Mayo v Galway 26.6.11

[stephenite]

Jesus-we get into a Connacht final beating Galway in a match that no one was sure we could win and you're giving out about someone scoring a good point.

Is your glass always half empty?

[macdanger2]

Not half empty at all, everyone of us is happy to give out about bad decision making - I'm sure you'll find it mentioned in multiple posts in the past few pages - but an instance like this is not generally considered a bad decision. IMO a shot like that is almost always a bad decision and players should be instructed to make decisions which give the team the best chance of winning. The fact that we won the last day shouldn't obscure mistakes that were made and poor decision making is right up there - the fact that this one came off is the only reason I'm highlighting it.

It's like trying the 40 yard pass to a man who's marked instead of a ten yard pass to a guy who's unmarked and has space in front of him. When it comes off it's great but most of the time it goes astray. Or say a fella who's 30 yards out in space and instead of shooting, he turns around in a circle and gives a handpass to a guy who's marked - a bad decision even if the 2nd guy scores.

I'll leave it at that.

[muppet]

Not half empty at all, everyone of us is happy to give out about bad decision making - I'm sure you'll find it mentioned in multiple posts in the past few pages - but an instance like this is not generally considered a bad decision. IMO a shot like that is almost always a bad decision and players should be instructed to make decisions which give the team the best chance of winning. The fact that we won the last day shouldn't obscure mistakes that were made and poor decision making is right up there - the fact that this one came off is the only reason I'm highlighting it.

It's like trying the 40 yard pass to a man who's marked instead of a ten yard pass to a guy who's unmarked and has space in front of him. When it comes off it's great but most of the time it goes astray. Or say a fella who's 30 yards out in space and instead of shooting, he turns around in a circle and gives a handpass to a guy who's marked - a bad decision even if the 2nd guy scores.

I'll leave it at that.

Should Freeman have taken his point?




Only joking. 

[RedandGreenSniper]

Not half empty at all, everyone of us is happy to give out about bad decision making - I'm sure you'll find it mentioned in multiple posts in the past few pages - but an instance like this is not generally considered a bad decision. IMO a shot like that is almost always a bad decision and players should be instructed to make decisions which give the team the best chance of winning. The fact that we won the last day shouldn't obscure mistakes that were made and poor decision making is right up there - the fact that this one came off is the only reason I'm highlighting it.

It's like trying the 40 yard pass to a man who's marked instead of a ten yard pass to a guy who's unmarked and has space in front of him. When it comes off it's great but most of the time it goes astray. Or say a fella who's 30 yards out in space and instead of shooting, he turns around in a circle and gives a handpass to a guy who's marked - a bad decision even if the 2nd guy scores.

I'll leave it at that.

The point you are making is a good one. The example you cite isn't. A point scored from a bad position can be seen as a bad decision if there was someone unmarked in a better position. Percentages etc etc. But McGarrity regularly scores from that position and it wasn't an unforgiving angle either, for any right footed inter-county player.

I could, of course, cite your handle, as an example of someone who often picked the wrong percentage option. When it came off, it looked great. When it didn't, it looked sometimes awful. But, and I know I slightly contradict myself, I'm glad I was at matches where McDonald played some unbelievable passes and kicked a few away rather than played the percentages all the time and gave a short pass come what may.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Not half empty at all, everyone of us is happy to give out about bad decision making - I'm sure you'll find it mentioned in multiple posts in the past few pages - but an instance like this is not generally considered a bad decision. IMO a shot like that is almost always a bad decision and players should be instructed to make decisions which give the team the best chance of winning. The fact that we won the last day shouldn't obscure mistakes that were made and poor decision making is right up there - the fact that this one came off is the only reason I'm highlighting it.

It's like trying the 40 yard pass to a man who's marked instead of a ten yard pass to a guy who's unmarked and has space in front of him. When it comes off it's great but most of the time it goes astray. Or say a fella who's 30 yards out in space and instead of shooting, he turns around in a circle and gives a handpass to a guy who's marked - a bad decision even if the 2nd guy scores.

I'll leave it at that.

The point you are making is a good one. The example you cite isn't. A point scored from a bad position can be seen as a bad decision if there was someone unmarked in a better position. Percentages etc etc. But McGarrity regularly scores from that position and it wasn't an unforgiving angle either, for any right footed inter-county player.

I could, of course, cite your handle, as an example of someone who often picked the wrong percentage option. When it came off, it looked great. When it didn't, it looked sometimes awful. But, and I know I slightly contradict myself, I'm glad I was at matches where McDonald played some unbelievable passes and kicked a few away rather than played the percentages all the time and gave a short pass come what may.

Bingo.

My point is that it doesn't matter whether the shot goes over or not.

If it didn't matter whether shots went over the bar or not Mayo would have more than three All-Irelands old stock.

[Mayo4Sam]

Have to agree with MacD, it's all about percentages, you need to get the ball to the area where the probability of scoring is higher.

On another note, I think McGarrity should be banned from kicking the ball at all, he's a horrible passer and not much better at shooting, IMHO

[muppet]

Have to agree with MacD, it's all about percentages, you need to get the ball to the area where the probability of scoring is high

Copper Faced Jacks?

If players always played the percentages there would be very few goals.

[kevmy]

I agree with the general point with regards not shooting from ridiculous angles but I have to disagree with the McGarrity example.

McGarrity as a right footed midfielder finds himself coming into that position of the field regularly enough when attacking and has developed a skill to kick points from there. I've a funny feeling that he'd get more from there than if he was charging through on goal, which would be a much more unfamiliar territory for him.

I think from play our forwards generally did alright in regards taking their scores and shot selection the last day. We had about 8 or 9 wides from frees and we had difficulty getting good ball into the forwards and holding it - in the 1st half anyway - but the shooting wasn't bad when we did that.

[Farrandeelin]

Have to agree with MacD, it's all about percentages, you need to get the ball to the area where the probability of scoring is higher.

On another note, I think McGarrity should be banned from kicking the ball at all, he's a horrible passer and not much better at shooting, IMHO

Do the pair of ye ever disagree?

[IolarCoisCuain]

Have to agree with MacD, it's all about percentages, you need to get the ball to the area where the probability of scoring is higher.

On another note, I think McGarrity should be banned from kicking the ball at all, he's a horrible passer and not much better at shooting, IMHO

I'm beginning to wonder if this was ever about percentages and shot selection. Was it about McGarrity all the time?

In seven years, McGarrity is Mayo's best midfielder every year until the game Mayo lose, at which stage it's always McGarrity's fault.

I think McGarrity is a good player myself. Excuses have been made for other players in the past, that they don't look good now but wait 'til they get the hang of inter-country - boy oh boy! And they've never delivered. McGarrity has looked the part since the start. But people are still lining up to have a cut, because he likes basketball (something that's never held against Donaghy in Kerry), because he's a townie, because he ate one of somebody's chips once, I don't know. Time to cut him some slack, I think.

[stephenite]

It's fairle simple Iorlar-McGarrity's detractors are bogymen from Knockmore who smell of slurry and drink special, they never wash etc.

I jest of course, but it's about as rational as slating a man for kicking a perfectly good point and dress it up as not playing the percentages and training robots instead of footballers. Of course it's about McGarrity, if anyone else tried you wouldn't of heard boo from the buffs

[Mayo4Sam]

I'll not rise to the bait but it's not at all about McGarrity, on this occasion at least, I say it watching every match, when the corner forward cuts back and hits a shot from almost the end line, not a percentage shot, yes sometimes it goes over but it still doesn't make it the right shot.

As for McG, the best midfielder we have, no doubt, but he tends to drift out of games at times and I'd like to see him boss it more, hes a big man and fellas should be afraid to be standing under him. Maybe I was spoilt as a young fella with Kevin Stanton

[Lar Naparka]

Have to agree with MacD, it's all about percentages, you need to get the ball to the area where the probability of scoring is higher.

On another note, I think McGarrity should be banned from kicking the ball at all, he's a horrible passer and not much better at shooting, IMHO

I'm beginning to wonder if this was ever about percentages and shot selection. Was it about McGarrity all the time?

In seven years, McGarrity is Mayo's best midfielder every year until the game Mayo lose, at which stage it's always McGarrity's fault.

I think McGarrity is a good player myself. Excuses have been made for other players in the past, that they don't look good now but wait 'til they get the hang of inter-country - boy oh boy! And they've never delivered. McGarrity has looked the part since the start. But people are still lining up to have a cut, because he likes basketball (something that's never held against Donaghy in Kerry), because he's a townie, because he ate one of somebody's chips once, I don't know. Time to cut him some slack, I think.

Good post Iolar.
I've yet to hear a single complaint from anybody about Ciaran Mac's winning point against the Dubs in 2006. Same goes for Maurice Fitz's effort that broke our hearts in '97.
(I won't even mention Colm bloody Coyle's shot selection techniques either. That's why I'm putting this in brackets.)
Mcgar is developing into a complete all rounder—same as Liam McHale prophesied when he firstappeared on the intercounty scene. Liam took some time to bed in himself but when he did he was a match for anyone in the land. He should know what he was talking about.
When Ronan came on last day, the forwards inside him were blazing wides and dropping balls short. I thought he chose the right option. If you go by the percentages game, he had every reason to do what he did. It's not as if he had missed a few sitters already.
Don't forget that Ciaran, when he had a bad-hair day, could blaze wides from all angles and he persisted in doing so throughout the entire game.

Mcgar kicked; Mcgar scored: what's the fuss about?

For small mercies, O Lord, let us be truly grateful. Amen.

[Blowitupref]

Good blog http://spailpin.blogspot.com/2011/06/mayos-dogs-of-war-first-class-display.html



Mayo's Dogs of War - First Class Display from Second Class Citizens


It's funny being a second class citizen. As Vincent Vega remarked about Europe, it's not that like it's totally alien. It's just the little differences.

If Meath, say, dog out a win on a day so miserable that it could have come right out of one of the more gloomy episodes of Peig Sayers' life, then Meath are a team with mental strength, team that are never bet, a great bunch of bucks. If Mayo do it, it's a further indication of the decline of Connacht football.

If Kildare, for instance, shoot nine first half wides then Kildare are a total football team and a credit to Kieran McGeeney and his lovely hair. If Mayo do it, it's Mayo God help us all over again.

If Tyrone hold an opponent to one point in the second half it's testimony to how organized and professional an outfit they are. If Mayo do it, it's because Galway are but a shadow of past glories and hey, Connacht football is only for gimps anyway.

Mayo people, if they are wise, will ignore all this and take a huge amount of positives from the game yesterday in Castlebar. A friend of An Spailpín likes to quote Seán Boylan's remark that football isn't won in the head or the heart but in the belly.

Mayo showed some serious fight in the second half to hammer Galway like a nail and they should draw considerable strength from that as they look ahead to the rest of the summer.

Football is in a process of evolution. The conventional midfielder doesn't exist anymore. There are goalkeepers, full backs and full forwards, and then there is the maelstrom of the middle third where only the strong survive.

In An Spailpín's ideal world Willie Joe soars for the high ball under the clear blue skies before horsing it inside for Jimmy Burke or Noel Durkin. But in the real world, where you have manky weather and big question marks hanging over you, you fight for your very life.

And that's exactly what Mayo did against Galway. They didn't play in the Mayo style. They couldn't – the TV really didn't show what it was like to be out there in the teeming rain and into the teeth of a gale. Mayo fought like savages, and they came out on top.

Mayo were Kings of the Dirty Ball yesterday. Inspired by the O'Shea brothers, Mayo fought like junkyard dogs for every ball between the 45 metre lines and that's why they won.

This is tremendous and heartening news for Mayo. John O'Mahony talked a lot about rebuilding, when he was actually destroying a team that got to two All-Ireland finals in three years, an achievement was never recognized, celebrated or built on for what it was.

The rebuilding has only started under Horan, and it's on these young men that Horan has brought in that the future of Mayo will be built.

Mayo are a flawed team. I personally can live with that. I've seen lots of Mayo teams that were the best team in Ireland in June and long forgotten in September. I prefer this way. There's plenty for James Horan to work on – he may need to consider buying a bicycle for Robert Hennelly to get up and down the pitch if Hennelly's going to be taking many more frees, for instance – but yesterday was a heartening win for Mayo.

The country outside Connacht will hold its nose at the prospect of the Connacht Final, and that's fine. Maybe the media will insist that all Connacht players be belled for the rest of the Championship, and have continuity announcers warn innocents that a particular afternoon's football may contain scenes of a Connacht nature. And that's fine too. We all have to live our lives according to our different lights.

Right now, in a lonesome Dublin exile, there is one happy Mayoman after seeing his team show a little bit of bite. It'll be fun to see if anybody needs a rabies shot this summer after seventy minutes muzzle to muzzle Mayo's Dogs of War.

[diehard]

Playing the % game is a great idea - except for one small problem - the fecking backs! They seem to know somehow or other that if forwards get the ball 25 yds out in front of goals most of them are likely to score.  And guess what they do (the feckers) they fill that space and knock 40 shades of the brown stuff out of any unfortunate forward who finds himself there expecting to get a soft shot at goals.  So much for shot selection!