Club championship football is now underway in earnest within the county and this year the Mayo News football podcast has decided to get in on the action at the grassroots level of the game. Last weekend the second round of group matches took place in both the Senior and Intermediate club championships which meant a slew of games right across the county and plenty of talking points arising from these ties.
Host Rob Murphy and I open this episode by providing an overview of the weekend’s action. Then it’s onto the roundtable at the Mayo News HQ where Rob chats with Mike Finnerty and Ger Flanagan about what the weekend’s results mean for the clubs who are now in pole position to advance to the business end of things as well as those who are already scrambling to avoid demotion.
Our feature game in this week’s episode is the SFC meeting of Garrymore and Charlestown, where Rob and Ger watch the action, following which there’s post-game reaction from John Nally of the victorious Garrymore management team. Mike and Rob also make it to Clogher where they bring you the key moments from the hectic drawn match between Ballintubber and Breaffy. Edwin McGreal then catches up with Westport’s Lee Keegan following their win over Hollymount/Carramore.
This latest edition of the podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes and SoundCloud. You can also listen to it on the Mayo News website as well as here on the blog using the SoundCloud player below or the one on the right.
You have to love Paddy Power Mayo Mick 250/1 for the job and the Pope 500/1
Bit more detail on actual games would be good. Rochford persevered with Drake and good to see him making impression. Bit worrying that the Mitchell’s appear to be well ahead of the posse. A balanced team without or with few outstanding individuals, though it will take a good midfield pairing to match up with Vaughan/Moran. Well done on podcast, a lot more interesting than repututive stuff in relation to CB and new manager appointment.
McGuiness out
Horan on his terms? Will CB go for that? Not straightforward
I was at the Ballina v Ballagh match. It was very close but Ballagh had a little bit more nous (if a little less of the play) which saw them over the line. Best for Ballagh was Drake (who didn’t give Treacey a sniff) , Akram, Regan, Andy (with a couple of great points in the second half) and Hanley did a great job as sweeper helping out an under pressure Seamus Cunniffe.
Best for Ballina were Caff, Mikey Murray, Jack Irwin and Evan Regan. Notable mention to Connor McStay who had a strong first half but faded in the second half. Ballina are very young team but they missed Sean Regan badly and a fully fit Padraig O’Hora who was lively when introduced in the second half.
Ballagh played excellent football (as did Ballina) with Andy pulling the strings at 11 and the pace & power of Akram and Hanley from deep will trouble anyone. Kuba Callahan came on and has serious pace, he set up the crucial second goal for Ballagh and looks a top prospect for Ballagh and Mayo. Ballagh will be a handful in the next round for Mitchells.
McGuinness out and not the right time for Horan – the options are narrowing fast!
There is an interesting piecein the Irish Times by Joanne O’Riordan on the Mayo Co Boards which, both od which she puts in the same bracket, fiddling with the canapes while the dinner burns. Sorry, I don’t have the skills to put up a link.
The county board need to quit this our way or the highway stuff. They are the common denominator in multiple issues with various different previous managers (mickey Moran, Horan, Rochford and the hiring of Holmes and Connelly).
We are one county and we need to start working together to achieve our collective goal. Horan is proven at the highest level, Solan is not and it would be a massive gamble to give him the job. I have nothing against Solan other than the cold hard fact that the sideline were responsible for the u-20 final loss to Kildare as they had no plan whatsoever for Hyland (inexcusable in my book, hammer the hammer and all that). By all means make him a selector on Horans ticket as he would be good for bringing the younger players through and learn the ropes under Horan and in 2 or 3 years be a more experienced and better senior manager and better placed to take the reins.
Give Horan the support he needs financially and otherwise. It’s time we start pulling together as we still have the talent to push for sam (with more coming through). Oh and the players would die for him (not saying they wouldn’t for anyone else but that’s a fact)
Plenty of managers out there that we cannot get because of the circumstances that prevailed when they were previously in the position.
We’ve been lucky in that we have had some very good managers down through the years. For some reason relationships always seem to come under strain. It’s been a very tough week on the outgoing manager and the players and I would think most of the fans. We’re in no man’s land at the moment and can only hope at this stage that we get another decent manager to come in but I am begining to think we are in a bit of a crisis.
Pressure must be now building up on the people who were not supporting Steven.
The whole saga is a bit like a Ryanair flight taking off before the passengers have boarded.
Getting the county board to admit they’re the problem….easier to get the Pope to outlaw celibacy… game over…
Great podcast lads very informative stuff. I think the crowds at the next round will be even bigger if we get some decent weather. All to play for yet. I wonder if the positive vibes coming from Ballagh will survive until the quarter final and semi final. Would to see them go all the way to the final this year. Agree with Mike that Westport have a Moclair Cup in them in the next couple of years if their progress continues. Not a word about Achill, coinnigh do chinn sios a bhuachllailli.
Typo “would love to see them go all the way to a county final”
I’v always thought David Drakes best role would be as a corner back man marker.
All this furore about a manager who won absolutely nothing while in charge. Then we want another individual back who also won nothing at a national level.
When has the bar fallen so low in Mayo? Putting it up to a team was another term for losing, a bit like London putting it up to Mayo in Ruislip a few years ago, now it seems it qualifies a team for greatness. The scoreboard does not lie. The rest is a big yawn.
We deserve the unqualified best..
https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0830/990626-jim-mcguinness-not-interested-in-mayo-role/
Drsake has been one of the best club footballers in this county over the last few years. Always a big player for Ballagh in spite of what you might see on social media
I am no lover of the CB but on this occasion, I can’t see what they could have done differently. The composition of the backroom team was in the public domain before the CB had any chance to review the plans and when they asked to see the plans, Stephen walked. The CB executive voted in by the clubs had the opportunity to show their support but the support was obviously not forthcoming as it was this lack of support from the Executive that Stephen cited as the reason for his resignation. How is this the fault of the CB? The Executive were acting on instruction from their clubs! If the players want Stephen back, they have it in their power to demand this as player representation on the selection panel was granted to the players after their threat of strike action in 2015. They have only to let the CB know that they want Stephen back and it will be granted. This situation can be ended very quickly.
Great report Crete Boom. Ballagh v Mitchell s will be very interesting. Hanley finding his feet and Akram /Callaghan s pace will be tough to handle.
McGuinness out of race certainly strengthens Horans chances of doing it his way.
The executive have made a total mess of this.to put a good manager and person in a position that he had to resign.
Now we could end up with a novice of a manager!
Horan seems to have issues with the county board.mcstay also had issues.mcguinness rules himself out !
Could the county board not admit they made a mistake and go and apologise to Rochford and beg him to come back!
McGuinness out and Horan likely to follow, we’re absolutely screwed here. To all the posters who wanted Rochford out, where are ye’re alternatives? I called manys a poster (and trolls) out on here, to give a viable option to Rochford, still waiting for answers. My intel tells me Horan is’nt going back, so are we left with Mike Solan, an absolute gentleman, and maybe too much so to be a Mayo manager. He’s only about 34 yrs old, and best friend of Andy Moran, how is he to say to Andy, “look buck, you haven’t the 70 in you anymore, I need u as an impact sub” its just not going to happen. Its nearly unfair on Mike if he’s thrust into the managers spot at this time. How can the players really have respect for soneone only a year or 2 their senior?. Mike needs another few years cutting his teeth with a senior club then he’ll be ready.
All the good work started by Horan and carried on by Rochy, is now been undone by the one group who are ment to have the best interests of Mayo football at heart, thats the hardest thing to accept. Theirs no Reilly, Deegan, McQuillan to blane this tine, its our very own board. I swear to God I hope people stop renewing their season tickets, a stand has to be made the way they’ve treated Rochford….with quite obviously no back up plan in place. You could’nt make this shit up.
@mayodunphy only in Mayo could a fiasco like this happen.
Go back last 7/8 years we had two brilliant managers in Horan and Rochford.Horan obviously has issues with some members of the county board which may prohibit him returning now!
Rochford has major issues hence his resignation!
I’m afraid the county board will look for and appoint a yes man .
Not all of us are trolls or indeed anti anybody Mayodunphy. I respect your view, you see SR as a great manager who has/had a good chance to bring Sam to Mayo. I dont and dont care to watch the kind of League and Championship football of 2018 and much of 2017, not to mention lack of player development, poor selection, bizarre substitution strategy and general regression…I like others hope for better…each to their own..
Who do you want in? Even keegan today said Rochford was a brilliant tactician!
Aidan, exactly, a yes man is what they want and that is what they’ll get. Horan on the drift on pp and Solan shortening big time. They’ll throw some ex-player from the 90’s/00’s on the ticket and sure in their eyes it’ll be sound…Connelly might even pick the team himself sure. Get ready for the days when we were bet by the likes of Roscommon and Sligo, because they are returning.
Timetogetoff-, im not saying we had a great season, it was obviously pathetic. But that doesnt mean the manager has to go. Every great manager can have a crap season, do you think the Dubs were happy with Gavin in 2014? Were they Hell, but they gave him time, same with other codes, Ferguson won nothing for 4 years at UTD, but they had the cop to see they had a seirious man in charge. Solan will be appointed in the next week and gone by next September, and its not the lads fault at all. Your entitled to your opinion on Rochford, and thats sound. But history us releating itself here. When Rochford takes over Galway in autumn 2019 and lands the AI with them, their’ll be some amount of egg on faces…a bold prediction, bit one I can see 100% happening.
Aidan…not up to me…thats what others are elected for..I dont claim to know who is the best person for the job..but when something is not working it should be fixed. There is a possibility the CB were trying to try to work with SR to make real changes or suggest change at least which after 2018 I believe they were entitled to. The somewhat surprising realisation that they didnt have someone lined up kind of reinforces that for me…
Thought this was a club thread …Christ
Mayodunphy I accept ur well made points on sticking with a manager…Its just for me we are regressing, our discipline is cat which imo shows lack of managerial control, our ‘marquee playetrs have gone off the boil and i cant see things getting bk on track, I think we are stale.
Something not working? This time last year we came within a whisker of winning an All Ireland! Played brilliant put up a score that would have won the previous 25 finals! Dublin brought on 4 all stars that won them the game!
This year didn’t go according to plan and injuries didn’t help!
Do we want go down the road of English soccer and change managers willy nilly just for the sake of it!
I believe this position that the county board have put Rochford in to resign will come back to haunt Mayo football!
The county board are looking for a Yes man to control.its high time the club delegates stood up to the county board and high time the mayo supporters stood up to the county board ask questions and demand answers.
Would club delegates put forward a motion of no confidence in the executive if answers not satisfactory?
I genuinely thought things were moving in the right direction in mayo Gaa with former players coming in coaching underage teams and the announcement of the development of lough lannagh but this fiasco the last week takes the biscuit.
Well Berry who is the unqualified best man for the job in your opinion. You reckon Rochford has won nothing. Horan before him won nothing. All we have done for the last 7 years is put it up to teams according to your good self. Would you prefer if we didn’t put it up to teams like in the 60s, 70s when we couldn’t even put it up to Connacht teams,the 80s, 90s with the exception of Maughan’s team putting it up to Meath, the 2000s when we didn’t manage to put it up to Kerry in 2 AI finals. Maybe you were around in 1951 but I can’t go back that far so have to console myself with the last few years watching my county not only put it up to but beat Dublin Kerry,Tyrone, Donegal Galway, Cork etc under the stewardship of either Horan or Rochford. Who do you think should manage us now. Maybe we could tempt Gavin or Mickey to come west and work with our Co Board. Maybe Eamon Fitz will make the trek up from the kingdom. Maybe Johnno will make it third time lucky. It’s easy to be critical and whinge about past managers but until you give me a viable alternative then your comment lacks credibility.
Well said mayodunphy. I think you have the view of most mayo fans at the moment.
yes John F ur right…sorry!
I think SR has been harshly sacked. Not enough emphasis has been put on the key injuries we suffered by the time we played Kildare. Remember Kildare lost in close matches to Monaghan and Galway with Galway having an extra man for a large part of the game and they were beating Kerry prior to having a man sent off.
People keep saying this was a bad year but Dublin in 2014, Tyrone in 2006/7 and Kerry in ‘82 & 83 had bad years. Their managers weren’t sacked though and went on to win further AI.
Yes, we struggled at times in the qualifiers but then so did Kerry in 2009 and Tyrone in 2008 and Tyrone scraped past Meath in round 1 this year.
Also, what about the small margins angle? What if DOC didn’t get sent off or TP didn’t get injured against Galway? Could have had a different outcome to our season.
Can anybody answer the following questions? Why was SR required to finalise a back room team by 31 August? What was the rush?
Oh come off it, Spotlight – he wasn’t sacked. This narrative has completely run away with itself and become divorced from reality in the process.
Also, just to add to the question posed by To Win Just Once about who the best manager might be for us now, I’d like to know who the members of the new County Board might be, assuming that those calling for the heads of the existing Board get their way? Just curious.
In fairness WJ, are we not engaging in semantics here? SR stated clearly that he didn’t have the support of the CB in respect of the back room team and if I may, I think it’s fair to say they left him with no real option. He got the message, they got their way. I’m sure if they really wanted him to stay some sort of arrangement could have been accommodated.
I don’t mean to use the ‘s’ word lightly on this forum but there appears to be an inescapable conclusion regarding the modus operandi of the CB in respect of SR’ position. Certainly I could be wrong in my assertion …..but if it walks and quacks like a duck………..
He was sacked in all but name, WJ. They made the situation impossible for him and he stated clearly that he didn’t have their support. They publicly undermined him and put him under pressure in order to make the process as difficult as possible. Well, they got their way, and now it seems they have no alternative lined up and no one seems that interested in the job (and rightly so).
I Don’t have a dog in this fight but to me it seems ridiculous for Rochford to walk when asked probing questions or was it that he didn’t really have a fully signed up team and new his goose was cooked?
Whenwill51end,
When Rochford was given a ridiculously short time to name a backroom team it was tantamount to beeing asked not to bang the door on his way out. He did name a team and apparently it was not to the satisfaction of the people concerned. Had he been given more time he might have got a different team, at least in part. Trying to assemble a backroom team at this time of year when almost anybody you might want is involved with clubs is ridiculous and I think the officials got what they wanted.
I see from the RTE website that Carnacon are back in the Mayo Championship. Common sense. A club cannot be ruled out of a championship for having won it too often.
John F…… I thought the exact same. I was going to post on the matches that i had been at until i seen that it had turned into yet another show about SR and the CB. It makes me think that many individuals do not care about club football or else know nothing about club football in Mayo and are only concerned about the county team.
As a rossie ,I really think the man mayo should go for is liam kearns,done brillant work with tipp even tho players left and a small pick,gives youth a go and with the calibre of players in mayo with youth and experience,I really believe give him 3years and full support he will get on brillant with players,and mayos heartache will end
Lads, what’s done is done! I think just about everyone has by now, exercised their right to let off steam, and thanks, WJ, for providing the platform. Mayo must move forward united. IMO James Horan will do what all good leaders do in a time of uncertainty – take on the responsibility of managing this fantastic bunch of players, and hopefully add fresh blood to finally get them over the line. I have no doubt that having watched Limerick win the hurling, and the professional systems they put in place, will embolden James to go again – and the best of luck to him..
Southpaw, John F,
Many who contribute on this site, like myself, have long left Mayo even if Mayo never left us. But the consequence is that we have little connection with the Mayo club scene. I cannot get back for weekends and club games as I am involved fairly deeply with my local club here in my present home. Generally county finals and sometimes semifinals is the most Mayo club fare I can get to, if there is nothing happening here. So sorry if I bother you with my county concerns.
John F, it would’ve been nice to have a thread that didn’t descend into this topic surely, but I think lots of posters just click on the ‘Recent Comments’ and just pick up the conversation from there. Such is the nature of this place.
Crete Boom, interesting summation of the Ballina/Ballagh game and I agree that the latter will prove a handful as they progress. I was really impressed by Conor McStay in the first half and I really would love to see Padraig O’Hora get another shot st county; he did well last time but seems to be unlucky with injury. I’m told he’s as “hard as nails” and we could do with a few more workhorses like him. I was expecting more from Hanley and Akram, but David Drake was irritatingly impressive throughout, I’d nearly go so far as to say he was MOTM.
Re Andy. I completely respect that. The heading for the topic of podcast was club championship. The one before it was about Rochford and Mayo. Now we have 2 more about mayo and SR
Willie Joe, you pose an interesting question about who might replace incumbents of the County Board if certain people’s wishes come true and they get the ‘heads’ they are calling for. Your comment makes it sound like it is a witchhunt and that the CB are innocent victims. Are people calling for heads? I don’t know that they are specifically. I personally feel, and I don’t have full facts, that the CB have a case to answer. It’s subjective but there are enough question marks there that deserve an answer. The biggest problem I have is the following: if it is true that elements within the CB/or all of them had a desire that SR leave (and did not show confidence in him to stay, or show him the respect of having got us to two AIFs), how is it professional or acceptable if there was no other viable person available to take over the role?
I understand from your comments earlier this week that you feel there was blame on both sides (CB and SR) for the way events transpired, and that SR left it too long to confirm his intention to return as manager. According to a report on the RTE website it looks like he confirmed this intention to the Chairman of the County Board at meeting with him on Thurs, 2 August (https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0813/984910-stephen-rochford-mayo/). It didn’t come into the public arena until 14th August. The Chairman had stated after Newbridge on 30 June that the Board would not contact Stephen for a month, implying or saying that it was important not to take a decision on the future too close to the Newbridge result. From 30 June to 2 August is that month. Maybe I am missing something.
I don’t want to be leaping to unfair or erroneous conclusions and maybe I am doing that.
Reading between the lines of your comment above, Willie Joe, do you feel that the County Board are being unfairly singled out for criticism and responsibility here, and that people are running away with themselves?
On the club scene for the next few years it looks like there can be an impressive revival in East. East had stopped being competitive in terms of Senior, but now should be set to improve in Ballaghadereen, Charlestown, Aghamore, Kiltimagh and Moy Davitts.
Looking through the aughamore team sheet, it contains an impressive number of players that have played at all levels for Mayo. Thought their game with castle at would be much closer. Is it that castlebar have moved further ahead of the remainder of the senior clubs?. Yes it seems so and that they will dominate mayo like corofin does in Galway. I don’t think that this is a development that will be of any benefit to club football in mayo.if club football suffers, mayo football suffers too.
It’s far from semantics, Spotlight. My own position on this in terms of how the crisis unfolded should be well-known by now – see my post from Tuesday and what I said on the podcast (not the club one, the other one).
There’s no need for me to repeat all that here but I will say that my opinions on this issue have been formed following plenty of in-depth discussions with people who know a hell of a lot more than I do about what happened. I do wonder if those who have been very quick to rush to judgment and have been happy to heap all of the blame on one side have made any attempt to take soundings (however cursory) from people who might know more than they do about the issue. Sadly, it appears to me by reading many of the comments that this isn’t the case.
The older I get the less I like black-and-white, good guy/bad guy narratives to explain things. Invariably they prove simplistic and incorrect. In the real world, it’s all messy shades of grey, as I believe it is here too.
No responses as yet, I see, to my invitation for nominations to a replacement County Board. They’ll be needed, you know, because Mayo GAA will cease to function (and it’s not just the senior inter-county side of things that’ll suffer) if the required replacements for these voluntary, unpaid and, clearly, utterly thankless roles fail to come forward.
Someone, by the way, mentioned the club podcast – it really is worth a listen. Mike Finnerty is pure gold on it.
Is it even thought worthy to even expect that there might be any change to the CB over all this messing.
If the CB is made up of delegates from different clubs around the county, no club is going to lay the blame on their man and change their representative.
I’m sure their is a certain prestige in having a club member on the CB and no club is going to jeopardise not having that member on the County board.
It’s assinine to suggest that it’s up to the club’s to ensure there is a change in the CB. It’s just not going to happen. The structures of assembling or changing a CB almost guarantee that this body, the CB cannot be touched.
The CB itself are going to stick together like glue over this and will never admit to having gotten everything or anything wrong.
Why is it okay for the CB to demand and pressurise and implement time constraints on the manager when it has now transpired they have no plan and no time constraints themselves, and now no manager.
CB selection method and the right earned to serve on the Board based on performance is clearly not fit for purpose.
A player has to earn his right to make a panel based on performance. If you don’t perform you don’t make the panel.
A manager has to earn his right to manage that panel based on results. If you don’t perform your out.
A CB don’t have to earn any right to make any decision they wish and regardless of the outcome cannot be held accountable.
Mugabe lasted a long time as the leader of Zimbabwe. Regardless of what he did, the structures in place ensured that he couldn’t be touched.
There must still be an avenue for Rochford to come back into this.
Took a spin down to Bekan Wednesday night to see the Ted Webb. Seven teams two each from Mayo & Galway and one from Sligo,Leitrim & Roscomon
I thought the conditioning of the Galway teams was far in advance of all the others. Mayo East West seemed to be the better of our two teams with Cosgrove Kiltimagh and Walsh and Mylette Castlebar the standouts for me.
The North / South team had a couple of nice players but they had the best player I saw on the.evening in Frank Carr from Ballina. He looked a level above all he played against.
It’s on again tomorrow morning at 11 in Bekan. well worth a €5.
Castlebar are raising the bar, but it has to to be good to see strong gaelic setups in towns like Castlebar and Westport. I have no doubt that Westport will put in a challenge in the near future as will other clubs. I don’t think it will become like intercounty scene where Dublin dominate in terms of population, resources, funding
It’s sad to think that if the executive had been replaced 12 months ago by balloons or even ducks we wold still have a manager and a top one at that and Mayo football would be in a better place than it is right now.
Revellino – see my point from earlier on. You used word ‘asinine’ in one of those two comments you’ve just posted – in that regard I’d look in the mirror if I were you, given the sentiments you’ve expressed in those comments.
Make of this what you will: https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/gaa/gaelic-football/gaelic-football-news/mayo-chiefs-contact-jack-oconnor-13167778
Is there any chance Tony McEntee would take the jòb as Manager??
Willie Joe I heard a rumour from a source purporting to be a fountain of knowledge or portraying that he was well connected of all things Mayo last time around associating Jack O’Connor with the usual “money from America”.
The very same morning that “source” from outside of Mayo gave me this info it turned out that Jack O’Connor had been ratified as the Kerry under 21’s manager the evening before. Oddly enough that same source should have been reasonably well connected given his brother managed an intermediate club in Mayo at the time, but turns out he was full of shite most of the time.
You’re on a roll this week, FDB!
I’m sure Jack O’Connors every waking hour is dominated by the thought of “Is there a corner back like Eddie Doran in Achill who could shut down Dean Rock if I spring him by suprise”.
Jack OConnor and Mayo football. Kill him it would if we were to not have success 🙂
Ridiculous stuff.
I’d have to agree with you JP. Hard to get the head around that story.
Lads i would take jack o connor like a shot .
Absolute non-runner though in my humble opinion for numerous reasons not least the distance.
I think we’ll have a month of negotiations and then it will be Horan.
Give me Horan any day of the week over JOC
@wj. By the reading of that Horan is in no mood for compromising, it’s his way or no way for him. I don’t have think it will be any different for Jack O Connor or any top manager. They will do it their way and take responsibility for the consequences.
So unless the CB are prepared to move and hand over the reins to manager and his team, then we could be looking at a weak appointment, manager no in full control. Not good for Mayo, imo. Contacting JOC before getting in touch with JH is disappointing to say the least and suggests the CB have not matured and moved on….it gets worse
While I understand the reality of replacing the CB is a non runner and the likely candidate pool is fairly limited WJ, what I have advocated is that people join their clubs or become more involved in them. The most realistic way that people can influence change in the county board is to improve the standard of club delegates so that they ask pertinent questions and demand accountability from the executive.
All of the executive on the county board have willingly put their names forward and campaigned vigorously for their positions, they are not the stressed secretary of a rural junior club doing the job because their is no one else to do it.
It’s starting to sound a bit like politics…
I formally announce that I will not attend any Mayo match if Jack O’Connor became manager. For the life of me I cant understand people calIing for McGuinness, O’Connor, etc. And then hearing them reject the prospect – embarrassing. Lets have one of our own for gods sake and stop acting like idiots. I personally want us to win an all ireland with one of us at the helm. Anyway its been proven outside managers dont work. As I feared, the circus has began
Paul I second that!
I’d prefer to see James Horan take the job which I think he will after he gets some assurances from the county board and he obviously has people he need to talk to on his own side first he’s the players choice too and I reckon he’ll be on the sidelines in January. If he doesn’t however take it I’d have no problem with Jack O Connor he’s a proven winner he would command instant respect in the dressing room and is very shrewd when it comes to substitutions but I can’t see him taking it.
For sure, Liam, that’s what should happen. I’d go one step further, though – it’s not enough just to ask questions and look for accountability. Being in perpetual opposition is a comfort zone too so if delegates aren’t happy and think they can do better then they should run for office themselves.
This isn’t for everyone, of course – I know myself from my own extremely limited bit of involvement with my local club how time-consuming it is to volunteer your services to the GAA and I know you need no lecturing on this point either. The organisation, in Mayo and nationally, would collapse in a heap without the voluntary commitment that’s put in by so many, week after week, year after year. Those calling for heads and characterising in such a negative way people who do get involved and give so freely of their time should ask themselves a simple question: would I be willing to do the job myself?
Cant see Jack O’Conner accepting the job whether we want him or not. Let’s face it, Jack is no mug and his assessment is probably that this great Mayo team has probably peaked [open to question I know] and is on the way down whereas the Kerry team is probably 2-3 years away from peak with a conveyor belt of talent for the next 5 years at least.
If O’Conner says ‘no’ thats 3 Top Tier Managers that have rejected Mayo. That top tier is a relatively small group though and there’s no many feasible otpions left there. The craic really starts when the CB have to choose from 2nd tier Managers
Will Players like AOS, Lee, Cillian, Diarmuid, Paddy D etc accept a 2nd tier Manager to manage them for what should be the peak period of their career i.e. their late 20s.? Trouble ahead, I wouldn’t say this saga has reached it’s nadir yet.
Well said Willie Joe above. I took on what I thought was a minor administration job in a club a few years ago – and the amount of time involved is unbelievable – I can only imagine what time is involved at county board level. Did Mayo not win the all-Ireland over last 7 years because the county board did not provide the resources required – I don’t think so. The Mayo senior team and backroom team were very well looked after (and rightly so) by the county board over last 7 years maybe even to the detriment of underage development within the county.
From where Jack O’ Connor lives – it is a minimum 5.5 hour drive to Castlebar – its not gong to happen.
A lot of Mayo supporters wanted Rochford out after this year – especially when his backroom team was announced. Now that he is gone – a lot of people want him back – damed if you do and damed if you don’t.
There always seems to be a feeling that the CB are anti Mayo. I would find this hard to believe. For sure there are areas for improvement but I find it difficult to believe that everything bad thgat happens is the fault of the CB.
Can anyone name 3 people that they would put on their “dream County Board ” that would deliver success. Surely there must be some ideas of who can do better
Jack OConnor lives near cahirciveen in south Kerry, that’s about as far from Mayo as you could get on the Island of Ireland, so unless he gave up his job and moved to Mayo or the county board we’re prepared to get him a private jet it’s unlikely he would be an option.
The Jack O’Connor story breaks the morning after the McGuinness nonsense stops, you gotta hand it to PP etc, they know how to keep the circus going as the bets roll in – just more nonsense!
Why are the county board even asking JOC? Even if it takes an intermedaitery, Horan and CB should be brought together to exchange viewpoints. There are many posters here like myself, who are heavily involved and bring valuable skills to many voluntary organisations. I’m sure it’s no different with volunteers in the GAA at all levels. Constructive criticism is never a bad thing, we all need wake up calls from time to time…
Anybody from Dragons Den interested in the Mayo job?
PP aren’t even quoting a price for OCorror for the Mayo job on a list that includes Mayo Mick and the pope, he is however 11/8 favourite for the Kerry job.
@redcol how did mayo do in those ted Webb games?
East/west beat Roscommon .North/South beat Leitrim then lost to Galway city/west all results and fixtures on Connacht GAA website.
Similar to the bullshit McGuinness story that broke from the Sun a few weeks ago, there isn’t a source named or even a quote linking JOC to Mayo.
Again, pathetic journalism.
Berry it was a little lower in 2010,and as for before I Maugham took over in 93 it was lower still,but some good might come from it,if only we could get someone so election prospects
I see a lot of people blaming Stephen for lack of discipline,must be a good manager then,because the best manager in English football always had players in trouble Toy Keane springs to mind.for the record I have highest respect for both J Horan,and S Stephen Rochford,James because he made us a grated team and competitive,on balance Stephen was more likely to grow a curve ball so I hope it is sorted because I can see us falling down
If the county board really have contacted Jack O’Connor, then they’ve really lost the run of themselves.
Mayo GAA is now simply to big to be ran by part time volunteers, its as simple as that. JP Lambe was treasurer for 18 years and had a crew of steady volunteers that manned every gate in the county, that is no easy task and in fact he’s still organising them. Was JP the best man for organising corporate fundraisers, probably not, but it still doesn’t mean there’s not a role for him and men like him. Managing the fixtures of 50 clubs, the referees, the stewards, gate collectors etc etc is a huge job, never mind a multi million euro sports team on top of that.
Installing a director of football and a commercial director to handle the technical aspects of the county set up and then focusing on making sure it all runs smoothly, that’s the job of the county board in my opinion. There’s no shame in putting up your hand and saying you need help. I can’t imagine Leitrim have genuine aspirations for winning an All Ireland but yet the county board hired Pàraic Duffy to set up a panel to interview and select their next manager. They gave him the list of requirements and then trusted that a man used to brokering multi million euro deals and complex negotiations would do a better job than they could. That shows a willingness to accept that you may not have the requisite skills for a task but your willing to get someone who has and that is leadership.
Can it even be described as journalism Mark . The quality of media nowadays is pure rubbish .
Ah lads, can people stop and think before commenting on the Jack OConnor rumour, it’s complete shite, never going to happen. Even if and it’s a massive if he was interested I wouldn’t want him. I don’t want any outside manager. Mayo needs a Mayo man in charge. We are entering a period where the team needs new blood over the next few years, a manager with knowledge of the club scene in Mayo is vital, not a blow in who will milk what ever is left of the current panel and then feck off. How can we call ourselves a top football county, a football mad county if we can’t produce one manager to take over the team. Horan is the only choice but only if the CB agrees to his demands. They need to give him whatever he wants and make it public so they can’t row back on them in the future.
I have nothing to do with the County Board, but when they had a vote passed so that they could speak to Rochford, I thought that they have learned lessons and they are finally going about things the right way.
Losing Buckley, McEntee, Burke did undermine the management package Rochford had in place.
I think their ideal scenario would have been if Rochford had let them open up the job for other possibilities while also keeping his Management “package” in the frame to manage the County team next season.
Then they could assess which option would be best suited for the job, which could have been what Rochford was putting forward.
There appears to be alot of destructive criticism of “The County Board” at the moment.
The most important thing is that everyone is on the same team and people aren’t using “The County Board” as an excuse or an escape route.
Willie Joe I’m with you 100% when you say there is no black and white in this situation or indeed in most situations I have been involved in over many many years. Unlike you, I do not have connections that are well placed to enlighten me on this story. However, I have had reason to work with a number of county chairmen from inside the county and outside. Their role is hugely demanding. It is the equivalent nowadays of a CEO of a mid-sized company in the commercial world. I have heard them speak of the pressures they are under on the interpersonal front by being constantly in the public eye and on the financial front trying to keep the show on the road. It is 24/7 in counties like Mayo, Kerry Dublin, Galway etc. Yes they chose to go for that position but I wonder how many were aware just how demanding it can be or how well prepared they were. As well they are volunteers many of whom have little or no background in high level leadership and management.
I think when we call for widespread change at county board level we need to bear in mind how difficult it is nowadays to get volunteers.
This is not a defense of Mayo County Board or a shifting of the blame to Steven Rochford – just another insight into the reality of being a Co. Chairman.
Liam A “County Manager” type role might be a good idea but that wont come for free probably cost €100000 to hire that indivdual . Is the money better spent there or on coaching.
Not talking about a county manager Pat, I said appointing a full time commercial director and a director of football. This is nothing new, it was proposed in Liam Horan’s strategic review in 2010 and Dublin implemented both after their Blue Wave strategic review in 2011. Commercial Directors added revenue will more than cover their costs and as Dublin have shown, a director of football (Paul Cullen) can help continued on the field success through proper coaching structures in schools and clubs. Speculate to accumulate and all that.
What happens if the county board struggle to find a suitable manager and appoint a less qualified one. Do people feel the players will accept that given their past stance on lowered standards? I think the lid hasn’t fully been lifted off Pandora’s Box just yet…
Does anyone know when the official announcement of the New York fixture takes place?
I don’t know, Whitey, but I do know that it’s not 100% certain as yet. More like 99% but it still has to be confirmed for definite.
its amazing how Dublin implemented their review, but Mayo have not. Backward thinking, no wonder we are a laughing stock, an offer of €10k to fund commercial manager back in 2016, still not taken up. Mayo will be back in New York with the bloody biscuit tin scrapping pennies, unlike kerry who fundraised and got €700k on their trip to New York. The county board, if Horan is the best man for the job, allow him the required control. Do it for the benefit of Mayo football, and let him bring us back to the top table where we belong . The further you prolong the process, it will affect next seasons preparations.
Must say, and this is after taking into account the jam packed podcast 1, that the County Board stink on this one. They are the ’employer’ and even if Rochy didn’t dot all the ’employee’ i’s and cross the t’s, the buck stops with Mike C and he should have been much more proactive about keeping his man on board. Look at his media comments in retrospect. Why the megaphone diplomacy? As I said before, I could give them some credit if they were ruthless had somebody lined up. They have stumbled into this like fools. Now we have James Horan putting it up to them, effectively saying, if you really want me you are going to do it on my terms. And, given their previous fractious relationship with him they won’t do that.
Difficult to have good journalism , when everyone expects their news for free these days
Thanks, mayomanindublin – I was getting worried there that the biscuit tin was being forgotten about! That wouldn’t do. Dublin don’t need one, of course – last year their accounts showed that they raised less than €50k from fundraising. It’s not that they’re crap at it, just they don’t need to stoop to anything like this. And they don’t, what with the wall of cash coming at them each year from AIG to Ballygowan to the Bertie money and all the rest. How the other half lives, eh?
Please not Jack O C ..where did that come from ….we need a mayo manager simple as
Anybody know the times and venues for next weekend’s championship action?
Justin – The details for all next weekend’s SFC and IFC matches are here: https://mobile.twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1035588032479383552. We’ll be covering all the action on the podcast and I’m looking forward to getting to a few of the games then myself.