Ahead of the new season, Jim McGuinness was appointed as the team's manager, bringing to an end the era of John Joe Doherty.[1][2] The arrival of McGuinness brought the first appearance of a soon-to-be revolutionary tactic The System.[3]
McGuinness selected Michael Murphy as Donegal team captain, replacing Kevin Cassidy in the role.[4]
Panel
New manager Jim McGuinness included Kevin Cassidy (who intended to retire at the end of the previous season) and Michael Hegarty (who was not involved in the previous season) in his squad for the 2011 Dr McKenna Cup. Also named were several of the under-21s, including Peter Boyle, Thomas McKinley, Daniel McLaughlin, Kevin Mulhern and Antoin McFadden, and Johnny Bonner and Marty Boyle, stars of Naomh Conaill's run to the 2010 Ulster club football final.[5] Johnny Bonner did not play in any of the league games.
McKenna Cup panel
Paul Durcan, Peter Boyle, Karl Lacey, Neil McGee, Barry Dunnion, Johnny Bonner, Tomas McKinley, Edward Kelly, Neil Gallagher, Rory Kavanagh, Christopher Murrin, Dermot Molloy, Michael Hegarty, Colm McFadden, Daniel McLaughlin, Marty Boyle, David Walsh, Adrian Hanlon, Michael Murphy, Paddy McGrath, Kevin Mulhern, Leo McLoone, Ryan Bradley, Kevin Cassidy, Frank McGlynn, Antoin McFadden.
Above is the Donegal team that defeated Derry in the Ulster SFC final. The 2011 Donegal football team progressed to the 2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-finals, where they lost narrowly to eventual title-winners Dublin. Donegal defeated Kildare after extra-time in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Michael Murphy (1-3), Colm McFadden (1-3), Kevin Cassidy (0-1), Rory Kavanagh (0-1), Mark McHugh (0-1), Ryan Bradley (0-1), D Walsh (0-1)
Report
Donie Kingston (0-4), Paul Cahillane (0-3), John O'Loughlin (0-2), Niall Donoher (0-2), Ross Munnelly (0-2), Darren Strong (0-1), Colm Begley (0-1), Michael John Tierney (0-1)
^"Doherty resigns as Donegal manager". RTÉ. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
^"McGuinness appointed as Donegal manager". BBC. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
^Duggan, Keith (2 September 2014). "Neil McGee: pushing bodies on was key to Dublin upset — 'We went away to a training camp for four, five days and Jim more or less broke down their game plan and we exploited it'". The Irish Times. p. 2. Retrieved 2 September 2014. One of the lazier stereotypes about the Donegal defensive game — generally labelled 'the system' — is that it somehow does the work on its own. But McGee had plenty of moments in the spotlight with Brogan on Sunday and took his turn roaming forward like the other Donegal back six.
^"Michael Murphy chosen to captain Donegal next season". BBC Sport. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
^"Cassidy and Hegarty in McGuinness' Donegal panel". BBC. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
^"Donegal snatch a draw". Irish Independent. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
^ ab"Donegal still hopeful for Molloy". Irish Examiner. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
^Craig, Frank (17 September 2020). "Devenney doesn't expect the decider to be a classic". Donegal News. p. 57. Devenney said [regarding the 2020 Donegal SFC final, ahead of its second postponement]: 'Kilcar are so well conditioned. They've Adam Speer in the background. He's a top man. He was with Donegal in 2012 and he knows how to get teams into that frame of physical fitness'.
^Craig, Frank. "Interview: Keepers deserve their 'Pat' on the back". Ardara. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. As well as Pat, the hospital's surgical consultant, Kevin Moran; team doctor, Charlie McManus and team physio, Dermot Simpson, are all part of McGuinness' backroom team.