Recipe for success in Ulster may leave sour taste in mouth

You are the manager of an Ulster county. Your summer is over, but you are determined to do better next year. What should you do?

In the grand tradition of the GAA, most managers will not try to come up with anything too original. Instead, they will study the three northern teams left in the All-Ireland series and see if they can spot any trends.

Donegal, Monaghan and Armagh have all managed to reach the last 12. Why have they succeeded where the others have failed? The following patterns have been identified.