The Official Cavan GAA Discussion thread.

Our transition play is too slow and has been for a long time. Even if we don’t want to kick the ball, we need to run it faster. There is still far too much sideways and lateral play.

Just read the RTE match report - imagine we have lost to Tipp at home 3 times now since 2009.

There’s no consistency to our results when you are losing to teams like Fermanagh, Tipp & Clare over the last few years.

It’s Mickey’s fourth year and, bar the Ulster win, which was huge, you would have to wonder what the trajectory is for this group of players.

I don't know all the teams in this Division are looking at big beatings against any Division 1 or top division 2 team come championship and here we are just about doing enough most weeks and after getting beat today.

I'm usually a glass half-full kind of supporter, but you'd be hard pressed to see the positives in that second half. First half against the wind, i was happy with going in a point down. Plus with a lovely goal right on the stroke of half time the crowd were up and really behind Cavan. Second week on the trot that a team playing with the breeze allowed us the ball and crowded out the scoring zone. Was expecting us to kick on in the second half not unlike last week.

Did we just assume that we had the game for our taking? Simple matter is Tipp worked harder in the second half than we did. We had no one on the shoulder making runs and were incredibly shot shy with the breeze. Gearoid had a very bad day at the office and not only missed that goal (he had to pass it) but he slowed down a lot of attacks by not laying ball off. But he was one of many, Gunner aside and a lovely cameo from TED who forced at least two turnovers.

Let's be honest, Tipp are no great shakes at all but in Sweeney they had someone who nailed almost all their frees. We missed three or four, and a criminal mark into the keepers hands as well as some slack wides. That said we should have had at least two goals in the second half, hit the bar and i thought we could have had a penalty as well.

Final word, I thought the ref was awful and how did he not award a black card when Finnegan was rugby tackled in front of him and the linesman at the end of the first half. There was also a bizzare moment when he let one of the Tipp players take an eternity for a free, have him about to take it and when the runner did move, solo it and the re-take it which almost led to a goal. That was a farce. It didn't alter the course of the Cavan and we were architects of our own downfall but he was just terrible.

I was a bit far away but it looked like Cormac O'Reilly was dragged down and a definite penalty.

After being stuck in the "let it in ta fck" section in Sligo, I was happier to have a few people round me today who actually realised that it isn't possible to kick it long EVERY SINGLE TIME. :)

The let it in brigade might have a point when the 2 long balls we played in at the end created more than all the lateral, slow awful football played today that went before. I see our forward coach is now a selector (according to the program) which might be as well as our attacking play is getting worse with every game. 3 pts in the 2nd half with a gale, pathetic stuff. I'm glad there was a GPA media ban after this game to be honest. I honestly don't know what are trying to do in matches, why we are farting around with the ball allowing opponents all day to filter back and why our forwards seem too scared to shoot and instead pass the buck on and on. Also any chance, for once and for f'ing all we can decide who is taking frees.

Personally I dont think it is our place in an amateur association to be even bringing the mans employment into the conversation. I have coached senior teams and I know there is a huge amount of time involved and you wouldnt take it on if you didnt feel you could do it. Once you take it on you do need to move set your sessions up around your work and I am sure he is no different to anyone else. Lots of coaches have early morning sessions, lots of teams have 2 sessions in a day too. The pitch being frozen, well I think he would've been better to keep that stuff off the airwaves as it came across as making excuses. In fairness he got a good reaction from his players the next game which does tell me they are on board with him. Damien is in there now so I think let him have the season before further opinions on him. I think the other question that needs discussion is the overall state of the youth structure in Cavan which doesnt seem to be delivering the goods anymore.

We are missing a Mackey type player who isn't afraid to take on a defence and draw markers towards him making room for others.

There are to many lads there at the moment who are happy to keep recycling the ball and keep possession.. The full forward line can make runs all day but I think the lads out the field are afraid to kick it in incase it's intercepted and it's a black mark on there stats and next thing there taking off.

It doesn't matter who we play if Gearoid has an off day we are going to be there for the taking.

The thing is we have been successful (if not spectacular) in playing controlled football when against the wind (Leitrim, Carlow, Sligo and first half against Tipp) and staying in touching distance to kick on in the second half. We just didn't do anything in the second half to build on a decent enough first half. It wasn't just that Gearoid had an off day, it seemed the tactics mostly were about finding him and hoping he would do something. I was watching Lynch and Caoimhin in the second half (much like the first half), their movement was good but the ball wasn't being played in- it was as if we had our stall set out to solely look for Gearoid. And even if we did find him his role isn't about bringing other people into play, it's about being the focal point and kicking scores. We definitely need to show some variety there or our goose is cooked in Ulster.

Lay off the man it's with the county board who knew off his other commitments prior to appointing him.

In fairness early morning Sunday sessions aren't a new thing. I have heard of club managers getting Cavan club players up to places like Bettystown at 6am on a Sunday morning. It's one way of keeping lads out of the town on a Saturday night!

I see Paul Fitz has retweeted comments from John McGrath re nobody batting an eyelid that Tom Parsons said players could be training 5,6 or 7 nights a week. There is a real argument there that commitment levels are gone through the roof. For example, even outside intercounty setups which all copy each other, clubs hear county teams like Cavan trained 28 nights out of 30 and you have lads think they need to replicate that at club level to compete.

And then you have the GPA who are supposed to be looking out for player welfare looking for expenses for players for all training sessions.

I blame Kildare for this sort of nonsense. Home draw being sacrificed has happened before due to pitches or grounds being unavailable (we used Brewster in 2018) and there was none of this hysteria.

Can anyone tell me the full backroom team that Graham has with him this year?