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I'd like to see a change in how the championship is structured as I'd like to see far more competitive games throughout the summer.

I'd be in favour in limiting the championship to 16 teams split into 4 groups of 4. Everyone plays each other home and away. Top team in each group goes into a semi final or the top 2 qualify for a quarter final with home advantage for the group winner. The bottom team in each group would play in a  relegation play off against each other with 2 teams to get relegated.

Similar setup to get promoted into the championship with both finalists would gain entry into the championship.

Every county has at least 6 games and something to play for.

It depends on what you want out of the Championship though, I want to see far more competitive games and this is one way to ensure it.

Very disappointed to hear the result, was following the game on twitter and appeared we were well on top and according to one of my fellow posters Galway were creating one goal chance after another in the first 15 minutes.

The sending off appeared to change the game. I can't confess to know much about the minor side, is their many of them underage again next year?

There's no way Galway will set up like Roscommon. While we wont want to get hammered, while we're in a Connacht final we at least want to give winning it a go. While Roscommon made it hard for Mayo, if Mayo hadnt had an atrocious shooting display in the first half, they'd have won relatively comfortably, if not by a wide margin.

While its very unlikely that Galway will set up defensive or want to get hammered i should point out the wide count in the 1st half was Mayo 9 Ros 4 and 3 or those 9 wides were miss placed passes that drifted out over the end line.

As to give winning it a go, we were leading by three points entering the final 8 mins and only for some atrocious shooting and wrong options taken from us we would have led by more. In the end indiscipline and lack of experience cost us.

What about fitness, didn't you concede 5 points from the 61st min onwards? Mayo only scored 8 points in the first hour.

It shows you how far Galway have fallen that all Mayo's concerns are about themselves (the make up and use of their squad for tougher tests ahead) and absolutely none are about any perceived threat from Galway.

To be honest I don't blame them. I would be happy if we could offer up some sort of test this year, and keep it within 5 or 6 points.

If we are competitive throughout and lose by 5 or 6 I could accept that as a decent showing for a young side. I just don't see us going as defensive as Roscommon did even though it almost worked for them. I'm sure we will try and get players behind the ball though to some degree.

Next year is probably a year to target a major step up. We would have Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo all at home were we to meet any of them so you would expect a strong tilt at a Connacht title next year with a slightly more mature side.

I agree, I'd be reasonably content with that. Just because Roscommon gave them a close game doesn't mean we will. There are 2 issues folk are factoring in, Roscommon played in a far more negative manner than we will and Mayo have already been caught on the hop and are unlikely to do so again against inferior opposition.

Why wouldn't Galway play 'negatively'? If I'm being honest ye look a more limited side than us, the simple fact is the way you beat Mayo by blocking the channels for their HBs and harassing them at every opportunity. I've never seen Colm Boyle and Lee Keegan look so average and frustrated as they did in the Hyde last time out.

You want to almost disparage it by labelling it negative - it's simply the way you trouble and potentially beat Mayo. We played grand ould Connacht football in every other competitive game this year, pushing men forward, cutting teams open and averaging north of 20 points a game. We just were smart enough to know our opposition and that the same tactics weren't going to work against them.

Were they caught on the hop by Tyrone in the AISF for the first 40 too? It's simply a formation Mayo struggle to deal with, no more and no less. Whether Galway have the skill to actually pull it off to a good level is another question but it certainly is their best bet to even make it a 5-6 point game.

If the last year hasn't taught Mulholland that much it's a sad indictment of him as a manager.

You're winding me up if you're really offended by labelling the performance negative. You did what was required to give yourselves the best possible chance of beating the better side. Its a game you should have won, fitness played its part, Mayo got a few scores they wouldn't have got inside the first 60 mins.

Surely you can see my from posts that I'm encouraging Mulholland to be more 'negative', I'm very worried we'll be easily beaten again.

You could well be right about us been more limited, only time will tell.

Mulholland will have learned from last years experience but too what extent we won't find out until matchday.

It shows you how far Galway have fallen that all Mayo's concerns are about themselves (the make up and use of their squad for tougher tests ahead) and absolutely none are about any perceived threat from Galway.

To be honest I don't blame them. I would be happy if we could offer up some sort of test this year, and keep it within 5 or 6 points.

If we are competitive throughout and lose by 5 or 6 I could accept that as a decent showing for a young side. I just don't see us going as defensive as Roscommon did even though it almost worked for them. I'm sure we will try and get players behind the ball though to some degree.

Next year is probably a year to target a major step up. We would have Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo all at home were we to meet any of them so you would expect a strong tilt at a Connacht title next year with a slightly more mature side.

I agree, I'd be reasonably content with that. Just because Roscommon gave them a close game doesn't mean we will. There are 2 issues folk are factoring in, Roscommon played in a far more negative manner than we will and Mayo have already been caught on the hop and are unlikely to do so again against inferior opposition.

[The comparisons to '98 are a long way off the mark from what I've seen.]

Let them argue among themselves. Our revenge is coming I hope!

Revenge for what!

We never did ye any harm. We still owe ye for '98. Biggest ambush ever.

There are parallels with this year.

This ain't a Galway team that will be upsetting any Rhubarbs in McHale Park this year. The comparisons to '98 are a long way off the mark from what I've seen.I still think it's even up in the air if Galway have turned a corner. The Sligo game was a nothing match and reading much of anything into it would be foolish for Galway or Mayo. Cork is the stand-out performance under Mulholland for Galway and Cork were both immobile in defence and willing to try and have a skills contest, the perfect sort of outfit to make a Connacht team look good.

I'd have loved a Roscommon-Galway final this year because even though we're a younger team Galway still look greener.

The intensity Mayo bring in their tackling absolutely destroyed Galway last year. Whatever about anything else that's still there and it should cause what looks like a light Galway 9-15 a lot of trouble.

Look, Ros and Galway would be an interesting game right now. If Ros can do a job on Mayo, why not Galway?
If a team is innocent, like both Galway and Ros were last year, this Mayo team will destroy them. But everybody knows now how to play Mayo.

I would agree with the majority of that.

We'll soon see what were about in a few week. I do think individual players have made plenty of progression, as a group though we've probably progressed slightly but to what extent remains unknown and we could have only gone one way after the heavy defeat last May. I'd have got rid of Mulholland last year after the Mayo game but whilst he's in the job he has the opportunity to prove me wrong. As I've mentioned before an average Sligo team found it very easy to get scores in the first half. I hope we react to the intensity Mayo will bring to the pitch and the pressure are backs will be on when in possession, as a group they won't have experienced that since last May.

I think Mulholland's job was to stop the rot and bring on the u21s even though there were so few decent older senior players to help them blend into the team. That's why he got 3 years.
If he could bring this team to the quarter finals it would be a decent achievement. 
He's not the greatest manager ever but he did what was asked of him, I think.

I'm not sure, this is his 3rd year, he's done nothing of note so far. We could get a hiding from Mayo then end up playing a div 3/4 team in the final qualifying round as we can't face any Div 1/2 teams and then end up getting hammered in the quarters. That isn't progress, we just got a lucky draw and beat a few div 3/4 sides along the way. Progress will be giving Mayo a game and the same will go for a potential quarter final should we make it.

I don't like been too negative though, we've got some very good young players who appear to be developing well and some decent older lads. If we can stop from them scoring goals we might just give them a game. If were setup like we were in the first half against Sligo we will certainly concede a few goals.

[The comparisons to '98 are a long way off the mark from what I've seen.]

Let them argue among themselves. Our revenge is coming I hope!

Revenge for what!

We never did ye any harm. We still owe ye for '98. Biggest ambush ever.

There are parallels with this year.

This ain't a Galway team that will be upsetting any Rhubarbs in McHale Park this year. The comparisons to '98 are a long way off the mark from what I've seen.I still think it's even up in the air if Galway have turned a corner. The Sligo game was a nothing match and reading much of anything into it would be foolish for Galway or Mayo. Cork is the stand-out performance under Mulholland for Galway and Cork were both immobile in defence and willing to try and have a skills contest, the perfect sort of outfit to make a Connacht team look good.

I'd have loved a Roscommon-Galway final this year because even though we're a younger team Galway still look greener.

The intensity Mayo bring in their tackling absolutely destroyed Galway last year. Whatever about anything else that's still there and it should cause what looks like a light Galway 9-15 a lot of trouble.

Look, Ros and Galway would be an interesting game right now. If Ros can do a job on Mayo, why not Galway?
If a team is innocent, like both Galway and Ros were last year, this Mayo team will destroy them. But everybody knows now how to play Mayo.

I would agree with the majority of that.

We'll soon see what were about in a few week. I do think individual players have made plenty of progression, as a group though we've probably progressed slightly but to what extent remains unknown and we could have only gone one way after the heavy defeat last May. I'd have got rid of Mulholland last year after the Mayo game but whilst he's in the job he has the opportunity to prove me wrong. As I've mentioned before an average Sligo team found it very easy to get scores in the first half. I hope we react to the intensity Mayo will bring to the pitch and the pressure are backs will be on when in possession, as a group they won't have experienced that since last May.

How many Galway players would get in a Mayo team?
They'd probably only take Conroy, Walsh & Cummins and even that is debateable. They wouldn't take Kavanagh based on his form so far.
Looking at it from a Galway point of view how many Mayo players would really improve this Galway side? Higgins, Barrett, Cuniffe, Vaughan, Boyle, Keegan, McLaughlin & O'Connor. (I rate Caff highly but don't think he's a huge improvement on Hanley)
There lies the difference in the sides, we've only 3 players that might make a difference to this Mayo setup whilst they have 8 that would really improve ours.

It usually takes an extra year after someone is passed fit from a major cruciate injury like Andy's before they're back to their best. It's been about that now since his and if he's fit I think ye would be basket cases to leave him off the starting 15 in big matches. I certainly wouldn't be taking it for granted that he's past his best just yet.

As much as it pains me to say Andy would die for Mayo if it meant they'd win an All-Ireland. When he plays well it reverberates throughout the Mayo team, he's still a class player and an even better leader.

You may well be right but given his age I wouldn't be too hopeful. I do know that it won't be lack of effort that counts against him.
How long is he back training after his injury? He played against Galway last May so I'd have thought he'd have been training at least a few months prior to that?

I'm constantly astounded by the criticism Horan gets, he gets a lot more right than he gets wrong. A manager will always make the odd wrong decision, he hasn't made too many in the last few years.
He's not going to get everything right. No manager gets every big decision right.

I don't think any other manager in the country would have taken that set of players to 2 finals, he comfortably has the worst set of forwards amongst one of the so called elite teams, there's a number of those forwards who'd struggle to make the starting 15 amongst division 4 teams.

Would any Mayo forwards even make the galway junior team?
Would any Mayo forward from the last 25 years even make the current Galway matchday 26???

To be fair the comparison that Maroon Manc made was with the top tier elite teams, clearly Galway aren't in this bracket so I'd save the indignation.

To be fair to me he could have said Mayo's front 6 are the weakest out of the top three or four teams and pointed to the fact they got no all star or only Andy Moran scored from play after halftime in the final last year. Hence the reason I gave a childish response to his fairly childish comment that they would struggle to make most division four teams!!

I do agree that the thrust of his argument is right and Horan has had to work with forwards that have struggled to become a cohesive attacking unit but some would argue that Horan has sacrificed the more talented forwards in they county for lads of greater commitment and work rate.

There is trade off either way you look at it and one Mayo have to overcome to be taken as a serious threat to anyone who sees themselves as a top dog ( Dublin) or an aspiring top dog ( Donegal/Cork/Monaghan/Kerry/Meath/Galway).

N.B. I will insert plenty of smiley faces next time I am being childish!!!

Perhaps that was a bit tongue-in-cheek!!

I'm constantly astounded by the criticism Horan gets, he gets a lot more right than he gets wrong. A manager will always make the odd wrong decision, he hasn't made too many in the last few years.
He's not going to get everything right. No manager gets every big decision right.

I don't think any other manager in the country would have taken that set of players to 2 finals, he comfortably has the worst set of forwards amongst one of the so called elite teams, there's a number of those forwards who'd struggle to make the starting 15 amongst division 4 teams.

Would any Mayo forwards even make the galway junior team?
Would any Mayo forward from the last 25 years even make the current Galway matchday 26???

To be fair the comparison that Maroon Manc made was with the top tier elite teams, clearly Galway aren't in this bracket so I'd save the indignation.

No it wasn t. He was comparing Mayo to Div.4 teams. The tone of his post was very patronising. Basically telling us that we re lucky to be as good as we are with what we have and that JH has done extremely well to get anywhere with this set of players.

The indignation of outsiders when we used criticise Johnno was the same. How dare they find fault with the great man. If Mayo couldn t win with the great Johnno then they must be brutal altogether. While he was driving Mayo football back years Eugene McGee still annointed him as being the best manager of them all.

JH reminds me of John Maughan in many ways. Got most of the job really well done and brought a broken bunch of players close to the summit. However a couple of decisions cost him/us dearly. And they were bloody obvious things too not opportunist revisionism after the fact. Things like the Fallon omission in 96, not trying to mark Maurice Fitz properly in 97 and leaving a hole at 11 when Colm Mac was roving ( this went on for years). It s a shame to get so much difficult stuff right ( fitness/ conditioning/ defending/ support play/ hunger/ discipline/ morale/team spirit) and blow it on easy stuff. Basic house keeping really.

God help me for suggesting Horan is an outstanding manager. But when you're relying on the likes of Freeman, Varley, Conroy, Doherty and Moran who's well passed his best to win an All Ireland it's going to be a struggle. 

I'm constantly astounded by the criticism Horan gets, he gets a lot more right than he gets wrong. A manager will always make the odd wrong decision, he hasn't made too many in the last few years.
He's not going to get everything right. No manager gets every big decision right.

I don't think any other manager in the country would have taken that set of players to 2 finals, he comfortably has the worst set of forwards amongst one of the so called elite teams, there's a number of those forwards who'd struggle to make the starting 15 amongst division 4 teams.

Ok I'll Suarez then..

Andy Moran, Alan Freeman, Cillian O'Connor, Alan Dillon, Jason Doherty, Kevin McLaughlin would probably be the 6 starters when fit. Which of them wouldn't make the 'starting 15 amongst division 4 teams'?

Doherty and Freeman are very average county players to date, they may go on to prove me wrong but I doubt that.

Andy Moran is nowhere near the player he was, I was a huge admirer of him prior to his injury, he was consistently one of Mayo's best performers for several years but the injury has slowed him down, what pace he did possess has disappeared, he's still very accurate when he finds space but is never going to win a contested ball.

I can't remember what Dillons first 2 final performances were like but I know his last 2 have been appalling. Now I'm suggesting I should base an opinion on him based on 2 performances but his best years are likely behind him.

I'm constantly astounded by the criticism Horan gets, he gets a lot more right than he gets wrong. A manager will always make the odd wrong decision, he hasn't made too many in the last few years.
He's not going to get everything right. No manager gets every big decision right.

I don't think any other manager in the country would have taken that set of players to 2 finals, he comfortably has the worst set of forwards amongst one of the so called elite teams, there's a number of those forwards who'd struggle to make the starting 15 amongst division 4 teams.

On the credit side for Galway they have won 5 of the 6 championship matches they have played since last year's hammering from Mayo and the one they lost was only by a point to Cork. They were so bad against Mayo I thought they might not win a game for the next three years. Granted some of the opposition they have beaten has been modest enough in Waterford, Tipperary, Armagh, London and Sligo. Still though they have done well to steady the ship and get it pointing in the right direction at least.

Galway finally having a solid platform in midfield has been a big help. After going years without one good midfielder we probably have 3 now in O'Curraoin, Flynn and Conroy. Conroy probably not a prototypical midfielder but he got an All-Star nomination from midfield last year so certainly can excel there.

Its a huge game for Mulholland, tactically he's got to get it right to give the lads a chance. He's got to show he's learnt from the defeat from last year more so then the players that are still their, only 5 of the team that started against Mayo that day started against Sligo on Saturday. So that defeat shouldn't have too much impact on the players.

Will we set out like Roscommon did against Mayo? I very much doubt it, I really worry Mayo and their half back line will cause chaos, they'll likely get a lot more space than they did against Roscommon and have a greater impact on the game. Sligo found their scores very easy to come by in the first half, we can't let that happen against Mayo we'd be hammered.

If we can stop Mayo from scoring a goal we might get within 4-5 points, that's a big if though.

Not convinced at all by Tierney although the Mayo game will be a stronger test and we'll know more about him after the game. Its a big game for Bradshaw, once again I thought he was very sloppy in possession against Sligo on numerous occasions.

A big game for Martin too, he lacks pace and can be very inconsistent in front of the posts. Eddie Hoare won a fair bit of primary possession and breaking ball but he's a bit limited when in possession, needs to move it on quicker but in all honestly he's a player I've not seen much of so might be a bit quick to judge. I suppose Conroy may well take his position for the next day though. I hope Shane Walsh stays at 11 though, the lad has the ability to be one of the best players in the country inside the next few years.

Were on the way up although still think were hindered by our current manager, I'm very worried our defence will exposed not to the extent of last year but still think we could be beat very comfortably. Sligo in the first half found it far too easy to get scores, the second half we did it make it more difficult for them.

We better not type this one to death or we' ll have nawthin to talk about in duffys the sat night before , mr M C. ( am I right) ?

Am i right

You're right although I'm not getting too carried away.

Our potential draw for the qualifiers looks very favourable so I'd be happy with a good performance that would lead us nicely into the qualifiers. At the beginning of the year I'd have been delighted to make the final 8. I'm not convinced about Mulholland at all but the next few games will decide whether he stays on.