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[Not the sort of stuff anyone is going to pin to a dressing room door is it?]

Excert from today's Irish Examiner
When asked what kind of relationship he had with the Donegal manager and his backroom team and would there be any banter between them Horan responded: "I wouldn't think so, no. Although maybe we've more banter with other teams, that might be a better way to say it. Look it, Jim McGuinness and Rory Gallagher on the sideline, they do their thing. When I'm on the sideline, I just focus on. What can I do to help the team that's on the field. That's all I do. I try and stay as composed as I can."

It was suggested the body language between the managers was cold and Horan said: "Maybe show me a team that has good body language towards Mr McGuinness on the sideline! Maybe that's a better question!"

Not the sort of stuff anyone is going to pin to a dressing room door is it? Dull as ditchwater

No. It's not. Intelligent, focussed & low key. Well done Horan.

[My version is no injury to player, no complaint from player, no complaint from Mayo management. Enough said.]

In my opinion Jimmys acquisitions were wild considering that him own team have been just as physical as what they have encountered so far. I am judging his comments, not him on a personal level.
To make this clear to you the two points I was making about the interview were:
1) It was rich of McGuinness when to be making a statement about the physicality of the game when his own players dish out the same thing. For example, Thompson sticking his finger in Kevin McLoughlin's eye in the league game this year.
2) His reference to last years final was irrelevant to the interview. The only reason he mentioned that game was to drop a message to the ref for Sundays game, in my view.

I'm not encouraging this behaviour at all but it is part of the modern game.

Thompson "sticking" his finger in McLoughlin's eye is your version. My version is no injury to player, no complaint from player, no complaint from Mayo management. Enough said.
Dropping a mesage to the ref for Sunday's game would be difficult as it now appears that the interview was carried out before the draw was made. Enough said.

If you don't encourage this behaviour the why give McGuinness stick for raising it? To say that it is part of the modern game is not nearly good enough. Will we have to wait until someone ends up in a wheelchair till something is done?

Your argument had sweet FA credibility before that comment but you've definitely blown yourself out of the water now.

[Jim's a good manager and a smart one as well. But does he think refs and the rest of us are skupid ?.]

Why didn't Jim voice his concern at the start of the championship.


Jim didn't have much regard for Joe Mc Mahon a couple of years ago.


Jim's trying to get into the minds of the ref and officials for next Sunday.


Jim's a good manager and a smart one as well. But does he think refs and the rest of us are skupid ?.

That's exactly my point. He went too far and at best for Donegal it wont have any effect on next week's ref or at worst it will backfire on them. Very cynical by Jim. Spinal injuries.... FFS?!!!

http://player.todayfm.com/player/podcasts/Championship_Sunday/Championship_Sunday/2204/0/jim_mcguinness

Does Jim have a point here or is it just a bit of crying?

I think it is a bit ironic as Donegal can hit as hard as anyone...

McHugh shipped a heavy tackle no doubt. I'm sure he was targeted. His health is far more important than any football championship so I hope he is going to be ok.

That being said...this Donegal side are far from or have been far from angels themselves. Jim's mind game qualifications are well documented. He was attempting to implement them again in this interview. 

Went too far. Total drama queen stuff. Definitely trying to infleunce ref in upcoming Mayo match.

Came across as fearful instead. Mayo & Connacht ABU!

This is the match James Horan & Mayo have been waiting for (and probably gearing themselves for all year. It''s not their fault that their provincial opponents were so poor. Since the Connacht final Galway redeemed themselves since via their performances v Armagh & Cork. Ross went down fighting V Tyrone.

But it doesnt alter the fact that both sides threw in the towel very early on against a hungry, focussed Mayo side. Mayo in response to this..... maintained their very professional standards by hammering both sides.

Mayo have improved since last season. They're now more clinical in front of goals. And they're hungry & fresh. Donegal are still a fine side but Monaghan showed them how powerful hunger can be.

This is a huge match for both sides. I just feel Mayo want & need it more. I feel they are the hungrier, fresher side. Donegal still looked a little flat v Laois. Mayo by 4.

Showing come character. What a turnaround in one season. Fair play.

[sorry mate you're deluding yourself in you think Mayo are ahead of Kildare. Dublin Kerry Cork they are not. Win an All-Ireland first.]

Like I said
I suppose its down to Kildare Co board and supporters, are they happy being the 8th-12th best team in Ireland (if even this year) year after year

You only have to look at ourselves and Donegal for a blueprint for being at the top table, remember we lost to Sligo and Longford, Donegal got hammered by Armagh in 2010. Along come two managers with a solid game plan and transformed both teams to where they are now.
Likewise Cavan and Monaghan look like similar candidates from this year, I'm not sure why you have to wait until 2016.
I'm all for things taking time but he has had more than enough chances.

sorry mate you're deluding yourself in you think Mayo are ahead of Kildare. Dublin Kerry Cork they are not. Win an All-Ireland first.

Jaysus Dinny! Normally rate your posts very highly but that one seems very reactionary and unlike you!
Do you really not think Mayo would beat Kildare?
And "win an All Ireland first"?
When have Kildare even got close since '98 as opposed to all Mayo's AI final appearances since?
I would be very confident Mayo would beat the present Kerry or Cork sides. Even though they've beaten the Dubs in Croker in recent times I would put them as slightly behind them this time as AI favourites.
Not at all slagging off Kildare... I'm a Rossie so the Early connection would always steer me to hoping ye do well but at the same time I think you're being at best deluded or at worst disrespectful to a fine, well prepared an ambitious Mayo side.

It's about context Mayo4sam seems to judge McGeeney as a failure with no reference to Kildare's history I.e. 2 Leinsters in almost 60 years. Ignoring provinces Mayo are as far from winning Sam as Kildare, this is based purely using All-Ireland success as the only barometer. They will not beat 2 of Dublin, Kerry, Cork, Tyrone and Donegal and in that insistance they are the same as the other 28 teams. All IMHO of course.

All IYHO of course as what I post is all IMHO. Think Mayo capable of beating Kerry, Cork & Donegal. They are much nearer winning Sam than Kildare....... Last year's AI final a case in point. However don't agree with Mayo4sam that McGeeney was a failure.

[Too many of us only looked forward until it was over.]

You just knew Earley would fully appreciate every aspect of every game he played.

Too many of us only looked forward until it was over.

Too true......

[sorry mate you're deluding yourself in you think Mayo are ahead of Kildare. Dublin Kerry Cork they are not. Win an All-Ireland first.]

Like I said
I suppose its down to Kildare Co board and supporters, are they happy being the 8th-12th best team in Ireland (if even this year) year after year

You only have to look at ourselves and Donegal for a blueprint for being at the top table, remember we lost to Sligo and Longford, Donegal got hammered by Armagh in 2010. Along come two managers with a solid game plan and transformed both teams to where they are now.
Likewise Cavan and Monaghan look like similar candidates from this year, I'm not sure why you have to wait until 2016.
I'm all for things taking time but he has had more than enough chances.

sorry mate you're deluding yourself in you think Mayo are ahead of Kildare. Dublin Kerry Cork they are not. Win an All-Ireland first.

Jaysus Dinny! Normally rate your posts very highly but that one seems very reactionary and unlike you!
Do you really not think Mayo would beat Kildare?
And "win an All Ireland first"?
When have Kildare even got close since '98 as opposed to all Mayo's AI final appearances since?
I would be very confident Mayo would beat the present Kerry or Cork sides. Even though they've beaten the Dubs in Croker in recent times I would put them as slightly behind them this time as AI favourites.
Not at all slagging off Kildare... I'm a Rossie so the Early connection would always steer me to hoping ye do well but at the same time I think you're being at best deluded or at worst disrespectful to a fine, well prepared and ambitious Mayo side.

[The bottom line is you have to ask how far off are Kildare from where Kildare should be and I think they are close enough to where they should be. Who else could come in and get them up a level?]

Six years is long enough IMO to get a team where they are going,

I don't think that's a given. Kildare have a very strong Dublin to get over each year and a number of decent teams like Meath, Wexford, Louth and Longford that are good enough to beat a lot of teams outside the very highest level.

Blaming bad luck is a cop out, luck evens out.

Nobody's blaming bad luck but to ignore the bad decisions they've suffered in big games is to ignore the reality of the situation.

You only have to look at ourselves and Donegal for a blueprint for being at the top table, remember we lost to Sligo and Longford, Donegal got hammered by Armagh in 2010. Along come two managers with a solid game plan and transformed both teams to where they are now.
Likewise Cavan and Monaghan look like similar candidates from this year, I'm not sure why you have to wait until 2016.
I'm all for things taking time but he has had more than enough chances.

That's fair enough but you can't simply compare counties like that. Kildare have done very well but have lacked the quality forwards that might have pushed them past one or two of the teams that beat them. Both Horan and McGuinness have done well but  I'm not sure Mayo would be celebrating a three in a row if they were in any other province and McGuinness might have got ahead of the pack for a year or two but I think they might struggle from here on in.

The bottom line is you have to ask how far off are Kildare from where Kildare should be and I think they are close enough to where they should be. Who else could come in and get them up a level?

I think that's a great point Zulu. McGeeney has maxed them out. Which is a compliment to him and them. But have Kieran and Kildare reached a point which John O'Mahony once referred to as "same voice syndrome" in a dressingroom?  No matter how good he is at what he does and no matter how much the likes of John Doyle etc want him to stay there surely must be a stage where things all go a little stale. I've total admiration for McGeeney as a player, a manager and what I know of him as a person and I would have loved for Kildare to win some silverware but it's hard to see any immediate progress coming for either of them in the current situation. He would be a great asset as a manager of another county and they might get a fresh boost from a new manager.

I swear this man's talents know no bounds, even if a skinny latte is a fancy dan drink more suited to Galway types than a rugged leader of men:

Midfield View: Dermot Earley on Football
Wednesday, July 17, 2013

I loved this time of year. Those summer evenings on the training ground with the midges biting, and the blinding summer sun. Kicking ball after ball over the bar, not wanting the night to end, not wanting to tog in and go home. Eating, sleeping, living and dreaming of football. Those were the best of times.

It was the excitement of championship week, the buzz of expectation in the camp, the long chats over a skinny latte (for any dieticians out there) with the lads about the game, the opposition, your own game, the team's game. It was the bits of advice you would get in the street, the 30 second chats with the clubman about the team, agreeing with him or her that this guy should be playing and that this guy wasn't up to the level. It was not telling your family the starting team, only because you wanted to keep it in-house and it was the giving out you received when the real team was released.

It was getting your gear ready three days before the game, match shorts and socks that were whiter than white, the old pair of lucky socks you wore underneath that had turned grey from too many washes. It was first cleaning, then polishing, and finally shining your football boots (Puma King –old school). Both pairs, moulded and studs. It was taking out a new pair of gloves, and the ones you wore last week for the warm-up, then packing a third pair just in case you needed to change at half time.

It was checking seven times that you had your gum shield. It was that last minute check of the text from Briar to see what time and where we were meeting and to make sure you were wearing the right match day gear, even though you checked it the day before and the day before that. It was finally saying as you walked out the door, "socks, togs, boots, gloves, gum shield and towel" over and over again. Those were the best of times.

It was meeting at Hawkfield, St Conleth's, the Keadeen Hotel, Johnstown House or The Johnstown Inn. It was the pre-match meal, the nervous chat, the jokes, the texts of good luck on the phone. It was the last team meeting, the last minute changes, he was out and he was in. It was putting on the game face and looking around the room, making eye contact with the lads you would do anything for.

It was boarding the bus, sitting in the same seat, always left free because it was "your" seat. It was the Garda outriders that made sure we kept on the move. It was listening to your match day playlist on the iPhone, but still hearing the beep beep beep beeeeeeeeeeep of the Kildare cars passing, with the white flags flying out the back window. It was the opposition supporters giving you the thumbs down (and more) and the Kildare supporters clapping as you passed. It was sitting up in your seat when Semple Stadium, Celtic Park, Hyde Park, Markievicz Park, the Gaelic Grounds, O'Moore Park, Páirc Tailteann, O'Connor Park, Dr Cullen Park, Nowlan Park, St Conleth's Park and finally Croke Park came into view.

It was getting off the bus, and getting your seat in the dressing room. Same one as last time, you think? It was reading the match programme, checking your number, and looking at the opposition's team. It was getting strapped, rubbed, and stretched. It was warming up. It was the last minute one to ones, getting around to everyone, the' best of luck' and the 'be ready'. It was the claps on the back and the shake of the hands. It was the calling out of the team and subs. It was the putting on the jersey at the same time and tucking it in or out depending on how you felt. It was the huddle and the arms around the shoulder, the last few reminders and finally the manager's words.

It was the heart thumping, the hair standing on the back of your neck, the eyes welling, the deep breaths and the door opening. It was the darkness in the tunnel and the light at the end. It was the roar of the crowd as you emerged, it was the warm up, it was the last minute huddle, it was the parade, and it was standing to attention for the National Anthem. It was shaking the referee's hand, it was shaking your opponent's hand, it was nodding to your midfield partner. It was waiting for the ref to bend down for the ball, it was the roar of the crowd again, it was the shoulder, it was the ball in the air.....it was the silence...those were the best of times!

Why do we play the game? I take plenty of memories away with me, some more special than others. There is no better feeling than going out and standing shoulder to shoulder with your teammates and going into a battle. These are the guys that you see every day, talk the most to, and spend the most amount of time with. There is a collective dream that's more powerful than anything, that if achieved can give you the greatest sense of satisfaction that nothing (well almost) can equal.

Even in defeat there can be a bizarre pride among you, knowing that each and every one gave everything they had for the cause. That's the beauty of our games, a code unique to Ireland where success can stop a county in its tracks. Where a group of men and women from over the road or across the street, from within the community, can transform a village, a parish, a town, a county, into golden summer memories that last a lifetime for players, management and supporters. That's why we play the game.

Sadly I've come back to reality. I'm now an ex inter-county footballer and those days are behind me. What's the difference between being an inter-county footballer and an ex inter-county footballer? Well, time for one. As a footballer your week revolves around your training schedule. You get it on a Sunday evening and plan your week meticulously around training. Inter-county teams can train up to six times a week, so I have more time. You put your life on hold when playing and as a result, I'm finding more time to do other things now. I'm enjoying the little bit of media work I'm doing but I still can't stop saying "we" anytime I talk about Kildare. I'll have to work on that.

The 30 second chats with the local clubman can now last 30 minutes. I seem to have more of an opinion on what I think the team should be. As a player, positivity is vital in a squad and the manager's opinion is gospel. You don't question it, you understand it, respect it and get on with it. But as a supporter you question everything!

I also have a little more time now to get involved mentoring my club's U-16 team. We had a great result against Naas last Friday and I love the passion they display for the club and the sense of satisfaction you feel when you pass on a bit of advice and you see them follow it through on the field. I'm looking forward to more of that.

The passion those U-16s displayed made me think about getting back playing. I always said that I'd try and go back playing with the club later this summer but I have been putting off running for the last couple of weeks. Partly, because I'm still cautious about my back and partly because when you go back, you're back and there are no half-measures when it comes to training. I have rehabbed my back for the last twelve weeks, five times a week, but the difference is it's been at my own pace and in my own time.

It feels good now and last Saturday I decided to go for a gentle jog around the running track at the back of the home place. I started off easy and felt good so of course I pushed it a bit more and a bit too much. Maybe it was because Kildare were playing later that day and I wanted to feel that pride again, the kind that comes when you give it everything. It was great to be running again and the back felt good but a few days later my legs feel like they've been through a marathon and not just the eight laps. It's a good feeling though and I will get back light training with the club very soon. I'm really looking forward to that.

I still miss it though. I found myself wandering over to St Conleth's last Tuesday to watch Kildare training. I went over to the far terrace and kept the head down, just to see how the lads were going. It was a beautiful evening. I couldn't get over how young and fit they all looked. It's a young man's game now and pace is king. When you're in it daily you don't notice things like that but when you step away and peek back in you start to see things you didn't before.

I waited until training was over and headed for home. Some of the lads stayed behind to kick a few balls. I wasn't sad, I wouldn't be able for that level now and I'm content with that, but walking out of St Conleth's Park did remind me of those summer evenings kicking ball after ball over the bar, not wanting the night to end, not wanting to tog in and go home. Eating, sleeping, living and dreaming of football.

The difference now though, is that I'll make my own way to Newbridge on Saturday evening. I won't go to Hawkfield for the pre-match meeting. The gear bag will stay at home, empty. The boots will not be polished for months. I'll be clapping the team bus as it passes like everyone else, the hair will still stand on the back of my neck when the lads run out and I'll be roaring as the ref throws the ball in. Things are a little different now, but I still love this time of year.

This is the first of Dermot Earley's exclusive 'Midfield View' football columns, which will feature on GAA.ie throughout the summer. The opinions expressed in this column are personal and are not necessarily those of the Association.

http://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/daily-news/1/1707131055-dermot-earley-column/

Well done on posting that Syferus. Good read. Hopefully we'll see more of Dermot junior in the media or management down the road.

Mayo beat a team they never going to lose to.

Move on. Wouldn't give Mayo a hard time over it. Hard to keep going in that type of  a game.

Lucky they didn;t get a few injuries. Some of the London lads were lucky not to get the line.

There was nothing good or bad to take from that game for Mayo.

+1. Sums it up. Too much over analysis on Newstalk post match commentary about Mayo having alot to worry about after this performance. It was a match they just had to get over with and they did.

It didn't show up anything they didn't know they might have to worry about. Wouldn't surprise me if Horan used it as a training week.
I really like the setup of Mayo this year and I expect them to make the all-ireland final.

My thoughts exactly Indiana. I know Horan acted like he was "mad as hell" with his team's performance but I reckon Mayo trained hard non stop right up to yesterday and they chopped and changed lineout before and during the match today. Like you I'm really impressed with Mayo this season and today's mis match doesn't alter my view.

Congrats to Monaghon. Displayed an exceptionally high work rate, a massive hunger, a high level of confidence and belief plus great composure and skill on the ball. Deserving winners.

I really didn't see this coming. Agree with the poster who said Donegal's myth of invincibility is now gone. Relegated in the league and well beaten in the provincial final.

However does Jim have a longterm plan that he's sticking rigidly to regardless of interm results? Certainly after the league relegation he clearly pointed to that.

Was their physical lethargy and lack of shooting sharpness today evidence of a side with a longterm AI goal who didnt interrupt their training schedule in order to peak for today's game? Perhaps there was some complacency within their ranks in the sense that maybe they though they could just about get over the line without having to specifically tailor their preparation to the Ulster Final ?

I mean no disrespect to Monaghon but Donegal looked heavy legged, off the pace and lacked sharpness. A team that trained heavily on Friday or a team that have naturally gone off the boil and lacked the hunger that comes before winning an AI ?

Time will tell. I wouldnt write off Jim or his players just yet.

Mayo beat a team they never going to lose to.

Move on. Wouldn't give Mayo a hard time over it. Hard to keep going in that type of  a game.

Lucky they didn;t get a few injuries. Some of the London lads were lucky not to get the line.

There was nothing good or bad to take from that game for Mayo.

+1. Sums it up. Too much over analysis on Newstalk post match commentary about Mayo having alot to worry about after this performance. It was a match they just had to get over with and they did.

Congratulations Galway. It takes alot of character to produce a result like that on the same pitch where they were wiped out by Mayo not long ago and produced two unconvincing performances since then there against weak opponents. Mulholland and his players deserve great credit for sticking with their training regime when it would have been so easy to throw in the towel and go through the motions. They can go to croker now with their heads held high and nothing to lose.