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Anybody when the draw is going to be made?

What we do know is that it's gonig to be one of Kildare, Sligo, Tipperary, Down, Kerry, Clare, Meath or Laois that we face.

Hard to know where we stand but the hope is that we are in good fettle to give any one of these a rattle.

But with Cork, Donegal and Dublin in the same hat as ourselves we are definitely the team everybody else will want to meet.

Strange how rare it is for these two teams to play especially since the two teams consistently challenged in all competitions throughout the 90s.

Last game was a league semi-final in Croke Park after a postponement in Roscommon. Stevie McDonald went to town on our full-back line and the Orchard County won comfortably by 5 points.

Other than that when did we last play in senior football? It must have been the 90s?

So while our rugby team slug it out in Murrayfield the glories of Tuam await the green and red next Sunday. It is early in the season but you would think that the loser is going to find it very difficult to escape the drop.

Can Mayo maintain their 12 year unbeaten record in Tuam?

So the real stuff gets underway for James Horan.

A good FBD League and the 50ish players involved to date will have to be culled. I think there will be trial and error involved in getting the best team out and this is a 2/3 year project now. I like what I see so far though even if Div 1 survival will be tough.

Home games are going to be crucial and we have 4 so lets hope that helps us.

A guess at team? Its impossible to know. From talking to a few players it is definitely a case of thinking towards Summer rather than short term goals like the last few years.

Happy New Year all!!

Looking forward to the start of the new GAA season. Throwing in for Mayo in lovely Leitrim on next Sunday.

FBD League fixtures

SUNDAY 9 JANUARY

Sligo v Galway, Enniscrone (2.00pm)
NUI Galway v IT Sligo, Dangan (2.00pm)


Leitrim v Mayo, Ballinamore (2.00pm)
Roscommon v GMIT, Ballyforan (2.00pm)


SATURDAY 15 JANUARY
IT Sligo v Sligo, Ballinode 7.00pm


SUNDAY 16 JANUARY
Galway NUI v Galway

Roscommon v Leitrim, Elphin (2.00pm)
GMIT V Mayo, Ballinrobe (2.00pm)

SUNDAY 23 JANUARY

Sligo v NUI Galway, Tourlestrane (2.00pm)
Galway IT v Sligo, Tuam (2.00pm)

Leitrim v GMIT, Cloone (2.00pm)
Mayo v Roscommon, Ballyhaunis (2.00pm)

SATURDAY 29 JANUARY

Home final

According to RTE O'Brien was voted out tonight.

Teams falling like skittles now and we'll be down to 8 very quickly.

Next week Round 3 of the Qualifiers - 8 teams in the hat for an open draw:

Wexford, Offaly, Dublin, Kildare, Down, Cork, Derry, Armagh/Fermangh

4 of these teams will play Limerick or one the losing provincial finalists for the final 4 places in the Quarter Finals.

The quarter finals involving the Munster and Leinster Champions will give us semi-final 1.

The quarter finals involving the Connacht and Ulster Champions will give us semi-final 2.

A lot has to happen but we could be in for some very novel pairings.

For instance if Monaghan win Ulster and the Quarter Finals throws up some weaker teams you could have Monaghan, Sligo or Roscommon with a realistic chance of getting to an All Ireland Final.

This could definitely be the case if Tyrone and Cork were drawn in Quarters with Meath (if they beat Louth) and Kerry. If that was to happen you would have the perceived 4 main contenders all in one half.

If Cork keep winning and stay out of that half of the draw we could be looking at another Cork/v Kerry Final.

Two games this coming weekend.

Mayo at home to Ros. Winners play Leitrim the following weekend in semi-final.

Galway host Sligo.

Mayo won the Connacht League and are going for 3 in-a-row under new management.

Any thoughts?

Anybody know when the draw is on for this. As a Mayo fan I don't have the stomach for the inevitable defeat that is going to come very very quickly. Any half decent organised outfit will push us out.

For now the teams going into the hat are:

Mayo
London

Carlow
Longford
Offaly
Wicklow
Dublin/Wexford
Meath/Laois
Kildare

Tipperary
Clare

Derry
Donegal
Antrim
Fermanagh/Cavan
Armagh

Winners of the first round of games go on to meet the one of the losing provincial semi-finalists.

Winners of Round 2 play off for a chance to meet a losing provincial finalist.

Yet another post-mortem after another gutless defeat.

To lose playing to potential is one thing. To put in such a clueless pathetic display is another.

5 seasons ago Mayo were in an All Ireland Final. Somewhat luckily but bar the two All Ireland Finals against Kerry when our weaknesses were exposed cruelly at the highest level we were competitive, proud, organised and had our passionate supporters were full square behind the team.

Mickey Moran and John Morrison were convenient scapegoats for a County Board who saw a man on the sidelines who had all the answers in print and who was lined up to run in a General Election. The rest is history as we know and politics came before football and we have paid for those decisions ever since.

What we have seen in the intervening 4 years has been pathetic. 5 Championship wins - over New York; over pathetic Sligo, Cavan and Roscommon teams, and last years Connacht Final. Thrashings to Galway and Derry in year one; capitulation against Galway and Tyrone in year 2 when the game was there for the winning; destruction by Meath in year 3 and now we are a pathetic bunch in Sligo in year 4 with no future for 2010. I don't think that anybody could point to one positive development for Mayo football by this management team, or one player that they have improved and that is a serious indictment of their tenure.

Fans have been told to be patient. These are players that have won Connacht underage titles for fun but have not been improved at senior level and supporters are unreasonable to demand even a provincial level of decent performance and success. Yes they have their flaws. They are not good enough to win Sam but they are good enough to compete with all bar the very best  if given a structure gameplan with a consistent approach and selection. Each season players have been allowed to take winters off but yet can walk on to the team come Summer. Yesterday the only solution to a crisis was Billie Joe Padden. We started with a team that had never played together. With a centre half back that was out for 14 months.With a full back line that failed last Summer against Meath. With a captain who has been off the pace for the past 6 months at a minimum. With a hollow "superstar" anointed by some Mayo supporters two years ago that saunters around the pitch with his hands on his hips. And with no game plan.

The bunch of players that are there can be better. And Mayo football now needs its pride back. The inevitable is coming so John, please for the good of Mayo football do the decent team and step down today. .

The solution for this Summer is to try and win a few games and inject some pride. The players may respond to a new voice. They will escape a lot of the criticism because of the pathetic managerial performance. You just wonder what the hell money is being spent on fitness training, on strength and conditioning etc etc because there is no discernable improvement.The whole plan put in place has been a massive massive failure and the word has been out for some time that the players do not like and are not responding to the manager.

The solution long-term - I don't know.

For this Summer though - the response could be a threesome of Forde, Connelly, and Brady. Men who embody steel, commitment and passion for the green and red and who could get this players on a right step to hopefully a brighter future.

There is so much more that you could say about an organisation in the Countythat is rotten to the core but why bother.... The same faces have run the show for 30/40 year sand until the clubs stand up for change and somebody puts themselves forward to change things that will all stay the same.

This one is obviously whetting the appetite.

Kerry lads realise that they have already beaten the Connacht Champions elect, under one of the finest managers of all time, and that Mayo are generally a pushover for them.

No point in us really commenting - facing a 15 - 20 point defeat I suppose?

Derry defeated twice in a row.

Mayo disappointing against Dublin.

Not too many travel to Celtic Park and win.

Disappointing.

http://www.roseoftralee.ie/catalog/roses.php/cPath/1/page/1

That time of year again, which means Summer is nearly over.

Armagh, Dublin, Kilkenny and South Australia looking good early doors.

I presume this draw will have to take place on next Sunday.

Of course with the GAA making a balls of their calender a proper draw cannot be held.

Limerick and Cork cannot meet again so that means that the winner of Meath/Roscommon will also be kept away from Cork to ensure that this does not arise.

Do we reckon all matches will end up being played in Croke Park or will U2 mess up the turf.

I presume Dublin will get the Bank Holiday Monday to themselves but any of the other matches are unlikely to test the capacity, even as double-headers.

Another chunk of teams gone for the year. Things are taking shape and possible to look ahead.

Sligo, Kerry, Derry, Wicklow, Donegal, Meath, Ros/Wexford and Down/Laois all go into the hat to be drawn against each other.

Winners will play the losers of the provincial finals, and subsequent winners go on to play the provincial champions.

Munster/Ulster and Connacht/Leinster is the split this year in the draw.

So what you think? Who will take Sam?

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My view is that there is nothing of quality coming through the Qualifiers bar Derry if they stay focused, and possibly Kerry but I don't think they are going to get their act together this year. That being said they should stick around until Round 4 at the last unless they were to draw Derry away.


My view is that Galway, Limerick, Antrim and Kildare will be in the hat in Round 4.

Meath, Derry, Kerry, and I have a hunch that Ros will get the luck of the draw. Beat Wexford and then maybe Sligo or Wicklow at home in the next round.
'
My last 8 - Mayo, Dublin, Tyrone, Cork, Galway, Derry, Limerick and Kerry.

Dublin and Cork to be the last two standing in September.

Sam to the Capital.

I hate to take a leaf out of the RTE panelists books but this years championship must be the worst by far in living memory.

one thing appears clear - the gap between the top teams and the middle ranking teams is getting ever-wider.

Few chances of shocks, never mind suprise results and many thrashings.

Kerry/Cork were good matches, Tyrone/Armagh was ok but being honest much of the rest has been mid-ranking muck.

There will of course be cries of the death of the provincial championships - and yes the do or die intesity does appear to be gone. Other sports have lost the prestiege attached to some of their major competitions - UEFA Cup, FA Cup in football, anything bar the majors in golf, even the Lions and this is for money reasons. In the GAA there is the bizarre situation where teams are not gunning for the silverware in their province, then suprised at being beaten find themselves in the qualifiers where the motivition is sometimes lacking or questionable. There are very few classics in the Qualifiers.

So what are we left with. The Connacht and Leinster Finals should produce close contests. Hopefully the football will be good.

Ulster and MUnster are possible turkey shoots.

Cork and Tyrone look like All Ireland semi-finalists.

Only Kerry realistically look like doing damage from the Qualifiers.
Intrigue looks like being lacking and the alarm bells should be ringing. Wait until there are poor crowds in the closing stages.

Why the compulsion to have somebody singing through their nose sing the anthem at intercounty matches.

Load up the gramaphone and put on that old record.

Might as well have a go at this for the gaels of the West. I'm sure the Nordies will follow, and that should be a record length thread.

Anyway here is a quick off the top of my head effort. I think results over the last 15 years mean that more recent players will dominate:

Eugene Lavin (Mayo)

Kenneth Mortimer (Mayo)
Seamus Quinn (Leitrim)
Tomas Mannion (Galway)

Declan Meehan (Galway)
James Nallen (Mayo)
Sean Og de Paor (Galway)

Kevin Walsh (Galway)
Liam McHale (Mayo)

Ja Fallon (Galway)
Ciaran McDonald (Mayo)
Michael Donnellan (Galway)

Mickey Quinn (Leitrim)
Padrai Joyce (Galway)
Tony McManus (Ros)

7 Galway
5 Mayo
2 Leitrim
1 Ros 

Sadly my imminent wedding means that a trip to NYC isn't on the agenda and I envy those taking the flight.

I wonder could swine flu scupper the whole bloody thing though?

Anyhow it is the start of Championship 09 for us. Of course we should win but a good bonding weekend and no injuries for the team would be two more positives to throw into the mix.