ACH hello there. Sure it’s yourself! Come in. How’s it going? Long time no see.
I was away for a few weeks there. Nowhere special. Home on Saturday, took a run into Celtic Park on Sunday there. On the terrace. Drenched. Left with 20 minutes to go. Stopped in Skippers. Best bit of the day.
It was that bad I’m tempted to ring Off the Fence. Give me a second here…
Off the Fence is back off its holidays and our first caller wished to remain ‘Anonymous’ but gave us the obvious starting point from Derry’s dismal display, losing to Tyrone in Celtic Park for the first time ever.
“I would like to comment on the performance of Derry's senior championship team on Sunday, and is not time for Derry to look back and see where things are going wrong?
“Because it's not Damian Barton's fault - over the last number of years we have fallen by the wayside. If you look at the physical condition of the Derry players compared to Tyrone players, it's obvious to see that Tyrone have the right men in place.
“And that Derry haven't got the procedures in place to get men in the right physical condition. And why is it that Derry players don't want to commit to playing senior county championship football?
“And it's time for Derry to take a long, hard look at themselves and the people they're appointing at the top to take these teams.”
CO’K: It’s not to mount a defence but Derry is getting there at underage level, as their minor teams of the last two seasons have displayed. For years, Derry minor teams were woefully inadequate physically. On Sunday, they were physically able for the Tyrone challenge. But the seniors were not. The biggest disappointment is that Damian Barton wanted to develop a team of athletes when he took over. Whether he quickly realised he didn’t have the raw materials for that, or that somewhere along the line the plan went wrong, Derry were not near the same athletic plain as Tyrone on Sunday.
Regular contributor ‘Big Patricia from Lurgan’ clearly missed us while we were on holiday there.
“I read with great interest in a copy of The Irish News last week that Damian Barton was “microscopically” studying the Tyrone players individually and collectively.
“Damian should now literally take his microscope and stick it on eBay or Gumtree as this exercise has proved negative.
“The worst display by a Derry team in a long time the Tyrone boys first half display was absolutely textbook and Derry had no answer.
“A positive however for Derry was that Barton was more subdued on the sideline, perhaps he is taking an ‘Oak leaf’ out of Mickey Harte's book.”
‘Desmond from Magherafelt’, meanwhile, believes that Derry’s current plight highlights the ills of the current format of the Championship.
“A month or so ago, The Irish News reported on several of Derry Panel booking summer holidays. If that's not a sign that the All-Ireland Championship is overrun, then what is?
“There should simply be a straight knockout for the 31 football counties and London. Why do Connacht teams still have to play a Championship game in New York other than to reinforce the junket culture in Ireland?
“Perhaps an FA Cup-style race for Sam Maguire can reignite motivation in the Championship, as well as free up time for club football.
“Gaelic Football desperately needs a few cupsets. Can't see it happening with the current dispensation.”
CO’K: Sure what good’s a cupset when the losers go through the back door and ultimately outlast their victors? Kinda defeats the purpose.
