PUSH UP OR NOT?

When the sweeper came into vogue it was purely all about protecting your inside line of defence. A player who could read the game well was stationed on the ‘D’ to limit the use of the direct ball being played towards dangerous inside forwards.

Pic by inpho

Gavin Devlin's role in Tyrone's 2003 success was exactly this and preventing the Red Hands from being exposed.  It was mainly a defensive role and hitting the short foot pass to 

the likes of Brian Dooher who came back to launch attacks.

John Devine and Packie McConnell never looked for him on kickouts.  It was all about getting the distance and ensuring the defence was not under any undue pressure.

On Saturday night Devlin was once again involved in another Tyrone success, this time in a management capacity as Mickey Harte’s ‘runner’ relaying instructions.  The game has turned full circle since his playing days.

Nowadays there are different qualities demanded from both goalkeeper and sweeper.  Colm Cavanagh essentially uses his strong running ability to ferry the ball from danger.

Once the ball is passed safely to someone around the halfway line, he turns his back on the play and simply runs straight back into his spot in front of Aidan McCrory and co in defence.

Sometimes it is Tiernan McCann on the run but the ploy is the same, running forward while ‘still in control’ of the ball as Mickey Harte refers to it.  On one occasion it was Cavanagh who galloped forward and released another attacking defender Barry Tierney but his goal attempt was saved.

Behind his entire process is Niall Morgan who almost single handedly sets Tyrone on the move. He collects a ball from the umpire’s feet and looks up.  If there is a pocket of space on the wing, the Edendork man pings into the run of a Tyrone colleague.

If opposing forwards are not pushed up on their defender, you will see both corner backs pull wide and make themselves available and leave the middle channel open for Colm Cavanagh.

All three of these people have the same characteristics and Morgan knows it.  Once they receive the ball from the kickout they are off up the pitch eating up the ground in front of them and launching another attack.

Teams are now loading their best footballers in defence for this very purpose.  When the sweeper came in at the start a team would have sacrificed a forward to drop back, usually leaving the ‘least effective footballer’ of the opponents defence free as he would neither have the engine, the passing ability or the football brain to hurt them.

Now it is more difficult to do.  Richard Donnelly was free for long periods on Saturday and scored 0-4.  Galway’s Johnny Heaney did the same the previous week.  Playing the defensive game is getting more difficult to master.

Tyrone’s sheer athleticism and direct running makes them difficult opponents and Colm Cavangah has the legs to get up to press the oppositions kickouts and make it back to the ‘D’ in front of Niall Morgan.

So that leaves teams at a crossroads in terms of a game plan.  Facing a team with a dangerous forward line, attacking half backs and a ‘quarterback’ of a goalkeeper.  How do you curb them? It’s nearly impossible.

If you push up to pressure the goalkeeper and defence you must simply have everyone totally focused and working the system.  One weak link and it breaks down leaving you to trust your defenders 1 v 1 or 2 v 2.  How many teams will do this?

If you drop a man the likes of Paul Durcan will launch an attack through the Frank McGlynns and Jack McCaffreys of this world.  When they build up a head of steam, have you got a centre half back with the presence and timing to stop his run without picking up a black card?

In the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final Jim McGuinness second guessed Jim Gavin.  He knew Gavin would not let Paul Durcan’s array of short kicking put Donegal on the front foot.  The Dublin boss instructed all his players to push up on Donegal’s defenders.

What did McGuinness do?  He got Papa [Durcan] to go back in time.  To the days of Gary Walsh and John O’Leary. Durcan lumped the ball on top of Neil Gallagher and in the open spaces at the back, Colm McFadden and Paddy McBrearty made hay and cut Dublin’s defence to ribbons.

There was plenty of column inches dedicated to the kickout routines from Tyrone and Derry at the weekend.  There will be a similar debate in the runup to the 22^nd May championship clash.

One thing for certain is attacking goalkeepers are worth their weight in gold and now it’s trendy to be a goalkeeper again.  Rory Beggan’s precision against Slaughtneil and also Greenlough’s Chrissy Bradley with his varied kicks in last year’s intermediate final success.

It has even found a way into U12 football last season.  Magherafelt played an attack minded player in goals in their semi-final with Slaughtneil. 

Anytime Slaughtneil scored, a ball was rolled out, a corner back peeled wide, the ‘keeper measured his kick into space and the Rossas were on the front foot.

St Colm’s Draperstown played their marquee forward JP Devlin in defence in a recent Arthurs Cup game.  Why?  Their homework flagged up the other team’s defensive shape and St Colm’s were only going to need two defenders.

To counteract this Ciaran Meenagh used Devlin in a free role attacking from deep.  Why?  Because the modern game demands you to maximise your most influential players.

Where is the game going to be in ten years time?  Will the mark change the vision of underage coaching and use of goalkeepers?

Or will we still hear those two words bellowed at grounds all across the country.  “Push up, push Up!’  Would you get your team to push up?