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WATCH: Donegal's defensive football is a thing of the past as the new guard step up

Rory Gallagher has overcome losing nine experienced players since last year, and this young Donegal team looks threatening.

The42.ie / YouTube

IT’S FIVE YEARS this year since Donegal brought Sam Maguire to The Hills under the stewardship of Jim McGuinness.

The defensive system he stuck by, although criticised by some, brought the Tír Chonaill men to All-Ireland glory in 2012, and back to the final in 2014.

Since then, his successor Rory Gallagher hasn’t been able to reach the same heights, making it as far as the quarter-finals before getting knocked out last year.

Drastic changes have happened in the northwest of the country since that August defeat to Dublin, however.

Many of the soldiers of 2012 are gone, and the defense-heavy style of play appears to have left with them.

Can Rory Gallagher steer this youthful side to silverware this year?

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    Mute Sean Lawlor
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    Oct 20th 2018, 2:59 PM

    That’s a huge blow to United’s europa league hopes

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    Paul
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    Mute Paul
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    Oct 20th 2018, 2:50 PM

    Yeah focus on the negative about Jose instead of the match result and performance typical.

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    Mute Gary Donlan
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    Oct 20th 2018, 8:54 PM

    @Paul: yeah, not one positive adjective about United’s performance in the whole article.

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    Mute James Clancy
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    Oct 20th 2018, 2:53 PM

    Bizarre that Mourinho was booed by the Chelsea fans. I missed portions of the match so might be missing something…

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    Mute Brian Curtin
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    Oct 20th 2018, 2:55 PM

    @James Clancy: it’s Chelsea fans, what do you expect?!!

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    Mute William Boland
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    Oct 20th 2018, 3:00 PM

    @James Clancy: United fans will boo him yet. It’s his scorched earth departures that cause it really.

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    Mute Scorpionvenomm
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    Oct 20th 2018, 6:23 PM

    @Brian Curtin: small club Chelsea

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    Mute dick dastardly
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    Oct 20th 2018, 4:33 PM

    Chelsea are a skummy club for the way they taunted Mourinho like that.would not expect anything more from the Chelsea blues Brothers supporters club.

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    Mute Michael Hoban
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    Oct 20th 2018, 3:07 PM

    They should have let him go. I doubt he’d be able to punch his way out of a paper bag and could do with a good slap.

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    Mute Patrick O Connell
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    Oct 20th 2018, 3:05 PM

    He was actually heading to the exit before the final whistle only the stewards made him stay till the end

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    Mute Paddy Kennedy
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    Oct 20th 2018, 3:03 PM

    that was a real ‘hold me back…please hold me back’ he’d have had his arse handed to him if he’d got near that guy

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    Mute Michael Graham
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    Oct 20th 2018, 4:24 PM

    Good result for city

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    Mute Magnum
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    Oct 20th 2018, 3:12 PM

    Great crack!

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