Tyrone vs Mayo AISF Semi-Final - August 25th

[Minder]

I want 120 pages by 6pm on Sunday

[Gabriel_Hurl]

I'll lock her up until after the game 

[orangeman]

I want 120 pages by 6pm on Sunday

I'd say that's a good enough bet.

No major shocks in the Tyrone team.

Mayo by a bagful. Knock airport will be busy the weekend of the All ireland.

Minors and seniors both in it.

[SkillfulBill]

Interesting selection from mickey surprised mckenna in ahead of carlin glad to see mcginley holding on to his place. Did mcAliskey or McCurry play in the league game ? Looks like a 3 man fullforward line with plenty of pace.  I can see   very congested middle third with loads of space for big Sean to gallop into behind midfield.

[BennyHarp]

Happy with that team - McAliskey was unlucky to lose his place and is a super footballer. Ryan McKenna adds pace to the defence. Bring it on!!

[From the Bunker]

Happy with that team - McAliskey was unlucky to lose his place and is a super footballer. Ryan McKenna adds pace to the defence. Bring it on!!

That we will! 

[Whishtup]

I'd imagine it's a bit of a spanner in the works for the Mayo team.  They certainly won't have been preparing for a Tyrone team with McAliskey who has hardly featured all year(to my surprise)-a bit of tactical chess there by the bearded one. 

[All of a Sludden]

I want 120 pages by 6pm on Sunday

Some craic if it's a draw. 

The internet might break.

[orangeman]

No pressure on Mayo.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-23797234
Mayo hope to end 62-year-old curse at All-Ireland final
By Thomas Niblock

BBC Sport NI
  The last time Mayo won the Sam Maguire cup was in 1951
Some would say Tyrone don't have a prayer on Sunday against Mayo in the All-Ireland gaelic football semi-final.

It has nothing to do with the skills and abilities of the players but a belief in a 62-year-old curse.

Mayo, the three times All-Ireland champions have cruised into Sunday's semi-final, annihilating Galway, Roscommon, London and All-Ireland champions Donegal on their way.

It is in stark contrast to the typical Mayo story.

It has been a depressing six decades for the team's supporters, and it all stems back to their All-Ireland win in 1951.

So what is the supposed curse?

"When the 1951 team were returning to the county after their All-Ireland win, they apparently reached a funeral taking place in one of the towns approaching Castlebar," former Mayo All-Ireland finalist Liam McHale said.

"Apparently some of the lads, maybe enjoying the trip home, angered the local priest who cursed them saying they would never win another All-Ireland while any of the '51 team are alive."

Since Mayo lost another All-Ireland final in September 2012, two more of that famous '51 squad have passed away.

Former Kerry player and manager Paídí Ó Sé took the same train, at the same time, to Dublin on match day
John McAllister died in September 2012, Mick Mouldering in June.

Folklore

Today, Paddy Prendergast, Fr Peter Quinn and Paradigm Carney are the only three still alive.

Before Mick Mouldering died, he refuted the curse in James Laffey's book The Road to '51.

"Don't let any anyone tell you, we didn't stop for a funeral," he said.

Continue reading the main story
Mayo's All-Ireland final failures
1989 - lost to Cork

1996 - conceded a last-minute goal to draw against Meath

1996 - lost to Meath in replay

1997 - lost to Kerry

2004 - lost to Kerry

2006 - lost by Kerry

2012 - lost to Donegal

Whether it is an urban myth or has a little bit of truth, the "curse of 51" has a vibrant heartbeat in western Irish folklore, and with the current players too.

"I first heard of it around the mid-nineties when Mayo reached the All-Ireland final, it's something you hear about, but it's something you take with a pinch of salt," said Mayo player Keith Higgins.

Superstition is rife in sport, particularly the GAA.

Former Kerry player and manager Paídí Ó Sé lived his whole life believing in it.

He took the same train, at the same time, to Dublin on match day and visited the same church at the same time.

Michael Jordan wore his university shorts under his uniform to every game for almost two decades
"He would wear the same suit to every game, he would wear the same togs to every game he played in," said Paídí 's daughter Neasa.

Paídí wasn't the only one.

Michael Jordan, considered the greatest basketball player of all time, wore his University of North Carolina shorts under his uniform to every game for almost two decades.

Tennis player Björn Borg grew a beard before Wimbledon every year.

Nonsense

He won five straight titles at the All-England club between 1976 and 1980.

Serena Williams is another.

The three-times Wimbledon champion insists on bringing her shower sandals to the court, tying her shoelaces a specific way, bouncing the ball five times before her first serve and twice before her second.

Superstition - reverential to some, to others, it is nonsense.

"I don't believe in the curse," the Mayo manager James Horan said.

"There's always a lot of talk about it in Mayo and specifically the 1951 (squad) and much folklore surrounds that great team. As regards the curse, it's a good story but not one I believe in."

In reality, most supporters agree with Mr Horan. It is a good story, one perhaps not to be taken too seriously.

Mayo captain Andy Moran said the reason the team hadn't won the last three All-Ireland's was because they were not good enough
But with every passing year without All-Ireland success, urban myth can become ingrained in culture.

Curses

In 2011, Mayo playwright Mick Donnellan's first scene in Shortcut to Hallelujah was about a Mayo-Kerry All-Ireland final, where only one of the '51 team was alive.

It was a sell-out in Mayo.

The captain of the Mayo team, Andy Moran, laughed when I asked him if he believed in curses.

"I worked with kids visiting schools last year and they were telling me about the curse," he said.

It's all bit of fun. But the reason I've been in three All-Irelands and haven't won any of them is because we haven't been good enough. It's as simple as that."

Sixty-two years have passed since Mayo last won the All-Ireland.

They are now two steps away from capturing the Sam Maguire Cup for a fourth time in their history, and putting to bed the urban myth which continues to lurk in the background.

Tyrone will hope the myth continues, at least until after the match.

[Redhand Santa]

Happy enough with the team. Someone criticised the subs. Justy McMahon, carlin, ronan o'neill, Cassidy and McNabb could all have big roles to play before its over. A strong bench in my opinion.

[muppet]

Former Kerry player and manager Paídí Ó Sé lived his whole life believing in it.

He took the same train, at the same time, to Dublin on match day and visited the same church at the same time.

Michael Jordan wore his university shorts under his uniform to every game for almost two decades
"He would wear the same suit to every game, he would wear the same togs to every game he played in," said Paídí 's daughter Neasa.

There is no way in hell that Michael Jordan wore Paudí O'Sé's shorts to every match!

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Stopped reading at "curse", this is shite spouted outside the county and you never hear it within or amongst Mayo fans.

On a side note, there is no such thing as a "curse".

[Whishtup]

Have Mayo been behind in the Championship yet?

[muppet]

Have Mayo been behind in the Championship yet?

Never.

We are going for 129 Sam's in a row.

[Minder]

I want 120 pages by 6pm on Sunday

Some craic if it's a draw. 

The internet might break.

Or if a Tyronie gets "unjustly" sent off !