pony
Senior Member
Posts: 385
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Post by pony on Jul 11, 2006 17:14:52 GMT
RE: Colm Keys article "Perhaps there is also room for improvement in his current application to lifestyle and training." This particular line in the article is really annoying. This is hearsay that has been circulating around the county for a few weeks now and how this little p***k thinks he can put it on the national print is a disgrace. Cooper dragged our sorry asses to a national league title. He had 2 bad games against opposition that would be very hard to get motivated about. Myself personally think we as a county need to lay off gooch.in terms of expection. He is still very young. And there is so so much expected from him. Why not talk about a very promissing 2nd half display by gooch on sunday last. Gooch on the 40? No one can get it into him in the FF line so far. So maybe bring him to the ball???
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Post by mafi97 on Jul 11, 2006 17:19:20 GMT
Some time ago, I make the point that our Forward Line needed leadership. I made the case for moving Seamus Moynihan to Full-Forward and got flamed for my temerity in making such a suggestion. In the meantime, nothing has happened to change my opinion. 1. All are agreed that the Forward line is not working. So change is required, not tweaking. 2. Everybody bemoans the lack of fast low ball to the inside forwards. The problem is that with the modern game, there is so much clutter in the middle third, that the low ball in is not available as an option. To make the opening to get a clear route to deliver the Holy Grail of the low ball in, the ball has to be transferred so many times, a la soccer to keep changing the angle. So the concepts of early and low ball in are mutually exclusive. That is one of the reasons why Armagh have employed the diagonal ball (which is a high ball in). 3. We just dont have effective ball winners in the Full-Forward line. And it is unfair to expect Gooch to continue to play both ball-winner and finisher - and then to disparage him when he shows that he is part human. (Incidentally, if his name was Colm Murphy we would judge him to be one of the best of the Kerry players last Sunday). 4. We need a ball-winner inside - or at least someone who will fight for every ball. We are not going to get perfect ball going in - so we need to make do with what we are likely to get. 5. As currently deployed, the forward-line does not have any individual (apart from Gooch's brilliance) who has any of the attributes of leadership. 6. Moving Seamus there does three things. It presents a new energy field right up in enemy territory. It presents a new set of challenges for the opposition management. It provides Gooch and fellow riders with an old head and indomnitable spirit right up there with them. 7. Specifically for the Replay on Sunday, Cork will detail Canty to pick up Cooper. How about this. Get Moynihan to play on Canty and stick with him. Moynihan's marker will be drawn into the vortex. You now have Cooper, Canty, Moynihan and marker all bunched tightly together and their exact location in the gift of Cooper. NOW, you have created loads of space for the other forwards to rampage through. 8. If we progress further and meet up with likes of Francie Bellew, can we seriously suggest that some mix of our young ball-playing forwards will flourish in that theatre. 9. Moynihan no longer has the legs for the half-back line. It is too easy to devise a strategy to by-pass him. (Remember how Donegal utilised McHugh to by-pass Keith Barr in the '92 All-Ireland). But Seamus retains all his strength, experience, indomnitable spirit and innate football nous - which is exactly what we need in our inside line. 10. I also suggest that it is exactly what the Gooch needs. 11. Moving Moynihan in should be regarded as a strategic move while the other selection issues should be dealt with in a tactical sense. 12. I dont want to get sucked into picking the team - but I would love to try a Full-Forward Line of Cooper, Moynihan and MF Russell. Before dismissing it, think about it's possibilities. 13. The composition of the Full-Forward Line has been a core problem for some time. For all his great attributes, D. O'Cinneide was not a great one for providing a physical challenge. There was a consistent pattern to O'Cinneide's contribution. He always started off in exhilirating fashion but the graph always went downhill. Can you recall O'Cinneide playing a vital role in the last 20 minutes of any match? He was one man who would have benefitted from a Moynihan close to him - and then his full box of skills would have been on display for the the full 70 minutes. (BTW - this is not to knock O'Cinneide, but to illustrate a problem that has existed for some time and not been acknowledged). 14. In summary, Moynihan gives us an outlet for the less than perfect ball which is what we are going to get. Specifically for the Cork game, as Canty will certainly be deployed on Gooch, we can open acres of space in front of the Cork goal as explained above. 15. None of this makes the slightest bit of difference if the half-forward line does not stay in contact with the inside line. 16. It is time we snapped out of the shock induced by our Tyrone experience in 2003 and started to making strategic decisions based on what is best for us. 17. In the commercial world you will never be the leader if your sole focus is total emphasis on what the opposition are doing. You should be aware of their strategy and tactics but only for use as part of the overall mosaic from which your own strategy is derived. 18. The one thing I learned and totally imbibed as a young fella was that Kerry set the agenda. Let's get back and claim our heritage - which was not winning All-Ireland but displaying guts and spirit and never being beaten until the final whistle. If you discount the 4 and 3 in-a-row team, most of our All-Irelands were won by maximising our strengths and displaying attributes of fortitude coupled with brave decisions from the backroom boys. After all, where did the phrase "cute Kerryman" come from.
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pony
Senior Member
Posts: 385
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Post by pony on Jul 11, 2006 17:32:33 GMT
KYNORTH : Ease off on the players. Who the fcuk here has the right to criticise the management or players, eh?"
That is what i WAS trying to convey. I di not criticise any player here or managmen for that matter. I do not agree with the timing or sentement of this article!!!
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Post by realist on Jul 11, 2006 17:54:09 GMT
Hopefully an article(distastefull and all as it is) will fire gooch up to shove it up Mr. Keys anal passage! Might be just the motivation he needs! Journalists are your friend when your winning but by God will they crucify you when you're down!!!!! Go on the gooch. Do your stuff next Sunday. Of course if the other guys actually left the ball into him besides passing it across the field he might have some chance??
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Post by realist on Jul 11, 2006 17:54:52 GMT
Is Paddy Kelly gone to New York??? Joan maybe you can answer this one for me. Heard he was gone off the panel??
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Post by Owenabue on Jul 12, 2006 9:05:03 GMT
Mafi97 you suggested, "Cork will detail Canty to pick up Cooper. How about this. Get Moynihan to play on Canty and stick with him. Moynihan's marker will be drawn into the vortex. You now have Cooper, Canty, Moynihan and marker all bunched tightly together and their exact location in the gift of Cooper. NOW, you have created loads of space for the other forwards to rampage through".
Not being funny, but if Canty is told to mark Cooper, that’s what he’ll do. The idea of a forward is to get away from a defender so putting Moynihan marking Canty, what’s that about? Seriously, surely what Kerry should try to do is get space for the forwards, not to bunch up, especially if you’ve Canty is stuck in the middle of all of it. You have said you have created space, but you have also in effect sacrificed two Kerry players who are forwards over one Cork defender and you are also one forward down in this acres of space that you’ve created. The only thing ye should worry about is getting some one to pick up Canty when he takes one of his runs up field… although I’d nearly let him off, wouldn’t like to be the man with the job to try and stop him!
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Post by scoobydo on Jul 12, 2006 9:22:58 GMT
Watched the game again last night. I don't agree that its not possible to deliver a long ball, Cork did it virtually all day, they moved the ball quickly and did not take the ball into contact which most Kerry players seem determined to do. Kerry were unlucky at times with the way the ball broke. Kerry at the start of the 2nd half showed what they can do with a quick ball when they hit gooch and he put darren sullivan in for a point. If we kicked our frees as well as they did then we'll be in an all-ireland 1/4 final already. Bryan sheehan will develop on the back of last sunday. I can't see Kerry playing as badly as they did. I can see us winning by maybe 4 points on Sunday. Watch the game back on TV lads, you'll learn a lot from it
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Post by smellUlater on Jul 12, 2006 9:58:51 GMT
We 2 players down for Sunday it looks like. Donaghy definitely suspended and Declan O Sullivan hand is suppose to be heavily bandaged. Suspected broken
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Post by ruralgaa on Jul 12, 2006 10:05:16 GMT
Cork have named there team. Eoin Sexton is a direct replacement for Anthony Lynch.....other than that it is the same as the team that started sunday.
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KY50
Senior Member
Posts: 318
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Post by KY50 on Jul 12, 2006 11:43:11 GMT
Mafi97 I think has made some important points. I agree that Seamus should be tried at full forward. He has a footballing brain second to none and as a defender I would hate to mark him.He would also be able to look after the 2 corner forwards and would not be intimated by the kind of s***e that goes on.
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Post by Owenabue on Jul 12, 2006 11:56:40 GMT
KY50, I’m just wondering, what you mean by the kind of s^^^e that goes on?
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2006 11:59:41 GMT
The Kerry Senior Football Team to play Cork in Sunday's Bank Of Ireland Football Championship Replay will not be finalised until immediately before the game on Sunday due to a number of niggling injuries sustained in the drawn game.
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Jo90
Fanatical Member
Posts: 2,687
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Post by Jo90 on Jul 12, 2006 12:03:42 GMT
Good points Mafi97, although I also agree that you can't get someone in the fullforward line to mark one of the fullbacks, it's the other way around. Also I wouldn't agree about crowding Moynihan, Gooch and their two markers together - they should leave each other space until the ball goes into them. Gooch thrives on space. The main pluses are the leadership Seamus would give, the strength to burst through and his ability to beat any of the Cork backs in the air except maybe Canty who would be tied up with Gooch anyway. The negatives would be that's it'd be hard to keep someone like Seamus inside combatting his natural urge to come out the field, also he's legs are a bit slower so he wouldn't win too many sprints for the ball and you're not gong to get too many scores from play from him - he sometimes has difficulty making space for himself just kicking the ball never mind kicking a point. Might be worth a try particularly with Aidan O'Mahony having played blinders at centre-back all year. I can't believe that he's getting criticised by some - did you see the 50 yard run that set up either the equaliser or the go-ahead point when Cork lads were bouncing off him. He barely put a foot wrong all game.
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Post by fiorgael on Jul 12, 2006 12:26:15 GMT
Its a bad sign when kerry cant name their team until minutes before the throw in of a munster final. No player was replaced because of injury last Sunday. Obviously management havent a clue what team is goin to face cork on Sunday. I say bring tomas to midfield with Tommy Griffiin at wing back, drop declan sullivan (not going to happen though) play sean sullivan on the wing, bring in fitzmaurice to stop spillane coming out with the ball easily, drop brosnan, start darren sullivan, play mahony centre back, moynihan on wing & start tom sullivan in corner
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KY50
Senior Member
Posts: 318
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Post by KY50 on Jul 12, 2006 12:58:39 GMT
Owenabue, Generally you have defenders pulling ,dragging and holding our corner forwards.Sometimes goalkeepers poke their fingers into people etc..........
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Post by kerrygold on Jul 12, 2006 13:21:12 GMT
KY50, I’m just wondering, what you mean by the kind of s^^^e that goes on? at least 4 cork defenders took it in turns to hit up paul o connor every time they passed him when play was somewhere else,obviously a directive from squeakey clean king billy in the dressing room. not one senior kerry player bothered to do anything about it. sad really.
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Post by kerrygold on Jul 12, 2006 13:23:06 GMT
Its a bad sign when kerry cant name their team until minutes before the throw in of a munster final. No player was replaced because of injury last Sunday. Obviously management havent a clue what team is goin to face cork on Sunday. I say bring tomas to midfield with Tommy Griffiin at wing back, drop declan sullivan (not going to happen though) play sean sullivan on the wing, bring in fitzmaurice to stop spillane coming out with the ball easily, drop brosnan, start darren sullivan, play mahony centre back, moynihan on wing & start tom sullivan in corner obviously working on plan b,c,d,e and f, hope they dont forget plan a.
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Post by Owenabue on Jul 12, 2006 13:40:07 GMT
Not being smart but why did Moynihan get the yellow card so? I'm not saying Cork are perfectly innocent. I will try to get a tape of the game to watch it to see what ye are on about, because honestly I didn't notice it on Sunday, and I did not see it mentioned anywhere else either that the Cork backs are dirty players.
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Post by twohands on Jul 12, 2006 14:11:51 GMT
Owenabue, Generally you have defenders pulling ,dragging and holding our corner forwards.Sometimes goalkeepers poke their fingers into people etc.......... Cyclops was a Kerryman. I'm convinced of it. One eye and good at minding sheep. Seriously lads. This is the county whose manager whinges about the treatment his star corner forward gets and then sends a team out with a plan to stop a Cork back from getting forward by fouling him at every opportunity. This is the county whose corner backs push Fintan Goold in the back every time he goes for a ball. This is the county whose backs chop a Cork player down by elbowing him in the neck and claw at the face of another one. Cork's problem is they don't give ye half enough of it. As long as ye line out with Paul Galvin in your team, don't be expecting any sympathy.
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seamus
Fanatical Member
Posts: 2,741
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Post by seamus on Jul 12, 2006 14:21:41 GMT
Some time ago, I make the point that our Forward Line needed leadership. I made the case for moving Seamus Moynihan to Full-Forward and got flamed for my temerity in making such a suggestion. In the meantime, nothing has happened to change my opinion. 1. All are agreed that the Forward line is not working. So change is required, not tweaking. 2. Everybody bemoans the lack of fast low ball to the inside forwards. The problem is that with the modern game, there is so much clutter in the middle third, that the low ball in is not available as an option. To make the opening to get a clear route to deliver the Holy Grail of the low ball in, the ball has to be transferred so many times, a la soccer to keep changing the angle. So the concepts of early and low ball in are mutually exclusive. That is one of the reasons why Armagh have employed the diagonal ball (which is a high ball in). 3. We just dont have effective ball winners in the Full-Forward line. And it is unfair to expect Gooch to continue to play both ball-winner and finisher - and then to disparage him when he shows that he is part human. (Incidentally, if his name was Colm Murphy we would judge him to be one of the best of the Kerry players last Sunday). 4. We need a ball-winner inside - or at least someone who will fight for every ball. We are not going to get perfect ball going in - so we need to make do with what we are likely to get. 5. As currently deployed, the forward-line does not have any individual (apart from Gooch's brilliance) who has any of the attributes of leadership. 6. Moving Seamus there does three things. It presents a new energy field right up in enemy territory. It presents a new set of challenges for the opposition management. It provides Gooch and fellow riders with an old head and indomnitable spirit right up there with them. 7. Specifically for the Replay on Sunday, Cork will detail Canty to pick up Cooper. How about this. Get Moynihan to play on Canty and stick with him. Moynihan's marker will be drawn into the vortex. You now have Cooper, Canty, Moynihan and marker all bunched tightly together and their exact location in the gift of Cooper. NOW, you have created loads of space for the other forwards to rampage through. 8. If we progress further and meet up with likes of Francie Bellew, can we seriously suggest that some mix of our young ball-playing forwards will flourish in that theatre. 9. Moynihan no longer has the legs for the half-back line. It is too easy to devise a strategy to by-pass him. (Remember how Donegal utilised McHugh to by-pass Keith Barr in the '92 All-Ireland). But Seamus retains all his strength, experience, indomnitable spirit and innate football nous - which is exactly what we need in our inside line. 10. I also suggest that it is exactly what the Gooch needs. 11. Moving Moynihan in should be regarded as a strategic move while the other selection issues should be dealt with in a tactical sense. 12. I dont want to get sucked into picking the team - but I would love to try a Full-Forward Line of Cooper, Moynihan and MF Russell. Before dismissing it, think about it's possibilities. 13. The composition of the Full-Forward Line has been a core problem for some time. For all his great attributes, D. O'Cinneide was not a great one for providing a physical challenge. There was a consistent pattern to O'Cinneide's contribution. He always started off in exhilirating fashion but the graph always went downhill. Can you recall O'Cinneide playing a vital role in the last 20 minutes of any match? He was one man who would have benefitted from a Moynihan close to him - and then his full box of skills would have been on display for the the full 70 minutes. (BTW - this is not to knock O'Cinneide, but to illustrate a problem that has existed for some time and not been acknowledged). 14. In summary, Moynihan gives us an outlet for the less than perfect ball which is what we are going to get. Specifically for the Cork game, as Canty will certainly be deployed on Gooch, we can open acres of space in front of the Cork goal as explained above. 15. None of this makes the slightest bit of difference if the half-forward line does not stay in contact with the inside line. 16. It is time we snapped out of the shock induced by our Tyrone experience in 2003 and started to making strategic decisions based on what is best for us. 17. In the commercial world you will never be the leader if your sole focus is total emphasis on what the opposition are doing. You should be aware of their strategy and tactics but only for use as part of the overall mosaic from which your own strategy is derived. 18. The one thing I learned and totally imbibed as a young fella was that Kerry set the agenda. Let's get back and claim our heritage - which was not winning All-Ireland but displaying guts and spirit and never being beaten until the final whistle. If you discount the 4 and 3 in-a-row team, most of our All-Irelands were won by maximising our strengths and displaying attributes of fortitude coupled with brave decisions from the backroom boys. After all, where did the phrase "cute Kerryman" come from. Superb post. certainly got me thinking. I agree that kerry should set the agenda and tweaking is a waste of time. Might be worth a look.
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Jo90
Fanatical Member
Posts: 2,687
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Post by Jo90 on Jul 12, 2006 14:30:09 GMT
Owenabue, Generally you have defenders pulling ,dragging and holding our corner forwards.Sometimes goalkeepers poke their fingers into people etc.......... Cyclops was a Kerryman. I'm convinced of it. One eye and good at minding sheep. Seriously lads. This is the county whose manager whinges about the treatment his star corner forward gets and then sends a team out with a plan to stop a Cork back from getting forward by fouling him at every opportunity. This is the county whose corner backs push Fintan Goold in the back every time he goes for a ball. This is the county whose backs chop a Cork player down by elbowing him in the neck and claw at the face of another one. Cork's problem is they don't give ye half enough of it. As long as ye line out with Paul Galvin in your team, don't be expecting any sympathy. We're blind??? Kerry are only looking after themselves after last year's Munster Final where you had Philip Clifford's attempting to break Marc O Sé's leg and Brendan Jer committing the particularly heinous act of eye gouging. For virtually every Kerry attack in the 2nd half last Sunday Cork committed 3rd man tackles. Paul Galvin was Kerry's best player last Sunday by a mile and if we had a few more like him it wouldn't be a bad thing.
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Post by inforthebreaks on Jul 12, 2006 14:33:37 GMT
Owenabue, Generally you have defenders pulling ,dragging and holding our corner forwards.Sometimes goalkeepers poke their fingers into people etc.......... Cyclops was a Kerryman. I'm convinced of it. One eye and good at minding sheep. Seriously lads. This is the county whose manager whinges about the treatment his star corner forward gets and then sends a team out with a plan to stop a Cork back from getting forward by fouling him at every opportunity. This is the county whose corner backs push Fintan Goold in the back every time he goes for a ball. This is the county whose backs chop a Cork player down by elbowing him in the neck and claw at the face of another one. Cork's problem is they don't give ye half enough of it. As long as ye line out with Paul Galvin in your team, don't be expecting any sympathy. I hate to say it but Twohands is right. Kerry's backs are no angels. neither is Paul Galvin. But systematically going out and everyone hitting an 18 year old is inexcusable. anthony lynch has been around the block enough and is well able to handle paul galvin hitting him a few digs (although his red card might say hes not able for it) but picking on an 18 year old is cowardice. and the argument that "it's a mans game" wont wash
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Post by fiorgael on Jul 12, 2006 14:39:22 GMT
certainly from watching the game from the stands, i cant see where we can be complaining about cork being cynical or over zealous. Moynihan got a card for doing what all centre backs should do stopping the runner coming through the centre. As for the point a couple of posts back about Paul O Connor getting rattled off the ball, what can he expect - its senior championship football for gods sake. I remember one incident in the first half where cork had a free near d dugout and anthony lynchs run down the centre of field was deliberately blocked by galvin. Trying to start blaming cynical tactics for our problems is only glossing over the real football problems which will be exposed by armagh or even donegal for that matter later on.
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Post by Owenabue on Jul 12, 2006 14:43:18 GMT
Not really relevant mentioning Philip Clifford or Brendan Jer if neither of them are on the panel. I also remember seeing Goold getting a fair few belts the last day. Brendan Jer incident was not in the Munster Final, but in the semi-final.
I would also suggest ye look at who got cards on Sunday:
Cork - Anthony Lynch
Kerry - Kieran Donaghy
Yellow Cards:
Cork (3) - Anthony Lynch, Fintan Gould, Sean O'Brien
Kerry (5) - Kieran Donaghy (2), Seamus Moynihan, Tomas O Se, Aidan O'Mahony.
So are ye still going to tell me that the Kerry backs are clean players?
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RashersTierney
Senior Member
Ballymun is the North Kerry of Dublin,but quieter!
Posts: 369
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Post by RashersTierney on Jul 12, 2006 15:01:51 GMT
:PIf I may be so bold................I think the whole thing is way over-analysed! Of course, thats very interesting and entertaining, but as far as I can see it, and this goes universally for all sports analysis - take the recent World Cup for example - the game doesnt boil down to tactics, especially a replay. It comes down to the mental state and motivation of the players/teams when the game is at various crucial stages. Yes things change all the time, but the more they change...........etc. So for me the main questions are: Have Cork learned from their previous years where they put in one big performance and then went on holidays (mentally). also, take into account the difference to the two previous notable second classhes of these sides in the same championship - both were All-Ire Semis, in Croker, which all suits Kerry much better (traditionally & experience-wise). This game on Sunday is the Munster Final, in The Pairc, just one week after the first game. I think all these factors mean Cork will still be very competative, and from previous experience, may actually improve. So what about Kerry? Its very important that they dont go into this game with somewhere at the back of their minds the thought that it will be easy to beat Cork the second time out. If they have an innate belief of that, then fine, they will play well, and it will be very hard for Cork to overcome the psychological advantage. But if Kerry are just assuming it, then they will be in trouble. Of course, the motivation to avoid Armagh next round adds quite a big dollop of curry sauce to the outcome. In truth, I imagine that Kerry are actually itching to get Armagh, one way or another, and prove a point, whilst Cork just desperately need a win against Kerry and to avoid Armagh to have any hopes of going further. Therefore I think that gives a slight edge to Cork, in a roundabout way! Just on the point of tactics - if teams are crowding out the oppo forward line, then isnt the only solution to pull out the forwards? Kerry have some long-range point-takers, its just a question of them playing to form and doing the business against tight marking on the day. Thats motivation & confidence, right? This itself cant be planned, the players/team must be in the right frame of mind. Jacko has to get it right
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Joxer
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Posts: 1,365
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Post by Joxer on Jul 12, 2006 15:35:36 GMT
Nail on the head there rashers "Jacko has to get it right", its a big one for him, one of the biggest hes had to face and I think the delay in naming the team reflects that and has alot more significanse than niggling injuries...time will tell but Jacko hasn't left us down yet and I take him to get it right again.
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Post by kerryman on Jul 12, 2006 15:54:14 GMT
I don't care if Jack doesn't name the team until the final whistle so long as we beat Cork on Sunday. Tick tock tick tock, roll on Pair Ui Caoimh.
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RashersTierney
Senior Member
Ballymun is the North Kerry of Dublin,but quieter!
Posts: 369
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Post by RashersTierney on Jul 12, 2006 16:09:51 GMT
Any astute and honest coach will point out that if his team wins..............his tactics were brilliant, if not, then he got it all wrong. But the real point about it is, did the team play to their form? Players can adapt to tactics in a game, they should be able to, its a matter of being in the right frame of mind. Read that piece about Armaghs preparations in 2002, so many different little things, and in the end, they won by a point. And Ray Cosgrove hit the post. If Armagh had lost to Kerry, we'd all be saying it was the penalty miss that finsihed them, yet they came out in the 2nd half and did the business, against seemingly all the odds. Whats that down to? Mental toughness, balance, calmness and clear thinking. Read about how they achieved it, its a great insight into the difference between winning and losing. I dont have the link, but its in a recent thread on www.orchardcounty.com
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Post by realist on Jul 12, 2006 17:29:38 GMT
With all thi stalk of players being hit etc etc I have only one piece of advice for the lads on Sunday - HIT THE F*CKERS BACK AND NEVR MIND THE WHINGING!!IT'S A MANS GAME AND IF GUYS LIKE PAUL O CONNOR AREN'T ABLE TO LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES WELL THEN INTERCOUNTY FOOTBALL AINT THE PLACE FOR THEM! What are people suggesting? That people like the gooch or someone should come in and stand by his side?? Give me a brake. Now if it starts up well thats a different story - all for one and one for all rules of battle must them apply but other than that a guy must be able to look after himself!!
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Post by kerrygold on Jul 12, 2006 18:12:18 GMT
Some time ago, I make the point that our Forward Line needed leadership. I made the case for moving Seamus Moynihan to Full-Forward and got flamed for my temerity in making such a suggestion. In the meantime, nothing has happened to change my opinion. 1. All are agreed that the Forward line is not working. So change is required, not tweaking. 2. Everybody bemoans the lack of fast low ball to the inside forwards. The problem is that with the modern game, there is so much clutter in the middle third, that the low ball in is not available as an option. To make the opening to get a clear route to deliver the Holy Grail of the low ball in, the ball has to be transferred so many times, a la soccer to keep changing the angle. So the concepts of early and low ball in are mutually exclusive. That is one of the reasons why Armagh have employed the diagonal ball (which is a high ball in). 3. We just dont have effective ball winners in the Full-Forward line. And it is unfair to expect Gooch to continue to play both ball-winner and finisher - and then to disparage him when he shows that he is part human. (Incidentally, if his name was Colm Murphy we would judge him to be one of the best of the Kerry players last Sunday). 4. We need a ball-winner inside - or at least someone who will fight for every ball. We are not going to get perfect ball going in - so we need to make do with what we are likely to get. 5. As currently deployed, the forward-line does not have any individual (apart from Gooch's brilliance) who has any of the attributes of leadership. 6. Moving Seamus there does three things. It presents a new energy field right up in enemy territory. It presents a new set of challenges for the opposition management. It provides Gooch and fellow riders with an old head and indomnitable spirit right up there with them. 7. Specifically for the Replay on Sunday, Cork will detail Canty to pick up Cooper. How about this. Get Moynihan to play on Canty and stick with him. Moynihan's marker will be drawn into the vortex. You now have Cooper, Canty, Moynihan and marker all bunched tightly together and their exact location in the gift of Cooper. NOW, you have created loads of space for the other forwards to rampage through. 8. If we progress further and meet up with likes of Francie Bellew, can we seriously suggest that some mix of our young ball-playing forwards will flourish in that theatre. 9. Moynihan no longer has the legs for the half-back line. It is too easy to devise a strategy to by-pass him. (Remember how Donegal utilised McHugh to by-pass Keith Barr in the '92 All-Ireland). But Seamus retains all his strength, experience, indomnitable spirit and innate football nous - which is exactly what we need in our inside line. 10. I also suggest that it is exactly what the Gooch needs. 11. Moving Moynihan in should be regarded as a strategic move while the other selection issues should be dealt with in a tactical sense. 12. I dont want to get sucked into picking the team - but I would love to try a Full-Forward Line of Cooper, Moynihan and MF Russell. Before dismissing it, think about it's possibilities. 13. The composition of the Full-Forward Line has been a core problem for some time. For all his great attributes, D. O'Cinneide was not a great one for providing a physical challenge. There was a consistent pattern to O'Cinneide's contribution. He always started off in exhilirating fashion but the graph always went downhill. Can you recall O'Cinneide playing a vital role in the last 20 minutes of any match? He was one man who would have benefitted from a Moynihan close to him - and then his full box of skills would have been on display for the the full 70 minutes. (BTW - this is not to knock O'Cinneide, but to illustrate a problem that has existed for some time and not been acknowledged). 14. In summary, Moynihan gives us an outlet for the less than perfect ball which is what we are going to get. Specifically for the Cork game, as Canty will certainly be deployed on Gooch, we can open acres of space in front of the Cork goal as explained above. 15. None of this makes the slightest bit of difference if the half-forward line does not stay in contact with the inside line. 16. It is time we snapped out of the shock induced by our Tyrone experience in 2003 and started to making strategic decisions based on what is best for us. 17. In the commercial world you will never be the leader if your sole focus is total emphasis on what the opposition are doing. You should be aware of their strategy and tactics but only for use as part of the overall mosaic from which your own strategy is derived. 18. The one thing I learned and totally imbibed as a young fella was that Kerry set the agenda. Let's get back and claim our heritage - which was not winning All-Ireland but displaying guts and spirit and never being beaten until the final whistle. If you discount the 4 and 3 in-a-row team, most of our All-Irelands were won by maximising our strengths and displaying attributes of fortitude coupled with brave decisions from the backroom boys. After all, where did the phrase "cute Kerryman" come from. Superb post. certainly got me thinking. I agree that kerry should set the agenda and tweaking is a waste of time. Might be worth a look. weve had since last january seamus to make changes and set the agenda,but what has changed.We still haven't converted any of our big players to play as a ball winner at fullforward,we actually made no efforts in this department,weve done nothing to take the burden of the gooch,dec still roams the praiery,seamus still gets picked at no.6 but invariable can last the pace and gets moved to the wing,eamonn fitz is still warming the bench,what makes you think anything will change for sunday,it will proberly be same sh1te different week. A friend of mine,a former senior all ireland footballer from another county text me last week asking me to get him a ticket for the drawn game,early during the game eamonn fitz was warming up under us and he turned to me and said,"fitmaurice can't get on the team now,why,i've never seen him play a bad game for kerry,ever.whats the story there",in the same sentence he said to me,kerry have no target man at fullforward,in the bombers day in a situation like this the kerry players would be lamping the ball into him". If everyone else can see it why havent we done something about it by now.Rashers talks about mental attitude on a given day to win a match,yes hugely vital,but where has the form gone that kerry showed to beat laois and galway by 8 points to win the national league and dig out a last second victory out of a tight pitch in scotstown in monaghan,where?,it seems to have left the team starting with the waterford team. make no mistake about it,you cant just brush a performance like the one against waterford under the carpet. kerry will either flop badly the next day or either get the bit between their teeth and grind out a victory and get themselves back in the grove.the only positive that i will bring with me on my way to cork next sunday is that a cork team possibly playing to their optimum couldn't beat a really poor off form kerry team,they wern't good enough to cook kerrys goose.I really cant predict this one for the replay and i wont attempt too because i've no idea whats going on in the kerry camp at the moment,the heart says kerry will win by 3 or 4 points but there no rational or reasoning behind that feeling,just blinded loyalty to the kerry senior team built up over thirty years of following them through thick and thin. sam is waiting out there to be won this year if we are bold enough to make the changes and set the agenda,i dont believe any geniune contender in any provience has stood up yet,all still to play for,be bold jack and grab the jugerler,i wait with baited breath but i wont be holding it.
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