O Mahoney gets extra 2 years.

[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

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

Yep - nor Kildare giving it to Kieran McGeeney. Not a good idea in my view, it could work if there was a Bobby Robson/Mickey Whelan type 'assistant' to help them out but I think that's a load of balls as well. Mind you Jason Ryan makes a fool of me straight away I suppose.

I also don't think that players coming back to manage those who would have soldiered along with them is a good idea - so Nallen and/or Brady managing the likes of Conor Mort, Alan Dillon, Peadar Gardener etc would also be a bad idea.

[moysider]

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

Yep - nor Kildare giving it to Kieran McGeeney. Not a good idea in my view, it could work if there was a Bobby Robson/Mickey Whelan type 'assistant' to help them out but I think that's a load of balls as well. Mind you Jason Ryan makes a fool of me straight away I suppose.

I also don't think that players coming back to manage those who would have soldiered along with them is a good idea - so Nallen and/or Brady managing the likes of Conor Mort, Alan Dillon, Peadar Gardener etc would also be a bad idea.

Not sure there would be any problem likes of James Nallen or David Brady managing players they have played with. They would be respected no doubt. Whether they have the whole package is another thing. But in the case of a highly intelligent and level headed man like Nallen it would be less of a risk than continuing with what s in place at present. Experience is all very well but a lot of the established managers on the intercounty merry go round are carrying baggage. Bad experience in other words. Take Johnno. His vast experience did not stand him well during Macdonaldgate, except maybe he managed to bluff and spin his way out of a tight corner and buy himself time. But it did our team no service. We still would not have won Sam granted but we may have won Connacht and maybe even a 1/4 final. That would have been progress.

His skirmishes in the past taught him little it seems and while influential footballl people in Galway always got 'wayward' people back on board when left to his own devices he came up short in my opinion. Some of us have pointed out in the past that Johnno has had a poor record at building or rejuvenating a team. Unfortunately the last two years have proven this to be the case. His judgement as regards what players can do a job in a role has been shown to be seriuosly flawed. With the same background team back again I m not holding my breath there will be any improvement this year but they might get lucky sometime with the quality players at their disposal.

 Maybe the generation gap between player and manager needs to be shortened. Not sure of the worth of the Mickey Whelan s of this world. Young players coming through now are more used to a calm, tactical, structured approach to the game. There is far less table banging and distance keeping and suspicion between management and players. The drinking culture among serious players not what it used to be either. It s time for a more collegiate approach.

[mannix]

Iwas a big fan of jom but now I am not so sure, he seems to have too much work to do for Mayo to be a priority. My friends in cork and kerry reckon he only took the job for political gain, i am not sure what to think but they could be right.
Not having the best footballer in the county on the panel shows how much of an amateur he is when its looked at in the cool of autumn with no games on.
Moran and morrison brought in oneil, omahony would never have, they failed to prepare the team for the final and paid the price but they had all the top lads playing for them which is a big help.

[OirthearMhaigheo]

What can we say Johnnos report card doesn't read well at all, not given the expectations we had of the man and not given his track record. I think this extension is there to help take the pressure off next year and every game being the last one, and maybe also for him to show the fans that he is committed to the cause.
Next year is a massive one for him either way and we need to see serious progress. Until some of these minor lads get older I don't see an All-Ireland in us but I do think we can push alot harder than we did this year. It's up to Johnno to find new talent, bringing in some of the Ballagh lads would be a start, McDonald's return would also have to be seen as an addition, anyone at the county semi would have to agree.
He's still the best candidate for the job but he needs to improve, and be more like the man of a few years ago before we as a county can improve.

[the Deel Rover]

Well at least its giving us something to talk about i was getting worried about a lot of ye 

[ildanach]

Continuity and Stability is what is required. I think it will be a good thing to not be on the managerial merrygo round again next year. A connacht title in 2009 and a quarter final win would be great progress next year and they are well within our grasp. We got beaten by Tyrone by 1 point and in truth of we had taken our chances we would have one ( i am not saying we would have won the all ireland though!).
No one can question JOMs tactical management ability however on the down side this year his man management  with the mcd incident was disappointing. Lets hope a new year will mean clean slates.

p.s Is it true Pierce Hanley is going back next week.

[Barney]

Off we go again. We'll have to have a go at next years championship XV before too long!

Ok he gets an extra two years. JOM will still have to be judged next Summer and failure to deliver a Connacht championship will mean that the "contract" will be finished with. I don't know why people talk about contracts anyhow - has any manager ever been compensated for being fired?

There is a huge amount of dissatisfaction with JOM. But as I have said previously some of the players also need to take a hard long look at themselves. The McDonald issue is an easy stick to beat the manager with. I would be more inclined to concentrate on issues such as inconsistent selection, and taking down Mayo football. We need to be brash. We need players with balls. Against Tyrone, and against Galway when his initial plans failed the manager was spot-on tactically.

Having said all that the manager was a political appointment and it suits the County Board to line him up for Enda's next big shot which the way things are could come at any time.

Deel Rover said its karma. If it is we deserve nothing less.

[moysider]

Continuity and Stability is what is required. I think it will be a good thing to not be on the managerial merrygo round again next year. A connacht title in 2009 and a quarter final win would be great progress next year and they are well within our grasp. We got beaten by Tyrone by 1 point and in truth of we had taken our chances we would have one ( i am not saying we would have won the all ireland though!).
No one can question JOMs tactical management ability however on the down side this year his man management  with the mcd incident was disappointing. Lets hope a new year will mean clean slates.

p.s Is it true Pierce Hanley is going back next week.

I m afraid we can. His tactical nous has always been a problem going back to his first coming. Also during his Galway tenure I could pick holes in his tactical awareness. The last couple of years have not been great either. Persisting with a full forward in a role he was clearly not able to play for so long is one example of this.
  I always thought his strength was organisation, man management, discipline, having the bus there on time etc. It would be news to me if I heard he had a reputation as a coach or for tactical astuteness.

[rosnarun]

my main gripe with management this year is one of motivation which has shown its self up in our losing almost every close match we played for the year. this point to an unhappy camp. Maybe management are not to blame for that but its much easier to change 1 manager tham 30  29 ahem 28 players

[RedandGreenSniper]

There's no point in getting rid of JOM unless it is CERTAIN that a better candidate is ready to step in.
I know people might point out about moran and morrison but there's no point raking over that one. Bottom line, imo, there is nothing to be gained by getting rid of JOM now

[rosnarun]

There's no point in getting rid of JOM unless it is CERTAIN that a better candidate is ready to step in.
I know people might point out about moran and morrison but there's no point raking over that one. Bottom line, imo, there is nothing to be gained by getting rid of JOM now

not exactly the kind of ringing endorsement that would justify a 2 year extension on his term either

[Farrandeelin]

What about James Horan? He did well with Ballintubber this year and seems like he knows his stuff in the Western. Just can't believe any of ye haven't mentioned him that's all. I sense more stagnation in 2009 under JOM.

[spectator]

His skirmishes in the past taught him little it seems and while influential footballl people in Galway always got 'wayward' people back on board when left to his own devices he came up short in my opinion. 

That's an unfair & selective comment imo, moysider. If Johnno as manager is responsible for the overall state of affairs, apply it uniformally. It's really churlish to try and now claim the background team in Galway bailed him out, unlike the current Mayo background team. You're damning the Mayo background lads as well as Johnno here, imo.

Until some of these minor lads get older I don't see an All-Ireland in us but I do think we can push alot harder than we did this year. It's up to Johnno to find new talent, bringing in some of the Ballagh lads would be a start, McDonald's return would also have to be seen as an addition, anyone at the county semi would have to agree.
He's still the best candidate for the job but he needs to improve, and be more like the man of a few years ago before we as a county can improve.

I agree with most of that. Where will the new talent miraculously appear from though? The U-21's of two years ago are the lads who should be answering the call now surely? The political angle may be the reason why Ballagh representation was so scarce this year? What do you mean by the comment 'be more like the man of a few years ago' though? Intrigueing.

We need players with balls. Against Tyrone, and against Galway when his initial plans failed the manager was spot-on tactically.
Having said all that the manager was a political appointment and it suits the County Board to line him up for Enda's next big shot which the way things are could come at any time.

Again, fair comment. Johnno isn't a mercurial tactical genius, but he's well capable and is tactically very experienced all the same. It's easy to be critical of Johnno, but the players are answerable too. The political \ GAA hybrid which has developed in Mayo is amazing - the number of football mad FF'ers who are livid with the way current set-up has developed must be considerable, judging by the ones I've talked to about it anyway.

In short, I think Johnno's naturally low key approach goes against the grain in Mayo. Geting rid of McD was a bold attempt to make a clean break with the past and change the exhuberent culture which was part of the Mayo way. Brave move by Johnno, imo, as he surely knew he'd be be slaughtered if it didn't work out.

[moysider]

His skirmishes in the past taught him little it seems and while influential footballl people in Galway always got 'wayward' people back on board when left to his own devices he came up short in my opinion. 

That's an unfair & selective comment imo, moysider. If Johnno as manager is responsible for the overall state of affairs, apply it uniformally. It's really churlish to try and now claim the background team in Galway bailed him out, unlike the current Mayo background team. You're damning the Mayo background lads as well as Johnno here, imo.

I should have made it clear that it was nt so much the background team in Galway that bailed him out, it was men behind the scenes  who are hughly respected in the Galway scene  that helped smooth over rough patches.

As regards the current background team. They will always be associated with the decision to jettison MacDonald, finalising a panel when it was nt necessary to do so and some fanciful selections to say the least. How much of a say they had I do not know. But if they did nt have an input they should nt be there. Kieran Gallagher came out of the last administration with a good reputation but I can t see him be asked to do a job in future. As for Tommy Lyons I don t know what his input is but I assume he believes they are doing the right thing or he would have walked away.

[mannix]

JOM is an amateur, he is not that bothered about football, politics was his game and Mayo came second, always will. Macdonald left to rust while jom told us rubbish is why Mayo will never amount to much, too gullible.