Ciaran McDonald not named in Mayo panel

[blast05]

Also, I cant understand some here saying that Maughan will be having a smile about this...he had enough similar problems with Brady, O'Neill and McDonald too at one stage.

You must have missed the post where it was quoted from the Western People from a couple of years back where JOM was writing that if he was manager (when Muaghan was) he would camp on Bradys door until he got him to play.

[Farrandeelin]

Johnno would need to come out again and stop this double-speak. Is Mac going to be on the panel or not? And not about this stuff that nobody is forced out of the panel etc. If McDonald is on the panel, let him say it directly. We just want a straight answer. Whoever posted about Nallen being recalled, yet not having played in the league, fair play to ya.

[turk]

McDonald has been treated disgustingly. It's a disgrace

[moysider]

The situation is a little more worrying in the long view though. McDonald is the sort of fella around whom teams are built. Johnno clearly - clearly - has no plans to build a team around McDonald, and that leaves us then with the question of just around whom exactly does he plan to build a team?

Why would he? McDonald is 33 isn't he? Either way he's not going to be around a great deal longer so why would you build a team around him now? Mayo will have to move on at some stage without him. Maybe this is what O'Mahony wants to do which is fair enough IMO although it makes the recall of James Nallen rather puzzling.

Why would he indeed??? Cant speak for Iolar but I suspect he means build a team for this year - the year that means most now is this year. Its alright talking about building for a few years time when the awfully big bad wolf that is Kerry has got fed up and goes away and we might be the best of the rest which is wishful thinking anyway. Is that the best way forward then??  There are one or two here who probably remember Mayo in the 70 s, when there was always decent players coming through from minor and u21 but they never did came through, and there was always next year but it was always worse! If we F**k up in Conn. this year we will have to go to placves like Salthill next year to win. But that ll be no problem to the re-builders - right? How much rebuilding can be done in a Summer if we re poleaxed mid- july and dont play again for six months. McDonald is our best go-to player this year - at least - and if we get a few wins it is progress and other lads will get valuable championship wins - and good experience -under their belts ,and be better next year. Its alright talking about rebuidung and experience but there are two kinds of experience and last year young  mayo lads had two bad experiences in Champ. My adversaries would contend it was nt as bad as losing to Kerry in Sept. I dont buy that and it should be noted a couple of those lads from last summer are not around anymore [and I dont mean Hanley ]. The best experience that our young players could get this year is a Connacht title - which always gets a great response no matter how often we ve won it.  Our best chance of doing that is if mac is in the team and the sooner the better.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Johnno would need to come out again and stop this double-speak. Is Mac going to be on the panel or not? And not about this stuff that nobody is forced out of the panel etc. If McDonald is on the panel, let him say it directly. We just want a straight answer. Whoever posted about Nallen being recalled, yet not having played in the league, fair play to ya.

You're spot on Farrandeelin. The big problem with O'Mahony in this situation, and in many more over the years, is his inability to give a straight answer, to sit on the fence.
We saw it when Maughan stepped aside in 2005 expecting O'Mahony to take over. O'Mahony hadn't said either way whether he would take over or not and gave himself the option of going either way. As we all know he opted out at that stage.

It is very rare that we'll get a to the point answer out of O'Mahony. He can be very shrewd that way. That's why I don't think any of the language used in the Mid West interview the last day was an olive branch to McDonald. It was just O'Mahony talking in generalisms and not answering the question.
Stuff like 'injuries and form can allow the panel to change'. This applies to everyone. He said McDonald's form, if it was deserving, may enable a comeback. The word was may, not will. He's just being coy. I've heard it all before. McDonald won't be back.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Talk of 'trial games' and Ciarán Mc Donald just don't make sense with me (as an outsider), those terms jar, and no disrespect to Johnno, but how can a lad that has played at the very top level for the county for the best part of, nay, the whole part of 15 years, have to turn out to participate in a parade of his talents? Not the way to deal with a player of that calibre: you count him in from the off, and if there are deficiencies to be made up, such as fitness, you give a timeframe by which time they should be addressed, with the penalty for failure to so address well mutually understood. But never a 'trial'!

[stephenite]

I agree and disagree with the above.

Arguments for a trial game : The guy hasn't really played inter county football since September 2006, he is 33 years of age. An 18 months gap since he has been fully fit and you have to bear in mind that the last manager to see this guy fully fit at inter county level was Mickey Moran. John O'Mahony had Macdonald from the end of the league (which he didn't play in) until the defeat to Derry in the qualifiers last year. O'Mahony figures that he needs to see this guy in the flesh against the cream of other players in Mayo. His equally long serving club mate and 2 time all star James nallen didn't have any issue with it, whi should he get special treatment

I see nothing wrong with that.

Arguments against a trial game : Ciaran McDonald is probably the best, and most natural footballer that Mayo have produced in 20 years. In a county where such talent hardly ever arrives we should cherish waht we have. He's a natuarlly fit individual who looks afert himself and is still dominating the club scene in Mayo (albeit in the league) he doesn't need to prove his skill levels to anyone. We all know that whilst he's a shy individual he's as stubborn as a muel and quite a proud man, the very notion of inviting the man to a trial game is ridiculous. Everyone knew how he'd react to something like that - what ever happened to man management? One man deserves a bollocking the other deserves an arm around the shoulder and Ciaran MacDonald needs to be just told where the game is and left the f**k alone

I can see nothing wrong with that either.

The manager needs to decide if he wants MacD in the team - it really is as simple as that

[RedandGreenSniper]

The manager needs to decide if he wants MacD in the team - it really is as simple as that

I think the problem is JOM has decided in his own mind by his actions. Can't see it changing in the immediate future. If McDonald keeps playing very well for Cross the pressure on JOM will continue and only then might he consider bringing him back. It really is a holy mess

[stephenite]

The manager needs to decide if he wants MacD in the team - it really is as simple as that

I think the problem is JOM has decided in his own mind by his actions. Can't see it changing in the immediate future. If McDonald keeps playing very well for Cross the pressure on JOM will continue and only then might he consider bringing him back. It really is a holy mess

O'Mahoney has publicly stated that there is still an opportunity for Mac and anyone else to join the panel - he either invites him back or doesn't. And don't give me this BS about him not wanting to back down - politics and sport are seperate and the only place he'll lose votes over this come the next election will be in the Crossmolina area which is traditionally FF area anyway. That argument is a non runner - he'll be back, guaranteed.

[RedandGreenSniper]

O'Mahoney has publicly stated that there is still an opportunity for Mac and anyone else to join the panel - he either invites him back or doesn't. And don't give me this BS about him not wanting to back down - politics and sport are seperate and the only place he'll lose votes over this come the next election will be in the Crossmolina area which is traditionally FF area anyway. That argument is a non runner - he'll be back, guaranteed.

I never said it was a case of backing down.

What I am saying is that O'Mahony has made his intentions known without actually saying them (which he rarely does in any case). He appears to have made no major effort to coax McD back and while he didn't publicy rule out McDonald coming back on radio the last day, he did give him a wrap on the knuckles for conducting this affair in public, saying he prefers to do things in private. I don't think those are the actions of a man trying to sweet talk or hold out an olive branch.

And, you are right, politics has nothing to do with any decision here. If he was motivated by politcis over what he feels (rightly or wrongly) is the good of the future of the team he would have had McDonald in by now. That would appease more people than what he actually did. You have to give him credit for that much I guess.
I hope you're right, I hope he brings him back. But I don't see it happening imho. I think JOM wants to build a new Mayo team and thinks this might be hard with McDonald involved (the James Nallen issue notwithstanding, but he's in for different reasons).

[stephenite]

There have been others who reckon O'Mahony won't want to be seen caving into public pressure - so that wasn't directed at you (or anyone really, just giving my opinon that I don't believe that to be an issue)

You're right in that he has made no major effort to coax him back in - but as Maradona says above I think he was just trying to draw a line in the sand in terms of letting everyone know that he was the one making the rules, of course he didn't count on McD going to the press!! I really don't think either one of them is blamless but Johnno as manager knows that the blame will be laid at this door if McD doesn't get back on the panel - at least if he gets him back on the panel it's one less thing for people to hold him accountable for

[RedandGreenSniper]

I don't think he'll be swayed by public pressure to be honest. He's made this decision because he feels it is the right thing to do for the betterment of the team, whether we agree with it or not.
To bring McD back in now would undermine what JOM was trying to do. Its very hard to imagine how he could bring him in without leaving egg on his own face imho. Should he bring him in - I think so. But I can only see JOM bringing him back if he realises he made a mistake in not picking him initially, it won't be because of public pressure. That's why I don't think he'll be back in, O'Mahony will have given this careful consideration and obviously feels it was the right call

[Barney]

Anybody who thinks the managers political career will be effected by this is mad - remember the people of Mayo voted him into Dail Eireann 5 days after we were thrashed by Galway!

JOM came into the job with massive goodwill and a willingness on people's part to be patient. Last year was a disaster but was quickly forgiven. I think he is wrong in this instance but there is no going back for either party I reckon. He is better to keep his head down, let the public and media speculate but he has made his decision. I don't think it is an interruption to the panel that is already there if they have already been advised that Mc will not be back. They'll work away quietly and we'll see what happens against Sligo.

[Lar Naparka]

Janey! Some of ye seem to have stronger views about Long Paddy’s daughter that ye have about Johnno or Ciaran.

[the Deel Rover]

ray silkes thoughts here at www.mayoadvertiser.ie/index.php?aid=5789