Mayo v Galway 26.6.11

[AbbeySider]

Good to hear SOS might be back

Seriously lads do we really expect SOS to come into the team, grasp a game from midfield without a winter's training and only game time against Monaghan?

Finish the quote Barney...

Or hold him in reserve more likely.

Nobody is really suggesting that SOS will take on Galway on his own, let alone start, but he is a good addition so whats the problem? 

And we can really expect to go anywhere when the management do not have a clue of their team, their styloe of play,

Actually we are fairly close. The biggest problems were 3 and 6, with 3 being filled by Alan Feeney and I would be happy with Cafferkey or Trevor Mortimor at CB

and fitness allowing are likely to play Geraghty, Vaughan, and Trevor again all of whom have only a few weeks training and little or none county football this year?

Vaughan came back at the end of April in insane shape, beating guys that were there all winter fitness wise. Trevor has also showed the hunger, appetite, fitness and ability this year at club and when given a chance at county level and saved our asses in London.

The whole thing smacks of a shambles and a story being made up as we are going along. The only thing is that Galway may be in as big a mess - but then again they may not because they are going about their business very quietly.

I think some of your posts lately are a shambles. A couple of weeks ago your suggesting that without a Connacht title win that Horan will be made walk the plank (after 8 months in charge, picking up the pieces from last year) which is out of touch. Now you are describing things are made up as we go along?

Do we think we could heading for a record low attendance in recent memory for a Mayo/Galway game. 10,000ish could test it.

Who cares? Attendances are down at all the games, I have heard it referred to as a recession.

And another thing - are Mayo heading the way of Offaly hurlers when you see the issues arising now over a e2m debt. And yet the Mayo debt is multiples of that and I know which is the nicer venue after the money being spent.

Thats a bit off the topic

Did someone eat your fry this morning?
Are you happy now all that is off your chest?

[Lar Naparka]

watching the pressure the leitrim backs were putting on shine and kilbride and yet the just needed a inch of space and over the bar, its nearly impossible to stop them

I thought Shine was very wasteful on Sunday, maybe on a dry day he would have scored 1-7.

His shot selection was poor in the 2nd half but his opening point settled them down and his goal killed Leitrim. Apart from that he showed for and won alot of hard ball out in front in the first half when it was still a contest. I thought he was even more effective than Kilbride in the general sense.

His shot selection may have been poor but everyone one of those shots were hit extremely clean, guarnteed pts if there was no wind imo, there even a 45 which he hit wide that went 15 yards past the goals. Unreal striker of the ball. And i thought he looked sharp and for a big man hes awful composed on the ball under pressure. Kilbride too.

Sligonian stop agreeing and +1ing me! Its startin to freak me out!
Reverse pychology?

No, youve simply started to talk some sense

Looks like us in Sligo have more confidence in Roscommon than the rossies do. Interesting that. I'll leave ye to it.

This is the championship no team is good enough to win.  I never saw such modesty.   What a tragedy Sligo are out.

Not all of us are modest. I ve always liked a team that could win as favourites, a team that cannot win regularly when they are expected to are not a good team. I ve never believed in this underdog mentality and underdog football. In fact I hate it and it has not done us any good down the years. Even when we had good teams we tried to attach an underdog tag every game, no matter who we were playing. When Johnno got the job the first thing he did was deflate expectations. Football euthanasia!
I dont expect that many of my county men share my sentiments however. And it appears that the Rossies prefer the blushing bride role as well. But we all know the Rossies really expect to win. They always do when they are half decent - and this team looks like they could be very decent indeed. When Ros had a great team they strutted like no other team in Connacht have done in my time - not even the Galways that won AI.

Anyway back to Mayo. I m not at all confident about this Summer. I ll put it this way. If we had the likes of Harte and McGar fit and management went with the selection and tactics I outlined earlier in the league campaign I would be c**k sure we would win Connacht. That is even after flatlining last year. Even if Galway had Army and Meehan. But their is too much uncertainty about us and fellas we needed to be fit wont be.

Fair play moysider. I just hope James & Co. aren't going to go by what is being posted here about them! f**k the 'beal bocht.'
They've enough problems to contend with without being told they are crap.  I also detest the 'underdog' tag syndrome; if Mayo don't go onto the field fully aware of their own abilities and determined to play up to them, we might as well throw the towel in. Even if we scrape a win against the herrin' chokers, we'd still have a potentially good Roscommon side to face.
Mind you, if the Rossies are going to listen to their supporters on this board, they might as well forget about this year as well. I do think the county posters here are deliberately downplaying their chances of the Connacht title and, for the sake of Connacht football, I hope they are. It's up to them to set the pace west of the Shannon and it's up to Galway/ Mayo to take them on and take the title on merit.
Obviously, I hope Mayo win out but if they don't, I'll wish whoever wins the very best.  Undue modesty has no place in Connacht football and we've had too much of that down the years.
Having gotten that off my chest, I'm a biteen concerned about Mayo's mental state right now. It seems far too much reliance is being put on the old timers on the panel. Trevor. Andy, Alan etc are being called upon to bear the brunt and that's a worry.
They are well used to disasters down the years and I don't know how they keep on plugging away year after year. I don't see any inspirational leader appearing from amongst the younger players. 
That's not to say that with a home game against the old enemy, they won't raise their game. They have the potential to do so and I expect they will.
But then again, I would say that, wouldn't I? 

[StoneWall]

[The whole thing smacks of a shambles and a story being made up as we are going along.

I have to agree Barney I have felt for the past few months that the management have been taking a very ad hoc approach and there is definitely an element of making it up as they go along. We've been leaking goals all during the league, challenge games and against London but nothing has been done to rectify this. The only area that is anyway settled is the forwards where we know that at least four starters i.e. Dillon, Moran, Doherty and Freeman. Lads being brought in, others being dropped (I see from the Mayo News that Cathal Hallinan is the latest to be let go). Geraghty, Mortimer and Ronaldson seem to have been brought in on the strength of Shrule/Glencorrib beating Ballintubber in a league game!

For what it's worth my starting team against Galway would be:

Clarke
Cunniffe
Cafferkey
Higgins
R Feeney
Vaughan
McLoughlin
McGarrity
Kilcullen
Moran
A O'Shea
Dillon
T Mortimer (Paul Galvin/Brian Dooher role)
Freeman
Doherty

The half back line would be my biggest worry. I selected Vaughan as I can't think of any one else besides Howley but he's not an option given past experiences. Both wing backs should be told to remain at home and defend.

[macdanger2]

Good to hear SOS might be back

Seriously lads do we really expect SOS to come into the team, grasp a game from midfield without a winter's training and only game time against Monaghan?

Finish the quote Barney...

Or hold him in reserve more likely.

Nobody is really suggesting that SOS will take on Galway on his own, let alone start, but he is a good addition so whats your problem?  

Ehhhhh, considering that I preceded that with "Good to hear SOS might be back - could play MF maybe", I'm not sure what problem you're talking about Abbeysider!!! I would def consider starting him if he's going well in training now that he's got a championship game under his belt to be honest.

It's hard to please some people - last year it was complaints that the panel was closed off, this year it's that there's too much changing of the panel!!! I think Horan is right to bring guys in and out based on form - good to see that he wasn't too stubborn to bring back in Ronaldo (who was out 7-8 weeks ago).

The game in London - which was fairly disgraceful - has put the pressure on Horan, any sort of a win against (a depleted and average) Galway would relieve it a little.

[Barney]

Quote from: Barney on Today at 08:54:59 AM
Quote
Good to hear SOS might be back
Seriously lads do we really expect SOS to come into the team, grasp a game from midfield without a winter's training and only game time against Monaghan?
Finish the quote Barney...

Quote from: macdanger2
Or hold him in reserve more likely.

Nobody is really suggesting that SOS will take on Galway on his own, let alone start, but he is a good addition so whats the problem? 


Quote from: Barney on Today at 08:54:59 AM
And we can really expect to go anywhere when the management do not have a clue of their team, their styloe of play,

Actually we are fairly close. The biggest problems were 3 and 6, with 3 being filled by Alan Feeney and I would be happy with Cafferkey or Trevor Mortimor at CB


Quote from: Barney on Today at 08:54:59 AM
and fitness allowing are likely to play Geraghty, Vaughan, and Trevor again all of whom have only a few weeks training and little or none county football this year?

Vaughan came back at the end of April in insane shape, beating guys that were there all winter fitness wise. Trevor has also showed the hunger, appetite, fitness and ability this year at club and when given a chance at county level and saved our asses in London.


Quote from: Barney on Today at 08:54:59 AM
The whole thing smacks of a shambles and a story being made up as we are going along. The only thing is that Galway may be in as big a mess - but then again they may not because they are going about their business very quietly.

I think some of your posts lately are a shambles. A couple of weeks ago your suggesting that without a Connacht title win that Horan will be made walk the plank (after 8 months in charge, picking up the pieces from last year) which is out of touch. Now you are describing things are made up as we go along?


Quote from: Barney on Today at 08:54:59 AM
Do we think we could heading for a record low attendance in recent memory for a Mayo/Galway game. 10,000ish could test it.

Who cares? Attendances are down at all the games, I have heard it referred to as a recession.


Quote from: Barney on Today at 08:54:59 AM
And another thing - are Mayo heading the way of Offaly hurlers when you see the issues arising now over a e2m debt. And yet the Mayo debt is multiples of that and I know which is the nicer venue after the money being spent.

Thats a bit off the topic

Did someone eat your fry this morning? 
Are you happy now all that is off your chest?

Abbeysider just to clear up a few points - maybe I was not as clear as I would liked to have been.

I am happy to a degree that the panel is open-ended but I do feel that to be at the top level of intercounty football your players need to be training at a high level all year round. Certainly when you compare the physique of the Mayo team and the Roscommon team it is clear who has been doing the hard work in the gym over the last few years. I just think that it is a bit worrying that 3/4 of the Mayo team will not have played any intercounty football all season bar the London game and will have to be up to pace against Galway. I would certainly hope that some kind of a team is coming together at this point but would have expected that there would have been a greater effort to settle problems such as our creaking back-line or freetaking etc. earlier in the year. Maybe there was and it failed I didn't see it.

Don't think for a minute that I am calling for James Horan's head. I strongly agree with moysider about the mess he inherited and it is going to take time to get it right. Some of the steps he has taken have not been convincing but it is the next 6 or 7 weeks when he will be judged. When I say that he may be walking if he does not deliver a Connacht title I don't mean that I think he should but those that appointed him may think differently. And this is where the debt comes into it in my opinion - a team that is not winning will not put bums on seats, and in turn all income that follows from that will not be available. Our esteemed Board will not be thinking of recessions.

While it is admirable that James did bring Ronnie back when needed it is also worrying that he made changes to his panel which saw Ronnie and Killer being dropped and then having to turn to two backs to come as forwards in London. He did not leave any support on the bench. I think he is hoping that being dropped will make or break especially Parsons and Killer for next year and that this is a 3 year plan he is working on but it was somewhat short-siighted.

I do think the debt is relevant. We have said it here before. It is going to dictate every aspect of Mayo GAA going forward. There was an exciting Strategic Review ignored and we are being left behind. Going back to this article in 2009 http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/eyojeykfoj/ it appears that e730,000 is required every year for the debt - for how long I don't know but a figure of e12 or e13 millions has been mentioned before as being owed. It is a massive problem - not caused by James Horan and his only role is football.

[AbbeySider]

I have to agree Barney I have felt for the past few months that the management have been taking a very ad hoc approach and there is definitely an element of making it up as they go along. We've been leaking goals all during the league, challenge games and against London but nothing has been done to rectify this. The only area that is anyway settled is the forwards where we know that at least four starters i.e. Dillon, Moran, Doherty and Freeman. Lads being brought in, others being dropped (I see from the Mayo News that Cathal Hallinan is the latest to be let go). Geraghty, Mortimer and Ronaldson seem to have been brought in on the strength of Shrule/Glencorrib beating Ballintubber in a league game!

Its hard to know, I would guess that a sweeper was tried to help out the fullback line (not midfield) as a tactic to prevent goals? One would hope so, but again the sweeper seemed to play around midfield which was a mistake, this point is probably well established at this stage.

I would agree with the latter part of that StoneWall. To put it bluntly IMO I dont think Geraghty or Ronaldson are tall enough and big enough for senior inter county football, simple as.

We saw Ronaldson being too easily pushed off the ball in the league against Kerry where he didnt get a sniff and we know it will happen again and again, regardless of what he is scoring at club level. I dont know what Geraghty has done to be there at the minute, and I dont know if he is a long term option but if Hallinan is not a better defender then himself, Keegan, Barrett and Eoin O Reilly, and at the least as good a defender as the Feeneys or Cunniffe then I dont know what to say. In fact, if Geraghty is out (hamstring) and Cefferkey is out (hamstring) or even playing centre back I dont think we that many natural corner backs to cover, where as if you look at a lot of the defenders you would count them as wing backs.

For what it's worth my starting team against Galway would be:

Clarke
Cunniffe
Cafferkey
Higgins
R Feeney
Vaughan
McLoughlin
McGarrity
Kilcullen
Moran
A O'Shea
Dillon
T Mortimer (Paul Galvin/Brian Dooher role)
Freeman
Doherty

The half back line would be my biggest worry. I selected Vaughan as I can't think of any one else besides Howley but he's not an option given past experiences. Both wing backs should be told to remain at home and defend.

I would tend to agree and be on the same lines as that StoneWall, except maybe I would be trying Trevor Mortimer at centre back as he is well used to the position at club level and it didnt go so well for Vaughan against London.

I dont like the idea of Howley, Mortimer or anyone else playing the Galvin/Dooher role as firstly Howley and Mortimer are no Galvin and Dooher and secondly, as we saw in Ruislip, what happens if a decent attacking player takes up our sweeper being given a roving role? The opposing team just gets another attacking player on top of our already under pressure defence.

We dont need a sweeper against Galway if Armstrong is out and Meehan is a doubt.
Also whoever is picking up Joyce should be told to go man-to-man on and off the ball and forget about anything else, the same with Meehan.

My team would be something like:

Rob Hennelly
Ger Cafferkey, Alan Feeney, Keith Higgins
Richie Feeney, Trevor Mortimer, Donal Vaughan
James Kilcullen, Ronan McGarity
Alan Dillon, Aidan O Shea, Andy Moran
Jason Doherty, Alan Freeman, Cillian O Connor

I would get McGloughlin in at some stage when other legs are getting tired but I dont know if he should start however, I would drop AOS to the middle, Dillon to CF and deploy McGloughlin to wing forward if McGarity not match fit.

Also Cunniffe for Cafferkey if he is not back from his hamstring injury, and Howley is always an option to come in for one of the forwards and sweep in front of the fullback line if Mayo are against the wind or something.

[Blowitupref]

if the Rossies are going to listen to their supporters on this board, they might as well forget about this year as well. I do think the county posters here are deliberately downplaying their chances of the Connacht title and, for the sake of Connacht football, I hope they are.

Fergal O'Donnell has the same talk To be fair, "we know we’ll be up against it. They (Galway and Mayo) are both Division One teams. We’re coming from Division Four. "At the same time we’ll be hoping to make it difficult for them.

"The important thing is that we’re competitive. Leitrim will be disappointed today that they weren’t competitive. That is the one thing that we’ll have to be careful of. The 2009 game (against Mayo) is still very fresh in my memory and I don’t want a repeat of that."

[IolarCoisCuain]

I'm a little surprised that so many people think Trevor is a starter at this stage in his career. Can someone please explain the reasoning?

[muppet]

I'm a little surprised that so many people think Trevor is a starter at this stage in his career. Can someone please explain the reasoning?

Whatever about his starting, picking him at CHB? He is not an experienced defender and is not a natural distributer of the ball. He is a good half forward and a competent full forward. But please lets not go down the road of trying to square a round peg.

Pick him as half forward if there is room or use him as impact sub. Sin é imho.

[AbbeySider]

I'm a little surprised that so many people think Trevor is a starter at this stage in his career. Can someone please explain the reasoning?

Whatever about his starting, picking him at CHB? He is not an experienced defender and is not a natural distributer of the ball. He is a good half forward and a competent full forward. But please lets not go down the road of trying to square a round peg.

Pick him as half forward if there is room or use him as impact sub. Sin é imho.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

But seriously, I think that he has more going for him as a defensive player than a forward. He certainly isnt afraid to put in the body for hits, stop guys in their tracks, tackle and work hard for dirty ball. I would rate his passing and penetrating runs far higher than his scoring ability; in which some of his shots and attempts can be extremely wild.

Also is he not playing centre back for Shrule a lot of the time?

[ross4life]

Do we think we could heading for a record low attendance in recent memory for a Mayo/Galway game. 10,000ish could test it.

Who cares? Attendances are down at all the games, I have heard it referred to as a recession.

================================================
Recession or not a Mayo v Galway game should attract 20,000+ sure our match at the weekend got close to 14,000.

I'm a little surprised that so many people think Trevor is a starter at this stage in his career. Can someone please explain the reasoning?

Sure he's only 30 around the same age as Karl Mannion making his experience vital to the team. I'd say he could do a good at CHB but wouldn't that mean he'll be marking PJ?

[AbbeySider]

Sure he's only 30 around the same age as Karl Mannion making his experience vital to the team. I'd say he could do a good at CHB but wouldn't that mean he'll be marking PJ?

Reckon PJ would start FF, and roam from there.

[rosnarun]

I'm a little surprised that so many people think Trevor is a starter at this stage in his career. Can someone please explain the reasoning?

Quiet simple really he is a tried and trusted intercounty player who has never let mayo down and its up to the newer recruits to take his place.  barring injury hes in his prime and has a whole lot to offer.

[Greenabovethered]

I'm a little surprised that so many people think Trevor is a starter at this stage in his career. Can someone please explain the reasoning?

Quiet simple really he is a tried and trusted intercounty player who has never let mayo down and its up to the newer recruits to take his place.  barring injury hes in his prime and has a whole lot to offer.

I agree that he could be perfect for that role. He never shirks physical confrontation, is experienced, his lack of footballing ability won' be exposed. There's many a centre half back in the country that can't kick snow of a rope. We really need a stopper in that position and he could be perfect.  One of our biggest problems over the past number of years is that our defender forget that their primary role is defend first attack second.

[galwayman]

It's a tough enough job predicting the Galway lineout. We have played a few challenges recently but I have no idea what teams lined out. Playing without 3 of our 4 best forwards (Armstrong, Meehan & Nicky Joyce) makes the task a bridge too far for us in my opinion.We just don't have enough scoring forwards in reserve to compensate.PJ and Cormac Bane are about the only consistent scorers left in the team now.I think they may go for a team along the lines of this.
Faherty
Burke
Hanley
Forde
Bradshaw
Duane
Sice
Bergin
O Curraoin
Conroy
Hehir
Bane
Concannon
Joyce
Cummins

If Hanley plays midfield, then Duane will probably be in the corner with Greg Higgins or Diarmaid Blake at number 6.
That forwardline would not exactly inspire confidence to be honest.

I really doubt either Galway or Mayo will do much this year. The winner of this game will probably lose the Connacht final in the Hyde