Gaillimh v Maigh Eo, Staid na Gaoithe, 1400, 10-Fea-2018

[Jinxy]

Atrocious performance from Mayo. We were completely out of ideas when it came to breaking through the Galway blanket, while at the opposite end Galway seemed to find gaps in our defence with ease.

As we were missing 8 starters from the All Ireland final, I wouldn't be pushing any panic buttons but at the same time it's clear that our panel players beyond the first 15/16 are just not at the required level. The era after this great team fades away is looking pretty bleak at the moment.

A few points on today,

Cillian now has a few weeks without any games, he needs to use this time wisely and get his head right. That red card has been coming for a while now. I'm all for using cuteness to gain an advantage but he has become very obvious and has developed a reputation which will get into referee's heads.

Jason Gibbons is an honest player who always gives his all but he has been around for years now and come championship, he has never made an impact. It's difficult to see how last year, management didn't deem him good enough for a place on the panel yet this year, they started him for the first 3 matches of the league. I know that both Tom and Seamie have been unavailable but surely these games would have been ideal to try out younger players.

Conor Loftus needs to spend a bit of time in the gym. He was pushed off the ball a few times today and looked like a minor at times. He is a very talented player but today's performance would be a bit concerning.

Finally, how many Gaelic football matches descend into brawls in injury time nowadays? It's a complete farce at this stage. Any team carrying a lead into the last few minutes would be mad not to start one as the benefits far outweigh the negative consequences. I'm not complaining about Galway here as I hope we would have done the same had we been in the lead but something seriously needs to be done. Immediate red cards, a time-clock, and a harsher punishment for preventing a quick free all need to be looked at.

There are no 'brawls' in inter-county football anymore.
That was 'handbags' in danger of boiling over into a 'fracas'.

[dublin7]

Red cards are light enough. I've seen far worse done on a pitch. They're red cards but don't deserve the howls of consternation some people are making.

COC threw an elbow into the galway players jaw. If think that's normal it's a sad state of affairs

[Orchard park]

Red cards are light enough. I've seen far worse done on a pitch. They're red cards but don't deserve the howls of consternation some people are making.

COC threw an elbow into the galway players jaw. If think that's normal it's a sad state of affairs

What's not normal is he was caught........ a most dislikesble insidious  player

[dublin7]

Red cards are light enough. I've seen far worse done on a pitch. They're red cards but don't deserve the howls of consternation some people are making.

COC threw an elbow into the galway players jaw. If think that's normal it's a sad state of affairs

What's not normal is he was caught........ a most dislikesble insidious  player

As another poster pointed out that red card has been coming for a while. Some of the stuff he has gotten away with in the last few seasons is a joke.

[From the Bunker]

Some disgraceful antics from both sides. But you'll have that in a derby where the Referee does not come down hard early on! Is the game becoming unreffable?

Most of Mayo's squad players failed to shine and in the process dragged the usual reliables into the mud with them. I'd be worried about today  - But we have seen this form in the League year on year.

[Dubhaltach]

Atrocious performance from Mayo. We were completely out of ideas when it came to breaking through the Galway blanket, while at the opposite end Galway seemed to find gaps in our defence with ease.

As we were missing 8 starters from the All Ireland final, I wouldn't be pushing any panic buttons but at the same time it's clear that our panel players beyond the first 15/16 are just not at the required level. The era after this great team fades away is looking pretty bleak at the moment.

A few points on today,

Cillian now has a few weeks without any games, he needs to use this time wisely and get his head right. That red card has been coming for a while now. I'm all for using cuteness to gain an advantage but he has become very obvious and has developed a reputation which will get into referee's heads.

Jason Gibbons is an honest player who always gives his all but he has been around for years now and come championship, he has never made an impact. It's difficult to see how last year, management didn't deem him good enough for a place on the panel yet this year, they started him for the first 3 matches of the league. I know that both Tom and Seamie have been unavailable but surely these games would have been ideal to try out younger players.

Conor Loftus needs to spend a bit of time in the gym. He was pushed off the ball a few times today and looked like a minor at times. He is a very talented player but today's performance would be a bit concerning.

Finally, how many Gaelic football matches descend into brawls in injury time nowadays? It's a complete farce at this stage. Any team carrying a lead into the last few minutes would be mad not to start one as the benefits far outweigh the negative consequences. I'm not complaining about Galway here as I hope we would have done the same had we been in the lead but something seriously needs to be done. Immediate red cards, a time-clock, and a harsher punishment for preventing a quick free all need to be looked at.

There are no 'brawls' in inter-county football anymore.
That was 'handbags' in danger of boiling over into a 'fracas'.

Ye royals must be longing for the day that the true 'brawl' returns. Seemed to suit ye!

[Itchy]

Some disgraceful antics from both sides. But you'll have that in a derby where the Referee does not come down hard early on! Is the game becoming unreffable?

Most of Mayo's squad players failed to shine and in the process dragged the usual reliables into the mud with them. I'd be worried about today  - But we have seen this form in the League year on year.

That Nolan lad is a useless ref. Saw him few weeks ago in Ennis and he was brutal.  Same today.

[Orchard park]

Some disgraceful antics from both sides. But you'll have that in a derby where the Referee does not come down hard early on! Is the game becoming unreffable?

Most of Mayo's squad players failed to shine and in the process dragged the usual reliables into the mud with them. I'd be worried about today  - But we have seen this form in the League year on year.

That Nolan lad is a useless ref. Saw him few weeks ago in Ennis and he was brutal.  Same today.

Did anyone ever deserve a deceng uppercut more than Tony  Mcdntee today

[GalwayBayBoy]

Strange one today. Mayo looked completely rudderless up front without Andy Moran's ability to make intelligent runs and drag markers out of position. They will obviously be much better when he's back on the team but there is a big reliance on him up front which is probably not ideal given he's 34 now. I doubt they'll be majorly worried after today but it's likely they will have to go back to the trenches with almost the exact same team yet again this Summer. None of their younger players are staking much a claim from what I can tell anyway.

Galway have adopted a style akin to Donegal under McGuinness. A packed defence and they attempt to break with speed as soon as they turn the ball over. Not my personal cup of tea but Walsh and Tally have decided to go down this road and they are not going to change because I'm not a fan of it. They have an ideal target man in Comer who can win any kind of dirty ball put into him and a few players behind with real pace like Walsh, Brannigan, Heaney, etc, who can punch holes in a defence that have men pushed up the field. Physically they are a different proposition to the callow outfit of a few years ago. Galway's kickout strategy is still a problem though as they are losing too many of their own kickouts. Without checking the stats I'd say they have had less possession than the opposition in all 3 league games that they have won. Probably not sustainable in the long run unless they remedy it.

Keth Duggan must have a wry smile on his face after this appeared in the paper in the Irish Times on Saturday.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/mayo-and-galway-still-standing-in-one-another-s-way-1.3385794

[inthrough]

Finally, how many Gaelic football matches descend into brawls in injury time nowadays? It's a complete farce at this stage. Any team carrying a lead into the last few minutes would be mad not to start one as the benefits far outweigh the negative consequences. I'm not complaining about Galway here as I hope we would have done the same had we been in the lead but something seriously needs to be done. Immediate red cards, a time-clock, and a harsher punishment for preventing a quick free all need to be looked at.

There are no 'brawls' in inter-county football anymore.
That was 'handbags' in danger of boiling over into a 'fracas'.

Not to mention schmozzles. I haven't seen a good schmozzle in years!

[moysider]

Day's like today Mayo are tough going to watch. Always talk about unearthing new players but very difficult for young players to survive, let alone thrive, when we are so dysfunctional in the league. New players in Dublin set-up come into a team that is always well organised and the 'process' is always intact. Last week we started with Douglas and Regan inside. Neither featured last year and yet they were expected to spearhead an attack against a top team. Both are also players that are probably more suited to playing off a bigger target player inside.
Also I think that it should be obvious at this stage to Mayo management that a couple of the younger players are projects that need to be seriously looked at.
Galway are going to be a tough nut to crack come championship. This new system suits them.
The Galway Shawl has been replaced by a blanket.

[mayoman dan]

Day's like today Mayo are tough going to watch. Always talk about unearthing new players but very difficult for young players to survive, let alone thrive, when we are so dysfunctional in the league. New players in Dublin set-up come into a team that is always well organised and the 'process' is always intact. Last week we started with Douglas and Regan inside. Neither featured last year and yet they were expected to spearhead an attack against a top team. Both are also players that are probably more suited to playing off a bigger target player inside.
Also I think that it should be obvious at this stage to Mayo management that a couple of the younger players are projects that need to be seriously looked at.
Galway are going to be a tough nut to crack come championship. This new system suits them.
The Galway Shawl has been replaced by a blanket.

Good post Moy.A friend watching the game said to me we could have Mc Manus Geaney and Mc Brearty as our ff line and we would still struggle.The ball going in is painfully slow and usually shite.The backwards and sideways handpassing is very frustrating to watch.Without Andy as the target man we look very short on ideas going forward.No need to panic just yet but 1 or 2 have shown they are not good enough if we want to be challenging for sam.

[From the Bunker]

Day's like today Mayo are tough going to watch. Always talk about unearthing new players but very difficult for young players to survive, let alone thrive, when we are so dysfunctional in the league. New players in Dublin set-up come into a team that is always well organised and the 'process' is always intact. Last week we started with Douglas and Regan inside. Neither featured last year and yet they were expected to spearhead an attack against a top team. Both are also players that are probably more suited to playing off a bigger target player inside.
Also I think that it should be obvious at this stage to Mayo management that a couple of the younger players are projects that need to be seriously looked at.
Galway are going to be a tough nut to crack come championship. This new system suits them.
The Galway Shawl has been replaced by a blanket.

Good post Moy.A friend watching the game said to me we could have Mc Manus Geaney and Mc Brearty as our ff line and we would still struggle.The ball going in is painfully slow and usually shite.The backwards and sideways handpassing is very frustrating to watch.Without Andy as the target man we look very short on ideas going forward.No need to panic just yet but 1 or 2 have shown they are not good enough if we want to be challenging for sam.

Ah, we are in our usual place at this time of the year! We had a weak enough team out there today. Going into the final quarter, Roachford seemed more intent in giving lads game time than looking for inspirational players to come off the bench and save the game.  I've said this before, I don't really care about relegation. I'd rather if we did not. but if we did it would not be the end of the world. I'm more interested in us being ready for the summer, and that does not even mean the Connacht Championship!

[moysider]

Day's like today Mayo are tough going to watch. Always talk about unearthing new players but very difficult for young players to survive, let alone thrive, when we are so dysfunctional in the league. New players in Dublin set-up come into a team that is always well organised and the 'process' is always intact. Last week we started with Douglas and Regan inside. Neither featured last year and yet they were expected to spearhead an attack against a top team. Both are also players that are probably more suited to playing off a bigger target player inside.
Also I think that it should be obvious at this stage to Mayo management that a couple of the younger players are projects that need to be seriously looked at.
Galway are going to be a tough nut to crack come championship. This new system suits them.
The Galway Shawl has been replaced by a blanket.

Good post Moy.A friend watching the game said to me we could have Mc Manus Geaney and Mc Brearty as our ff line and we would still struggle.The ball going in is painfully slow and usually shite.The backwards and sideways handpassing is very frustrating to watch.Without Andy as the target man we look very short on ideas going forward.No need to panic just yet but 1 or 2 have shown they are not good enough if we want to be challenging for sam.

Ah, we are in our usual place at this time of the year! We had a weak enough team out there today. Going into the final quarter, Roachford seemed more intent in giving lads game time than looking for inspirational players to come off the bench and save the game.  I've said this before, I don't really care about relegation. I'd rather if we did not. but if we did it would not be the end of the world. I'm more interested in us being ready for the summer, and that does not even mean the Connacht Championship!

I agree with that in the main Bunker. But I would have a few concerns. We dodged bullets last year until we cut loose v Ros in second game in August. We wont get away with that again.
Look at what we are at. Trying to develop new players; but what chance do new players have coming into a Mayo league team? Dublin have Fenton and McAuley there. A good few of McCarty, Cooper, Fitzsimmons, McMahon, O Sullivan will be on the pitch. Kilkenny will be playing quarterback. We re putting out teams where the most senior midfielder wasn't in championship panel last year. Most of the starting backs are out too. I know we'll end up with roughly the same team come championship, and fine enough with that. Anybody that emerges out of the mist will do so in training because these league games look like a chore - even the die hard fans must be pissed off at this stage.

[larryin89]

We're frigged