Ciarán McDonald

[BallyhaiseMan]

Ciaran McDonald for me was one of the most naturally talented players of all time.
tough,strong and brilliant in all facets of the game.
He suffered from the fact like many great players,that he wasnt on great teams.
The Mayo team of 1996 for me was their best team by far out of the Mayo collection of teams who reached all ireland finals in the last 15 years,the only thing it was missing unfortunately was Ciaran McDonald.
Maurice Fitz and McDonald tie for me as the most naturally talented players ive ever seen.
Gouch is a close third.
It really is a shame such a talented player didnt win an all ireland.

[small white mayoman]

Ciaran McDonald for me was one of the most naturally talented players of all time.
tough,strong and brilliant in all facets of the game.
He suffered from the fact like many great players,that he wasnt on great teams.
The Mayo team of 1996 for me was their best team by far out of the Mayo collection of teams who reached all ireland finals in the last 15 years,the only thing it was missing unfo rightrtunately was Ciaran McDonald.
Maurice Fitz and McDonald tie for me as the most naturally talented players ive ever seen.
Gouch is a close third.
It really is a shame such a talented player didnt win an all ireland.

not 100% correct  he does have an ai medal 

[small white mayoman]

Nice fella, hard worker and decent player.

But hugely overrated.
Hugely.

Average pace, one footed, very bad in the air, took too much time to play ball in, unpredictable and unreliable scorer who had a few good games.

If it wasn't for the hair and tattoo's he'd just be another decent county player, but the media loved the image and he made headlines for reasons mostly nothing to do with football any more outstanding than Nallen or Brady or the other servants of Mayo - nothing near the league of a Fitzgerald or an Canavan and wouldn't have made the Armagh, Tyrone, Kerry teams of the past 10 years, possibly a Dublin team.

Of course Mayo people will disagree, rant and rave and jump up and down, but they still think they have teams capable of winning All Irelands and that Conor Mortimer is a good footballer.

yeah it was the hair and tatoo the won him the ai club medal got him man on the match in both finals , got him his all star , his gpa award , nominated for footballer of the year twice represented his country not to mention all that he helped his club cross achieve yup i admit it i took your bait 

[haranguerer]

Grand player, as long as he was given space and time. My opinion of him rose greatly with the international rules - he got a lot of abuse, and dealt with it well.

[imtommygunn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH1pS3on6F8&feature=related

Clips of maurice fitz and mcdonald in there. A few more of mcdonald though...

[rosnarun]

much an all a fan as i am . you shouldn't diss a legend like Maurice fitz just to make a point. Very unbecoming

[INDIANA]

Nice fella, hard worker and decent player.

But hugely overrated.
Hugely.

Average pace, one footed, very bad in the air, took too much time to play ball in, unpredictable and unreliable scorer who had a few good games.

If it wasn't for the hair and tattoo's he'd just be another decent county player, but the media loved the image and he made headlines for reasons mostly nothing to do with football any more outstanding than Nallen or Brady or the other servants of Mayo - nothing near the league of a Fitzgerald or an Canavan and wouldn't have made the Armagh, Tyrone, Kerry teams of the past 10 years, possibly a Dublin team.

Of course Mayo people will disagree, rant and rave and jump up and down, but they still think they have teams capable of winning All Irelands and that Conor Mortimer is a good footballer.

Just like several of the posters here, I'm not from Mayo - but would rate McDonald as the most gifted footballer I've seen play.

Total contradiction. You can't be the most gifted player of all time with one foot. For anyone to suggest Mc Donald was better than Fitz- really says a lot for their football knowledge.

Mc Donald was a really fine player but he certtainly was not the most talented player in modern times with no right foot.

[haranguerer]

Nice fella, hard worker and decent player.

But hugely overrated.
Hugely.

Average pace, one footed, very bad in the air, took too much time to play ball in, unpredictable and unreliable scorer who had a few good games.

If it wasn't for the hair and tattoo's he'd just be another decent county player, but the media loved the image and he made headlines for reasons mostly nothing to do with football any more outstanding than Nallen or Brady or the other servants of Mayo - nothing near the league of a Fitzgerald or an Canavan and wouldn't have made the Armagh, Tyrone, Kerry teams of the past 10 years, possibly a Dublin team.

Of course Mayo people will disagree, rant and rave and jump up and down, but they still think they have teams capable of winning All Irelands and that Conor Mortimer is a good footballer.

Just like several of the posters here, I'm not from Mayo - but would rate McDonald as the most gifted footballer I've seen play.

Just like several of the posters here,......you havent a clue what you're talking about 

[rosnarun]

Total contradiction. You can't be the most gifted player of all time with one foot. For anyone to suggest Mc Donald was better than Fitz- really says a lot for their football knowledge.

wasn't there another code where a swarthy citog was voted best player of all time?
and Dan carter isnt much cop with his right peg either

[RedandGreenSniper]

much an all a fan as i am . you shouldn't diss a legend like Maurice fitz just to make a point. Very unbecoming

wasn't there another code where a swarthy citog was voted best player of all time?
and Dan carter isnt much cop with his right peg either

Apparently Henry Shefflin is useless with both feet.

[INDIANA]

Total contradiction. You can't be the most gifted player of all time with one foot. For anyone to suggest Mc Donald was better than Fitz- really says a lot for their football knowledge.

wasn't there another code where a swarthy citog was voted best player of all time?
and Dan carter isnt much cop with his right peg either

I suggest you watch the All-Blacks or the Crusaders sometime- he used it twice on Saturday night for example.
Is anyone seriously suggesting Mc donald is in the same class as
Matt Connor, Fitzgerald, Stevie O Neill, Linden or Canavan. All of them were and are in the genius category.

[furboot]

Total contradiction. You can't be the most gifted player of all time with one foot. For anyone to suggest Mc Donald was better than Fitz- really says a lot for their football knowledge.

wasn't there another code where a swarthy citog was voted best player of all time?
and Dan carter isnt much cop with his right peg either

I suggest you watch the All-Blacks or the Crusaders sometime- he used it twice on Saturday night for example.
Is anyone seriously suggesting Mc donald is in the same class as
Matt Connor, Fitzgerald, Stevie O Neill, Linden or Canavan. All of them were and are in the genius category.

Answer - Yes - all of the above !!!

[The Konica]

Total contradiction. You can't be the most gifted player of all time with one foot. For anyone to suggest Mc Donald was better than Fitz- really says a lot for their football knowledge.

wasn't there another code where a swarthy citog was voted best player of all time?
and Dan carter isnt much cop with his right peg either

You know nothing about rugby for sure.

The man is arguably as good off his right as his left.

As for McDonald ... gimme a break

[thewobbler]

Ciaran McDonald is one of the finest physical specimens of a footballer who ever walked. Athletic, pacey and wiry, and blessed with a tremendous hoof. But he fell well short of the greats in terms of footballing brains. Think of his best playmaking peers, the likes of McGuigan, Giles, Donnellan, Fallon, Blaney, McEntee, O'Sullivan, and that's where the gap is most obvious.

Each of those was capable of hitting a 70 yard pass off the outside of their boot, but each also understood that forwards almost always prefer a ball dinked low and hard in front of them, and recognised that moving the ball quickly to an overlapping runner is usually a better option than forcing forwards into the game before they're ready.

[The Konica]

Total contradiction. You can't be the most gifted player of all time with one foot. For anyone to suggest Mc Donald was better than Fitz- really says a lot for their football knowledge.

wasn't there another code where a swarthy citog was voted best player of all time?
and Dan carter isnt much cop with his right peg either

I suggest you watch the All-Blacks or the Crusaders sometime- he used it twice on Saturday night for example.
Is anyone seriously suggesting Mc donald is in the same class as
Matt Connor, Fitzgerald, Stevie O Neill, Linden or Canavan. All of them were and are in the genius category.

Answer - Yes - all of the above !!!

Typical brainless nonsense.

McDonald is no where near that league of player at all ....
He's not even in the same league as Brian Dooher, Paul Galvin, Declan O'Sullivan or any other half forward of note.

He was a good county player on a few poor/half decent Mayo county teams, that would never have seen Croke Park but for the poor standard of Connacht football over the past 15 years and the fact Galway went through a few lean years.