Has harsh words for Fermanagh in todays indo! Surprised by them, but thinking about it, they make sense, and as a Dub, kinda makes me reassess my harsh view of our own performance in the second half.
Jaysus Jimmy, your some man for the ol motivation alright!!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 04/08/2015 12:07:58    1763629

A reasonable start would be to revert back to an open draw in the qualifiers and do away with the one week turn around for qualifier teams come All Ireland quarter finals. Might not solve everything but it would at least remove the advantage for provincial winners while removing a situation like we had this year and previous years where one side of the qualifier draw is housing the better teams.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 04/08/2015 12:38:12    1763642

He is 100% correct in what he is writing. I think that there are teams out there who are facing exactly the disadvantages that he writes about, and it is a crisis.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3846 - 04/08/2015 13:00:59    1763661

JMG was right in my opinion. It is one thing to be satisfied with a performance in a game you have no chance of winning but to go to that extreme level of celebration surprised me. Fermanagh had a great season but were still hammered in an All Ireland Quarter final.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 04/08/2015 13:05:07    1763667

Ireland soccer team got to the quarter final of the world cup and were beaten by a superior Italy team in 1990. Fans rightly stayed on and cheered the team like they had worn the world cup, saluting the teams effort
We, the Fermanagh supportors, did no less on Sunday. How dare Jim McNegative frown on the fermanagh supporters saluting the supreme effort of our players.
As much as anything we were also responding to the bewildering and disgusting jeers of the Hill at every free kick we had in the last 10 minutes
I mean why would supporters who are 10 or 12 points up still jeer and boo loudly at the opposition when the Dubs are clearly going to win.
If Jim McNegative wants to fix something, what about the horribly unsporting behaviour of the Dublin fans to the fermanagh players when they are cruising to another win. now THATS something that has no place in our games

When a div 3 team with limited resources gets to the quarters and performs well against the favourites why is there is still this annual banging of the 2 or 3 teir drum. Look if we can do it, if Monaghan can consistently do it then examine whats wrong within Meath, Kildare Galway Cork Wexford Louth Antrim and all these others with big resources and little recent success

AnBuachaillGlas (Fermanagh) - Posts: 287 - 04/08/2015 13:10:54    1763675

I just read the full article and it makes interesting reading. The overall premise of the article is spot on, the gulf between the top and bottom teams is alarming. Jim and Malachy O'Rourke have shown what can be done with proper coaching and setting up your team properly. Every team should be able to get the basics of defending correct, it is not rocket science. I am not suggesting that it is easy to create a defence like Donegal or Monaghan but it is within the grasp of all teams. Basic skills such as soloing, catching and shadowing is something that can be attained by most players.

The article is perhaps harsh on Fermanagh but I guess you shouldn't be celebrating a defeat. However the Fermanagh supporters don't get to Croke Park that often and were determined to enjoy the occasion, so fair play to them.

JimTheLegend (Donegal) - Posts: 247 - 04/08/2015 13:13:25    1763677

He's right though.

Dublin were 11 points up with less than 10 minutes left and they only ent through the motions on Sunday.

fermanagh at least played positively but the scoreline flattered them.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 04/08/2015 13:20:56    1763687

Don't think he was having a pop at Fermanagh for the sake of it , think his comments in context are sensible .
The top boys are miles ahead of the rest and the GAP IS getting bigger .
What is now considered a type of victory previously would have made fans cry .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 04/08/2015 13:46:37    1763707

Fermanagh had a good year and fair play to them for the mini fightback but the game was nothing more than a training exercise for Dublin.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8370 - 04/08/2015 14:22:47    1763738

I also dont think it is a swipe at Fermanagh, they showed a lot of character in their attitude, even though they were well beaten by half time.

The challenge that the gaa now face is that there is a lot of money flying around, and it will be more and more difficult to justify not spreading it around to counties that need it the most. Until this happens, the background to the championship will predetermine the runners and riders in the last 4 year in year out.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3846 - 04/08/2015 14:36:43    1763750

From a Fermanagh point of view, I joined in the celebrations Sunday, but I kind of didn't know why! It was all a bit of craic and we enjoyed our day out. There was an article last year stating fermanagh was the happiest region in the UK, maybe that explains it!

But Jim does raise a very good point which is relevant in fermanagh and highlights the bigger picture. Underage coaching in fermanagh is almost non existant. We have had debacles with minor and u21 county teams in recent years where coaches could not be found and panels were gathered up weeks before games. The resources are not there. We haven't had an underage win in years. I think that's why most people are surprised by the success of the senior team. We are able to pull a couple of lads each year from minor through to senior, which is good. But its not sustainable. We need a lot more investment in underage development similar to Donegal, tyrone and even cavan in order to ensure this year isn't a flash in the pan.

Erne4ulster15 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 23 - 04/08/2015 14:50:32    1763756

Jim is a great commentator and he makes valid points. Celtic and Rangers dominate Scotland for centuries, Germany mauls Brazil 8 zero in a semi etc etc, is there a soccer crises? maybe. This year I think Galway, Sligo,Roscommon, Cork, Armagh, Derry, Down, Meath etc did not perform well enough and that is why the quarterfinals were poor. These aforementioned counties will be back next year and of course this weekend will be good and there are 6 good teams left, not too shabby. Looking forward too our national games with pride and high expectations over the next few weeks.

suckvalleypaddy (Galway) - Posts: 1732 - 04/08/2015 14:59:20    1763768

Agree uibhfhaili1986 and Flacker

DoireCityFC (Derry) - Posts: 1580 - 04/08/2015 14:59:56    1763769

JMG was right in my opinion. It is one thing to be satisfied with a performance in a game you have no chance of winning but to go to that extreme level of celebration surprised me. Fermanagh had a great season but were still hammered in an All Ireland Quarter final

Extreme level of celebration? The fans cheered their team, what is extreme about that? If they have an open top bus tour through Enniskillen maybe you would have a point.

Simple fact is, although a 1/4 final it was still a divison 3 side against the league champions and the division 3 side never really had a chance. All they could do was their best and they did that, and in my opinion thats worthy of a few cheers. I don't like cheering losses either but the context matters.

Steve (Fermanagh) - Posts: 293 - 04/08/2015 15:25:41    1763792

Seldom would i agree with Jim but he is 100% right. Reminded me of the soccer idiots after getting hammered by Spain singing ola ola and the fields of athenry , cringeworthy stuff.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 04/08/2015 15:27:10    1763795

royaldunne, at least we had the chance to cheer! you were probably cheering prematurely against westmeath

Erne4ulster15 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 23 - 04/08/2015 15:32:22    1763802

In the context of the article I don't think Jim is criticising Fermanagh or their supporters for the attitude shown - more as a stark indicator of how wide the gap is between the two teams that the emotions were as such.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1428 - 04/08/2015 15:36:27    1763809

The only time you cheer is in victory, trust me if Meath fans did what Fermanagh did id never go to a game again. 10 points down and acting like they won all ire. Striving and celebrating mediocrity is becoming all too common in football.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 04/08/2015 15:40:02    1763813

Naysayer
County: Antrim
Posts: 1499

1763642
A reasonable start would be to revert back to an open draw in the qualifiers and do away with the one week turn around for qualifier teams come All Ireland quarter finals. Might not solve everything but it would at least remove the advantage for provincial winners while removing a situation like we had this year and previous years where one side of the qualifier draw is housing the better teams.

Naysayer I dont think that the one week turnaround is a problem if you can handle it, 3/4 teams that qualified for 1/4 finals were Qualifier teams with only Donegal as a provincial loser. If we do get beat by Monaghan I dont think my number one excuse will be that we only had a week to prepare. I have seen articles saying that monaghan were preparing for us before last week predicting the outcomes of Round 4B.

It's sad to see that football has come to the point of teams are more focused about stopping opposition playing football than playing football themselves and I'd believe we're one of them. If you take Dublin, Kerry and Mayo into consideration they have all played football against inferior opposition maybe with the exception of Cork v Kerry, Ulster football have created a style that was first introduced by the great Jimmy McGuiness.

To be fair to Fermanagh they did try to come out and play football and I seen an article by Joe Brolly that Quiggley is an endangered species as he looks like he's enjoying football, and i think it was the same with the young Tomas Corrigan when he celebrated his goal last week against w'meath and this week against Dublin.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-sen-quigley-is-an-endangered-species-hes-a-man-who-enjoys-his-football-31420872.html

Find_the_space (Tyrone) - Posts: 313 - 04/08/2015 15:43:06    1763816

On the contrary benjjy i think that's exactly what he is doing. When a team of players /management /supporters feel they have done their job and achieved a victory been 10 points behind is a indictment of where football is, and basking in moral victories will only make that gap untouchable.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 04/08/2015 15:44:53    1763820