Tír Eoghain vs Maigh Eo '08

[the Deel Rover]

Not piss taking here lads but the All-Ireland defeats of '89, '96, '97, '04 and '06 must have created a serious hunger in Mayo for that elusive win. Only Kerry have appeared in more All-Ireland finals in that period. WHat is the feeling in the county regarding those defeats/disappointments? Has it made the desire stronger or are there those who are close to giving up on the cause?

To tell you the truth O'Neill i don't know how the players kept coming back but at this stage there are only 2 left that go back to the 1996 defeat throw in two under 21's defeats in 94 95 and a few minors never mind club final defeats there has been a lot of heartbreak but in fairness we love our football so all ya can do is get back and try again. Come september there is only 1 team thats going to be happy and unfortunately that has not been us. The county championships are really competitive this year whether thats because Ballina and  Cross are slipping or the rest of the teams are catching up time will tell however in my own opinion and i hope I'm proved wrong i think the past few years represented our best chance of winning the All Ireland we had some real quality players and i don't know if the lads coming up are as good. Still i know we lost the All Irelands and the old saying is winning is everthing well thats true at 5 o clock on All Ireland Final Day but at least as supporters we have been lucky enough to experience the atmosphere building up to An an Ireland final how nothing else matters , the chase for tickets, booking the hotels , the feeling in anticipation as you head to Croke park on All Ireland Final Sunday sure its fantastic. As Keith Duggan said after the 2004 AI Final don't feel sorry for mayo because they will be coming around again beating quite a lot of teams and it was true as i said we would fear no one at this stage only Kerry and Jesus i think they would nearly give us the cup at this stage

[Over the Bar]

Not piss taking here lads but the All-Ireland defeats of '89, '96, '97, '04 and '06 must have created a serious hunger in Mayo for that elusive win.

& here was me thinking that Armagh were bottlers!  that's serious underachievement!

[muscles magoo]

Not piss taking here lads but the All-Ireland defeats of '89, '96, '97, '04 and '06 must have created a serious hunger in Mayo for that elusive win.

& here was me thinking that Armagh were bottlers!  that's serious underachievement!

Considering we went 38 years without a final appearance prior to 1989, there are many who would argue that Mayo have actually overachieved over the past 20 years. It's not that long when we couldn't win a Connacht title for love nor money (only 2 between 1956-1980).

[Lar Naparka]

Not piss taking here lads but the All-Ireland defeats of '89, '96, '97, '04 and '06 must have created a serious hunger in Mayo for that elusive win. Only Kerry have appeared in more All-Ireland finals in that period. WHat is the feeling in the county regarding those defeats/disappointments? Has it made the desire stronger or are there those who are close to giving up on the cause?

I'd safely say there's no danger whatever of Mayo folks giving in to despair or disillusionment. It's been the case year after year that we follow our lads and I've no doubt that we always will. This year is no different.
Maybe an odd skelp or two gets aimed at the manger or the team in general but that out of genuine and heartfelt concern and never because of begrudgery or bad will.

[feetofflames]

Wear your sungalasses  in Croke Park on Saturday

TM Saffron / White V Blue Gold White
BD Red /black V Purple Gold
BD Red / white V Green /red

IMO The greatest sight in the GAA is the hill covered in red / black. 

[ONeill]

I'd say seeing Tyrone and Armagh winning it means you're good enough too. I remember after the 2002 Sligo game resigning myself to the fact that we were never going to win it. Kerry '86, Monaghan '88, Mayo '89, Dublin '95, Meath '96 and Sligo '02 were defeats when we were thinking this is an All-Ireland winning team. New manager, new system and all is well with the world. Now, we're greedy.

[Over the Bar]

IMO The greatest sight in the GAA is the hill covered in red / black.

Black never makes for a good colour for a football crowd.  Much better with light colours as they contrast the background.  Nothing stupid tho like orange which makes the wearers look like t*ts and makes onlookers laugh at their lack of fashion sense!  Best is Red and White, the colours of all the best teams across the sporting spectrum like ManU, Munster etc.

[Fuzzman]

Heard at the match on Saturday from 2 different lads saying that big Joey has never really showed his full potential.

How many of ye would agree with this and is it mainly due to his injuries or is he just naturally laid back and not a team worker which Mickey looks for?

If he was fully fit where would you play him? He's a big chap and many on here reckon he'd be better at FB to release Justy further out the field.

Agree it would be tough to drop McCullagh but he struggles against swarm defense as do many I suppose and am I right to say he's the only descent free taker we have now with a left foot.

I think people have got fed up with Mugsy but I for one would be happy to see him back in at Corner Forward maybe with Tommy and McCullagh.
I know players are just coming back from injury but who would have thought that Mugsy, Mulgrew, Joey and Hub would all be struggling to get their place and that MF suddenly looks to be a lot better than it did in the league.

[red hander]

Heard at the match on Saturday from 2 different lads saying that big Joey has never really showed his full potential.

How many of ye would agree with this and is it mainly due to his injuries or is he just naturally laid back and not a team worker which Mickey looks for?

If he was fully fit where would you play him? He's a big chap and many on here reckon he'd be better at FB to release Justy further out the field.

Agree it would be tough to drop McCullagh but he struggles against swarm defense as do many I suppose and am I right to say he's the only descent free taker we have now with a left foot.

I think people have got fed up with Mugsy but I for one would be happy to see him back in at Corner Forward maybe with Tommy and McCullagh.
I know players are just coming back from injury but who would have thought that Mugsy, Mulgrew, Joey and Hub would all be struggling to get their place and that MF suddenly looks to be a lot better than it did in the league.

When you think about it, Big Joe hasn't actually played that many games.  The likes of Mulgrew or Penrose have, and to me they have yet to fulfill their potential.  I would have him in full back ... in the 2005 semi-final he was IMO man of the match, and he was very good in the final till he go injured

[Farrandeelin]

Not piss taking here lads but the All-Ireland defeats of '89, '96, '97, '04 and '06 must have created a serious hunger in Mayo for that elusive win. Only Kerry have appeared in more All-Ireland finals in that period. WHat is the feeling in the county regarding those defeats/disappointments? Has it made the desire stronger or are there those who are close to giving up on the cause?

There are certainly a few of the older fans throwing in the towel. Hard to blame them I suppose.

[the Deel Rover]

Don't know did you see oneills poem Farrandeelin heres an extract below i think you will enjoy it

Sligo keep it lit on here, their presence is always near
Magpie is a board legend, Sligonian is one to fear
Owenmoresider has his fanbase, built up with posts of logic
Farrandeelin and boul baoithe keep typing pure Yeats magic

[glenullinabu]

i think this could be a good weekend for ulster

[moysider]

Not piss taking here lads but the All-Ireland defeats of '89, '96, '97, '04 and '06 must have created a serious hunger in Mayo for that elusive win. Only Kerry have appeared in more All-Ireland finals in that period. WHat is the feeling in the county regarding those defeats/disappointments? Has it made the desire stronger or are there those who are close to giving up on the cause?

There are certainly a few of the older fans throwing in the towel. Hard to blame them I suppose.

I suppose I m one of the older lads now as I was at all of those finals and county games right back into the seventies. I sometimes wonder would an AI win now mean as much as it would in 89, 96/97 when fellas I knew and played with/against were on the team. And nothing will make up for the 2, at least, we should have won imo. But it s important we keep trying.

There s no doubt about it but I m well disillusioned at this stage. Like Deel Rover I feel maybe our best shot at it is gone. There are some very good players coming through as I ve already mentioned but experience clearly shows that we dont make the best of our playing resources and I wont be holding my breath.

This century has been a disaster so far.  Pat Holmes and Johnno so far failed to win a Connacht - 2001 being particularly damaging. Only 2 Connacht titles and that wont change next year. The two times we won Connacht titles we got to AI final. The other years we disappeared without a whimper. That is why I would not be optimistic about Saturday either. Our inability to string 2 or 3 Connacht titles together has killed us.

[laceer]

Heard at the match on Saturday from 2 different lads saying that big Joey has never really showed his full potential.

How many of ye would agree with this and is it mainly due to his injuries or is he just naturally laid back and not a team worker which Mickey looks for?

If he was fully fit where would you play him? He's a big chap and many on here reckon he'd be better at FB to release Justy further out the field.

Agree it would be tough to drop McCullagh but he struggles against swarm defense as do many I suppose and am I right to say he's the only descent free taker we have now with a left foot.
I think people have got fed up with Mugsy but I for one would be happy to see him back in at Corner Forward maybe with Tommy and McCullagh.
I know players are just coming back from injury but who would have thought that Mugsy, Mulgrew, Joey and Hub would all be struggling to get their place and that MF suddenly looks to be a lot better than it did in the league.

Think Justin McMahon can hit frees with his left

[MacDanger]

Hard to know what'll happen on Saturday. At this stage neither team look like they can win an AI but that could all change for the winners if it's a good quality tight game.

For Mayo, we'll need to tighten up big time at the back, it's hard to see us winning if we concede more than one goal - unfortunately I'm not sure we'll be able to do this. It'll be a huge challenge for the younger players like Parsons, Howley, Cunniffe, Kilcoyne and any other younger lads that might be played at some stage.

Howley will start at CHB and is best when he holds the centre so we could see problems if BMcG goes roving (if he stays at CHF then Saturday could well signal the arrival of Nallens replacement for the next 10 years) maybe Heaney will get that job with Howley moving further back. Gardiner will probably pick up Dooher and A Higgins on TMcG. That leaves a FB line of Nallen, K Higgins and Howley/Heaney which should be tight enough. If Cavanagh plays FF, Nallen should be able for him, but if he moves out, Nallen won't have the pace for him. The Tyrone forwards currently have no top-class scorer a la SO'N or PC but TMcG might change all that yet. I can see Mayo limiting Tyrone to 1-11 or 1-12 but whether we can get enough at the other end remains to be seen.

At midfield we might have a slight edge (which unfortunately may force SC out to MF where he tends to be much more effective) and I'm hoping for another big game from Parsons who I reckon has the quality at this level. Having McG back would be a big boost although I still have huge doubts about his appetite for winning dirty ball. Would like to see SO'S in if McG doesn't start but I'd say Harte will be moved in there.

The HF line will prob be PH, BJP and AD. BJP could sweep back if we're struggling there and Harte will essentially be a 3rd midfielder which potentially really leaves only Dillon to contribute to the scoreboard, if DH is playing as badly as the Tyronies make out then Dillon would run riot on him. That leaves our FF line needing to score at least 8 or so points between them to win it. Mort was quiet against Galway and will be up against it against RMcM. Depending on how strict/lenient the ref is here could well be a deciding factor - guaranteed to be complaints from the losing side on this duel. If Austie starts, he has to prove himself in the first half really or Kilcoyne/AN Other will be on - I would like to see him staying within the 21yd line at all times instead of straying out further. Moran could be moved back as he was against Galway but the deeper we play, the more we'll be drawing Tyrone on to us.

Hard to call with the teams not yet named....heart says Mayo but head is leaning slightly to Tyrone as they have more leaders.