offaly v limerick

[Kemo Sabe]

this is a massive game for the future of offaly football .i really feel if we go down we will feel the effects of it foe the next few years .id be confident of getting a result on sunday based on our home form to date .now is the time to get behind the team they need our support .offaly by 3 .

[sammythesnake]

cant say id be too bothered if they did get relegated after what they did to richie connor at start of year who was 10 times the player alot of them will ever be!!

[red exile]

not a very good post there sammy,div 3 status is vital in developing any sort of competitive team for championship football and no true offaly supporter will agree with u ,not even the great man himself, ,richie is still held in high esteem throught the county and what happened to him was due to a combination of unfortunate circumstances and bad timing with only half a team to work with

[Johnno81]

Very important game for us, hopefully are good home form continues!! Limerick seem to be solid but unspectacular going by their results so a tight game is on the cards. I think the two weeks since the down game will help us as the away games have shown how far in terms of fitness we are behind the rest.. The match in Newry was out fourth match in a row and it showed in the second half though i think the second goal killed us as the heads dropped.

Offaly by two.

Come on the Faithful!!!!

[black and red exile]

This Limerick team are a decent side. They were only a minute away from beating Cork in last year's championship, hammered Meath in the Gaelic grounds and were very unlucky to get pipped by Kildare in the qualifers and don't forget they beat Down by a point a few weeks ago. Their giant midfielder Galvin is a real powerhouse and I can't see us getting any foothold there at all. If this match was in Kilmallock or the Gaelic grounds I wouldn't give us a chance but we have obviously a better hope in Tullamore. A real nailbiter in store but something tells me we might need help from somewhere else. Verdict. A DRAW.

[Kevin]

Looks like we pulled through here.

Nice job lads. Something to build on!

[Bord na Mona man]

Typical Offaly, build up an 11 point lead and be left hanging on for dear life in the end. Though they played most of the game with 14 men with Ward getting sent off in the first half.

Though they were close in the end, Limerick were poor. No sense of urgency about them, even though they were in a relegation situation. Their full back line was very poor. even with 14 men, Offaly always looked like causing them trouble once they crossed the '45. Offaly could have scored 4 goals today. McManus hit the inside of the post when he was through one-on-one with the keeper. The goals came from Reynolds and a Niall Mac penalty. At that stage Offaly were queueing up for scores.

Offaly as you'd almost expect made life difficult for themselves in the 2nd half. A couple of giveaway frees got wind assisted Limerick to within 7. A punched Limerick goal from a high Garryowen suddenly made it a 4 point game with about 20 minutes left.
For the next few minutes Offaly managed to lift their game but hit a few wides and got one point.
When the next Limerick goal went in their was only 2 in it. Luckily McManus and Reynolds knocked over a couple of points to keep daylight in it.

You almost felt it was a game destined for Limerick to win with a scrappy last minute goal. Thankfully it never happened and Offaly preserve their Division 3 status. Something I didn't believe was possible on February 1st after the Roscommon game.

[bula bula]

Really glad to get the win and stay up which was vital for improvement of this team. Also good to see the football that was played up to the sending off which was some of the best that we have produced in a while. Will not go in to the sending off as there is another thread on it but there is no doubt it was the defining moment in the game and had the possibility to be a defining moment of the next couple of years for this team. It was a toss up between Sean Ryan and Tommy Deehan for man of the match with John Reynolds, Matthew Mitchell and Slatts not far behind. I would normally be a fan of Alan Mac but this was the worst I have seen him. Not sure what the story is but we cant afford to be carrying someone the way that he is being carried at the moment. All in all the first half will give some confidence for the Kildare game and if we can play to that level and hopefully improve on it in some areas we would have a real live chance.

[Dynamite]

Happy that we're safe and happy with some of the performances on display on Sunday. Clara lads gave a very good account of themselves and why Sean Ryan was dragged is beyond me. I also thought Niall Smith was excellent again. When bringing on McManus though, why drag Sean Ryan? That left us effectively with 4 midfielders on the field. Why not drag Alan McNamee who had contributed nothing? Sean Ryan was a constant threat with his ability to run at the defence. On that, if Alan Mac is captain for the year, it surely makes him harder to drop? Surely your captain should be someone who leads by example, drives other players on and is always there to encourage and advise. Alan MacNamee at the moment is none of these. Myself, my father and a number of others were leaving O'Connor park on Sunday. Each of us rarely miss a match and we were discussing how he is still in the team, nevermind how he was made captain. One of the group chirpped up and said that "Ah he'll still give ya a big performance every now and again", firstly we told him, that isn't good enough, we need players in our team who will give you big performances every time. Secondly, with Alan McNamee, it simply isn't true. He hasn't put in a decent performance in close to three years now. At the moment he looks immobile, unfit and if I'm honest, uninterested. Limerick lads were ghosting by him as if he wasn't there, his attempts at a challenge were simply to stick out an arm. No desire to get stuck in, no desire to win the ball or stop the man. I don't think one person on this forum would honestly have him in their starting line-ups to face Kildare, yet we're being told he is not only going to be starting, but he's the captain? I'm sorry, but we're going into this game as big underdogs and there is no room for carrying a man who seems to be so immobile and clearly lacking the interest to get involved.

I'm sorry for picking on one player, but if any other player in the county was putting in these performances he'd be dropped, but for some reason this isn't happening with Alan and it's frustrating to watch.

Jesus, if the captain has to be a rhode man, why not Niall. He may not be the most vocal on the pitch, but he'll lead by example without a shadow of a doubt and he'll give 100% for 70 minutes.

[Silken Thomas]

My player ratings;

Alan Mulhall-7-Hardly inspired confidence especially when shirking responsibility for Limerick's Garryowen goal. Solid kickouts though.

Joe Quinn-8-Looked game from an early stage and carried ball through tackles, robbed prematurely by injury.

Conor Evans-8-An inspired first half where he consistently frustrated his opponent, was troubled thereafter by the mammooth presence of substitute Jason Stokes as the supply lines became all too frequent.

Brian Darby-8-Continues to belie his small stature with real workmanlike performances. Picked up an amount of short kick outs, scrapped for breaks and carried ball industriously. Was rewarded for his endeavour with a sublime score.

Stephen Lonergan-7-Aggressive and athletic he contributed well throughout but was exposed for Limerick's second goal.

Matthew Mitchell-6-Solid but definitly unspectacular. Seems to be lacking in confidence and is physically too small for centre back. Has serious talent so patience is required.

Karol Slattery-8-Roamed the park in pursuit of responsibility and was a valuable link man in defence and attack. A class act.

Conor Carroll-6-Bereft of confidence and seems uneasy in himself, offered only sideward handpasses.

Alan McNamee-7-Much maligned but was reasonably solid. Broke ball, passed well and even intercepted deliveries. Strong in possession.

John Reynolds-9-Extremely energetic and accurate. Proved many doubters wrong, temporarily at least.

Séan Ryan-8-His decision to concentrate on football has rewarded him handsomely. Gained and used a lot of possession productively. Non existent in the second moiety until ill-fated shot and substitution.

Niall Smith-7-Was busy and eager. Competed gamely at kick out time.

Thomas Deehan-7-Linked well with his attacking colleagues but could have converted more chances.

P.J. Ward-7-Was beginning to trouble Limerick until a moment of madness.

Niall McNamee-7-Appeared lazy and unfit but still managed to illuminate proceedings with sporadic touches of class.

[Bord na Mona man]

In fairness Alan McNamee actually played better on Sunday than the last time I saw him against Cavan.
He was never great at tackling and defending, but I can see why supporters aren't happy with his left than vigorous attempts to win back possession

In his favour, he does distribute the ball fairly well and is one of the few players in Offaly capable of catching a high ball, though I'd like to see him do it more often. I think it is worth giving him every opportunity to get himself up to championship pace.
He would be a good addition to Offaly if he plays well. If he isn't up to scratch, then at least the management gave him every chance to prove himself.

I'd be a bit concerned that Ciaran McManus started from the bench. Obviously he is working in England at the moment and that doesn't help matters. At this time of year, it would be great if he was back home and sharpening his ball skills. While I have no doubt, he will do every bit of fitness training required, his ball touches looked a little rusty.

We need to likes of McManus to get stuck into Kieran McGeeney's creatine fueled androids!
More evidence that Mac is needed was when Niall McNamee missed a '45. In championship we simply won't have the luxury of passing up on these scoring chances.