I meant to do this earlier on but I’m under a bit of pressure at the minute so here quickly are a few things you’ll no doubt be interested in.
First up is Colm Gannon’s interview with Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly for the Mayo Advertiser. The co-managers met the local press for the first time at the event in the Sportlann on Saturday night and no doubt the other papers will carry similar interview features with them this week.
It makes for an interesting read and in particular I liked the bit where Pat says that their aim is to get the team to produce as close as possible to the ultimate performance every time they’re on the pitch so that, when it comes to it, the maximum performance they produce is good enough to overcome whatever challenge they meet. Pat lists all of the variables that can affect a team’s performance and insists that the aim is, notwithstanding all these, the team should still be able to prevail.
In other words, think Limerick and all that befell us there and still be aiming to come through. I like that mindset, I must say. The trick, of course, will be to carry through into action in the white-heat of battle in high summer.
Pat (who appears to have done most of the talking in this interview) goes on to state that they’ve brought in 20 players who didn’t feature last year and have put them on strength and conditioning programmes. The aim is to get these fringe players involved in trial games late in December to see how many are ready to make the step up to inter-county level next year.
One player who definitely isn’t on this list of 20 but who has expressed his interest in lining out for his county again is Conor Mortimer, who was on the panel on RTÉ’s Sunday sports show yesterday. I heard what he had to say as we travelled back up to Dublin from Portlaoise yesterday, the key points of which are summarised in this report on the RTÉ website. Whether or not Conor does return to the fold is, of course, down to the new management – if they do decide to give him a whirl, he would for sure be an interesting addition to the panel but if they take a rain check on him that’d be perfectly understandable too. It’s certainly an intriguing call for the new managers to make.
Finally, today’s Western People (print and online edition) contains details of the nominations put forward for County Board positions ahead of the County Convention next month. According to Anthony Hennigan’s report, details of the nominations for the main County Board positions are as follows (incumbents are listed in bold):
Chairman: Mike Connelly (Hollymount/Carramore), Sean Feeney (Ballintubber).
Vice-Chairman: Mike Connelly, Seamus Tuohy (Breaffy), Johnny Hopkins (The Neale).
Secretary: Vincent Neary (Bonniconlon).
Treasurer: JP Lambe (Garrymore), Michael Diskin (Castlebar Mitchels).
PRO: Aidan McLoughlin (Swinford).
Assistant Secretary: Seamus Tuohy, Dermot Butler (Crossmolina).
Assistant Treasurer: PJ Monaghan (Belmullet/St. Sylvester’s, Dublin), Ger McHugh (Hollymount/Carramore).
Central Council: James Waldron (The Neale), Sean Mac Eil (Knockmore).
Connacht Council (x2): Padraig Staunton (Moygownagh), Paddy McNicholas (Kiltimagh), Michael Dan O’Malley (Louisburgh), Gerry Bourke (Breaffy).
Coaching Officer: Padraic Carolan (Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin).
Development Officer: Jerry Henry (Castlebar Mitchels), Willie Kelly (Kilmeena), Tommy Goonan (Kiltane).
Cultural Officer: James Gibbons (Lahardane).
According to that piece in the Western, former Secretary Sean Feeney could well have added his name to the list ahead of last night’s deadline but I guess whether or not he did will become clear soon enough.
UPDATE: The Mayo News (print and online editions) has confirmed today (Tuesday) that Sean Feeney has indeed put his name forward for the post of Chairman. The list above has been amended accordingly.
Based on the list of nominations, the jockeying for the various positions sees a good deal of Lanigan’s Ball-esque shifting in and out and not all that much in the way of fresh blood. That said, PJ Monaghan’s candidature for the post of Assistant Treasurer certainly falls into the latter category.
I also heard Conor Mort’s interview on RTE while travelling back from Castlebar and it struck me that he is a wiser as well as older man now than when he walked out in 2012. Whether at 32 and most of two years out of County football he could make a comeback is open to question. I think it depends on his commitment, hunger and willingness to be part of a team. He may have to accept that he will not be a starter but if he were to do that he could have a major contribution as an impact sub. But I doubt if there are twenty players in the county who offer better prospects.
Having read the Mayo News piece on the managers I am all the more impatient for January. Hopefully Ballintubber will provide another antidote for the impatience on Sunday week. And good luck to Achill in the battle of the islands, next week I thiink.
We need to give the young lads a chance not to be reling on the mort he had his day
I can’t see Gerry Bourke and Paddy McNicholas sharing lifts to the Connacht Council meetings :).
The more new faces to these positions the better. It is disappointing however that there is no challenge to the PRO and secretary positions, if only to keep the two incumbents on their toes. The position of secretary, at any level, is very time consuming so I can understand not too many putting their hands up for that one. The position of PRO however certainly should have been challenged. Whether Aidan was hung out to dry by his chairman, misinformed or just incompetent in the whole managerial appointment fiacso, he certainly comes out of the saga with alot of question marks hanging over him regarding his ability to carry out his chores efficiently.
As regards the managers presser, it was all positive and all good stuff but, to be fair, all stuff that we have heard before from previous managers. I wish the two lads all the best and, of course, I’ll be shouting and roaring and travelling far and wide in support of them all. All we need is a few little tweaks however (Cunniffe @6, Sweeney @15, A.Gallagher & D.Coen on the pitch) and we will be fine.
Hon Mayo.
Great idea putting the 20 on a programme, would like to see that list. 2 lads are saying all the right things and seem to be well clued in. They won’t go anywhere near mort, too risky, especially at the start of a 3 year development, not to mention he’s never performed when the heat was on.
Will be interesting to see who is retained from 2014 and who isn’t, a few that started against Kerry in limerick will be under pressure to stay in the panel..
Puckout I am sure they will not put just 20 on the programme. Recipe for disaster. You cannot decide the subs before the game!! I think 24 or 26 will be named and the remaining 10 or so on the panel released, as has always happened.
I must commend PJ Monaghan for putting his name before the Convention. Once again walking the walk where many of us here just spout rubbish.
Agree with Pebblesmeller on the failure to challenge the secretary or the PRO. Both were involved in the shennagins. I am sure the PRO wasn’t wrong footed Pebbles with the release of the false statement. It seems very obvious that the lad likes to see his name in the papers and is never short on something to say
Pat, the 20 on the programme are guys outside of last year’s panel. As stated by Holmes the idea being these 20 will be up to speed for trial matches in december.
I think ye are misunderstanding each other lads 🙂
Pat, I think Puckout is referring to 20 lads on a training/strength & conditioning programme, not a match programme!
Apologies Puckout. I picked you up wrong. Agree on the 20 doing the workouts. I was talking about Colm Gannon’s piece where he says that he will only bring enough lads as are needed on match day so that they can play with clubs.
Forget about mortimer, and there are plenty of good young footballers.
my understanding is that gerry bourke is going up against paddy mc for the connaught council position as the other mayo delegate is not stepping down. good luck Gerry!!
I think its time some Mayo supporters cut Mortimer a bit of slack. I doubt if he will get the call up again but even if he doesn’t he has contributed much to Mayo football …. a damn sight more than most of his detractors. He still is our all time top scorer , no mean feat, though I expect Cillian to surpass him in the future. He was also our most talented forward for 5 or 6 years winning a deserved All Star in 2006. I am sick listening to people say how poor he was in the finals of 2004 and 2006. Can anyone name a number of Mayo players who did play well on those two horrible days. JH was fully entitled not to start him in the 2012 Connacht final. James obviously didn’t think he was worth a starting spot but would be a good impact sub. Conor thought differently and walked away, something he was fully entitled to do. What a pity. The Mayo forward line without Andy were poor in the 2012 final and with an injured Cillian our forwards did not shine in 2013 v Dublin either. We did miss Conor on both those days. He might have made a difference and even a small difference would have been enough. Once he walked away he never once criticised the Mayo set up and its clear in hindsight that he regrets his over hasty decision to walk away. But we all make mistakes. I am sure his book is interesting. We don’t see many autobiographies from ex Mayo players but he had the guts to write one. Sometimes I think we are too quick to criticise some of our better players. I remember the criticism of McStay and McHale and even C Mac. Why. Was it because they were a bit different and stood out from the crowd. I personally think these guys gave a huge amount to the county team and inspired future stars. We should cherish them not criticise them.
Good man, to win just once, I agree 100% with those sentiments.
To Win Just Once.
I agree with you 100%.
As I have often stated actions speak louder than words. Mort was a person who walked away and stayed silent. I wish him all the best in the future, but have to admit he should not be recalled by new management. It is forward we now want to go and find some new talent and we may unearth another McDonald/Mortimer who knows. Thanks for the memories lads.
I agree that we need to move on from Mort. I would not like to see him coming back. But I would also love to know who exactly are the 20 chosen ones on the strength and conditioning programme. More importantly I hope our existing warriors are wintering well and will be ready for battle come the summer.
Pat, I would have thought the whole idea of the PRO is that they speak and have something to say, it’s in the job script
Great post To Win Just Once
Would love to see Conor back. I’m certain he still has something to contribute and was a huge loss over the last 3 seasons
Fully agree To Win Just Once. Mortimer has a record to be proud off and i hope his book sells well.
He and Ciaran Mc took some amount of grief from both inside but particularly outside of Mayo. Brolly’s (who else) jibe about the Swedish milkmaids still grates.
I know of one True Blue family whose youngest son absolutely idolised Ciaran Mc, now if only Ciaran Mc were to write his autobiography…….
Pete sometimes the best course is saying nothing. The skill is in judging when something should be said and not letting yer ego cloud your judgement.
Hi WJ and all.I haven’t been on here for a while but I have to applaud ‘to win just once’ on his piece on Mort.
One of the difficulties we have had in the past (and it was highlighted here before) has been our problems managing our ‘talented ones’.
Name them out Brogan was not mentioned lately.I remember being at the county final a couple of weeks after Kerry AGAIN had beaten us in a final after our star freetaker Maurice Sheridan had hobbled off before half time.We couldn’t buy a point from a free in the second half even with the great Kieran Mac on board.Roll on Brogan in the county final against a big head of steam Kiltimagh team in one of their few apearances in a senior final.
He destroyed them from the placed ball and him not far off 17 stone.Up yours Maughen indeed!
I like the new management team I like the two heads idea.We nearly did it before with a double act in their first year too and we only gave them one yearfor their trouble, Moran and Morrison.Was it another failing that we’d hate to admit that we had to get outsiders in to do the job.
Water under the bridge but will we learn from it.
I’m more concerned will the automatic selections put in the hard yards for yet another campaign. Will Keith do the business again on top forewards.Will Boyler keep putting in his head where another man wouldn’t put his dog.Will Aiden be able to stay in the condition he was the last couple of years .I hope any of them aren’t burned out.
To finish no stone should be left unturned by the new management in their quest for a tital and that includes Mort.The only time we had absolutely everyone on board was with Moran and Morrison. Remember Kevin O Neill that year and his career finished according to a lot of folk.
Keep the faith.
I think anyone who plays for mayo as long as mortimer should get the respect that comes with that much dedication.
However it would b madness to bring him back. We need new blood to suceed.
I think if holmes adds 3 players to that team theyL win sam. Imo
I think that a player should always be included if he can add value to the whole future project. Age, history, hair dye used in the past, nice guy, not nice guy, etc are irrelevant if management believe he has a part to play in the success of their plans.
If Donaghy had been a Mayo man, how many would have seen his inclusion this year as a forward step? It worked dam well for Kerry.
Totally agree with To win just once and PJ,
Conor Mort made his decision,stuck with it and kept his mouth shut,fair play to him.Yes his family came out and made a statement but which one of us wouldn’t do the same to support our own son or daughter.I was as critical of him as anyone when he left but I also felt there was a lot more too it.I attended his book launch and bought his book and after talking too him on the night and listening to him speak one would be left in no doubt what it meant to him to wear the Green and Red.I for one would love to see him involved again.Would he have made a difference in the two finals,yes I think he would,would we have lost by more with him on the pitch,I doubt it.If come next September we are in the final and with 10 minutes to go we are two down and our forwards running out of steam wouldn’t he be a great option to have.I think a lot of people’s opinion of him will change if they read his book,don’t forget after losing two all Ireland’s people wanted Horan hung out to dry yet 12 months later when he left he was the best thing ever to happen in Mayo football,how quickly things change
Depressing stuff this. I see the same old crap being repeated again and again. I see a treasurer who has no clue of modern technology. I see an assistant treasurer who cant even give a receipt or a bill to clubs in his divisional capacity – crazy stuff. I see old men entrenched in their views and unable or unwilling to even talk to people. Surely these people must see that change is essential. If they are proper Mayo GAA supporters then they will arrange their own succession by encouraging new blood. A Diskin/Monaghan money team would be good. I think either Feeney or Connelly is not too bad. A bit backward maybe. Will club delegates do the right thing. It is essential that these nominations are discussed at club level and that delegates are advised to vote according to the clubs wishes. It is essential that the new county board engage systems that will encourage new blood at club and county level. The meetings need to be made more attractive. The PR needs to be improved.
Conor would be an excellent sub, but he did not like being that, hence his reason for leaving, silly man.
To all the regular posters, occasional posters and lurkers on this blog. If you have moaned about lack of change or ineptitude in the county board then now is your chance to do something about it. Some genuinely forward thinking Mayomen have put their names forward for election to the county board and in the very important position of Treasurer.
If you want to finally start effecting change then ATTEND YOUR CLUB MEETINGS AND MANDATE THE VOTES FOR DISKIN/MONAGHAN FOR TREASURER AND VICE TREASURER respectively.
If your happy enough with the current state of affairs then God Help Us.
well said Liam
And if the pair are succesful, i would hope many of the posters here (within Mayo) will make themselves available to man the gates voluntarely for all national league and club championship games in the coming year as the guys will need plenty of help.
Nothing like a bit of abuse from the common punter to make you feel alive and respected
I would imagine the mere common punter paying his/her’s hard earned dough at the gate would feel they have a right to voice their opinion. They do not have to turn up and put their hands in their pockets. They volunteer to do it.
Nothing like the sight of a man putting his hand out for €10 off you on a shitty wet day in Beacon after him letting his mate in for free in front of you to get the blood going in the common man.
Nothing like seeing the professionalism of a biscuit tin at the door of a pub in NYC shaking down punters to anger the common man.
Nothing like seeing a treasurer so alienate his fellow countymen that many flatly refuse to donate money while he’s involved to annoy the ordinary punter.
Nothing like a treasurer who refuses to open the books to scrutiny even from the people they commissioned to examine them to annoy the ordinary supporter.
Do I need to go on SP or do you see why the ordinary punter might be a little angry.
FFS Connollys was a joke. 6 of us went in all willing to shell out $20, but we went into the downstairs bar first for a drink. There were so many Mayo people downstairs, half them never even bothered going upstairs. In the end i had to go up to meet someone from home, and it was packed to the point of being dangerous. The other 5 came up about half an hour later, and at that point they werent even taking money on the door because it had descended into such a farce.
Has the Mayo curse been lifted?
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/president-watches-on-as-mayo-break-gaa-duck-in-pretoria-1.2002812
Liam,
My comment was in regards to the volunteers who will stand at gates and take abuse for giving their time for free.
if you were being let in for free and the next guy behind you was paying, would you be upset for that guy, you would in your hole
I would Santanico and the sentiments you express are exactly why there is a problem in the first place.
Looking forward to match Sunday it’s to be the o connor v Lundy show can’t wait who will win