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I think it's hard for people from outside the county to realise just how drastic the improvement has been for Mayo this year. They weren't in Markievicz or Pearse last year, sneaking out with their heads down wondering where now for a once proud county. They didn't have the pain of losing to two middling counties who didn't, even by their standards, have great years last year. They didn't sense the utter depression of last autumn and winter. They didn't have to see the saga of appointing a manager drag on and on (thankfully the supporters pretty much forced the County Boards hand in the right direction). They didn't witness the (needed) search and experimentation of players and tactics throughout the league. They didn't realise that we only played one game in the league with anywhere near our eventual championship team. They didn't realise that championship team only really came into being against Galway.

Don't get us wrong - Mayo are aiming for AI titles with the team - the hardcore supporters just realise that their is only so high you can come from the low of last year. If we continue to improve by 1-2 players, make 5-6 less mistakes around the middle and add 1-2 points from the forwards then we're in the AI fight. I'd hope and expect Mayo would be back in an AI semi next year and that we would be some of the way towards achieving those goals.

We lost today for three main reasons:

1) Didn't quite bring the same intensity around the middle of the field. The O'Sheas aren't completely to blame for this the half backs and half forwards equally so.

2) Made to many silly mistakes from the 30 to 55 mins. This included about 3 soft frees and giving the away the ball too often around midfield.

3) We were just not clinical enough. Andy had 3 really good goal chances and Donie Vaughan had another. A O'Shea had another half chance as well.

But I think we can take plenty of positives though. We kept going when we could have dropped our heads, a few of our younger lads played good stuff (Vaughan, Cafferkey and Varley in particular) and created chances.

The trump card of the element of surprise was gone for this game. We had shown our hand really in the cork game.

Definitely some truth in that. Over the years it has been shown the QFs throw up more shocks that SFs. We are a young team and hopefully will continue to improve.

We will be back.

Maigh Eo Abú

We lost today for three main reasons:

1) Didn't quite bring the same intensity around the middle of the field. The O'Sheas aren't completely to blame for this the half backs and half forwards equally so.

2) Made to many silly mistakes from the 30 to 55 mins. This included about 3 soft frees and giving the away the ball too often around midfield.

3) We were just not clinical enough. Andy had 3 really good goal chances and Donie Vaughan had another. A O'Shea had another half chance as well.

But I think we can take plenty of positives though. We kept going when we could have dropped our heads, a few of our younger lads played good stuff (Vaughan, Cafferkey and Varley in particular) and created chances.

O'Shea has been tried in FF and it didn't work. To change that now would be to completely change our game which wouldn't be good. Also I figure McG may not be fully fit for 70mins at the intensity that we are aiming for.

Horan's done well so far and I think he's pretty much right to have an unchanged team (only possible change would be Doherty for Varley)

[Beat Kerry and the hype will go into overdrive, the talk of 60 years will too and the favourites tag will be bestowed on us for the final, in all likelihood.]

Yeah, where is Ros? You'd miss his comic interventions. At least I think they are meant to be comic.

Really, really looking forward to this game now. I haven't looked forward to a Mayo game as much as the 2004 final. I thought we'd win that. Didn't see us beating Dubs or Kerry in 2006 and, naturally, there's been f**k all to look forward to in the 2007-10 spell.

Mayo football has rediscovered its pride this year. That is a point worth making after last year's embarrassments. And, call it hype if you want, but it is great to see the level of interest that exists ahead of this game in the county. I wouldn't call it hype, I'd call it something that's great for the game in Mayo. All of this means, on one level, that we can be proud of what we have done thus far. And we can except that this Mayo team won't show the white feather and will be cute enough and brave enough to stay with Kerry for long stages. There'll be no hammering here, I think.

There's a lot of talk about how losing by two or three points would be a good result and let us build for next year. I see the logic but, feck it, I can't agree. We're in the last four of Ireland and we should be looking to win the thing. I think that's the attitude that will prevail in the squad. Chances like this won't come around by divine right next year.

We have to make this opportunity count. Beat Kerry and the hype will go into overdrive, the talk of 60 years will too and the favourites tag will be bestowed on us for the final, in all likelihood. But we'd be seventy minutes from an All-Ireland. Lose on Sunday and we're back to the start line again. The opportunity of a lifetime only exists during the lifetime of the opportunity. Go for it Mayo. Mayo to win.

Not if Dublin win their semi. They will be favourites as the media always overestimate Dublin and underestimate Mayo. Also Dublin are the one crowd who are able to outdo ourselves in unreasonable levels of expectation. And we have to remember that bookies will follow the money and most of the money will be coming from Dublin.

Having said all that I'd prefer if Donegal made the final (if we get there also - which is at best a 50:50 shot) purely due to the ticket issue!

Will Mayo bring a big crowd for this?
What's the vibe around the place?

I'd say there'll be a decent crowd from Mayo. Maybe not matching previous years but a lot of supporters would have regretted not going to the Cork game might show up for this one. I'd be expecting a crowd of between 35k and 45k, with 50k the absolute max.

Now with my saffron and blue glasses on I would think that Kilcoyne is at least an option as a game changer, is Howley not a more positive option than lets say Keegan and now the big question..........will CONOREEN be brought back.

I doubt that Kilcoyne would be brought back into the panel this year but then again you would never know. He would definitely be on my list to bring in next year though as I think he would strengthen the panel and still has a lot to offer.

Trevor Howley is just back from injury is he not? I think he has yet to play a full game so we will see how he gets on this weekend with Knockmore, but I agree; I think he would always be in contention for a spot in the half back line.

Regarding The Mort; I have mixed views. He is a player that could win a tight game for you as I know he has talent but is he a team player or more of an individual? Would a character like that upset things? Can you imagine his introduction in an All-Ireland final a la Stephen O'Néill for Tyrone? 

Horan is carrying 4 or 5 extra players in the training panel who are not named in the 26 on matchday. I know Barry Moran is one of these but not sure on the rest - Howley, Burke, O'Reilly? possibly. But I think the point that we don't really have a strong forwards bench remains.

If we say Doherty starts the next day we have Varley, Ronaldson and Campbell as the only out-and-out forwards on the bench. Gardiner has being brought on as a forward sub the last couple of days and we could move Trevor or AOS forward but overall not our strongest area.

Feck Donaghy - he's having a poor year. Anyway I don't think McG would be ready for 70 or even 55 mins from the way he's only played about 30 mins in the last 3 games combined. Even though I'd have Feeney as a better FB than Caff Donaghy the last day (and pretty much all yr) spent a lot of time out the field and I feel Caff would be better able to follow him out.

I'd be much more concerned about who picks up the two O'Sullivan's (if Darran is fit).

In '04 and '06 yes the high ball caused us damage but all the serious work was done by the Kerry midfield and Declan O'Sullivan at CF. Only BJP competed on our kickouts in '06 and after ht Jack O'Connor sorted this. We need to win midfield and the breaking ball just like we've done against Galway, Ros and Cork this year. Thats where we have won those games.

Sore head this morning, well worth it, what a day in Croke Park

The only point I'd make is regarding AOS, I was of the same opinion as others here that he wasted a lot of ball but all the players I talked to yesterday picked him out, without fail, and I think it comes down to the hit on O'leary, he fuckin buried him and laid down a marker, we weren't going to be rolled over

Backed mayo at 6-1 at half time, ridiculous odds when we were 2 points down

That hit was a turning point. He got a yellow for it but it was well worth it. We hadn't harried enough up until then and A O'Se showed the way around midfield in those few mins. I agree he done a couple of stupid things with the ball and needs to work on those but his work rate was unbelievable y'day.
Also for the 2nd goal Caff was just as much at fault coming of his man to get an interception and missing it leaving his man free when really there was no need to go for the ball.

Overall we played well, worked hard and hit like I've never seen a Mayo team do before. We have a bit of improvement to do in the forward line for the Kerry game as we left a few points behind us.

I was not impressed with Kerry y'day. Limerick didn't show up and still missed an easy 1-3 before Kerry got the goal. Kerry's midfield is untested and Brosnan is a weak link at CB. Also it looked like Darran O'Sullivan picked up a serious enough injury. But with Galvin and T O'Se back and the best forward unit in Ireland they will still be undoubted favourites.

It's true Ulster and Munster have considerably better records and noone is disputing that. However I think there is a Dublin/Leinster bias against Connacht teams.

There are 5 teams in Connacht (6 if you count London) with a fairly low population base yet still our record since 2001 is considerably better than Leinster with 12 teams and the highest population density in the country. Yet you hear very, very little about the poor standard in Leinster. A good (not great) Dublin team has completely dominated Leinster since '01 with only Kildare coming up to challenge them in the last 2 or 3 yrs.

[I also didn't think that Aidan O'Shea could run as fast, he chased back in the Ros game like never before.]

think that if this Mayo team is going to emerge as a top team it will be a quick breakthrough rather than a slog over a number of years

Couldn't agree more. This year is our best chance of a breakthrough. I think that despite the conditions in the last 2 match's the teams frame of mind was very good and when they were not in possession they harried and chased the opposition as if their lives depended on it and also at a high pace. The 'experts' on the Sunday Game etc miss this type of thing and are only interested in high scoring and fluent games. I also didn't think that Aidan O'Shea could run as fast, he chased back in the Ros game like never before.

If we approach the Cork game with this same attitude and approach (which I think we will) I believe we will win this match and win it comfortably. For the first time in a long time we look to have 10 or so players that are more than comfortable on the ball and are prepared to work hard without it.

I remember when he was part of the minor team in '08, especially in the semi against Kerry, he harried and hassled extremely well along with the rest of that team. When he came into the senior setup he done the same in '09 but as his confidence dropped over the last couple of yrs he lost this a bit. Great to see him back playing with that attitude

Ah ffs one lad worrying about rough treatment from Cork backs and others whinging about Meath game in 2009, it is a mans game. A game we had a good chance to win after our start we managed to lose again. We needed to show more fight and bottle. Horan has done well so far, this is his biggest test yet and will show us what we can expect during his tenure.

Agreed. As I have said previously I hope we show fight and play to the final whistle on Sunday at the very least. Once these are there you know things are fairly good in a camp and it gives you something to build on.

In 09 Mayo would have won if Kilcoyne hadn't got injured. He was playing well but f**k it what's done is done. Meath wanted the win more in the last 15 minutes.

Jeez I stirred the pot there. I merely think that we got absolutely zero luck that day between two very bad calls - which cost us 6 points - and shipped a couple of injuries during the game. I agree that our heads dropped in the last 15 mins of that game which shouldn't have happened. However we should have won that game much more than the Longford game last yr or against Tyrone in '08 or pretty much any game in the last few yrs.

[Mayo have nothing to fear in this game.]

Mayo have nothing to fear in this game.
We have a young team that no one seems to believe in.with a young manager who finally seems to be getting some kind of grip on what his best team is . If these guys get a dry ball on the wide open surface of Croker park they can run that cork defence ragged. All chances will need to be taklen bit Cillian o connor's CF form is a massive boost after all an 'average' team by  kerry standards took them aprt in the 1st half of the muster final and mayo can do the same against a cork team with an eye and a hlf on the Semi Final.
Many of mayos players are in the early stages of their career development and this game can help . A o se  Alan Freeman K mc laughlin  R hennelly E varley and R feeney  come of age as county players. there may be tweaks needed aound CHB to deal with corks power .But this is a winnable game and could really reignite mayo Quest for Sam. and watch the fans come running back then , but thise who care will be there the next day the rest can wait for the next  bandwagon.

Is it not on in Croke Park?

It's a fallacy that Mayo are poor in Croker. We beat Laois, Tyrone, Dublin and  Fermanagh in the Championship in '04 and '06. We got robbed against Meath in '09. We also beat Kerry and Offaly there in '96 and '97. Our issue is finals, not Croker.


Sunday at 4pm suits me perfect!!

Cork do have an injury list which will be worrying them - not for our game but for Kerry - 4 out of there best 9/10 forwards are injured. Goulding, Sheehan, O'Neill and O'Driscoll being out leaves them short and at least two (probably 3) of them would start. Also you have to consider that forwards is their weakest sector. Brolly is a idiot and, as DB said the last day, a gobshite but he has a point in that Cork often dominate possession at midfield and only win by a couple of points. If we get 40% at midfield we'll be in the game I reckon but it's a tough ask. If we don't get that 40% we're in serious trouble.

Look we will be huge underdogs but there is no use in waving the white flag just yet.

Cork are good, very good, All Ireland Champs.

But I feel they aren't as good as last year, they are missing a few key forwards - which is probably their weakest sector, and they probably lack the same sense of mission of last yr after a good few yrs on the road.

I believe they are the best team in the country but that overall the standard of football now is not as good as it was a few yrs ago. The Kerry, Tyrone and Armagh teams of the mid-00's, at their best, were better than this Cork team is now.

On the other hand we don't know how good Mayo are. I think Horan has instilled a bit of grit into the team and more than anything I would like to see this in the QFs. If we have this then we won't do too badly.