Mayo Vs Meath - All-Ireland Quarter Finals

[Donnellys Hollow]

Whats that smell??? Its Mayo sh*ting themselves.........again!! Ha Ha

Kicking a team while they're down - very low. Away back to Hoganstand with you.

[moysider]

AB I know you and all Mayo folk must be hurting tonight but if Barry Moran, whom I know and like, is on your starting 15 then you will not win an AI, he just doesn't have it. I've said it before and I'm saying it now, until Mayo produce a SON or Gooch ye are at nothing. In every single line of the Mayo team you have decent IC players rather than exceptional ones. Compare that to the top 3 - FB line Marc o'Se, Anthony Lynch, Conor Gormley, HB line T. O'Se, Canty, Jordan, midfield Dara, both Cork and Tyrone fall down here but McGinely is very good and Cavanagh can come out here, HF line, Declan O'Sullivan. Pearce O'Neill, J. McMahon, FF line, Gooch, T. Walsh, Donaghy, SON, Cavanagh, Goulding, O'Neill. If I was to go through Mayo only McGarrity, at a stretch, and Dillon would even be considered. The problem isn't the manager, hoodoo's, psychological or anything else it is a lack of quality and the Mayo CB need to get radical in addressing this.

Agree with the Voodoo and gaga stuff.

What would you suggest the CB do Zulu? We have more than enough of schools of excellence which creates some big ego in poor talents from my experience.
I would nt let management off the hook just yet. The team you saw today is a product of the manager s vision. He had other options.

For arguements sake you could make a case for a Mayo players in most lines of the top 3.

Cafferkey would be a quality corner 2, 5 or 6 but was saddled with 3 and he does nt have the size for there - Managers call.

Keith Higgins is a quality attacking wing back but his career is stagnating in the corner - manager chose to leave our best marking defender - Aiden Higgins - off the panel. He was needed. Everybody in the county knows that Vaughan and K Higgins cant mark.

Dillon is quality and so is Aidan O Se. I would have O Se before Tommy Walsh eg. Think he s more a team player, mentally tougher and more driven.

As has been pointed out already as much as 25% of the panel were unusable today. Why were they there? There were alternatives - as we ll see next spring.

As regards players coming through - well a lot of that is in the lap of the Gods. But there are some forwards but it wont be next year or year after. It does nt help when you lose likes of Hanley and Parsons has gone off the boil it seems.

[AbbeySider]

The problem isn't the manager, hoodoo's, psychological or anything else it is a lack of quality and the Mayo CB need to get radical in addressing this.

Totally agree,
We are producing athletes with very little ability, or tiny all players that are moderately skilful.

Talented players have been overlooked in the past. You can get on the county team if you train yourself onto it.
There is loads of examples but im not naming names.

Talent should be nurtured but its overlooked for players that win the sprints and long runs at training.

Referees in the county have a lot to answer for too as that always give soft frees to small forwards in club games.

[imtommygunn]

Disappointed for Mayo today. The truth is that they were beat by a better team.

There is a serious lack of man marking ability in the Mayo defense. The space Bray and Sheridan got at times was ridiculous.

Still, a lot of Mayo names there who don't have too much experience of croker so hopefully they will get better.

O'Shea is a great talent at 19 and a lot of the Mayo team are young so hopefully they will improve but they'd be a long way off challenging for AIs at this stage.

[Farrandeelin]

Very disappointed with that performance today.

Players I expected to play well didn't (i.e. half-backs and half-forwards). I thought the full-back line was very disappointing and the midfield was very poor as well. Unlucky with some of the decisions by the ref today but I won't start on about that now. I'm just fed up with the whole 'best team won' thing instead of 'yahoo we won' at this stage. I honestly thought we had a better team than that. At least there won't be any more songs out now.

PS, what was the story any time a Mayo lad got the ball, they seemed to be slipping?? Was it the grass or was it the lack of studs in the boots I wonder?

[HowAreYeGettinOn]

First up - well done Meath. In the last 10 minutes today there was only one team in it, and that was a fair win considering ye were twice four points behind.

Mayo started decently, but I remember thinking with 10 minutes gone, 'if Kerry had had this much ball at the start of a game, the game would be over'. There just isn't a killer instinct in the Mayo psyche. Every so often they'll have a big win like the Roscommon one and the hype will start - oh, 'this time it's different', 'they have some lethal forwards this time'. And then the big games come, and their attitude on the field is never ruthless, it's always 'ah sure we probably have enough done, if we hang on to win by a point sure that'll do'.

It's hard to know how to change this. A Galway friend who chatted with J O'M on Connaught Final night told me that J O'M said the biggest thing he's working on with the team is their psyche - trying to make them positive, fearless, ruthless. If that's the case, he's back to square one after this display.

Some points for discussion / dismissal / ridicule / whatever you're having yourself;

- The best team won, without a shadow of a doubt.

- It would be interesting to see the two teams play each other if both had won their provinces. Having come through the qualifiers it was noticeable that Meath had the legs in the last 10 minutes.

- The Meath keeper brought the ball over the line. RTE were hardly going to admit this when Uncle was on the panel.

- The sideline ball was to Mayo. (Open to Sunday Game video correction on these last two.)

- It was obvious from very early on that Vaughan was in trouble. Johnno waited until half-time before making the change. Why?

- The overall standard of defending from Mayo was dire. Any serious IC team will not let an opposing forward burrow in along the end-line, because he won't be let turn the defender to begin with. Mayo let this happen so many times today it was embarrassing.

- O'Malley went down way too early for Meath's first goal, and for some reason punched a ball high into the air towards the end of the game instead of catching it (which handed another point to Meath).

- Joe Sheridan's 'pass' for that goal was a miskick. Fine player, etc. But it was a miskick.

- Conor had his chance today to atone for the missed goal chance against Tyrone. He blew it. He is a good forward, not a great one, though I'm sure he thinks otherwise.

- The 'Twin Towers' thing isn't working. Fine in theory but Mayo seem to have no clue how to use it.

- Both O'Shea and Kilcoyne were major losses.

- Agree with the poster who said our shot selection in the last 10 minutes had to be seen to be believed.

For all my bitching, Mayo did make progress in 2009. There are positives to build on - O'Shea, Kilcoyne, Dillon, McGarrity, Andy Moran, Keith Higgins all had a decent year, and a win in Galway is never to be sniffed at. In 1988 I sat in the Hogan Stand to see Meath beat Mayo fairly handy. O'Mahony learned much from that day, applied it well, and we know what followed. Hope to God he can do the same again.

[Donnellys Hollow]

First up - well done Meath. In the last 10 minutes today there was only one team in it, and that was a fair win considering ye were twice four points behind.

Mayo started decently, but I remember thinking with 10 minutes gone, 'if Kerry had had this much ball at the start of a game, the game would be over'. There just isn't a killer instinct in the Mayo psyche. Every so often they'll have a big win like the Roscommon one and the hype will start - oh, 'this time it's different', 'they have some lethal forwards this time'. And then the big games come, and their attitude on the field is never ruthless, it's always 'ah sure we probably have enough done, if we hang on to win by a point sure that'll do'.

It's hard to know how to change this. A Galway friend who chatted with J O'M on Connaught Final night told me that J O'M said the biggest thing he's working on with the team is their psyche - trying to make them positive, fearless, ruthless. If that's the case, he's back to square one after this display.

Some points for discussion / dismissal / ridicule / whatever you're having yourself;

- The best team won, without a shadow of a doubt.

- It would be interesting to see the two teams play each other if both had won their provinces. Having come through the qualifiers it was noticeable that Meath had the legs in the last 10 minutes.

- The Meath keeper brought the ball over the line. RTE were hardly going to admit this when Daddy was on the panel.

- The sideline ball was to Mayo. (Open to Sunday Game video correction on these last two.)

- It was obvious from very early on that Vaughan was in trouble. Johnno waited until half-time before making the change. Why?

- The overall standard of defending from Mayo was dire. Any serious IC team will not let an opposing forward burrow in along the end-line, because he won't be let turn the defender to begin with. Mayo let this happen so many times today it was embarrassing.

- O'Malley went down way too early for Meath's first goal, and for some reason punched a ball high into the air towards the end of the game instead of catching it (which handed another point to Meath).

- Joe Sheridan's 'pass' for that goal was a miskick. Fine player, etc. But it was a miskick.

- Conor had his chance today to atone for the missed goal chance against Tyrone. He blew it. He is a good forward, not a great one, though I'm sure he thinks otherwise.

- The 'Twin Towers' thing isn't working. Fine in theory but Mayo seem to have no clue how to use it.

- Both O'Shea and Kilcoyne were major losses.

- Agree with the poster who said our shot selection in the last 10 minutes had to be seen to be believed.

For all my bitching, Mayo did make progress in 2009. There are positives to build on - O'Shea, Kilcoyne, Dillon, McGarrity, Andy Moran, Keith Higgins all had a decent year, and a win in Galway is never to be sniffed at. In 1988 I sat in the Hogan Stand to see Meath beat Mayo fairly handy. O'Mahony learned much from that day, applied it well, and we know what followed. Hope to God he can do the same again.

Colm O'Rourke is an uncle of the Meath goalkeeper, not his father!

[Eastern_Pride]

Meath showed some grit to win this game but it was more that mayo were found out and juat weren't good enough. Meath were impressive in creating chances but must concentrate on taking the easy ones when kerry come to town.
An afternote, meath were better(and i was supporting them), but were they getting a lot of the 50/50 calls and line balls? That ref was favouring them slightly i thought.

[HowAreYeGettinOn]

Meath showed some grit to win this game but it was more that mayo were found out and juat weren't good enough. Meath were impressive in creating chances but must concentrate on taking the easy ones when kerry come to town.
An afternote, meath were better(and i was supporting them), but were they getting a lot of the 50/50 calls and line balls? That ref was favouring them slightly i thought.

Ah, I don't think so really EP. Tony Davis was giving out that the penalty was soft but it looked like a foul to me. Otherwise I wouldn't complain about the ref to be honest.

[HowAreYeGettinOn]

Colm O'Rourke is an uncle of the Meath goalkeeper, not his father!

DH - you're right of course. Duly edited. 

[imtommygunn]

Why do mayo not play keith higgins in the HB line? It's clear, to me anyway, that he's an attacking half back and not a corner back.

[AbbeySider]

Why do mayo not play keith higgins in the HB line? It's clear, to me anyway, that he's an attacking half back and not a corner back.

Higgins has being destroyed on a few occasions by Gooch but he has had some fine games too.

He is probably more suited to the half back line but we dont have anyone else.

[INDIANA]

Barry Moran was a big loss

Don't want to kick a man when he is down but you are kidding yourself if you believe that. Moran isn't now nor ever will be a top class IC footballer and that is what Mayo need to start producing. Ye have enough average/decent IC footballers as it is but the worrying thing from a Mayo point of view is ye don't have any forwards of the necessary quality coming through either.

Agreed Zulu that was an absolute disaster for Mayo football. Same old excuses every year . Like Dublin- root and branch needed. Mayo can talk about all the semis they've won. i wasn't born when they last won the all-ireland. Half of Ireland was probably still going to work on a horse by then.

Feel sorry for their fans. They follow guys all over the country who just let them down all the time. Very strong football scene, no hurling , little rugby etc how in Gods name its half a century since their last All-Ireland win is beyond me. If you don't recognise a problem  -you can't solve it. Don't hide from the truth lads and rely on next year being different.Make the county board ensure its different by putting the right structures in place. Because they aren't there now.
Half of mayo's problems are mental. They haven't one defender who would kick someone up in the air even once. Shadowing is not worth a monkeys at this level. We saw that on Monday and we saw it again today. Meath dominated the breaks- thats hunger -you can't coach that into a team -its a mindset.
Kerry and Tyrone have it in abundancee. Meath too. They'd sell their own mother to win a breaking ball.
The winning mentality its called. thats the level of ruthlessness that seperates the men from the boys at inter county level.

[Eastern_Pride]

Meath showed some grit to win this game but it was more that mayo were found out and juat weren't good enough. Meath were impressive in creating chances but must concentrate on taking the easy ones when kerry come to town.
An afternote, meath were better(and i was supporting them), but were they getting a lot of the 50/50 calls and line balls? That ref was favouring them slightly i thought.

Ah, I don't think so really EP. Tony Davis was giving out that the penalty was soft but it looked like a foul to me. Otherwise I wouldn't complain about the ref to be honest.

Yeah i suppose watching wicklow junior football takes its toll on me.... the penalty was a penalty yeah, and a well taken one at that, it was some of the other calls i wasn't sure about

[Zulu]

What would you suggest the CB do Zulu? We have more than enough of schools of excellence which creates some big ego in poor talents from my experience.

Schools of excellence are all good and well but they need to have direction, continuity and they need to be run by people who know what they are doing. When you are developing an athlete you first need to know what you want him to be and then you decide how you're going to get there. So the first thing Mayo should do is figure out what type of player is needed to prosper in the modern game (not just 2010 by the way but also in 2020).

Do Mayo get in outsiders to help them with their defensive work or is it just guided by an ex IC defender?

Are Mayo developing their best young players as athletes e.g. balance, speed, agility, power etc., thereby giving them the foundation to handle the training required for IC?

Are Mayo pigeon holing players as backs/midfielders/forwards at 15 or 16 instead of developing them as all round footballers?

Are Mayo looking to improve the weaknesses of their players, for example Aiden O'Se is very left legged at 19 by the time he is 24 he should be able to kick scores with his right leg too?

They could also do with telling the county's refs to leave their whistles at home for club games and let a more physical approach to football develop.

I'm not from Mayo so I don't know what is going on at ground level but I can assure you that any Mayo underage team, including the AI winning U21 team, I've seen hadn't many lads I felt would make good seniors, Laois and Dublin are the same whereas Tyrone and Cork are producing players capable of making the step up. It's time for a new departure because Mayo, like Dublin are too important to the GAA to be a second rate team.