I was going to try to figure out the position on what the different possible outcomes of the final round of matches might mean for us but I see that Digits has already done so in the comments so there’s no need for me to attempt to do this.
In summary, it looks as if we’re safe from the drop (unless there’s a very unlikely combination of results coupled with a massive swing against us on points difference) and while it’s theoretically possible that we could reach the semis even if we lose in Tralee, a win over the Kerrymen would definitely get us there. As last night proved in spades, the Lord helps those who help themselves (in last night’s case, to twenty points against the All-Ireland champions).
You’ve probably seen a fair few of the match reports already but, in case you haven’t, here they are: Mayo Advertiser, Sunday Independent, GAA.ie, RTÉ, Setanta, Hogan Stand and Breaking News. Sportsfile also have a selection of photos from the game.
According to the TV schedules, the whole match will be shown again on Setanta Ireland tomorrow night (throw-in 9.30pm).
Colm Gannon in the Mayo Advertiser also got some post-match quotes with James Horan, where the boss was obviously fairly happy with his charges’ performance. Here’s what he had to say:
It was a good display, we played well today. We did a lot of good stuff and we might have caught the Dubs a bit cold today so we took advantage of it and played our game and played well. So we’re delighted with the performance.
James was clearly happy that we kept at it until the final whistle last night:
In various games particularly in Laois and up in Armagh we had spells and very good periods. But we didn’t keep it together for 70 minutes, today we did and we drove on. We definitely learned from last week a little bit, as we’ve learned from every week that we’ve played. Delighted with tonight and are looking forward now to training Tuesday night and what’s ahead.
James pointed to our much-improved midfield showing last night as a key factor in our success when he said:
Every time he’s [Aidan O’Shea] played for us this year he has been excellent and the same again today. Danny Geraghty did very well today in the middle also, it was very competitive and we won ball. To win big games against big teams you need to win the midfield battle and we did that today.
He also had praise for two of the more inexperienced lads:
Shane McHale and Kevin Keane have played well every time they have put on a jersey for us this year, I had great confidence in putting them on there and they showed what they can do.
Compared to the last few post-match interviews he’s had to take part in, that one must have been a breeze for the manager.
Finally, have you seen the new jersey, which – utterly unheralded – got its first airing last night? Here it is and, as you can see, it’s basically the same design as the ill-fated commemorative one, minus the maritime motif.
Opinion will, I’m sure, be divided on it (unfortunately I’m not in a position to test that proposition statistically as my poll widget has been out of action for some time), not least because there’s no band across the belly. But, hey, if the lads perform every time they wear it like they did last night, who cares what it looks like?
Well, I am underwhelmed by the new jersey. Would have prefered the traditional look. That said, if we were going to go with something crazy, the maritime motif would surely have been more unique. Hopefully others will disagree, buy the shirt, and put money in our coffers.
We have to move on. The jersey is good and the Green is still above the Red.
It’s fine-I was hoping if the hoop was ever to vanish then it’d signal a return to the all white jersey that mayo won with in ’50 & ’51
Bit surprised that they didn’t promote the new jersey so much. It’s a crowd that’s coming in for free, and then there was the bonus of that scale of the win surely leaving everyone buzzing. Had they made a big deal in advance they’d surely have sold a truckload on site!
ah there’d be a bit of thinking involved in that Emmet.
Love the jersey, whats the change stip I wonder – same design reverse the colours?
I’m a big fan of the jersey. Will be home shortly and definitely bringing one back to Aus with me!
The old bit of red seems to be the problem in that the green has to be above it, seems it has connotations with our imperial past…so then why inflict ourselves with the bit of red at all, why not get rid of it altogether if it has a past like that.
I actually dont believe that at all, I once read that the then Mayo board back in the mists ordered a different set of jerseys but what arrived on the mail train was the present green and red hooped set. They stuck with them, I read somewhere else where it was because Ballina were the dominant team and so that was the jersey.
On the other hand I also read (sad life …I know) that it was a group of English monks that defined early Mayo hence the full name of Mayo as Mhuigheo Na Sasanaigh. Anyway, I was a traditionalist until I read James Laffeys book. Taking from it I saw that the men of 1948-51 were modernists of their time including the iconic beautiful white jersey free from any tacky sponsors crap and they did not look back, they drove forward. So if this is the jersey…fine. Let it be THE jersey then.
Hi,
anyone know if there was/is any feedback from Pat Gilroy on Dublin. I would be interested to hear his thoughts as well.
Gilroy: “We are in a very bad place now in terms of the group. We have a lot to do to pick it up. There is a massive challenge ahead of us,” he warned.
It’s in the Indo here:
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/dublin-in-a-bad-place-admits-gilroy-3067952.html
There’s also an interesting blog piece by Emmet Ryan who quotes WJ here:
http://action81.com/blog/?p=5670
A PhD student has written a thesis on the Mayo jersey and its relationship to the relative lack of success of Mayo teams on big occasions. The gist of the thesis is that the combination of green and red causes confusion in the minds of the players ie green is go and red is stop. When things have to be done instinctively and on the spur of the moment Mayo players are momentarily frozen in thought and hence are dispossessed easily. It might also help explain the mood swings in Mayo GAA followers.
This thesis has been expanded and developed by various sports psychologists in Europa and the USA. It appears that ten US colleges had green and red as the colours of their teams. They were unsuccessful relative to their peers with a mean winning percentage of 38%. Nine of these teams have changed colours in the past ten years and their mean winning percentages have gone up to 63%. The remaining team is Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. There is a debate raging there at the moment between the traditionalists and the modernists but with a winning percentage of 26% it is likely they are going to change their colours to either green and gold or black and amber. All of the research can be found on http://www.collegecolours/april1/29768.html Personally I think its a load of bull.
PS. I meant to post this yesterday.
Very good performance on Saturday.
Now let’s see if we can get some consistency into our game and maintain a certain level of performance at all times. In the past we have been prone to having these one off performances getting us over excited.
The new jersey is ok. I like the darker shade of green but am not too enamoured with the bits of white in the jersey as this makes it look like an overcoloured tricolour of green,red & white. If we were going darker with the green why not go darker with the red as well (cherry red). This would have given us a dark brooding & menacing look in keeping with our personalities!
How come we heard nothing about the launch of the new jersey before the match and whatever happened to the jersey that was mooted earlier this year ?
Joey, I think you you got it. It’s the large white strips that are bothering me. Would be fine without them. Geez I need to get a life. 🙂
Jinkin Joe, I would rule nothing out in that area. Look at Ballina and Garrycastle along with Kilmurrey Ibrikihane (or whatever ) from Clare. No harm to mix the damn things around and play in a plain white one as an alternative.
More quotes from Gilroy:
“Nobody in there could have seen that coming,” he sighed. “As a group we need to look at the reasons why that happened. We clearly have to eliminate it.
“We never got near the pitch of that game at all. From start to finish there was only one team in it. Our application just wasn’t anywhere near where it should be, simple as that.
“We know the kind of team we are but we’re only good as a team and we just didn’t bring that to it at all tonight.”
The green and red doesn’t seem to affect James Stephens or Birr or indeed our own Ballina from acheiving well above the norm.
I see on twitter that an ex Dubin GAA player is having a dig at Mayo players for “feigning injury” Jason Sherlock it is.
Have PhD students nothing more valuable to contribute to the general body of knowledge than study red and green jersies?
In my humble opinion it has more to do with the man inside the jersey than the bloody colour of it!
That link does not work jinkin joe, was your comment an attempt at humour?
For god sake leave tha jersey [hoop]as it is n for tha 2nd jersey tha white 1 tha t tha 50-51 team wore. Is it any wonder we have no luck.