I'm growing concerned already and we are still weeks away from the Leinster Final. The media are seriously hyping up our young players,and I keep hearing talk of 1996.Between the main media and people on this forum,we are going way overboard. We played very well against Kildare and I believe the future could be bright.But there is a lot of pressure been put on the youngsters right now.Afterall the team were relegated in the league,losing to poor teams like Derry and Louth.We struggled at times against a Wicklow team( who needed extra-time to beat Waterford). We drew with Carlow.Now I always said we have not become a bad team overnight,but we also have not become world beaters overnight.We have had great days in Croker over the last few years and then fallen flat,lacking consistency in work-rate and performance.Now I believe we have a lot of good talent,but we need a lot of perspective here.If this keeps up in the next few weeks ,a lot of us could end up very disappointed in a few weeks..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 05/07/2012 21:05:07    1210581

Could not agree more..

BRING_ON_GURTY! (Meath) - Posts: 712 - 05/07/2012 21:51:27    1210624

agreed but i think the lads will want to set 2010 to bed and i can't see us performing nearly as bad against the dubs as we did against louth. there will be a huge meath crowd for the final compared to the semi's so how will the lads perform in front of a much bigger crowd and a much bigger meath crowd?

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 05/07/2012 21:59:49    1210638

Glass half empty. Beaten before a ball is even kicked...... 20 point win against Carlow and a massive preformance and win against Kildare. Momentum is a great thing and we have it. This is a fantastic opertunity to earn some silverware against the best there is at the moment. Even if big Joe falls over the line in another controversial fasion to score the winning goal, ill take that. We have to be optimistic, but being realistic too, we have a great chance.

aces (Meath) - Posts: 162 - 06/07/2012 09:16:49    1210662

I think it might be a good idea for banty to put a media ban on the players between now and the final.both the media and some fans are gettind carried away.dont forget this is a team that wiuld have lost to wicklow but for the two reillys

bobjaffacake (Meath) - Posts: 1400 - 06/07/2012 10:26:49    1210724

if we do actually beat dublin, i think the biggest worry would be that we'd all get far too confident and then we would flop in the quarter final. i know people think we might but with it being dublin who were playing and with dublin being all ireland champions i donthnk they could get too cocky going into that and theyl have a point to prove after the 2010 leinster and aswel i say they really wanna beat dublin especially because there defending leinster and all ireland champions so it would make the victory all that more sweeter.

meathalltheway (Meath) - Posts: 789 - 06/07/2012 11:53:31    1210794

MATW, that's it exactly. After a big win Meath teams have often got complacent when meeting so-called lesser opposition in the next game(s). It happened v Louth (after Dublin) in '10 and Cork (after Tyrone) in '07. But this time it is more like when we played Kerry (after beating Mayo) in '09, so complacency shouldn't be an issue. But as you say beat the Dubs and it could manifest itself for a AI QF match vs a qualifier team. Anyway, the next match should be all the lads focus on and a relatively quiet build up for the Dublin match (in as far as that is possible) just like the Kildare one is the best approach to take.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 06/07/2012 12:13:50    1210817

Bobjaffa - agree on the media ban, I think the Meath team themselves have been excellent in this regard
ie no twitter, reporter quotes etc even during the attempted Banty coup....
not sure who is responsible for this, at the end of the day, the players have been self-regulating themselves.

One further thing - I even heard that when the attempted Banty removal was on after the Louth game, the players met at training in Gormanston College,
and discussed it among themselves IN THE CENTRE OF THE RUNNING TRACK ie away from Management and everyone else's ears...
BUT no-one heard a word from the players - gotta hold your hat off to the then Captain Seamie Kenny for keeping the focus and that.

RoyalSt.Pat (Meath) - Posts: 333 - 06/07/2012 12:28:46    1210827

Royal stpat
your right,i know a couple of the players well and not even there familys were told what they thought about banty and thats how it should be.but im afraid for the young lads with all this hype and compairing them to the 96 team which is rubbish.we need to try and keep there feet on the ground

bobjaffacake (Meath) - Posts: 1400 - 06/07/2012 12:50:52    1210847

i think they'll be kept grounded especially with coaches like Evans and Giles involved, in fairness if you heard banty's interview on newstalk on Monday night, he didn't make reference to leinster titles etc, and he is very level headed, i agree with Ziggy though there's no point in making these young lads out to be superstars yet, and i doubt they'll think like that, the press however is a different story , we've all been down this road before in 2001 etc, but i do believe that we have serious talent in the starting 15 , and maybe the injuries of ward etc could turn out to be a blessing, anyway i really hope we go far this year to highlight what goes on at county board level, a win against the dubs will allow banty to stick the 2 fingers up at all those who voted against him (me included) , i doubt he'll stay beyond this year even if he's voted in , he could end up having the last laugh yet folks!!!!!

meath1987 (Meath) - Posts: 135 - 06/07/2012 13:09:50    1210862

nothing wrong with building yourself up for a hard fall......................better to enjoy the build up if your going to fall than run yourself down be miserable and still fall...enjoy the build up lads.

Gammy_Knee (USA) - Posts: 1482 - 06/07/2012 13:56:13    1210924

Saying it a while now, but along with twitter ban the palace should also be out of bounds also, and yes very important that what happens in camp stays in camp, see it in my own club where selectors/ committee members have very loose tongues

Analyst (Meath) - Posts: 1514 - 06/07/2012 15:42:28    1211010

Jesus christ calm down would ya.Ban the Palace?It's not as if they're in it every night after training.They are amateur footballers who are entitled to a social life the same as the next man.If the management team allow them out after a game then so be it they are more than entitled to it.Ever hear of team bonding and how socialising as a team with a few drinks brings them closer together.They put in the hours over the course of the year when others are warming the barstool.Next you'll be banning tv or the cinema incase they strain their eyes!!

boots96 (Meath) - Posts: 95 - 06/07/2012 16:45:36    1211079

You would expect Dublin to rebound after a sub-par performance against Wexford. That in itself is worrying.

Looking at the Kildare game you have to contrast our performances at midfield between the first half and second. McGeeney got his match-ups completely wrong, didn't seem to know much about our young guns - McGrillen on Forde, Doyle on Tobin for example - look at the amount of ball won by Carroll at centre forward. Second half and our midfield barely got a sniff of the ball for the first fifteen. Defensively we looked very nervous all of a sudden. It was only when Lynch went off that we started dominating kickouts again.

Also, the young lads, Carroll and Forde didn't use posession well enough, great running with the ball but you have to create scores. Do that against Dublin and we'll be in trouble. Best counter-attacking team in the championship.

Ollie99 (Meath) - Posts: 442 - 06/07/2012 17:00:26    1211088

ahh lads. why not enjoy the build up as fans, we have waited long enough for this opposition in a final. i am in no way worried about the players , the management will keep their feet on the ground. as for us lets get a little carried away , whats the harm? in a recession there is very little else to get happy about. put up the flags and for the next couple of weeks lets get totally excited about the game.
or do some think it better that its not mentioned? have the team and in particular younger players thinking we don't give a s### about it. already writing off any hope
its upto management to keep the lads grounded and focused, and its up to us as fans to go over the top, regardless of whether we may loose or win. i was in tullamore for the replay and i can tell you apart from most of us on hear very few else were there. i think after that we have earned the right to get carried away, even if we are deluding ourselves
come on the royal

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 06/07/2012 17:05:36    1211094

Building ourselves up for a hard fall??

Yes but I'd rather have 3 weeks of building up and falling compared to 3 weeks of no hype and no buzz then falling anyway! It's going to be a hard fall no matter what if we lose, after all it's the dubs.

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 06/07/2012 19:23:39    1211175

Building ourselves up for a hard fall? well probably, but remember what we have gone through in the past few months!
everyone putting the boot in while we were down, and the same people will be out again, should we flop in the final.

Let the lads and the fans enjoy it, who knows when we will be back in another final, the begrudges will say what they want regardless.

Now where is me ladder, theres flags to be put up!

NAIL_BAR (Meath) - Posts: 457 - 07/07/2012 10:34:48    1211315

negativity leads to negative results!!! Fact!!!

gaz772 (Meath) - Posts: 42 - 07/07/2012 10:39:50    1211319

We are going into this match as underdogs with absolutly no pressure so lets enjoy it, its not the same as the semi final against cork or the leinster final against louth where we were favourites so lets enjoy it and get behind the team...no more negative talk!

HungryMeathMan (Meath) - Posts: 22 - 07/07/2012 10:46:17    1211321

couldnt agree with gammy knee more, too much negativity here, some may say its realistic but as i said before it negativity is what leads to negative results. Its the liikes of you negative people who should stay away from croke park on the 22nd of July!!!!

gaz772 (Meath) - Posts: 42 - 07/07/2012 10:49:06    1211322