Time for hurting to stop

IT’S probably fair to say that the couple of thousand Galway football fans who will travel to the old Gaelic citadel of Tuam Stadium on Sunday (2pm) for the National League clash with Down will do so with a fair sense of trepidation.

Galway conceded 1-20 against Laois last Saturday in O’Moore Park while Down scored 4-16 against Louth, so if recent scoring statistics were to be taken as a reliable guide to form, then the consequences for the home side could be quite horrendous.

But as we all know from the light of experience, every game is different, and this week Galway will be desperately scrambling to restore a bit of pride in the county – it is no fun for players, managers and supporters to wake up on a Monday morning, after a humiliation the previous weekend.

The questions everyone has asked after last weekend is how are Galway so bad and what’s wrong with football in the county. In truth, there are no glib or easy replies, but undoubtedly a massive slump in confidence is making a bad situation far worse.

For some reason this year, the Galway also seem to have got themselves embedded in a tactical maze where are getting stuck in cul-de-sacs in their own half-back and half-forward lines.

The days of getting back to delivering quick ball to an orthodox full forward line with a target man on the edge of the square, seem to have been abandoned completely.

A return to some of the old fashioned virtues like a defence prioritising the delivery of an effective clearance, a midfield vigorously attacking every kick-out, and a forward line that retains some sense of structure, might not be a bad starting-off point.

The goal conceded to Laois last Sunday was a case in point. The situation was completely non-threatening . . . Galway had possession of the ball on their right sideline about 40 yards for goal . . . a number of defenders opted for a tight series of short passes . . . possession was spilt twice . . . and Laois had a goal scoring chance created for them by the Galway backs.

The traditional qualities of pride, teamwork, passion, heart and courage also need to be thrown into the mix, because Galway football is certainly not as bad as what people witnessed last Saturday evening in O’Moore Park.

One thing that Galway people want against Down is to see each player battling for every ball as if this was the last match they were ever going to play. Regardless of the result on Sunday shortly before 4pm, the home fans will want to see passion and stubbornness. A bit of old fashioned ‘thickness’, rather than playing the ‘nice guys’ role, would also do no harm.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.