Connacht SFC Q/Final London v Mayo 29.5.11 in Ruislip

[moysider]

I expect to see some positional changes at least for the match.

Interesting that Cafferkey is moved out of 6 after playing the entire league there. Is he likely to start in the corner. I suspect it could be Barrett in the corner with Vaughan on the wing. As far as I can recall McLoughlin was an ever present during the league? Or close to it. Of course there are always little injuries and stuff we might not be aware of.

I suspect that management may be keeping their powder dry as regards a couple of things until the real stuff starts on June 26. No point revealing a full hand now. In fact it may be silly to do so. On the other hand it would be nice to have a settled side - lets face it the big contenders are much more predictable but still win. After all the days will be shortening in 4 weeks time. If we dont get it right on the 26 there wont be much time to rejig things.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Theres no way he'd name a dummy team against London, what would be the point?

I'm glad to see Cafferkey away from 3 or 6, he's good enough for Mayo but not good enough to play in either of those two pivotal central positions. Vaughan is the nearest thing we have to a young James Nallen so I'm delighted to finally see him get a run at 6. Long overdue, but injuries have held him back. My prediction is that he will do well and stay there for the year if he stays fit. As regards Howley at 13, if we're going to play a sweeper all year there's no point not playing one against London because we don't need to, we might as well stick to the chosen formation.

Its clear that Horan is still trying things out, this means we won't have a settled 15 for the Galway game, but I suppose the advantage is that Galway will know as little about us as we will about them going in to that game.

[ross4life]

Without the injured Mcgarrity what are Mayo like in midfield ? London are decent in that area.

[ludermor]

Without the injured Mcgarrity what are Mayo like in midfield ? London are decent in that area.

Who would you say is decent?There has been a fair few withdrawls from the panel this year.

[nephinman]

I have a suspicion that Cunniffe is the preferred CHB so it will be interesting to watch the switches develop. 

[ludermor]

Four Mayo players lining out for London
Monday, 23 May 2011 16:17

The four of them


London will be calling on a few Mayo natives

Feature
Mike Finnerty

NEXT Sunday morning the London senior football squad will arrive at the Emerald Gaelic Grounds in Ruislip with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Rated as 1/20 outsiders to knock Mayo out of the Connacht championship race, the pressure is really all on the visitors. For them, everybody expects. For London, nobody outside their own dressing-room does. It all seems fairly cut and dry.
Things are not quite so straightforward though for the four Mayo natives who are togging out for London this season.
Some of them are lining out against friends and familiar faces. Some will feel they could be playing for Mayo had the recession not intervened. All of them are Mayo men at heart.
However, next Sunday is a chance for them to make their mark.

Name: Noel Tuohy
Home club: Ballaghaderreen
Age: 23
Occupation: Teacher

DESPITE the odds being stacked against London, the former Ballagh' wing-back has been thinking (and talking) positively about next Sunday's game in recent interviews.
"Longford knocked Mayo out of the championship last year and they're a fellow Division 4 team," he mused earlier this month. "We will be looking to do the same.
"The aim will be to get a good start against Mayo, put them on the back foot and get them thinking," he continued. "It's not about containment; we'll be going out there in a positive frame of mind."
Tuohy's name has featured regularly on the Exiles teamsheet during the last two seasons after he moved to London to study in 2009. He now teaches at a Catholic school in Upton Park in the east of the city.
The 2008 Mayo SFC medal winner is likely to come into direct contact with Mayo 'goalador' Jason Doherty next Sunday, and might even run into his old club-mate Andy Moran at some stage.

Name: Seán Kelly
Home club: Crossmolina
Age: 24
Occupation: Student

HE may not have kicked a ball for his new London club yet, but the former Mayo minor and U-21 forward is determined to make an impression next weekend.
Ironically, he could have been part of the Mayo squad after attending a number of trial games organised by James Horan last Autumn. However, things have moved in a very different direction since.
Kelly, who lined out at centre-forward for Crossmolina last season, went to London to study for a Masters in Osteopathy earlier this year. His strength, vision and powerful left foot have been a big addition to the Exiles attack.

Name: John Scanlon
Home club: Kiltane
Age: 28
Occupation: Draughtsman

five years after winning a Mayo News Club Star award at right-half back, the talented Kiltane defender will make his senior championship debut for London next weekend.
After emigrating last year Scanlon made an immediate impression on the local GAA scene, winning a county championship medal with Neasden Gaels in his first season.
He will know many of Mayo's players intimately from his time with Kiltane and is unlikely to fear any of them. After all, footballers from Bangor Erris don't really 'do' fear!
If London are looking for a player to set the tone, the Geesala wing-back is that man.

Name: Tony Gaughan
Home club: Kiltane
Age: 26
Occupation: Plumber

AFTER spending a year commuting from London to Mayo to line out with Kiltane, the Doohoma native had to make the difficult decision to transfer his club allegiances to Neasden Gaels.
That was at the beginning of 2010 and, after winning a county championship medal last season, the former Mayo minor is now London's first-choice centre-half back.
He will probably be the player detailed to pick up Mayo captain Alan Dillon next Sunday and Gaughan's performance will be crucial to London's chances of making the game competitive.
"Against Mayo we'll be firm underdogs but it's just a matter of going out there and giving it a good go," he said recently.

[ross4life]

Without the injured Mcgarrity what are Mayo like in midfield ? London are decent in that area.

Who would you say is decent?There has been a fair few withdrawls from the panel this year.

Has there been more withdrawls since our meeting in Feb? i wouldn't be familiar with any of their players but they played very negative tactics v us e.g they deployed a sweeper in front of the full-back line, played a third midfielder & hunted in packs.

[macdanger2]

Some strange selections alright - neither corner back would be a recognised corner back really which is a massive mistake in my view. Corner backs need to be players who are able to stop their man first and foremost and able to play football second.

Rather than trying to fit the best 6 backs into the 6 positions, each position should be filled by the best player for that particular position.

Surprised to see Barrett, Gibbons and Campbell getting a start but presumably they've played their way onto the team and hopefully they'll take their chance.

Maigh Eo abú

[Farrandeelin]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that questions Vaughan's no 6 role. Anyway, Cafferkey may start at no 6 and fist the ball to the nearest player as he always does when he's in that position. Tough on McLoughlin not to start. I'm also disappointed AOS isn't around midfield to see him get some more game time there before Galway. Good luck to them all anyway.

[Blowitupref]

Mayo Senior Football team to face London:

1) Robert Hennelly
2) Tom Cunniffe
3) Alan Feeney
4) Ger Cafferkey
5) Richie Feeney
6) Donal Vaughan
7) Chris Barrett
8: James Kilcullen
9) Jason Gibbons
10) Aidan Campbell
11) Andy Moran
12) Alan Dillon (Cap)
13) Trevor Howley
14) Alan Freeman
15) Jason Doherty

How many of this team do you guys expect will start v Galway? & yes u'll beat London.

[moysider]

Mayo Senior Football team to face London:

1) Robert Hennelly
2) Tom Cunniffe
3) Alan Feeney
4) Ger Cafferkey
5) Richie Feeney
6) Donal Vaughan
7) Chris Barrett
8: James Kilcullen
9) Jason Gibbons
10) Aidan Campbell
11) Andy Moran
12) Alan Dillon (Cap)
13) Trevor Howley
14) Alan Freeman
15) Jason Doherty

How many of this team do you guys expect will start v Galway? & yes u'll beat London.

Who knows? Quite a few I d say. Depends on injuries and stuff.

There is a lot of raised eyebrows about regarding this team. I dont really understand why? I dont subscribe to the idea that this is a final trial. I would not want to be trying to impress a manager in this one. There ll likely be no head nor tail to it and even if somebody has a great game, form in this game is a poor guide. I d rather go on league performances against the Div. 1 teams.

As far as I can see this selection is consistent with selection policy since the FBD. While lads wont have to be introduced to each other in the Mayo dressing room before the Galway game it is unlikely that more than 10/11 will have played together in a competitive match before. Not ideal but then again this is not a criticism of Horan. He didn t have a skeleton of a team to build on. He didn t even have a spirit or a ghost of a team. What little remained to him had to be broken down like an illfitting jigsaw and start again. He didn t have even a picture to help him do the jigsaw!
  He could have went with a settled team earlier and stuck with them but it may not have been the best team - short, medium or long term. For example, Doherty would be still cooling his heels if he had settled with  safe options that punters recognised likes Austin, Varley, Ronaldson. I think Horan has gambled with this championship and hopefully he will be rewarded. The reality is if we dont get to a 1/4 final we wont see much development. As I ve already said this team needs a winning run during the Summer to develop.  I think everybody realises that. 2 defeats and we will be in the same boat next year. The Galway game is huge in the context of where this team will go over the next couple years. Most important game for ages.
There are people that dont like this team, Caff here, Cunniffe there, Barrett somewhere else. But it s as ligit a selection as any other. Not like fellas are being dropped after a great championship last year or anything. If we think there are fellas that should be playin instead but are not that s just our opinion/preference. I m sure there has been a lot of thought put into this selection and more put into the following one. I don t think we ll be great on Sunday. Wouldn t matter if we were. We ll do enough and hopefully we ll avoid injuries.

[maigheo]

As always a good and reasonable post,moysider.Over on the willie joe blog there is outright panic on the selection of the team when in truth it is only little more than a challenge game .I am quite sure that Horan is picking the team based on what he is seeing at training and in challenge games and not on reputation or whether a fella played a good game 2 years ago.

[rosnarun]

the only consistent thing about Horan's selections has been the variety . i doubt any one even watching the league would have guessed more then 4  positions s feeney dohrty freeman (who  only played a few games)and hennely  and even at that risked much money on them . Cafferkey was chb for almost every game   midfield was different every day A o sé  was always there.  hallinan is gone completely K mclouglin was Generally close to our man of the match ,campbell looked like his run had ended and even andy and dillon are swapped.
As maigheo says it looks like horan is picking based on form in training a very dangerous way to go . we all know of the training ground Maradona's who cant get a kick in an actual game.
having said  that i don't have a major problem with the selection giving the injury problems and would expect Mcgarrity higgins S oSé to be back for Mayo's next game .
lets just hope it in the connaught championship.

[Mano]

Is Tom Parsons injured?

Here, find yourself one of these and play with it for a few hours. Good lad.

Whats the problem?

Dropped from the panel - not good enough.

[mannix]

Good luck to the mayo team at the weekend. Hopefully a strong performance from all and a good win.