What is a good season for the Mayo senior football team?

Started by Nihilist, February 16, 2015, 04:20:49 PM

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PW Nally

Quote from: Bod Mor on September 11, 2015, 12:47:08 PM
Quote from: PW Nally on September 11, 2015, 06:59:32 AM
Quote from: Bod Mor on September 10, 2015, 11:59:25 PM
If somebody was to tell me this time last year that Mayo would still be playing football in September 2015 I would be absolutely over the moon.
There's no doubt about it that we need to stick with Holmes and Connelly. This is the most talented set of Mayo footballers I've seen in my lifetime anyway. Some of them aren't getting any younger but we have found some real gems in Durcan and Diarmuid O'Connor. Add to that the likes of Stephen Coen, Michael Hall, Evan Regan and David Drake. People have mentioned Conor Loftus too. These lads need to be given as much game time as possible in the league next year, especially Regan. I know it's been talked to death but what else can we do but look ahead to 2016.
I have no doubt that these lads have already forgotten about last Saturday and are already mad to get back playing football again.

An bhfuil tú off do rocker!!

Bhí mè glan as mo mheabhair an seachtain seo chaite ach níl mè ro-dhona anois, buìochas le dia.
Tà a fhios agat fèin nach mbeidh bannisteoir nua again an bhliain seo chugainn. Is dóigh liom gur  mbeadh James Horan ar ais an bhliain ina dhiaidh sin. An t-aon rud atà eagla orm faoi ná gur mbeadh Donnie Buckley linn an bhliain seo chugainn. Caithfidh an mbord gach uile rud a dheanamh chun an fear sin a choinnèail.

Togha fir Bod! Bhíomar uilig scaipeadh le cúpla lá anuas, cén chaoi feadach muid a bheidh na mhalairt. Tá orainn Buckley coinneál sa champa ach ní bhéinn ró cinnte faoi cúpla duine eile!! Fir a bhfuil anna chuid déanta acubh ar son an chontae ach ní seo an t-am le bheidh breannadh siar!
Ní thagann dream imreoirí mar seo thart ró mhinic 's fearr chuile deis a thabhairt dóibh nó beidheamar uilig í dteach mór na fulaingt arís gan cupán deas airgead le ól as!!

mayoman dan

Quote from: Bod Mor on September 10, 2015, 11:59:25 PM
If somebody was to tell me this time last year that Mayo would still be playing football in September 2015 I would be absolutely over the moon.
There's no doubt about it that we need to stick with Holmes and Connelly. This is the most talented set of Mayo footballers I've seen in my lifetime anyway. Some of them aren't getting any younger but we have found some real gems in Durcan and Diarmuid O'Connor. Add to that the likes of Stephen Coen, Michael Hall, Evan Regan and David Drake. People have mentioned Conor Loftus too. These lads need to be given as much game time as possible in the league next year, especially Regan. I know it's been talked to death but what else can we do but look ahead to 2016.
I have no doubt that these lads have already forgotten about last Saturday and are already mad to get back playing football again.

Why do we have to stick with them? What have they done to deserve another year?



From the Bunker

Quote from: mayoman dan on September 11, 2015, 05:06:55 PM
Quote from: Bod Mor on September 10, 2015, 11:59:25 PM
If somebody was to tell me this time last year that Mayo would still be playing football in September 2015 I would be absolutely over the moon.
There's no doubt about it that we need to stick with Holmes and Connelly. This is the most talented set of Mayo footballers I've seen in my lifetime anyway. Some of them aren't getting any younger but we have found some real gems in Durcan and Diarmuid O'Connor. Add to that the likes of Stephen Coen, Michael Hall, Evan Regan and David Drake. People have mentioned Conor Loftus too. These lads need to be given as much game time as possible in the league next year, especially Regan. I know it's been talked to death but what else can we do but look ahead to 2016.
I have no doubt that these lads have already forgotten about last Saturday and are already mad to get back playing football again.

Why do we have to stick with them? What have they done to deserve another year?

We have reached a sort of impasse. Time line was as follows;

2011 reached AI semi final. Beat AI Champions Cork. Beaten well by Kerry. But were in game until midway through 2nd half. Season seen as progress.

2012 Beat Dublin in AI semi final. Lose to Donegal in final. Season seen as progress.

2013 Beat everybody well on the way to final. Lose by a point to Dublin. Season seen as break even.

2014 Scrape past a declining Cork. Hold Kerry in semi to 2 games and extra time before losing. Season seen as break even.

2015 Hold Dublin in semi to 2 games before losing. Season seen as break even.


2016 Roscommon and Galway at home should we meet either in Connacht. On the other side of the draw from Dublin and Kerry should they win their provinces. That said our Ulster kin will be looking at us as being on the easier side of the draw as well.

The expectation bubble has burst with Mayo. Fans (and the media) have given up on this Mayo team. We have got to the stage where we are a hard to beat. But we can be beaten. The last 'Big' game we won was against Dublin 2012. All of our other victories have had merit. But they were expected (and this  I suppose showed our progress).



mayoman dan




We have reached a sort of impasse. Time line was as follows;

2011 reached AI semi final. Beat AI Champions Cork. Beaten well by Kerry. But were in game until midway through 2nd half. Season seen as progress.

2012 Beat Dublin in AI semi final. Lose to Donegal in final. Season seen as progress.

2013 Beat everybody well on the way to final. Lose by a point to Dublin. Season seen as break even.

2014 Scrape past a declining Cork. Hold Kerry in semi to 2 games and extra time before losing. Season seen as break even.

2015 Hold Dublin in semi to 2 games before losing. Season seen as break even.


2016 Roscommon and Galway at home should we meet either in Connacht. On the other side of the draw from Dublin and Kerry should they win their provinces. That said our Ulster kin will be looking at us as being on the easier side of the draw as well.

The expectation bubble has burst with Mayo. Fans (and the media) have given up on this Mayo team. We have got to the stage where we are a hard to beat. But we can be beaten. The last 'Big' game we won was against Dublin 2012. All of our other victories have had merit. But they were expected (and this  I suppose showed our progress).
[/quote]

Look at the amount of goals we conceded in the games you mention.Theres a pattern here.Improving our defence has to take priority over the winter.

moysider

Improving a defence over the winter doesn t cut it. Our defence stats from last winter are not bad at all. They were better than Kerry's e.g.

It's getting the tactics and game management right on the very big days that has been our Achilles heel. Nothing you do in the league will makes up for that flaw.

If H&C had it they would have had it the last day. Thinking they will learn and be better next year is naïve.  Next year will throw up different circumstances and challenges in last 4 (if we get there). If they can t handle a technically complicated situation one year why expect them to be able to deal with a new but possibly more challenging the next? That is the reality we face going forward. I think it is safe to say that most club managers would have got Mayo as far as H&C did this year, considering  how far ahead Mayo are ahead of most and the weariness of Donegal this year. This team needed a manager that would add to them.

I've no doubt that H&C will be back again next year but if they are honest they should consider if it is the best for the team.

As well as philosophy, another thing that managers do is repeatedly pick players that have messed up before. Really in our case that's just............


Nihilist

Quote from: moysider on September 11, 2015, 11:47:30 PM
Improving a defence over the winter doesn t cut it. Our defence stats from last winter are not bad at all. They were better than Kerry's e.g.

It's getting the tactics and game management right on the very big days that has been our Achilles heel. Nothing you do in the league will makes up for that flaw.

If H&C had it they would have had it the last day. Thinking they will learn and be better next year is naïve.  Next year will throw up different circumstances and challenges in last 4 (if we get there). If they can t handle a technically complicated situation one year why expect them to be able to deal with a new but possibly more challenging the next? That is the reality we face going forward. I think it is safe to say that most club managers would have got Mayo as far as H&C did this year, considering  how far ahead Mayo are ahead of most and the weariness of Donegal this year. This team needed a manager that would add to them.

I've no doubt that H&C will be back again next year but if they are honest they should consider if it is the best for the team.

As well as philosophy, another thing that managers do is repeatedly pick players that have messed up before. Really in our case that's just............

Well they ain't getting the bullet. They were more or less ratified. See following.

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22696:mayo-gaa-chairman-remains-upbeat-despite-defeat-to-dublin&catid=14&Itemid=100008

So unless they go of their own accord (which I can't see happening) you are wasting your time chasing this.

Farrandeelin

Well when the Chairman is the joint manager's brother, what else could we expect?
Inaugural Football Championship Prediction Winner.

moysider

Quote from: Nihilist on September 12, 2015, 02:44:02 PM
Quote from: moysider on September 11, 2015, 11:47:30 PM
Improving a defence over the winter doesn t cut it. Our defence stats from last winter are not bad at all. They were better than Kerry's e.g.

It's getting the tactics and game management right on the very big days that has been our Achilles heel. Nothing you do in the league will makes up for that flaw.

If H&C had it they would have had it the last day. Thinking they will learn and be better next year is naïve.  Next year will throw up different circumstances and challenges in last 4 (if we get there). If they can t handle a technically complicated situation one year why expect them to be able to deal with a new but possibly more challenging the next? That is the reality we face going forward. I think it is safe to say that most club managers would have got Mayo as far as H&C did this year, considering  how far ahead Mayo are ahead of most and the weariness of Donegal this year. This team needed a manager that would add to them.

I've no doubt that H&C will be back again next year but if they are honest they should consider if it is the best for the team.

As well as philosophy, another thing that managers do is repeatedly pick players that have messed up before. Really in our case that's just............

Well they ain't getting the bullet. They were more or less ratified. See following.

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22696:mayo-gaa-chairman-remains-upbeat-despite-defeat-to-dublin&catid=14&Itemid=100008

So unless they go of their own accord (which I can't see happening) you are wasting your time chasing this.

I won t be chasing anything nihilist. I m in no position to do so.

As Farrendeelin observes there has been a conflict of interest going on here. This management will get an easy ride like Johnno did and unlike say, Mickey Moran, who was shabbily treated after a good first year in charge.

But if the co. board want to indulge themselves with this kind of blasé approach to possibly the best senior panel we ve had in 60+ years they are only codding themselves. These things always end in grief.

I have yet to meet anybody that have confidence that these guys are good enough when Mayo meet their match and the line makes the difference.

Mac2

So Moysider seriously you think our defence doesn't need work then?
For one thing do you not think we lack physicality back there?
I mean take Dublin's second goal, Brogan should have been on his hole over the end-line.
I think there's a lot of stuff we can work on over the league and we probably need to take a few risks as well.
I'm not sure about going all out to win it, maybe a few guys need a rest, give others a run.
Do we persist with AOS at FF and if so do we need COC out at CHF to give him the type of ball needs?
Who hangs off him then, Regan maybe?
Is McLoughlin best used as a sweeper because he's not cutting it as an out and out forward, neither is Doherty. No shortage of stuff to be trying.

moysider

Quote from: Mac2 on September 22, 2015, 02:48:10 PM
So Moysider seriously you think our defence doesn't need work then?
For one thing do you not think we lack physicality back there?
I mean take Dublin's second goal, Brogan should have been on his hole over the end-line.
I think there's a lot of stuff we can work on over the league and we probably need to take a few risks as well.
I'm not sure about going all out to win it, maybe a few guys need a rest, give others a run.
Do we persist with AOS at FF and if so do we need COC out at CHF to give him the type of ball needs?
Who hangs off him then, Regan maybe?
Is McLoughlin best used as a sweeper because he's not cutting it as an out and out forward, neither is Doherty. No shortage of stuff to be trying.

I m sure it does but not what I was getting at. I m saying that what happens in winter has little bearing on Aug/Sept. Keane featured a lot in the league but hardly got a look in when it counted.

I haven t the stomach to get into who new might come into the frame or not. I m not sure it matters that much. Not the substantive issue in my opinion. I think we had enough to get over line last 2 years. I was in CP on Sunday and convinced more than ever we had. Some disastrous calls cost us dearly. But hey, maybe that's just me.

Mac2

Some of the calls were calamitous alright and we keep doing it which always leaves us wondering what if.
These 2 boys are not going to become master tacticians overnight so the best we can hope for is that we do as much prep as possible so that when the hard questions are asked the answer might be readymade instead of having to figure it out.

Nihilist

Quote from: Mac2 on September 22, 2015, 10:37:35 PM
Some of the calls were calamitous alright and we keep doing it which always leaves us wondering what if.
These 2 boys are not going to become master tacticians overnight so the best we can hope for is that we do as much prep as possible so that when the hard questions are asked the answer might be readymade instead of having to figure it out.

I'm not sure what management are supposed to do on the day. I would say most of the strategies have been ironed out at game throw in stage with each man tasked with specific jobs.

Look at Fitzmaurice on Sunday. He is supposed to be the master tactician with his ability to out manoeuvere Donegal last year.
But he got nearly all of the major calls wrong on Sunday. Bottom line is that a lot of it is down to the players on the day doing their jobs correctly. Stick to the game plan after that and hope the players are good enough on the day.

moysider

Quote from: Nihilist on September 22, 2015, 11:28:23 PM
Quote from: Mac2 on September 22, 2015, 10:37:35 PM
Some of the calls were calamitous alright and we keep doing it which always leaves us wondering what if.
These 2 boys are not going to become master tacticians overnight so the best we can hope for is that we do as much prep as possible so that when the hard questions are asked the answer might be readymade instead of having to figure it out.

I'm not sure what management are supposed to do on the day. I would say most of the strategies have been ironed out at game throw in stage with each man tasked with specific jobs.

Look at Fitzmaurice on Sunday. He is supposed to be the master tactician with his ability to out manoeuvere Donegal last year.
But he got nearly all of the major calls wrong on Sunday. Bottom line is that a lot of it is down to the players on the day doing their jobs correctly. Stick to the game plan after that and hope the players are good enough on the day.

The master tacticians are Jim McGuinness and Mickey Harte.

Donegal would not have won an AI without McGuinness approach. No way. Many of the same players under JJ Doherty were a rabble even though John Joe was a legend of a player. Harte took a team that were beaten by Sligo (a really good Sligo team in fairness with several top players) to win the AI the following Sept. Their meticulous attention to process was the difference. Even in the league this year Tyrone were already playing the game they brought into Aug. McGuinness's teams always stuck to the process. for both teams it didn t always work always but it worked often enough. They also crucially tweaked things a bit when they needed to. McMahon no going back into ff line to deal with the big Kerry threat. Murphy playing deeper against the dogged defensive teams to keep his best player influential in games.

Fitzmaurice is a good manager I'm sure. But he was blessed to win an AI last year. A 14 man Mayo team had Kerry on the ropes last year and the Donaghy substitution was a Hail Mary move that was turned into a tactical masterstroke in the media. As usual a lack of proactive response from us when Donaghy was introduced turned Fitzmaurice into a legend and Donaghy into an even bigger bollocks.
Kerry should never have got out of CP alive that day if management were on the ball. The players did everything they could do imo.

I think Horan was great at putting a process in place but maybe too inflexible when circumstances changed during a game (like Seamie getting carded). Stuff happens during games that change the dynamic and no point standing there with arm folded and expecting/ hoping players to work it out themselves.

Dublin were brilliant this year at getting the process right it has to be said. In the replay v Dublin we got sucked in to starting Barry Moran. Between Parsons playing with broken thumb, Seamie carded and Barry tiring we ended up with 0/3 from those players down the stretch while we needed 2/3 still on the pitch.  AOS not influencing things either because we literally took him out of the game ourselves.
Meanwhile Dublin started likes of Rock and Bastick that would cope for 40/50 minutes and brought in better quality players like A. Brogan, McManamon and McAuley to crank it up and finish strong. All 3 of those would have started if Gavin picked his best 15 players to start - as teams used to do (and we did in replay apart from Andy Moran and Dillon who was not used because of injury I can only assume). But start them Bastic and Rock will lower the intensity levels if they were the subs.

We re still at the stage of calling on the Sweeneys, Varleys, and Ronaldsons to close out games.  The only impact subs we had when it mattered were the 2 Morans. Barry should have been held. Durkan was great of course but not in a position to influence a game like those Dublin subs can.

That's why I'm not optimistic going forward. Next spring will see us trying lads in FBD. Ronaldson and Sweeney will get league games but by summer they are on the periphery again. A fit Jason Gibbons would be a huge addition imo. You cant have enough of these type of players. Parsons coming back in was massive this year. If things went our way he was the best midfielder this year.

For what it's worth my best Mayo players this year were David Clarke, Chris Barrett, Keith, Keegan, Parsons, AOS, Diarmuid O Connor and Andy Moran (Andy rescued a disaster in first semi and set us on the road in second - not his fault we imploded elsewhere). Cillian was as good as could be expected because he was nowhere near the fitness required.