One step forward, two steps back?

I’ve just logged on over here by the shores of the Adriatic to see that the prospect of the dreaded six-day turnaround should we lose to the Rossies this day week has now, due to yesterday’s draw between Armagh and Wicklow and tonight’s Round 3 and 4 qualifier pairings, gone by the board. A small outbreak of common sense, it would seem, but obviously one that wouldn’t have happened had Armagh managed to put away the Goat Suckers in the qualifiers last night.

But this positive development clearly needs to be set against the Round 4 qualifier draw now facing us if we do fall on our faces at Hyde Park next weekend, i.e. Wicklow, Armagh or Tyrone. If we hadn’t any incentive to win Connacht ahead of this development, then we sure do now as it’s transparently bloody obvious which is the most straightforward route for us to make it to the All-Ireland series dish ear.

And that’s even before considering the possibility that any Round 4 qualifier involving us and Nordie opposition could well be held at the cornucopia of delight that is Pearse Park, Longford …

25 thoughts on “One step forward, two steps back?

  1. Should we win connacht, Do we play the the winner of limerick/waterford v wexford in the quarters?? it think we do so that would mean the front door is definitely the way to go.

  2. Do connacht play munster in semi final this year? If we win connacht, do we play the losers of munster i.e winners of, Cork, down, Antrim qualifier?? Or is it a draw???

  3. We can play any of the 4 remaining qualifier teams in the QF, if we do win Connacht.
    So we could be facing the prospect of Cork, Kildare, Tyrone….
    Semi-finals are based on Connacht/Munster & Leinster/Ulster.
    Anyway, one game at a time. Not looking past the Hyde on Sunday.

  4. I don’t think we will beat Ros, they are bigger, faster and better conditioned. After the Galway game i fell into the trap, ” we’re not that bad ” etc, we are though, we are simply awful, f/b line will be destroyed on Sunday, we will be bullied all over the park, the noise from the Hyde will be electric, our lads will not be able to handle it. I really fear for sunday, not one bit of hope do i have if i’m honest. I will travel down in the hope that i am completely wrong.

  5. All this “if we win we play A,if we lose we play B…..rather play Y than Z”. – BULLSHIT! At this stage of the C/ship you play every game to WIN———-regardless of the opposition. PMA is what we need(plus a biteen a luck with the frees!!)

  6. the roscommon hospital issue is raising its head at just the right time as well, not. With Enda Kenny’s fairly weak response to it it wouldnt be much of a stretch for the Rossies (at least those on the sideline) to turn it into a rallying call for this match.
    Really dont know whats going to happen in this one, and I honestly dont know if winning Connacht dictates which team will go further either.

  7. yeah we could do without the hospital issue for sure. The occasion should be kept seperate from the issue but it wont and will be interesting to see the response Enda will get when he arrives. The game could be over by the time the Rossies settle back into their seats

  8. A Mayo politican and his empty promises, where have I seen this before? Jaysus it was not off the grass he licked it. Hope no cheap shots from Keith Higgins as its a bumpy road to the A&E in Ballinasloe. Its awful when a man from the bog, shits on other men from the bog, shame on the blackgaurd. This issue has everything to do with football, if a player at U-10 level to senior inter county level gets injured in Roscommon, the location of the nearest ambulance or A&E could dictate life or death. Again shame on all those !^&%’s.

  9. There is another draw for the QF. Sean Burke post is laughable. The big guys roscommon have are physically weak & they are one of the slowest team i have ever seen.

    We beat Galway pulling up (something rossies would never do) i don’t think the Hyde park crowd will make much difference as we will keep it silent.

  10. This ‘Sean Burke’ contribution has to be a managerial ploy; what a dressingroom pin-up.
    I agree with Mr Burke; we are small and puny and weak; like Caesar’s description of the Gallic horses..Est parva et deformia

  11. James – this isn’t a political site so I think it’s best all round if we park all discussion here about the Roscommon hospital issue. I know it’s a highly emotive issue but there are plenty of other places that would be more appropriate to discuss it than here. And, by the way, there are plenty of other players apart from Keith Higgins that you could level that particular low blow at.

  12. AgreedWJ. this site is purely for GAA issues. Anything other than that must be left at the entrance gate.

  13. WJ – 2 contributors prior to me, brought up the hospital subject, they were not mentioned or reprimanded in your post. Keith Higgins should not be playing fot that dirty swipe at the Galway centre forward which has no place in football. In another topic I discussed the opposition to Mayo on Sunday in detail and got no replies, discussed politics and got 2 replies.

  14. I think we are getting nearer to WJ having to moderate the site. A victim of its own success but I for one would prefer this site to remain on football and to remain a forum for all people to discuss rationally and indeed with passion Mayo football. I certainly hope that it does not become a sounding board for people who dislike Mayo, its people and its history to come in here and fire cheap shots. I will close by saying that Ray Connelly missed a match back in 2001 for the crime of being in the right place at the wrong time during that years Connacht final.In 1985 another cheap shot left John Finn eating through a straw for a few months. In Mayo we take the rough with the smooth.

  15. Mayo do not take the “rough with the smooth” ask any Meath man about the 96 All Ireland, and the moaning you guks still do about that.
    Even the begrudery over the 01 Connacht final win, it sandwiched between woefull hammerings and yee still talk about the injustice of a perfectly fair win. Also go back to the 92 Connacht final and the near decapitation of David O Connor by McHale.
    In Roscommon we encourage debate and enjoy contributors from other counties, here yee can’t take on a guy with an opinion that differs from yer own. So I’m off, no need for a moderator, no loss I hear yee say, enjoy the connacht final.

  16. ….And go back to 1944 and Jamsie Murray lifting the green flag for his own goal and go back to 1933 and the day it rained in Roscommon but not in Mayo and go back to 1922 and de Velara visited Ballina but not Castlrea and go back to 1999 when Mayo kicked 21 points v Roscommon and go back to 2009 when Mayo won by 20 points and go back to…aghh I give up James. Just go back anywhere actually. Keep running James. By the way I live in Meath and I know what they think of us. I just remind them of all the “colonists” that makes up their teams. Even big mouths like them also know their place.Two of us once saved a poor Roscommon guy who dared abuse Tommy Dowd in the 1991 semi final. Meath crowd wanted his blood. We made excuses for him, told them he was an old fool. Funnily enough he was glad of our help that day. Meath, old pal, hate everybody, some more than others but to be hated by Meath you gotta be good enough to get into the ring with them in the first place. You don’t qualify that often I am afraid. By the way haven’t seen Roscommon back on the big day since 1980 when they were backboned by Pat Lindsey of Geesala and Castlebar native Dermot Early.
    Finally you spell “guys” that way not “guks”. I know that you are an articulate man not prone to having to use insulting words and that’s what happens when you type and you are cross.

  17. James (if you’re still there) – the only reason I responded to you on the hospital issue was because of the way you brought it up. As I said when I did so, I know it’s an emotive issue but I’d prefer if it were debated elsewhere (not least in light of the manner in which on you raised it). On Keith, if you think what he did is any way exceptional in Gaelic football, you really need to get out more. If you’d seen my match report from Castlebar, you’d have seen fairly clearly where I stand on it but it’s done, it’s over and he’ll be playing on Sunday. I hope he plays a blinder too. Fair point re debate – I’m on my hols so that’s why I didn’t engage with you but if it’s engagement you do want, then perhaps coming on here shouting your mouth off isn’t the most clever way to go about it.

  18. How funny,a neanderthal from towbar country using the pen James joyce.And this from the land that brought us that other great thespian and literary genius,Seamie O’Neill. [Remainder of comment deleted – WJ]

  19. That last bit of your comment had to go, Brighton – the same goes for our side of the house as regards debating levels. I don’t want this to descend into a fuck-you-and-fuck-you-too kind of debate … and I’m on me hols FFS!

  20. I for one won`t be too concerned about the rest of the season if we loose on Sunday.Don`t get me wrong i`d love to see us wipe the ground with the Rossies and win the Nestor cup.I also expect us to win, but if we loose we`ll get a proper game under our belt against hardened opposition, and if we`re good enough to win a game like that we`ll be ready for Croke Park.
    So in one way we might be just as well not win on Sunday and have an extra game before we go any furthur.You can be sure that this will be something of an All Ireland to the Rossies and they`ll come out with all guns blazing and they just might catch our boys early on before they realise there`s a game on, as has been their habit for most of their games this year.But that might be all for luck as the tinker said when he missed Mass![Hope it`s ok to poke fun at the travelling comunity with all this PC thats goin`on! ]
    Why do tinkers smell?
    So blind people can hate them as well..
    Man goes into the doc and says he`s having trouble with his hearing.
    Doc says can you name out the symptoms
    No problem he says Homer Marge Bart…

  21. Time to get back to talking real football!! Ross team named, available on Hogan stand.

  22. Mayo Team: 1) Robert Hennelly 2) Keith Higgins 3) Alan Feeney 4) Tom Cunniffe 5) Richie Feeney 6) Donal Vaughan 7) Trevor Mortimer 8) Aidan O’Shea 9) Seamus O’Shea 10) Kevin McLoughlin 11) Alan Dillon 12) Andy Moran 13) Cillian O’Connor 14) Alan Freeman 15) Jason Doherty

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