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https://www.buzz.ie/sport/dublin-donegal-sean-cavanagh-column-26518964?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 878 - 22/03/2022 08:05:50 2406350 Link 1 |
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As hard as it is to admit he's right. The bite and nastiness we had under McGuinness is long gone. Everyone knows the talent that we have our disposal. But when push comes to shove, at the reall business end of things, would you trust us to come out on top against the likes of Mayo for example? Player for player I don't think they're any better than us. But gun to head what team would you back to come out on top?
Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10027 - 22/03/2022 09:59:59 2406373 Link 2 |
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No need to disagree this b###about being disillusioned. With how we're going. We're playing in division 1 against the top teams in conditions apart from last Sunday which we're awful with a young team. What do you want. A supporter supports his team through thick and thin and believe me it's been more bad days than good following Donegal.. I don't have time for supporters with an opinion who don't go to games. We have about 1500 to 2 000 genuine fans who follow there team if at all possible. I had a disagreement with a fan yesterday who slated Donegal for there performance and when asked were you at the game he says no he watched it in the pub. That ended that conversation. As for winning an all Ireland get the blinkers off we haven't a good enough squad to win it maybe if everybody fit but that s a big maybe. Mc Guinness win an all Ireland mainly because he had an injury free squad all year and because we had a brilliant young player called Michael Murphy. If Murphy had got injured that year would we have win it? Short answer no.
rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2667 - 22/03/2022 10:15:15 2406384 Link 0 |
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As much as i dont like him myself, he hit the nail on the head. Its what a lot of Donegal supporters have been saying. And what jumps out, is the Too Nice comment. You look at all the top teams, and there forwards never mind there defenders are in your face for the full game. They work from 1 to 15 and bring intensity from minute one to the last minute. I cant remember when Donegal last played that way for a full 70 minutes, several years at least. Yes we are missing good players, but to me thats excuses from Management and his supporters. They will bring up dublin and say they were missing players at the start of the league and were not winning. But Dublin are rebuilding after several years of success. Surly Bonner has had that time to rebuild? Anyway its not going to change this year, so we have no other choice but get behind the team. But its time to deliver The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 722 - 22/03/2022 10:18:16 2406385 Link 1 |
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I'm not a fan of Cavanagh but he does make some valid points and many Donegal fans would agree with him, we have had no 'jagged edge' about us since McGuinness's time, that hunger you seen from Monaghan in years gone by or Cavan in the 2020 Ulster final, that's what you need to win when the irons in the fire, we have very skillful players but we are too nice and the way we play a lot of times is baffling, and the buck stops with management on this, no amount of fanboys rants or blaming the players can change this fact. I think we have bags of potential but it isn't being realised with results in big games, I'm hoping we can have a great run this year and I hope the Declan and the boys can silence the critics this season, It's going to be a fine day in Letterkenny on Sunday, hope we have a Donegal performance to match the great Spring weather and we get the win we need without risking any unfit players or picking up any injuries before Championship, plus the fact I always like to see us beating a McGeeney team. Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3456 - 22/03/2022 10:33:16 2406391 Link 0 |
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What do you mean missing players is an excuse. Are you telling me that the players that are replacing langan Mc gonagle Oisin gallen . Thompson and niall o donnell are as good or better than these 5. There not simple as and that's what I mean we don't have a good enough squad. You tell me any player outside the squad that should be there. The big problem with Donegal football is the way club football is played and your club is the biggest culprit s. Win at all cost. How come all your mates go to watch glenties play when they won't go to watch Donegal because the way they play. Double standards lad.
rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2667 - 22/03/2022 10:54:41 2406405 Link 0 |
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I've spoken at length with a very experienced Physio, involved with numerous coumty squads and an All Ireland winning Club team. He can't believe the injuries that Donegal are suffering. All our injured players have made their comebacks from injury, and have broken down again, either in matches or training. His opinion os that there is either a problem with the Physio team, the training S&C team, or else management not taking their advice. Does anyone have any insight, an idea what's happening? SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 878 - 22/03/2022 11:49:03 2406423 Link 0 |
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Thats what winners do, win at all cost. No wonder we are soft and to nice with supporters like yourself and management, thinking sure we will play nice football, and thats all that matters. And to blame club football on how our county team play is a weak argument. Is that not what management are there for, to set up a winning system or style of play, and coach them that system until its second nature. Again all i hear from you is excuses, how many years should management be given to build a squad? The fact is, the exact same excuses existed before mcguinness took over, the players are not good enough, we are to soft, to nice. But thankfully my clubman mcguinness doesn't believe in excuses, and built a team that competed and believed that Donegal has as much good footballers as any county. Its time to deliver, and no more excuses. The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 722 - 22/03/2022 11:56:43 2406425 Link 3 |
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It feels like an easy jibe and not a million miles from the lazy "Donegal's defence is weak". He called that 2018 game the All-Ireland quarter-final - it was the first round of the Super 8s. He says we've seen the McHugh/Murphy link-up for the goal since 2014... we've rarely seen that type of goal from Donegal, that's what has everyone frustrated. He waves away Langan being missing as if he's not in the top 2 or 3 best young players in the country. I don't think everything is rosy and brilliant in Donegal football but I find Cavanagh is up there with a lot of the "lazy" analysts. We'll have a look at what the score was and the 3 minutes of highlights on youtube and sure isn't the same old Donegal. While I do wonder about Bonner going into the future, I think something that is held against him was something miles out of his control. There is no doubt that his Donegal side of 2018 and 2019 were good enough to reach an All-Ireland semi-final. However the absolute shambolic structure of the Super 8s meant we missed out both years. I'm not complaining about being beaten by Tyrone or Mayo on those days, it was do or die and we just didn't do it. But we won Ulster both years playing great stuff and any other year we'd have had a QF against a qualifer team, in Croke Park in the height of summer, to reach an All-Ireland semi. We hammered Meath and Roscommon both years and drew with Kerry in the game of the year in 2019. We poured a lot into that Kerry game to guarantee our semi-final spot and it was one of my most enjoyable days out following Donegal ever. This idea of not making a semi-final is a stick held to beat Bonner and the squad with that they haven't made a semi-final, but there's no doubt in my mind that the haphazard "structure" of the Super 8s screwed us over both years. Now that's in the past and you can argue we haven't really progressed at all in the years since that game. I think the Cavan final really did damage to the squad and you'd wonder until we get back into a championship game where we are really at, between the COVID years and injuries and probably our best performance since Kerry 2019 resulting in a one and done championship exit (v Tyrone last year), it's more of an unknown at the minute - are we really stale and rudderless, or do we need the fire of championship to get things going. I just hope that Langan especially is rested up now and is in top condition for the championship game. JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 22/03/2022 12:24:37 2406434 Link 1 |
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Some shooting lights from the weekend pointed out by some excellent posts here already. Good to see a little more variety in our play. The Murphy goal and I think one of Paddy's points where McMeanamin laid off to Ban who ran with the ball at pace before a kick pass was played in were particular highlights. However this was a game even after Paddy's fluke goal you never thought we'd win. Much of our defending was too passive and Dublin found many soft gaps in one on one situations (McCole apart of course) that really on another day they should've had a couple of more goals. We certainly missed our injured players as physically around the middle Dublin dominated, because of the injuries we didn't have the right balance of the bigger guys and the lighter ones. We needed to get games into the like of Hugh and Jamie but both were very rusty especially Jamie which factored into scores against. Looking ahead to next weekend and the relegation situation alot will factor on the attitude of the opponents. I think if Armagh really want to lay down a marker they might just beat us. However I'd have similar sentiments about Kerry against Tyrone. I actually can see a situation where we lose but stay up. Just read the Cavanagh article and he's spot on as much as it pains me to admit. Even Martin McHugh pointed to similar that we're like the Cork footballers or Galway hurlers of the recent past. Lots of potential and talent but doesn't get delivered on. Lets hope the lads do put it on the dressing room walls and use to motivate whether it will when it comes down to it I have my doubts. panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2891 - 22/03/2022 12:49:19 2406444 Link 2 |
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You have all the answers , you mention winners was it not Eunans that win the championship last year. I'll have you wee example of having a squad to win an all Ireland. In 2013 mayo demolished us in croke park . Mc Guinness cited a bad run with injuries what's the difference so far this year with our situation in 2013. Any answer to that I don't expect any.
rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2667 - 22/03/2022 12:58:25 2406446 Link 0 |
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The fact is its time for bonner to deliver this year, otherwise he should step down for the betterment of Donegal football. All i read from your post was a serious of excuses, the structure didn't suit us, covid, injuries. Every other team has had same issues in championship, the difference is tryone management didn't accept excuses. And win Sam. No more excuses, its time to deliver The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 722 - 22/03/2022 13:05:00 2406452 Link 1 |
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There's definite points of interest in his article. It's hardly worth letting your blood boil as he's hardly saying something too much that the players and management don't ask themselves. There's a little bit of a dig at conor o'donnell that I don't like. He's a young man trying to find his way in the game and there's no reason to mention him at all. And maybe as much as 2018 against dublin lacked some conviction it was the first ever super 8 game, it was not do or die and other factors such as points differential and not risking injury came into it. Sean thinks it was a quarter final so maybe he's confused with 2016 against dublin which was way worse. It was do or die and donegal never even tried to come out to play. They slept walk dublin into conceding a goal and still never went for it. That match genuinely did baffle me. I don't really like some of the sniping that goes on here. I don't support donegal because of the style of football comments. The club game in donegal is much more blighted than the way donegal play and if folks truly believe in improving donegal football they should be putting pressure on their clubs to improve their style of football. You could call it out if you only look at some of the league games this year but over the course of the last few years it's not been the case. Also it's not fair to call our fans who can't get to matches. Yes of course you'd like to see more at them, supporting and driving on the team but life also gets in the way and not everyone can get to games. In relation to being very open at the back, there was definite lapses in concentration on Sunday. Mogan was also playing the covering player/sweeper role and he covered a lot of ground. To me he was a little too far out at times and that allowed players in behind. Just play the role slightly deeper. Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 943 - 22/03/2022 13:11:20 2406456 Link 2 |
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Whatever happens this weekend happens. It won't be great if we do drop down to Div 2 but it won't be the end of the world either. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10027 - 22/03/2022 13:26:32 2406464 Link 3 |
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the first time you interact with one of my posts to my memory and it's because there's the danger of giving Declan Bonner some credit in it, says quite a bit I would hazard a guess there. I even agree with you that I need to see the senior mens deliver in this years' championship or else I think it's time for Declan to move on. If you bothered reading my posts throughout this league campaign I haven't exactly been defending Donegal to the death no matter what. I was just putting forward a reason we haven't reached an AI semi under Bonner, if the structure was so good in 2018 and 2019 it wouldn't have been got rid of at the first opportunity, everyone knows it was a heap of rubbish and the only good thing from it was the idea of All-Ireland knock out games being spread around county grounds. Not every reason is an excuse, not everything is black and white JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 22/03/2022 13:29:55 2406467 Link 1 |
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I remember reading an article a few years go about a s&c guy who used to train County teams. Think at one stage he was Queens University main guy, he also worked with the New Zealand Rugby team. He said soft muscle injuries are completly preventable and its often to do with how the s&c sessions are taught. He said hard injuries such as from direct contact are unavoidable but muscle injuries are the fault of the workout sessions. It was a very interesting read, he went on to say he won't ever go back to county set up again as they over train the players far too much. They amount of injuries Donegal seem to have would suggest he is right. kevin03 (Tyrone) - Posts: 280 - 22/03/2022 13:31:11 2406468 Link 2 |
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Yea interesting but the funny thing our S&c main man is from Tyrone. Not that I'm blaming him..
rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2667 - 22/03/2022 13:45:07 2406474 Link 0 |
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Yes eunan won the championship last year, and fully deserved it. But my club compete every year, and leave everything out on the field. We might not win every year, but we compete and put everything on the line, no excuses. And yes we have had injuries this year, what was the reason we have not won Sam the other years he was in charge? A thats right more excuses, last year it was murphy getting sent off, other year it was covid. Excuses, excuses excuses. No doubt he will blame the war in Europe if he fails this year. Every team has problems, but the great teams with great management will compete and leave everything on the field. Its drilled into them. Just like tryone, who lost big players, but made no excuse and won Sam. Thats the difference between Bonner and mcguinness, winning mentality and belief in the squad. I dont expect to win Sam every year, what i do expect is for us to compete every year, and not whimper out after the first real test with excuses. No more excuses for Bonner, he has had plenty of years to deliver. This should be his last year if he does not deliver this year. The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 722 - 22/03/2022 13:49:09 2406478 Link 2 |
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You got it spot on there. From reading the keepers post he's totally against Bonner and in love with Jim. Sad really
rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2667 - 22/03/2022 13:49:39 2406479 Link 0 |
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You didn't answer my question. But I didn't expect you too. Another wee thing for you Bonner stuck with the gaa while Mc Guinness went chasing the soccer dream.
rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2667 - 22/03/2022 13:56:06 2406482 Link 0 |