Kevin O’Brien reports from Croke Park
1. Dublin close in on three-in-a-row
DUBLIN ARE JUST 70 minutes away from completing an All-Ireland three-in-a-row, which looked an almost impossible feat in the modern game a few years ago.
Kerry were the last team to string together three titles between 1984 and 1986, but it’s an achievement that’s now within touching distance for Gavin’s men.
There hasn’t been much hype regarding a potential three-peat during the summer but you can expect the talk ratchet up now a couple of levels in the coming weeks.
2. Tyrone’s flat display
The manner of Tyrone’s commanding victories in the run-up to this game indicated they were ready to challenge Dublin, but it was apparent from early on that they were miles off competing.
The Red Hand will point to Con O’Callaghan’s fourth minute goal as a hammer blow to their chances, but in reality Dublin had little trouble in scything through their defence.
Mickey Harte’s men never got their transition game going and apart from Peter Harte’s garbage time penalty which was saved by Stephen Cluxton, they never troubled his goal.
When Tyrone pushed on in the second-half, Kevin McManamon rattled the crossbar while Paul Flynn had a shot saved from Niall Morgan. The margin of victory could have been far wider had Dublin taken all of their chances.
3. Sean Cavanagh bows out
There was no fairytale ending for Sean Cavanagh this afternoon. His 89th and final championship appearance for Tyrone was the biggest defeat in his legendary 15-year career.
The Moy powerhouse had an off-colour day. He converted a free but hit two wides and was withdrawn with 15 minutes remaining. There was little he could have done as Tyrone struggled to penetrate the Dublin rearguard.
The Dublin players lined up to shake Cavanagh’s hand after the final whistle, while he had a warm embrace with Stephen Cluxton – the only player to make more appearances than him.
4. Dublin have mastered playing against mass defences
Back in 2011 Dublin were ill-prepared to deal with Donegal’s defensive web as Jim McGuinness put 14 bodies behind the ball and frustrated the life out of Pat Gilroy’s team.
Donegal lost that game but three years later another McGuinness masterplan came off as they crucified the Dubs on the counter-attack and ran out convincing winners.
But there was no danger of any sort of a repeat of those contests here.
From watching Dublin closely over the last couple of years, you get the sense they’ve spent countless hours on the training field honing a system that breaks down the blanket defence.
Jason Sherlock’s influence is obvious as Dublin drag defenders over and back before making excellent use of basketball-style screens to set up scoring chances on the loop.
5. Diarmuid Connolly makes his return
When Eric Lowndes stood beside the fourth official as he was about to be introduced, the levels of noise sky-rocketed in the stadium. Lowndes was wearing number 12 that Connolly made his own over the years and the crowd mistook him for the St Vincent’s forward.
Four minutes later, Connolly was on for real and the crowd were in full voice as they welcomed him back onto the field. He didn’t have enough time to make any real impact on the game, but it was a curious decision by Gavin not to bring Connolly on earlier with the view of getting him more game-time ahead of likely potential final reunion with his adversary Lee Keegan.
Then again, Dublin’s training games over the next few weeks probably provide a higher level of competition for Connolly than anything Tyrone mustered up today.
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No they’d be terrible. As a Forest fan, I think the team have been, for the most part playing good attacking football and scoring goals. They’ve been inconsistent – a little soft at the back is all. Due to the influx of cash, the standard in the EFL is far more technically proficient and tactically sophisticated league (at the top end at least) than it was when O’Neill and Keane last managed this division. I’ve seen nothing in their recent work to suggest they have the tactical savvy to do a job for Forest. They certainly don’t have tne man-management skills to get the best out of the modern professional footballer.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: yes because they got to the last 16 of the euros and 90 mins from a World Cup without having a clue about tactics. Sick of people churning out this shpeel about o Neil and Keane.
@Lorcan Cunningham: there was a horrible amount of luck and just plain heart and fight by the players to get there though. When the adrenaline of the Euros died, then the will of the players did too. There’s nothing motivating about playing the same aimless football for the following two years when smaller countries with less talent become more proficient and confident.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Nah! You’ve cherrypicked one example of things working out – and there’s probably one or two other properly “impressive” displays e.g. Germany and Serbia. (But even then what exactly was their tactical master stroke? ) And anyway, the last 12-18 months have been abject – deplorable even – with ZERO semblance of a tactical game plan . And on top of that, you need to be even better man-managers in a club environment because of player/agent-power. The two lads are beyond abysmal in that department.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: last 12 months things crumbled due to injuries/retirements. The lads were at the helm for some memorable nights for Irish football over their tenure, nights that had been lacking for a decade. Get off the o Neill’s a dinosaur bandwagon lads it’s embarrassing.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: I don’t think anybody could disagree with you . O’Neill would be absolute disaster for Forest. In fact I think he would be a disaster for any team. If you want to watch dross week in week out, get Big Sam. At least you would have some chance of promotion
In the context of management, to mention Brian Clough and Martin O’Neill in the same sentence is sacrilegious. Brian Clough was one of the greatest football managers who ever lived. Martin O’Neill was at best a journeyman manager.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: The Big Sam thing was a joke by the way. You should also pray the don’t get Big Sam.
@Lorcan Cunningham: I’m not on the “dinosaur bandwagon” apropos of nothing (like I’d never bring it up for the sake of getting a dig in – that’d be puerile, and indeed embarrassing) …I only make the case for his lack of tactical nous in making the case against his being considered for the role
@CrabaRev: Ha! I get you! To be honest, we’ve almost been relegated for the past few seasons, been banned from the transfer market for FPA transgressions, had parts of the stadium closed off etc. I just think that being 4 points off a promotion spot in mid January isn’t a bad place to be, and this manager should have been given more time and resources.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Not as embarrassing as O’Neill himself. From his amazing lack of on-field tactics, to his total lack of regimented training sessions (no practicing of set piece defending?!) to his contemptuous attitude to the Irish media and Tony O’Donoghue in particular.
The man belongs in the dustbin of history, and should be let nowhere near any professional setup.
Let’s see what they can do when they can actually buy in players unlike international football. The ‘we haven’t got the footballers’ excuse would work here
He wasn’t fired!
“RUNNN FORREST RUNNN”
I’d like to see Keane work as a No. 2 for a manager who plays attacking football such as Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez.
1. Karanka was not fired – he resigned, as per the club website.
2. In what parallel universe would either O’Neill or Keane be a good fit for Forest? A generation of Forest fans were brought up on free flowing passing football as practiced by Brian Clough. The younger ones want this to remain as the club ethos – we do not want to watch ‘$hit on a stick’ football with no real tactics as played by O’Neill sides. Clough once famously said “if god had wanted football to be played in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there”. O’Neill has never heeded his mentor’s coaching philosophy as a manager, somewhat ironic given that O’Neill was a cultured playmaker himself.
No, two coaches we definitely do not want to see employed at the City Ground are Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.
@Colm O’Sullivan: I hope it’s neither of those two. I’ve a feeling it could be Jokanovic
Always liked O’Neill as a manager, gave Leicester a great belief when they were down and out! I don’t think he will be considered though…feel Marinakis will look for someone like Mark Hughes or David Moyes
That is ironic; good last line.
Daryl Murphy will end up there if Roy Keane goes there, Roy Keane and Daryl Murphy go together just as well as Harry Redknapp and Nico Kranjcar
@Eddie Dillon.: Daryl Murphy is already there.
@Eddie Dillon.: Ah jaysus Eddie