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Donegal Club Football

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With the county side motoring well, how is the club scene looking with the leagues 4/5 games in at this stage?

Malin the surprise packet in Div. 2 with Joel Bradley-Walsh putting up a huge personal tally last weekend. Any other players or teams standing out?

How are the bigger leagues being received? Do they bring about more mismatches? Sean MacCumhaills have Red Hughs an unmerciful hiding last weekend.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1182 - 14/05/2022 14:25:20    2417019

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "With the county side motoring well, how is the club scene looking with the leagues 4/5 games in at this stage?

Malin the surprise packet in Div. 2 with Joel Bradley-Walsh putting up a huge personal tally last weekend. Any other players or teams standing out?

How are the bigger leagues being received? Do they bring about more mismatches? Sean MacCumhaills have Red Hughs an unmerciful hiding last weekend."
Glenfin seem to be flying this year. They have some very talented players and of course Frank McGlynn remains a class act as always.

Realt1977 (Donegal) - Posts: 15 - 01/06/2022 17:23:20    2421651

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Replying To Realt1977:  "Glenfin seem to be flying this year. They have some very talented players and of course Frank McGlynn remains a class act as always."
And Ballyshannon as well. Interesting how both those teams have no current senior county players therefore given the squads more stability maybe and leading to strong performances and good results?

Is it true that Glenties aren't fielding a minor team this year? Very strange if that is the case given the interest and pick in the area?

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1182 - 01/06/2022 18:01:52    2421672

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Aodh Ruadh going well, you would wonder would the county management invite Nathan Boyle into the set up or is he too attack minded. He is a serious baller.

Ulsterchamps72 (Donegal) - Posts: 103 - 01/06/2022 21:05:48    2421697

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Replying To Ulsterchamps72:  "Aodh Ruadh going well, you would wonder would the county management invite Nathan Boyle into the set up or is he too attack minded. He is a serious baller."
They would probably play him as a second full back alongside Murphy.

I think we are all starting to see the reason now why Odhran MacNiallais left the set up.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1182 - 02/06/2022 09:35:03    2421714

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I had to do a double take when i saw this result this morning:

St. Eunans 1-01
Kilcar 1-04

It was 1-00 to 0-01 at HT!

On a perfect day for football between the current county champions and 3rd best team in the county and this was the end result?

We need to have a serious look at ourselves from a coaching perspective in this county.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1182 - 06/06/2022 09:22:07    2422660

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "I had to do a double take when i saw this result this morning:

St. Eunans 1-01
Kilcar 1-04

It was 1-00 to 0-01 at HT!

On a perfect day for football between the current county champions and 3rd best team in the county and this was the end result?

We need to have a serious look at ourselves from a coaching perspective in this county."
Completely agree. We are fast becoming a laughing stock. Thank the Lord it wasn't a Championship game being broadcast on national TV.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9739 - 08/06/2022 14:59:49    2423373

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Completely agree. We are fast becoming a laughing stock. Thank the Lord it wasn't a Championship game being broadcast on national TV."
From Chatting to players that were playing, it was a case of extremely poor shootingoreso than the defense structures. Both teams set up defensively but not much more than usual, Shooting was supposed to be shocking.

KerrymanStuckInDonegal (Kerry) - Posts: 269 - 08/06/2022 15:48:19    2423401

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Replying To KerrymanStuckInDonegal:  "From Chatting to players that were playing, it was a case of extremely poor shootingoreso than the defense structures. Both teams set up defensively but not much more than usual, Shooting was supposed to be shocking."
Don't know which is worse to be honest.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9739 - 08/06/2022 16:05:29    2423409

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the shooting worries me more than anything to be honest. it's what has let us down at inter-county as well. I know that we hate the keep ball stuff but the fact is we are creating shooting opportunities but not taking them.

2 sides of the same coin no doubt but surely if you were working on coaching this possession, patient game, you would also be coaching players on shooting accuracy under pressure

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 08/06/2022 16:45:07    2423423

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i watched twenty minutes of one of your senior championship semi finals which was televised live on tg4 last summer and the score was 2 points to one with loads of county men on both teams and all of them excellant footballers but no one wanted to risk playing football avoid losing possession at all costs. Its such a shame seeing such talent destroyed any one that payed in deserved a refund.

breffnibluewhite (Cavan) - Posts: 484 - 08/06/2022 17:02:31    2423431

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "I had to do a double take when i saw this result this morning:

St. Eunans 1-01
Kilcar 1-04

It was 1-00 to 0-01 at HT!

On a perfect day for football between the current county champions and 3rd best team in the county and this was the end result?

We need to have a serious look at ourselves from a coaching perspective in this county."
Sure the eunans chairman being interviewed in the Donegal post today. Telling us how to play Armagh. Suit him better to be looking at his own club if they can only score 1.1 for a full hours football. Pot kettle.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2609 - 08/06/2022 17:42:58    2423440

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Completely agree. We are fast becoming a laughing stock. Thank the Lord it wasn't a Championship game being broadcast on national TV."
Agree LockJaw I worried that coaches and teams stuck in rut waiting for next innovator to copy. There doesn't seem to be an intervention to look at thinking on game or say we have a problem. I was at mayo Monaghan game in crowd when mayo trucking it around- I overheard a guy say to another jezz we've want to stop that or will turn into Donegal- with laugher. It rankles a bit that Donegal football viewed this way.

We don't seem to trust kicking game and on other side doesn't give one on marking to develop defenders for county game as cover there in tight club grounds.

Mentality is safety first and with county team a kicking game should be there as players to do it say 2 out ball options for players to kick through lines like Shane o donnell running along 45 for a kick option to link play to Paddy and Murphy . we don't do it enough at pace to get it through lines and at club level it's same recycle. I seen scenarios where shoot options declined on 21 maybe not best angle to go back to own 45 to rebuild and it get turned over.

I thought with group stages in championship we could do bonus point to group table if team kicked 18 or over, or 3 goals and even to point where a negative point if a team doesn't score over 8 or 10 points say and if teams want to sit in and do a 6-5 job. Then give victor a point and loser minus one of total so teams need to push to chase scores. I know the big 4 give out trimmings to lower ranked teams but I'd like to look at things to move us on. At end of day it's a bit of enjoyment to get to a game and want to see teams trying stuff and giving it a go. I know it needs more work at all levels but really like to see someone say we're looking at it.

DonegalDanny92 (Donegal) - Posts: 39 - 08/06/2022 19:05:13    2423451

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Lot of hysteria about defensive football. Lots of other team sports do that all the time. Just watch the recent European soccer final. Very defensive. But you don't hear a big uproar among soccer pundits calling for rule changes to address the "problem". Good defending in any team sport is an art, and the answer is that attackers must get faster and better.

Too many GAA teams, faced with a well-organised defence, are too ponderous and cautious - scores come from work rate, speed, massed attacks, and half chances. Too many teams looking for perfect opportunities which don't exist. Too many olé ole GAA fans would prefer a game littered with defensive errors, so long as they can let out a big roar every time there's another score.

The real problem with defensive football is not the defensive football, but the poor attackers.

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 08/06/2022 20:03:31    2423464

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God Help Football in Donegal if the Senior County champions and the second best in the County can only score that much in a full game. Blame the Managers , they wont let players express themselves on the field and enjoy playing the game. Cant see young fellows playing Gaelic Football in a few years , giving up their social lives to just pass the ball back and over. McGuinness has a lot to answer for, he started this , but in fairness he attacked for one quarter in a game and got enough scores to then set back and defend it. The County team is even worse.

jacktheboy (Donegal) - Posts: 475 - 08/06/2022 20:42:45    2423467

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "And Ballyshannon as well. Interesting how both those teams have no current senior county players therefore given the squads more stability maybe and leading to strong performances and good results?

Is it true that Glenties aren't fielding a minor team this year? Very strange if that is the case given the interest and pick in the area?"
Correct NC don't have a a minor team for the league as we have to many players on the u-16 development squad and on the donegal minor team along with a few who have chosen soccer. As far as I am aware the plan is to have a team in the championship but unsure of this.

As for the Kilcar vs Eunans game I wouldn't read to much into it as it was played on the training pitch rather than the main pitch plus bank holiday weekend maybe the teams were depleted.

naomh_conaill_4 (Donegal) - Posts: 502 - 09/06/2022 09:15:12    2423493

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Sure the eunans chairman being interviewed in the Donegal post today. Telling us how to play Armagh. Suit him better to be looking at his own club if they can only score 1.1 for a full hours football. Pot kettle."
I thought exactly the same when I saw Rory Kavanagh interviewed in the Irish News today saying what Donegal needed to do to beat Armagh , a few days after he managed a Eunans team in a game where they scored one point and a lucky goal that came from a bad kick out

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 624 - 09/06/2022 09:45:49    2423506

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Replying To naomh_conaill_4:  "Correct NC don't have a a minor team for the league as we have to many players on the u-16 development squad and on the donegal minor team along with a few who have chosen soccer. As far as I am aware the plan is to have a team in the championship but unsure of this.

As for the Kilcar vs Eunans game I wouldn't read to much into it as it was played on the training pitch rather than the main pitch plus bank holiday weekend maybe the teams were depleted."
Seems a bit crazy that players in a u16 development squad aren't allowed to play for their clubs. Unfair on other boys in the club who end up getting no league football.

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 624 - 09/06/2022 09:51:20    2423508

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Replying To essmac:  "Lot of hysteria about defensive football. Lots of other team sports do that all the time. Just watch the recent European soccer final. Very defensive. But you don't hear a big uproar among soccer pundits calling for rule changes to address the "problem". Good defending in any team sport is an art, and the answer is that attackers must get faster and better.

Too many GAA teams, faced with a well-organised defence, are too ponderous and cautious - scores come from work rate, speed, massed attacks, and half chances. Too many teams looking for perfect opportunities which don't exist. Too many olé ole GAA fans would prefer a game littered with defensive errors, so long as they can let out a big roar every time there's another score.

The real problem with defensive football is not the defensive football, but the poor attackers."
I enjoy good defending as much as the next man. But I don't think bringing a load of men back behind the ball constitutes brilliant defending as such. It'll never happen, but if teams were forced into old style 6 vs 6 man on man marking again I think some defenders could really be shown up.

Is Paddy McBrearty a poor attacker? Christopher McKaigue is an excellent defender granted. But there's no doubt his job is made a good bit easier when the scoring zone is so congested as it was in the Ulster final.

I don't think it'll happen this year given the way the draw has panned out, but I'd love to see Derry v Kerry. Clifford v McKaigue. That would be very interesting to see.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9739 - 09/06/2022 09:55:39    2423510

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Replying To essmac:  "Lot of hysteria about defensive football. Lots of other team sports do that all the time. Just watch the recent European soccer final. Very defensive. But you don't hear a big uproar among soccer pundits calling for rule changes to address the "problem". Good defending in any team sport is an art, and the answer is that attackers must get faster and better.

Too many GAA teams, faced with a well-organised defence, are too ponderous and cautious - scores come from work rate, speed, massed attacks, and half chances. Too many teams looking for perfect opportunities which don't exist. Too many olé ole GAA fans would prefer a game littered with defensive errors, so long as they can let out a big roar every time there's another score.

The real problem with defensive football is not the defensive football, but the poor attackers."
You make a great point here, soccer goes through long periods of the game with absolutely nothing happening. The problem arises when teams like Donegal move the ball from defence to the attacking zone at a slow pace, this allows the opposition to set up their defensive wall. The Ulster final was a great example, Donegal took short kickouts and their build up play was at a snails pace, this allowed Derry to get all their players back, its then impossible for an attacker to get into a good shooting position.

I thought Tyrone last year showed the way forward with lots more kick passing and moving the ball at pace. Donegal just run and run, then run some more.

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1906 - 09/06/2022 10:14:43    2423520

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