Mayo Football and Hurling - Discussion pages

[moysider]

But Kerry's system is like ours Bunker. Half forwards graft (likes of Walsh plays mostly a destructive game) and midfielders work back but at the end of the day O Mahoney, Mark O Sé and Enright have to mark their men and survive. We are actually more mobile 5-12 than Kerry and get around better ( Buckley and Sheehan not the most mobile). Their back 3 don t mess about though and that's the difference. Kerry don t let these old dog defenders retire easy. They are priceless. What we wouldn t give now for a Mortimor, Cahill or Gary Ruane.

The only thing management can do to change it now is different personnel (different deck chairs?) or become ultra defensive and sacrifice our high press and become another counter-attacking side?

[mayoman dan]

We need an extra defender back there and we have to play Higgins as the extra man or sweeper whatever you want to call it.Seamus o se should also be under instruction to stay back always and be the more defensive of our midfielders.Andy is going to have to be sacrificed and name Higgins or Barrett in the attack and use Higgins as the extra man.Personally i would go with Clarke in goal a fb line of Cafferkey Keane and Cunniffe a hb line of Keegan Vaughan Boyle with Higgins as a sweeper with Seamus o se and Mc Loughlin also playing very deep behind the ball.

[moysider]

We need an extra defender back there and we have to play Higgins as the extra man or sweeper whatever you want to call it.Seamus o se should also be under instruction to stay back always and be the more defensive of our midfielders.Andy is going to have to be sacrificed and name Higgins or Barrett in the attack and use Higgins as the extra man.Personally i would go with Clarke in goal a fb line of Cafferkey Keane and Cunniffe a hb line of Keegan Vaughan Boyle with Higgins as a sweeper with Seamus o se and Mc Loughlin also playing very deep behind the ball.

Now we re talking. That would mean the high press goes but that's hardly goin to work anyway against teams in CP.

[mayoman dan]

We need an extra defender back there and we have to play Higgins as the extra man or sweeper whatever you want to call it.Seamus o se should also be under instruction to stay back always and be the more defensive of our midfielders.Andy is going to have to be sacrificed and name Higgins or Barrett in the attack and use Higgins as the extra man.Personally i would go with Clarke in goal a fb line of Cafferkey Keane and Cunniffe a hb line of Keegan Vaughan Boyle with Higgins as a sweeper with Seamus o se and Mc Loughlin also playing very deep behind the ball.

Now we re talking. That would mean the high press goes but that's hardly goin to work anyway against teams in CP.

Do we just concede the short kickout then and put up a wall around midfield? Each remaining game will be different and should be approached different tactically IMO. Also Mc Loughlin played his best game in a long time in the 2nd half last year v kerry in the drawn game where he was playing mostly as a half back.I would instruct Mc Loughlin to play here from now on as Diarmuid can be the link man between defence and attack.This might solve 2 problems it might make us more solid and stop the concession of goals and Mc Loughlin might find some form.

[Farrandeelin]

Hard to know what to make of the situation we're now in. I for one cannot see this team coming back again. Yes all the 'big guns' in Connacht play in Castlebar next year, but things could go awry between now and then. Thoughts?

[bucko]

Very disappointing day yesterday, not just with the result but the manner of it, along with the fact that we've just fallen short over the last 5 years and now the possibility that we may slip back into the pack a bit. I cannot figure out how we went yesterday, from a strong position 4 points up with 15 mins to go, to conceding 3 goals in 9 mins with the apparent mental lapses and cheap turnovers that we displayed. We defended well to that point, looked organised, then suddenly huge gaps began to appear and unmarked Dubln players were running into them. Composure seemed to disappear on the pitch and sideline. Cannot fault any of the players over the last few years for their character and commitment, but you have to wonder how many setbacks these lads can take and comeback from. I think the management didn't cover themselves in glory with their decision making/substitutions in the end game.

[mayoman dan]

Very disappointing day yesterday, not just with the result but the manner of it, along with the fact that we've just fallen short over the last 5 years and now the possibility that we may slip back into the pack a bit. I cannot figure out how we went yesterday, from a strong position 4 points up with 15 mins to go, to conceding 3 goals in 9 mins with the apparent mental lapses and cheap turnovers that we displayed. We defended well to that point, looked organised, then suddenly huge gaps began to appear and unmarked Dubln players were running into them. Composure seemed to disappear on the pitch and sideline. Cannot fault any of the players over the last few years for their character and commitment, but you have to wonder how many setbacks these lads can take and comeback from. I think the management didn't cover themselves in glory with their decision making/substitutions in the end game.

Management made poor calls yesterday but it was to be expected.Pat Holmes was making poor calls 14 years ago.The management process last autumn was a farce.4 points up  with 20 mins to go any other team would try to close it out but no way not Mayo.Lets call a spade a spade we collapsed completley for the last few mins.Hennelly is a liability in goal.Mc Loughlin has regressed incredibily.Seamus o se was not at the races and Doherty was not having a good game.So where to now? The emergence of Diarmuid O Connor and Patrick Durcan with the 2nd coming of Parsons gives some hope.We need to find a forward or forwards that can score first and foremost.Regan is the obvious candidate.We need to stop the concession of goals.This has been well discussed on here so i wont go into again but if we keep conceeding goals we will never win anything.We already have slipped back into the pack.

[maigheo]

Jeez Reedcoll what kind of a comment is that to make?I think a lot of clubs in Mayo are only interested in how many of there clubmaen are on the panel and not winning anything.The manager deemed your clubman not good enough to make the squad and few would disagree with him.

[REDCOL]

Ok,Maybe a bit too cutting, but the fact remains a young lad was thrown into a completely alien position in our biggest game of the year for his championship debut. As for our player being dropped, that is part of life, and obviously we have no player in the top 34 players in the county, as the manager/managers have deemed them not good enough.

[macdanger2]

Extremely disappointed after that so I can only imagine how the players & management are feeling. It's hard to know if this group of players have the heart to come back from another tough defeat. If they can though and if they can learn from the mistakes of this year, they have a good chance of finally winning Sam next year. That might seem a bit fanciful at this stage but for me, there were two things that scuppered us this year that can be easily remedied if the management are up to it:

1) AOS at FF is not a bad tactic but aimlessly lumping balls in is a terrible tactic. The amount of balls we put in where Aiden didn't even have a chance of competing for it, much less winning it was shocking. Serious amount of practice needed in this regard, just watch a few videos of how Kerry play the ball into Donaghy. Also, we need to play closer to AOS rather than leave him isolated – the goal that Kerry scored in the drawn game last year came from a diagonal ball into Donaghy, he caught it and popped it immediately to JOD; we haven't even tried to play like this.

2) We need to learn how to play a sweeper properly. Five goals conceded in two games against Dublin even when playing a sweeper shows we're not using it correctly, Chances are this is because it's something we only started playing in the last couple of months. Two or three players (Cunniffe, McLoughlin & AN Other maybe) should be identified for this role and coached during the league on how to play it. If we can stop leaking goals, we'll be halfway there.

I doubt there'll be many retirements – Dillon maybe as he hasn't had much game time. I think Andy still has a huge amount to offer. In Durcan & DO'C we have two new top quality prospects and the likes of Hall, Regan, Coen & Loftus potentially to come through next year. If we win Connacht next year (not a given but home advantage against Galway / Roscommon is a plus), we're in the opposite side of the draw to Kerry / Dublin so it's a big opportunity for one more push for an All Ireland

Maigh Eo abú

[ballinaman]

I'd gladly have had Enda Varley over Sweeney and Ronaldson coming on.
macdanger2, we're not learning from mistakes and the problem is that new problems will emerge throughout the course of the championship next year and we seem unable to react. Too late again

You're right about the sweeper, looked a mess. Doesn't suit Boyler, learned that in the drawn semi vs Kerry last year sure.

I don't know if some of the young lads coming through have the physicality and conditioning to make the step up to senior intercounty, it's a different world.

There's no continuity at the moment, underage is all over the shop. Minor to U21 to senior is a free for all in terms of coaching. Colemans, Geralds, Rice and Muredachs should be targeted by the County board. Horan referenced it today in the Western People saying that we've been lumping on the senior team in the last few years and it hasn't paid off.

We seem to have an endless supply of men in the media but not in coaching. Knowledge is there, need to use it effectively.

[moysider]

I'd gladly have had Enda Varley over Sweeney and Ronaldson coming on.
macdanger2, we're not learning from mistakes and the problem is that new problems will emerge throughout the course of the championship next year and we seem unable to react. Too late again

You're right about the sweeper, looked a mess. Doesn't suit Boyler, learned that in the drawn semi vs Kerry last year sure.

I don't know if some of the young lads coming through have the physicality and conditioning to make the step up to senior intercounty, it's a different world.

There's no continuity at the moment, underage is all over the shop. Minor to U21 to senior is a free for all in terms of coaching. Colemans, Geralds, Rice and Muredachs should be targeted by the County board. Horan referenced it today in the Western People saying that we've been lumping on the senior team in the last few years and it hasn't paid off.

We seem to have an endless supply of men in the media but not in coaching. Knowledge is there, need to use it effectively.

That's the thing. Even the Dubs and Kerry end up with maybe 20 'test' players when it comes to September. Everybody loses a few each year with injuries and ageing.

Look at the Dubs and the hype about Costello and Rock. Rock is now a free taker with little impact from play. Costello not even on the bench.

We ended up with about 17 and that includes Patrick Durkan who managed to perform brilliantly after little enough time before an AI semi. We played the semi without contribution from experienced 'test' players in the panel like Dillon, Clarke, Keane and Cunniffe. Vaughan because of injury was ineffective. Should not have been played in replay as he was clearly winged from the start. It is of course disappointing when you go through the programme the last day and you see that for one reason or another most subs could not contribute meaningfully.

The usual criticism will rain down on the Mayo players, but that is bullshit. We have as many players who can perform at this level as the 2 finalists. The difference though is still tactics and organisation. Afaic only one Mayo player had a nightmare the last day. It looks like that could have been avoided as well.

Most counties haven t half a dozen seasoned players that can perform at Dublin level never mind find 5 new ones like some people hope for. That cant happen.

It would be great to get a couple more young fellas come through like DOC and Durkan but doesn t matter who we get in new it wont make up for poor selection/tactics when we get to the push for the summit either, but that's another debate.

The leap from minor/U21 is massive. You d have put good money on Adam Gallagher being a senior player by now 4/5 years ago. Pacey, stamina, enough size, good kicker of the ball etc. Didn t/ hasn't happened. Danny Kirby seem to tick most of the boxes as well.

My best bet for a breakthrough next year would be Michael Hall. Conor Loftus has the quality as well if he can get conditioned enough. Jamsie O Connor made the point tonight on Newstalk about how it takes a while to get able to take the physicality. It doesn t happen overnight or even in a year or two. But it does happen eventually.

The core of our team have that conditioning and now it's a matter of adding some fresh blood that can cope at the level the rest do and improve things hopefully. 2 new 'test' players would be a great result. 

[Farrandeelin]

Reports that some players had to go on the Luas in their Mayo tracksuits to collect their cars after the match on Sunday despite the county board promising them they would provide transport to bring them.

Make of that what you will.

[moysider]

Reports that some players had to go on the Luas in their Mayo tracksuits to collect their cars after the match on Sunday despite the county board promising them they would provide transport to bring them.

Make of that what you will.

I can t imagine what was going on there?

[macdanger2]

Reports that some players had to go on the Luas in their Mayo tracksuits to collect their cars after the match on Sunday despite the county board promising them they would provide transport to bring them.

Make of that what you will.

Poor form if true considering the effort these guys put in all year