The Script of Hurt

Keep the FaithI listened to that radio programme this morning about our footballing travails (appropriately enough, with a bit of a bleary head on me) and, needless to say, I thought it was quite interesting, sort of like an audio version of The House of Pain.  For anyone who missed it (and with my thanks to Acaill for tipping me off about this), the link to the programme on the RTE website is here, the link to the podcast is here and the link to the download of the programme is here.  Now you’re no excuse but to listen to it.

A few things struck me about the programme.  The first was that I thought it was being aired at the wrong time of the year: wistful thoughts about what-might-have-been are grand in the middle of winter but, at this time of year, most Mayo supporters (your humble correspondent among them) are surely more focused on dreaming idle thoughts about our prospects over the summer that still lies ahead than they are on crying into their beer about the ones that got away in the past.  There’ll be plenty of time for that on those empty, dark nights before Christmas but, right now, I’m thinking more about what divilment the Twin Towers are going to get up to on July 19th next.

The second thing is that we really do need to guard against giving some kind of mythical status to our repeated failure to make it over the line on All-Ireland final day.  None out of five is a seriously bad rate of return, for sure, but we didn’t lose them all due to the fact that they all form part of some kind of over-arching misery drama in which we’ve been fated to play the leading part.  We could, and should, have won two of them but we didn’t and that’s all there’s to it.

As a result, I don’t hold with this priest’s curse bullshit and I don’t see the point of having this stuff repeated over the airwaves either.  It wasn’t a priest’s curse that did for us in 1996: no, that one was all down to that prick Pat McEneaney.  They used to go on with stuff like this about Clare too until Anthony Daly and the rest of that Golden Generation took matters into their own hands in 1995 and buried the Biddy Earley myth forever.  We lost all those finals over the past twenty years for a variety of reasons but a funeral in Foxford back in 1951 sure had nothing to do with it.

Finally, I was rather impressed with Johnno’s eloquence throughout the programme.  The personality that came across was that of a man who cares deeply about football in the county and who retains within him a fierce ambition to get us to the promised land.  For me at least, the way Johnno spoke on this morning’s programme rather undid all his efforts over the past two years to dampen our expectations about our prospects of achieving anything in the short-term.  Last Saturday’s performance, allied to what I’m hearing anecdotally about the mood within the squad this year, would indicate that our stock is rising and that, with a fired-up Johnno at the helm, an interesting summer’s football lies ahead for us.  Will it be enough to provide an unlikely happy ending to The Script of Hurt?  We shall see.

2 thoughts on “The Script of Hurt

  1. I couldnt agree with you more Willie.

    The curse of a priest is\was noting to do with the fate of the Mayo teams over the years, If that were to be the case I am certain we would all have ties with priests in opposing counties to “curse” them and result in a win for Mighty Mayo.

    For me, as a Mayo female supporter living in London I look forward to the Summer weekends of GAA and with the advent of “the net” it is now far easier to follow our developments than in years gone by. This also leaves no excuse for those who were not up/tuned in early enough to listen again to the programme. I wonder if there is ever a right/wrong time to air a programme like this? The summer after all is “the season” for main GAA sport. I am greatful to my brother who tipped me off to listen to Radio 1 yesterday morning. It taught me a few things I didnt know before. Webb and Morley are surely looking down on Mayo.

    I was at the great match of `89 and again in `96 and faithfully wait for the year when we banish the hunger and thirst which is parching us since the early 50`s. One day we will be able to meet the ref on the street and stop and chat.

    Im sure many of your readers would agree that Mayo Football may not have won much in the way of finals in Croke Park since the early 50s but one thing we surely have won is a place in the books and words in the songs of the best supporters in the country. With the best supporters comes great players.

    For Prendergast, Forde, O Mahony, the new stand in Mchale Park and the people of a Mighty County we keep marching on. Keep up the great entertaining ye have provided us with over the years and remember “Winners never quit”

  2. Heres my 2 cents worth.

    Lost Players-Gerry Geraghty, Ronan Golding, Padraig Brogan but to name a few! All 3 would have walked onto any team in the land-all things being equal. John Maughan to injury!

    Player error-Madden not coming for Coyle’s equalizer, Finnerty going for goal instead of taking easy point (when he hit it wide)

    Manager error-Pat Fallon’s ommission (cant remember the year), 1997-Flanagan’s injury led to what-8 Mayo positional changes, 2006 Final-David Brady not starting

    Bottom line-the best footballers dont always win. Maybe its the team that wants it more, the team that makes fewer mistakes, the team thats willing to do whatever it takes, the team that takes its chances.

    Fvck being good losers-fvck being liked by people, fvck being complimented on our pure stlye of play-that sh1te hasnt worked for 58 years!!

    Give me a team of full of Mick Lyons, Colm Coyle’s, Riceys, Francies and whoever the fvck will draw a line in the sand!

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