Maigh Eo v Gaillimh, 2pm, 13ú Iúil, Pairc Mhic Eil

[larryin89]

Who is the best man to man mark young Walsh from Galway? Say he goes with Boyle, do you tell him, stay with Walsh old fashioned style and forget your dashing forward ? Would this hinder our play or would it be to our advantage to have Walsh mythered by Boyle all day long?

[Maroon Manc]

If we can stop Mayo from scoring a goal we might get within 4-5 points, that's a big if though.

Not convinced at all by Tierney although the Mayo game will be a stronger test and we'll know more about him after the game. Its a big game for Bradshaw, once again I thought he was very sloppy in possession against Sligo on numerous occasions.

A big game for Martin too, he lacks pace and can be very inconsistent in front of the posts. Eddie Hoare won a fair bit of primary possession and breaking ball but he's a bit limited when in possession, needs to move it on quicker but in all honestly he's a player I've not seen much of so might be a bit quick to judge. I suppose Conroy may well take his position for the next day though. I hope Shane Walsh stays at 11 though, the lad has the ability to be one of the best players in the country inside the next few years.

Were on the way up although still think were hindered by our current manager, I'm very worried our defence will exposed not to the extent of last year but still think we could be beat very comfortably. Sligo in the first half found it far too easy to get scores, the second half we did it make it more difficult for them.

We better not type this one to death or we' ll have nawthin to talk about in duffys the sat night before , mr M C. ( am I right) ?

Am i right

You're right although I'm not getting too carried away.

Our potential draw for the qualifiers looks very favourable so I'd be happy with a good performance that would lead us nicely into the qualifiers. At the beginning of the year I'd have been delighted to make the final 8. I'm not convinced about Mulholland at all but the next few games will decide whether he stays on.

[seafoid]

Galway are indeed as Maroon Manc put it a team on the way up. I think Mayo, based on all the evidence of seeing most of their matches this year are a team on the way down. If Galway's defence organises itself well the next day, they may have the firepower up front to win this game. I think those odds are ridiculous to be honest.

Well Galway could go in only one direction from last year even though their league form was iffy enough and looked odds on to be relegated at one stage. Sligo escaped relegation to div4 and it s a long time since I remember morale in Sligo so low. Pre- O Hara probably. Some die hards I know didn t even go to last Saturday s game and were bemused I d bother going.

The reality is it is difficult to know who is going where from game to game. Derry were going places 6 weeks ago and look at them now. Tyrone looked bright in the league and have started to groan. Donegal were given the last rites last August but look in rude good health again. Cork are a lot of people s squeeze to be Dublin s biggest threat but almost crumbled v Tipp. Kerry had their most trouble in Clare game since Paul Galvin tried to steal the referee s bookeen and pencil.

We still can t be sure where Mayo are at or indeed what they are at. But from what we ve seen Galway at 4/1 has to be snapped up. We have to assume that they ll have to set up like Roscommon and Tyrone did. It s not Galway s way and I don t know if Mulholland has what it takes to set them up though, that s the only caveat. Because they had so much ball v Sligo and Sligo played so many behind the ball Galway did not have to play a defensive game. Can they do it as a once off? This type of game would be foreign to these lads who came off the fields at Jarlaths.
But if Galway can hound our runners and win as many breaks in middle third as the Rossies did we d be poxed to get out of jail again.

Unlless Mayo can find another way if the runners are stopped. So far the ball into the ff line has not been good enough when we are forced to kick ball in. Also the inside men don t put the fear of God into the opposition. If I was Galway manager I d concentrate on stopping runners with numbers around the middle and trust my markers 1 on 1 at the back. All going to plan Galway would then have a very good chance of outgunning us at the other end.

I ll keep my powder dry on final predictions until I see the Mayo team. At the begining of the year I expected us to be 20% improved on last year but now I m not so sure. The developments to the team I expected has not happened and we re basically going to try and solve things with the same approach that has failed before.

Last Saturday evening Sligo had more men with Connacht medals playing than Galway had which must be some kind of record. So on experience and physicality alone Mayo have a head start. Throw in home advantage and there should be a considerable advantage. Then there is the lure of a historic 4 in a row. So it should boil down to Mayo getting selection and game plan right and bringing an intensity to proceedings that Galway have not experienced before. Take the likes of Shane Walsh out of his comfort zone and make him track back all day long if we can.

We ve been sloppy and not very clever in many games this year. We ve had 3 good kicks up the hole. We got shown up by Dublin XIV, Derry XIV was embarrassing at the end and Roscommon was a wake up call as well. So if we re still struggling for the Galway game the outlook will not be good alright.

The league is overrated.
Mayo have different approach this year compared  to all guns blazing as per 2013.
They should win this one pulling up .

Galway are better than 2 years ago and they won't be beaten by Antrim but they are still a good bit off the pace of the big teams.

[larryin89]

There are different arguments for the league being overrated or not. You could use the Donegal example from last year and say the signs were there in the league that they were jaded from 12 and Jimmy's constant dismissal of it's importance came back to bite him on the ass .

Dublin winning both league and championship and they are not the first to do so in recent times, Cork in 10 springs to mind , Kerry 04,06 and 09.

The league definitely has a role in your prep for sure. It depends on a lot of factors of where your team is in terms of stage of development, for example Mayo might of bowed out at the right time this year as a league final defeat to Dublin might of knocked the stuffin out of them but then again would it , or would it of stood to Mayo to give players like o Connor and young Conor o Shea , Adam Gallagher a run out in croker , big crowd, big pitch, intense match , a bit needle in it . I don't think you could argue it would be better prep for them lads before the Hyde rather than flying across the Atlantic for a no show game.

[rosnarun]

the league is a good indicator of who is the best team in the country , which is why ther have been several double in the last few years . but i dont think it generally has much bearing on the Championship .
thst especially true  with stronger teams anyway, maybe not as much with paper thin squads like Donegal and derry  who need all their best players to be even competitive so any lost players in te league scuppers their championship

[An Fhairche Abu]

I'm bemused by the Mayo lads focus on perceived slights from pundits, most of whom do little research on counties outside their own and the few big guns and who's whole trope is based on pulling out the same old tired clichés, complaining and giving out to each other - I'm completely bored of the usual Spillane/Brolly/O'Rourke routine at this point and I usually tune out when they are on the TV, nothing of value to be heard.

I couldn't make the match last Saturday and whatever you feel about the Sky deal (I wasn't in favour of it) it was refreshing to see some analysis on what was happening and why on the pitch the last day, I don't think that they are brilliant at it yet but to see what was a very average game presented with a semblance of analysis/insight instead of rants about the poor standard of Connacht football was a nice change for me anyway.

Anyone who has been actually attending Galway games for the past decade can easily see how far back from the top we have plummeted, I wasn't one bit surprised by the unmerciful hammering dished out in Salthill last year, getting back to respectability and competitiveness is going to be tough, no one is looking for or expecting Galway to win Connacht this year against a very good Mayo team, a big improvement on the 17 point debacle in Pearse Stadium and signs of progress is what we want to see.

Mayo since Horan has taken over are a well drilled, cynical and tough outfit who will be taking on what is, at the end of the day, a very moderate Galway outfit which is crawling their way out of the bottom tier in terms of performances and results, Mayo have beaten the All Ireland champs the past three years running and have come up just short of winning either of the last two All Ireland finals, the bottom line is that Mayo should win this fairly easily if they have anything about them.

[Rossfan]

I couldn't make the match last Saturday and whatever you feel about the Sky deal (I wasn't in favour of it) it was refreshing to see some analysis on what was happening and why on the pitch the last day, I don't think that they are brilliant at it yet but to see what was a very average game presented with a semblance of analysis/insight instead of rants about the poor standard of Connacht football was a nice change for me anyway.

+1.
Great to see some adult analysis.

[GalwayBayBoy]

On the credit side for Galway they have won 5 of the 6 championship matches they have played since last year's hammering from Mayo and the one they lost was only by a point to Cork. They were so bad against Mayo I thought they might not win a game for the next three years. Granted some of the opposition they have beaten has been modest enough in Waterford, Tipperary, Armagh, London and Sligo. Still though they have done well to steady the ship and get it pointing in the right direction at least.

Galway finally having a solid platform in midfield has been a big help. After going years without one good midfielder we probably have 3 now in O'Curraoin, Flynn and Conroy. Conroy probably not a prototypical midfielder but he got an All-Star nomination from midfield last year so certainly can excel there.

[moysider]

Surprised that Liam McHale commented on last weeks speculation around the county that Richie Feeney was on the verge of quitting. Especially the following quote.

'What does surprise me however is that Richie IS STILL IN the panel.
With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role.'

The bit in capitals is his emphasis too. Strange.

[Syferus]

Surprised that Liam McHale commented on last weeks speculation around the county that Richie Feeney was on the verge of quitting. Especially the following quote.

'What does surprise me however is that Richie IS STILL IN the panel.
With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role.'

The bit in capitals is his emphasis too. Strange.

Spending too much time in Roscommon.

[Maroon Manc]

On the credit side for Galway they have won 5 of the 6 championship matches they have played since last year's hammering from Mayo and the one they lost was only by a point to Cork. They were so bad against Mayo I thought they might not win a game for the next three years. Granted some of the opposition they have beaten has been modest enough in Waterford, Tipperary, Armagh, London and Sligo. Still though they have done well to steady the ship and get it pointing in the right direction at least.

Galway finally having a solid platform in midfield has been a big help. After going years without one good midfielder we probably have 3 now in O'Curraoin, Flynn and Conroy. Conroy probably not a prototypical midfielder but he got an All-Star nomination from midfield last year so certainly can excel there.

Its a huge game for Mulholland, tactically he's got to get it right to give the lads a chance. He's got to show he's learnt from the defeat from last year more so then the players that are still their, only 5 of the team that started against Mayo that day started against Sligo on Saturday. So that defeat shouldn't have too much impact on the players.

Will we set out like Roscommon did against Mayo? I very much doubt it, I really worry Mayo and their half back line will cause chaos, they'll likely get a lot more space than they did against Roscommon and have a greater impact on the game. Sligo found their scores very easy to come by in the first half, we can't let that happen against Mayo we'd be hammered.

[muppet]

Surprised that Liam McHale commented on last weeks speculation around the county that Richie Feeney was on the verge of quitting. Especially the following quote.

'What does surprise me however is that Richie IS STILL IN the panel.
With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role.'

The bit in capitals is his emphasis too. Strange.

Most of us know that McHale is right though.

[sans pessimism]

Surprised that Liam McHale commented on last weeks speculation around the county that Richie Feeney was on the verge of quitting. Especially the following quote.

'What does surprise me however is that Richie IS STILL IN the panel.
With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role.'

The bit in capitals is his emphasis too. Strange.

Most of us know that McHale is right though.

So youthink Ritchie should leave?

[muppet]

Surprised that Liam McHale commented on last weeks speculation around the county that Richie Feeney was on the verge of quitting. Especially the following quote.

'What does surprise me however is that Richie IS STILL IN the panel.
With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role.'

The bit in capitals is his emphasis too. Strange.

Most of us know that McHale is right though.

So youthink Ritchie should leave?

McHale: "With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role."

[Syferus]

Surprised that Liam McHale commented on last weeks speculation around the county that Richie Feeney was on the verge of quitting. Especially the following quote.

'What does surprise me however is that Richie IS STILL IN the panel.
With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role.'

The bit in capitals is his emphasis too. Strange.

Most of us know that McHale is right though.

So youthink Ritchie should leave?

McHale: "With the limited minutes he gets, I don t know how he has stuck at it. Coming on as a substitute just to waste time - I think Richie is way too good a player for that sort of role."

Sure even when Richie starts matches he only gets ten minutes