Mayo V Down- All Ireland Quarter Final

[moysider]

By jesus it's risky selection for Horan, he will get some flak if Varley nd Doc don't perform and we lose.

People are saying there is not 70 min in AOS yet and i'm not disputing that as such but it still has me baffled tbh, he came on vSligo (42 min,i think) looked leaner and meaner than ever, my opinion is this is knockout, no second chance better off starting O Se and establish a lead then take him off if need be or move him in closer to the square, it's no addition gettin beat in midfield , losing by 5 points and then introducing o se.

Not convinced at all overall this is the right selections, i would of chanced Freeman too up against a fairly light weight Don defence.

Lets just hope Horan knows what he's at and my armchair analysis are amateur.

I wouldn t expect anything different from Varley and Doc. While they have been poor and disappointing respectively they have been consistently poor and disappointing for some time.

The second piece in bold is very sensible imo.

[sans pessimism]

I'd say that team was named for the program. AOS and conroy  will start I'd say

[ballinaman]

By jesus it's risky selection for Horan, he will get some flak if Varley nd Doc don't perform and we lose.

People are saying there is not 70 min in AOS yet and i'm not disputing that as such but it still has me baffled tbh, he came on vSligo (42 min,i think) looked leaner and meaner than ever, my opinion is this is knockout, no second chance better off starting O Se and establish a lead then take him off if need be or move him in closer to the square, it's no addition gettin beat in midfield , losing by 5 points and then introducing o se.

Not convinced at all overall this is the right selections, i would of chanced Freeman too up against a fairly light weight Don defence.

Lets just hope Horan knows what he's at and my armchair analysis are amateur.

I wouldn t expect anything different from Varley and Doc. While they have been poor and disappointing respectively they have been consistently poor and disappointing for some time.

The second piece in bold is very sensible imo.

+ 1. Switch can't exactly be flicked.

What are the chances of the Doc/ O'Connor switch that was mooted during the week here? Whoever is on Kevin Mc Kernan needs to keep him busy.

[RogerMilla]

i think the original rumours were correct and this is just the team for the program  , aidan and conroy both to start and cillian to make his way into the corner... i hope...

[moysider]

I'd say that team was named for the program. AOS and conroy  will start I'd say

I suspect and hope you are right.

[galwaygreenandred]

I'd say that team was named for the program. AOS and conroy  will start I'd say

I suspect and hope you are right.

Depending on whether AOS is match fit,I personally would prefer to see him play last half hour than the first one

[Aristo 60]

Down always always always last to announce their team and have been for manager after manager.

I wonder why that is?

[Lar Naparka]

I have to agree with Lar Naparka,it'll really come down to when your sitting there in Croke Park or wherever and the ball is thrown up.....it'll come down to whoever has the hunger on the day and the drive and the determination,simple as whether it be Down or Mayo who march onto the semi final it'll be a game that both sides remember for a long time

First of all, welcome aboard; it's always nice to newcomers joining up, especially Mayo folks.
Yeah, you're right: It comes down to the size of the fight in the dog rather than the size of the dog in the fight.
I think moysider mistook what I was saying. James H has gone about building his side without fuss or bother and I can't see him doing a John O'Mahony at this stage and making wholesale changes in the hope that something clicks. Fans gasbagging about teams or individual players makes for good craic but it all comes down to those selected giving it all they've got and win. lose or draw, we can't ask for anything more.
TBH, I know most places are nailed down or at least  I hope so. Match-ups are fine too; they can be done, on the fly if necessary, without upsetting the overall balance of the team. But I do recall Pat Spillane saying that Mick O'Dwyer never bothered mentioning the opposition in any of his pre-match talks. 
Micko wanted his players to concentrate on their own game plan and let the other side do whatever they wanted. Right now, we're not at the stage where we can forget about whoever we meet but we're getting there.
Roll on Saturday......

In the real world, the hungrier team doesn't always win. Were Kerry hungrier than Mayo in 06, 04 and 97?
Were Meed Meath hungrier than Mayo in 96, were Cork all the hungrier in 89?

If hunger was all that was required, surely Mayo would have won at least one All-Ireland since 1951!
We are in a famine FFS.

People being on about hunger is loser-talk. You win if you are good enough.
If you prove good enough you are the best prepared, selected, and skilled to win the game. End of.

Iolar has given a masterful reply before I got around to responding. I certainly can't do any better but I'll try and give you a few examples.
Mayo folk often mistake  'longing' for 'determination' when they think of hunger.
Meath were far hungrier than Mayo in '96.
How else could they have pulled back a 6 point deficit with only 20 mins to go?
Mayo froze as victory as beckoned. Do you think Mayo would/could hang in like Meath if the roles had been reversed?
Were Mayo good enough? That depends on your definition of 'good.'
If skill alone was what you mean, Mayo should/could have won in '96.
In the other years you mentioned, Mayo simply were not good enough. Throw in a large chunk of self-doubt and you'll have the reason for those defeats.
Sometime after the '89 defeat, Liam McHale said Mayo were unprepared for the ferocity of Cork tackles. Cork were just as hungry as Mayo but were prepared to put their personal safety on the line as they were the more determined side.
As for Meath, them hoors couldn't spell 'defeat,' let alone understand what  it means.
On the morning of the 2009 QF against meath, Liam Hayes wrote in his Tribune piece that, whereas Mayo were coming to town to avenge the '96 loss, Meath were coming to win a game.
He was right you know.
On form, Mayo should have hockeyed Meath. They didn't and no amount of moaning about poor ref decisions, hard luck stories etc. can disguise that fact.

Kerry know what hunger is;; Mayo imagine that they do. I think we have grown accustomed to the unlucky losers' tag and it's small wonder that so many fans of other counties feel sorry for us.
If we started hammering a few of them on a regular basis, that sympathy would melt away.
I'll take a lucky win over a gallant loss any day.
A good Kerry pal, a man with a couple of AI medals, told me that I should remember that Kerry have lost more AIs than we have appeared in that any amount of wins won't make up for the pain of losing one.
Jacko said more or less the same after the loss to Dublin last year. That's hunger for you!
Colm O'Rourke summed up Mayo football in one of his earliest pieces in the Sindo:
He said Mayo teams played very attractive, copybook football but one always knew that their heads would drop when the pressure came on. Show without substance or something like that.

James Horan is doing a mighty job of crafting a side that can mix it with anyone and still play attractive, effective football. If he can get real hunger into their bellies, he might go places yet- if not this year, then maybe next one. Who knows?
But I'd swap sympathy for begrudgery any day.

[Lar Naparka]

moysider/ PaulD:

You're right about Micko, the cutest Kerry hoor of the lot.
No doubt, he had his spadework done when putting his game plans together and didn't leave anything to chance when he gave his players their final instructions.
I'd imagine that Jacko didn't mention any matchups when Kerry played Mayo in 2006. He had taken care of that when he brought on Declan O'Sullivan to play at CF and put Donaghy in at 14.
He knew what he was doing and risked ructions in the camp as he knew O'Sullivan had more speed than Jimmy Nallen when he brought him in from the bench. Every dog on the street knew Heaney was unhappy at fullback and was most uncomfortable under a dropping ball. Everyone one that is except M&M.

We'll have to wait until Saturday evening to find out if Horan is starting to get the mix right but I believe he is.
I'm a little surprised that he didn't start Aiden O'Shea but obviously he has good reasons. I'd panic if he had started mixing and matching at this stage. I believe Mayo have the skill to win but it remains to be seen if they have the determination and real hunger to progress to the next stage.
I'm happy to take my chances on that score.

[galwaygreenandred]

Well said Lar Naparka,a true patriot,listening to that would put fire in your belly,drive in your mind and pride in your heart

[emmetryan]

I've written a tactical preview of this here for anyone interested http://action81.com/blog/?p=6054

[Declan]

Mayo to copper fasten their hopes as one of the favourites for Sam  - by 2/3

[southdown]

Paddypower have Mayo at 4/7 and Down at 7/4 draw is 15/2

[Aristo 60]

Hoganstand have odds too:

Odds: Mayo 1/2 , Draw 15/2, Sligo 9/4



I Knew we weren't favourites (and we haven't even announced team) but hell !

[Onlooker]

I've written a tactical preview of this here for anyone interested http://action81.com/blog/?p=6054

I have read your preview with interest, but you are completely incorrect in stating that Down have only lost once in the All Ireland series.  In fact, Down have been beaten in 7 All Ireland semi finals- 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1971, 1978 and 1981.