Photo: @Caramcq (via Twitter)
We’ve become very accustomed to outnumbering – and outshouting – the opposition in terms of supporters at matches in recent years. Last Saturday was probably our apogee in this regard – conservative estimates put our numerical advantage over Cork at the Gaelic Grounds at somewhere in excess of 10:1.
That won’t be the case this coming Sunday. Our lot will, of course, be travelling to Croke Park in their thousands – the Mayo News yesterday estimated that we’d have at least 15,000 there, perhaps more – but so too will supporters from Roscommon, as well as smaller numbers from Galway and Kerry.
I’m not sure how many those two will muster but the Rossies are expected to bring at least 10,000 with them. As the above photo confirms, the demand for tickets at Roscommon GAA HQ yesterday was on the higher than normal side of things.
Which is exactly what you’d expect in a football-mad county that’s having its first big day out in Croke Park for a number of years. Looking back at the records, it’s very clear that these kind of days haven’t come around too often for the Rossies.
The most recent championship match they played at HQ was back in 2011, when they went under heavily to Tyrone in a Round 4 qualifier tie. The last time they stepped out at the venue as Connacht champions was the previous year. Cork – on their way to winning Sam that September – made short work of the newly-crowned Nestor Cup holders in that All-Ireland quarter-final tie, beating them by 1-16 to 0-10.
I don’t have the facts and figures in front of me but, as someone has already noted in the comments, it’s almost certain that Roscommon’s most recent win at Croke Park occurred well before any of the current team were born. That would have been back in August 1980 when the great four-in-a-row Connacht champions got past Armagh in a 2-20 to 3-11 All-Ireland semi-final semi-final shootout, before going under narrowly to Mick O’Dwyer’s legendary Kerry side in the final.
When you place Roscommon’s recent record of playing in Croke Park – two matches since 2010, two heavy defeats – with ours, the enormous disparity in big match experience becomes stark. To paraphrase Martin Carney: very much so, Marty.
Since we got going under James Horan in 2011, we’ve played eighteen championship matches at HQ. We all know the salient facts about these – and have the scars to show for some of them – but they’re worth repeating all the same.
Those 18 games comprise three All-Ireland finals and one replay, six semi-finals and one replay, six All-Ireland quarter-finals and one Round 4 qualifier fixture. That’s a serious number of big days out in a relatively short space of time.
While people outside the county are often quick – some quite often too bloody quick in light of their own county’s failings – to fling those three final losses in our faces, many forget how many good days out we’ve had at HQ. These are, for the record, worth spelling out too.
We’ve won all six All-Ireland quarter-finals we’ve played in, most of them decisively and two of which were recorded over the then defending All-Ireland champions. By the way, we’ve won quarter-finals both as Connacht champions and, last year, when coming up through the qualifiers, as we’re doing again this year.
We’ve also won three All-Ireland semi-finals and drawn two more. We’ve drawn an All-Ireland final. We won a Round 4 qualifier. In total, out of the eighteen games we’ve played at Croke Park in the championship since 2011 our record consists of ten wins, three draws and five losses.
It’s little wonder, then, that we bristle at the notion that we’re some kind of accursed tribe. We’re not, we have plenty of good memories from previous days out in Croke Park at this time of year and we still have high hopes that our run in that regard isn’t over yet.
That track record also demonstrates the different way both sets of supporters – and, perhaps, the two teams – will approach Sunday’s showdown. It’s a novel one for sure – and the one area where the Rossies have more experience than us, in that, unlike us, they’ve played a Connacht team in a championship match outside the province – but, for us, the only novelty is that it’s the neighbours we’ll be playing.
The rest of it, our seventh All-Ireland quarter-final appearance in seven years, will all be utterly familiar for us. By contrast, for the Primrose and Blue the whole experience – both for Kevin McStay’s callow charges and the county’s followers – will be a voyage into uncharted waters.
Experience, of course, only gets you so far – as James Horan’s wet-behind-the-lugs team proved when dismantling Cork in the quarters back in 2011 – but on this metric it’s certainly the case that we come into Sunday’s tie with a massive headstart over the opposition. It’s one we need to use to the full to help us clinch our seventh successive All-Ireland quarter-final victory when we square up to the neighbours this coming weekend.
Roscommon’s Connacht title win will be a little tarnished if they lose to us. Real Connacht Final!
Great to see 3 Connacht teams in Croke park on the same day. Can’t remember it happening before? Going to be great craic on Sunday! We need to get as many Mayo supporters as possible to Croker on Sunday, or else we’ll be out numbered going by all those photos and videos from Roscommon fans yesterday!!
Willie Joe, I`m afraid that as they say in the stocks and shares, past performance is no guarantee of future returns.
This is a new game.
For instance, we could turn those stats around.
Since 1951, how many All Irelands have Kerry and Dublin won compared to us, butdoesn`t stop us giving either one their fill of Iit when we meet them.
As a Castlebar native, living in Roscommon, I`m getting a sense that thisRoscommon team are ready to give a performance on Sunday.
They`re a young team who came up in recent years with regular wins over Mayo at minor and U-21 level. They don`t have the baggage of Mayo defeats that many of the older players had. Those older players are mostly gone now.
Personally, I believe we`ll have too much for them over 70 mins, but if they hit the ground running, we need to be careful.
Christ I’m really nervous for this one. Not because I don’t think that we are good enough to win but more a fear of loosing .I’m based in the mid lands and 50% of my work mates are rossies .they can’t hide their confidence and even talking about giving Kerry a rattle.. Oh please if there is a God up there …let us win this one !!!!! —- just said I’d share that with my fellow mayo people!!!!!
Great stuff there WJ.
it’s a point I keep making. These are great times to be a Mayo Supporter. All those stats you quote contain wonderful memories when you drill down. Even the defeats have been died-with-their-boots-on occurrences that left the winners barely able to stand. When the dust eventually settles you should run a post on the most abiding memories of the current era.
On the Croker ‘Experience’ to give the word it’s Jimi Hendrix sense, Darragh O’Sé, in the Irish Times today, has a great piece on us and our formidable record there. He’s good too on Leroy and his need to be disciplined, citing Saint Aidan as the Paragon.
“That track record also demonstrates the different way both sets of supporters – and, perhaps, the two teams – will approach Sunday’s showdown. It’s a novel one for sure – and the one area where the Rossies have more experience than us, in that, unlike us, they’ve played a Connacht team in a championship match outside the province – but, for us, the only novelty is that it’s the neighbours we’ll be playing.”
Who did Roscommon play outside of the province WJ?
Mayo best six backs …..
Barrett, Harry, Durkan
Keegan, Boyle, Higgins
How to solve corner back & full back…..
Depends on the opposition. .. if they play two up then if matched in pace choice would be Harry & Barrett. If two speedy full fwds the Harry & Durkan. Durkan has have more discipline that Higgins.
If Mayo need a more physical full back I suggest Coen …. ahead of Vaughan/SOS because. …
More experience as a defender, mobile & comfortable in pocession.
Maybe Keegan needs a new challenge, midfield?
I do think Roscommon will try to run us ragged and take advantage of any tired legs. We have enough experience to play the game at our pace.Niall McInerney and Brian Stack are two great attacking half backs. Will Roscommon have progressed from their win over Galway. Very quiet low key build up bound to help them
Bertra – Roscommon played Galway in a quarter final back in 2001…although it was not in Croke Park but Castlebar. It was the first year of the qualifiers and Galway famously went on to gain revenge and go all the way to win Sam.
i cant wait for this match,i think the Rossies will run at us hard & fast,they will be expecting us to be out on our feet after ;last weeks battle,but it has to be said our strength and conditioning SHOULD be a help to us,
the Rossies will be up for this big time,we need to control the tempo of the game ,
some one said to me at work that Mayo will be caught out sunday & that our luck will run out,i had to grit my teeth and refrain from getting myself tangled in an altercation, i’m fiercely protective of these lads,we must give the rossies the utmost respect , i really believe we will have too much for them over the 70 mins,
but we do need to bring our A game like last week as supporters, the noise in Limerick was off the scale,even watching the game back ,MAYO MAYO MAYO, it was HEARTWARMING,
i hope the lads have enough recovery time,their heads need to be right,no silly fouls,- black or red cards,
no back chat to Joe, let our football to the talking,
im fired up and its only wednesday
Cmon Mayo
Bertra – it was Galway in 2001. Roscommon beat them in Connacht but then Galway turned the tables on them in the All-Ireland quarter-final. That match was played in Castlebar and Galway won by 0-14 to 1-5.
I think the Rossies could be on the wrong end of cranky, determined Mayo team this Sunday. They’re in no mood for listening to guff and I can tell you that losing to Roscommon in an All Ireland quarter final in Croke Park is not something they will allow happen. If anyone thinks Enda Smith is going to lord it in midfield over the O’Shea’s then I recommend you stop smoking that particular brand of cigarette. I expect a lot of verbs beginning with “B” to be used in the Monday match reports i.e. bullied, bossed, battered and beaten, none of them used to describe our warriors.
One only has to look at the boards on Hoganstand to gauge the depth of feeling engendered in our neighbours at the sight of the green and red. Editorial policy prevents me giving an accurate description of the exchanges, but suffice it to say that it ain’t no love-in 😉
Mayo fans must travel in large numbers, deck themselves out in our colours and make themselves heard! But sure that’s a given anyway.
Jeepers Trevor, to be saying this is the real Connaught final is like Dvaid Brent shouting “that’s the real quiz” after he lost a table quiz but managed to throw a shoe over a pub in “the office”. The real Connaught final was three weeks ago and we were nowhere to be seen.
slightly arrogant in my opinion
In most of our games this year it has been heart, spirit and guts that has been getting us through. For this match we need to be cold, clinical and like executors in a firing squad. Kill off their hope. This game for us is a bit like the Tipp game last year. Tipp were coming into the game after a big win over Galway like Roscommon this weekend. We did a professional job against Tipp so we need to do the same against Roscommon.
There has been a lot of talk about teams running down the centre of our defence, remember Seamie O’Shea did a great job shoring up our middle third in the replay against Dublin last year as a holding midfielder, so we’ll see if he gets that role again this year. There has been a lot of talk about our full-back situation as well, last year Kevin Keane had been full-back until the Tyrone game so again it’ll be interesting to see if we change things up when we get to the quarter-final as we did last year.
P.S. I see that the Kerry pundits have moved on to stage 5 now, the dangerous stage!
Stage 5: Plamas – They are telling us we are great now…. Its hard to keep up to them….
I absolutely agree Wayne.
I think we underestimate how much innovative or different has been tried with this Mayo team over the last 6 yrs.
First Horan came in and completely changed our style and instilled a hard-running game (importantly this suited our players and strengths at that stage). This takes a couple of years to bed down in reality.
From then on we’ve tried (in Championship) playing Keith at 11, playing Aido at FF, playing Aido at MF, playing Aido at CF, playing K McL as a sweeper, playing Big Barry as a sweeper, playing Dillon as a 2nd CF (against Tyrone last yr), using LeeRoy as a man marker, switching Donie to MF.
I’ve probably missed a few more as well. Some of these were more successful than others.
Currently we’re in the midst of another change in moving away from a full-time running game to a more kick passing game. This has taken time to bed in and I hope Limerick was evidence that we are getting the mix right in an attacking sense. In theory this should give us great advantages
1) it’s a less tiring game on older legs than 75 mins of hard running vs the like of the Dubs and suits our current crop of players;
2) it should give us an option of how to cut through some of the more defensive setups that we may face;
3) it should mean that our backs aren’t out of position as often giving us more cover defensively as they usually go to halfway and pass from there;
4) it should allow us to create more chances inside – Andy and Cillian can win ball ok but they aren’t the paciest, kick passing into them should give them more time and space to do their thing.
Now I’d be the first to admit we’ve struggled in getting the right mix of kick passing, support play and ball retention into our attacking game with this. We’ve been creating openings and chances all year but just missing a man off the shoulder or snatching at the shot or making the wrong run. But it seemed to click on Saturday night – hopefully this will continue.
The most puzzling thing to me is our defense against Cork. Bar a couple of point chances in extra-time we never had our backs isolated, we always had the men back, our tackling was excellent in the 1st half and they’d only scored 7 points after 48 mins. It makes me think that it was the subs and black card but I just don’t know…
I live in Co. Roscommon and the sense of cockiness from the Rossie fans and absolute hatred towards Mayo is unreal. I guess the hatred from both them and the Galway supporters (and I work with a couple of them too) is due to the fact that Mayo have been the Kings of Connacht for so long despite not being Connacht Champions for the past 2 years. We are the bookies favourites but yet there is talk everywhere of us being tired and exhausted after the last few games. Like James Horan said I don’t buy this. While watching the game last Saturday I saw a hunger in this team I’ve never seen before. Their focus is unreal and they were all in a zone like I’d never seen before. These guys time and time again have bounced back and are always ready for the next match after yet another gruelling one the previous few weeks or week!!. (Kerry replay back in 2014). Like us all they know they’ve been around a while now and this could well be their last shot at getting their hands on the ultimate prize. Yes the Rossies are up for this and had a great win over Galway but I genuinely believe Mayo will win this one. The motorway is going to be mental and there will be some craic going up with the three Connacht teams flying their flags. Hon Mayo??
This will be a different game in terms of atmosphere as for once I think our supporters will be outnumbered if the few kerry and galway fans get behind the rossies. It’s gas you know when I think back a few short years to when galway played kerry in 2014 and was it donegal later, to see mayo flags outnumbering galways when they scored! I think they’ll probably bring a few more fans this time as they are now “one of the big boys”. The whole country will probably be behind roscommon and who can blame them as we all love an underdog.
This is a dangerous game for mayo and everything is in the rossies favour coming into the game. It could be another long day if they are allowed to get into their stride early and play without fear which is something that young teams often do.
In relation to the hogan stand type stuff, I doubt we’ll ever see greats like Dermot Earley being carried shoulder high by opponents upon retirement? I cannot process how a younger generation are thinking -maybe too much exposure to foreign games? My galway work colleague recently told me that he thinks we’re like rangers to him. Needless to say I couldn’t refrain from telling him how pathetic he was. This same guy also tried to tell me that mayo u21 deserved to be sent off for shouldering their guy in the head in Tuam and the clown wasn’t even at the game! Basically told that what I had seen was wrong!
– We had heard the same crack before our League Match on Easter Sunday last year and remember what happened in Hydro Park that day.
– If experience, battle hardened and motivation are deemed advantages then we have them this Sunday
– I posted before the Cork match that we needed to hit hard and early and aside from AOS no meaningful hits went in. Hit hard, early and often.
– Need same level of support from the supporters as we had in Limerick
– Any of you that watched the Sunday Game will have seen O’Se and Brolly highlighting Donnacha O’C taking Caff to the cleaners. In one of the clips Mayo had 6 or 7 players back but all of the Mayo players were facing our OWN goal. That is not a blanket defence, that is a retreat or a mad scramble backwards. Sort it, know who is marking who and when.
– 8+
Good comments Kevmy….clear depiction of what’s what. Agree that the shakiness was hard to understand but answer must surely lie with the changes and a clicking into another gear by Cork and maybe one they didn’t know they had. Against Kerry at that stage they visibly had lost the ambition to work on hard. It ll be interesting to see how this team proceeds when things start up again for them.
Remember Kiltoom! Remember the hatred and vitriol they spat at us as we all laughed walking out that Sunday. Andy made the Rossies cry!! Remember that.
Remember the people in Ballinlough waving Dublin flags at the Mayo traffic returning from Croke Park last October. Remember them laughing at us and sticking their fingers up at us! Remember that.
I remember all that and more. I remember Rossies travelling in to Ballyhaunis on Sundays when we have lost another All Ireland. Coming in to laugh, jeer and rub our faces in it. Driving around the town hooting their horns.
Well my Roscommon friends, I hope ye remember that ye have played no-one yet. No one, with all due respect to Leitrim. Ye caught a Galway team on the hop, with their eyes already on Croker. Even the Galway players have publicly admitted that themselves. Ye got hammered out the gate in every league game bar the last one which was a dead-rubber. For all the talk about Roscommon not targeting the league, doubling up on gym sessions, not physically prepared back in Jan/Feb for the FBD game! Do ye think Mayo were? Do ye think we were targeting the FBD? Do ye think we were targeting the league? Do ye think we have stood up since and eased off the training?
If they hate us well I can guarantee you that the feeling in mutual for a lot of Mayo supporters.
Good man pebblesmeller, I just took the office door off the hinges after reading your speech trying to get out for the dinner!!!
G’wan Mayo
With all due respect pebblesmeller, we have played nobody of note yet either. And of course the Galway lads will say that. They had to offer up some excuse for their dismal performance. We need to be wary of the Rossies. McStay is a savvy chap. I must admit I’m nervous. Then I always am where we are concerned!
I suppose no point worrying about what Roscommon or Galway fans think about it. I only care about Mayo. I don’t even consider Roscommon a great rival…as someone from south Mayo it was always Galway and I have only witnessed Roscommon beat us ONCE in Championship.
And the cry went up “Remember Kiltoom” brilliant !
Interesting stuff there Pebbles. Haven’t experienced it, but let’s remember it and not fall into any kind of nostalgia.
Time for business now.
Great Speech Pebbles , you should be the one doing the team talk 15 mins before kick off!!!
catcol is right- time for business,Bring it on
Yes Pebblesmeller always awakens the rebel and fight in me! You should have saved that for sat night or sun morning. Rev us up! Am sure you will have something even more rousing then.
Season tickets allocated there a few minutes ago, ready for printing.
Yew tree exactly but they have a developed a real hatred towards Mayo which is now reciprocated by us. But to be honest we are the dubs of the west. I think they even support Dublin over us. That lovely fb page called ‘Mayo will never win an all Ireland’ is full of over 5000 dubs, rossies and Galway heads. Success (even if not the ultimate) brings jealousy. Let’s just hope the jealousy continues. Dublin supporter’s attitude towards us is the strange one.
Season tickets available to print
A lot of mayo ones seem to be in 306 which is brilliant !
Be great if the core is kept together in the centre sections
WHAT??!!There is an actual fb page called Mayo will not win an All Ireland?! Well you can just imagine the utter bile on that..Sod them.
Fair play to the Rossi fan’s they just like the Denise’s favourite son ‘John Mullane,’ love’s their county ‘.. They turn up in serious number’s and bring noise and colour… Now who does that remind you of?…. I seen the placards in Claregalway on the way home from Limerick, telling us that’ ‘ye will never win it ‘… I seen on the Headford road returning from Galway,’ ‘Backdoor this way’….In fairness a bit of humour to that one.. But the point I’m making is that these people weren’t in Pearce Stadium or Markievich Park, supporting their County’s on the day….they were having a go at Mayo, it’s only a minority that engage in such useless negative behaviour, by and large Mayo supporters do like what other decent supporters do when the match doesn’t involve Mayo, we shout for the underdog, Galway will be the underdog on Sunday, they could badly do with the support of the Best Supporter’s in the Country, Mayo giving them a hand.. Mayo supporter’s gave the Galway minor team better and louder support in the All Ireland final last year, than their own… Those who pretend to be fan’s would be allot better off supporting their own county, than writing out negative comments about Mayo,.. In the end it’s the winners that take the spoils, not those that castigate the warriors, that gives it all every day… Roscommon are deserving Connacht Champion’s.. A match I enjoyed and I shouted my encouragement for them to the Telly,.. Mayo if we are to win, that won’t change.. Suppose we were to win and Galway were to subquently beat us in the semi finals, who would be Connacht Champions.. It would still be Roscommon, end of story….Now those who were waving Dublin flags at the Mayo cars in County Roscommon last year, I don’t think these are people are fan’s at all… Every county unfortunately has a very small minority of similar minded people.. Last year in Castlebar, did one thousand Galway supporters turn up in McHale Park to support their team? I seriously doubt it. , Fair Play to those who did, but despite Galway’great tradition and success, Mayo are much better loved… Now I won’t be shouting for the Rossi on Sunday,. I have yet to decide who deserves the support in the curtain raiser! Safe travelling to all those who are in Croker on Sunday, it should be a great day out…
.
LOL Olive “Hydro Park” 😀
Pebblesmeller, there will certainly be no love lost on Sunday. I’d settle for a one-point win, but nothing would give me more satisfaction than to clatter them out the gate. No guarantee of either result, of course. However in their defence they’re not all cut from that cloth either … just most of them 😉
I concur with Liam though in that I can’t see Mayo letting themselves lose this one. As bad as it is now, imagine the shite they would have to listen to if that happened?
Sunday is a day for our supporters to put the work in and be seen and heard – the support has been incredible this year to date and we need more of the same on Sunday. I think the atmosphere will be mighty. Forgot to set up my seating group for Croker this year though so I am praying for everyone’s sake that I am seated nowhere near any Rossies …
Mayo mick I’ve been trying to print tickets but no sign of them yet, anybody else having bother.
Fair play leantimes for echoing sentiments similar to my own. And fair play pebbles Mellor you should be in the dressing room.
I’m in bother and hope someone on here can help. Stuck in Belamadina in Malaga; anyone know a pub that’ll show the game? Still not speaking to the better half but if I find a pub we’ll be ok!!!
just checked my season ticket, and its in 305. Hon Mayo. No Surrender
Sinead
The dubs attitude towards Mayo is one based on the knowledge that in September Mayo are a match for them more than kerry and the others are. That’s the reason there’s a nervous smile when Mayo win a close game they should have lost, they’re more wary of the green and red than they are of kerry. Big smiles all round last Saturday when Cork came back, lads clapping the hands and smiling because Mayo blew it, the smiles didn’t last though, and that kills them.
Not sure if Rossies are allowed post on here but enjoying the build up to the whole game and I’ve no doubt there will be a fantastic atmosphere in Croker on Sunday. Excited at the thought of walking down Jones road and a sea of Ros/Galway/Mayo colour all through the crowd. As for supporters and animosity, there are plebs in every county who aren’t even educated on GAA or go to those matches in January /Feb /March – as they say empty cans make the most noise. I’m from North of the county and every year when Mayo are making their now annual trips to Croker the towns in my locality are awash with mayo flags and signs showing support. We ain’t all bad 😉 as for the game itself, certainly hoping we can rise to the occasion and put in a good performance. Hoping (and feeling) it’s going to be closer than some of our previous encounters!
Guys just a heads up:
M6, Westmeath
The M6 Galway/Dublin Rd will be closed for works westbound from J5 Tullamore to J6 Moate East between 8am on Mon 24th July to 6pm on Fri 28th July. Diversions will be in place via the Old Dublin Rd.
So westbound means on the way home you can except significant delays.
yew_Tree Road Road is due to open Sunday now due to the matches taking place. A bit of common sense from those involved, So there should be no real delays, Taking the train myself and having a few tins.
I dont post as much as I used to. I find most blogs too negative and they tend to be hijacked by the views of too few posters. I also see a soccer style agenda building up with things like hatred of the opposition creeping in. Concentrate on supporting Mayo and leave other fans to do what ever they want to do. There are great GAA people in Roscommon, Galway, Dublin and Kerry the same as Mayo. I once talked to a very good club manager. He stated that hatred of the opposition is a waste of time and energy and especially hatred of specific teams. His theory was that as a player you totally and absolutely hated every opponent not because he is from Roscommon or Ballinrobe or Ballina. You hate them there and then because they stand in your way of achieving your goal. Any other reason and you have lost the plot. You hate them because, potentially, they can stop you winning the game and as a player this feeling has to be there in every game.
Wayne scales very well said… Roscommon are the Connacht champions 2017 and nothing on Sunday can change that…
Thanks for clearing that up WJ and Yew Tree, I mis read that paragraph and thought you meant they played someone outside the province this year.
Those diversions end this Friday ?
Great stuff there from Liam and Pebblesmeller! Feel ready now to run on to the pitch myself on Sunday and throw the shoulder at a few of the rossie players (even though I’d end up on my arse).
Even still, I’m looking at this game as a means to getting to an incredible 7th straight semi final, rather than just getting one over on the neighbours. Being exiled, it’s a lot easier not having to listen to the shite from other counties after a defeat.
Fully expecting to win this, although I’ve predicted easy wins in our 4 previous games also – so maybe best to just predict a nervy 1 point win, with Andy (who else) to knock over the winner in injury time.
Oh and Saoirse, WJ runs an open house here, all welcome! Just don’t mind a lot of our parochial rantings in the build up to the game.
Wayne Scales – Its not often I’m called arrogant but on this occasion reading back my post I could be guilty. What I meant by real Connacht final is a QF is a bigger battle than a Connacht Final. The same goes if we, or Roscommon end up playing Galway in a semi final, it will, again be bigger than the Connacht Final or QF. I stand by my point that their Connacht win will be slightly tarnished if we beat them & that’s just my opinion….Up Mayo!
@ Onemoretime: The Hill 16 pub in Torremolinos is your only man, was in there for Galway v. Mayo two years ago. Nice people run it as well, even if they hail from the Pale 😉
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187440-d6022846-Reviews-Hill_16_Irish_Bar_Torremolinos-Torremolinos_Costa_del_Sol_Province_of_Malaga_Anda.html
Maybe a bit late to consider for this year but could Patrick Durcan become a full back in the manner of Seamus Moynihan of Kerry?(fast.strong,athletic,not too tall.)
AtloneRossie is correct rd works are put off untill following Monday ….good to see Ross people posting on here ….There used to be a Hontheross and Rossieshane they were good contributers and quite balanced in their opinions and over 200 people have voted for Ross to win on Sunday would be good to hear from them….We should embrace our fellow rivals and enjoy the rivalry as its not often we get to meet in such a high profile Croker game….
In fairness to the Rossies in 2006
Most houses from Ballinlough to Roscommon had a rossie flag for the minors match and a Mayo flag for the senior
Micheal Cummins from mid west radio mentioned how he bought a rossie flag to show support
How many Mayo people can say they did the same a few
One shop in louisburgh with ros connections I can remember
What gets on rossies wick is the silly songs that get churned out at all Ireland time
I think mid west made a album with 43 songs on it
Well said Saoirse and Wayne. In recent years when Mayo have represented the province they have received great support from other counties as evidenced by the amount of green and red in the fields of roscommon as we have made our way to croker in septembers past. Its only arrogance on our behalves that would change that.
I do get the feeling Roscommon will acquit themselves very well and am hoping that experience and physical toughness will shade it for Mayo.
Good point wolfie, you don’t need to be 6″6 to be a fullback. Durcan is tall enough and physical enough too. It’s more about anticipation and speed that size anyway. That’s why seamie would be skinned by a fast thinking forward and Keegan or the lines wouldn’t.
Someone else saying there’s s hatred of other teams creeping in, I don’t think so, when was the last time you seen a Gaelic football hooligan? Apart from the yobs filled with drink in Croker, I think it’s ok. Anyways, a healthy dislike is a good thing, when I was playing I seen my opponents as somebody to get stuck into and not be nice to. After the game, sometimes it was cool, sometimes not, but the bottom line is that your opponent is not your friend.
If Mayo were playing the Kilkenny footballers on Sunday, the amber and black jersey would annoy me even to look at, it must be the tribal stuff from our ancestors coming out in me.
Extra capacity added by Irish rail to cater for demand;
Sunday 30th July – Quarter-Final
Kerry Vs. Galway, Croke Park, Dublin. Throw in 14:00hrs.
08.05hrs Galway to Dublin Heuston SOLD OUT
Roscommon Vs. Mayo, Croke Park, Dublin. Throw in 16:00hrs.
Additional Services;
08.25hrs Westport to Dublin Heuston
09.10hrs Claremorris and Dublin Heuston
Additional capacity added to 09.00hrs Dublin Connolly to Sligo.
09.45hrs Sligo to Dublin Connolly
09.55hrs Boyle to Dublin Connolly
16.00hrs Dublin Connolly to Sligo is deferred until 18.05hrs.
18.30hrs Dublin Heuston to Westport
19.10hrs Dublin Heuston to Westport
19.40hrs Dublin Heuston to Claremorris
The following services are Sold Out
07.50hrs Westport to Dublin Heuston
19.05hrs Dublin Connolly to Sligo
19.10hrs Dublin Heuston to Westport
Lads and ladies, I wouldn`t be using some of the contributors to Hogan Stand as being representative
of a county`s supporters.
That site tends to attract the more juvenile and immature supporter. No doubt there are some on this county too.
Can`t understand people saying that this is the real Connacht Final or that Roscommon`s Nestor Cup victory will be tarnished. Get over it folks. The history books will always show that they are the 2017 champions. End of matter really.
Focus on supporting our own team and constructive debate and let the Hogan Stand warriors indulge in the other rubbish.
It Means Nothing To Me
Thanking you from the bottom of my heart. I’m relieved to have that info. Will be up there tomorrow. Enjoy the game.
This may be a silly question but if Galway win and Roscommon win, do they then meet again in the semi final?
MaigheoGalinGaillimh – Yes, they will.
Wasn’t Moynihan at no 6 but of course he could have done the job. Would be interesting to see many being tried at 3 but nows not the time probably. For that matter what about Jason Doherty ….seems that fella could play anywhere …fast and spot on at getting the hand in and generally being a nuisance. But whoever is there you always have to have the something extra if you re going to sometimes have a biggie at ff.
Welcome aboard Saoirse, as Dan says it can get a bit parochial in here at times but contributions from other counties and the opposition camps are a great addition to this space. I hope we see a few of our other Rossie contributors appearing before the week is out too.
Fair point about the flags, there’s always a right scatter of them – it’s either that or there must be an awful lot of Mayojians settled in Ros country!
Genuinely cannot wait for Sunday. Here’s hoping we get a bit of sunshine, if only for Paddy Joe Burke’s sake.
Figures could be wrong there id reckon re roscommon support , 15-17k believe it or not is what ive been told from a fairly decent source . Prepare to be shocked at the amount of rossies at this one.
Mayo could be outnumbered id guess.
I think we will be beat on sunday , i just cant see how we can cope at the back. (obviously hope im wrong).
Stay positive Sean. Rochy and co have been warned. We managed all last year without a ful back at all and Ger was not to blame for the goals against Cork! If it wasn’t for the goals we’d have won easy and all the panic about our backs wouldn’t be this much to the fore.
The more I think about it the more I realise how significant losing our Entire half back line was, well before full time of ordinary time. No team could live with this loss and it just shows how important it is not to disrupt a line unless absolutely necessary, especially as teams are running down our middle this year. Obviously Lee got black but removing Boyler and Chris soon after each other was wrong. Management will have learned. We seem to be improving as a forward unit. We sorted our backs last year so I believe we’ll get it right again.
I too think Rossies could well outnumber us on Sunday. As I said, it will be a unique atmosphere, Magic even. Embrace it all and shout for as long and as loud as you possibly can.
IF the legs are fresh by Sunday, we will win by a double digit score. Mark my words !!
I see Dublin fan groups are suggesting that they should receive less tickets for Hill 16. There is also a suggestion of a boycott.
Don’t worry lads, the best fans in the country stand (literally) ready to take up any slack on The Hill.
Hello All,
What gives me hope for this year and am already looking forward to Kerry/Galway Game, is that the Unity in the Team is intact. I waited to see how SR would get on. Had hoped that the previous Management would gel having already being familiar with so many of them from under 21. It seems like a long time ago now and many re ready to pen there ‘ I told you so’ if they crashed!
The perceived failings this year have being covered ad nauseam with everyone taking the lead from somewhere else. I have managed to control my ignorances so far as i dont really know who is best in any position.
All i know is that last Saturday in Limerick was something else and now we have fresher players than if they were not substituted. The Mgt will know best for Sunday. I would imagine McEntee and Buckley will move on this year and they will be all trying to get it right and maybe keep a surprise or 2 for the Semi. As regards next Sunday it is my intention to respect the Ros fans. It means a lot to them too.
The next County or Country does seem to bring out a sporting hatred but only for a short duration. As nearly everyone agrees this Team have given so much. Another great day to look forward too
Experience, of course, only gets you so far – as James Horan’s wet-behind-the-lugs team proved when dismantling Cork in the quarters back in 2011, Indeed WJ and it should be reminded back then the Mayo support was a lot less then than it is now. Roscommon bringing 15k to 20K to Croke park for a county of a little of 60K is to commended
Roscommon are Connacht champions until such time that they are beaten in Connacht. Sunday is different competition, All Ireland series match an old fashion knock out game with the reward of a last four place.
Let’s hope we can do it and that James Horan is right – that the S&C etc. will have our lads right for Sunday. This is not the ‘real Connacht final’ this is the real deal – the All-Ireland series where the big boys get the business done. If Roscommon beat us they will have deserved it and I, like most other right minded Mayo and West of Ireland folk will be the first to congratulate them and wish them luck. I sincerely hope that our experience and strength will carry us through but it will be another emotional rollercoaster – it always is!
I just can’t see the Roscommon backs been able to contain our forwards. Roscommon do have handy forwards alright and you’d expect them to cause us problems at the back but I’d expect our backs to be able to handle their forwards better than their backs will be able to handle our forwards. That should be where the winning of the game will be. Maybe the Roscommon backs have improved a lot but I can’t see that they would have improved by enough to be able to handle the O’Connors, Kevin McLoughlin, Aidan O’Shea, Andy Moran, Jason Doc, Conor Loftus, Evan Regan etc. You’d like to see us produce a burst like we did against Clare. A kind of blitz of their back-line.
The people I know always support Connacht teams in Croker. I will be shouting for Galway on Sunday and if Ros are good enough to turn us over I will be rooting for them on their next outing. I don’t go with this hatred of other counties at all.
Mind you I would take immense pleasure in beating either Kerry or Dublin ahead of anybody else.
would love to see kerry beaten the media keep hyping them up.
Can i ask why posters keep banging on about how they shout for other teams? Wgaf, if youre that watery good luck to ya, no need to broadcast it in the context of its the normal thing to do. Because it isnt, majority of kerry people dont support cork or visa versa, same applies to dublin and meath. And its mostly mayo people banging on all week at this pathetic love in . When will ye ever learn to just stop allowing people to tske the piss, ye dont even realise it.
Roscommon supporters have supported Mayo over the years and mayo supported Roscommon in croke park in return!!I remember in 06 Mayo supported our minors as we drew with Kerry in minor final.Regards Sundays game it will be a good match,Mayo have experience but this Roscommon team are different from past teams.Most Roscommon players have played and beat Mayo at minor and U21 and don’t fear the sight of Mayo Jersey.Talking to them they are confident of good performance and are really focused on game.unlike past Roscommon teams that celebrated con final win for weeks they went back training straight away.Don’t underestimate Roscommon Sunday,they want more success!!!
Sean, did you get out of the wrong side of the bed today :-D?
I dont care who supports Mayo from other counties etc etc. I support them and thats all that matters to me.
So now the Dubs are not allowed to bring in their huge blue flag on to the Hill. It is classed as a fire hazard it seems. Health and safety gone mad more like it.
Anyway i wonder what sort of owl crowd is expected this Sunday in total. Kerry people will probably do the usual ” ah sure i’ll wait for the final and go to that”.
I remember the 1984 semi final between Galway and Kerry. During the parade, Mick O’Hehir said “there are 4 Galway flags that i can see in Croke Park.”
The following Sunday was the semi final between Tyrone and Dublin. During the parade, O’Hehir said “Remember the funeral we were at last Sunday” as he looked down on a sea of colour.
Didnt stop kerry winning the all ireland though lol.
I expect a dirty game on Sunday.
Games with Roscommon always have been as there is some sort of begrudgery there from the Ross supporters against Mayo. The older people in the Ross crowd will expect belts as well and expect their lads to dish it out to us. Every time a Ross guy goes down there will be howls for a red card.
I remember them chanting “We hate Mayo, we hate Mayo” in the Hyde. If people think there will be something new on Sunday because its Croke Park well forget it ! Kevin McStay will have these guys foaming at the mouth to beat Mayo. Imagine the legendary heroes they would be. First Ross team to beat Mayo in Senior football in Croke Park. Legends forever.
Also he must have had a good idea it would have been Mayo they would be playing. After all we were the raging favourites all through the qualifiers. What better way to motivate your team for a semi final than by telling them its your nearest and most hated neighbours you will be playing to get there. And don’t forget McStay has an axe to grind as well.
I won’t be surprised to see some red cards.
Ah Sean Burke! I’ve been supporting Mayo since the mid sixties, rarely missing a match. I have no sense of begrudgery towards my neighbouring counties. And you’re telling me that’s abnormal. Janus I’ll have to go see someone about it.
Great to see the anti ros rants being followed by really balanced posts. We in Ros have a few eegits supporting us like all counties but most Ros clubs showed visible support to Mayo with flags and banners for all your finals and Ros almost 100% were shouting for ye after minor in 2006. Because we are hammerred by ye so often, we are more sore than ye. It would be the same if the other way around. Anyway best of luck on Sunday, really looking forward to the day, a proud day for Connacht, a great rare day out for the Rossies in Croker. Vibes really good here, if we win, McStay us a special manager, to build such a team in so short a time, with such a small pick. If ye win I hope ye build on it. I think we will be competitive at least.
Not getting bogged down on this , i dont see why you would support another county, thats crazy in my eyes , each to their own i suppose but please stop looking for a pat on the back for it to all those who do this, its your thing , it shouldnt be put in the context of “mayo people should support ros after we are out ” , buy a roscommon jersey but do it in a personal capacity , it does not represent me ,my fsmily or friends who go to all mayo games also , we dislike our neighbours on the field of play amd would rather see portadown orange lodge win sam maguire than roscommon. Thanks .
Totally agree with all of Sean Burke’s comments.
I too will only support our team. Couldnt give a you know what bout our neighbours. Have heard too much from some of them to disgust me for life. Best of luck to our amazing guys. Ye deserve only the best going forward. Be ruthless and so will we. Mayo ONLY.
The Rossies will have no answer for our power, nice footballers but it will be Men against Boys on Sunday!
Have to say as a Galway man with very very strong Mayo connections I see no harm whatsoever shouting for your neighbours ( when Galway are not involved) I did in all yet finals and semis over the years, I would like to think he gave Galway yer best in 2001 and 98. I suppose it’s says more about the individual.. On another point I watched a ‘re run on Eir sport last night of the 2013 final v Dublin and Apart from 2 players Mayo still have everyone else involved. I like Ger Cafferkey think his injury has had an enormous effect on his season. Watching last night thinking if he stayed involved would Tom Cunniffe be a starter option at 3 if togging on Sunday.. ?
Sean, Rochie and the team better have figured out a better defensive structure. How many warnings do they need? Derry, Clare, Cork all carved us open down the middle and we backed off them or just split open… Same during the league, ros had 2 or 3 clear goal chances and Clarke was man of the match.
Yes, we won all of these games but we are making life awful hard for ourselves and unless heads and bodies are fully tuned in on Sunday we could be in trouble.
I think Keegan and Durcan are due big games. Time to show a bit of class.
I’m afraid Sean you have a poor reading of GAA supporters if you think they don’t shout for our neighbours. That’s what makes us unique. I’d say to a man and woman, everyone in Kerry would rather see cork win the all Ireland any year they are knocked out. When your driving to and from Croker for all those games in recent years did you not see the Mayo flags and support all across Roscommon?? Doesn’t strike me as a county who hates us. I remember in college in the 2000s, when Tyrone and Armagh were at their peak – lads from Cavan, fermanagh Monaghan etc were so proud to see their provincial representatives beating Kerry and Dublin. It seems a segment of the Mayo fans would like to adapt a Celtic/rangers type approach to our near neighbours, in particular Roscommon. I hate that attitude. Keep that oul soccer type shite out of our games, I say. If Roscommon beat us on Sunday, I will wish them well and hope they go on and win an all Ireland for Connaught. Likewise I’ll be roaring Galway on against Kerry. We should stick together in the west – we were all in the wilderness for long enough in Gaelic football terms.
As it happens I think we’ll win on Sunday and set up a showdown with Kerry. Now there’s a team I love to see us beating, far far more than any Connaught sides.
Folks, it appears the Cork match is no longer on YouTube. Is that correct?
Yes You are correct, Spotlight.
Thanks Sinead37……..that bloody Sky deal!
In the previous thread someone asked about the last time ourselves and Galway appeared together in a chip double-bill in CP. The answer I think is 2005 when we lost to Kerry and they to Cork. In our match guess who got the RTE mom………Louisburgh’s finest, Austin O’Malley.
We were on together in 2014. We beat cork and they lost to Kerry.
Mayoaze, Spot on, there.. Sidelines made some serious errors last Saturday.. From the selection of the first 15,… To be honest, you have to be completely ruthless and objective… Cafferkey has been struggling very badly,.and we have to find another solution, and a plan B if that solution doesn’t work… Simple as that, we can’t be sentimental, it’s not personal.. But manangent duty is not to any individual in the Mayo team, regardless of what they have given in the past..It’s ONLY duty is get the very best out of the considerable panel at our disposal. The taking off of Chris Barrett was also ridiculous, in fairness Stephen had the good sense to put him back on.. I think Alan Dillon race is ran, seen 10 minutes in Ennis, can’t recall him getting on the ball, and we have several better options to bring on.. Eg Kirby, Boland, Connor OShea…. In a post earlier, I had some written some kind sentiments about our neighbours…But we have to be utterly ruthless about ourselves. We are now at the unforgiving business end of things, we CANNOT afford, to be at anything less than our best,.. Sideline decisions, and individual errors cost us more than the Mighty Dub’s cost us last Autumn .. Against Galway, Derry, Clare and Cork, Mayo have lost player’s due to Black and Red card’s… In 3 of those instances it was stupid what the individual player’s done, Donie Vaughan early Black Card versus Clare being the exception, taking one for the team and stopping Gary Brennan having a clear shot on goal… The Player’s concerned are good good enough to be better, take your lead in self discipline from Aiden O’Shea, the management is also good enough to be better… I think we all know it…If we are to be beaten, let’s not be looking back at whom and what to blame.
It’s never all Black or White, I have made some criticism of the management in my last post.. But I would also compliment them on two things, firstly we have expanded the panel and now have more options, and secondly on an selection decision that surprised many last Saturday, the inclusion of Jason Doherty in the first 15, who was absolutely fantastic, great to see it.
That’s it Leantimes. Rochford has done plenty right too. Sadly, peoples default setting 90% of the time is to criticise! I direct that more at so called pundits like Bernard Flynn who had disgustingly likened Rochford managing Mayo to a sheep leading a pack of lions. Sure poor oul Bernard was so excited laying into Rochford on Game On 2fm he ageed with Hugh Cahills comment Rochford was at fault for the 2 OGs in drawn All Ireland by dropping Clarke for Hennelly for the replay. I kid you not! https://soundcloud.com/rte2fm/game-on-240717-gaa-football-review
Listen from 12:20 you will hear Flynn. Joker
Agree totally re Dillon , I have watched Dillon v closely when he came on v Clare and cork
He just hasn’t got the legs anymore , v slow and lathergic looking
Gave away a silly ball at the end v Cork and was badly burned for pace at the end he was only on a few mins at that stage
Time to give Boland , Kirby , Conor o shea a chance over him
I always shout for a Connaght team when I am in Croke Park. (Once they are not playing us) I Roared for
Galway in their finals against Kildare and Meath. For God`s sake if they had`nt won those matches when is
the last time we would have seen Sam cross the Shannon.? I`m delighted too that there are three westie teams
involved this w/end. It`s not too very long ago we were being tarnished as the weaker province.
For us this weekend we need to act like cold blooded assassins. Roscommon will be like an annoying wasp or bee that we have to swat away as quickly as possible.
When we played them last year in the league we were well ahead of them but we gave away a bad goal and it was too close for comfort at the end. So if we have our foot on their throats, we need to keep it there and finish them off.
It’s the Paddy Joe Burkes of this world that I have the time for, not the bitter clowns on Facebook or Hogan Stand (or the ones driving around Ballyhaunis beeping their horns) who are best ignored. Sunday will be a special occasion so lets get out there, have the craic with our neighbours and cheer on our teams as best we can. It’s what the GAA is all about.
I liked chris barret at 6. Think between himself and seamie O’Shea they plugged a hole there and things went awry when they went off. Unfortunately I think we might need chris is the full back line. Although Rochford tends to surprise with his selections. we could see something out of left field. Dare I say it , Robbie hennelly in at 3?!!!
Paranoia was the word I was looking for to describe much of the anti neighbour chat that’s been smeared around here now and again and esp lately that they are more in view. If you wish to have a cure I’d recommend you google for the definition of the word.I heard a good expression used lately encouraging an elevation of views and opinion in a certain area and it was….’ Lads ….lets rise the boat a bit’. There’s much more profitable grazing grounds out there for your thoughts than having them tangled up in prejudiced perceptions. Out you go see the sun and gulp in that lovely fresh air.
C’mon Mayo…..Hup Ros and Galway!!
@Trevor Naughton, I know it is very annoying having to listen to Flynn, Brolly etc. getting stuck into us and knifing us in the back but we need to look at the bigger picture. On the one hand these boys are lambasting us then on the other hand you now have the Kerry pundits who were a while ago telling us we were finished now telling us we are great, plamasing us.
I read an article with one of the Kilkenny players and he was saying that in 2013 when they got knocked out of the championship everyone was telling them that they were finished etc. and he said that drove them on to win in 2014. So therefore we seem to be playing with a bit more anger this year which is probably due to all of this stick that we are getting.
Remember when Kieran Donaghy was interviewed after the 2014 All-Ireland final one of the first thing’s that he said was, ‘What do you think of that Joe Brolly’. So the comments that year about the conveyor belt in Kerry been finished was one of the things that drove Kerry on. We seem to be in the same boat this year. We need to use these comments to drive us on, the supporters and the team.
Flynn actually contradicted himself too in that analysis piece. On the one hand he was saying that he was astounded with the amount of experienced players that we took off but then he was saying that our players needed to be managed properly as we have a lot of miles on the clock and have had a lot of tough, hard games behind us. So Stephen Rochford replaced Barrett, Boyle, Seamie and Andy with Durcan, Vaughan, Coen and Loftus to do this, manage our older players, i.e. get fresh legs in to replace players the wrong side of 30, so his arguments don’t add up. He is a very poor analyst.
@NiallMc1983… I actually suggested that last year to my brother and he said I was a looney!! If leaking goals is a huge problem for us why not have the 2 goalies on the pitch! Sometimes the craziest ideas are the best!!
Just listened to game on from Monday. …
Flynn & Cawley …. not just one title but two !!!
Flynn claiming credit for AoS form & cawley dismissing mayo altogether. ..
Two Tits !!!
In the cork game I liked the way the forwards were aloud to cut lose for a change it put serious pressure on our defence,but surely it will boost the confidence of Aido cillian loftus Moran and diarmuid.
We scraped by but the qualifiers are behind us now and think we learned a lot.
I don’t think we won a game (extra time or replay) since London 2011 and we have done it twice this year.
I think the biggest problem in the defence this year is communication we need some lad to call the shots either Clarke or whoever is playing the centre rolls.
We need to get up there the weekend give it all we got for 70 plus stop over thinking everything get the win get home and prepare for next game.
Oh and a controlled win this time please,the heart can’t take much more.
Safe traveling all from west.
I just booked a ticket for Hogan Stand for Sunday afternoon – 35 euro. I hoped it was for both games, and may be the case but worried that one line says “CROKE PARK 30/07/2017 15:30” What’s the 15:30 all about? HELP PLEASE
Very interesting reading all the comments that range across the distribution from genuinely nervous about the Rossies to outright disdainful about the prospect that they could beat this Mayo team. Notwithstanding the extremes – hope pebblemaster has baked a very big pie that can be used to good effect regardless of outcome, for flinging or eating – the distribution around the mean is as you would expect. Pretty confident but slightly wary. I think that is about right. I think the 4pt spread with teh bookies is about right as well.
It is also interesting to see a preoccupation among a large portion of fans on whether other counties support Mayo or not. As Sean Burke says about why should ye care. In truth Mayo have been in reciept of more good will from non-residents than any county I’ve ever known over the years so I’m not sure how there is any sense of a love deficit overall. Vast majority of neutrals has supported Mayo against Kerry or the Dubs over the years….Even Brolly loves ye for god sake. But again…why did you give a toss….very Irish thing I guess – we behave the same collectively as a nation…aren’t we great we voted gay marraige, aren’t we great we have U2, aren’t we great with our gaelic games – Joey Barton tweeted to say he loved the hurling etc. etc…..so maybe its understandable as national shortcoming
Just had a listen there Trevor, my God, that’s a national show? You’d get a far better level of insight into Mayo, or indeed any team in the country, from our U-10’s here in the local club than them clowns! Who, WHO was that ejit squeaking in the background every now and then? Got a good laugh out of it though!
By the way, did any of ye listen to the Michael Commins show on mid west last night? It was brilliant! Our own John Regan from Kiltimagh and Paddy Joe from Roscommon was on it. If you can, listen back to it. Would do your heart good!!! Now that’s what rivalry and banter between two counties is really about. I watched it on a live stream on mid west, well done to all involved, brilliant production.
Mayo.Mick – I listened in to Mid West last night – two great characters and GAA men. No malice but just good fun and respect.
As for Game On – ignore it, its a trash show. That Cawley lad rightly got his ass handed to him by Eamon Dunphy earlier this year for spouting false comments.
Breaking News:
Mayo supporters back Dunphy in Cawley spat…baby!
HSE, for once I have to disagree with you.
I was on the Hill when Kerry won that AI against Donegal and was right ‘on’ that interview with Donaghy. How pathetic I thought that the first thing you have to say after winning an AIF is to reference Joe Brolly. I detest the Brollies of the world (too many included to name them), but, when Mayo win the big one, I’ll carry any one of them on my back to Castlebar and buy them drink all night. They may have to make their own way home though!
John Martin: my tickets for the cusack upper say the same thing. not to worry. they are definitely for both games 🙂
att. JOHN MARTIN . you can stop worrying, the ticket is for both games .dont forget your flag and your cheering voice.
any update on Toms injury ?
If Sunday`s game is level at the end of 70 mins, will it be extra time or a replay ?
JOHN MARTIN, don’t bring too big of a flag or they won’t let you in…. I know the Dub’s have got their collective knickers in a twist (how do you get your knickers in a twist, in an case? I digress) over them not being allowed to bring in their big flag into the Hill,.. But really is it a really ‘fire hazard’?… Don’t think so.. The only place I have seen flags go on fire are at Orange March’s (on the Telly, I wasn’t there myself,) or on occasions various trouble spots around the world… And in none of these instances, did the flag self combust… A few decades ago now, I did see on Banners in the Hill, some unsavoury and insulting comments.. I haven’t seen anything insulting on this particular Banner!.. Maybe that’s the real reason behind the ban, the GAA worried about something insulting been seen all over the world, if it were written on a big banner. The world is changing and in some way’s for the worst,… I seen ladies hand bags being checked going into Cusack Park, when the atmosphere could only be described as festive and friendly… So don’t bring big bag’s into Croke Park in future,.. This might be a difficulty for those Dublin fan’s, because they won’t be able to bring in bag’s either,. So they will be very hungry and thirsty by the end of the match…. Seeing as they have vowed to ‘Boycott’ the retail outlets inside Croke Park… Memo to Dublin fan’s, if you want to learn more about ‘Boycott’ ask a Mayo person.. What I would like to see banned from Croke Park, is intoxicated people, again a very small minority.. But if you have to sit beside someone the worse for ware, it’s not fun.. What’s worse is the amount of times they seem to need to disturb everyone else in going to the loo several times during the match… A problem that has decreased when you have a season ticket for me, because you are usually sitting beside, people who go to every match, and are there to support their team and not for the drink!
Was up in Dublin for a work gig today and happened to walk down Jones Road afterwards. We’ve been very fortunate to make that walk several times over the last few years and shouldn’t forget it.
Can’t wait for Sunday now and hoping it won’t be our last trip this summer.
diarmuid to midfield if tom is injured. boland Kirby in the subs ahead of Dillon.
Had my flag hung over the edge of the upper stand at last years final. Was told by a steward at half time to take it down. I said it wasn’t doing any harm and I wanted to leave it where it was. I was told it was covering up the advertising hoarding on the face of the stand and that these companies had paid big money to advertise in croke park and it had to come down. He wasn’t interested in the big money I had to pay for my ticket. Flag removed.
Wish to say thanks to Michael Fitzmaurice for the huge part he played in getting extra trains running, would not have happened without him.
To be honest I’d say it’s other counties big flags that are a fire hazard – in danger of being set alight when occupying the hill with Dublin.
Then on the other hand our own MISC got threats of setting the big nephin Mayo flag alight if it was brought to Galway. Galway county board disallowed the flag to be brought in the end. I think we should protest too. What will we do?!?!?!!!
😉
@sam 51 – I think Diarmuid to MF is a very interesting suggestion. Would give us much needed mobility there and allow Loftus to start without sacrificing any of the forwards who played so well the last day.
@Kevmy, yes I think so. saw him in the league when he started at midfield, Was impressed, I just think he would be more involved and is mayos best man at giving the right pass, never gets caught in possession and can run at them. Very composed on the ball and just has that little bit more than other players. yes I am a big loftus fan . Went for the jugular again the last day and only because it came off the defender it would have been a goal. on Dillon I think a great servant to mayo but his legs are gone, Time to go for youth.
Diarmuid played in midfield vs the Rossies for the league game in Castlebar this year already, and did well there too.
Payed midfield against the dubs and was ……
bossed and bullied easily enough
Looking at him against the dubs … he need games at midfield at senior grade to learn the craft of top class midfield play. Nother sure if this is the time to give him game time there.
I’mean sure he would be fine v the Rossies but down the line if Mayo can process, not so sure.
For Sunday, if DoC gows to Mf ….
this would allow a fwd six of
KMCL AOSJDoc
AM COC CL
It is just fascinating. The build-up is fantastic, I am like a 5 yr old on Christmas Eve and I am not even in the country!
So many sub-plots. The experience of Mayo vs. the youth of the Rossies. Andy Moran playing for Mayo and Kevin McStay / Liam McHale managing Roscommon.
Thank goodness it is not in Castlebar. One less hoodoo. We got a lot of breaks against Galway, the ref helped us and the woodwork was our friend. We will need the same kind of luck on Sunday.
We have been in the wilderness far too long. When I was a teenage pup we won Connacht 4 in a row, won the League in ’79 vs Cork (my first trip to Croker) and if we played our normal game, we would have beaten Kerry in 1980. I used to hear the auld bucks talk about ’43 and ’44 and that seemed like ancient history. Now 1980 is ancient history to many of our supporters. Point is, you have to enjoy these days, they might not come again for a long time. It has been a great era for Mayo. Is this the beginning of the end or is their life in ye Rhubarbs yet? We always say it was shame Dermot never won an All Ireland, same could be said for quite a few Mayo lads. It would be great for Mayo to win one, just not this year!
I hope for two great games on Sunday. I am 100% behind Galway against Kerry (and 200% behind the Rossies!). And unlike some of my county-men, I was 100% behind Mayo in the All-Ireland last year. How anyone outside of the Pale could root for the Dubs is beyond me.
I hope it is a good clean fast high scoring game. I hope it is not ruined by red or black cards or serious injuries. Best of luck to both teams, I am envious of those who can attend. Hon the Ros!!!
Good post there Tulsk LE, but I’ll be perfectly happy with a dour, low scoring, lot of yellows type of game that Mayo just pull through. Think last year’s league match in the Hyde and that’ll do nicely.
Tulsa Lord Edward,
As a regular visitor to this parish I can’t say I’ve seen your name before ( maybe I’m wrong). I like your post. A lot. All that seperates us is your support for the sheep and mine for the rhubarb. Great times indeed to be living through.
Elsewhere… Diarmuid might indeed, in the fullness of time, prove to be an option at midfield. But, trying him out in Croke Park of all places is, in my humble opinion, a reckless and ill-advised gamble. We made a wildly optimistic decision before last year’s Final replay. It backfired. While the stakes may not be as high at this stage of the All Ireland Series I hope we have learned our lesson.
not for a minute suggesting we keep DOC at midfield but with tom unavailable and seeing him there against ros in the league it may be worth looking at. On regan saw him in ballina against it Sligo in the fbd, , had 6 shots at the target , nil,. He could be the type that if he gets one ;;; it could be 3 or 4. His confidence is low .
@Catcol, Yeah I know what you mean about that interview with Donaghy, I couldn’t imagine a Mayo player doing the same thing, if we ever do manage to win it, even though a Father Ted type Golden Cleric speech might be order from some of our players!
The point I was making though was that some players use things like been totally written off to their advantage. I suppose Kilkenny players having won so much need something new every year. I remember the Kerry boys would always have something new as well. If one of their big players was injured then the mantra would be, ‘We have to win it for Jacko this year’. Each to their own I suppose.
Whatever about Donaghy, just take a minute to imagine the eloquence of Cillian O’Connor (scorer of the 78th minute winning point), on the steps of the Hogan upon accepting the Sam … the stuff dreams are made of. PLAN B!
That’s the stuff Anne-Marie!!!!!!