Connelly and Holmes confirmed

Willie Joe

The County Board have now confirmed that Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes have been chosen as the new managers (presumably as co-managers, though this isn’t 100% clear) of the Mayo senior team. The County Board’s statement on the appointment is here.

147 thoughts on “Connelly and Holmes confirmed”

  2. Good luck to Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes,please God this time next year we will all be up in Dublin preparing for the big game,watching up for the match feeling bit down thinking we should be up there tonight,best of luck to Donegal tomorrow looking forward to a good game.

  3. It needs to be clarified quickly whether it is a joint manager ship or Connelly in charge and Holmes as number 2.. At the end of the day someone on the line has to make the crucial decisions at critical times and put their head on the block.. Disappointed Connelly hasn’t had the conviction to go as main man. Slightly underwhelmed by the appointment..

  4. Hi All,
    Best of luck with your new management structure and I am sure you will do very well. I am sick that we are not in Croker tomorrow but I am sure you are too but we will both be back. Good games to look forward to in the 2015 League all the best

    Kind Regards,
    Martin the Dub

  5. wish them the best and yes they will need it..two managers tho??? how the hell does that work? anyway while i hoped to be in some hopping watering hole in dublin this wend am instead on the vino in c bar..sigh..pls god next year it will come good!

  7. It good that mgt team have been appiointed. There as good a crew as any available imo. Good luck to them. Anf good luck to Donegal tommorow.

  8. Two good Mayomen who have both represented the Green and Red with pride. Best of luck and we will be in Tralee in Feb 2015 to cheer you on.

  10. Good luck to the new manager! Oh wait, we now have two managers!
    No pressure lads, just win the AI next year.

  11. Best of luck to Noel and Pat on their appointments. Both men have a great knowledge of the current playing squad and hopefully they will unearth a few new players as well. They have our full support.

  12. Absolutely delighted by this news. I was hoping for this pair. When I look back at the teams they produced with Micheal Collins, from 2005 to Longford 2009 I was seriously surprised that they did not get in ahead of JH in 2011. Some posters are getting OTT about the 1 and 2 placings. These guys bring different qualities to the table and I believe they complement each other perfectly. They will have the backing of the squad, Donie Buckley, and Ed Coughlan, a hugh bonus. They deserved their chance before this I am glad they are getting it now.
    I have great time for Liam McHale he has done some great work at underage for Mayo football. He is committed, knowledgeable, and a nice guy. I hope he has a role to play soon with our underage setup. The Bridgets clubroom had great time for him also.
    Best wishes to Kevin and Liam in the future. Time to get behind the new setup and wish Pat and Noel the best of luck.

  13. Excellent, best of luck to both Noel and Pat. The rest of the country can be focused on Up for the match, Mayo on the other hand are focusing on 2015 and beyond.

    Its now time for all to pull together as the famous Mayo song says.

    Thanks WJ and fellow bloggers for the near realtime updates.

    We move on with hope and no little expectation.

  14. wonder who the 2015 captain will be. At least d Buckley is there so that’s good and hope they bring in new faces this year too.

  16. I got that from the thread WJ done earlier this afternoon. It is not confirmed just wishful thinking on my part. But I feel that everything possible should be done to retain their services.

  17. Pj i’m not sure keeping them is a good thing. We have not finished games v well the last two years

  19. Mayonaze do you know were the interviews today or was it a case of shafting McStay and announcing it when there was other GAA news about?

  20. Coughlin and Buckley havn’t been confirmed, why so many people saying “good luck to them they will need it” or two managers, who’s number one and whose number two,there can only be one.Is it not proven these two lads work together as a team,was it not them together as a management team that led our u21s to all Ireland success.I for one will be 100% behind them and I hope all Mayo supporters do the same and not put them down before they even get started.They can’t be that bad if the rumours of Buckley and Coughlin staying are true.

  21. I don’t know Pat Kearns The squad speak very highly of them both whenever they have a chance. It is important for continuity and to retain the momentum. I believe there is no need to make sweeping changes, evolution rather than revolution.

  22. Best of luck to the new Management team. A change of management alone won’t deliver us an All Ireland title – we will need to unearth some new players with the skill and ability to compete with the best and who can bring a new dimension to our play. Hopefully with Connelly at the helm we will see shake-up’s in a couple of key positions in 2015.

  23. Here’s to 2015! I think maybe Mcstay a bit too arrogant and full of himself Noel a bit more under the radar and grounded. Best of luck to them now the decision is made let’s get behind them for the next campaign. Maigh Eo Abu

  24. Good luck to the new management team. All of us who long for AI success will wish them well. Hopefully the Co Board will back them fully and that they will have a strong back room team.

  25. Off we go again. Best of luck to the new management team. We have a excellent team and I’m sure there are more like them in the county. Tacticians and scouts step up to the mark.

  26. I really hope we do not go down the road of “joint management” . Someone needs to have the final call and proudly act as the face of this great Mayo team. Save the joint management for U14’s. We will be the laughing stock if confirmed IMO!

  27. “…where they gave the recommendation that Noel Connelly & Pat Holmes be put forward for the position as Senior Football Team Manager. ”

    Why didn’t they just say both were “appointed” managers instead of this read between the lines crap? It’s a badly written statement IMO.

  28. Heard earlier in the week from a “not so reliable source ” … Saga continues … Didn’t hear about Buckley but would be more than happy if that was the case

  29. I think the elephant in the room is the money question.. How are the county board going to afford two Banisteoir bibs now???

  30. Congrats to new management team. Wish them well . Two good Mayomen. However really surprised that MacStay did not get the job and to be honest disappointed also. Felt that he was obvious choice. A difficult week end has not improved with this news. Really really hope that I am wrong but I wonder about our Co Board and whether they really are as desperate to everything in their power to win AI as all of us supporters are.

  31. @Pol Pot I think the two boys still have their bibs from 2006, when they won the U21 All-Ireland, so thats what swung it for them in the end, any money that can be saved at all at this stage by the County Board is what they are interested in.

  32. It’s natural progression for Connelly, u-21 success in 06, involvement with development squads, he’s always been around the county scene. He’s served his apprenticeship , time to to give the man a chance .

  33. First and foremost I must wish Noël and Pat well.
    They wouldn’t have been my choice. I feel Noël has something to bring to the table. But, my God, how we let McStay slip away is amazing.
    I’m not a betting man but I would imagine i’d have got short odds on Kevin taking the Ross job or maybe some other high profile appointment in the next few years.

    Studying them up close it’s amazing how strong a brand Kerry are. Probably the strongest brand on this island, Kerry Group, Rose of Tralee (two successive nights of prime time live-broadcast of mindless trivia on RTE TV.) I won’t go on but etc……all go to support view that Kerry is probably the strongest brand on this island. But that’s another days work.

    I just hope that when others, Rossies included, come to make their appointments in the future we are not kicking ourselves for failing to see what lay beneath our eyes.

  34. Good luck to Noel and Pat. They are now the custodians of our hopes and dreams. Getting the backroom team sorted is now crucial. The players will accept nothing less than the high standards of the last 4 years. A fresh voice (or two) could be the shot in the arm this panel needs to go hell for leather again in 2015.

  35. Strange decision , Joint managers rarely work out . Why didn’t the give Holmes the main manager role with Connolly assistant ? I cant see them winning it , both seem gentlemen but quite and good guys . McStay seems firm and harsh at times and more of a leader a winner what you want in a manager .

    Although I really want to be positive ,I’m truly very disappointed . As an exile , Id love to return to witness Mayo win it and celebrate with old friends I haven’t seen in years. Tonight I recall so many childhood memories of Mayo gaa. the excitement and Build up to All Ireland finals .The buzz in Dublin on all Ireland Final day. For so many people it would feel like winning the lottery .
    Mayo people are a great tribe , anywhere I go in the world and meet someone from Mayo even if I never met before they almost always right away a friend .From all over the great county. Even 2nd and 3rd generation Mayo stock.
    There’s so many great Mayo people that deserve to see Mayo win it in their lifetime.

    They really should consider bringing Kieran McDonald in as trainer , that might give them a lift .

    One final point , some of the more senior members of the squad should be nowhere near the Mayo panel . They had their chances , loosing 2, 3 and 4 finals .

    We need winners .

    God bless Mayo

  36. The day football died in mayo. Mark it down, The famine to continue, Can ‘t find in myself to wish the new team any luck. they do not compare in any way to Mc Stay.

  37. I’m a bit surprised that it’s Connelly Holmes rather than McStay and wondering whether it’s based on Co Board officialdom’s preferences rather than pure team management considerations. Earlier reports that both Connelly & Holmes would have difficulty giving it the time needed reinforce this unease. Or were these reports based on a real foundation? If they were not I’m surprised that Willie Joe did not clamp down on them as unfounded rumour.
    In any case I wish them both the best of luck and will be there for the first FBD match in Jan, God willing.

  38. Higgins,Seamus O Shea,Cunniffe etc were 19,20,21 when they won the U21 All Ireland under Holmes,Connelly in 2006 the main question is can the same management and those U-21s who will be 28 29,30 next year repeat the trick and win Sam?

  39. westportman, nobody died. we got 2 new guys with good knowledge of the game to come in for a man that nearly got us there but needed a break himself.
    how can you tell today that these guys wont help Mayo over the line? do you not think that the core of our team would nearly manage itself? oconnor, oshea x 2, andy, Dillon, nearly all our defense, mcloughlin, etc etc know exactly what needs to be done to be competing at a high level in 2015. I think you better accept it and start wondering who you would bring into the panel if you were in charge.

  40. Best of luck to the new set up. Hope they can keep us competitive in the championship and find that little something different during the league. We will have to wait and see has the right decision being taken . Hope fully side line decisions will be made when needed. The club final does not inspire me though when Diarmuid Connolly ran riot and one man was left to deal with him . Hope lessons have being learned. Feel a bit bad about the Mcstay situation . Thought it might be his turn for a a go. It just shows we probably would have been up in arms giving out about Mcstay taking the Kildare job saying he was a traitor to his own county. Then he doesn’t get his own county job. It’s a fickle business.

  41. *** For the attention of Dan who posed the question of me finding it difficult getting up every morning . Actually I find it very hard, I battle depression and it’s black dog hangs around me daily.

    Now to sport that eases my mind. A week ago I was about to write an article about Armagh and Tyrone. Using their experience of near misses before finally conquering the summit , Mayo were now ideally placed. One of the reasons I was going to use regarding both counties was that dual managers had held them back.

    The excellent Art McRory and Eugene McKenna in Tyrone and the two Brian’s of Armagh gave way to two forces of nature and four All Ireland’s, step forward Joe Kernan and Micky Harte. The rest is history.

    Had Mayo given the job to either Holmes or Connolly I would accept that. I make no secret that I wanted McStay , I believe he would have won the All Ireland for us. Dual managers are doomed to failure. Despite suffering from the black dog , I burst out laughing when I read the blogs idiotic contribution of McStay bring too cocky but Connollly flying under the radar. Fucking typical of Mayo style confidence, god forbid that a Mayo man would stand up and be proud.

    Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer couldn’t do it. Houllier and Evans failed , so how in gods name is it going to work in Mayo? Ah continuety we are told with the hint that Donie Buckley will remain. Now I credit Buckley and Cian O Neill as being the real movers of Mayos current high standing but I have one question . How come a man who coached Kerry and specifically Donaghy hadn’t a plan for Star. Or had he a plan and was ignored? You see if you have a management team , then you gotta listen to them and trust them. Seventy minutes plus of Donsghy cost Mayo, why?

    I suspect the players didn’t want McStay and McHale. My fear is that player power dictated this one. The players who performed heroically v Kerry and Cork but haven’t a single leader on the pitch . Had we, Donaghy and the likes of Cadogan would have been sorted. What’s a leader on the pitch? Here’s a parable. In the dressing room v Cork 1988 replay stood Sean Boylan . Before he gave final riding instructions for the battle ahead Mick Lyons stood up. “Sean you had your say for the drawn match..,today we will have the say”. Boylan sat down, Lyons spoke and Meath won. Ritchie Feeney would have thrived in that dressing room.

    I wish only the best for my county Dan. Had McStay got the job I would blind you with positivity but at 62 I have been witness to too many false coronations. If the players conveyed a preference for one candidate over another and this county board countenanced that, then we are fucked.

    The test for me is simple. Will this management team radically freshen the squad ? Will we get a 3,6, anchor 8, 11, and a full forward. Will long servants that are holding back young men be thanked and gotten rid off? If mayos future hinges on the likes of Dillon , A Moran, big Barry then our best days are behind us. So no, I don’t have a snowballs chance in hell for us. A county board that wouldn’t boil a rice pudding holds us back. They not the managers are one of the reasons we cannot land the salmon of knowledge. By the way 64% of WJs site wanted McStay and as usual the board thought better. Next time round , they might be begging for him.

    Final thought, rory gallsgher watches today’s final from the stand. McGuinness got rid of him it’s alleged, there can be only one boss, Kevin Cassidy will attest to that.

  42. Well said David. While I voted McStay on the blog poll, i’m not at all disappointed it’s Connelly/Holmes that got the nod. Them two truly have the best interests of Mayo at heart & I think they can bring us on. The amount of times I’ve met Holmes in Croker supporting the team over the last ten years is a joke; the man is a Mayo fanatic; bringing 3/4/5 (10!) of his kids to games shows his passion for this team. Also Noel Connelly was always a fantastic leader of men all through his career. Always went about his business in an unassuming way; although I hear he is a mighty man in the dressing room. All the best lads, i’ll be behind you both and this team 100%. Mayo forever.

  43. An appointment hidden in news the night before All Ireland smells.

    Last week Pat could not commit, now he has the job.

    Agree with John Cuffe on two managers.

    Kevin McStay being patronised in the statement. I’m sure he was not ‘happy’ with the Board. Interesting that they felt the need to say it.

    We’ve shot ourselves in the foot here, but will row in behind the new men. I expect some high profile players to take time out and travel. Think the peak has been reached

  44. Fucking hell Willie Joe before Noel and Pat even meet the lads we’re fucked,doomed to failure.Is this what genuine Mayo fans really think of our new management team. A management team that has led a lot of our current team to all Ireland success yet it’s hard to find anyone with a good word to say about them.Surely they know themselves what is needed yet they are prepared to take it on.I would have liked to see Kevin Mc getting a chance but he hasn’t but regardless I will be 100% behind the lads.As long as they do their best for the interest of Mayo football that’s all we can ask,roll on the FBD and we get going again

  45. When JH went it was said that everyone knew this was coming and the CB should have been prepared. To my mind they obviously had thought about it. Two articles appeared in two different papers about what the CB was looking for with quotes from officials. Both articles if I remember correctly mentioned NC as a favoured candidate. The way the betting moved before applications had closed seemed to confirm this.

    The question is this necessarily a bad thing. In business if you see a problem and you see someone who can solve it , you do your best to hire them. If that is what the CB has done then it is a great thing. If they have done it for other motives it would obviously be a bad thing and the consequences will not be great.

    I have no doubt that Noel and Pat (and Kevin) have the best interests of our senior team at heart. Whether NC and PH are the right men for the job only time will tell. I wish them the best and look forward them to supporting them and our lads in 2015.

  46. Best of luck to the management hope they prove everyone wrong. Was any one at the matches yesterday any players stood that could play with mayo next year

  47. So the general feeling seems to be,
    1: I’m delighted with the new appointments, I wish them the best of luck and will support them 100%. We had two fantastic management teams vying for the job, but we felt that what was needed with this current panel is small adjustments and continuity, not a radical direction change.
    2: I’m disgusted that the man I wanted didn’t get the job. I’ll say joint managers don’t work (2006?) and that we are doomed.
    3: in the case of “westportman”, I’m a Rossie troll who is stirring up shite.

    Why in the name of God do people think that a radical change is needed. Where did we suffer a humiliating defeat in the last four years? If Donegal didn’t feel the need for a radical change after we hammered them out the gates of Croker last year by 16 points then why would we need a huge overhaul after losing an AI by 1 point and a semi due to disgraceful reffing.
    What nearly everyone agreed with was that mistakes were made on the sideline, badly timed substitutions in the final and failure to deal with Doneghy in the semi’s. The adjustments are needed on the sideline and in our defensive strategy, the full court press does not seem to allow for locking down defence.
    This panel has been through four extremely tough years and I’m sure many of them must be considering taking a break, but we must keep them together at all costs. We need some fresh blood in and a few lads will have to go, but coming in with a blunderbuss approach will shatter the panel to bits.
    Finally, a few posters constantly point out problems with regards personnel and positions especially. I have to ask, where are these mythical players you constantly want brought into the team. I’ve heard of the mythical fullback, centreback and the multitude of forwards that are playing week in, week out at club matches all over the county. I must have the same bad luck James Horan had because they are always injured or not playing the day I watch club games. Maybe it’s more to do with the fact that I’ve met numerous diehard Mayo supporters who can rattle off every team since 1903 but when I ask them what club they’re in, “I’m not in a club”, “”I don’t have time to support the club” etc etc.
    So next time you criticise a player or position, why not give a viable alternative instead of constantly being negative.

  48. Good luck to the new – I’ll comment further shortly.

    However, on a point of information, many bloggers have pointed out that Noel Connelly has a brother on the County Board – many claiming he was Chairman.

    I have checked the website and the Vice Chairman is listed as Mike Connolly. Furthermore, his email address is given as mconnolly.

    Different name it would seem. Can anyone shed light (and I mean light) on this?

  51. Mayo man in ros

    I know Mcstay never had the Kildare job . I’m just saying if he had got the Kildare job or another county job , it would be said he turned his back on mayo . It’s hard to keep us happy . Good look to the new management team . The two lads want what’s best for mayo like the rest of us . Hopefully all goes well for us all . Looking forward to 2015 now .

  52. Those that point to 2006 in support of new management – would you want two time more recent winner Alan Mulholland

  53. County board are a disgrace. The grassroot review and plan they decided to ignore.
    The way they treated Moran&Morrisson, New York function debacle this year, lied down re ONeills comments about us getting on with Limerick…I could go on.
    And now this.

  54. It will be interesting what Kevin mcStay has to say on the Sunday game tonight. It’s a bit of a kick in the teeth for him given his high profile. I suspect his wish to have Liam mchale on board was the major stumbling block.

  55. Fair play JC, apologies for my insensitive comment.

    Good luck to Connelly/Holmes.
    Genuinely couldn’t choose between them and McStay getting the job. But now they have it, they’ll get my full support.
    Not sure where all this doom and gloom is coming from with some though.
    If we’d just announced the appointment of someone like Tommy Lyons or Maurice Horan I’d understand the pessimism, but not with this news.

    I only hope that everything Connelly/Holmes do and all subsequent results are not seen in the light of what McStay might have done in comparison.
    We’ll never know how good McStay would have been, so no point thinking about it.

  56. Very disappointed with the comments here. Throwing in the towel before 2015 even begins. Normally a geaf sits this with intelligent analysis but this is the lowest ever thread in my view.

  57. To anyone who doubts Noel Connelly, just ask any player who ever played with him what their view on him is. What anyone of us thinks is largely irrelevant, the feeling amongst the playing fraternity is very positive and they’re the people who know. I’ve seen the toughest sons of bitches to ever wear the green and red turn into starstruck teenagers when talking about Connelly and especially his ability to motivate.
    As for Alan Mulholland, how could they nominate a person who didn’t make themselves available.
    For what it’s worth I would have been equally happy had Kevin been appointed, but as alluded to already, I think many believe that McHale was unsuitable. If McStay was lining himself up for this job for the last few years then you would imagine he would have told Liam to adopt a neutral approach in the media. Once you say things or are believed to have said things about a group of players, it’s going to be very difficult to gain their trust and respect.

  58. I’d say the Sunday game will be great crack tonight with Kevin Mcstay and mark Mchugh. Does anybody know what’s on 2.

  59. I just want to wish the new Management set up the very best. sorry wj if i was out of
    line earlier just my thoughts with a few glasses of wine.I dont care who wins today because Im the proudest Mayo Man you ever wish to see. Up Donegal though

  60. This is the team I wanted. If co managers don’t work then there is a first time for everything.

    Clough wasn’t much good without Taylor , he practically was his co manager.

    Was in crossmolina yesterday to see Kiltane win the relegation battle, they won well, I hope this new team casts the net out wide and gives a few more men a chance. Mikey Sweeney gave ger caff a tough afternoon with 2-2 , two fantastic goals, Evan regans goal for ballina was a cracker too.

  62. There seems to be a lot of sentiment out there that by not having McStay at the helm we have lost out on the best candidate and, as a result, our chances of progressing are somewhat diminished! On what basis are these views founded??? McStay no longer lives in the county and does not possess the same in depth knowledge of our clubs and their respective players as the two men appointed. One thing you can be sure of is that with Connelly/Holmes in charge no existing club player will be overlooked at either Senior or Intermediate level. As for their respective man management skills or their on the line decision making, on what basis does McStay hold the upper hand here? These guys have been the only managers to bring national titles to mayo at intercounty level in the past 13years (minors excluded) so lets get behind them as they lay down their plans for the years ahead. On a final thought, would you really and truly have felt inspired at the sight of McHale prancing onto the training field with nothing more to add to the teams development other than a pair of tight shorts and tanned legs??!!

  63. Best of luck to the two lads theyll certainly need it judging by the amount of drivel on some of the comments here. Anyone would think McStay had all Ireland medals falling out of his pockets. Connelly and Holmes by their u21 victory and club work deserve a shot and fair play to them-young, local clubmen close to the local scene. As to one comment above asking will the new team have a new 3,6,8,11&14 as well as rid Dillon and two morans…the poster mustn’t have watched a clubgame in mayo for a while as unfortunately county standard players with modern county standard demands on time conditioning and employment constraints simply don’t grow on the magic tree that some people think Horan has hidden for the past four years

  64. John Cuffe you’re missing my point as I put it politely. I believe Mcstay’s ego is an issue and I think Noel had stood up several times and been counted as a proud mayoman.

  65. All – I’ve no time today to deal with any or all of the comments that have been made since the appointment was announced but I have to say I’m not impressed with the way that the site’s hospitality has, frankly, been abused by a number of people. I’ll be in a better position later on to deal with this but I have to insist that those making comments tone down what they have to say and show a bit of respect, both for the platform being offered here and the individuals being mentioned in the comments. Otherwise, I’m going to have to switch off the comments facility altogether until everyone calms down.

  66. Finally some positive and intelligent comments starting to appear. The main people calling for new players don’t reside in the county anymore (this is not a dig, I know people have to move away for economic and family reasons). As I stated earlier, anyone who regularly attends club matches will know that there isn’t a raft of talent being overlooked.
    What are people basing Kevin McStays amazing managerial skill on? Is it his pointing out the plainly obvious on the Sunday game? If it’s his win with St Bridget’s then Tom Jordan and others within the county have achieved the same. As stated earlier does anyone think that Liam McHale would have been able to park his considerable ego and command respect from these lads.
    I’ve nothing against McStay but I’m amazed that he’s been turned into genius hybrid of Micko and Brian Cody.

  67. We should remember that this new management team did win 4 Connacht U21 titles in a row from 2006 to 2009, the same feat that James Horan achieved with the senior team. The big plus is that Noel and Pat managed to win one All-Ireland title during this time in 2006. Pat also won a league title with Mayo in 2001 (I seem to remember that it was Noel that kicked the winning point in that game too against Galway) and got Castlebar to this year’s club final. So thats a pretty good record. Noel was also the captain of the Mayo team that came closest to winning the All-Ireland title in 1996, he probably feels like he has unfinished business to attend to. Best of luck to the two lads, roll on the FBD league games!

  68. Can’t see why so many are against Noel Connelly and pat Holmes this is mayo fans all over never happy always giving out when things go good we are all happy but when go bad we all talk rubbish its like saying who should start games and who should nt it’s like if you ask for the lotto numbers before 8 o clock everyone will have diff numbers but after 8 o’clock everyone will be able give the rite ones same when lose we all say this should be done and was nt but before a game we all would have diff plans so its easy to hit when your down its time mayo people get behind the new manger and try and get mayo over the line and stop moaning all the time because if there was all ire s for moaning we would be wining them
    People seem to forget Noel and pat have done lots for mayo played , captain ,manage u 21, pat manage seniors ,Noel with the development teams , both club mangers , so both will bring plenty mayo have the team with the help of a couple more players will hopefully finish off the job soon wish them the best of luck and hope we soon will get over that line

  69. It’s time to change the record. We have our new management, a number of our players have their u21 allireland medals while these fellas were calling the shots so let’s leave it at that. I’ll bet the boys already know who they’ll be bringing in for fbd and early league games to see what they can do.
    I wish them the best of luck and commiserations to Kevin mcstay, not easy to take this decision I’m sure but that’s the way it is.

  70. Even though I think McStay might have been a better choice, I’m ok with it being Connelly or Holmes (to a lesser extent) but I’m NOT ok with it being Connolly and Holmes. Has anyone here ever worked for or had two bosses? That’s a serious question….it just doesn’t work.
    But I’ll row in, for a year. If the CB and so many others believe we are this close to sealing the deal and winning the AI, and thus want little change to the team and setup, then nothing short of winning the AI next year would be a failure.
    So this “joint” managerial team have my backing for a year, Connolly on his own, has two maybe three.

  71. I wonder what all those angry people on social media know about McStay that I don’t? The right decision has been made, Connelly and Holmes deserve a chance, two great servants to Mayo whom the players look up to and will respect. I’ll be there in Killarney in February and I hope the county gets behind the new management.

  72. 45&SS comments are deplorable.

    McStay & McHale are proven winners with St.Brigid’s .Fact. They both played well with Mayo. Fact. McHale was a mainstay of our teams for a long time and was man of the match on several occasions.Fact. He is an out and out Mayoman .Fact. The Brigids players speak very highly of him .Fact.
    Your opinion is personal and insulting.
    Those criticizing McStay on no foundation whatever ( big ego?) need to look at themselves. He was willing to commit to Mayo and also is Mayo through and through.
    We can have different opinions on Managers and players but until they do something wrong in football terms cut them some slack.
    Also why run down these two lads. They are not the managers. They are private people.
    I will give Pat & Noel full support and hope they can land the All Ireland. If not well we will keep at it. Of course it will happen.
    Be nice if we were on the same page when it does.

  73. Findaway I have no argument with the facts you outlined above, however, that still does not give them a God given right to have been selected ahead of Connelly and Holmes. I’m sure McStay would have done a good job if in charge, however, the men appointed are there on merit and their combined contributions to Mayo football to date remains unrivalled among the list of contenders.

  74. Findaway I was responding to a JC point. I have not questioned Mcstay or Mchales level of commitment to Mayo football.

  75. Will those of you who feel that Kevin has so much to offer Mayo football outline what he brought to Mayo football since his playing days. I know he managed St Bridgets to an AI. So did Tommy Lyons and Jordan for Ballina and Crossmolina done as much. Say in terms of U21 football how do they compare. I attended all of these games in the years in question.
    I fear Kevin’s popularity is based on his media work, high profile and manner. We must remember this is the county that appointed a politician to the managers job. a short time ago. If your man is such a wonderful tactician lets see his CV

  76. Well mayo and jh was not so bad how did donegal not have a plan for the star jim mc best manager ever failed to have a plan for the star maybe he is just a good footballer and ger was not so bad

  77. well done to Kerry ,They are some team .Ask any Kerry player who was their toughest opponents this year and they will tell you MAYO by a long shot were .We drew with Kerry twice this year in the championship and lost by means of a cheat of a ref who should never ref another match.

  78. So…kerry won I see…(I didnt bother watching it). The Mayo players must be watching that wondering what they have to do…and average kerry team who we should have beaten and are better than win the all ireland. What a heap of sh*t

    What a missed opportunity:/

  82. Kerry won to crown off a disappointing weekend. I think we need to calm down on this blog. Supporting Connelly Holmes shouldn’t require abusing McStay and vice versa. I hoped McStay would have got the job but that does not mean I am anyway critical of Connelly and Holmes , two men who have contributed huge amount to Mayo. I really wish them well and would love if we were all celebrating this time next year.

  83. You can’t just let it go diehard, we have to carry this hurt and turn it into drive.

    It’s absolutely mental to think we’ve had three years at the top and have seen sam go to three different counties whom we are just as good as or better .

  84. Corick Bridge

    Don’t know what match you watched. Donaghy did nothing until gifted a goal by Durcan. McGuinness had a plan and they kept him out until the mistake.
    If you think that justifies us not having a plan then Im sorry. I firmly believe if we had a plan we would be All Ireland champions today.
    This Kerry team is as poor as the one that won in 97 when another costly indecision cost us. Best thing about this years All Ireland is that its over and we start again with new managers. Donegal have destroyed the game ..not sorry to see them go…just wish it wasn’t the cynical footballers of Kerry who did it. And the ref: a black card in 73rd minute. What a shocking year for Gaelic football.Black cards are not for big counties that’s for sure.

  85. The challenge now for our new management team is to raise our squad to a new level. Whether this can be done with a tired group of players remains to be seen. But hopefully Connelly/Holmes can unleash that little bit extra out of the squad in 2015 and drive us on. No point in looking back on what might have been…it wont do any of us any good.

  86. Would it really have mattered if Kerry had lost today? We’d still be kicking ourselves saying we would have smashed Donegal anyhow. The only thing we can be sure of is we just don’t know how things would have turned out. Yes it’s sickening that after all the trials and tribulations of the past four years we have nothing to show for it, but nothing can be done about it now. Let’s quit the self-flagellation and draw a line under this season. New manager and hopefully a refreshed and revived team to look forward to next year. Based on the standard this year we will be right back in the mix come the business end of things next year. Let’s forget about McStay and give Noel and Pat the support they deserve.

  87. Findaway, I think you’re giving McGuinness too much credit here, it looked as if Fitzmaurice was using both Donaghy and O’Donoghue to draw out the Donegal defence and let Paul Geaney slip in undetected to gather the high ball, that’s what got them their first goal and Geaney should have had a second. Fitzmaurice certainly got his tactics right today. Beat Donegal at their own game

  88. The donegal goalie will have nightmares tonight. Poor things can’t believe they think donogh y is player o the year on rte he did nothing today on a soft goal he got.

  89. It’s all history now. Good Luck to Kerry. We should learn from them how to close out a game and stop complaining about our hard luck.
    I feel the new management team may be well versed in this. I can’t remember Hollymount being shy when it came to a direct approach to football. I would have been happy enough with McStay and hope he gets a chance in time.

  90. You are correct Ultair.

    That’s what did the damage. Hats off to Fitzmaurice- won All Ireland with poor team. Kerry very cynical -trying to start fights.

    Agree- we have to move on.

    AOShea would be player of year if Enright hadn’t taken him out. Ref school needed.

  91. You can’t be but sick after today. Noel and Pat need to dedicate one session a week on training on the lads to be cynical. Seems to be huge part of the game now. Pity we did not do it with 5 mins to go the 1st day versus Kerry. Way to nice at the moment to win Sam,
    #Depressing.

  92. Red Raw Rotten says:
    September 21, 2014 at 5:58 pm
    It’s all history now. Good Luck to Kerry. We should learn from them how to close out a game and stop complaining about our hard luck.

    I was thinking about this as i watched bj keane do his dirty trick near the end. Kerry are very street smart , they are ruthless beyond our thinking even.They are the model you have to look to, no matter what you think of them (37).

    It is going to take something different to what we have been doin for our bucks to get
    over the line , whether that is discovering a new ”marquee” forward or doing a tadhg connelly take out your opponent in the first few seconds of a final type move,i dont know but we have to do something different.

  93. Cod – likewise…I’m sitting here at my lap top feeling just as i did walking out of limerick…gutted really. I’m sick of all the ‘next year’ talk…absolutely sick of it..it’s always feckin next year for us.

    2015 will be a much tougher competition…dublin will be back with a sting in their tail and Tyrone and Cork will improve. Closer to home Roscommon and Galway will be serious threats..very serious (our biggest advantage over them is the experience of our more established players. The last three counties mentioned have been well ahead of us at u21 for the past 3 years and as such are more likely to unearth and bring through new talent. Connelly has a big job on his hands. We need that Adam Gallagher and another young attacker to make a breakthrough, ideally one of the starting inside forward line from the 2013 minor team. If any of that team are going to be serious senior players then they’ll be making an impact next year at the age of 20.

    We’re not looking at bringing players through who will be average senior intercounty players – we want real talent who will win Mayo an All Ireland.

    Sean Burke – you mentioned evan regan at times – how good is he though? I’ve seen him play at u21 this year in castlebar and last year in tuam and he didn’t stand out at compared to Shane Walsh (galway last year) and Smyth or Diarmuid Murtagh (Ros this year). Surely Regan would have made more of an impression at senior by now??

    Does anyone know how Aiden Kilcoyne is? Is he even playing again??

  94. Biggest impression I gor from the final today was that systems are important. But being able to adapt your football to counter another system i even more important. I mean Kerry went to playing a defensive system today.
    Now it wasn’t their first time as they also played it against Cork. But they still held their discipline to keep the defensive system in place even when things were not going well for them. And they got the breaks from it.

    We need to be more like that – i.e. adaptible. This year it showed that we are more than a match for Kerry (if we get a proper ref). But I don’t think we are a match for the Dubs unless we play a more defensive counter attacking system like Donegal did.

    Overall under Horan we have more or less played one particular way and improved upon it year after year. One thing the new management could bring is a more adaptable team to tactically confuse the opposition depending on who we come up against.

  95. I dont know why anyone is worrying about who is in charge, iam sure they will deal properly with it, what I feel is that we have tried very hard over the last few years and did not get there, I dont think we have any better players out there so I am pessimistic for the future, I hope I am wrong

  96. Mayonaze. Its as simple as this imo , he can take his man on and score, he has natural forward thinking. So whats the sense in not giving him a good lash at it.Its not as if our panel is bursting with natural forwards, we can’t keep going with the bucks who have not produced and there is surely no logic in hanging onto panel players who have been there a few years without making the breakthrough. Was chatting briefly with a man who was at the Ballina v kiltane game last night, obviously Ballina were muck but Regan still stood out from what i was told.

  97. Findaway must have been a different match, I just saw the star have a big big impact on the match I saw wish he was from mayo

  98. You feel that when it comes to winning All-Ireland tites, its almost like a life or death situation for Kerry. I heard Declan O’Sullivan say during the week, Everything is accepted in Kerry, apart from losing. This says it all really, they will do anything on and off the field of play to get a win. They just hate to go back to their own people as losers. Its like the phrase, Would you kill your own granny to win a match? The Kerry players would, would the Mayo players go to that extreme? They probably will have to, if they want to win the All-Ireland title.

  99. My thoughts exactly Mayonaze on 2015. The competition will get much greater not lesser next year. However, if there’s one small crumb of comfort from today’s final it is that Donegal will be gone given the age profile of so many of their key players and Kerry won’t have the same drive now that they’ve achieved their ultimate goal. Unfortunately, a wounded and wiser Dublin will be on the Connacht side of the draw next year even if we are able to manage to make it back to Croke Park…and that’s a big if !! All we can do now is hope that our new management team can motivate and develop the squad to find another level and not oversee a slide back into the oblivion.

  100. The points raised about adaptability are valid…and we definitely need to be able to play a defensive counter attacking game v Dublin. Playing 15/15 on them is suicidal. But they will be a different team next season… They’ll be fixing their defensive frailties.

    Anyway…that’s it. Over and out for another season. The struggle continues.

  102. Winning Connacht is still very achievable. Do Galway even have a manager yet? We will have the Ross in Castlebar if we have to play them before the fnal, we wont be beaten in Castlebar by anyone in Connacht.

    I’m still very positive in terms of where we are at. Despite all the doom , gloom and sick to the stomach feeling we all have today, we have some of the best footballers in the land on our side and they dont have walking sticks either.. Up Mayo

  103. Sean – im all on for giving new guys a chance..it’s just that Regan, for whatever reason, hasn’t made a breakthrough yet. Why is that? If he was good enough would he not have been in the squad?

    Darren Coen is a lad who is also at make or break time. He’s been sniffing about the panel for a couple if years. Time to step up to the plate lad and show what you can do!

    What’s the story re: Liam Irwin? Has he got it? Or is he just another player with Galwayminorhurling syndrome?? ie: win an all Ireland underage and live off that forever! These young bucks should be flat out bursting a gut to make it onto the Mayo senior team for 2015 and we should be trying to win an All Ireland u21 too. Look at what’s happened in clare hurling. They are winners.

    You can be sure Connelly will be going in with a clean slate approach. Lads will be starting from scratch.

  104. Agree with all the comments about Kerry’s cynicism and desire to do anything to win. Wrote a long comment on one of the threads last week highlighting how mayo are some distance behind them in this regard. Barry John Keane kicking the ball off the tee summed this up today. You’d be a very long time watching mayo play before you’d see one of our players do that. We are too nice and hopefully pat and Noel can instill some ruthlessness into us.

  105. Horan dropped him week before 2013 connacht final. I personally couldn’t make head nor tail of the decision at the time, could be more to it for all i know. Its a new management now so you’d like to think its a clean slate for all players who are eligible to play for Mayo.

    Ive read comments like ”just look at the club scene , there are no players out there capable” etc. Now that is a valid point but it misses the context of the point of what some of us are saying, all it will take is 2/3 discoveries and that means giving them a fair crack at it. No sense in playing Regan in a league game v Kildare , playing well and then taking him off and not go again. Gallagher was the same this year two league games , played mighty , then dropped from matchday panel on arrival in new
    york.

  106. 45, I’d say Kerry will have Tommy Walsh back next year and one Gooch Cooper so I’m not so sure they won’t have the same drive!!

    Firstly, congrats to the new management team. I must say I am very surprised by some of the comments today and yesterday. I voted for McStay too but sure we haven’t a clue how he’d do. Connelly deserves his shot and has a heck of a lot to offer (with Holmes, either jointly, or as no. 2). We should focus on that and look forward to 2015. Some of the negative posts are baffling to say the least.

    I’m totally sickened by today, what an average Kerry team and what a horrible, horrible match (not a patch on the 2011 Semi, which was brilliant in it’s own way). What has happened to defenders who simply cannot guard against a high ball?!?! It’s baffling. I suppose it takes a bit of focus off us. I agree with an earlier poster who pointed out that it was the tactic of Donaghy and JOD moving out that created some space inside. Unfortunately, today’s game makes Limerick even more of a nightmare now as we could certainly expect to have beaten Donegal on that evidence.

  107. If ppl can’t see that Donahhy’s presence completely changed Donegals posture then I just don’t understand.
    Like him or hate him, he was again the difference today.
    We can learn a lot from Kerry on how to win close games. Just one example is BJK’s ability to fool the officials by moving the ball to a more advantageous position. He did against us and did it again today without the ref noticing. Just one example…-anyway, carry on..

  108. Donaghy had big influence on todays game. What player had a bigger influence.Who will get man of match tonight. For me no one player was outstanding today. They might even give it to Donaghy. Thought Donegal would have a plan to deal with him.

  109. That thing called luck.. the very thing that seems to elude Mayo teams and has a habit of falling at the feet of Kerry men. A great start in the first 60 seconds with what in Donegal terms has to be a soft goal (looks like we are not the only ones who struggle with the high ball) and Donaghy had no hand act or part in it.. but he did have a part to play in the second, and if the first was soft this was melted butter. Durcan kicking the ball directly into Donaghys hands 20 yards out when the game was in the melting pot.. you cant buy luck like that but some will say it was the sheer pressure applied by Kerry that caused the mistake. People will also say that Kerry created there own luck by the way the set up but if it takes that type of puke football and win at any cost attitude then I’m going change codes

  110. To win just once I think mark o Shea had a great game and he give Murphy a good shoulder which curtailed him a bit donoghy was quiet too and o donoghue. Up mayo for 2015

  111. On this historic evening all we can doo and should do is sportingly congratulate Kerry.

    And after that consider this. Am I the only Mayo man who feels that on any day we would beat the pick of the two teams who held sway today, the greatest day of Gaeldom. Handily.

    Many feel that we should, with a little luck and fair play from referees, have been contesting for our three in a row today. I subscribe to that view. I’m not happy with the outcome of our managerial deliberations. McStay was the man. Those of us who know him, have played with him and who know even a little about the game know that Kevin was the obvious choice. But, hey, this is Mayo and, while I wasn’t there to witness it, I’m informed that we had a guy with a shoebox collecting money for the CB at a door in NY.

    Anyway, moving on…Good luck to the new regime. Mine and I will be there to support them as ever come the new season. Time, though, is running out for fifty-somethings like me who live in hope to see the day.

    Finally, and let’s not forget this, while the country sees us as nearly men and chokers we’re still in the top three or four counties. 28 or 29 others envy our strength, talent and resolve to finally get over the line.

    Maigh Eo Abu agus Maigh Eo go deo.

  113. We don’t lack cuteness in that department. I think Kevin McLoughlin did something similar to BJK against Dublin in the league and Cluxton got a red as a result.

    It’s down to more fundamental stuff – like winning midfield – like defending against goals – like kicking out intelligently – like not not getting sent off early in a game putting team mates under unnecessary pressure. I won’t mention selection, match ups and sideline cuteness. Yeah I’m sore right now!
    We are not too far off the mark but it seems to me that we need to be well ahead of the rest in order to win just once……….
    And I agree next year will not be any easier with Dublin seeking to avenge their humiliation at the hands of Donegal, Kerry as swaggering champions and god knows who else will emerge. And of course Galway and Ros will want a skelp at us as well.
    I am an optimist by nature but the realist inside me says we have had our chances and because we didn’t take them we will be forced to watch others dine at the top table while we are left to lick our wounds. I hope I am wrong.

  114. Best of luck to noel and pat , was shouting for Kerry to day ,,,,, the biggest cheer in our house was when the star gave brolly both barrels , ,,,’ we need to streghten our panel and kick on. ,,, we have soo much to be proud of and bring on the younger lads in the county ,, was at home recently and could not believe how many 5 – 10 year olds wearing the mayo jersey ,,,,, every young fella in the county wants to play for mayo some day ,,,, ps. Joe brolly is a prick.!!,

  115. Well put, SourceoftheRobe,.. What is now very clear to all teams wishing to win sam is having a shrewd manager on the line ,regardless of the squad of top players at our disposal if the manager is not smart on the reading of the opposition game plan and tactics we win nothing . Eamonn Fitzmaurice has been a example to us all on how to manage a group of players and get the best out of them at 34 or 35 years of age . He out smarted Jimmy to day with his game plan . if we cannot see this and continue to blame Kerry for our downfall this year , we need to wake up .

  116. Well I said here during the wk that it was going to be a poor game and it wasn’t. It was a diabolical game. Kerry got away with murder again. So many fouls just ignored. Getting very fed up with officials.

    Good luck to Connelly/Holmes. I expect a few players to be given chances next year but I reckon that we will see the majority of the same team picked again. Will we revert to similar tactics like Kerry today or Donegal’s when they played Dublin? We don’t seem to have the forwards outside of Cillian O Connor so we could expect “puke” football to become more frequent for us to watch. I wouldn’t give a shit as long as it worked and we win Sam Maguire. What do Ye think?

  117. I don’t think anyone is blaming Kerry for our downfall. They did to us what I only wish we did to them. And I believe Kerry were lucky enough again today capitalising on a horrible mistake by Durcan.

  118. Okay so it’s finally over. Time to move on. Kerry are the 2014 All Ireland Champions.

    I’ll say it now and I’ll say it once Mayo WILL WIN and be the 2015 All Ireland Champions. Thank god and ali baba too that we won’t need “Wing Mirrors” (some people might get that) in order to see straight ahead.

    I believe now more than ever that Mayo will break through and dominate for years and years. We have just climbed out of an abyss. Some supporters and they sicken me to my green and red core just love to wallow.

    The Mayo panel now know 100% what they are truly capable of.

    I would like in advance to thank Dublin, Donegal and last by no means least Kerry for fully opening Mayo’s eyes, the last sliver is always the hardest to see through. Pull the bones out of that one

  120. A couple of things regards tactics. Tactics in the build up to matches are crucial I think but changing tactics on the day are hit and miss.

    For instance Kerry today didn’t come up with the defensive game plan on the Bus on the way up. They had 3 weeks to get it into place focusing fellas to stay in their positions and allowing for puke football to be played because it was needed.

    On the day managers might change matchups or may bring on/off subs because guys are not performing. But whatever game plan is in place has already been settled upon and
    usually it is stuck with unless it is completely being overrun.

    Also you can be sure hey had fellas watching closely on how Donegal do their setups. Finally as regards Kerry well they played and practiced behind closed doors all year. Any time they opened up for the public they were only playing at 1/4 speed and intensity and having a kick around for the young kids to see.

  121. It’s amazing how well Kerry are in with the refs,see Marty Duffy had a big hug for donnahy after the game today.With what other team or in what other sport would you see this.Hard luck Donegal,you have to feel sorry for Duncan,and such a prick to kick it too.

  122. Jez spillane would sicken you with his rantings about how great kerrys attacking play was. They were as negative and as cynical as any of the Ulster counties who defeated them in the past. If any other county had won playing like that he would have called it puke football and moaned about the poor standards in gaelic football. Kerry won fair and square today but please call it as it was.

  123. havent a notion of ” sportingly congratulating kerry” as another motr honorable perhaps poster did..i am BEYOND annoyed and i god damn hope every mayo player feels the same and i hope this drives them on..

  124. Think McStay will be heading to donegal.
    Kerry won ugly again today.
    Can’t help thinking of what could have been !

  125. Look kerry are all Ireland champions for two reasons…they do what they got to do to win, pretty or not…they get it done whereas we failed to put game beyond reach when we had chances. Secondly they had a clear game plan which changed slightly I thought today and this is where we also fell down and we allowed ourselves to be predictable. I do have faith in the new men and I do believe we can hopefully win an all Ireland with them…as I said its just a shame jh stayed on another year delaying the inevitable. Who knows if we had a different set up we could have beaten kerry and on that donegal performance today we could have then won sam but lets keep the faith. Good luck noel and pat…Both involved in u21 all Ireland winning team

  126. It pains me to watch this final final because i do believe if Mayo were playing today we would have won. Im just afraid connelly/holmes that we maybe 1 year late . however i do still think we will do better than we think. we may find ourselves in a league final lads. chin up.

  127. So Kerry are all Ireland champions with a lot of help from Cormac Reilly in the semi final,very poor football from both sides today a disappointing all Ireland final,my heart goes out to Donegal,but back to mayo, its time to move on,start focusing on our new management and 2015,I firmly believe there’s great years ahead for mayo football,and please God this time next year We will be celebrating.

  128. Have to agree with regina , hope the mayo players hurt because if it doesnt hurt its no good. was disgusted to hear one commentator refer to mayo as “black dogs” today.
    good luck to the new management who are going to have to unearth some young players particularly fowards to supplement the current squad.mayo arent bad but need to be more streetwise.
    kerry can count themselves lucky to win in 2015, but you make your own luck.they had a good squad of 20 lads who could do a job when called upon.what impressed me the most about them was how they fought for the ball when not in posession and their ability to hold the ball when they had posession, always looking to pass to some one in a scorable position.

  129. 2014 is done now and yes, it ‘could have, should have’ been us but so should 2012 and 2013. Ah——— but 2015 hasn’t come yet, so who knows what’s in store for us then, all we can do is look forward, so the best of luck to our new managers Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes.
    They are lucky already in the fact that they have inherited quality and unlucky enough that there is enormous pressure on them to not only hold and improve that quality but to deliver the ultimate in the offing.
    Here’s to our 5th Connacht in a row and an end to a 64 year longing.
    MaighEo Abú

  130. A poster on this site compared Kerry to Israel. The point was that all of them are always on duty including the ex players with their propaganda. They were still at it tonight claiming they made up as they went along.
    Their propaganda about dropping Mark O’Shea to motivate him seems a bit thin. I thought it was more a case of get Cillian , don’t worry about the yellow card and we are taking you off in twenty minutes anyway. Same with The Nicholas Murphy incident a few years ago. Let’s just do it and don’t worry about it.
    We can complain or we can learn from them. They changed their approach when they saw what is needed. Refereeing is very poor and referees are loathe to be accused of “ruining the game” by the like of the Sunday game panel.
    When Israel want something they just go and get it. They have learned that they would not survive long if they worried about what other people might think. Kerry also have learned this and congratulations to all concerned with bringing a plan to a conclusion. We have the players to win an All Ireland and, I hope, the new management to win one. We just need the mindset.

  131. 2014 season is over so everyone quit the whining & moaning and looking back. Learn from Kerry they have shown us what we need to do to win Sam. Look forward to 2015 support Noel and the squad when they hammer the hammer.

  132. @mayonaze, i thought it interesting that McStay nominated Murphy for his choice of POTY……
    If Jimmy bolts to Celtic full time, could McStay be in the running for Donegal?
    Just saying….would be sickening.

  133. It’s clear from speaking about this and from opinions on this site etc that McStay was the peoples choice. I want to know WHY the county board didn’t elect him. I really have no time for them. They are detrimental to our chances and have been for the best part of two decades.

    I’m surprised at how Mayo supporters are just ok with this decision. I think it’s more to do with loyalty to Noel Connelly given his service to the county coupled with a lack of knowledge/awareness of what McStay can bring to the set up.

    It’s just so disappointing

  134. Talk to anyone who has worked under him. He’s cute, he would bring a steel edge to our set up, you can be pretty sure he’d have ref’s onside, he would command utmost respect, he is innovative, he can quickly read a situation in a match and change tactics accordingly, he knows how to work the media, he knows opposing county team set ups better than most other Mayo people (cos of his job with rte), as a former all star forward you would imagine he might inspire young forwards and be able to bring them in better than two wing backs will.

    It was a fucking no brainer for Christ’s sake. I’m dismayed by the decision. I just don’t get the logic of not appointing him.

  136. We can whinge and moan here all we like about McStay getting the gig but the fact of the matter is not one of us know the truth behind why Connelly and Holmes got the nod and he didn’t. And more to the point there’s not a damn thing we can do about it either, only get on with it.

    What appals me though is the downright amateurism of how this development was handled from start to finish. Much like how, before every game this year our changes were public knowledge hours before throw-in, the world and its mother knew last weekend who the new management team would be, and there is no excuse for this utter lack of discretion, ironically coupled with a severe lack of transparency and a pig’s ear of a confirmation statement. Not to mention the questionable timelines between nomination deadlines and the job announcement. At organisational level, to the outside eye, I can’t even imagine what we look like. This isn’t a professional game, but there has been a severe lack of professionalism displayed throughout this debacle, and if that’s what lies ahead of us for the next three years, then I find it very hard to harbour any kind of optimism for our chances.

    That said, I wish Noel and Pat the very best of luck in their new roles – because by the looks of things, they will certainly need it. James Horan was an unknown quantity this time four years ago, however, and look at the journey we’ve been on.

    Yesterday felt like losing all over again, but if the lads watching that game can bring even a tenth of the bitterness and with them through to 2015 and use it to push themselves on, then we might be in for a different outcome.

    Thank Christ this year is over.

  137. Very poor handling of the whole situation and we still don’t know from the pig’s ear of a statement whether Connelly is No.1 or if it’s a joint appointment.
    We knew we were going to have to replace JH as soon as we lost this year but we didn’t appear to be ready with our replacement. Then with only 2 realistic options we spent another 3 weeks fooling around and finally social media gave us the result.
    Hope this isn’t a portent of things to come & that Connelly/Holmes can give us some leadership. I would have preferred McStay at this point as I felt his time had come but equally I think Connelly offers huge potential.
    All we can do now is wait & see.

  138. Yeah, I meant to add that into my rant, Joey 🙂 – what exactly are their new roles? Do we have two joint managers, or do we have a manager and a no.2? Is Donie Buckley confirmed to remain as part of the setup as rumoured?

    Is it any wonder that interest in the job was so low?

  139. Ara this county board boil my blood, im fuckin disgusted mcstay didnt get it. Joint managers?..did you ever come across such shite. Its actually embarrassing, hard to be optimistic at the moment. We deserve better.

  140. The appointment confirms that you don’t criticise the establishment.Objective,open

    and honest comment is not acceptable.K McStay would be deemed to be his own man.

    Now,you cannot have that

  141. I’m late to this discussion, thankfully. The reaction to this announcement has been childish in the extreme. The current squad have been denigrated for losing in an All Ireland semi final in extra time. To the ecentual winners. So wholesale retirements required.

    Two former Mayo stalwarts appointed. One has led the county to an All Ireland U-21 title ( with many of the current squad) and the other led us to our last national senior title. Cue absolute panic.

    As a band of supporters we need to get a f’cking grip and soon.

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