The Official Cavan GAA Discussion thread.

I’d would be cautiously optimistic this year I know Ray has no management experience but he has a wealth of experience playing county football in different positions and he has learned a great deal from different managers down the years, he also has a very strong back room team, he has two coaches that coached teams in all Ireland finals and a assistant manager that won two ladies all Irelands coming from a low base, Damien keaney has also proved himself to be a very good manager, plus some very good players brought into the panel like Ryan Brady Brian O’Connell Paddy Meade, James smith back in and hopefully injuries cleared up to the like of Dara Mcveety who has excellent last year until the injury. Let’s all get behind the team and management.

I couldn't make it down but watching on the stream Derry looked the far better team. Their tackling was at a level we've not faced in some time and we struggled to make any inroads. In trying to contain Derry it meant that when we did turn them over there were no options to break. There's no shame in that, Derry are the best team in Ulster and we have a long way to reach that level. Thought O'Connell and Carolan played well. Oisin Brady kicked two nice scores after a shaky first half.

Was at the match. Lovely evening for it and considering it was January and McKenna Cup, it wasn’t a bad game. Derry brought a decent crowd with enough there to clap them off the pitch. Some dedication given its two hours each way.

James Galligan was the pick of the newer/returning players for me. Far too often we didn’t make contact or get hands on but Galligan fought for everything.

Derry looked a far slicker outfit. They moved with and without the ball better and their tackling was ferocious. They often managed to isolate a man, getting two or three quickly around them.

Oisin Kiernan (Rahan) didn’t look to be running right off the ball. I also thought he was lucky not to be booked sooner.

I’m sure someone will remind me I haven’t been his biggest fan in the past but Killian Brady really struggled I thought. He was getting shouts from the stand to push up but I think Ray was telling him to stay back.

And why in gods name were we pulling everyone back and playing 15 behind the ball when their keeper was so far up the pitch? At least leave one man up for a quick ball option.

What is the approach you would like to see?

The game now is a possession game defend in numbers and counter attack at speed which most teams try to do but a misplaced pass or a good bit of tackling can slow it down for a few seconds and everyone has flooded back and then it's back to passing around looking to get someone into space to get a shot away.

A brave team might leave 1 or 2 up front but if there man sprints up the field i think they have to go with them.

Tackling in packs with more aggression.

Attacking with speed, early kick pass - we've not done this well for a number of years.

You ask a question about forwards have to track back, I would say No. You decide who stays up and leave them up. If the back has run up the field then figure a way to defend with one less and when you win the ball back you should be having a simple long pass for a certain score. There is more than one way to play football despite what the 1 million GAA gurus tell you.

You can argue the pro's and con's of any system, I just didnt see a change of system of any sort last night and I though Ray had said he was looking to make us more attack focused. We score 1-10 (0-04 with the wind in the 1st half)

You certainly wouldn’t believe we were a team who had a hardened and renowned All Star back coaching us for the last couple of years. Our failure to get contact on the opposition is going to be a big issue if it doesn’t improve.

I also thought Ray cut a lonely figure along the sideline given the large back room team he is meant to have? Even in the second half, I could hear a very distinctive Derry voice in the stand echoing from the terrace side of the pitch but Ray looked to be the only person giving any direction to Cavan.

It's first game so probably still needs time to get ideas across. Isn't now only one member of management allowed along sideline?

No way that ball went over line. Didn't even hit back of post.

Just because they aren’t standing right along the sideline, doesn’t mean a coach can’t be vocal.

Derry definitely had someone over the terrace side second half and they also had Harte and another man fairly vocal on the stand side. The second man on the stand side was more in the dugout than the actual sideline so maybe that is a rule now and they were bending it.

I see Cullyhanna won their Intermediate semi final yesterday, it’ll be a fair sickener for Ballyhaise if they win the final.

Black card for should have been a free in to them. At one point they had a 20m free to go 3 ahead, inconceivably he dropped it short and Derry got a point from the counter attack. Think the black card was the next play. They looked very fit too. Watched Tyrone and Donegal yesterday and both flying fit. Clearly the pre season ban on training isn't been adhered to by a lot of teams.

Good to see Fergal O’Rourke getting a start.

I know its January and I know it is McKenna cup but that was depressing. We are the most mentally weak team in the country. We will find a way to lose. Who concedes 5 points in 5 minutes of injury time!! 6 points up and concede 2-2 in what 7 or 8 minutes.

Most depressing is I do not see any new players there bar maybe James Galligan (whos not really new). We have a massive problem in goals lads. O Rourke is clearly not at the level required. Liam Brady I dont think hes ready either. Paddy Lynch needs a boot up the hole, very little work from him on the ball or off the ball.

We will need to old guard back and going well as we fell apart against a Down team that I was expecting to be decent but were actually very poor. I thought we'd survive Div2, and we might, but I am a lot less confident than I was.