Let’s cut to the chase-Sam 2014 is between Dublin, Kerry, Mayo. Rest also rans!

[Canalman]

Honestly think Mayo's chance was in 2012 . Imo would have won it but for the terrible goal conceded that came off the post.

Think Cork are in with a serious shout and despite the facts in front of me I just have a hunch that Galway will do well.

Hard to know with Kerry. They will try the usual rope a dope trick, PLAY up Cooper's absence, yerra yerra away and still be standing in CP in August.

Honestly will be disappointed if Dublin don't win though. Players (esp forwards ) like we have at the moment don't come around regularly and we must win titles Kerrystyle while we have them.

So for me anyone between Cork, Kerry or Dublin.

Tyrone fans may disagree but can't see the forwards now to compare with those in the 00s.

[Shrewdness]

Don't know why some of the Mayo lads are talking up Mayo's chances based on who they beat over the last 3 years. Those results count for absolutely nothing this year. Not only do Mayo not have the forwards to win an All Ireland, which has been proven, there is now a second elephant in the room. It's a defence that conceded 16 goals in 8 league games. How do you go from that to winning an All Ireland in just a few months. Can't helg feeling that Mayo's All Ireland ship has already sailed.

[Thisonegoesto11]

Honestly think Mayo's chance was in 2012 . Imo would have won it but for the terrible goal conceded that came off the post.

Think Cork are in with a serious shout and despite the facts in front of me I just have a hunch that Galway will do well.

Hard to know with Kerry. They will try the usual rope a dope trick, PLAY up Cooper's absence, yerra yerra away and still be standing in CP in August.

Honestly will be disappointed if Dublin don't win though. Players (esp forwards ) like we have at the moment don't come around regularly and we must win titles Kerrystyle while we have them.

So for me anyone between Cork, Kerry or Dublin.

Tyrone fans may disagree but can't see the forwards now to compare with those in the 00s.

As well as Gooch , they also lost O Sé and Galvin. That's a big absence of quality.
Those 3  played very well v Dublin last year.  The subs made little impact so can't see those boots being filled . Kerry have lost too much and would be a major achievement in they figured in September.

I actually rate Tyrone in higher regard. They seem be of that familiar backbone although lacking forward quality of old
They won't be brushed aside easily.

[muppet]

Don't know why some of the Mayo lads are talking up Mayo's chances based on who they beat over the last 3 years. Those results count for absolutely nothing this year. Not only do Mayo not have the forwards to win an All Ireland, which has been proven, there is now a second elephant in the room. It's a defence that conceded 16 goals in 8 league games. How do you go from that to winning an All Ireland in just a few months. Can't helg feeling that Mayo's All Ireland ship has already sailed.

We are also the only team to beat Dublin in the Championship since 2010. We also scored more than Dublin and in the League.

We have every right to consider ourselves contenders.

[Crete Boom]

I think we should give up on football like Killkenny and concentrate on hurling . We could build a team around Ger Caff , Keith Higgins and Sean Regan.The negatives are we would probably struggle to get into division 2A and take a fair few thumpings from the emerging counties like Carlow Laois and Kerry but on the plus side , as a fan and Gaa board member I wouldn't have to read half as many genius threads set up by crazy neighbouring supporters under their plethora of bogus forum accounts about how shite we really are as feck all people post on the hurling thread on this site !! Also no All Ireland final days spent ruining everyones day from the mighty footballing heartlands of Rosscommon or they wise nouveau riche sages from Tyrone having to puncture our unbelievable arrogance of all things GAA .No more dragging poor old Derry through the charade of having to read in the media about our loss and not their mighty victory and then to rub it in we send them into the lion's den with the mighty Dubs as an apology .

Yes the days would be more relaxed having a good chat with Hardstation about the small ball as he mentors us through the rituals of the upper end of the hurling tribe plus Cyril and Liam Sheedy would have nothing but positives about our endeavors to master the most skillful game in the world . Maybe even Hardy and Jinxy might drop in from time to time if there is a Mayo v Meath division 2B match thread to fill us in on the goings on of the football world with a few friendly jibes of the helter sketler past and 1996  to jog the memory of our more rebellious days when we use to torment the mind of every true Gael through our very existence in the football championship and ruin manys a 3rd Sunday in September when we rocked up red eyed and weak limbed in Croker.

Maybe even the bauld Eugene might let Longford/Laois/Carlow/Fermanagh/Clare or any other county into Connacht where they could take on the new kings of Connacht Rosscommon and win all those provincial titles that were handed to us (along with a day in Croker) that I was always hearing about along with how they would mop up tonnes of them by being in the junk bond province. Sligonian would be much calmer too and Andy and all the other political prisoners in Ballagh could go play for the Rossies !All in all a better deal for everyone and I think I just might do my duty and plead with FRC to give Mayo football the black card once and for all!!!

[Shrewdness]

Muppet, of course you're entitled to consider yourselves contenders. I was only giving my opinion, which i'm entitled to do.. I don't see any improvement or new blood in their forwards. Mikey Sweeney is unproven at championship level, so the jury is still out. Have heard a few people say that the introduction of the black card has diluted Mayo's defensive style, which could partially explain the concession of 16 goals.

[highorlow]

I love the headlines today.

"Dublin dismantle Derry"

"Pursuit of Double Double....."

"Dubs blow Derry away......"

Had it been Mayo it would have been language like collapse, same old 'demons', Mayo croker jinx.....etc etc.

Jack O'Connor was a great manager but he is a useless pundit. He came out with the old nugget that "no one would have lived with Dublin today".

It was clear that the Derry minds were more focused on Ulster RD1. The Dubs were made look good. This media hype will go overload for the summer which suits our lads.

Not often I agree with Mick but he is correct here to a certain extent. I think he stuck Kerry in though as a wind up, they won't be far off, they never are but I think the only team capable of stopping the Jacks are our boys.

Also I believe that Donaghy is now in doubt with an injury.

Beating the Dubs means stopping 4 of their key players, simple as that. Not that I'm wishing anything on the Duds but Kilkenny apart they have been very lucky on the injury front over the last 5 years. If they lose the like of MDMCC or Clux then they could be in bother.

[muppet]

Muppet, of course you're entitled to consider yourselves contenders. I was only giving my opinion, which i'm entitled to do.. I don't see any improvement or new blood in their forwards. Mikey Sweeney is unproven at championship level, so the jury is still out. Have heard a few people say that the introduction of the black card has diluted Mayo's defensive style, which could partially explain the concession of 16 goals.

Don't know why some of the Mayo lads are talking up Mayo's chances

You are dismissing all Mayo posters opinions while shouting 'I was only giving my opinion, which I am entitled to do.'

[Shrewdness]

Wasn't shouting at all Muppet. Fascinated to know what your problem is, and you the one who earlier focussed on Seanie Mc Dermott's tackle. Is that all of that game that you saw?. As for writing about Mayo, i'll write whatever i believe.

[BennyHarp]

Honestly think Mayo's chance was in 2012 . Imo would have won it but for the terrible goal conceded that came off the post.

Think Cork are in with a serious shout and despite the facts in front of me I just have a hunch that Galway will do well.

Hard to know with Kerry. They will try the usual rope a dope trick, PLAY up Cooper's absence, yerra yerra away and still be standing in CP in August.

Honestly will be disappointed if Dublin don't win though. Players (esp forwards ) like we have at the moment don't come around regularly and we must win titles Kerrystyle while we have them.

So for me anyone between Cork, Kerry or Dublin.

Tyrone fans may disagree but can't see the forwards now to compare with those in the 00s.

Although we have no marquee forward of Canavan's class, I think Tyrone do have the forwards to compete at the highest level. It's the defence that's the problem.

[muppet]

Wasn't shouting at all Muppet. Fascinated to know what your problem is, and you the one who earlier focussed on Seanie Mc Dermott's tackle. Is that all of that game that you saw?. As for writing about Mayo, i'll write whatever i believe.

Yes that is all I saw. I literally walked in the door with my kids and saw that tackle. I haven't commented on anything else as I didn't see anything else. What has that to do with anything?

[Shrewdness]

Nothing.

[bucko]

To dismiss Mayo's chances this year doesn't make sense, pundits have us down as one of the main contenders and the bookies have us at 6/1 behind Cork at 11/5 so they must believe we have some chance! Granted Dublin are evens after yesterday and they did look unstoppable, but to quote the old cliche All Ireland's aren't won in April.
Looking at Mayo 2014 so far isn't a whole lot different from this time last year. The league campaign last year was not a great one. We went down to Cork on the last day looking for a win just to guarantee our Div 1 status and ended up not only doing that in the semi final by virtue of other results. This year, despite the "elephant" of our goal concession rate in the league we had our div 1 status secured with a game to go. The whole atmosphere of "Oh woe is Mayo" that was bandied about after the semi final with Derry was prevalent last year, yet we went out and blew away the opposition up to the semi final. We put away Tyrone comfortably after a slow start and had we taken our first half chances in the final the end game last year would've been very different. I'm not saying we don't have issues that need to be sorted, but I reckon there are very few managers out there, if they were drawn against us, that would be as dismissive of us as some people here are.

[moysider]

Muppet, of course you're entitled to consider yourselves contenders. I was only giving my opinion, which i'm entitled to do.. I don't see any improvement or new blood in their forwards. Mikey Sweeney is unproven at championship level, so the jury is still out. Have heard a few people say that the introduction of the black card has diluted Mayo's defensive style, which could partially explain the concession of 16 goals.

Of course Mayo are contenders. Have been all during the Horan era and would have been earlier too if we had a clue.
Correct about the forwards and some of that is down to the manager. Mikey is not new blood - rejected years ago and recalled on the back of his club's run - but I wish the lad well. Our forward line could be better and different imo but maybe Horan knows that Dillon will be back and flying by bonfire night.
Of course I dont think Mayo will actually win the thing but they can go close again if they can reproduce last year s form and that should not be an issue. Mayo have got a few games right against the Dubs too last few years. The first 50mins of the 2012 semi was unreal. However the last 20 mins shows up our limitations. Apart from midfielders our bench is poor for top championship games and maybe the sideline does not cover itself in glory either sometimes.
I think a Mayo starting 15 can go toe to toe with a Dublin 15 but Dublin have the bench to finish stronger. As we ve seen a 10 point ht lead is no guarantee you will beat the Dubs. But I believe we have the best chance of beating Dublin. We ve annoyed them earlier. Cluxton s petulance and MDMcA having a face like a bull on him was encouraging when we met in the league. Our demise on the night, as in other games in this league, was largely down to our own farting around on the line and and brain freezes on the pitch as much as what the opposition was doing to us.

[Shrewdness]

To the Mayo lads, somewhere in my above posts, it seems that i haven't got across properly what i was trying to say.. By no means am i being dismissive of Mayo as a team. I still regard them as one of the top teams in the country, with many excellent players. What i was trying to say was that i don't regard them as serious a contender as they were last year.. I actually backed them to win Sam in the bookies last year the day after they hammered Galway..I wouldn't back them this year..If we overlook the amount of goals being conceded, there are two main reasons i say that...1- I don't think they have enough top quality forwards to win it...2- To keep the show on the road again til late Sept will take a huge toll on players, mentally and physically. Those Mayo players have been to hell and back with effort, pain and disappointment over the last 3 years. Can they do it all again?..That's all i was trying to say.