Row in Mayo LGFA

Started by Seany, July 11, 2018, 08:57:59 AM

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Jinxy

For the record, I actually have good time for Cora.
Always enjoyed her interviews (well, up until recently).
Heard her doing co-commentary on the radio for the mens Connacht final and thought she was very good.
That doesn't change the fact that I think she's in the wrong here.
We've probably all known plenty of lads who've thrown their toys out of the pram and walked away from teams down through the years.
The main difference here is the language that has been used and the associated implications.
Once everyone signed those non-disclosure agreements in mediation, that should have been the end of any discussion of the issue in the media by either side.
I understand Cora has a book coming out, but she should have told interviewers that she wasn't going to talk about the ongoing matter.
Instead, she poured petrol on a fire that may otherwise have been controlled and eventually extinguished.
If you were any use you'd be playing.

sid waddell

Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:01:21 PM
Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 10:08:55 AM
How many players were on the Mayo panel before the walkout?

How is any manager that loses so many of his panel doing a competent job?

Not even Holmes and Connelly had players walk out on them mid-championship.

Answer me this: do you think Leahy's management has been competent?

Like, examine what has happened.

Under a different manager the team reached the All-Ireland final the previous year. Under him 2018 was a total fiasco with players walking out en masse because of him.

How is that competent management?

In any other walk of life, there would be no debate - the manager would be sacked for that type of performance, and rightly so.

Yes, as far as I'm aware, all 26 were part of the original panel. Open to correction on that though.

I'm not here to defend Leahy as a manager although you can read back on the statement by the 26 players to get an idea of what their opinion was. The problem here is bigger than him and you seem to be completely missing that point. NO manager could have dropped those players without them kicking up a stink. That Leahy may have other failings as a manager is beside the point but players being dropped was the catalyst for this fallout.

Isn't it odd that these "player welfare" issues only surfaced when some players were being dropped? Not a single word about them to the players liaison officer previously.  ???
You clearly didn't listen to Sarah Tierney, who had been having issues with Leahy since January.

It's total hearsay and conjecture that the problems arose because players were dropped. It's pub talk.

Fault and blame here is unlikely to be black and white.

It's very possible the players have overstepped the mark as regards the language they used, and if that is the case, that would be wrong.

Equally, you cannot say that Leahy has done a good job in terms of management of those players. He has manifestly failed in that regard.

Again, equally, the Mayo board have acted in an utterly cack-handed manner, only pouring petrol on the flames of the dispute, seeking to punish and vilify those who walked away, and singling out players from one club in particular.

Ultimately though, nine of the 18 players who got Mayo to an All-Ireland final less than a year ago are more important to the future of Mayo women's football than a manager who, within six months of taking over, has alienated those players to such an extent that they walk away from the team.

Any future Mayo team needs those players available for selection, the same as Limerick needed the players who went on strike in 2010, when they went into 2011. You can't just banish all these players forever like some want.

And whatever happens, Leahy has to go, because Mayo can't tenably move forward under him.






sid waddell

Quote from: dublin7 on September 19, 2018, 03:06:16 PM
Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 02:55:57 PM
Quote from: dublin7 on September 19, 2018, 01:30:03 PM


It's like dealing with a goldfish.

You forget everything said/pointed out previously and keep on insisting manager must go as part of some personal vendetta. Either that or you choose to completely ignore it . You refuse to accept the behaviour of the Carnacon players was even remotely out of order and the manager is some kind of monster who should be banished from the county never to return. 

Players pressuring teammates to quit a panel clearly only acting in the best interests of Mayo football ::) ::)
What nonsense.

You've been repeating the same lie multiple times and are now claiming fantastical things about my view of Peter Leahy.

The simple reality is that when a manager loses 12 players including nine of the 18 players used in last year's All-Ireland final, from different clubs, and within six months of taking over, he has failed in his job, and should go.

Whatever. You clearly have no intention of addressing the behaviour of Cornacon players. It's not healthy to have such an irrational hatred of Peter Leahy though

I have no intention of replying to somebody who can't debate honestly.

dublin7

Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 03:27:02 PM
Quote from: dublin7 on September 19, 2018, 03:06:16 PM
Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 02:55:57 PM
Quote from: dublin7 on September 19, 2018, 01:30:03 PM


It's like dealing with a goldfish.

You forget everything said/pointed out previously and keep on insisting manager must go as part of some personal vendetta. Either that or you choose to completely ignore it . You refuse to accept the behaviour of the Carnacon players was even remotely out of order and the manager is some kind of monster who should be banished from the county never to return. 

Players pressuring teammates to quit a panel clearly only acting in the best interests of Mayo football ::) ::)
What nonsense.

You've been repeating the same lie multiple times and are now claiming fantastical things about my view of Peter Leahy.

The simple reality is that when a manager loses 12 players including nine of the 18 players used in last year's All-Ireland final, from different clubs, and within six months of taking over, he has failed in his job, and should go.

Whatever. You clearly have no intention of addressing the behaviour of Cornacon players. It's not healthy to have such an irrational hatred of Peter Leahy though

I have no intention of replying to somebody who can't debate honestly.

Again. See above

iorras

Quote from: Halfquarter on September 19, 2018, 02:50:21 PM
Quote from: iorras on September 19, 2018, 02:07:14 PM
write the name "sid wadell" down on a piece of paper

hold the paper up in front of you while looking in a mirror while listening to the three tenors and the name turns into "Cora Staunton"

I take it that you are not very fond of Cora, did she rattle a few goals past you at some stage ?
no issue with her, I'm just saying that sid waddell is CS in disguise. Try what I said and you'll see.

macdanger2

Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 03:24:47 PM
Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:01:21 PM
Yes, as far as I'm aware, all 26 were part of the original panel. Open to correction on that though.

I'm not here to defend Leahy as a manager although you can read back on the statement by the 26 players to get an idea of what their opinion was. The problem here is bigger than him and you seem to be completely missing that point. NO manager could have dropped those players without them kicking up a stink. That Leahy may have other failings as a manager is beside the point but players being dropped was the catalyst for this fallout.

Isn't it odd that these "player welfare" issues only surfaced when some players were being dropped? Not a single word about them to the players liaison officer previously.  ???
You clearly didn't listen to Sarah Tierney, who had been having issues with Leahy since January.

It's total hearsay and conjecture that the problems arose because players were dropped. It's pub talk.

Fault and blame here is unlikely to be black and white.

It's very possible the players have overstepped the mark as regards the language they used, and if that is the case, that would be wrong.

Equally, you cannot say that Leahy has done a good job in terms of management of those players. He has manifestly failed in that regard.

Again, equally, the Mayo board have acted in an utterly cack-handed manner, only pouring petrol on the flames of the dispute, seeking to punish and vilify those who walked away, and singling out players from one club in particular.

Ultimately though, nine of the 18 players who got Mayo to an All-Ireland final less than a year ago are more important to the future of Mayo women's football than a manager who, within six months of taking over, has alienated those players to such an extent that they walk away from the team.

Any future Mayo team needs those players available for selection, the same as Limerick needed the players who went on strike in 2010, when they went into 2011. You can't just banish all these players forever like some want.

And whatever happens, Leahy has to go, because Mayo can't tenably move forward under him.

And she mentioned these concerns to whom before players were being dropped off the starting 15? What do you think precipitated the walk out if not players being dropped? Rather than raise their concerns, these players decided to abandon the team and probably hoped everyone would follow. When it didn't happen, they started throwing around some very dangerous language

Whoever the manager after Leahy is (be it next year or after), he/she needs to have free reign in who he selects/drops. If he has that basic element of control as manager after this debacle, then Leahy will have done Mayo football a good service

I think it's a pity that Cora's legacy will be tarnished by this incident, her performances were a source of pride for Mayo football over the past 20 years

trueblue1234

Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 03:24:47 PM
Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:01:21 PM
Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 10:08:55 AM
How many players were on the Mayo panel before the walkout?

How is any manager that loses so many of his panel doing a competent job?

Not even Holmes and Connelly had players walk out on them mid-championship.

Answer me this: do you think Leahy's management has been competent?

Like, examine what has happened.

Under a different manager the team reached the All-Ireland final the previous year. Under him 2018 was a total fiasco with players walking out en masse because of him.

How is that competent management?

In any other walk of life, there would be no debate - the manager would be sacked for that type of performance, and rightly so.

Yes, as far as I'm aware, all 26 were part of the original panel. Open to correction on that though.

I'm not here to defend Leahy as a manager although you can read back on the statement by the 26 players to get an idea of what their opinion was. The problem here is bigger than him and you seem to be completely missing that point. NO manager could have dropped those players without them kicking up a stink. That Leahy may have other failings as a manager is beside the point but players being dropped was the catalyst for this fallout.

Isn't it odd that these "player welfare" issues only surfaced when some players were being dropped? Not a single word about them to the players liaison officer previously.  ???
You clearly didn't listen to Sarah Tierney, who had been having issues with Leahy since January.

It's total hearsay and conjecture that the problems arose because players were dropped. It's pub talk.

Fault and blame here is unlikely to be black and white.

It's very possible the players have overstepped the mark as regards the language they used, and if that is the case, that would be wrong.

Equally, you cannot say that Leahy has done a good job in terms of management of those players. He has manifestly failed in that regard.

Again, equally, the Mayo board have acted in an utterly cack-handed manner, only pouring petrol on the flames of the dispute, seeking to punish and vilify those who walked away, and singling out players from one club in particular.

Ultimately though, nine of the 18 players who got Mayo to an All-Ireland final less than a year ago are more important to the future of Mayo women's football than a manager who, within six months of taking over, has alienated those players to such an extent that they walk away from the team.

Any future Mayo team needs those players available for selection, the same as Limerick needed the players who went on strike in 2010, when they went into 2011. You can't just banish all these players forever like some want.

And whatever happens, Leahy has to go, because Mayo can't tenably move forward under him.
Did Sarah voice these concerns to the Player Liaison officer? Or was it after the walk out?  Also who was causing the issues.

But with regards to the bit in bold, no one is that important that the management have to bend over backwards to try and keep onside. There's plenty of players who think they are irreplaceable when in reality they're not. If a player/players become a disruptive influence in the squad then the Mayo team is better off with them not being involved. There is no way you can advocate caving in to player power as the best course of action just to keep the best players on the squad. So it's really a question of who alienated who? Maybe PL was a bad manager and his communication was the cause of the friction, or maybe the Carnacon girls believed they controlled the power and spat the dummy out when a manager refused to back down.  I honestly don't know.
PL might have been a terrible manager, but he might also just have been a strong manager and handled it as best as he could without giving in.
Grammar: the difference between knowing your shit

macdanger2

Quote from: trueblue1234 on September 19, 2018, 03:51:50 PM
Did Sarah voice these concerns to the Player Liaison officer? Or was it after the walk out?  Also who was causing the issues.

But with regards to the bit in bold, no one is that important that the management have to bend over backwards to try and keep onside. There's plenty of players who think they are irreplaceable when in reality they're not. If a player/players become a disruptive influence in the squad then the Mayo team is better off with them not being involved. There is no way you can advocate caving in to player power as the best course of action just to keep the best players on the squad. So it's really a question of who alienated who? Maybe PL was a bad manager and his communication was the cause of the friction, or maybe the Carnacon girls believed they controlled the power and spat the dummy out when a manager refused to back down.  I honestly don't know.
PL might have been a terrible manager, but he might also just have been a strong manager and handled it as best as he could without giving in.

That pretty much sums up my position on it. The reason I'd side more with PL is that he retained the support of 26 panel members and 8/12 who walked were from the one club

GalwayBayBoy

Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:57:05 PM
Quote from: trueblue1234 on September 19, 2018, 03:51:50 PM
Did Sarah voice these concerns to the Player Liaison officer? Or was it after the walk out?  Also who was causing the issues.

But with regards to the bit in bold, no one is that important that the management have to bend over backwards to try and keep onside. There's plenty of players who think they are irreplaceable when in reality they're not. If a player/players become a disruptive influence in the squad then the Mayo team is better off with them not being involved. There is no way you can advocate caving in to player power as the best course of action just to keep the best players on the squad. So it's really a question of who alienated who? Maybe PL was a bad manager and his communication was the cause of the friction, or maybe the Carnacon girls believed they controlled the power and spat the dummy out when a manager refused to back down.  I honestly don't know.
PL might have been a terrible manager, but he might also just have been a strong manager and handled it as best as he could without giving in.

That pretty much sums up my position on it. The reason I'd side more with PL is that he retained the support of 26 panel members and 8/12 who walked were from the one club

And my strong hunch is that most of the other Carnacon girls probably have no issue with Leahy at all but have been dragged along by one or two of the other senior girls who do.

JoG2

#444
Quote from: GalwayBayBoy on September 19, 2018, 04:15:03 PM
Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:57:05 PM
Quote from: trueblue1234 on September 19, 2018, 03:51:50 PM
Did Sarah voice these concerns to the Player Liaison officer? Or was it after the walk out?  Also who was causing the issues.

But with regards to the bit in bold, no one is that important that the management have to bend over backwards to try and keep onside. There's plenty of players who think they are irreplaceable when in reality they're not. If a player/players become a disruptive influence in the squad then the Mayo team is better off with them not being involved. There is no way you can advocate caving in to player power as the best course of action just to keep the best players on the squad. So it's really a question of who alienated who? Maybe PL was a bad manager and his communication was the cause of the friction, or maybe the Carnacon girls believed they controlled the power and spat the dummy out when a manager refused to back down.  I honestly don't know.
PL might have been a terrible manager, but he might also just have been a strong manager and handled it as best as he could without giving in.

That pretty much sums up my position on it. The reason I'd side more with PL is that he retained the support of 26 panel members and 8/12 who walked were from the one club

And my strong hunch is that most of the other Carnacon girls probably have no issue with Leahy at all but have been dragged along by one or two of the other senior girls who do.

how many Carnacon players walked and how many were withdrawn by their club (via the phonecall from the Carnacon secretary)?

And again, maybe no-one here knows, but the first pic in the article below, how many of the players are NOT Carnacon? I know the 2 members of the management in the pic are Carnacon

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0918/994464-mayo-ladies-walkout/

macdanger2

Quote from: JoG2 on September 19, 2018, 04:38:49 PM
Quote from: GalwayBayBoy on September 19, 2018, 04:15:03 PM
Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:57:05 PM
Quote from: trueblue1234 on September 19, 2018, 03:51:50 PM
Did Sarah voice these concerns to the Player Liaison officer? Or was it after the walk out?  Also who was causing the issues.

But with regards to the bit in bold, no one is that important that the management have to bend over backwards to try and keep onside. There's plenty of players who think they are irreplaceable when in reality they're not. If a player/players become a disruptive influence in the squad then the Mayo team is better off with them not being involved. There is no way you can advocate caving in to player power as the best course of action just to keep the best players on the squad. So it's really a question of who alienated who? Maybe PL was a bad manager and his communication was the cause of the friction, or maybe the Carnacon girls believed they controlled the power and spat the dummy out when a manager refused to back down.  I honestly don't know.
PL might have been a terrible manager, but he might also just have been a strong manager and handled it as best as he could without giving in.

That pretty much sums up my position on it. The reason I'd side more with PL is that he retained the support of 26 panel members and 8/12 who walked were from the one club

And my strong hunch is that most of the other Carnacon girls probably have no issue with Leahy at all but have been dragged along by one or two of the other senior girls who do.

how many Carnacon players walked and how many were withdrawn by their club (via the phonecall from the Carnacon secretary)?

And again, maybe no-one here knows, but the first pic in the article below, how many of the players are NOT Carnacon? I know the 2 members of the management in the pic are Carnacon

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0918/994464-mayo-ladies-walkout/

Four non-Carnacon AFAIK but I wouldn't be 100% on that

priceyreilly

Quote from: dublin7 on September 19, 2018, 07:45:37 AM
That's as clear as mud. You've brought in the dubs/feminism into an internal row which makes no sense. Sure why not go for that trick and make it a civil rights issue. What other issues do you thing you link into this row?

I didn't bring in feminism or the Dubs!  ;D

Halfquarter

Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:45:37 PM
Quote from: sid waddell on September 19, 2018, 03:24:47 PM
Quote from: macdanger2 on September 19, 2018, 03:01:21 PM
Yes, as far as I'm aware, all 26 were part of the original panel. Open to correction on that though.

I'm not here to defend Leahy as a manager although you can read back on the statement by the 26 players to get an idea of what their opinion was. The problem here is bigger than him and you seem to be completely missing that point. NO manager could have dropped those players without them kicking up a stink. That Leahy may have other failings as a manager is beside the point but players being dropped was the catalyst for this fallout.

Isn't it odd that these "player welfare" issues only surfaced when some players were being dropped? Not a single word about them to the players liaison officer previously.  ???
You clearly didn't listen to Sarah Tierney, who had been having issues with Leahy since January.

It's total hearsay and conjecture that the problems arose because players were dropped. It's pub talk.

Fault and blame here is unlikely to be black and white.

It's very possible the players have overstepped the mark as regards the language they used, and if that is the case, that would be wrong.

Equally, you cannot say that Leahy has done a good job in terms of management of those players. He has manifestly failed in that regard.

Again, equally, the Mayo board have acted in an utterly cack-handed manner, only pouring petrol on the flames of the dispute, seeking to punish and vilify those who walked away, and singling out players from one club in particular.

Ultimately though, nine of the 18 players who got Mayo to an All-Ireland final less than a year ago are more important to the future of Mayo women's football than a manager who, within six months of taking over, has alienated those players to such an extent that they walk away from the team.

Any future Mayo team needs those players available for selection, the same as Limerick needed the players who went on strike in 2010, when they went into 2011. You can't just banish all these players forever like some want.

And whatever happens, Leahy has to go, because Mayo can't tenably move forward under him.

And she mentioned these concerns to whom before players were being dropped off the starting 15? What do you think precipitated the walk out if not players being dropped? Rather than raise their concerns, these players decided to abandon the team and probably hoped everyone would follow. When it didn't happen, they started throwing around some very dangerous language

Whoever the manager after Leahy is (be it next year or after), he/she needs to have free reign in who he selects/drops. If he has that basic element of control as manager after this debacle, then Leahy will have done Mayo football a good service

I think it's a pity that Cora's legacy will be tarnished by this incident, her performances were a source of pride for Mayo football over the past 20 years

I don't think that it will,she has been accused of a lot of stuff on here,but it turned out to be a lot of hot air.
If she had refused to answer any questions on OTB , she would be totally in the clear.

GalwayBayBoy


PETER LEAHY HAS called for an end to the Mayo Ladies football controversy and has asked for the public to "lay off comments" towards the players on both sides of the row.

In what he says will be his final comment on the matter, the Mayo boss said the issues highlighted by the departed 14 at a press conference on Monday night are "management-player" issues rather than "player welfare issues".

"It's not healthy for anyone to be going over and back when there clearly is a divide on these opinions or interpretations," Leahy said.

Hearing words like 'unsafe' used to describe his management set-up has caused "pain and suffering" for his wife and three children, he added.

Asking for the public comments from both sides to stop, he confirmed his intention to remain in charge for 2019 and said that the door is not closed on those who have left the panel to return to the Mayo squad in the future.

"It must come to an end now, as far as the 'he-said-she-said' statements and interviews are concerned anyway," Leahy said in an email to The42.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is over. All sides have had their say and all that is happening now is we're giving the public the right to make insulting comments on social media which are hurting a lot of people. It's even going as far as affecting people's mental health, it appears, so I'm asking for people to lay off comments to players.

"The only reason I made a comment in the first place was to clarify the wording of 'unsafe' or 'unhealthy' which has different connotations to 'player welfare'.

"Player welfare is a very open statement and can mean so many things. For example, the players who left have given reasons and examples of player welfare that the players who stayed, management, and county board think are not player welfare issues but management-player issues."

Former captain Sarah Tierney was critical of Leahy's management style and while he did not comment on the specific incidents which Tierney put forward on Monday, he accepted his methods may not suit everyone.

"Players should never get public criticism from management and I would never hit back at any of the comments the players make publicly, no matter how much I think they are wrong or exaggerated.

"As a manager, we expect criticism, we expect people to disagree with our methods or how we do things," he continued. "We expect everyone to have their slant on things and even embellish the negatives and brush over the positives of your management style.

"That is what we sign up for from the start. As a manager, you know you are not there for pats on the back and you know you've got to take a few kicks up the backside. From not picking the right team, to decisions on the day of a match or training methods, rarely will you get 40 people on a panel to agree with you or even like your style or methods.

"As for the viewing public, they are always ready to jump on a manager at any stage. This is what management is about, but it's also about so much more. It's about loving what you do, seeing the sense of achievement on players' faces after a super training session or game or knowing you have helped make someone a better player or achieve something they always wanted to achieve in their sporting careers.

"Yeah, we have hard decisions and we sometimes get them wrong, but once you can stand over your decisions and correct the ones you make mistakes with, then you're learning, getting better and progressing all the time."

Leahy admitted his family had been affected by the speculation surrounding the saga and confirmed he plans to remain in charge for 2019.

"As far as the players who have left the panel, I hold no grudges personally and I never asked anyone to leave the panel in the first place. I would be delighted to sit down with anyone who wanted to play for Mayo and discuss with an open and transparent view of them wanting to play for Mayo.

"This is about playing football and anyone wanting to play football for Mayo. I'm the appointed manager and they are welcome to come and play football under my management.

"The county board, the players and the general public have given me great support, but I mostly want to thank my wife and my three children who have gone through so much pain and suffering because of the speculation caused by words like 'unsafe' and 'sensitive nature'.

"As far as the Mayo team are concerned, we won't be making any more comments on the matter. We are looking forward to 2019 and at the moment we are recruiting and adding to our squad."

Halfquarter

Quote from: GalwayBayBoy on September 19, 2018, 06:59:44 PM

PETER LEAHY HAS called for an end to the Mayo Ladies football controversy and has asked for the public to "lay off comments" towards the players on both sides of the row.

In what he says will be his final comment on the matter, the Mayo boss said the issues highlighted by the departed 14 at a press conference on Monday night are "management-player" issues rather than "player welfare issues".

"It's not healthy for anyone to be going over and back when there clearly is a divide on these opinions or interpretations," Leahy said.

Hearing words like 'unsafe' used to describe his management set-up has caused "pain and suffering" for his wife and three children, he added.

Asking for the public comments from both sides to stop, he confirmed his intention to remain in charge for 2019 and said that the door is not closed on those who have left the panel to return to the Mayo squad in the future.

"It must come to an end now, as far as the 'he-said-she-said' statements and interviews are concerned anyway," Leahy said in an email to The42.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is over. All sides have had their say and all that is happening now is we're giving the public the right to make insulting comments on social media which are hurting a lot of people. It's even going as far as affecting people's mental health, it appears, so I'm asking for people to lay off comments to players.

"The only reason I made a comment in the first place was to clarify the wording of 'unsafe' or 'unhealthy' which has different connotations to 'player welfare'.

"Player welfare is a very open statement and can mean so many things. For example, the players who left have given reasons and examples of player welfare that the players who stayed, management, and county board think are not player welfare issues but management-player issues."

Former captain Sarah Tierney was critical of Leahy's management style and while he did not comment on the specific incidents which Tierney put forward on Monday, he accepted his methods may not suit everyone.

"Players should never get public criticism from management and I would never hit back at any of the comments the players make publicly, no matter how much I think they are wrong or exaggerated.

"As a manager, we expect criticism, we expect people to disagree with our methods or how we do things," he continued. "We expect everyone to have their slant on things and even embellish the negatives and brush over the positives of your management style.

"That is what we sign up for from the start. As a manager, you know you are not there for pats on the back and you know you've got to take a few kicks up the backside. From not picking the right team, to decisions on the day of a match or training methods, rarely will you get 40 people on a panel to agree with you or even like your style or methods.

"As for the viewing public, they are always ready to jump on a manager at any stage. This is what management is about, but it's also about so much more. It's about loving what you do, seeing the sense of achievement on players' faces after a super training session or game or knowing you have helped make someone a better player or achieve something they always wanted to achieve in their sporting careers.

"Yeah, we have hard decisions and we sometimes get them wrong, but once you can stand over your decisions and correct the ones you make mistakes with, then you're learning, getting better and progressing all the time."

Leahy admitted his family had been affected by the speculation surrounding the saga and confirmed he plans to remain in charge for 2019.

"As far as the players who have left the panel, I hold no grudges personally and I never asked anyone to leave the panel in the first place. I would be delighted to sit down with anyone who wanted to play for Mayo and discuss with an open and transparent view of them wanting to play for Mayo.

"This is about playing football and anyone wanting to play football for Mayo. I'm the appointed manager and they are welcome to come and play football under my management.

"The county board, the players and the general public have given me great support, but I mostly want to thank my wife and my three children who have gone through so much pain and suffering because of the speculation caused by words like 'unsafe' and 'sensitive nature'.

"As far as the Mayo team are concerned, we won't be making any more comments on the matter. We are looking forward to 2019 and at the moment we are recruiting and adding to our squad."

Sounds like my wife , always wants to have the last word !