What would defeat mean for John Evans?
In what was the first major provincial upset of the year, Sligo dumped a disjointed looking Roscommon side out of the Connacht championship. Manager John Evans copped plenty of flak for the team’s display and there were plenty of factors that culminated in their loss.
Evans’ record with Roscommon in the championship is very poor since he took over, and championship victories are the commodity in which county boards deal. Roscommon have beaten Leitrim, London and an abysmal Cavan side since he took over, and that frankly isn’t good enough.
The manager showed naivety in not operating an adequate sweeper system against the Yeats men, despite admitting he knew what type of gameplan Sligo would adopt.
Shane Curran led the calls for an ousting of the manager following the Sligo defeat, and there are plenty of supporters echoing his groans.
A sacking would be extremely harsh, as Evans really does look like he is bringing this team forward, but his ambitious notions of competing for All-Ireland’s may be stripped away from him permanently should they succumb to Cavan.
Is Terry Hyland the man to lead Cavan?
Cavan managed to secure four Ulster U21 titles in a row between 2011 and 2014 but they’ve failed to make any impact at senior level. Hyland came into the job at an ideal time in 2012, with the first crop of U21 Ulster winners ready to be blooded.
Since then they have failed to make any significant breakthrough, although there have been plenty of false dawns. Victory over Armagh in the 2013 Ulster championship, followed by an appearance in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry in 2013 left Cavan fans hopeful of provincial success under the former U21 manager, but it has been a fruitless chase.
Last season’s championship performance was particularly poor, losing to Armagh, before getting hammered by Roscommon. The Monaghan defeat served to show the deficiencies in Hyland’s tactics, and another early championship exit would leave his position as highly questionable.
Is one victory enough to give Longford momentum?
Longford were ruthlessly ejected from the Leinster championship when they were on the end of a 27-point spanking at the hands of Dublin. There was little time to wallow in self-pity as they were back out to face Carlow two weeks ago.
A 10-point win over the worst team in Leinster is probably nothing to crow about, but it may give the Shannonsiders considerable momentum going into their clash with Clare.
Liam Connerton, who impressed as a substitute against the Dubs, played from the start against Carlow two weeks ago and showed the type of direct running and flamboyancy that Longford had been lacking. He and Micky Quinn are pivotal to their chances.
Clare are coming off the back of their own 12-point beating from Cork, but home advantage should count for a lot when they welcome Longford. This game is finely balanced.
Can Jason Ryan save himself from the chop?
Once heralded as the best young manager in football, Ryan’s reputation has been perennially bruised during his two-year stint as Kildare manager.
Defections from the squad have taken their toll on the Lilywhites, but their league form coupled with their horrendous display against Dublin has highlighted the decline in this team over the course of two years.
Successive relegations in the league are a big enough reason to question Ryan’s position, but a defeat to Offaly this weekend would surely tip his role as manager to untenable. Last Sunday’s performance against Dublin is as bad a display as any Kildare side has produced in many years.The players looked completely shorn of belief.
Offaly are no pushovers, so a victory for the Faithful is a serious possibility. You’d have to wonder, if Ryan gets let go, will another major county swoop in to appoint him? Probably not.
Have Antrim progressed since their last meeting with Fermanagh?
It was another case of two steps forward and one step back for Antrim football after their brilliant victory over Laois in their first round qualifier.
You can’t begrudge Patrick McBride, Conor Burke or Paddy McAleer for enjoying a summer in Boston, but it says something about Antrim football in general that they had their tickets already booked before they had played Laois.
It shows that the mentality up there is completely wrong, and despite heartening victories such as the one they enjoyed last time out, their expectancy to be beaten ensures a glass ceiling remains hovering over them.
If that victory wasn’t a flash in the pan, they should compete with Fermanagh in Brewster Park. Fermanagh may have easily accounted for the Saffrons last time out, but they are no world-beaters and are there for the taking if Antrim can repeat previous heroics.
Originally published Friday at 17.00