Dublin v Mayo - AISF

[Tubberman]

AOS a must in MF. The dubs will try and rattle each and every player. AOS won't be rattled. Cillian will be 1st for the chop followed by Barry Moran. If Geraghty is ok we need him for this. This one won't be for the feint harted. The Monsignor needs all his prayers answered as regards availability and fitness. Mc Garrity would be another soft touch for the Dubs if as rumoured he is on the way back in.

And just to indulge you a bit more, what's your reasoning behind this declaration?

[hondacounty]

I'm not saying Cillian is soft but the Dubs will make him their 1st target, their priority will be to get him off the pitch in the 1st 15 minutes, leaves us with nobody clinical on the deadball.

[Tubberman]

I'm not saying Cillian is soft but the Dubs will make him their 1st target, their priority will be to get him off the pitch in the 1st 15 minutes, leaves us with nobody clinical on the deadball.

You think they're going to try to take him out? Like Ciaran Whelan on McGarrity in 2006?

[hondacounty]

I think the game has changed so much since 2006 that you couldn't even draw comparisons. It's the cynical tactics adopted by some teams that you need to plan for.

[maigheo]

jeez hondacounty,for you to come on here and more or less say that Barry Moran and Ronan Mc are cowards beggars belief.Do you have any idea what it takes to become an inter county footballer or have you ever played  gaelic football yourself?If you think Mayo are going to beat Dublin by just being cynical then you have  no clue   what so ever,

[Mike Sheehy]

Mayo will win. They will also beat Cork if they meet them. They are a very focused team under Horan. Not sure about Donegal though. They are a very focused team as well.

[Mayo4Sam]

I'm not sure why people are calling for a complete change of tactics because we've lost one player. Andy is a fine ball winner but it's time for others to step up to the plate, that's what needs to happen if we're to win the All-Ireland, if it doesn't then we don't deserve it.
As Spailin said before the down game no one thought of us as a one man team and nothing has changed there. Dillon, COC and freeman will have to take on more responsibility.
The only panic that would be caused by moving a MF into FF would be in our own team.

A little bit of calm and trust in JH would go a long way

[Tubberman]

I'm not sure why people are calling for a complete change of tactics because we've lost one player. Andy is a fine ball winner but it's time for others to step up to the plate, that's what needs to happen if we're to win the All-Ireland, if it doesn't then we don't deserve it.
As Spailin said before the down game no one thought of us as a one man team and nothing has changed there. Dillon, COC and freeman will have to take on more responsibility.
The only panic that would be caused by moving a MF into FF would be in our own team.

A little bit of calm and trust in JH would go a long way

Well said. No need to completely change our approach because we're missing 1 player, albeit one of our best. That will only confuse things, they need to stick to the gameplan they've been working on all year (or past 2 years even).

[galwaygreenandred]

I'm not sure why people are calling for a complete change of tactics because we've lost one player. Andy is a fine ball winner but it's time for others to step up to the plate, that's what needs to happen if we're to win the All-Ireland, if it doesn't then we don't deserve it.
As Spailin said before the down game no one thought of us as a one man team and nothing has changed there. Dillon, COC and freeman will have to take on more responsibility.
The only panic that would be caused by moving a MF into FF would be in our own team.

A little bit of calm and trust in JH would go a long way

Well said. No need to completely change our approach because we're missing 1 player, albeit one of our best. That will only confuse things, they need to stick to the gameplan they've been working on all year (or past 2 years even).

Now you're talking lads!!!

[Farrandeelin]

Joe McQuillan is reffing it. Nuff said.

[bucko]

Joe McQuillan is reffing it. Nuff said.

Oh FFS!!!!

[Lar Naparka]

I'm not sure why people are calling for a complete change of tactics because we've lost one player. Andy is a fine ball winner but it's time for others to step up to the plate, that's what needs to happen if we're to win the All-Ireland, if it doesn't then we don't deserve it.
As Spailin said before the down game no one thought of us as a one man team and nothing has changed there. Dillon, COC and freeman will have to take on more responsibility.
The only panic that would be caused by moving a MF into FF would be in our own team.

A little bit of calm and trust in JH would go a long way

I've been following Mayo football for a heck of a long time and, both as player and manager, Jimmy Horan stands out. Without question,
I can recall many very good players but Horan had few equals when it came to being in the right place at the right time. He always seemed able to find himself a bit of spare room and a few seconds  to decide his next move. I'd go further and say that he had only one equal and that was Ciaran Mac. However, Ciaran could score wides with the best of them when he had an off-day, whereas Horan never seemed to lose his cool. He was definitely  the most accurate long range scorer we had.
I was absolutely delighted when he took on the manager's job. He was the least experienced of the candidates considered for the position but I felt that if he could take his playing qualities with him, he'd make a success of it.
IMO, he has done so in style.
God knows I've seen a lot more dinner times than dinners since I first followed Mayo but the games against Sligo and Longford were the most clueless displays by any side since then. I was really sore about the fact that Mayo had many talented players then and we had a talented manager also- his record proved that. Yet, between the lot of them, they wouldn't bate Katty Barry.
Horan's achievements since then must be viewed in that context. In just over 18 months, he has developed a serious unit (with due acknowledgement to David Brady) that can face up to any other team in the land. Andy's absence will be sorely felt next day but this isn't 2010  and there are others willing and able to take his place and give it their best shot.
Maybe the team's collective best won't be enough but it's going to be a day where boys have a chance  to prove they are now men - and for men to show they can be leaders.
I expect the minimum of changes when the team is finally announced - Horan has always been his own man and I can't see him being swayed by pressure from any quarter.
I won't panic unless he does first.

[diehard]

The gameplan Mayo had against Down seemed to be highly dependant on Andy Morans ability to win ball and distribute it cleverly. It would be a big ask to slot someone into Andy's place and expect the same to happen again.
A different gameplan will be needed that is suited to the lads who will be playing.  I wouldnt be too worried about AOS at FF.  OK he was poor at FF in the past but he was also brilliant at FF at other times (Tuam stadium v Galway!). He is also now a much better player and more mature. 
Whatever JH does I hope it is bold enough to cause serious concerns in the Dubs defence!

[blast05]

I don't know ...... called me old-fashioned but the phrase "game plan" doesn't sit to well with me.

In my experience playing and managing/coaching - it takes a lot of time, luck and guidance to stumble across a way of playing that is effective for the players at your disposal.... and (obvious statement) more often than not it may not be effective to win what you want.

A team i managed a few years ago were losing and playing sh*t in a championship quarter final. We were forced through injuries to 2 of our key players at the same time to make a major re-shuffle of the team and we were transformed for the rest of that game and the remainder of the season. ... luck. For time and guidance look no further than Mickey Harte in Tyrone.

To get a team to play in a given way (a "game plan") .... say simply 80% of the ball won in the middle third played long into the ff line or the half-back line attacking at lightning pace with the half forward line knowing exactly what to do when they attack .... well that takes a lot of time to get  an entire team playing like that. The length of time it takes is related to how smart the players are  - but by and large it takes a season or more. To change this "game plan" in a few weeks is nonsense imho.


Under JH, i feel we have by and large stumbled across an effective team / way of playing. That is down to all those guys buying into the 'work hard, play for the team' ethos espoused by JH and his team, having intelligent players and (i feel) the man-management style of JH.
A tigerish, extremely quick and aggressive back line which can attack at lightning pace and seem to be encouraged to do so, an under-achieving player (Barry Moran) who has finally had an injury free run and a forward line where Dillon has being playing to potential this year & Andy Moran has been the focal point of the attack is by and large what we have (of course, AOS could be the main man before the season is out).
However, take Keith Higgins and Lee Keegan out of the backline and we lose a large part of the 'extremely quick' & 'attack at lightning pace' attributes which would fundamentally change the effectiveness of our team.
Take B Moran out of the team and we are depending on AOS finding his spring form and McGarritty discovering his form of 4 or 5 years ago (of course Moran may be exposed yet anyway).
Take A Moran out of the forward line then unless you can get someone with similar attributes as a player who can be even 75% as effective then you're in trouble. I don't believe we have an adequate replacement who can win the percentage of ball that Moran wins so unless AOS finds his spring form, Kevin McLoughlin plays to his peak, the half-back line encouraged to attack a small bit more and the other inside forwards stand up and are counted by showing and winning a much higher percentage of ball than they have done to date this year (none of all this being a change in our "game plan"), then i think we are in trouble and will be depending on Dublin under-performing for us to win.

[diehard]

Blast05 - you can change a gameplan  (tactics or way of playing - whatever terms you like) in minutes! Your own experience of reshuffling your own team proves that.  Whether it is intentional or accidental is irrelevant as long as it works.
And that is what I hope for against the Dubs - a reshuffle that ensures we get plenty of posession in scoring positions.