All Ireland Football semi-final;Mayo v Kerry,Sunday Aug 20

Started by maigheo, August 08, 2017, 03:38:11 AM

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Farrandeelin

Simply amazing. I am devouring humble pie since the final whistle went on Saturday and it sure does taste delicious. The players have their all, which I expected them to, but I somehow thought before the game that it wouldn't be enough. They were all brilliant. I will admit that I had the season written off after the slaughter by the Dubs in March. (I'm not the only one by the sounds of things - judging by Jim Gavin's post match comment  ::)) Donaghy got his comeuppance, Bartholomew will be happy that the Mayo players didn't influence the referee - seeing that COC got a black and Durban got two yellows. They certainly are an amazing bunch of players, but it's no good if they don't finish the job off in 20 days time. Or a replay afterwards... I don't usually say players deserve all Ireland's, but in my opinion it will be a tragedy if the likes of Boyle, Higgins, Andy Moran and David Clarke don't get one before they quit the scene. We'll know about that later, Dublin are an amazing side and will be exceptionally hard to beat. But we're stiĺl in it. Up Mayo.
Inaugural Football Championship Prediction Winner.

Maroon Manc

Well done Mayo, they were outstanding and comfortably the better team over the 2 games. I doubt too many saw this type of performance coming during July when they struggled against Derry, Clare, Cork & Roscommon and after getting beat by Galway. Many of us thought the extra games would hurt Mayo but the opposite given how poor they were during July although there patches during the Clare & Cork games where Mayo looked good.

I hope Rochford gets the respect he deserves in Mayo, he's still a bit of a laughing stock amongst some in the Mayo support but deserves a lot of credit for his creativeness in the way he's prepared to try something different in pursuit of the big prize.

David Gough showed 19 cards, must be some sort of record. I hope he's nowhere near the final, its fairly obvious that some of the cards issued that were issued on Saturday were a joke but so were some of the free's given. Gough is a forwards dream.

Keith Higgins is some athlete for a 33 year old, his athleticism isn't normal for a bloke his age.

mouview

Quote from: Maroon Manc on August 28, 2017, 01:00:11 PM

Keith Higgins is some athlete for a 33 year old, his athleticism isn't normal for a bloke his age.

As good as Boyle was, I though Higgins was really the MOTM. Consummate footballer.

yellowcard

Quote from: Wildweasel74 on August 27, 2017, 12:38:36 PM
Funny there was 10+ pages on O`Shea the last day but not a peep about him from yesterday, wonder why!

Because a lot of the pundits and commentators will not admit that it was a bold decision by Rochford to stick to his guns after ridiculing him the previous week. Whether you think Rochford is a good manager or not you would have to admire his courage for making big decisions. It just shows how everything is flowered by the result. If Rochford loses the AI title he will go back to being a 'donkey' and if he wins it he will be hailed a hero. Consecutive AI finals in 2 years isn't a bad return for a donkey.   

yellowcard

Quote from: mouview on August 28, 2017, 03:31:14 PM
Quote from: Maroon Manc on August 28, 2017, 01:00:11 PM

Keith Higgins is some athlete for a 33 year old, his athleticism isn't normal for a bloke his age.

As good as Boyle was, I though Higgins was really the MOTM. Consummate footballer.

In each of the last 3 games Higgins has been outstanding and could easily have been MOTM in each of them. Both he and Moran must have a great chance of winning FOTY should Mayo win the AI.

Esmarelda

Quote from: yellowcard on August 28, 2017, 03:45:33 PM
Quote from: Wildweasel74 on August 27, 2017, 12:38:36 PM
Funny there was 10+ pages on O`Shea the last day but not a peep about him from yesterday, wonder why!

Because a lot of the pundits and commentators will not admit that it was a bold decision by Rochford to stick to his guns after ridiculing him the previous week. Whether you think Rochford is a good manager or not you would have to admire his courage for making big decisions. It just shows how everything is flowered by the result. If Rochford loses the AI title he will go back to being a 'donkey' and if he wins it he will be hailed a hero. Consecutive AI finals in 2 years isn't a bad return for a donkey.   
You're right. It's all about small margins. Conversely, you'll appreciate how fortunate they were en route to both finals with their performances in the earlier rounds of qualifiers. I'm not sure many (serious) pundits didn't admire his courage but there's still a case for arguing that there was a better move to make.

Maroon Manc

Quote from: yellowcard on August 28, 2017, 03:48:39 PM
Quote from: mouview on August 28, 2017, 03:31:14 PM
Quote from: Maroon Manc on August 28, 2017, 01:00:11 PM

Keith Higgins is some athlete for a 33 year old, his athleticism isn't normal for a bloke his age.

As good as Boyle was, I though Higgins was really the MOTM. Consummate footballer.

In each of the last 3 games Higgins has been outstanding and could easily have been MOTM in each of them. Both he and Moran must have a great chance of winning FOTY should Mayo win the AI.

Higgins is something else, one of the true great defenders of the last 30 years. Mayo are blessed to have Higgins, Boyle & Keegan in the same era, players like this are irreplaceable.

Boyle at 20/1 and Higgins at 33/1 are great bets for player of the year if Mayo can beat the Dubs. I just don't see Moran having the same impact in the final that he had against Kerry.

yellowcard

Quote from: Maroon Manc on August 28, 2017, 03:59:41 PM
Quote from: yellowcard on August 28, 2017, 03:48:39 PM
Quote from: mouview on August 28, 2017, 03:31:14 PM
Quote from: Maroon Manc on August 28, 2017, 01:00:11 PM

Keith Higgins is some athlete for a 33 year old, his athleticism isn't normal for a bloke his age.

As good as Boyle was, I though Higgins was really the MOTM. Consummate footballer.

In each of the last 3 games Higgins has been outstanding and could easily have been MOTM in each of them. Both he and Moran must have a great chance of winning FOTY should Mayo win the AI.

Higgins is something else, one of the true great defenders of the last 30 years. Mayo are blessed to have Higgins, Boyle & Keegan in the same era, players like this are irreplaceable.

Boyle at 20/1 and Higgins at 33/1 are great bets for player of the year if Mayo can beat the Dubs. I just don't see Moran having the same impact in the final that he had against Kerry.

I agree, that is a ridiculous price because for me Higgins has consistently been Mayo's best player. Andy Moran has been magnificent also but I also think that he will struggle to replicate his performance against a very good Dublin defence. 

Avondhu star

Quote from: Jinxy on August 27, 2017, 02:19:29 PM
Quote from: Wildweasel74 on August 27, 2017, 12:38:36 PM
Funny there was 10+ pages on O`Shea the last day but not a peep about him from yesterday, wonder why!

To be fair, Mayo were utterly dominant around the middle third and there was nothing like the quality of ball going into Donaghy compared with last week.

Donaghey showed his true colours at the end. Typical Kerry thuggery never highlighted by their pals in the media. One handy all Ireland in 8 years after Donegal ambushed Dublin.
Lee Harvey Oswald , your country needs you

Mayo4Sam

Quote from: Mayo4Sam on August 27, 2017, 12:19:05 PM
What exactly did he row back on? AOS stayed FB and was outstanding. He got all the match ups correct. Had the balls to bench Durcan and take off Diarmuid at HT.

McStay put the boot in yesterday, let himself down badly. It's laughable that he said the first day was mayos best forward display in a long time. That's more blinkered than you Syf, we did put 20 points on Roscommon
Syf are u going to tell how Rochford has rowed back?
Excuse me for talking while you're trying to interrupt me

yellowcard

Quote from: Avondhu star on August 28, 2017, 04:51:02 PM
Quote from: Jinxy on August 27, 2017, 02:19:29 PM
Quote from: Wildweasel74 on August 27, 2017, 12:38:36 PM
Funny there was 10+ pages on O`Shea the last day but not a peep about him from yesterday, wonder why!

To be fair, Mayo were utterly dominant around the middle third and there was nothing like the quality of ball going into Donaghy compared with last week.

Donaghey showed his true colours at the end. Typical Kerry thuggery never highlighted by their pals in the media. One handy all Ireland in 8 years after Donegal ambushed Dublin.

Considering the furore over the Connolly episode it smacks of blatant hypocrisy that the Donaghy and  incidences were brushed off so easily by media pundits. Incidents that had the potential to cause physical damage to an opponent.

macdanger2

Great win and it was nice to finally win a replay against one of the top teams. Truth is we dominated the game and should have won by more - if Kerry had 65% possession against us in the first half, the game would be over. As it was, we had a few moments of fortune in the game - Vaughan's dropped shot for the goal, Crowley's yellow for nothing (would feel very sore about that if I was from Kerry as it was at a stage when they were coming back into it) and the black for DOS which was apparently soft although I haven't seen a replay.

Considering our possession and dominance in most individual battles, we should have won more convincingly.

Plenty of positives too though - Doc was excellent, nailing that free and 45 (should have been a close in free I thought as adv was still on)  really settled the team.

The improvement at MF and on kickouts was impressive although helped by Kerry playing a (sort of) sweeper made this easier.

The backs were all very good, even Geaney was marked well. AOS improved at FB, again helped by dominance in possession.

Loftus was good when he came on, would need a similar cameo in the AIF. Moran also excellent.

Third championship meeting in 3 years with Dublin and we've had chances to win all 4 of those games but have taken none. Hopefully we can change that in three weeks time....

macdanger2

An extract from Keith Duggan's piece last Saturday in the Irish Times; good to see someone calling out that twat Sweeney

Quote
It has been a ghoulish week for coverage of Gaelic football. For the second successive championship summer, Mayo's manager Stephen Rochford has been widely pilloried and mocked for daring to make a tactical switch.

The latest reaction betrayed the prevailing scepticism and fear of trying anything original or different in Gaelic games.

And the tone of the commentary revealed a deep-down suspicion that there is a genetic impulse for self-destruction within the borders of the county; a disdainful sense that only they would try something this breathtakingly leftfield and flash. The howls of derision were shrill and instantaneous and underlined by a mean delight. Look! They did it again!

On Monday morning, a headline in the Irish Independent caught the spirit of the age in its scathing verdict on the management: "Tactically, Mayo are lions led by donkeys".

It was one of those staggeringly insulting headlines you couldn't quite believe even though it was there in front of you in black and white.

In a way, it was the inevitable conclusion to the free-for-all of mirth and derision aimed at Mayo's sideline – and specifically at Rochford – which began almost as soon as Aidan O'Shea, Mayo's notional full-forward, trotted to the full-back position to mark Kieran Donaghy, Kerry's totemic full-forward.


The headline simply clarified a truism of recent years that when it comes to this Mayo team, it is open season all the time. People feel at liberty to say or write whatever they please.

Try to imagine that headline written about any Dublin football management – and the subsequent uproar. Or try to imagine Independent House applying the same headline to the Kerry football management. It simply wouldn't happen.



Syferus

Dublin don't drop Cluxton and Kerry don't play David Moran at FB, though. It would certainly be open season then.

It's a bit premature for a Rochford love-in because for me everything still points to him being hapless tactically.

macdanger2

Doesn't matter whether the change was correct or not, no county manager deserves a headline like that. Typical of the tabloid shite in the Indo