Messages

Have to say that FA Cup weekend can be a drab weekend of football. No real suprises anymore. Still all the big teams are still left in the competition! 

Anyone here agree with Fergie that utd are still in the hunt for the league title ?

Yeah, that's why Chelsea sold Mata to Man Utd! Ah sure he can put it in his new book next Christmas!

Utd have totally dominated the English league for 20 odd years. The last half a season has been a blip for sure but sooner rather than later they will return to being a top side and I'm sure people within the game know this. Utd are not to be considered amongst the biggest clubs in the world.....Utd ARE the biggest club in the world.

They have just smashed their own transfer record and are scouring the continent for the best players. Form is temporary....

.......but we are not talking about form. Form is what a good ( or very good ) team loses. Is this a (very) good team?Here we are talking of a general overhaul of the squad are we not? Like all 'Big' Clubs United will have to buy themselves out of this 'blip' (as you call it)? And buying the quality United need takes allot of money. Money the Glaziers need for their own back pockets! So being a big club really means nothing if you don't have the readies does it?

Firstly this should be in the Man U thread? Secondly, who cares what SAF thinks?

I originally picked up the comment/Joke as a indictment on the character of Fletcher who is just back from his condition having the no problem putting away his penalty. Where as his fully fit colleagues faltered?  Anyway enough of this. Glad to see the lad back and wish him well.

Must be around the Anniversary of Liverpool being knoced out of the Cup by League 1 side Oldham. At least Sunderland are Premier League. Ye even had Suarez and Sturridge playing.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooowwwwwww! 

Speaking of Anniversaries. Is it not coming up to the 40th Anniversary of Man Utd's relegation from the top flight?

And?

.......and it just goes to show Utd can be a regular club after all!

Must be around the Anniversary of Liverpool being knoced out of the Cup by League 1 side Oldham. At least Sunderland are Premier League. Ye even had Suarez and Sturridge playing.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooowwwwwww! 

Speaking of Anniversaries. Is it not coming up to the 40th Anniversary of Man Utd's relegation from the top flight?

Joe brolly x2.

"Cork will wipe the floor with Mayo" 2011 QF

And taking the piss out of Conor mort and Ciaran mac at ht during championship clash with Galway in Castlebar. The Swedish milkmaids went out and destroyed Galway in the second half with exhibition football.

Yeah, forgot about that. One of my favourites!

I really hope Horan is more daring  than the two above.

Not even going into it , some Mayo people baffle me , how you can keep wanting to make the same mistakes time and time again.

Not looking for the same Mistakes? But you can't expect to make wholesale (personnel and positional) changes to a team who lost an AI final by one point and a glided by everyone else? Horan was daring in the AI final with the substitutions he made? Not one of his substitutions where what the ( knowledgeable ) fan on the sideline would have expected. And where did it get us? Galway panicked after losing the 1983 final, dropping a host of fine players from the squad and messing about and destroyed a potentially fine team. Change is good if it is a better (and i mean better) option but if you change for the sake of it because the fans or the media demand it. Well then you are more than likely fecked! Then again some Mayo people like yourself baffle me!

[Still find it hard to believe that Chelsea are willing to let such a player go considering he is in his prime at 25.]

Rumoured that a 40M deal has been agreed for Mata. If true I am glad to see Utd are serious about bettering the squad with proven quality and I hope there is more to come. I suspect this is only the start with massive changes in the summer. Still find it hard to believe that Chelsea are willing to let such a player go considering he is in his prime at 25.

Mourinho doesn't rate him and obviously doesn't consider the current Man Utd are credible title contenders. Why not sell him!??

United have played Chelsea Home and away in the league. United are not title contenders, but with the addition of Mata could cause problems for other title contenders and help Chelsea. Mourinho does not need Mata but needs the money to strengthen Chelsea in other places. Good Business!

It was 2008 when Tom Parsons was picked to travel to Australia. He was the only Mayo player picked and it was definitely premature for him and did him no favours. But he absolutely has something to offer if he can find his feet.

I'm worried about people saying Keegan is a scoring option for half-forward line. He's a scoring option at half-back, leave him there. Does his best work from there. What to do with Higgins is the big thing. I think he'll be in the forward line for NFL especially with COC and Dillon out injured.

The aim of the league then is to find a couple more defensive options. The six which started the final - Cunniffe, Caff, Barrett; Keegan, Boyle and Vaughan remain our best six there imho (with Higgins further forward of course) and I think we've a better look when Vaughan is on the wing. But we need more options so we're not relying on Higgins moving back and upsetting the entire game plan every time any defender tweaks a hamstring. Horan looks like he's using the FBD to that end - playing Boyle in the full-back line to see if he can be an option there and giving three full-games in the half-back line to Harrison, McHale and D Drake. K Keane and K Rogers got good game time too. Would have liked to seen Alan Feeney get a look-in. He was keeping Caff off the team in 2011 and Caff then was the best full-back in Ireland the next two years (don't mind O'Carroll's All Star). Feeney has to still be good enough, he's only 29 this year. Eoghan O'Reilly is another option.

Midfielders will be two from O'Sheas and Moran.

That leaves Higgins as a proper option for the half-forward line.. Assume that McLoughlin, Cillian and Andy will start and that leaves two more forward places. One of these could be a midfielder pushed forward but likely it will be a half-forward slot between Adam Gallagher, Dillon and Carolan if Cillian plays inside. Or if Cillian is at 11, I agree with Moysider, he was very good there v Galway last year, it's a race for two slots inside alongside Andy. This would between Freeman, Conroy and possibly Coen who had a good FBD.

I'd take a punt on this team

Hennelly

Cunniffe Caff Barrett
Keegan Boyle Vaughan

O'Sheas x 2

McLoughlin Cillian Higgins
Andy Freeman Conroy

A very good post! People have been saying we need to look for forwards (and we do). But as I have been saying to my mates since the AI final we need backline cover as well. Cunniffes injury in the AI Final last year changed the dynamic of chances of winning the game. Horan had no trust in the defenders on the bench, So our star man (Higgins) was brought back. As for tampering with our half backs. Leave them where they are, they have been the back bone to making this side better than the average side.

Mickey's main argument for taking the University players is that this is the only opportunity to prepare their team for the league. A  few Ulster teams played in the O'Fiaich Cup this year and it seemed to be a success. In the future would the Ulster Council not consider a Pre-McKenna Cup tournament (like the O'Fiaich) which includes all the Ulster teams so Mickey would have necessary preparation and the Universities would be able to have all their players available to them in the McKenna Cup.

Ah yeah, but sure all the other counties around the country have the same problem and get on with it without their students? Anyway i thought that for allot of Managers it's a chance to look at other players and look at your own on another team? Is this over preparation? Greediness? Overemphasis on small competitions?

Have to say I'd expect Roscommon to get out of that group. 4 home games with Longford fermanagh and Cavan close treks. League is a strange animal all the same and you never know where you might lose points!

The 4th place spot is between Man U, Liverpool, Everton and Spurs (and maybe Newcastle). All are very average sides. Yesterdays Man u result was a good one for all the others. Just like Man U supporters will be cheering on City, Arsenal and Chelsea when they play Liverpool, Everton and Spurs. Still think Everton will fall over the line, there is just something (more) consistent with them than other three challengers.

[But sure so many mad decisions happened that day]

Serious early warning for Mayo.

Today we brought on a man who was probably the reason Conor Mortimor was dispensed with (I know he walked), the same man who got on against the Dubs ahead of Richie Feeney and who is apparently viewed as better than Evan Regan.

He may be the greatest ladeen west of Moscow but he has had many chances more than anyone else and has not delivered.

We have seem to have learned very little and I fear this may be a wasted year, certainly it may be a wasted League.

And I am normally the optimist. 

Yeah, thought he struggled against Tyrone last year. Looked a rookie when he came on (he's now 27 and should be above that). Could not believe he got a run in the AI final. But sure so many mad decisions happened that day.

That what I mean about learning very little.

Maybe it's soft landing stuff, having a final look to confirm a doubt?