Mayo Football and Hurling - Discussion pages

[the Deel Rover]

a sambo ye should be so lucky, bring your own packed lunches with ye 

[AbbeySider]

a sambo ye should be so lucky, bring your own packed lunches with ye 

We only bring packed lunches to the bog...

then again we are going to Crossmolina... 

[western exile]

From todays newspapers...

Last weekend's Connacht SFC loss to Sligo will cost the Mayo county board in the region of EUR100,000, secretary Sean Feeney has revealed.
The shock defeat means that Mayo have missed out on a lucrative home tie against Galway in the provincial semi-final - a fixture that would have sold out McHale Park in Castlebar. Had Mayo won on Saturday, they would have likely received between EUR30,000 and EUR40,000 - 10 per cent of the gate receipts - from the visit of Galway, but Feeney said that would be only half of the overall figure they would have stood to made.

"If you were to calculate what we (the county board) would lose and what the (Castlebar) Mitchels would lose on the day, between the bar and everything, you could double that figure. That's what the loss would be to the county and to the Mitchels," he said.

[Ludraman]

That's what the loss would be to the county

Does he think that it is all about da money. I think we lost loads more than just da money.

[moysider]

From todays newspapers...

Last weekend's Connacht SFC loss to Sligo will cost the Mayo county board in the region of EUR100,000, secretary Sean Feeney has revealed.
The shock defeat means that Mayo have missed out on a lucrative home tie against Galway in the provincial semi-final - a fixture that would have sold out McHale Park in Castlebar. Had Mayo won on Saturday, they would have likely received between EUR30,000 and EUR40,000 - 10 per cent of the gate receipts - from the visit of Galway, but Feeney said that would be only half of the overall figure they would have stood to made.

"If you were to calculate what we (the county board) would lose and what the (Castlebar) Mitchels would lose on the day, between the bar and everything, you could double that figure. That's what the loss would be to the county and to the Mitchels," he said.

The grinding sound you hear in the background is the knives being sharpened. This management are dead men walking after that. Nothing makes a board act faster than money lost out on.

[AbbeySider]

The following is a piece in the Tribune about the trouble in the Mayo camp by Kieran Shannon

Not gone but glory forgotten
One of Armagh, Kildare or Mayo may yet surprise with a run this summer, but anything more appears beyond all three troubled sides

LAST weekend's series of shocks was a major fillip for the championship but it was also a bit of a downer in terms of the actual race for Sam itself. At the outset of the championship there was a consensus that Kerry, Tyrone and Cork occupied a pedestal way above everyone else but there was also the hope that just maybe someone would emerge from Tier Two to win it all. Among that pack would have been Dublin with a nationwide ranking of fourth, Mayo in fifth, Armagh in sixth, Galway in seventh, Kildare in eighth. Now? It's impossible to even countenance someone other than Kerry, Cork or Tyrone winning it all.

Pat Gilroy is building a team to win next year's All Ireland, not this year's. Galway barely got out of New York alive. As for Mayo, Armagh and Kildare, each of their exits from the provincial championship last weekend was as humiliating as the other's. One of the three of them will probably still make it to the All Ireland quarter-finals, and some of the fun of the next seven weeks will be finding out just which one, but such a run will only be either putting a sheen on the last couple of years (Kildare and Mayo) or building towards the next few (Armagh).
...
Mayo will make changes as well but it'll be deckchairs on the Titanic stuff. The county has lost the faith in John O'Mahony and the players appear to have too. They were jaded, from playing four challenge games in just 12 days. They had little idea of what the team would be in the run-up to Sligo and such confusion and lack of cohesion showed. One of their league successes, Seamus O'Shea, was moved out to centre forward to accommodate Ronan McGarrity in midfield when O'Shea is not a back-to-goal player. Mark Ronaldson, who tore it up in the league, was still on the bench when Billy Joe Padden, only three weeks back, was summoned to take off his tracksuit and save the day.

It would be fine if there was some method to O'Mahony's "team building" this past four years but there hasn't. Only six of the team that won last year's Connacht final started last week. In 2007 he stubbornly stuck with James Kilcullen at full-back all through the league only to discard him after the championship loss in Salthill. Kilcullen hasn't been heard of since. He's still only in his mid-20s, was never a full-back but a centre-back, the kind Mayo are screaming out for now.

During the week O'Mahony's first All Ireland-winning captain Ray Silke argued the time he used to give to preparing teams is time he no longer has. It's not uncommon at training to see O'Mahony on the phone. Before and after training can be like a constituency clinic, with people looking for this favour from him and that. When the Mayo dressing room door opened in Markievicz Park it took forever for it to empty, with all the county board officers and supporters club backers that had been in there.

That lack of focus and that clamour to be part of the big time epitomised much of what's wrong with Mayo football. Kevin McStay has called for a Genesis-like report on Mayo football and he's right. Of course O'Mahony should have freshened up his backroom team over the winter by bringing in a Peter Ford to give the team a harder edge. Of course the team needs to be changed; Trevor Mortimer's engine is worn down and his heart appears broken too from losing too many big games, while losing doesn't seem to hurt McGarrity enough. But that's finger-in-the-dyke stuff. The county's entire culture and structures need to be overhauled, otherwise there'll be no end to this flood of tears.

Some of the stuff in Bold we have been saying on here for years. But lately I have said about bringing on BJP instead of Ronnie or Dillon. And moving SOS to accommodate McGarity and Parsons. What is this doing for a morale of the players thats already suffering?

O Mahoney has lost the dressing-room, and the respect of the players. Not only that but he has lost the supporters who stuck by Mayo through thick and thin in the past. I cant imagine many supporters turning out against Longford as I see no way back for this team and I think every supporter with half a wit will realise the same. The longer that O Mahoney waits, the worse it will be and the harder it will be to mend.

Im calling it here, I think that we could lose to Longford, and if not Longford we could be out in the next round and have an early exit and heres why.

This time last year Kerry faced the same scenario and almost lost to Longford but for a first half goal by Tommy Walsh. Kerry went 35 minutes without getting a score in the second half and Longford rallied all through the second half to give Kerry a bit of a scare. If it wasnt for some bad shooting, I think Longford could have won that game as Kerry were complacent and Longford showed great character by never lying down.

Now I know at this stage of the season Longford are coming off the back of some woeful results in Div 4, winning their only game against Kilkenny and drawing with Waterford being their only good results (I think). But when it comes to championship, and you have a team like Mayo who are there for the taking, then I dont think its such an impossibility, especially with the complacency and lack of respect we showed Sligo and the NFL final. 

At this stage in the season, as Shannen alluded to, the Mayo players are already burnt out physiologically. All the games and losses lead to mental fatigue. You just dont want to play if you are losing and any chance you did have has disappeared. Couple that with a total loss of respect for O Mahoney and you wondering if the players will be able to lift things and actually try and perform?

If you dont respect the guy who is calling the shots you wont play for them, its a simple as that. I cant rule out anything, as this is football, but could we ever see a situation where the players will just lose this game for an early exit to force JOM out the door? Its either that or they are looking down the barrel of a long summer of qualifier games with little or no hope for any glory. If the supporters were hoping for a quick death, will the players?

I hope it hasnt gone that far and I hope there is enough of pride in the county for this not to happen but things are bad, very bad so im bracing myself.

[Foreverhopeful]

It's going to take a lot of time for wounds to heal. I don't think we will lose to longford personally but it may happen. If so JOM is obviously gone. Any win be it a one point or ten point win means the same. It's just a win. What we are looking for is a bit of heart and a bit of intensity... If you focus on bringing sheer intensity to a game, pride and passion then usually the rest will follow. If you don't have that you are in trouble. We do have some fine natural footballers in Mayo. There is no question about their class so if they get the intensity right and play with pride then their natural talent should see them through.
Unfortunately i dont think the current management can lift this team to the necessary levels to get to a quarter/semi-final. Gallagher and Lyons have no pedigree as players. Where's the TJ kilgallons, Pat fallons. These ex-players command respect and gave everything for the Green and Red. County board should have got the likes of these on baord for minor, U-21 and senior roles a long time ago

[moysider]

Looks like the penny has dropped for nearly everybody - including the fourth estate. Pity it has taken so long and so much damage has been done. It ll be interesting to see how that ould curmudgeon Eugene McGee ( he who s opinion is of course gospel to the masses - the high priest of football punditry) will make of it all. 

[mayo51]

i remember, after  the all ireland defeats of 04 and 06, colm o rourke writing extensive articles in the indo saying that the county board should move heaven and earth to get j.o.m back to manage mayo as we had no chance of success otherwise,which was very disrespecfull to john maughan who had dragged mayo out of the gutter and and done more than most to bring sam back to mayo.i wonder what would be his view on the last 4 years but i doubt he would be placing any blame on j.om .

[Farrandeelin]

I was just thinking there to myself today about McHale Park. Will ALL home games in the league have to be played there anymore?? Or will Charlestown, Ballina etc ever get a home game again?

[muppet]

I was just thinking there to myself today about McHale Park. Will ALL home games in the league have to be played there anymore?? Or will Charlestown, Ballina etc ever get a home game again?

It is agreed the Div 1 & 2 will be in McHale Park should Mayo be in those divisions.

If they play in Div 3 then games will be split between Ballina & Charlestown.

If they play in Div 4 then all games will be played in Hyde Park.

[StoneWall]

Abbeysider or Tubberman can either of you confirm or contradict this? I was talking with a friend of mine from Clare yesterday. He was asking who I'd like to see as Mayo manager, I named a few including James Horan. He reckoned Horan is involved with the Clare team along with Liam McHale?

[muppet]

Rob Hennelly was on 'Take me out', a cheesy version of Blind Date on TV3. He said he was a Gleek which presumably is a Breaffy ailment. He escorted some blond Jackeen off at the end who admitted to 'flashing buses'.

R&GS, any updates?

[RedandGreenSniper]

Rob Hennelly was on 'Take me out', a cheesy version of Blind Date on TV3. He said he was a Gleek which presumably is a Breaffy ailment. He escorted some blond Jackeen off at the end who admitted to 'flashing buses'.

R&GS, any updates?

Yes. The bus driver is slowly coming to his senses.

[Tubberman]

Rob Hennelly was on 'Take me out', a cheesy version of Blind Date on TV3. He said he was a Gleek which presumably is a Breaffy ailment. He escorted some blond Jackeen off at the end who admitted to 'flashing buses'.

R&GS, any updates?

My God, and we thought Brolly, Spillane etc were bad with Mortimer and McDonald with the bleached hair and tattoos!
Wait til they get a hold of this!