Mayo 3-11 Sligo 0-7 Champions Dethroned

[the Deel Rover]

OK i have you now stephenite and i agree with you i don't think that we are going to get to an AI final no matter who we have playing ( I'm not going to get into a discussion about Ciaran MC there has been enough written about that) however we definitely need to see some improvement on last year which in all honesty was total Shite. O' mahony is now in year 2 of his 3 year term and this time he can't come out with the excuses that its not his team, this is his team most of the older heads are gone so now this is the future of mayo football, the under 21 team from 2 years ago should be coming on stream. As for the sligo game we don't really have a settled team can any one here even attempt to name it? sligo have the benefit of a championship game and those games away allways seem to bond a team remember we went to New York in 2004 and London in 2006 also sligo have no pressure on them as most neutrals expect mayo to win. They are connacht champions and  they will have no fear of mayo. Personally i think its going to be a fairly tight affair remember if sligo loose they are in the tommy murphy cup so they have a huge incentive to put in a good performance 

[SLIGONIAN]

OK i have you now stephenite and i agree with you i don't think that we are going to get to an AI final no matter who we have playing ( I'm not going to get into a discussion about Ciaran MC there has been enough written about that) however we definitely need to see some improvement on last year which in all honesty was total Shite. O' mahony is now in year 2 of his 3 year term and this time he can't come out with the excuses that its not his team, this is his team most of the older heads are gone so now this is the future of mayo football, the under 21 team from 2 years ago should be coming on stream. As for the sligo game we don't really have a settled team can any one here even attempt to name it? sligo have the benefit of a championship game and those games away allways seem to bond a team remember we went to New York in 2004 and London in 2006 also sligo have no pressure on them as most neutrals expect mayo to win. They are connacht champions and  they will have no fear of mayo. Personally i think its going to be a fairly tight affair remember if sligo loose they are in the tommy murphy cup so they have a huge incentive to put in a good performance 

Good post, talk alot of sense there deel rover. The only guarntee is that it will be a tight affair. It wont be a game for the faint hearted. Yes the TM cup debalce has to be avoided at all costs and that is a monumental incentive for our lads. There is another motivating here in that Sligo players feel they havent got the credit they deserve from last yrs win although didnt do themselves any favours during the league or cork. But now they want to put that right. Anyways mayo will be highly motivated too to put us back in our place so to speak from there point of view. Also alot of there players will be determined to show well without mcdonald ands show there no one man team. Also we are neighbours so more into the melting pot. Both teams wont fear each other.

It will be a cracker. Cant wait.

[rosnarun]

wasnt thinking of CMac at but enda devenny, remember the clamour for him a while back it was reaching AOM proportions. on a serious note ger brady and criminally under used Marty Mcnicoholas  while persisting with the likes of cunniffe and boyle, j gill who are clearly not ready for the fray now if ever. the pissing around with Trevor mortimer and Barry moran and BJP, are all major problem mayo need to fix and Sligo will probable be the last game to experiment in.
Less of the pessimism lads these are only wee problems that often Iron theselves out in the heat of championship battle if the play with the right spirit and given the right leadership. Can o'mahny provide that?
I hear Colm mac is playing great stuff for Burrishrule

[stephenite]

OK i have you now stephenite and i agree with you i don't think that we are going to get to an AI final no matter who we have playing ( I'm not going to get into a discussion about Ciaran MC there has been enough written about that) however we definitely need to see some improvement on last year which in all honesty was total Shite. O' mahony is now in year 2 of his 3 year term and this time he can't come out with the excuses that its not his team, this is his team most of the older heads are gone so now this is the future of mayo football, the under 21 team from 2 years ago should be coming on stream. As for the sligo game we don't really have a settled team can any one here even attempt to name it? sligo have the benefit of a championship game and those games away allways seem to bond a team remember we went to New York in 2004 and London in 2006 also sligo have no pressure on them as most neutrals expect mayo to win. They are connacht champions and  they will have no fear of mayo. Personally i think its going to be a fairly tight affair remember if sligo loose they are in the tommy murphy cup so they have a huge incentive to put in a good performance 

Yep - agree with pretty every thing you say there Deel.

[RedandGreenSniper]

This is all part of omahonys PR campaign . depress peole so much and make them believe our AlL ireland finals  2004 and 06 were abberations that we will end up happy to beat sligo in any manner and  a plucky defeat to galway in the connacht final will have some here wanting JOM's Canonisation.
Under the circumstances he took over in ,nothing less than an all ireland final appearance is acceptable. if he feel short of some player the i suggest he looks at himself in figuring out where thery have gone.

I do think that All-Ireland expectations are unrealistic. If the opportunity comes, so be it but we're a step or two off the mark at the minute imho.
But I take your point - we're a lot better than O'Mahony wants expectations to be. Thats the way he is I guess, for better or for worse. He will try and keep people's feet on the ground.
Regarding players time will be the best judge. Cunniffe and Boyle deserve to be in the squad. I think Marty Mc was fierce unlucky over the years too (he opted out because he felt he was wasting his time). Ger Brady, though, I think was far too inconsistent and his use of the ball was often questionable.

Anyway back to the Sligo game. While I think a Connacht title should be our minimum target this year I am a bit anxious about this game. We know less about them (by we I include players, management, supporters) than they do about us - this is simply because they would have witnessed us on TV etc a lot more than the other way around due to our relatively higher profile in recent years;

Sligo are fierce bullish, rightly so as defending Connacht champs. They have a point to prove that it wasn't flash in the pan and they are a championship team;

Most of all we are struggling for a settled team. I think Deel Rover said it would be nearly impossible to predict the team. We only have two lines where we'd be fairly certain of knowing who is starting - midfield with McGarrity and Parsons and the full-forward line of Conor Mort, Austy and Andy Moran. Neither are completely set in stone either though. Fail to perform to the sum of our parts and we're there for the taking.
As another poster said its up to JOM now - this is HIS team. Last year is gone, he has had eighteen months to rebuild. Can he have the team suitable prepared? Hopefully . . .

[stephenite]

I'd love if we got to another AIF - I just cannot see it happening.

JOM is by nature a cautious man - I don't understand how we're a lot better than he wants expectations to be either, we'll know a lot more after the Sligo game that's for sure.

For me an appearance in an All Ireland semi final would represent some real good progress with a young-ish team

[Barney]

We'd never be lucky enough to see another All Ireland place fall into our lap. 3 in 5 years would not be a true reflection of our worth but I'd grab your hand if you were to offer it to me.

The one thing I feel is that we have blown so many fine opportunities over ten years that it is going to be hard to get ourselves into that position again.

Suprised there has been little comment on our "new" secretary

MAYO'S first ever full-time GAA Secretary was appointed last week as it was confirmed that Sean Feeney had been successful in his application for the position.
The 61-year-old has been Mayo GAA Secretary since 1995 in a part-time role but was one of two candidates interviewed eight days ago for the full-time position which was advertised last month. The other candidate was Mayo GAA PRO, Noelle Horan.
Speaking to The Mayo News last night from Portugal, where he is accompanying the Mayo senior football squad on a training camp, Feeney said: "I'm delighted. It's an honour to be Mayo's first full-time Secretary. I've been doing it on a voluntary basis for nearly thirteen years now and the workload has been increasing dramatically over the years since. It's a full-time job now and whoever comes in after me will be full-time too."
The Ballintubber native will remain in the position until November of 2011 when he turns 65. Under GAA regulations he must then step down from the full-time role. However, he believes that it will be time for a change at that stage anyway.
"I think by the time I'm 65 I will have done my time," he admitted. "I see the development of McHale Park in Castlebar as the main objective in the short-term. That work will be starting in August and will be done within the year. After that I'm sure something else will be on the horizon.
"I firmly believe that most counties will be going down the road of full-time secretaries sooner rather than later. The amount of paperwork, in particular, has increased an awful lot in the last few years and it takes up an incredible amount of time."

MEANWHILE, the final remaining members of the Mayo senior football squad will fly into Portugal today (Tuesday) to link up with the rest of their colleagues.
A number of players were sitting college exams yesterday and so were unable to leave with the main group on Monday morning from Dublin Airport. The only member of Mayo's championship  squad not making the trip is Tom Parsons from Charlestown. He is exam-tied until the end of the week.
The travelling party return home next Sunday and will line out in club league matches on Bank Holiday Monday.

[the Deel Rover]

its in the mayo section barney

[SLIGONIAN]

What are the plans for McHale park? Heard something a while back about huge investment to upgrade it and I see the new secratary mentions it starts in august.

A question for the sligo lads. As markievicz park is top class ground now and redeveloped. Whats its capacity? Will it get a connaght final? I reckon it holds 23,000 now.
8000 in North end terrace, 8000 dugout terrace, 4000 seater stand and 3000 in dressing room terrace im guessing.

[GalwayBayBoy]

What are the plans for McHale park? Heard something a while back about huge investment to upgrade it and I see the new secratary mentions it starts in august.

A question for the sligo lads. As markievicz park is top class ground now and redeveloped. Whats its capacity? Will it get a connaght final? I reckon it holds 23,000 now.
8000 in North end terrace, 8000 dugout terrace, 4000 seater stand and 3000 in dressing room terrace im guessing.

Is Markievicz park a top class ground now? I haven't been there in a few years but last time I visited it was a bit of a kip.

I'm pretty sure to host a Connacht final the capacity of a ground has to be somewhere around 30,000.

[magpie seanie]

Markievicz Park has improved considerably in recent years. Maybe if ye draw a northern team in the qualifiers you might get a look at it! 

[SLIGONIAN]

What are the plans for McHale park? Heard something a while back about huge investment to upgrade it and I see the new secratary mentions it starts in august.

A question for the sligo lads. As markievicz park is top class ground now and redeveloped. Whats its capacity? Will it get a connaght final? I reckon it holds 23,000 now.
8000 in North end terrace, 8000 dugout terrace, 4000 seater stand and 3000 in dressing room terrace im guessing.

Is Markievicz park a top class ground now? I haven't been there in a few years but last time I visited it was a bit of a kip.

I'm pretty sure to host a Connacht final the capacity of a ground has to be somewhere around 30,000.

Ya in fairness IMO its top class. I know weve played alot of away games in connaght recent yrs so Mayo, Galway, Ros and Leitrim wouldnt have seen it yet. The grass bank is gone and replaced by massive terrace. Stand now is full length of pitch with black bucket seats and sligeach in white seats. Then new terrace at dressing room end now.

Its about as much as you can do with were its located. Im proud of it anyway and look forward to a big game there. Maybe a replay against MAYO in a few weeks.

[mannix]

all worried about a division 3 team that were relegated?
Cop on, who are you kidding, you are  beginning to sound like JOM.

[SLIGONIAN]

all worried about a division 3 team that were relegated?
Cop on, who are you kidding, you are  beginning to sound like JOM.

Seriously man you just dont get it , you keep going on about league form. It is irrelevant now. Championship is completely different. You are in for a shock if you think the Sligo team that played league will be the same Sligo in Mchale park. In fact since the league we have a whole different shape and gameplan and a number of positional switches. Also as Ohara said a massive change of atitude aswell since the league. Players are working alot harder and have finally found there focus for this yr.

[moysider]

Thats the thing Mannix, its Johnno thats flying the plane. And Johnno has firmly grounded any expectations we may have had in previous years. Maybe he is trying to protect the players from public's expectations or maybe he is being realistic as he sees it and does nt believe they re going anywhere fast? I dont know. Would he have taken this job on if there was nt that political angle? Again I dont know but I have my doubts.
We were muck last year in Championship and will we be any better this year? We wont know for sure until we play but word is that training is more fine tuned this year for championship, whereas last year it was obvious that we plateaued off in late spring and were flat for championship. So thats encouraging then.But Sligo will be at least as good as they were last year and dismissing them as a third division team does nt change a thing. We can be fairly sure what Sligo will bring to the game but can we say the same of Mayo? Mayo were arguably the best team in the country in 97 and were lucky to scrape past Sligo. Its been the 80 s since we used to win comfortably V Sligo. Our fellas have to be better than Sligo on June 22 to win and that is the only thing that matters. Labeling teams division so and so cuts no ice this time of year. You might remember we got to a final in 96 from Div. 3.
Anyway back to possible Mayo selections. Is he going to start Peadar Gardiner. It looked like it was very likely before he broke his jaw and now he s back. And where will they select him. I thought they would go with a half forward line of Harte, Dillon and Trevor ( presuming all fit and well) nowI m not so sure. they might pick peadar at 12 and play trevor in a half back line with  Heaney and Keith Higgins?  Then there s Billie Joe Padden. Would they start him and where? Centre- half back? They might be thinking something like this.
Clarke
A Higgins
Conroy
God knows - Heaney anyone?
Cuniffe/ Trevor H
Heaney/ Billie Joe
K Higgins
McGarrity
Parsons
Harte
Dillon
Trevor/ Gardiner
Conor
Austin
Andy

A couple of things I ll be lookin out for. Will Johnno hold his nerve and play Keith Higgins in hb line instead of dropping him back if the fb line begins to creak. For us to have a good year Austin needs to make an impact similar to James Horan in 96 imo. If Trevor, Dillon and Heaney play as well as they have done at their best in the past then we could do well enough this year. But there s a lot of ifs and buts at this stage.