A year that started with University of Ulster Jordanstown visiting MacCumhaill Park in front of a few hundred hardy souls ended yesterday with 81,436 fans packed into Headquarters. We’ve had quite a journey in between and despite the agony of falling at the penultimate hurdle, the first year of The Messiah in charge has been brilliant for Donegal football.
17 games: 11 wins - 2 draws - 4 defeats culminating in two trophies for Tir Chonaill.
Yesterday raised the ire of most commentators and they are fully justified after what we saw at Croke Park. An ugly spectacle right from the off, this isn’t what we have in mind when we think of the big championship summer days. While some don’t agree with Jim McGuinness, it is understandable why he feels it necessary to adopt these tactics. He wants to win and he feels Donegal wont do so against the big boys by playing orthodox football. In truth if tactics and systems and the like weren’t such a feature of the modern game could anyone outside of Kerry, Cork and Dublin actually win the All-Ireland? Everyone is entitled to their opinion and philosophy and this is Jim’s - he’s the man at the helm so we will back him.
This team though have played most teams they’ve met off the park, both in terms of defence and offence. It is against the top bracket of teams that we have yet to figure out how to play the defensive system while still scoring enough to win. And you can be sure that Jim has ideas as to how to develop his team’s play to challenge the top table.
The portents of doom in the media believe that other teams will copy the McGuinness model but it isn’t as straight forward as many make out; it’s not simply a case of get everyone behind the ball and you’ll win games. The level of fitness required to play the system is phenomenal, and that doesn’t just happen with a decent pre-season. For a team to adopt this style of play they have to make a huge commitment and make sure they get into the required shape. That’s why not just any team can play this way, you have to commit to it 100%.
Take Laois for example. Both ourselves and Laois got promoted from Division Two and contested the league final back in April. Justin McNulty’s style of play and new found work ethic and fitness regime had many people considering Laois as a dark horse for the summer following the early rounds of the league. However after the heights they reached in beating Derry and Donegal in the group phase their season didn’t amount to much. This would suggest that they didn’t do the required work in the depths of winter and perhaps McNulty didn’t have the total dedication and buy-in of the players like Jim does.
It is easy for purists and pundits to give out about Donegal; these same people criticised us over the years for being party animals and free spirits with no backbone and no pride in the jersey. People also have to appreciate that we are not like Kerry who have four or five top class forwards who can win games on their own.
We do though have two of the game’s eminent stars in Messieurs Murphy and Lacey and the team is built around them. The latter’s knee injury yesterday prevented one of his customary tour de force displays and when he went off with half an hour to go we fell apart.
Michael did not have a good day at the office. The pressure on him is immense and while like any star he thrives on this pressure and responsibility, it can affect his performance if he is asked to take on a central playmaking role. If the opposition stop Murphy dictating, they can stop Donegal. Yesterday playing at centre forward pretty much everything was going to have to go through him if we were to put up a match winning score. Things didn’t really go for him – handling errors, turnovers and bad decisions; indeed he was lucky to stay on the field after an early incident with Rory O’Carroll. Yet for all his genius and magical moments he’s given us this year and previously, we have to remember he’s just 22 years old. There’s plenty more to come from Michael, let’s just be glad he’s a Donegal man.
Again you can see where the manager is coming from though on playing Murphy deep. You want your best players on the ball, involved in the game as much as possible. Yesterday Dublin left three defenders back to mark Colm McFadden; if Murphy was also alongside him they would have had a couple more back there. Long ball being kicked into him would have missed its target more times than it would have hit. So by bringing him out the field at least he is getting on the ball and having an impact. This ploy has worked on occasions this year, other times it hasn’t - unfortunately yesterday was the latter.
McFadden had the lonely role of Donegal’s sole forward yesterday and for the most part did very well, a few spilt balls apart. Without having direct experience of it it is hard to imagine how someone can play football and win the ball when there are three opposition defenders around you at all times. He coped well though and could have won the game had his shot after half time gone under rather than over the bar. Paddy McGrath, Ryan Bradley and Neil McGee were the other standouts yesterday - all have had fine seasons.
One major disappointment yesterday was that none of our substitutions had much of an impact. We have a strong squad with genuine depth and quality, which we didn’t have in recent years but it didn’t show yesterday. It was strange that neither Dermot Molloy nor Leo McLoone saw any action. Christy Toye’s replacement was no surprise – it’s just so difficult for a ball player like him to thread passes through to the scoring zone when there are so many bodies in the way and maybe starting him wasn’t the right call.
Our two most defensive orientated performances in this year's championship, and probably our two poorest, have been against Tyrone and Dublin. In between these were the excellent displays against Derry and Kildare, the common denominator – Murphy played at full forward. Had he been 100% fit against Kildare he may well have played a deeper role but with his hamstring trouble he had to stay close to goal. The challenge now for McGuinness is developing what is a sound defensive system into a more all round game plan and trying to extract even more from our talisman.
We have all the individual pieces of the jigsaw – putting them all together on the one day is the tricky bit. We have shown superb defensive displays, most notably against Tyrone (both league and championship) and Dublin. We’ve produced brilliant attacking play against Derry (again both league and championship) and Meath. We’ve ground out wins and draws when we had no right to against Kildare and Sligo. Our fitness is exceptional, work ethic and commitment as good as it’s ever been. Playing in Division One next year will help the team enormously in developing their play and trying to make it work against the likes of Dublin and Kerry.
The ultimate aim for any manager is to strike the perfect balance between defence and attack. Jim’s approach to this has been to set up a defensive system and try to blend in the natural ability Donegal has possessed for years rather than blending in defence to the ability. Without any doubt Donegal are a better team with The Messiah at the helm and each and every player in the squad has improved numerous aspects of their game – most notably fitness, attitude and honesty of effort. With the rugby world cup on the horizon, lyrics from one of the sport’s most famous anthems captures what the players have achieved this year….
Just to be the best I can, that’s the goal of every man
If I win, lose or draw, it’s a victory for all
Every member of the panel to a man has definitely reached this goal; indeed when the All Star awards are handed out in November there’ll be a number of Donegal players in the running. Add to that a Division Two title, the famine-ending Anglo Celt triumph and the never to be forgotten epic with Kildare - we’ve had a great season. One trophy eluded us but we are now firmly in the top four or five teams in the country and bringing Sam back to the hills under The Messiah’s tenure is a realistic ambition - don’t stop believin.
Before all that gets going again though it’ll be back to Ballybofey on freezing winter nights in January for the McKenna Cup – can’t wait!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Ar aghaidh linn!
How the hell did we pull that one out of the fire?!
An incredible finish, a thrilling climax at Croke Park and Dún na nGall have a semi final to get ready for, a first for eight years. To win a game like that in those circumstances is amazing, to put the emotions into words near impossible.
The big news all week was the state of talisman Michael Murphy’s hamstring and rumours that he wouldn’t make the starting fifteen proved to be true. We didn’t know for sure until after the national anthem and as the team got together for their final huddle, Murphy jogged away quietly and took his seat in the Hogan stand, with David Walsh coming onto the field. It was an interesting piece of psychology by the management team and set the tone for a battle of minds with Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney.
Michael presumably sat out training during the week and even though he wasn’t moving as freely as usual when he came on he still produced a fantastic display. His dink pick up along the sideline in the build up to the winning point had the usual mark of Murphy class stamped all over it. Just a few minutes before that his 50-yard free was remarkable. It was a long way out in any case but to get the distance, and of course the accuracy, was outstanding considering his injured hamstring. He now has four weeks to get right for the semi and hopefully the seventy minutes he ended up playing didn’t do any further damage.
Murphy’s partner in crime, Colm McFadden, had his worst day of the year. He didn’t really get into the game, and indeed there were rumours of an injury to him during the week’s build up as well. To have your two best attackers nowhere near their best and to still win was quite an achievement. It was up to other men to step up to the plate and be counted and that’s exactly what happened.
Christy Toye, who hadn’t donned a Donegal jersey in two years, slotted seamlessly back into inter county action, taking his goal wonderfully and a fine equaliser in extra time. He’s been here before of course, scoring great Croke Park goals against Meath and Armagh and he hasn’t lost any of his finishing ability.
Another man back from the wilderness was Eamonn McGee, replacing Paddy McGrath, another hamstring victim in the lead up to the game. Again he fitted in as if he was never gone and it gives an indication as to how well conditioned the entire squad is. Playing to such a specified system also makes it easier for a player to step in because he knows his job and these boys will do whatever they can for their leader Jim.
Eamonn’s younger brother Neil put in another imperious display, as he has been doing all year. Indeed since his joust with Paddy Bradley in 2008, where the Derry sharp shooter scored 0-10 points, McGee seems a different player. He was taught a harsh lesson that day and has improved immeasurably since and it could all culminate in an All Star award this year.
Even McGee though was outshone on the day by the great Karl Lacey. A double All Star, soon to be triple, and the way he’s played all year could see him in the shake up for the Player of the Year gong. The amount of turnovers he wins, his composure on the ball, his fitness all add up to make him a top class player. Donegal had gone three points down approaching half time in extra time and it was Lacey who scored the point just before the whistle that kept us in the game.
Geezer had his Kildare side set up well and had countered a lot of Donegal’s threats. We were wiped out in midfield, Paul Durcan’s kick outs were largely straight up the middle as his normal arrowed kicks, which have worked so well in games up to now, weren’t working as the white jerseys had the options covered.
But for all the talk of tactics, blankets and systems the last ten minutes was all about heart and belief. Four fantastic scores in ten minutes from Murphy, Toye and then the winner from the hero Kevin Cassidy. He showed great leadership and guts to even take it on, having missed an easier one off his left moments earlier. It was a monster of a point and it was a fitting score to win what was an almighty battle.
Saturday nights sitting in the wind and rain of MacCumhaill Park makes these days in Croke Park all the sweeter. Headquarters will be thronged with Donegal people for the semi final; others will watch from all parts of the world, as they did on Saturday. From Termon to Thailand, Dungloe to Dubai, Donegal people are starting to get that feeling - it’s been building steadily, The Messiah has led us to the last four and the bid for Sam is on.
So many things have changed in Donegal football since Crossmaglen last year but perhaps the biggest difference is the mental attitude of the players. All-Ireland champions Cork lost their heads yesterday when chasing the game against Mayo.
Donegal on the other hand kept theirs, kept playing football……kept believing.
Sure isn’t that what its all about.
An incredible finish, a thrilling climax at Croke Park and Dún na nGall have a semi final to get ready for, a first for eight years. To win a game like that in those circumstances is amazing, to put the emotions into words near impossible.
The big news all week was the state of talisman Michael Murphy’s hamstring and rumours that he wouldn’t make the starting fifteen proved to be true. We didn’t know for sure until after the national anthem and as the team got together for their final huddle, Murphy jogged away quietly and took his seat in the Hogan stand, with David Walsh coming onto the field. It was an interesting piece of psychology by the management team and set the tone for a battle of minds with Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney.
Michael presumably sat out training during the week and even though he wasn’t moving as freely as usual when he came on he still produced a fantastic display. His dink pick up along the sideline in the build up to the winning point had the usual mark of Murphy class stamped all over it. Just a few minutes before that his 50-yard free was remarkable. It was a long way out in any case but to get the distance, and of course the accuracy, was outstanding considering his injured hamstring. He now has four weeks to get right for the semi and hopefully the seventy minutes he ended up playing didn’t do any further damage.
Murphy’s partner in crime, Colm McFadden, had his worst day of the year. He didn’t really get into the game, and indeed there were rumours of an injury to him during the week’s build up as well. To have your two best attackers nowhere near their best and to still win was quite an achievement. It was up to other men to step up to the plate and be counted and that’s exactly what happened.
Christy Toye, who hadn’t donned a Donegal jersey in two years, slotted seamlessly back into inter county action, taking his goal wonderfully and a fine equaliser in extra time. He’s been here before of course, scoring great Croke Park goals against Meath and Armagh and he hasn’t lost any of his finishing ability.
Another man back from the wilderness was Eamonn McGee, replacing Paddy McGrath, another hamstring victim in the lead up to the game. Again he fitted in as if he was never gone and it gives an indication as to how well conditioned the entire squad is. Playing to such a specified system also makes it easier for a player to step in because he knows his job and these boys will do whatever they can for their leader Jim.
Eamonn’s younger brother Neil put in another imperious display, as he has been doing all year. Indeed since his joust with Paddy Bradley in 2008, where the Derry sharp shooter scored 0-10 points, McGee seems a different player. He was taught a harsh lesson that day and has improved immeasurably since and it could all culminate in an All Star award this year.
Even McGee though was outshone on the day by the great Karl Lacey. A double All Star, soon to be triple, and the way he’s played all year could see him in the shake up for the Player of the Year gong. The amount of turnovers he wins, his composure on the ball, his fitness all add up to make him a top class player. Donegal had gone three points down approaching half time in extra time and it was Lacey who scored the point just before the whistle that kept us in the game.
Geezer had his Kildare side set up well and had countered a lot of Donegal’s threats. We were wiped out in midfield, Paul Durcan’s kick outs were largely straight up the middle as his normal arrowed kicks, which have worked so well in games up to now, weren’t working as the white jerseys had the options covered.
But for all the talk of tactics, blankets and systems the last ten minutes was all about heart and belief. Four fantastic scores in ten minutes from Murphy, Toye and then the winner from the hero Kevin Cassidy. He showed great leadership and guts to even take it on, having missed an easier one off his left moments earlier. It was a monster of a point and it was a fitting score to win what was an almighty battle.
Saturday nights sitting in the wind and rain of MacCumhaill Park makes these days in Croke Park all the sweeter. Headquarters will be thronged with Donegal people for the semi final; others will watch from all parts of the world, as they did on Saturday. From Termon to Thailand, Dungloe to Dubai, Donegal people are starting to get that feeling - it’s been building steadily, The Messiah has led us to the last four and the bid for Sam is on.
So many things have changed in Donegal football since Crossmaglen last year but perhaps the biggest difference is the mental attitude of the players. All-Ireland champions Cork lost their heads yesterday when chasing the game against Mayo.
Donegal on the other hand kept theirs, kept playing football……kept believing.
Sure isn’t that what its all about.
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