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I just one to say before anything else, fair play to Waterford. Four wins from four against any opposition is seriously impressive.
My father and I were wondering why we didn't break 1'000 at what was a big game, but the answer was obvious very fast. This was a truly awful game of football, and both sides are culpable. Whatever about the result, the game as a spectacle was the worst I've seen all season. So many long balls over the top, wayward shots, **** poor accuracy, inability to keep the ball down, bad tackles, a whistle happy ref, throw after throw after throw, free after free after free. The first five minutes of the second half,m as the two teams traded throw ins down the left, everyone around me on the hill was talking amongst themselves, on their phones, desperate to relieve the boredom.
The quality of this game was simply atrocious. Combined with the result, the incentive to come back and watch Limerick is very small.
So, the actual game. Limerick just played with a total lack of confidence, terrified of losing, spending so much time defending deep. Gaffney and Foley were frequently out of position when the balls came in, and did very little with the small amount of service they were able to control. Gaffney especially went for goal twice in the first half when a bit of patience would have served him better, his 35 yard volley being the best example.
The midfield had major trouble making any impact on the gamer with the ref blowing up so much. The defence was actually decent enough all game in shutting Waterford down, and up to the goal Ryan seemed confident and assured. The red card didn't actually seem to matter, since Limerick were playing so deep anyway. They were besieged at times, really struggling to clear the ball and hold it, showcasing a serious lack of composure.
But it was all so aimless and dour. Limerick seemed despondent and really out of sorts in the second half, miscontrolling, passing poorly, not making any opportunities worth talking about. Kluciar was played badly out of position on the right wing and struggled, and none of the subs were able to make much of an impact. From where I was standing the red card looked legitimate. Lunged in when he didn't have to. It was a dirty enough game, Kluciar got cleaned out around 10 minutes in not far from where I was standing and the ref did nothing.
Yes, Limerick are still top and yes Longford dropped points and yes we have a few easier games coming up and yes we should still go up. But I have no confidence in Scully at all. I'm sure some will jump up to defend him but I really think he has to go. He simply is not getting the most out of his squad, is playing people out of position and must take his fair share of blame in turning what should have been an easy enough run-in into a very hard slog. This Limerick team, playing with such a lack of verve and commitment, will get eaten alive if they make it to the top tier. I really think Scully has little future at this club, and I just wonder what it will take to see him relieved of his responsibilites. I suppose it seems strange to say that, but this squad should be so much better than this. Scully has had years to get them playing at a higher level and has had an easy division to do it in. He's not doing a good enough job.
The manager isn't doing his job to the full, but the players have to do some work themselves. They simply looked drained at times, directionless. I don't know how else to put it, except to say they simply don't seem to care enough.
Maybe we can convince Paul O'Brien to make the switch over. He's done great things, after such an awful start, with this Waterford team. Worthy winners, though I can't help but note it wasn't so much a great performance from them tonight, than a truly awful showing from Limerick.
Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy
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