The GAA world is inching ever closer to a return to play, As the long wait continues, however, this leaves time for more considered debate and so in this episode of the Mayo News football podcast we’re back with another one-on-one discussion.
Billy Joe Padden returns to the interviewer’s chair for this episode and his guest on this occasion is former county player, two-times Mayo manager and current Offaly bainisteoir John Maughan.
Together they talk about John’s experience of managing the Faithful County during the Covid-19 crisis and they look back over the Crossmolina man’s long career both as a player and manager, focusing on his breakthrough in management with Clare and those heady days on the sideline with his native county. The highs and lows of Gaelic football management are discussed as well as the ways in which the role has changed in recent years.
This latest episode of the Mayo News football podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes, SoundCloud, Spotify and Podomatic. You can also listen to it directly 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.
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Very enjoyable podcast. Refreshing and honest from John Maughan and Billy Joe let the conversation flow. I think John Maughan deserves a lot of credit for dragging us from Division 3 and that awful performance in Tuam in the championship in 95 to a kick of a ball
Does he ask where Kevin O’Neill was in 1996/7?? An allstar aged 19 in 1993.
I always like listening to John Maughan, he is upbeat and very positive, almighty commitment to the cause, real Army toughness.
Training/ Coaching has moved on since to 1990’s, being very fit is brilliant, push a guy to where he thought he was never able to get to.
But skill levels are higher up the scale, ie, their is a football involved, scores need to be got in a game.
The time flew in that 57 minutes interview
We were at very low place in 95. He brought belief
Into mayo. But a few key decisions went against him and made a few bad calls. Games of inches
I was in Tuam Stadium v Galway in 1995, if I remember correctly I think it was a 10 point defeat for Mayo, the performance was terrible on par with the 1993 semi final v Cork.
I also attended the league semi final v Derry in 1995 or maybe 1996, some turnaround to get so close in the 96 All Ireland final.
That Derry game was 1996, Mayo88. I remember it well, it was the first Mayo game I went to after having returned from living in London a few weeks before. Croke Park was a wet, cold and fairly empty place that day and we were very poor. The future didn’t look bright for us that day but what a transformation happened over the months that followed.
Galway in ’95 under Bosco McDermott showed promise – ran Tyrone close enough in semi, playing classy football. Obviously, under Johno’s tutorship and the addition of Donnellan, Joyce et all, strengthened them significantly in ’98.
From listening to the interview, Johm M. seems to relate the league game v Derry in ’96 was played in Derry, and after a crushing defeat he asked B. Mullins for a challenge in Mayo, but Brian insisted it be played in Derry.
Tbh, this lark of taking players to “dark places” is a myth – players are either by nature, either competitive or not.
He mentioned Eugene Griffin (Great underage talent) as one “who got away” – but don’t think Eugene would have been one to tackle the catskills after a night out – lol..
All in all, you’d have to say he’s preparing a book – could well be a short read…
Mayo were not crushed in the league semi final v Derry in the Spring of 1996, they had alot of young players that simply were not ready for the very physically strong Derry team on a wet day, Mayo lost by 3 or 4 points, but were competitive. I remember coming away thinking there was something to be hopeful about.
6 points up with 14 minutes to go? The photographers standing near John Maughan as the clock ticked down and then the bounce over the bar, talk about heartbreak. Hearing it in Maughans own words is savage stuff altogether and you’d really have to wonder about curses etc.
It was cruel alright, Dave. I can still recall clearly sitting in the old Hogan Stand that day looking at the scoreboard and seeing how much time was left. Six up with 15 to go and still on the attack, we were champions. I didn’t just think it, I knew it. I always reckon that one more point then and the dam would have burst. We’d have won at our leisure. Instead those final 15 minutes as the lead drained slowly away – bring back with it the realisation that we weren’t home and hosed – were the longest I think I’ve ever lived through. I can only shudder about what it must have been like on the sideline.
Very true Willie joe but if there was another minute played Meath would hav won it the first day. That I’m convinced of. Ref blew it up early
I’d agree, Mayo 36. And the last 15 minutes of a match, as we know all too well from more recent years, is a heck of a long time, so credit (gulp) must be given to Meath for reeling us in. There’s every chance they’d have beaten us if even 30secs more was played. Forget the curse lads.
We missed some woeful chances for relatively easy points earlier in that match. That’s the real difference right there between winning and losing and All Ireland final and that’s where the main analysis points should be. We were still a better team though overall and of course should have won. But teams often come back, so there’s absolutely nothing surprising there, and an All Ireland is a funny beast. So all things considered, it wasn’t really that extraordinary when analysed coldly.
Now the replay is an altogether different story and I think it’s fair to say that’s where most Mayo people’s ire lies.
I never subscribe to the thesis that the best team always wins. Especially if things are tight, a team can lose out to utterly crackpot refereeing performances.
On the McHale sending off, McEneaney has always cleverly doubled down, saying he should have given red to many others. It was the only way really he could deflect. It’s doesn’t wash however, as everyone (apart of course from Meath fans) knew that decision was totally inequitable.
Still think 2013 and 2016 (drawn game) were a bit harder to take than 96 funnily enough – in my own personal view
I think ‘Liberal…’ is spot on really in the sense that a 6 pt comeback with still a good chunk of time left is probably not the catastrophe it seems – it happened many times before and since
In 2016 Dublin finished with 2-9 and I think I remember counting about 2-5 of that was directly through either OGs or gifted scores. Hard to take
2013 I just remember feeling so empty though. All summer we had blown teams away with a brilliant brand of football, and by the time we got to the final the euphoria was off the scale and we were riding a massive wave. To then turn up and throw in such an anti-climactic and underwhelming performance was just soul destroying. Dublin didn’t have to be much more than ok that day.
Reminded me a bit of Liverpool’s title charge unravelling with the Gerrard slip after doing all the hard work. But in 2020 they’re the champions – maybe a good omen for ourselves!!!
On the flip side of all that the 2017 final performance was one of Mayo’s best ever. The feeling that day was one of pride and where we could hold our heads up high. Sometimes you just have to say ‘too good’
Not going to dwell on the 96 final but it wasn’t mceanney job to pick two players of equal ability and send them off. McHale sending off was a bitter pill to swallow all the same
A manager must be emotionally removed from a match involving your County in an All Ireland final, by this I mean not falling apart when your team goes behind, ie, putting one hands over ones face, ie one needs to be shot cool.
It is all about reading the situation at the time, spotting clever moves by the opposition manager and reacting immediately, no point in spotting things in the replay or when the game is over.
I can say that I have learned a bucket full from analysing Jim Gavin and Mickey Harte, Jim Gavin never shows emotion I believe this is what separates him from the rest, and was assisted by a great backroom team of advisers.
I see the manager and trainer has 2 separate people, if I were ever to manage a side I would love to have the likes of John Maughan has fitness coach.
I see your point Mayo36, however for a monumental decision such as that it’s crucial for a referee to exercise common sense. Unfortunately his decision was anything but that and we paid dearly. That might not be in the rule book but there’s no logical way to square that off.
I will always believe that if that ball didn’t bounce over and we won the last 20 years would be so different. We were 10 pts the better team that day but didn’t do it and the pressure built and built from there. We prob wouldn’t have won any in the 00s but would have won 3 or 4 lately. That belief is just not there but the self doubt is!
Hard to argue with that puckout
I always think it goes back to Finertys miss in 89. That was a moment that sticks in my mind also that Jason Docerty chance in 2017.
2017 was the hardest to take. Rochford did everything right as did the team……except maybe AOS under the posts for that last free……still great days…
Puck out
Factor in who and what Mayo have been trying to beat in those later finals, Mayo didn’t lack self belief, it was quite the opposite in fact, they fought until they had nothing left to fight with. I believe Mayo will be back to compete in another final or 2 in the next few years, they will win Sam if they keep trying and learn a few new tricks
Very enjoyable listen. Billie has a nice easygoing interviewing style and John really is a likeable sort of character. One complaint I have is when John mentioned knowing Tommy Carr in the army Billie should have asked him what was the story , did John steal his bird at a disco or something!!. Cause now RTE have some beauts but that Tommy Carr mortally hates Mayo, he is the most bias yoke I ever came across. Just love to know what Mayo ever did on him?? Rant over.
Connaught/Munster and Ulster/Leinster semi final pairing confirmed, straight knockout.