Photo: MichaelMaye.com
It wasn’t just yesterday’s match that was helter-skelter: the Man of the Match poll that’s been up since shortly after the game ended has featured a rip-roaring contest between two of our stand-out performers at MacHale Park. In the end, just a single vote (from a total poll of 557) separated Kevin McLoughlin and Diarmuid O’Connor and when the polls closed it was Kevin who came out on top by that single solitary vote to claim the award with 21% of the vote.
Aside from Diarmuid (who also got 21% of the vote) others who attracted strong support in the poll were Colm Boyle (12%), Keith Higgins (10%), Aidan O’Shea and Barry Moran (both 8%) and Lee Keegan (5%). All of the aforementioned stood tall for us yesterday on a day when leadership was really needed.
Well done to Kevin, Diarmuid and all the lads for the part they played in yesterday’s hard-fought qualifier win.
Goes to show how poor a judge Tommy Carr is!
Well deserved. I’m calling it that my vote won it for Kevin! 🙂
I totally agree with Kevin’s selection but Diarmuid was neck and neck with. Talk about work rate and application not to mention his two vital points! Alan Dillon wasn’t on long enough to merit the award but, to my mind, he settled the forward line with his football intelligence, his use of both wings to open up the Fermanagh defence, and his invaluable brace of points. His buddy Andy, I thought, tried too hard to impress himself on the game with the result that he overlooked better-placed players when trying for scores. But it was great to see Alan, Andy and their two amigos, Donal and Barry, come on to lead the charge that got us over the line. And what about the ice-cool penalty shot by Cillian despite the usual Northern ploy of holding up the taking of the penalty?
Just hope Kevin will be returned to the half forward line for the next game where we need his scoring touches. He can cruise effortlessly between there and midfield. I would prefer to see Keith act as sweeper. He knows better than anyone what needs to be done to protect his full-back colleagues.
Looking back on Saturday’s match it occurs to me that maybe Keith has lost a little bit of that electrifying pace which made him such a threat coming forward. Or maybe it was the fact that he was coming from a much deeper position which meant that he wasn’t closely marked and that his marker was himself a forward which made him such a threat in the past. Either way he did not make his usual impact when coming forward last day out. Apart from his goal effort which Alan Freeman finished, that is.
Thought Aidan was our best player on Saturday. Played very in the first half as well and thought his yellow was awfully harsh. When he is in the mood like that he is so influential, ball winning, turnovers, and link play. Good to see him get a score as well. Diarmuid was also class as usual – some athlete.
I don’t mean to be too negative but based on what I’ve seen this year so far there’s something seriously wrong and it looks to me like we are waiting to be knocked out by a team who plays very well on the day. Whatever the management team are trying to do tactically the players haven’t a clue what they they’re supposed to be doing on the pitch. Absolutely all over the place. I’m a big Alan Freeman fan but what the hell were they doing playing him in the half-forward line? We won that game on Saturday despite our tactically setup and not because of it.
A few of the comments have referred to apparent confusion of players as to what they were expected to do on Saturday.What ever was the matter the end result was a certain staticity in their movement even in the second half when primary possession had greatly increased. The black line across the field has been alluded to and also the running into walls by individuals while the teammates kinda looked on.Thats the way it looked and all have seen it. It seemed in hindsight that players were afraid to take the initiative to get things going.This also was a feature of the final yesterday in Pearse with both sides involved in tip tapping exercises over and back the field…the exact stuff that makes the game such a joy to watch at present!!!
Of course it’s out of fear of losing the ball that causes this.’I’m not goin to be the one so here… you have it!!’You can almost hear the conversation.
Someone mentioned over coaching… maybe Spillane! .. and he may have a point. Maybe an over invasiveness by the coach might be more to the point.McEntee was out on the pitch talking to fellas a lot it’s been noted.Is it possible that this kind of over supervision could be stunting initiative on the spot. Things were indeed so static at times that you de wonder.
That massed defence is so part of the game now that it has to be accepted till the powers decide otherwise.And the way to deal with it is …we all know!….getting in position for long shots over the top.If not that then you probe and recycle looking for to create the space for a scoring penetration or a free for a foul. It’s a game we don’t like but at the same time if you have the measure of it then it does hold a fair amount of attractiveness…takes a lot of skill to perfect.If you cough up the ball then the consequences can be brutally decisive.The end result invariably is stalemate.The skill level is not there to execute this game for a lot of teams or maybe it’s the willingness, bravery, leadership,bull headed attitude or whatever, to carry it out, that is missing!
To probe and recycle and score over the top are two elements that need to be recognised as essential parts of this game.As it is,they re not.People are hoping it ll just go away and we can get back to playing football …this is the football now.It may mean puke to some.. but Sam Maguire to the Dubs and Tyrone!
Those teams that cannot come up to the mark will be numbered among the ‘also rans’.
But sure what’s new?
Well done to the lads on Sat, took a highly dodgy penalty for us to get over the line but sometimes you need the rub of the green to keep the momentum going.
But I agree totally with GBXI. Tactically, our forward setup is all over the place. The scoring return from play from our forwards is unbelievably low and unless changes are made soon such as putting Kevin back into the forward line, I fear that its only a matter of time before the exit door happens.
Bur I’ll be travelling again to McHale Park next weekend, living in hope as always.
Damn id have voted for Diarmuid so call it a draw 😀
Mayo playing 7 on Sat . Conn final Sun at 3 30 . All in Mchale Park
Where you hear that Toto?