Mayo V Kildare

I am not sure we can implement the defensive system, regardless of how severe it us. Look back at some of Offaly's early scores for example. Their second point, we had three on two back for a 50-50 ball forward yet Emmet Bolton as the extra man took himself out of the play by getting completely positionally lost and ending up yards in front of where it lands. Their third point, we had 14 men in our own half yet they played a ball from the middle down the middle into the acres of spaces in front of the full-forward, he turned and popped over. For their fourth point, a lumped ball into the corner had Peter Kelly lose it over his had and by the time he recovered the man who got it on the stand side of him was inside of him. Their sixth point was from a free that came about because we touched it on the ground after a woeful hand-pass of about six feet under limited pressure. Then when the pressure came on in the second-half, their goal was from us overplaying it, their 13th point was a bad kickout as either Donnellan is too slow or the outfielders don't know the system in July, their 14th point came from a position here we had four defenders on their scorer and three chances to clear. On top of that there's a fear of putting boot to ball when we get cornered coming out of defence and there are men clear across the field in endless room. Offaly firstly couldn't profit from that and secondly cannot defend, whatever you say about Mayo they will profit with goals as they are faster, stronger and more ruthless, plus they can defend!

Which is short for we're f*cked.

Rex wrote:

Which is short for we're f*cked.

I'm not expecting a win. I am expecting us to compete. I am expecting us to leave everything out on the field and for the players to give it a really good shot.

All I want from Kildare football, management and players at all levels is that they make best use of what we have available to us.

If you die with your boots on, you cannot ask anymore. Sometimes you are beaten by a better team and there is no shame in that. Clare, Wexford and Westmeath were all shameful. Lets hope this isn't a repeat of same.

On the defending, If you put Peter Kelly, Fitzpatrick and Ollie beside most corner forwards in the country on the end line and both to sprint to the 45 in a race you will not find any of the 3 wanting for pace against almost anyone and even at that they wont be left standing. The problem is not pace, it's our defenders ability to read the game and anticipate whats happening in front of them. It's something that really needs to be worked on.

Who else is sensing one of our favourite type of results in Kildare... the moral victory!

Re defending - leaving aside systems, our full back line are nowhere near tight enough for my liking. Even with the kings of blanket defending, Donegal, they had a pair of absolute animals in the full back in the McGee brothers. McGuinness said his in his book that he suspected that Eamon had actually scared guys on the field and I can well believe him.

When you're playing an attacking style, it becomes even more paramount. Obviously I hate Dublin and Kilkenny, but you have to admire the manner the way Jim Gavin and Brian Cody insist that their defenders win their man to man battles. You better your direct opponent or you're sitting on the fucking sideline. It helps when you have such an extensive array of talent but it pays to be ruthless.

Anyway, when we play the blanket, it's like some kind of inverse of Tyrone / Donegal. I was at the first league game v Down last year and for one of their attacks in the first half, we got the entire 15 men behind the ball. Result? They scored. Honest to god - they scored.

You'd wonder how managers aren't carried by men in white coats half the time (and I'm not talking about umpires).

' Win the physical battle, then win the mental battle and then our football ability will win us the match ' has always been my mantra.

However as someone has previously stated you have to have the players capable of achieving the above against Mayo, not sure we have at this moment and time.

I am going to be optimistic and say we will still be in the game entering the last 10 minutes and who knows what might happen then.

All the above is based on not playing a very defensive system.

Cill Dara Ubu.

Rex wrote:

Which is short for we're f*cked.

Very good

Galway beat mayo in castlebar, fermanagh were a tad unlucky not to inflict the same... if our fellas can be positive and have a bit of belief in themselves why can't we beat them ?. If we approach it negatively then we're in big bother.. and I know it's not as simple as that.

Id taje a moral victory now

SeamusMurphy wrote:

Rex wrote:

Which is short for we're f*cked.

Very good

Galway beat mayo in castlebar,  fermanagh were a tad unlucky not to inflict the same... if our fellas can be positive and have a bit of belief in themselves why can't we beat them  ?. If we approach it negatively then we're in big bother.. and I know it's not as simple as that.

You left out Kildare's results / performances in that equation. And if Kildare have cause for optimism despite the average defending against Offaly, by virtue of showing guts and determination to dog it out after a dreadful loss, doesn't the same apply to Mayo after being six points down against Fermanagh, whose results and form under Pete McGrath are much superior to Offaly's. And if Mayo are slightly rehabilitated as Kildare are, haven't they just been in a completely different planet for the past three years?

That's not to say it won't happen and Kildare can definitely get scores. But I'd be very concerned by the defence without the sweepers. I would definitely play the two extra defenders + beg them not to give away so many silly frees + to maintain the concentration that has seen them concede some very poor goals. It's about pace and intent and energy with the ball then. But you've got to be still in the game with 50 minutes to go.

To be fair, I'd have probably said the same before Offaly. I'm told that game gave them a real infusion, that the buzz was good after. But then it was after the Cork game last year too. Fingers crossed.

Ohtoohtobe wrote:

Brilliant article from Darragh O Se and if he thinks Roscommon and Galway were afraid he should have seen us against Westmeath.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/darragh-%C3%B3-s%C3%A9-fear-doing-football-more-harm-than-defensive-systems-ever-will-1.2719455

I'd love to see us be a bit different. I'm not saying we have to go man for man and leave acres of space in our own half - by all means get extra bodies back when we don't have it.

But I do mean I'd love to see us go for the throat when we have the ball. For the first time in my life, we have a heap of forwards coming in the next few years who are capable of it.

You can do that AND be defensively sound though O2. The massive obvious problem has been the lack of movement and support for the player in possession, the absence of runners - one jogging instead of three sprinting off either shoulder, no-one taking defenders for a walk inside, no creation of space.

The thing is, even when there are numbers back, Kildare are still conceding dreadful frees. And the comedy of errors goal is happening a bit too regularly too.

Fingers toes and everything else crossed as usual Ogie... I suppose I was trying to look for any bit of positivity that can be gained.

This goes back to the league and the management not deciding to implement this system from day 1, this would have given us some hope of being familiar with it come championship.

What it would also have done is given the players the necessary belief that it would work as it is now, the players don't believe in it as evidenced by our first two performances against Wexford and Westmeath, this leaves us with the situation, go with a defensive system the players don't believe in or go at Mayo with the distinct possibility of getting hammered.

SeamusMurphy wrote:

Fingers toes and everything else crossed as usual Ogie... I suppose I was trying to look for any bit of positivity that can be gained.

No, you're right Seamus. As a supporter, you need that and I get it of course. If Mayo make no progress and are a basket case and haven't recovered, and Kildare have improved, there's a chance.

Good luck to the lads on Saturday evening. Up the Lilies!

Ok, here goes, I think that the seniors will lose by the same amount that the minors win by.   Work that one out.

Minors by 7.

Kildare to win .............. with the 7 point head start from the bookies. As for the real game, don't know what to expect but I'm optimistic about our chances because of Mayo's own issues.

Tyrell is out and Lyons is doubtful.. no left footer for frees, it's a concern.

Mayo (SFC v Kildare): David Clarke; Brendan Harrison, Kevin Keane, Keith Higgins; Lee Keegan, Colm Boyle, Patrick Durcan; Seamus O'Shea, Donal Vaughan; Kevin McLoughlin, Aidan O’Shea, Diarmuid O'Connor; Evan Regan, Andy Moran, Cillian O’Connor

There is an alternative left footer for frees if hes chosen in the starting 15 - Fionn Dowling

Lily8 wrote:

There is an alternative left footer for frees if hes chosen in the starting 15 - Fionn Dowling

Aye

On their best form that Mayo team would destroy us. Lets hope they are in serious decline and don't have the stomach for a fight anymore. I think our best hope is to really have a go at them and put up a decent score. If we try to play defensively I really fear for us.

Sums it up murof

Lily8 wrote:

There is an alternative left footer for frees if hes chosen in the starting 15 - Fionn Dowling

Think I'd prefer frank dowling
Sorry that's a bit harsh. Apologies

Kildare team

Donnellan, Fitzpatrick, Hyland, Lyons, Byrne, Doyle, Bolton, Moolick, Feely, M O'Flaherty, Conway, E O'Flaherty, McNally, Kelly, Flynn

2 changes - Fitzpatrick for Kelly and E O'Flaherty for Tyrell

Bench
McNamara, Kelly, O'Donoghue, Dowling, Smith, Healy, Callaghan, Murnaghan, O'Neill, K Cribben, Dar. Flynn

Tyrell, Dan Flynn and P Cribben all injured