According to the Irish Times yesterday, Dublin are trying to get our league match with them – which is currently scheduled to take place on the afternoon of Sunday, 20th March – shifted to the evening of Friday 18th. On the face of it, this makes some sense given that the Saturday evening appears to be ruled out because of the Ireland-England Six Nations tie at Lansdowne Road and, Horslips or not Horslips, if it goes ahead on the Sunday, there’s likely to be even fewer punters at it than the 23,000 that pitched up there last Saturday night to see the Dublin-Kerry match.
I’m not sure who has the final say in all of this but I guess if our side don’t want it, then it’ll go ahead on the Sunday as planned. There may be further complications in terms of TV coverage and stuff but I wouldn’t have thought that the GAA High Command would have any religious objection to a Friday night match at Croker. Well, if they’re happy to see Jedward on the bill on a Saturday night, they can hardly set their faces against a Friday night game now can they?
If the switch does go ahead, I might have a problem getting to it as our U7s (including the small lad) are due to go into battle for the first time that evening but I assume that’d have to be rescheduled as many of those involved will have tickets for all of the Spring Series. For what it’s worth, though, my hunch is that the match won’t be shifted from the Sunday.
In other news, in case you missed it here are the details of the draw for the Senior, Intermediate and Junior club championships.
Finally, the Mayo News is reporting that the Strategic Action Plan is item number 11 (of 12) on the clár at tomorrow evening’s meeting of the County Board and that neither Liam Horan nor any other members of the steering committee have been invited to the meeting to present their report. Sean Rice has a good piece in the Mayo News on the Plan where he posits an obvious but very relevant question: if this does not work, what will? Those charged with voting on the Plan tomorrow night would do well to think deeply on this question before they cast their ballots.
If the U21s beat the Rossies on 12th, they are down to play Leitrim on Sat 19th, so the management may not want to have to bring the U21 players up to Dub the day before that match.
Plus it would be a lot harder for many Mayo supporters to make it up to Dublin for a Friday evening than a Sunday afternoon.
And thirdly, I am not around on the Friday, but will be back for Sunday!
So the Mayo Co Board should stick to Sunday 🙂
The review is listed item 11 on an agenda of 12. Doesn’t look like the County Board see it as anything other than a topic for discussion. Would seem to me at least that discussion on a document they themselves commissioned would merit at least a cleared agenda for discussion. This of course is their prerogative.
Just so I can be clear on this, are the County Board deciding on particular points of the strategic plan to implement, or is it a ‘take it all or none of it’ type scenario?
I’m also assuming that this will be decided by means of a vote from all the club delegates?
It seems unthinkable that this will be rejected, as it is a means of helping and progressing GAA activity in the county. But I always have my doubts when it comes to the higher authorities in our CB…
MWR reported speculation this morning that discussion of the strategic plan may be postponed till Friday. That would be better than leaving it like “Any Other Business” at the end of a meeting
I won’t be able to travel if they change it to the friday evening, so they better leave it on the sunday:-)
They should play the game on Friday evening because it would suit me just fine.
Eleventh item on the agenda means that the Board are getting set to shoot the report down.
If Mayo ever do win an All-Ireland it’ll be despite the Board, not because of them. It’s fairly clear from the intro to the report that the Board obstructed any and all financial inquiries, and if you don’t follow the money you don’t exist in the real world. The report authors were doomed from the start.
The report was commissioned to defuse the anger generated by the losses to Sligo and Longford and that’s all gone. The Board couldn’t give a continental feck about the report now and are set to drop it behind the dresser where it’ll never be seen again.
Shame on them. Why anybody bangs his or her head off the wall dealing with them beats me.
Spailpín. How I hunger for your wisdom and perception. Spot on Sir!
“If Mayo ever do win an All-Ireland it’ll be despite the Board, not because of them”.
The great Eamon Mongey used a similar description of that board, “For as long as I can remember the Mayo board hindered rather than helped the team, we won despite them not because of them”, was the gist of the late Eamons view.
Hopefully Spailín in those heady days of democracy in the Dark province that enough brave delegates will stand up and be counted. This chance will never ride past our door again.
I wish I were as wise as you think me On the Road. Thanks for the kind words.
You know, thinking about it further, we got the manager we wanted despite more than one scare. Maybe there’s hope yet. Me fingers and toes are crossed. Up Mayo.
I have a strong feeling that if this Review bites the dust…it will not be tonight.
That’s what I’m hearing too. Item 11 doesn’t appear to be how many the clubs are viewing it so hopefully tonight’s consideration of the report will only be round 1 and that a proper debate on it in a few weeks time will follow. It deserves that at the very least.
The strategic plan is to be discussed at a meeting tomorrow night at 8.30. Agenda: 1 Strategic Plan, 2 membership 3. County Board Tickets AOB
I think you are right Willie Joe – this is probably just round 1. I doubt if anyone would have the gall (or stupidity) to dismiss the Review in such a cavalier fashion and I would give them the benefit of the doubt……..for now!
On the other hand to follow Spailpín’s line……comissioning reports and then tactfully ignoring them has long been a tactic by governing bodies (perfected by governments and our own in particular) in order to get over difficult or embarrasing situations.
Reports that present serious challenges to the status quo are the least likely to be adopted and implemented. If for shamesake it cannot be ignored outright it will inevitably be diluted, distorted, misinterpreted, dragged out, delayed, disputed and eventually allowed to gather dust until the focus moves on to the next difficult situation.
Dont be surprised if Spailpin is right and this is the fate of the Strategic Action Plan too!
I’m hearing that the report was discussed briefly tonight to this effect – that a full meeting will be required (not sure when) and that the board will be coming up with some proposals of their own, that they agree with 70% of the review, but there are issues over some things (all finance related I’d guess). I think Liam Horan and Co are going to be at this next meeting to discuss and answer any queries. The board could be trying to circle the wagons but I don’t think they’ll have it at all easy if they go down that road. Maigh Eo Abú.
Taking a huge leap of faith here and allowing for what passes as democracy in the GAA but surely its not the Board that will decide what percentage they like and dislike. This report is for Mayo GAA and its broader church i.e the clubs and followers.
If the clubs vote for it then its irrelevant what the Board want or what percentage they like. I think the Board need reminding of what they are actually there in the first place for. They administer the county affairs on behalf and for the clubs. Somewhere along the line the dynamic changed (possibly the clubs fault, possibly opportunity) but we now have a situation where the Board decides what’s best for Mayo.
Perhaps we might be better off if we got back to a situation where at the meetings the clubs decide what THEY want and the county board then implement the wishes of its members. Currently the cart seems ahead of the horse. The Review and its associated birthing pains or death throes is actually showing the clubs where they stand.
Whether this review bites the dust or is implemented in full, if it inspires the clubs to take ownership of THEIR own counties football affairs , then this review will have done a great job. Once more three cheers for the chairman of this review , a true Gael Liam Horan.
Have the clubs ever stood up to the Board?
Report will be adopted but never implemented.
ontheroad, the commitee is elected by the clubs so therefore are deemed to represent the clubs and ultimatley will decide if it even ever gets to a vote before the clubs, and if it does what they say in relation to accepting or rejecting it will go a long way towards its passing or not.
To be fair to the County Board, and I’ve never been one to stick up for commitees; they do have to ensure that at a minimum a) the proposals are within the regulations of the GAA, there are alot of full time positions in there, and some of them may not be, and b) if they are “legal” that they can afford them.
It would be logical for them to have it on the Clar down the list as they did, not to condemn it to the dustbin but the agenda item would be to decide when it was to be discussed as its own topic; which they appear to have done.
I’m as cycnical as the next man on this, but besides not releasing the financial info (and we havent got their side on that)as to why, they’ve pretty much followed through on this to date.
Just been confirmed by the county board that our match against the dubs is to go ahead as sheduled on sunday 20th march. Won’ suit the dubs that want to watch chelsea and liverpool in action the same day!