Just reading the comments here and wondering, why do so many Ulster posters watch the Sunday Game live if the BBC are showing the same game? This isn't meant to be a provocative question at all, I am just curious. BBC don't take ad breaks so their coverage is longer, and it is carried out by Ulster footballers who would view the game in a similar manner to Ulster viewers I would have thought. Or is it a case that people watch both, just to get different perspectives? I presume somebody in Donegal or Cavan can easily get BBC, if that is not the case then for the majority of posters this question is not relevant.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 21/07/2014 11:55:30    1622711

Soma bad and all as the RTE guys are it is nothing compared to listening to BBC with a commentator who would not know what a Gaelic Football was if it fell out of a tree and hit him on the head and would rather talk about somebody's aunt who got a new cat that was playing with wool that was the same colour as the jersey of one of the teams - plus BBC generally do not put a lot of effort into coverage of Gaelic games so I do not feel the need to provide any loyalty to the more local broadcaster.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 21/07/2014 12:13:06    1622741

Thanks for the reply Naysayer. It is amusing to think someone would tune into RTE for Ger Canning or Marty but having heard Sidey commentate I can well understand. Still, would you not just turn back to BBC at half time? I have watched a few games on BBC but found most analysts (Burns, Mulligan, McConville & Canavan) to be incredibly dour, with only Martin McHugh seeming to be in good form most days, so I generally watch RTE because I find the pundits much more enjoyable.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 21/07/2014 12:37:06    1622786

Watching in oz. They just use the rte feed

donegal_snatch (Donegal) - Posts: 19 - 21/07/2014 12:39:01    1622791

TheMaster
County: Mayo
Posts: 11565

1622622
I don't agree with your assessment that it was 10/10 for high quality defending muckross. Packing the back doesn't automatically mean the defending is high quality. It is more of a spoiling tactic truth be told, with the sheer volume of bodies doing the work as opposed to any extra technical quality.

You are entitled to your opinion Master, but is it really your opinion that all Donegal do is pack the back & that is just the sheer body of numbers that makes it work? Do you really believe that?.

As for the point another poster made about Donegal having 7 defenders back for one Monaghan attacker, surely the question that has to be asked is where the Monaghan forwards were, not that the Donegal full back & half back lines were where they were supposed to be.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 21/07/2014 12:40:18    1622796

the job of an analyst is to analyse the game for the viewer..not make silly negative comments long past their sell by date...sky at least have focused on tactics..people in gaa cant seem to get their head around the fact that not everybody has to play the game the same way..teams play various different ways and styles in other sports and the gaa is no different...rte tried to claim meath were as well equipped a team to cause dublin problems in the country this year?...how laughable is that statement really like?..on what basis is there any backup for this statement..talk about misinforming the public, overusing cliches and not doing your homework

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 21/07/2014 12:49:02    1622808

That was me Muck who mentioned the 7 on 1, and of course I am not blaming Donegal for that. What I am questioning is the 10/10 rating for intensity and defending, it being a great tactical battle with every minor detail being covered by the opposing managers etc. If you have 7 defenders and 1 attacker when a ball is kicked in then the intensity cant have been that high, the defending hardly has to be of a very high standard, and I would wonder if the tactics were all that great.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 21/07/2014 12:49:11    1622809

well they were proven to be good tactics..they won the game over a side they have struggled to beat in years..what would you like donegal to play?..what did they achieve in the years before mcguiness?

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 21/07/2014 12:50:52    1622812

Soma, that was one incident out of a game of 70 minutes. I was at the game sitting quite close to the sideline & you will just have to take it from me that it was intense.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 21/07/2014 12:53:16    1622819

Soma
County: UK
Posts: 448

1622711
Just reading the comments here and wondering, why do so many Ulster posters watch the Sunday Game live if the BBC are showing the same game? This isn't meant to be a provocative question at all, I am just curious. BBC don't take ad breaks so their coverage is longer, and it is carried out by Ulster footballers who would view the game in a similar manner to Ulster viewers I would have thought. Or is it a case that people watch both, just to get different perspectives? I presume somebody in Donegal or Cavan can easily get BBC, if that is not the case then for the majority of posters this question is not relevant.

I was at the game & recorded the BBC version on Sky, which I then watched when I got home. I then went to the RTE player to see what the analysis was like, hence my opinion.
Besides which, last time I looked, Donegal was in the ROI & RTE is our national broadcaster. Most people here would watch the game on RTE as a matter of course.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 21/07/2014 12:57:30    1622832

Fabio that situation suggests one teams tactics may have been good but the other teams tactics were awful. If so, then it was hardly a great tactical battle. I am not suggesting Donegal should have played differently, I am saying it would have been wrong for Spillane to sum up the game as an intriguing tactical battle as some wanted him to do, when it is clear one sides tactics were so shockingly poor on occasion. It was for large parts a dour, negative game of football (as BBC pundits described it) with some brainless football (as highlighted by RTE). Lyster asked Spillane to sum up the first half and he went on an amusing rant about the men in Hayes Hotel. For those who object to that, how would you have summed up the first half?

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 21/07/2014 12:59:07    1622835

You are entitled to watch the game wherever you like Muck, and the terraces is the best spot of all so I am jealous of your day out yesterday. But would you not watch BBC NI for Ulster games, if only for the fact that the pundits are possibly more to your liking? Spillane seems to anger so many Ulster posters I just wonder why they watch him when they have a choice? I have a choice and watch him because I dislike the BBC pundits approach to the game, and really enjoy the RTE approach generally.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 21/07/2014 13:02:40    1622842

i found it to be a good tactical, physical battle with lots of intensity and some good scores..although a cagey affair as expected...donegal having the better quality to see them over the line...it wasnt a classic but i would say it was a lot better match in person as the intensity and tactics could be appreciated a lot more

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 21/07/2014 13:07:21    1622852

Soma
County: UK
Posts: 446

1622654
RTE highlighted a number of cases where Monaghan kicked the ball into a 1-man full-forward line, with up to 7 Donegal defenders around him. No matter how Gary or Muck try to spin that, I don't see it as a tactical masterclass or incredible attention to detail. I, like the RTE pundits, see it as simply brainless football and incredibly dull to watch. But maybe the game has moved on too much for us simple folk, and that this indeed was a tactical ploy being executed to perfection? It is interesting that BBC also apparently called it dull, as that panel is made up entirely of Ulster people, albeit in Canavan and McConville 2 of the finest forwards in the last 25 years who surely would rather play in a Dublin type team than the Donegal side for example so they could show off the full range of skills they had. Is it the case that most Ulster football lovers find it dull, but are so passionate and proud of their province, and rightly so, that they would not like to admit it?

This is a sport, where team's compete in knockout tournaments to be crowned Champions of the land.

Both teams put 15 men out on a big pitch, and whoever scores the most wins. In every other team sport around the globe, you will see teams use a variation of tactics to win. You will see the all out attacking ( Barcelona or Real Madrid ) or the Ultra defensive ( Chelsea or Italy ). Both styles work and are effective, but only if you have the players in place to deploy that system effectively.

People often forget that Jim McGuinness or Malachy O'Rouke were not given the task of entertaining the people of Munster, Leinster, Connaught or other Ulster Counties. Their jobs are reviewed by their county board on the County teams performance and the teams overall achievements year on year. County boards want Provincial titles and All Ireland titles, and for good reason. Funding can transform greatly depending on your counties achievements. The team attracts greater crowds, and bigger sponcers.

As for tacical masterclass, I do think so. Donegal pushing up on Monaghan for Rory Beggan's kickouts was an excellent move, clearly he wasn't prepared and this constantly delayed his kick outs. While the variation of Paul Durkins kick outs caused so much confusion for Monaghan, that it have Donegal so much possession.

Likewise Donegal crowded out the space that Monaghan ruthlessly exposed last year, and were hugely successful in forcing turnovers. That was another area they had badly failed last year.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 21/07/2014 13:09:31    1622856

Monaghan didn't commit enough men forward to cause the Donegal backs any difficulty. Jimmy could have played his Granny in the full back line and she'd have been grand.

And when they did attack they mainly passed the ball directly to a Donegal defender (mostly under no pressure) or took on a ridiculous shot.

Donegal hardly had to break sweat yesterday. Never got into gear and won easily.

I thought it a subdued enough affair with sporadic bouts of intense football. However it wasn't the intense tactical battle that I'd hoped for.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13718 - 21/07/2014 13:15:32    1622872

Soma that is another good point you have hit on i.e. charisma - I do not think the guys employed by the BBC have a lot of it. Of course this is only one thing along with other examples that I used above and more e.g. habit as someone else pointed out.

Having said that I did flick back and forward a bit at half time to try and get a bigger picture but there is still that overriding interest to hear what Spillane is coming off with even though I know I probably will not like it and maybe that is why he is there as he draws interest for a variety of reasons.

I was annoyed that Sky blocked RTEs coverage of the World Cup - some would argue that it was every bit as bad as that on BBC or ITV but I do enjoy watching the RTE team for the comedy value when it comes to the soccer as their insight is no worse than the others but they do that grumpy old men thing pretty well so maybe in conclusion it is a love hate thing I have going on with RTE in general.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 21/07/2014 13:46:23    1622914

perfect10
County: Wexford
Posts: 1052

1622619 sky have been excellent for all the Wexford matches the have covered to date.

Wexford have been excellent in all their Sky matches to date!

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 21/07/2014 13:47:04    1622916

MesAmis
County: Dublin
Posts: 7572

1622872
Monaghan didn't commit enough men forward to cause the Donegal backs any difficulty. Jimmy could have played his Granny in the full back line and she'd have been grand.
And when they did attack they mainly passed the ball directly to a Donegal defender (mostly under no pressure) or took on a ridiculous shot.
Donegal hardly had to break sweat yesterday. Never got into gear and won easily.
I thought it a subdued enough affair with sporadic bouts of intense football. However it wasn't the intense tactical battle that I'd hoped for.

Yes I didn't think this was as stuffy as the 2012 Ulster SF between Donegal and Tyrone, there was little or no room for movement in that particular game.

While you may say Monaghan didn't commit enough players forward to trouble Donegal, It was also noted afterwards that Donegal always kept 6 or 7 men at their own 45 line. So if Donegal constantly kept so many men back, It will surely beg the question of how did they outscore Monaghan by so much? Especially if Monaghan weren't committing men.

I thought Donegal managed the game extremely well, after the Monaghan goal they quickly killed any potential momentum. They seemed more comfortable in possession, and worked both sides of the field fairly well. I definitely feel Donegal wasted a lot of oppurtunities, which would have seen them run out easier winners. But I suppose their Championship history in the past 31 years against Monaghan was an added edge to this game, and probably at the back of their mind.

Donegal are back to forcing opposing teams to play them on their terms, where last year they didn't do that at all. They had dog fights with Tyrone, Down and Monaghan, a lumber with Laois before Mayo destroyed them. They never looked in control, but this year they do. They are comfortable in possession, strong at the back, and efficient at scoring even without their two main forwards.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 21/07/2014 14:07:18    1622938

I would disagree with you on that Naysayer, Id say Canavan, McConville and Mulligan are probably very charismatic characters, just look at how they played the game for an indication of this. However, because they are unable to say anything controversial in case they offend someone, most of their comments are incredibly bland. I challenge you to be charismatic if the only topics you can speak about for 21 minutes is Donegals players pushing up on the Monaghan kick-outs, funnelling men back to fill in the gaps that were exploited last year, and 5 points from play! I actually thought RTE were careful with what they said at halftime yesterday because there has been such uproar in the past about comments made.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 21/07/2014 14:10:55    1622944

GaryMc82
County: Derry
Posts: 1237

Yes I didn't think this was as stuffy as the 2012 Ulster SF between Donegal and Tyrone, there was little or no room for movement in that particular game.

While you may say Monaghan didn't commit enough players forward to trouble Donegal, It was also noted afterwards that Donegal always kept 6 or 7 men at their own 45 line. So if Donegal constantly kept so many men back, It will surely beg the question of how did they outscore Monaghan by so much? Especially if Monaghan weren't committing men.

I thought Donegal managed the game extremely well, after the Monaghan goal they quickly killed any potential momentum. They seemed more comfortable in possession, and worked both sides of the field fairly well. I definitely feel Donegal wasted a lot of oppurtunities, which would have seen them run out easier winners. But I suppose their Championship history in the past 31 years against Monaghan was an added edge to this game, and probably at the back of their mind.

Donegal are back to forcing opposing teams to play them on their terms, where last year they didn't do that at all. They had dog fights with Tyrone, Down and Monaghan, a lumber with Laois before Mayo destroyed them. They never looked in control, but this year they do. They are comfortable in possession, strong at the back, and efficient at scoring even without their two main forwards.

Yeah I agree with that. Donegal are moving very well. To have won Ulster without really getting into their groove will I'm sure please Jimmy no end.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13718 - 21/07/2014 14:36:21    1622981