Tyrone vs Mayo AISF Semi-Final - August 25th

[iorras]

73 pages of hype shows a certain frailty in the Mayo support. Mayo are out and out favourites in the public and mediappundits.  If Mayo don't get off to a flyer on Sunday how long before the mental frailties of past calamities begin to show ? Mickey will setup to keep the game tight in the first half to test their metal. Mayo supporter's have set themselves up for a massive disappointment with all their Mayo for Sam Guff. If the game is touch and go with 10 to go I wonder where all the smart money will go. Don't forget that of the 4 contenders left only one has a manager who has done it before.  You can dismiss this fact if you like but experience and know how has a  massive bearing on games at this level. If Mayo struggle to get to grips with Tyrone early on I expect the confidence of the Mayo support to melt like snow of the ditch in the stands. As supporters begin to lose confidence it's amazing how that can seep onto the pitch in the bear pit of Croke Park.

Yawn, with 7 posts I presume you must be new here. If you weren't you would know that mayo playing an FBD match against GMIT can muster 40 pages so 73 pages is no surprise.
These threads are some craic to read, whats even more craic is to read them after a match to see just how wrong everyone usually is, and how, despite the days that are robbed from the employers of Ireland with us posting shite here, most of us know feck all about it anyway.
You'll rarely find much actual analysis here its usually Ger Canning stereotype comments about "Meath never give up", "Mayo always choke", "Ulster football is dirty" "Kerry are cute hoors" and any teams changes are basically bigged up or written off by what has gone before.
but tis still some craic.
I'm going for a draw with a Rob Hennelley kick out bouncing outside the large parallelogram and going over the bar in the 7th minute of injury time to steal the draw for Mayo. Tyrone win the replay in Casement Park by 5

[larryin89]

I have sat at Mayo's big games before and felt like leaving after 10 minutes too many times to completely trust them to back them.   It is quite correct to point out that confidence can be like melting snow in Croke Park.  Its a horrible place to go when you are not playing London, Leitrim or a knackered Donegal.  This is no exhibition game.

Or the all Ireland champions three years on the trot, horrible place indeed with sixty thousand home supporters screaming , how could any team handle that.

[southdown]

I can see Tyrone edging this one.  Whilst this is not be best Tyrone team we have seen for a while, they are still scraping out results and are hard to beat.  Tyrone have done it all before (Connor Gormley has 3 Celtic crosses in his back pocket).

On paper I feel that Mayo are a much better side than Tyrone. But something keeps telling me that Tyrone will turn them over.

[Tubberman]

What do the Tyronies on the board think they're achieving with all this condescending shite and faux concern for Mayo football and Mayo supporters? Did ye all arrange a meeting and decide this is the new tactic for the run up to the game?
Lads, the players on the pitch don't read this shite, so it's not going to have any affect.
Ye might get the odd one who'll bite, which I suppose will give ye some entertainment and reason for cheer - ye mightn't have much of that on Sunday

[muppet]

We owe Tyrone big time for 2008.

[rrhf]

Id say Harte is concentrating on getting a performance out of his own team.  We haven't even gone into tactics yet.  Id say the video of last years all Ireland final will be watched closely to get it right, maybe the morning of the game after the fry. 

[ONeill]

Not codding here or anything but where would the base be for the Mayo Sam homecoming?

Castlebar?

[muppet]

Not codding here or anything but where would the base be for the Mayo Sam homecoming?

Castlebar?

Same as for every county these days.

Copper Faced Jacks.

[larryin89]

Is it true that the Tyrone supporters have organised fund raising buckets for the game for that drug dealer in Peru?

[SkillfulBill]

Iorras 27 post a bit of a newbie your self. The Mayo support here are a very touchy lot. What's up the dreams been shattered once to often ? Believe all the hype you want but come Sunday reality kicks in.

[BennyHarp]

Id say Harte is concentrating on getting a performance out of his own team.  We haven't even gone into tactics yet.  Id say the video of last years all Ireland final will be watched closely to get it right, maybe the morning of the game after the fry.

Could we see a change of tactic altogether, with a big fella like Cassidy in full forward? He played in there for a short time v Monaghan and looking at last years AI final goals is the long ball into FF a weakness to exploit? Stevie playing a more open CHF role a la Gooch?

[ONeill]

73 pages of hype shows a certain frailty in the Mayo support. Mayo are out and out favourites in the public and mediappundits.  If Mayo don't get off to a flyer on Sunday how long before the mental frailties of past calamities begin to show ? Mickey will setup to keep the game tight in the first half to test their metal. Mayo supporter's have set themselves up for a massive disappointment with all their Mayo for Sam Guff. If the game is touch and go with 10 to go I wonder where all the smart money will go. Don't forget that of the 4 contenders left only one has a manager who has done it before.  You can dismiss this fact if you like but experience and know how has a  massive bearing on games at this level. If Mayo struggle to get to grips with Tyrone early on I expect the confidence of the Mayo support to melt like snow of the ditch in the stands. As supporters begin to lose confidence it's amazing how that can seep onto the pitch in the bear pit of Croke Park.

Yawn, with 7 posts I presume you must be new here. If you weren't you would know that mayo playing an FBD match against GMIT can muster 40 pages so 73 pages is no surprise.
These threads are some craic to read, whats even more craic is to read them after a match to see just how wrong everyone usually is, and how, despite the days that are robbed from the employers of Ireland with us posting shite here, most of us know feck all about it anyway.
You'll rarely find much actual analysis here its usually Ger Canning stereotype comments about "Meath never give up", "Mayo always choke", "Ulster football is dirty" "Kerry are cute hoors" and any teams changes are basically bigged up or written off by what has gone before.
but tis still some craic.
I'm going for a draw with a Rob Hennelley kick out bouncing outside the large parallelogram and going over the bar in the 7th minute of injury time to steal the draw for Mayo. Tyrone win the replay in Casement Park by 5

Ah for Canavan's sake there's no great mystery to Mayo this year. Same as every other good team - force the opposition to shoot from awkward angles, attack at blistering pace and support the attack in droves. A one helluva midfielder.

[Mayo4Sam]

Reading this would make you want to fire the PC out the window, theres some awful shite been written.
To clear somethings up, or THE FACTS as the Tyrone lads might say

Aidan O'Shea has been consistent for mayo for the last two years, he was exceptional against Donegal. His distribution has improved out of sight and we in Mayo think he has the making of the best midfielder in the country. There should be no doubt about him "showing up on Sunday". He is however going up against the current undoutbed best midfielder in the country.

Yes we know we havent won an all-ireland in a million years and according to some that means we cant be counted in the elite. If I was Tyrone and had a choice of playing Down, Armagh, Derry, Galway, Meath or Mayo I know which one would be bottom of my list. Mayo are one of the most consistent teams of the last 20 years.

Not everyone would have beaten Donegal, to say so is nonsense, nor does it matter that Tyrone lost to them, as in 2008 that Tyrone team thats in the semi final is light years away from the team that lost to Donegal. Mayo blew Donegal out of the water and stopped them having any believe.

To my mind Mayo have only choked twice in Croke park, both in '96 and both to Meath, is the only time I felt we've lost to a team that we were better than and that team went on to win another all-ireland, its not like we lost to a bad team. Every other defeat has been to a team that was equal or better than us.
BUT having lost six on the bounce is no guarantee we'll win the 7th.
When people talk about our past calamities and frailities I always wonder what they are talking about? Meath and tyrone in quarter finals were maybe winnable matches, Galway in '98 but thats a long time ago, as is Cork in '99. Donegal last year? Beaten by the better team. Kerry in '04 & '06? Again better team, we were lucky to have gotten that far and played against one of the best teams of a generation.

Lastly I would argue that COC is a marquee forward but even if you dont agree with that there are some many other scorers on the pitch and he is so accurate from frees that I dont think its an issue.


I expect us to win this and lose to Dublin. I think we'd wipe the floor with Kerry 

Maigh Eo abu

[Mayo4Sam]

Id say Harte is concentrating on getting a performance out of his own team.  We haven't even gone into tactics yet.  Id say the video of last years all Ireland final will be watched closely to get it right, maybe the morning of the game after the fry.

Could we see a change of tactic altogether, with a big fella like Cassidy in full forward? He played in there for a short time v Monaghan and looking at last years AI final goals is the long ball into FF a weakness to exploit? Stevie playing a more open CHF role a la Gooch?

You could be right there Benny, we've been undone by that a few times in the past

[larryin89]

Id say Harte is concentrating on getting a performance out of his own team.  We haven't even gone into tactics yet.  Id say the video of last years all Ireland final will be watched closely to get it right, maybe the morning of the game after the fry.

Could we see a change of tactic altogether, with a big fella like Cassidy in full forward? He played in there for a short time v Monaghan and looking at last years AI final goals is the long ball into FF a weakness to exploit? Stevie playing a more open CHF role a la Gooch?

Yep more informative posts about Mayo. They have not worked on that at all, the first thing they said when they regrouped for 13 was , look we just have to hope no team watches the final again because we can't improve in this area at all. Well spotted.