Tyrone show no mercy

Surely, things can only get better...

It's now Tuesday. Probably a safe enough distance from which to finally peel the fingers from your eyes. Just like any problem, it's best if we talk it out... the only question is, where the hell do we start?

Obviously, we're all in agreement that it was a very poor display in Healy Park on Sunday, and a difficult one for players and fans to have to endure against our arch-rivals. It was the type of performance that would have made Wes Craven proud. We're all aware of how badly things went at this stage - nobody more so than the players and management - so there's little point in beating that particular drum. Instead we'd be safer concentrating on where things went wrong and what can be done to stem the tide that's currently going against us.

Let's first look at the depleted nature of the Derry squad that travelled to Omagh. It's often too easy to fall back to the trusty old injury excuse after a heavy defeat, but it was a severely weakened Derry side that took to the field on Sunday. The two-man full-back line, for the duration of the game, was Chris McKaigue and Aidan McAlynn. Two players that wouldn't be recognised corner-backs or man-markers for their clubs, yet here they were, in Omagh, detailed with the task of marking two of the most decorated forwards in Gaelic Football. It's an example that perfectly encapsulates the difficulty John Brennan had in naming a side to face a Tyrone team that is more or less firing on all cylinders.

With Gerard O'Kane, Dermot McBride, Barry McGoldrick, Michael Bateson, Mark Craig and Ciaran Mullan (a full defence) all unavailable for one reason or another, the hands of the Oak Leaf selectors weren't so much tied as chopped off completely. Players like McKaigue, McAlynn, Brian Doyle and Brian McCallion all need to be tried and tested, but when you're forced to play them all at the same time, it places a lot of responsibilty on inexperienced shoulders. It all brings into sharp focus the recent retirements of Kevin McCloy and Kevin McGuckin. Their presence and experience will be missed.

But with all that, the biggest problem with the Oak Leaf performance on Sunday, just like last weekend against Galway, was that we couldn't get our hands on the football. Tyrone owned the midfield sector, displaying a sharpness and a mobility that was in stark contrast to Derry. Michael Murphy was excellent for the second successive game against us. He scored three points in the McKenna Cup Final and added 1-2 on Sunday. He may not be a traditional fielding, powerhouse midfielder, but he can move both with the ball and without and get forward to take scores. This is hard to track and can take huge pressure of a forward line. Unfortunately for Derry, our main midfield trio this season of Joe Diver, James Conway and Patsy Bradley are coming back from lengthy injury layoffs, and it will take some time for them to get back to full fitness. Derry's main source of possession in the middle came from referee Maurice Deegan's whistle for Tyrone fouls. At one stage in the game, with Diver off injured and Bradley off for two yellow cards, Derry's only recognised midfielder on the pitch was substitute Michael Friel. The introduction of PJ McCloskey and debutant Blain Gormley added some presence, while John Brennan was left to rue early-season injuries to Niall Holly and John McCamley.

Aside from that, Derry struggled badly in the break-ball stakes. It was a problem against Galway and will be evident again against Monaghan if we don't improve in this area. Neil Forrester made a difference when he came in and it is players of his ilk that possess the attributes required to win loose possession. Gerard O'Kane's return will be welcome also, while Brian McCallion's strong performance and willingness to get on the ball - despite the ugliness of the scoreboard - suggests that his future might lie at half-back rather than corner-back.

Derry's forward line was starved of possession but they had an afternoon to forget. Cailean O'Boyle and Paddy Bradley were well tied up and ended up drifting out the field to try and get their hands on the ball. Mark Lynch had a solid game. He's excellent at winning his own ball, but there was little in the way of support once he had it. Enda Lynn was the pick of the forwards. He displayed a constant energy from the first whistle to the last, always willing to get on the ball and his running off the ball offered an option on the rare times Derry got up the field. Conleith Gilligan offered a spark when he came on and there must be an argument for deploying him in the middle third to try and get Derry moving the ball quicker between the forwards instead of relying on the long ball. Playing directly is a tactic that can have its moments, but the Derry midfield and half-backs need to offer more variety.

Whilst Derry's line-up was inexperienced, the level of performance did not even approach the requisite standard to defeat Tyrone on their home patch. Too many basic errors, bad passes and slack fouling. It was a recipe that led to a diffculty in creating scoring chances let alone taking scores. There's no team better at exposing this than the Red Hands and no team more ruthless in capitalising upon it. A nadir was reached during the first fifteen minutes of the second half when Derry confidence was at an extreme low and numerous balls were kicked into Tyrone chests. Once the home side scored their second goal and the Oak Leafers had been reduced to fourteen men, a game that had struggled to become a contest, was over. The 12-point winning margin in no way flattered Mickey Harte's side.

The good news is that it is only February and Derry are unlikely to be as bad again. It's the right time of the year to be doing the soul-searching and there's time to rescue this NFL campaign. Let's hope we bottomed out at Healy Park and the game against Monaghan in three weeks offers a chance for redemption. The players will be very keen to make up for Sunday past.

There's no doubt John Brennan would not have been wishing the game against the Farney to carry such significance. But, from a long-term perspective, it should provide the Derry squad with the type of pressure-game situation they need to get more practice of in the build up to the Championship. The way things are going, the games away to Meath and Kildare will carry similar weight, and these are exactly the type of situations we might find ourselves in come the summer. The Championship isn't just about the first round, but a lot of teams (especially in Ulster) are probably guilty of preparing six months for one game and then not being able to adapt for a qualifier with six days notice. Brennan will know a lot more about his squad - and how they react to different situations - when consecutive games in March have been completed.

For now, the Tyrone game will still encompass thoughts, but there's three weeks to put things right. Or at least to get back on track. Defeat against Monaghan is not an option.

Some other thoughts on Sunday's game:

• Charlie Kielt looked solid in defence. Performing a fire-fighting role whilst still getting up the pitch and getting scores.
• Not for the first time in his career, Gerard O'Kane's stock is rising despite being on the sidelines.
• Ditto Dermot McBride.
• Ditto Enda Muldoon (need we go on?).
• Paddy Bradley has played a lot since coming back, he will welcome the break more than most.
• And after the year he's endured, no-one should ever be questioning his commitment to Derry.
• Peter Harte is going to cause some bother. And he's only 21. Like Dooher, only he is in total control of a game at centre-back.
• Not a fan of the Railway Cup but it's finally pulling its weight. Derry need all the time they can get.
• Louth have three points already.

Galway deal early blow

Still early days, but Derry need to improve quickly... 

No question, it was a disappointing performance by Derry on Sunday to open up the 2012 NFL season. Galway came to Celtic Park as underdogs and left as favourites to win promotion. That's the difference a 70-minute game of football can make, so the good news for Derry is that there are still another six games in which to make amends.

But a vast improvement is required if Derry are to make up ground.

John Brennan remarked after the game that his side were pin-pointing six points from the three home games and that the defeat has left Derry hoping to just remain comfortable in the division as opposed to harbouring any hopes for promotion. And that just about sums up where this defeat has left the Oak Leafers. But the Derry squad doesn't have time to sit about and look back at what happened on Sunday past. Attentions must swiftly turn to this week's game at Healy Park, where Derry will have to sharpen up considerably if they are to follow up defeat against Galway with a victory over Tyrone.

So where did things go wrong at Celtic Park? In short, Derry didn't get their hands on enough possession. We found it difficult to win primary ball or any of the breaks in the middle of the field. The midfield partnership of Joe Diver and James Conway started reasonably well, but as the game wore on Galway gained a stranglehold, giving themselves a steady platform from which to launch attacks. An obvious conclusion is that Derry need to improve in the breaking ball stakes. We have plenty of players in the middle third with strong, physical attributes, but it takes a smaller, nippier style of player to get down for the second ball. Sean Leo McGoldrick was Derry's best player in this regard on Sunday, whilst Gerard O'Kane's absence was noticeable.

Once Galway got their hands on the ball they were very effective in what they did with it. Nicky Joyce was looking sharp and Micheal Martin is a physically imposing corner-forward who knows where the posts are. But what impressed most about the Tribesmen attack was its variety. Cummins in the other corner didn't trouble the posts, but his pace was causing problems for Derry, enabling Galway to move the ball quickly from midfield and allowed Joyce to find the space a player of his talent revels in. The net result was a difficult afternoon for an inexperienced Derry defence.

It will be an afternoon that Derry's defenders will learn from, and we should remember that five of the six players in our two back lines were not playing in those positions during last year's championship. These guys (including Brian Doyle who came on the first half and Conor Murray who came on at half-time) can only get the requisite experience by facing teams like Galway in the NFL. To that end, John Brennan is doing the right thing by playing them and the hope is that they will find their feet as the spring wears on, strengthening Derry's panel in the process. It should also be noted that Brennan's hands were tied on Sunday with injury ruling out both Gerard O'Kane and Dermot McBride, and things weren't helped by the first half withdrawals of both Mark Craig and Barry McGoldrick.

Injuries aside, the Oak Leafers were guilty of basic errors in this game which helped Galway maintain a healthy lead. We also looked sluggish at times both with possession and without it. Too often was the ball stalled in the midfield third allowing the Tribe's defence to filter back and snuff out any potential threat. When Derry did move the ball quicker, mistakes were less frequent and the forwards had the space to do damage. Chris McKaigue's second-half point was a prime example. Enda Lynn - who added a deal of pace and energy to the Oak Leaf play - made a quick run down to wing to collect the ball from midfield, he quickly fed O'Boyle who had McKaigue running off the shoulder and he slotted the posts. A simple score, but very effective. This type of play needs speeds of movement and speed of thought. The Derry players are capable; they need to produce it more often.

Overall, the forward line did well with the amount of ball that came their way. Cailean O'Boyle continued his early season form with a tally of 1-4 and will have gained a lot of confidence from his performance. He might get a little more attention now against Tyrone, but he really has added a new dimension to Derry's attacking play, and always looks capable of finding the net. His goal may well have been the platform for victory, but - as has happened often in Derry defeats in recent years - we have taken our foot off the gas and allowed the opposition to get back into the game.

It's easy to criticise Derry after a loss like this, but huge credit must be given to Alan Mulholland's youthful and energetic Galway side. There was a great sharpness and variety to their play and they closed out the game very convincingly after the score was brought down to just a point with eight minutes left. As well as the headlining display by their forwards, Gareth Bradshaw was a constant thorn in Derry's side. It looked like John Brennan might have ear-marked him - asking both Barry McGoldrick and Charlie Kielt to mark the right half-back - but his engine, pace and power was unrelenting and he constantly set up Galway attacks, as well as getting up the field to score the game-changing goal. As mentioned above, the Tribesmen are now in the top two in the Division 2 betting, and playing with this amount of confidence they will be hard to beat this season.

As for Derry, Brennan will have been pleased with his team's improvement in the second half and the character they displayed in getting the game to within a point, but he will be disappointed and concerned at how comfortable the away side looked at times in Celtic Park. Sharpness and fitness need to be improved and the mistakes need to be cut out.

After their victory at the weekend in Croke Park, Tyrone are favourites heading into this Sunday's game against Derry, but it is a game that could provide the perfect tonic for this Derry side. The Red Hands have made a lot of changes this year also, so the Derry players should not be in awe of anything facing them in Healy Park. This Tyrone team can be scored against and if Derry can put them on the back-foot a win is there for the taking.

That would be one way to forget about the Galway game.

Some other thoughts from Sunday's game:

• It's easy to see why John Brennan wanted a defensive player on Bradshaw, but Sean Leo McGoldrick might have given him more to think about.
• Good to see Charlie Kielt back for the NFL. Best guess, that he'll start in the half-back line versus Tyrone.
• Brian McCallion again played well at corner back, while Mark Craig looked comfortable at centre back before his injury.
• Nice '45 from Danny Devlin. Memories of possibly(?) the last Derry goalkeeper to score for his county - Conleith Gilligan from the penalty spot for Derry minors in 1997. Ironically, had he not been off the field, Gilligan would probably have kicked that '45 on Sunday.
• The new jersey has acquired the retro style we've seen from the likes of Dublin, Down and Tyrone, but it really could be doing with a red band on the back.
• Galway may have struggled at senior level in the past couple of years, but - without getting carried away after one league game - their success at underage might be about to pay big dividends.
• Tyrone seem to excel in Croke Park, but let's hope they don't look as sharp in the Healy Park mudtrack.

NFL Preview: Part 2

In the second part of our NFL preview we look ahead to Derry's remaining competition in Division 2: Meath, Louth and Westmeath...

(You can read Part 1 of the preview here)

Meath
v Derry: Sunday March 18th (Navan)
Odds to win Division 2: 11/2
Odds to finish bottom: 10/1

On St. Patrick's Day weekend, a week after they visit Newbridge, Derry will find themselves in Navan. These two games will be crucial in deciding our ultimate fate in this division and if promotion is the aim then we can't afford to lose both of them. The Oak Leafs and the Royals have had a very healthy rivalry in the league down the years, with Derry's NFL Final victory in Clones back in 2000 probably being the highlight. And adding some spice to this particular encounter is none other than Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney, now in his second year as manager in Meath. It's been something of a tumultuous ride for the former Monaghan manager and you get the feeling that the locals still haven't really accepted him into the fold. Last season they survived in Division 2 by the skin of their teeth and were beaten by Kildare in the Championship, twice (and you thought Derry had problems with the Lilywhites!). So McEnaney will be keen to get this season off to a good start so that he isn't swimming against the tide for the remainder of 2012. That means pushing hard for promotion, but with an over-reliance on some of their older names - 38 year-old Graham Geraghty is looking for a starting spot - it is a tough ask. Meath are never a team to go down without a fight however, and in Stephen Bray, Cian Ward, Joe Sheridan and Graham Reilly they have a forward line that can get enough scores to win games.

John Brennan got the better of McEnaney in last year's game in Celtic Park, but coming in the middle of a busy March, this fixture looks like a very dangerous one for the Derry men.

Louth
v Derry: Sunday March 25th (Celtic Park)
Odds to win Division 2: 15/8
Odds to finish bottom: 33/1

Derry's final four games are all against Leinster opposition and while the games against Kildare and Meath have the potential to derail any promotion hopes, the good news is that our final two fixtures come against the two teams that came up from Division 3 last season, Louth and Westmeath. The 'Wee' county travel to Celtic Park at the end of March and even at this stage John Brennan will be ear-marking the game for maximum points. Despite finding themselves on the verge of a Leinster title in 2010 and winning promotion the following year, Peter Fitzpatrick's side appear to be on a downward slide. Meath routed them in last year's qualifiers and it's difficult to imagine Fitzpatrick geting much more out of them. They are a team that have their main strength around the middle of the field, and are once again reliant on Darren Clarke to get the requisite scores. Their chief aim will be staying in the division and to that end a trip to Celtic Park won't necessarily be at the top of their list of importance. This Sunday's opening game against Westmeath will be key and they will be be targeting derby games against Meath and Monaghan to try and muster up the points they need to avoid relegation. That's not to say they will throw in the towel on their way up to Derry City (and they could be fighting for their lives by that stage), but they may have their eye on other battles.

The sides last met in 2007 when Derry recorded a facile victory in a Division 1B game that ended up with the Oak Leafers securing promotion. John Brennan will be hoping for a similar result all round.

Westmeath
v Derry: Sunday April 8th (Mullingar)
Odds to win Division 2: 15/8
Odds to finish bottom: 33/1

Come the final round of Division 2 games on Easter Sunday, Derry will have an idea of what they need to do to secure promotion (or God forbid, avoid relegation). Or possibly our fate - whatever it is - will have already been decided before the journey to Mullingar is embarked upon. Westmeath are a team that have featured heavily in Derry's recent history for one reason or another. And it's been all good (1995 All-Ireland Minor Final and 1994 NFL quarter-final notwithstanding). The Oak Leafers beat the midlanders in the 2004 All-Ireland quarter-final and also in a Round 2 qualifier in 2010. In between was a 14-point victory in Ballinascreen in a 2009 Division 1 tie, so Derry will be approaching this tie with some confidence. Westmeath football has been at a low ebb for a couple of seasons with successive relegations and poor Championship campaigns. Manager Pat Flanagan has his work cut out this season also, with a number of players opting to play for the county's hurling team, and the Garrycastle  contingent (including the Dolan brothers and Doran Harte) concentrating on the All-Ireland Club Championship. The Lakemen's squad should improve as the league goes on, with the likes of Dessie Dolan back in the county fray by the end of March, but it might be too late for them if they fail to gather points earlier in the season.

John Brennan is unlikely to underestimate this away fixture, but Derry's approach to this game will depend on where they find themselves in the league table (likewise with Westmeath). However, if points are required this fixture should provide them.

Derry
Odds to win Division 2: 6/1
Odds to finish bottom: 9/1

So where does all that leave Derry? It appears to be a reasonably manageable set of fixtures, with the game against Kildare standing out in terms of difficulty. Derry have beaten all seven of these teams the last time they have played them in the NFL so overall there is nothing to fear. As always with the Oak Leafers consistency will be key, and games against Galway, Tyrone and Monaghan allow for a good start. If we can pick up six points in those three games (a tall order) we will be well on our way towards promotion and it would allow for a bit of breathing space before the tricky trips to Newbridge and Navan. If Derry fail to hit the ground running they will have a bit of work to do and the games against Louth and Westmeath may come too late to make a promotion charge. A lot will also depend on the availability of players and it will benefit the team greatly if the forward trio of Paddy Bradley, Conleith Gilligan and Cailean O'Boyle can stay healthy.

As the age-old cliché goes, we'll just have to take it one game at a time. But rest assured that John Brennan has a strong desire to get his county back into the top tier, so Derry will be going all out right from the first throw-in against Galway.

Verdict
It's unlikely to be cut and dry. In a division that looks so even, any one county will be doing well to exceed a total of ten points and that should keep things interesting for much of the campaign. This is a very difficult division to predict but at the outset it looks like Kildare are going to be in very good shape earlier than usual this year and they should finish in the top two. Tyrone will be experimenting to a large degree and their performances (like in the past few NFL seasons) might be too erratic to get promotion, while Meath love Division 2 too much to ever want to leave. Outside of that, Galway look like they could be dark horses and might just have the bit between their teeth during the spring. They are likely to be Derry's main rivals for one of promotion spots, and the opening game between the sides in Celtic Park could be critical when the final tallies are totted up. Monaghan meanwhile can't afford to get too far off the pace, or else they'll be in danger of finding themselves in a relegation dogfight. Louth and Westmeath shouldn't trouble the sides at the top end of the table, though any points they do pick up could have an important bearing on the overall standings.

Derry have a decent chance, but it will take a few excellent performances throughout the campaign, and even a bit of luck for once when the tiebreakers come into play.

NFL Preview: Part 1

If ever there was a futile exercise, it's trying to predict the outcome of an NFL campaign in the first week in February. Generally what happens is that teams you expect to do well, don't, and there's always one or two surprise outfits that exceed expectations.

Gone are those heady days of 2008 and 2009 when it was left to Kerry and Derry to battle it out for Division 1 NFL honours. Instead we still find ourselves in Division 2 after missing out narrowly on promotion last season (on points difference). It brings to mind Fr. Jack Hackett's famous lament: "Don't tell me I'm still on that feckin' island!".

Donegal and Laois were the chief beneficiaries of Derry's misfortune last year and they have been replaced by the relegated Monaghan and Galway. Also joining the Division 2 party is Louth and Westmeath, replacing Antrim and Sligo. There doesn't seem to be a huge jump up or down in terms of quality, and if anything the division seems to have a fairly even spread.

The second tier is a notoriously difficult group to get out of - just ask Kildare and Meath who have been around there for four seasons now. Whovever finishes in the top two places will have earned it, so let's take a look at the teams standing in Derry's way...

Galway
v Derry: Sunday February 5th (Celtic Park)
Odds to win Division 2: 5/1
Odds to finish bottom: 12/1

The Tribesmen are first up for Derry in this year's Division 2 campaign and bar a difficult trip to Salthill in 2008, the Oak Leafers have a decent record against the Connacht-men in the last few years. It's been a poor couple of seasons in Galway. Joe Kernan wasn't long hanging around after a 2010 season that saw them beaten at home to Wexford in the Championship, and Tomás O Flaharta didn't fair much better last season. In 2011 Galway were unceremoniously relegated from the top tier of the NFL and Meath ousted them in a Round 2 qualifier. This year they have dispensed with the "outside manager" formula and have gone back to basics with local man Alan Mulholland starting from square one. There's been a lot of talk surrounding whether or not Padraig Joyce will rejoin the fold, but the absence of Micheal Meehan will hurt them most. With all of that you would think a bit more weight would fall on Nicky Joyce's elusive shoulders, but he doesn't even start in Celtic Park this weekend. Instead Mulholland has placed his faith in youth, and he will hope that under-21 midfielder Thomas Flynn comes good at senior level.

A home game against Galway represents a good opportunity for Derry to get the league off to a winning start, but it's hard to know what to expect against an unpredictable team that have a lot to prove this season.

Tyrone
v Derry: Sunday February 12th (Healy Park, Omagh)
Odds to win Division 2: 3/1
Odds to finish bottom: 28/1

Our dearest neighbours are second on the fixture list and are favourites to win the Division 2 trophy. Last year Derry stumbled over the finishing line to record a one-point victory over the Red Hands in the opening game of the NFL season, and the previous year the Oak Leafs won with something to spare in Division 1 before both sides wound up getting relegated. Those wins came at Celtic Park, so Mickey Harte will be glad to play Derry this year in Omagh. The last time Derry travelled there it was 2009 and the home team recorded a two-point victory. Following Saturday night's win over Derry in the McKenna Cup final, Tyrone will come into this game confident and they will be keen to follow up that marker with another victory. Red card notwithstanding, Tyrone outclassed Derry in the second half of that game, and unless Derry can return to the level of confidence and energy displayed in the opening stages at the Athletic Grounds, two points will be very difficult to come by in this game.

The Red Hand forward line seems to have remained prolific, despite the introduction of some new faces, but there is a weakness about their defence. They are suspicious under the high-ball and are lacking in tight man-marking corner-backs. It will be their achilles heel come the summer and it is something Derry should be looking to exploit.

Monaghan
v Derry: Saturday March 3rd (Celtic Park)
Odds to win Division 2: 14/1
Odds to finish bottom: 7/2

We've built up a nice little rivalry with Monaghan over the last few years. Since 2007 to be precise when they beat us in Casement. You hardly wanted to be reminded of that debacle - and a few others that came after it - but they were defining games in many respects for both teams. Some might call it a horrible rivalry (and they'd probably be right) but either way it's fair to say it caught most of us by surprise. The last time we played them was in Scotstown in March 2010. It was a really bad Derry performance that put the first nail in the relegation coffin, but things have gone downhill for the Farney-men since then. This will be the first time Derry have played Monaghan since Banty was at the helm and it just won't be the same without him. And you could go so far as to say that the rivalry as we knew it is now over. Odds of 14/1 to win the division signal just where Monaghan are right now, and Eamon McEnaney has a rebuilding job on his hands following a disappointing Championship exit to Offaly last year. The unavailability of Tommy Freeman has hit them hard and while they won't be walked over, they seem to have lost the edge that defined them in the late 2000s. This match won't carry the same edge either.

If Derry are going into this game without any league points this a good chance to get off the mark, and if we have any serious aspirations of getting promoted from Division 2, this game at Celtic Park is a must-win.

Kildare
v Derry: Saturday March 11th (Newbridge)
Odds to win Division 2: 10/3
Odds to finish bottom: 33/1

The match away to the Lilywhites is the second of four consecutive games in March and is arguably Derry's toughest task of the campaign. Kildare have been a bogey team for Derry the last couple of seasons. They've knocked us out of the Championship in both 2010 and 2011 and, put simply, it hasn't been close. Their non-stop running game, speed of movement and speed of thought has left Derry wanting. Kieran McGeeney's side are at a very late stage in their development and if silverware doesn't arrive soon they will be known as another team of also-rans. They maybe have a window of another couple of seasons and a Leinster title must be their chief concern. That makes it difficult to assess just how much they want to push forward in the NFL and they have a tendency to take their eye off the ball early in the season. Although that particular tactic usually ends up with them exiting the Leinster Championship early with a long qualifier route ahead of them. They are strong all over the pitch, but their one weakness is a lack of natural marksmen in the forward line. It's debatable whether or not the potential arrival of Seanie Johnston from Cavan would help them in this regard.

John Brennan will relish the challenge this particular fixture brings and will be aware of how his side went to Newbridge last year and collected two points. You would like to think a similar result this time around would put Derry right in the frame for promotion, but it will be a difficult task.

In the second part of our NFL preview we will look ahead to Derry's remaining competition in Division 2: Meath, Louth and Westmeath. Try and contain yourselves...