Jim McGuinness believes that Donegal can recover from Sunday’s nine-point battering by Tyrone, a defeat he said was ‘demoralising’.
McGuinness, who managed Donegal to an All-Ireland title and three Ulster SFC successes, writing in his Irish Times column, says that Donegal could get one up on Tyrone again if their swords were to cross.
The Glenties man likened Sunday’s semi-final loss in Clones to the bad old days in the noughties ‘when Tyrone just owned the pitch’.
“It was a bleak day for all Donegal supporters,” McGuinness wrote.
“It was remarked afterwards that the young players struggled. And that was true. But so did a lot of the more senior players. The guys who are integral to the team struggled out there as well. That needs to be pointed out.
“…a bigger question is where Donegal are right now. I went to bed on Sunday night with the game on my mind and was thinking about it first thing on Monday morning. It felt like being back in the Noughties when Tyrone just owned the pitch and Clones was eerily quiet long before the end of the game.
I am conscious of how this may be interpreted: as the former Donegal manager criticising the current Donegal manager. It’s not about that. I am a Donegal supporter now. And I know we are better than that.
“And I saw all the good work that Rory did with the team over the winter. I feel like Donegal fell into a trap on Sunday and the game became a nightmare for them. I don’t feel that this means Tyrone are necessarily out of sight for Donegal now for a few years. In fact, I believe Donegal could beat Tyrone later this summer – if they go back to the principles that they were working on during the league.
“Maybe I am not living in reality. Maybe I am wedded to 2011-14 when I watch Donegal. Maybe I am asking myself: why are they not doing this or that without knowing the actuality of what is going on at training or the players available etc? And maybe I need to move on in my thinking. I accept all of that may be true.”
Donegal have been drawn against Longford in Round 2A of the qualifiers following the 1-21 to 1-12 defeat.
Tiernan McCann’s goal in the 38th minute gave Tyrone a comfortable edge and the day might’ve been worse, but for Mark Anthony McGinley’s excellence in thwarting Sean Cavanagh and Rory Brennan.
McGuinness said: “It was demoralising to see Tyrone players just dropping the shoulder and saunter into the heart of our defence. And I feel that pressing out and squeezing from behind could change that. Take away that luxury of Tyrone making their decisions in their own time.
“You can see how comfortable they were on Sunday at keeping it, keeping it, waiting and a wee fist past and then a sharp incision and a shot at goal.
“Those young Donegal lads understood that they couldn’t get the ball off Tyrone. And that is hard. So it was a demoralising defeat. It was a tough one to take and there is a psychological thing there also. Donegal have to come together now and acknowledge that everyone is going to write them off.”
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