National Forum

Donegal V Armagh

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Time to move on from the Tyrone game now thankfully for Donegal, onto the next opponent. Armagh are moving in the right direction, back in Division One again. Some really class forwards, an experienced manager who has built slowly but surely at getting Armagh back to the top table. It should be an interesting one.

Donegal_abroad (Donegal) - Posts: 895 - 03/11/2020 13:19:36    2304796

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Replying To Donegal_abroad:  "Time to move on from the Tyrone game now thankfully for Donegal, onto the next opponent. Armagh are moving in the right direction, back in Division One again. Some really class forwards, an experienced manager who has built slowly but surely at getting Armagh back to the top table. It should be an interesting one."
Donegal will be a tough test and I expect us to win. Derry defence was poor (under Rory Gallagher of all people). Armagh will have a tougher time breaking Donegal down.

Rolo2010 (Donegal) - Posts: 193 - 03/11/2020 13:28:03    2304800

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I think Donegal players and management will be treating Armagh with the utmost respect. Armagh are newly promoted to division 1 and one thing they have is a good forward line. After a good win against Tyrone we have to be prepared for another battle. Armagh also have a very strong midfield a lot stronger than tyrones I may add. Mc geeney has been there building a squad this last 5 years and it's definitely heading in the right direction for him. This is a game I would like to see Murphy playing 14 for a good part of the game. Have a great time for Niall o donnell fantastic footballer but he's not on his game since football resumed. Could we start paddy(if fit) at centre half forward against Armagh and keep maybe Niall in reserve. I'm expecting a very tough battle, with winter football and probably a horrible day anything can happen on a given day.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 850 - 03/11/2020 13:46:35    2304810

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Replying To Donegal_abroad:  "Time to move on from the Tyrone game now thankfully for Donegal, onto the next opponent. Armagh are moving in the right direction, back in Division One again. Some really class forwards, an experienced manager who has built slowly but surely at getting Armagh back to the top table. It should be an interesting one."
Don't rate mcgeeny, he made a balls up in Kildare, I will never forget the Leinster semi final under banty Kildare spent the warm up jumping into foam cushions. While Meath were kickings scores. Donal keoghan kept Johnny Doyle scoreless Bryan menton had a serious eye injury cause by a opponent, the most disorganised Meath team to take to the field and massive underdogs wiped the floor with Kildare.
Mcgeeny is not a inter county manager, a fantastic player no doubt, but the SJ affair shows he didn't have faith in his players in Kildare. And they still only getting over it now. Donegal for me at their leisure.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 17035 - 03/11/2020 14:03:16    2304826

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Don't rate mcgeeny, he made a balls up in Kildare, I will never forget the Leinster semi final under banty Kildare spent the warm up jumping into foam cushions. While Meath were kickings scores. Donal keoghan kept Johnny Doyle scoreless Bryan menton had a serious eye injury cause by a opponent, the most disorganised Meath team to take to the field and massive underdogs wiped the floor with Kildare.
Mcgeeny is not a inter county manager, a fantastic player no doubt, but the SJ affair shows he didn't have faith in his players in Kildare. And they still only getting over it now. Donegal for me at their leisure."
Was he not one point away from an All Ireland final with Kildare? Is that a balls up?

Donegal_abroad (Donegal) - Posts: 895 - 03/11/2020 15:22:48    2304863

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Replying To rorysboys:  "I think Donegal players and management will be treating Armagh with the utmost respect. Armagh are newly promoted to division 1 and one thing they have is a good forward line. After a good win against Tyrone we have to be prepared for another battle. Armagh also have a very strong midfield a lot stronger than tyrones I may add. Mc geeney has been there building a squad this last 5 years and it's definitely heading in the right direction for him. This is a game I would like to see Murphy playing 14 for a good part of the game. Have a great time for Niall o donnell fantastic footballer but he's not on his game since football resumed. Could we start paddy(if fit) at centre half forward against Armagh and keep maybe Niall in reserve. I'm expecting a very tough battle, with winter football and probably a horrible day anything can happen on a given day."
I see they haven't named the venue for this game yet. Hopefully they go with the best pitch available, Maybe Celtic Park or Breffni. Not sure what Brewster would be like. Best to avoid Omagh I'd say

himachechy (Donegal) - Posts: 247 - 03/11/2020 15:38:04    2304869

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Replying To Donegal_abroad:  "Was he not one point away from an All Ireland final with Kildare? Is that a balls up?"
Nah. Would never have got there only got lucky drawing a Meath team in disarray after the Leinster final of 10, also for Christ sake it was Down and he couldn't beat them.
Ask any Kildare gaa person. He destroyed the county and at some cost too.
Wouldn't put him in charge of a junior b team.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 17035 - 03/11/2020 16:28:51    2304876

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That Down side beat the reigning All-Ireland champions and only lost the final by a point, they were excellent coming through the qualifiers with Marty Clarke transforming them. There was a bit of magic about them that year with it being 50 years from their first win.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1125 - 03/11/2020 16:37:44    2304879

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Oh I'm really looking forward to this game should be a good match. Armagh could spring an ambush here!
Definitely fancy Down to come through on the other side!
You'd get good odds on a Down v Armagh Ulster Final.

katser (Galway) - Posts: 1058 - 03/11/2020 16:41:15    2304881

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Replying To rorysboys:  "I think Donegal players and management will be treating Armagh with the utmost respect. Armagh are newly promoted to division 1 and one thing they have is a good forward line. After a good win against Tyrone we have to be prepared for another battle. Armagh also have a very strong midfield a lot stronger than tyrones I may add. Mc geeney has been there building a squad this last 5 years and it's definitely heading in the right direction for him. This is a game I would like to see Murphy playing 14 for a good part of the game. Have a great time for Niall o donnell fantastic footballer but he's not on his game since football resumed. Could we start paddy(if fit) at centre half forward against Armagh and keep maybe Niall in reserve. I'm expecting a very tough battle, with winter football and probably a horrible day anything can happen on a given day."
I'd agree about paying Armagh plenty respect, classy footballers that could definitely hurt us if we're not focussed. As you say as well they are strong around the middle of the park so I don't think we will be as dominant as we were against Tyrone second half on kickouts.

I'd agree NOD could maybe drop to the bench on current form. If Jason is fit I would bring him in, you'd have the half forward line of Langan - McGee - Thompson then that's three big men and classy footballers.

I hope Paddy can get fit, two weeks for it now so hopefully.. even if he only had 20 minutes in the legs it'd be a great boost. I would hope Gallen could start after his great performance there on Sunday.

Patton

McMenamin
N.McGee
EBG

McHugh
Paul Brennan
Peadar Mogan

Hugh McFadden
McGonagle

Langan
J.McGee
Thompson

Jamie Brennan
Murphy
Gallen

With Paddy coming off the bench? Maybe harsh on Mac Ceallbhuí as he was only taken off because of his yellow card the last day I would say. Based off the Tyrone performance you wouldn't make too many changes.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1125 - 03/11/2020 16:44:26    2304882

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You have to go back to Mick O'Dwyer's tenure to find a coach as successful as him though in charge of Kildare. Clearly did plenty right.

Donegal_abroad (Donegal) - Posts: 895 - 03/11/2020 17:00:06    2304886

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Replying To Donegal_abroad:  "You have to go back to Mick O'Dwyer's tenure to find a coach as successful as him though in charge of Kildare. Clearly did plenty right."
No. He had the best Kildare team since O'Dwyer and probably better . Look if Donegal are worried about facing mcgeeney then they can forget about getting anywhere near a all ire. As has been said many times the highest rated team Kildare bet during his time was a Meath team in disarray. Now I think the playing up of a opponent is all well but please only Kerry can get away with cute hoorism.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 17035 - 03/11/2020 17:11:10    2304888

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Replying To Donegal_abroad:  "You have to go back to Mick O'Dwyer's tenure to find a coach as successful as him though in charge of Kildare. Clearly did plenty right."
Highest ranked team he beat was a Meath team in disarray.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 17035 - 03/11/2020 17:35:45    2304897

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Don't rate mcgeeny, he made a balls up in Kildare, I will never forget the Leinster semi final under banty Kildare spent the warm up jumping into foam cushions. While Meath were kickings scores. Donal keoghan kept Johnny Doyle scoreless Bryan menton had a serious eye injury cause by a opponent, the most disorganised Meath team to take to the field and massive underdogs wiped the floor with Kildare.
Mcgeeny is not a inter county manager, a fantastic player no doubt, but the SJ affair shows he didn't have faith in his players in Kildare. And they still only getting over it now. Donegal for me at their leisure."
McGeeneys kildare team beat Meath something like 5 times out of six . In one of those games The great Johnny scored 8 points which was the margin of the hammering that day. You don't rate Geezer because of the pain of those defeats, in particular the humiliation of 2010 . He now has Armagh in div one as well, lucky for you:)

St.Conleth (Kildare) - Posts: 1623 - 03/11/2020 17:38:01    2304898

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Replying To Donegal_abroad:  "You have to go back to Mick O'Dwyer's tenure to find a coach as successful as him though in charge of Kildare. Clearly did plenty right."
100%
Anyone knows anything about football would see that.

St.Conleth (Kildare) - Posts: 1623 - 03/11/2020 17:39:16    2304899

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Armagh will be well up for this and are well capable of upsetting the odds, you can take nothing for granted in Ulster,
the likes of Mayo v Leitrim and a Connacht 'semi final' of Galway v Sligo are easy games for Mayo and Galway, Connacht is a 3 horse race,
Leinster and Munster we know the winners already, can anyone be certain who'll win Ulster? we might be favs with the bookies but that won't lift the Anglo Celt for us, hard work and taking nothing for granted might.
Donegal by 3.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 1076 - 03/11/2020 17:47:39    2304906

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Replying To royaldunne:  "No. He had the best Kildare team since O'Dwyer and probably better . Look if Donegal are worried about facing mcgeeney then they can forget about getting anywhere near a all ire. As has been said many times the highest rated team Kildare bet during his time was a Meath team in disarray. Now I think the playing up of a opponent is all well but please only Kerry can get away with cute hoorism."
Look in 2013 we were going for three in a row in Ulster and supremely confident, we beat Tyrone first day out and were reigning All-Ireland champions, a bit of arrogance or complacency or whatever you want to call it. That year a coming Monaghan side beat us off the park in Clones, 6 points was the margin but could have been more, they were miles better than us and I think there was definitely a bit of taking your eye off the ball, nobody had touched us in Ulster for 2 years and that Monaghan side really came of age that day.

We've been burned before as supporters is all I'm saying, it's not really cute hoorism because we'd all say that we have the better footballers overall at the moment and should be beating Armagh if we've any aspirations for Sam. But as I say, we've been burned before. Armagh are a coming side, just like Monaghan in 2013. They'll hold no fear of us either, the supremacy Armagh held over Donegal in the 00's casts a long shadow.

I think their defence is too porous to stop our attack but they have the forwards to really hurt us, we've been a bit open ourselves and more clinical sides will take the goal chances offered up.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1125 - 03/11/2020 17:48:49    2304908

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Have not posted in a brave while. Derry fell short to Armagh at the end but to say Armagh did not deserve their win would be a complete and utter sin; Ruari Grugan is without a doubt one of the most under-rated forwards in the Country and the O'Neill brothers have great potential to become a real hassle to top teams with a bit more work from what I have seen from them as of recent but consistency seems to be a slight issue regarding them. Donegal had a deserved win against Tyrone which is great from a Derry point of view, the presence of both Michael Langan and Ciaran Thompsan was exceptional. Langans pace and Thompsans awareness of space is a pleasure to watch.
As for this match, I can't wait. I know for a fact this match could be a game of the year contender if both teams go at it. I can see it going till the 55th minute but Donegal will just have more in the tank and experience to finish it off.
Donegal +4

oakleafersir (Derry) - Posts: 807 - 03/11/2020 17:57:38    2304913

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Replying To royaldunne:  "No. He had the best Kildare team since O'Dwyer and probably better . Look if Donegal are worried about facing mcgeeney then they can forget about getting anywhere near a all ire. As has been said many times the highest rated team Kildare bet during his time was a Meath team in disarray. Now I think the playing up of a opponent is all well but please only Kerry can get away with cute hoorism."
He had the best team or he nurtured the best team ... he had a Kildare team who challenged Dublin properly which is no longer the case. It's not cute hoorism to respect a good manager and a great player. If he's so bad, why are Armagh in division one next year and Meath in division two?

Donegal_abroad (Donegal) - Posts: 895 - 03/11/2020 18:21:41    2304917

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McGeaney has achieved little of note with any team. He's been with armagh now for half a decade and they still haven't reached the level they were at before he took over in my opinion (running Donegal within a point in a quarter final). He had a great kildare team and did very little with them (although he came close against Donegal in 2011). I also think his attitude after that Donegal loss stank. He didn't take responsibility for letting Donegal back into that game, and blamed Donegal "cynical fouling" which was non-existent. I'm not sure if he has the temperament for management, although I may be proven wrong. I just can't imagine any other manager being given as long to prove himself. How many years has he been in senior management now, and nothing to show for it?

DL_Man (Donegal) - Posts: 89 - 03/11/2020 18:47:53    2304927

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