Donegal GAA Discussion Thread

thebronze14 · 09-01-2023 10:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084002#Comment_120084002

I do think we will struggle too but we'll definitely pick up a few points. We are going to be in a period of transition but we should be competitive. Monaghan are probably further back than us, Tyrone had a shocker last year, bound to be better this year but mightn't bounce back straight away. Roscommon usually struggle in Div 1. Basically on our day even without Murphy we should be able to give any team a rattle. On the flipside we could be beaten by any of those sides too. I reckon we will finish with 5 points.

doc_17 · 09-01-2023 12:43pm

I admire your optimism and fair play to you for having it!

It’ll be a real slog this year too in terms of fixtures. The round robin starts pretty much straight away after the provincial finals and it’ll be very difficult for losing teams to pick themselves up and go at it.

I can see it ending badly for a few teams.

John Doe1 · 10-01-2023 9:57am

My prediction for the year.

League: We will likely beat Roscommon and can see us getting points off Monaghan and/or Armagh just about staying up.

Ulster: Beat Down at home, Beat Armagh at home, lose in final.

Anything can happen in round robin, I dont see us getting to quarter final though.

I can understand the negativity with last year and the drawn out management election process and Murphy is a big loss but we still have a couple of decent players who would get it in most division 1 teams:

Ryan McHugh, Shaun Patton, Hugh McFadden, Ciarán Thompson, Niall O'Donnell, Paddy McBrearty, Michael Langan, Oisín Gallen, Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Peadar Mogan, Jamie Brennan, Conor O Donnell, Shane O' Donnell, Odhran McFadden Ferry, Jason McGee

doc_17 · 12-01-2023 3:22pm

Niall hasn’t really transferred his club form over to Donegal, probably will see his place taken by his brother.

Redsoxfan · 15-01-2023 10:25am

Paddy McBrearty Captain for 2023.

Not sure how much it matters. But seems an odd call. Maybe not. Most experienced player left I suppose.

Cavan_King · 21-01-2023 6:50pm

Ye played Meath in Cavan today. I was at it. Think it finished about 1-8 to 1-13 to Meath. Both teams had strong sides out.

Redsoxfan · 25-01-2023 11:04pm

Kerry missing a lot of starters/better players for Sunday. All things being equal, I'd say we'd have a great chance.

But no Patton, Langan, Mogan, McFadden Ferry, Gallen. We won't be at full strength either. Still, it's a home game, not in Letterkenny. Would be a great start for the new management team.

Ceist_Beag · 26-01-2023 9:18am

Agreed, this is a great chance to beat Kerry, first game out is the best time to get them. It will be interesting to see our first 15 as some of the names who were tried during the month surprised me tbh.

dobman88 · 27-01-2023 5:04pm

How's things lads. Any recommendations for good pubs in Ballybofey on Saturday evening/night. Somewhere to watch the Mayo v Galway match and anywhere that might have a bit of craic after. Cheers.

doc_17 · 28-01-2023 7:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120166125#Comment_120166125

Pat Bonners your best bet.

dobman88 · 29-01-2023 1:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170449#Comment_120170449

Thanks.

Went to Bonners, McKelveys, Shamrock, Cheers.

Grand night out

Redsoxfan · 29-01-2023 10:07am

Same auld BS of not naming a team.

John Doe1 · 29-01-2023 4:40pm

Wow great result, some of those young lads McColgan, O Donnell, McGroddy, Curran really stood up. Less back passing and more exciting football.

It was a 2nd string Kerry but we were missing players too, Lets all get behind Paddy Carr now

Redsoxfan · 30-01-2023 12:00am

A great win in the circumstances.

Started very badly. Shocking mistake for the goal. And kept turning the ball over. We lack physical power.

But we knuckled down and from late in the 1st half we were the better team.

What a league debut for McColgan. And good to see Conor O'Donnell stepping up. Maybe O'Baoill is a forward and not a back.

Well worked winner and no better man for it, Paddy has done it before, when he can get free.

Probably need to find 2 more wins to ensure we can stay up.

FreeChocco · 30-01-2023 12:28am

Sunday Game's analysis of this match was non existent, waste of time even sticking it on.

The Moist Buddha · 30-01-2023 12:52pm

a stupendous display, Bualadh bos 👏👏👏

downthemiddle · 04-02-2023 4:12pm

I see our wonderful county board have forced Lacey out of the academy. When will we ever learn.

Redsoxfan · 05-02-2023 8:24pm

Anyone at the game today?

Only got to listen in. Sounded bad.

downthemiddle · 05-02-2023 8:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120206039#Comment_120206039

Diabolical. Never at the races.

Ceist_Beag · 05-02-2023 11:51pm

It was woeful. Lethargic, pretty shapeless at times, sloppy, I could go on. There were a few worrying signs where lads didn't seem to be on the same page and at one point in the second half for our possession where we had ten or eleven players close enough that you could throw a blanket over them and none of them looked interested in receiving the ball. It was bizarre. I hope it was just a bad day at the office but you would be very concerned if they play like that again.

Redsoxfan · 06-02-2023 12:01am

Probably a better reflection of where we are at?

Monaghan will be pretty desperate next day out. Not to mention their inclination to beat us whenever it suits them.

FreeChocco · 06-02-2023 1:16am

I didnt watch or listen to the match but I was pretty alarmed after hearing Paddy Carr after last week's game say something like "it's important that the lads are playing with freedom and not worrying about making mistakes", which sounds like there wasn't really any solid tactics and the lads were just told to go out and play how they liked.

downthemiddle · 06-02-2023 1:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120206990#Comment_120206990

I think it's reasonable that he wants the lads to play with more freedom than they had previously.

However lessons have to be learnt from yesterday. We played the game with no intensity. We turned the ball over cheaply under no pressure. We never broke the line going forward. We were caught with the same little dink pass in defence all too often.

Some of the mistakes we made were so elementary it was difficult to believe. Patton dropping a ball that was on his chest, then fumbling the pick up, all while two defenders watched with a Tyrone forward nipping in and eventually setting up a score. Ward, apart from getting cleaned by Canavan, turning the ball over every time he went forward and getting caught out by a long kick out which lead to another score. Crazy cross field passes with the outside of the boot picking out the one Tyrone player and missing the four Donegal players. Poor free taking. Players standing looking at one another while the Tyrone player grabbed possession.

Most of what went wrong yesterday is an easy fix. If there isn't a marked improvement against Monaghan then it's time to panic.

ghostfacekilla · 07-02-2023 2:05pm

Listening to the DL debate last night. Load of tripe. Devenney and Gildea not having a qualm with anything Donegal did or didn’t do. I suppose this adds to my frustration with Devenney not criticizing anything during the latter half of Bonner’s reign. Is Donegal football such a fishbowl that he’s afraid of offending someone? Martin McHugh was no better in the post match commentary. I wonder is it the same with Kerry’s sports journalists?!

Ceist_Beag · 07-02-2023 2:42pm

Just to give an illustration of two things that appeared strange to me on Sunday. As we stood outside the ground at 1:10 the team walked in past us. Maybe that's normal for an intercounty league match but it seemed a tad late to me. Then the team didn't appear for the pre-match warm up until 1:40 (after the Tyrone boys had already been and gone back in again). Again, this seemed quite late for me. I'm not saying this contributed to the malais on Sunday but it certainly stood out as being odd to me.

On the punditry, I don't think anyone wants to be critical this early into a new reign, especially given the apparent difficulty in getting the new management team appointed. That's fair enough tbh ... but it doesn't stop us criticising on here!

Redsoxfan · 08-02-2023 11:48pm

Looks like Gallen should be available for Monaghan anyway.

If not, questions need to be asked about what's going on.

thebronze14 · 09-02-2023 10:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120218075#Comment_120218075

Seemed to be on fire for DCU last night. It's a weird one as he hasn't been starting for them either. He's obviously an unbelieveable talent but I'm afraid he get's hyped up so much from performances 4 years ago. He's barely kicked a ball for Donegal since so hopefully he can fulfill some of his potential after his injury woes

downthemiddle · 09-02-2023 2:50pm

The chief coaching officer in the county is certainly making his mark. It's remarkable that nobody in the academy will work with him.

doc_17 · 09-02-2023 7:03pm

What exactly is the problem they have? Are they really that annoyed the Co Board didn’t stump up the thousand euro they wanted for their Christmas night out?

What are the issues? €241k on coaching in the academy? Are the Co Board asking questions about where it’s going? Isn’t that governance?

downthemiddle · 09-02-2023 8:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120221054#Comment_120221054

That's one possibility.

Another is a man, who was involved in possibly the worst management team in the history of the county, is interfering in a manner that has antagonised all working in the academy.

He was also involved in the process of appointing a manager and is now part of the management team. That, in itself, is a disturbing conflict of interests.

Donegal GAA Discussion Thread

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