Cavan GG News

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Surprised Minagh hasn't made the starting line-up but Barkey is a player I'd have high hopes for. Ronan Flanagan at corner-back is an interesting move. Good to see Bud in the FF line - was wondering what had happened him. Really stood out two years ago for the u21s. No sign of Cullivan, Brady or McCutcheon? I fancy Cavan to get a win. Meath played Wexford in the O'Byrne Cup and they were very ordinary.

I think Minagh might be carrying an injury. Flanagan is a surprising choice at corner back. It would seem more likely that he'll swap with Waters but that could be a waste. Waters was fantastic operating further out in the McKenna Cup. Do you mean Jack Brady? I'd love to see him available but no U21's will be included until after their campaign.

Bud hasn't made any impact since that U21 campaign but the management are sticking with him, he has the pace and movement to be a decent corner forward and he plays consistently well for Belturbet. If he's not doing the business tomorrow I hope Martin Dunne gets a run. He's only played 1 half of football for Cavan in which he scored 5 points. The Gaels lads will tell you he's the ideal replacement for Jelly...

Tomorrow should give us a good indication of how we're coming on. All the conditioning in the world isn't any good if they can't control the scoreboard.

Jonsmith wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Surprised Minagh hasn't made the starting line-up but Barkey is a player I'd have high hopes for. Ronan Flanagan at corner-back is an interesting move. Good to see Bud in the FF line - was wondering what had happened him. Really stood out two years ago for the u21s. No sign of Cullivan, Brady or McCutcheon? I fancy Cavan to get a win. Meath played Wexford in the O'Byrne Cup and they were very ordinary.

I think Minagh might be carrying an injury. Flanagan is a surprising choice at corner back. It would seem more likely that he'll swap with Waters but that could be a waste. Waters was fantastic operating further out in the McKenna Cup. Do you mean Jack Brady? I'd love to see him available but no U21's will be included until after their campaign.

Bud hasn't made any impact since that U21 campaign but the management are sticking with him, he has the pace and movement to be a decent corner forward and he plays consistently well for Belturbet. If he's not doing the business tomorrow I hope Martin Dunne gets a run. He's only played 1 half of football for Cavan in which he scored 5 points. The Gaels lads will tell you he's the ideal replacement for Jelly...

Tomorrow should give us a good indication of how we're coming on. All the conditioning in the world isn't any good if they can't control the scoreboard.

Cavan wrap up their u21s in cotton wool. Meath had one starter tonight and brought on another a sub. Brady has promise. When he does get a run of games with the seniors, it'll be good to see how he gets on. Speaking of Dunne, what happened to Lorcan Dunne, the man who was tipped to solve Cavan's full-back problems? The centre of your defence looks suspect JS too, I would not be familiar with either man.

I don't know of a Lorcan Dunne.. If you're talking about Rory Dunne the Redhills man that marked Murphy in the 2010 U21 Ulster Final well he had a bad injury (cruciate I think) and the last time I saw him play was getting roasted at midfield by a lad from my Junior Club's reserve team..
I agree with holding the U21s for their campaign, Brady is already overloaded with football. He still has another year or two after this with the U21s.

The defence is very weak no two ways about it. Podge Reilly is the captain at Centre back. Began last year at midfield and then got injured at the start of the league, he won't leave you wanting for effort but he's rarely played very well for Cavan and at best he's a solid enough workhorse. McEnroe looked a better prospect in there last year. Sean McCormack I don't know much about, Ballyhaise man I think, a case of having nobody decent for the position so picking a new guy with no baggage and giving him a run of games at full back.

Sorry Rory Dunne I meant, don't know where I got Lorcan from. He had lots of potential, pity he got injured. Jimmy Mac Enroe was good last year - I would have him on my first fifteen.

3 goals conceded in the first 25 minutes..

4 goals conceded.. Woeful defence. Completely hammered at midfield too I hear. Good spread of scores up front. Have to win the next game or it's a relegation fight.

Mention of June 25 2011 brings back painful memories for Cavan football supporters.
That was the afternoon that saw Longford roll into town and consign the hosts to one of the most crushing defeats in recent championship history.
The only comparable loss could have been the replay against Tyrone in 2005, a day of high fives and backheels as the Red Hands put on an exhibition in Clones, but at least the opposition were the best side in the country. With all due respect to a seasoned, fit and focused Longford, they were a Division 4 side and yet were able to turn Cavan over in Breffni Park, weathering an early storm before running away with the tie late on.
In the second half, they simply tore us apart and the manner and margin of the loss were embarrassing and alarming.
But, time is a great healer. Cavan have as much training in the bank now as they had in high summer last year and the players and management deserve enormous credit for this. If there's any justice (and in sport, the cliché that you only get out what you put in usually rings true), then this young Cavan team will get their reward.
Because fitness is not an issue. Neither is heart or attitude, the ability to win primary possession around the middle or convert chances up front. What is a problem is a defence which has been leaking like a sieve.
Yes, we have a rookie full-back who has found the step up from Intermediate club football challenging, but the presence of Phil The Gunner or Gabriel Kelly minding the square wouldn't have stopped Wexford from creating the chances they did last week. The full-back is not to blame; the goalkeeper, a two-time All Star nominee who made a rare blunder for a goal last Sunday, isn't either. The fault lies with the the system, or at least Cavan's application of it. And systems can be tweaked.
The problem is a collective one, as Anthony Forde pointed out in his column in The Anglo-Celt last week.
"I don't know what it is about the system Cavan are trying to deploy, they're obviously trying a zonal system but while men are dropping back into space, they're not picking anybody up," wrote Forde.
"That was evident in the goals we conceded. Eric Bradley, who caused us trouble all day long, started the move in midfield for the last goal and when the centre-back came forward, two or three defenders went to him - there was no communication, and by this stage Bradley was totally unmarked around the back. He was one on one with James Reilly and he buried it.
"That was the pattern of almost the whole game. We were moving back and moving back into a zonal defence and allowing them to come on to us. At times the defenders did well dispossessing them and turning it over when Wexford were coming through but it's hard to do that every time."
Val Andrews is a man of great integrity so when he says that the National League is the priority, you tend to believe it. We're only one-seventh of the way through it but we're behind in our mission and if that ground isn't made up tonight, we're in massive trouble.
Sure as night follows day, there will be calls for the head of the manager and the season will unravel as young players lose confidence. It's a situation that must be avoided; that's how important this match is.
It's worth noting that Cavan's home record in the National League in recent seasons has been excellent. For all the criticism the team have received, this cannot be faulted. We haven't lost a league match in Kingspan Breffni Park since Tipp came calling in 2009 and in the period since, we've picked up wins over the likes of Offaly, Wexford, Roscommon, Tipp, Waterford, Louth, Fermanagh and Limerick.
Our downfall has come on the road, where we haven't won since February 2010 when we beat Roscommon in Hyde Park. This year, we have four home matches and if the trend of winning them continues - and McKenna Cup form suggests it might - then we'll push for promotion. Lose the first of them this evening to Longford, however, and we're in a scrap for survival.
It's stating the obvious but if we get the match-ups in defence right, which we didn't do last time against Longford, and if we can keep the figure in the "goals conceded" column to either 1 or 0, we can win this one. In Sean McCormack, Longford have one of the most reliable free-takers in the game and a player who could easily kick 0-10 or more, so the concession of frees must be kept to a minimum.
Simple things, yes, but important ones. Are we a couple of tweaks from a good team or no better than the one that fell to our neighbours last June?
Tonight will tell a tale and reveal all. Cavan to rise to the challenge and get their season back on track with a two-three point win.

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Good piece by Paul Fitzpatrick. Very good journalist with the Celt. Saturday's game is vital both for league survival and for the confidence of the players.

Good piece. The pain leaks out from the page.
Keep the heads up Cavan.

Cavan not too good in the second half tonight. Goal concession count considerably reduced but end result still the same. Back to the gym I think.

Another loss.Two points scored in the second half. Lost most of the breaks in the second half. A very young team. Work rate and effort not in question which are two things I looked forward to. If we had to convert a goal chance very early would have helped matters we seem to have a problem scoring goals now.

I will take the positives as we have tried the older lads with bad attitudes. However I have no problem taking in the lads who have trained hard and can lead and help the young lads. The Seanie issue is done he's gone and I say let him go his own choice. But I am reminded of the old Simpsons Chief Wiggim line.
"This is going to get worse before it gets better"

It's going to be a long year. We're facing a dogfight to stay up now, players beginning to grumble already with McCutcheon rumoured to have walked during the week and McKeever openly displeased about not getting a chance.

Andrews not inspiring confidence and unless there is some pluses to be taken from this year then our managerial revolving door system will continue.

Gearoid McKiernan and Ronan Flanagan drafted into the Ulster squad for tomorrow's inter pros. Well done lads!

Gearoid McKiernan and Ronan Flanagan well done lads!

James Reilly
Damien Barkey Damien O'Reilly Ronan Flanagan
Barry Watters Padraic O'Reilly Robert Maloney-Derham
David Givney Gearoid McKiernan
Niall Smith Mark McKeever Kevin Meehan
Niall McDermott Eugene Keating Martin Dunne

Team for tomorrow v Sligo. Another game another fullback.. Good to see McKeever getting a start at least. Can't see us getting anything from Sligo.

Jonsmith wrote: Can't see us getting anything from Sligo.

Well tip them then and you'll at least get 2 points on tipster ......

Parouisa wrote:

Jonsmith wrote: Can't see us getting anything from Sligo.

Well tip them then and you'll at least get 2 points on tipster ......

That I did Jayo...

Good win for Cavan. We let Sligo back into it when we should really have had the game out of sight at half time, kicked 14 wides also. Next up is Tipp in Thurles, need to be beating them and Offaly to avoid the drop I would imagine.

H'on Cavan!!

Early throw in down in Thurles and Cavan come away with a 4-10 to 14 point win. Well on top throughout. One more win should see us safe.

Jonsmith wrote:Early throw in down in Thurles and Cavan come away with a 4-10 to 14 point win. Well on top throughout. One more win should see us safe.

Cavan, Sligo and Carlow constantly fooking me up in Tipster ....