TOLD YOU SO

DH2K9

Proved right, Gilroy, O'Gara and sticking with this young team. As I said at the time booing O'Gara and bringing "GILROY OUT" flags to matches was an absolute disgrace. Yet the majority of you agreed we were going nowhere and O'Gara was useless. While O'Gara can't score a point to save his live even with no pressure at all (last minute of Tyrone match hitting the corner flag) he still is something we and very few teams have ever had. As I also said he will get you your goal in a big game. three crucial goals last two games proves that. As for Gilroy fair play to him for getting rid of the old like the Whelens, Ryans and the bottlers like the Vaughans, Connolys, Quinns (eventually) and bringing in new blood. The majority of you guys said he got rid of them to soon, that Jayo should be back and all this bull**** but Gilroy was prepared to take the criticism and earn form it. Yes he made the error of bringing back the experience for the Meath game but he quickly learnt from that and brought his young team back for Tipp. After any full back line concedes 5 goals 99% of managers will chamge it around but Gilroy realised they were young and learning and gave them that all important secound chance. 3 clean sheets says it all.

babyhack

DH2K9 wrote: »

Proved right, Gilroy, O'Gara and sticking with this young team. As I said at the time booing O'Gara and bringing "GILROY OUT" flags to matches was an absolute disgrace. Yet the majority of you agreed we were going nowhere and O'Gara was useless. While O'Gara can't score a point to save his live even with no pressure at all (last minute of Tyrone match hitting the corner flag) he still is something we and very few teams have ever had. As I also said he will get you your goal in a big game. three crucial goals last two games proves that. As for Gilroy fair play to him for getting rid of the old like the Whelens, Ryans and the bottlers like the Vaughans, Connolys, Quinns (eventually) and bringing in new blood. The majority of you guys said he got rid of them to soon, that Jayo should be back and all this bull**** but Gilroy was prepared to take the criticism and earn form it. Yes he made the error of bringing back the experience for the Meath game but he quickly learnt from that and brought his young team back for Tipp. After any full back line concedes 5 goals 99% of managers will chamge it around but Gilroy realised they were young and learning and gave them that all important secound chance. 3 clean sheets says it all.

From one Dublin Fan to another will you kindly close it and don't get cockey

Yes Dublins young team are doing well and yes its good to see new players getting their chance but posts like that are the reason Dublin fans are given a bad name

dcr22B

DH2K9 -> <- dcr22B

Seriously, aren't you great? Whatever happened to being gracious in being proved right!

corny

DH2K9 wrote: »

Proved right, Gilroy, O'Gara and sticking with this young team. As I said at the time booing O'Gara and bringing "GILROY OUT" flags to matches was an absolute disgrace. Yet the majority of you agreed we were going nowhere and O'Gara was useless. While O'Gara can't score a point to save his live even with no pressure at all (last minute of Tyrone match hitting the corner flag) he still is something we and very few teams have ever had. As I also said he will get you your goal in a big game. three crucial goals last two games proves that. As for Gilroy fair play to him for getting rid of the old like the Whelens, Ryans and the bottlers like the Vaughans, Connolys, Quinns (eventually) and bringing in new blood. The majority of you guys said he got rid of them to soon, that Jayo should be back and all this bull**** but Gilroy was prepared to take the criticism and earn form it. Yes he made the error of bringing back the experience for the Meath game but he quickly learnt from that and brought his young team back for Tipp. After any full back line concedes 5 goals 99% of managers will chamge it around but Gilroy realised they were young and learning and gave them that all important secound chance. 3 clean sheets says it all.

I'm interested, since you're obviously a wise old sage, if Flynn hadn't hit the post where would O' Gara's performance stand? I'll give you my take. For 69 minutes of that game he was ineffective, not offering options, not making runs and shooting so poor it defied belief. Gilroy's perseverance is admirable but its a fickle thing this game. On another day Flynns shot bounces down to Ryan McMenemin and Sean Cavanagh gets 4 from 4 in the second half. Dublin fail again against a big team and everyone cries we needed a bit of experience and not fella's hitting corner flags when the pressures on. O' Gara's a limited player so i wouldn't claim vindication yet.

And BTW he didn't 'bring back the experience' for the Meath game. Cullen, Nolan, Brennan, MaCauley, O' Gara and A Brogan didn't start the Wexford game. His side gradually evolved based on performance. Younger players like Bastick and mcmanamon were discarded along with Quinn.

dcr22B

corny wrote: »

not fella's hitting corner flags when the pressure's on

With all due respects to O'Gara, the game was well won at that stage. Some of his earlier efforts for points were bizarrely poor and the point he scored against Louth for close range would have ended up in the Canal if the old ground still existed.

Goals win games and he's been in the right place at the right time on 3 occasions. He's a raw player but gets stuck in and is purely fearless.

Sofa King Great

dcr22B wrote: »

With all due respects to O'Gara, the game was well won at that stage. Some of his earlier efforts for points were bizarrely poor and the point he scored against Louth for close range would have ended up in the Canal if the old ground still existed.

Goals win games and he's been in the right place at the right time on 3 occasions. He's a raw player but gets stuck in and is purely fearless.

Have you actually watched him play or are you basing it on highlights? (which for him are quite rare) He runs around like a headless chicken, often seemingly out of position. He seems incapable of catching a ball, let alone kicking a point.

Shane10

he had a brutal game sat apart from the goal. think hes there more as a big strong physical player. somehow hes getting goals along the way.....

popebenny16

knew this was coming.

i fully agree that teams should be booed. If you are supposed to show agreement and encouragment by applauding you are entitled to register your disaproval by booing. I dont get the logic of not being able to do one and not the other.

as for my previous comments on gilroy - i am sticking with them. This year he had the advantage of the qualifier system, and in that qualifier system he played the new players which was what you, I, and everyone else here said he should do because it was the obviously right choice.

Now if you are simply looking this from a perspective that he got over a quarter final, I wouldnt be - Piller got to two Semi Finals. So did Tommy Lyons.

His failings which were criticised on this here board in the Wexford and Meath matches were not made up by the posters. I stand by what I said here still. So we have beaten Tipperary, a shadow Armagh team, an already defeated Louth team and a declining Tyrone (who shot 17 wide and had shots off the posts). I am not getting carried away by that. The one big change is that they are playing as a team - something that Caffrey did not hammer into them - and that the instinct is to defend more then outscore.

What all this proves is that the qualifier system - matches every week - brings on a team much much better than the provincial system. You never know what Pillar and his team would have made of it.

dcr22B

Sofa King Great wrote: »

Have you actually watched him play or are you basing it on highlights? (which for him are quite rare) He runs around like a headless chicken, often seemingly out of position. He seems incapable of catching a ball, let alone kicking a point.

I've been to every game that he's played this year and while I know he's far from the finished article, he (like every other player on the current Dublin team) is there to do a job. Yes, he should have contributed more scores and yes, his shooting is pretty poor considering he is a full forward but I think he will get better by the game.

GAAman

I like o gara, he is a workhorse and goes through tackles like a hot knife through butter alot of the time.

Having said that i think his poorest game to date was the tyrone one. He did a bit but not nearly as much as his other games. Yes the goal was vital and he buried it, but at the end of the day he was just in the right place at the right time, the ball coming off the bar like that purely as a result of the player who kicked it (name escapes me at the min) is obviously more dominant with his other foot.

I think though with time and more big pressure games under his belt o gara could be a gem to replace alan brogan who is going downhill at an alarming pace

Another thought i had, what would o gara be like in the middle of the pitch, a ryan to fennels whelan?

aidan24326

GAAman wrote: »

I think though with time and more big pressure games under his belt o gara could be a gem to replace alan brogan who is going downhill at an alarming pace

O'Gara could never be seen as a replacement for Alan Brogan. Two completely different types of player.

I think the jury is still out on O'Gara. Bagging a couple of important goals keeps him in the good books with the hill for now but there are major weaknesses to his game too. His shooting is poor and he isn't the most skilful, just a big battering ram really. I would tell him to constantly run at defenders and try to draw fouls. With Bernard Brogan around a free anywhere within 35 yards or so is usually as good as a score.

DH2K9

That what I mean when I say he offers something different. He will do nothing all game but he will pop up with a goal in most games. Theres no point in having 6 of the same type of forwards in the forward line. Gilroy wasn't prepared to be carrying people so thats why the likes of Quinn and Vaughan aren't starting. O'Gara can win a 50:50 ball unlike the old Dublin forwards who looked great against small teams but on the big stage they couldn't win the 50:50 ball. Remember O'Gara has started 3 championship games. he has a lot to learn but the early signs are extremely good. as for someone who said I was overreacting, this is a significant improvement on last year. We have beaten one of the big three which wasn't even our goal. Gilroy took the wrath of the Hill and stuck to his guns and system so fair play to him. And as for being lucky its part of the game. If is a big word. You could go through every game and say what if and change the result of the match each time so don't go telling me we were lucky because I willl give you countless examples of when we were extremely unlucky.

GAAman

aidan24326 wrote: »

O'Gara could never be seen as a replacement for Alan Brogan. Two completely different types of player.

I think the jury is still out on O'Gara. Bagging a couple of important goals keeps him in the good books with the hill for now but there are major weaknesses to his game too. His shooting is poor and he isn't the most skilful, just a big battering ram really. I would tell him to constantly run at defenders and try to draw fouls. With Bernard Brogan around a free anywhere within 35 yards or so is usually as good as a score.

Well when i say replace brogan i didnt mean he is the same type of player, what i meant was if brogan isnt performing well enough quinn should be put in and o gara dropped back into brogans position, yes he has bagged a few good scores and missed a fair few chances but his fielding of the ball has been pretty good

As for bernard taking 45's etc, he hasnt been! Its been cluxton which is a big danger in itself, yes he has been fairly accurate but all it takes is one shot dropping short and the oppositions defense firing the ball up the pitch and cluxton is skint! If quinn is brought in again as i said above thats the free kicks sorted and cluxton keeps his line safe

dcr22B

GAAman wrote: »

Its been cluxton which is a big danger in itself, yes he has been fairly accurate but all it takes is one shot dropping short and the oppositions defense firing the ball up the pitch and cluxton is skint!/QUOTE]

I can guarantee you that he will never drop one short for exactly that reason, I wouldn't be too worried about that.

An Citeog

This season isn't over yet, so it's a bit early for a "told you so" thread. There's plenty of room for discussion in the Dublin v Tyrone & Cork threads.

*Puts lid on hype*:D