The Donegal game v Monaghan was as horrible as the game last night. I expect today's game v Tyrone to be just as bad. Over the past few seasons we have been successful playing a fairly defensive game with counter attacking. Some of these games have been very good to watch despite what some might say...v Cork and Kerry 2012, v Dublin 2014 are the better examples.

The problem now is that ALL teams are playing this way and you're blind if you don't see it. Don't give me this excuse that "they made us play this way" that some managers spout to deflect attention that they are doing it too...Jim Gavin included. When born teams set up this way the game is usually pure rubbish.

I enjoyed the success we have had over the past few seasons but i am getting little enjoyment out of football at present and would love to see us having success in an environment where attractive foorball prevails.

Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1671 - 29/03/2015 11:01:42    1707557

the problem was that jim gavin did what most dublin supporters on here
and nearly every pundit in the country has been looking for dublin to do since loosing to donegal last year
he set up more defesnive by playing his half forward line as extra midfielders
I dont know why so many are slating him now as they all wanted him to do this
the second half was a totaly different story
having seen that playing derry at a type of their own game wasnt working
he reverted to the attacking football playing 6 forwards in attack
and as opposed to the first half we contested derrys kickouts which made the world of difference
dublin completly dominated the second half
the conditions on show kept the scoreline closer than on another day
but we outscored them 6v1 in second half and on another night despite them playing 15 in their own half
we would have scored about 10 points which would have been a great return against a 15 defence
so the bottom line is for all the people looking for gavin to be more defensive against blanket defenses
you got your answer last night it doesnt work for dublin
the best way to play is your own game and thats what we did in the second half and dominated the half.
thats three games against blanket defences so far in this league
2 wins and a draw so not all that bad

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 29/03/2015 11:18:31    1707562

Simple rule change 13 aside across all senior teams in football and allow 7 subs. Even this defensive football is in Kerry.

kerryrowz (Kerry) - Posts: 833 - 29/03/2015 11:28:44    1707571

I dont like the way the game is played now something will have to change for the good of the game,traditionally derry tried to play an offensive gameplan but we couldnt play against defensive blanket teams,so this year were very defensive but with no scoring threat so we will have to sort that out if were going to do anything in the championship,dublin steamrolled us in the league final so we decided to tighten things up.I wouldnt pay money to watch this if i was a neutral supporter so gates will eventually go down.

93vintageyear (Derry) - Posts: 301 - 29/03/2015 11:29:32    1707572

Ulster teams have been doing it for years. In 1888 Monaghan and Cavan contested the ulster final . Monaghan were represented by county champions Inniskeen and Cavan by county champions Maghera MacFinns. The first match was a draw at 0-2 to 0-2 but the second match was a screamer with Monaghan pillaging their way to a 0-3 to 0-1 victory.

supermon (Monaghan) - Posts: 1073 - 29/03/2015 11:44:20    1707583

I was at a club match up in Derry last year where the supporters booed the two teams playing 15 man defences.

Dublin lowering themselves to play this muck is an absolute tragedy. They lost to Donegal last year because of a perfect storm of bad luck, bad performance and Donegal overachieving. I think it was a freak result and it saddens me to see Galvin being too scared to be as attacking again.

I've always said I would rather loose playing attacking football than support a team playing with 14 men inside the 45. Imagine how hard it is for me to look at my own team play with 14 defenders on our way to division 3!

Daith (Kildare) - Posts: 1171 - 29/03/2015 11:46:02    1707586

Provincial system needs to change first , Kerry and Mayo literally walking to August bank holiday untouched needs to be addressed first . Massive inequalities in our game ! Then we will look at ringing changes !

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 29/03/2015 11:54:27    1707589

I thought Gavin played the bluff very well tactically, it was the execution that let the team down. Blanket defences find it hard to score when the counter attack in nullified and Dublin will not allow themselves to be exposed again. It will render first halfs dour affairs until the game opens up naturally.

The spectacle is awful, it's critically poor with players passing along the oppositions 45 but as has been said before it's within the rules.

Change will occur I would feel as we have hit rock bottom now. Defensive orientated is fine but mass defending destroys the game as a spectacle.

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1658 - 29/03/2015 11:55:29    1707590

MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
Posts: 3330

1707514
I do have to laugh at some of the rubbish spouted on here.

This was a league game played in desperate conditions in early March & people are complaining about not being entertained with fast flowing champagne football!!

As for the sad & predictable nonsense about Ulster teams championing this type of football the following is what Donegal, supposedly the doyen of nasty Norde football, scored in 2012

V Cavan 1-16
v Derry 2-13
v Tyrone 0-10
v Down 2-18
v Kerry 1-12
v Cork 0-16
v Mayo 2-11.

Let us not forget either the 3-14 against Dublin last year.

Grow up guys, the game is what it is, if you want to see something different then change the rules.

Very few people complained about Donegal in 2012 as Donegal played great football in 2012 and mixed defence and attack and they had some outstanding individual performances that year.

However the vast majority of games where one team plays a blanket defence are extremely boring and very few people enjoy watcching them.

People do want to see something different and alot of people do want to see the rules changed but unfortunately it will be very difficult to get the rules changed and even if they were chnaged I suspect the GAA would make a balls of them.

The GAA had a great oppurtunity with the Football rules committee but they did almost nothing and didn't even propose any solutions to improve the game.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 29/03/2015 11:56:08    1707592

TheRightStuff
County: Donegal
Posts: 551

1707589
Provincial system needs to change first , Kerry and Mayo literally walking to August bank holiday untouched needs to be addressed first . Massive inequalities in our game ! Then we will look at ringing changes !

Changing the competition structures will not improve the way the agme is played which is what most people are concerned with right now.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 29/03/2015 11:57:38    1707593

Derry are entitled to play as they like.If they feel having a massed defence is the best way to try and beat Dublin then so be it.I wasnt at the game as i was working.Havnt even seen it yet but if people dont like it,stay at home.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 29/03/2015 12:11:56    1707603

If i see a game for example between Donegal and Tyrone. I won't bother to look at it. In fact, I don't look at too much gaelic football anymore.
Can't blame Jim McGuinness and Mickey Harte. They used a plan to win.Interesting that Brian McEniff lays the blame on McGuinness.
Disappointing though that repeats of those humdinger Kerry/Dublin games of the 1970's will never be replicated.
Rather, I think we will see repeats of Kerry/Donegal of 2014.
Gaelic football has gone the way of British soccer...boring and predictable.

Rockies (Cork) - Posts: 947 - 29/03/2015 12:29:56    1707621

ziggy320001
County: Meath
Posts: 2020

1707537
muckrosshead

the game is what it is?? I am sorry but the likes of your county has brought the game to this..

The likes of my county ??????

I hope you are not suggesting we all play football the Meath way instead & get blown away week in week out.

Can't see that bringing the crowds back in their droves.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 29/03/2015 12:35:24    1707622

cuederocket
County: Dublin
Posts: 1858

1707603
Derry are entitled to play as they like.If they feel having a massed defence is the best way to try and beat Dublin then so be it.I wasnt at the game as i was working.Havnt even seen it yet but if people dont like it,stay at home.

The underlined bit is pretty much the problem the game is facing and unless something is done interest in the game will decline and nobody wants that to happen.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 29/03/2015 12:52:52    1707630

MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
Posts: 3330

1707514
I do have to laugh at some of the rubbish spouted on here.

This was a league game played in desperate conditions in early March & people are complaining about not being entertained with fast flowing champagne football!!

As for the sad & predictable nonsense about Ulster teams championing this type of football the following is what Donegal, supposedly the doyen of nasty Norde football, scored in 2012

V Cavan 1-16
v Derry 2-13
v Tyrone 0-10
v Down 2-18
v Kerry 1-12
v Cork 0-16
v Mayo 2-11.

Let us not forget either the 3-14 against Dublin last year.

Grow up guys, the game is what it is, if you want to see something different then change the rules.

----
Yes and how many did you score against Monaghan in Letterkenny? Did you go to that game and pay in? Nuff said.

Of course it's all Dublin's fault for not being able to score against the fleet of buses parked in front of the goal. Donegal didn't do so well against it Letterkenny boys so I wouldn't be slinging too much mud at the Dubs on that one.

Anyway, we won that's all that matters now. Brian might have said that his mission was accomplished but the only thing that his system accomplished last night was relegation.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 29/03/2015 12:58:56    1707636

Jarlath Burns, Kevin Cassidy and Paddy Bradley all commented last night on how woeful defensive football is, more lads brainwashed by the southern media bias it seems!

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 29/03/2015 13:02:37    1707637

ziggy320001
County: Meath
Posts: 2020

1707544
MesAmis

the conditions were much worse in Newry and 2-21 was scored as opposed to 0-12,and that was dv1 football.

Yeah but if the conditions in Croker had have been better there could well have been more than 12 points scored.

What happened elsewhere in different games doesn't alter that.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13718 - 29/03/2015 13:04:11    1707640

Uibhfailli,not every game is like this.Some teams use these tactics more than others at present.Im sure this mass defense trend will eventually run its course and be consigned to Room 101,but until then i personnally dont get worked up about it.Not asthetically pleasing no doubt,but its up to other teams to conbat and beat it.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 29/03/2015 13:15:31    1707646

Nice to see that supporters boo this crap.
there is a lot of mindset out there that supporters will accept this awful style of football once their team is successful.

dont think reducing the numbers of players is the answer, this will just cause even more training an fitness levels for players.
hopefully the mindset of players and managers will begin to change....

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 29/03/2015 13:27:56    1707657

Lads what rule changes would ye propose to make games less defensive? Any and all proposals are good here no matter how silly they sound.

Defending team not allowed to keep ball in their own half for more than 30 seconds when they turnover the ball, and the ball can't return into their own half in that play or they'll concede a 40. 2 points for a score from play outside the 40. Scrap the black card and have refs consistently enforce yellow and redcards. There are 7 ingame officials, another on the line and in many games Hawkeye does a lot of the umpire's job. One umpire should be back and forth on the endline to provide another set of eyes to ref and linesman. The attacker should get the benefit of the doubt but the umpire on the endlibe could be another angle to see if they're conning the ref going down too easy. I know that sounds a bit basketball and it's too late for rule changes this summer but thing have change and soon.s

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7364 - 29/03/2015 13:44:28    1707668