None of us expected Mayo’s inter-county year at senior level to finish before the end of June but the defeat to Kildare in Newbridge meant that’s what happened. So, for the first time since 2011, the county has failed to reach the final four in the championship and our fall from grace has been amplified by the fact that, alone among all the teams in Division One, we’ve found ourselves shut out of the new Super 8 series of games that are currently being played out.
All of which means that followers of the county team have plenty to ruminate on right now and so too has the Mayo News football podcast. In this episode of the podcast, host Rob Murphy and I get the ball rolling on our end of season review, using the backdrop of Saturday’s All-Ireland U20 semi-final win to do so.
From there we head over to Mayo News HQ in Westport where Rob is joined by Mayo News regulars Mike Finnerty, Edwin McGreal and Ger Flanagan for an in-depth review of where things stand following the county’s untimely championship elimination last month. In a wide-ranging discussion the lads look at the current situation within the senior squad, delve into some of the numbers that underpin the run this group have been on since 2011 and assess how things look for the future.
This latest episode of the podcast is now online and 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 panel on the right.
The Mayo News football podcast is proudly sponsored by the Oxford Arms in London. Theme music for the podcast is “Carrying the Fire” by The Walls.
Sound but nothing but let out of the bag there , don’t understand all this hush hush stuff about backroom team.
Excellent podcast as usual. It will be interesting to see if management stay on they will have to have difficult conversations with a few of the lads if they tho. Might be best for all if there is a change of management I can’t really see us winning anything with the same set up. A new broom sweeps clean and all that.
Wonderful podcast. A lot of food for thought. I agree that we have not used the League properly over the last few years to blood new players. We have become to obsessed with preserving our Division 1 status, important as that is and have lost sight of the bigger picture. At the end of the day our longevity in the top division has not delivered the All Ireland we all crave. it hasn’t even delivered a league title. Survival seems to have become the only goal.
Stephen deserves a good long summer break with his family along with the players but at the same time we cannot allow the decision on his continuing to drag on through the summer and find ourselves spending the autumn searching for his replacement if that is how it turns out. .
Can’t see rochford budging tbh , he was in attendance at Carrick too.
Also can’t see a cash strapped county board proping up “expenses ” of current backroom team. I expect Buckley (unfortunately) and mcantee to leave their positions.
If Stephen is staying in he needs to freshen up some of his backroom team. Players get bored listening to same voice all the time. Buckley is a top class coach – Kerry would love to have him back to coach all the young players coming through. Hopefully he will stay on with Mayo.
Haven’t listened to podcast yet, but feel Rochy’s not for turning. If he wanted to go, the Time to do it was immediately after Newbridge. He committed up to 2020 last year. Furthermore, the one silver lining is that now, he has time to think, view the rest of Summer games objectively, Autumn, to plan training and squads, no Winter trips to distract players. There are gaps and big shoes to fill: Barry gone, Seamie and Tom crocked – all midfield giants. There is great promise in some U20s, while the county championship may throw up some here and now possibilities.
A further point is that Rochy is moulding the team to his philosophy; it has taken a while and wasn’t easy. A new broom would have quite a job to start over with this bunch of been there done that guys.
Sometimes it is good not to make a snap dscision, ie, sit it out and wait to see what happens, more important to see what is said in local and national media.
The local Mayo papers would always tend to be cautious, would’nt print stuff that might upset the management for fear of upsetting the newspaper purchasers.
Maybe the question should be put to Rochford, what are his intentions, I can only presume that the County Board have done this already.
Div 1 status is paramount, maybe this will be the only Division that will contest the All Ireland with the others in a B competition in the coming years.
If Stephen stays on he needs to freshen up his back room team, why not a forwards coach. Tyrone are scoring heavily lately (Harte has Stephen O Neill on board as a forwards coach). Strength and conditioning programme must be a priority for the younger players (Boland, Loftus, Hanly, Ruane, Akram and Reape and Durcan). Cash strapped county board why do they not appoint a commercial manager like Kerry to bring in extra funding?
Very good podcast. There is however a kind of thinking or line that a lot of guilty of throwing out there about our older experienced players typically stated “Will the young players be able to replace the likes of Andy Moran, Keith Higgins and Colm Boyle”
So, these have been fine players, but I think we overstate the gap. It’s their 2018 version of themselves that needs to be replaced and all three seem to have took a not insignificant dip since 2017.
If we further that on into 2019 it wouldn’t be a suprise to me if both of Andy and Colm were passed out by some of the younger players on the panel.
I just mention as sometimes it is thrown out there almost as if it is peak versions of these players that the younger players will be in competition with. The argument is starting to go the other way, it is declining versions of legendary players who are starting to come under major pressure from getting closer to their peak years (24-28) younger players.
I put it out there as I actually see it being possible for our squad strength to improve in 2019.
– Establish for once an experienced strong (mentally/physically) bench
– For sure we should have a much pacier starting 15 in 2019 …. it would be pretty poor selection policy if we cannot manage to lift the pace of the team in 2019 given that it was a major weakness
Now, doesn’t that surely look like the potential for a strong squad if we are saying a much quicker starting 15 and a much better bench? Where is the gap given that Gaelic football is ever more athletic every year and we have always had a weak bench.
Great podcast! Really hope Stephen stays on this is his chance to put his stamp on the team he hasn’t been able before! he almost got James team across the line now it’s time to get his over it! backroom team needs to be freshened up and for the love of God bring in a forwards coach please !!
I think Billy Joe Paddens point about it taking 3 full years for a potentially talented young player to come in and make the breakthrough is abit over the top to be honest.Lee Keegan, Aidan O ‘Shea and Cillian O’Connnor didnt need 3 full years they all made the breakthrough on there first year.Look it Galway this year Sean Kelly and Thomas Cooke came in ,Kerry had 7 debutants all under 22 that came in and have stepped up quite quickly.If your good enough your old enough.Players like Jack Reilly, Ciaran Treacy and Brian Reape are 22 or 23 now and need to be given chances in the League next year.
Jack Reilly plays very much like Shane Walsh for Galway two footed , really quick and a good free taker , and I would hope to see him brought in at the start of next year.
Whatever we do, don’t let Buckley go. He has done wonderful work.
Look at our standard of tackling!
Some time ago, Peter Canavan said he’d fancy managing Mayo.
With his Sky commitments, that’s probably not on now.
But I wonder would he take a place as forwards coach?
Up to whoever is manager next year and the Co Board.
If a player is good enough give him his chance , certainly if they are fully developed and that is about 20 yrs.
Tackling is not the advantage that it once was. See how hard it is to isolate a Dublin player.
Out teamwork in attack has not kept pace with our ambitions or our standard of player.
I thought in attack our 2016 u21s and 2018 u20s had superior teamwork to our seniors.
It’s an interesting point you make JP about the experienced ageing 2018 and now potentially 2019 player that is to be replaced and not the 24-26 year old version of that player. For sure, hands down you are right, but and there is a but, it’s not all to do about strength and conditioning and pace or even talent . You have to have temperament, confidence, composure, awareness timing and a world of other attributes. I’m not saying that the newbies don’t have these or won’t have these in their locker but it takes time. Some are saying that long term players are casting a shadow as such on the next generation in key positions on the field in not allowing them develop these attributes but I disagree. The challenge will be to not throw out the baby with the bath water in the year ahead. The challenge will not only be to develope a squad with strength and depth and pace.. it will be achieving that and bringing it as far as Croke Park. Say for example we get drawn against Galway again in the early rounds of Connaught and then draw Monaghan or Tyrone in the back door (God forbid). We could have a young pacey bloody and bruised team with an under utilised strength and depth bench sitting at home early doors in 2019. We need to get the best team on the field as always no matter who that may be. But we need to do other things to help facilitate that transition. So what are these other things and what would I do for 2019…
1. I’d add at least two metres to the width and length of Machale park, level it and resurface it.. develop it into super 8 fortrest Machale park.. and do it now
2. We need a strong long distance stamina midfielders.. replacement for Diarmuid and back up to Tom and Sheamy (fingers crossed there still there next year)
3. We need to bring in a two footed low trajectory accurate soccer style goal keeper
4. Maintain the management we have but bring in a forwards coach also (open to debate)
5. Send players and Management to the USA and UK in the closed season and fund raise like feck.. two million would be good.
6. Lock up the next person who mentions the curse in cold storage with Brollicks, Patten Spill and Smiley face Cavanagh.
We have the players, the resources and the ability to move forward and achieve whatever our goal is in 2019.. of course you will always need a little luck but the only thing stopping us is ourselves.
JP agree with nearly all your comments on hear but do you feel or at least I do that U21 football and now U20 remain. The last hoorah for the purist football. Love the grade and I remember reading the last couple of years comment lamenting the lost after watching the standard of football played. I agree at times that Rochford seem void of ideas in an attacking since but the Unferage level is a more open football. I feel that we sometimes use the wrong player in a forward position, converted midfield players or athletes over instinct.
I love the mixture in this U20 side to be honest. Maybe Rochford felt he hadn’t the options available but from the outside looking in he fell into a lot of good decisions like Diarmuid playing midfield. Love the podcast they hit a lot of comments that have been floating on here maybe a bit more politically correct way about it. Love the Mike Finnerty analysis that was mentioned about the playing time players had put in the last 6-7years the only thing I would have loved for him to go a step further and view those outside of the 18 or so players he listed. Would loved to have seen the stats on Nally and the amount of minutes he has got in championship football since he joined the panel same with Kirby Drake Crowe Conor o Shea. Seeing this in open print would tell a tale.
Also didn’t Rochford pinch the U21 forward coach from last year.reason why Michael Conroy and Damien Egan are now involved
Also about the U20s loved the Sean Rice column this week in the Mayonews
JP
If you were to bring in 3 forwards next year and give them starts in the National League who would they be?? I would be goin for Jack Reilly, Brian Reape and Ryan O’Donoghue.Havn’t see enough yet of James Carr , Ciaran Treacy and Peter Naughton but hope to get to see them in action in Club championship.
Brian Reape and Fionn McDonagh would be the 2 forwards I think can make the breakthrough next year. McDonagh is a left footed free taker as well which we badly need.
The club championship should be good this year. The senior county players will be well rested and the U20 players will be full of confidence going back to their clubs.
And hopefully all the Overseas for the summer players come back. Completely understand students want to get away for the summer make abit of money for the following college year. But there is the risk they get hooked on the lifestyle and opt to change paths. Reape been away for the past two summers he is nearly finished college so next year is important if he is not brought in I can see him following Liam Irwin’s path to destination unknown.
Interesting to see people want Buckley to stay on, he has been part of the setup for six years and I would feel a fresh voice needed. New training methods and drills to keep the older lads fresh. I anticipate a new coach maybe Alan Flynn getting involved he is helping Castlebar this year and probably wont get much more out of Clare. He also worked with SR in GMIT.
From watching club football, Ciaran Treacy is the one forward that I feel can make the step up. Also think Sharoize and Seamus from Ballagh should get the league. Club Championship will be interesting to see improvement if any in James Mccormack, Fionn McDonagh and Matthew Ruane, Gary Walsh.
There is a reason staying in division 1 is so important…the monthly loan repayments on MacHale Park. When we have a Kerry or Dublin in town the attendance is 10-15,000….if we drop and play the likes of Laois or Clare will the attendance stay at this level? Not a hope….then as a result everything suffers….team running costs, fundraising etc…it’s a domino effect and not a road we can afford to go down right now
It requires a panel of players to win an all Ireland. Rochford has not built that panel. It requires timely introductions of bench players to utilise that panel. That has not happened under Rochford. It requires pyhsical and mental conditioning to bridge the gap between the established players and newcomers to the panel. Hasn’t happened. Instead soul destroying substitutions in 69th minute. Regan, Boland and others have not progressed. We need to get real here. I hope Adam Gallagher, Shane Nally and caolan Crowe play out of their skin in club matches this summer. Remember Hanly was drafted onto subs bench when he was not even playing outstanding club football. Time to draw a line under all of that imo but I’m not convinced the county board will do it. Rochford s hands were not tied to getting horans team over the line, his task was to keep Mayo competitive.
The use of the league as a block builder for championship has been pathetic. Large mayo following go to these league matches and expect mayo to be competitive
Well on first impression I’d love to see oisin mgloughlinn , jordan Flynn and Ryan o donoghue brought straight into senior panel. I’m asking JP do you think their likes now is the right time ?
If I was to bring in three fringe forwards I would bring in guys with composure and spark.
– Brian Reape as he has composure on the ball and is an excellent goal scorer
– Ryan ODonoghue as he can make an agile difficult to mark impact sub
– James Mccormack as he’s athletic as a half forward/midfielder
@Sean Burke. I think 2019 is moreso the u21 – u23s year. 2020 before the u20s make a big mark but they need to be developed further in 2019.
Would love to see John Divilly be the Dublin based Selector if Tony McEntee goes.Has experience with 2 Sigerson cup winning teams.With 19 players of last years panel based in Dublin, its votal that Rochy has someone good up there during the early part of the year.
There is a huge difference between Division 1 and 2 football. Ros are a good example – they are able to win Division 2 every 2nd year but when they hit Division 1 and meet Division 1 teams in championship – they are really shown up. The pace and intensity of Division 1 football – even in February and March – is at a totally different level to division 2. That is the division to find out if lads are good enough or not.
I have to say I agree with the comments of ‘ontheditch’ above.
I think we should forget about January football and the FBD and target Division 1 of the League from the off.
We need to target Division 1 with as many newcomers as possible and hold the remaining members of James Horan’s team in reserve getting them ready for April/May.
Building a panel is in my view the overriding concern going forward … we are not going to go anywhere by re-hashing the same players. We only need 5/6 points to stay in Division 1 so we could strategically introduce the likes of AOS, Paddy Durcan, DOC, etc, at the end of League games where the points are still on offer.
This would give us the opportunity to see more newcomers in a competitive environment.
I was in Carrick at the weekend and based on that one game I thought the likes of Conroy & Diskin are not far away from a step up. We urgently need to see at least one new midfielder plus a No.3 and a No.6.
Would it be a good idea to bring in some of our senior players who are out of football for the rest of of the year into the u20 mangement as coaches now as they prepare for the all ireland final. Imagine the confidence it would make to the team. Imagine the difference the likes of Aidan O Shea would make having him involved. It would improve training as well. These senior players know Croke park well having playing there every year in massive game for last few years. Could make a difference.
Coaching and playing are poorly linked.
Some players to watch out for in Club championships
Westport: Fionn McDonagh,Oisin McLoughlin,
Patrick O’Malley, Paul Lambert
Claremorris: James McCormack, James Stretton ,Conor Diskin
Ballaghadareen: Sharoize Akram,Cian Hanley, Seamus Cunniffe
Breaffy: Michael Hall, Matthew Ruane, Dylan Cannon
Knockmore :Peter Naughton, Darren McHale
Ballina : Ciaran Treacy, Patrick O’Hora, Michael Murray
Belmullet :Ryan O’Donoghue, James Kelly,
Gary Boylan
Aghamore :Fergal Boland , Ross Egan
Castlebar :James Durcan, Rory Byrne
Charlestown :Jack Reilly, Gareth O’Donnell
Crossmolina :Jordan Flynn
Moy Davitts :Brian Reape
Garrymore: Jamie Oates
Ballintubber: Michael Plunkett
Ballinrobe: Evan O’Brien
Ardagh :James Carr
Mayo Gaels: Adam Gallagher
Not sure if these are totally off the radar but some may not give up total hope for one or two Darren Coen and Nathan Moran Hollymount, Gary Walsh doing well for Breaffy. James Shaughnessy and Brian Gallagher Claremorris Fionan Duffy from Crossmolina David Kenny Aghamore has been tried a couple of times not sure what is going wrong there, what about Josh Ronyane at Davitts solid club player never seem to get a look in in county colors. Kiltimagh’s Sean Walsh
On a year like this, it would be interest to see County Cup at Under 23-25 level setup to see whats out there, even if was played in October
Players to watch out for in club championship.
Aghamore: Ross Egan.
Charlestown:Jack Reilly.
Ballagh:S Akram.C Hanley.
Moy Davitts:B Reape .
Kiltimagh:Cillian Finn Sean Walsh.
Ballina:Ciaran Treacy.
Knockmore:Darren McHale.Peter Naughton. Crossmolina:Jordan Flynn.Fionnan Duffy.
Belmullet: James Kelly.Ryan O’Donoghue. Achill:Eddie Doran.
Ballintubber:Michael Plunkett.
Breaffy: M Hall.M Ruane .C o Shea.Gary Walsh. Louisburgh.Padraig o Malley.
Westport:Patrick o Malley.Brian o Malley.Paul Lambert.Eoghan McLaughlin .Fionn McDonagh.Oisin McLaughlin.Colm Moran. Ballinrobe:Evan o Brien.
The Neale:Tommy Conroy.
Claremorris:James McCormack.Conor Diskin. Mayo Gaels:Tommy Keane.John Gallagher.Adam Gallagher. Davitts:Josh Ronayne.
That’s a pretty good list Chris !
I hope Rochford stays for his remaining 3 years. One of the best football managers we ever had, a brave individual, who is not afraid to make a call when needed. I cannot believe a Mayo person that has a clue about football and coaching would suggest on this blog that we should look to replace Buckley. What a load of nonsense. Highly regarded before he joined us we can all see that he alone has made quality footballers of this squad. McEntee’s hand is all over our game and he needs to be retained. Over the last couple of years this Mayo team have produced great football. Better than I have witnessed in my time. I give Rochford huge credit for all the things that have done well and there is plenty to celebrate. It is not his fault if some of players that have been given the opportunity to make the big step up are unable or unwilling to do so. This year we saw EOD emerge from the pack. He was primed and ready and I believe he celebrates his 21 st birthday in 2018. Am I alone in believing he has raised the bar for the other 17 or so.
EOD should have started the last two games I haven’t heard a good explanation why he didn’t yet. You are right he had a hell of a season believe last year was his final year at U21. Buckley is a keeper you might have a player revolt if anyone suggested otherwise. Believe it was the players request for him to be kept on when the board was looking for someone new 3 years ago.
Mike Finnerty stats were pretty starling about the 16-17 players that has mostly been used these past few years we just need to find and blood 5-6 more like EOD fresh and hungry players Not players who have set on a bench for 5 years and did nothing. If you have spent that long training having chances sorry that part I don’t get. If Rochford stays he has to be ruthless all top managers are
Well done mayo gooch Chris Kelly and Redcol on marking our cards re club games this summer. Very extensive list…very helpful.
I always wondered how much impact Donie Buckley really had. He only joined the management in 2013 and IMO the real improvements in the squad took place during 2011 & 2012. 2013 was more of a natural progression as key players moved into their mid twenties i.e. peak age.
I’d be happy for Rochford to stay but there needs to be some shake up in the backroom team. Everything was a bit stale this year.
Mayogooch: pretty much the same names I had put down!
The Best Team Under 24 in the County plenty of talent there in my opinion
1.Paddy O’Malley Westport
2.Eoin O’Donoghue Belmullet
3.Seamus Cunniffe Ballaghadareen/Jamie Oates Garrymore
4.James Stretton Claremorris
5.Sharoize Akram Ballaghadreen
6.Paddy Durcan Castlebar Mitchels
7.Michael Plunkett Ballintubber /Oisin McLoughlin Westport
8.Diarmuid O’Connor Ballintubber
9.James McCormack Ballintubber/Matty Ruane Breaffy
10.Jack Reilly Charlestown/Fionn McDonagh Westport
11.Conor Loftus Crossmolina/James Carr Ardagh
12.James Durcan Castlebar Mitchels/Cian Hanley Ballagh
13.Ryan O’Donoghue Belmullet/Adam Gallagher Mayo Gaels
14.Brian Reape Moy Davitts/Liam Irwin Breaffy
15.Ciaran Treacy Ballina Stephenites/Peter Naughton Knockmore
Stephen Coen
James Carr
Fionn McDonagh
Oisin McLaughlin
Paul Lambert
Peter Naughton
Conor Diskin
Adam Gallagher
Chris looks like a touch of copyright there alright.
On the mark again with the U24 list, only 5 or so survivors from the 2012 minors. Conor o Shea Evan Regan Padraig o Hora a year older not many others still around from the 2011 minors. Evan o Brien and Jordan Flynn. Will be pushing the others for midfield spots sooner rather than later. James McCormack could settle in at CHB. Not sure where Plunkett best position is or even Michael Halls. Ross Egan probably is also working his way onto that list you’re right plenty of talent just need the chance to prove it
I think all the back room team will go except Barry Solan and Joe Keane. In fact I would say they already have gone, just not official yet. Rochford simply has to stay on, he’ll finally have an uninterrupted pre season. No stupid team holiday in January, which never made sense having it so late. An avoidance of Galway till the Connacht final next year is imperative. Time we get a bit of luck in the connacht draw.
The first thing that needs to happen, and fairly soon as well, is that Stephen Rochford needs to say whether or not he wishes to manage the team in 2019. After that the back room team has to to be put in place (deciding who stays and who goes). It is only then some players will start to make up their minds (or have their minds made up for them) as to their involvement next year.
Preparations for 2019 need to begin in earnest fairly soon, looking seriously at potential panel members and how they perform in the championship, deciding on the bones of a new panel, S&C for younger lads, rest and recovery for older players etc.
There is no reason to delay this process any longer. Delaying only wastes a great opportunity to reorganise – the only real bonus of not being involved in super 8 football.
Some people want Donie Buckley to go—he would be taken up by Kerry straight away.
We have no insight good bad or indifferent on Donie Buckley as a coach.
You would however imagine you need a different voice and approach after six years.
Reape scored 0-6 in his latest game with McBrides, now 2-10 in 2 games, Diarmuid scored 1-1, he linked up with Reape for his goal hope its a sign of things to come. McBrides 1-10 Parnells 2-7
Brian Reape scored 4-5 in his first game versus Parnell’s in late June also.
In 3 games so far in Chicago he’s scored 6-15.Impressive stuff so far.
Reape has to be our new full foward option, the most lethal goal finisher with Cillian in the County.
Would really like to see Jack Reilly get a run, the nearest thing to Shane Walsh of Galway in Mayo, really quick and can kick scores of both feet.Don’t kno why to this date Rochy has ignored him.
When Rochford asked for an additional 2 years to his 3 year term, I hope that was done for one of two reasons. 1, to divert any unnecessary attention with it being his final year and so to prevent a Sam or bust scenario developing, thereby greatly increasing the pressure within the camp. Or, 2, because he recognized (he’s not stupid you know) that this squad will need refreshing in a number of positions in the squad. This process is likely to take 2 to 3 years to complete. As it stands he is still the manager and we must assume, and I hope it is, the case until he announces otherwise.
To try and determine where we are going over the next 2 to 3 years we have to ask ourselves, honestly, is the 2018 panel of players good enough to win Sam in 2019? Clarke, Higgins, Moran will all be 36, 34 and 36 respectively and everyone else will have another year on the clock. Seamie should be back and hopefully Tom will, but, realistically I don’t believe the same group will win Sam in 2019. So, if I was Rochford I would think long and hard about what the target is for 2019. What are our priorities and aims. What would represent a successful season.
If I was Stephen, my target for 2019 would be the following…..
1. An FBD victory, using a squad made up of all senior players under 25 years of age, the best of the 2016 U21 All Ireland winning squad (21 to 24 year old) and 6 of the best from this years U20 squad.
2. League division 1 survival but targeting mid table as opposed to the flukey, seat of your pants, inconsistent rubbish we have produced the last 2 years. In each game I would give an entire game to one new back, one new midfielder and two new forwards. We have to trust that our young lads are good enough to compete in the league, we only need 6 points to survive after all. We have to give them enough time in competitive games to give them a chance to settle, play without fear and do their stuff. Coming off the bench with 2 mins to go, in my opinion, is only making a fool of the player. It takes 5 to 7 mins to get your breathing right and legs moving to begin with.
3. A Connaught final appearance. Winning it would be great but even if we lost, it would only mean an additional game to get in to the Super 8’s.
4. A Super 8’s appearance.
5. The toughest bit, but by the 2019 seasons end I would target a turnover of 5 to 7 players in the squad.
The plan for 2020 would be as above but to finish in the top 4 of league division one, win Connaught and get to an All Ireland semi-final. By the end of 2020 I would target another turnover of 4 or 5 players.
By the start of 2021, our 2016 U21’s will be 24 to 26 years of age, coming in to their physical prime. Our 2018 U20’s will be 22 to 23 years of age.
Our aim should be heading in to 2021 and coming out with Sam. No excuses. We could have a much younger squad (many who have won All Irelands) knitted around the senior players like Keegan, A O’Shea, Cillian, Doherty, Vaughan, Harrison, and Paddy Durcan.
To aid this transition process I would approach Mike Solan and ask him to come on board at senior level. He knows all the young lads and they now him. I would ask all the senior players to make their services available for 2019 but I would make it crystal clear that this is a period of transition and they will sit out games at the expense of league points, and, the younger lads coming through. If they don’t like that, then out the gap for them. No matter who they are. I would manage the older lads’ playing time and have them coming off the bench to close out/rescue games and also to mentor the younger lads coming through. But. And this would be the big thing for those lads to swallow, they are no longer the priority. This process is not about tweaking what is already there to win Sam in 2019, we’ve done that and it hasn’t worked. This process is to re-build for 2021.
The future is bright.
Sounds like if we just put Brian Reape and Liam Irwin in the full forward line we will be unstoppable. Evan Regan beside them . Just for frees of course. Conor Loftus half forward line. For frees on the other side. Shane Nally in midfield for longer range frees then . Sorted.
Can not undertand why Rochford has not thought of all this. It’s so obvious from reading a lot of posts on here. Cillian and Andy can retire together now. We are sorted.
@km79, detecting sone sarcasm there.
None of those players were claimed to be or are good freetakers.
Bring these outliers in and let them at it in the league. If we get demoted to division 2, big deal, it’s not like we have won much anyways despite staying in division 1. But unless these guys are put under pressure in the spring against the big teams we won’t know how they stack up. Irwin, reape and the like definitely are worth pursuing,and one thing is for certain,the likes of them are needed to get Sam back to Mayo, and with the break our senior experienced lads are now getting, and the addition of those young quality players to the squad there’s no reason Mayo will not be back in 2019 and full of fight.
KM79 we just said they should be given a right chance in the League next year.We didn’t say it would win an All Ireland .If your happy for 30+ players like Andy, Boyler ,Higgins , and Clarke to play all 7 of the National League games thats fine.The main reason we havn’t beaten the Dubs is because we hadn’t a bench strong enough in cause we keep starting the same players year in year out.Alot of the Mayo public want new blood in next years league thats all didn’t say its the answer to all our problems.
Do ye not recall what happened in the last few minutes of last years All Ireland, a good few Mayo players, Aidan O Shea, Barrett, Higgins could hardly stand from exhaustion, even went down with cramp, once again Jim Gavin won the sideline battle, he replaced most of the 6 starting forwards and they had much more energy than our defenders in the last 10 minutes.
My football theory is very simple, a solid line needs to be in place to get the ball up the pitch, this line didnt exist in the final 10 minutes of the final.
Once again the Subs didnt work, any new guy coming late into a final surely must run the ball.
A few other mistakes mafe by our management.
1, Not changing Keegan onto Connolly.
2, Leaving Paddy Durcan marking McMenamin in the 2nd half, Durcan is a much better player going forward rather than a man marker on the backfoot.
“The GAA is prohibited in rule from hosting games other than those under the control of the Association in its stadia and grounds.
That’s from the official released statement from the Gaa today in relation to Pairc ui chaoimh hosting the Liam Miller fundraiser.
When did American football or all the other sports played in Croke Park come under the gaa rules or any of the concerts that are held in the stadiums around the country.
We played an all ireland semi final outside of croke park because there was an American football game taking place in our national stadium. A stadium we all paid for. Here’s your hat and what’s your hurry.
Another bucket of bullshit from the great association.
Pebblesmeller: Spot On.
everyone on here talking about new forwards needed , out biggest problem for a good few years is conceding soft goals so a fullback is the first position that needs filling , if there is not a natural one in the County invent one and give him plenty of game time before next years and don’t be going into big games not knowing who will fill the position, Start at Full Back
KM79, whose shoes would your rather be in Rochfords or Kerrys Maurice Fitzgearald, Kerry listed 28 players before the game against Galway, 13 were U23 and all got proper playing time this year, regardless of what they do this year by next year they will be a year older and wiser. I rarely question kerrys way of doing things
Some of these players played minor for 2 years, picked the last year they played
Jack Savage/Eanna o Chonchuir 2013 minors
Burns/Flathery/Barry o Sullivan/ Killian Spillane/ Cormac Coffey/o Beaglaioch/ Tom o Sullivan 2014 minors
Jason Foley/ o Seanachain 2015 minors
Sean o Shea 2016 minor
David Clifford 2017 minor
Time for us to start blooding our young players properly, give the older players a rest nobody is saying discard our top players, we all know that there is players that need to be moved on, some we all might agree on, others not so much. Whoever is in charge this is paramount as discussed in the podcast.
JP
There were many posters calling for Cillian to be taking off frees over the last 12 months and replaced by a combination of those 3
Neil Douglas another .
Brian Reape has turned into Ciaran McDonald by kicking scores in a Mickey Mouse league out in America
And Liam Irwin ….there must be some reasons he didn’t kick on ………
I agree that new blood is needed but some of this lads are being built up without kicking a ball.
Maybe there are very valid reasons various management teams (in some cases ) have deemed them not good enough ?
What has Maurice Fitzgerald got to do with things or am I missing something ?
The reason we will be playing division 1 football in 2019 is because we survived and stayed up.. just about mind. We tried a number of new players in the league and I know this is hard to hear but they just were not able to show enough at that level or it was too early in their development to show it. We will do the same in 2019 and hope that these guys will start to show it at this level and in the process stay up again.. more comfortably this time I hope. The only way we will see if these guys are good enough or better than what is already there is by playing division 1 opposition. Playing division 2 or county championship opposition for that matter is not where it’s at.. it gives an indicator of potential but it is only when they do it in league Division 1 will I sit up and take notice.. that’s where it’s really at. That’s why Division 1 is so important.. it’s the only place to blood players. If we go back to playing division 2 opposition then start getting prepared to get hiding like the likes of Roscommon in the Super 8 if we even make it that far
Yew Tree, I think you are off the mark about the link between loan repayments on MacHale Park and attendances at league matches. As far as I know all NFL gates to into one big pot at Croke Park and are apportioned out at the end of the league. The home county does retain 10% of the gate as ground rent so the bigger the attendance in Castlebar the bigger the 10% but 10% is not a significant factor. More to the point is the consistent failure of Div 2 teams, even the winners, to have an impact on the championship. Gone are the days when a non Div 1 team could reach the All Ireland final.
Toe to hand who were the number of new players we tried in the league? Is Caolan Crowe the only one that hadn’t played any league before. Surely your not counting the few minutes Shairoze played.
From the league this year I thought Caolan Crowe and Eoin O’Donoghue showed that they were good enough. It was disappointing to see them both dropped by the end of championship. Of the other newish players, Loftus and Coen mixed good performances with poor ones.
You can’t say we gave any other new players a proper chance to prove themselves.
35, 34 and 35 for those 3 players for 2019. Maybe we should shoot them and put them out of their misery. And line up all of management and injured/players coming back from injury too. Then enjoy the wonders we are left with and sit out the summers for the foreseeable future.
At 26 would hardly describe Crowe as new ¿
New as in not proven in championship.
@Sinead, I think that might be difficult to implement. It might be slightly illegal under GDPR or Ageism rules.
But if I read you right we are not obsessive enough about football and you want to finally make it an actual religion with ensuing martyrs who we would worship.
It might affect squad morale (shooting all of mgmt/injured players/old players), but there’d definitely be a freshening up on and off pitch.
Note for above, a joke response, not an advocate of shooting people due to it being illegal…..this is the PC world we live in 🙂
It’s hard to fathom what some of ye want are is it just the stuff of fantasy . I’ll cut to the chase, if Andy Moran and colm Boyle are starting games next year we are really on a downward spiral. Both could be massive assets as impact subs for the championship though I totally agree with that.
We are not all Ireland contenders any longer that’s a shoe in . But ? % we can build a team along the timeline put forward by pebbles there albeit we could be challenging in 2020 imo if transition was smooth and we found a couple of jewels which I expect we will. Tbh I’d prefer if management changed , I believe Mayo senior football needs a strong no ties character , if ever a time was right for an outsider it’s now but that’s fanciful thinking I suppose.
Sinead, I’m not one for sitting out foreseeable summers. I’ve sat out far too many of them already, having been too young to enjoy ’50/’51 and sat out every summer since. I hope you are not in that boat in sixty something years.
@Revellino, you bring up an interesting point as regard’s the Pairc Uí Caoimh and its availability for the Liam Miller fund raising soccer match!… I’m not sure what the rules are exactly regarding Congress and so on!.. Where as you bring up very good points regarding American Football and so on! … But you might be surprised to learn that undoubtedly the greatest team ever to play the game of Gaelic-football, have never gotten to grace the Hallowed Turf of Pairc Uí Caoimh, the Cork Women’s Gaelic-football team… 11 All Ireland titles in 12 years and still not good enough to play on Cork’s premier Gaa ground… Strange but very true… There is no GAA law prohibiting, our Ladies from playing in our premier Venues,.. The recent Mayo Women’s victory over Cavan was in the Premier Ground in Ulster, St Tiernach Park in Clones, the Connacht Women’s Final was in Connachts premier ground, MacHale Park, Castlebar, and all All Ireland Women’s gaelic-football final’s have been for decades now ‘s held in Croke Park… But in Cork, thing’s are indeed very different… The Cork County Secretary is about to step down,.. The almost irreplaceable Frank Murphy, (almost County Secretary for life) is to go after a mere 46+ year’s in the job… They are actually advertising the post….even tough the current incumbent is actually irreplaceable.. (And the salary in Pounds Shillings and Pence, I jest).. I’m not a fan of several of the County board,s around the country, but at least their not all stuck in 1972… And people give out about the Cork men’s Gaelic-football team?
Michael, why not read ‘a few nfl stats on April 4th’ excellenty put together by Willie Joe.. it’s all there. 35 players were tried out in the league. For me a new player is a player who hasn’t played either league or championship in a while and is getting a second bite of the cherry. OK put it another way, would people intentionally leave out the following 7 players out of the league? AOS, Kevin McLoughlin, Diarmuid and Cillian OConnor, Lee Keegan, Paddy Durcan, Steven Coen with the aim of being competitive and staying up. And if so who would you replace these players with to achieve that goal
I find that article from April 4th depressing I think 31 of the 35 players played some championship or league in the previous 2 years. The 4 that didn’t were Shairoze, A Gallagher, G. McDonagh and J. Stretton. Nobody wants to see 7 players dropped but does anybody know of a county ever that played more minuets for new players in the championship than in the league.
@Leantimes. I was unaware that the Cork ladies have never got to play in Pairc ui Chaoimh. Is this by design ? Some prehistoric mindset ? or more worryingly the current thinking in the county. I couldn’t disagree with your opinion about the quality of that grest ladies Cork team and their phenomenal record. It’s almost beyond belief that they have never played in their own mecca.
Sophocles wrote.
All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.
Our panel depth and bench quality has really cost us that ultimate goal of financially winning an All Ireland.
Can anyone remember a Mayo sub coming of the bench and changing the game in our favour in any big game over the last 7 years?
@yew tree. Conor Loftus against Derry. But you might argue that it wasn’t a big game. I do see your point. We haven’t had game changers to bring on or if we have, we haven’t brought them on.
Have to laugh about players playing well in america–play well in Mayo championship to put your hand up.
@jr, playing well in club football in Mayo does not get you noticed bar James Durcan already training panellist.
Playing poorly has no effect in being dropped.
Ger Caff was burned v Garrymore last year for example whilst Ger McDonagh was club player of the year. No effect in either case.
Incorrect AndyD, that’s how the championship works. League is split between respective teams, league is where the money is. Charlestown beat Ballaghadereen last night in the East Mayo Minor, two good teams but Paul Towey and Paddy Goldrick for Charlestown stood out. They are two hugely exciting prospects.
I hold a similiar view to those expressed above that we should begin in earnest the process of integrating our younger footballers and gradually scaling down the involvement of the elder players in our panel. However, this may not end up being part of any carefully coordinated strategic plan and could actually end up being somewhat forced upon the manager as I expect a couple more to announce their retirement come January. In addition, and contrary to the most noble of views, I don’t expect that we will ever see Tom Parsons being able to get back into the senior panel again. Our hopes for this current team of winning an AI are gone. We need to rebuild now with the leaders of the classes of ’16 and ’18. Horan will also add one or two more who didn’t feature in either of these two teams from his work with Westport. Yeah maybe in 3+ years we might be able to challenge at the business end of the championship again. Let’s just hope these young lads can become as great as the magnificent team we’ve had the pleasure of living through these past few years. Whether a new look Mayo will ever be able for the likes of Kerry, Galway, Dublin, Donegal etc. remains to be seen.
JP, spot on. Ger McDonagh had Cillian O’Connor in his pocket in last years championship and kept him to 1 point from play. Yet he never got a look in as we gave Cafferkey every chance to find his form while he was being given the runaround in club games. Ger might lack a little top end speed but he’s still quicker than Caff, stronger, dirtier and has better hands.
Revellino, it’s hard for a sub to make an impact when they are only given 2 to 3 mins to impress. Normally when we are losing too.
Look at the subs bench going into championship 2018. Can you honestly say we had developed a super subs bench to raise the tempo for that vital final third of a game. Because that’s what a subs bench have to do. Look at this weekend’s super 8 matches. It will be players coming of bench that will make the difference. We left ours sitting on the bench? Could Barry Moran have made a difference in Galway game? Did we trust our bench players, we’re they up to the standard required and if not why not, did we develop a panel of players for championship 2018. Where does the buck stop, did we not have the players or did we have players not developed to full potential?
Someone made a suggestion of getting Mayo senior players involved with the u20 squad as they prepare for an All Ireland final….sorry but that idea is totally bonkers.
Also agree, you can’t judge or get excited about Mayo players scoring goals for fun in a Mickey Mouse club championship in Chicago….night as well highlight junior b players doing well here.
The football in Chicago at the height of the summer is a high standard.
Eoin McHugh, Jonathan Lyne, Michael Plunkett, Diarmuid OConnor, Aaron Byrne, Brian Reape.
Looks a bit above junior B that McBrides team, no?
Furthermore they haven’t trashed a few other teams as at the height of the summer the teams out there are quite strong.
I love how the new player debate is always so sit on the fence “Can they do it on a wet night in Stoke”.
But our older players debate is always far far too much at the level of “How do we stop the roof falling in with these generational legends finishing?”
The younger crew are our only path to a Sam.
Sam is the goal.
We cannot tweak around the edges our way to a strong Sam type squad.
If next year is conservative tweaking it will be a waste.
@AndyD, that’s how championship works, league is 50/50 split between teams. I’d be tempted to hand over the reigns of the FBD to Michael Solan, let him use it to develop the U20’s and club players. Equating a players scoring tally in the States to someone playing senior football here in the county is insane. Charlestown ended up beating Ballaghadreen fairly comfortably last night in the East Mayo Minor. Paul Towey and Paddy Goldrick the stand out players from two very good teams. Towey kicking 45’s off the ground with ease, banging in goals and generally causing havoc all over the place. Hard not to get excited watching them play to be honest and only Towey and Goldrick are overage for minor next year.
@Liam, I would say more insane, is using the word ‘insane’ for a factual equating you believe was posted, without actually checking if this equating of Chicago football to Senior club football.
Some posters listed some scoring tallies, you have yourself invented the idea that it was equated to senior club football.
Agree with JP, tweaking not enough next year, we need to develop new players so there is competition for 6-8 spots on the team-imagine the value of 6 league games to 6 newbies.. maybe We find 3 more EODs for frontdoor route into the Super 8s next year – the sickener this year is that Dublin seem to have gone backwards a little, we’ll know more after this w/e
JP i agree .What did Mc Donagh have to do to get a run–playing at a very high level in club championship.
It’s not that ridiculous to watch Reape’s performances in America with interest. If you look at the forwards he’s playing alongside. McHugh and Aaron Byrne have serious intercounty pedigree while Loftus and Diarmuid have arrived over flying fit after championship, yet Reape is outscoring them all.
I think people would just like to see Reape start 4 or 5 league games next year to see if he’s good enough.
It is insane JP. How can you measure the standard of the players in Chicago against the players here in the county. If Reape for example scores 1-7 against Westport then you know that is a considerable achievement because it was done against a defence containing Lee Keegan, Kevin Keane etc and the general standard is high. If Reape scores 1-7 against Wolfe Tones then how do we measure that opposition. They may have a county lad or two on the team but what about the rest of the lads? Are they playing senior football in Antrim or Kerry. Unless you have a serious knowledge of all players on all teams playing in Chicago then you can’t compare them. There are simply too many variables to do an honest comparison. Jack Reilly kicking high scores the last two years here in Mayo at senior level against known quantities seems to carry less weight than someone kicking big scores in Chicago. For what it’s worth Reilly is top scorer in New York this season I believe.
We have three major gaps as I see.
1. Athleticism and size
2. Composure and ability
3. Bench quality
The younger lads have or will have the athleticism and size on an ongoing basis year to year.
They have ability.
But we’ve been ruining any ability to develop composure. Composure is very heavily linked to game time.
Conor Loftus has composure but has a very obvious power and size gap. I didn’t notice him getting a full break from spring football to concentrate completely on weight training and recovery. He needed 4-5kgs extra and that is very achievable when concentrated on with recovery.
Look at how Galway have passed us out in terms of their weight training. Look at their legs, always a great quick check on power and strength.
I’m not criticising Reape by the way, I like him and think he has plenty of potential. I’m critical of the thinking that performance playing in the States over the summer somehow equates with a players performance here in the league and championship.
@Liam, very specifically I was referencing your senior club football equating.
There is no way to equate what the level is.
As I said, there are some strong teams intermediate or strong junior A I would say when all the students are over. Several senior u21 or minor county standard players per team and many senior club and intermediate players.
Brian Reape in Mayo club football has enough body of work to this point. Scored well against Westport last year.
Great win for under 14s against the dubs today..dubs very very poor future looks bright serious team for there age opinions?
I have said on here and thought that McStay would make a good Manager for Mayo but after Roscommons performance today and last week , don’t think he can get the best out of players, very poor show by the Rossies.
@mayoabu was that game played in DCU today and was it in a competition?
Rossies were surprisingly very poor today… They are now out of the the Championship, with absolutely zero chance of reaching the All Ireland Semifinal… Our 5th August date with Kildare, All Ireland U20 final will be played in an almost empty Croke Park… The Dub’s who do turn up, not many in my opinion….to see what.. Their team is already through to the semi regardless of results elsewhere, just as Roscommon are out regardless of what happens elsewhere… So how many, if any Roscommon fan’s will travel?.. Mind you, Referee’s David Coldricks performance tonight negated any perceived advantage Tyrone might have had playing Dublin in Healy Park.. Worth at least 3 point’s to Dublin, some baffling decisions… Including a deserved Red Card for Michael Darragh McAuley.. A very dangerous follow through and knee into the head of a Tyrone player.. The same player escaped sanction for very similar assault on Cillian in 2016… Cormac Reilly was linesman, the same combination that sent off Lee Keegan in the 2014 All Ireland Semifinal V Kerry.
Reape will be a big player for us in the next year or two. A good run in the league and he’ll be a starter next championship. Couple of new backs are required aswell. Seamus Cuniffe going very well for Balla, himself and Akram need to be given seirious game time after xmas. If we’re cute about this “transition” we could well be challenging at the seirious end in 2019. Theirs still massively experienced players in their prime, such as Aido/Keegan/Durcan/O’Connors x2/Doherty even if Clarke steeped away, Robbie would be a seirious replacement. To me its only Boyle, Andy, Seamie and Caff who need to be moved into impact sub roles. If Keith stays on he starts every championship game for me (after taking the league off). A starting 15 similar to this in Connacht could see us back at the top sooner than expected.
1. Hennelly
2. E O’D
3. Cunniffe
4. Higgins/Barrett
5. Akram
6. Keegan
7. Durcan
8. Diarmuid
9. Parsons (please God) or Vaughan
10. Kmac
11. Aido
12. J Durcan
13. Cillian
14. Reape
15. R O Donohue
The likes of Andy, Seamie, Doherty, Coen, Barrett would make up a seirious bench.
Mayo Dumphy.. Re Jason Doherty being a sub next year! Our last two championship matches, Jason Doherty was our best player and best forward! .. Won the Sky MotM award versus Tipperary.. He was for some baffling reason to me taken off versus Kildare,… Cillian, Andy, Aiden in the last quarter, or for the only time I can remember in his Mayo career Kevin McLoughlin all would have been more appropriate to remove from the fray… For me Jason Doherty is more of a cast iron starter than some of our more lauded players!
Not a hope that McStay would ever get the Mayo job, each year the Rossies have failed miserably as the championship enters the real stage, humiliated in the replay v Mayo last year and a total shambles against Tyrone last weekend and again today v Donegal.
Methinks that the Dubs will have a much handier final this year now that Mayo are gone, Galway will probably be in the final, they will surely put up a fight but will be beaten by 5 points or more.
Leantimes, I agree completely with ya on Doherty. But the trend of this thread has been our lack of a bench…so i picked a team with a view to bringing on a couple of heavy hitting forwards. I would have young O’Donohue and Reape running the legs of Defenders for 45-50 mins, then have Doherty and Andy coming on fresh for the last 25-30 mins. We lack out and out score getters coming in off the bench, Doherty and Andy can solve that.
Aidan yes it was held in Dcu and some serious talent coming up they really are putting a lot of effort into underage and it’s showing dividends Dublin did not get a sniff in with mayo back and mayo forwards were lethal and no it was not a competition
Mayo88,
You do realize that McStay does not have the depth in Roscommon, the players just aren’t there.
Mayo county board made a fool of themselves by telling him to play along with their pretend game when they had pat and Noel selected already, luckily mc Hale being the honest and outright buck he is, told all on national radio. You won’t need to worry about himself or Kevin McStay managing Mayo, unfortunately.
@mayoabu thanks for that heard something on Midwest about it vaguely today but wasn’t sure what it was in.
Good to hear that there some good talent coming up.i know there is a strong management team with that group of under 14s
As a mayo man living along time out of mayo but still attending as many games as possible, I really think that Rochford is getting any easy ride from all of the posters on here. I also think that this is happening because of the way the last management were ousted and it’s like we cannot say anything bad about the present manager. The facts are that with the best squad of players, in my view, we have had, he did not win a Connaught title. Now people will talk about him having a bigger plan to win an all Ireland and Connaught titles don’t matter but for me always winning Connaught is the easier way through. His decision making during a game are, in my opinion poor. People always point out about his mark ups before games, and yes they are good, but when game on, he is lost. Personally I hope he goes, no idea who comes in, but hopefully somebody better on the line. Would love to see mcguinness take this team and that may not be as absurd as it sounds.
Are mayo competing in Ted Webb cup this year. Is it still u16 or is it now u15.
Watching Dublin tonight was a reminder of the physical power required at the very elite level, ie all Ireland winning. It’s true that we desperately need new lads to come through. However, if we are heading out in a championship next season with 6 or 7 new guys that have not really been involved, we haven’t a hope of competing for Sam in 2019. In the long run though I t might suit us better for 2020 or 2021.
Dublin has young lads playing Murchan, Howard and O’Callaghan were under 21 last year
Didn’t think we had an u14 team at county level. I know of three u14 forwards one of whom has crazy power and strength for 14 and good skill.
Personally myself I think 16 is time enough for matches.
Dublin have a particular build. If you look at Kilkenny, Howard, Mccarthy, MDMA, McMahon, Small I’d say they’d nearly all fit the same shirt.
Only a few of them like Fenton, Fitzimmons and OSullivan are slim and those three naturally slim.
I think Dublin have it figured out at senior level every aspect of what needs to be in place.
Now Howard who was okay at u21 has gone up to All star level at senior.
Can’t understand all these calls for Reape. Are people basing this from a strong insight into mayo club football or just another name to throw out on a keyboard?? I have not seen anything to suggest he can be a top forward for Mayo in the future. Lacks pace, agility, intensity and ability to turn on a sixpence against good defenders. His ability to kick from distance is not a strong feature either. Yes he has found himself in free in the square on many occasions and does show good composure slotting the ball into the net, but this alone don’t cut it at Senior intercounty level. Rochford has seen this for himself and has decided.
Cavanforsam, If you get your wish we are in big trouble. Rochford is alot better manager than people give him credit. You’d swear he ordered Vaughan to take Smalls head off just as he was about to walk. And for those who chastise him for dropping Clarke, look at Clarkes last kickout in last years final…we’re 1 point down with a minute or so on the clock, he kicks it straight out over the side line. For me, that one play vindicated Rochfords decision the year before. Lot of people talkin about Solan, who realistically has never managed players over the age of 21. Under age football is alot purer and naieve and is light years away from Senior championship football….if it wasn’t the rossies would have about 5 in a row connacht senior titles by now. Solans time will come, but not for another 2-3 years. I’d like to see him take a club team and do something with them. If wer to have any hope in this “transition” Rochford needs to stay.
McStay won a connacht title, but what elsehas he done?, other than make a big scene yday to look “passionate” infront of his fans and county board.
I thought the Ref rode Tyrone last night–how can a Ref living in Dublin ref a Dublin match.It is not rocket science to have a ref from a neutral province.
I thought he rode Dublin the first half. McCann should have got black & I think it Was small that got a smack to the face. Deliberate not that I care but still. Then in second half michael dara at it again. Other than that I thought he let the game flow.
45, If your saying Reape lacks pace you must be looking at a different footballer. I and others have been shouting about him for a long time on here. He has the bulk and height to survive senior ball. If he’s given the chance in the league and not just a soaking wet night in January, he’ll prove alot of people wrong.
I know the makings of a very good footballer when I see them.
I went to see the Mayo v Galway Connacht U 21 semi final in late March 2017, I was looking out for one Mayo player to see if he had the stuff to get to the Senior level, sadly he didnt have it and will never make it.
It was mostly Galway guys that stood out, but I picked 3 Galway guys that I knew would be making an impact at Senior County, they were the powerhouse Cooke, the guy with the ponytail, Molloy and Daly also maybe Finnerty.
Mayo had only 1 class player to pick from this was Reape, he stood out in every way.
The mayo midfielders were very poor, totally bullied and brushed aside by the 2 Galway men.
Akram tried hard but lacked the physical strength to carry the ball past the tough tackling Galwaymen.
I think I mentioned this on this blog before.
Bring Reape in from the cold or I should say the windy City.
I think the Super’s is a trial run for a division 1 All Ireland championship to come, no point in Div 2 or 3 teams competing for Sam anymore, look at Roscommon, Kildare will get hammered later today also.
Pity Mayo are not there, no excitement or interest for me in watching those games.
MayoDunphy.. totally agree on Reape, this guy consistently scores in various competitions… the lads playing in January on a heavy sod have no chance to show their ability… I also agree with JP the only hope of winning an all Ireland is the younger lads coming through with a blend of the current seniors for experience… like it or not the current crop ( and they owe us nothing) have to many miles and too much mental baggage!!!
The much quoted definition of stupidity is doing the same thing all the time and expecting a different result… all the current contenders are trusting and bringing through young players… we will soon see if they can cut it then and only then. When players are left without encouragement and trust like anyone they loose belief… we have to be careful we don’t loose the winning momentum these guys have. I could never do what Stephen Rochford does and fully respect him but to date we have to question how effective he is in bringing us on?
Next season will be the time to really judge Rochford in terms of bringing through some youth. Rochie has been a kick of a ball from sam 2 years in a row. I think he’ll only get the respect he deserves when the Dubs are beating Tyrone by 7-9 points in this years final. I dont care about connacht titles if it means your getting embarrassed in the quarter..i.e roscommon. Hope Rochford stays on, he plays a seirious brand of football. Inject 3-4 young championship starters for 2019 and we’ll be at the business end again, no doubt about it.
Concentrating on developing a 2019 league team for now I would go about forming the following four sets of groups to call on.
Group 1 – Definite starters if available – spine and stability of team and make us competitive
(Goalkeeper) Hennelly/Clarke (Defence) EOD/Coen/Crowe/Keegan/Durcan/Drake/ (midfield) Diarmuid O Connor/Shane Nally/Vaughan (forwards) J Durcan/Aido/Doherty/KMac/Cillian/Andy
Group 2 – Looking to get more regular starts and hold down a spot
Ger McDonagh/Conor O’Shea/Adam Gallagher/Fergal Bolland/Conor Loftus/Evan Regan/
Group 4 – Give game time to see what we can do
Shairoze Akram/J Stretton/Brian Reape/Jack Reilly/R O Donohue/etc.,
Group 3 – Returning from injury/opting out of the league or simply saving for championship
Brendan Harrison/Keith Higgins/Tom P/Sheamie/Colm Boyle/Caff/Kevin Keane
I would leave it up to Clarke, Caff, Boyler and Andy how much game time they want to keep sharpness. If any more senior player not ahead of the younger group then put into reserve back up group. A lot of names to manage and give game time and I have probably left out a few. Youth should be given there head but not at the expense of not been competitive, loosing matches, getting knocked down to division 2 and leaving better players ion the bench. Not as simple as it looks… 35 to 40 players to manage.. with some tough calls.
No bother Aidan I am a true mayo man go to every county game there is and yes that one forward you are talking ahout is a lad from crossmolina serious pace serious power height strenght and can kick a ball from anywhere knows who’s around him has it all that team is very good and can be serious in the future but just need the great management team behind them too keep them motivated and under control dublins youth system is in shambles but they make players out of them when they get too senior level but lads I wouldn’t worry about talent not coming up it’s there if it will be coached properly is another story…
Interesting pieces by brolly and Alan Brogan in today’s paper…they all miss Mayo now. The championship is dead without us
Looked at the NFL April 4th stats and felt it was very misleading in terms of how much playing time that was fished out to new players
Reape and Plunkett were releases before the league started.
From 7 games 490 minutes of play
Out the 30 man panel from 2017 Dillon retired
Vaughan Barrett Higgins played no part
Newcombe came on once as a blood sub
Co Shea 10mins came on as a sub once
Kirby came on as sub once in injury time
Boland 54 mins onas sub 6 times got 7,12,9,615,,5
B Moran 65mins started 1 w/ 2 sub app 68th and 70th
Regan 115 mins 2 starts, injured in Kerry game
Nally 119mins 2 starts w/ 2 injurytime sub app
Drake 129mins 2 starts w/ 1 injurytime sub appearance
Seamus o Shea 134mins 1 start w/ 3 sub app
Harrison 140 mins 2 starts injured after Kerry game
Hennelly 140 mins 2 starts
Keagan 174 mins 3 starts
Parsons 185mins 3 starts
Loftus 222 mins 2 starts played in 7
CoConnor 250 mins 4 starts played in 6
AMoran 259 mins 4 starts played in 5
PDurcan 316 mins 4 starts played in 5
DClarke 350 mins 5 starts
GCaferkey 377 mins 6 starts played in 6
CCrowe 397 mins 5 starts played in 6
JDoherty 405 mins 6 starts played in 6
CBoyle 430 mins 6 starts played in 7
DoConnor 465 mins 7 starts played in. 7
KMcLoughlin 469 mins 7 starts played in 7
AoShea 480 mins 7 starts played in 7
SCoen 490 mins every minute of every game
EoDonoghue 490 mins every min of every game
Previous Panel members tried
Freeman one appearance as in injury time sub
G McDonagh 8 mins 2 sub app, on in injury time
N Douglas 126 mins 2 starts 1 sub app for 15 mins
M Hall 147 mins 2 starts 1 sub app for 7 mins
A Gallagher 197 mins 3 starts played in 5
J Gibbons 202 mins 3 starts
New players
Stretton 7mins 1sub appearance for 7 mins
Akram 8 mins 2 sub appearances for 4 mins each
I have always felt some players play no matter what but I don’t see the reason for to put miles on older player legs and lets blood you players keep our experience players fresh for the summer, Dublin and Kerry took advantage this year now look at Howard believe he is till 20.
I’m have also notice this manager has no faith in certain players and yet keeps them on the panel non the less. Take a look at Kirby and Conor o Shea’s input for the year, no more than 10 minutes. Now I seen a comment above about Reape being slow lacking in agility intensity and guile but if I group these 3 together I d know who I want on the field if I needed to get a score.
looking at the championship 4 games 280 minutes
Forgetting about Harrison who was injured and Vaughan who played 12 minutes against Kildare, Parsons with 47 minutes until injured against Galway and Hennelly the sub keeper
C o Shea 0 mins
B Moran 0 mins
Boland 0 mins
Kirby 1 sub app in injurytine against Tipperary
Nally 6 mins
Crowe 10 mins
Drake 10 mins
Regan 75 mins 1 start 1 sub app
Loftus 80 mins 1 start got 17, 1 and 2 mins as a sub
Haney 98 mins
We should have beat Kildare. rochford should have rung the changes earlier
Tickets for the final is a bit of a balls. There won’t be a cluster of mayo fans anywhere. Just people dotted here and there. There will be no atmosphere =(
Thankfully we’ve had very knowledgeable football people in management of our county team. If some had their way they’d have regan, reape and conor o’shea as our full forward line !
Heard the Kerry twins have applied for the managers job Patrick Fitzgerald and Gerald Fitzpatrick.
For those dismissing Brian Reape and saying his scoring feats in America don’t mean anything
He was the top scorer in the Mayo Intermediate championship last year for his club Moy Davitts .
He also won a Mayo News club star
He won an All Ireland Under 21 title in 2016
He scored 1-6 of 1-10 for the Mayo Under 21s last year against Galway.Mayo were beaten 2-13 to 1-10
He was also marked by Galway full back Sean Andy O’Ceallaigh
He scored 1-6 and was man of the match in an All Ireland Freshers final for DCU in 2016.
@mayomesi you put in a lot of work to come up with what is a frightening piece frightening piece of analysis in terms of player development and effective use of subs. Contrast with what Walsh is doing at Galway. They are no super team but they are going in right direction. He has built a panel of players and uses bench very effectively. I’m they will really benefit from super 8 games to become a force in the next couple of years. They are also developing a winning habit.
I really hope I am wrong but a lot of posters are putting a lot of faith in two forwards one who did not start for London,the other did not start for his collage team,if we are reliant on them i am afraid we are slipping,don’t see any of the great hopes getting as close to the greatest team I have seen in my lifetime as Mayo
Should be fowards,I apologise to any one offended because any one who puts on the county Jersey gets all my respect
Cowards that won an 2 All Irelands at minor and Under 21 is it corick bridge.?? Do u even attend local club games in Mayo.Liam Irwin was actually ruled out with injury for Londons game v Sligo.
In fairness posters are simply saying Reape and others should be given a fair opportunity by identifying their credentials at club and college level. The youngsters were the stars of super 8 games today.
3 of the 4 games left in super 8 are ‘live’ and that’s not bad considering we don’t have 8 super teams at present. But it could be the system that will develop once they tweak it a bit. Mayo v Dublin in McHale park now that would be a mouthwatering clash hopefully in the near future..
I’m putting that down as a typo, Chris, and have amended Corick Bridge’s comment accordingly. I see Corick Bridge has now corrected the record in this respect.
Chris. Irwin played v Sligo, came on at half time.
I think that too many people are hung on on our great players over the past 8 / 9 years.
Time to move with the times and leave all that nostalgia behind.
New blood is needed and needed fast, lets face it those guys have’nt won Sam, even though they have come so close and probably were shafted by referees also.
In my view Rochford is a brilliant tactician, any loss in championship matches were by only 1 point, but I think Mayo should develop a second strong team of younger guys, that would learn so much from the older fellas.
Here is my cull list, hope this starts this year.
Drake,
Cafferkey,
Colm Boyle,
Coen,
Kirby
Regan
Jason Gibbons
Maybe Hall
The Dubs have’nt shown their hand this year, will blow away semi final opponents and also win the final probably easier than 2016 and 2017.
“The Dubs have’nt shown their hand this year, will blow away semi final opponents and also win the final probably easier than 2016 and 2017”
Dubs are no stronger than in 2016/2017 and it arguable they are weaker minus Connolly. There is an all-Ireland there for Tyrone or Galway if they can keep improving but you would still expect Dublin to win this year. The next couple of years will see Galway and Tyrone pushing them closer but the jury is out on Kerry as their transition has stalled.
Mayo88, if you have been following Mayo this year you would know Gibbons is not on the panel. Amazing you axe Cafferkey (who kept most of his men to one point) in this years championship), Coen who is only 22 and has captained 3 teams to all Ireland success and Colm Boyle all who played a big part this year and yet you leave Conor O Shea who didn’t play at all.
Does anyone know how James Carr is fixed now with his injuries. We heard he had problems with his hip/hips. Is he sorted or is it a longer term issue.. Will he be capable of playing county football next year. I haven’t seen him play but reports on him were good.
PS don’t write off Kerry yet- wouldn’t rule them out catching Dublin in semifinal. As we know only too well – can never write them off.
Some great kickouts by the monaghan keeper today bullet like straight to a team mate as where Clarke’s are like a parachute coming down giving the oppossition plenty time to get underneath them .I have said all along that he’s a great shot stopper but in the modern game afraid it’s not good enough..For 2019 league let the players wait for the phone call, Not going to the papers saying ” Cant wait for the league to start” that’s putting pressure on the manager to pick them.
Mayo88 cull Boyle are u well?? we want new young players to be given a chance in the League .but talking of culling Colm Boyle is probably one of the most stupid statements I have heard on this blog.Have u forgotten hes a 4 time All star gave a motm display against Kerry in the replay last year.He may not be 70 minute man anymore but he still has a good 2 or 3 years left.I would love to see him made Captain for 2019.
Thanks for that game time research mayomessi.
– Our fringe players cannot develop on that level of game time.
– Our established players should be on preseasons which develop serious explosiveness and speed. Not possible when you’re playing matches.
There’s an opportunity now to put in a long and proper preseason.It was quite shocking our lack of fitness in Newbridge. Bear in mind Dublin would be a big step up in fitness.
@Chris Kelly, no way does Boyler have anything like 2 or 3 years left.
Look at the height and power of the Galway and Kildare players.
If you are a short player these days you are only suited to marking another short forward and short forwards are usually agile speedsters.
Boyler is at this point struggling to keep his spot.
Dissapointed for Monaghan. They had it in the bag but let it slip badly.
They have a lot riding on their final game agaimst galway. A win or draw for them will knock kerry out.
Cannot see now past another Sam for Dublin. They.were in control for the whole Tyrone game and I don’t believe the next best are good enough to.dethrone them.
Galway have definitely improved but impossible to say by how much. I don’t think they have the team to win an All ireland, not this year anyway. Neither do Tyrone.
Con o’callaghans form seems to have really dipped.this year. Playing way below what he was playing last year and kind of similar to what has happened to James o’donoghue. O’donoghue was almost unplayable 3 or 4 years ago but that brilliance he showed back then seems to have faded.
We’ll have another shot at Sam again next year with a few new recruits and a healthy panel. I don’t see any team improving out of our reach.
Jp I agree with you on alot of things you say but I do not agree with you on this at all.Please watch the Kerry replay last year and get back to me, Boyle was outstanding in that game.When he was missing against Galway in Salthill last year , we seen his loss.He does run out of gas towards the end of games, and I can see why Rochy subbed him early with 20 mins to go in games last year.If theres a player struggling to keep his spot its Stephen Coen, lacks pace very lateral with his game , makes silly basic errors when in possession.like his pass to barrett in last years final.
Have to say Boyler was poor this year. Was struggling big time in Thurles before got the black card. Struggled against Kildare also. Has been a great servant. But winning four allstars should not keep you on a team if you are struggling for pace at 33 years. Rochford has to ruthless if we are to progress. County football is no place for been sentimental and looking back on what a players did in the past when they were in their peak.
To talk about fine margins have to agree Coen rushed his pass if Boyle had the energy to stay on last year he would have made the run himself . Coen panicked. Boyle is a good impact sub if he remains next year. We need to get clarity ‘re management. I think it’s time for change a fresh voice.
@Chris, I’v watched the Kerry replay in full at least six times. Boyler was marking Donnacha Walsh. No sports scientist will allow any Donnacha Walshes or similar in match day panels. Boyler would have been inneffective against the tall Galway half forwards.
The game moves on each year, speed, power and height that’s where it’s at now. The odd speedster shorter player. You have no business selecting anyone under six feet who isn’t fast.
This is where Cillians game is going to come under more pressure unless he can have a very long preseason. He hasn’t the leg strength for his bodyweight and that’s a recipe for slowness. You can observe several of our players who have substandard ability to leap. Shane Walshs vertical leap into the air this summer shocked us.
Shocked us because we are lagging badly in elite athleticism.
How many of our players could take on a Shane Walsh or a Ciaran Kilkenny in an athletic contest of speed and power measurables?
I’m struggling after Aidan, Lee and Paddy. Even Lee now looks a percentage off understandably.
It’s almost like we’ve done a self evaluated “Every stone has been turned over”.
I’v come around now after seeing where Dublin and Galway are getting to that we need to harshly judge athleticism and drop most of those who don’t measure up.
The game will be a small % faster each year out to 2021 when we hope to have a new generation embedded.
Revellino
I think you are right that Tyrone or Galway are just too far back to challenge this year. Its very hard to know how much improvement we have left as injuries as ye well know catch up with you. Sometimes it looks like we have another gear but dont deliver it while today we looked laboured at times but it was so humid it must have affected the players. The day Galway convert the goal chances a big win will be had. On Boyle I thought he looked slow this year and would consider him and Higgins super defenders that I wish were Galwaymen. This crazy heat has affected games I reckon but you would want to be an expert to discuss its impact.It would explain how Boyle looked so slow as we have not played in heat like this in decades.
Rochford is not the man for the job I just hope he goes nothing against him but we will never win anything under him we need a new voice two spice it up and not afraid to make changes
It’s going to be a major problem I agree Mayo die hard , cause he’s not for budging . You’ve got to think that will cause the transition problems . Sadly but realistically the whole dynamic of this squad needs a freshness now , it needs new voices and cliques to be broken up.
Who do you propose to take over Mayo die hard?. Its far too early for Solan. Cant see him gaining the respect of senior players…3 or 4 years time would be perfect for Mike. McGuiness is a non runner, Horan has a nice little number in Westport, im interested to hear your alternatives?.
Rochford signed on for 3 years last October. He has earned the right to fulfill that comitment. He knows only too well the rebuilding job that needs doing. Its not the premier league we’re in, theirs no merry go round of top managers waiting by the phone. We have a top manager in Rochford, he would be snapped up by most Counties If he walked away or was “let go”. Its new players we need, not a new manager.
You’d have to think Monaghan will get a result in Galway. I hope to god they do. The arrogance of those down in kerry is just nauseating. Even after how shite they were yesterday. Look at Aidan o Maloney’s twitter to sum it up – Allstars dont count in kerry but Clifford deserves one. This was literally minutes after the final whistle yesterday! They just don’t do humility. Like I have always said, I don’t lile Dublin, I dont like Galway, but at least they don’t go on like they invented Gaelic football. If kerry lost every game from now to eternity it wouldnt be enough beatings for that shower. If they get through Dublin will beat them anyway. Couldnt believe it when I saw Mark Griffin being wheeled out again at full back after last years debacle for them. Unsurprisingly he was taken for 1-8 or something by McManus. From our point of view in 2019, a Dublin AI win this year is the best outcome for our prospects next season.
I’d doubt Monaghan will get a result in Galway tbh
Hope Galway make the final now and I reckon they will. They’ve serious wind in their sails now and have built up some amount of momentum (reaping the benefits of a good league run).
They won’t beat Dublin yet but do have forwards that will cause them problems and I think they’d give a good account of themselves against them
Willie Joe thank you for allowing my predictive text to stand it was a complete error,as for calling for players and management to go can we have a little patience as for this year we had a most horrendous run of injuries after another six or nine months see how they have recovered,we certainly have some talent coming through but they take time with s\c,hopefully a few will step up as for Stephen he has managed to run the best team I have seen in my lifetime to two points over three games we will see if anyone can do so this year
Just want to deal with a few issues in the comments that have started to bubble up of late:
1. I’ve given people a good bit of latitude recently as regards management (stay or go?) but I’m not happy with people posting stuff such as saying the manager isn’t the man for the job, we’ll never win anything under him etc. etc. The rule here is the same as for players – if you want to criticise or claim we need someone new then then make a proper case, based on specifics, to support this line of argument. If you can’t do this, then don’t make the claim in the first place.
2. I’ve also allowed people to name players they feel should not be involved next year but again I want to see those putting forward such lists giving reasons, related to specific performances in games, not just lazy generalised assertions (e.g. “not good enough”, “too slow” etc), for why they believe this should happen and proposing replacements. In other words I don’t want to see any more “cull” lists with no supporting arguments for why they’re being posted.
3. Avoid making any inflammatory comments about named individuals. This may seem an obvious point but in the past 24 hours I’ve had to excise a bit of a comment which was, on the face of it, potentially libellous as it referred clearly to a named person and the claim made by the poster couldn’t possibly be proved. People need to inform themselves of emerging jurisprudence in the area of online libel, where the clear trend is to go after those who post comments rather than the website where they’re posted. I do what I can to save people from themselves in what’s posted here but, first and foremost, it’s everyone’s individual responsibility to do this. In this regard, bear in mind that (house rule 1), in posting a comment here, you take full responsibility for the content of such comment.
3 of galways wins this year where against teams down to14 men.they are an improving team,talk of winning allirelands i dont think so.
Also this constant shite on the street that championship is missing mayo is nonsence the championship only starts now and has for years.
Think the best out come for mayo is for rochford to stay freshen up the back room team.
Was at a few fbd matchs and sat behind management and far to many calling the shots.
If this is happening on the line can only imagine whats going on in the dressing room.
Hope he sorts this out next year.
Id hold onto buckley and am a big fan of mcantee but [Deleted].
A break this year will do us all a world of good players and supports.
Tyrone 4 sam
They’ve beaten the last two All Ireland finalists outside Dublin so far in champ and beat everyone else in the league.
Why wouldn’t they talk about potential All Irelands. All the best to them
Apologies WJ for my comment on kerry earlier which you slightly edited, l just saw red when I read that tweet from O’Mahoney so soon after they stole that result yesterday.
Mood didn’t improve much further to be honest when I saw a clip this morning of brolly from last nights Sunday game telling us Roscommon should be in a tier 2 competition. Sunday game are very obviously peddling a strong agenda for a two or even three tier competition. It’s absolutely disgraceful. If that happens the GAA will die right in front of our eyes. It would be the greatest betrayal of Gaels nationwide in the history of the association. And I’ll tell you something else – if it does happen, don’t be fooled into thinking the unthinkable that mayos status as a top tier county wouldn’t be under threat! Another season like 2018 and very quickly the likes of Brolly would be peddling condescending bullshit about Mayo “not developing at their own level” and “not being able to compete with the top sides”. They would only love to put the boot into us – I can see des cahills smug face already asking the question to his panel of experts.
Roscommon were Connacht champions last year and earned their super 8 place on merit. They are a division 1 side. A bad second half against Tyrone last week doesn’t change that. How can their place be questioned in the senior championship?
Imagine a world where Mayo were not allowed to enter the all Ireland senior championship? If brolly had his way, it’s not as ridiculous as it sounds.
Kerry will beat Kildare as nothing left for Kildare now as out of picture and the game is not in Newbridge. Flynn cost them with his stupid swing at Sean Andy. Monaghan v Galway will be a huge game as so much at stake. Neither want to play Dublin in a semi final. Kerry would be more than happy to get the chance. A Galway Monaghan draw would dump Kerry out of the super 8s. The Roscommon Dublin game is meaningless but Dublin will not spare the rod.
I expect a huge crowd from Mayo up to support the U 20s as will be our only chance to see Croker this year. Revenge for Newbridge!! I expect an open, end to end high scoring exibition of football and it is hard to call a winner as both playing great football. Will probably stay on to shout for the Rossies for 10 minutes anyway!
Clifford has been brilliant and would certainly be in with a shout for an all star , what’s so outrageous about that ?
Galway have won their two games so far in super 8 and are heading for an all Ireland semi final no matter the results of the final super 8 game . Why in the name of jaysus wouldn’t people start talking up their chances . I think they will win the all Ireland if they can perform to the best of their ability against Dublin when they meet . The Galway players believe because they had a sniff of them in league final and it’s there now that swagger is there.
Roscommon have been woeful and are simply not good enough , it’s a slight flaw in the system that you can beat Leitrim and Armagh and qualify for super 8 but what can you do . As for the sensationalist stuff there by some poster saying how a two tiered system would betray all gaels , wtf like , junior nor intermediate clubs don’t contest for the moclair cup either but the system doesn’t deny you from ever dreaming of one day contesting it ie win your junior then your intermediate. But hey you keep telling yourself Roscommon and Leitrim will be contesting all Ireland finals instead of having a competition they could realistically win someday .
Oh and Kerry did invent Gaelic football, Caid I think is what it was first called , a pigs bladder thrown up between two parishes and they’d knock fook out of one another till one parish got the bladder over to a certain divide and declared the winner . (Don’t hold me to it but I read that in some history GAA book once) .
No worries, Larry, I just felt it was unnecessarily OTT. It wasn’t you I was referring to earlier on by the way.
141llnall41 – you obviously haven’t read what I posted this morning. Please do so and it’ll become clear to you why I deleted that bit of your comment.
Financial loss looking like it’s going to set us back a fair bit .
Says it all about what the All-Ireland championship has become when the second favourites, Galway, who are into the semi-finals, can still be backed at 6/1.
Also: I don’t know why people label Mayo as bottlers for not winning Sam. If anyone deserves that label, it’s Monaghan. A four-point headstart, home venue, any number of chances to put the game away and they still couldn’t do it. They’ll get nothing out of Pearse Stadium and after that capitulation yesterday they deserve nothing.
Haha Sean you change your tune fairly quick. It’s not long since you were here telling us all Roscommon could win the all Ireland, that their forwards were different class to Mayo etc etc. Now you want them playing in a Mickey Mouse Cup and not even to be allowed play in the all Ireland championship! Which is it?
The bottom line is this tiered championship nonsense is just flawed elitist shit. Outside of Dublin, anyone could beat anyone else on their day. Carlow beat Kildare. Kildare beat Mayo. Fermanagh beat Monaghan. Monaghan beat Tyrone. Tyrone beat Roscommon. Galway beat kerry. Monaghan drew with kerry. Roscommon beat Galway last season by 10 points. How would you even go about splitting those teams up. For example, if there was an 8 team senior tiered championship next year, as suggested by the high sparrow brolly, would Mayo be in it?? Going by your logic we’d have to play intermediate in the “paidi o se Cup”. What a pile of steaming shite.
Imagine if the club scene had no Senior, Intermediate and Junior. Furthmore, let’s imagine that (as it is now) championship was all and league was just for filling out the calendar with matches.
Can you imagine the damage to player and club morale in suffering annihilations each and every year in the group stages of the club championship.
Right, well replace club in the above paragraph and that is pretty much the Senior intercounty scene.
Football is falling badly behind in places like Limerick and Waterford precisely because they ARE included in the senior championship. During the height of the summer, with local and national medias eyes on Limerick, what was Limericks story? A hammering by Mayo.
Wouldn’t it be better for Limericks kids witnessing them get to the quarter finals of the Paidi OShea cup or similar.
Where would hurling be in Mayo if every year we went out and got beat by Galway by 40 points? Galway could easily stick something crazy on us like 9-28 to 3 points.
In my view hurling in Mayo is healthier precisely because we are not included in the full senior championship and subjected to absolute hope destroying demolition jobs. A demolition job psychologically does the following to an entire squad, it makes the squad spirit, listen up and take on clearly the message “There will never, ever be any hope for you and this team”.
Ahh sure now ya have me if I ever said Ros would win an all Ireland I was well trollimg/joking , taking the piss out of John evans perhaps. But they do have some lovely forwards who can take a score and that’s not a piss take.
Anyway can anyone put up a link to what Connelly was saying in what i think must be western people about the impact financially this year’s exit is going to have .
I think it’s time for action as regards fundraising if we are in trouble . Give it over to the supporters and I’ll show ye how ye can do this , how hard could it be to find a thousand Mayo supporters to give 500 Euro towards team costs for 2019 , that would be half a million . Didn’t Tyrone do something similar years ago ?
Sean, i totally agree about the believe mentality which is key to any teams success. I know from speaking to a Galway player last week he said that the momentum there are getting as the years goes on is a massive thing for them. They have only lost one game, the league final all year, and when Damien Comer stated at the start of the championship that they could win Sam it was ridiculed far and wide yet they and most importantly thats what matters believe they can do it.
Larry – I think what most people want is 2 championship tiers, 16 and 16. I don’t see Mayo dropping out of the top 16 any time soon, but if we do then we’ve no business competing for Sam Maguire.
Of all the teams you mention, only Carlow would be in tier 2 based on current league standings. There would be 4 groups of 4 to start off and then quarters, semis and finals in both tiers. Roscommon would likely have to play 2 teams superior to themselves and one very winnable game against a Meath or Clare.
This would also stop what happened this year, where Roscommon beat Leitrim and Armagh to reach the 1/4 finals of the All Ireland.
If Galway can beat Monaghan and I believe they will, they certainly could make it to final. I didn’t see anything wrong with Comers goal yesterday, at worst he was fouled. Most impressive was the subs bench introduced very timely and everyone of them strengthening the team. They will match anyone re depth of panel. And the younsters were massive. Take a bow Walsh and management.
A final would do them the world of good. I wouldn’t expect them to beat Dublin this year but a final appearance and the whole county behind them (after 17 barren years) would bring that young team on hugely and I could see them winning one over the next few seasons
Dublin are already showing signs of stagnating a bit, the forwards have been well off colour this year, and I’d expect a bit of a lull for them in the next year or two. Guys like Flynn, Connolly, Brogan, MDM won’t be easily replaced by any team. Kerry are all over the shop and are now getting further and further away each year, while Tyrone and Donegal are decent but not good enough. I think Mayo will be steadily drawn into the pack too unfortunately.
With two top class forwards in Walsh and Comer (and a more than capable supporting act), Tom Flynn dominating every game at midfield and a solid, hard working defensive unit they have every chance. They also have a very strong bench
Stats to date in this decade:
2018: Galway in AI Semi final
2011-17: Mayo in AI Semi final
2011-17: Mayo in 4 finals, beaten by AI winners every year since 2012
A stat to add to yours, Catcol – 2018 is the first year since 2001 that any Connacht champion (other than us) has made it to the All-Ireland semi-final stage. 2001 was, of course, the last time a Connacht county other than Mayo reached the final and, no, I don’t need reminding that they won that day!
So would Mayo be senior in 2019 JP if the championship was divided into a senior intermediate and junior like you suggest? 12 teams in each grade. We didn’t make the last 12 this year so we’d be intermediate, right? What a farce that would be. Teams like Cork, Armagh, Meath, Mayo playing intermediate football in a meaningless makey uppey competition at 12pm in croker in front of the pigeons, before the “big boys” come into play later in the day. The comparison between club and county is not valid. Every county football team has a right to contest the Sam Maguire every year. Perhaps you could set up a secondary comp once they have been knocked out, it would attract massive interest id say, we could call it something novel like the Tommy Murphy Cup, oh wait…..
There are close to a minimum of a thousand players in each county to pick from. It’s not like a club scene where some clubs struggle to field teams and inequality is more permanent. How would weak counties get stronger by only playing themselves? What’s unique about our sport is everyone gets a shot. 2010 for Sligo was a magic day for their people. The solution lies in the gaa properly investing in weaker counties. A socialist model, if you like. The likes of Dublin and a few other well off counties don’t need central funds, even if it was only for a few years.
Finally, the comparison with hurling is a total red herring. It’s a game played by maybe 10 counties in Ireland. Two thirds of Irish counties, including Mayo, have no history or meaningful tradition of playing the game. Playing numbers are tiny in most of these regions. Football is the national game, and over the last 30 years, I’d say a good 25 of the 32 counties have shown they can compete at the top level in Gaelic football at various stages, even if only briefly. These teams include Sligo, Fermanagh, limerick, Tipperary, Wexford, Westmeath, Laois, Clare, Leitrim, derry, Offaly, Roscommon, even Carlow this year. In that same Period, 10 counties have made elite hurling a closed shop, have never been beaten by a team ranked from 11-32 (Laois probably the only exception and that’s being generous), and to be honest, probably won’t in the next 100 years either. It’s not a valid comparison.
As I said already McStay will not get the Mayo job, I always liked his fair views on the Sunday Game this past few years but looking at his antics during and after the Donegal match was pathetic. His abuse towards the match officials was a disgrace and warrants a sideline ban.
My guess is that he will get the boot from the Rossie board in any case.
I’m taking bets that the Galway v Monaghan game could end in a draw or maybe a Monaghan win, the draw would send Kerry out.
Galway have lost more semis and finals in hurling and football than I care to remember. The only shtat that matters to me is that they’ve won 5 Liameen McCarthys and 9 Sammy Maguire’s. With the help of god they might add to one if not both over the next year or two.
If only we could appoint someone with the sole job of fundraising. Someone removed from the day to day club finances, the collecting at the gates, the players registration, insurance etc etc etc. Maybe we could call this person a financial director and let them tap into the global diaspora from the county. I’d say there is a 1000 people already booked for NYC next year and still not a word regarding fundraising. This is in all likelyhood the last year we will be guaranteed a trip to the states before a two tied championship is brought in, the last year to take advantage of the fundraising oppurtunities that allowed Kerry to raise €1.2 million, Roscommon €300k, the GPA €600k annually and Galway €98k while our USA biscuit tin raised the grand total of €14,000.
After 8 of the greatest years the county has ever had we should be financially set up for a generation, instead we find ourselves in penury.
A two tier or three tier championship would most likely be based on league standings.
Div 1 and 2 Senior
Div 3 and 4 second tier
Thanks WJ and Big Mike.
My only point in producing these stats is to say: AS OF NOW.
No questioning number of All Ireland wins. If Mayo won last year, Galway people would still be able to throw those final wins about, but what good would it do? Similarly, IF Galway were to win Sam this year, then my stats would be pointless at that stage.
McStay was totally right to lose the plot and when the likes of him does it, it shows just how bad the officiating at senior games has become. McStay, and O’Neill with Kildare, could see all the off-the-ball stuff going on around the field but the linesmen could not! They both pleaded with the linesmen but their requests fell on deaf ears while the stuff continued unpunished. There is nothing more infuriating than a linesman who has neither the competence or the balls to call the refs attention when it is needed.
Coldrick and Hurson is particular are so far out of their depth at this level that it is wrong they are given games of such magnitude. Hurson was the linesman that bottled the black card call on John Small when he tripped Andy Moran in the All Ireland. Deegan took the rap publicly but, during the referees end of season review in Croke Park, all the national panel refs were gathered in and their performances discussed. The Small incident was shown and highlighted as being key. The ref coordinator asked the room how they would have called it. Hurson was the only one who deemed it a “non-black card offence”. Deegan stood up in the room and tore strips off Hurson as Deegan, from a distance, thought it might be a black card but he went on Hursons word as he was right beside it. After seeing it on TV he immediately knew he was wrong. Hurson, let’s not forget, was also the linesman that called the famous “knee in the head” on the Corofin player in the club All Ireland semi-final this year. That red card was subsequently rescinded. Hurson is consistently incompetent and he must be doing some ass kissing in GAA HQ to even be considered at this level.
Coldrick did the line in another of our All Irelands and I remember him shivering with fear when things kicked off around him. Dublin Joe was on the line during the weekend and he, again, tried to make it all about him. I even saw Cormac Reilly on the line also I think? McStay was right.
I get ya Catcol and my intention wasn’t to throw it at mayo people. My intention is to throw it at Damien Comer and co until they’ve actually won something.
I believe you’re totally correct in your assessment there Liam especially about lost opportunities these last few years but we need to act now . Mayo will always have footballers to compete if we can keep it going we are blessed in that department despite what anyone says . It’s just a matter of keeping things going , I’ve only seen a little snippet of today’s article but the sound of there will have to be cuts. Scares the bejysus out of me . We need to really invest in the next crop .
Another thing i can’t fathom is why we can’t find jobs in Mayo for lads that are qualified teachers and the likes , surely something can be done . One lad working here in the school my young lad goes to , a PE teacher , why can’t a job be found for him in Mayo ?
Re, David Clifford and an All Star award.. He has ever chance of winning an All Star, or Young Player of the Year award.. He’s certainly good enough, rare talent but without blistering pace..In my opinion it depends on Kerry winning versus Kildare and Monaghan losing against Galway… No one has any chance of All Stars or Player of the year awards, outside of the last four remaining semifinalists… And like last year I expect the bulk to come from the eventual finalist’s.. Players like, Michael Quinlivan,of Tipperary, Gary Brennan of Clare and Enda Smith of Roscommon have no chance of winning All Star’s this year, if ever?.. But you can bet your bottom dollar that someone will win an All Star who is not as good a player as any of them… Referee’s decisions in a very tight match can at this stage be crucial to the ambitions of Team’s or Player’s… Up coming match’s in Ballybofey, (Donegal /Tyrone) where Donegal haven’t lost a match in over 20 year’s.. But a draw will be good enough for Tyrone, just as it was good enough for us to stay in Division 1,..last Spring.. It’s almost certainly going to be a tight tactical match, and Referee’s decisions will be under the microscope… Galway and Monaghan will be fascinating.. I give Monaghan ever chance and a draw will be good enough for them as well.. Will Galway play their B team?.. Coming second in their side of the Super Eights is likely for Galway to meet Dublin in the All Ireland Semifinal… If I was Kevin Walsh, I would be thinking that meeting Dublin is a semifinal gives Galway the best chance of beating Dublin… Wouldn’t give Galway much chance versus Dublin in a final… Only one dead rubber in the last match of the Super Eights (Dublin B Team?? V a very deflated Roscommon) and unfortunately for us Mayo supporter’s it coincides with our U20s in the All Ireland final August 5th!…. Let’s hope someone from Connacht has something to shout about coming back the N5… Can’t see it being the Rossies!
Agree with Sean Burke re jobs. Driving to and from Dublin midweek for training has to takes it toll on players. All the Kerry players working in Kerry. Not sure about Donegal and Galway players. Makes a huge difference. Surely these lads can be accommodated in the county.
Pebblesmeller.. Cormac Reilly was a linesman at the Tyrone Dublin match… David Coldrick was the Ref… Between what both of them seen or rather missed… Michael Darragh McCauley is a big fellow hard to miss you would imagine… He was very lucky to not have seen Red…
Seanburke I’ll fully agree with you on the jobs for our lads. It’s a joke that so many of them are based in Dublin and you wouldn’t see it in kerry that’s for sure. There will always be a few lads based away but a teacher like Cillian working in Dublin is ridiculous. Unless he doesn’t want to live in Mayo for some other reason or something, maybe that’s it.
The standard of the refs is worrying and someone said to me last week that the idea of two refs needs to be looked at again but I dont know how it would work in practice. Surprised to read Mayo are struggling financially as you would think given the oft repeated lines on here about having the best fans and the largest numbers outside Dublin that they would be awash with cash. I suppose people dont have much disposable income given how expensive it is to live here or is it poor efforts at fund raising. Maybe ye should hit some of those big pharma factories in Westport for cash.
Mayo’s top official believes Stephen Rochford will stay on as senior football manager for a fourth term.
Rochford has two years left to run on an existing agreement and, speaking to the Western People, County Board chairman Mike Connelly revealed he expects the former Crossmolina player to commit to the cause for 2019.
The futures of trainer Donie Buckley and selector Peter Burke are less certain, however.
“We’re giving Stephen the month to review his own situation,” Connelly remarked.
“There’s a lot of rumours that Donie Buckley isn’t going to be there and maybe Peter Burke [too]. We haven’t been told this but I presume that if that is happening, that [Stephen’s] talking to whoever is remaining in his backroom and planning for next year.
“He was at the All-Ireland U20 semi-final in Carrick on Shannon so I presume he was there for more than one reason.”
Interesting that there was no mention of McEntee . I also find the whole tone of them quotes like as if there is a serious lack of communication
Sean Burke – if, as Mike Connelly says, they have given Rochy a month to mull things over, then they wouldn’t be communicating with him and they would be correct.
Perhaps Mike was doing some pre-empting work in case the rumour mill on Buckley gets out of hand. He always seems to me like a guy who knows what he’s doing.
Yeah of course . At the same time though Connelly fair play to him is advocating panel has to be shook up.
Great news to hear Stephen Rochford is staying on and the backroom team is getting a change up.Donie Buckley and Peter Burke look like there gone .
Still hope Tony McEntee stays around , alot of Mayos game plan in 2016 and 17 was based on the way Crossmaglen played.You could tell McEntee had worked closely with Jason Doherty in Dublin last year with the improvement in his game and the way he played the link man for Andy and Cillian in the Kerry and Dublin games.hopefully we find 2 or 3 players from the Under 20s and maybe a few players put up there hands in the Club Championship.In Galway Ciaran Duggan from Annaghdown is 27 was ignored by Alan Mulholland and Walsh up until this year.Put in some big displays in the Galway championship last year particularly against Corofin were Annaghdown should have beaten them and was brought in by Kevin Walsh this year and ended up Man of the Match v Mayoin Castlebar.
Howdy all. Haven’t been around these parts much due to other obligations but managed to claw back a bit of time at the weekend to catch up on all three outstanding podcasts, including the preview of the Kildare game. Oh, how innocent and optimistic we were … mind you, Rob Murphy is so optimistic that I still reckon he thinks we’re in with a shot of winning Sam this year (sorry Rob, couldn’t resist!).
It’s so odd being out of the running, but I won’t lie, it is somewhat of a relief to be off the hamster wheel. Looking forward to the 5th August though and another day out with the New Auld Enemy.
I haven’t read the WP yet, but if Mayo GAA is struggling for cash then there had better be a decent plan in the pipeline for New York this time around, and no buckets or biscuit tins on the doors of any establishments over there. Liam of course is spot on – as he has been many times before – in terms of hiring a professional to develop a fundraising strategy. And imagine if a Dublin-based businessman had already pledged €10,000 towards the cost of investing in one? Oh wait, that’s already happened. Every winter it’s the same plea, except this time it’s summer. And still nothing but crying poverty.
As for 2019, based on no evidence whatsover, I did expect Rochford to walk, and I hoped that if that was going to be the case that he would do so immediately. As was said in one of the podcasts we do not want to be three months down the road and on the back foot heading into 2019 pre-season; we need someone bedded in who will be able to devote the time to going to club games and building their own relationships prior to pre-season. My own strong preference would be for Rochford to stay, but two years is not long enough for a transition like this and while I know we will still have serious quality in our panel regardless of retirements I do not feel we will have enough of depth to compete in either 2019 or 2020. Of course I know nothing about football and we’ll probably do the three in a row. As for the 2019 league I actually couldn’t give a fiddlers if we lost all seven games (as long as they weren’t pastings!) if it meant we had blooded some new players with the confidence and experience to stand up during the championship.
If Rochford does stay, our substitution strategy needs to change drastically. It’s mind-boggling, particularly given the way Dublin use their subs (albeit with plenty more depth on their panel) how we have restricted ourselves to a 15-, maybe 16, 17 man game. When’s the last time you saw Jim Gavin bring on a sub in the last five minutes? Apart from last September …
Anyway, best be off now. Busy packing up my belongings to be on the first plane out of Knock on 3rd September if Galway manage to pull off an All-Ireland win.
Really hoped Rochford would go himself
What makes you think Rochfords substitution strategy will change. And he has to grow a strong bench for a substitution strategy to work. I believe the players are there, they need opportunities, they need physical and mental conditioning.
C O Shea, Evan Regan Conor Loftus and Fergal Boland are all bright Sparks. Where is their game both mentally and physically after 2 years under Rochford….
Sorry willie joe just posted and seen what you had said.
As you know im not a man to slate mayo but only saying what i saw with my own 2 eyes.
By the way your a pure legend and keep it up.
Good man ciaran.
Galway are a good team sometimes excellent but mayo with 15 are better.
Is it ideal for a manager who has been there with this panel to manage the transition period ? My point is let’s say put that up against a new guy coming in who has no ties nor relationships with players?
Sean Burke – who right now would you replace Rochford with? Mike Solan is the name many are thinking…maybe he will come on board as a coach or selector with Rochford.
Don’t think it’s a good idea for Mike Solan to be manager yet, aren’t Andy Moran and himself related somehow? I’d keep him with the U20s for another year at least. I just don’t see a better alternative to Rochford out there at the moment.
Eamon Fitzmaurice has had no problem changing the Kerry team up this year. The reality is apart from a handful of players, we were poor all through 2018. Rochford is well within his rights to drop a few lads going on form.
Rochford deserves the time to make his decision. Big problem for us is who would replace him if he was to go. Personally hope Donie Buckley and McEntee stay but I have my doubts. Speaking of managers I wouldn’t be that critical of McStay .for his antics. He is usually mild mannered and controlled but must have been very annoyed at what he saw happening. Anyway there’s nothing wrong with showing a bit of passion especially when your team is not doing well. Would far prefer the likes of him and Cian o Neill for wearing their hearts on their sleeves than the likes of Gavin who is an expert at saying nothing and Micky H who appears too sour to say anything of interest. Not questioning these managers abilities by the way. Mickey has won 3 AIs and Gavin 4. I would gladly settle for one.
Did I see some stats earlier in the year saying we are second (or third) only to the dubs in terms of funding the county team, or did I dream that?!
Wide ball – not sure the statement saying Fitzmaurice has no problem changing Kerry team this year. Reality is if they had lost to Monaghan Sunday he would have been sacked. Mayo supporters have to forget about the idea of winning Sam next year. Reality is we have to replace 6-7 of our top players. This takes time. Can’t expect for example a new defender to come and play at the level of a Boyler/Higgins at their peak.
From reading the Western it seems to me that Mike Connelly is laying his cards on the table. Bring in the youth. Can’t remember a county chairman coming out in public with his expectations, prior to meeting the current manager. Saying it’s planned for first week in August. Not on anyone’s side here, but it seems all was ok once we got to AI finals. New lads not given a proper chance and not used in Newbridge was what cost the money.
I think Higgins and Clarke are the only two that may be starters next year. There are good reasons for this. I think Keith has the natural agility, athleticism and professionalism and I really don’t think it will be a problem for him. Clarkie should absolutely still be our number 1 next year. I thought his kickouts overall were very good this year including in Newbridge, and he’s still one of the best shot stoppers in the game and arguably the best in the air. By all means blood a goalie in league and if he performs better then Clarke then fair enough, give him the jersey.
It’s probably a bit fanciful (because it’s never this simple) but if I was the manager I’d build a team around Kevin mcgloughlin. A running game. It’s still what we are best at. For me, he’s still our most important player.
We’d a serious problem transitioning to attack this year and granted a lot of this was down to a general weariness. Keith would add hugely to this too for obvious reasons and it goes without saying that the big challenge would then be to pick the right balance of young players to come in. But crucially it could reenergise some of the senior lads. A good starting point will be to retain some of the strengths already there.
South Mayo Exile – I mean Fitzmaurice has had no problem starting 6 or 7 new lads and dropping experienced guys, despite him knowing the experienced guys well. Even if Kerry are gone after the next game, the young players will be brought on a huge amount by the experience.
Rochford needs to be ruthless starting from the first pre season session he does this winter. Fitzmaurice took off Paul Geaney at the weekend with Kerry chasing the game. I just can’t imagine Stephen doing that with some of our star players.
I would like to see Rochford have all his tactical substitutions on the pitch with the last one brought on with a minimum of 15 minutes to go. Keep 1 option in the case of a late injury. Our subs have to be as good next year for 20 or 25 minutes on the pitch as someone who has been going hammer and tongs for the 1st 50.
Any less than 15 of.gametime for a sub limits the impact they can have on a game. Keep things fresh let the subs know they will be involved heavily and.keep everyone fighting like dogs for their jersey.
“. I just can’t imagine Stephen doing that with some of our star players.”
And if there was to be any truth in that it could prove detrimental to the transition period. We need this to run as smooth as it possibly can .
I just have a slight preference for a new manager , I’m not sure rochford can change the old guard dynamic . “You shut your hole ,I’m the boss this is a new beginning ” type attitude.
That is great stuff Pebbles. Absolutely agree with you. I place all the blame where it belongs. Not with the individual but with a crooked system. It depresses me sometimes. that we seem to be incapable of doing something right for rights sake. Dylan had a line in the distant past that went “Power and greed and corruptible seed, seems to be all that there is”. Our games are suffering and I believe will decline before our very eyes as a consequences.
John Cuffe has a terrific article in this weeks Western.
A must read for the County Board.
Good man John.
Reading a lot of the comments here about substitutes etc I agree with a lot of what being said we need to make subs sooner .
don’t forget also a few year ago we were complaining about Horan not making changes e.g caff on Donaghy .
Stephen comes in and puts o Shea on him twice.starting Dillon v Tyrone.keegan on Enda smyth.keegan on Connolly keegan on Kilkenny.these were great tactical decisions that worked yes they were brave but they worked.not every decision will work but it’s a risk and reward business.i just think people need lay off Stephen a bit and actually realise that he brought us so close the last two years.we have being beaten out the gate in finals before after 10 minutes but last few years we being in the game til the last kick.
I don’t know what more we could have done to win last years final we got all our match ups spot on.
Yes there will be a rebuilding job needed of sorts next year and down the line so let’s get behind our manager for this .
Re.. Speculation on the future of our Manager, Stephen Rochford.. I think it’s academic unless our County Board have someone else in mind? … It is the County Board who have the power in this regard…I think an end of season review is always the right thing to do…. One question I would have for Stephen Rochford, What’s the reason for constant bringing on of Subs, much too late to affect the game.. I know some players are better than others, but even some of our biggest star’s have at times less than stellar games but are never under the management of Stephen Rochford taken off… This was a problem before Stephen took over, as well. But I personally can’t understand it…… But, I think it is better that we don’t speculate on Mick Solan possibly being a manager of our senior team sometime in the future..JUST YET . . We have an All Ireland final to play and hopefully win in Croke Park or Nowhere, on the 5th of August…. No distraction’s ahead of that date, PLEASE! .. Score more than than our recently acquired biggest rival’s Kildare, and suddenly the season has a real silver lining for us Mayo fan’s…. Our very talented women’s gaelic-football team has a big match versus All Ireland Champions, Dublin next weekend.. Peter Leahy had his charge’s in magnificent scoring form recently versus Cavan, hopefully we will see a resolution to recent travails involving the ladies, tighten up a bit/lot in defence and a shock could be in store for the All Ireland Champions…. Wouldn’t that be something?.. Almost a miracle, you might say two weeks ago… If the ladies can get their best 15 on the pitch as their manager see’s it.. They are good enough to win the All Ireland 100%!…If this were to happen, Peter Leahy name would be on many people’s lips for the Senior Men’s job. As well,!…
Good result for Galway in Newbridge – but in fairness Mayo’s adventure there was an early eye opener. I see odds of a draw Galway v Monaghan at 6/1 – nice chance to boost the family holiday fund…
Pebblesmeller. Your post at 3.13.
Where did ya hear that about owl Maurice Deegan standing up in the room and tearing a strip off Hurson at the “end of season referee review in Crow Park” or whatever its called?
Sounds like you were in the owl room with them. Not having a go at ya or anything.
I would presume the fuck ups made by owl refs in our All Ireland finals (like the one referenced in your piece where there was no card issued for the trip on Andy Moran) would all be swept under the owl carpet or discussed behind closed doors.
Proper closed doors too with nothing leaking out to the likes of us.
Brian Reape scored 0-8 last night for McBride’s.Conor Loftus scored 0-2.
2nd half coverage can be seen by going into Chicago gaa Facebook.
Disappointed Stephen is staying on for the simple reason that I have no faith in his ability to freshen up the team and bring on subs in a timely fashion. I believe this cost us the game in Kildare. We will have big names starting and not being substituted until they are 40 the way things are going. Opportunity lost.
What did I do this time to warrant moderation Willie Joe? Maybe it’s the gremlins in the system
Wide ball, Fitzmaurice brought Geaney back on though in those final minutes.
Leantimes, maybe Leahy HAS his preferred 15 starting and that is the problem with the Carnacon Cartel?
Jim Flag, never reveal your sources! But, you are not far off.
Re Cormac Reilly, as a result of his incompetance in Limerick v us in 2014, he was dropped from the national panel in 2016. They didn’t drop him in 2015 because they felt that would look like they were hanging him out for Limerick and thereby siding with our view of things.
I think it must be, Backdoorsam – I’ll check it out in a bit.
It’s nothimg personal against Stephen , but he has taken us as far as he can take us – that’s my opinion and if that warrants modierosation there’s no point any of us posting on this blog
Look he has made crucial errors at crucial times – Clarke – replay 2016 final
Having guys in the panel “ Subs” that are making no impact what so ever and have been there years …. if I start putting out names it won’t be posted here !!!
we need a fresh voice and I expected / hoped that there would be one !!!! Kinda annoyed me a lot this coming out that Rochford is staying on
In Stephens defence we don’t know what other constraints he is dealing with in reality. Could be budgetary, squad morale both established and new players.
I was in favour of a major transition as far back as 2016, but there must be some reason it has been pretty much tweaks.
Alot of the talk seems to be about Rochford and his inability to blood new players since he came on board.
Did anybody ever question this point during or after Horan’s time as boss, how many players did he bring in after his first season in charge, ie, 2011, Colm Boyle due to his good form with Davitts was the only player I can think of and maybe he brought a former Mayo player back from the wilderness, ie, Conroy.
Mayo88, Cillian O’connor?
Haven’t posted much and really don’t plan to until Mayo are back in action but just a couple of points on what has been said over the past few days,
RE Stephen, I’m delighted he is staying on Mayo do need to freshen things up but don’t require a total over haul. Also I don’t believe there is a suitable manager available to take over, there isn’t a club manager in Mayo to equal Rochford, McGuinness is pursuing a career in Soccer so it would take cash to get him. Only other options are a has been old manager or to take a chance on a young inexperienced one.
On the subs issue, I do find it frustrating to see layers coming on with a few mins left but I think there is a big difference in quality from ours first 16 or 17 players and the rest of the panel, also in the modern game you simply need to hold 1-2 subs back due to injury and black cards.
RE Brian Reape, I fully believe he will play senior football for Mayo but hyping him up on the back of games in America is a bit much, these games can’t be taken seriously. Mike Sweeney scored 4-4 recently for July and does that mean he needs to be called up immediately? Rochford has great time for Reape, he brought him onto the panel in his first year and called him up each of the following years, he has gotten his chances, it’s up to him and any other player to grab that chance then presented.
Mayo88, did Horan not introduce the likes of Lee Keegan, DOC etc to the panel?
If stephen is staying on, he needs someone to advise on his substitution options, making subs with a couple of minutes to go is a disaster as we saw in newbridge, kildare emptied their bench with fresh legs and we didnt.
There are some players in the squad who should be thanked but cleared out for the next season.
Who is our forwards coach? I would like to see Kieran Mc Donald in there advising.
I would like to see more youth in the squad, and more direct attacking forwards as opposed to our system of hitting the corners and going nowhere.
Why didnt stephen play the young lads from the league, Crowe for instance would have been my number 3 for the championship, I really hope Rochford learns from his mistakes of sticking with the old guard, if not, we will not win connacht next year, Connacht title should be our nr,1 goal, as the scenic route caught us this year.
I dont buy into the strength and conditioning, look at ryan mc hugh of donegal, he can play ball and isnt afraid to.
“I was in favour of a major transition as far back as 2016, but there must be some reason it has been pretty much tweaks.”
As they’d used to say down home “ah sure now ” when ya know what one is saying but it doesn’t have to be said.
A couple of points….
The comparison of Horan bringing through young players v Rochford is an unfair one. Horan started with a very young squad back in 2011 and generally developed those same players through their early twenties to be the players they are now. Rochford inherited a squad of players in their late twenties and early thirties. Horan didn’t need to bring young lads through as he was starting with a young inexperienced squad.
Regarding Rochford just making a few tweaks to the squad, this was all that was needed to be fair. He came in with the sole aim of winning Sam Maguire. The players were there, the athleticism was there, the experience was there, that squad lost the 2012 and 2013 AIF’s, lost the 2014 & 2015 AI semi-finals to the eventual champions, after replays, and so the changes needed were very very small because the squad was so close. It did not need to be broken down and re-built. Hence the tweaks.
Rochford has gotten us closer than any other manager since ’51. There is no other viable managerial candidate out there, in club or county football, and he has earned the right to see out his two years. Yes he has his flaws, show me any man that doesn’t. For one, I cannot understand why it takes him so long to get his bench in to the game, however, his match-ups for the start of games are exemplary and never too far out. We are always the dominant team at the start of the second half which shows that the changes he makes in the dressing room are effective and fully understood by the players. He has developed our game from being a total man-on-man defence with a hard running overlapping attack, to, a team that can play the sweeper when needed and has as good at a kicking attack as there is in the game.
Management is all about decisions. you live and die by them. So, if we are to judge Rochford on his decisions let’s at least be fair. Playing Barry Moran, out of the blue having not featured all year, as a sweeper v Tipp a couple of years ago was a ballsy move. Moran played well, we won = Rochford is a tactical guru. Dropping Clarke for Hennelly, Hennelly (not Rochford!) spills a simple ball, gets black carded, concedes a peno, we lose by 1 point = Rochford is an idiot and hasn’t a clue what he is at. Play with 5 backs v Tyrone with Dillon lining out as no.3, Dillon cuts Tyrone to bits for 50mins, we win = Rochford is a tactical genius. I believe he has gotten more right than wrong and I think we can assume that he too knows that now is the time for fresh blood in the senior squad. As I said earlier in this post, it is time to re-boot and aim for 2020/2021 to win Sam.
If Rochford accepts his failings with squad management, i.e. flogging senior players and not using/trusting his bench, and is willing to do something about it then I believe he is the man for the job.
Anyone Know which club in America is Jack Reilly from Charlestown playing for?
Anyone know if Colm Maye is of County standard putting up some big scores for Charlestown recently!! 2-5 against Garrymore in Michael Walah Senior final Sunday
Have to say that it’s very disappointing to see some people slagging off Kevin Mc Stay, because of Roscommon’s poor form against Tyrone and Donegal.
The Rossies are the only team from outside this year’s Division 1, who qualified for the last 8.
Not surprisingly, they faced a step up in class, and have struggled against the top sides. That is their only crime.
I think that Mc Stay and indeed Mc Hale are doing okay in Roscommon.
They beat Galway last year in Salthill to win the Connacht Title, the same Galway that Mayo can no longer beat.
He brought them back up to Division 1 this year at the first time of asking.
But for some wayward second half shooting, they would have retained their Connacht Title against Galway this summer.
Yes, he overstepped the mark last Saturday, from a disciplinary point of view, but to describe it as a publicly stunt is stupidly beyond belief.
As for the Super 8, I have found them enjoyable despite Mayo’s absence…..and those people claiming that the Championship is missing Mayo, should cop themselves on. Does anyone really think that Mayo’s name was mentioned even once last weekend in Omagh, New bridge, Hyde Park or Clones ??
There seems to be a general perception this year that Dublin have slipped back a bit nearer to the chasing pack.
But who could you really see beating them ?
Of the likely qualifiers, I can’t see Donegal, Tyrone or Monaghan beating them, and even if Kerry scrape through, I can’t see them beating the Dubs.
Which brings us to Galway….they are the one team that could , on their day, take the Dubs. They lost the League Final to 14 man Dublin, when the fear of winning suffocated them in the last 15 minutes.
But I think Galway will have learned a lot from that day.
If the Dubs have slipped a little (still to be proven though), I believe that Galway could be the best placed of the remaining contenders, to exploit that..
Wouldn’t it be ironic, if the Dubs slipped up, that Galway would emerge from last year’s ruins to snatch Sam.
Stranger things have happened.
To win an All Ireland these days you probably need two teams or at least one team and a bench.
The main focus now should be on developing players 11-26 and the time to do this is in next years League.
In fairness to Stephen he inherited a unique set of circumstances with experienced players who only wanted to hit the high notes a few times per year. His decision to place AOS on Donaghy last year was a true master stroke … the ‘Kieran Donaghy knock down’ is still the most lethal move in football …. just ask Monaghan!
I believe we will see a new Stephen next year with him flogging players 11-26 and resting players 1-10.
If he does this we’ll be back in business faster than anyone here expects.
He just needs to decide on players 11-26 & immediately introduce them to his S&C team and promise them a good flogging in 2019!
I read Mike Finnertys article in the Mayonews about who was in the 8 man development panel this year and that they trained with the senior squad right up until the kildare game. It started with Shairoze Akram, James McCormack, Matthew Ruane, James Durcan, Fionn McDonagh, Peter Naughton, Ciaran Treacy, James Carr. With James Durcan later breaking into the championship panel. Thats 5 new forwards, and Reape wasnt one of them. I have followed Reape progress myself and as surprised earlier in the year that he wasnt making an impact at Sigerson level but not alot of Mayo players are for some reason except for Diarmuid. I dont see this as an end for Reape but maybe the kickup the arse he needs to work on parts on his game that needs improvement. I also see that the development squad is top heavy with forwards so maybe Rochford feels he has enough of youth already, Durcan,harrison, Coen, o Donoghue and doesnt need to inject much more.
As Nephin said above and on reading Mike Connelly interview with the Western People I found it very surprising but not shocking. He mentioned that it cost 50k to run the Mayo senior panel, that they have lost out on championship revenue by our early exit and that they have to find the funds for an extra two months of training this year as the plan is to start earlier in November, surprised he mentioned this as he hasnt spoken with the managers. He also mentions the needs for to inject young blood, surprised that Matthew Ruane was not part of the squad and that we were caught out badly with injuries in this department. He also wanted 5-10 of the U20 to joint in with the current development squad and see who comes through for the 26 man matchday League panel. All in all I found it a very honest maybe too honest view at least prior to taking with the manager, at least he says he thinks Rochford would agree with him. Reading between the lines it will be a highly entertaining sitdown with Rochford when discussing future plans.
Pebbles…..do you think Stephen Rochford did well as Mayo manager in 2018 ?
Do you think Jim Gavin would of started the same team as Rochford did against Kildare , would he have brought Conor loftus on with three minutes left on the clock and what would rochfords thinking of been behind that substitution? Why wait so long? I swear im absolutely baffled by this decision , he’s not stupid but I can’t come up with any other explanation other than stupidity for that decision alone .
Sean .Do you have an alternative manager in mind if Rochford decides to step down ?
Sean is a Joe soap supporter ,not my business to find an alternative. CB will do a review of the year , why not do one as supporters too.
other people have said it already, there is no point talking about SR stepping down unless there is an alternative.
I am not saying he shouldn’t but you’ve got to have someone else in mind before attempting that.
It doesn’t have to be someone who can deliver an all ireland next year nessecarily, but someone we think can do it in 3 potentially.
To be fair we have had a fairly amazing record of pulling “unknowns” from somewhere and them creating very competitive teams, to give ourselves some credit for once.
Do I think he should go, yes I do as I don’t believe unless he becomes more ruthless in his team selections AND changes some of his backroom team that he can get us to success next year. And if he’s not going to come close to it next year then we are better off going with someone who can freshen up the panel as required and give us a good chance of using our talent to its best impact.
Would James Horan be worth another shot or has he turned into too much of a pundit? I think the problem with taking the pundit soup once is that its so soft its hard for a manager not to have one eye on it even when he is managing. I think that was at the root of Kevin McStays unexplicable decision to let the cameras behind the scenes with his young rossie team last year. Made no sense in terms of their overall development unless he has one eye on getting back on that gravy train once he’s done with Roscommon.
He also may have too many long term relationships with some of the players in order to be able to see the wood from the trees.
Sean
Jim Gavin didnt make all great calls either. Everything looks great when you win.
Leaving Connolly off last Would have been questioned if they lost. Winning fixes everything.
I don’t think Jesus himself could have done much with this years jaded panel. They were simply mentally and physically drained after the last few years and that loss last September was the icing on the jaded cake. A break was badly needed.
Then of course sos and tp were both removed from the equation and it was going to be even harder this year. There isn’t much wrong with this current panel, a break like they are now getting and a few new young faces in the panel to shake things up for 2019 and anything is possible. I’m not entirely convinced that the other top teams are all that they are made out to be and the monster has a lot of miles on the clock too, they’ll win again this September but the miles are starting to show, you’d wonder if they’ll do a kerry on it and make big changes and get caught out in 2019.
Keep the faith.
On funding issue , the hard core of Mayo supporters in Dublin who did the bulk of fund raising in the past need to be brought back into the fold ..Many of these folk were disregarded when the SR regime started .. Time to re-engage them to get lots of mullah into the training fund coffers …
Dave… True for you as regards a jaded panel… Some of our stalwarts didn’t play their best football this year, but were persisted with regardless… Not just with Mayo, but you can see it with most of the Super Eights teams, beginning to pick up injuries…especially with the older players. Apart from Dublin… All injuries are one off injuries, but constant repetitive playing of the same player’s surely increasing the chance of serious injury? …. Colm Boyle is a current All Star, and easily one of the best half backs Mayo ever produced , but 2018 was not his year…. Chris Barrett likewise… Wasn’t Eoin O Donaghue better than Chris Barrett this year?… I think so. Why was he dropped? … Wasn’t Crowe a better option than Caff?… Or was he?… Lee Keegan is in my opinion, the best Mayo player ever to wear the green and red, but with his injury hit season he was far from his best as well.. For me, on the Macro management side of the team, consistently NOT, using your bench when certain players are having a bad game, or off form, or slightly injured (almost all Gaelic-football players have some slight knock nowadays) for a few years now,.. We just don’t have the player’s to replace, injured players, off form player’s… We never will unless they are given the chance… This was very obvious, and detremiantail to our ambitions, when our two first choice midfielder’s were out during to injury… The Super Eights will be there next year.. We have to have more flexibility, more player’s to be able to call on earlier in a game, or in certain circumstances at the beginning of a game.. Mostly in order to ‘Rest’ a player… ‘Resting a player is not necessarily dropping a player… Jim Gavin has a panel the envy of everyone else.. But still we never get the feeling that, any player off form will be started for two games in a row… He will be replaced and early in the match as well, regardless of the stature of the player… Jim Gavin’s Dublin have a number of players ‘Off Form’ ‘With Slight Knocks ‘..NOT playing, when they are good to go, they know they will get the chance again, because someone else is not just at the highest level at any particular time.. I know he has the resources, financial and player’s.. Plus the appalling unfair advantage of getting to play ‘Almost’ all of the championship matches in their defacto home ‘Croke Park’… But behind it all, he is an exceptional manager… In Mayo’s case, same with any other county with ambition, despite the advantages Dublin enjoys.. That’s where the bar is at as regard’s management!
Great post Observer..
Sean,
On the face of it, no I don’t. However, if you dig a little deeper there were mitigating circumstances that got the year off to a bad start. If you look back to the start of this years league, an interview Rochford did with the Mayo News said a lot. The word relegation was mentioned numerous times and while Rochford said it was not an option, there is no doubt that considering the players unavailable to him for the start of the league, relegation was certainly a risk and a possibility. Between the players returning from their holiday in January and all the injuries (at times between 9 to 11 of last years AIF starting 15) it is fair to say that his hands were tied in the league.
Connaught saw us pair up with Galway (who I still remain to be convinced about and think they are over hyped). Looking back, that game was a tense, tactical battle that I felt we were getting on top of. Comer, after a good opening 10 mins was in Barretts pocket, and on the 45 to 50 min mark I felt Galway were fading physically, were blowing hard and taking longer to get up from the pitch. It was a dire spectacle but they way you beat the counter attack is to counter attack them, so, Mayo had to play it cagey. We were dominant around the middle third and looked like we were going to push on but between the red card and Parsons horrific injury the momentum swung back to Galway. Their attacking subs brought more impact to the game and they eventually found the space that Boyle had left open. Goal. Game over.
That defeat, looking back, took a lot more out of us than we thought at the time. We never found our zip and, despite the scoreline in Limerick, they ran us ragged for a period of that game. Tipperary also blitzed us through the middle third with runners from their half back line and we were not able to keep up with them. Worrying signs. A poxy Durcan goal got us out of jail that day but, the orange lights were flashing on the dash. I, like you, do not understand why he is so reluctant to use his bench sooner in games, both from winning and losing situations. To be honest, I find it infuriating that he brings on a player like Loftus, who could easily get a score against a tiring defender, in the 69 min of a game we are chasing. Undoubtedly he has legitimate questions to answer there.
The Kildare game was just a tired team, and management?, running out of energy and options. I was surprised that he started the team he did as I would have started a few younger lads e.g. Loftus, O’Donoghue etc, and instructed them to play at a very high tempo, hit Kildare hard and draw their sting. I would then have introduced Andy Moran, Boyle, Barrett etc at the 50 min mark to drive for home when the pace of the game had dropped a little. A very warm day and our second game in a row meant that we had to ring the changes, but Rochford, for whatever reason and we must accept that he had genuine reasons, did not freshen things and we were out.
I believe, and hope, that Rochford remains. A break, a few fresh faces in the backroom team, a few hard truths to some senior players, a few fresh faces in the squad and we go again. We go again.
when you see Clifford and O Shea and Sullivan from Kerry , O Callaghan and Howard from Dublin and Donegal and Galway with a number of very young players coming through the first team and more than holding their own ,it appears age at the younger side of the scale doesn’t matter, why cant Rochford use more of our younger players most of whom have All Ireland at minor and u21 level
Good post Pebbles. I agree with everything you wrote. I too feel we were getting the upper hand on an unproven Galway team towards the end of the first half in Castlebar. Diarmuid was playing well and carrying good ball into opposition half when he got himself into bother. The Parsons injury undermined any comeback but it still took until 5 mins of injury time to beat us.
Galway beat a 14 man Kerry but Kerry were shown up against Monaghan to be poor enough. And Galway were not convincing against Kildare last week either. Superstar Shane Walsh largely anonymous. Another talked up forward Barry McHugh dropped. And I felt if Daniel Flynn was not red carded, there could have been a different outcome. I expect Monaghan to beat them in Salthill.
Somebody said that it costs up to 50k to run the Senior Mayo team, the real figure is somewhere between € 500,000 and €1,000,000 annually.
Kerry did a big fundraiser in America a year or two ago, the cost for the sit down meal was $1,000 a head.
I know that Mayo did a small type fundraiser in a Pub in New York also a few years ago, but this was small money, I believe it did’nt get to the County board.
Did a Mayo man based in Dublin not compile a strategic review a few years ago ?, surely this should have covered the fundraising aspects also or was it just geared towards type of training / development of players ?.
If you look at finding figures released by Gaa head office, Mayo were only second to the Dubs having received the biggest payout over the last few years, rightly so as Mayo had the biggest support base going back to 2011.
There is now a new post in most Companies, it is a Commercial Director, is one of those in place in Mayo Gaa at the moment ?.
Mayo88, Here is a link to that very document. http://www.mayonews.ie/images/stories/downloads/mayogaastrategic-1-27.pdf
That it – and the fundraising recommendation contained therein – was left on a shelf by the County Board to gather dust is probably the single biggest travesty of the last ten years, and there have been quite a few travesties.
Good points there Leantimes though if what you say is true about Gavin I am surprised that he continues to start Con O Callaghan who has not been impressive this year either against Laois in Leinster Final or in the two Super 8 games. I’d say he doesn’t want to negatively affect his confidence and is hoping he will return to his form of last year. Another guy who must be worried on dubs panel is Cormac Costello. He didn’t play to the system or process v Tyrone and gave the ball away more than once a mortal sin for Gavin. Though the dubs continue to produce good young players they might yet fall down through missing their experienced players. Brogan and Connolly are huge players both in the dressing room and on the pitch. They were crucial to the dubs success against us in the last two years making serious impacts against us off the bench when subs. Costello also did the same in 2016. As an earlier poster said I can’t seem to recall Mayo subs making significant impacts down through the years. Whether that’s because they are introduced too late or are simply not good enough I will let others decide.
Mayo GAA should be planning a big event in NYC for the May bank holiday weekend. A big fundraising dinner and make tickets available for fans going over and wealthy ex pats to contribute. A tight squeeze in Connollys bar in Manhattan where you pay a cover charge at the door will not sufice. Time to think big. We have the biggest diaspora of any county by far….we need to tap into it.
Yew Tree – why can’t we just have a big fundraising dinner (or any other type of fundraiser) at home, why do we have to go to New York for it.
@Ann Marie.. Year’s ago I read the report …I actually know one of its author’s very well, and it was him (who will remain nameless) who actually told me of its surprising to me very existence.. There are allot of contributers to this extensive report… It’s a few Christmas’s ago now and a few of us were having a deep philosophical discussion about Mayo Gaa… We came to similar conclusions about many things including finance…. Then I and the other’s in the group were told about this report by one of its very proactive contributers.. I Googled it when I got home, and sure enough it was in existence for a few years by then…. What my neighbour told us all that night,.. Not everyone was on the same hyme sheet, one name in particular was very regressive… Allot of very good people interested in the good of Mayo Gaa, the vast majority actually … But some, apparently more interested in their own little ‘Fiefdom’… Better way’s of doing thing’s might expose the old way’s of doing thing’s, and those who don’t want transparency and progress. Might lead to question’s as to why some things have been the way they were for so long… And who benefits?
Bohola says:
July 24, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Good post Pebbles. I agree with everything you wrote. I too feel we were getting the upper hand on an unproven Galway team towards the end of the first half in Castlebar. Diarmuid was playing well and carrying good ball into opposition half when he got himself into bother. The Parsons injury undermined any comeback but it still took until 5 mins of injury time to beat us.
Galway beat a 14 man Kerry but Kerry were shown up against Monaghan to be poor enough. And Galway were not convincing against Kildare last week either. Superstar Shane Walsh largely anonymous. Another talked up forward Barry McHugh dropped. And I felt if Daniel Flynn was not red carded, there could have been a different outcome. I expect Monaghan to beat them in Salthill.
Wait you left out the following lines. Galway were lucky to beat Kildare in 1998 and in 2001 were extremely lucky to beat Meath. Enjoy laughing at your predictions and ifs and buts though.
Done deal – Becuase in case you didn’t know….Mayo are playing NY next May, the oppturnity to have a big money spinning fundraiser over there can not be overpassed.
A lot of talk about Stephen and his lack of subs,I don’t know the reason but last year when C Boyle was been taking off after about fifty minutes i remember a poster saying that Stephen should shove his trackers up his ass,if younger players were good enough i believe he would use them,two players who should really have been pushing on this season was C Loftus,and F Boland but unfortunately seemed to fall back a little hopefully next year they will drive on along with C Hanley and J Durcan it would really give us a much stronger panel then EOD C Crowe,S Akram perhaps J Carr and a couple of others will step up,I don’t know the story with B Reape but he was not starting for his collage and may well have decided to try America this year perhaps next season he may well step up,but this year with injuries was shocking some not even when with Mayo hopefully next year after a good r and r we will be ready for another assault on Sam,in short i am very optimistic and happy that Stephen is staying on
Mayo88
Believe you are referring to this
https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/football/kerry-raise-over-euro1m-in-american-fund-raiser-335403.html
Yew Tree – I am well aware we are playing NY next year and agree with using the trip to make a few dollars. I am just saying we have a very large support base at home too and we should be trying to raise some funds here too. I dont ever remember a fund raising event held in the county.
@Ann marie, thanks for supplying me the link to the Strategic Plan, I heard somewhere before that this had been carried out but never saw anything in relation to it. Its very comprehensive covers everything. I know alot of the names from Mayo and here in Dublin.
The Mayo County Board did’nt implement it as it may have undermined their authority.
I asked this question before on this blog but never got a clear answer, how many full time paid GPO’s are employed by the Mayo County Board ?. Nearly every club in Dublin has one and even some clubs have two paid Coaches ( GPO’s ).
Those GPO’s come into the National School in their clubs catchment areas and take the classes for training even organise fooball & Hurling blitz’s during the School hours.
The GPO also assists the mentors and parents on how to coach the youngsters.
My guess is that the Dubs came up with their own Strategic Plan around 2009 / 2010 and implemented it, John Costello, the CEO, gets huge credit for putting the wheels in motion back then
Go easy on the trolling there, Reamonn. People from outside the county are always welcome to post here but not for the purposes of winding up others. If you don’t agree with what someone else has written then please take the trouble to explain properly why you don’t agree. Sarcastic put-downs don’t count in this respect and aren’t a welcome contribution to debate here.
Done deal – I think supporters at home have contributed a lot to the team through the online lotto and going to games….remember many of us also have our local clubs to support financially….it’s not easy.
Is there any chance Oisin Mullin will be fit for u21 final? Would be a huge addition if he was.
I think Stephen should stay and see over the transition. I do feel that Mike solan should b the man being primed for the hotseat when Stephens time is up. No matter who takes the job now there is no all ireland in that team and us the supporters should realize this. I actually think the choice of backroom team is more important now to continue the high standards which are now in place. But there is the makings of an all ireland with those younger players coming through.
Just a point on management. When Stephen led Corofin to an All Ireland club title he became the next big thing in regards to a young manager and more importantly a Mayo man. He has to stay and people need to give him time, there is no one else available. I think he had a hugely pressured job to walk into from day one but now he may be able to in a way start again and give youth a fling. Remember Eamon O Hara going on the Sunday game slating Kevin Walsh( a despicable act ) and Walsh having to leave Sligo. Galway were in turmoil then and he got the job. Despite a few hicups along the way in four years 2 Connacht titles, top of Div 1 and in a semi. More importantly he has brought through basically a full team of youth. I believe Stephen should get a few more years and develop a young squad. Changing managers now would be a disaster. Galway did that for years (Sammon Forde, Kernan, O flathrrtha, Mulholland) and nothing worked.
I saw Oisín Mullin walking around on the pitch before the Derry game without a sling. Still don’t see how he could be over a dislocated shoulder in such a short space of time.
Willie Joe wrote:
Go easy on the trolling there, Reamonn. People from outside the county are always welcome to post here but not for the purposes of winding up others. If you don’t agree with what someone else has written then please take the trouble to explain properly why you don’t agree. Sarcastic put-downs don’t count in this respect and aren’t a welcome contribution to debate here.
Try Again Then.
1. “Good post Pebbles. I agree with everything you wrote. I too feel we were getting the upper hand on an unproven Galway team towards the end of the first half in Castlebar. Diarmuid was playing well and carrying good ball into opposition half when he got himself into bother”.
Well Diarmuid carried his elbow into poor Paul Conroys face right in front of the referee so deserved to be sent off and Galway have nothing to prove against Mayo in last few years.
2. “The Parsons injury undermined any comeback but it still took until 5 mins of injury time to beat us”.
Parsons was a huge loss but our substitutes are far better than Mayos and turned the game in our favour.
3. “Galway beat a 14 man Kerry but Kerry were shown up against Monaghan to be poor enough”.
Galway hadnt beaten Kerry in decades so it was a serious effort against a much heralded Kerry team and Galway were 3/1 to get the win.
4. “And Galway were not convincing against Kildare last week either. Superstar Shane Walsh largely anonymous”.
Galway kicked a fair few poor wides same as we did in the Kerry match but were better all over the field and Galway dont rely on one scoring forward so if Shane didnt play brilliant we always have another player to step up.
5. “Another talked up forward Barry McHugh dropped”
see answer 4 above
6. “And I felt if Daniel Flynn was not red carded, there could have been a different outcome”.
Id say if you belt an opponent off the ball you will see the line and Flynn wasnt really doing much anyway.
7. “I expect Monaghan to beat them in Salthill”
I very much doubt Monaghan can beat us in Salthill as we will man mark their only scoring forward McManus and then outscore them.
Observer2 – Rossies’ championship record this year is: beat Leitrim and Armagh – Div 4 & 3. Hammered by Tyrone, absolutely hammered. Then a home game against Donegal, an ideal opportunity to break back. Apart from the first 10 minutes, they were clueless.
Terrible.
No problem Reamonn, just saying it as I saw it. Nothing to do with 1998/2001. A truly great Galway team who won 2 All Irelands. This current team has not reached anywhere near those heights though. Not yet at least. 2018 has been a successful year for Galway to be sure. Topped the league, won Connacht and reached a semi. But to beat Monaghan in Salthill will announce this team. Best of luck.
Question for ye, more interested in Galway than Mayo…. Will Kevin Walsh pick what he believes is his strongest team?..Answers before the team is picked please … Monaghan will, I am certain pick their strongest team… It’s a tough one to call regardless… Galway have done very well, so far… Drew with Dublin in Salthill,…In the League final, looked good enough to beat Dublin, if everything went well, on a given day. But would always start 2nd favourite in such an encounter … As far as I am aware, Galway have never beaten Dublin in the Championship… So far in 2018, for those left in the race. Dublin have beaten, Tyrone, twice! , Donegal, twice,! and comprehensively beat Kerry in the league,! .. Galway have at least got a point off them in the league… But Monaghan have actually beaten Dublin in Croke Park….And Jim Gavin’s dear auld Dublin, don’t do anyone any favors!.. No question, but currently the second and third best teams will play in Salthill…on the 4th of August. Who knows maybe they will be ranked 1 & 2, by September. With due apologies to Tyrone, and to Donegal the current Ulster Champion’s, … and Kerry the Munster Champions.. Both Galway and Monaghan have been better than the rest of the opposition taken the year as a whole.. Monaghan need a point, or the very unlikely to happen between Kerry and Kildare in Killarney… It is possible for Galway to win this year’s All Ireland final, I have no doubt about this.. But I think they have a better chance of winning Sam, with Kerry out!.. Kerry are still Kerry, and won many is the All Ireland final, without looking like the best team until the final whistle on the third Sunday in September… Personally I hope Monaghan make it to the All Ireland Semifinal, at least…. Another question for ye.. Are Dublin showing some signs of regression?… For they haven’t been handing out the hammering with as much regularity in 2018, compared to 2016 or 20171…But, me thinks, Jim Gavin will accept a bit of dirty diesel in the engine, so long as the engine is purring like a Cat… Late August and early September, he will want this particular cat,.. (Not a Killkenny Cat) roaring like a Lion !… And if that, doesn’t put the ‘Fear of God’ into the Galway fan’s, nothing will!… BUT, It’s still Dublin’s to lose!
.
Much better, Reamonn!
I think Walsh will play a strong team v Monaghan….you go out to win every game. Winning is a habit and Galway are on a roll. They could make the final this year but my money is still on the dubs and imagine the hype next year when they are going for 5 in a row
@Leantimes. Galway have beaten Dublin, twice in the Championship, both in the 30’s (33 and 34 I think). But not before or since. Haven’t played them since that low key game in ’83 that no-one remembers.
Dublin’s approach to games this year, seems to be to reduce risk, at the expense of blowing teams away. It’s not about winning by a big margin, it’s about being in front when the final whistle blows.
The possession game played tires teams out, as it takes twice the effort to get the ball back, as it does to hold on to it. Both Donegal and Tyrone can attest to that. Tyrone in particular were gassed at the end of their game.
Of the teams left, there are certainly some that would present bigger issues than others.
* Tyrone will have learned alot from last week, they finished well, and certainly couldn’t be faulted for effort, or tackling. The nightmare of last year is somewhat diminished.
* Monaghan would have been the team I was most wary of, until Kerry sucker punched them. I’m not sure where they are now. I do like they way they play though. If they can pick themselves up, and get something out of Salthill, then they will cause any team left trouble.
* Donegal without McBrearty are only at 80%. They could give Dublin a game, but barring disaster, nothing more. Murphy outfield is madness, playing in close, he’s a real terror.
* Galway, I do think they will contest an AI at least twice in the next 3/4 years. They could very well be there this year. I think they lack that bit of cuteness to see out a tight game, which is something you can’t win Sam without. I’m not sure I could stomach the crowing if they do win.
* Kerry, I fear the least. We’ll eat them if we meet them. The one thing about playing Kerry, is you are never, ever, complacent, even if some of the fans (me included) are. Their defence is porous, and midfield is no great shakes. In either a tight game, or a shootout, they loose 9/10 times. Their youth, which is probably their biggest asset at the moment, would find it hard going coming up against an experienced and battle-hardened defence.
On the whole, I’m confident, but it’s the fact that I’m confident that worries me, if you know what I mean.
Just a note on Kerry. Between this year, and last year, they have played 5 games in the championship (outside of the Turkey shoot that is Munster).
Played 5.
Won 1 (Galway 1/4 Final 2017)
Drew 2 (Mayo Semi 2017 and Monaghan S8 2018)
Lost 2 (Mayo Semi Replay 2017, and Galway S8 2018).
Not exactly a sterling recent record. When they play Kildare on the 4th of August, they will have been without a win outside Munster in over a year.
Yes of course Dublin are rightly favs and at 4/7 on last I checked it could still be a steal .
Galway though are the best equipped to give them a rattle . They really have the forward unit to trouble Dublin . If Galway got Walsh,Comer and burke to all play to the best of their ability on the same day v Dublin, they will beat them , I have absolutely no doubts about thst. They have tightened up sufficiently over the last 12 months at the back to win an all Ireland . Kick out stats don’t bode well though and that would be a worry .
Reamonn, you make some interesting points but a little balance is needed I feel.
“1. Well Diarmuid carried his elbow into poor Paul Conroys face right in front of the referee so deserved to be sent off and Galway have nothing to prove against Mayo in last few years.”
Do you think Conroy was coming in to shake O’Connors hand? Look at the incident again, Conroy was coming to nail him, O’Connor turned to protect himself and the ball and connected with his elbow. It was high and a red but don’t make “poor” Conroy out to be some altar boy. As for having nothing to prove v Mayo? I disagree. I think Galway have it all to prove v Mayo and the stats back this up. In last years S.F. in Pearse Stadium, Higgins gets a red on 26 mins with the score 7pts to 1-3 in Galways favour. Galway play the next 49 mins v 14 men with both sides scoring 8pts a piece. A win for Galway yes, but certainly no proof that Galway are a superior team. In this years S.F. in MacHale Park, O’Connor goes at 25 mins with the scores level. Parsons gets injured at 50mins with Mayo 1pt up, Galway score the winning goal in the 74min, 4 mins in to injury time. The fact is Galway played 14 man Mayo for 50mins and only won by the last kick of the game. Again, no proof that Galway are a superior team there either.
“2. Parsons was a huge loss but our substitutes are far better than Mayos and turned the game in our favour.”
Yes. In the 5th minute of injury time after playing for 50mins v 14 men on a very very warm day and Mayo without a key midfielder. Not great when you think about it!
“3. Galway hadnt beaten Kerry in decades so it was a serious effort against a much heralded Kerry team and Galway were 3/1 to get the win.”
A win is a win but look a little deeper here and we see a different story. Firstly, Kerry are not a “much heralded” side. If anything they are much criticized with many outside of Kerry dismissing them, and most within Kerry questioning Fitzmaurices decisions. Kerry circa mid 00’s they are not. Kerry get a red card on 58mins with the score 10pts to 8 in Galways favour. In the final 19mins of football Galway only outscore a 14 man Kerry by 1 point.
“4. Galway kicked a fair few poor wides same as we did in the Kerry match but were better all over the field and Galway dont rely on one scoring forward so if Shane didnt play brilliant we always have another player to step up.”
I would question whether Galway were better all over the field and I would go as far to say that Galway got very favorable decisions from what was a pathetic referee performance. Brophy gets black carded for the very same offence that Kerin didn’t, and, Galway play for 30mins v 14 man Kildare and only outscore them by 6pts to 5 in that time. Hardly “better all over the field”.
“6. Id say if you belt an opponent off the ball you will see the line and Flynn wasnt really doing much anyway.”
When you belt an opponent you “expect” to see the line but only if the sideline official has the balls to call it. O’Ceallaigh should have been yellow carded for his “off-the-ball” stuff with Flynn prior to the red. Indeed he should have black carded for his pull on Flynns jersey, stopping his run in the red card incident. Flynn had scored two at that stage and been involved in setting up two more scores.
“7. I very much doubt Monaghan can beat us in Salthill as we will man mark their only scoring forward McManus and then outscore them.”
So that’s how to keep McManus quiet! Simple really. I wonder why Kerry, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Waterford, Tyrone and Dublin never thought of doing that before. As regards outscoring them? unless they end up with 14 men for 30mins I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
A win is a win is a win, and Galway are winning. But all is not as it seems when you look a little closer.
Pebblesmeller. Mayo man disagrees with Galway man on all points !! Nothing new there. I’d disagree with some of your points put I’m not going down that road. One would wonder how Galway are on this run of 1 defeat in 13 games all year considering how lucky they are.But the Galway team never go on about injuries , referees , etc they are just taking one game at a time..
Tuamstar Ive never heard the Mayo team going on about injuries referees etc… maybe you meant supporters.
This season really has to go down as a bit of a car crash. We never really got going, but then again we didn’t get going in 2017 until we got to August. In truth, we were very lucky to get as far as we did in 2016 & 2017. But then when it came to the crunch, we rattled the Dubs to within a whisker of the All Ireland. We seemed to be able to peak for August/September, but were fairly poor throughout the rest of the year.
If Rochford is going to stay, then there has to be a change in this regard. Under Horan we never had great success in the league either, but we were fairly well primed come Championship. We had a few close shaves early on, but we were constantly improving through the rounds. Perhaps we peaked a little early in 2013 (Donegal Quarter Final perhaps), but I’d rather that than the high wire act we’ve played the last 3 years.
Caolan Crowe and Eoin O Donoghue had very strong league campaigns. Add in that we were missing Vaughan, Lee only coming back from injury & Boyler not at his best etc., how on earth these two lads didn’t get more game time is beyond me. Barring injury (which was not stated in either case), then I just can’t understand that one.
The bench simply has to be freshened up, if the lads on it are not trusted. James Durcan & Cian Hanley completely shot up the pecking order, despite not even playing in the league. Those two need to get the league next year, and they need to be trusted. Look at how much Brian Howard has come on, considering he didn’t set the world alight in the league!!
Time to trust the youth. With a core of Aido, Kevin, Lee, Cillian, Paddy, Harrison etc, we should be still have a good side no matter how many lads choose to retire or not. Higgins could definitely still do a job. Imagine him playing wing back? Pure class. Boyler wasn’t quite at the pitch of it this year, but the break may do him good. Still potentially a huge option. Andy is still in serious shape & can still offer us plenty, but we need to develop a system of play that doesn’t shut down when he doesn’t play (because he is going to retire sooner or later).
Beating Galway in a competitive game! It is an absolute disgrace that we haven’t beaten Galway in 3 years. No offence to Galway, but if we could put it up to the Dubs then we should be wiping the floor with Galway. Granted Galway have improved this year, but I just don’t see them challenging Dublin (not yet anyways)
All in all, a lot of food for thought!
Now that Stephen’s backroom team have moved on some hard calls have to be made on the main man. Do we want to trust him with building his own? Or should he move on. He said himself that the backroom staying was the reason he stayed on this year. What can he offer by way of a new team. It’s a tricky situation but I think a new man is needed who will pick his own squad and bring a fresh voice. I think Stephen has had his chance. Done well to a degree but August brilliance has hidden very many poor performances and revived Galway.
To any Galway people on here saying ye never go on about referees, i would say,
Wait til ye get to the All Ireland final V Dublin and the ref is “Dublin Joe”. By the time the final whistle is blown in that game ye will understand what Mayo have been going on about for years.
Then again ye might get a Connacht man as ref, like that fella from Rosgommon. (yeah right).
In other news, there can be no doubt that when Mayo exited the championship, they took a huge chunk of the magic and excitement of the competition with them. I mean for the entire 32 counties. The madness and sheer numbers that Mayo bring are missed and the championship is much the poorer without them.
Still cant work out the thinking behind bringing Loftus on after 69 minutes. Sending a player on that late to “go out and win it for us” never works (with one exception that i can remember). Did Andy Moran not score 2 late injury time goals v Rosgommon in an FBD game a couple of years ago to pull a game outta the fire that we had “lost”. Sparked quite unpleasant scenes if i remember rightly.
Is this what Rochford expexts Loftus to do?
Jim Flag,
You can take your All Irelands, replays etc but that was best game ever. FBD in Kiltoom in 2017 v Roscommon. I never laughed as much in all my days, tears were running down my face as Rossies f**ked and blinded us on the way out. Anyone that was there will testify that the Rossies hate us and it’s hilarious 🙂
They were all condescending and sympathetic towards us until we started closing in. When Amdy hit the back of the net from an impossible angle there was nearly a riot. A Rossie in front of me nearly threw the baby he was holding, out over the endline at Andy 🙂
Andy made the Rossies cry.
But I’ll give it a go anyways Pebblesmeller. 1. On the Diarmuid red. He led with his elbow severly to the jaw of Conroy. “Nail him” that’s your phrase, you dont know what Conroy was going to do, but we do know that Diarmuid got what he deserved, ie a red. 2. No proof Galway are superior, fair enough, 5 wins on the bounce but we cant proof it, likewise no proof mayo are superior. 2. Tom was a big loss as was Paul Conroy for Galway, he was gone in the first half, we had a debutant midfield who kicked 2 great scores.. Our subs worked well a lot earlier than as you said in the last 5 mins of injury time. Ian Burke and Sean Kelly came on 58 and 61 mins and immediately burke set up Kelly for a great point. There was still 18 mins left when Burke and approx 15 when Kelly came on..
3. Agree not a great Kerry team compared to old, but they were been massively built up after walking through munster. After the sending off, we outscored them, there goal coming illegally with the last kick of the game.. Any win over Kerry is a good one.
The kildare game we were better on the scoreboard, lost Mike Daly who was flying after 7 mins, had 13 different scorers, scored 19 point, missed 3 open goals, and were also on the end of a few very curious ref desicions, most notably Comers Goal chance. It evens out, but we were better and deserved another win , as ye well know Newbridge is not easy to get a win..
Will we beat Monaghan who knows? But we can rest some forwards and still have a good team as oyr pandl is strong, If teams cant keep their discipline against us thats not our problem. Flynn deserved red, the key is when an opponent loses a player to indiscipline you have to jump on that chance, we have in most games over the last year apart from v the Dubs i think we will learn. In Mayo’s case if Vaughan hadnt reacted like he did last year ye would have had 15 v 14 and maybe a better outcome.
Anyways when you really look closer everthing is never like it seems.
Tuamstar at 11:17, “But the Galway team never go on about injuries , referees , etc”
Tuamstar at 2:22, “there goal coming illegally with the last kick of the game”, “lost Mike Daly who was flying after 7 mins”, “were also on the end of a few very curious ref desicions”
Are there two Tuamstars?
Is there any good Galway GAA fan website/blog for our Galway neighbours to hang out on?
No but i am on the Mayoblog and i just felt the need to, as you say look a little closer into the details..You would have to agree Michael Daly was flying before his hamstring..
JG not that i know off.. but ill keep looking.
It’s a bit like the ‘Count back’ seneraio in a boxing match…. Mayo fan’s and Some Galway fan’s, deciding on who’s best as regard’s to plenty of previous match’s, played between the two, as opposed to who punched the most in previous round’s! ….. The 2018 Championship is coming down to the business end….. Galway and Dublin are in the Semi’s……Unless Galway actually win the All Ireland final, no doubt we will still be debating the merits of both team’s next Christmas! …. Re our Management… In 2017, Fergal Boland was the one who in the League looked to have made progress, but disappeared off the scene, in our long and winding road of the 2017 Championship… In 2018, Eoin O Donaghue was excellent and looked very good in the League, but with even some of our veteran defender’s playing poorly constantly being selected,. Eoin ended up, only getting a few minutes in both Thurles and in Newbridge or Nowhere.. On both occasions he was an immediate and definite improvement….. Two examples, but lack of trust in our youth seems to be a problem…. Especially with malfunctioning veteran’s poor play allowed to continue…..Thank’s Jaden, I wasn’t aware that Galway had ever beaten Dublin in the Championship… You learn something new every day, and I learnt that today!
Interesting to know Tuamstar. Huge thanks to Willie Joe for the fantastic service he provides here to all of us Mayo GAA supporters. To have such a well run, well moderated platform is truly unique in todays world.
To all the posters looking for Rochford to move on, who do you want to replace him? I can see the arguments for replacing him but without a valid alternative I think it would be rash. I honestly feel that we did not have the players in the squad after the first 16 to make a difference in games, they simply were not there. Was there better players in the county than some of the players on the panel, I believe there was and is. The time of a Jim McGuinness was 2014 after Horan left, the team was still at it’s peak and just needed a big character to push them over the line, we’re past that now and in a small rerbuild phase. It’s too soon for Michael Solan, he’s doing brilliant work with the U20’s and should be left to develop some more, maybe a stint with another county (outside the province obviously).
I’d be interested to hear some alternatives to Stephen.
Stephen is the best man for the job. I don’t believe we have a better option. The management team he has is excellent also. We don’t have a good setup or structures in the county compared to Dublin, Kerry, or even Galway. It surprises me that it is rarely ever discussed. Our systems are fit for the 1950’s. Our team and manager are competitive in the 21st century. Nobody is batting an eyelid at this. Why..
@PJ,
I’m surprised that McHale Park hasn’t spun off the face off the planet like a whirling dervish given how many people are pulling in different directions over there.
I have great time for Mike. He has done great work with a bunch of average players who have landed an unexpected Connacht title in an underage competition. A lot of posters do not seem to realise the step up that is required from Bord na nOige to Div 1 senior intercounty standard. Much easier have a cheap shot at a manager that show an appreciation for where we are at as a county. You cannot compare Mayo to Kerry. Kerry have a proper setup in their county we don’t. They have the people and the structures in place to be a professional outfit. Maybe our team might match them once in a generation if we are lucky. All other comparison are out of order IMO.
@Pebblesmeller, I have witnessed alot of bad behaviour when at Mayo v Rossie games. I was sitting in the Lower Cusack stand for the replay v Roscommon last year with two of the kids, a Rossie woman lost it when Mayo were banging in the goals in the 1st half, then in the 2nd half she shouted at me out loud, to FOCK OFF, the younger people around did’nt know what was happening, she could’nt take it when her team were in a meltdown of course I was in my element.
I was at the Connaught final in Castlebar in 2004, Mayo v Roscommon, a punch up started between young fellas behind the goals, a good few Stewards were called to break up the fight, I always thought that Soccer supporters only behave in this fashion.
Even in the Hill for the 2016 finals, with a huge Mayo flag, I never came across such bad behaviour.
Alternatives are limited I agree . My main concerns are ,is Rochford learning by his mistakes and has he the necessary character to lead the transition period , you are going to upset not only individuals but the Dynamics of the squad has to change , we need new leaders , the days of Boyle smashing comer with a shoulder and landing him into the next week , the days of Higgins, Andy and seamie rousing and leading are over . It’s sad but that’s the reality .
It’s a bit late for arguing about whether Mayo are better than Galway.
An hour and a half later Liam and I see nobody has suggested an alternative to Rochford.
Where are all the McStay and MacHale cheerleader now? Sport is fickle
Leantimes
I am concerned about injuries going into the Monaghan match with Flynn and Cooke vital at this stage with Duggan not back until the semi. What an absolute joke the semi is on the following week it seems like there is a big rush to get the games over probably to get some heritage rock act into Croker for September. Dublin will paste poor hapless Roscommon so will come a little cold into the semi the following week. There is a case to be made for resting the players and sending in the reserves against Monaghan and its very tempting but if it backfired and we were hammered by Dublin then Big Kevin would be crucified. I dont know to be honest but it would be amusing to see the reaction in Kerry all the same. I think we will win in Salthill as the terrible wides of last few matches will surely not occur again!! ( I said that last week too).
As to the (my) messing with the rivalry between Galway and Mayo its only a bit of craic and has none of the spite I witnessed at the Mayo vs Roscommon match last year which was surprising and shocking in its bile at times. Good luck to Mayo Under 20 against Kildare I honestly hope they win and then bring a rake of the young lads through to senior.
Finally regarding Mayo fans obsession with referees I can understand it as a Galway hurling fan in all the defeats to KK I often perceived bias against us and this year at Under20/21 against Wexford it reared its head again. I think there could be a bias against the West of Ireland teams but then again I think the standard of refs is very poor overall. Look at Comer last week and the goal given as a free out for example. Anyone think there should be two refs?
I came on for a look about the U20s and end up reading stuff about Galway players flying… bit of a difference between supermacs and Superman!
I think Rochford is the best manager we have had in my time. I acknowledge the great work done by Horan in that. James set an average team on a journey to greatness. Our structures ultimately failed him and indeed us all. Rochford has a tight balancing act to perform between the mediocrity we have risen from and the aspiration of the masses to compete with the best. In 2016 and 2017 this team played the football of their lives. The best I have seen in my time. I will give his backroom team a lot of credit here. As a child growing up in Mayo the mediocrity was our lot. We simple knew no better. We followed a Mayo team that would win one and loose one and that was when they were on a good run. As we grew up and lived abroad we get to see how it really is and how it could be. The possibilities are endless, but unfortunately the society we now live in is conservative and corrupt. So that will all be fixed with a new manager then?
Agree completely PJMcManus,I also have great admiration for J Horan,but Stephen makes changes to suit the setup,also agree with Liam we just don’t have the squad depth to push Dublin,although I believe next year provided we avoid injuries and a few of the younger players push on we will have a strong panel
Is it any wonder Boyle looked burnt out in newbridge. He has featured in the last 44 league games all but 3 as starter. Played in the last 40 championship games 39 as starter.
Now if that’s not burning out a player in an amateur sport, I don’t know what is
It is miss management on 2 counts.
1. Running a thoroughbred into the ground.
2. Not developing an understudy for Colm, and we half half back who need confidence building opportunities
James Horan, Jack O Connor and Jim McGuinness are three examples. It’s the old refrain mayo God Help us under Rochford.
I’m not sure why so many people keep questioning why Rochford has not gotten us over the line.
Every expert out there are baffled that we were in anyway competitive at all in 2016 and 2017 after all the near misses and high mileage.
People like looking in to the pipe from the wrong end.
Why are people not asking.
How did Steven Rochford get us so close to winning in 2016 and 2017 ? when every dog on the street was preaching we were finished.
I think Rochford and his team has to date done a brilliant job coming in to take over a team that had their engines burning on high revs since 2011.
I hope he is in charge again next year and have a go with the players a little fresher.
Interesting reading re mgmt..To see Jack O Connors name pop up is taking the mick surely?? Horan possibly in the next few years but as happens with Mayo followers he will have his detractors too..
Ontheditch – Why would you want Jack O’Connor as manager? It would cost a small fortune bringing him up from South Kerry 2 or 3 times a week. Logistically it would be impossible for him to watch club games as well. Not to mention his recent record with the Kerry U21/U20s is poor enough.
As good as McGuiness was, he had one specific way of playing with Donegal and that way will no longer win an All Ireland.
Horan could be a good option but I can’t see him leaving Westport for a couple of years anyway. I would always favour managers within the county that know what players are out there.
At the end of the day, outside managers are only there to line their own pockets.
Who’s decision is it whether SR is manager next year, his or the CB? If you get an annual review at work it’s your boss/bosses who decide if you have a job next year or not. BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE.
Plenty here seem to be buttering up his achievements of getting within a point of Dubs two years in a row. Dubs were piss poor in the first match and we didn’t play anywhere near our potential. The replay, well we all know the farce that happened that day. We played better but still not to our full potential. Last year was the best performance from any Mayo team in my lifetime. In all 3 the players and management are responsible for the performances good or bad. However the management should be judged on the 3 years and not just the 3 final appearances.
So here it is,
3 poor league campaigns.
Not even a Connacht final appearance with a team that had won the previous five.
8 qualifier games won against div 3/4 teams
1 qualifier defeat to the only div 1 team drawn in three years of qualifiers
3 AI final appearances, drew one, lost 2.
Sorry but it’s time to go.
Others above saying ‘but sure there’s no one out there’. You won’t know who’s interested till you advertise the position.
The last time we got a corofin manager who had won the club all Ireland by 4 points. Maybe we should go back to corofin and get their manager who has won the club all Ireland by 15 points?
Fair enough Wide ball, Horan would be my no 1 choice but I’m not sure county board would risk their piece of control. Jack O Shea did manage mayo in the past. I have great respect for McGuinness as a strategist, a very intelligent man. While Horan is invaluable to Westport and the club will make major contributions to the county team in the near future, I do think he would take the job.but the county Board??
Its now time for a complete clear out. People are on here about Vaughan, Seamie , and a few others including Andy. To those fellows you had your day, All those people who still think Mayo will win Sam with those lads still commanding positions , and appears cannot be moved we will not succeed. We need someone a bit like Horan who keeps all the hacks/hanger on out of the dressing room. As I said before its wink wink, nod nod who plays for Mayo. People are on about how great Rochford is and what a great manager. Look at the results since he came in. He did not win one medal for those players. People are saying it took a great Dublin team to beat us. Yes this was the last game in the Championship, but also remember Galway also beat us at the start. And now we need to build a new team. It will take a few years to get back to 2011/2017. I personally cannot see Rochford having the know how to be able to do this. Perhaps we need some one like Kieran Mc Donnell/Kevin O Neill to take the reins.
Why do people want James Horan back ? How many all irelands did he win in his last tenure in charge ?
Why are people rambling on about losses to galway? They beat us in 2016 and 2017. Big deal. We were contesting the all Irelands in both years. What exactly would beating Galway have accomplished. Nothing.
If people are setting out a Connacht title as our goal for next year then that is a backward step. Now setting out to win the all Ireland and going the provincial champions route is the way to go. Provincial champions as the years main goal is not the way to go.
2018 is not a judgment year for the.current manager. Burned out players who needed a break and unfortunate injuries dictated that this was not going to be our year.
Highlighting league form and 2018 campaign is a bit too Irish. The fact.of the matter is we were the only team in the country to back Dublin up against the ropes and has been well documented here many times those finals were not won soley on both teams performances on the pitch. There were plenty of contributing factors as to why we didn’t lift Sam in 2016 and 2017.
It was evident to a blind man that to win an all ireland you needed a panel of players, used effectively. Newcomers got very limited opportunities to develop their game. Did you know Kevin mcloughlin has played fbd football for the last eight seasons. Do we really need kevin playing fbd?
James Horan was an outstanding footballer, an all star forward, is a strong character and top class man manager, team builder. If we are staying within the county, he wins it in every aspect of management over Rochford.
Ontheditch
Outstanding footballer yes – No relevance to management credentials.
All Star Forward yes – No relevance to management credentials.
Strong character yes – Can be a liability when not harnessed properly
Top Class Man Manager Unsure – Didn’t mange to keep all his players happy and playing, including top class all star during his previous tenure.
I’m sure Horan’s a good man and a good manager but exactly how much closer did he come to winning the All Ireland than Steven Rochford has.
The light gets shone on Steven more brightly because he managed to get closer to lifting Sam than Horan did, but didn’t win it. Fair play in the final and he would have won it.
Rochford is still a young man learning the trade and this takes time.
People are always saying that players need 2 or 3 years of S@C to get ready for inter county. They need game time to get to the level to play in the championship. Does nobody feel that a manager can grow just like a player and is entitled that time to sharpen their trade ?
Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager ever in English top flight was about to be booted out the door because he hadn’t won anything in his early years at United. If they had used the boot then, it would have been the biggest mistake ever made in English football.
If folk don’t believe that a young manager deserves the time to hone his skill and build his team well then get used to the manager merry go round, because we’ll be changing managers every 2 years at that rate. We have a home grown manager who has done a very good job and people aren’t happy with that.
Rochford is a loser if he doesn’t win Sam. What a load of bollicks, against 1 of the best teams to ever play the game and a couple of very obliging referees as well. Not Mayo obliging either I might add.
What exactly are Rochfords management skills?
Outstanding footballer in my opinion an advantage particularly in Mayo where players have called the shots in the past.
Star forward definitely an advantage in mayo
Strong character needed to give direction
Top class man manager, Horan built the team. Rochford didn’t exactly keep everyone happy.
I also think Horan a wiser man nowadays.
Ontheditch
You’ve hit it on the head.
Horan built the team sadly didn’t win the all Ireland with them.
Rochford is now building his own team. Hope they can land Sam. Hopefully can keep his own team happy.
Ontheditch
Re Rochfords managment skills: Rochford won the club all Ireland as manager of Corofin.
Re Rochfords playing exploits: He won the 2001 All Ireland final playing with Crossmolina.
I always thought him a little chunky as a player but he more than made up for it with his brilliant reading of the game. Reading the game is paramount to been a top manager.
Actually as a player Rochford won
6 county titles
3 connacht titles
1 all Ireland title.
He also played for the Mayo senior team.
Rochford also captained the Mayo minors to a Connacht title in 1996.
I hope Rochford stays.
Can Galway beat a 15 man team besides the Rossies? Not sure they count anymore. Just wondering.
Re the debate about Rochford’s management capabilties has it struck anybody the comparison between himself and John O’Mahony, a then young manager who got the boot from Mayo but went on to acheive greatness with Leitrim and Galway. Had he been allowed to choose his own selectors in 1991 how different things might have been for Mayo. Instead we choose Brian McDonald resulting in the first players revolt that I can recall, and then Jack O’Shea resulting in two of the worst championship defeats Mayo ever suffered. Nowadays it is unheard of for a Co Board to impose selectors on a Manager. Does anybody suppose that Mick O’Dwyer and Kevin Heffernan did not choose their selectors in the ’70’s? Dropping Rochford would in my opinion be the worst decision we could make. He has had the misfortune to meet one of the best teams ever to play Gaelic football and has had to contend with referees with a bias towards our opponents. The temptation to replace him with Mike Solan is also very wrong. Solan, like Rochford, is a young manager learning the ropes. Give him a few more years to learn and he will be better equipped to eventually succeed as Senior manager.
I was unable to find a Mayo supporter leaving the Hyde in 2015 that gave a toss about the 5 in a row. Now for some it is the be all and end all of the season. Rochford has proved himself to anyone who knows a smiggon about football.
Revelino Rochford did not captain the Mayo minors to a Connacht title in 1996. The captain that day was Paul Navin from Claremorris tho I’m open to correction on that
@ Backdoorsam.
Looked up a mayonews article on Rochford and they have him down as Mayo minor captain in 1996.
Wikipedia profile also have him credited as Mayo minor captain in 1996.
The preferred option for every mayo supporter is that they are competitive in every game they play including fbd. We were finally reeled in in newbridge, where we had an exhausted team and a bench that Rochford himself did not trust to use effectively. To up our game and get back to top table, we have to up our game and that includes management. Mike Solan going in the right direction but it’s not broken don’t fix it, leave him at u20, we need to remain competitive at that level too. I do give a toss about losing to Galway in McHale park and I’m sure most supporters do too. Our home ground should be a fortress, it should be an advantage to us, instead no team need fear coming to McHale.
@ revellino Paul Navin was captain in 1997 as far as I know. He played centre back in 96 as well though
Why dont we bring Mike Connelly in as manager?
Seems to have a lot to say for himself this week including calling for the guys that ran his brother to he dropped from the panel. Very inappropriate and disloyal. As Kevin McStay could tell you the board are well able to orchestrate any appointment they want.
http://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/288325
1. Failure to develop a panel of players. Overuse/burnout of the old reliables, no understudies given chances eg full back etc etc
2. Innefective use of subs bench. Consistent under use of subs incl at newbridge.
Book stops at manager in both cases.
Some posters saying how great it was to see Rochford at u20 SF. I would expect co manager to be at every underage match.
I’m with Revellino on this. Rochford is the man to take us on.
Rochford has brought us closer to the target than any other manager (including Horan) in the past few years, with a team that many said was over the hill when he took over. The performance in last year’s AIF was the greatest I ever witnessed from a Mayo team – I was never prouder or more gutted.
Having said that, his substitutions are infuriating to me as well, it’s his major weakness.
But if he leaves, who takes over!? The calls for McStay and McHale have suddenly stopped (no prizes for guessing why), but the fact that people wanted those two to take over shows a lot of supporters don’t really know what they’re talking about – myself included.
Solan is still a novice manager, albeit one who’s accumulating a very good record. But apart from his inexperience, I don’t think robbing our underage structures is wise – then people will wonder why the talent isn’t coming through!
If people are suggesting Rochford should go, let them propose a replacement.
Time for some to chill out here. Bad mouthing Rochford to promote Horan and vice versa is stupid and disrespectful. Horan did a super job. Took us over at a low ebb, won 4 in a row, took us to 2 AI finals. No Connacht title for Rochford but two amazing years and great performances in AI finals but no Sam Anyone can make a case for over using players, under using players, not putting on subs, taking players off too early, putting on subs too late etc etc. It has happened to us since 2011 and most certainly before 2011 as well. Believe it or not Jim Gavin made mistakes as well but because of the incredible talent at his disposal and because his team have won 4 of last 5 AI his mistakes wont be highlighted. Fitzmaurice has made brutal mistakes in Kerry, Harte likewise in Tyrone and even Jimmy in Donegal but as they have all delivered Sam that’s ok. When being over critical in Mayo does anyone look at the difficulties we have. Half our players are based in Dublin and it’s only in Summer that a big number can commit 100%. That’s why our league performances are underwhelming. Despite some success at under age we have not seen a huge amount of those lads set the world on fire at senior level hence our reliance on so many older lads who have served their county brilliantly but now one poster is calling for a complete clear out. Amazing really All Stars in 2017 Clear them out in 2018. And whether we like it or not Galway are now the Number 1 team in Connacht and have beaten us 3 years in a row. How do we catch them. Get rid of Rochford and a load of senior players ? I don’t think so. By all means introduce new players and if there is a better manager available great. But who is that man? If we can’t replace him with a better manager then there is no point in change just for the sake of it. Some are touting Solan. I hope he is rated equally highly on Sunday week or if we lose the U20 final will it be the managers fault yet again?
Ontheditch.
I’m not here to win an argument.
You asked what were managment skills.
His record has answered that.
You say that playing at the top level is a benefit.
His playing record is pretty damn impressive too.
The man is not even 40 years of age yet.
He managed to win the club all Ireland as I would guess a 34 or 35 year old.
The great thing about people saying that he hasn’t gotten everything right is that he has still room for improvement.
I would be alot more worried if people said he had gotten everything right and still hadn’t won Sam.
I believe it could take another 2 or 3 years to see a fully fledged Rochford team. Transitioning out and embedding in players cannot and will not happen over night.
I also believe with his age profile, if he did happen to win Sam in the next 2 or 3 years you could be looking at having one of the.great managers of our, or any time, and a man if he had the desire, to steer the mayo team for another 10, 12 or 15 years.
Top managers do not come along very often and no manager gets everything right all of the time.
If Rochford was to leave the job because of pressure or a perception that he wasn’t wanted, then Mayo football will have to lie in the bed that they have made.
John o’mahoney was the great hope after winning the All Irelands with Galway and a connacht title with Leitrim.
Ger Loughnane predicted he would win the Liam Mcarthy within 2 years of been appointed Galway manager.
David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and add whoever you want to that list were going to resurrect United.
Wishful thinking isn’t always wise thinking.
Dumping a manager who is learning his trade is not the way forward.
Give him time, let him build his own team, let him learn, quit pressuring him to do what everyone else thinks he should and let’s see what the man can deliver.
Judge him in 3 years time but give him time.
Much like I suspected, even though people have some genuine issues regarding Rochford and some of his decision making, they have no viable alternatives. It seems to be a case of change for change sake with some. Personally I believe Stephen is the correct man for the job at the present time. I’m also of the opinion that a Mayo man should be at the helm of a Mayo team.
Fair enough Revellino I accept that we view the matter differently and that at the end of the day all posters want to see mayo upping their game to compete at the highest level and win the ultimate. Rochford without doubt has had the greatest collection of mayo plaers ever produced to acchieve that task.
He needs to change his ways and that’s my concern. I’m leaving it at that we will judge him in three years time. And there is an awful lot we don’t know behind the scenes. Are certain players still involved in selection process, how involved are they
I have to agree Mayo’s performance in the All Ireland final last year was the greatest I have seen from a Mayo team and Rochford has to take credit for that. But I am baffled by his substitutions or lack of.
@Backdoorsam, we lived on the edge in 2017, once we were a backdoor team, we’re fortunate on pathway to final. Now with super 8s, backdoor even more difficult, and I agree with you strength and use of bench very worrying.
AOS has started in 77 out of last 80 league and championship matches. Who is Aiden’s understudy and what opportunities does he get?
Catches up eventually, specially with injuries
What would be interesting would be to extend Michael Solans role to a development panel role also.
With the excellent job he has been doing with the U21/20s it makes sense for him to be helping young players bridge from U20 towards U22 age?
What has always impressed me with Mike Solan is that he finds hidden gems or near enough hidden gems.
No one was heralding majorly Fergal Boland 2016, Jordan Flynn 2017 debut, James McCormack 2017, James Kelly 2016 or Oisin Mullins 2018.
But he really does seem to go through all of the available pick and figure out his panel.
To really build panel depth to have let’s say another 2011-2017 type period we probably need another two u20 teams.
Next years U20 squad will also have good depth and it would be great to see Mike Solan involved.
There are a few U18 players this year who will really boost up the panel depth next year as U19s.
This years U19s of Joe Dawson, Evan OBrien, Nathan Moran, Tommy Conroy, Stephen McGreal are a good core ready to go again next year stronger and more experienced.
@ to win just once, well said. I don’t understand people wanting a clear out of our 30 something year olds. Didn’t turn into crocks overnight. Injuries, injuries, injuries. Will be back to normal business when they recover. Be careful of all the negativity etc or we will have an emaciated Mayo skeleton left to entertain us. A long famine.
Nobody misses us in the championship Jim Flag. No matter what we think of ourselves as supporters we are yesterday’s chip paper…
Sure let them play until they’re 40 Sinead. And keep the young ones benched. I thought injuries have an effect on a person, but what do I know.
I am a lot older that Rochford and I can see areas of my life that need improvement so what is your point. If Mayo were a mediocrity team we would have tonnes of subs to come in and dovetail with everyone. But we are in a different place and we need to hold what we have gained. Underage players like EOD are joining up other are not there yet. A lot of wishful thinking on here.
I agree 100 per cent with with ocides. We’re not in super 8s get over the hump and let’s start planning to get back at the table.
There are mayo supporters and mayo supporters who love football. I’m glad to say I belong to the latter.
Imo Andy keith and Colm have a roll as part of our super impact bench
Of anyone thinks this team is finished they are mistaken,I made that mistake in2014th but this panel is going to get stronger,just look we have two excellent goalkeepers we haveEOD C Crowe,C Barret,L Keegan,S Coen,P Durcan, as well as B Harrison,G Caff ,C Boyle,S Akram,M Hall S Nally,D Drake,AOS,DOC,M Ruane,SOS hopefully T Parsons,K Mc L,C Hanley,K Higgins,J Durcan,C Loftus,A Moran COC J Docherty,J Carr,F Boland,E Regan,perhaps a couple new players will step up,I believe we will be very strong next year
I see that according to RTE, none of 12 player’s who were ‘Unavailable’ to Peter Leahy’s, Mayo Women’s Team for the Cavan match, are to return for our match versus All Ireland Champions Dublin next Saturday in Hyde Park Roscommon… With 3..23..scored by the Mayo forward’s the last day out 3..22 from play it’s hard to see exactly how any of the 12 missing would improve things in this area…. But I certainly regret, some of our excellent defender’s being remaining unavailable… We concided 4..13 to Cavan last day out, and it has to said that one or two of the goal’s were of the softish variety….. Hopefully our defence will tighten up for the Dublin match which is as tough an encounter as is possible to get just now… Wishing the very best of luck to all those willing and able to represent Mayo on Saturday!
A lot of out players who are over 30 will be 33 or older next year. If you look at top six teams – Dublin, Kerry, Galway, Tyrone, Monaghan, Donegal – none of these with the exception of Vinny Corey have any defender 32 or older starting. The pace of the game has moved to another level. IF we don’t move with it we will be left behind.
Re the ladies team – while the forwards were super against Cavan, the defence were very poor. I fear Dublin could put on a very big score on Sat if they decide to open up. Win or lose I think the ladies are in quarterfinal regardless.
Ssssshhh. Field agent Swahili here. I’m doing a stakeout down at Skelpie central. Things very very quiet here today. Darragh’s column basically the metaphorical equivalent of tail between the legs . Not one mention of the Kerry game. What game ? Think about that ! Yoghurt same. Very chastened . Marco , finished ?? Not a peep. Their future now dependent on the right result from Galway v Monaghan . It will be a good day for Kerry football if they don’t qualify and it’s the end of this management team . Because whoever comes in can’t produce worse than that first half performance . Everyone here however praying hard for yet another Hail Mary from Galway.
Love it Swahili
I see Ewan MacKenna has an article in the Indo, which if your from Galway you might want to cover your eyes.
To boil his article down he goes through examples of Galways play, and over riding theme of the article is that Galway have become a nasty bunch of cheats.
Not my words but these are the the thoughts of MacKenna and what he feels Galway football has become.
@sinead37 – maybe it’s because they have 15 on the field at the end they are the ones winning? Just an observation
McKenna is a negative whingebag. Slates the GAA at every opportunity.
McKennas “article” reeks of bile and bitterness against Galway that if it were posted here in a drunken mess by some lad after a mayo defeat Willie Joe would have to moderate it.
Re Evan McKenna, Indo article.. Good job, Evan didn’t seem to be at the McHale Park, FBD match in January last…because he then could have gotten a least two articles out of that match alone!.. When, as well as some almost Biblical bad weather, we had very little resembling a football match.. Galway ended up with a Biblical amount of Player’s on the field at the end of it all. (12 Apostles) but victories Apostles all the same …From a Mayo point of view, I can’t make any excuses, for Cillian getting sent off in Salthill, or Diarmuid in Castlebar, but was it a bit of unfinished business starting in Castlebar in the FBD?.
Kerry are as McKenna says ‘No Angeles’. This revelation is sure to shock people! …. There was plenty of the Pot calling the Kettle Black, as regard’s to ‘Lee Keegan’ prior to the 2016 All Ireland final by the Dublin based and biased media… Maybe the expectation is there already of a Dublin /Galway All Ireland final and if the Connacht team are already tarnished by the delebrate writings of a journalist, and his not so scientific findings… So be it..!!! Who knows it might be Dublin Joe McQuillian, or Maurice Deggan reffing it again?
Last time, Galway played Dublin in an All Ireland final 1983… I was there (Supporting Galway)… It was a vicious ugly excuse for a game
.. Dublin ended up with the 12 Apostles, having deservedly seen the Holy Trinity, of Brian Mullins, Ciarán Duff and the Angel by comparison with the previous two, Ray Hazley sent to the line… Galway had Tómas Tierney sent off as well for being involved in some handbags with Hazley…Tómas Tierney later played for Mayo, and even played against Galway.. Galway player’s showed an enormous amount of affection for their former hero in a subsequent match… So much so as, they all wanted a piece of him… Brian Talty, who ran into Brian Mullins first in the 1983 All Ireland final, on the pitch… Some say, that he ran into the same fist, again in the tunnel at half time?.. He went on to join the Dublin back room team and was a Dublin mentor for year’s!.. Such was his affection for Dublin afterwards ..
I think it was the famous football manager of Nottingham Forest, Brian Clough that said ‘There nowt as *queer as folk’.. *queer had a very different meaning way back in the 70s..more like’ ‘Strange’!.. Mind you he also said ‘It’s a funny old game’ How apt!…
..
I would agree Reamonn, its a very cutting article.
I don’t know, if he was trying to say that a certain behavior is becoming more accepted in general, why then did he decide to go after Galway for nearly the entire article.
Dublin and other teams have been playing it the same way for years but for some reason he has decided to go gung ho after Galway now.
Mind you I have to agree completely with what Mckenna says about its the poor devil that retaliates who gets the red card. The 40 minutes he has to put up with getting dragged, pushed, pulled, tripped and elbowed goes unpunished.
If games were marshalled by all the officials like they are supposed to be ie umpires linesmen and refs there are teams that would have 6 or 7 black cards in the 1st half alone. That would would soon cut out the shit that’s going on and we would get back to seeing some real football.
He’s a Kildare man and was probably angered after the match but focussing on Galway as if we are only team pulling and dragging is sly. Many people want West of Ireland teams to just go back over the Shannon and stay quiet so trying to draw refs onto Galway is all part of it. I’m reading “over the bar” by Brendain O Heithir and he talked of the 1940s once Connaught was won it was time to row in behind the winner. Its a great book and there is plenty there for Mayo fans as well as Galway fans to read about. I cant put it down expect to post shite on here! but I highly recommend it. It was only a few quid on ebay.
Revellino
The game is crying out for a rethink on how its refereed do you think 2 refs would help?
9 opposition red cards in 12 games is a telling statistic in fairness. McKenna has a habit of going against the narrative and pointing out the dark sides to teams, be it the financial doping in Dublin or Galway’s wholesale embracing of the dark arts. Surprised Martin Breheny allowed that article in the paper. Problem is that if you point these things out, especially if your from a county that has been beaten by any of the protagonists, then it’s just sour grapes allegedly.
I’m not sure Reamonn.
In many cases the linesmen especially in some of the bigger games are some of the big name Gaa referees. These guys are supposed to know the rule books inside out. Yet the crap that’s going on during matches in front of their noses is not been flagged in most cases.
If what is essentially a second referee is not going to clamp down on what he sees.from the sideline I doubt they are going to change their tune if put out on the pitch as a second referee.
It’s a real shame that matches are not reffed by the rulebook as regards the.cynical stuff. Not only has it dragged the game in to the gutter but the provocation and the retaliation has led.to some players suffering very avoidable serious injuries and that’s the real shame.
I have to agree Revellino with your points. The linesmen are big name refs as you say. If Galway are as guilty as the Kildare man alleges then we should have players getting black cards or red cards in droves but at this stage if you were to take a strong view of the rule book we would be playing with 8 or 9 men on each side by fulltime.
The injuries are the worst though as amateur lads out of work is horrible to think about and I dont know if they even get anything from an insurance fund.
He is a kildare man first and foremost and secondly the article makes him look worse than the Galway lads. As if all opposition Galway play are angels.. His own lads were at it from the start last week. Cribben lashed out at Sean Andy before the ball was thrown in. Sour grapes Ewan
Currently the situation appears to be that the protagonist get the blind eye while the retaliator is punished. This is unfair to blame the wrong people. In my view it is not up to Tyrone or Galway to sort this out. The rules should be the rules. The Ref is charged with detecting the first foul and then taking the appropriate action. When this occurs and to be fair to David Gough the media will criticise the Ref for the type of game it turned out to be
My point here is that the type of game it turns out to be is not up to the Ref. I see nothing wrong with an 11 a side finish to the game. It means to me that the Ref done his job, or the rules need another looking at. That is a function of the Team Management surely. If it is error ridden, aggressive cynical, or on- the-edge stuff it because one or both teams set out to be like that. The role of the Ref should remain the same. The fault lies with the GAA. Bad Referees appear to be moved up the picking order while the better ones fall back. I know that sounds counter intuitive and could be worded better. As a system it stinks and the game is suffering make no mistake. Fingering for a scapegoat in the media is typical of our approach to fixing the problem
McKenna is getting dogs abuse online. It’s much the same as when he points out the financial doping that goes on with Dublin, he’s insulted personally but very few can pick apart his argument. There’s a lot of whataboutery going on pointing out other players antics, which is fine and correct, but there is very little by way of explaining the 9 red cards in 12 games picked up by opposition teams. It’s not the sledging, hard tackling or pulling and dragging that annoys me with teams, it’s the feigning injury with the pretence of getting a player sent off that I can’t stand and this is where Galway have excelled.
McKenna is correct to call out this kind of shite.
I think that any contact away from where the ball is, should be a straight red card.
Contact away from the playing zone where the ball is in play has absolutely nothing got to do with the game.
I would leave the 2 linesmen to do the sole job of adjudging which way the line ball goes.
I would introduce 4 more officials. Give each one half the length of the pitch 2 on each side of the pitch and their only job should be to flag off the ball stuff to the referee.
I don’t blame a.referee who is trying keep.up with play for missing stuff they cannot see.
It might sound like overkill but if this was done and these line officials were to do their job properly then we would see football played.the way it is supposed to be played and not the mauling muck that is becoming the norm in today’s game.
In fairness I think that’s an excellent and informative article by McKenna in stark contrast to the bullshit Brehony trots out. Galway have some super players and are an excellent team with a good chance of ultimate success either this year or in the near future but they are very hard to like. I say that not as a bitter and jealous neighbour but as a person who has admired Galway football for decades. I don’t remember their 3 in a row in the sixties but I was furious about the way they were blackguarded
by Dublin in 1983 and remember being equally disappointed when the dubs beat them in 1974 and Cullen saved a penalty. I was in Croker cheering them to be the first Connacht AI winners in 3 decades when they beat Kildare in 1998 and was thrilled when they beat Meath a few years later. One couldn’t but admire Joyce, Donnellan, Ja Fallon etc. But I am not so keen on the modern group. When they beat us in 2016 I watched their corner back,either Kerrin or Kyne spend the whole evening pulling at Evan Regan. They now seem to believe that they won’t win without being nasty. Maybe they are right and bringing Paddy Tally in from the home of the dark arts just shows the direction they intend to travel. It’s incredible that 9 opponents have been sent off against them in their last 12 games and even more incredible that 7 of those 9 were forwards. No doubt many including Cillian and Diarmaid deserved their red cards but you really have to wonder what goes on in games before a guy loses his temper and lashes out. It’s hardly coincidence that so many forwards have got their marching orders v Galway. It’s very rare that a forward wants to get into a scrap, they just want to play ball, while the defender will try to make life miserable for the forwards. Galway backs have become experts at that as well as not conceding many goals. It’s easy to say it’s sour grapes on the part of McKenna, a Kildare man, but he has written some excellent articles in his time and in fairness has backed this up with examples and statistics. Galway may go on to win the AI and if they do fair play to them just as Tyrone did 3 times in the first decade of this century but it’s sad to see them behave in this way to get there.
Do you think Paul Conroy feigned injury when elbowed by Diarmuid O Connor? He doesnt have an argument he has a rant about one county only and sounds like a sore loser. Financial doping whatever that means is probably an anti Dublin rant more than likely.
Liam. Tell me on one occasion when all these reds given against Galway opponents were down to a Galway lad feigning injury or where the opponent didnt deserve red..
Zzzzz….galway this, galway that…boring. Change the channel Dad!!
Yes! Isn’t this a Mayo GAAblog?
Dont Worry folks, Mayo will be back next year better than ever,to stop the Dubs creating history, and create a bit of our own, by beating them in their own back yard,as Connaught champions,and super 8s standout peformers, this rest is what they badly need, The future looks bright, The future looks Green and Red.Up Mayo, Looking forward to next year already.Ye Won’t stop until we bring Sam home again,he’s had enough of City life,and fancies a trip out west to his long lost friends in Mayo.
We can talk about Galway and articles all we like when we should be talking about our underage teams from the age of 14 up kiltimagh under 12s league this evening which is a good thing too hear that a small club is producing a good young team instead of the usual Westport breaffy castlebar under 14s won against Dublin already had my say on that under 16s are in tedd wedd cub any dates confirmed for that?..under 17 improved a lot and Thomas Morley could be a future solution too senior problemss imo and of course under 20 team is in an all ireland final so the supply line is clearly not done just yet I would like too hear opinions on this..:)
Come on lads…Galway have toughened up…so did we. We have no angels on our team either. It’s eat or be eaten at this level.
One thing we can all agree on is roll on Galway being knocked out of the championship
Galway will not win the All Ireland . Rochford will stay on with probably new faces in the backroom team which hopefully will be an addition to him and the player’s .
WJ .. Will ya be doing a build up for the u20 final .. Kildare look very impressive but its great to see these young men coming through . It might take them a year or 2 for most to break into first team but its positive news .
@Ger Bohan. I don’t know where you got the ‘we’ out of in your statement above. Galway are representing our province at this stage and more luck to them.
A strong Galway is good for Mayo imo.
Ontheditch. There’s no such thing in representing the province these days. Its every county for themselves in my opinion. Many Galway fans have found great joy in our failures to capture sam. Imagine after all these final defeats if Galway snuck in a and won it. We would never hear the end of it. The sonner theyre out, the better.
Well again Dave that’s your opinion and I beg to differ. Galway have worked hard to get to where they are at, they are now setting the standard in connacht. Winning connacht is going to be much tougher for the foreseeable future. Let’s get up there and challenge in 2019.
In relation to fundraising for Mayo, now that we are out of the championship, there is no reason why McHale park has to lie idle. Posters have suggested lists of players who should be on the mayo panel, development squad etc. Why not have a north v south east v west etc couple of matches to bring these guys together. I’m sure if billed as fundraiser family day out, mayo fans would get out in numbers
Galway lads again obsessed with Mayo. If I wanted to be discussing all things Galway I would search out a Galway blog. While all contributors are welcome and it is good to see a different perspective on things, it is a Mayo-topic based blog.
Personally, I won’t be cheering for Galway against anyone. That’s just me, I won’t apologize to anyone for it and it is a result of years of rivalry – some good friendly banter and some downright nasty shit as well – and Mayo supporters are as guilty as Galway supporters in that (although I don’t remember any Mayo supporters defacing road signs or sheds on the way home from victories in Tuam or Salthill!).
McKenna is an excellent journalist and the fact that he points out some unsavory stuff which is critical of Galway, and factually based, runs against the general narrative of the “love-in” with Galway. That is to be expected as the media love a new story and a new challenger for the All Ireland. Mayo have had it for 6 or 7 years and now it is Galways turn. However, the truth hurts and no-one can deny that Galway are getting away with a huge amount of unpunished provocation against forwards. Kerins punch straight in to McLoughlin in MacHale Park this year, 15m from the linesman went unpunished. Half the ground saw it but the linesman didn’t. I suppose McLoughlin punched himself? AOS was constantly targeted in Salthill in the league game to the point that he shoved to the ground and dragged along it. Cillian deserved his red in that game but it was a result of frustration as Kerin had been constantly fouling and sledging all game and got away with it. Cillian saw his chance and he took it. That’s what happens when players get frustrated with match officials “missing” these incidents and they feel hard done by. They take matters in to their own hands, and it’s not today or yesterday that this is the case. Flynn reacted to the constant attention he was getting. O’Ceallaigh went down (it was a slap to his head, not a haymaker punch to the jaw – but a red card offence nonetheless) like he was going to need brain surgery. He was up running around 30 secs after Flynn took his place on the bench.
At the end of the day, Galway are doing what they feel they need to do to win games. They are winning games and have the forwards to play a much more expansive, attractive game. But, they won’t care as long as they are winning. I would be the same. But, I am a Mayo man, not a Galway man and I come on here to read about Mayo stuff, not Galway stuff.
We have an U20 team in the All Ireland final and our ladies are playing Dublin at the weekend. That, to me at this stage of the year, is far more important to Mayo and is what we should be talking about. We can do nothing about Galway now until next year.
Btw, 2 refs would increase the fuck ups they make. Highlight the powers that umpires and linesmen have and enforce them to do their jobs.
Ontheditch that would be a waste of time for all involved, supporters and players alike. There’s an u20 all Ireland final next weekend. Mayo league games for the following 2 weekends and Mayo championship the weekend after that. That’s a lot of opportunities to see our upcoming stars.
What Horan did was he said he would do, he took players that were beating by Longford and made them consistently competitive, Can’t remember what p Spillane called Connaught football due to the fact we were so dominant under JH.
SR has not given us that feeling of invincibility that was there under JH, he may not be the answer but based on what I’ve seen so far he is the best one we have.
Up for the Match,
In fairness Roscommon and Galway are in far better shape now than they were back in 2011 to 2015. They saw the level that Mayo has risen to and they upped their efforts. They benefited, indirectly, by our dominance in that period as we raised the benchmark needed to win in Connaught was higher than at any other time in 10 years. Compare Galways physicality now to the team of 4 or 5 years ago. Compare Roscommons forward play to 4 or 5 years ago.
The fact is that we got our house in order and led the way. They followed and improved. Now our dominance is over and we must regroup, reset and go again. All things are cyclical so our period is over. The big challenge for Mayo now is to ensure that the transitional period does extend beyond the next 2 to 3 years.
@ bohola I’m sure a free Sunday could be found somewhere in the calendar if we are hard strapped for cash. And again a great family day out before returning to school as families will not be going to croker this year. Just a thought, our kids love mayo too, we have a great facility in mchale park, it doesn’t have to lie idle..
And we should now benefit from a strong Galway/Roscommon. There’s a challenge there for us to get back to the top table and that can only be good for us
I say Galway people please go away and propagate with yourselves. You are welcome on here to talk about Mayo football. I dont care what happens to Galway and I dont want to be reading about it on our blog.
Why not play the under 20s a few weeks after the final, in a challenge match, against the Seniors, test out all the subs and newbies, and have a few of the recent pass masters, have a kick about, with some of the household names in the current squad, and interduce some of the legends of the past, im sure it could be organised if the right people are involved, Who wouldn’t pay towards a good cause just to see Ciaran Mcdonald, Horan, Nallen, Wille joe, Fallon, Mchale, Mortimer, Heaney, to name but a few, tog out again to help their comrades who’ve come so close, im sure they would all be more than happy to oblige.
I would much prefer to pay to see good competitive club football (junior, intermediate and senior quarterfinals, semifinals and final) rather than mickey mouse challenge games. Anyone with an interest in the Mayo county team should also be supporting these club competitions – this is where it starts and finishes for county players.
The sad fact is south mayo exile that a very large amount of mayo supporters do not support their local clubs and I’m not talking about supporters living away from home
Yes I think a great opportunity for mayo legends past and present to mingle with our kids and families. Also an opportunity for us as adults to acknowledge all that these legends have done to further the cause of the green and red.
It’s unbelievable how narrow minded people’s thinking can get. And they certainly do not have to be Micky mouse games but valuable feedback for the formation of our new panel.
Appoint some of the past legends as managers selectors water boys for the day and for God’s sake let’s have some fun. I’m sure the clew bay pipe band would do the gig for the day,
South mayo exile I fully agree look at the system in Kerry have there players are junior we have no scouts even looking at junior or barely intermediate football we need too up our game before we turn into a cork and what then
I so wish Mike Connelly would disappear.His rant serves no useful purpose.
I agree pebblesmeller, that Rossi and Galway are at better level now, however I still think if we played the brand of football we did under JH we would still come out on top of them.
For example in the Galway game this year we came out in second half with the wind with us and went defensive, don’t think we would have done that under JH, we were much more atack minded and got scorers from running at teams. I agree we don’t want to slip futher, but management is not all about football, it’s about getting the best out of what you have, I think that’s what JH brings.
I know we can talk of transition, but I don’t really think Galway or Roscommon are ahead of us yet.
A lot of the players that lost to Lonford in qualifiers the year before JH took over were the same , just standards and set up improved, I firmly believe this was down to management
What rant? What did he say?
That there should be a clearout of senior team.
Theres absolutely nothing wrong with what Mike Connelly said, if Rochford does stay on and we go into next years champo with the same 16-17 core players being picked then there is something badly wrong.
In terms of blooding youngsters and hardening them in league and provincial championships Donegal, Kildare, Kerry, Galway amongst others much further on in their development.
Its crazy now looking back that probably the 2 best performers in the league, Eoin O’Donoghue and Caolan Crowe were discarded when championship came around.
I see Jim McGuinness being linked with Cavan(!!!!) today, probably fake news but if he is in the country and there is any whiff of him being available we need to move heaven and earth to get him, the man is the best in the business.
How was Eoin O Donoghue discarded for championship.That is nonsense.
Where are these players who have not been given a chance…seems to me all players given a chance but many did not step up.And is it Connellys place to dictate panel.
Who would you clear out? Andy, Keith, Boyler,Donie or have you others in mind?
I think general rants serve no purpose.
It’s the managers decision who and how many youngsters come in to the squad.
It isn’t up to Mike Connelly or anybody else to be telling the manager what he should be doing with who.
It’s up.to the cb or whoever to appoint a manager. It’s not up to them to advise the manager what or how he should be doing things.
Isn’t that where all the problems across the water start. Appoint a manager and then somone else decides.what players are going.to be brought in. That usually ends up in a shambles with those managers often walking.
If the mayo manager is to be held accountable for team performances down the road it should only be based on his decision making and not on stuff that people higher up the food chain told him to do.
Any manager worth his salt would say thanks for the advice lads but I’m running this show.
Not alone must a player be good but he must be prepared to put in the effort. Also a lot of players can be carrying injuries. There was a lot of crying out here for certain players who when tried were not up to it. I am not aware of any bias against any player or club–a lot of fringe players tried in challenge matches i assume.
@Huey
the term ‘clear-out’ sounds brutal but realistically Rochford or whoever is there next year need to be absolutely ruthless. Theres a danger this group of players, warriors that they have been, are on such a pedestal now that dropping any of them would lead to fury amongst supporters.
There is way too much importance, (especially on here) placed on the starting 15 for Mayo games when its become abundantly clear that sometimes some of your key players should be held in reserve.Mayo have been getting zilch of their bench for years now.
Imagine the lift it would have given in Newbridge for example to see Boyle, Higgins and Moran coming in with 20 minutes to go
I see some posters are upset about a brief conversation about Galway football, in fairness it was a healthy conversation between a few quality Mayo posters, there is never any offence meant. In fairness even Willie Joe has in his ” About” section that sometimes conversations can drift from Mayo talk to general Gaa matters. Again i feel that i should say this Mayo blog is very unigue , No there is no blog in Galway in fact in a lot of counties so it is something to be proud off. In fairness there is probably only 2 or 3 regular Galway posters and id often post about Mayo issues just as much as Galway.. For the first time in 7 yrs Mayo are not involved at this stage so its new territory for many here.
I don’t see any problem with Galway chat on here – we’re out, Galway are still in so it’s only natural that there should be some Galway-related discussion. There was, by the way, a short-lived Galway GAA Blog some years back but it fizzled out before it ever really got going properly (I think, though, that the URL for it might still be live). Keeping something like this going long-term requires a particular kind of pig-headedness, as I know to my cost at this stage!
Very good Tuamstar I was nearly afraid to post anymore if people are upset. As said above Mayo went far ahead of everyone else in Connaught and it took years of hard work to get even close to Mayo and I believe with new players coming in from the obviously good U20 team to contest the final on Sunday then Rochford will deliver if given space. Jesus you can see the suffering in the mans eyes when it doesnt go well for Mayo and he is trying to manage loads of injuries and some senior players nearing the end of their careers but still able to deliver but the qualifiers campaigns just sapped their energy this year. I again reference the insane heat and its impact on this years season.
I wish good luck to Mayo on Sunday.
Willie Joe could there be a sub-forum Connaught Football. I will get my coat!!
Good point jr . There is a big difference between a good footballer and a committed footballer. To play county on a regular basis you must be not only good but very committed. You must be prepared to sacrifice so many things and to put your social life on hold for a large part of the year. It’s not just a case of turning up on match day and performing. You need to be single minded, obsessed and a team player. After all this you may not be successful and win the ultimate prize. We have been extremely lucky in Mayo in the last number of years to have had such a great group of young men.To sit at the top table for so long without winning the ultimate prize reflects on the incredible will power of these men. A huge amount have been ever present since 2011 and indeed quite a few before that date. We have also had good footballers who felt they could not commit to these efforts and sacrifices and in fairness it is an amateur game so we should not be critical of them. One should have nothing but admiration for those who have been there for the long haul. I have admiration for the dubs too but their sacrifices have been softened by the possession on numerous Celtic crosses yet their hunger drives them on. So the next time you are calling for a massive clear out or that X Y and Z should be culled from the panel, take a minute to consider. Are there better players available and more importantly are there better committed players available. If you think the answer is Yes then maybe you should put yourself forward for Rochfords job because you probably know more than he does.
To win just once well written.
When are we going to see a more committed group of Mayo lads. To come back after so many disappointments and being so close has to be the most difficult thing to do but they did it year after year. Is there any county that have done what they did for 7 years. I’m not aware of any. I do believe they will be amazing and refreshed after this break this year.
We can never underestimate the positive and powerful role models they are for our youngsters and future footballers at club and county level.
I do believe Stephen R and the starting 15 + will continue to give 100pc commitment and continue the quest for Sam no matter what.
It’s not all sacrifice thankfully, players get a lot of recognition for their commitment. But no doubt they do have to have great self determination..
A new approach needed now much more emphasis on developing a panel, a strong bench, and effective use of the bench. Challenging for current management…..
Up for the Match You are looking at the JH era with rose tinted glasses while not giving due recognition to the achievements of the current management. Overall this approach appears to give the impression that things have gone backwaard since Rochford took over But the bias is there for all to see. The quality of football that Mayo has produced under Rochford has never been achieved before. The two years of 2016 and 2017 will live long in our memory even if we did not win the AI. While the country was busy writing off the Mayo boys as yesterday’s news they were playing the football of their lives. Many of us were there to witness and enjoy the spills and trills of this special period.
Some posters have misrepresented what Mike Connolly said, and some of the comments are unfair I feel. Mike heads up an organization fit for the 1950’s. Most of the structures are in place since my father’s playing days. While the world and Gaelic football has progressed our organisation has been very conservative and I don’t think there will be any change there in my time. By contrast Dublin and Kerry have have forged ahead of us all. Even Roscommon operating at the time in Div 3 have shown great endeavor and enterprise in the funding of their football. Mayo have missed a golden opportunity with the popularity of this great team. An opportunity to start a serious revenue generating stream for the training and development of all Mayo teams independent of the biscuit tin, approach. I do not want to sound over critical of individuals who give up their free time to the cause of Mayo football. But I feel with the right people in decision making positions an opportunity to build of the Cairde Mhuigheo model may have been missed. There are a lot of Mayo supporters who want to help the financial situation but are lacking the organisation in my opinion. What do you think?
Galway lost to kerry last year due to soft defending. They learned from their mistakes and fair play to them. Did mayo learn from their defeats in all irelands, I’m not so sure. Its good for mayo if galway are challenging for Sam. Nothing gained by walking through Connaught every year with no competition or rivalry. Rivalry is good and what keeps the blood pumping in us all.
This is a scroller.
Mongo McCarthy is the best and most effective player in the country according to many . He got to be this good by conserving his energy at all times except when the big game is in the melting pot. So ,no wasting time or energy on talk for him. He was basically mongosyllabic for the most part( hence the nickname )Except when really joyful after winning the All Ireland he said “ happy out” and “ Mongo like beer”
Gavin admired his economy with words and made a little note of that in his black book. That was something he could work on himself as he felt he had been relatively loose lipped ( by his own standards )recently . He’d even given out about the oul’ home ground Croke Park not being spick and span like he was used to ( on account of pagan concerts no doubt)
A curt “ No” to a reporters question recently about using a second string team however was evidence of his attempting to practice more Mongo( lese)
At any rate Mongo was sometimes confused with Mongoose but there the similarity ends. Mongoose loved to talk as Gaelige agus as Bearla. He loved to be interviewed and things and talk a lot about nothing. Mongo not amused. Mongo no like (that)
To tame the Dubs , their half back line would have to be taken apart. Easier said than done when it consisted of The beast Mongo , Road Runner McCaffrey and Hannibal Lecter. Everyone should ask themselves how badly they need that All Ireland medal before venturing into the GAA equivalent of Dante’s inner circle of hell . Everyone should really feel a “ special calling “ before trying that. It was definitely not for the faint hearted .
Well said PJ,
The County Board is an analogue outfit in a digital age. It’s nothing short of criminal that a County Chairman is even mentioning revenue after the 8 years we’ve had. We should be set up for a generation. The most worrying thing is if you failed to make money when people were literally throwing it at you, what chance do we have when we’re out of the spotlight for a few years. We nearly got change out of the disaster of losing to Longford in 2010 when the Horan Plan was commissioned, but ultimately not followed through on and my fear is that we will need to hit rock bottom before change is implemented in the CB.
I’ll finish with this story to cheer you all up. A few years ago, a fairly successful businessman from the county who had done well in the States decided he wanted to help out the team after seeing their heroics. He wrote a letter to the CB offering to donate something towards the cause and do you know what the reply was?
He never got one.
@Liam…. That wealthy business man, made good in the US, you speak about, can send on some of that money he had earmarked for the County Board to me.. My name is not ‘Leantimes’ without good reason!.. I promise to spend a considerable amount of the money following Mayo, so at least some of it will get back to help our team!… I wonder how much I will get, probably the same as the County Board….
To celebrate their new style of play Supermac Pat is renaming one of his famous servings and from today onwards you can now order a
Snack Box in the mouth.
The Galway Arts festival is to be renamed the Galway dark arts festival in honour of the.current team.
@ Leantimes. I don’t want to.sound like a gold digger but if that Yankee doodle dandy comes through with the money can you get my contact details from Willie Joe as I too would like to help you invest that money in the Mayo team.
@The galway folk on the site, don’t be offended by my bit of banter above. I’m only tryin to amuse myself. I’ve had great fun watching my galway workmates getting irate during the week reading Ewan mackennas article. We have had 7 years of what was sometimes total shit written about our team our individual players and our managment. If the.current Galway team manage to stay in the top 4 teams in the country for a few years well yea need to get used to bad press because there will be plenty more of it coming down the tracks.
I enjoy the galway hurlers but to be honest I would be happy to see any of Galway Clare or Limerick win the All Ireland hurling. I think it’s Galways to lose. They are maybe the best hurling team I have ever seen and in my opinion could be one of the greatest teams to ever play.
Good to see yea out of hibernation Swahili.
And of course Niall McGarry’s financial assistance to appoint a Commercial Director ignored.
Why are the County Board not interested in raising finance whats their logic. Also who are the members of the CB I keep hearing them referred to but i gave no clue who they are
It’s a crying shame if Mayo don’t have funds in reserve especially after the epic voyage we have been on and the crazy hoards of football supporters we have.
What is the issue with getting funds. We don’t need some commercial guru or some genius organising large big costing events to try and raise funds. We have a massive fan Base with true fans.
I would confidently.predict if our footballers need the funds and if there was a go fund me account set up with a transparent rolling total there would be hundreds of thousands fired in to.it from all corners of the world. I would love to be able to throw a hundred in to a Mayo go.fund me account and know many more people who would like to do the same.
Currently I would buy a bunch of lotto tickets at fund raising time but I believe with.the transparency of a go fund me account total and a guarantee that 100% of the funds were to go to our footballers preparation and their care the donations would roll in and Mayo would benefit with a monumental amount of donations from us nuts.
No need for extravagently organised concerts or dinners that cost thousands to put on to begin with just set up a Mayo football go fund me account and watch that total grow.
To win just once well said,I believe every footballer has got a fair chance since J Horan took over,but we don’t know who is injured or can not make the commitment which is immense,as for players getting recognised not all do as some get a lot of criticism of they don’t make an impression when they play,the no worry I would have is lack of finance,it needs the guys of one million a year to keep the show on the road,which if we are not reaching the final stages will be very hard to raise also i am not happy with the amount clubs have to donate,I feel that what some posters have been saying for years need to be implemented certainly a professional fund raiser needs to be appointed with a bonus for exceeding targets which needs to be at least one million per annum
If that was the case Revellino, why isn’t the players lotto fund raking in tens of thousands a week? The reality is, their is a serious lack of transparency with regards to where the finances go within the county and when it comes to people giving their hard earned money, they want to know where its going. The CB represent more than the Senior footballers and while everyone wants to think the few euro they donate is going towards nutrition for Cillian or physio for Tom P, the reality is that it is more than likely going to Croke Park to service the debt on the stand. A group of ex players went to the States a number of years ago to fundraise under the banner of the Mayo Players Fund and they were brilliantly received, with people eager to contribute towards the cause. Everything was going swimmingly until people started writing cheques and were told to make out them out to Mayo GAA and not the supposed players fund as they believed they were contributing towards. People tore up cheques in front of the players eyes and the trip barely covered itself after flights and accommdation was taken out.
Roscommons fundraising model is miles ahead of ours, which basically revolves around milking the clubs for ever increasing amounts every year, Cairde sales and then hoping for a semi final so they can ring a few generous builders in the UK.
Step 1. Write to every club in the county asking for the names of any people at home or abroad who they feel could contribute something to the county. It doesn’t have to be all about money either, the person could offer any range of services from medical to logistical to commercial.
Step 2. Start bringing some of the well connected individuals you get from the clubs to McHale Park for home league games. Wine them and dine them, put them up in a nice hotel (which would provide the room free of charge). Let them meet the players after the game and generally make a big fuss of them. They go back to Cleveland or Leeds or wherever and they organise a fundraising event for you that November. The Rossies got huge donations off second and third generation people in New York who had never even been to Ireland. They just showed them a slick video and made them feel part of something. A lot of these people are looking out for an identity and want to feel a connection to their parents or grandparents home county.
Step 3. Provide a clear and transparent breakdown of where the money goes.
30% County teams
30% Debt servicing
30% Coaching and underage development
10% Eye tests for referees.
It’s not rocket science…
Ontheditch, and Revellino,I agree with ye both a 100% per cent. Why not do both,and have a look at the future players for mayo,in the company of legends, and have a bit of fun at the same time, Lord knows, we could do with a bit of a pick me up.I would fly home for that, without any hesitation, Up Mayo.
There is no room in the calendar for a challenge game like that. We still have 5 rounds of club championship to play, plus league games. That is the place for prospective players to show their worth.
Revellino The go fund me is a great idea though more suited to a once off drive to make up the shortfall at this time of year. Either way it is unacceptable not to have funding in place. Cutting back is a regressive step at a time when we are looking to make up the inches on our opponents. Any other ideas out there.
@Liam.
Does anybody know exactly the euro amount that the lotto fund brings in ?
Does anybody know for sure if every cent of that fund is spent on the players ?
A lotto fund by its definition means that you are already giving something away. You are trying to entice people to play by giving them a cherry.
The go fund me campaign would need 1 strong honest individual in charge of the account.
The account balance should be available to view online 24/7.
Not a penny of the donated money should go to anyone except player prep and player welfare.
The advantage of a go fund me account is you have people who pro actively want to donate money to the cause. People like myself would not need coaxing to donate. If I can see the books ie online, up to date balance and am guaranteed my money is 100% spent on my players.
No prizes on offer just people like myself and many others who want this for the players and players alone.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to have the money there for the man who suffers the bad inury and isn’t covered by insurance or by his work to the amount that he would be receiving if he was working.
I don’t know where gate receipts go ?
I don’t know why when there looks like 12,000 at a match 8,000 is announced ?
I don’t know how much county officials or if they are paid are paid or managers or back room for that matter ?
I don’t know if all the current lotto fund goes to the players prep or care or are some of these diverted to fund other things ?
What I most definately know is that if there was a player prep and care fund set up and a strong individual in charge and I was guaranteed 100 % that my players got 100% of these funds (no money diverted for anything else), I would not be sceptical and would happily donate.
Current funding and where exactly to the last euro these funds are been spent is often cloudy. I’m not saying there is wrongdoing, I am saying there is a lack of transparency and yearly convoluted financial updates don’t cut it with me.
People are sceptical Liam with current proceedings and scepticism will always ensure that people who are willing to donate are put off and keep their hard earned in their trousers pocket.
I think lotto funds fall way down because of the above.
Go fund me = no running costs = transparency = no scepticism = happy donations = major increase in donations.
No brainer.
Yes indeed Wide Ball, that doesn’t include the u21 club championship which will probably start around Halloween.
I have no doubt the county board have the best intensions for Mayo GAA and are doing. For best but you need someone with commercial awareness in who can fundraise and bring new ideas to the table. Missy Quinn I think fills this role in Dublin…we need to act fast here
Very Proud of every Girl, Who played for Mayo, V Dublin today … Gave it absolutely everything for each other.. Immense, Incredible will, Heroines All.. Sure we made some mistakes.. Some very inexperienced players today.. And we have to expect some mistakes.. For 3/4 of this Match, This Dublin All Ireland and League Champions Ladies were never as tested as hard as they were today.. Two yellows in close succession proved to be a bit too much as it happened. That’s as hard as it gets Ladies.. Next time ye play together, ye will be better.. If ye ladies can fight and play for each other as hard and as well as ye did today, I will be very proud of ye indeed… But I won’t be happy, unless ye win against Galway I think.. And I’m confident that ye will do just that!
The Mayo Gaa lotto should run a weekly draw every week between now and the All Ireland Finals with One Hurling and One Football ticket raffled weekly, €5 per draw, promote it in the counties still involved in championship. Mayo supporters spent a fortune on raffles like these in the last few year.
They should also try and get as many mayo supporters as possible to sign up to yearly lotto draw. Maybe have a draw to win all Ireland ticket or cm ticket for people who signed up for 12 months.
With you Mayo Viking. McHale park our greatest resource, use it. Normally we would be in the thick of inter county football and there would be space on the calendar for it.
I suggest the Sunday before national schools re open. A ‘Thank you’ special to all our football greats past and present.
Or maybe we do mark the dedication and sacrifices in some other fitting way??
Do Big Barry and caff possibly Boyle and Parsons be allowed to fade away into the sunset without acknowledging the blood sweat and tears they gave for their beloved county.
I don’t know the names of CB members but if only they could become kids for a day they would already be planning the party!!
What an Epic game of Hurling!.. Incredible… No won deserved to lose, but any neutral not from either Clare or Galway was definitely the winner.. No details on the Replay yet.!!!
Brilliant hurling match. Hats off to.clare. 9 down and battled back. Galway stayed alive in the end with 4 huge players for them comimg off. I’d say galway felt they should have won with the great start they had and 12 1st half wides. Clare hit a good few wide in extra time. Galway will be sweating on the fitness of Canning and mcinerney and Burke. Where would you see any better sporting event than that today.
For all those who have bitched about the GAA all week I hope they were watching the Galway v Clare hurling match today Absolutely brilliant.Not bad for dinosaurs Damien Duff. They contribute far more to our society that the modern millionaires of association football ever will Incredibly the GAA are the fall guys because the best the fai can manage in Munster is a 7000 seater stadium Makes you wonder who the dinosaurs are.
Ah the game of Hurling, at its best… The fastest field game in the world.. Quite Magnificent, where Art meets Sport.. It’s Something else, the oldest and first written reference to hurling and indeed any field sport in the history of the world.. The Battle of Moytura, occurred just outside Cong, County Mayo is where it all began.. The Túath De Dánnen versus The Fír Bolog.. It went to a replay as well, The losers could have a replay in those days, after the losers The Fír Bolog licked their wounds and the Replay was fixed for the Second Battle of Moytura,…… Hurling is definitely something that the Irish can be proud of… Limerick versus Killkenny and Today Clare versus Galway,… Seriously was there any better sporting entertainment anywhere in the world this year.. I doubt it very much!
Well said PJ & Liam on fund raising initiatives ..We can do so much more here, especially from the Mayo people in Dublin and all over the world ..Lets try to get a decent fund in place during the rest of 2018 an d have a war chest in place for 2019 ..
Hard luck to the Mayo Ladies … They play Gaa for the green and red too .. Never mentioned here much.
Hey them bucks from Shraheens had always loads a money..
Ontheditch, there’s club championship fixed for that weekend this year. Imagine telling the players “the championships will be put back until the 9th September”. What would the reaction be? Quite frankly I think your idea is not a good one.
Sunday Sept 9 is free except for few hurling fixtures. I accept dates are difficult but seems such a waste to have a facility like McHale park idle all summer long and our county packed with visitors
Ontheditch – barry Moran is the only player who has retired. Maybe hold off on the big farewell party for now.
There will be plenty of fixtures in MacHale Park once the quarter finals of the club championships are on. Why not go out and support the lads playing in that?
@donedeal I’m not planning a farewell party. It’s more of an opportunity for players and county board to thank mayo supporters for being the best, likwise for supporters to acknowledge the sacrifices players have made, give our kids a chance to meet up with them this summer, and also shocase some newbies and remember some oldies.
McHale park is a costly resource. It should be generating money for mayo. A celebration of all that’s good about mayo footbal, family day out, get the schools to row in.
I know it will not happen because we dont Think outside the box. As the song says
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen
As the great Dalai Lama said to me onetime.
“Could you get your foot off my robe asshole”.
Totally agree with on the ditch about management situation, we need change or were doomed I think
Not great attendances at Mayo club games in recent years. Castlebar Mitchell’s for example don’t seem to have a big following but you’d think they should…
We are excellent at following the county.
The last time I meet a Shraheens Balla man we bumped into the Dalai Lama I asked the DL what hand he wiped his arse with, he looked a bit confused so I told him that I used toilet paper myself to which the shraheens buck interrupted and said mayo fans euros are better.
A few years back a mayo fan group in Dublin generated a lot of monies but we’re told that all monies had to be handed over to Mayo Gaa per the hierarchy in Dublin. Eugene Rooney a former Mayo player and well establish businessman in NY with aleast 3 well known bars that I know of, had also a run in with Mayo GAA over the same thing.
Also the monies Kerry raised in London and various cities in America was corporate monies. The $1000 a plate is true but in fact contractors had to buy full or half tables at $10,000/$5000 ago. It was also true that in America a lot or mostly all of these contractors weren’t even from Kerry but did business with people/person from Kerry at least the largest event this was true. Kerry generated over a million dollars in one night to go towards building their center of excellence.
Our lot would fuckup a wet dream. It’s not like there isn’t enough of successful Mayomen spread over England or other parts of the world.
I am amazed how the people on here who constantly criticise the volunteers who run the county board don’t put there own names forward and give up their own free time to help run Mayo football. I would estimate that at least half of the great Mayo supporters are not even members of thier own club.
The Liam Miller incident could have significant knock on effect. We may very well see centres like McHale used for community based activities. We are in a strong position in mayo. Great resource in McHale park, great supporters and A very marketable product in our players.
How about a charity day supporting mayo charities like Rock Rose House and hope house.
Get Midwest to rowin behind it.
CB are running a business, I presume they are a collection of business heads
@South Mayo Exile,
Will you do me a favour and save the poor volunteer shite, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Over the years numerous people have put themselves forward or have tried to help out in some way, only to be rebuffed. It’s less than 5 years ago that PJ Monaghan put himself forward for the role of vice treasurer, they dug up a 110 year old rule to block him and then installed a man who’s acceptance speech included the immortal line “I’m not a great man with finances but I’m a mighty man on a gate”.
Niall McGarry, the millonaire founder of Joe.ie has a standing offer to pay €10k per year towards the salary of a commercial director, a role the County Board has blocked and sidelined for years despite most top counties now having one.
The term “Volunteer” can cover many a misdemeanour but lets call a spade a spade, the County Board are completely out of their depth when it comes to fundraising and coorporate financing. Let the county treasurer deal with the running of the clubs and let a quailified professional deal with the fundraising for the county.
The time is long past when people in the county are asking why we need a commercial director and people are now starting to ask why we haven’t appointed one, are some people afraid of light being shone into dark corners..
@liam. That make a lot of sense to me. We have a very marketable product. But no fundraising ideas coming forward. We’ve had a summer off competitive county football an opportunity to replenish the coppers….. financial directors or marketing managers generally more than pay their way
Well said Liam,we must if we want to continue at top get as much money as possible,to help with training expenses getting jobs as near as possible to Mayo
“i’m not a great man with finances but i’m a mighty man on a gate”.
Thats a good wan alright. Looks like the owl biscuit tin will be making the trip to New York again.
Anyway lads, the idea of Mayo people paying £1,000 a head for a seat at an owl fundraising table etc when we are in the middle of the deepest recession since the 1930s might be a bit optimistic. Or has the owl recession ended and i never noticed?
My big problem is the cut backs announced for the new management term at a time when the tide will be rising in our favor. I do not buy this end of on era story. When we see the heroics of some of our players in Newbridge and many of these performances coming from young players we have to be encouraged. Blending the old and the young is a process and I believe it has started. Talk about cut backs in the coming term is like a betrayal. Its like giving back the inches to Kerry and Dublin that we have all been fighting for over the last few years. The lack of transparency around finances is a betrayal. This great team can become greater, and everyone needs to pull together on this.
PJ- what cut backs were announced for the new management?
It could be difficult now to organise a good type of fundraiser now that Mayo are out, maybe the County Board didn’t need to do much fundraising over the past 5 years, as gate receipts were very high due to the supporters. Mayo has a large number of people spread throughout England and other places, surely a large number of events could be organised at a variety of places all on the one day. Here are some ideas, the ideal one, big Company Sponsorship, Race nights, a proper large draw, Black Tie night / meal. Large outdoor music Concert ( in Mchale Park ). Open Mchale Park to tourists, for the Summer, ie, a gaelic experience ( this actually is done in a Dublin club as a business venture ).
We are all trying to identify ways the team can go up a notch as soon as possible. Giving opportunities to ‘understudies’ and effective use of the bench is a must imo.
Once again I agree, if you look at Limerick today, it’s a team built around it’s I 21 stars, it’s great to have experience players but you will never beat youth in the long run
Was waiting for someone to say – “look at limericks young players and all the youth in hurling”
Totally different sport to Gaelic football. Far more emphasis on skill and speed. Football is about power and a good big lad is always better than a good small lad. It’s about ten years since a player u21 made a major impact in an All Ireland football final. The days of any team winning an all tokens with 4 or 5 twenty year olds are well and truly over, as kerry are finding out the hard way. It’s taken Galway 4 years of team building and conditioning to get to a level where they can even win games in the all Ireland series.
Some great points above and would agree with alot of what Liam has said.
I believe if you stay collecting with the biscuit tins your going to end up with biscuits.
I attended an u21 international soccer match in milebush in Castlebar over 20 years ago. The opposition manager commented after the game that the playing surface was comparable to any of the premier league surfaces he had been to and better than most. It was like a carpet.
I’m not running down Mchale park, but for a County that has been at the top of the football pyramid for so long our team should be playing on a carpet. It should have a good playing surface be it winter or summer if done properly with proper drainage for the wetter months.
Transparency can be a frightening word if you don’t want it known where the mullah is been spent.
It always baffled me how the home club always ended the financial year with the total amount of monies collected exactly equalling the total expenditure. Balance was zero every year.
Any business going through a sustained successful period like Mayo have just come through and telling it’s share holders that there is no money in the bank, well there would be a clear out and get the people in that were capable of making sure there was plenty of money in the bank.
I’m not sure to what tune the Mayo main sponsor funds our team, but is their some law that prevents multiple sponsorship. Formulae 1 cars are plastered with logos of all different brands. Why not have 40 different team sponsors. there are enough business in the county. Whatever number of sponsors we have we need to bring more backers on board. Who wouldn’t want to be associated with this legendary team ?
It’s a bit sad in ways to.see people on this blog trying to come up with ways to raise cash for what has been rightly regarded as the most entertaining football team in the country in recent times.
I thought Con O Callaghan had a major impact 2 minuets into last years All Ireland
Liamsays. There no such thing in the Gaa as putting your name forward for a role on the Co board ….A person has to be nominated by a club and if other names are in the hat, then the delegates at the AGM vote to decide who they want.
Hurlers are probably more physically developed at younger age than footballers due to nature of game Con O Callaghan also a great hurler.
One things for sure it’s a game about a panel too. These youngsters are chomping at the bit to be brought on and given their opportunity.
Revellino Great post. It is not a bit sad, but very sad indeed. A beyrayal
If they are chomping at the bit they will get their chance,as EOD,P Durcan,S Coen,JDurcan have proved,don’t think anyone can complain that C Loftus, F Boland and E Regan amongst others have not got chances,hopefully some more players will put their hands up for next year
Well the learning from the weekend was that the new formats in hurling and football DEMAND that you have a strong panel. Limerick won that game from the 61st minute on by bringing on players as good as the players they were replacing. Cork had nothing. Galway hurlers are starting to look a little light in that department also but are still swinging so we’ll see.
It’ll be the same with the football, the Super8s demand that you have a panel and that’s where we will see Dublin excel in the semi and final. Worryingly for us I think Galway are the only other ones who are actually developing a bit of a strong panel. We only seem to have 16 players that are able for this level. I don’t believe that so management need to find a way of getting 6 or 7 more up to the same standard or we will be found wanting next season.
@corrick bridge potential newcomers got very limited opportunities. check the statistics. On the other hand Kev mcLoughlin has played FBD football for Mayo for the last five seasons. Conor O Shea Boland loftus and Regan have all regressed. Boland I am particularly dissapointed with his progress. He went from an exciting inventive player to a basic passer of the ball. Statistically he must look great, completed passes etc, but flair inventiveness etc gone. I can see why so many posters cryout for a forwards coach. I’m convinced we have the players to form a panel but just look at our subs bench in newbridge and the amount of game time they got going in to that game. We need to get real here
@ east Cork exile. Agree completely with your observations and recommendations. Jim Gavin wins all Ireland’s with his bench. And the one thing I like most about Galway this year is their bench, nice mix of youth and experience, cleverly used by walsh
@Jim Flag
The whole idea of the corporate fundraising in the states is that the GAA is registered as a charity and therefore all donations are tax deductible. The platinum table at the GPA function in New York costs $50,000 and it’s sold every year, they take $600k out of New York annually from that one event. These guys aren’t giving the money out of their own pockets and I can guarantee you half the people going to that dinner don’t even know what the GAA is, it has become a corporate networking event that people want to attend. Our own club ran a very successful function in Dublin last year, you’d be surprised how many people are willing to pay €1000/€1500 for a table at a business lunch and the Mayo players themselves ran a similar event last December which was hudely successful. Business is booming in Dublin and it’s all about targeting the correct people.
Some hurling games this weekend. And the importance of a strong panel was never so obvious. Galway hurlers are excellent team but when they lost some of their starters they were in trouble. Cork even more so. They have a great first 15 but got little or nothing from their subs Some of the Cork GAA website are bemoaning that their manager didn’t blood enough young fellas during the league. Where have we heard that before. In contrast Limerick subs were fantastic and won the game. Where have we seen that before. The fact is that most of the great teams struggle when they go past their first 15. It’s been a problem for Mayo and is indeed a problem for most counties. Dublin are an exception due to the fantastic quality they have on their panel. Based on yesterday Limerick hurlers might be an exception too but remember they won 2 out of the last 3 AI U21 titles and it’s far easier to bring young hurlers than footballers into the senior set up as physicality is not as important in hurling as in football. In fairness to Kevin Walsh he seems to be creating a strong football panel in Galway. I think it’s now more important than ever not to start you best 15 in a game. You probably need at least 2 of your better players to be coming on as crucial subs. Mayo were absolutely excellent in the AI final last year but they went for broke from the word go and did not have the subs to make a crucial impact later in the game. In contrast dubs could throw in Connolly and Brogan . The same happened the previous year when the Dublin subs came on and won the match. Maybe it’s time to blood more youngsters in the league and take relegation if that’s the consequence because one thing we have learned over the last few years is you won’t win an AI based on your first 15 alone.
Ontheditch,there must be a reason they got limited game time,if we accept that management teams want to win they will use any player or means at their disposal,I would love it we had players better than our squad but unfortunately I don’t believe we have,as someone said earlier it takes years of s\c to reach the required level,the odd player is naturally strong but they are few and far between,hopefully a couple will get there for next year,we have to realise some players for one reason or another just can’t give the commitment which is fair enough,but if we have the right conditions in place it may well make it easier to encourage them to commit ,that takes us back to the money situation,so we can certainly help there but that needs a sea change in thinking,it at moment is the biggest concern because of we fail we will end up with other great counties who cannot get the funding to develop players,if we get our house in order we still have the goodwill to tap into our fan base,but it is urgent
Are there any rules in hurling.Seems to me they have adopted a let almost everything go attitude.Wont be an issue until someone gets seriously hurt.Owens,McGrath and carlow ref all guilty of this .
Limerick full forward actually held a man back to allow his colleague to put ball over the bar.Happened on both sides and both games.Because games were fantastic nothing made of this laissez faire reffing.
Corick bridge it didn’t take years for 4 of Galway’s starting team against Kildare to develop, they were under 21 last year
“It’s less than 5 years ago that PJ Monaghan put himself forward for the role of vice treasurer, they dug up a 110 year old rule to block him “.
Is that right yeah .
Where as I do believe there is an avenue for proper fundraising , there is a lot of fantasist talk thrown in with a bit of agenda in here .
Where is everyone getting there tickets for Sunday. Could we organised for us all to be in lower Hogan or something like that?
I have to laugh at the hypocrisy of most gaa people. The Galway article by McKenna is correct, however they are far from the only guilty side. We always hear about refs “letting it flow”. All the pundits and the media men apparently like these type of refs. But then they complain about cynicism and off the ball stuff a minute later! David Gough is the only ref I’ve seen who comes close to fully applying the rules of the sport. He blows for off the ball frees much more than any other. But the likes of Tomas o se hate him and would be up in arms if he was given an All Ireland final. “Too fussy”, taking the physicality out of the game” etc etc. which is it lads? You can’t have a ref who lets the game flow but also pulls up all the off the ball infractions.
Personally I wish there was more refs like David Gough – we’d have a much cleaner game and much less off the ball shite.
Sean Burke tell us more about this 110 year old rule ….Like i said no one can put his name forward for a position on a Co board …… Was he nominated by a club ? Is he a fully paid up member of a club in Mayo.
I agree with an earlier poster inthat4 linesmen going no further than half way line might catch of the ball stuff. But it’s impossible for any human to catch all of the ball incidents, so difficult to be fair.
Can we have a new thread Willie Joe please to show support for the Under 20 lads. I’ve my tickets got and maybe it would be a good distraction to look forward than looking back.
Thanks be to God for the hurling and especially Limerick… great guts and bloody determination to just not lose. It’s awful hard not being in the shake up in the football. I’m missing my fix of excitement and potential… always a hope we might just do it. However we have the under 20’s and the women still to support. Fair play to the remaining women who give their all for the cause. Though they didn’t beat the dubs they were not far off and that’s without 12 of the panel. What the hell is going on there. By their fruits shall you know them…feck all fruit in Mayo recently apart from few near wins. To me,in my own simple way of looking at things, there’s something amiss at the top in Mayo GAA circles. We have so much potential and so much ability but something is not making it happen. What is it? Wish I had the answers but I also believe we will be in the final stages next year… fingers crossed…etcccc…oh bloody addiction… I’m a Mayo fan and I’m an addict. Please help me.
Larry Duff Agree with you that Gough is the pick of the refs at the moment. Not many in Kerry would agree. They were raging at him in the AI semi v Mayo because he didn’t let them away with their usual pulling and dragging. Also a good man to penalise off the ball fouling which cost us v Kildare but was a fair call. Amazing how refs get the blame even when players commit the illegal fouls. Anyway 4 umpires and 2 linesmen should pull their weight and be of more help to the refs.
I second backdoorsam time to focus on u20. Anybody know anything about kildare
And I’ll second your comment Ontheditch !! Could really do with some football talk again ..
Sean .. Getting a few premium level tickets from a rep .. Giving me 4 so I can bring the kids … He said he normally gives a few to a Rossie but he’s not bothering going ..
Watched highlights of Kildare v Kerry u20. Looked good at picking off points from half forward line.
Larry duff and to win just once,
I’m sure ye are more than happy with the well groomed David Gough, in both 2016 and 2017 we as Kerry supporters have been left reeling as a result of the screamers of decisions he has called against Kerry. In 2016 he failed in his utmost responsibility of player welfare when Crowley was take out by mcminiman as he advanced towards the scoring area. To add insult to injury while he layed injured his marker kicked the winning point which made it a two point game. If he did his job Sheehan would have tapped over the free and cluxton would have had a kick out against a high press and the game was on a coin toss. Last year he sent off Crowley on another screamer of a second yellow and he also sent off Darren O Sullivan on a howler of a black card( both of which were reminded without contest).
He subsequently said he erred on these desisions but that has little comfort to the players involved, Ye think Geoff is a great referee but other than yourselves and Dublin I feel that precious few others share the opinion. Some refs make good and bad calls for both teams in a game, strangely we have only been subject to one side of this phenomenon with this gent.
When we hear the name Geoff we say we need to be at least three points better. Apologies from him and unchallenged reversals of his decisions are of little use to the Kerry players who have busted their guts to achieve. Almost all of these young lads are just like the mayo plaers fighting for their first All Ireland Medal.
Games are won by great players but everyone needs a decision or two to go their way to win a Championship. I pray if we survive the possibles and all the rest that we are not inflicted with him as the decision maker. I’d ask that ye have an unblinkerd look ad his style and consider those outside of Dublin and Mayo.
Isn’t that a strange request for ye ?? Perhaps ye will gain a little understanding if he has the whistle should ye meet the dubs. Perspective, perspectives and perspective again and all that Jazz….
Just read billy keanes column in the independent. Jesus Christ – please let Monaghan get a result in Galway next weekend. Here’s a quote from the bould Billy. Peak yerra:
“Kerry are still the best chance of stopping Dublin. We are vulnerable to all of the remaining teams but the sight of that blue jersey improves Kerry by five points.
We could be out by Saturday night, though, and it’s not even August yet, but I think Kerry will scrape through.
I spoke to Kieran Donaghy after the Monaghan escape as he made his getaway home. “We are still there,” he said, “and we haven’t hit form yet. Watch out when we do.””
Like I said before, if kerry lost every game from now to eternity it wouldn’t be enough defeats for them.
Jimmy Hyland at corner forward is Kildare’s main man. Will be very hard marked. They have a tall full forward who’s good but I think Brian OMalley will match up well on him. Their midfielder Masterson is good too but we’re also decent around midfield!
The Mayo News is reporting big news that “Mayo selectors have stepped down” on its twitter page.
Wonder who they are. We’ll find out tomorrow I suppose!
Gamechanger Ive no idea how old you are but Im sure you have probably seen your county win at least 5 All Ireland senior titles at this stage maybe double or triple that number. Yes Gough got some decisions wrong that went against Kerry but I cant remember Kerry ever being cheated, yes cheated out of an Ireland appearance like Mayo were in 2014. I agree with the posters who said Gough is the only ref to attempt to implement the rules as they are written. And I say that based on numerous games Ive seen involving several different counties.
If the rules were implemented properly players would be more about agility, skill and teamwork.
A lot of the players we profess as being top class players are simply very athletic, big and powerful.
Ciaran Kilkenny is not particularly skillful nor Aidan OShea. I’ll put one out there. Mark Ronaldson was one of our most skillful footballers. But, he needed a version of Gaelic football where the rules are implented.
– you cannot barge a defender in tackle stance
– you must take four steps
Those two rules not being implemented are what currently ruin the game.
@Larry Duff, if Keane’s article has you fuming, do yourself a favour and don’t read Paul Galvin’s piece in the last Sunday Times. It’s the first article I’ve ever read that was written in lemon juice it was that bitter towards Monaghan (and we got a few digs for good measure).
Gamechanger In my opinion it is the referees responsiblity to implement the rules of the game. It’s the team managers responsiblity to decide what sort of game it turn out to be. Everyone wants the ref to let it flow (forget about the rules and stuff) until they end up on the wrong side of the anarchy.
@wide ball should be a good battle between our half back their half forward line. I would like to see Brian O Malley out at centre half back or midfield, but he is intelligent player reads game well, another big battle there. Hoping for a big game from Conroy, player likely to step up to senior level fairly quickly. Its going to be a fascinating game, do bookies take bets, what are the saying?
Haha! Kerrymen crying about referees. You couldn’t make it up. ‘Duty of care!’ Ah stop. Tell us all about Tadhg Kennelly’s interpretation of ‘duty of care’ to Nicholas Murphy at the throw-in of the 2009 final while you’re at it. Good man yourself.
Ah here, Can we focus on the u-20’s? Any insight on Kildare, haven’t seen them play Are they physically bigger than our bucks?. Are they ultra defensive or do they play more orthodox?
Galway supporters having a chit chat between themselves on the neighbours blog. A Kerry man coming on to a Mayo site complaining about a ref!!!!!!!! Ya couldn’t make it up lol. For the record, I’ve always enjoyed Gamechangers posts, but had a good laugh at that one-sorry gamechanger…Bet you weren’t complaining bout player welfare when Kennelly laid out Nicholas Murphy?….as dangerous an assault I’ve ever seen on a football pitch.
Gamechanger if the Ref knew the rules the free you got before the goal in Clones would not have been given–it beggars believe that top Refs do not know the rules.
Check out @officialgaa’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1018170763524919296?s=08
Highlights of Kildare v Kerry above
Full game on you tube
https://youtu.be/demEmLzyGDc
Great article in Western People this week by John Cuffe, I agree with his views on the future fortunes of the Mayo Senior Team. Jim Mc Guinness when he became Donegal manager, advised Rory Kavanagh to put on weight so that he would be more effective as a midfielder (Kavanagh put on the extra weight and was very effective for the team). We have a number of young promising players on the Mayo panel who are too light, why does management not insist that they develop more muscle and as a result be able to challenge the established players for a place in the starting fifteen.
Well EOD and Harrisson have strengthened up although you would be a bit concerned about injuries. I know many lposgers were talking of a forwards coach and I’m beginning to row in with them. We just don’t seem to be closing the gap between newbies and established players up front.
Kildare strong favourites at 4/7, we are 15/8. Given they’ve beaten Dublin and Kerry you’d have to say that’s about right. We are living in strange times. Billionaires and Eton educated aristocrats rallying against the “elites” and Kerry supporters complaining about refs and player welfare.
@Your in mouldy owl form today.Gamechanger.
Sure didn’t Mick odwyer introduce the overuse of the handpass in to gaelic football around the time they gave the Dubs the hiding. He took the foot out of football. Made a balls of the whole game but it won him all irelands I suppose.
He made a dogs bollix out of gaelic football. Basketball with 15 players aside.
Can yea think back to when yea started palming the ball to one another. Sure hadn’t the rules to be looked at that time because yea weren’t even passing the ball properly. Yea were throwing the ball to one another. Yea.won at least 5 all Irelands by throwing the ball back and forth to one another the length and breadth of Croke Park.
JR. The top refs do not know the rules. That is an incredible statement to make about any sport. However so much fouling goes unnoticed and unpunished that one could make that observation. We are more at home with anarchy and that is where these games originated from. Is it just a question of auld decency. Why have rules. Does anyone actually know why. Dublin can get away with anything it would appear. Remember Kilkenny in their hay day. Kerry another team where their is plenty of leanancy shown. Now if you are from Leitrim you better know the rules inside out or you will be in trouble.
Looks like we’re up against it so. If we pull this off, It will be some achievement to win 3 under age All Ireland’s in 5 years. The future not as bleak as some would think.
Liam I got them at 3’s about a month ago with PP.
For this game I think we will need the extra size of Sean Og Tighe and Joe Dawson earlier in the match. Kildare are senior sized a lot of them. I still think Jordan Flynn will be the strongest player on the pitch.
I might write a book Gamechanger about how Kerry set the game of football back at least 60 years. I’ll give you the first signed copy free.
The incessant hand passing of course led to other teams having to employ the blanket defense.
The blanket defense led to outright thuggery on the pitch where we are today. The whole thing started with Mick odwyers introducing the game of basketball.
It all fits.together in Chronological order.
Pateen Spillane in the booth spouting about “its a.simple game. You catch the ball and.you kick it”.
Micko changed the.rules and yea won a load of them competitions, whatever sport that was ?
You see, the thuggery is much harder to referee and the referees know that the cause of it all originated in Kerry and blame Kerry for yhat and thats why they are a bit slow to blow the whistle for yea.
Yea might have 37 titles but how many football titles have yea ?
Not a mention of the great Cormac Reilly either. Its as if the treachery of 2014 never happened. The “crime of the century” in Gaa sport just swept under the owl carpet.
Donie Buckley standing down. He did some great work. Thanks Donie
He’ll be a big loss. There aren’t too many top level coaches in the country but his influence will be felt for years to come thankfully. McEntee and Burke going also. It goes without saying that this is not the time for the County Board to decide that costs need to be reigned in. We’re at one of the biggest crossroads in the counties history. Take the right road and our dip in form should be short and slight, take the wrong road and it’ll be long and terminal. A generation of footballers are relying on their decisions.
I think Buckley will be a huge loss. It will be interesting to see who Rochford will replace him with. We have come close to winning Sam with Buckley in the
Backroom team it will be interesting to see how we will do without him. Hopefully a forwards coach will be appointed and someone who knows how to make
Timely substitutions and picks guys on form not on past reputation. Time catches up with us all.
Really bad news that, on Buckley and McEntee. Really bad. They have given fantastic service.
I won’t say they are irreplaceable, but damn near it. And the worst of it is, they will probably be snapped up and working against us next year.
Would like to add my thanks and appreciation to Buckley and McEntee for their considerable efforts. Both were coming from outside the county but gave it their absolute best to help deliver the holy grail. They will be missed but their legacy should live on. Would not be too surprised if Stephen headed off as well. If he stays it’s a very unusual situation as he has to find a new backroom team. Hope their decision to leave does not have anything to do with Co Board finances.
Revellino,
To be honest I can’t see where you are going with your “Mick O Dwyer ruined football” rant. He was a wonderful exponent of the skills as was Mick O Connell, I remember as a young lad in Killarney the cheers of the crowd when either of them won a ball. I was young and they were in the very latter stages of their careers but they were the kings and that reputation was hard earned in my part of the country.
His Kerry team could play anyway you liked, they could kick it, run it and hand pass it through any opposition they met. To be fair I think they used the foot pass with devastating effect and used it more than any other team at the time. The dubs won two championships with slick hand passing attacks, Kerry aped their tactic and beat them out the gate with their own game. The heads in HQ decided to limit the use of the hand pass to the net and it did a great service to the skills of the game but Kerry were quiet happy to kick their way into the record books.
Mackey Heart had a negative strategy in ’03 and did well and to be fair he developed a great team who relied less and less on the “hide in the trenches” tactic. Then came Jim McGuiness in ’11 who had an even darker plan and stooped even lower into the Bowles of how to stop the opposition playing the game and hit them with a rugby union running hand passing adaptation of legal murder of the spirit of our game. They won the championship against yourselves much to the disappointment of the good people of mayo and indeed everyone who enjoys the skills and spirit of our games. We are still dealing with the infection of their negative strategies but at least over the past few years Dublin, Mayo and Kerry have contested the latter days of the Championship and we have seen what the game cam become again. Last years final was a belter that renewed the hope that our game has a future.
If the powers that be done limit the hand pass and tweak a few more rules the game of football will die, look at the hurling and look at the recent football games, one sport is dripping with everything that is expected of our games and one is being parched of every instingt and incitement or indeed lure for the young to embrace the game.
Disappointed with the news. Both a big loss. Rochford faced with a new challenge, rebuilding a panel and employing a system whereby bench players are used effectively. It is what it is. Does Rochford find replacements or do the CB do it for him.
Stunning the attack on Mick O Dwyer. I saw Kerry in that period and still rate them as the greatest side ever and that includes today’s Dublin. A point of clarification. The 1974 Dublin team under Kevin Heffernan brought in hand passing akin to basketball. O Dwyer took over a tired and jaded Kerry whom were in Corks shadow for a few years. He jettisoned the old guard and created a team that took on the Dubs and ultimately crushed them. Kerry in that era 75/86 were outstanding. Any suggestion otherwise the their ability and talent is an embarrassment. O Dwyer didn’t invent the hand pass basketball style, Antrim in the late 1940s did and it was outlawed. Heffernan resurrected it and O Dwyer adapted to it.
Agree Buckley did great work but he has been around a while now . Maybe a fresh voice is needed .
Ah Goodman Gamechanger. I see by your calm reply that you figured out I was pulling your leg. Look at the platform I gave you for that fine post.
Micko would be one of my favourite characters of the game.
I will say in your defense that when yea got robbed a few years back by Dublin (Cluxton free kick year), the Kerry managment or players didn’t make a song or dance about it. I couldn’t believe how they never kicked up a huge stink over it.
Then we had the same experience in more recent years more than once ourselves, again against the Dubs, and not a boo from the Mayo managment or players.
Dublin on the other hand were busy in the papers targeting Lee Keegan and kicking up holy hell about some of our players who recieved all stars and player of the year awards.
I would have thought after been gift wrapped these all Irelands they would have had the common desency to keep their traps shut, but even winning the All Irelands wasn’t enough for for the greedy Dubs.
World domination and stamp out all annoying threats to their ill goten throne.
Jp
I have to disagree with your observation that aos is not a skillful player. We have seen some flicks and plays made by that very same aos these last few years that say he is a very skilled player.
One example, last year he was hit and floored while carrying the ball, he held onto it and spotted boyler approaching at speed and kicked it up to him while sitting on the ground. Not many would have noticed it I suppose but he actually done that and it was top drawer stuff that very few would be able to do. The pass to Leroy for his goal in the 2016,final was another example of his prowess, waited till he had enough dubs drawn to himself before giving it to keegan, who slotted it home.
Keegan to my eye is the best all around player I have seen play the game by a long way.
Name the dub or kerry or any other county player that could score the type scores he gets and meanwhile shut down the best forwards in the game today.
BTW, the u21 team are in a national final this weekend and are in with a big chance, the quality is there if they can get it right on the day.
There was always a good chance that Buckley and McEntee were going to step aside but we can draw some solace in their departure in that they have transferred a lot of their knowledge to the panel now at this point. I would also like to thank them for their efforts. I’ve never felt that Rochford was going to step away as it feels like there’s too much unfinished business and I also think it’s hugely important now more than ever that there is continuity from the old management to the new. Maybe Rochford might bring Solan in as an understudy to what’s going on currently within the panel with an eye to the future.
I’m disappointed Buckley and McEntee are gone too, Buckley in particular. But on the flip side, he has been there five or six years now. The message probably gets a bit stale after a while and I think if the right coach is appointed, we should get a bounce in performance from a fresh face. It’s one of the most attractive jobs in the Gaelic games and I’d imagine any of the top coaches in the game would jump at the chance to work with this Mayo panel in 2019. Very high chance of being involved in big games in summer in a high profile environment. Who wouldn’t want that?
A completely new management team needed … would hope rochford would have the common sense to go too
Hi, It seems Mayo has a new Anthem and i am sure Rev. and Swahili would be proud of it.
Had scarcely heard of Garyh Brooks but there is a video of Aidan, Cillian and others singing about a River on Joe.ie. it was performed in Westport and Garth has given it the thumps up.
Not able to put the Lyrics up. It says so much about the team and our hopes.
It was rumoured for a while that Buckley and co were going. He done a great job in turning is us into one of the best tackling teams in the Country. But nothing wrong with a new few voices. Its getting pretty annoying looking at the calls on here for Rochford to go. Mayo51, who is your alternative?. Rochford is our best option to steady the ship now. He’s beaten every top manager bar Jim Gavin…(only McGuinness) achieved this. People forget not even James Horan could get past Kerry when we were in our alleged peak in 2014. Rochford is here to stay and whether its trolls who are trying to stir the pot here, or genuine posters with an axe to grind, at least come up with a genuine alternative! I’ve yet to see one mentioned here.
Buckley & McEntee going looks to be a financial decision. Both were good for Mayo but a change may do no harm–i do not want to hear about former Mayo players entering the set up unless they have some coaching experience at least at club level.
in 2018 1 win in fbd against sligo. 2 wins in league against monaghan and kildare.2 wins in championship against limerick and tipperary. it has been a disappointing year.when your management team are deserting you its time to look at your position and see what is the best thing to do .i think S.R. race is run and he will leave next week.I think mike connelly should get down on his knees and ask his brother noel and pat to comeback and manage the team.this double act has unfinished business and deserve another chance with the team
Jimbo…that sounds like the final nail in the coffin to me…How would the double act be received by a panel that wanted them to go? I think we need level heds and a degree of trust. Rochford has done fair enough but has a lot of answers too. His substitution strategy is mindless. His introduction of younger players leaves a lot to be desired. His vision for the future is unknown or unclear. However when have you ever seen a Mayo team play like the last few All-Irelands. They were phenomenal and though they didn’t finish the job they were beyond impressive. I hope Rochford stays but brings a lot of clarity to his team. Dummy teams, poor substitutions and poor introduction of new young players has been his weakness. This team has been playing on muscle memory. They are a credit to themselves and make me proud to be a Mayo supporter. I truly expect that there is still a bright future for Mayo…in 2019…as soon as that. We have talent and passion…a huge asset in any team. Who wants to see a gutless performance. Who will ever forget Diarmuid O’ Connor in the Kildare game. I expect to see this again from Mayo next year. I thank Donie Buckley and Peter Burke and McEntee for their powerful presence and their hard work with this wonderful team. Yes it is time to sweep out some of the past but not everything and everyone. We need to keep our heads and not start throwing everything out at once. I hope and pray that our next backroom team can bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm into this amazing team and let us celebrate amazing Mayo. Maigheo go deo…
MayoDunphy, I would agree with you, plenty of people calling from Rochford to leave but can’t give a viable alternative as there simply isn’t one. Rochford won’t be leaving, if he was he would have gone with Buckley and McEntee. The only way Rochford will leave now is if Co board don’t ratify his choice of replacements, than would leave his position untenable but that would be a disaster situation for Mayo in general. Jr would also agree, plenty of names will be mentioned between now and when positions are filled, we don’t need past players, we need proven coaches.
Jimbo, return of PatNoel? Seriously.
Very sorry to hear of the three people going a big loss and thank you to them for their input,it will be hard to replace them
Nice one Jimbo. Keep em comin
@jr, it’s not finances influencing their decision, this was known about regardless of this seasons outcome.
@jimbo, I like your thinking, since we’re in the realms of fantasy, lets go the full hog. We should get all the past county managers from the last 25 years, put them up in a flashy villa and do our own version of Love Island, on Clare Island. We could vote them off weekly until we have them down to the last pair. We could parachute in Kevin & Liam midweek to spice up the action…
Would like to see John Surgue and Mike Solan replace the outgoing selectors, two people who’s managed county teams. At this time Rochford is not looking for Yes men but selectors who are not afraid to express their opinions.
I wonder is there a split in the CB. About Rochford?
There is many a valid point in criticising Rochfords season , he had a bad year. But I conceede on the point of offering alternatives, I can’t think of any. Perhaps it will stand to Mayo to stick with him . He’s no ejit I’ll give him that but I still can’t fathom his selections/substitution timing v Kildare.
If everyone is happy to move forward CB, players and himself then I think he has to manage the whole transition , we cannot be looking to change things up in 2020 , we either stick or twist now imo.
What our more senior players have learned from Donie Buckley can never be lost , I really hope one of them has the makings of a good coach in time.
What a pity that the courage, commitment, aspirations, of a great team, management team, and supporters were not matched with a similar effort of the cohort in McHale Park. Shame on them
Is that not a tad harsh PJ McManus, where in the table do we lie in terms of first team expenditure the last few years?
People forget we were lucky to get to last 2 all Ireland, we should have been beating earlier last year but we got out of jail. Sure we put in great performance in final but unless you are competitive in every match you will come unstuck as we did this year
Blame the county board all
We want for not sticking up for us when we were sent to Limerick but ultimately it was the guys on the pitch and management that lost the finals. Albeit after Herculean effort and commitment. No Shame in losing all Ireland’s after all the effort they but in.
Up for the match – Bar Tyrone in the league, we were competitive in every game this year. Another poster well able to criticise but won’t put up a viable alternative as manager.
Team selection and player discussion is always the fun part of the blog for me – and for that we are starvation rations until the FBD matches next January.
– After the U20 match I expect calls for at least 3-4 promotions to the squad – that should pass a week or two
– Then there will be a few ‘bolters’ in the county championship – again we could get some mileage there.
and then nothing until the FBD –
Never in the history of Gaelic football will a panel come under such scrutiny as the Mayo 2019 FBD –
Expect crowds in excess of 10K at matches in January 🙂
You’re going to have to back up that charge, PJ, with something a bit more concrete. What do you mean about a lack of effort, by whom, and why should they be shamed? I’m getting a bit concerned that the debate is going down the same predictable fact-free lines, with the same old pitchforks bring brandished. Any fair-minded person should recognise we’ve made major advances in terms of financing, funding and organisation in recent years and while we’ve still a long way to go on that front it’s a bit depressing to see an almost complete absence of recognition for the hard work done in recent years. A bit of balance in this particular debate wouldn’t go amiss at this stage.
Talking of crowds , I hope there will be a sizeable Mayo contingent in croker on Sunday . Must be lots of spare cash around with supporters with our summer been cut short with seniora, no excuses every single Mayo supporter should be there by right .
There were good tickets online this morning. I got 2 in the centre cusack, section 307.
Peak Idiot
Darragh’s cringe inducing ,literally nonsense column reaches a new low. Irish Times looks like a joke.
So MacDaddy Skelpie believes that Kerry will beat Kildare easily and Monaghan will lose to Galway. Fair enough those are not unreasonable propositions.
As he says himself , and certainly not referring to his own authorship , “ this is big boy stuff now”
“Everyone is feeling good down here in the Kingdom” -especially considering their fate is in others hands !!! Real big boy stuff !
I mean it’s ok to believe this and there is the possibility that it could even happen but he uses the column to trash Monaghan’s efforts against Kerry. After Monaghan dominated them . Owned them !
Kerry , again apparently , didn’t win against Monaghan because they only had seven “ Big Boy” players on the field against Monaghan’s fifteen possessed men.
Surely that’s not fair ? Ha ? How in the name of God ,was that allowed to happen ? Again. This unfairness to Kerry now has been going on for years . In fact he goes on to claim there were in fact only three “ big boy “Kerrymen against fifteen possessed men against Galway ! How can they be expected to win ?It’s not reasonable.
On top of this , in the very same column , he coolly claims that Monaghan really only had four players . If you neutralized those four then it would be a cake walk to beat them. Monaghan either had fifteen possessed men or four , depending on which way you want to “ argue” it.
Considering Kerry had seven big boys to Monaghan’s four , I am now very confused how Kerry failed to beat Monaghan ? Am I mistaken ? Did Kerry actually “ win” that game ? Fitzie did say they “ won the draw” but they just missed “ stealing it”. I mean this method of reasoning is nothing if not Trumpian.
With managerial genius like this waiting in the Irish Times wings to take over the Kerry team it was but a mere formality now to achieve the ten in a row . On paper.
This on the back of Yoghurt’s claim that he suspected back in June that Kerry were going to dethrone the Dubs. This year ! (Based on beating two teams from division two and with a brand new young team )
But , to be fair , he also tipped The Dubs – at the same time ! I mean you literally can’t go wrong “ tipping” like that !
Spillane was close to the mark yesterday claiming Kerry’s current system of play is “ make it up as you go along”. He could well have been talking about other Kerry pundits as well.
not surprised or disappointed that backroom team has gone . Struggled for all of last year but made it to final and should have won it then. Very poor showing this year in FBD and League and even in Championship so something had to give , nothing won in last two years. If Rochford stays he needs to become more ruthless with team selection and substitutions and discipline . The players are there just someone to get the best out of them with no interference from County Board Officials or indeed Clubs or senior players
Willie Joe, are ya doing a new owl thread for the U20s?
Sean Burke. There could be more people there from Mayo than Ross and Dublin combined, and our seniors arn’t even playing. I would agree, every Mayo supporter should go. Its a final. We need masses of green and red and the “Mayo Mayo” roar.
WJ, My apologies if my comment caused any offense to you or any other poster. It was not my intention to cause offense. I should have said what I said in a different way perhaps. It was a reference to cost cutting for the new term in relation to the loss of revenue on our early exit from the Championship this year by Mike Connelly a couple of weeks ago. We have a main sponsor, a business to business arrangement where the good times were virtually guaranteed for 8 years running and weeks after we are knocked out we are forced to cut back. Someone is not minding the business at our end it would appear to me.
Every CB has the same problem—the books have to balance.The amount of paid people involved in county teams now is unbelievable . It looks as if the players are the only ones not getting paid.Were we any worse a team the year we went to Belmullet for preseason training? Why not Claremorris next year? Something has to give.
With the early exit from the championsihp and now the departures of Barry Moran, Donie Buckley and Tony McEntee, there is now no denying that this is the end of an era.
Stephen Rochford extended his contract to 2020 last year. I presume he factored in the possibility that 2018 could end like it did, and that his backroom team could walk. So although I personally would like a new voice at the helm (and I would like that new voice to be Jim McGuinness), it looks to me like Stephen is staying.
The question then becomes: is he prepared to do what’s necessary to improve his own performance?
Is he ready for the turbulence of transition? Will youth be finally given its fling, relegation or no relegation? Will he smarten up his substitution policy? Will he take steps to work on our forward failings, in particular the age-old problem of points from play?
Putting a new Mayo team together is far easier said than done. I believe Rochford will stay, but you couldn’t blame him for having a long, hard think about it.
That’s okay, PJ – it was just that there wasn’t any explanation for what you were saying. I’d agree that Mike Connelly’s unguarded remarks (both on players and on finances) were, at best, unfortunate and should not have been made. Clearly, our early exit from this year’s championship has to have an impact on finances in the short-term (both in relation to revenues and costs) but, as ever, what we do as a county over the longer term is something we have more control over and can put plans in place for.
Jim Flag – There’ll be an U20 final preview episode of the podcast out before too long. I’m not involved in it as I’m on the owl hols but I will be doing some stuff on the game ahead of Sunday and I’m hoping to see it as well.
In fairness WJ, we may have made some gains in the last few years, but we were starting from an awful low base. If you were a share holder in a company that enjoyed expotential year on year growth over an eight year period you would expect to have a decent cash reserve to see you through a few quiet years. It’ll be easy see how much we have improved in the fundraising front when we head to New York next May, are we still of the biscuit tin mindset or have we stepped up to the corporate level. I think the true measure of our fundraising ability will be seen in the next 2/3 years if we experience a spell away from the top table.
@Swahili, there must be a ex Kerry player, now turned pundit Whatsapp group where strategy is decided. If you read Galvins piece in the Sunday Times at the weekend he does the exact same thing, heaps pressure on to Monaghan at every turn. O’Shea’s article is shocking cringe worthy stuff.
That’s true, Liam, and I would definitely expect and would be confident we’ll see a different approach to what we do in New York next year. Comparing Mayo GAA finances to that of a commercial company is a bit like the comparison people often make between government finances and how companies are run. Both are equally invalid – it’s a case of comparing apples to oranges. You’re right, though, about the low base we started from before we began to get our house in order but thankfully significant progress has been made since then.
Okay, Willie Joe. Great stuff. Enjoy the owl hols.
‘Til the River runs dry.”
Watch Aidan sing this and it is really catchy.
His performance is on Joe.ie and sent to Garth Brooks. Garth said Aidan should be a singer.
‘Til the River runs dry”
How noce it would be to hear this in McHale and Croke Park.
‘Til the River runs dry”
Buckley influence will live on, why it is important to keep hold of our better older players to pass it on to the younger ones coming in. I believe McEntee had more of an input on our playing style than we know. It reminds me of Brendan Rodgers at the end at Liverpool. Having to change his back room team and then shown the door. I think any manager or even in life, one learns more from their mistakes or disappointments than they do from their wins. Rockford is still a young man and has time to grow if he gets the right people in too work with him. Is he bold enough to bring in a senior guy and not feel intimidated or bring in lesser known coaches. I know the club championship plays little in players being looked or called up but this is the right time to change this philosophy. Every players desires a clean slate, any broken bridges mended, and bring the odd stray back into the fold.
I would like the U20s setup to stay the same especially with Damian Egan having a hands on view of the best talent coming through in post primary school football.
Any chance we could poach the Polish guy training Galway hurlers. Now that would be a coup if it’s doable. As for McEntee, definitely will miss him as well as Buckley. There are definitely very good coaches out there to be found. Question is will we find them.
I think the polish guy is a strength and conditioning trainer,we’re unlikely to get him anyways. Steven poacher the Carlow trainer might be an option but that will be difficult as he lives in Down. Not a lot more out there.
Some followers of this site seem to be showing worrying withdrawal symptoms or even symptoms of post traumatic stress, looking forward to FBD matches in January. Can I suggest you get to a club game somewhere in the meantime? Get following a club. I know the Senior and Intermediate club championships are not due to restart for a while but there may be league games in the meantime and I think the Juniors are due to kick off again during this month. There is life outside Mayo county teams.
Alan Flynn from Galway is a highly rated coach. He managed Galway to an u21 All Ireland in 2013 and has been a coach with the Clare footballers as well. Being from Tuam, he’d be a much more viable option than someone from Down or Kerry.
I would be very surprised if Stephen didn’t know who he wants in his backroom team for next year. While it is news to the public he would have known for some time that the lads were stepping down, he quite possibly knew last year that 2018 was their last year.
While Buckley and McEntree are top class, the effect of their departure will only be measured by the quality of their replacements. Stephen has been very shrewd with his appointments so far and I’d expect him to bring in high quality coaches.
Regarding the County Board, it is very easy to criticise them but they very rarely get recognition for what they do right. Mayo have been operating at a very high standard at various levels for some time now with teams not wanting for anything. They are competing against an outfit with a far bigger budget and with more obstacles like location, displacement of players etc. Could they do better, of course but they have to be doing something right for Mayo to be at the top table for so long.
I hope Stephen Poacher isn’t let anywhere near the panel. All his teams play putrid blanket defence muck. He’s also constantly in the media which shouldn’t be the case for backroom coaches.
Current Corofin manager Kevin O Brien is also a possibility, he was a selector under Stephen Rochford before. Maurice Sheridan is another.
I have often wondered what a selectors role is for any team, surely the manager decides on this, should a manager not be a coach also, bringing in all those guys to fill jobs is very costly.
@AndyD, its no wonder some people have withdrawal symptoms, we were going full hog since 2011, thats a long time ago, this new barren spell is hard to take.
There has been no mention of the 2013 All Ireland wining minor manager as a possible successor on this blog. I wonder did the two guys step away or were they told that the finances were to be cut severely for next year, it seems to me that they were let go, given the timing of the Mayo board Chairman’s comments.
wide ball… I agree with you to an extent about poachers style, unfortunately that seems to be the way the wind is blowing.
It’s just over a month since we exited the stage… I’ve been thinking about it, the last 3 years under Stephen Rochford, Tony McEntee and Buckley.. Brought allot, gave allot, Under their tutelage, Mayo played the 3 best game’s that any Mayo team ever played… That’s some endorsement in itself… No 1, The All Ireland, draw 2016 when a series of most unfortunate and unlikely event, allowed Dublin to scrape an undeserved draw..,..No 2 Las year’s All Ireland defeat by the minimum, and No 3…The Replay win over Kerry last year.. . But in the years 2016, 2017 & 2018 we had loads of mediocre performances and some luck in getting to the All Ireland finals of 16 & 17…Buckley and McEntee are now gone and source of frustration for me has been the bringing on of subs so late in the match over the 3 years in both league and championship…. Some of our established veteran’s and star’s have been out of form for period’s during these 3 league and 3 championship campaign’s…. But were consistently started and stuck with for the 70+ minutes of many match’s… While others who looked the part as ready made replacements looked on, wondering and waiting and waiting… Waiting for what?.. The Ref to blow the final whistle too often… Against Kildare several players were nowhere near their best.. Why didn’t Eoin O Donaghue come on must earlier to replace a defender, the most likely his club mate Chris Barrett (who was nowhere near the form that won him an All Star in 2017)… Eoin had came on in Thurles and immediately improved thing’s… Same could be said for Crowe, surely could have come on for Caff, and the much maligned David Drake, not a fantastic footballer in my opinion.. But has a bit of size about him, great pace,and is a natural athlete, can break a tackle and hold the ball.. In the searing heat of Newbridge wasn’t that what any team needed?.. Colm Boyle had not been at his best all year… Non introduction of Nally, no promotion of midfielder’s from the extended Mayo panel to replace, Seamus O Shea and the irreplaceable Tom Parsons… Much too late introducing Connor Louftus and surely Evan Regan was worth a roll of the dice.. Maybe it’s time to wipe the Blackboard clean and start again?
Possible Selectors
John Divilly
Maurice Sheridan
Pat Fallon
Kevin O’Neill
Peter Forde
Possible Trainers
Alan Flynn
Shane Duffy
Liam McHale
I am a little disappointed in some of the comments re SR. There many more really bad managers than good ones. In SR we have a good one no doubt. 2 AIs lost by a point and one after a replay in 3 years … a damn good record in my books.
With regard to the others …
S&C guys can be got. Andy M is in that business. No doubt he could point us in the right direction.
Again re Buckleys input. He certainly did a very good job. But we now have a few dozen guys who he would have passed on his knowledge to.
Re Mc Entee. A good coach … but replaceable.
SR’s job is decision making, man management and bringing all the coaching and tactics together … and getting everyone working together.
So this is a slight bump in the road. But may work out for the best with new ideas coming in.
I would imagine John Divilly would be favorite for the Galway job if Kevin Walsh doesn’t produce the goods, so i couldn’t see him taking a selectors job with Mayo.
Liam McHale ..no chance.
I think the backroom team should be much smaller this year. At the moment there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians in the set up. I have my suspicions that some of the controversial decisions in the past few years were not made by Rochford. There should be only one manager.
The games overseas and the funding drive that goes with it always confuses the hell out of me in that I don’t understand the format they take. The New York game is in May.. so should the promotion of the game be in May? Picture this. You work for a large organisation in the USA and you are thinking of acquiring a table at the New York v Mayo GAA banquet. The banquet is to be held at the end of the league or towards the end of March. There are to be a no of guest speakers made up of the current manager, former and current Mayo players… say Tom Parsons, Andy Moran, Conor Mortimer, Cora Staunton, etc., There will also be a few future stars present (current under 20’s, past under 18 & 21 All Ireland winners, past ladies All Ireland winners) who will be available for photographs etc., The County Chairman will say a few words on where we as county want to go, set out our aspirations and the challenges that lie ahead, the GAA community etc., To me this would be an event worth going too.. this is an event I would pay to go too. How much would I be willing to go and support such a gathering? Don’t get me wrong.. I know it’s a very difficult thing to organise going cap in hand asking for money especially for people who give up their time to do this voluntarily but it is a necessary evil in taking on a role as chairman or manager. You have to give something to get something and right now we have a lot to give but we just seem to be afraid to give it and afraid to ask it. I hope we don’t travel to US in May with no thoughts on what to give and expect something in return
I believe that Rochford is a great manager and that he will stay his term. His record and that of his management team speaks for itself. I believe we will miss Buckley and McEntee, for their experience and input. I have every faith in Rochford to find good people if he is given the opportunity. When we had J Horan as manager posters bemoaned his decisions making on the sideline and wanted him to go from 2012 onwards. It does not surprise me that some posters do not want Rochford, and never acknowledge what he brings to the table.
Talking about decision making on the sideline–we are all great after the event,having seen highlights etc very very few can do it on the day–give him a break.
Not a bad call on Alan Flynn. Both he and Stephen have worked together before with the Galway colleges team . Dave Morris is a very important link to all this. Morris got Stephen involved with Corofin from day one after also working with him in the college scene. When stephen got Mayo gig Morris was instrumental in giving Kevin o Brien the job and like with Stephen stayed and worked with him. Morris work commitments have always in a way stopped him from taking the fronline job but trust me he is the main man in Corofin football and at 39 still has time on his side but both Flynn and Stephen wouldnt be where they were today without his input.
Flynn&Rochford worked together with GMIT & Ballinrobe u21’s.Flynn managed Galway u21’s to All Ireland title in 2013.He coached Clare seniors last year & if I’m not mistaken he is currently coaching Castlebar Mitchell’s
Pat Fallon is a very astute guy who knows a lot about the game. Not sure if a county trainer because it’s highly specialised role but plenty good enough to be a selector for sure. The Polish guy is S&C coach but has won AI hurling with 2 different teams in 2 years. Hurling players have overtaken football players in last 3 years for S&C. Managing amateur players to very high performance level is a special talent. A very good knowledge of both Sports Science and skills drills is needed. Dublin have set the bar especially in how they avoid contact and move the ball. A rugby coach on loan could help add a few % as supplement. Buckley figured out a lot of his approach from American Football.
What are people’s thoughts on the new condensed championship structure? I was in favour of it initially to give club players more time to play in August/sept in good weather.
But Lo and behold – virtually no county is playing any bloody club championship games!!! It’s fucking ridiculous!
Mayo were knocked out a month ago yet there’s no championship fixed until end of August? Am I missing something here? Are we waiting for the shite weather to come back so we can run off all the club championship in the muck and drudgery of late sept & early October. We might even drag a team out for a big championship game on a foggy Wednesday night like last year while we are at it! For once this season, here was a great opportunity to play out showpiece club game in early September when the days are longer.
It appears the same issue crops up in other counties. For the life of me I can’t understand in recent years why counties who are out of the championship in June or early July are still playing county finals in mid to late October?
At this stage I’d say – switch the intercounty calendar back to a September finish, as what difference does it make?
The prestige of the all Ireland semi finals in 2018 in both codes is watered down by playing both on the same weekend and only giving some counties a 6 day break before the football semi final. Winners of Galway/Clare will have two weeks to prepare for the biggest game on the hurling calendar. It’s not right.
Jr, for 3 years I have seen the highlights and the lowlights in the actual flesh.. Seen them afterwards on the Telly.. Posted as much about late changes on the sideline many times, and every year of Rochford tenure… I do appreciate what he brought, and what he brought was a team superbly tuned to play and beat Dublin… Used up an awful lot of luck getting there!…. We are now, behind several teams… Possibly a young Donegal, certainly behind Tyrone, certainly behind Galway, those young Buck’s of the Kingdom are going to propell Kerry into real challengers, if not 2018 certainly next year.. Certainly we’re not as good as Monaghan at the moment… And we’re not Dublin!… That’s where we are NOW…. Kildare, in general we might be ahead of them despite losing to them, with us playing in Div 1 as opposed to Kildare now in Div 2,…But Kildare age profile and mileage on the Clock is far better than ours… We most definitely need someone willing to, play younger players, especially when older one’s are not in form or as good as they previously were… Simple as that… Rochford in 3 year’s has not shown himself to be that man!
Are all Mayo flags now banned from Westport folllwing the banner decision? Pathetic from Westport Town council / Tidy towns committee.
@Yew_Tree – I saw that. Took me three sips of coffee to process what I was reading, but after several cups I have still no idea of the reasoning behind such a ridiculous decision.
Somebody needs a slap upside the head.
Jaden – I believe a banner on a ha’penny bridge was also moved to Fairview? Today fm during the week were talking about how it’s embarrasing to wear your county jersey when your not at a game….a lot of anti Gaa people out there
[Deleted].
Is tony mcantee gone until he say’s so,or is it rumor?
Rochford is not gone either?
Right, Mayo51, that’s one gratuitous swipe too many at SR. Enjoy your time in moderation, I won’t be reviewing your status there until after I return from hols.
Have county board put feelers out on mcguinness taking mayo. If not then they should be but I am sure this has to happening in background. If he is not available SR is as good as out there, but we need the best now