Kevin McStay’s autobiography The Pressure Game was launched in his native Ballina last week. Afterwards Kevin sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Mayo News sports editor Mike Finnerty, which we’re now making available as a special episode of the Mayo News football podcast.
In this in-depth interview, Kevin speaks about his years playing with Mayo, during which time he won an All-Star award and lined out for the county in the All-Ireland final of 1989, as well as the highs and lows he has encountered in football management in recent years. He speaks candidly about the issues surrounding his unsuccessful bid to become Mayo manager back in 2014 and he draws parallels between that controversy and the current dispute in relation to the funding of Mayo GAA. Drawing on his wide experience as a football analyst on The Sunday Game Kevin also casts a critical eye on where the county team stands ahead of the 2020 season.
This special episode of the Mayo News football podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes, SoundCloud, Spotify and Podomatic. You can also listen to it directly on the Mayo News website as well as here on the blog using the SoundCloud player below or the one on the panel on the right.
Very interesting points made by Kevin there. Hard to disagree with any of them.
I look forward to reading his book.
A good listen in which one gets a slight bit more of the man’s heart than you would hear from him normally. He has always carried himself in exemplary fashion and despite the lows as well as the highs of his sporting life, he never allows his high personal standards to abandon him and is a credit to his county. Best of luck with the book, must pop into Easons and get it for the hols. Lovely interviewer style too for that matter.
What a rivetting interview….was stuck to every word. Well done Kevin. Awful the way him and so many ex players have just been left drift. They have so much to offer. He called it exactly re county board. Tough to hear what could be ahead of us too.
Very interesting interview. Good insights although I wouldn’t agree with him that wholesale changes are needed to the panel and we can write off the next year or two.
Incremental change will do just fine – 4 or 5 new players introduced last year (Ruane, D Coen, McDonagh, Plunkett) and the same next year possibly (based on names Horan mentioned) and that will lead to quite a lot of turnover in a couple of years.
Have you forgotten James Carr and James McCormack, Tubberman. There were other newcomers also who played lesser roles this year but may be prospects for next year. Was Treacy not also a newcomer this year?
Book is also on KOBO for those that don’t do kindles but like an electronic version that you can read on a reader or phone/ipad.
Kevin is 100% right in everything he says. I’ll be voting with my feet this year, if there is not something progressive from the county board soon I won’t be renewing my season ticket. Had enough of the ineptitude at this stage.
Excellent podcast. Well done Mike. Would love if we have the common sense to get Kevin involved at some level, even on an advisory role. Probably never going to happen but we all can hope.
Horan should add McStay to his backroom team.