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.
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