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I really don't know what to say being a Galway supporter these days. There is so much wrong it's hard to know where to start. Our management team need to understand that football has changed and is no longer a man on man 6 backs vs 6 forwards open game any more. We need to have some sort of organised defence. At the moment we are too open, teams run through us too easily, our tacklng is lazy and naive. Also we don't seem to be as fit as other teams, we tire more easily. It's one thing not being as physically strong as other teams, it's another not being as fit as other teams.

I think a previous poster made a good point, if we had James Horan as manager things would be different. I think Mulholland is another manager like Brian Kerr, can manage youngsters but out of his depth at senior level. I don't mean any disrespect as he has given his time and effort to better Galway football but we need more at senior level. We need greater organization, fitness and motivation.

I don't think the players can be absolved of blame here. There is such a lack of leadership on the pitch. Only Conroy seems to be taking a leadership role. Some posters are expecting a kick from Galway this weekend. Some of us have been waiting for this kick for 5-6 years. I'm not holding my breath. If Armagh are not complacent and go about things in the right way they should easily, it may not show on the scoreboard but will be visible for everyone there.

Can someone explain to me what structures we have in the county? We seem to be able to create a decent minor or U-21 team once every five or six years and praying they will all make it like what happened in 94/95. We are waiting for a miracle again! Are there any development squads/academies to try to bridge the gap between under-age and senior football?

Leadership at all levels is an issue, on the pitch there are no leaders anymore. We used to have Joyce, Donellan, Walsh, Fahy, Finnegan to took on leadership roles at different stages during the years, now when the tide is out we have no one capable of giving any leadership on the field at all. Some of the senior players like Bergin and Hanley need to be doing more!

We are so naive too, most counties are applying defensive tactics now and our traditional play is not working against this at present. Even kerry had cut their cloth accordingly. We are so open a the back sometimes and our backs are constantly exposed, I'm sure there is some middle ground between the Donegal type of play and the traditional type of play we have, we had to adjust accordingly.

And in terms of attitude if the footballers showed half as much as the hurlers did, we'd still be in the championship. I wouldn't like to see Mulholland go but I was hoping to see some progress this summer, its going to be a long winter for us

Wow 3 Corofin ladds dropped, is that some sort of record?

Looking forward to the game. I think Galway are on a bit of an up, we got momentum through the league and a good win last time out. I would expect Sligo to but someone in front of full-forward line to stop the long ball in to Conroy, I hope we can have a plan B to work the ball up the field and take some long range score.

I will be interested to see how our midfield get on, I didn't expect Bergin to dominate against Roscommon and we will see if he can do this in a harder game, I hope Higgins can step up further also. Also if Kelly comes on we will see if our young corner backs can handle the smaller quicker forward, it will be a different challenge to Shine and Kilbride.

I think as long as we can break even at midfield I feel we are on an upward curve and hopefully get the right result. For the first time in a while we look to have strength on the bench with Joyce, Meehan, Fahy and O'Curraoin(?) so they could help us get over the line in the end.

111 -Donegal cost me

Alan Mulholland has been appointed as the new Galway football manager.

The Salthill/Knocknacarra club man led the Tribesmen to the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship title in 2007 and the under-21 crown last season.

Mulholland becomes Galway's fourth manager in as many years. He has been given a three-year contract to initially prove himself in the role.

If Mulholland lasts that three-year term, he will be breaking with the recent norm for Galway managers. The last two Galway supremos, Joe Kernan and Tomas O Flatharta, were both let go after one term. While Liam Sammon managed two seasons in charge of the Tribesmen before being shown the door.

Tuam Stars manager Alan Flynn and Donal Ó Flatharta from Spiddal will assist Mulholland. Both were assistants to Mulholland on the Galway U21 selecting panel last season.

Best candidate for the job, hope he gets the time to build a team.

Well I'm glad that we've decided to put our best players in their best positions. It seems strange that it took a really bad loss to do that. No one expects them to win so I hope they go out with a nothing to lose mentality and really go for it. The last time no-one gave the U-21s a chance against Cork and we know what happened then. Hopefully they will put in a performance and maybe we can take something from their year and build from there.

Heard that, it was too independent and probably had too many good ideas!

Something is needed in Galway though, we can't keping hoping for a golden generation to appear to save us, we need to keep bringing through talent to the senior team.

Maybe we were over-reliant on the schools system, the youngsters of '98 - '01 came through a strong school systems of St. Jarlaths, St. Pats and St. Marys. They haven't been nearly as strong since then.

Considering how we were beat for nearly every breaking ball the last day, I wouldn't say they will fare too well with it.

From the management perspective, to quote Roy Keane, I think we are not looking for perfection but progress. Pat Spillane doesnn't get a lot right but there is some merit in what he said about getting Alan Mulholland in and giving him a few years to rebuild. He has a knowledge of the young talent in the county, and may be able to rebuild from the ground up.

Also what Spillane said about a root and branch review of the structures in Galway football would be good, you'd prefer to do it from a position of strength when we were competitive but it is necessary to ensure we have talent coming through i the future.

You can have O'Flahartha if ye want him!

Agree with most of that, maybe Forde in the corner can mark Cian Ward the next day. To be honest Blake is another of the disappointments in this current crop. I can't remember a championship game where I left and said didn't Blake do well! Lets start by putting our best players in their best positions and going from there, it can't be that hard.

God help us, it's worse than we thought!! Apart from Michael Meehan I'll exempt some of the u-21s too but it's hardly strength in depth and considering what went on on Sunday, if the main stays can't push for a start the next day, they really should consider the future!

Surely Armstrong is another one of these players who hasn't done it and won't do it at this stage. We can't put this down to best we have at the moment, we have to build for the future starting now. I would try and start a good few u-21s, they don't have this fear of failure associated with the seniors and have a winning mentality. They were told they would be destroyed by Cork in the u-21 semi and went out and beat them. I would try Hanley at centre back. I thought Forde did reasonably well at full back the last day and thought himself and Duane came out with credit. Maybe moving Bergin to the half forward line might free him up a bit, he's no good as the main man at midfield, he might express himself at half forward.
And we have to play with a few extra backs, leaving Alan Burke alone on Cian Ward is a recipe for disaster. He might even beat his 4 goals at the weekend!

Unless there is the most almighty backlash, we will get our asses handed to us next week. And we don't do backlashes. We're like the hurlers, when our backs at to the wall, we keep them there and capitulate too easily. Who many games in recent years did we lose by 1 point? And the cancer has run so deep now that I would take a 1 point loss right now because I am genuinely afraid we will be humiliated the next day. An average Mayo team (or a Mayo team playing averagely) beat us by 6 points and it could have been 16 points!
London will be in the championship longer than us, we are amongst the also-rans at this stage.

What I would like to see next week is as follows:
Firstly some pride in the jersey.
We haven't played at an intensity necessary for championship wins since we played Meath in 2001. That day we hurried and harrassed Meath and didn't give them a break. Like the hurlers there is a look for excuses and no savage will to win with this current team. That would be a start.
After that an emphasis on youth.
We know that most of the current crop are not up to it, lets give youth its fling and see what happens. Some people might say that it might backfire and we could been overrun and out muscled but that's happening anyway with this current shower! Also there is nothing left to lose, nobody expects them to win so they might have a right cut at it and maybe at least at the end of the match there may be some light and the end of the tunnel!
Finally some common sense in terms of team selection.
Pick backs in the defence and forwards in the attack. It's not rocket science. Our defence is not good enough to mark man to man, 6 on 6 we should employ at least two forwards as auxiliary backs with a licence to attack. We need players with the work rate of Paul Galvin, Dooher and Cathal Cregg.
Surely someones like Boyle and Tomas Fahy should start the next day. Breath new blood and life into the team.
Maybe they'll come good like '98 and the good days will come back
Right now I'd settle for competitiveness and a bit of pride!

Well I guess I'll take the postmortem from a Galway point of view. I'm not sure if there is no recession in Mayo or if people are gluttons for punishment but I would be asking for my money back if I paid to see that dross. I am not sure if they were playing the same game as Dublin, Kildare, Donegal and Tyrone. To be honest I am not sure if they haven't forgotten how to play the game, always fouling the player picking the ball up, kicking the ball to the opposition, basic basic things.
Tactics were crazy too, we wouldn't let the ball into the full forward line in the first half when we had the wind and the full back line in trouble. Then in the second half when the Mayo backs tidied up we kicked the ball in long when it wasn't working
We have forgotten how to tackle and defend, every time giving the foul away. If Mayo had a modern day Maurice Sheridan we would have been destoyed.
I am not sure if we have the where with all to make some use of the qualifiers and build for the future. I just hope the end is painless and we can be put of our misery gently!!