James Horan Appointed Mayo Manager 2011

[blast05]

Blast isn't sure if Jack O'Connor was right about Kerry's one year of hunger but I remember thinking it was right on the money at the time

I would still argue it was all about fear  ... fear of failure, fear of success !, fear of Kerrys tradition, fear of the sight of the Kerry jersey, fear of another capitulation, a deep down fear that they were just simply not as good as their direct opponent, etc etc etc
The hunger was there when we played Dublin and there was no fear. Same could be said when we came back from 6 down against Galway in Castlebar. There was a genuine belief and confidence that we were better than them..... that come what may we would beat them ..... that it was our right to beat them ..... etc

At least we kept it private on our own websites not inflicting our misery on the whole country

I would have thought that the title of the thread gave an indication of what the debate was about and that gave people the option not to bother reading it

[IolarCoisCuain]

At least we kept it private on our own websites not inflicting our misery on the whole country

I would have thought that the title of the thread gave an indication of what the debate was about and that gave people the option not to bother reading it

I was wondering about that myself. It's odd, isn't it? You'd think, with Roscommon still in the Championship and all, that the boys would be thinking about their own team. Will O'Gara start, maybe, or will the extra game stand to Galway/Sligo to the detriment of Ross, things like that. Instead of that, they're all the time looking enviously over the ditch at the impossible glory, the sublime rapture, the extraordinary radiance, the very Heaven on Earth that you and I Blast know as the sweet county Mayo.

Ara, the craythurs. They're like those fellas who blind themselves during the eclipses from staring at the sun. Don't worry fellas - Mayo will be back very soon and you can read lots and lots of threads about us again. You'll just have to make do in the meantime. Offer it up. That's the spirit. Brave hearts boys, brave hearts.

[moysider]

Am I the only one that feels that the rush to replace Johnno is a bit hasty. A meeting of the executive takes place tonight or tomorrow night. Now they might decide to take some time out and I hope they will do that. but just because maybe I m a bit paranoid doesn't mean that they re not up to something. Could it be that they want to wheel a candidate out for approval at the next full board meeting without giving an opportunity for debate and feedback from the clubs? Now I wouldn't be in favour of a genesis report/audit like Kevin McStay called for. You can imagine who would have to be on that. But I seriously feel that grassroots opinion from the clubs must be heard before we move on. Most people I ve talked to would prefer a fresh face with no baggage.

[macdanger2]

Poor result, no excuses for it really. Johnno, the backteam and players all have to take responsibility

Ultimately though it all falls on Johnnos head, his tactics were non-existent and clearly the players were flat and unmotivated.

Disappointed for JOM - despite what is said on here, he was a football man before he was a politician and will be a football man long after he has left politics.

Hard to know why a team who had the fight to come back from 6 points down against a tough team like Monaghan in March (granted, it was the league but all the same....) suddenly capitulates when faced with Cork / Sligo / Longford. I hope that there was a specific reason to explain it rather than something more endemic.

Who to replace him though? A new county board would be a start but that seems unlikely. Talk of starting from scratch in terms of coaching within the county is spot on - Tyrone is a readymade template by all accounts.

I think that we shouldn't rush into it - any Mayo man who is interested in the job will be at club games regardless. Anybody who is currently managing another team will need to finish out the championship (you couldn't expect Jack O'C or Mickey H to walk out on Kerry/Tyrone in the middle of the summer  ).

Possible names:
- Connelly
- Holmes
- Forde
- McHale (is he involved with Clare at the minute?)
- Dempsey
- Horan
- Paudie
- Micko
- Liam Kearins
- AN Other???

Seems likely to come from within the county I think.

Lot of opposition to Paudie and that would be my first impression (complete mercenary) but with the right back team, he could do a job. O'Flahartha gets a lot of the credit for W/Meaths win but Paudie put him in as trainer all the same. It would be a massive gamble and we couldn't afford him anyway so it probably makes no odds.

Would like to see Nallen in as a selector and getting the right trainer is probably as crucial as the manager. The new management should trawl the county for talent in the same way that M&M did in 2006, giving everyone a fair go of it instead of people living off their reputations.

I still think we have a reasonably talented bunch of players - whoever mentioned clearing all bar 5 or 6 of the squad and "finding 9 new players" must think we have a whole pile of IC standard footballers knocking about who have never played for mayo?

Despite the last Sunday's debacle, we have a decent young squad who are capable of competing with all bar the Big 3 if they are setup right.

Remember, it's always darkest before the dawn...........

Maigh Eo Abu

[ross4life]

At least we kept it private on our own websites not inflicting our misery on the whole country

I would have thought that the title of the thread gave an indication of what the debate was about and that gave people the option not to bother reading it

I was wondering about that myself. It's odd, isn't it? You'd think, with Roscommon still in the Championship and all, that the boys would be thinking about their own team. Will O'Gara start, maybe, or will the extra game stand to Galway/Sligo to the detriment of Ross, things like that. Instead of that, they're all the time looking enviously over the ditch at the impossible glory, the sublime rapture, the extraordinary radiance, the very Heaven on Earth that you and I Blast know as the sweet county Mayo.

Ara, the craythurs. They're like those fellas who blind themselves during the eclipses from staring at the sun. Don't worry fellas - Mayo will be back very soon and you can read lots and lots of threads about us again. You'll just have to make do in the meantime. Offer it up. That's the spirit. Brave hearts boys, brave hearts.

Rossfan was talking about own websites like the one we have "stolensheep" instead you guys decide to air your dirty washing in public for any GAA fan to read

From what i hear, read & see there's no in between with most Mayo fan's it's either embarrassment the lowest of the low or this is our year.... let's paint the car's & everything else Green & Red

Sure the longford match was one of worst defeats Mayo have experienced in a long time but i have a feeling there will be more of these type of days before as you say  "will be back"

[FL/MAYO]

At least we kept it private on our own websites not inflicting our misery on the whole country

I would have thought that the title of the thread gave an indication of what the debate was about and that gave people the option not to bother reading it

I was wondering about that myself. It's odd, isn't it? You'd think, with Roscommon still in the Championship and all, that the boys would be thinking about their own team. Will O'Gara start, maybe, or will the extra game stand to Galway/Sligo to the detriment of Ross, things like that. Instead of that, they're all the time looking enviously over the ditch at the impossible glory, the sublime rapture, the extraordinary radiance, the very Heaven on Earth that you and I Blast know as the sweet county Mayo.

Ara, the craythurs. They're like those fellas who blind themselves during the eclipses from staring at the sun. Don't worry fellas - Mayo will be back very soon and you can read lots and lots of threads about us again. You'll just have to make do in the meantime. Offer it up. That's the spirit. Brave hearts boys, brave hearts.

Rossfan was talking about own websites like the one we have "stolensheep" instead you guys decide to air your dirty washing in public for any GAA fan to read

From what i hear, read & see there's no in between with most Mayo fan's it's either embarrassment the lowest of the low or this is our year.... let's paint the car's & everything else Green & Red

Sure the longford match was one of worst defeats Mayo have experienced in a long time but i have a feeling there will be more of these type of days before as you say  "will be back"

The worrying thing for you Ross4life is that this shite Mayo team gave you boys a right hammering last year.

[ross4life]

At least we kept it private on our own websites not inflicting our misery on the whole country

I would have thought that the title of the thread gave an indication of what the debate was about and that gave people the option not to bother reading it

I was wondering about that myself. It's odd, isn't it? You'd think, with Roscommon still in the Championship and all, that the boys would be thinking about their own team. Will O'Gara start, maybe, or will the extra game stand to Galway/Sligo to the detriment of Ross, things like that. Instead of that, they're all the time looking enviously over the ditch at the impossible glory, the sublime rapture, the extraordinary radiance, the very Heaven on Earth that you and I Blast know as the sweet county Mayo.

Ara, the craythurs. They're like those fellas who blind themselves during the eclipses from staring at the sun. Don't worry fellas - Mayo will be back very soon and you can read lots and lots of threads about us again. You'll just have to make do in the meantime. Offer it up. That's the spirit. Brave hearts boys, brave hearts.

Rossfan was talking about own websites like the one we have "stolensheep" instead you guys decide to air your dirty washing in public for any GAA fan to read

From what i hear, read & see there's no in between with most Mayo fan's it's either embarrassment the lowest of the low or this is our year.... let's paint the car's & everything else Green & Red

Sure the longford match was one of worst defeats Mayo have experienced in a long time but i have a feeling there will be more of these type of days before as you say  "will be back"

The worrying thing for you Ross4life is that this shite Mayo team gave you boys a right hammering last year.

Nail on head there boyo! not forgetting the shite teams that beat us by 16pts, 22pts & 24pts in 2008 which proves you boys have a long way to go before you know what worry is

[IolarCoisCuain]

You're not alone at all Moysider. There is no need whatsoever for a quick appointment. The Mayo senior team won't kick another football for six months, and there is meant to be no training in the offseason anymore, isn't there?

We need to take our own sweet time appointing someone because there's more to this than just a manager. An attempt to bounce a white-headed boy in there as soon as possible should be resisted. What's the point? It's not like any white-headed boy won't still be available in November. Let's try and get this right for a change.

[Tubberman]

Some very honest and pretty hard-hitting words from Alan Dillon in today's Examiner (report by Mike Finnerty though).
Good to see at least one player is honest and brave enough to admit that it was unacceptable and the whole structure needs to be looked at:

Dillon demands major review of Mayo football after tame exit

By Mike Finnerty

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

ALAN DILLON has called for root and branch reform of Mayo football following their humiliating exit from the All-Ireland championship on Saturday.
Mayo's qualifier defeat to Longford and the subsequent resignation of manager John O'Mahony ended a miserable season for the underachieving Connacht outfit.

Dillon, one of the few Mayo players to impress at the weekend, has called for a countywide review of the game in Mayo. He stressed: "There's no short-term fix for this team. The county, in general, needs a big shake-up. From the top to the bottom needs to be examined."

But the current team didn't escape criticism for their showing at the weekend – and this year. Dillon said: "In terms of team performance, we don't seem to be fighting for each other as a team, as a unit.

"We lost the individual battles last Saturday, not enough lads were digging out the guy beside them.

"Everyone is too focussed on themselves, not the team. In championship, you have to be thinking of how the team can get better, can benefit. Lads started playing as individuals, started to lose the ball, miss passes, and fumble possession. It had a snowball effect and the confidence just seeped out of the team."

Former Mayo captain Noel Connelly, who spent four seasons as joint-manager of the county U21sbetween 2006 and 2009, has emerged as the early front-runner for the vacant senior post. A local bookmaker has installed Connelly as the favourite to succeed O'Mahony but former Galway boss Peter Ford, current Mayo U21 manager Ray Dempsey and John Maughan, who has already had two stints in charge, are also in the frame. Liam McHale, who served as a selector under Maughan, has made no secret of his interest in the job either.

Dillon told The Mayo News: "In terms of a new manager, there are a lot of good, talented people within the county that everyone in the current squad would look up to.

"People that we would all respect and can motivate a group. I think we have a lot of former Mayo players who are credible and have management experience. I think Sligo are a prime example of what you can achieve with a good management team made up of former players. Those guys have been there before."

Saturday's defeat to Longford was the culmination of a disastrous eight-weeks period for Mayo during which they lost the NFL Division 1 final to Cork and also surrendered their Connacht championship title to Sligo.

Dillon feels that Mayo's run to the league decider did more harm than good.

"The National League final probably deflated the team," he offered. "Winning league games counts for nothing when it comes to championship. We weren't reviewing the problem areas and didn't see the cracks when we were winning league matches. We were in our comfort zone in a lot of games. Then, in the last three games, we were out of our comfort zone. There's a huge lesson to be learned there and we need to re-assess everything for next year."

Understandably, the Mayo dressing-room was an emotional place on Saturday evening in the wake of their championship exit and John O'Mahony's resignation. Dillon conceded that it felt like the end of an era.

"A lot of honest words were spoken," he said. "No-one individual can take the blame for the last three games. Everyone has to take personal responsibility. I suppose the reality hit home that we were out of the championship, that we had let ourselves down, and the genuine Mayo supporters down. It's devastating to be beaten in the last three high-profile games. It's going to take time for this team to bounce back.

"It was difficult for John coming in," he added. "There were a lot of new players coming through and some of the young players just weren't of the same standard as the lads who left. You don't replace the likes of David Heaney, James Nallen and Ciaran McDonald easily."


Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/dillon-demands-major-review-of-mayo-football-after-tame-exit-123787.html#ixzz0sKFAn0Bf

[Chimley]

That's a great piece by Dillon in my opinion. He hits the nail on the head where he says that players were playing as individuals when we were out of the comfort zone. This is what happens when there is no direction from the sideline or a gameplan to follow. Another poke at Johnno was the reference to the lack of analysis that took place during our winning run in the league. The Monaghan and Dublin games in particular showed up problems that were never addressed. The positive is that we seem to be a match for any team on talent (if as he said that we went through the league in our comfort zone) and with a bit of drive and direction we can put this year behind us.

[Chimley]

Here's an idea that might work also.
Now that we have an empty calendar for the summer, we could run a new competition (to fit around the club championship) with four teams, one from each of the championship regions (North, South, East and West). You could get them managed by prospective county managers and stipulate in the rules that there must be x number of players from non-senior clubs, y number of players u21 or 23 etc. There could be a series of games run as double headers on a league basis to give more players a shot.

This would give some focus to the county players (that are interested in the future) and give an invauluable chance for any players that are just below the radar also. It could give the county board the chance to evaluate the working methods of some managerial prospects and get feedback from some senior players too. 

I realise that everyone would need to buy into the idea but hopefully we will never have a longer summer (or need) to try something this radical again and everyone is saying that we need to start out with new thinking.

[spuds]

a bridge too far 


AUDIO John O'Mahony after Mayo's defeat to Longford

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10140:audio-john-omahony-speaks-after-mayos-defeat-to-longford&catid=85:sports-news-audio&Itemid=100164

[small white mayoman]

Here's a  interview with johno in the mayo news this is the comment i find strange does he really think he built a bridge and helped to develop this mayo team 

My term was about building a bridge between one team and another and I think time will prove that the bridge has been built, but for a bridge you have to get to the other side. In my term we're not getting to the other side.
john O'Mahony resigns as Mayo manager

The end of the affair


Reaction
Edwin McGreal

THE red faces are the give-away. Mayo players turn left out of their Pearse Park dressing room and left again to leave the complex for their bus. As they do so, it is impossible not to notice the emotion in so many of their faces.
A lot of them had been moved to tears by John O'Mahony's resignation speech which was emotive and inspirational by all accounts. The effects of it are as clear as day in the expressions on the faces of guys like Peadar Gardiner, Alan Dillon, Mark Ronaldson, Andy Moran, Donal Vaughan and many more besides.
And there is an unmistakable irony in that. Ironic that in his last act as Mayo manager John O'Mahony had moved his squad in a way that he had rarely managed to do in his four year tenure. Ironic that we see how much it means to players after the final whistle had sounded on this year's campaign.
For close to an hour the players were ensconced in the dressing room after the final whistle. It is clear from the thou shalt not pass demeanour of county board Assistant Treasurer Tommy Goonan that something serious is taking place behind closed doors. Soon Goonan goes inside and Maor Uisce Liam Ludden takes over sentry duty.
Then the exits begin. Seamus O'Shea and Alan Freeman are first out and as the players go one way, John O'Mahony's wife Gerardine and his four daughters enter the dressing room to be with him.
O'Mahony then emerges with his family and faces a collection of dictaphones. As he stands there his family are nearby, standing by their man. No word has emerged yet about his resignation but the inquiry hangs there like a bad smell. Firstly there are the 'going through the motions' questions.
"What's your reaction to that, John?" one journalist asked.
"What do you think? What's your reaction to it?" O'Mahony began rather spikily.
The opinion was put forward that Mayo played like in the Sligo game – starting well before fading alarmingly. The Mayo chief didn't agree.
"I wouldn't think it was . . . no. In fairness, like, I would say in the Sligo game we had a collapse in the middle third of the field. Today we kept battling. We gave away a lot of ball, we made a lot of mistakes, but I'd have to give full credit to the lads for the way they really put everything into the game, you know.
"I know where first round qualifiers are at. I knew coming up here this evening that I was worried about it (Mayo's vulnerability), but that if we could get over it that we would be back in business. But I knew that vulnerability was there and it did show itself in a number of periods during the game."

THE niceties out of the way, the lingering question remains. O'Mahony smiles as it is asked.
"I was waiting for that question, I could see you winding up to it there earlier on. No, my situation is that I've just told the players there that I'm stepping down as manager of Mayo. I've put four years in to it. I do think that these lads will have their day in the sun. I've said that constantly. It is not an easy thing to say on an evening when you lose a first round qualifier maybe to a perceived weaker team like Longford, but I'm absolutely convinced of that and nothing changes in that.
'But it is a results-driven game from a management point of view and I have done four years. I've just informed the county board and I've informed the players there and I wish them well. I'll continue to be a Mayo supporter. I think that they (players) have taken some harsh criticism over the last few weeks.
"I didn't mind that constructive criticism. I just didn't like some of the personal criticism that they got. But however, it is for somebody else now, and I think that they'll go back to their clubs and so on. But I think there is a lot of talent in that dressing room, and somewhere along the line they'll pull their trigger on it and get it out but I wish them well. It is not for me to guide it from here on in."
The point is made about the players having teary faces as they left the dressing room. Was it an emotional scene in the dressing room?
"Ah well sure it was," admits O'Mahony, before launching an attack on some commentators. "You create a family around you and you go through the pain, and the benefit of working with a group is that you become very good friends along the way.
"Sometimes you feel you are working against the world but I'd sincerely like to thank the real, real Mayo supporters who have been wonderful to this team. Behind the scenes, the supporters' club in Dublin and Mayo and all over the place, and I'm talking about the real ones. I'm not talking about the people that [pause] are maybe paid to comment on them sometimes.
"My term was about building a bridge between one team and another and I think time will prove that the bridge has been built, but for a bridge you have to get to the other side. In my term we're not getting to the other side.
"I think that's for somebody else and I think there's plenty of good management material around the county...
"We've exported many managers over the years, I think there'll be plenty to take it on that little bit there. It's not all doom and gloom for Mayo football but I just feel I have done everything I can.
"I've always been available to Mayo when I was asked, even through the 90s when I wasn't needed at that stage. But I've always responded. I responded four years ago and will always do that, and will continue to support these lads individually and collectively."
And did the nature of the defeat to Longford lead John O'Mahony to go or was he always going to go at the end of this year's championship? His answer was terse.
"I think I've just told you the decision and I'm not going into a long interview about it now. As a manager you can never think of yourself, so I thought of myself in the dressing room and I've decided to do what I've done and I've told you [that]."

[moysider]

Here's a  interview with johno in the mayo news this is the comment i find strange does he really think he built a bridge and helped to develop this mayo team 

My term was about building a bridge between one team and another and I think time will prove that the bridge has been built, but for a bridge you have to get to the other side. In my term we're not getting to the other side.
john O'Mahony resigns as Mayo manager

The end of the affair


Reaction
Edwin McGreal

THE red faces are the give-away. Mayo players turn left out of their Pearse Park dressing room and left again to leave the complex for their bus. As they do so, it is impossible not to notice the emotion in so many of their faces.
A lot of them had been moved to tears by John O'Mahony's resignation speech which was emotive and inspirational by all accounts. The effects of it are as clear as day in the expressions on the faces of guys like Peadar Gardiner, Alan Dillon, Mark Ronaldson, Andy Moran, Donal Vaughan and many more besides.
And there is an unmistakable irony in that. Ironic that in his last act as Mayo manager John O'Mahony had moved his squad in a way that he had rarely managed to do in his four year tenure. Ironic that we see how much it means to players after the final whistle had sounded on this year's campaign.
For close to an hour the players were ensconced in the dressing room after the final whistle. It is clear from the thou shalt not pass demeanour of county board Assistant Treasurer Tommy Goonan that something serious is taking place behind closed doors. Soon Goonan goes inside and Maor Uisce Liam Ludden takes over sentry duty.
Then the exits begin. Seamus O'Shea and Alan Freeman are first out and as the players go one way, John O'Mahony's wife Gerardine and his four daughters enter the dressing room to be with him.
O'Mahony then emerges with his family and faces a collection of dictaphones. As he stands there his family are nearby, standing by their man. No word has emerged yet about his resignation but the inquiry hangs there like a bad smell. Firstly there are the 'going through the motions' questions.
"What's your reaction to that, John?" one journalist asked.
"What do you think? What's your reaction to it?" O'Mahony began rather spikily.
The opinion was put forward that Mayo played like in the Sligo game – starting well before fading alarmingly. The Mayo chief didn't agree.
"I wouldn't think it was . . . no. In fairness, like, I would say in the Sligo game we had a collapse in the middle third of the field. Today we kept battling. We gave away a lot of ball, we made a lot of mistakes, but I'd have to give full credit to the lads for the way they really put everything into the game, you know.
"I know where first round qualifiers are at. I knew coming up here this evening that I was worried about it (Mayo's vulnerability), but that if we could get over it that we would be back in business. But I knew that vulnerability was there and it did show itself in a number of periods during the game."

THE niceties out of the way, the lingering question remains. O'Mahony smiles as it is asked.
"I was waiting for that question, I could see you winding up to it there earlier on. No, my situation is that I've just told the players there that I'm stepping down as manager of Mayo. I've put four years in to it. I do think that these lads will have their day in the sun. I've said that constantly. It is not an easy thing to say on an evening when you lose a first round qualifier maybe to a perceived weaker team like Longford, but I'm absolutely convinced of that and nothing changes in that.
'But it is a results-driven game from a management point of view and I have done four years. I've just informed the county board and I've informed the players there and I wish them well. I'll continue to be a Mayo supporter. I think that they (players) have taken some harsh criticism over the last few weeks.
"I didn't mind that constructive criticism. I just didn't like some of the personal criticism that they got. But however, it is for somebody else now, and I think that they'll go back to their clubs and so on. But I think there is a lot of talent in that dressing room, and somewhere along the line they'll pull their trigger on it and get it out but I wish them well. It is not for me to guide it from here on in."
The point is made about the players having teary faces as they left the dressing room. Was it an emotional scene in the dressing room?
"Ah well sure it was," admits O'Mahony, before launching an attack on some commentators. "You create a family around you and you go through the pain, and the benefit of working with a group is that you become very good friends along the way.
"Sometimes you feel you are working against the world but I'd sincerely like to thank the real, real Mayo supporters who have been wonderful to this team. Behind the scenes, the supporters' club in Dublin and Mayo and all over the place, and I'm talking about the real ones. I'm not talking about the people that [pause] are maybe paid to comment on them sometimes.
"My term was about building a bridge between one team and another and I think time will prove that the bridge has been built, but for a bridge you have to get to the other side. In my term we're not getting to the other side.
"I think that's for somebody else and I think there's plenty of good management material around the county...
"We've exported many managers over the years, I think there'll be plenty to take it on that little bit there. It's not all doom and gloom for Mayo football but I just feel I have done everything I can.
"I've always been available to Mayo when I was asked, even through the 90s when I wasn't needed at that stage. But I've always responded. I responded four years ago and will always do that, and will continue to support these lads individually and collectively."
And did the nature of the defeat to Longford lead John O'Mahony to go or was he always going to go at the end of this year's championship? His answer was terse.
"I think I've just told you the decision and I'm not going into a long interview about it now. As a manager you can never think of yourself, so I thought of myself in the dressing room and I've decided to do what I've done and I've told you [that]."

It s all so much soft chat as usual. When mics are shoved in your face you have to say something. The bit you highlighted is ould blather. Building a bridge and it not reaching the other side in his time. Thing is the new man will have to start from scratch or close to it. Notice he didn't say anything about leaving the team in better shape than he found it. Not even he could chance that. The bit I highlighted about day in the sun reminds me of what Jacko said when he got the bums rush in 94. He said he had no doubt that his team were the future of Mayo football. Well only 5 survived from his last team to play in 96 All Ireland just 2 championship later. As I said it s just all soft chat. By the time the sun shines for us again there ll be a lot of changes and Johnno s term will go down more as an ill-advised  folly than a bridge anywhere. Such a waste of time.
At least the new management can use the NY trip for the FBD final to show their intent and spend a few weeks gettine a panel together for the trip. I sincerely hope its not going to be used as send off for the Johnno panel.

[spuds]