O Mahoney gets extra 2 years.

[spectator]

Some I know were less than enthusiastic about the prospect of next year. How this goes down will be interesting.

Was there a cold wind blowing around North Mayo during Johnno's first two years & is it about to become an artic gale with his extension, do you reckon?

Can anyone suggest a better realistic more beneficial manager for the job?

[stephenite]

I take your point re Dooher - I feel they're different players however and I also feel that Tyrone had more able younger men around him, who would be Mayo's equivalent to Sean Cavanagh, Enda McGinley, Philip Jordan, McMahon brothers? Guys with experience and talent. Conor Mort, perhaps, Alan Dillon, definitely, Ronan McGarrity, needs to improve,

I'd love if Mac came back to play with Mayo, I just don't see the point in going on about it while JOM is there as I don't think it's going to happen, he's building for the future and Mac is now the past, not even the present, while JOM is in charge

Even if Mac was playing we don't have enough guys at the same level to support him, we might not be too far off them but it will take more time.

I honestly don't see who else we should be looking to to manage this team at the moment? And that's scary given the poor championship results we've had under him. If there was a better option I'd be more than happy to see him come in. Who would you have?

[moysider]

Some I know were less than enthusiastic about the prospect of next year. How this goes down will be interesting.

Was there a cold wind blowing around North Mayo during Johnno's first two years & is it about to become an artic gale with his extension, do you reckon?

Can anyone suggest a better realistic more beneficial manager for the job?

We could suggest but what is the point of that. If - and it seems to be the case - that people are happy with Johnno plodding along, well and good. Apparently he s seen as a safe pair of hands. And who knows he may rediscover the magic that turned alps like Joyce, Donnellan, Savage, Fallon etc into lads that could kick a bit. A realistic man who ll ensure we wont be disgraced on All Ireland Sunday. Not only that we ll be well realistic and any thoughts of any success will be well knocked out of us. This transition period beloved of our master could well extend and be measured on the geological time scale. Not sure what you mean by realistic and beneficial. Were the last 2 Summer results realistic [ ok probably] and beneficial [ not convinced]? Reality is we re not in a transition period... hold on, maybe we are. Transition between used to be decent to not decent any more. Transition from what to what? Defeat in an All Ireland to Tommy Murphy? That could be fitted in next 3 years. We could actually win something.


  However if we re talking about gravitas and spin and talking s**** well he s the daddy of them all. Grannies love him so it cant be all bad.

[stephenite]

  However if we re talking about gravitas and spin and talking s**** well he s the daddy of them all. Grannies love him so it cant be all bad.

Hard to argue with that comment, without a decent alternative for now I'm happy enough. However, if we don't see some real progress this year than I think he'll be gone and deservedly so - replacements? Well, for me it would be Noel Connelly.

[moysider]

  However if we re talking about gravitas and spin and talking s**** well he s the daddy of them all. Grannies love him so it cant be all bad.

Hard to argue with that comment, without a decent alternative for now I'm happy enough. However, if we don't see some real progress this year than I think he'll be gone and deservedly so - replacements? Well, for me it would be Noel Connelly.

Okay. I have nt suggested anybody. But for you, why Connelly?

[stephenite]

Involved in our most recent All Ireland win, heavily respected by the younger players that he has managed so more likely to bring through the younger players, not a public representative, well organised and apparently not at all afraid to bring in outside help to seek 'the edge' in terms of team preparation.

It's a template that also appears to work, successful inter county managers working their way into the top job, see Jack O'Connor, Mickey Harte as 2 recent examples of managers that have worked with players successfully in under-age ranks before being successful in the Senior role. Let Ray Dempsey take his starlets onto U-21 level and if successful there, then onto senior when the time comes.

[moysider]

I take your point re Dooher - I feel they're different players however and I also feel that Tyrone had more able younger men around him, who would be Mayo's equivalent to Sean Cavanagh, Enda McGinley, Philip Jordan, McMahon brothers? Guys with experience and talent. Conor Mort, perhaps, Alan Dillon, definitely, Ronan McGarrity, needs to improve,

You re right Stephenite. Dooher is different. But Mac was no less a leader in his own way. And we needed him. Harte has not been afraid to share the dressing room with big players and bringing back Dooher at 33 after serious injury straight into team and recalling O Neill for a final is something no Mayo manager I ve ever seen has been capable or brave enough to do. O Mahoney has had carte blanche authority to do things as he sees fit. No other manager has been bestowed with as much faith by a county board in Mayo as O Mahoney has. I m annoyed because I believe he has misused a great opportunity and has been more concerned with proving how tough he is than he has with trying to beat Galway ...  There s lot s of fellas out there that dont feel threatened by players and do the work on the training pitch and get in specialist advisers without talking S**** all the time. It s like the teacher that loves his job but cant stand kids. I ll put it like this. If you were a coach, would you like to work with MacDonald? How did getting rid of him improve the lot of Mayo this Summer/next Summer/Summer after?

[stephenite]

If you were a coach, would you like to work with MacDonald? How did getting rid of him improve the lot of Mayo this Summer/next Summer/Summer after?

Would I like to work with MacD as a coach - of course I would, but on my terms.

It didn't improve the lot of Mayo per se - but I can guarantee his omission was not the difference between Mayo winning Sam or not.

[RedandGreenSniper]

I'd be surprised if JOM stays the full five years. I think this extension is just a means of removing pressure from next year being his last year. He might still walk at the end of 09 but with the extension, he won't be preparing for every game in 09 as if it is his last.
Mistakes were made this year, the McD saga was one of them. But it was not an easy position to be in. Neither party were 100% right or 100% wrong but it is the manager, rightly so, who normally has to pick up most of the slack. Comparisons with Dooher aren't valid, Dooher was there all year and McDonald wasn't (and there's no real point going down of the road of why he wasn't there). We can't be certain that bringing him back would have been the right thing either. But, come what may, JOM could have handled the parting of ways better.
I'm not sure that getting the players input is necessarily a good idea. Maybe a few subtle overtures but I don't know too many other counties where this is the done thing.
Ultimately there isn't a better option out there. Dempsey still has many flaws that need to be ironed out before he can even think of stepping up to senior inter-county. Connelly is a great motivator but I'm not sure he has the tactical nous to manage inter-county on his own. I wouldn't like to see him going in with Pat Holmes, but that looks like it could be the next option imo
I'll bookmark all of this by saying I'm out of the country for the last 10 months and the only word on the ground I can get about JOM's tenure is obviously second and third hand etc, some is good, some is bad, some indifferent. I think the important thing is that we expect progress next year. If we don't get it, then JOM should probably look for the exit.
By the way, did anyone hear the Keith Higgins is going travelling for the year? Read it somewhere on Hogan Stand so I'm taking a fair dollop of salt with it but maybe someone here knows the full story?

[Tubberman]

By the way, did anyone hear the Keith Higgins is going travelling for the year? Read it somewhere on Hogan Stand so I'm taking a fair dollop of salt with it but maybe someone here knows the full story?

Going travelling but will be back by April is what I've heard. Will be available for championship for both the footballers and the hurlers. The break should do him no harm

[rosnarun]

so the main arguements in favor of O'mahoney are
1) cant think of anyone else
5)he won an allireland years ago with some other county
3)he is name isn't pat holmes

i tought the numbering should follow the logic

[stephenite]

so the main arguements in favor of O'mahoney are
1) cant think of anyone else
5)he won an allireland years ago with some other county
3)he is name isn't pat holmes

i tought the numbering should follow the logic

Well. who would you prefer to see in the job?

[rosnarun]

without delving into the deeper realm of reasearch im sure the county board will go to here are a few name fell free to add to them as necessary. in no particular order. now before ytou dismiss all of these think of mayos record over the last 2 years and realize none could do a worse job. and know there are loads of alternatves
Joe Kernan,Brian McIver,Tj killgallon,Peter Forde,John Maughan,John tobin,Pillar caffery,David brady,James nallen,Paudi o sé,Pat o shea Peter canavan,dennis Kearney
even
eddie O sullivan(he seems to be at a loose end and Just lives in moylough)

[stephenite]

James Nallen, Peter Canavan and David Brady are non runners for a start, no managerial experience.

I don't think Pillar could do any better (indeed I'd have a better go myself)

Brian McIver is the only one on your list that I'd think a)might be interested and b)has the requisite experience

[the Deel Rover]

James Nallen, Peter Canavan and David Brady are non runners for a start, no managerial experience.

I don't think Pillar could do any better (indeed I'd have a better go myself)

Brian McIver is the only one on your list that I'd think a)might be interested and b)has the requisite experience

i'm not calling for o' mahonys head but just to say that lack of experience didn't stop the dubs giving pat gilroy the job stephenite