91 thoughts on “Connacht final teams named”

1. Slightly disappointed with the team. Granted AOS is probably not fit enough to start but I’m surprised they stuck with Jason Doherty. Just think Conroy and Mortimer are that bit quicker and sharper at present. I know he’s great to get a goal in league and the odd friendly but I still think the other two offer more speed and options.
   Mayo will need to deal with midfield – this will be a far greater test for the unproven Moran and Geraghty than Leitrim’s midfield.
   A lot of questions to be answered on Sunday – here’s hoping they all have positive answers!

2. Dangerous looking Sligo full forward line. Mayo midfield is poor, in fact the teamsheet would not put the fear of God into any half decent team. Some names on the Sligo team I would know feck all about, what ever happened to Stephen Coen?

3. Any truth to the rumour that’s circulating Twitter put out by TV3 suggesting a certain player walked from the Mayo panel after being left out of the team?

   Also, required reading for those driving to Roscommon on Sunday, diversions in place etc:

   http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=9593&Lang=1

4. According to Newstalk Mort has walked off panel—surely he is not that immature.

5. Settled look to the Mayo team now. Barry Moran was great v Leitrim and by all accounts Sligo aren’t great in midfield. They don’t have O’hara to guard the back line so that’s a plus and Coen has fallen out with management since the New york game.

   Jason Doherty will repay the faith to Horan by banging in a few goals and Andy should get in on the act also. Sligo will probably stick with Mayo for 45-50mins but the fitness,strength,power of Mayo will win out.

   Mayo 3-11 Sligo 1-10

6. could not care less about the mort as long as mayo beat sligo exp after 2010 i will be thrilled

7. If Conor wasn’t man enough to stay and fight for his place that is a real shame. Time staands still for no man so it’s onwards and upwards from now on. Hope he doesn’t come to regret that decision.

8. Saddened by Conors decision , i hope it wasn’t knee jerk reaction.

   People can say what they want about his personality, he has been a great servant to MAYO football.

9. Problem is Doherty.how anyone thinks he is better than conroy is beyond me. Mortimer deserves better.can horn not communicate with his players.

10. Conor gone off the panel. Should have stayed and come on and score six points. He is a better footballer than some on the panel and he has proved that.

    Come back Conor- all is forgiven. That may not be the correct way to say it but you have given outstanding service to Mayo.

    It appears to me from what I hear on the airwaves that there are people witing in the wings to come on board the management team?

11. This is not best team in Mayo.At least four of the non injured subs better than those starting. Doherty is not good enough and is there any thought of giving players game exposure before the next match which comes win or lose.
    Mortimer could have waited until match was over but there is a problem with communication. Horan needs to man manage surely.

12. we have an abundance of talent in mayo , so much so we can let costello go to sligo ,omalley to wicklow and this time next year mort will be playing for dublin then again mayo wouldnt be mayo without some sort of controversey surely conor was worth astarting place then if he didnt perform take him off doherty isnt a patch on mort ,looks more like a clash of personalities betweeen management and mort hope it doesnt come back to haunt mayo on sunday

13. Poor timing by Moritimer if Mayo lose (very unlikely) he’ll be blamed. no doubt Kildare will keeping a eye on another want away scoring forward.

14. I’m absolutely disgusted and fed up with this breaking news. Conor was chomping at the bit when he came on in the semi. I, as a strong supporter of Mayo football demand to know what happened here (no rumours please). We now have no proven, consistent scorer in our full forward line or on the bench. I was confident about sunday but not now.
    I’m at my wits end here!!!!

15. Poor show. Stay and fight for your place like everyone else.
    So much for Mayo all time leading scorer.

16. Can,t believe mort. would jump ship because he,s not named in the team like that,some of us will agree to diagree on the team selection and maybe he shoud be abit agrieved being left out, he certainly coud start ahead of dorerty or varly in my opinion.But at the end the day its a team game and i think its bit selfish of him really. Maybe he was looking for away out as he,s living in the big smoke now an prob. end up with some other county in the league, 1 thing for sure conor is you wont get near your dream team the Dubs. Hope ye don,t regret it an good luck anyway….We always end up in the media everyyear without fail for the wrong reasons an they.ll have a field day now for the rest of the week an maybe next week too, god forbid..any way not happy with midfield, sunday will tell us a little bit more, good luck lads an also the minors an get ther early to get behind the minors as the sheepstealers will be out in force..

17. RTE sport reporting the reason for Mortimer walking was that he couldnt concentrate fully on football as he is still in mourning over Michael Jacksons death.On a more serious note,there must be more to this story.I think everyone agrees that hes a far superior player to Varley and Doherty and Horan knows that.Its a pity because now we have lost our most natural foward and are left with two corner fowards with very limited ball winning ability which leads to fewer scoring chances.Mortimer knew he was physically limited but he was cute enough to find space in the FF line which can only be done by a natural corner foward.He will be a loss,maybe not on sunday,but against the bigger teams if we progress.

18. Must be more to this , he didnt Start in salthill that Time but came on and made a great memory for us all , he would surely have featured Sunday and perhaps played his way in by the next game

19. Listenin to John Casey on newstalk there a while ago, he seemed gobsmacked over it, tbh i am a bit myself.

    I wish him all the best and hope somehow he comes back.

    Does he get replaced now , do they add another player to panel, Ciaran Mac maybe? lol

    Scored nine points week before last in championship for Cross. six from play. just sayin

20. no loss at all in my opinion, any man that does that to his county on connaught final week should never have been let near the panel in the first place, always a liability, never a benefit, had two chances to win sam and was awol in aif’s of 2004 and 2006 when we needed him, big player in matches we are coasting, never seen when things are tight against the top teams, good riddance, we have better in pipeline, fair play to horan for making a bold decision in dropping him.

21. Sorry to hear about Conor a great servant to Mayo, he has the experience for the big day and has delivered always in Croke Park. Yes Mayo to win by 6 pts. but its how they play and get the win that is the important, as the big test and thats where they will be judged is the August Bank Holiday in Croker.

22. Conor has worked so hard to get back from injury andinto the team. It must be very diffiicult to commute for training. I hope he comes back to play a part in winning the All Ireland this year.

23. Conor is not a team player—too many wrong options taken by him. He never performed against Kerry in Croke park.Forget about him & move on.

24. what wrong options has he taken jr?? cant believe Doherty is starting, you would think that against a weak Leitriam team hew wud have played holy hell!!, if he cant do it against them, what hope has he??

25. I am a bit shocked at mortimers attitude. He obviously has a huge ego and if he cannot commit to the Mayo cause just because he is a sub a few days before a Connacht final then I say good riddance. There are so many Mayo players in Dublin and other parts of the country that give serious commitment to their county and club and ask for nothing in return whether they are starting or not. Mort has let down himself, his teamates, the management team and all the supporters who continually back him to the hilt even though he only cares for himself. To say he always delivered in croke park is just delusional.

    With regard to the team selection an argument can be made about the choice of midfielders we have starting. Aidan o Shea isn’t fit enough obviously and McGarrity is in the same boat. Jason gibbons was brilliant against davitts in the recent club championship and has to be pushing hard at this stage. Ritchie feeney is unlucky to lose out but is good cover to bring in. Up front I had a feeling that Doherty would start. The lad has goals in him and he is a threat. Ok he didn’t have his best game against Leitrim but he worked and tackled hard and himself and Varley are obviously going well in training. Mickey conroy was less than average for his club lately and again he has a point to prove if he gets his chance. So too does freeman. If freeman could consistently perform well for club and county I’m sure he will cement his place eventually.

    I think we will have enough to beat Sligo. I’m confident caff and Higgins will snuff out the threat of Kelly and marren. Midfield is my big concern but we have the strength in depth still on the bench to make a huge difference. Mayo to win by 3 – 5 points, I hope. Best of luck on Sunday to our really dedicated players and management team who give it everything they have 24/7 365 days a year. Up Mayo.

26. Mort played really in the first half v Kerry in the league semi final, Mayo have plenty of players selected that have very poor outings v Kerry. But thats in the past no reason that this our best panel yet in my opinion couldn’t surpass anything my memory of Mayo football. Last time in a game that Mayo scored 4-20 our starting FF line only scored 3 times from play, OK 3 very good goals but its easy to see why Connor expected to start. In a tight match especially in Connaught you could put your house on Conner for a few points to get you over the line. I hope somebody who knows Connor & the managment can organise some creative diplomacy ithat can allow Mort to return. Its a shame 2 exellent players Hennelly & Mort gine in the lead up to the Connaught decider, I’m sure Sligo will take heart from that. I think myself James Horan is going for goals but if thats the case, its a risk its great to win big, but I’d settle for a point win. Best of luck to both the Mayo senior & minor teams come Sunday. I think we should be Ok but as a team & a panel we cant afford any more self inflicted damage!

27. ^ He scored something like 6 points in one half against Kerry in the league semi-final a few months ago.

    It’s a pity that another option is gone now, it never hurts to have options. I’ll be interested to see the first interview from the player himself.

28. While there is no doubting that he has talent – – his attitude both on and off the pitch has left a lot to be desired. I would be a lot more impressed by the fighting qualities of his brothers Kenneth and Trevor. No player on the panel has a divine right to be on the team – – he should have knuckled down and forced his way on to the first fifteen – – it’s a poor reflection off his character that he chooses to abandon ship on Connacht Final week – – very bad timing. Did he attend DCU with Seanie Johnston – – similiar personalities. I’m more disgusted than dissappointed with him – – Good Luck Conor, dont forget to bring your Michael Jackson T-Shirt with you.

29. He must be very annoyed to be bench warming while lads that done very little against Leitrim get a jersey. Still, he would probably only need to wait a while into the game until he got the nod. It’s ridiculous on horans part not to start him, and ridiculous for Mortimer to be like a big child, sulking instead of waiting his turn. He had enough chances in croker against kerry to know that he is no GOD!
    And finally if a lad transferred from Kerry to a mayo club and kicked 9 points in a club championship game he would by parachuted into the Mayo starting 15 without a doubt.
    Of course we have such depth that we can leave such a player sitting.
    Mayo makes me so mad sometimes, I could scream!

30. Very disappointed with Conor. Very poor show. Regardless of how he was playing (recent reports seem to indicate he was playing very well in recent challenge/practice matches), this was not the way to respond not being picked. It could very well be the end of his career with Mayo and it was not the way he should have left it. An on form Conor Mortimer was one of the main score getters for Mayo and proved that over the years. It could unfortunately prove that he will be missed. I also wonder how this situation was let develop. Horan has done a lot of things right as a manager but this is definitely a blot on his notebook. O’Mahony dropped Conor in 2009 and he played on.
    This should have been handled better.
    On another note, Horan and Doherty have a lot to prove on Sunday. I don’t understand how Doherty is playing – I can only presume he has been playing extremely well of late. However, if he doesn’t deliver on Sunday questions will be asked how he was chosen to start. As I stated before, I think Freeman, Conroy and the now retired Mortimer have more to offer. I hope people aren’t agreeing with Conor’s viewpoint on Sunday evening!
    I still think Mayo will have enough on Sunday (just about) but the happiest man tonight will be Kevin Walsh. This week couldn’t have gone much better for him!

31. Really, what have Seanie Johnson & Michael Jackson’s t-shirt got to do with it. The only ones to notice Michael Jackson’s t-shirt were the ones watching the close up on TV, The thousands of Mayo fans jumping up & down were far too euphoric to care. As for Seanie’s Johnsons personality, its irrelavant as is the case for all other footballers they are there for their ability, its not the ‘Rose of Tralee’ you know.

32. Tough call by James Horan and the kind of decision that Pat Gilroy took with a flamboyant cocky bleach headed player by the name of Mark Vaughan who like Mort guaranteed points but wasn’t a team player. A call like this put’s down a marker to any player who believes they are guaranteed a place, Mort is a class act with the ball in his hands but he at best is half hearted off the ball and dosnt contribute goals often enough. I will not denigrate personally though a man who put so much into the team over the years and although I am not a particularly big fan I will never forget the day he popped over that pressure score in injury time against the Herrin chokers in 2006. Gone but certainly not forgotten!

33. Dont agree with the point of view it is Horans fault, Farley burst a gut when he came on against Leitrim, can’t say Conor did the same. Whatever the sport the manager has to choose , he lives and dies by his decisions, if we lose on Sunday questions will be asked, but Conor leaving 4days before the final is childish and potentially harmful to the team , wait until next week if he wants to go , but this type of behaviour shows a lot of me fein characteristics.

34. Interesting to read the comments here lads, very divided. I think the person to feel for most here is Enda Varley, his confidence has to be seriously affected. He didn’t ask James to pick him instead of Conor but if Sunday doesn’t go well, I imagine there will be a backlash. In my opinion the book must fall with James Horan.A mannwho in 1997 experienced something similar as Conor now. Our all time top scorer, probably our best forward when on song, a very good league, dropped for guys who didn’t score against Leitrim or even really feature in the league really and truly goes as far as showing disrespect . Training only shows so much. Some of the best players to ever play sports were poor trainers. What’s left of Alan Freemans confidence must be completely shattered now too, a guy who has so much to offer is continually been dropped when its obvious to see he just needs game time. Hopefully everything works out but right now James Horan has alot to answer to.

35. Plenty of strong opinions there, guys. Personally I don’t think we should be making Conor the focus of discussion now – if you look at it in a cold-hearted way he hasn’t been a bolted-on first fifteen championship player for us since 2008 (O’Mahony first dropped him in 2009) and he hasn’t featured at all in the championship under JH (bar as a sub against Leitrim the last day when he didn’t impress) so his going doesn’t alter our set-up in any significant way. Sure, his timing could have been better but the decision was probably one made in frustration after the team was announced, which is understandable if a bit unfortunate. Whether or not he’s played his last game for the county is one for another day.

    As regards Jason’s selection, can I ask all to lay off a bit? I’ve already noted one “not good enough” comment, which I’ll deal with later on. James has made his pick and that should be good enough for those of us in the stands (and at the seaside!) – it’s now up to those selected to justify the manager’s faith in them.

36. Jeez WJ, you go on holiday and as the poem said, all hell breaks out. You should have left a prefect in charge of the class before you left. You are correct. Conor hasnt featured for a while, great player maybe for the wrong team. Going through the entrails later but let the focus be on Sunday. Leave the lads picked alone, if Doc scores a goal on Sunday he will be a hero, now he has the Mortomer debacle hanging on his shoulder….thats wrong.

37. Fair enough Willie Joe, just to acknowledge the extra commitment and all the Dublin based lads (Conor included) have put in all year, they have to travel down for training twice a week and weekends while trying to hold down full time jobs/collage etc. Its an extraordinary commitment by all accounts and we should keep in mind before dishing out criticism

38. The Mort-haters are having a field day with this news. As always, a lot of the criticism is personal against him.
    I do think his decision is ill-timed to say the least, especially in the week leading up to a Connacht final. Why not tell Horan privately of his decision and make up an injury or something? Then announce that he’s leaving the panel after the game. That way we wouldn’t have the negative media attention leading up to Sunday, there would also be less pressure on Doherty and Varley. As John rightly says, it’s totally unfair that they have to carry this added pressure.
    I do hope Mort keeps his powder dry for the rest of the summer though, no running to the media and stirring up an already volatile situation.

    I was surprised at Doherty being picked myself, but he’s there now so let’s give him total support. Would absolutely love to see him prove us all wrong and put in a storming performance on Sunday.

    Good luck to the seniors and minors on Sunday.

39. http://action81.com/blog/?p=5968

    http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/mortimer-has-no-regrets-after-quitting-mayo-200520.html

    http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/conor-mortimer-has-no-regrets-over-mayo-exile-3166621.html

    Non , Rien De Rien….

40. Very disappointed at this turn of events. Mayo have lost a valuable option now and also a free taker . Even more pressure on Cillian now. Pressure on Varley, Freeman and Horan now Sunday let’s hope it works out. I also feel as well as Conor Freeman was unlucky go miss out ?
    Trevor Mortimers loss is being felt now because I don’t think he would have allowed this situation with his brother to end up like this ….

41. Poor timing by Mort.

    But the real issue, the Match who is left on our subs bench, I think Pat Harte, Gardiner, Seamus, Regan, Kirby and Cambell are all injured / gone. We are short enough in forward subs I think. Conroy, Freeman, Forde and possible Feeney are all that left i believe. Am I leaving anyone out?

42. http://hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=173254

    Jesus wept, what a load of nonsense.

43. It’s “produce the goods” time for a few lads that took morts jersey. They may be good enough, now they have to prove it.

44. james horan will face an awful backlash if mayo lose by the odd point or two n sunday. according to johm maughan on the radio last evening morts being playing out of his skin scoring freely in practise games ,but i do think this is more than just a knee jerk reaction tobeing left out for sunday mort should have kept his powder dry until sunday evening at the very least , sligo and kevin walsh must be delighted with the news . this surely will have a profound impact on varley .i know one player doesnt doesnt make a team but surely conor was worth a starting place to see how he did , now we have all the media attention we didnt want or need ,whatever happened to common sense but then again this is mayo we are talking about ,think we have killed on of the geese that could have laid a golden egg talent is one thing but you cant buy experience , good luck on sunday lads hope hope the other james horan is up there praying for us ,this has all the makings of its going to jump up and bite us in the ass

45. In the pram there is nothing to suck
    The toys are flung in the muck
    Willie Joe, since you left, holy f–k !
    We’ve had not one moment of luck
    The panel, they’re all playing puck !

46. The fact that Freeman didn`t make it in the first place is the most disappointing thing for me.Two years ago he looked class.I was at a challenge game against Dublin in Hollymount and he scored 4 points from play ,he layed on ball he looked the best prospect we had in years.What has gone wrong with him?
    I thought Doherty did OK in general play against Leitrem even though he didn`t score so he`s worth another shot.
    The big problem with what has happened is Connor seeing Varley being picked before him for the no. 13 jersey when enda has no proven record in championship football.Now maybe he has turned inside out recently, because he had form for colleges football in the past ,but in my opinion that selection would be like a red rag to a bull as far as Connor is concerned.
    Things should be let settle now but let there be no mistake about it Mayo need all on board if we are to compete later on in the year and every effort should be made to get Connor back.We have let class players go in the past and have regretted it Brogan Mc Donnell etc.
    Lets hope someone can stand in between these parties and sort it out.

47. Ok. Lets take stock. We have done our usual ‘Mayo’ thing and again attempted to shoot ourselves in both feet. We need to re- focus quickly on the job in hand on Sunday as the pressure has now cranked up considerably.
    Unlike the non event against Leitrim I do believe that we will need to bring a hard attitude to Roscommon on Sunday. Sligo will have taken great heart from their display against Galway and will have used the intervening 5 weeks wisely. I believe we will face a considerable challenge. Any slackness on our part will be costly.
    The next 6 weeks are going to determine where we’re headed with this project under James Horan. It is a project which could still bring us great joy or great pain and it may not take much to tip it either way. Such is the way of sport.
    We have given ourselves extra pressure now, nothing more, nothing insurmountable.
    We can use it to harden our resolve. We need to arrive in Roscommon on Sunday,
    players and fans alike, determined that whoever gets in our way is going to get knocked over. We arrive as holders of the Nestor Cup, we won’t be giving it up and we’ll be claiming I believe our 44th Connacht Title to bring us level with Galway … a not
    insignificant event in itself.

48. Never good to see a talent like Mortimor leave before a big game. Would not blame him, the two corner forwards named ahead of him are not nearly as good as him. Bad call by Horan, he may not regret it on Sunday, but in the days ahead he probably will. All ego’s and no man management skills, where I have seen that before from a Mayo manager?

49. I’d be more worried by the lack of progress in a few lads whom I was certain were our future. With Mort we know what we got and truth be told we needed another game plan beyond him, fine player that he still is.

    In 2009 O Shea was amongst the finest young players in the land. He has filled out since but seems now to be as injury prone as Paul Lake. In 2010 Freeman looked a giant amid mediocrity , only man to perform against Sligo and took great form into league. Since then confidence has plummeted.

    Last season Cillian O C was the best 13 in the country. Now he is out at 11. Leave the players in their best positions. At 13 he will do the job, stop the fuss about Conor and we would have been all the better for it. Sometimes we gotta look at the bigger picture and come out of the dressing room and smell the fresh air. We seem a little bit introspective within the camp at the moment I think.

    Sligo now becomes a must win game, wasnt it always?

50. Well the shit has hit the fan again and of course the timing is just spot on.While i’m not the greastest fan of James Horan, I have to say that the job of picking the team is down to him and his selectors and no one player has the god given right to think he owns a place on the team. WE no wat Connor can do and has being a good sevant over the years but to take a decision like that so close to a major final is not forgiveable in my eyes. IMO the most player that has stood up and answered the call this season is Richie Feeney. HE made a mistake but he knuckled down train hard and if anybody deserved to make the starting 15 it was him.JAson Gibbons can also feel a bit hard done by . AS regards the team JH has selected if we can’t go to hyde on sunday and compete and beat Sligo then we are at nothing regardless of who’s on the bench.

51. how far did we go in the championship without conor mort last year? xactly the semi final

52. John Cuffe, I always think of the journalist Brian Glanville whenever I read your posts, you have the same style – I wonder has he influenced you, or maybe you influenced him :p

53. Interesting piece in the Examiner here about Mortimer:

    http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/games-evolution-left-conor-behind-200512.html

54. Sligo believe they can win this, we really need to put doubts in their heads from word go.

    I like the Mort and in a way feel sorry for the lad but we have to get on with it now.

    What do ye think our tactics will be on sunday to contain their ff line, which is fairly good in anyone’s book?

    kH, will have to watch his runs forward for a start, as easy on the eye than can be at times, if it gets intercepted , we’re in bother , hopefully there will be a plan of sorts and they organise cover, im sure they practise these things in trainning.

    Cutting the supply might be the key here for sunday.

    Varley will have motm performance i’m predicting and put over some fine scores like that one v Down in the league.

    Mayo by a healthy margin.

    Come on MAYO.

55. Willie Joe, it’s hard to imagine our top scorer of all time leaving the squad while in his prime four day before a Connacht final not being the main topic of discussion. As for being a bolted down starter, last year he was out injured, previous to that he was used as a scape goat for our problems. while generally playing very well himself. It was down to our corner forward who was still racking up big scores we were losing not the fact we couldn’t win or retain possession,no supply to forwards and our defence were a shambles.
    Lads, I don’t really see where all this respect for Sligo is coming from, they bet us a couple of years ago when we went on to go out to Longford, we had not been that bad for 30 years previous. Marren has being around the block for years, he had a good day the last day but he is average at best. Galway were truly awful, I expect us to come away from this one comfortable winners.

56. Well said young Padden.

57. Conor always liked been the centre piece of the mayo team and quitting the panel before a major game tells alot about the me fein mindset. Down through the years he was always sure of his name been on the team sheet. Has James seen something that some If us has the similar view not a team player just glory glory me. If you recall the league final did he stand up when he missed the firse he went into his Shell. a good team player will put in effect get stuck in not just wait for the ball to be player to him ignore other players runs getting space and end up over carrying the ball. Conor was a good player but in comparsion to the gooch or Joyce not a team player. James horan is looking for a team that play together and work for one another as a unit. Its not about individuals its about all 15 that fight and carry each other not the glory of one player and their style of football. Sir fergie made tough calls when he
    sold Ronaldo and others he believed that they were not bigger than the club or team. Maybe time will tell that James had a point.

58. Brian Glanville Digits is a good writer but I found him kinda academic in his approach . O like most writers but my ideal would be a cross between Con Houlihan and Rod Liddle . John Healey and Brendain O hEithir great men to write. Thanks for the compliment !

59. Mayo minor team was picked today same as the last day isn’t?

60. what connor did shows us the type of player he is if your willing to leave a team just because your not starting you shouldn’t be there , it is a selfish attatude to have in a team sport such as football every good under-age coach will tell his players there’s no I in Team the same goes regardless of what team your on .

    his departure has now left a hole in the panel which has to be filled and from looking at the senior and intermediate championship reports in the mayo news over last week the best candate to fill the position would be Caráin mac he still is producing the goods for the club so why can’t he fill a position on the panel,

    it is my humble opinion that he would make a great impact sub when the game was still in the mixer and could get the team over the line on days when we mightn’t be expected to win

    now on to the game it’s self i think we should beat sligo even though it will be a though game. a lot will depend on how our half back line preform , of course if Barry Moran has the same type of day as he had ageist letrim it would make the game so much easier for us to win

61. barry moran will be no 1 target for sligo anybody remember eamon brett getting flattened by barnes murphy in 75 final in sligo different era same old sligo pull and drag just like they did against galway the other week , a physcial game will do mayo the world of good just hope we have enough to spare at the end

62. Fed up of talk of Mortimer.reality is freeman,conroy or varley better than Mortimer and he in turn is better tha,n Doherty.is the plan really stick on Doherty and hope he gets a goal.what a silly idea if Mayo want to progress. Can’t see top corner backs handing goals to Doherty.sad if that is horans thinking. We have had too many managers with I’ll thought out advisors and too many supporters who support the manager no matter what.let’s see a real plan.

63. Focus must now be on match. C/ship matches are hard to win. Mayo are now in a more mental position than physcial one, We are favourites, we have selection issues, we have player power at work, so Sunday is now a defining moment in our year.
    Win well and we go to Croker confident. Lose and we are in bother.
    On the Mort issue there is one defining rule in Football. Players play. Managers manage. Also mort left his club this year for a team of mercenaries in Dublin. Now he has no club and no county…………..thats a bit sad. Best of luck Conor. Hope you find yourself soon.

64. Lads can we grow up a little and stop embarrassing Ciaran Mc Donald

65. Yea managers manage ….what about man management.also supporters know that the team picked is not the best one going out. Will come down to strength…conroy is the strongest and best all round footballer. Time to pick the best. We persisted for too long with two bit footballers there on pull.let’s be real.

66. Managers live and die by their decisions. JH will have to live by his on Sunday evening. Personaly I think its a good move playing both Doherty and Varley. Both now have their opportunities to prove themselves and whilst it is a shame that Conor has decided to pack it in, all you can say is the world will keep turning and good luck to him in the future. We still have corner fw options on the bench. Freeman and Conroy are both there and AOS will surely get some sort of game time to see what his condition is like at Inter County level this year. Roll on Sunday.

67. Expect us to win on Sunday, we are the first division team and Sligo are not that good. In terms of August and beyond we need a big performance on Sunday.

    About Mort its sad for him the way that he has walked away. While I believe that he is much better than at least one of the forwards starting on Sunday, James Horan is the manager and no player is bigger than the team etc.

68. the morts dad was on mid west tonight gettin digs in about jh (eg never contacted mort while injured, not picked despite scoring record etc.). this issue should be put to bed now whats done is done if mort made a decision to leave and has no regrets can we all just get on with it. it definetly smacks of petulance, a team player realises when not picked that he has to cease his chance when it arises this could have happened to conor on sunday. i had high regard for him but like alot of mayo supporters i feel he has let himself down by the choice he made,

69. I think we should also consider JH has a gameplan and some forwards don’t suit it.

    When you consider we scored 4-20 against Leitrim , a lot more should of come from c/f s but it didn’t because of the running game they play , lettin players fly from further out, c/f s are there to hassle as much as anything as far as i can make out with horans tactics, who are we to slate it, at least until it comes unstuck .

    I could be wrong but Mayo will be hard to beat this year, tbh Donegal and Cork are the only ones i fear so far, i think we are well fit to match any of the rest.

70. Mortimer will certainly be missed. His scoring record speaks for itself. Ok he reacted badly to Horans selection decision but judge him on his contribution to Mayo football this past decade. There was no in-between with him – he was either red hot or very poor. His league form this year was erratic but I still believe that he had loads to contribute. 

    Personality is irrelevant lads – leave that out of the discussion. Do you genuinely know the guy? He pulls on the green and red jersey to play ball. His attitude always looked good to me. I hope he reconsiders this rash decision.

    Regarding James Horan its his prerogative to select the best 15 as he sees it. He’s a tad closer to the panel than we are! Until Mayo are eliminated this year hold your judgement. 

    Varley made a massive contribution off the bench in the Hyde last year. He has great forward instincts – always looking at the posts when he receives the ball and never afraid to have a pop. This is his big chance and he’ll take it.

    Plenty of options on the bench too. The league finalists to win by 5.

71. I fancy Mayo to win easily on Sun using the majority of the panel and bonding as a team without any egos on display, fancy Freeman to hit the onion bag when given his chance, even though he should be starting C’mon Mayo!

72. Ciaran McDonald exited stage left without as much as a farewell. Charismatic, talismatic, infuriatingly brilliant yet unfathomable, the man saw the signs and swallowed the pill and walked the walk.

    The then manager made the call. No former managers plugged McDs case nor should they have. The then manager is/was the boss…his and only his call. Time was the judge and we all have our own opinions.

    Another talismatic, charismatic Mayo player choose to depart as well. His choice , his call. Opinion was split. Me? I saw a brilliant player who for one reason or another quite fitted into what Mayo needed from him. The stats are good, the caps are 99 and the verdict would be…one of the all time greats.

    The winners in this and there are very few, are men like McDonald who left with a bit still in the tank. I think of men like Kevin O Neill who was a great but spent many years toiling the graveyard shifts. I think of Austin O Malley, impervious in league, right and left footed but never trusted with a summer jersey. I think of Ger Geraghty exiled in America, I think of Padraig Brogan who could have been a Tom Langan.

    And I think of the mess that has now been created within our county. For sure there is hurt and disappointment within the Mortimer collective but hey that hurt has been visited on us all in some shape or from over the years. Guys get dropped, shafted and packed with pain. I was once once part of a panel of 20 juveniles that trained through hail and shit in boarding prison. Cars were scarce and my ability along with another soul saw us left in barracks as the 18 went to Sligo and immortality.

    The Irish Examiner has a piece today that tears out a chunk of Mayo soul. I don’t dispute the right of those who uttered their beliefs. I do feel for a manager who suddenly has seen the shore line recede at an alarming rate. The piece alludes to two former Mayo managers surprised at the boys omission.An inference is given to Shrule not getting a fair crack of the whip…good job the lad wasn’t from Belmullet or Kiltane…40 years of ignoring across the board with apologies to the Padden family.

    The manager Horan doesn’t need former gaffers poking in their oars. They themselves got poked and weren’t too happy at times at what on the surface was fair comment. I would not want to be in James Horans boots as the cameras close in on him during squeeky bum time in the Hyde.

    I feel for the twin corner forwards selected, every kick and run will be parsed because the number four rated corner forward wont be present but like Banquos ghost he will fill the ground. Seanie Johnstone will be a foot note as we ourselves snatch madness from common sense.

    The Mayo Advertiser carries a piece by John Maughan. We get an insight to the mechanisms of Mayo football. Maughan in fairness gave solid council to Mort but was seemingly ignored. He made one comment that confirmed a malaise within our county and that we all contribute and fuel. He stated in regards the present management that they should have been “Aware that Mortimer is a big fish in Mayo football circles”.

    Now I know what he meant but the word “circles” alarms me. No player is bigger than the team. And big fish eat little fish and that folks aint the way it should be. In a way and without being over dramatic we are kinda back in 1992 again. Players see it one way, managers another. One final quote from me féin. Mort was quoted as saying he wouldn’t sit on the bench for a medal on Sunday. If the lad said that that I can see the quote pasted up on the Sligo dressing room door.

    Medals are won with sweat and guts and a squad who are one for all and all for one…even the number four rated corner forward. You know not the hour nor the moment when you can be of service…what a way to Balotelli it…lash over the winner, pout to the crowd and we all smile and say that’s our Conor.

73. @johncuffe Do you think Ciaran McDonald should be on the current County panel? Surely if he is interested in playing he should be on the panel. He would make a huge difference in the last 10 minutes from Full Forward, in my opinion.

74. Maughan should keep his mouth shut, our mental fragility can be traced back to his time in charge. He dropped 7 big fish in Roscommon football circles and isolated another 7, the irony of his article in the Mayo Advertiser is lost on him. He also tuck it upon himself to do a straw poll of friends to see if Mortimor should be picked on the team, I disagree with Horans decision to leave out Mortimor, however a former manager who knows the difficulties of intercounty management should keep his opinions to himself. I agree that the 2 Mayo corner forwards will be under huge pressure to perform, they did not ask for this suituation, I wish them well.
    Overall in order for Mayo to win an All Ireland I now believe more than ever, you guys will need a manager from outside the county to take a fresh look at whats going on, also some very big clashy types that have huge negative influence on things from MacHale, Willie Joe Padden, Brady (I like him), Maughan, Holmes, Ford, Mahony, McStay etc, not good for morale of set up.

75. Well said John. I found that article fucking shocking to be honest.
    The one thing we didn’t need from this whole Mortimer situation was added media attention. But then that statement puts us firmly back in the spotlight.
    Could this not have waited a few months? Why drag all this shit out now while we are preparing for a Connacht final?
    I don’t necessarily disagree with the content, but the timing and tone of it …
    The comment about Shrule was particularly childish – “When the previous manager was in charge, there were four Shrule/Glencorrib players on the panel. Now there are none”. So what? Like John said, a lot of Erris men could list decades of greivances throughout the years. The latest example being Billie Joe, a man who walked away silently, with his pride and dignity intact.
    I’ve been a big defender of Mort through the years, so I hope this whole situation doesn’t sully his name. And lets face it, if this statement came from “family members” then he must have had some input into it or been aware of it.
    It’s like the Roy Keane farce in Saipan. It doesn’t matter how legitimate your grievances are (and to be fair Mort has a few after being left off the team for Sunday), the team should always come first. Even if you are pissed off and want to walk away from the team, leave it at that, don’t go running to the media and inflame the situation.

76. In Fairness to David Brady James he trys to treat Mayo like any other county when he is giving analysis which must be hard considering the All-Ireland failures would still be fresh in the mind for him. Also with Mchale he’s just very honest(maybe too honest) when asked for an opinion on Mayo football. With regards to Maughan I’d hazard a guess it’s similar to Mortimer( although I personally don’t know Connor) in that they can’t see past their current situation/immediate problems and make silly decisons or comments without fully thinking them through or in Muaghan’s case take a conversation off the barstool and commit it to print and not see that context frame the same statment in a totally different light depending on the setting/audience!

77. Nice comment from Mort, let’s hope it’s all positive like this going forward. All about Sunday from here on in.

    “Mayo football is bigger than any player always has and always will be so can people just concentrate on getting behind the team for the game on Sunday. I have even as a player always been a huge supporter and will be again this weekend.”

78. Seanod , I do actually, even for five minutes. If Brown can hurl for waterfors, Joyce, Earley and O Hara kick ball for their baliwicks…why not. However I am a realist and the door has firmly bolted there long ago. Can you imagine the press, the media the furore…Conor gone but Mayo bring back Mac. Perhaps we might be better off putting a system in place when we have those boys at their peak and not allow them to get too well fed but tap into the collective. We like big heroes in Mayo. Might be better off like Cork, work, height, dust and grit.No show pony’s only workhorses.

79. Aye, but how do you reconcile that Twitter comment with the radio statement?

    You can’t try and play something both ways. Forgive me for referring to another code here, but it’s like FIFA President Sepp Blatter welcoming the corruption findings against his organisation after a decade of legally fighting to keep them quiet.

    That Examiner article about the Mortimer family statement is here if anyone is looking for it:

    http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/mortimer-family-horan-destroyed-conors-confidence-200665.html#.T_-rO8Qs9c4.twitter

80. as Dan has pointed out Conor has attempted himself to draw a line under the whole thing. Could feel his loss later in the summer but for now anyway its time to move on and focus on sunday.
    full house expected and Sligo waiting in the long grass….

81. I don’t want to get into this but i can’t let this go “mcdaonald exited the panel, without as much as a farewell”

    No, he didnt, he was firstly ostracised by jom and most of the panel, he was left on the bench in Salthil in 07 , whilst KON started, he was barely fit to walk , Mac was brought on when the game was as good as over, further deliberate mind fooking to frustrate Mac.

    Then came 08, a man who was seen as one of the most gifted footballers of his generation, who gave Mayo all his spare time , recieves a fooking text message whilst down a trench laying pipes, asking him to turn out for trials for Mayo. Ask my ballix!!!

    People rush in , ” sure everyone got the text including the likes of Nallen, who had no problem with it”

    This is where there is a constant fook up in Mayo and elsewhere, everyone needs man management, not preferential treatment, just an understanding of personal circumstances. The line of work Mac was in demanded lots of hours, lots of dedication, these things should of been taken into account, they were not, o mahony was on a mission with Mac, he thought by gettin rid, he would create better team spirit , he seen him as not a team player but as too individualistic.

    Ciaran , never went to the papers in his life but if we cast our minds back he went after the textin saga to clarify that he always wanted to play for Mayo, lets always remember that.

    Oh yeah and Johno went onto have a glorious period without him,ahem.

82. After hearing the statement on radio last night from the family its quiet clear there is a an agenda behind his withdrawal from the panel. He believes he has being hard done by and was left with no option but to pack it up and walk away. HE has always spoken his own mind and was not shy about speaking to the media. Only the parties involved really no why he walked but if its because he did not make the startin 15 its a wrong call on his part. Over the past decade several management setups have being accused of having no plan B, some none atall so I can see why JH is tryin some different.The timing of his decision is clearly done to have the maxium affect and in doing so will disrupt the pre for the connaught final . It has got tongues wagging and everyone including myself is fuckin fed up with these developments that seem to cloud our season year in year out..

83. Whatever the rights and wrongs of what has happened within the camp for Conor to take this very drastic step, the fact that he choose to do it so close to a Connacht final and the subsequent statement from his family means that unfortunatley, its very difficult to retain any respect for a family who have given so much to Mayo football over the past 20 years. If they had the smallest bit of respect for Mayo football this could and should have waited until next week. For Conor himself to then come out with this nonsese statement about “no-one being bigger than Mayo football” etc.etc in light of how much turmoil this is causing within the county absolutley beggars belief.

84. Hidden agenda here. See what I said on the 11th. It is only months before John Maughan makes a return to Mayo management unless this team reaches the All Ireland Final.

85. The family statement was embarassing.

86. pj hope your wrong if mughan comes back to mayo thats a backward step hes had his day and made a hames of it

87. Darragh O Se stated that a team needs a unity of purpose to succeed. He refered to the Donegal / Derry game,Mark Mc Hugh who played on the half forward line had he believed no shot on goal,but he worked his socks off for the team,NO EGO. Thats what we need to see on Sunday,every one working their socks for TEAM MAYO. Sligo are going to be very difficult to beat, Peter Canavan said Sligo had every chance. Jack Sheedy gave a hesitant vote to Mayo. Meath have defeated favourites Kildare and Galway have defeated red hot favourites Kilkenny. Every one of the fifteen Mayo players selected for Sunday deserve to be on the team, LETS GET BEHIND THEM. Wishing James Horan and the team every good wish on Sunday.

88. So what are you suggesting Gerard. Maybe Conor should have converted to a average wing forward who plays with little skill, chase the opposition forwards and if he recieved a ball fist pass it 3 yards for the fear of adding something to the game and ofcourse ‘NO EGO’ or a lad that probably averaged 5 points every game throughout his career, who opposition jeered and feared. I’m tired hearing about his workrate. He scored heavily for 10 years in Mayo jersey, most years with little or poor supply, what more do you want?. Let me guess Gerard you always had faith in Ciaran McDonald?

89. Think it was a case of the baby throwing his toys out of the pram with Mort.

90. On the subject of the Mort, like a lot of Mayo people I am saddened at the way he has departed from the squad. However, he always did things with a bang and it would have been niave to expect that his departure was going to be a quiet unnoticed affair. I don’t know the ins and outs of the discussions that might have taken place leading up to his leaving, so I feel that speculating on them is a somewhat futile exercise.

    So what I will say is that Mort typified what simultaneously thrills and frustrates us about Mayo football. He mixed the brilliant with the mundane, the sublime with the ridiculous and often left us cheering and tearing our hair out in the space of five consecutive minutes.

    So I for one just want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU, Conor, for all the time, effort and dedication that you put in over the years in the Mayo jersey. Like many others, I would love to see you back in that jersey again, but you owe nothing to the cause at this stage and we have no right to make any such demands on you.

    Keep the Faith!

91. Four goal i agree with most of your sentiments about Mayo, except one thing, he did owe us something, he owed himself and the county waiting until next week before throwing his toys outta the pram. It wouldnt have killed him to sat on the bench for one more match and probably have come on and helped us over the line. And please dont anyone give me nonsense about principals and how he couldnt have sat there. He could have and should have. Any even if by some crazy notion he hadnt even made the match day squad, he should still have kept his powder dry until next week.
    He also did himself no good by doing this, all the times over the years he popped up to kick a lovely point over the bar will be forgotten now over this because he choose to put himself before Mayo football.
    This smacks to me of all this Roy Keane shite of a supposed “not being willing to compromise” attitude which is essentially just a dressed up temper tantrum in most cases. True self sacrifice is suffering for the bigger picture and putting others first, how different this story would be if he waited until next week, perhaps had another well deserved Connacht medal under his belt and decided then to walk away. I cant see how there can be any other reason for doing this now other than to inflict as much damage as possible by doing it and wanting to generate the most attention.