SFC Qualifier Draw - Offaly vs Tyrone

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Ah come on lads? Of course he is a good footballer, who according to all and sundry on here a) Has been carrying an injury for most of the season, b) not as mobile as he was shall we say? A guy who as Lone Shark said bar a slack clearance could have finished this years championship without a score from play?
He was limping and should have been taken off last week with what appears to me (and has been quoted elsewhere) with a hamstring injury? And yet he is able to take part in an internal challenge game......2 days later, doesn't add up chaps!
If Shane was not injured then his performance last week was even more worrying. McDonnell can add who he likes to the squad, but given that there is only a week to get involved, hard to see the value of it.

On the other hand, could be a master stroke in enticing the likes of Mahon, Currams and Ryan into the football fold, guys who would be better net footballers than hurlers. But Shane Dooley is unlikely to turn his back on hurling for football, (he only came on as a sub against Ferbane recently remember?), Well , 50/50 with Currams as to which he may deliver best on.

Anyway, all the best to team and management, at least people are talking about the game and possible team which is a good thing!

[Kevin]

They have this Tyrone bunch set up as heavy favorites.

They play in something they call Division 1 I think.

Good luck to the players and management tomorrow. We know you'll do yourselves and your county proud.

Anything is possible. We are Offaly afterall...

COME ON OFFALY!!!!!!

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Good man Kevin, ya cant beat that American can do atitude!

But have we a team for tomorrow?

[kingscounty]

As i stick me auld green , white and gold flag out the bedroom window I hope to god we can pull off the shock of all shocks and get a win today. Best of luck to the foothurlers today!!

[durra1]

The scene from OCP must be like the voting when 'My Lovely Horse" made the eurovision final!

[DAF]

The weather was lovely in Tullamore this afternoon

[kingscounty]

Tyrone would need to train after that game today as Offaly were piss poor . After such a good display in the Kildare game we now find ourselves further back than we ever were and we are going to struggle big time in divison 3 next year. I know everyone will say Tyrone are together for years and training hard but our lads looked lost out there today with fitness and basic footballing skills like hand passing , they were meant to be training hard for the last 7 months or so, so either the training they were doing is way off what is needed or they were doing fuck all training. It was shameful to watch a score board reading at half time 0-15 to 0-01 .

[townman]

Shocking display, no heart belly for the fight, back to square one again bottom of the pile
in football again after that display, what would the score be if it was us who had to travel away
i'd hate to think .

i am sure there will be players looking for a new trainer like before after the dust settles on this

[allstar2010]

That was the most embarrassing experience ever to be at. I wanted to leave after 15min but foolishly stayed til near the end. We are light years behind ever challenging again. Think it's time to just give up on the football altogether and do what Kilkenny do, play in the junior championship and just concentrate solely on the hurling. County is too small to cater for both. At least we have some chance of progress the hurling as little as it maybe. Football is a joke, i counted ten handpasses to get the ball to midfield, what a joke I nearly fell asleep.

First half against the wind we decide to kickout to midfield and lose it everytime and then with the wind in second he goes short. We couldn't tackle, contest high balls or even kick the ball. Lads were afraid to shoot from the 20m line. Lads just pack it in.

[Hyper]

F...k off all star2010,and Loan Star, your comments on Friday - put it this way, very disappointed in you.Lads that is a serious Tyrone team,they will be around in August. Them boys have bursted their guts out for 7-8 months, do you think they want to be shipped that score today - give them a bit of slack,,,,,

[Lone Shark]

F...k off all star2010,and Loan Star, your comments on Friday - put it this way, very disappointed in you.Lads that is a serious Tyrone team,they will be around in August. Them boys have bursted their guts out for 7-8 months, do you think they want to be shipped that score today - give them a bit of slack,,,,,

Not sure if the latter part of that is aimed at me or not - if so, what comments are we referring to?

[Hyper]

LS, about not blaming lads for tipping over to america et al, whats fair/correct in that,leaving your team mates in the lurch?

[dubbiff]

Lads, a bit of perspective might not go astray here. We only aimed for promotion from Div4 and to give Kildare a right rattle with a fitter, more hardworking team than last year. Job done! Tyrone on the other hand were targeting the AI champs in their backyard secure in the knowledge that they have the squad to have a good run through the backdoor. They would expect to be involved in the Aug quarter finals weekend whereas we would be happy to win one qualifier game. These ambitions are both realistic and also light years apart. Fair play to McDonnell and all the lads who committed themselves for the last year and I hope they enjoy their break from the intercounty grind.

[Lone Shark]

Okay, glad to have that clarified.

I'm happy to stand by that - of course it's not ideal, but lads will be tied down long enough in their lives and it's not as if it's easy get work over here for a lot of these guys. Losing guys to the States before the qualifiers is to be expected, if McDonnell only wanted guys who were going to stay involved right throughout the summer regardless of results, he should have made that clear back in January.

Secondly yesterday's defeat was not about missing personnel either. The five lads might have helped limit the damage, but the scale and manner of yesterday's defeat was about a lot more than just the bodies on the field.

I appreciate the work that the lads have put in and I know all too well that it is a hugely significant commitment. However we took the field in two championship games this year with little or no prospect of victory in either. Yet the approach from the players on the grass was far different against Kildare. On an individual level, players have to ask why that was.

[the bare biffo]

However we took the field in two championship games this year with little or no prospect of victory in either. Yet the approach from the players on the grass was far different against Kildare. On an individual level, players have to ask why that was.

I'd say the answer is fairly straightforward and its all to do with what the players believe they can achieve and against that what is asked of them by their involvement in intercounty football.

1. Leinster Championship - players genuinely believe thay are capable of beating any other county in Leinster on a given day. There is a real possibility, depending on the draw of at least reaching a Leinster Final. (T Lyons abd K Kilmurray teams)
So for a Leinster Championship the players can, at least in their minds, see a tangible connection between the effort they are asked to put in and the possible rewards they can achieve.

2. Qualifiers - these offer nothing. The structure as referred to by McDonnell yesterday is wrong. a division 4 team is just as likely to meet the reigning or future all ireland champions in rd one as they are a team at their own standard and likewise through the rest of the rounds. And if you get a nice draw, so what if you beat Leitrim or Waterford or even Wexford or Louth in a meaningless game. You are going nowhere. The qualifiers in general serve two purposes, income generation and rehabilitation of the big teams who might lose out in the stupid provincial darw system that we have.