192 thoughts on “Galway 1-13 Mayo 0-11: more Tribesmen tribulations”

1. 2 points from play from 2 defenders in the second half. Our forward play has been deplorable in the league and the facts are there to prove it. Out best scorers are in our half back line.

   I don’t think the above comment is simple doom or gloom – there’s genuine concern about the availability of quality forwards. Nor should we hide behind the ‘. It’s only February’ excuse either.

   Is the pendulum of power shifting in Connacht?

2. To be fair Mayo never motor early in the year.
   Today was no different.
   Ye are a totally different kettle of fish in summer

3. We were terrible. Galway had a clear gameplan, drop everyone behind the ball and hit fast on the counter. Simple effective and a system Mayo should have been employing for years. We played like headless chickens. Defence loose. Forwards non-existant.

   Im consoling myself in thst its ‘only february’ but todsy was pure shite. That sums it up.

   Aside from that Aos gets dragged non-stop..its absolutely ridiculous.

4. Thats it Willie joe, keep my comments in moderation, all are 100 % accurate. Let the other posters make their own minds up.

5. Mayo88 – you’re in moderation due to your own actions. I’m at the game and driving back shortly so no doubt you’ll have another batch for me to look over when I’m back. If you’d kept what you had to say reasonable you wouldn’t have this problem.

6. Don’t forget either that against Kerry for the last 23 minutes we scored one close in free against 13 men.

   Basquel and Howard got 8 points from play between them against Donegal. Food for thought also!

7. Must agree with Mayoman. …
   Ger Caff very poor today…. and he made a rookie look a fantastic player.

8. Instead of criticising one individual player, could we just criticise the whole forward line. Apart from Diarmuid and Aido, I thought they were all shocking.

9. A big puzzle for Stephen to sort out. It now appears the extra/new talent may not come on a quickly as anticipated. Major issue in the half back and full lines and can only see Leeroy returning as a positive. Others are honest and genuine but that is not enough at intercounty level. Brannigan now clearly has Boylers card marked. He gave him another torrid afternoon. I won’t comment on the reds after all the complaining all week about high closed fists and raised elbows. Mayo now have to beat Galway in May five on the trot would be unthinkable and they also have to win Connacht. I don’t think the team has the legs to go backdoor to Super 8’s

10. Galway just sucked us in to the game they wanted to play Allowed us to have ball go crossfield lose it and then hit us on the break and we obliged Then they pulled and dragged all day and we fell for it got frustrated and had 2 sent off Ref couldn’t deal with it Obviously the black card must be no longer in use And finally the constant abuse of AOS is allowed to continue If the Galway lads wanted his jersey that badly they might have requested it at end of game rather than grabbing it all through Disappointing day and dubs in town next

11. Comer got man of the match but in truth it could be have been three other Galway players – Brannigan, Conroy and McHugh were cutting through our backs with hardly a glove being laid on them at times. Defensively we were at sea, every time Galway got the ball up the field they looked like they were getting a score. In comparison we looked limp and out of ideas up front. The lateral backwards play in the first half was maddening to watch. Aidan O’Shea was badly needed on the edge of the square. At the very least he would have been double-marked which might have opened up more space. Midfield were well out-paced. We’re lacking physicality and pace in that sector. As for the forwards, it was obvious from 5 minutes after the restart that the game was out of reach. Am I correct in saying that the only score from play we got in the second half was from Boyler? That alone tells its own story. Just not good enough. I’m sorry to say that I haven’t seen anything to suggest that we are going to have more options up-front in the championship. I want to proven wrong and to see a big reaction for the rest of the league. I can’t see us getting anything out of Dublin but surely we can manage four points out of Kildare, Tyrone and Donegal

12. AOS got battered and abused all game long with no real help from the ref, don’t be surprised if he decides to take a break from the game entirely very soon. It was a poor display from Mayo but I can still see them coming very strong during the later games of the league.

13. Another poor performance from our lads. Despite the malfunction, few positives mixed in through that..
    We had more lads perform today than Kerry game.
    Pick of the bunch Gibbons, Kevin Mc, Diarmaid, Aido in spells P Durcan, Doherty. Adam G looked up to it physicality wise.
    Cillian’s frees have improved back to usual standard and Kevin Mc took his free well.
    We won a lot more breaking ball.

14. Too much fannying around in the opposition half, lateral passing to a man’s chest. To break the blanket you need hard running off a man’s shoulder, but there was very little of that today.

    In contrast, Galway’s footpassing was crisp and fast when they won the ball back.

    Three wins out of four needed to guarantee safety, I think. Given that we’ve never won in Donegal and have Dublin next (plus Tyrone) it looks like a tall order. Let’s see, the lads have always managed it before, and they deserve our support now.

15. Dave..Agreed re O Shea..As the ref waved his four yellow cards(including the one for Aidan)he just stared at the ref in disbelief..Considering he was on the ground for most of the time and had his jersey ripped it was some job by the ref to pull out that card..

16. Major kudos & respect to AOS for keeping his head today…well done to him.

    Sick to death of the whole ‘Give em both the yellow no matter who staryed it or who was the main offender’ shyte. Its pure aul gombeenism of the highest order…refs n linesmen should be man enough to try to sort it out properly n let video evidence sift thru the aftermath…

    Just wonderin…should we go to the Dublin game next weekend….or just send a Mass Card?
    🙂

17. Definetly think we need a forwards coach we look clueless up front again. Sadly Ger Caff coughed up a few scores today I’m never confident going to a game with him as full back. Wouldn’t like to be in Stephen Rochfords shoes who’d be a manager or a
    Player with all the sacrifices they make and grumpy bucks like me giving out about them
    When they lose

18. To win just once, Aido went in to “14”, said hello with a shoulder and young Sean Andy showed him the door, that is a fullbacks job. The grappling was by both parties, Conroy pulling him out of the row was like tog of war, Galway won that too. I hadn’t planned on talking about the two reds but the pulling and dragging had nothing to do with either red. As WJ said on the pod cast one of the players has been “narky” since coming back. Mayo had the sideline, how & why did he need to get a red at the corner flag with a raised elbow, his brother then gave away a poor pass and attempted to get revenge for last summer for that shoulder that Comer gave him.. he could have got a straight red.

19. The main negatives are our spine was soft with Comer making hay and Coen having a torrid time with Galway’s pace. Their no 12 got 2 breaks which could have yielded goals at the end. Instead he got 0-1 out of those.
    Also whoever let no 24 in for that goal (I’m guessing Caff) made him look good. No need to dive in like that and then worst case would be a point. That goal stood to Galway right through.
    Both teams shooting was poor but us worse. Their chances we a lot closer and inside the D whereas most of ours on the wings. Looks like they learned their running game from Mayo.
    Another negative was Conor Loftus not a full forward target man. Need him in the corner away from tall backs. Why not put Cillian there.
    Also Cillian’s straight red was silly. Misses 1 or 2 games?

20. Forget Rochford, the players themselves, first, have to sort this shit out – from what I saw today, if they wanted to, they could have committed a lot more. The guys who didn’t perform should have a long hard look at themselves. Others were working really hard to try to put some shape on it, notably Aido and, for the past two games, Diarmuid.
    Galway were not that brilliant at all, but they had a hunger and commitment to get stuck in, defend like tigers and counter attack to great effect. For our part, instead of arsing around ‘laterally’ handpassing the ball (120 Mayo handpasses in the first half to Galway’s 35 !), they should have looked up and taken shots when in range….No fecking handoffs, forwards should have committed and taken their own shots….tons of shots, even if some went wide.
    My firm belief is that our great team (…..sadly, not including most of the new blood) has life in it still and could turn this league campaign on its head and get back in the frame for a couple of wins and Div 1 safety for 2019.

21. I can harly believe the comments so far about a display of thuggish behaviour from both teams. What an example to set before our children? Shameful. Both teams should be dumped from the League for bringing our wonderful game int disrepute/

22. Second game in a row we’ve played a team who have 13 in their own half.
    It would be hard for any forward to show what they can do if there’s no ball coming in.
    We can’t kick it in to a mass defence and we don’t have the senior players back to run it i.e., Higgins, Keegan and Vaughan.
    I counted 7 senior players missing today including our regular full back line and midfield.
    The bigger issue is how to break down teams who defend like this.
    Re match ups, I thought it was naive to go man to man on Comer and McHugh? when they swapped. Comer should be no surprise by now

23. Only thing is probably only 2 of that defence will start in May – Boyle & Durcan.
    That could be our starting 6 backs
    in the summer with the possible exception of Liam Silke coming in somewhere.
    Midfield will stay the same.
    Up front probably 3 changes – Daly,Burke & Armstrong in for Kelly,Sweeney & McHugh.
    So probably had 11 or 12 of our c’ship team there today.
    I imagine Mayo had probably only 7 – Clarke, Boyle, Durcan, O Shea, McLoughlin, 2 O Connors.

24. We need a full back capable of marking (in so far as possible) the Comers and Geaneys out there. So far Harrison looks the best bet but looked well of championship pace against Kerry. Otherwise convert a midfielder e.g. SOS. Crowe was having a torrid time until Comer decided to go out the pitch. He went back in in 2nd half and did more damage.

25. 4 defeats in a row now to Galway and 4 abject performances.

    Our set up today was pathetic. Our attitude worse. Where was the fight when it mattered? Like the Dubs the more we lose to them the harder it is to see a win when it matters.

    Plenty of guys to come back but with no football in the legs. A beating v Dublin likely and we are in a desperate fight to stay up.

    The hard decisions need to be made on the likes of Ger Caff. Father Time has sadly caught up and the issues of last Summer are there again. For Jason Gibbons too his lack of mobility and mistakes and just shortness of quality.

    Disappointing that the younger guys are not grabbing their chance and making an impact

26. Very disappointing result and performance. Defence repeatedly caught on the break and forwards were swamped all through. We had plenty of the ball but were far too slow in moving it forward.

    Really missed the direct running of Keegan, Higgins, Vaughan and Parsons. We rely on these guys breaking the line against a defensive setup. You cannot afford to go behind to opposition who adopt that approach and the goal was a killer in that respect.

    Cafferkey not sure whether to play from behind if in front anymore. I’m afraid his injuries have taken a heavy toll and he looks devoid of all confidence. Another to struggle badly today was Loftus. He get plenty of service in the first half but was knocked off it far too easily.

    I though AOS tried hard all through, as did Diarmuid and Paddy D. Not too many others did themselves any favours.

    I’m not going to bother saying much about the bullshit at the end. Looked ridiculous and doesn’t reflect well on either side. Cillian has been begging for that red for some time.

27. Yes agree with Michael walsh . Behavioyr of both teams a disgrace. And supporters egging it on also very disturbing.

28. Cillian s bad behaviour of late caught up with him today. Such a foolish thing to do. That’s a one game ban right?

29. A totally shambolic performance without a single redeeming feature. We were totally clueless especially up front. Make no mistake whatever about our League prospects and they are not good we face a massive task on the 13th of May. Galway are a team on the up. This is not like Roscommon two years ago when they got into Division 1. They have our number and will come to Castlebar which has been a traditional happy hunting ground for them full of confidence and nothing less than us been at our All Ireland final best will do.
    Despite that we remain as always fully behind the boys and Stephen.

30. Disagree with the long range shooting comment. Mayo were trying to be patient and work it in close enough but most of our wides were shot from the wing. Had we shot the percentage would be even lower. Dublin showed last year how to beat the blanket.. 3 or 4 player overloops at pace from the wings. Without that fast passing and change of direction no chance is created.

31. @Shuffly deck, how can you say the performance of 4 of our forwards is a positive. I’ve great time for Doherty and Kev Mc but they were poor today

32. Get bohan … couldn’t agree with you more

    Hard decisions need to be made about cafferky

    Gibbons not at that level either

33. That was piss poor! Cillian O’Connor needs to sort his head out. That was a stupid foul at end.

34. Not good again.

    David Clarke – No chance with goal, otherwise done ok.
    Ger Cafferkey – Really feel for him, needs to be taken out and given time with his club.
    Caolan Crowe – Thought he done well, Comer got one good score on him, Michael Hall was picking up Comer for first score
    Eoin O Donoghue – Tougher day for Eoin but plugged away
    Michael Hall – Lively first half but faded
    Colm Boyle – Struggled for Pace today. One good point.
    Stephen Coen – Never caught a kickout, moved about crab ways. Looks for soft ball but not a midfielder
    Jason Gibbons – Tries but lacking quality in his shooting / distribution
    Patrick Durcan – One beautiful point but didnt get involved enough
    Kev Mc Loughlin – Not at his best so far this year
    Aidan O Shea – Our best performer on the day never gave up
    Diarmuid O Connor – Good Start but very silly finish
    Cillian O Connor – Has an issue with his discipline and it is going on a while
    Jason Doherty – Needs to be in half forward line no real impact

    Management – Shambolic. Let the Midfielders be run into the ground. Played Caff. Insulting Nally bringing him on in the 43rd minute of second half after naming him in team. McEntee in the middle of a melee.
    Conor Loftus – Not conditions that suit his game but didnt impress
    Diarmuid O Conn

35. Cue massive over reaction………

36. Shuffly Deck, it was obvious early on that with the tight marking by the Tribesmen, patient build ups weren’t working in our midfield->FF area. But hard work was being done and many small gaps did appear where shooters could have given it a go, but instead chose to keep the hand passes going.

37. We all recognised Cillian as our messiah in 2011/2012, a future captain and leader. He has delivered much on that potential and will likely become the top championship scorer ever later this year (some feat at age 25/26)

    However I feel he focuses too much on the aggression side of things physically instead of burning his man in the scoring stakes and having the last laugh. I think if he changed his focus more to winning the scoring battle instead of the physical battle, he’d be an all time great! other counties now know how to get a reaction out of him and refs are copping onto his physical edge.

    Don’t get me wrong I don’t want him to be a “lovely footballer” without a mean streak but I think he crosses the line too often.

    On a side note that clown in hill 16 army on Facebook seems very interested in targeting cillian and aidan with shite talk and slandering any chance he gets. Any future truces with scum of the earth like him (like what happened this year) before future meetings between the teams should be strongly considered as he’s not a proper man of the GAA only interested in riling Mayo fans any chance he gets

38. People need to relax about Ger Caff, any full back would struggle with the ball that was played in. I thought the problem was a little further out, no pressure on the player making the pass in and Stephen Coen stuck with Shane Walsh, Colm was in trouble with Brannigan breaking the line everytime scoring 3 or 4. When Coen stayed, Walsh went deep and carried ball right into the danger zone, when Coen went with him it left a massive hole for ball to be popped into the forward who laid off to the runner. Paddy D was covering so much ground chasing the young Kelly fella he was living of scraps Heaney picked up McLoughlin and has a massive engine. Galway appear to have gotten the match ups correct.

39. Not even going to read the other 40 comments I’ll just make 2 points
    1. No need to panic . It’s the same every year with this group BUT it’s an eye opener who wanted to cast aside the likes of Donie and Seamie for “new blood “ . They are not in it !
    2. Cillian has had that coming for a long time . Hopefully it cops him on

40. I didnt except us to win but it was a shambolic performance. I still think we will stay up though.

    If we are going to call a kerry player out then we need to look in the mirror and talk about Cillian. His form and behavior is extremely disappointing. I don’t know what’s wrong with the lad but something isn’t.

41. Did ye notice the way the young Kerry players moved the ball against us – head up, good footpass, forwards making good runs off the ball and getting the pass, bang then over the bar, looks so simple. We really need more coaching of forwards at all ages. Our movement, passing and skill level needs to be improved. Have to say Diarmuids late tackle in particular could have inflicted the same damage as the tackle on Evan last week. In the bigger picture getting fed up of these 16 man brawls with lads pulling jerseys and messing. An easy solution to this is review video and suspend all players that join the melee. We need coaching, coaching, coaching at underage. We are falling behind fast.

42. [Deleted].

43. Seems it’s not just the Hill 16 crowd that don’t like the two boys. This is what they are saying on the Kerry forum. Makes for unpleasant reading all round. I unfortunately can’t disagree this time regarding Cillian.
    http://kerrygaa.proboards.com/thread/6809/nfl-2018?page=2

44. [Deleted].

45. South Mayo Exile the GAA will no doubt be looking at that brawl as Tony McEntee was involved.
    Also remember they gave Kirby a retrospective red after a smaller brawl in Kerry last year.

46. Simple. He is frustrated. I agree that he needs to channel the aggression he feels another way. Maybe he feels like me that we should be 2017 AI champions and no matter what we do we will be denied.

47. @GAA “there was nothing in the it”. Sauce for the goose and all that.

48. FOr what it’s worth, my view is that the decision to give Cillian a red was the correct one.

49. Yew tree . I admire your honesty and thats what makes you in my opinion one of the most honest contributors here.. Cillian has been looking for trouble for quite a while, he had a late hit on young Sean Andy in the first half followed by a swinging elbow, the challenge on Eoghan Kerin leading with the elbow to the face was a disgraceful cowardly act. His brother was no better. On the game Galway played the better football and took some great scores, Mayo looked like they had no game plan whatsoever.

50. Not unlike last Sept we didnt show our first half dominance on the scoreboard. K Walsh’s plan was to let Mayo have possession around the middle and bring 12 or 13 behind the ball. Then cut loose on the counter as Mayo committed further up the field. The inside line had little chance and didnt score. Scorers from further out were also few. The goal was soft, coming from a dropped ball in midfield and no-one gets a glove on the attackers. So the game panned out to Walshes plan which included the carry on at the end. I felt a sweeper was needed in front of Comer. This game would have suited Keith Higgins and Parsons. Although Galway appear to be on the upward curve, i still think we will beat them in Castlebar when more of the regulars return.
    On another note, well done to the Mayo ladies earlier who closed out a hard fought match for an excellent win.

51. It was a needless and stupid dig from Cillian but there was no real meat behind it. His opponent was up on his feet fairly quickly to be fair to him. The red was still absolutely justified, but I wouldn’t go to town on the lad either. It was borne out of pure frustration and hopefully he’ll heed the warning and learn from it.

    He’s not playing well at the minute and really doesn’t look like he’s enjoying his football.

52. Cillian deservedly got a red
    The Kerry player got a yellow
    We called for a red
    What’s the issue ?

53. I didn’t read the comments yet, but can imagine the content. Can we repost this thread in May after we beat them?. Galway were fit as a fiddle today, and why wouldn’t they training since October, which is a fact. Our forward play was non existent, their was hands on hips all over the place. Its the same every year with us, utter muck first few games, hopefully pick up a couple of wins before the end. Best thing for us today was Tyrone beating Kildare. A win in Newbridge and/or a win against Tyrone or Donegal and we should be okay.

    Galway played to 90% of there ability today. When you consider our absentees and pathetic fitness levels, we’re at 60-65% tops. Come May we’ll be a completely differnt animal..Galway are probley close to their peak now…Just like Roscommon ‘16 and Donegal last year! Dont panic.

54. Tuam Star -I just call it as I see it. Comer will follow Cillian soon too if he isn’t careful.

    Shane Walsh has bundles of speed if for some wayward shooting. Reminds me of a younger Keith Higgins with that injection of speed.

55. Agree regarding Walsh, kicked one great point today, carried well but still has some wayward shooting..

56. Lads, what we witnessed was 2 average teams slogging it out. A game so lacking in finesse/quality. Galway’s gameplan was one of containment, and then countering on the break/turnovers knowing we had the greater firepower on the day. This approach will not be good enough for championship. I will be frank and say Mayo’s newbies seem to be all at sea at the moment. To instil any kind of confidence, these lads need to know exactly managements gameplan and, most importantly how they as individuals are expected to execute this vision. With a full panel available to Mayo, potentially, you are still way ahead of us. I felt the melees were borne out of frustration, rather than any malice. And sure, there were no dirty blows sent in – handbags stuff really.. For us, I was impressed with Sean and Andy did ok too.. Brannigan continues to improve in his decision making, and of course “the Beaystt” Comer is a good target man.

57. Ref had no option but to give Cillian a straight Red, it’s been coming… The game will get very negative headlines but for 60+minutes it was as sporting a game between Galway and Mayo as you could wish for… With Galway been the better team… After the first Melee it went down hill, I was the far side of the stand… At least a dozen players were pulling out of each other when I noticed it, previously having my eye’s on another slow Mayo build up… The inside forward line was a problem for us all day… Galway defence was on top, mind you they had enough players back defending all day… Still player’s like, Barrett, Higgins, Vaughan, Keegan, SOS, Tom Parsons have yet to kick a ball in anger for Mayo this year.. Brendan Harrison and PotY Andy were both out for different reasons today,.. And who knows maybe Cian Hanley will be playing for Mayo by next May… Bring on the Dub’s!… They will be overconfident now, We have them just where we want them to be…….. I wish!

58. I think we fell in to the trap of being comfortable with slow build up, cross field passing etc that only give opposing team a chance to pack their defence at their leisure. If we adapt the same pattern against Donegal and Tyrone we will get the same results. Galway on the other hand we’re more direct, attacked down the middle where it hurts. We’re did our quick foot passing game go to.
    Unfair to blame any individual players when we were tactically clueless.

59. Good summary REDCOL as usual.

    Cillian had that red card coming for a while. Hopefully management have a word with him and he sorts his head out. The reality is he’s still a guaranteed starter come championship when you see our replacements.

60. Thought we would run them closer than that. We have put them in an ideal position on six points so that they can concentrate on May while we have to go in the hunt for points at the later end of the league as we do every year.
    As per usual we struggled against the blanket system of 13 behind the ball. No more than against them in castlebar five weeks ago, we insist on lateral hand passing while subsequently being pushed back to our own 45.

    Our full back woes continue… that’s another days story.

    Shame none of the younger players are standing up to be counted. Durcan and Harry are probably the only two out and out consistent performers that have been unearthed over the last three seasons. Can’t believe we have to rely on Parsons, Keith, Leroy and Donnie and Andy to carry us through games. Coen is just not getting to grips with the job at hand in my opinion in either midfield or halfbacks despite numerous attempts. Loftus needs serious bulking up…and a drier faster pitch.
    Don’t like critsing the referee but it was a very inept performance. from the moment he let Sean andy off with the black card in the first half he looked like he was not going to stamp any authority on the game..the more it went on the more it slipped away from him.
    COC needs some time to lick his wounds. Could have walked for the elbow earlier on Sean Andy in the first half ..Defo deserved to walk for the cheap and needless shot in the second half. Opposition know who to rile him and referees will not give him the benefit of the doubt much in the future…he is in danger of becoming the diarmuid conolly of mayo in terms of temperament.
    On a final note hat off to AOS for the sh**e he has to put up with and keeping his cool. If anyone deserves to lash out its him.

61. None of them were too happy looking playing football this time last year either or for that matter the year before. And look how far we went. Relax. It’s not over yet. How could the young fellas know what they were doing?! Sure they are not training as a team yet. I don’t play but don’t tell me any of Ye still playing or retired players would be too hot either if not training together. Would be like playing with some of the opposition.

62. There seems to be something on Cillian getting lengthy ban. If that’s the case how come Shanahan only got a yellow for breaking Evan’s jaw. Cillian’s opponant wasnt taken off with any injury, not saying that it was right of course.
    Just more of unfairness that”s so obvious it’s sick.

63. look at a video of Mayo playing Donegal in Q/Final in 2013 , that’s what we need to get back too , fast flowing football , not slow motion like the last few games

64. Our younger lads are struggling with the step up….worrying.

65. what’s all this about Cillian being wrong.

    Galway throwing cheap shots all day and Cillian in the one that’s wrong? we didn’t give them half enough of it.

    we better go out with a different attitude in May pick most physical team available and go to war.

66. While disappointed with today’s performance I’m not overly concerned in the short term. Three points I’d like to make, two about the game and one in general.
    1. Cillian has been playing close to edge for a while now, the red was always coming. Yet still people want the players to stand up and not be bullied, then criticise them when they mix it up.
    2. The sight of Aiden O’Shea lying on the ground and being dragged by Walsh, all 6’4” 16 stones of him, was embarrassing. You’ve tried the nice guy for the last 8 years Aiden, maybe put one of them on their arse the odd time and let them know there’s consequences if you constantly poke the bear. Standing arguing with half witted umpires has zero effect as most of them lack the brains to chew gum and breathe at the same time.
    3. Those of us who have talked about the chronic neglect and underfunding of our underage system over the last 7 years predicted that a time would come when we would simply stop producing players capable of coming straight into the senior squad. Forget about the Minor and U21 All Ireland’s, they were accidental blips in an otherwise horrendous period for our underage teams. The penny has dropped in McHale Park with the groveling approach to Morley asking him to come back after “reviewing his plan” from the 2017 application. We appointed a man to manage our minor team that year who had never managed any team, at any grade, in either club or county. It’ll take a long time for the U17’s of 2018 to make an impact on senior football. I fear we’re in for a few tough years in the not to distant future.

67. Agree with Bohola, we played into galways hands we left the barn door open for them on counter attacks. Miles of space for their fast forwards to run into. Our forwards didn’t follow the runners. McLaughlin very poor today let Heaney loose time and time again. On the other Hand we committed to many players forward into a blanket defense which left little or no room for our forwards. I can’t blame loftus when he is left isolated with 3 players round him. I don’t see him as a corner forward, more like brannigan and Walsh likes to come from deep.. AIdan had one of his best games but he needs to be played at full forward against them in May. Today we had nothing in the middle without him, Gibbons Coen and Barry Moran just don’t cut it at this level in midfield. Nally is in the doghouse again if he was ever out of it, was he brought on ? I must have missed the last 20 seconds. Galway have strength up their spine and Cooke has just added to it. Conroy was the best player on the park today. SOS and Parsons were missed badly.
    Would like to see more of Adam Gallagher, didn’t like what I saw with Jason Doherty taking the ball off him for the final two frees. Not a way to built team spirit.
    Not sure why Akram, Ruane or Reape wasn’t in the match day panel it’s not like we have an abundance of options.

68. Mostly very good and honest comments – fair play. We know that come championship that we will be well organized defensively. The problem once again will be lack of scoring power. If the forwards are not there then we cannot be blaming the management. I expect that they see these lads over a long period and make up their minds about their ability to compete at the top level. The big challenge now to stay in Div. 1.

69. Galways park the bus and counter attack style play today may win you league games in February but it’s very limited going forward. Havin said that we”re not learning alot either with the pass the parcel shite again this year back and over across the half way line. Can we not sit back defensively and take long range pot shots or maybe aiden would get a free from a breaking ball dropped in on his head. The final score might be 3 pints each but we can’t have our full back been left one on one. When the goal has gone in its a bit late deploying the sweeper then. If I’m disappointed with anything today it has be with the managements performance. We need to be smarter than this. Connor Loftus is never going to get clean ball in a packed defence like todays. It’s horses for courses and we need to deploy different tactics than we did. Im not surprised players are frustrated and lashing out

70. It’s not the end of the world we need to start putting the heads down from here on in we have dublin donegal and Tyrone and Kildare two come when is Lee back and the rest of our top players back it’s never easy to lose to Galway but I new we were not going to win two day

71. Very poor. Must do better.

    Onto the next!

72. Spot on, Liam. Spot on.

73. No issues with the red cards and the game was well gone at the time.Galway set up like a northern team and hit on the break with speed and will continue to do so.To break this down you need a fast running game and men off the shoulder which we havent got at the minute.Considering we are short half a championship team and way behind Galway in the fitness stakes todays result is not surprising.So many newish faces that people are calling for and i agree but we must accept the consequences of playing these guys that cant be training together very often in febuary.Ive now watched three league teams pull and drag Aiden around the pitch and its shocking what Refs let them away with because hes a big fella.I admire his temperament not lashing out as others might.

74. I’d be more worried if I was a galway supporter than a Mayo one tonight to be quite honest about it !

75. CoC will get a 1 match ban–it is a 2 match ban for a head butt.

76. Akram, Ruane and Reape presumably left out because of Sigerson. I take that I overestimated Doherty’s influence but I think Gibbons did far better than people gave him credit for. Broke a lot of ball that Mayo won and linked the play a lot.
    People are also overly critical of McLoughlin. He carried a lot of ball especially in 1st half and decisions generally good. People have pointed out his man did well too, fair enough.
    A lot of the problems at the back for me came from Coen who was up against very pacey runners. Also he was on a power of ball but doesn’t seem to have the vision we need in moving the ball forward. Crowe didn’t seem capable of handling Comer and Hall looks a good footballer but not sure who he was marking, most of his bet work was on the front foot. Probably worth looking at McDonagh in the next few games, Caff not at his best in defense. Loftus out muscled so we need Andy back as without a target man we don’t have much game plan. Cillian out to cool off is probably no harm and someone else will get a chance, maybe Adam Gallagher who looks a big strong forward.

77. Why is that km79 ?

78. Thought Kerry game was bad but today much worse. Galway have played their simple game plan again and made us look very poor. Our fitness level is way off the mark and we are only capable of second gear at the moment Can’t play running game if not fit. Caff left exposed one on one and does not have the pace to chase.
    Rochford has a plan and is sticking to it. Early rounds of league are not prioritised and if we get a win like we did against Monaghan it’s a bonus. Not too worried yet by our standard of play as has been similar last few years. I am concerned about lack of new talent making a claim for a jersey and also the attitude of Cillian and his nasty streak. Free taking needs to be shared with Doc as can’t score from outside 30 meters. My admiration for AOS increases with every game. A true warrior who has to put up with crap from start to finish. I wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end if he does lose it one day. We are still in div 1 and the Championship so need to panic yet!

79. Ref was terrible today, he allowed galway get away with pulling and dragging all day. Galways full back kelly should have got the line in the 1st half, he was on a yellow and then pulled down a mayo player. The ref bottled it and gave him a tick. After that, Galway had carte blanche. O Shea was pulled and dragged all day, and then was given a yellow for being mauled and dragged on the ground. O Shea was also mauled by Comer on a free kick, Comer had his arms wrapped around O Shea in the box, and no penalty. Its shocking the abuse he gets, and then corporate gaa say they take player welfare seriously. Serious joke at the implementation of the rules, pure gombeenism.

80. When AOS went FF we still didnt put in high ball quick.
    I remember one occassion in particular he was in there calling for the ball and we were still playing lateral and eventully lost it.
    Its very hard as always to fathom the form book out on Mayo.
    You couldnt see them as contenders for anything right now. But when we drew with Roscommon last July i didnt see us winning the next day by 20 points.

81. Just saw a video of the brawls on Facebook. WTF was McEntee at?!

82. Km79 I’ll have whatever you’re smoking 🙂

83. Wouldn’t agree with you Km79. Four of the players to come back for Mayo will be 33 or older this year. Are we sure their legs and pace isn’t gone. They have some amount of football played. A lot of the Galway players have really bulked up in last few years. Physically they are at least the same level as Mayo. I am no they have a new coach who has really put steel into them. People talking about Croke Park and August – remember we were very very lucky to reach Corke park last August. No guarantee at all we will be there this year.

84. Totally agree with Liams 3rd point. Alf Stewart commented on it. Not good enough.

85. – When you play puke football you get a puke result.
    -Galway were 12 points the better team today and played simple fast football and went for points from play unlike us.
    – Only Aido, Clarke, Diarmuid and Durcan although he tired were up to scratch
    – The amount of lateral passing by us was like a merrygoround, a circus at times with everyone afraid to kick.
    – The match was actually clean up until the 60th minute when all hell broke loose. That was the only time in the match some of our players ignited.
    – Cillian got his comeuppance a disgraceful cowardly tackle. That tackle and the fact his general play is gone downhill should c him stripped of the captaincy which should now go permanently to AOS for 2018.
    – No need to worry about the Dubs they are sending the Jackies down to play us.!!

86. We have to get ahead early against Galway, make them come out and play. Galway just sucked the life out of that game in the second half. Galway had 2 sweepers today but we knew that going in. Blame the tactics more than the individual player performance. But also agree we are more flexible when our 1st Teamer are back.

87. Thought Mayo very poor but Galway no better.Despite the awful partisanship of Ray Silke on radio Galway are a long way from finished article.Silke has massive chip on his shoulder and not calling the abuse O Shea got while going on and on about Cillian is painful and biased.He was there with John Casey to be impartial.In his view Galway have won All Ireland already.
    Big problem for me is failure of any newcomer to make an impression including Coen.
    Clarke was good today.

88. O’Connor starting to look the cut of a player who has become utterly frustred at the window of opportunity to win an AI medal passing him by. After so many years of trying so desparately hard and coming so agonisingly close, its understandable that those frustrations have begun to brew over the past 12 months. His performance and confidence certainly look to be going through a trough at the moment.

89. Comer had three major involvements in the game. A point off Michael Hall, A point of Crowe, He had a great catch in the second half were Cafferkey took Crowe out of it. I think Crowe will be delighted with his afternoons work. Galway did make life easier for him by withdrawing Comer out the field to leave space to exploit Ger Cafferkey. The big problems were Walsh and Brannigan and Conroy running through us. How may days has Comer not scored a goal for Galway in recent times. I have only seen the match once without the benefit of TV.

90. Shuffly Deck
    DCU are out of the Sigerson Cup. Matthew Ruane as some one stated this week is on a years placement and didn’t play for DCU this year. Akram started during the week at CB Hall and Reape was on the bench. Peter Cooke played midfield for NUIG. So I don’t see it as Sigerson related but rather a managerial decision.
    Makes you wonder about Ruane, with the midfield displays we are having. We definetly want midfield backup in the summer as SOS and Parsons have both been injury prone and struggled to finish games at times. So this is a worry.

91. Lads on here are always calling for new players to get a run. And then when it happens, we slate the team for poor performances. The main people happiest today are the senior absentees whose currency has been elevated without even togging out. Don’t panic people, relegation won’t mean the end of the world. Long season ahead. Would be terrible if we hadn’t any players to return but in truth over half the outfield players have to return.

92. The biggest problem we have is lack of pace and lack of movement. Typical play – defender makes a solo run and brings play to the halfway line where he lays it off to another player standing alongside him, he, in turn, finds a loose guy usually over on the right wing with a kick pass, next play is back into the middle again where another guy is waiting unmarked, suddenly all avenues going forward are blocked off and we now have nowhere to go except sideways or God forbid a Hail Mary punt to nowhere in particular or risk losing the ball. For the most part this about sums up our pattern of play in our three League matches to date, we’re just too predictable. Add to that a very leaky defence and forwards who appear to be totally lacking in confidence – what chance have got of staying in Division 1 playing like this?

93. We lacked total aggression all over the field .No plan in how to break down a blanket defence and we call ourselves the 2nd best team in Ireland.
    Jason Gibbons bullied by 21 year old Cooke hes just not good enough how many chances does he need .Ger Caff still costing us needless goals no aggression in his play, time to give Ger McDonagh or Seamus Cunniffe a chance.
    The captaincy has to be addressed, our present captain can’t control his aggression, would much prefer to see Boyler get the captaincy the most natural leader we have who plays with a real controlled agression.
    Rochford really needs to look at our build up play its far to slow and ponderous,our insides forwards are not moving enough for the players out the field kicking it in.
    Looking at his bench today it was really dissapointing. No Brian Reape, Matthew Ruane, Michael Plunkett, Sharoize Akram,Peter Naughton, Ciaran Treacy, Ryan O’Donoghue, Seamus Cunniffe yet he persists with David Drake and Barry Moran.We need to start to
    identifying our best players under the age of 24 not holding on to the tried and tested.We will soon be the 3rd team in Connacht when the old guard retire in 2 or 3 years and we persist in not giving Youth a chance.

94. Why’s that Km79?

95. South Mayo Exile, making it to Croke Parke in August is never a given for anyone never mind Mayo but at least if we do make it there we are trying to play a brand of football that allows you to compete with with the likes of Kerry or Dublin. Both teams were at fault for the muck that was dished up today.. Galway stupidly playing outmoded defensively counter attacking northern crap and Mayo stupidly trying to apply an all out attacking high intensity running game when it’s clear they have hardly trained together for a wet week. Add into the mix another inept referee performance and four dublin supporters, down in Galway for the holidays, braying like jackasses beside me = headache and frustration. I agree with km79

96. Heuy, 2017… I listened to Galway Bay FM, while at the match… Very Fair I taught… Silke and Casey were on the Radio for the drive home… Of course Casey didn’t actually see the tackle that led to Cillian”s Red Card, amazing what an analyst doesn’t see sometimes.. Silke didn’t mention anything about Aiden being mauled constantly .. But a few years ago, Casey did see the Mayo team waiting to ambush the Dublin team as they came out onto Croke Park in an All Ireland final… Dublin were subsequently ‘fined’ for waiting to ambush the Mayo team as Mayo came out at the appointed time… It’s not just Casey and Silke, it’s several other’s,. so called analysts..Brolly, Spillane, Etc.. I assume the analysis won’t get an better on Allianz League Sunday, 9.30 pm RTE 2… When there is something bad to be said about Mayo, they won’t miss there chance, and they have a good chance tonight… But when the shoe is on the other foot,…. It’s amazing what they won’t mention either!

97. AOS will you please name me all these so called new players your saying Rochy started today.
    Who the hell was new?
    No new goalie
    Eoin O’Donoghue only new back this year who is actually playing really well
    He is trying in Midfield Gibbons who is 29 and been tried numerous times before.
    Same 5 starting forwards today as All Ireland bar Conor Loftus for Andy Moran.

98. It’ was easy spot the big game “supporters “ today . Doom doom doom. Same every year . Given the amount of absentees , level of training and level of performance in the previous 2 games this was no shock to anyone who has seen Mayo play since the AI final .
    Entire FB line missing . 2016 POTY missing from HB line missing. Entire middle sector missing. 2017 POTY missing .
    And yet Galway only won by 5

    I’d rather be us

    But all of this negativity will be forgotten when the hunt is on for tickets later in the year. May only be Connacht final or Super 8 tickets who knows but it’s the same tiresome shite every Spring

    This team owes us nothing and it’s becoming ever more evident we will miss them sorely when they are gone

    Last point
    It was open season again on AOS
    His restraint is admirable BUT he has now picked up 2 yellows for being fouled
    Next yellow should be earned 😉

99. In fairness to Gibbons, he works hard in midfield breaking kickouts and linking play. I don’t think mobility is a problem for him really but his use of the ball is very erratic. He’s not going to improve at his age so he is what he is. I don’t see how Coen was left on for the full game against Kerry and Galway when he was playing so poorly. Shane Nally will never be an all star midfielder but at least he will use the ball well and can shoot if given the chance.

    I thought Crowe did pretty well on Comer and broke forward when the opportunity arose. Enough has been said about Ger Caff at this stage. With Galway playing so defensive it’s hard to judge O’Donoghue since he wasn’t always marking someone, but he did well enough. Kicked a nice point in injury time even if he was probably trying to drop it in the square.

100. People who come on here to criticise Cillian are nothing short of disgraceful. He has consistently been our best player for years. He got a bit frustrated today when the Galway player ran across him as he was trying to get a quick restart. He ships dogs abuse and would get more abuse only opposing players know he can mind himself. Missing the Dublin game may be a blessing for him as he would be targeted again there.
     Good to see Diarmuid showing some of his old sparkle again also but probably deserved his second yellow.

101. Right, I’m back! Just done a quick review of the comments, most okay but I’ll deal with those that aren’t later on. Usual suspects and/or usual problems on that front.

102. That defeat hurt today. It was one of the most frustrating performances by a Mayo team in a long time. Sharpness, pace, guile, accuracy, ruthlessness lacking all over the pitch with a very muddled game plan thrown in. However, I have been adamant all along that these skirmishes in the league bear little relevance to what will happen in the summer – its nothing more than mere shadow boxing (even if there was a few haymakers thrown today!) because we have no idea what work either team have done or where they are at in terms of fitness. Galway seemed to be a bit ahead in that department. It also looked like the Mayo panel collectively didn’t want to be there today – I’m sure the passing of Andy Moran’s dad didn’t help. We need to keep the faith – 3 months is a long time in football!

103. South Mayo exile 4 players to come back are over 33??
     Of the players to come back only Keith Higgins is turing 33 this year.Chris Barrett and Seamie O’Shea are going 31, Tom Parsons is 30 and Donal Vaughan is 29. Leeroy Keegan is 28.
     There is only 2 players over 33 at this moment Andy Moran and David Clarke who are both turning 35 this year.

104. Although it’s sickening losing to them again, I’d say there will be another couple of thousand in MacHale Park in May after today. I can’t wait!

105. You cannot totally blame forwards for such a loss or v Kerry. Its the collective team play. Its very poor and i for one find it very hard to watch, no football in it at all. IMO we need to play Aiden at 6, he’s not a scorer and his best attributes were shown playing here last year and it allowed for better forward play.

106. I have to say. It is a worry
     We have not unearthed a player up front
     Crazy. To say but without Andy up front we are weak
     The mid field today was out played
     Galway now have a forward line to match most teams .. Comer ,Walsh and mchugh
     We had no answer to their park the bus. We just played sideways
     Their aggression particularly on Aidan was hard to take
     We must be prepared for May
     Enough is enough

107. Your wife must have some patience WJ!!
     It’s always rubbish losing to the neighbours but the gut is saying this might be for the good in the long run. Here’s hoping. Makes for an interesting finish to the league.

     I saw someone commented re Andy’s Dad, my thoughts are with him & his family, RIP.

108. As per usual now that our backs are to the wall we will wake up but we need to make two notable changes one in full back line and one in midfield. Aido needs to go to full forward where at least he attracts two markers. I think management need to up there game and make one or two hard calls regarding our regular starters. The dubs will eat us alive otherwise. Pace and hunger needed

109. Tactically Walsh won the battle easily ..
     Have to adopt the Dublin mentality when faced with a blanket.. its boring but its the only option .. pass sideways and back foras long as necessary until an opening appears..

     2 bad defeats but its not the time to panic ..

     Plenty of lads to come back .. eod is the real deal. Need someone else to stand up

     AOS discipline was incredible today.. had a great game ..

     Ref was awful .. lost control of the game

     Galway are an improving team.. comer is a defenders nightmare ..

     Its February .. it will be 2 different teams on May 13th

110. It’s always disappointing to lose to Galway but it’s not the end of the world. From 1 to 9 only two players are guaranteed to start in the championship – Clarke and Boyle. It’s easy to see why we might be a bit porous.
     Our attack has been heavily dependant on runners attacking from deep in our defence. Take them away and our attack is not great. The really disappointing thing is there doesn’t seem to be much coming through so far. Loftus got a good spell on the field today and didn’t show much. I would like to see Tracey, Reape or Naughton get a run to see what they have to offer if anything.

111. Like many people have said not the players fault. Management decide the tactics and when things not going to plan it’s their job to change them Come may there’s one guarntee we will be playing with a sweeper it’s served us well over the last few years.

112. I was hoping not to contribute for some time yet and people might think I am soft but i am getting really concerned about AOS’s mental wellbeing. More than anyone I have ever watched he gets constant abuse both verbal and physical. I dont know how he doesnt react and i wouldnt condone a reaction but surely there is only so much a man can take without protection? I saw another nobody from Kerry having a go at him on twitter during the week. Maybe the management should withdraw for his own sake at this stage. I’m not his biggest fan but the abuse he takes is just nasty and vile stuff and i admire his restraint. Is there anyone in GAA HQ concerned? What will it take to change it?

113. From a Mayo perspective the most worrying things is it looks like it will be almost exactly the same team again this year. Now that will still be a very good team come the Summer but the young players haven’t been able to force their way onto the team yet. I think many are just not good enough to be honest and a few more probably haven’t had much of a chance yet. I feel we are depending on Andy Moran having another year like last year. That is a lot to ask of a player his age.

     Galway will be a tough nut to crack from here on. They probably have more young talent coming thorough at the moment than we do and will be even more dangerous in attack when they get lads like Ian Burke and Michael Daly back. Certainly I think Mayo need to take the direct route this year rather than the qualifiers. I’m not sure this team has another marathon Summer of tough games in their legs.

114. Pat75 Naughton was brought in to bench today presumably due to Andy’s sad loss. Interesting see he was one brought in ahead of some names you mentioned and never having county exposure underage. Fine player with ocean’s potential. Still 20 I think so few more steaks and spuds and he could be great addition in time.
     Disappointing showing. Result possibly along lines as anticipated. Given past history in league.
     But confident business end year we can be in mix. Need sort out forward game plan.
     Well done to the ladies today closed out game well. And on final positive note can feel my toes again….

115. Harrison, Higgins, Barrett, Keegan, Vaughan, S OShea, Parsons and Andy Moran will probably all start in May. That is over half a team missing including poty 2016 and poty 2017.

116. Well said One More Time. I have always said that he must be of very strong mind – at least I hope he is. And he must have a very strong supporting network of family and friends. I really don’t think it’s right what is thrown at him. I don’t understand why nothing can be done about it. It will be too late if anything happens to him as result of all the vitriol on and off the field. I think Rockford needs to start standing up for him and no harm for Keegan to while he is still rehabbing. I’ve given up on the Brady Bunch.

117. Well, On we stutter through the league. Not one of Mayo’s finest performances. Dublin come to town next weekend. I think that Mayo will lay draw a line. Really looking forward to heading down. I will keep my own counsel for now.This team owes supporters nothing , this team owes themselves everything possible. That’s all that matters. Early days and spring not quite yet sprung…

118. Leantimes
     Silke trying to stir up tribal animosity and quoting Jim Carney! Galway just cannot handle Mayo getting to All Irelands or to be fair he cant.Most Galway people sound enough.Casey has nothing to offer imo.Not one original opinion…just agrees with whatever he is asked.

119. If today taught us anything, it’s that the reason the management revert to the same core panel is that the lads coming in aren’t up to it. I 100% agree with Liam that the county board have completely ignored the youth structure within the county and we are going to be overtaken very quickly for a fair few years. I would not be overly worried about today, I would think that 5 of the 6 backs, 2 at midfield and one up front of our senior players will come in. What I would worry about is that Galways youngsters outfought our lads.
     The abuse Aido gets is absolutely ridiculous. He would be right to walk away. No protection, purely because of his size. Our management really need to make an issue of it. Of all the new guys, Eoin O’D is the only one putting his hand up. We absolutely have to try Ger McD at full back against the Dubs, as if we played like we did today, we are in for an embarrassing night. I would be of the school of thought that we are only back working towards the summer and it will be a very different game in May. The gap in fitness was there for all to see. Our inside forward line was non existent today, the defenders shuffling back and over simply had no options to deliver it inside. I would definitely play Aido inside for the rest of the league, at least we have a focal point. Cillian was stupid, I was trying to beat the traffic and was 2 yards away from it, definitely a red!

120. Totally agree with 45 re Cillian. Its killing him , he needs to clear his head . We all need to chill as a collective . Fook the all Ireland for now, every last one of us need to stfu about the whole mayo 4 sam shit. Its over, we missed out , its time to rebuild now for the sake of Mayo football. We all know our underage has been next to useless this half dozen years bar the one team who were very good but steeped in luck too , anyone that was at the connacht final that night will know Ros did everything but win, it was a miracle we won that one.

     As far as I can make out from my armchair, two very decent prospects from that team are rumoured not to have the dedication for the next level. We have all we are goin to get out of that team , I don’t buy into reape cant make DCU team but is our future gooch.

     Short term, this year is a last hurrah for a lot , they cant go on forever and they shouldn’t be expected to go on longer than they should either.

     Long term someone mentioned it will be a long time before this years under 17s come through but im afraid thats the point , we have to start somewhere. Although I dont think tedd webb results were any use if I remember rightly.

     Side note, some have referenced mcantees presence on the pitch when the handbags were been unleashed , personally I thought his body language was of disappointment Aido didnt land one or at least grab . Goin to ground bringing your sparring partner down on top of ya ,whats that all about. ( brilliant performance besides by the big man though)

121. How hard would it be to have a camera solely on Aos for the 70 mins.Our opponents in sept weren’t long highlighting one of their own being allegedly targeted after one game.Its time to put this persistent fouling on social media and shame refs into blowing for fouls.

122. I think Liam’s point 3 way back is very valid and worrying. We are big spenders but are we investing in the future? Are we putting in the structures that will guarantee young players coming on steam for the senior panel. What has happened to the Martin Carney et Al report? Dublin Kerry and to an extent Galway are getting there.
     The question is, imo, are we going back to the well one more time with the same core team or are we developing a 26 man panel with super 8s in mind?
     At some stage we have to bite the bullet, risk demotion from div 1 and it’s financial implications and give fringe players the experience they need.
     Posters are pointing out that Coen is getting a roasting but I guarantee he is getting valuable lessons and will not be found wanting come championship time.

123. [Deleted].

124. Right, match report done. I propose to deal with the troublesome comments in one fell swoop. It’ll be quicker that way.

125. [Deleted].

126. anyone know Cian Hanleys status.

     Are they planning on asking him in or leaving him off like half of the best players from the U21 team

127. My final comment on this tonight –

     You can’t take the likes of Higgins, Keegan, Barrett, Harrison and Vaughan out of a unit and expect the same levels. The Dubs are experimenting with a huge panel but you’ll still see Cooper, O’Sullivan and McCarthy beside the newbies. Makes all the difference.

128. I’m receiving a lot of texts and emails from mates from Galway tonight. Haven’t heard from most of them in an age.

     There’s a real reckoning coming in May!

129. Only got to look at Waterford in the hurling havent won a game yet after last year’s all ireland, no reason to panic yet. Fitness and sharpness had a big outcome on today’s result

130. I’ve praised A o’shea before for his restraint but now it’s obvious that his restraint is coaxing every little bollix that plays against him to have a go at him. No.foul commited when you foul A o’shea. Well now I’ve changed my mind.
     The next suitable game that Mayo.play where his absence might not be felt for the following game I would love to see.him stretch one of these little gnats. I mean lift them off the ground with a haymaker. Put.them in to the middle of next week. He’ll get a red but he would make alot of these cowards think twice about pulling at him again. I’m f####n raging about.the lack of protection he is given every game he plays.
     On football I felt he was mayo’s best player today and gave everything again.

131. Okay, to all of you who have either had comments deleted or not allowed up at all today, this one is for you. For everyone else, this is a small insight into what Comment Moderation HQ can sometimes look like. Here goes:

     Jon – have you really not got the message at this stage? Comments that blatantly break the rules are not going to be posted here.

     Jeff – I think I let the odd one or two up from you today. Control your emotions, for the love of God. Maybe reread what you’ve written before you post. It’ll help, trust me.

     Bottler jobs – fuck off and annoy someone else.

     Bill Connolly – back again, I see. You have neck, I’ll give you that.

     Mighty Quinn – your talents will flourish on Facebook, I’m sure.

     Mayoman – you knew what you were posting was against the rules but you did it anyway. Double the time in moderation for dumbness.

     Dan (not the real one who posts here all the time) – find an original handle for posting here. Find a brain while you’re at it.

     Hon Mayo – you’re clearly being ironic with that handle in light of what you tried to post.

     Hontheros – nice to know that bitter, twisted and sad people are still alive and well.

     Mrwalker124 – see comment above directed at Mighty Quinn. Maybe try your hand as a duo?

     Gfg – when are you going to get the message?

     Ah ref – I thought it was obvious why I won’t allow your comments to be posted. It’s because they are, without exception, entirely without merit. Stick to your Twitter nonsense.

     Rc (AKA George) – go read the house rules if you want to continue posting here.

     Cavanforsam – you’re correct in surmising that your comment wouldn’t be posted. Try harder.

     GAA – clearly you don’t speak for the GAA. Clearly you’re a Kerryman still protesting too much after last weekend.

     Marybeau – another person who hasn’t got the hint at this stage, always a pleasure to see you crawling out from under that stone whenever a Galway match is on. You’re another one for whom Facebook would be an ideal outlet for your talents.

132. Two injured swans, Cillian isn’t averse to criticism on here. We all know the huge service he’s given and the big games he’s had. But in the here and now his free taking is less consistent, his danger from open play is well off the 2013 level and he’s been getting involved in the narky stuff for about 2 years now when focussing on football would be a better approach. He works very hard and make no mistake he’s still performed big on occasions during these last 2 years too but in my opinion he’s so competitive and hates losing so much that his game is affected by not landing the big prize and there may well be some self blame in there 2 as a lot of responsibility falls on free taker. All speculation on my part but has I think a masters in sports psychology and should be well able to analyse better than most but we all know it’s easier in life to give helpful advice to others than help ourselves. It’s early in the season and a few months for all to get things right. But I don’t think anyone here is disgraceful in their criticisms. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s his own worst critic with very high standards. I liken him to Roy Keane but I think it would serve him better to look at players who absolutely love the sport they play in win or lose. Andy is an example of that. Leo Messi usually plays with smile on his face, Ronaldinho definitely did for his career. Kill yourself to win and for sure losing a big game hurts but let it go. It’s a field of dreams.

133. Well said one more time re AOS.
     I think he is a class act but needs protection from his management and the wider public in Mayo.
     The management team never point it out refs do nothing its disgraceful.
     He was probably our best player again today. Always shows, always fights for the cause but he gets no defence. Time for Rochford and McEntee to get on the case.
     If Connolly gets a shoulder Whingin jimand Whelan are bleating in the media the next day. We need to stand up for OShea and constantly point out the abuse he gets

134. I think we have at most 10 points from play in 3 league matches, that sums us up!

135. Worst performance in a long time. The players today and the sideline need to have a long hard think to themselves. Young lads didn’t stand up. Conor loftus invisible. Inside line not one score from play. Jason Gibbons terrible again. Cost us the goal by fumbling an easy mark. Kickouts from galway predictable and same side and we still lost them.

     As mentioned before on this blog I still don’t see what selectors are bringing to table. Buckleys so called tackling training where was it today and we can’t kick a bloody score. Best club players in County not being utilised. 6 spring to mind and all on sideline today and not used

136. “Buckleys so called tackling training”..Jesus wept..

137. I’d love to hear about these top club players not being used..

138. Therer only person should be captain this year Colm Boyle no one else he is a real leader

139. Galway have 16 weeks prep done we had about 4 so why the over reaction. Same as last year. We beat Kerry in Tralee and then lost to Cavan and Monaghan. There was positives today I am glad to say. We got a look at and they got an opportunity, EOD, DOC, Coen, Hall, Loftus, Boland, Stretton McDonagh and Newcome from Castlebar and Crowe,. Invaluable experience even if it is not at Championship pace it is still Div 1. Galway got one of those guru’s from Tyrone last year to setup their defence and they have stopped conceeding goals, and to their credit they are flying fit for Feb. Keep it up lads, it a long year to August when the real stuff starts.

140. LOL WJ, enjoyed that moderation post!

     I agree with what Pat said above. Good night.

141. This is the time of year to be learning the lessons, our management team showed they had the smarts for it last year so surely they are quietly taking it on board. The four that most stand out are firstly Harrison is the man for no 3, he has to be allowed to learn what it like in front of Clarke for the remainder of the league, Cafferky is not out of contention as a defender and there will be lots of games for him yet, secondly Cillian has to be moved out to no 11 for a while, he is simply receiving far to much attention as always went the way from full backs and despite the fact that he is a class footballer, he is that half yard of pace slower over 5 yards than what is required in that position for a man of his physique. Thirdly referees always see and dispense more immediate justice in the middle of the field as they are always much closer to the action there and Aidan while motoring very well should be stationed in midfield and lets forget entirely about his best position on the Croke Park field. And lastly Galway are a force to be reckoned with now and even if (and when) they are defeated in May they are looking like a team that will not roll over when faced by a tough opponemt anymore.

142. Ffs, so called tackling training, we are the best tacklers in the country.. could you elaborate on those 6 club players also.. I’m intrigued!

143. WJ That is amazing stuff, you should post that vitriol you have to moderate more often. The world is full of sad people, in whose residences there exists no mirrors.

144. Ok, we’ve lost to galway at senior, 21 and minor champ for a while now…in fact i honestly cant rem when we last beat them in any of these grades. For me, the alarm bells have been ringing for quite some time at underage but bar the flash in the pan 21 All ireland two years ago we’ ve been woeful…last years 3 beatings by gslway at u17, u18 and u20 were dreadful.

     Its clear that nothing is happening at underage, certainly nothing constructive. Compare our underage results from the ‘noughties’ to this decade. They are incomparable. The bulk of our current senior team stem from these teams and many of them are nearing the end of the road. Barrett, caff, higgins, boyler, Seamie, barry moran, parsons, andy.

     Wheres this Football Director we were hearing about!???

     On today. Our set up allowed galway far more space in possession in the final third. We effectively played a 1on1 in defence (bar token sweeper jobs by boyler and hall). This allowed galway acres of space when they attacked. It made their players look better than ours. If you allowed jason or loftus that kind of space in 1on1 situations, theyd look lethal too! But galway were clever. They packed their defence. Let us have the ball up to their 40 yard line and fairly easily snuffed out our attacks or forced us into pot shots. Simple tactics. Whereas our naiivety made galway look better than they are.

     If we have close on a full team out in May, im fairly confident that we will beat galway. Id say the lads cannot wait for that game.

     However, regardless of how we do this year at senior, the reality is that we just arent getting things done underage and its gonna bite us in the ass very shortly im afraid to say.

     This is now at critical stage and if Mayo fail to land Sam over the next 3 years (ie: while AOS, Keegan, durcan, harry, kevin, cillian and jason are still under 30 or thereabouts) then unless we somehow unearth some golden talent this season or next at u17 then it could be ten years before we are back competing properly again as a ‘top 4’ team.

145. (Un?)fortunately not there in the flesh today but everythings been covered by now…Declan’s idea has merit in having AOS’s skertáns filmed for 70-78 mins stuck to him pulling and dragging.
     These officials are shocking beyond belief.
     …while I’m not a fan of Comer;there isn’t many in the country that’d cope with his engine & physicality.To those criticising Caff-ye were probobly delighted with his above average game V Monaghan a mere 14 days ago.For everyone’s sake we need a victory / even a moral victory in two weeks time…that’ll only come with quick direct football featuring lively hungry fellas like Nally and Ruane.A rout & mouthy Dubs doesn’t bear thinking about!

146. Willie Joe,.. No more than the Ref today late on, you would need eye’s in back of your head to do all the nessary moderation this evening … You dished out allot of Yellow’s, Black’s and maybe even the odd Red there… Could be worse, at least we missed Marty Morressy dancing, every cloud has a Silver Lining.

147. How is it that Cian O’Neill can call out a ref for poor performance? Or Eamon Fitzmaurice take on Lee Keegan in defending his player? It’s time someone stood up for Aidan.

148. Fuck lads another dog of a game. The off the ball stuff is gone beyond a joke at this stage and call me biased but the last two games it was Galway and Kerry with the worst of it.Any way to find an edge so why not use the media to highlight this if it puts referees in spotlight to do their job correctly all is fair in love and war as they say. Lets not panic yet we played Cork in a league opener a couple of years ago and that looked pretty bad but we steadied the ship.Onwards and upwards.

149. Let me clear one thing up, Aidan was moved into full forward today to mark 21 yr old Sean Andy, he started the pulling and Sean Andy didnt flinch and both of them ended up on the ground. Now dont tell me Aidan O Shea needs protection , he knows what he is going to get when he starts with opposing players . I saw the fracas, melee whatever you call it and it was ugly but harmless in that players wouldnt let go of each other.
     Pj Galway 16 weeks training?? Are you for real? They went back outdoors on Jan 1st.. I know Mayo have all these guys to come back , but defence is not your problem , scoring forwards are, and only 35 yr old Andy Moran is missing. Now i thought id see a backlash from Mayo today but it didnt happen, maybe in May., but no more than Mayo, Galway will be in a better place on a dry Summers day, but in summary i thought Mayo were very poor today..

150. Our league results after 4 games (just to give a proper gauge) read from 2011 as follows
     2011 1W 1D 2L
     2012 2W 2L
     2013 1W 3L
     2014 2W 2L
     2015 3W 1L
     2016 1W 3L
     2017 2W 2L

     So while some may be writing obituaries for the team and other Arsenal Fan tv style nonsense – the results show we are in very familiar territory so perhaps we should wait and see how the season goes, instead of waving the white flag.

151. Tuamstar, i was directly behind the goal mayo played into in 2nd half. OSe had his jersey pulled, dragged non-stop. As soon as he went in there i watched intently.

     He is well used to this kind of off the ball attention. He gets nothing from refs and as for the pair of gombeens in the white coats. Incompetence personified.

152. Harsh Willie John in me , I stated my opinion

153. You know the rules, Mayoman – you need to back up what you say when making a criticism of a named player. This isn’t a place for simply dumping on players. But, of course, you know that already, which is why, as I said, what you did was doubly dumb.

154. It was a really long journey back home from Salthill today.I feel we really did miss the boat now the last 2 years, performances of the old reliables Boyler and Kev McLoughlin not there usual selfs and Cillians recent frustrations, we seemed so heavy legged and had no ideas as to break down a young average Galway team.
     I still don’t rate Galway and this will be proved later when they face Dublin and Kerry down the line.That blanket counter attacking style is no good in the wide open spaces of Croke park and when all teams are on a par fitness it will be shown up for what it is, but I appreciate they just want to stay in Division 1 for now.Its fine to play that way in a tight windy Pearce Stadium in Febuary when you get an early lead.
     The most dissapointing thing about Mayo is the lack of players coming through, it seriously is worrying,our bench today was really weak I won’t name names but theres at least 4 or 5 players that are not good enough to play Division 1 football and the sad thing is Rochford doesn’t see our best younger players under 23 good enough for that bench.
     I think its clear now we have to start putting some serious work and money in to our underage again.
     We havn’t won a Connacht title at Minor level in 4 years have had 2 recent hammerings to Galway at this level its an absolute disgrace for a county whos considers itself football mad and it been the only real main sport in the county.
     We have to put a serious plan like Kerrys in place firstly target the schools that play Senior Colleges football like St Geralds, St Colmans ,Rice College ,Ballinrobe and Muredachs where all the best underage fooballers are.Get full time Gaa coaches and football teachers like Jack O’Connor and Eamon Fitzmaurice coaching these teams.A small Dingle school won a Hogan cup title with players from only 2 clubs Dingle and An Gaeltacht.We also need to develop a centre of excellence facility like Dublin, Kerry and Tyrone have ,I think that plan for the facility in Balla has been scrapped now.
     The Mayo junior team really should be treated as an under 23 team like Kerry have done, get players who are not yet ready for Senior level playing at this level instead of playing older players who will never make the Senior grade.Bar this really great generation of Mayo footballers between 2011-17 who have giving us so many great days we still haven’t got our house in order to compete at the top for the forseeable future like Dublin and Kerry.

155. You left yourself wide open WJ by telling us all you were driving home. Talk about a stampede for the pedastel. Great entertainment nonetheless. I don’t know how you keep control WJ.

156. I actually think this result suits us (bar league survival). All the pressure will be on Galway in May!….”sure haven’t they bet us 50 games a row” will be the narrative in the build up. It gives Rochford a seirious motivational stick to beat the lads around the training pitch with. We hammered Roscommon in the league last year, yet nearly got caught with our pants down in the drawn quarter final! Why? Coz we took them lightly and wer’nt 100% tuned in. We’ll be 1000% tuned in after today. If we stay up in Div 1, then todays result will be a big plus. Their’ll be a little part of Rochford and McEntee absolutely delighted with todays result.

157. Tuamstar

     Last summer/autumn

     Mayo 1-16 in the final
     Mayo 2-16 semi replay
     Mayo 2-14 semi drawn
     Mayo 4-19 against Roscommon
     Mayo 27 points against cork AET
     Mayo 2-21 against Derry AET
     Mayo 2-14 against Clare.

     They score alright, unfortunately they lost the last 2 AllIreland finals by a single point. That’s the only stick available for you and the rest of the country to beat them with, while your own lads were beaten by Roscommon last year and battered by kerry. The year before it was the mighty tipp that flattened ye in Croker. 2001 is a long time ago and really Galway have been away since then in any really meaningful way so please spare us the line of no forwards in Mayo, your own bucks aren’t a whole lot better.

158. Tuamstar, I waited until I seen it on Allianz League Sunday before I commented on the particular incident,, being too far away from it in Pearce Stadium , from what I seen in the first Melee, Aiden was most certainly the aggrieved party… Not that Aiden was targeted like he was in the Kerry game from the off, and the Ref turning another blind eye.. Being a 21 year old, does not give Sean Anthony a free pass… Of course Sean Anthony, (very impressive young player that he is) was assisted by other’s,… The game was almost over by then and for Mayo the game was up.. Still and all,.. Aiden does not have a case to answer… The Pope is coming to Ireland this year, Maybe Aiden will be Canonised the Guy has the self discipline and patience of a Saint, what he repeatedly has to put up with.. Can’t say the same for everyone, but it was a reasonable sporting occasion, for the vast majority of the game!

159. Maybe, AOS, but in fairness most of the contributions were okay. The examples I pointed to (and some of the offending parties tried to post numerous times) were still very much the minority.

160. Fair point Dave, I’m just looking at yesterday and one point from play from the forwards. Now look everyone knows that Mayo are a summer team, A Croke park team, Galway are miles away from that yet, but I just thought that there was something not right about Mayo yesterday from the off, as I said above I expected a big performance after the Kerry game and it never came.
     Just to clarify to everyone I’m not saying Galway are a better team than Mayo at all but the body language yesterday from a lot of the Mayo lads looks like they cant wait for the summer months to start..

161. It was my opinion and what I believe to be a statement on fact… apologies if I upset you.

     Ok maybe I could have phrased it a bit better but come on Willie Joe …..you do be at the games too, how can you not see it ?

     The player mentioned suffered a serious injury and has not got back to the level required …. I must say not his fault
     He has been so badly exposed in nearly every game since … I cannot understand why management persist with him

162. Yes, Mayoman, you could have phrased it better. And the point remains that this isn’t a place for simply dumping on players.

163. It’s the league. This always happens (always). The evidence is on this blog if anyone wants to look back at past years leagues and discussions.

     This will have no bearing on championship. We will win two more games and stay up.

164. Tuamstar, how can you expect a reaction, when, as you say, they are a summer team? All Mayo can do is struggle through the league and try to target specific games for possible points. I’ve been watching Mayo for a long time now and it’s safe to say, yesterday was not the performance of a team hell bent on winning. As for Galway’s performance, all i’ll say is, if they were reffed properly (by say, David Gough) they’d have lost Shane Walsh to a black card early on yesterday. Up Mayo

165. Wow, that’s another poor performance, by the referee and official’s even worse? Cillian’s card fully deserved, can’t be to critical about the players, as they looked confused, and unsure of what to do, to break the blanket, so did the management, early days I suppose , but they definitely need the old warriors back for the rest of the league, and championship, or we’re on the road to nowhere.

166. Oh good god I’ll answer some of the replies. I have to laugh at the reply were the best tacklers in the country? Are you for real? Where was that yday? Galway were far superior tackling and yday and against kerry our backs couldn’t get within an asses roar of the forwards. Our backs spend the day going up the pitch 3 of them at a time and when we get dispossessed the other teams have a field day counter attacking because there are yards of space in front of them so maybe have a good hard luck on how we tackle and defend and look at how much we concede each game even when we win. We can’t stop attacks coming up middle either and have no #6

     Regarding the players not used I’ll spell that out and if you watch club football these are lads who you should know and you shouldn’t be surprised. Not one of our inside forwards scored from play. Why wasnt Brian reape given a go. He was one of the top scorers in club football. Likewise Peter naughton is knockmores best player and a great man to kickic a score also. Neil Douglas can score from play and was great vs monaghan and can kick frees and he was due to start and didn’t like Shane nelly and didn’t get a run. Ger Mcdonagh got club player of the year as a full back! He should have been in on edge of the square from the start. Then couldn’t he have put Barry Moran in to win marks and steady mf. We were well beaten but the sideline made the wrong changes imo.
     Our team is getting older and when we get a few retirements were in trouble and roscommon and galway will be miles a head of us as the youngsters aren’t performing.

167. I tend to agree with you MayoDunphy.
     Will be interesting to see how this all pans out in the end for both teams.

168. Dave
     “They score alright, unfortunately they lost the last 2 AllIreland finals by a single point. That’s the only stick available for you and the rest of the country to beat them with, while your own lads were beaten by Roscommon last year and battered by kerry. The year before it was the mighty tipp that flattened ye in Croker. 2001 is a long time ago and really Galway have been away since then in any really meaningful way so please spare us the line of no forwards in Mayo, your own bucks aren’t a whole lot better”

     We cut through Kerry many times in that match but failed to hit the net and then badly faded out of it but its a learning curve. Mayo cant rely on Andy Moran forever he is now what 35 and a great servant but its not fair to him a bit like Padraic Joyce trying to carry Galway on his own. Jesus if 2001 is a long time ago then what the feck is 1950 whatever black and white all-ireland ye won before the modern era. I’m not beating Mayo with a stick but if you dont actually win the all-Ireland then the nearly men tag with be there for you much like the Galway hurlers until very recently.

169. Lads, will ye all calm down. 12th of Feb. From a Galway point of view I went along to see Cooke and Sean Andy, they were OK but what harm if they werent; they are being blooded. Which brings me to my next point, why the hell were both management’s flogging the likes of Comer, Boyle, Durcan, Cooke yesterday. It’s absolute nonsense that they get no break in a panel of 36 or whatever. Cooke is 21 and looked jaded yesterday, Boyle is 30 whatever, proven and could hardly breath after chasing Brannigan at one stage. Best of luck for the rest of the league and we’ll see ye in Rockys in May

170. Question
     Should AoS be back at midfield—i think he slows down our forward play ?

171. I would have to agree with km79 after watching that game.
     On cillian he gave as good as he got all day yes he has to get cuter and im sure he will.
     Comer has being doing the same plus conroy has an edge to him aswell he stood an cillians ankle and aido dealt with it not the ref.
     Mayo have damn all done this year which is plain to be seen.
     Would going down a division be such a bad thing might help some of the new lads because some of them are struggling in division 1.
     Cant wait till may 13 now its going to be a cracker.
     Well done galway 3 out of 3 is good going.

172. To be honest I feel a lot worse after re-watching than before

     While we have been known to throw up some token efforts in the league in recent years, what concerns me more is Galway’s ‘rise’

     Lets not kid ourselves for a second here (and we can justify the result as down to not training, early in year etc. all we like) but Galway are certainly on the up, and I’d include their physicality and application in that. And we can lament 7 starters or whatever it is missing – Galway still have Corofin players to come back, and one of the best young talents in Ireland in Michael Daly

     Certainly it seems gone are the days of them throwing big leads in recent years in Division 2 and melting under any sort of pressure – the way they kept coming at us yesterday and kicking good scores was a definite cause for concern.

     We’re having a laugh if we think we can just rock up and beat them in Castlebar simply because we made the last few All-Ireland finals. If we look a little deeper, there is a real fine line between losing to Derry in July and getting so close to glory. The issue in any of our matches last year though – and it now ominously appears will continue to be so – was some silly decision making up front and not converting pressure into points.

     In Comer Galway have a real top class talent and we’re now looking like we’ll be relying on a guy in his mid 30s to put up big scores every game, as our other “marquee forward” is now more infamous for his niggly play than putting up big numbers from open play. Feel free to quote this if we win in September, and I’ll join everyone in having a great laugh, and I hope I’m wrong but it sure doesn’t look as rosy as previous years

     It’s only the league? It’s only the league for Kerry but since their (if we’re honest) seemingly over-confident and even naïve performance against ourselves last year, they look like they’ve already unearthed two new championship starting forwards and are now on track for a league final again

     But look don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly not all doom and gloom yet. This result will be more than forgotten if Mayo do overturn Galway in Castlebar and it’ll be a long way in the rear-view mirror come the Super 8s. We’ve been here before in previous years and we do still have key men to come back

     It doesn’t mean there’s not serious grounds for concern though

173. “We cut through Kerry many times in that match but failed to hit the net and then badly faded out of it but its a learning curve”

     Agree, Ray, and lets be honest there weren’t too many mayo fans blasting our own young team for getting a lesson from Kerry in 2011

     That’ll definitely stand to Galway

     Congrats on the result yesterday, for the first time in what must seem like an age ye really do look like ye’re pulling up a seat towards the top table again

174. My apologies Willie joe , I should have know the house rules.

     What are management thinking , how will that player be any better come summer ?

     When pitches are harder and the ground is faster, forwards are fitted …
     It’s scary how badly the player i mentioned in the post you deleted is been exposed …. it’s almost every game and we are coughing up game changing scores

175. Galway are definitly on the up and fare play to them,but what im saying they were 2 dreadful performances from mayo and only for wayward shooting we could have won both games.
     Plenty of time to get things sorted.

176. I sincerely hope that Galway aren’t emulating our other neighbours 2016 game plan. It’s all grand coming out in January and February with all guns blazing, keeping it going until July and August is another matter. I may well be wrong, but the principles of physical conditioning are peaks and troughs, if your peaking in the spring you’ll be going the other way come summer. Unless you’ve a very big panel, you are either a league or a championship team, it’s very difficult to do both. I’m not being dismissive of Galway, I just see a lot of similarities with the Rossies two years ago and I know a lot of Galway supporters have that sense also.

177. This is February. Bit like Kerry in the old days when the League was before and after Christmas. We’ve done the before Christmas bit, can we do the after, as we have done the last number of years.
     Two thing mitigate against us at this time of year.
     ~Training regime is targeted tor a late peak and players need a rest.
     ~With a split panel (home and away) you don’t get the combinations working as you can’t practise them in training
     ~~Blankie playtime will work against us in those conditions. (great to see the all the proponents of “non-puke football” game doing it)

     With all that we continue to try to do the right things, against good teams, improve weaknesses (AOSs laying off) even if it doesn’t work.

     We may not stay up, some year our luck will run out, but our regime has been reasonably successful, so we stick to it.

     Credim

178. The Thirst for an All Ireland at senior level has left us in this position. The only answers we have for turning results around are we have the USUAL SUSPECTS (C.Barrett, Higgins, Leroy, Andy etc.) to come back for Championship. This is the same panel for the past seven years and the reason for this is we have taken our eye of the underage structure in Mayo for years. Everyone in the country have been talking about how Kerry will be a force in a few years with their underage success but while this Kerry underage success was taking place we were failing to beat Galway at underage level consistently. Now we are wondering why Galway have so many good young players coming through

179. Galway near neighbours ……. Always loved there football , remember there 3 in a row ?
     I love to see Mayo beat them but alas not often enough,
     No other team has brought Sam west since 51 only Galway……Fair play to them

180. @As it is
     The reason many of us have been jumping up and down shouting for a commercial director is because of this very reason. A commercial director brings in the required revenue to allow you the freedom to develop top level coaching systems, Dublin are the best example of this. Because we’ve neglected our fundraising for years it has meant that every penny was spent on the senior team like you pointed out. It has got to the point that Wexford are advertising for a commercial director and with all due respect to the Wexicans, I’d like to think we’re a bit further up the food chain.
     Until we operate the county board as the multi million euro business it is and not a junior B club then we’re going to continue to have the case of an assistant treasurer who admits he’s not great with figures but is a “mighty man on a gate” and an official who suggested that the role of full time coach would be ideal for “a retired farmer”.

181. Fully agree there Liam. Mayo GAA is now a multi million euro business in theory, however the County Board are not tapping into the good will and interest that there is currently within and outside the county. When this team slides back into the pack, (don’t expect the good runs to All Ireland Finals to last forever), the interest of the general public towards the Mayo team will dwindle and we’ll only be getting gates of around 5,000 people at league games. This will not happen in the next two or three years, however when some of the current stalwarts retire, we’ll be back in the pack judging at the talent coming through, I hope I’m proved wrong, but these things come and go in cycles and I really do hope some of the younger lads step up. You sow today’s seeds for tomorrow’s crop, we haven’t been doing that since about 2009 / 2010. Our current team is made up of the U21’s that dominated Connacht from 2006 – 2009, however since that we’ve won one title and you could more than likely count the number of games we have won in that competition on one hand. Going back to the finances and how to tap into the good will that is there at the minute, the Kerry County Board have a Merchandise Shop in Killarney that sells Kerry Gear, sort of like the Mega Store at Old Trafford or Anfield, but on a much smaller scale. That shop, after all overheads have been paid makes about 100K for the County Board each year. 100K may not seem like much, however when you invest it back into the grass roots and underage structures it goes a long way. It’s money making opportunities like this that the County Board are missing out on.

     Going back to the game yesterday, we were very poor, we looked like a team that wasn’t all that interested in playing yesterday, however I’m not that worried. Yes it would have been nice to beat Galway, but what’s the point in going hell for leather into a game on a freezing cold day in Salthill, when the real fun and games start in three months. For what’s it’s worth I think we’ll stay up, just, and give Galway a real welcome to summer football in May. Our problems are not now, but in three or four years time, that is what we should be worried about.

182. Its only February lads. No one in that dressing room will be panicking. We are in a relegation dogfight again but that was to be expected. We will need to win 2 from 3 v Donegal, Tyrone and Kildare. I cant see us getting much v the Dubs on current form.

     As for Galway they looked in better shape and far hungrier but no one will remember this game come sumer.

     As John O Mahoney said in the dressing room after Galway beat us in 98 “I dont see any cups anywhere lads”

     Its sets up the game in May nicely and I am confident that we will take care of business that day

183. Remember there was an offer to part fund a Commercial Director.

     It was also in the Strategic Plan that was brushed aside.

     The County Board Chairman dealt with the offer in a way that ensured that it would never be accepted, but gave the impression that progress would be made. Needless to say nothing has ever been done and won’t be done. Our County Board are a group of small-time thinkers.

184. Just for info, all, I’ve checked the page view count for yesterday. Hits totalled just over 26.5k, which makes it the second busiest day ever since the site’s inception (the busiest day was the day after last year’s All-Ireland, where hits were a bit over 30k). Some context, perhaps, for all that shite I had to shovel through on the moderation side last night.

185. Mayo tend to struggle against blanket defences and teams who adopt a defensive setup like Galway did yesterday. We have never come to terms with it. We don’t have the inside forwards (in the absence of Andy) to use high ball in over the top and tend to depend on running and breaking through the tackles to get through defences. Sometimes it suceeds but more often than not it doesn’t.
     Even yesterday when AOS went into FF in second half we didn’t play any high ball into him. Seemed like we had half the tactic to change things but couldn’t execute from out the pitch.
     Our style of play, when we come up against crowded defences, results in lots of handpassing around the middle third and bursts to break the tackles that often end up in turn overs or just losing possession from over playing.
     Galway did their homework on us in this regard yesterday- they were fitter than us and they used it to their advantage by dropping back and sucking our half back line into their half and then hitting us hard with a counter attack. After that their game plan gave them 2 options – they could run at us or the could use the long ball into space knowing their forwards were out in front to win against our full back line. Our full back line was exposed quite a few times – the Galway goal was the most obvious.
     Opposing teams doing their homework on us must realise they can take the sting out of us by frustrating our key tactic of running the ball and opening up space in front of our full back line

     No need to panic though. It’s not new. We have been there before but would be nice to have a Plan B that works against the defensive tactics.

     Re AOS – he is clearly a target by opposing teams, with or without the ball as we saw yesterday. He gets an unreal amount of physical attention and for every time he gets a free there are probably 2 where the refs are giving him no protection. Pulling and dragging a player and hauling him to the ground is a free all day long. Respect to AOS for his discipline but referees need to step up – and I would add linesmen and umpires to that. Lack of decisive referee action yesterday on this pulling and dragging directly led to the unruly handbags.

186. I wonder how many of those hits were lads from certain other counties just out for a bit of a troll?.
     We’ve a few from our own County that do a bit of that too as it happens.

187. I really wouldn’t be sending out the panic signals just yet !
     I’ve had the same conversation with posters on here before .
     Mayo should never be judged at this time of the year . Have they even started training collectively yet ?

188. Not to worry the sun will be out in May the pitches the ground will favour our game and we will be on our way to Croke park

189. Cynical play only lives where it is let and unless highlighted the officials will continue in the future.I will be very interested how Comer is treated by the Kerry defence who fouled Aiden at every opportunity in Mchale park.Interesting that your busiest days were both after defeat WJ.Paranoid here in Mayo they say.

190. Ciaran
     “We cut through Kerry many times in that match but failed to hit the net and then badly faded out of it but its a learning curve”

     Agree, Ray, and lets be honest there weren’t too many mayo fans blasting our own young team for getting a lesson from Kerry in 2011. That’ll definitely stand to Galway
     Congrats on the result yesterday, for the first time in what must seem like an age ye really do look like ye’re pulling up a seat towards the top table again

     Last post on this match from me. We have been well off the pace for years but “appear” to have turned a corner and have a few lads from Corofin to come back. Mayo will improve and I wont be heading into Paddy Power to back us to beat Mayo in Castlebar. I think we could handle some qualifier matches as we are a younger team whereas I feel Mayo need to go through the front door. I have cheered on Mayo many times in all-Ireland’s and as a Galway hurling fan I know the pain of defeat. Funnily enough I still find it weird that we won last September as I had got used to the pain of defeat. Anyway who knows how the year will pan out and Im sure it will be well debating on probably the best website for a county team.

191. WJ, I am mightily impressed with you pro Mayo moderation. If someone has a different view point you delete. Nice to see debate is alive and well in Mayo!!!!!

192. GAA (and I really do wish you’d stop using that name, seeing as you’re clearly not speaking for the GAA – in fact I’m going to alter it in a minute myself) – that allegation is bullshit. There are comments posted here all the time from people who are not from the county, who don’t support Mayo and don’t express pro-Mayo views. But, as the sign above the door suggests, this is a Mayo site so it’s no wonder the majority of comments are posted by Mayo supporters. Antagonistic, arrogant, anti-Mayo comments (of which, based on the few comments you’ve posted here, you clearly know a bit about) aren’t welcomed here but reasonable debate always is.