The "Right" Way to play football

Dirty Dingus McGee

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/eugene-mcgee-galway-a-model-for-how-football-should-be-played-29455642.html

EUGENE MCGEE – 29 JULY 2013

Anybody who was present in Croke Park on Saturday, with the exception of Cork people, must have been sorry that Galway did not snatch a victory against the Rebels.The reason? Because the sort of football played by Galway was as near to a model of how Gaelic football should be played as we are ever likely to see, and for that reason it was exceptional.

By comparison with what we watched in the other two games on Saturday – and most other games in this year's championship – this was fine wine compared to stale beer.

Galway once again banished the nightmare of their defeat by Mayo in May and played brilliantly for most of the game.

Their tackling was crisp and effective, mainly without fouling, their movement with the ball by foot and hand was decisive and was invariably going forward as opposed to the lateral passing so beloved of other teams and so detested by followers everywhere. Throw in exemplary sportsmanship from both sides and a dramatic finish, and this game will be remembered as one of the best of 2013 so far.

Sadly for Galway, football matches are not won only by style and substance. Other factors come into play, such as the experience of opponents, the strength of the opposing panel and the individual skills of the other team.

Cork were a bit ahead in most of those areas, most notably the physical battles and the quality of subs available.

When you can throw in players of the calibre of Paddy Kelly, Paul Kerrigan, Paudie Kissane and Donncha O'Connor, all recent All-Ireland winners, then your opponents are left gasping for air when the game is being decided in the final quarter.

That is the unfortunate fate that befell Galway as they watched Cork score a fisted goal from Aidan Walsh and points from Pearse O'Neill, O'Connor, Kelly and Ciaran Sheehan to transform a three-point deficit with 12 minutes left into a four-point lead in the 70th minute.

That last point by Cork turned out to be crucial because in the dying seconds Michael Meehan scored a wonder goal from a 13-metre free, which should win Goal of the Year as he struck the ball to the roof of the net past a wall of six-foot Corkmen.

Galway, though complete outsiders, led for most of the game through great scores from Meehan, Sean Armstrong and midfielder Paul Conroy, and their goalkeeper Manus Breathnach made several brilliant saves. But inevitably the power and strength of so many Cork players in the middle third of the field took its toll on a younger and lighter Galway team, and that is what lost the game for them.

As always, Cork played hot and cold. Their awesome selection of talent often looked cumbersome and not wildly interested at times, but when they turned on the style they looked unbeatable.

Certainly Dublin manager Jim Gavin has a lot to ponder this week.

Understandable immaturity from Galway cost them dearly, such as some over optimistic shooting efforts, but they will learn.

Irish Independent

Dirty Dingus McGee

Apparently according to to Eugene the right way to play football is to get beaten, be medicore defensively and allow 4 or 5 good goal chances for your opponents and have your goalkeeper named as man of the match in the Independent.It was an enjoyable game of football but it seems that some footballing purists hate the idea of teams being well organised and defending well on top of getting some nice scores.

elefant

I'm guessing by your inverted commas that you disagree.

As a Galwayman the style of football that Galway played last Saturday was the style every team I have ever played for was encouraged to play, and I hope the long, direct kicking style that encourages flair continues to be cultivated. Galway may not always have the best players or the best teams, but I'll never be ashamed of Galway losing when they try and play like that.

TheGoldenAges

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Apparently according to to Eugene the right way to play football is to get beaten, be medicore defensively and allow 4 or 5 good goal chances for your opponents and have your goalkeeper named as man of the match in the Independent.It was an enjoyable game of football but it seems that some footballing purists hate the idea of teams being well organised and defending well on top of getting some nice scores.

Basically it comes down to do you want a good spectacle or your team to win. A similar comparison would be in 2004 when Greece won the Euros by playing a defensive game. While no one I'm Greece complained, the traditional stronger countries certainly did.

Really it comes down to personal preference. For myself, while its nice for counties who don't win many all Ireland's to win once in a while, I think the game could do with Dublin or Mayo winning to help push the alternative view that an attacking game can be successful

elefant

TheGoldenAges wrote: »

Basically it comes down to do you want a good spectacle or your team to win. A similar comparison would be in 2004 when Greece won the Euros by playing a defensive game. While no one I'm Greece complained, the traditional stronger countries certainly did.

Really it comes down to personal preference. For myself, while its nice for counties who don't win many all Ireland's to win once in a while, I think the game could do with Dublin or Mayo winning to help push the alternative view that an attacking game can be successful

Well of course the ideal situation is both Galway don't quite have the players for that at the moment, which seems to me to be the point Eugene McGee was making.

ArmaniJeanss

If anyone refers to a 'right way' to play the game then they have such little inherent knowledge of sport that their opinion is close to worthless.

WesternZulu

I swear that some pundits just have it inbuilt in their minds that the only teams that play good football are Galway and Kerry.

If you were to have the Galway players wear green and red jerseys on Saturday I have no doubt the Eugene would be calling them naive and chokers!

That's not a dig at Galway, just lazy journalism.

Frankie Lee

Galway won their u21 All Ireland this year by playing 12 men behind the ball and counter attacking quickly, a lesson there somewhere.

spiritcrusher

On a similar note to the "right way to play the game" comment, I'm a bit fed up of other "successful" counties telling Galway that it's our unwillingness to adopt negative tactics that's held us back in the last few years and that attacking football can't win anymore. My opinion is that that's also rubbish. A team can be well organised, have a system for playing while playing to your team's strengths, attacking or defending. Look at Dublin for example.

The opinion of more than a few people in the county is that Galway haven't won anything in recent years due to an utter shambles of a county board, which only last year had the self serving cowboy in charge finish his term as they merged football and hurling boards together. There has been no consistency between clubs and county as well as trying to keep players together as they went up the age groups.

To be honest both the praise and mocking that Galway seem to get these days for their style of play is becoming a little patronising. You won't get a county that produces much, much better forwards than backs to play like Donegal, Armagh or Tyrone (Joe Kernan tried). If the players are good enough and have a good enough organisation behind them then you can win, we haven't had those things together for a while.

Martin567

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

If anyone refers to a 'right way' to play the game then they have such little inherent knowledge of sport that their opinion is close to worthless.

As a Kilkenny man, I'm not in a position to get into a discussion about the right way to play football with anyone. But Eugene McGee is a former All Ireland winning manager, the man whose team prevented Kerry from doing the five in a row. I'm sure he'd love to know that he has such little inherent knowledge of sport that his opinion is worthless.

harpsman

Whilst it was a nice exhibhition of some of the skills of gaelic football I dont consider something a match unless theres some sort of attempt to stop the opposition from scoring-something thats an inherent part of any type of football.

But yes I do agree that the recent trend is not great to watch- maybe make it compulsary to have 4 players in opposition half at all times?

theoneeyedman

Bullsh1t cliche to say Galway can't be cynical and dirty when needed. As far back as 01 Galway played from deep and countered. Any defence built around a hatchet man like john divilly was can't be described as naive either. Galway under peter forde was as cynical a side as was in the country but the meejia never lambasted the likes of p Joyce in the way Sean cavanagh in particular has been castigated this week.
There is a lot can be done to decrease cynical play and I'd have good time for McGee but please spare me the Galway as a role model stuff.

yop

Did Galway not beat Kildare in the AI by lying deep and attacking with Donnellan.?

InchicoreDude

harpsman wrote: »

Whilst it was a nice exhibhition of some of the skills of gaelic football I dont consider something a match unless theres some sort of attempt to stop the opposition from scoring-something thats an inherent part of any type of football.

But yes I do agree that the recent trend is not great to watch- maybe make it compulsary to have 4 players in opposition half at all times?

I agree with this. Cork gave Galway a lot of space that you simply would not get against better teams. I do not know if they under-estimated the likes of Conroy & Armstrong cos they let them have soooooooooooooo much time on the ball. You would not get that amount of time against the likes of Dublin, Mayo or Tyrone.

I actually prefer to see a player score a point when the back is right there putting the forward under pressure rather than see a player score a point when there is nobody around him.

I very much enjoyed the Galway - Cork game. but I would much prefer a more high intensity game. They are the games that bring out the absolute best in players.

I think Galway probably just about had 4 players in Cork's half at most times. Certainly, there were always 2 men in the full forward line. And Armstrong played high enough up the pitch too. But Doherty & o'Brien were very deep.

InchicoreDude

yop wrote: »

Did Galway not beat Kildare in the AI by lying deep and attacking with Donnellan.?

You would certainly see him popping up in the corner back position a lot!

In fairness though, that team played a very traditional 3 man full forward line.

yop

InchicoreDude wrote: »

You would certainly see him popping up in the corner back position a lot!

In fairness though, that team played a very traditional 3 man full forward line.

Can't fully remember how they played, just seem to remember the Gway 1/2 forward line defending deep and breaking forward.

InchicoreDude

yop wrote: »

Can't fully remember how they played, just seem to remember the Gway 1/2 forward line defending deep and breaking forward.

Yeah, Donnellan was essentially given a free role in that year. The 3 full forwards played high up on the pitch. Ja Fallon at number 11 played high enough up too and you wouldnt see much of him in the half back line. The other half forward (changed in every match in 98) would be deep enough too.

But half - forwards dropping deep is very different to seeing 13 players en masse retreat when the opposition get the ball!

Thinkstoomuch

Whatever about the best way,the worst way to play the game has been the cork way,under Counihan bar against Tyrone in 09,slow,lateral,basket ball style,and hard running.

Like watching paint dry.

yop

InchicoreDude wrote: »

Yeah, Donnellan was essentially given a free role in that year. The 3 full forwards played high up on the pitch. Ja Fallon at number 11 played high enough up too and you wouldnt see much of him in the half back line. The other half forward (changed in every match in 98) would be deep enough too.

But half - forwards dropping deep is very different to seeing 13 players en masse retreat when the opposition get the ball!

6 backs, 2 midfielders and 2 forwards dropping back, along with the keeper... not too far off 13 :P

But I know what u mean.

I think Monaghan are going to ply that tactic to the extreme at the weekend. The dubs will prob play the most attacking football.
Us v Donegal cud be a dour slog.

shockframe

So Mcgee is advocating that more teams play like a Galway side that was torn to shreds against a rampant mayo side, who struggled to beat tipperary and were very close to elimination from waterord, on top of losing to a team whose own followers are sick of watching play largely down to any sign of tactical know how and were kept in the game for long periods by some admittedly good goalkeeping and a wasteful cork attack.

Yes Eugene that'll work wonders in the white heat of championship.

InchicoreDude

I dont agree with McGees article.

But we did get to see some fantastic kick passing by Galway that you would not see in a more intense match.

yop

McGee believes his own hype

keeponhurling

New managers should all play very open attacking stuff

When they lose they can just say it's hard to be successful in modern football, and criticise the opposition tactics

If they win they are sorted. A purist who always beliueved.