Connacht GAA: The improvement thread

[Peter Solan the Great]

Its sad to see the sorry state of Connacht football once more. We are at an all time low. When you have a team of the caliber of Sligo rising to the top its the sure sign of a sinking ship. Its rare to see both Mayo and Galway perform poorly in the same year but it is the crossroads we are are it. The Connacht council need to pour some funds into the future development of both Galway and Mayo, we cant have the situation where a team of Sligo's standard represents the province. Here is hoping for a Galway victory in the Replay.

[Farrandeelin]

Why not PSTG? If they're good enough, they're good enough.

[joemamas]

Peter,

Is the hogan stand site down.

Go back and look at your comments after the Mayo V Sligo game. You talked about the passion and guts of Sligo. Cop on to yourself. Do you remember the 70-80's with Roscommon.

[AZOffaly]

Jaysus Mayo Lads. I had no idea ye had such notions about yourselves vis a vis other counties. Firstly Longford get damned with feint praise, and then Connacht needs to be saved from Sligo representing it as champions.

I realise it's tongue in cheek, and it's not that many of ye, but it's surprising all the same.

[Peter Solan the Great]

There is no denying the Connacht football is at an all time low, what can we do to make it better. I think the weekends events have shown this. The Galway Sligo match was terrible unforced errors bad misses Mayo who only lost by four to Sligo getting beat by Longford. This Sligo team which is now perhaps the best in Connacht is mediocre when compared to Tyrone, Monaghan, Cork, Kerry even Dublin. There is no denying this. I feel Galway, Mayo and perhaps Roscommon have the potential to raise the standard.

[stephenite]

Jaysus Mayo Lads. I had no idea ye had such notions about yourselves vis a vis other counties. Firstly Longford get damned with feint praise, and then Connacht needs to be saved from Sligo representing it as champions.

I realise it's tongue in cheek, and it's not that many of ye, but it's surprising all the same.

2 or 3 of a fairly large crowd of Mayo people on this board -  it looks bad and thus your comment but if anyone cares to take the time to read most of the Mayo threads you'd notice that the vast majority of us have no notions about ourselves vis a vis anyone

[AZOffaly]

I'm slagging ye Stephenite.You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your (GAA) family

[stephenite]

I'm slagging ye Stephenite.You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your (GAA) family

Fair enough but it annoys me to see such comments, you're only as good as your last championship season in GAA world; right now we're right down there and it's where we belong, Sligo and Longford are a cut above us and for a county that was contesting All Irelands not too long ago that can be hard to take but you have to give credit where it's due to those that defeated us.

Actually, now that I think about it - how did ye Offaly cope with the wilderness years

[AZOffaly]

I'll let you know when we come out of them.

[Jinxy]

We say we want football to be more competitive yet as soon as "weaker" counties start winning games people lament the drop in standards.
I think this years championship has been a breath of fresh air.
Lots of attacking football and surprise results.
It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we could have 4 new provincial champions.
We already have 3.

[GalwayBayBoy]

The standard is not great in Connacht at the moment alright. Galway and Mayo both have very average teams by their standards. The Rossies have a young team who might amount to something in a few years but right now are no great shakes. Leitrim keep plugging away but realistically there is a ceiling with them. Sligo probably have one of the best teams they have ever had at the moment so if they win another Connacht you could not begrudge them. They have to make hay while the sun shines as the big two in Connacht always have an ability to reemerge with a new talented team quicker than the rest and are rarely in the doldrums for long at least as far as winning Connacht titles is concerned.

By the way even if Galway win Connacht this year I still don't think the standard will have been great. In comparision to say the late 90's early 00's when Galway, Mayo and Roscommon all had good sides and Sligo were improving. Provincial fortunes will ebb and flow though so I wouldn't say it's a reason for panic.

[ross4life]

This has to be the Worst troll job on the GaaBoard I'm thinking it's Jack L from Hoganstand?

(1) You start off saying "we are at an all time low" what where you born in the 90s 

(2) Team of Sligos Caliber? they have been a breath of fresh air who want's to see Galway or Mayo year after year?

(3) The Connacht council need to pour some funds in Roscommon, Sligo & leitrim because Galway/Mayo already have a unfair advantage

(4) If Sligo win the province fair play to them & they can't do worse than galway since 2001 & btw thanks for writing us off

[Peter Solan the Great]

The standard is not great in Connacht at the moment alright. Galway and Mayo both have very average teams by their standards. The Rossies have a young team who might amount to something in a few years but right now are no great shakes. Leitrim keep plugging away but realistically there is a ceiling with them. Sligo probably have one of the best teams they have ever had at the moment so if they win another Connacht you could not begrudge them. They have to make hay while the sun shines as the big two in Connacht always have an ability to reemerge with a new talented team quicker than the rest and are rarely in the doldrums for long at least as far as winning Connacht titles is concerned.

By the way even if Galway win Connacht this year I still don't think the standard will have been great. In comparision to say the late 90's early 00's when Galway, Mayo and Roscommon all had good sides and Sligo were improving. Provincial fortunes will ebb and flow though so I wouldn't say it's a reason for panic.

At least someone picked up on what i meant to get across. Ross4life do you not agree that the standard of football in Connacht has dropped dramatically , its all well and good patronizing Sligo saying sure havent they great heart etc but its quite obvious that the Connacht teams have had a dramactic decline over the last number of years and the fact that a team at Sligo level lording it over the rest of us is quite a depressing fact.

Would you honestly put Sligo up there with Tyrone, Monaghan, Dublin, Meath, Cork and Kerry? I wouldnt. The best team in Connacht is mediocre and some root analysis is needed in order to correct it.

[ross4life]

At least someone picked up on what i meant to get across. Ross4life do you not agree that the standard of football in Connacht has dropped dramatically , its all well and good patronizing Sligo saying sure havent they great heart etc but its quite obvious that the Connacht teams have had a dramactic decline over the last number of years and the fact that a team at Sligo level lording it over the rest of us is quite a depressing fact.

Would you honestly put Sligo up there with Tyrone, Monaghan, Dublin, Meath, Cork and Kerry? I wouldnt. The best team in Connacht is mediocre and some root analysis is needed in order to correct it.

The last time Connacht team's have been talked about as "all Ireland favourite's" would be way back in 1997/98 Sure Galway won it in in 2001 but they did it against the odds i can still remember nobody gave them a chance in the Final v Meath

so in truth you could say Connacht has been mediocre for some time, Tyrone & kerry are a level ahead of the rest (stats prove that) & on there day Sligo or Galway could still beat Dublin monaghan & Meath from what i saw of them

For me it would be refreshing to see new province Champions this year (Limerick,Monaghan,Roscommon/Sligo,Louth) it would be good for the game from the boring kerry/cork, tyroneArmagh, galway/mayo Dublin) that the Gaa football Championship has become these days

[myball22]

I think the standard of Connact football can be found in the teams that will put us out of the Championship this year.

So far Longford beating Mayo is not a good sign, I can see Galway really struggling against Wexford if they lose next week and we wait and see with the other teams.

I think the standard of Connacht football is in a poor place at present and whoever the Connacht champions may be will struggle in the quarter-final if they come up against decent opposition such as Armagh, Derry, Fermanagh, etc.