We had two Mayo Football Podcast shows last week and in this review episode Rob and I review extracts from these pods, featuring audio from podcast regular Billy Joe Padden and from Mayo manager Kevin McStay.
Billy Joe muses about the style of play needed in the modern game and he points to evidence of how Mayo attempted to set up in this way in 2023. He also reminisces about what it was like to play alongside the generational talent that was Ciaran McDonald.
Rob’s hour-long interview with Kevin McStay was, though, our main podcast highlight this week. We review what the Mayo manager had to say about what kind of year it had been for his team, what the thinking was behind the Conor Loftus experiment and how the defensive structure that was deployed fared out this year and how the aim for greater consistency will be addressed as the team faces into 2024.
This episode of the Mayo Football Podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes, SoundCloud, Podomatic and Spotify. You can listen to the show without leaving the blog, using the SoundCloud player below.
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A good listen. Very impressed with Rob but I cannot say the same for Kevin. Took no responsibility for the CHB issue. It didn’t work out for Conor, there was nothing wrong with the plan, it failed in it’s execution.
McStay claimed he is interested in addressing ‘trends’ and failed miserably imo.
Six points up against Roscommon (league), Louth and Cork going into the final quarter and we hit the ‘switch off’ button. We had to be playing decently to build up leads in first place and it’s been mayos Achilles heel down all the 72 years.
Definition of mindset:a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations.
Compare Limerick v Mayo. Kilkenny score a goal and Limerick are ignited. Cork scored a goal, we have a comfortable 3 point lead, but we roll over, as Rob says key players taking wrong options, highlighting the depth of the problem.
@ WJ, if there is one thing I could ask you between now and the end of the season, could ye do a podcast with Niamh to discuss Mindset of Mayo compared to her findings in Limerick, because that truly has been our curse over the years imo.
New podcast episode is up on Patreon. Ed McGreal is back, chatting with Mike about Sunday’s Mayo-less All-Ireland final, what we can learn from Limerick, the race for the U20 manager post and more.
Sounds good. A lot of good work WJ
Feel bad forconor loftus yes it didn’t work out for him but he wasn’t asked to be put at number 6 he’s still a good player just not a number 6 .
Who would people suggest takes up number 6 instead ?
I thought mcstay gave a decent interview . More so then previous mayo managers would have done in fairness .
Well McBrien is the obvious one to me Clare. I think he has leadership qualities that are best utilized at 6.
Brickenden for 3.
I assume Rochford is defensive coach and he should be released from management but I’d also worry about McStay. If he was still a tv punter, he’d tear strips of our defensive structure. Smooths over everything and accepts no responsibility for how the year panned out.
Scoring half forwards? I hope we see a few in club championship, it’s our shop window.
The manner in which Kevin mcstay talks about the Loftus experiment is baffling because to my memory he didn’t do any of the the things that Kevin seems to recall like bursting out of the defence at pace and the fact that it took hours of training sessions and 12 games to come to the conclusion that it wasn’t working is astonishing.surely after years of searching for a natural full back we can’t move mcbrien.in any case instead of putting the cart before the horse we might try using a natural defender at 6 like Sam callinan
@ontheditch yeah mcbrien would be a good option for 6.
I guess mcstay has to try and stay positive when in interview he said this guess if he acts all negative it’ll feed off into players .
In fairness he did say learnings had to be taken from the year and they have to improve and I’m sure they will next year .
I don’t know if I bother watching the final tbh ha it really gets boring when it’s nearly always kerry/dubs at the end such a pity Derry weren’t able to close out the game bit like us really not being able to close out games ha.
Still can’t see anything but a dubs win .
Are we discussing someone to play 6 or to be the plus one? Because Loftus’s role was described by Kevin as the plus one, and these are two very different roles.
We need leadership at 6, McBrien plays his club football at 6 and would serve us better out there imo. I know we’ve been waiting to solve 3 player for some time, but I can see Brickenden stepping up to plate. McBrien is strong, good pacey mover and can combine well in passing movements
Lots of good young players around, I’d love to get some feedback from Niamh Fitzpatrick on the Mayo mindset and how players lost confidence or went off form. How does it compare to working with limerick.
We can’t keep switching off in games when we’ve the hard work done. We do need a Mayo panel with a tough mindset.
@onthrditch yeah be good to hear from Niamh fitzpatrick on the mayo mind set compared to limericks for sure we need a tough mayo mindset .
John Small Gareth McKinless Tadhg Morley.
A physical CHB who can hold up slow down a physical player coming at him. Our poor midfielders spent the year covering up for our CHB. Sweeper can come from the half forward line, Hession is my idea to replace Kev McLoughlin of old.
Hessions a great player loads of pace & talent such a pity his injury set him back this year we missed him a lot I felt .. know he played some championship but obviously wasn’t fit since injury otherwise he’d be a sure starter and not used as a sub.
@1985
First half against Kerry, Conor was really good, moved the ball quickly through the half back space. There’s other similar examples of it working in other games, but equally, second half against Kerry, and in the other games too, there’s plenty of examples of it not working.
It’s a catch 22 imo, everything you try is going to fail at some point. It’s a pretty complex risk reward calculation for all these things
I’d be tempted to give Jack Carney a go at 6, his distribution with the ball is really good. Hand passes are generally on the money. Makes him imo a very good transition player.
I wouldn’t have him as plus one though, he lacks a bit of pace for that role imo
Not trying to be over critical of Conor Loftus but Kevin mcstays comments that it was very close to working to working for him don’t entirely make sense.The Kerry game now appears to be completely out of context with every other championship game.Kevin mcstay also said that he got ten shots away in the scoring zone and scored one point.Is this an example of it nearly working.Also he was supposed to be the “plus one” so how did Loftus find himself in the full back position directly marking a Louth player for their late goal.I just think this experiment was persisted with for far too long when there clearly was an issue
Loftus did not become a bad footballer overnight.
The way he was dropped completely from the starting 15 leaves a sour taste
What effect will it have on the next player they try to convert from a forward to a back?
Folks, has Niamh Fitzpatrick worked with Limerick hurlers?
FrostTHammer, I really like your observation here:
“It’s a pretty complex risk reward calculation for all these things…”
Take a close look at the Derry defensive structure(zonal). Their only slip up defensively was not come to grips with Stephen O Brien.
Rochford could do with a holiday in Derry. It will be heartbreak for supporters if we have to witness hair brained defending putting stress on our midfielders and full back.
Difficult to know where Loftus fits in. Maybe he will be a better tackling forward for his stint at CHB. He’s not a prolific scorer out at 40 in the way Flynn is. I expect Orme to be pushing hard for a place,
My apologies Swallow Niamh Fitzpatrick worked with the All-Ireland winning Wexford hurling team in 1996, Caroline Curried worked with Limerick.
Thanks Ontheditch : ) I thought you might have been on a bit of a roll and galloping off at speed. I’ve been like this myself.
Swallow – I think Niamh did work with the Limerick hurlers but only in the background and I think it was under the supervision of Caroline Currid.
When it comes to psychologists I think it’s very much hit and miss. A lot of spoofers out there. Let’s be honest Caroline Currid is the one Mayo need. Niamh has worked with Mayo in the past and doesn’t seem to be having an impact. Caroline is clearly the best in the business and I’d imagine it’s mostly to do with her personality and relationship skills. All the psychologists study the same stuff but it’s how they get it across. Tony Griffin in Kerry looks good too.
Mayo should look to do whatever they can to get Currid in, even if it’s only once a week.
Good to hear on the new Podcast Mike and Edwin saying that switching of the U20 format to a round-robin provincial competition instead of a straight knockout is pretty much a done deal. Best news in a long time for players and managements of all the counties.
On the discussion of a number 6 I would like to see McBrien in that position. And let him hold it down. Now that leaves a problem in the FB line.
What would the view of Mattie playing as a sweeper? Strong guy, decent speed, strong runner (coming out of defence) and I think would be a good option to help under high balls. He seemed a bit lost this year. I think for him to succeed, he would benefit from just focusing on his own game and not worrying about marking someone else. I think he could work as sweeper but could be easily wrong
@1985
That is more of a full back issue imo
If the fullback is primarily tasked with marking a specific player, then it’s expected that the plus one would be the guy to cover when the fullback is out of position.
This is something we need to work on, it’s another side of what we saw in the quarter final second half when O’Callaghan pulled McBrien out of position.
A lot of the time it’s pretty easy to deal with because most teams don’t keep three up top, so another full back player can step in.
Again it’s really a difficult to perfect when you have the level of inexperience we had in the relevant positions.
This is one of the reasons I’d be reluctant to move McBrien. It’s a lot easier to put these things in place when you have certainty over the personnel.
At the same time David’s injury record means that we will probably have to blood an alternative fullback anyway. His current injury is I believe a shoulder one, which I think can be troublesome, but it is one where he’ll be able to do non contact training work, even if he’s not being risked in competitive games.
Does anyone seriously think Caroline Currid will leave Limerick and go to mayo????
No amount would tempt her…
Niamh is vastly experienced with Caroline a prodigy of hers. But either way, I would love to know why players lost confidence, was it with their own game personally or with the system. And then there’s the bigger question of why we switch off having built up a big lead
Currid has been with Tyrone, Dublin, Tipp hurlers and Limerick hurlers. She’s not afraid to move around and likes a challenge. After next year and if the 5 in a row is achieved, her job will be well and truly done. The challenge is offering her the same pay package. But when I look at the size of the current management team, I can’t imagine money is an issue, wherever it’s coming from.
I had little faith in Kevin from the start, and im even more down beat about next year after his response to the Loftus question. He states it didn’t “work out for Conor” and that he didn’t reach “top form”. If im not mistaken, Kevin is the manager, so why continually play Conor???. Kevin makes it sound that there was some contractual agreement that Loftus HAD to play as “plus 1” (whatever that means). Kevin and co picked him continually and there was mere mortals on this blog in January saying it would never work. It backfired in that penalty concession against Cork, yet he takes zero responsibility.
Kevin’s long winded response’s to very good questions by Rob, came across as complete waffle, Alistar Campbell would be proud of his continual efforts to spin and deflect away from his own managerial short comings, while trying to hide behind the league title, and the best one yet – “11 of the starting team never played infront of a full house” – Jesus Christ we’re Mayo not Leitrim. This remark again shows McStays constant deflection. The interview reeked of a manager trying to buy time, and he will get his second year and my bet is that will be that.
Unfortunately, the little time left in the career’s of Cillian and Aiden is being managed by a man who’s record as a manager in the AI seiries is a draw then two all merciful hammerings. Another year will be wasted before the powers that be see sense.
Jack o Connor is the man, no waffle, straight talking manager, no aul corporate or management speak like gavin and horan used to do… Mcstay was honest enough this Yr but now after hearing that I agree with you margie.. Pure waffle
Margie, mercifully, I have a kinder view of Kevin than you write above.
And thank goodness, I’d wager that a few others out there do too.
Just because we lost at quarter final stage and got an almighty hammering does not mean the management team is bad, bad, bad.
Speaking for myself, personally, I found the interview very good, and I was interested to learn the thinking of management, which I accepted at face value.
Ah come on guys give give mcstay another chance . Yes I agreed that questions needed to be answered for sure it was not a good championship . They need to.improve next year def but seriously people can’t be asking for a different manager after only one season …
I also hope conor loftus doesn’t be reading this blog yes he’s not a number 6 but he’s still a decent good player.
@swaloow hopes 100% agree with you give the man a chance like!
I will just say this again (I’ve said it before) – I find it both strongly distasteful and illogical to cast up the results of a McStay-managed Roscommon to insult, devalue or reduce confidence in McStay as manager of Mayo. These are two different teams.
Why do this?
We certainly are not short of critics,but what can they add to the team,I believe that we have an outstanding management team
Jesus, is it cabin fever from the continuous rain that’s affecting posters at the moment?
Rochford ‘should be released from management’, Niamh Fitzpatrick ‘doesn’t seem to be having an impact’, Kevin – another year and that’s it. Jack O’Connor is the man. What the hell!
We have a county championship to come, players to put their hands up, good u20s (Fenton Kelly), and minors (Niall Hurley) coming through, another year’s S&C for this year’s newbies.
I have faith in the mgmt. I believe.
Jack o conor wouldn’t take a mayo management job anyways kerry people wouldn’t forgive him ha
@catcol yeah it must be cabin fever affecting people alright ha
I did agree that questions were needed to be answered and mcstsy came out and did that much more so then previous mayo managers would have done if you ask me ..give them a chance ive no doubt we will come back with a bounce next year !
Catcol, LOL.
I’ll go one further and say I’m losing patience reading some of the scathing comments about management.
One is not a pattern. We have one season with them over us. I’m looking onwards and upwards, excited about what is to come from the players and from managers, who think about the game.
McStay and some posters might have different management styles (were they to manage). But McStay and his deputies are in the management seat. The rest of us are not. They’ve earned their right to BE there. The loud critics didn’t get the management job.
I don’t think anyone is seriously suggesting jack o Connor for the mayo job .Kevin mcstay knew when taking the managers job that criticism comes with the territory when things go wrong and jack o Connor will get plenty of it if Kerry lose on Sunday.I was supportive of Kevin mcstay getting the job but I have to say I found his interview odd to say the least as I don’t think he really answered anything definitively.leaving a player in a position all season because he nearly got it right is hardly inspiring.Anyway best of luck to him next year
Swallow Swoops,iagree,Catcol,I am confident that the people who are criticising the management,don’t even realise that the ball is round
Well I’m going to personally stand by the Niamh Fitzpatrick comment. She was also the psychologist under Horan and if anything the mentality of the team looks weaker now than ever before.
I think O’Connor is top class but would never come to Mayo. That’s just a pipe dream
The level of frustration that’s around is built off the level of expectation this management team had. I don’t know how many times I read newspaper articles and videos online saying this was the dream management team. The perfect ticket. So when that viewpoint is out there, and things fall flat on their face , it’s naturally going to lead to a lot of annoyance.
Ironically when Oisín McConville came out and said that it was too big a backroom team, everyone said he was sour. And now 90% of people on here at least seem to agree with that viewpoint.
Everyone wants Mayo to succeed regardless of the man in charge, but there is no doubt that there is a feeling we are further away from Sam than we were this time last year. And I think there so justification in that.
@Swallow Swoops
How is it illogocal to bring up a managers previous results? I beileve their are patterns to most managers styles, and success.
Jack O’Connor – Winning All Irelands in his first year on two occasions.
Gavin – enough said
Horan – pattern of reaching back to back finals in two seperate stints (habit of losing them too)
McGeeney – pattern of losing AIQF’s .
Kevins record in Roscommon is eerily reminiscent of this season (minus the Connacht title).
He put massive emphasis on “pre season” with both, ensuring top fitness for the league campaigns. Roscommon reached the D1 semi finals after beating Kerry and Cork away from home. Mayo with the same fitness level but superior players, won the league title.
And as mentioned earlier his record in Quarter Finals is D-L-L. Thats not a great record. Nothing wrong with pointing out the facts and patterns of a manager. The truth can hurt sometimes.
Rosssies don’t have as a good a players as mayo so can’t really blame mcstay for not winning an all Ireland with the rossies in all fairness can’t compare that to his mayo job in my view.
I was merely making a comparison in jack o Connor and the rest.. He’s refreshing to listen to.. We had yrs of dour corporate interviews under gavin and horan.
Was it Jack or Paidi O’Shea who called the Kerry fans “animals”?
If anyone has ever said that about the Mayo fans, future generations will find them in a bog somewhere
Clare,Kevin mcstay was not tasked with or expected to win the all Ireland with Roscommon but has openly spoke about that ambition with mayo and of course we can’t forget that Roscommon did actually beat us this year by 4 points.This thread was headlined by Kevin’s interview and that’s the direction the conversation took .everyone has different opinions thank god but I think it’s fair to say that there was serious errors made this year and pretending that everything will be ok next year doesn’t stack up .Hopefully the lessons will be learned for next year
I don’t think any poster is questioning the role or ability of Niamh Fitzpatrick. It would be nice to get her views on mental toughness and pressing the switch off button when we have a sizeable lead. Why is it continuously happening that we fall over the line against weak opposition
As for McStay, he’s ticking all the boxes, giving the outward appearance of being transparent. He appears to me to be the face of management rather than the boss.
And I think in fairness posters are giving them the could to better comment, not looking for head on a platter.
There are a lot of good young players coming on stream in the next few years, spearheaded baby the big three towns, Castlebar, Ballina and Westport. That’s the only positive
@1985 yes I know but thats what people are comparing mcstay to not getting rossies over the line if he wasn’t tasked with getting rossies an all Ireland what was his task then with them?
Yes obvs I didn’t forget rossies beat us in a game that we didn’t need to win playing blanket defence which we all know we struggle against also a week after a huge game against Galway I’m not trying to be patronising against the rossies it’s just facts mayo have much better players.
Yes but I’m just saying people should give the man a chance only his 1st season .
@corick and I’m confident some people don’t know signal for substitute needed 🙂
Players don’t get paid and definitely should not be subject to criticism of a personal nature for trying their damnedest.
Great news about the U20, if passed. Makes it an actual job worth taking (if treated correctly).
Gizmo you appear to use the medical system for Carney,but for Conroy it is the lack of medical treatment you are complaining about,try and be consistent
I think the comparison was with Roscommon getting hammered in quarter final.Not every county tasked their manager with winning the all Ireland as in most cases it’s unrealistic
I told Willie Joe I would not comment further on this. Both different examples of similar issue.
Just hope clip provided proved helpful clarify situation for you 🙂
@1985 yeah true fair enough. We let bad soft goals in and I agree we do need to do something about the defence Asap as that’s where the main issues are for sure .
I think referencing Roscommon is fair in that intercounty experience is what swung CBS decision.
While not expected to win with Rossies, you can see comparisons between both tenures already in way seasons panned out. Year 2 with Mayo will hopefully show this not to be the case long term.
Roscommon showed this year that despite a much smaller pool that with a good system you can reach your potential.
Always felt the u20 competition was unfair, league system here in Leinster but knock out in Connaught.
Gizmo,I don’t agree with you at all
Apologies Corick, I thought you had watched the clip back I posted with the substitute needed signal. You may have missed it on other thread.
Be interesting in coming weeks/months to see changes in backroom team that will happen.
And what players will be making case for panel inclusion with about 8 spots likely to be filled.
Margie, I will rephrase the question:
Does lack of success with a lower ranked team predict lack of success with a higher ranked team? If so, how?
O’Connor, Gavin and Horan had consistent success with teams that were capable of reaching All-Irelands.
If you wish to compare more fairly,
how about comparing Jack O’Connor’s results with Kerry and with Kildare? Your pattern falls down there.
Margie, regarding McStay, you conclude with:
“And as mentioned earlier his record in Quarter Finals is D-L-L. Thats not a great record. Nothing wrong with pointing out the facts and patterns of a manager. The truth can hurt sometimes…”
The results with Roscommon and Mayo are NOT a pattern because you’re comparing teams at different levels.
I am wondering if you are deliberately choosing to ignore that FACT, if you genuinely cannot see it, or if you are just having fun imagining what it would be like if you managed Mayo yourself.
Watched the 2017 final there today, as much as people say it was a great game, some woeful passing and shooting in the first 20 mins.. Lord have mercy, parsons 2 kick passes into moran and o Connor were hospital jobs, really poor misses from Andy cillian Jason d, paddy.. Like 20/30 yrd misses… Dublin got a goal after 90 sec yes, but mayo cud have gone 6 or 7 points ahead by half time.. It goes back to poor shooting and composure.. And it still haunts ya.
It was a much more open game, Doherty should have stuck the one v one on cluxton 2nd half too. Leeroy missed a sitter too from 20 yrds, into the keepers hands.. Unforgivable at that level
Swallowswoops, I don’t know the answer to your new question, theirs no senior inter county manager popping into my head that managed a low ranked County first, before achieving success with a higher ranked team. Im sure someone has though? .
Your correct in the O’Connor/Kildare comparison. I think its you who is choosing to ignore a fact – tell me how two teams managed by the same person, who get hammered in Quarter finals, is not a clear pattern? Surely this highlights a managers in ability to implement a solid defensive structure? Or even worse, no defensive structure at all? It’s plain as day to see.
Tell me how you can’t see a pattern where two different County teams are flying fit and peak in the league? Again managed by the same person?
Thats why I beileve these so called lessons will not be learned. Was the lesson learned after the mini collapse against Armagh? – No. Louth + Cork switch offs. Roscommom league game, wide open dowm the middle. Lesson learmed – No.
And if I was lucky enough to be the Mayo manager I certainly wouldn’t place a forward into a pivotal defensive position. I’d also recognise that a league title means SFA to Mayo supporters and the only title that matters is the All Ireland. On that basis I wouldnt be having our lads peaking in February, having been going flat out since the previous November.
Fair enough, Margie. Thanks for replying in detail. I’ll leave it at that and we can agree to have different points of view on this.
Have a good evening.
My,my,another one running down a league title,will you please stop,as I have said I have only seen four in my lifetime,just find something else to follow if you can’t appreciate a win
Absolutely Swallow Swoops, we’ll agree to disagree. Nothing wrong with different opinions. Enjoy your evening also.
Apparently Liam mchale has departed the management team according to Midwest sport said it was confirmed ?
Would Margie and 1985 please give over. It’s about time someone called a spade a spade. Conor Loftus was obviously the fall guy for major issues all over the pitch. Ridiculous that one lad can be hung out to dry when things go wrong. I dare anyone to watch that cork game back again and tell me that if everyone had played as well as Conor that day that Mayo would have been beaten . There’s obviously a reason why he wasn’t taken off in any game bar one when the game was won. He’s a selfless intelligent player, who always puts the team first. People on here have just decided that he should never have been given that role(plus 1) and therefore when things went belly up and people wanted someone to blame then he was the one. Unfortunately management felt under pressure and they dropped him like a hot potato. Hugely unfair and counterproductive. Can anyone here tell me who was the plus 1 that Kevin alluded to in the Dublin game?
. Also management asleep in both the cork and Louth games and I really don’t think they thought for one second that they could be beaten on either day. Obviously when midfield are being cleaned and runners aren’t being tracked then of course goal chances will be created. Please take yer blinkers off and see what going on.
Amazing and disappointing all at the same time. I guess Oisín McConville was right. Wouldn’t mind getting the lotto numbers off him
James D if you read my posts I have always stated that I believe Conor Loftus to be a decent footballer but I didn’t believe he was the right player for this role.Conor may well be all the things you said but his role was primarily to prevent goal chances.In the cork game you reference the cork player runs straight past him with a very poor effort from Loftus to stop a clearly dangerous situation.There are numerous other similar situations in other games.If the management were so adamant that they were right then they should have stuck with Conor Loftus.No one on here either picked Conor Loftus for that role or dropped him and if the management bowed to public pressure then that’s a whole different situation.This is a forum on mayo football and everyone has different views and I would appreciate not being told to take the blinkers off
Rumour has it Dessie Farrell is on the move this summer. His harsh treatment of some of the younger, breakthrough players lends credence to this pretty widespread gossip. Joking aside guys, Mr McStay needs to be given a chance. I’ll save my criticism for next season if it’s deserved. All shrewd army officers deflect blame… nothing new in that. Machiavelli wouldn’t wish to be a gaa manager if he were alive.
James D,
It’s interesting that you choose to leave out where I have stated its not Conor’s fault, when giving examples of his poor defending like the Maguire penalty. I have always laid the blame at Managments feet for placing a natural forward into such a pivotal defensive position. By the way McStay was describing his ideal “plus 1”, id swear he’d start David Clifford at CHB if managing Kerry!!!!!
Well mark if dessie move on.. And he’ll have his two all irelands won, as meat loaf said… 2 out of 3 ain’t bad
But I fancy kerry to pip them Sunday
Poor aul Loftus getting alot of stick.. Wasnt his decision to play him there, a truly awful decision by whoever it was, to take a fringe half forward and play him at 6, fuck me.. And thats the management expected to win an all ireland… GOOD MORNING AMERICA, HOW ARE YA!
Clare yes that true Liam has left on allaccounts a very nice guy , but for the life of .e I couldn’t see his in put. He was a lot like Rochford above in donegal , he never got the ear of the players , too many cooks cometo mind I can see him doing well on the Ballina ticket he is a good coach