Mayo vs. Roscommon Connacht SFC Semi-final (June 16th, McHale Park)

[ross4life]

I don't really get your point! You say we are cocky on the one hand for expecting a win at home and then agree that you haven't really challenged Mayo at senior level in for the best part of 20 yrs. Only the fair weather fans and fake Mayo fan accounts have been expecting a 10+ point win. If you read the posts of normal Mayo contributors on here the majority of them have not being giving the poor mouth but expect a battle with Mayo coming out with 3 or 4 points to spare. I would be very surprised (even if the Rossies are below par) if we win by more than 3 or 4 points!

Although to be honest with some of the good old begrudery comments from a tiny but loud minority of Rossies on here I would love a hammering like there was in 2009 but it ain't going to happen despite the proclamations form these mysterious newbie Mayo accounts popping up here in the run up to this match

So here is a bold prediction for you poor tread upon Roscommon men form the big mean county of Mayo , Mayo to edge out a thriller by 3 point win ( the margin coming via a goal from Andy) with Ross getting stuck in at the off and leading at halftime so any you gamblers on here that's the bet for the weekend

I would thought my point was straight forward? for the best part of 20 years you have expected to beat us & when you see the results we aren't seen as challenge. Now i have nothing against someone that is confident of winning especially if you happen to be better but it's 10+ points wins that are the cocky chaps. For the last month if i have cent for everytime a Mayo supporter has said to me "stay at home sure you don't want to see your team hammered again" i'd be a rich man now. I stayed in Galway the night of the last match the predictions among Mayo followers on how much they would beat us matched the cocky supporters on these forums.

And then we had the Mayo lad that wrote article during the week saying Mayo had to hammer us or they can forget about winning the All Ireland. We have been compared to Waterford,Limerick,Carlow when truth we are closer to Meath,Monaghan,Wexford the question is would Meath,Monaghan,Wexford be written off as much against Mayo?

I'm with you and the minority, if we bring competitive performance it will be close contest and i hope it's good game that will be useful for both teams moving forward.

P.S PadraicHenryPearse good stuff we need more posts like that in.

[ziggy90]

A friend of a friend is getting very excited about the up coming match, his facebook posts this week i think warrant sharing....enjoy!!!

Day 1:

• with the All-Ireland championship only starting in earnest next weekend when the big boys, like Roscommon, get their first taste of championship action....here is some interesting and relevant facts:
  
  ROSCOMMON is the 44507th most popular name in USA, One in every 702,203 Americans is named ROSCOMMON and popularity of name ROSCOMMON is 1.42 people per million.
  
  Lough Key has 32 islands, some of the more famous names include bullock island and Ros for Sam
  
  Nostradamus came to fame, not after predicting the French revolution, but after predicting Roscommon would win back to back all-Irelands in 43 and 44, this prediction was disbelieved by millions, as many thought roscommon would have won the finals in 40,41 and 42 before this...but the wily old Nostradamus knew best.
  
  Roscommon doesn't have a coast line...just great footballers
  
  The entire population of the world could fit in Roscommon standing up... if this were to happen tho, they would lose a football game of rossies against the rest..
  
  The popular song "Guns don't kill people, rappers do", was plagiarised from the inscription found on the Castlestrange Stone, found outside Athleague dated 200BC..which when translated stats "Guns don't kill people, Rossies do" and lead to Oliver Cromwell's fear of entering Connaught during his invasion of Ireland.
  
  The 43 and 44 teams were all pioneering bakers, and invented sliced bread, the saying "the greatest thing since sliced bread" is a tip of the cap to that magnificent Roscommon team.
  
  Donald Trump draws the dole in Roscommon
  
  Black beauty is the ugliest and whitest horse in Roscommon
  
  It was the Roscommon full back line that stopped the gulf war in '91, not the yanks

Day 2:

I have logged onto Facebook today, and have been shocked at what I found!! Please, can any faint-hearted people or those who have not got their turf cut during the dry spell (You have enough on your plate) do not read on, but what I found was this.... people are updating profiles, tagging pictures, posting posts, etc....literally millions of people, MILLIONS! Carrying out these normal routines, these everyday Facebook activities, as if in denial, as if by not acknowledging the elephant in the room and completely ignoring the fact that the Rossies are taking part in the Connaught semi-final on Sunday, it might simply.....just not happen...I realise people take comfort from not thinking about us in the championship, that a clearer path to victory presents itself for their county, if they just don't think about Roscommon and the "great bunch of lads" playing for them as a stumbling block...But people, the sooner you face up to us the better, we are a reality, we are remarkable, we are ready, WE ARE ROS....

Day 3:

OK Folks, a recent survey on who neutrals are going for on Sunday, has shown 3 people in China and a further 2 in Trinidad and Tobago are "undecided", everyone else is on the Rossies! To those Five I say, look at the facts below and see what Roscommon has contributed to the world and culture as they know it and then tell me they are still undecided!!

• The river Shannon, is a man-made river, it was constructed by the other 31 counties in a last ditch effort to stop Roscommon getting to Croke Park on the 3rd Sunday in September....all efforts on the football pitch had failed....Roscommon then invented boats and bridges and brought Sam Maguire home...
  
  New grange was built to let the dead inside know when Roscommon had begun pre-season training.
  
  The great barrier reef was created when Jimmy Murray took a pee in the sea...before this, it was just a sandy bottom to the ocean.
  
  The Wachowski brothers made "The Matrix" to try and capture the transformation that happens an ordinary man, when he puts on a Roscommon jersey on Championship day.......James Cameron also tried to represent this phenomenon, with the recent Avatar movie, however, he went more literal in his approach with the colour of the avatar, but ultimately missed the mark.
  
  After watching Roscommon beat Mayo, Bill Gates was inspired that the world could be a better place and he created windows to try and help....as a throw back to his inspiration he put the Roscommon and Mayo colours on his logo and pays image rights to Roscommon every year.
  
  Bruce Willis based his character John McClain on Roscommon.
  
  Lance Armstrong has admitted he was on drugs...what he hasn't admitted is, his drugs was supporting the Rossie's, and the high one gets from it.
  
  TG4 is paid a fortune every year to release propaganda against Roscommon, to curtail our popularity....luckily no-one can understand it
  
  Bill Clinton asked Monica to hang around late to watch the Rossie's take on Wicklow in the national league....after a great Roscommon victory they both got caught up in in the moment.....
  
  MacGyver's knife was made in Kiltoom.
  
  Neil Armstrong landed on the moon after winning a raffle prise in the Castlecoote drama production to visit the Roscommon lunar training camp. However, he was sent home early after trying to place an American flag on the pitch during a "one play only" practice game for the squad.
  
  Chuck Norris is defenceless against any Roscommon person...
  The movie 300 was originally called 30 in honour of the 43 & 44 teams, but it was thought no audience would believe a mere 30 men could perform such heroics.
  
  Einstein's theory of relativity was disproved by Seamie O'Neill
  
  If a Roscommon man wears sex panther it works 100% of the time all the time

Day 4:

After years of deliberation I have finally decided what I want to spend my confirmation money on...backing the Rossies to win on Sunday! However, before I made such a huge commitment, I said I'd do some research and look at the head to head's between the two teams. here's how it went.....Very quickly, thanks to Chris O'Dowd I found Beyoncé is behind the Rossies, but Jay-Z is going for Mayo (Bono, filling him with shite)

So I had to look further and tried a classic football talent indicator

• Number of train lines servicing Dublin = Roscommon 2 - Mayo 2

As you can see, still nothing separating the two teams, so a more detailed look was required and I found the below stat's very useful

• Scrabble score = Roscommon 15 - Mayo 9
  
  Hollywood actors = Roscommon 2 - Mayo 0
  
  Sads of turf brought home last year per head of capita = Roscommon 1,653 - Mayo 439
  
  A chicken in Roscommon lays an average of 6.2 eggs per week, it's at 4.7 for a chicken in Mayo
  
  Roscommon towns have won 3 Mayo county titles ....Mayo towns have won 0 county titles in Roscommon.
  
  Proximity to the elusive source of Wexford strawberries = Roscommon 249km - Mayo 332km (Closest wins)
  
  Number of counties that border Roscommon 7 - Mayo 3 (And we give them 1)
  
  All-Ireland titles = Roscommon 10 - 4 Mayo ....Including handball
  
  How many kinds of everything remind Dana of each county = Roscommon 13 - Mayo 6
  
  National League points this year = Roscommon 9 - Mayo 6
  
  Length of time a custard cream holds it's structure after being dipped in tea = in Roscommon 7 seconds - in Mayo 4 seconds
  
  % of people who know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em = Roscommon 86% - Mayo 34%
  
  Number of Flash Gordon's enemies residing in each County = Roscommon 1 - Mayo 0
  
  Average number of levels in box footings over the last 50 years = Roscommon 7 - Mayo 4

So after my detailed analysis of both teams, I think it's obvious they'll be only one winner on Sunday.... The Mighty Roscommon

Day 5:

Some people have been questioning the wisdom of my bet yesterday. At first I was confused, but then I realised people like ?? aren't from Roscommon and don't have the insider info that we do and not everyone is privy to the below facts....

• Roscommon is taking the horse to France!
  
  After fears that Roscommon's dominance of all thing's GAA would lead to lost interest in the game, the GAA instructed all match officials to be biased against Roscommon to help other teams win...The A-team umpired a match that Roscommon won, they umpired it fairly, and this was the crime they didn't commit!
  
  Muhammad Ali, got beat up by a girl before joining the Loughlynn boxing club...the rest is history
  
  Weather man Ger Fleming's winks were for Roscommon people only....he knew, and wanted us to know he knew
  
  Leonardo Dicaprio's movie "the beach" was filmed in Roscommon
  
  Santa Clause's first stop is Roscommon, he just can't wait any longer every year!
  
  The Guy from the Guinness add had just heard Roscommon had beaten Antrim in the National League
  
  The leaning tower of Pisa is just trying to get closer to Roscommon
  
  In order to create the actual field, for the movie "The field", Roscommon soil had to be transported to less fertile filming locations to provide the contrast between it and neighbouring fields. Negotiations were lengthy and every gram of soil was returned to Roscommon once relevant scenes were filmed....it's been a contentious issue in Roscommon ever since
  
  Lee Harvey Oswald was aiming for a Rossie sitting on the grassy knoll, the bullet bounced off him and hit some fella not from Roscommon
  
  Roscommon has always been an axe in Mayo's side, so the county boundary was drawn up to represent this, before this is was the entire Island of Ireland.
  
  A Roscommon player has never been injured, any absentees are due to a GAA imposed quota of first teamers we can play, in an effort to make the competition more even and give other teams a chance.
  
  Roscommon shot JR
  
  The Six Million dollars man got called up for trials before the FBD league one year, but failed to make the provisional Roscommon panel after finishing last in all the strength, speed and endurance tests.
  
  Tir Na Nog is in Roscommon
  
  It wasn't Fargo Boyle....It was Roscommon
  
  Theresa Lowe's "Where in the world" got cancelled after contestants found out the correct answer to every question was Roscommon
  
  The universe wasn't formed by the big bang, it was when Enon Gavins ancestors pulled down the very first crossbar

So when you know these things, you can easily see, Sunday will be a stroll in the park for Roscommon

Day 6:

To all the Rossies going to the game tomorrow, us Rossies around the world are envious and wish you well.

A special mention to all travelling on Silkes bus tomorrow, I wish I could be there with you, rest up well tonight, after all it is the night before championship....

Twas the night before Championship, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The Jerseys were hung and pressed with great care,
Our thoughts on Castlebar, we soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of victory danced in their heads.
For they know that the Rossies, they won't disappoint,
I'm more worried about balla and the Garda check-point.

When out on the lawn there arose such a racket,
That I took my last cigarette, from my Sweet Afton packet.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

Across my eye, came a glare of primrose and blue
I'd have to steady myself, to know what to do,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the mighty Rossies, and they showed no fear..

With a grand old manager, he could come from the heaven's,
He looks so angelic, does our Johnny Evans.
More rapid than Fastrac's, his Rossies they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Collins! Now, Carty, Now McDermott and Daly,
On Mannion!, on Cregg! On, on Keenan and ....Daly
To the top of the pile! To the top of them all!
By September 22nd, the rest they will fall"

For the Rossies don't need tricks, cunning or sly,
When they meet with an obstacle, the Rossies blast by.
So of to Castlebar, Silkes bus they will go
To be there in person, to say goodbye to Mayo!

Great stuff, enjoyed that.

[ross matt]

Life/Sport often echo each other. Both should aspire to the maxim of "being the best you can be". If Ross and Mayo max out on that then it should be the rhubards by 6.

My ultimate/realistic aspiration for 2013 championship? ........ Mayo by 4-6 tomorrow. Mayo to finally win Sam. Ross to make the last 6 on the back of a progressive back door run....... with a groundwork secured for the future.

Here's to a magnificient contest tomorrow!"

[ross matt]

Pearse is easily a better stadium than McHale. The only problem is it's built in Salthill.

Eh?? Have you ever been to Pearse?? It's a rubbish stadium, standing only on three sides of the pitch - not much use for older people and anyone with kids.

I've been to loads of grounds around the country and Pearse is undoubtably one of the best (apart from it's horrendous traffic problem). Only one covered stand but it almost holds 10,000. Not many occasions when you would require more than that. Building anything bigger would just be a vanity project. Even the toilet facilities are vastly superior to the vast majority of grounds in the country. Always a pet peeve of mine as in most grounds the standard of jacks is abysmal.

As the Father of 3 young females I hear ya GBB. Pearse is a fine stadium. Traffic, location & wind factor take from it however. Pi

[Syferus]

Life/Sport often echo each other. Both should aspire to the maxim of "being the best you can be". If Ross and Mayo max out on that then it should be the rhubards by 6.

My ultimate/realistic aspiration for 2013 championship? ........ Mayo by 4-6 tomorrow. Mayo to finally win Sam. Ross to make the last 6 on the back of a progressive back door run....... with a groundwork secured for the future.

Here's to a magnificient contest tomorrow!"

Are we aiming for a AIQF draw!?

Nothing like Roscommon-Mayo in the championship. Doesn't matter if one team is All-Ireland champions and the other hasn't won a game all year. Special.

[Farrandeelin]

This thread has taken a life of it's own! Safe journey to ALL fans, and may we all live to tell the tale of whatever happens. May the best team win.....so long as it's Mayo of course.

[Lar Naparka]

[
Well, with your relationship with the prideful Ros town of Ballagh it seems clear to me you are a deep sleeper for the Ros.

I feel it has went too far Lar, and it's time we own up to our misdeeds and head to McHale with our beautiful primrose and blue jerseys and not be trying to wind these lovely Mayo folk up.

It's tough when you're not from a great footballing county like Ros but we'd never be able to fully understand such feelings, Lar.

ROS ABU!

Arra, keep bleatin' away, Syf; sure nobody gives a damn!
I think you'll find that us Mayo folk are well-used to begrudgers baaing away at us.
Ballagh was ours; Ballagh is ours and Ballagh will be ours when its most famous son walks into Durkin's on September 23rd with the Sam under his oxter and his head hurting after the craic the day before.
For five long generations the good burghers of Ballagh have remained steadfast in their allegiance to their motherland and refused to lower their standards by consorting with commoners. Here's to the next five!



(BTW, Ballagh is one dump that I can't drive through fast enough for my liking. I spent the best years of my life incarcerated in Nathy's and out of that place I couldn't wait to get.
But it is our dump so shag off and find one of yer own.)

It's awful big of ye to let Johnno do that given how his last term went but won't Andy be a bit put out? 

Good to see the expectations in Mayo are so well grounded. Sure what hope will the Ros have?

I guess Syf that it's time to get serious and leave the banter aside for another year.
I hope that when all is over and done, everybody will leave the ground with something to be happy about.
A good, hard game played in a sporting fashion will go top of my wish list.
Just hope the weather isn't too bad. It's a bit warm and muggy in Dublin right now but the rain clouds are closing in. I guess it's bucketing down in Castlebar right now.
Anyway, raining or not; here I come.
BTW, you are mixing up Ballagh's most famous son with its most famous sonaofabitch!

[larryin89]

Lot of talk about Ballagh in here. I had a couple of pints in there last night, it was pure dead, there was more people in brosna than the whole town pubs .

Ballagh looks well this morning though, in Mattie toweys gettin the papers , the flags are in full swing, both counties and it looks great tbh.

Weather is fairly cloudy , i can't see us escaping rain all day.

The predictions of 10/18 point wins , will soon be justified. Maigheo abu.

[oneoftheseyears]

Life/Sport often echo each other. Both should aspire to the maxim of "being the best you can be". If Ross and Mayo max out on that then it should be the rhubards by 6.

My ultimate/realistic aspiration for 2013 championship? ........ Mayo by 4-6 tomorrow. Mayo to finally win Sam. Ross to make the last 6 on the back of a progressive back door run....... with a groundwork secured for the future.

Here's to a magnificient contest tomorrow!"

Now that my friends is a statement from a true sporting fan!!

[Wildweasel74]

25 pages of this,and if Mayo wipe the floor with them  we wonder why!!

[Captain Obvious]

25 pages of this,and if Mayo wipe the floor with them  we wonder why!!

In fairness the Mayo lads like talking.

[Collins]

How in the name of fook do you miss a free from 21 metres bang in front of the posts?

ffs

[Wildweasel74]

i been on the tear all weekend and i would scored that free. brutal for a county man!!!

[Aaron Boone]

4 to 2 Mayo 17 mins

[Collins]

Keith Higgins is a cracking player