Louth vs Offaly analysis

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Lone Shark
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Louth vs Offaly analysis

Post by Lone Shark »

A Typical Championship Sunday – Except for the Game.

You wait all year for the little things that make Championship Sunday what it is. That sense of tension in the pit of your stomach that no league game - no matter how important – can create. The sun splitting the stones and warming your skin, even if the females of the group still feel the need for a woolly jumper. The prime location in the heart of a packed terrace, with the aforementioned sun shining in on one side of your face and thus creating that beautiful two tone sunburn for your work colleagues to snigger at on Monday morning. They all weave together to form a wonderful tapestry, and become the type of day that defines your summer.

Sunday in Navan had all these elements, but lacked that final crucial ingredient – a great game. The dull fare served up to us by the two counties unfortunately ensured that this particular Sunday will be one of those that will be barely memorable in 50 days, let alone in 50 years when Lone Shark has every intention of boring his grandchildren to death with how much better footballers were in the old days. (Do unto others after all!)

But with all due respect to any Louth exiles or relations reading these pages, this supporter is most concerned with how Offaly performed, and as such it’s hard to be too critical. The opposition was very poor by intercounty standards, and as such it’s unfair to criticise Offaly for playing most of the second half at less than full intensity, when realistically they would not be human if they were not feeling completely in control. At no stage in the game did Louth look like they had the wherewithal to really run up a sequence of scores, or even dominate possession for a spell, and from the moment John Reynolds palmed the loose ball into the net on the half hour, Offaly were nailed on certainties to close this game out.

Rather than look on the game as a whole, because it had all the vigour of a good challenge match, Kevin Kilmurray and his selectors, as well as the bar stool pundits across the county, will be looking at individual aspects to the game to see what can be gleaned with an infinitely more difficult assignment against Laois looming. From that perspective, and with a view to finishing on a high note – we’ll start with the negatives.

Previously in this column, Lone Shark has bemoaned the litany of wides accumulated by this particular Offaly team, and questioned some of the tactical approaches employed by management with respect to this. 18 wides in Páirc Tailteann leaves one in no doubt as to the continued existence of the problem, but in reality it was hard to blame it on anything other than poor shooting. Despite scoring more points than the entire Louth team between them, neither Niall mcNamee nor James Coughlan will be happy with their own score taking. However these two boys have proved before that they are consistent scorers, and to assume that this was anything other than an off day when playing in a tricky wind would be unfair. Other players had some unfortunate misses as well, but as a rule the shots were from good positions, so all that’s to be done is hope that a few drills in training will clear out the bugs.

From another scoring perspective, there will also be concern at the fact that only one goal was scored – indeed only one goalscoring chance was created – despite so much of the game being played in the Louth end of the field. However again this can be put down to one off day – a team that scored 8 goals in NFL division 1A against the cream of the country does not suddenly forget how to hit the net.

From a more positive perspective, one of the most pleasing aspects to Sunday was the fine fielding display by the Offaly team. This is an aspect of play that has greatly troubled Offaly sides in recent years, and Alan McNamee in particular laid to rest any doubts about who should take the second midfield slot with a commanding display. Neville Coughlan, Colm Quinn and Scott Brady all made fine overhead catches on occasion also, and going into a game against the towering duo of Padraig Clancy and Noel Garvan this will have caused immense satisfaction.

Above all though, credit must go the overall link play and teamwork that was shown. 18 wides and four balls dropped into the keepers hands may look profligate, but allied to 16 scores it meant that 38 scoring chances were created, which is a fantastic statistic. Players like Shane Sullivan, Barry Mooney, both midfielders and debutante Damien Hunt were integral to the fast passing style on display, and if this level of performance can be maintained, Offaly have every chance of at the very least engaging our neighbours to the south in the kind of close encounter that has been a hall mark of this rivalry down the years. Headquarters in three weeks awaits.

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TheManFromFerbane
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Post by TheManFromFerbane »

any chance of individual ratings for each player and the management LS? I for one was disappointed that the young players in the team were not given a run out when it was obvious that the game was won. Neither John Kenny or Mark Daly are in need of championship experience and there were plenty of young lads on the subs bench that could have done with the chance, even if it wasn't a championship feel to the game, there was a big crowed there and maybe their desire to make an impression could have lifted a game that was well dead at that stage, not very happy at all to be honest with that aspect.

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azoffaly
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Ratings

Post by azoffaly »

If I may....

Pauric Kelly - 7. Little enough to do, as indicated by LS report above. Dealt comfortably with the high balls, which is a bonus, and closed down JP Rooney well, forcing the blaze over the bar in the second half.

Cathal Daly - 8. Cathal was having a great game, and had Stanfield in his pocket, but a worrying lack of discipline led to him getting the line at the end. A timely reminder for closer days ahead , methinks.

Conor Evans - 9 Great game from the Ginger supremo. He will face more mobile forwards than the rotund Rooney later in the year, but he gave a typical Evans performance. Diving in, breaking balls, Bulling his man around. Good stuff even if you would worry about him against a Dennis Glennon for example.

Scott Brady - 8 A sold performance from the Clara man, although in fairness, Louth's penchant for playing the third full forward out around the 40 led to Scott being in familiar territory. Still, he won nearly every ball between them, and helped out well with the attacks. Showed he is a back with some typical no 4 shooting, but that is not a major worry.

Barry Mooney - 7 El Capitano had a solid game, without ever really dominating. Was involved in a few attacks up field, but overall a quiet enough display.

Shane Sullivan - 7 Again, another composed and collected performance from an Offaly defender. Won a lot of ball, due in no small part to the abysmal Louth passing, but in fairness he used it well, and looked promising in the pivotal defensive position.

Karl Slattery - 7 Another that fits in to the solid yet unspectacular category. Our most attack minded half back didn't bother too much with that aspect of the game, apart from a couple of runs in the first half, one of which ended with a soft free which was tapped over by Colm Quinn. Much more to come from the Gracefield man, but that's fine for early May.

Alan McNamee - 8 A great fielding display by Super, especially in the first half when the game was still somewhat close. Won a power of ball, and ran at the heart of the Louth defence to good effect. Needs to improve his decision making when close to goal though. Too many times his pass was not to the best placed player, and should have passed to one of three open forwards in goal territory in the second half. Still a hugely promising display, and one that will need to be built on fot the Laois twin towers.

Ciaran McManus - 7 The lesser of the midfield lights shining on Sunday, but only becuase of Alan's great first half. Came into the game with a vengence in the second half, and kicked a monster point to put an exclamation mark on Offaly's dominence. More encouraging for me was the pass that he sensibly gave to Niall Mc for a great point later on. When Ciaran allies his great running and driving ability to a sensible passing game, he is one of the best in the country still.

Neville Coughlan - 6 Quiet enough display from Neville. Never really tore at the Louth defense the way he can. A lot of this I feel can be attributed to the fact that Louth were packed inside their own half most of the time, and there was no real space to run into. Battled hard and caught a few nice balls, but again, another who will have far bigger impacts as the summer progresses.

Damien Hunt - 6 A mixed bag from the Doon man I felt. By no means a bad Championship debut, but at times I felt he struggled to get to the pace of the game, especially when he had the ball. Given that the pace was not half as frenetic as the Laois game will be, I worry about that. He did link up well, and took a nice point, but he will have to grow into this role fairly quickly to trouble Tom Kelly.

John Reynolds - 7 John was as industrious as ever, particularly in the first half, but again, too often his industry ends in nothing. One of several Offaly forwards guilty of dropping the ball short in his shots, and he is pure awkward when soloing with the ball. He gives 100% though, as was proven by his dive for the goal to beat the keeper.

Colm Quinn - 6 Not as influential as he has been in the league, although Louth's tactic of crowding the midfield severly limited his effectiveness in picking up breaking ball, and distributing it accurately. When he did gain possession he very rarely wasted it, and was very unlucky with a perceptive pass to James Coughlan, which just ran on too far and wide. Another of the more to come brigade.

Niall McNamee - 7 Despite scoring 5 good points from play, he will be a little disappointed with his first half showing especially. For a two man full forward line, himself and Jimmy did not show particularly well into the space. Whenever he gets the ball he remains a huge threat, but he will need to be much more clinical early in games when the tone is being set. He got fantastic scores late on, but a repeat of the first 25 minutes against Laois, and we may be facing an uphill battle.

James Coughlan - 6 As with Niall, he will be disappointed with some of his shooting, especially a real howler from a free in the second half. Still very elusive on the ball, and not afraid to take a shot, which is to be encouraged. As the second inside forward, he must also take a little flack for the movement, especially when you consider that when they did make the move they generally won possession and threatened immediately.

John Kenny - 7 Did well when he came on, especially in showing for the ball. In fairness to him, he is a lot of things but a corner forward is not one of them. Why one of the young forwards was not brought on to give a taster to, I don't know.

Mark Daly - 6 Another who did well when introduced, and another who really didn't need to be introduced. Dayler has a load of football played, on bigger days than this, and I would have put on a younger player instead. Having said that, he won ball, laid it off and continued Offaly's domination around the middle.

D'Management. - 6. It's hard to be critical of the management when your team wins by 9 and hits 18 wides, many from easy positions. Still I felt there was an opportunity to blood younger players when the game was clearly not going to be lost, and it wasn't taken. If this manager is afraid to bring on Keane, Quinn etc in a canter versus Louth, will he risk them against Laois in Croker? If he does, how will they react? Some of those questions could have been answered Sunday. Chance missed I think.

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Ratings

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Player Ratings

Post by Lone Shark »

As requested, player by player analysis from the eyes of the Lone Shark.

Podge - 7: Couldn’t be faulted for the goal, and did well in the few pressure situations he was in. Unusually for him, made several attempts to direct his kickouts, with mixed results. Could have got badly cought out when Rooney rounded him, but was saved by Evans.

Froggie – 8: Fine Display, completely in control all day. A man of either 29 or 30 (?) though should have more sense than to be getting upset by the attentions of an old corner forward that he was beating out the gate. Might teach him some sense.

Conor – 10: You have to give a ten sometimes, and this man was in complete control. Dominated his direct opponent all day, and saved Padraig Kelly’s blushes when shoving Rooney over the line. Fantastic overall display, and I wouldn’t worry about him on faster lads either – if the corner backs around him do their job, Conor will be fine.

Brady – 8: As AZ mentioned, being brought out the pitch suited him down to the ground. Defended well, and made one spectacular catch. He might be a good centreback, but I still prefer him here where he can concentrate on defending first and foremost.

Barry – 6: Read the game very well, but I thought for a wing back and captain was not involved nearly enough. When he had so little to do defensively he could have contributed a lot more.

Shane Sull – 7: I thought he did very well from general play, and was a big part in Offaly’s ball retention and passing. Needs to stop hammering the ball up into the clouds though – or taking speculative shot attempts when under pressure. A little bit more discipline in how he plays the game could see him really grow into this role.

Slatts – 5: Game passed him by I thought, and his opposite number was Louth’s main influence. Has an awful lot more in him than this – but memories of previous tussles with Munnelly should bring it out in him.

Mad Mac – 8: I thought he actually did very well. Covered an awful lot of ground, a few very good passes, and 2/3 from long range frees. His score from play might have been a bit of a Hail Mary all right, but I still think he’s doing a lot of good work.

Super – 9: Lived up to his name. Some good fielding, wonderful support play and tireless running. Garvan and Clancy will be a much bigger challenge, but Sunday was probably his best ever Championship display for Offaly.

Shaper – 6: Worryingly never seems to have the ball under complete control. Was responsible for a few of the bad wides, and although he had the beating of his opposite number on the wing, didn’t take him on nearly enough as the game went on. Good persistence for the goal though.

Hunt – 6: Took a while to settle into it, but once he found his feet he got involved well and was another key part of Offaly’s good link play. Deserved to stay on for the full match, and should start the next day. Marking Tom Kelly though he’ll have to be on his game from the start.

Neville – 5: Only marked so low because of the high standards he usually sets for himself. Very low profile game, and is another that will need to do an awful lot more marking Rooney the next day. Has it in him though.

Quinn – 7: Some of his shooting won’t please him, but did the playmaker thing well enough I thought. Never got dispossessed, and usually played a good ball in.

Niall – 7: We’ll just have to live with the fact that he’s not and probably never will be deadeye accurate. Very good under a high ball though, and has immense talent. He won’t chalk this down as one of his better games for Offaly, but to score five points from play when having a quiet game says a lot about him.

Jimmy – 6: Radar was off in a big way – and unlike Niall, Jimmy is picked for his ability to take points consistently and accurately. Kept plugging away though, which doesn’t always happen, and was very unlucky when Alan McNamee should have passed the ball in the second half – he was in the clear and ready to bear down on goals.

John Kenny – 7: Did fine with the couple of balls he got – one good pass. Still quite slow though, and just does not convince me as a forward at all. But hard to fault him on yesterday’s display.

Mark Daly – 6: Didn’t do anything to make me believe he should start the next day. One or tow good balls mixed with one or two stray efforts. He’s a good man to bring on late when the play has opened out a little, but isn’t the playmaker he sometimes tries to play like.

Management – 4: Some of this is based on what I’ve found out since – and certainly isn’t encouraging. Regarding the game, I agree wholeheartedly that it was an ideal game for the likes of Tommo, Keane or even Paschal to come in and get the feel of a championship game. It’s not like John Kenny needs the experience. Apparently though after the game – this I find highly odd – no-one from the management team came in to make any post match comment. Nothing along the lines “this is the first step on the road” or anything. Very odd, and the players thought so. I would have thought it would have been a good opportunity to keep momentum going. Another opportunity lost basically.

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No Post Game Discussion???

Post by Kevin »

What the hell!!!

I've never been involved in any sport where the manager/coach does not say something to the team afterwards (ever).

Plenty of times I wished not to hear the wrap-up, but at least it proved that the coaches were watching (some of) the game. As a player I always appreciated that much. I had plenty of coaches, some good, some average, some horrifying, but they all sat us down for a wrap-up.

I hope this doesn't happen again. Above all, we need a leader.

Kevin
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No Post Game Discussion???

Post by Kevin »

What the hell!!!

I've never been involved in any sport where the manager/coach does not say something to the team afterwards (ever).

Plenty of times I wished not to hear the wrap-up, but at least it proved that the coaches were watching (some of) the game. As a player I always appreciated that much. I had plenty of coaches, some good, some average, some horrifying, but they all sat us down for a wrap-up.

I hope this doesn't happen again. Above all, we need a leader.

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