The biggest c**k up in Mayo Football ?

[mayo 4 eva]

Dont know if this belongs to the club thread......... Just wonderin what all the Mayo posters think about this: Could it be, that the biggest c**k up in Mayo football of recent times was not using the obvious talents of Kevin O Neill to greater affect for the county team? Sorry if this has appeared b4!! Im only new round here!!

[Farrandeelin]

Apparently he wasn't needed in 1996.

[Barney]

He certainly made John Maughan miserable this weekend.

Yet another lost star for Mayo. A great servant of club and county nonetheless.

[heffo]

He certainly made John Maughan miserable this weekend.

Yet another lost star for Mayo. A great servant of club and county nonetheless.

I met him in NY about three years ago and he was a absolute gentleman - sound guy and great player.

[mayo 4 eva]

Apparently he wasn't needed in 1996.

Would be interested to know more about this, were there behind the scenes factors involved or what was the story? Was only a wee lad back then.
Also looking forward to the future, what do people think needs to be done so to try and minimise the chances of this happening again, and are there any players who currently seem to be heading down the same road in yer opinions?

[INDIANA]

He certainly made John Maughan miserable this weekend.

Yet another lost star for Mayo. A great servant of club and county nonetheless.

I met him in NY about three years ago and he was a absolute gentleman - sound guy and great player.

Would echo that- a sound bloke.

[Farrandeelin]

Apparently he wasn't needed in 1996.

Would be interested to know more about this, were there behind the scenes factors involved or what was the story? Was only a wee lad back then.
Also looking forward to the future, what do people think needs to be done so to try and minimise the chances of this happening again, and are there any players who currently seem to be heading down the same road in yer opinions?

I was only 9 years old too in 1996, but I'm sure most Mayo posters will agree with me that John Casey and David Nestor who got plenty of game time in the late 90s were not as good as O'Neill ever. I also remember Maughan on about something that he'd never pick Knockmore players again after they refused to let players play in a league game a week or two before they were due to play Éire Óg. Mayo4Sam will know more about this as he's older than I am.

[Lar Naparka]

Apparently he wasn't needed in 1996.

Would be interested to know more about this, were there behind the scenes factors involved or what was the story? Was only a wee lad back then.
Also looking forward to the future, what do people think needs to be done so to try and minimise the chances of this happening again, and are there any players who currently seem to be heading down the same road in yer opinions?

I was only 9 years old too in 1996, but I'm sure most Mayo posters will agree with me that John Casey and David Nestor who got plenty of game time in the late 90s were not as good as O'Neill ever. I also remember Maughan on about something that he'd never pick Knockmore players again after they refused to let players play in a league game a week or two before they were due to play Éire Óg. Mayo4Sam will know more about this as he's older than I am.

I remember the time well.(I think!)
Knockmore qwere going well in the club championships and the manager was unwilling to release any of his players,

O'Neill included, for county duty. I think Knockmore had an All-Ireland semi coming up and Maughan's next was a

mickey mouse league game; it might even have been a challenge.
The Mayo side were not in very impressive form at this time and there was definitely no sense of urgency about this

game, whereass Knockmore had been bedevilled by injuries in the lead up to their semi and the manager was under

pressure to get his strongest side together. Kevin was just coming back to form  after a long lay off due to

injury. far as I can recall, he had suffered a serious leg break and was just returning to top form.
Now, the thing to keep in mind is that there was a history of bad blood between Maughan and the Knockmore manager

for some time previous to this.
It certainly was common knowledge in Mayo football circles and I think it was something to do with Knockmore/

Crossmolina rivalry. Peter Butler had been getting a raw deal from Maughan and the Knockmore manager had criticised

Maughan for this. Maughan had let it be known that he expected all players he wanted to be prepared for county duty

and wouldn't accept any excuses if they didn't.
Kevin O'Neill took the unusual step of making a statement to say that it was up to managers to sort out conflicting

calls between them and that it was most unfair to ask any player to make such a decision. Kevin did not refer to

any club or individual when he was reported saying this by the Sunday Independant but everyone know who and what he

was referring to.
The rest is history. Maughan never gave him a fair chance again and he certainly dug up some tulips to play for the

county while O'Neill was either ignored or kept on the sub's bench. Earlier this year Maughan said that if

O'Neill's form had warranted it, he would have played him without bother. He is entitled to his opinion but the

facts suggest otherwise.
O'Neill was in brilliant form for his club throughout his enforced exile from the county scene and it caused a

great deal of controversy when he was omitted from the panel for the replay in the final of '96. Tom Reilly who got

the nod before him was probably a decent chap and can't be held responsible for Kevin not getting a place but

Reilly was not a serious intercounty footballer. IMO, he wasn't within an ass's roar of the standard required for a

place on any All Ireland squad.
For that game, I think the common consenus was that we had the equal, if not the beating, of Meath everywhere

except in the full forward line. Finnerty and Casey were good at fancy touches but never had the bottle for the

hard graft and Dempsey was only a shadow of the player he was in the early 90s. He also had suffered a a serious

leg break and never recovered his old form. You could add Maurice Sheridan in here as well. he was a skilful

player, like Casey, who could pop the ball up into his hands without stooping down but could do little else with

it. I never recall him fielding an overhead ball or harrying an opponent. He was probably the best freetaker I have

seen but he was never an all rounder.
Given all the above, it is hard to see why Maughan didn't play O'Neill who was the leading scorer in the club

championships that season, if my memory serves me right.

[stephenite]

Probably about right if my recollection serves me as well as yours.

John Maughan took the line that he was County manager and everything that happened within the county that involved county players, needed to go through him.

[macdanger2]

I think it may have been another "lost" Knockmore man that was top scorer in the county championship in '96 - Padraig Brogan.

Maybe i'm biased as a knockmore man myself but today, i would still expect howley/Kilcoyne to choose a serious club game over a poxy intercounty league game any day of the week....i presume it's the same for all clubs?

Terrble shame that O'Neill was never utilised by Maughan, things could have been very different indeed......In a team that had the best midfield and backs at the time but poor enough in the forwards, it was criminal to leave a quality player like O'Neill off......

[stephenite]

Of course it's the same for all clubs - I think the prestige attached to the club championship has increased even more from the 1990's. I cannot think of any county manager nowadays that would attempt to impose any sort of ruling on a club that was still involved. Even Maughan himself would've learned from it, he never had issue with any of the Ballina lads not showing up for county duties in his later incarnations.

[cornafean]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Jack O'Shea, not Maughan, was the Mayo manager in early 1993 when Knockmore played Eire Og in the All Ireland Club Final.

[Farrandeelin]

You are indeed correct, but this was in 1997!

[stephenite]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Jack O'Shea, not Maughan, was the Mayo manager in early 1993 when Knockmore played Eire Og in the All Ireland Club Final.

I think that was the semi final when Knockmore played Eire Og - Deccie Sweeney was a 16 year old in centrefield, out in Knockmore. It was 96-97 when they got to a final against Crossmaglen

[GaillimhIarthair]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Jack O'Shea, not Maughan, was the Mayo manager in early 1993 when Knockmore played Eire Og in the All Ireland Club Final.

I think that was the semi final when Knockmore played Eire Og - Deccie Sweeney was a 16 year old in centrefield, out in Knockmore. It was 96-97 when they got to a final against Crossmaglen

Did they not play that semi v Eire Og in Mullingar?  I remember going to see them with a few mayo lads in Mullingar around the mid nineties and I'm nearly sure it was that game!  Anyway, O'Neill was the outstanding player on the pitch by a country mile in that semi.  Could never understand how he didnt feature more for Mayo back then.