needs to be our full-forward i and you and many others have been banging on about it for nearly a year now i can not understand how he has not been put there and i emphisise " Put".

the Backs
can not agree more with you there i would include coln neary and feicra coyne from calry in there aswell too class acts.

the midfield

to be honest i would like to see more of a game plan here with the goal-keeper and the mid-field, in all my time watching sligo only when Durcan and O'hara were in mid-field has it looked like we have some sort of game plan with each other.
i mean how hard is it to work on kick-outs?????????????
there are alot of good players that could look very very good in mid-field if we have a set game plan,

Forwards
an area we have really struggled with over the last few years, once again lads it is about game plan, most of the forwards are good enough for a couple of scores agam but if there is no set game plan then how can a forward have an edge over a back??

sligonian my friend you are quiet right we are not as bad as people think!! what we seriously lack is a defined game-plan something that everyone on the panal buys into and works on, if the forwards know what the backs and mid-field are going to do with the ball when they get it then the can make the right runs and gives us a big edge in that area.

i would like to see the new man carry a big panal untill the end of the league, i want to see alot of players used over the FBD and league campaignes. i want to see a proper gameplan where everyone looks like they know what there doing.

i want committed, disiplined, energetic passionate players who look like they will die for the jearsey and who leave the ref alone and consetrate on playing and yes there is one man i am having a dig at here. seriously lads the sligo job is a great oppurtunity for a man to come in and really do something great.

and i see we have Galwasy great bring them on and see what it is like to come up against a sligo team that can and will rip them apart,

rich dublin (None) - Posts: 425 - 08/10/2008 22:00:39    115798

Pity i cant count thats 57 players i listed. Apologies. Thanks rich, there is plenty to work with in Sligo. When you look at that though there are some good players and were not lacking in them despite what people think. A decent manager and we could do well. Yes kickouts are a major issue. We got destroyed in midfield last yr and that cant happen again.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1857 - 08/10/2008 22:10:16    115807

i know i cant understand how we have not work on this area more, i will put it this way to you, Tyrone minors got hammered with thier own kickouts against Mayo in the first match, now lets say they had 5 days wo work on that area from the sunday untill the saturday, the compleatly changed the plan for the second match, all there kick outs were strategicly placed to the wings and it really put the mayo mid-field under pressure. they had 5 days to work on this and they could do this., how come in all the years we can not do the same????

but there is a great hope in me for next year, by the way i was playing in a tournement a couple of weeks ago and D. Davey was playing for Ballyboden st endas they bet us in the final i must say he has improved alot had a couple of great games at wing-forward, was used as a dooher type and was very good.

rich dublin (None) - Posts: 425 - 08/10/2008 22:24:34    115817

A certain giant of man Aidan O Shea had to be avoided the 2nd day. He got man of the match the first day but tyrone kept him as quiet as possible the 2nd even though he still played well but won alot less kick outs and influenced the game less. Margins and tactics like those win games. Roscommon minors did the same in the replay in 06 avoiding tommy walsh on there own kickouts and isolating the other midfieder. Use of the short kickout too has to be considered. There are loads of ways of maximising your kickout win ratio in games and it so important. Your 100% spot on last yr it was fairly clear we didnt help our midfield with no gameplan or a gameplan that didnt work.

Even for our minors against mayo, i was standing less than 10 yrds behind our keeper, who when mayo got on top of us was jestering to the dugout for guidance because whatever gameplan moyles came up with played into mayos hands. But he got none whatsoever, it was like your on your own kid. Plan B would of been a good idea if moyles had one.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1857 - 08/10/2008 23:07:44    115858

Daniel Davey played against leitrim in FBD 07 and impressed me, and played little after that, he is a prospect and good wing forward, fast , strong and can take a score. Deserves more chances.

The best example was how Charles Harrison trained for 2 yrs under corrigan regime before getting his chance under Brehony. How did that happen? Imagine him not getting a sniff for 2 yrs. He stayed loyal and worked hard and eventually got his place. There are a few players like he was that are on the fringes, they just need a run of games.

This Colm McGee deserves game time too, looks a class act for tubber, definitly has all the atributes for county. Coen aswell. There are a few lads i mentioned would get lots of gametime in the NFL for me.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1857 - 08/10/2008 23:13:38    115859

Fiachra Coyne, Mark Bulter, Pat Cawley

John Deere (Sligo) - Posts: 77 - 09/10/2008 00:28:22    115881

eamann o'hara gone by it by far, to many red cards. I think it's an absulute disgrace that he is even getting starting after all those red cards offences. I think in this day and age that there should be no hype about one individuael player on a county panel. I think the allstar he won was not justified as he played in midfield where he won the allstar at centre forward!!!.Eamonn o hara shud not have been partnering durcan in 2002.Con O meara is a far better fielder and we would have beaten armagh that year with a ball-winning midfielder. The squad should not include gerry mcgowan as he too is also exceeded his used by date i think he is the most over ratted player in sligo and there is many more cornor forwards to replace the small man from tourlestrane. I think Kenny Swneey deserves a better chance at full forward as he could be used as a target man, to many small players and not causing enough of a physical present in the forward where we have struggled in the past recent year.

peeping_tom (Sligo) - Posts: 23 - 15/10/2008 15:55:56    119628

Why r ye all fawning over O'Hara isn't this the man that walked away from sligo football and his team mates with plenty of press/pr when there was a cup to be won in the summer. Leave him out it was his decision,the team is bigger than any one individual

Medoc Haut (None) - Posts: 27 - 16/10/2008 23:44:52    120876

Peeping Tom, fair play giving me a laugh...comparing Eamonn O'Hara (in 2002) to Con O'Meara, and saying the latter should have been in instead of him. Seriously, i am actually wiping tears of laughter from my eyes. You should do stand up.

Informed Nail (None) - Posts: 79 - 17/10/2008 11:20:09    121120

John feeney (Easkey)
David Kenny (Easkey)
John Rolsten (Easkey)

danclancy123 (Sligo) - Posts: 20 - 17/10/2008 12:39:51    121221

Egan has a younger brother who is just as good, this should be his year.

The Cat (UK) - Posts: 403 - 17/10/2008 15:31:20    121430

Have to say peeping tom, that is the single worst comparison ive ever seen about football, comparing ohara and omeara is like comparing a ferrari with a lada. The facts about OHara, once his atitude is in check with regards referees, and hopefully the new manager will not let him speak to the media he still has a role to play. He doesnt drink and he looks after himself and if fit then has to be a part of the squad, i feel his midfield days are over but id find a place for to express his footballing ability in the forwards, prob FF and see how that goes. His experience, passion and pride, an allstar, makes him a leader and a player to look up too with all the young players coming through. Its a huge benefit to have him around the squad IMO.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1857 - 17/10/2008 19:26:23    121605

Alot of talk about the new manager. Here are the main contenders for the job. Fact
INSIDE
Tommy Brehony
Sligo - Connaght senior title 07
St Marys - Senior Championship 01
Who would not like to see Tommy back in the job but due to work commitments, it looks like it will be a few more years before Tommy takes the job again.

Denis Johnson CV
Eastern Harps (Sligo) - 4 senior Championships 93,95,98,08,
Allen Gaels (Leitrim) - 1 senior Championship 02,
Sligo IT - Sigerson Cup 04,
VEC Schools - All-Ireland B 96,
Clearly the best CV in Sligo football. Probably the favourite if the job is given to a sligo man.
A wealth of experiance, Denis has been around the block for over 20 years. Managed Sligo seniors in the late 80's. Also guided the Sligo U-21 team to our last Connaght final appearance in the grade in 01. Has managed in 4 of the 5 counties in recent years- (Strokestown) Roscommon, (Charlestown) Mayo, Allen Gaels (Leitrim) and Eastern Harps (Sligo). Is very respected throughout the County and no doubt a great Sligo GAA man.

Anthony Brennan CV
Tourlestrane (Sligo) - 1 senior Championship 04,
Fr Manning Gaels (Longford) 00,
Sligo IT - FBD League
Schools - All-Ireland B
Another great Sligo man, Anthony is a former County Minor manager just losing out to Leitrim in a Connaght final in the late 90's. Coached tubercurry last year. Anthony is highly rated by those who played for him but probably will miss out on the job this time.

Niall Egan
Tourlestrane (Sligo) - 3 senior Championships 94, 97, 99
Niall was Sligo selector with D. Corrican but left due to work commitments. Successful at Club level but probably would not be interested after his last experiance with the County team.

Other inside lads who would be in for a shout are Brendan Kilcoyne, Pat Kilcoyne, Paul Durkin and Paul Taylor but will probably be a few years before we see such men in the big Job.
OUTSIDE

Jimmy McGunness
A great playing career but I am not sure of Jimmys Coaching credentials. Probably the favourite if it is given to an outside Manager. Especially after being overlooke for the Donegal job.

Denis Kearney
Curry (Sligo) - 2 Senior Championships 03, 06
Denis is a Mayo native who did great things for Curry football. After winning 2 senior championships, Denis is now manager of St Kevins - Castlerea who drew the County Roscommon final last week.

Luke Dempsey
Westmeath U-21 - All-Ireland U-21 title
Longford -
Luke is no doubt a great coach and has achieved plenty with his native county Westmeath and with Longford, but clearly he had his heart set on the Meath job so Do we really want him.

fact (Sligo) - Posts: 10 - 17/10/2008 21:24:30    121637

Its hard to argue with Johnsons CV, but I played under him with Sligo VEC county team and he didnt impress me at all. But in saying that i dont think he brought his A game to plate with us. The way he managed us he couldnt have won all that on his CV. The only way to really know how good a manager is and make sure you get the best man is have a thorough interview with all the interested parties. Have a list of questions on there knowledge of sligo players, there ideas, what they see our strengths and weaknesses as, what type of coaching will be brought to the table, what they believe can be achieved with current squad. How will he ensure no players are in comfort zone, what role he sees for ohara, would he hold trials. Thanks for that Fact. Very interesting seeing all the contenders and what they won, but its really down to the interviewing commitee. Luke Dempsey is a no for me, was talking to a player from Longford and he was not complimentary at all about him.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1857 - 18/10/2008 12:40:32    121711

kearney or brennan 4 me. brennan or kearney have good knowledge of the scene and i hope 1 of them get a chance

mohommad (Sligo) - Posts: 8 - 18/10/2008 20:09:59    121844

Sligonian, i agree with you on Luke Dempsey. I spoke with a few Westmeath lads(who you would think would think highly of him) and they werent exactly complimetary either - without giving specifics, so dont know what was going there at all. I disagree about Denis Johnson though, i played under him and thought he was very good - his attention to detail and preparation was second to none.

Informed Nail (None) - Posts: 79 - 20/10/2008 09:28:13    122209

Informed Nail, in my post about Johnson not sure you read it properly, i said i didnt see the best of him, i reckoned and with his cv he must be good i said so i dont really know how were disagreeing... he didnt really care about the sligo voctional school team that yr maybe because he didnt think we were that good but we nearly won connacht lost in final which i know suprised him.

Listened to him being interviewed after the game yday on the way home he talks alot of sense so no one could begrudge him a crack at Sligo, not with that cv. And the way he had eastern harps prepared yday they looked so fit and put great moves together, there gameplan was excuted to perfection and johnson should get alot of credit there too.

Sligonian (Sligo) - Posts: 1857 - 20/10/2008 11:59:18    122344

Didn't Johnson manage sligo before?

TimtheEnchanter (Sligo) - Posts: 309 - 20/10/2008 12:15:20    122363

Sligonian: you have 2 stop taking things so serious and see things outsie the box....the point i made about o'hara and omara was to see if any boby would see it and start giving out about it when ohara in reality was far better....i think u are in love with ohara and can only see things with ohara in the team for 09...playing ohara in the full forward, where he plays the majority of his football at mid-field and half forward line is an absolute joke. there is lots more players that would be far more effective than ohara in f.f.....kenny swneey for geevagh never gt a right chance. if you wanted to bring a mif-fielder into the full forward line...quinn would have a big physical treat and is a good fielder of the ball. i also believe sean davy is past his best too...

peeping_tom (Sligo) - Posts: 23 - 20/10/2008 13:46:07    122496