Derry vs Donegal USFC Quarter Final

John Brennan has openly stated that he held men back in the league in order to have a stronger team in the Championship as Derry attempt to build on last seasons Ulster Final appearance.

Donegal will surely be favourites being holders and while neither team had a good league campaign but Division 1 will have favoured Donegal.

I feel that we can shock them, it won't be pretty but it will be worth watching.........maybe

do you actually believe that he did hold men back BE or is this an attempt at mind games from the wily Brennan.

Murphy has completed a few training sessions now and that would suggest he will start the match which isnt good news for Derry.

Hard to see anything but a Donegal but we live in hope

I don't think he had a choice to be honest boc, our injury list was huge at one stage and if he really held men back then why did he insist on Paddy Bradley playing when the player himself expressed concerns.

I'm really interested to see how we perform this season, simply to see how good a manager John Brennan is. I have long been an admirer of his managerial record but would like to see if he can bring us on from last year. Getting knocked out on Saturday wouldn't be the end of the world, i personally think we should be bettering how we done last season and get to a Q/f, that would show improvement. Whether that actually happens is another story!

bald eagle wrote:I don't think he had a choice to be honest boc, our injury list was huge at one stage and if he really held men back then why did he insist on Paddy Bradley playing when the player himself expressed concerns.

I'm really interested to see how we perform this season, simply to see how good a manager John Brennan is. I have long been an admirer of his managerial record but would like to see if he can bring us on from last year. Getting knocked out on Saturday wouldn't be the end of the world, i personally think we should be bettering how we done last season and get to a Q/f, that would show improvement. Whether that actually happens is another story!

thats what i thought, what he says doesnt make sense, why would you hold guys back when you have an injury list like Derry had - unless of course it wasnt as bad as they made it out to be - and when guys need some serious game time so that they can hit the ground running come championship time.

The pressure is on Brennan a bit, he has a great record at club level and many saw him as the messiah as far as Derry football was concerned, hasnt worked out that way and this is now his 3rd year in charge. Time to piss or get off the pot John i would think.

Derry team named as follows

Derry (SFC v Donegal) -
B Gillis
J McCamley
C McKaigue
SL McGoldrick
B McGoldrick
M Craig
E Scullion
J Diver
M Friel
G O'Kane
M Lynch
E Lynn
C Gilligan
P Bradley
E McGuckian

on paper that team would need to play to their full potential to beat Donegal. But football isnt played on paper....................

This is Brennans second season Boc. Unfortunately i think it's a case of right man, wrong time. There is no doubting his record and he took us to an Ulster final last year, but as i have stated in other threads and posts, we simply don't have the players!

The man is in his mid 70's now and should have had the job years ago but the Derry county board at the time didn't want a man who would question them!

Derry have a good few underage players coming through, the Glen club have a brilliant convyer belt coming through and we are seeing the start of them with McCamley. Magherafelt Rossas youth system appears to be working for them also as they are trailblazing their way through the league so far. The future is looking bright for Derry when you look at the club scene underage, hopefully it can continue to prosper!

C'mon D ................. actually I don't really mind which of them wins ... ok .... erry then!

Was sure this was his 3rd year BE but I stand corrected. In that case I would give him this year and possibly next year to prove that progress is being made.

The lack of players does seem to be an issue alright, but there's always the question mark over Derry about their ability to play together as a 'team'. It's a long time since they looked like a cohesive unit who were all prepared to give 100% for one another......

I see on twitter that Stevie McDonnell reckons Derry could win this one, priced at 9/4 too.

Not sure I agree with him, Donegal hard to beat in Ballybofey and it will take a tactical master plan from JB to get Derry over the line but they have a chance.

Great start for McFadden - from two yards he managed to fist pass the ball wide!!!!!

Going to give this game a miss.

Whats the score?

GAA-Fan wrote:Going to give this game a miss.

Whats the score?

2 14 each after 30 mins

Stronger and better organised, Donegal are in complete control at half time, and should be further in front.

Derry seem clueless, but I think part of it is due lack of resources. Their players are desperately limited although, in fairness, their best player is still sitting on the bench. Can't see Derry getting back into this one.

It will take a very good side to get the better of Donegal this year, the more I see of them the more respect I have for Jim McGuinness

The performance was encouraging but needs context and there are still several area that will need to improve if Donegal are to move up a level.

The majority of our scores as they did against Cavan came at a stage when heads had dropped even if this was at a relatively early stage.
Both Derry and Cavan are below average in terms of physicality which makes them easy targets for the Donegal approach.
Whilst the number of scoring options coming from the back six is a huge positive on last yet Donegal were let do this by two teams who did not look at championship pace
Donegal still struggle to get ball into the full forward line. Murphy being the only option but he is needed as the playmaker
Karl Lacey is being asked to fill the Cassidy void and also man mark the oppositions scoring threat. That's fine if Derry have one option. What happens against Connolly,brogan,brogan or circa four scoring forwards on the cork team.
Big Neil looked good in both games but will be tested against a stronger mobile midfield.
A few careless wides today and wrong options from McGee and Gallagher, we can't be as wasteful on a tighter day.
That said players like mcglynn,mcloone,mchugh have improved in bounds and if youn make the other team give up after 20 mins it says something about intensity of approach.
A lot done but a lot more to do.

just back from the pub will post my thoughts later

I watched the first 10-15 minutes of this match and it was obvious even then that Derry were totally unprepared.

Surely someone in Derry realises what Donegal are about by now, no? Hoofing the ball up to Bradley and four Donegal men in the first ten minutes had all the signs of a team who hadn't a clue what they were about to face. All the forwards take way too much of thd ball too.

The good Donegal forwards have mastered the basics of modern forward play - break the first tackle, offload to supporting player. Derry were neither able to break tackles nor had any interest in supporting one another.

Brennan got this job about 40 years too late. He's the oldest manager in the country by about a dozen years and is nearly twice the age of the managers of Donegal, Down, Dublin and Kildare.

Donegal are looking good once again. The question was raised last season that players would quickly lose interest if Donegal persisted playing the way they do - as yet, no signs of that.

The match with Tyrone in 3 weeks will be a good battle but I'd be leaning towards the younger, hungrier, side, namely Donegal.

patsymc wrote:just back from the pub will post my thoughts later

On:
A. The pub.
B. The state of the nation.
C. Your personal issues (if any).

Please be more specific.

Boxtyeater wrote:

patsymc wrote:just back from the pub will post my thoughts later

On:
A. The pub.
B. The state of the nation.
C. Your personal issues (if any).

Please be more specific.

Maybe he means in entirety and they are in an SAE and will be with via postie nua shortly

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:I watched the first 10-15 minutes of this match and it was obvious even then that Derry were totally unprepared.

Surely someone in Derry realises what Donegal are about by now, no? Hoofing the ball up to Bradley and four Donegal men in the first ten minutes had all the signs of a team who hadn't a clue what they were about to face. All the forwards take way too much of thd ball too.

The good Donegal forwards have mastered the basics of modern forward play - break the first tackle, offload to supporting player. Derry were neither able to break tackles nor had any interest in supporting one another.

Brennan got this job about 40 years too late. He's the oldest manager in the country by about a dozen years and is nearly twice the age of the managers of Donegal, Down, Dublin and Kildare.

Donegal are looking good once again. The question was raised last season that players would quickly lose interest if Donegal persisted playing the way they do - as yet, no signs of that.

The match with Tyrone in 3 weeks will be a good battle but I'd be leaning towards the younger, hungrier, side, namely Donegal.

couldnt agree more Loyal, it was as if John Brennan was taking his team into the unknown as far as the opposition was concerned, by now every one knows the Donegal system and would set their team up accordingly.

It was difficult to fathom just what Derrys game plan was, i know Donegal got a grip on the game very early on but Derry were completely void of anything resembling a game plan. You can talk all you want about the quality of players available to Brennan but those that were on the field were totally clueless as to what was going on and for me the fault for that lays firmly at the managers door.

At times it looked like Donegal had extra men on the field, there was always 2 or 3 men on the overlap ready for the off load. I think its fair to say Derry have regressed and could easily be classed as the weakest county in Ulster at the minute.

Donegal on the other hand have moved on to another level and quite a number of their players appear to have improved quite a bit from last year, they are very fit with almost all showing great composure on the ball. That said some individuals were guilty of making poor pass/shot choices and that could cost them in a tighter game.

Are they All Ireland contenders? Probably no more so that Tyrone are, Murphy is needed in round the edge of the square and yet i think they need his presence out around the middle of the field too.

The semi final in a few weeks time will be interesting, Mickey Harte wont be found wanting when it comes to the tactical side of things in the same way Brennan was. Martin McHugh reckons Tyrone are a better footballing side and will win the game but something tells me he doesnt really believe that!!!!

patsymc wrote:just back from the pub will post my thoughts later

dont try posting your entries for the last 2 weeks tipster, Parouisa has already pulled that stunt and got badly caught out!!!!

Harsh in the extreme. He'd given a reasonable excuse. You're ruthless, but we know that already.

Post 'em up there Patsy.....

Donegal looked impressive, and look a better side than last year in many aspects. They are strong, very fit and organised, and have cover on the bench for everyone bar Lacey & Murphy. A few of their players seem to have improved from last year, McHugh and McBrearty are a year older and better, while I mentioned how impressed I was with Ryan Bradley a few months ago.

Derry were pathetic, and I've heard a number of people, both inside and outside the county, say that this was the worst Derry performance ever. They didn't look fit, strong or hungry, and there was no plan that I could see. Derry's tactics seemed to be limited to stopping Mark McHugh from getting on the ball and, on the few occasions that they had possession, lumping high, hopeful balls into the Donegal square, presumably to exploit some perceived aerial weakness in the Donegal full back line.

I feel sorry for John Brennan. He comes across as a robust but decent man, and he hasn't been helped by injuries this year. There are better players among the substitutes than what he selected yesterday, but perhaps too many of them were still struggling with knocks. In any event, though, the talent pool in Derry at present is very shallow. Brennan will feel embarrassed with that performance, and will not be impressed when he watches it back and sees footage of his subs sharing a joke midway through the second half. The Derry people deserve better than that.

Looking ahead, Tyrone/Donegal will be a fascinating tactical battle. I'm pretty sure that Martin McHugh was serious when he tipped Tyrone on the basis of having better footballers, but Donegal have bigger footballers, and that could be crucial. Donegal will be a bit concerned that they haven't had a test yet, as neither Cavan nor Derry were properly prepared, and both were too weak to compete with them. Tyrone will be different, and that should be a very interesting game.

As for Derry, they have to travel to Longford, a side who have lost only once this year. On Saturday's form, Derry will lose that game, but hopefully pride kicks in and they lift themselves over the next couple of weeks.

Thomas Clarke wrote:
Derry were pathetic, and I've heard a number of people, both inside and outside the county, say that this was the worst Derry performance ever. They didn't look fit, strong or hungry, and there was no plan that I could see.

I feel sorry for John Brennan. He comes across as a robust but decent man, and he hasn't been helped by injuries this year. There are better players among the substitutes than what he selected yesterday, but perhaps too many of them were still struggling with knocks. In any event, though, the talent pool in Derry at present is very shallow. Brennan will feel embarrassed with that performance, and will not be impressed when he watches it back and sees footage of his subs sharing a joke midway through the second half. The Derry people deserve better than that.

Can't really argue with any of that TC. Donegal played a great game, they were well drilled in their gameplan and they executed it brilliantly. Derry tried to match them in terms of gameplan, however Donegals disipline slowly choked any Derry threat by the 40th minute.

There seems to be a different, stronger mentality to this Donegal side than last year, a confidence player like McFadden seems to be becoming a more consistent player. I didn't think he started the game very well by his standards, previously i would have expected him to drop the head and miss loads, the opposite happened, he plugged away and his real game came through in the end.

McHugh said at the end that he though the Derry club scene was a sign of too much rivalry and this affected the county side, complete BS of the highest order! A lazy viewpoint from the man, the simple answer is that we just don't have the club scene anymore! The standard of club football has dropped so much in the last 10 years it's shocking, i have said before that An Lub and Coleraine have been the worst 2 sides i have ever seen become Derry champs, and the Ballinderry side that is current champs are the weakest i have seen in a long time.

All in all, this is possibily the second worst Derry performance i have seen, second only to the hammering by Tyrone a few years back (in Casement i think). We have Under 15-17 Development squads in Derry and have had so for a number of years, they must be scrapped and a focus put on developing the talented players from the 17-21 age group. We have more development officiers than ever before, yet we are producing less and less talented players! We have problems in Derry, it's time to honestly face up to them and address them. Coaching structures in place are NOT working and need to be addressed otherwise we will not see a national title for a long, long time!

Credit to Donegal, they were brilliant. More than a blanket was the term i used on Twitter to describe them as i felt it was a magnificent team performance from them. I'm not sue if they will account for Tyrone in the Semi-final, it depends what Tyrone turns up really, but i can see them getting to the last 4 in August. As for Derry, i will now be happy to get to the second qualifier round......