The notion behind The Underdogs show on TG4 is that it provides a platform for footballers who haven’t made it at county level to showcase their talents. Tonight’s televised match between a Mayo selection and the Underdogs at MacHale Park was, however, as much about the emerging talent in the Green and Red jerseys as it was the lads in the rather lurid playing kit they were up against.
James Horan’s experimental team won this evening’s game with considerable ease, on a scoreline of 3-11 to 0-8. I think it’s fair to say that a number of the lads who lined out for the county tonight did their chances of a 2020 call-up no harm at all.
The match itself was a bit of a non-event. From the outset, it was apparent that the only shot the Underdogs had in their locker was a handpass-laden keep-ball effort but they were unable to make any real use of this possession. Outmuscled in the physical stakes and frequently caught flat-footed by Mayo’s rapid movements, the contest was quickly and efficiently resolved.
Mayo’s first goal arguably shouldn’t stood. Fionn McDonagh burst through at speed but, with the cover converging a few feet from the goal, he lost control of the ball, which then bounced off him and dribbled over the line.
There was nothing wrong with our second goal. A quickly worked move ended with Brian Reape laying it on a plate for the in-rushing Gary Boylan who placed it expertly into the corner of the net.
Brian Reape turned finisher early in the second half. Another quick attacking move ended with the Moy Davitts man in on goal and he buried it emphatically.
By then the bench was being run in earnest. Stephen Coen, Fionn McDonagh and Matthew Ruane had all started the game and between them they’d exuded an air of calm authority as the team went about its business of getting on top. Job done, all three were withdrawn at the break.
Long before the finish, the match had become little more than a kick-about. From our perspective, it gave us the chance of tipping more and more lads into the fray to give them a run-out in the county jersey.
Several of the fringe players did well this evening. Gary Boylan, who posted 1-5, was obviously the pick of the bunch and he looks like a player who is well ready to make the step up to county level straight away. I reckon we’ll be seeing plenty of him in 2020.
Others who did well on the night included Padraig O’Hora, Ben Doyle, James Stretton, Oisin Mullin, Darren McHale and Jordan Flynn, while Rory Byrne – who came on after the break – was calmness personified between the sticks. All in all, it was a very useful night’s work as we look ahead to next year.
The night’s opening match was, by contrast, an unabashed trip down memory lane. A Mayo 04/06 Legends selection took on a Club Selection XV in a game held to honour the memory of the late John Morrison, whose family made the trip down from Armagh for the occasion.
So under the MacHale Park lights – which weren’t even there when those icons were in their pomp – the lads from the Noughties got to strut their stuff one more time. Time stands still for no-one, however, with the Legends eventually losing out narrowly to the club lads.
This, though, wasn’t a game where the result was of any consequence. It was instead an opportunity to play tribute to a special group of players who represented the county with considerable distinction and also to the big-hearted man from Armagh who played such a significant role in the 2006 team’s run to the All-Ireland final. Thanks for the memories, lads.
Sorry WJ…look again…Fionn was pushed into the upright by No 23, O Kane from Derry who later on delivered a straight elbow into the face of Reape suffering no consequence and was seen grinning with a ‘bottle-man’ on the sideline while Brian was being attended to!!
Good night’s entertainment at a bitterly cold MacHale Park. I was particularly impressed by Oisin Mullen and Gary Boylan. Both goalkeepers are an option for 2020. All in all, the support play was excellent and a welcome relief from the slow build up play that we often see from Mayo. The Mayo lads were physically stronger than the underdogs and this was very evident in the tackle. I hope JH gives some of these lads game time in tbe league.
I didn’t see that, Citog, but I don’t doubt you. That smash on Brian Reape was bad and in a match of any consequence would have been bordering on a straight red.
How was the half time entertainment?
Great to see some of the new young emerging talent on show tonight. Gary Boylan definitely put his hand up as did Padraig O’Hora and both goalkeepers. Solid performances from Matthew Ruane and Fionn McDonagh. One negative from the evening was the disrespect shown to our local Club players not even being named on the program for the night who played the Mayo Legends. For those of us who go to club games and knew the players no problem, but the majority of supporters were left short changed in not knowing who was playing.This is wrong and shows the disconnect between the two strands of the Gaa where the Inter county scene has become all to powerful at the expense of the local Club scene. Time to bring it back local and curb the influence of the all to dominant County Manager who has to much influence over the local club scene. It should not be all about winning Sam Maguire.
Good run out, our boys took them on at pace from the start and made sure they never got a sniff of an upset.
As for the HT entertainment Tim O’Leary I think the choice of music was not very good……
There must be some donkey picking it!!!!!
Good to see all the new faces but I would read zero into that game. They will have more intense training sessions than what was out there.
G Mc – There was no disrespect shown to the club selection. They probably didn’t have list of who’s playing until yesterday afternoon so couldn’t put names in the programme.
Boylan is a good finisher and good Free taker. I don’t know him but he looked like a player that doesn’t have massive pace which could be a concern. With Cillian and Darren Coen playing inside – we really do need a few real pacey forwards especially when get to Croke Park. But he will certainly get some game time in the league.
The under dogs were not very good but the kick passing and movement from mayo was really encouraging considering they wouldn’t happen had much training together, I think it was only last week.
So things to look forward to for sure
Boylan outpaced Ilunga for his goal. If that is not pace I don’t know what is. Boylan is quick.
Of the forwards Gary Boylan and Darren McHale impressed for me last night both have potential to break into the 2020 squad.
Boylan has a very high skill set and a very nice hook kick when shooting.Brian Reape I thought was dissapointing bar his goal has been around long enough now and should be scoring at least 2 or 3 points from play at this level, feel like he might trying too hard to make an impression and rushes things.Paul Towey was very quite but is only 19 ,young enough again for the Under 20s next year.Jordan Flynn isn’t a natural forward but has some of the attributes needed for an Inter County footballer tall, strong and pacy could be an option for Midfield or a working half Forward.
Horan still has a good few Forwards to look at in the County these include Liam Irwin Breaffy, Ryan O’Donoghue Belmullet, Conor Diskin and James Shaughnessy of Claremorris, Jack Reilly Charlestown, Peter Naughton Knockmore, Stephen O’Malley Ballintubber, Tommy Conroy Kilmaine.No competitive games for these players now until January against Galway in the Fbd.
Not sure how useful that was at all TBH. That underdogs team has a load of players that struggle to make their club teams never mind county teams. This underdogs program has course i feel and TG4 should spent their money on something else maybe bring back the railway cup.
Looked at it on TG4. They don’t have great cameras or camera work – couldn’t figure where Slingerman’s kicks were going in the first half, though the man himself looked quite alert when needed.
Overall it was interesting, very interesting, for the likes of me based in Dublin to see newbies in action. Impressed with Gary Boylan like others here. Crucial question: can he win his ball with Division backs breathing down his neck? Evan Regan struggled in this department. If Boylan can do it (look at the ease James Carr wins his), we could have something very interesting. Liked his free taking too.
Stretton caught my eye, and I like the look of Jordan Flynn. Great to see him back. Lot of very big lads came on – Gallagher, Barry Duffy, Naylor, Irwin all looked useful. I presume Ballagh or Tubber players weren’t considered so there are at least half a dozen more, plus Liam Irwin, and Ryan O’Donoghue, both of whom are on the panel now in any case. Roll on the FBD!
Good to see the legends and Underdogs v Mayo. We paid our money to go in there yesterday to watch 2 games and for that ‘music’ (obviously having a dig at Tim O’Leary/Foundation) to be played at half time is a bloody disgrace. This is not who we are as a county. I am seriously cross.
What music was played Goagain? I don’t know the ins and outs of this debacle and am hesitant about commenting without the full information but surely any man who is donating time and money to fundraise huge amounts of money to Mayo needs to be treated with the utmost respect. I really hope the Mayo foundation stick at it as the money is crucial to our chances of success in the future
Cod – yes thats my opinion too. ‘shoe the donkey’ & ‘money money money’ – now what do ye think of that…..
Wow I find that hard to believe! Trying to make a joke out of a very serious situation. I can see why you are so cross
Could someone clarify if the two songs mentioned above were actually played last night or am I reading it wrong??Really hope its the latter..
Ah lads stop it! They didn’t play those two songs did they?? Surely to god they didn’t?!
Whoever made those decisions should have their p45 in the post. We’re a laughing stock at this stage.
Whichever Mayo Official sanctioned the playing of those songs should lose his / her position immedaitely. A case of being too smart and indicative of the mentality of an out of touch county board. Apology should be issued to Mr. O Leary too.
When was the last time Mayo Gaa managed to get through a full year without some controversy making the national headlines.
Can anyone confirm this actually happened??
I watched the Match on TG4 , I definitely heard ‘Shoe the Donkey’ but act didn’t make any connections at the time… maybe it wasn’t meant to be aimed at any individual? ..But come to think about it, it’s very very strange,. .. not a great choice of Song, but better than that awful ‘Boys from the County Mayo’ where apparently the ‘boy’s stick together through all kinds of weather’… what about this one ‘Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ………Hang the DJ!
Both “Shoe the Donkey” and “Money Money Money” were played at half time. Pretty poor form and to be honest whoever came up with that idea would have better spent their time coming up with other ideas, such as business plans for things for which money has been promised, rather than playing the smart arse.
Wow.
If that’s true then it’s jawdroppingly pathetic and really ignorant. It’s head in the hands stuff … you can be sure no one will be held accountable.
i think declans comment about a donkey picking the music very unfair , very unfair to the donkeys .
if thats true then rot goes all the way to the top…they all should go
I was there and definitely both songs were played. Don’t know if it was intentional or not but a very poor choice.
Sometimes i think the county board get a hard time of it. Dont get me wrong,in my opinion they are out of their depth,inept and not fit for purpose. I would be in some agreement that they are trying to do their best (although their best is nowhere near the level required)
However when you see this there is just no excuse. Petty,vindictive,pathetic.
As someone who resides outside the county I wasn’t in Castlebar on Saturday night. From what I am reading here this morning it would appear that the point I was trying to make for the last few days about leadership and respect was once again seriously missing in Castlebar on Saturday night.
If this is true and they did in fact play this music then this is a new low.
To date the CB has said very little and all we know about what the situation is from the Foundations side so if Saturday nights behaviour is anything to go by I would fear for what lies ahead in this bitter dispute.
Mr O’Leary has already accused them of bullying, intimidation and attempts at defaming his character and this is without doubt another act of bullying.
A County Board who have remained silent for so long and said nothing feel it is appropriate to mock someone in front of a few thousand people and on national TV?
This is bullying and intimidation and should not be condoned in our name.
It is an embarrassment to the good people of Mayo who uphold much higher standards and values.
Leadership?
A disgrace from the CB / person in charge of the music if they played them songs on Saturday night. Honestly, have they no cop on and respect? When will we stop being the laughing stock of the GAA world? Mayo GAA is the 5th largest sporting brand in the country, could those in charge start acting like it please! It’s not a teddy bears picnic they are running.
Despicable act and I’m not surprised. The mask has slipped and finally people are getting to see the true colours of certain people.
And the embarrassment of failing to send any delegates to the Congress in Cork, compounded by asking the delegates from a neighbouring county, to vote on Mayo’s behalf, a request that was refused.
WJ, a question I would have for the Stadium Operations team is “who gave you Saturday’s playlist and when was it handed to you? Was it handed to you before the match or was it handed to you at some point after the throw-in? Mr. O’Leary was at the game. I saw him and Sean Julian chatting at the back of the Main Stand early in the evening and then later on in the stands at the top of the concourse.
On the balance of the probabilities the County Board were aware of O’Leary’s presence and if they gave the instruction to play the Donkey song after becoming aware of it then the individuals responsible for the playlist must resign.
As Croke Park reminds us “Give Respect, Get Respect!!”
I knew they played three songs but couldn’t remember the other one. A friend who was with me said it was, Whiskey in the jar.
Mr. O’Leary was in attendance at the game. Imagine if he was with his 7 year old son who you know he brought to the Donegal game.
[Deleted].
@Nephin..’Stand and Deliver or the Devil, he may take ya’….A line from ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ .. I can’t say for sure, but maybe the music played had absoutely nothing to do with the County Board, the Officer’s of the County Board can’t all be responsible for Micro managing what Music was played at half time… But someone is responsible for it, maybe just a wierd sence of humor?, maybe it was a pointed reference to the ‘Mayo Foundation’?…If it was the latter?, it was very stupid thing to do.. Please don’t give a hungry Media any more reason to paint ‘Mayo’ in a bad light… The Football played by a very new look Mayo Team on Saturday night was very good to watch, that would be nice to be talking about instead of of other things for a change….At least the DJ didn’t play the ‘Boys from the County Mayo’ so be thankful for small mercies!
…
Chris Kelly – you’re in 2 + 2 = 22 territory there. That’s a personal allegation you’re seeking to make, without a jot of supporting evidence, so clearly I can’t allow you to make it here in that way. The irony of your reference to keyboard warriors in doing so isn’t lost on me either.
Re-Music at HT. It’s the Peacocks showing their true colours. They are so full of their own importance and believe they’re beyond any reproach or accountability.
The cost of Catering was referenced to. Well, that for sure was going to rise a lot in 2017.
– There are more teams being fed
– This includes hurling teams also.
It is not that far to go back and it was pretty much just our senior team being fed.
Then, to compete, this is not the stuff that we can buy at the knock down price in Aldi. if you want to build lean athletes you have to feed them quality stuff.
What I would say is that we are simply paying for too much stuff full stop.We have a strong enough brand that the following should either be free or at 20% of cost:
– Team gear
– Branded suppliers for nutritional supplements, protein shakes, meat, fruit and veg.
Now in return those branded suppliers get the usual access to star players for marketing. We have players doing ads for protein shakes (that’s fine) but we don’t have such arrangements for our overall squad and for overall Mayo GAA.
Dublin have Linden foods as a branded supplier for some nutrition.
It just feels like we are undersold if we are paying full whack bills.
We need a catering team, they do a great job, I’m just saying that catering team should have easy access to ingredients provided free or at low cost. That then just leaves labour and diesel.
Similar travel, I dunno we have a huge travel bill, somehow get some travel partner? They might not necessarily directly pay the bus bill, but as the travel partner they get lots of marketing exposure for a cost of X.
It just seems we are totally reliant on:
– Main sponsor
– Club fees
– Other fundraising
In the context of all of that Mr. O’Learys contribution in % terms has been rather large. Large enough that we should not be in the position we are in.
@Reaftearai.. Croke Park, do indeed promote ‘Give Respect, Get Respect’ ….We definitely need to improve how we do things in Mayo, but I wouldn’t be saying that Croke Park or the people (very well paid) are hardly an example… Last Year, someone suggested that there might be voilence in the streets of Newbridge between Kildare and Mayo fan’s, and he kept his job… Banner’s are allowed into ‘Hill 16’ declaring that ‘Hill 16 is Dublin Only’… I remember when Andy Moran got some unfair Stick from (some a minority) of Roscommon Fan’s , the Roscommon County Board, apologized to Andy and appealed to those responsible for better behavior, and in fairness it happened the following week in the replay…If there is any bad behavior from Dublin fan’s (and again’ it would only be a minority) neither Croke Park or the Dublin County Board seems to take any notice. The music at blairing out for this year’s All Ireland Final Dublin V Kerry, was ‘Dublin in the Rare auld Time’s’ We seen similar at big match’s when Mayo played Dublin..with Aslan… Croke Park in Particular has plenty to learn about Respect themselves!
I heard a great line from Stephen Fry in one of his speeches. The quote was:
“Does one want to be right or be effective”.
The county board cannot win from this position of thinking to contain the Tim O’Leary story.
Tim O’Leary cannot win from his position of broadcasting letters about latest developments.
In a situation where neither side can be effective they need to put aside their differences.
The elephant or donkey in the room however is that if someone is contributing the volume of cash that Tim O’Leary was then there is a certain amount of engagement and respect should come with that.
We are like the young actor who has made it big, “box office” big and still thinks he can continue with his old life.
Everything is majorly changed for Mayo GAA with the mix of recent success, global audience, social media etc.
folks i believe whoever played those tunes were trolling the county board rather than trying to insult mr o’leary
i find it very funny indeed , fair play to them
I would presume it was the pro that was in charge of the half time music,as it was him that was in charge of the microphone.
mad stuff in that case 🙂
I await the Monty Python sketch.
What has he ever done for us?
And Ted,Mad
I see from previous comments that Tim O’Leary was at the matches. So vile and vindicative to do that to one of our own. Well i hope if Mr. O’Leary reads over posts, he will see that the supporters are ripping over this.
Thankyou Goagain – I am reading with great interest as always….it was cold on saturday night!!
Tim I also hope you know you have the full support from the Mayo public , anyone I have talked to are embarrassed with the carry on of County Board Executive.Its time for Gaa clubs around the County to talk to there Club delegates at upcoming club meetings and nominate there best and most decent officials in there clubs to go forward for nominations on the County Board.
Hard to belive a PRO for Mayo GAA presided over the half time entertainment of Saturday night, but then given the PR cluster XXXX he has presided over prior to Saturday night it actually dispays an uncanny level of consistency.
They publicise grand plans for Centres Of Excellence in Lough Lannagh but fail to get the basic policies, principles and systems of excellence embeeded in the culture of our officials that might underpin the delivery of such lofty ambitions. (a businness plan might be a good start)
I dont know what could possibly have preceded “Donkey Gate” that could in any way be seen as mitigation or jjustification for such behaviour by officers of the County Board as there is none.
I would hope that collectively and individually an apology is forthcoming from the officers of the County Board to Mr. OLeary, but can we really expect such leadership given what we have bore witness too thus far?
As an mayo exile in North america . Ive followed the county team all my life since mid 90s . My first memory of mayo football was listening to a game on the radio . 96 and 97 were special the build up was magical . I recently listened to a piece on offtheball about the 96 brawl . McHale, brady casey maughan and finnerty gave interviews . Hard to believe the ref said two men would be sent off a few weeks before the final ?Worth a listen . Anyway Id love nothing better to see us win sam . Watching the treatment of a major donor recently im sure its made other potential donors rethink supporting . A major backer like this dosent come round too often .why treat them like this ?
i would like to pick up on a point referenced above by Lilly Of The Glen regarding the grand plans for the Lough Lannagh development.
As part of the county boards PR launch of the center of excellence, it was reported by the county chairman, Mike Connelly, that the development was going to include the Mayo Ladies Football county teams also. I was at the next Ladies county board meeting after this was announced and it was as much of a surprise to the ladies county board as it was to those of us delegates in the room. There was not one single item of correspondence from the mens county board to the ladies county board regarding a shared use of this development. In fact, the general feeling that night in the room was that ladies football was being used to help paint the mens county boards development plans in a good light. I’m sure there was/is an “inclusivity” clause somewhere in the funding applications and the donkeys in the mens county board saw the ladies as a way to “tick a box” in an application form. I also know from personal experience (regarding pitch use) that Connelly has no time whatsoever for Ladies Football.
From that Ladies county board meeting, I had and still have serious reservations about the Lough Lannagh development and even more so the ability of the current county board to deliver it.
Hi WJ, I just want to let you and your contributors know that I received an apology this morning from the PRO of Mayo GAA for their song selection during the half time entertainment on Saturday night. As much as this was deeply hurtful I must commend the PRO for his swift and gracious response. Can I take this opportunity to thank those contributors to the Blog for their support on this matter. Tim
That’s good to hear, Tim, it was without question the right thing to do.
Well I’m delighted to hear that Tim – you certainly deserved an apology.
@Tim O Leary, …One small step for a man, One Giant Leap for the County Board!… Hopefully by the weekend, the song we will be singing ‘We’re on the One Road’
Pebbles, if this is true and it probably is, it’s further proof of the kind of personalities running the county board. I see first hand how hard it is for the ladies to get pitches etc. Every county and GAA club within it should immediately integrate the corresponding ladies club into its club/county. It’s a no brainer as Colm o’rourke pointed out in the info last Sunday. It’s time for the GAA to come out of the dark ages.
Puckout, like any large organisation there are good and bad personalities at the helm. In many cases it may even be a situation of the personality not suited to the role, as a result of the demands of that role changing. It’s a thankless job, club or county, but Mayo GAA is a big beast now and it needs modern day structures and supports around it. The “nod and a wink”, “nudge nudge” day is long gone. I’ve no doubt that everyone has the good of Mayo GAA at heart, it’s just that one persons “good” might seem “gooder” than the next mans.
As regards integration of the LGFA and the GAA? I’m afraid the LGFA have no one to blame but themselves on that one. They were invited in in the past but decided, for probably good reasons (e.g. being swallowed up), to stay independent. However, in recent years a Joint Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the two bodies that has seen an integration of sorts at National Executive levels, e.g. a cross-over of members on committees and sub-committees of both organisations, that may lead to something in the future. However, the main headlines of finance, registration and fees have been enshrined in that Joint MoU as being separate to both bodies.
As Jessie J sang, “it’s all about the money, money money!”.
Watching and listening to all these goings on is very sad indeed especially at a time when we have enjoyed supporting one of the greatest teams this county has ever produced. There is a lot of good been done in all quarters and at all levels of Mayo GAA but sadly this is been overshadowed by the actions of a few. People now need to put aside there own interests and put the interests of Mayo GAA to fore in whatever way they can. Stop the rot, call in the IMF, clear the decks, appoint a chief executive, sit around a round table.. whatever description you want use but bring this to an end!
I don’t believe the County Board will employ Cambridge Analytica as a means of defence. The simple fact is that Tim has contributed hugely and the supporters are right behind him. So really there is nowhere for the County Board to hide and the pressure will build. In terms of Tim publishing letters it shows he has no worries on transparency and by contrast…Mayo GAA could be a much more self sustaining organization with a couple of simple hires in the short term. Pair that with the contribution made by Tim and others plus the fact more trust would encourage more contributions then you can imagine the scale possible. It’s not only the people that fund raise who deserve more. It’s the people that are out training the underage teams on Saturday mornings. This is a bottom up culture that’s unfortunately not reaching the top. The culture at the top should provide inspiration.
I’m really glad to hear about that apology. I was disgusted to hear what went on and it really annoyed me. While it should never have happened, at least it has been rectified now with an apology. Hopefully some common ground can be found now and all contributors can be treated with the respect they deserve.
Praise has to go to PRO for putting his hand ups and admitting he done wrong.We all make mistakes but it takes a brave man to admit he did wrong.Hopefully more things can be settled tomorrow night before the County Convention in Belmullet December 8th, which will be a huge night for the future of Mayo football.I think its great to see Liam Moffatt putting his name forward for County Chairman.We need someone young with fresh ideas in this position.
Aghamore offshore has pretty much hit the nail on the head
Just catching up on recents comments and I am in shock.
An officer of the County Board has actually offered an apology – theres a good one for ya to chalk down.
Over 50 years following Mayo and that’s a first. So credit where credit it due and its hats off to young Cunnane.
An example to be held up to the elders in the County Board to follow up with an apology for the Donkey email and we start rebuilding that bridge again.
What do you think WJ about starting a poll here and see how many think an apology should be forthcoming before the meeting starts tomorrow night and the sh!t really hits the fan.
News from back home indicates that the Foundation have now contacted the Auditors of Mayo GAA. Just had a quick look at last 2 years accounts and it looks like the new Auditors completed the audit in 4 days and charged €12,500.
Whilst the previous Auditors charged €1,850. What happened in 2018 which would warrant a change in Auditors and why pay them the extra?
Interesting approach from the Foundation, they must be getting close to the secrets?
– Is it really all about the money? Or is it more about power and ego.
– Is the local club volunteer not as deserving of the same level of respect as a large financial donor.
– The foundation set up by Tim O Leary looked very promising. Surely Tom Reilly as commercial manager should be the person central to getting the issues highlighted over the past two months sorted.
– What other organisation is using the same governance structure today as they did in the 1950s…
– What is to stop yet another Mayo GAA off field drama hitting the headlines in October 2020 or 2021.
– Really we have had enough of the inept and juvenile behaviour with regards to management appointments , fundraising, cave-ins to Croke Park on venues, match time etc, car pushing and now music choices. STOP was shouted long long ago but here we are again…..
@Olive Kerrigan – Yes, ideally Tom Reilly should be sorting these things out and if he is not sorting them out then the following questions should be asked:
1. Is he capable of sorting it out?
2. If he is capable, then has he furnished with the resources to resolve matters?
3. And if he has not been given the resources one must ask why those who appointed him have not given him the support his brief requires?
In other news, in today’s Mayo News, I see that Liam Moffatt has been nominated by Crossmolina and is going forward for Chairman in December. This a significant development and by all accounts a very positive one for the GAA in Mayo. Initial views on the ground and in cyberspace seem very positive but this should come as no surprise because by all accounts Moffatt has done Trojan work over the last two years in terms of developing coaching structures within the County.
During this time, he has also been instrumental in the creation and organisation of the Academy.
That Moffatt’s candidacy is so welcomed is because a few weeks ago another paper in Mayo had the existing vice Chairman elected Chair and now it looks like we have a real contest. It is a contest that Moffatt is obviously taking seriously as I was very encouraged to read that Moffatt will be meeting the Clubs in advance of the Convention in December.
Going forward hopefully this, meeting with the clubs to hear their concerns, will be the norm and not the exception. While we have had some fine individuals serve in the Chair over the years we have also had more than a few devoid of hearing so I wonder how many past Chairmen actually met with Clubs to established their concerns before going forward for election?
Anyway, I’m sure all clubs are interested in hearing what Moffatt has to say about the current mess within the county and how he would go about trying to sort it out. In the interests of fairness and balance, I would like to see the same questions put out to the existing vice Chairman should he decide to run.
I assume that was a joke about a poll, Lilly, at least that’s how I’m interpreting it. Also, what ‘secrets’ are you referring to? If you’re making some kind of allegation, then I’d prefer if you’d come out and say it straight, assuming you’ve some evidence to back up what you might be saying.
So, no poll but I’m putting the final touches right now to what’s necessarily a longish piece about the initial idea for a foundation (which emanated from the Strategic Review) and how that idea seemed to have got mixed up with a separate proposal in the review for a worldwide supporters’ club, which helps explain where all this has got to. That’ll be online in a bit.
With regards the poll I was in fact serious, as an aid to getting a felling from the public, a straw poll or concensous if you will. However I fully respect your authority and feelings that this would be inappropriate Wilie Joe
Maybe I have crossed the line with the use of the term “secrets” and if I had then it was poorly chosen and I will most definitely withdraw it as a term
If you were to ask me if I had some specific information or stuff that might be construed as evidence then again I will be completely honest and say that I do.
But is this really the forum for such information or evidence if you will?
I dont want to overstep any boundaries or rules of engagement?
I want to keep it between the ditches as they say!
“Under Pressure”. My favorite article for a Long Long Time on the Site or in any newspaper for that matter. A brilliant read and plenty of obstacles to ponder. Undoubtedly, Clubs cannot be continually asked to up the Ante. Many have shrunk in size due to immigration and have been struggling for some time to keep going.
I have been reading and listening in astonishment the past couple of Months about all the Shenanigans that have been going on.
I’m delighted Tim O’Leary wants to know where his and the Foundations contributions are going. I want to know where they are going as well. We all want to see the plans.
I’m delighted to see Tim O’Leary is still on the premises. I know, I might have closed my Satchel by now if I was Tim and wished everyone good luck. I’m glad he and the Foundation are still here. We need all the help we can get for the coming year and the years ahead.
I just hope that Tomorrow Night is a first positive step in what could and should undoubtedly be a joining of forces.
If it takes a level of Professionalism to win the Sam Maguire then surely it takes a level of Professionalism to to keep this dream and Drive alive.
“Under Pressure” alluded to the ever increasing financial burden on Counties as aspects of the game take on a Professional approach.
The GAA hierarchy have ignored the difficulties involved in competing at the top level.
What is clear is that to keep pace a’int chap any longer.
Its great to have financial help. It needs to be spent very wisely.
Rather than pointing to past mistakes, hopefully now we can see a positive maybe different approach at how we do things.
Our Players deserve it, our Supporters deserve it and everyone who is putting their hard earned in to Mayo Football deserves it.
The football is nearly here again so hopefully the earlier apology was the first hurdle cleared.
Sometimes it might not appear so, but we all want the same thing at the end of the Year.
Anything to be said for another Mass. Silly season is under way but this year beats all. No Emails, Blocked Emails, Auditors, Shoe the Donkey, PRO Apologies, Newspaper Headlines, Congress No Shows, Musical Chairs and Convention to come. Roll on the FBD, and let the football commence.
Lilly – you’re losing the run of yourself now and, aside from anything else, the use of all-caps is a no-no here. Talk of instituting a complete clean-out is populist clap-trap as well as being hugely disrespectful. You’re either going to have to tone down your remarks – and a few more of you would be well advised to do likewise – or else you’ll leave me with no option but to take appropriate action.
Ahh now Willie Joe thats no way to speak to a lady.
I was merely trying to differentiate between the statements and my response.
You will be bringing my punctuation and use of grammer in the disrepute next!
It would appear that the current county board are either unaware or nonplussed by the damage that is being done to the county brand at the moment. They are making the job of the incoming treasurer and chairman even more difficult than it’s already going to be. The incoming officers will have their work cut out rebuilding trust and confidence in the boards ability to manage its affairs and mending fences with sponsors as well as attracting new sponsors. While talk of a clean out of the top table may be wishful thinking, there needs to be at least two fresh faces elected next month to have any hope of reform. Reports that a previous holder of the treasurers position for over 18 years is going for an officers role again really puts paid to the poor volunteer tripe that is used as an excuse for all failings. For such a thankless, over worked and under appreciated job there’s not to many walking away. The undertaker is the only thing that seems to get some reluctant volunteers out of McHale Park.