I agree with this fella.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EH1G4EwljM
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I agree with this fella.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EH1G4EwljM
Drogs were poor and were probably lucky to only conceding seven, but I have to mention their ultras who kept drumming and singing to the end when most of their colleagues were long gone. Better support than the team deserved on the night
Great support from the Drogs fans. They were a credit to the club.Quote:
Originally Posted by seand
I was surprised by the lack of fitness of the players. Drogheda built their success in 2012 on being fitter than everyone else. Last night, their fitness levels were poor. Most teams close down the short pass from Cherrie to the centre halves. It tiring stuff but it does make it difficult for Dundalk to build from the back. Drogheda surrendered possession to Dundalk last night with the inevitable consequence.
There is no tactical reason for this decision. The only other reason is that they did not have the fitness levels to do this for 90 minutes.
The Roddy for United Park rumour starts here.
We can give it a couple of months before going with the Roddy was hard done by at United Park one.
They had some players missing, and also with small squad its always more difficult for 2 games in a week, but should be no excuse for dreadful defending, poor positioning and overall lack of any heart in the second half.
In saying that, Dundalk were just ruthless.
Agree re fans, not a bad away turn out all things considered.
One thing I will say, no matter how good Dundalk were, 7-0 only happens when a team gives up completely
You are right, of course.Quote:
Originally Posted by KeepersBall
You see Drogheda more often than the rest of us do. What has gone wrong?
They look a shadow the team they were last season, never mind the one in 2012. Is Horgan out of his depth?
There isn't the same depth that was there last season. That's definitely a factor.Quote:
Originally Posted by White Horse
The likes of Daly, McNally and Gav Brennan were all excellent last season. They've been extremely disappointing so far this season.
The reds are adding up. There is a clear lack of discipline in the squad at the moment and IMO it appears to stem towards a lack of respect for the manager. That or he doesn't have a tight enough control on the squad.
Tactically, Horgan is playing the same type of ball that Cooke played but with inferior personnel. The likes of Alan Byrne, Prendergast (dare I say O'Conor) were key parts to the game we played. Instead now anything we create is when the ball is played out to the wings, making us predictable and easy to defend. Nothing ever stems from the centre of midfield and combined with Brennan not being up to scratch it has hurt our play.
I mean, there wasn't that much of a drop off in our play from 2012 to 2013. The main problem was for whatever reason we were drawing too many games. This season has been a different story and judging by the management/squad that was in place at the start of the season isn't that much of a surprise.
Meath Drog is bang on the button.Quote:
Originally Posted by MeathDrog
The players we are missing from last season, Prendergast, Ryan Brennan and especially Alan Byrne were key to what we achieved.
But the real issue was the dismissal of Cooke.
The whole set up was based on wanting to play for the manager, he was the gel that bonded skill and team effort together.
I won't say he was the greatest gaffer we ever had, but he was arguably the most popular with both players and supporters.
Rightly or wrongly Horgan was perceived to have stabbed Cooke in the back by taking his job, and in fairness as a general rule when a manager leaves the assistant goes with him.
An inexperienced manager taking over a disillusioned squad shorn of its better players was a recipe for disaster.
I accept the board have no money, that's not unusual in LOI circles, but what they did in getting rid of Cooke was wreck team spirit.
The players that stayed did so I believe primarily because of lack of offers elsewhere, not because they had great faith in the new man.
Scratch below the surface of the first team and you will see further examples of rank disorganisation.
The under 19 side last season did not have a manager in place until four or five weeks before their season started, they finished bottom, albeit with a run to the cup final in there as well, the 18s had to ask for their first two or three matches to be postponed as they hadn't a manager in place until week before the season started.
Surprise Surprise they finished bottom also, in fact they have not been able to field full teams in recent weeks, although they too reached a cup final.
That is not in any way to be disparaging of the people who managed those sides, just to illustrate they were handicapped by boardroom incompetence from the start.
The people in charge at united Park are fundamentally decent individuals, they stepped in when nobody else would take the job and undoubtedly their collective hearts are in the right place.
However the Cooke decision was a complete over reaction to a clash of personality between the gaffer and the chairman, and the problems that have occurred have all came about directly because of that.
I accept in this day and age Sugar Daddys are thin on the ground, but a clean out at the top is required, and from what I heard a fans group is ready to put forward proposals to get involved.
They tried to do this earlier in the season and after the debacle of the handling of the Cooke situation not too many wanted to get involved, that has I believed changed now.
Robbie Horgan will probably learn from all this and may well go on be a managerial success elsewhere, although the game is littered with good number twos who couldn't step up to the top job, but his days and that of the board are surely numbered now.
Do you think Cooke could make a return in the future, is that possible at all?
KeepersBall keep the faith, your fans showed last night that there is a passion for the Drogs, we felt the same in the graveyard division and in recent years. The 4-1 earlier this year was a disappointment, last night for us was great but it wasn't too long ago that we suffered a similar score line against the Shams, onwards and upwards as they say. The key IMHO is a good manager with the backing of a football ownership linked in some way with a solid fan base. Drogheda should be able to muster support it just takes some success on the field and an attractive product.
The Cooke episode didn't help but it's in the past, now is the time to get behind the team, the tactics played last night would and have worked fine in United Park ( aka HDP) but on a wide pitch it was a disaster waiting to happen. Most clubs have a Alan Byrne to break up our play in OP, losing Foley I think made the score line worse, that lack of discipline is inexcusable and perhaps that is something Horgan needs to look at, well I remember the Sean Connor error and red was our colour!
good luck on Friday in Derry
While there was very few positives for Drogheda, Ciaran McGuigan was excellent playing that defensive midfield role that Alan Byrne did so well last season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Overthemoon
Whatever chance Drogheda had at 0-2 down (very little I think) losing Foley to a 2nd yellow made their task impossible
How nice are we all looking for the positives for Drogheda folk rather than rubbing it in! As for Roddy to HDP doubt it, he'd put at risk his "never been relegated" rep!
If Cooke was so popular why were crowds so poor? Always got the impression that despite cup success nobody wanted to go watch his team.Quote:
Originally Posted by KeepersBall
The support has never been all that since we left the Stadium.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveyPats
Even when Doolin was winning all round him HDP was never jammed too often.
Interesting thing is, I would suggest that the hard core of Drogs support comes from outside the town.
Places like Slane, Duleek, Bettystown, Julianstown, Laytown and even Balbriggan have always had decent numbers of fans at games.
we are the exact same majority of our fanbase are outside longford town and even outside the county!!Quote:
Originally Posted by KeepersBall