USFC - Semi-Final - Armagh vs Derry 19.06.11

Armagh just imploded in second half. Second hammering in the space of 12 months. Armagh have become shockingly ***** in the past 3 weeks.

Derry comfortably the better team. They have some awesome forwards. Bradley, Gilligan and Lynch are different gravy when in the mood. James Kielt is the Xavi of Gaelic Football, and Muldoon is majestic too. There's been a group of Gaelic Footballers bursting to get out in that Derry side and just express themselves. Finally they're getting the chance. They will do well in the Ulster Final against either Donegal or Tyrone in my opinion, but rightly will be underdogs. Fair play to the man John Brennan too, he is everything people have been saying he is.

Armagh folded quite tamely in the end. Their half-forward line wasn't in it and they were reliant on Jamie Clarke too much. Stevie from Killeavy is not as good as six or seven years ago, not even near it. They couldn't cope with the Derry forwards either. All round it was disappointing from them after the loud noises made following the Down game.

I would also like to make a point about clean catching. I counted three good catches made by the lad Friel, and each time he was bottled up by three or four Armagh players. At no point, was he given an opportunity to play the ball, yet a free was always given against him. This is a flaw in the rules and it should be looked into. It harldy encourages the art of high fielding.

I am getting good at this.

Tipped Armagh to beat Down, and Now Derry to beat Armagh.

We should have a tipster section on here.

I said last year that Down were not in the top 4 in Ulster and people scorned, but looks that way now.

Brennan has an amazing management record at club level as many on here know, and he got the best out of the "old hands" today.

Brolly holds Brennan in high esteem anyway. Who are the clubs he's won all the county titles with?

Derry really showed their footballing pedigree today - some really nice footballers.

I hope they go on and win Ulster now.

There is a Tipster section Patrique. I will send a private message with all the details. Newcomers are always welcome.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote: James Kielt is the Xavi of Gaelic Football,

Except Xavi actually gets on the ball and makes things happen. Kielt will be lucky to hang onto his place for the final, especially if O'Kane and O'Boyle are back.

Good performance today by Derry against a naive and disappointing Armagh. Tyrone or Donegal will be much tougher to break down.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote: James Kielt is the Xavi of Gaelic Football,

Except Xavi actually gets on the ball and makes things happen. Kielt will be lucky to hang onto his place for the final, especially if O'Kane and O'Boyle are back.

Good performance today by Derry against a naive and disappointing Armagh. Tyrone or Donegal will be much tougher to break down.

Indeed they will. There could also be an issue of Derry players getting a bit arrogant after this win. Although the manager seems to know how to get the maximum out of them in every game. Kielt is a very good kicker but seems to let games pass him by at times too.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Half-Time. Very good game of enterprising football. Only negative is the large amount of yellow cards when there's barely been a dirty stroke in it. I hope nobody sees red.

Thought Goldrick was better than that alright. Think these assessors are putting refs under real pressure .... Not good for game at all.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Half-Time. Very good game of enterprising football. Only negative is the large amount of yellow cards when there's barely been a dirty stroke in it. I hope nobody sees red.

Thought Goldrick was better than that alright. Think these assessors are putting refs under real pressure .... Not good for game at all.

Yeah I assume as much myself.

It appears as if they are being instructed to hand yellow cards out at any possible opportunity.

Really dosen't help make the game spectacle wise. There must have been 9 or 10 yellows in it and only for one or two heated exchanges near the end, where Andy Mallon was actually lucky not to get a red, it was played in great spirit. Common sense is not in the rulebook but the referees should have a certain freedom to officiate a game as they see fit.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Common sense is not in the rulebook but the referees should have a certain freedom to officiate a game as they see fit.

Like Pat Mc maybe .....

Ah the memories came flooding back today.....back in 2008 us Down boys sent Tyrone packing, people called for Harte to stand down, that Tyrone were done. That Down team was exposed as average by Armagh in the next round while Tyrone went on to win a third All-Ireland.

So, a few weeks back when Armagh were given the perfect draw to start their campaign I half expected them to get fired up and beat Down because there was massive incentive but fully expected them to lose in the semi-final. Just like we did in 2008, Armagh treated a first round game like an All-Ireland final and paid the price.

Yet no matter how many Ulster 'ambushes' we see everyone begins ranking teams based on their provincial performance.

Patrique, to come out and say that Down aren't in the top 4 in Ulster is pretty silly. Were Down a better team in 2008 than Tyrone? Were Monaghan a better team then Armagh in 2003? Don't base your conclusions on a first round Ulster game, the ultimate banana skin in Gaelic games. All bias aside, let's remember that Down were in an All-Ireland final last year, hammering Kerry along the way, and lost by a single point to Cork. They were the highest finishing Ulster team in the NFL, losing to the 'big 3' away from home. Now I'm not saying that makes us the best team in Ulster, but it certainly doesn't suggest we're outside the top 4 in the province.

On the question of whether the top Ulster teams are all 'equal' now...we can't be sure at this stage. Donegal...I'm not convinced yet because they, alongside Derry, are Ulster's perennial under-achievers and to me remain untested. Murphy, McBrearty, and McFadden could well be match winners in the big games but we'll just have to wait and see. So I'm also reserving my judgement on Derry. Yes, they played well today, but Armagh in my opinion are an average side who did well to exploit a horrendous Down full back line and an overall complacent team (still having nightmares about the Down half back line's refusal to stay in position but anyway...). Tyrone are Tyrone, they have a great manager and seasoned game winners; they can never be written off despite the fact they have indeed seemed to have lost that swagger of the previous decade.

Dare I say it but I think Down and Tyrone would still be considered the northern 'teams to beat'. Tyrone may not have the same power that won them 3 All-Ireland titles but they still have top footballing pedigree. Down (and don't think I'm writing off the possibility of a disastrous qualifier campaign) proved last year that, despite a suspect full back line and tendency to panic when in difficulty, they can mix it with the top dogs when in form. They were extremely poor against Armagh but could well benefit from a low key qualifier run. Derry and Donegal are looking very promising and even if one of them goes on to win Ulster, until I see them prove their capability to remain in contention until August I will remain unconvinced.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Half-Time. Very good game of enterprising football. Only negative is the large amount of yellow cards when there's barely been a dirty stroke in it. I hope nobody sees red.

Thought Goldrick was better than that alright. Think these assessors are putting refs under real pressure .... Not good for game at all.

Yeah I assume as much myself.

It appears as if they are being instructed to hand yellow cards out at any possible opportunity.

Really dosen't help make the game spectacle wise. There must have been 9 or 10 yellows in it and only for one or two heated exchanges near the end, where Andy Mallon was actually lucky not to get a red, it was played in great spirit. Common sense is not in the rulebook but the referees should have a certain freedom to officiate a game as they see fit.

Diver was lucky to stay on the pitch after kicking Toner in the face.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Brolly holds Brennan in high esteem anyway. Who are the clubs he's won all the county titles with?

Derry really showed their footballing pedigree today - some really nice footballers.

I hope they go on and win Ulster now.

There is a Tipster section Patrique. I will send a private message with all the details. Newcomers are always welcome.

He won Antrim with Cargin which is no mean feat. Cargin had the best team for years but set out for the final in Belfast every year with the attitude that the "City Slickers" would rob them so they lost football finals a lot, even lost one to a hurling team one year.

But they won with Brennan, and he managed a few in Derry and Tyrone as well.

GAA-Fan wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Half-Time. Very good game of enterprising football. Only negative is the large amount of yellow cards when there's barely been a dirty stroke in it. I hope nobody sees red.

Thought Goldrick was better than that alright. Think these assessors are putting refs under real pressure .... Not good for game at all.

Yeah I assume as much myself.

It appears as if they are being instructed to hand yellow cards out at any possible opportunity.

Really dosen't help make the game spectacle wise. There must have been 9 or 10 yellows in it and only for one or two heated exchanges near the end, where Andy Mallon was actually lucky not to get a red, it was played in great spirit. Common sense is not in the rulebook but the referees should have a certain freedom to officiate a game as they see fit.

Diver was lucky to stay on the pitch after kicking Toner in the face.

That was a tough one to call. Every second time it showed the replay, I thought there was intent. Every other time, it looked like he was just having a Klinsmann moment. On that point, I thought Derry had midfield problems? The two lads certainly dominated the middle third yesterday.

Very enjoyable match,Derry v Armagh. Good football and great scores. Good advertisement for Ulster football.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:

GAA-Fan wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Half-Time. Very good game of enterprising football. Only negative is the large amount of yellow cards when there's barely been a dirty stroke in it. I hope nobody sees red.

Thought Goldrick was better than that alright. Think these assessors are putting refs under real pressure .... Not good for game at all.

Yeah I assume as much myself.

It appears as if they are being instructed to hand yellow cards out at any possible opportunity.

Really dosen't help make the game spectacle wise. There must have been 9 or 10 yellows in it and only for one or two heated exchanges near the end, where Andy Mallon was actually lucky not to get a red, it was played in great spirit. Common sense is not in the rulebook but the referees should have a certain freedom to officiate a game as they see fit.

Diver was lucky to stay on the pitch after kicking Toner in the face.

That was a tough one to call. Every second time it showed the replay, I thought there was intent. Every other time, it looked like he was just having a Klinsmann moment. On that point, I thought Derry had midfield problems? The two lads certainly dominated the middle third yesterday.

It could have been either a yellow or red, but why Kernan was shown a Yellow card?
As soon as Donaghey got a yellow card I thought Armagh were screwed and 5 minutes later he backed out from a tackle which resulted in a goal for Derry. Playing Padden too far up the field reduced Clarke and Stevies room for roaming and Jamie was being double marked. Think when Stevie set up the goal he had four defenders around him, on another day though the chances he got he would have buried...off day? Past his best? remains to be seen.

Duffy should have started and Lavery.
Didnt even realise Tony Kernan was on the pitch untill he was substituted. Another depressing thing from years gone by is that players like Forker and Henderson have left and Henderson showed promise. McKeever should have been used as a Sweeper. This Armagh team are mentally weak and I would put the blame on the manager and co for that. Yes, they did drag themselves back into the game but it always looked like Derry were going to win from the start....Dont think Armagh strung two scores together. Then look at the menality of Donegal this year compared to previous years and Derry have also drastically improved. Im not suprised Armagh lost but wasn't expecting to get hammered and fair play to Derry. Hoping we have a similiar sort of recover to that of Dublin last year but would need a miracle for that!

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote: James Kielt is the Xavi of Gaelic Football,

Except Xavi actually gets on the ball and makes things happen. Kielt will be lucky to hang onto his place for the final, especially if O'Kane and O'Boyle are back.

Good performance today by Derry against a naive and disappointing Armagh. Tyrone or Donegal will be much tougher to break down.

To be perfectly honest I think Kielt is a class above O'Boyle, O'Boyle isnt a play maker he seems to need to be spoon fed, Great performance today by all the Derry players, Its always good to win a match but to do it in the style they did it was even more enjoyable, Best of luck to the boys in preparation of the Ulster final, DOIRE ABU

up.the.oak.trees wrote:Great performance today by all the Derry players,

Who did they beat today??????????? Jeeze two matches in two days - no wonder players are getting burned out!

Watched this match yesterday both sides were a credit to the game of footbal.Derry have to prove yet that they can do it consistently yet but based on yesterday at any rate they have the raw talent to go a long long way this Summer. I am delighted for my beloved Oak Leaf. Armagh would be about the last team I'd be wanting to face in the qualifiers, they were quite good themselves I thought but just blown away by the best Derry performance in years.

There are so many similarities with this current Derry team and last years Monaghan outfit who also gave Armagh a bit of a hiding last year at the same stage of the championship. Derry are big, strong and in Brennan they have someone who has them believing in themselves again. Brennan will have them fired up for either Tyrone or Donegal but i think that there will be no Ulster title for Derry but do expect them to reach the quarter finals and possibly even a semi final via the scenic route. Armagh are still a team in transition and have a bit to go. O'Rourke dithered with his decision making on the line and there was some head scratching going on with some of the switches made.

If they do meet Tyrone in the Ulster final it will be interesting to see how much room Bradley gets and also whether Gilligan or Muldoon will even get their hands on the ball as any time they have played Tyrone in the past they have been more than woeful against the county they have supported since childhood.

Derry have far more skilful footballers than Monaghan ever had, Mugsys. Whatever about comparisons between hunger and beating Armagh, there is no comparison in class.

Derry will beat Tyrone in the Ulster final - 2011 is a new dawn for Ulster football. Long term prediction is a few All-Irelands for them in the next few years, they will be flag-bearers of the famous Lamh Dhearg of Ulster. Forgive my ambitious predictions but that is how it will work out.

I think Derry and Monaghan are similar in terms of size and physicality but what impressed me most about Derry was there pace and skill in the forward line. All big men but absolute flying machines, reminded me a bit of the Cork forward line. Their defence and midfield were good as well. Beware Tyrone (if you get past Donegal)

Well, One swallow doesn't make a summer. Derry did enough to get by a Fermanagh team destined to be defeated by London at the weekend and beat an Armagh team that was hell bent on bringing their Mourne neighbours down to size and triumphed. Armagh played their Ulster final the same night as the champions league final and last weekend Derry simply had to get to a final to exorcize old ghosts. 3-14 against a disorganised and rudderless Armagh team is hardly worthy of the term "Class" at this early stage of the championship, There was no Bellew, McGeeney, McGrane or McConville to overcome. Armagh have a wonderful prospect in Jamie Clarke but Stevy couldn't hit a cow in the **** with a banjo at the moment, There are bigger tests for Derry to come and We'll see if they are worthy of such a label at the beginning of August when the champonship effectively starts.

John Brennan is now firmly in bonus territory having won the McKenna cup and achieved an Ulster final berth. If there is going to be a new name on the Anglo Celt this year It will be our opponents in this weekends game and not the oak leaf. I'd have more concern about getting past Donegal as facing Derry in the Ulster final. If the draw is favourable to Derry in the qualifiers they could make it to the quarter final stage this year and thats a prediction I'd be happy to stand by.

They have class footballers - class forwards. It's a long time since an Ulster county fielded six completely natural forwards like Derry did last weekend. The norm, for as long as I've been watching Ulster games, has been to go out with two surrogate defenders in the half-forward line, and a corner forward who'll drop back and scrap and spoil as well. It's refreshing to see such aggressive tactics from Derry. If nothing else, they deserve an Ulster title for rising the province up out of the doldrums of negativity.

They are now one game from Croke Park, and will have two bites of the cherry. Hopefully they only need one.

Donegal play way too miserably to defeat any half decent team. If Tyrone have any heart left in them, they should win. If not, then beauty will triumph force in the final. Otherwise it's a Derry - Tyrone final. I suspect if Derry were to pull off a shock in that one, then they would be in bonus territory. But they might also try and win the All-Ireland.

Loyal, Correct me if I'm wrong but Muldoon played in round the middle leaving a two man full forward line that Paddy O'Rourke chose not to protect and left Donaghy out to dry against Bradley, closely followed by McKeever and Mallon. Naeivty at its best, A sideline slaughter as Joe Brolly chose to describe it. I know you've maybe bought into the Spillane way of playing the game but this gung-ho approach will not win many games against tactically aware teams. Brennan is a wonderful motivator but his tactical prowess wouldn't be up there with the likes of Mickey Harte and his backroom team. I have afterall had first hand experience of Brennan in the past and know how he operates and uses an iron will to enforce his message of raw aggression.

Like I said earlier both Gilligan and Muldoon have never played well against Tyrone - Ever. Gilligan is a fantastic passer of the ball but is as slow as a wake especially if he is going to be deployed in the corner. Bradley will not be left alone against either Tyrone or Donegal. Lynch is playing very well at the moment, good going forward but not to sure how well he can defend. SL McGoldrick will play with heart and endevour but has along way to go before we can say he's worth a watching . Kielt I must admit has potential - A physically strong player with a fantastic left foot but drifts out of games for long periods.

I'll still stand over my prediction for Derry this year though and believe that the fruits of their efforts will be a glorious defeat in the quarter finals - similar to that of our southern neighbours Monaghan a few years ago with most of South Derry people hailing JB as the saviour of Derry football after the past failures of Moran, Crozier and Cassidy.

I also think that the winners of Ulster will come from this weekend's semi-final.

Derry played some lovely football in an open match against Armagh, but there is no way on earth that Tyrone/Donegal would be so naive as to leave their defence exposed.

Aside from the lack of cover at the back, Armagh's great failing was at midfield, an area they've struggled at since Paul McGrane's retirement. Derry cleaned them out in this area, and that is why Bradley, Gilligan and Lynch got so much ball. Give Conleth Gilligan and Enda Muldoon space and they will destroy you, but get close to them and they don't have the speed to make an impact.

Mark Lynch and James Kielt are both very hit and miss, while Eoin Bradley, talented though he is, can very easily be put off his game. Give them time and space and they can be lethal, but they won't get that in the final. The rest of the Derry side are plucky scrappers.

Overall, a good win for Derry, but they have probably the least talented squad of the remaining sides in Ulster. A win in the final would be a great result.