Div 1 Mayo v Down Official Thread

[mannix]

i doubt james horan will be concerned about what the fans think. Good luck to all on saturday night, its good to see a fresh start.

[Lar Naparka]

Well, the fun begins at the weekend and I wish James and his players the very best for this game and for what lies ahead. I'm pleased to see that Campbell, O'Malley and Kilcullen feature in his plans.
Don't know what happened between any of those lads and John O'Mahony but whatever it was is best left in the past. I suppose it's going to take some considerable time for any sort of a settled side to emerge and this game won't tell us very much but a win would be as good a way as any to start Horan's managerial career.

[AbbeySider]

Sounds like Parsons and AOS are back in the Mayo fold after colleges duty and in with a shout for some game time this weekend. Parsons has the game but he needs to be willing to add a bit of drive and fight for the dirty ball around midfield this year. Hopefully AOS is over his second season syndrome and has shaped up a bit, he didn't kick on last season at all.

Good stuff. Players with reserves of ability. Horan's problem is how and where to play all these guys. Because the average Mayo fan will want all the names they recognise on the team sheet and to hell with the rest of it. What to do? It s not bad place to be in if he holds his nerve. And instead of cramming individuals into a team, he comes up with tactics and shape and has these guys willing and able to slot in when needed.

i doubt james horan will be concerned about what the fans think. Good luck to all on saturday night, its good to see a fresh start.

Well said Mannix, you beat me to it.

Pandering to the layman Mayo fans ideals, (the majority of which know next to nothing about club football and players in the county); with (so called) big names based on (so called) reputations on a teamsheet is the last thing Horan would be trying to do.

FFS I thought we would have left that crap behind us after JOMs exit, after he was picking players based on reputations from every small town in Mayo to insure a vote. Should it even be on the radar to go back to those days?

Im surprised that even entered your head Moy.

[Barney]

Really looking forward to Saturday and to the new season.

The management have to be left at this and work through the problems they have inherited. Of course things are going to be disjointed but they need to be given time and judgement will have to be made in 2 or 3 years, not this year even.

Impossible to predict a result on Saturday. Our aim has to be to stay in Division 1 and so this is one of the "must win" games but as we know the league throws up funny results. It is not the end of the world if we lose, it is not a bright new era if we win.

I wonder will JOM be canvassing outside?

[Chimley]

No white smoke from the proposed kickaround with the U21's last night?

[moysider]

Sounds like Parsons and AOS are back in the Mayo fold after colleges duty and in with a shout for some game time this weekend. Parsons has the game but he needs to be willing to add a bit of drive and fight for the dirty ball around midfield this year. Hopefully AOS is over his second season syndrome and has shaped up a bit, he didn't kick on last season at all.

Good stuff. Players with reserves of ability. Horan's problem is how and where to play all these guys. Because the average Mayo fan will want all the names they recognise on the team sheet and to hell with the rest of it. What to do? It s not bad place to be in if he holds his nerve. And instead of cramming individuals into a team, he comes up with tactics and shape and has these guys willing and able to slot in when needed.

i doubt james horan will be concerned about what the fans think. Good luck to all on saturday night, its good to see a fresh start.

Well said Mannix, you beat me to it.

Pandering to the layman Mayo fans ideals, (the majority of which know next to nothing about club football and players in the county); with (so called) big names based on (so called) reputations on a teamsheet is the last thing Horan would be trying to do.

FFS I thought we would have left that crap behind us after JOMs exit, after he was picking players based on reputations from every small town in Mayo to insure a vote. Should it even be on the radar to go back to those days?

Im surprised that even entered your head Moy.

Yeah. I can see how I came accross there. What I meant was that the usual bullshit with the fans will start now if a bit of interest gets goin. We seem to be a people that like stars scattered liberally about the field on a Summer's day rather than a team of substance. As you say the majority of fans know or care little of club games and club players and name recognition and reputation is what they go on. I wouldn't for a moment think that Horan would pander to that but it probably will be there.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Sounds like Parsons and AOS are back in the Mayo fold after colleges duty and in with a shout for some game time this weekend. Parsons has the game but he needs to be willing to add a bit of drive and fight for the dirty ball around midfield this year. Hopefully AOS is over his second season syndrome and has shaped up a bit, he didn't kick on last season at all.

Good stuff. Players with reserves of ability. Horan's problem is how and where to play all these guys. Because the average Mayo fan will want all the names they recognise on the team sheet and to hell with the rest of it. What to do? It s not bad place to be in if he holds his nerve. And instead of cramming individuals into a team, he comes up with tactics and shape and has these guys willing and able to slot in when needed.

i doubt james horan will be concerned about what the fans think. Good luck to all on saturday night, its good to see a fresh start.

Well said Mannix, you beat me to it.

Pandering to the layman Mayo fans ideals, (the majority of which know next to nothing about club football and players in the county); with (so called) big names based on (so called) reputations on a teamsheet is the last thing Horan would be trying to do.

FFS I thought we would have left that crap behind us after JOMs exit, after he was picking players based on reputations from every small town in Mayo to insure a vote. Should it even be on the radar to go back to those days?

Im surprised that even entered your head Moy.

We need to be careful how we pitch the old against the new. I, for one, am very critical of how JOM ran the Mayo team over the four years but you've pitched a very discoloured view there AbbeySider. My biggest problem with O'Mahony and the politics (and most people's) was that he couldn't possibly have enough time left over to give management of Mayo his best (and the view that his best might not have been much better than that anyway is arguably not far off the mark either).
To say he was picking a team in order to get votes? That's way off the mark and out of order in my opinion. If he was doing that the darling of most Mayo football fans (and a player who still had something to offer), Ciaran McDonald, would not have been dropped. O'Mahony will feel the damage for that in the Crossmolina region in a few weeks. The fans loved Austie too but O'Mahony didn't give him much of a run. Hardly a wise political move but a solid football decision (in Austie's case). McDonald's dropping was unwise on every level.

If O'Mahony was pandering to a voting regime then we'd have a load of players from Claremorris, Ballyhaunis, Charlestown and Kiltimagh playing (his core vote area). He didn't. I think you're doing him a disservice, because there is a list as long as my arm that you can criticse him on but that's not one of them.

James Horan is a fresh start. He is his own man and capable of making his own mind up. So was O'Mahony, just that he too frequently made the wrong call, possibly because he was too stretched with his day job, possibly because his time had come and went or possibly because he was never as good as we thought in the first place. He might have taken the job for the wrong reasons but its wrong to suggest he picked his team in order to win votes.

[muppet]

I didn't realise we had a hierarchy of fans in Mayo!

How is it decided who is worthy of selecting their personal preferences to start? Must they be resident in Mayo or even Ireland to qualify??

[AbbeySider]

We need to be careful how we pitch the old against the new. I, for one, am very critical of how JOM ran the Mayo team over the four years but you've pitched a very discoloured view there AbbeySider. My biggest problem with O'Mahony and the politics (and most people's) was that he couldn't possibly have enough time left over to give management of Mayo his best (and the view that his best might not have been much better than that anyway is arguably not far off the mark either).
To say he was picking a team in order to get votes? That's way off the mark and out of order in my opinion. If he was doing that the darling of most Mayo football fans (and a player who still had something to offer), Ciaran McDonald, would not have been dropped. O'Mahony will feel the damage for that in the Crossmolina region in a few weeks. The fans loved Austie too but O'Mahony didn't give him much of a run. Hardly a wise political move but a solid football decision (in Austie's case). McDonald's dropping was unwise on every level.

If O'Mahony was pandering to a voting regime then we'd have a load of players from Claremorris, Ballyhaunis, Charlestown and Kiltimagh playing (his core vote area). He didn't. I think you're doing him a disservice, because there is a list as long as my arm that you can criticse him on but that's not one of them.

James Horan is a fresh start. He is his own man and capable of making his own mind up. So was O'Mahony, just that he too frequently made the wrong call, possibly because he was too stretched with his day job, possibly because his time had come and went or possibly because he was never as good as we thought in the first place. He might have taken the job for the wrong reasons but its wrong to suggest he picked his team in order to win votes.

Point taken R&GS, although I never thought you, of all people would be the one defending JOM 

Anyway I could point out a few things and we could delve into it but its raking the coals and I would be afraid the argument could turn into a wreckage on the thread. We will fight that battle another day, I promise! 

[spuds]

From Mayo gaa on bookface

Mayo Senior Football Team, starting 15 to face Down in Allianz Football League Opener:

1) Kenneth O'Malley, 2) Tom Cunniffe, 3) Cathal Hallinan, 4) Keith Higgins, 5) Richie Feeney, 6) Ger Cafferkey, 7) Kevin McLoughlin, Ronan McGarrity, 9) Jason Gibbons, 10) Andy Moran, 11) Aidan O'Shea, 12) Alan Dillon, 13) Enda Varley, 14) Alan Freeman, 15) Mark Ronaldson.

[RedandGreenSniper]

From Mayo gaa on bookface

Mayo Senior Football Team, starting 15 to face Down in Allianz Football League Opener:

1) Kenneth O'Malley, 2) Tom Cunniffe, 3) Cathal Hallinan, 4) Keith Higgins, 5) Richie Feeney, 6) Ger Cafferkey, 7) Kevin McLoughlin, Ronan McGarrity, 9) Jason Gibbons, 10) Andy Moran, 11) Aidan O'Shea, 12) Alan Dillon, 13) Enda Varley, 14) Alan Freeman, 15) Mark Ronaldson.

And more interesting than that is Andy Moran is vice-captain and Alan Dillon captain. Good call on Dillon to be the captain in my opinion. Best man for the job.

[southsider]

From Mayo gaa on bookface

Mayo Senior Football Team, starting 15 to face Down in Allianz Football League Opener:

1) Kenneth O'Malley, 2) Tom Cunniffe, 3) Cathal Hallinan, 4) Keith Higgins, 5) Richie Feeney, 6) Ger Cafferkey, 7) Kevin McLoughlin, Ronan McGarrity, 9) Jason Gibbons, 10) Andy Moran, 11) Aidan O'Shea, 12) Alan Dillon, 13) Enda Varley, 14) Alan Freeman, 15) Mark Ronaldson.

And more interesting than that is Andy Moran is vice-captain and Alan Dillon captain. Good call on Dillon to be the captain in my opinion. Best man for the job.

most experienced member so no arguments there. Andy Moran is an honest whole hearted player who never does anything but his all on the field so not surprised about him being vice captain. Both to lead by example.

Any word on the panel make-up. any surprising omissions?

[RedandGreenSniper]

From Mayo gaa on bookface

Mayo Senior Football Team, starting 15 to face Down in Allianz Football League Opener:

1) Kenneth O'Malley, 2) Tom Cunniffe, 3) Cathal Hallinan, 4) Keith Higgins, 5) Richie Feeney, 6) Ger Cafferkey, 7) Kevin McLoughlin, Ronan McGarrity, 9) Jason Gibbons, 10) Andy Moran, 11) Aidan O'Shea, 12) Alan Dillon, 13) Enda Varley, 14) Alan Freeman, 15) Mark Ronaldson.

And more interesting than that is Andy Moran is vice-captain and Alan Dillon captain. Good call on Dillon to be the captain in my opinion. Best man for the job.

most experienced member so no arguments there. Andy Moran is an honest whole hearted player who never does anything but his all on the field so not surprised about him being vice captain. Both to lead by example.

Any word on the panel make-up. any surprising omissions?

Panel not picked yet as far as I know but the following are the subs for Saturday. I might be putting two and two together and getting five but I think it is safe to infer that these are in the squad for the league.

16)   Robert Hennelly   Breaffy
17)   Aidan Campbell   Swinford
18)   Neil Douglas   Castlebar Mitchels
19)   Andrew Farrell   Killala
20)   Peadar Gardiner   Crossmolina
21)   Eoghan Reilly   Castlebar Mitchels
22)   Lee Keegan   Westport
23)   Barry Moran   Castlebar Mitchels
24)   Cillian O'Connor   Ballintubber
25)   Tom Parsons   Charlestown
26)   Ruaidhri O'Connor   Ballintubber

[southsider]

From Mayo gaa on bookface

Mayo Senior Football Team, starting 15 to face Down in Allianz Football League Opener:

1) Kenneth O'Malley, 2) Tom Cunniffe, 3) Cathal Hallinan, 4) Keith Higgins, 5) Richie Feeney, 6) Ger Cafferkey, 7) Kevin McLoughlin, Ronan McGarrity, 9) Jason Gibbons, 10) Andy Moran, 11) Aidan O'Shea, 12) Alan Dillon, 13) Enda Varley, 14) Alan Freeman, 15) Mark Ronaldson.

And more interesting than that is Andy Moran is vice-captain and Alan Dillon captain. Good call on Dillon to be the captain in my opinion. Best man for the job.

most experienced member so no arguments there. Andy Moran is an honest whole hearted player who never does anything but his all on the field so not surprised about him being vice captain. Both to lead by example.

Any word on the panel make-up. any surprising omissions?

Panel not picked yet as far as I know but the following are the subs for Saturday. I might be putting two and two together and getting five but I think it is safe to infer that these are in the squad for the league.

16)   Robert Hennelly   Breaffy
17)   Aidan Campbell   Swinford
18)   Neil Douglas   Castlebar Mitchels
19)   Andrew Farrell   Killala
20)   Peadar Gardiner   Crossmolina
21)   Eoghan Reilly   Castlebar Mitchels
22)   Lee Keegan   Westport
23)   Barry Moran   Castlebar Mitchels
24)   Cillian O'Connor   Ballintubber
25)   Tom Parsons   Charlestown
26)   Ruaidhri O'Connor   Ballintubber

thanks for that - surprised no David Killeen there based on past performances

[Chimley]

No Austie, Howley, Killeen, Kilcullen, Alan Feeney or Jason Doherty in the subs. I wonder what this will mean for these in particular.