2013 All Ireland Final: Mayo v Dublin

[Onion Bag]

Just had my shit day cheered up, have 2 tickets sorted for the match 

[ballinaman]

The main worry for me is that throughout the campaign to date, Mayo have drifted out of games. This cannot happen against Dublin. But I fear it will. We are not 'destined' to win because we lost the previous 6. I did say before Dublin v Kerry that the team that beats Dublin will win Sam. Can Mayo be the team? Hopefully, but then again, I share concerns raised by Iolar and moy and others who doubt the Mayo team too.

That pisses me off big time. You've got to win the thing for yourself.

I was in Vegas a few years ago and saw 36 blacks in a row come up in a roulette game in the MGM. Lads kept throwing money on red thinking surely it was going to happen...fair bit of money lost that night I tell ya!

But is that anecdote not backing up what Farr. is saying.

36 blacks in a row = Mayo string of defeats.
Throwing money on red = belief that Mayo's losing run must end sometime?

And we're only at 6! Another 30 losses to go before we reach The Promised Land

Jesus I don't know now what to think when you put like like that moy!!

[All of a Sludden]

Thought this was worth sharing.


An open letter to the Mayo team

" What we are living a lifetime for"

Dear lads

Here we go again. Another September and we rest our dream on your young shoulders. It's a lot for you to carry on All-Ireland Final day. But if we can't trust you, where else can we turn. We're squeezing the ticket of a lifelong journey into your safe hands for you to get us a travel pass so as we can live a dream.

Who are we? We're the woman serving the meal at a wedding in the Castlecourt. We're the kid playing in the schoolyard. We're the girls on the B shift in Baxter. The exiles in London or Long Island. The five Ballinrobe lads who took off one morning for Australia.

The patient in hospital wearing her Mayo neckband. We're the mother who worries daily about the price of the school books or the uniform. We're the fly by nights, the chancers, the sleeveens, and the all right sort of an 'auld character'.

We're the singletons, the married, the divorced, the widowers and the widowed. We're the dreamers and believers and the legends of the road. We're Mayo.

You're the gift we inherited when dad brought us to see you play. It's the Sunday of childhood that has become every day or our life since. From high infants you were there.

We were Morley and Prendergast in sixth class. In secondary school you were with us too. Tickeen and Joeeen. We were you wearing our Mayo socks in Presentation College Headford. No replica jerseys then. It was years later we proudly adorned ourselves in Larry's (McEllin) famous shirt.

You were there playing gooseberry when we fell in love. If she had no heed in football she was ditched. Didn't matter a damn if she had a dowry and road frontage. Ours was a different kind of love. Monday's when we woke with our football hearts broken.

You were there when the kids were born. We passed on the baton on. The easiest gospel we ever preached. All the roaring getting them up for Mass we could have saved ourselves if the priest wore red and green vestments. They are mothers themselves now. In the car with us now on this crusade. Full driving license too. The next generation in the back. Too big a stack to be strapped in the baby seat either. A growing reminder that precious time is slipping away.

Because of you we have to put an extra set of tyres and tax the car most years. Never had a right holiday either.
Wouldn't know Lanzarote from Pavorotti.

Met a woman once who was going to Cornwall. "Ah lovely," I said by way of saying something. "Were you ever there?" she asked. "No" I replied, feeling a right idiot.

Didn't bother asking her was she in Scotstown on a cold crisp January Sunday in 1996, the day Kenny Mortimer was sent off. We burdened Kenny and his brothers with this dream too. Left it on Noel Connelly's shoulder also. Others too like Ronaldson, Geraghty, the genius Ciaran McDonald, Willie Joe and McStay. They were worthy of our hopes and aspirations. Their want was ours.

You're the reason we clutched at straws in the gale. 1985 when Mayo and Monaghan were in the All-Ireland semi-finals and some pleb told us Old Moore's predicted two M's would meet in the All-Ireland. We scoured every page for confirmation, but two M's for the Maam Cross Fair was as near as we got. We just want from you one September Sunday when an unimaginable world unfolds.

Small things will do us thereafter. A night around Christmas when the family are gathered. A warm fire and we watching the video of Mayo winning the All-Ireland Final of 2013. Hair still standing on the napes of our necks.

We'll get a nice picture too standing between Donal, Kenneth, Mickey and Colm holding the Sam Maguire. For the coffin. Our jersey strewn on the lid beside it and the congregation singing our Mayo anthem "The Green and Red of Mayo" when they wheel us out. That's what we're living a lifetime for. You're carrying us on your shoulders now. In Mayo we trust.

Good Luck

Willie McHugh

[ballinaman]

For those too lazy to read...here's the audio link read by Willie himself...

http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/player.html?20130920,20440729,20440729,flash,257

[Michael Schmeichal]

Thought this was worth sharing.


An open letter to the Mayo team

" What we are living a lifetime for"

Dear lads

Here we go again. Another September and we rest our dream on your young shoulders. It's a lot for you to carry on All-Ireland Final day. But if we can't trust you, where else can we turn. We're squeezing the ticket of a lifelong journey into your safe hands for you to get us a travel pass so as we can live a dream.

Who are we? We're the woman serving the meal at a wedding in the Castlecourt. We're the kid playing in the schoolyard. We're the girls on the B shift in Baxter. The exiles in London or Long Island. The five Ballinrobe lads who took off one morning for Australia.

The patient in hospital wearing her Mayo neckband. We're the mother who worries daily about the price of the school books or the uniform. We're the fly by nights, the chancers, the sleeveens, and the all right sort of an 'auld character'.

We're the singletons, the married, the divorced, the widowers and the widowed. We're the dreamers and believers and the legends of the road. We're Mayo.

You're the gift we inherited when dad brought us to see you play. It's the Sunday of childhood that has become every day or our life since. From high infants you were there.

We were Morley and Prendergast in sixth class. In secondary school you were with us too. Tickeen and Joeeen. We were you wearing our Mayo socks in Presentation College Headford. No replica jerseys then. It was years later we proudly adorned ourselves in Larry's (McEllin) famous shirt.

You were there playing gooseberry when we fell in love. If she had no heed in football she was ditched. Didn't matter a damn if she had a dowry and road frontage. Ours was a different kind of love. Monday's when we woke with our football hearts broken.

You were there when the kids were born. We passed on the baton on. The easiest gospel we ever preached. All the roaring getting them up for Mass we could have saved ourselves if the priest wore red and green vestments. They are mothers themselves now. In the car with us now on this crusade. Full driving license too. The next generation in the back. Too big a stack to be strapped in the baby seat either. A growing reminder that precious time is slipping away.

Because of you we have to put an extra set of tyres and tax the car most years. Never had a right holiday either.
Wouldn't know Lanzarote from Pavorotti.

Met a woman once who was going to Cornwall. "Ah lovely," I said by way of saying something. "Were you ever there?" she asked. "No" I replied, feeling a right idiot.

Didn't bother asking her was she in Scotstown on a cold crisp January Sunday in 1996, the day Kenny Mortimer was sent off. We burdened Kenny and his brothers with this dream too. Left it on Noel Connelly's shoulder also. Others too like Ronaldson, Geraghty, the genius Ciaran McDonald, Willie Joe and McStay. They were worthy of our hopes and aspirations. Their want was ours.

You're the reason we clutched at straws in the gale. 1985 when Mayo and Monaghan were in the All-Ireland semi-finals and some pleb told us Old Moore's predicted two M's would meet in the All-Ireland. We scoured every page for confirmation, but two M's for the Maam Cross Fair was as near as we got. We just want from you one September Sunday when an unimaginable world unfolds.

Small things will do us thereafter. A night around Christmas when the family are gathered. A warm fire and we watching the video of Mayo winning the All-Ireland Final of 2013. Hair still standing on the napes of our necks.

We'll get a nice picture too standing between Donal, Kenneth, Mickey and Colm holding the Sam Maguire. For the coffin. Our jersey strewn on the lid beside it and the congregation singing our Mayo anthem "The Green and Red of Mayo" when they wheel us out. That's what we're living a lifetime for. You're carrying us on your shoulders now. In Mayo we trust.

Good Luck

Willie McHugh

Jaysis, I'm a Dub and thats after making me cry a little bit. If the worst happens on Sunday amd Mayo win, reading that again will make me feel a small bit better.

[spuds]

Hope none of the team read that before 3:30 on Sunday, emotional baggage at best.

[liihb]

Jaysis lads if the match is as entertaining as this topic has turned out it'll be some game!

[Canalman]

Quietly confident about this game. Honestly don't think Mayo fans realize how much Dublin are gunning for them to make up especially for the shame of 2006. Can see why........ they are wrapped up in their own  historical baggage but they would be unwise to think that Dublin are just turning up to play the Laurel to their Hardy.
6 or so Dubs going for their 1st All Ireland medal.

The confidence of the Mayo people here in Dublin by the way is staggering. Never seen such bravado before a game which I suppose is  a relief to the cageyness/ downplaying  most counties engage in before big games.

Anyway safe travelling to all posters here and may the best team win.

[southdown]

That's some article by Willie McHugh!

[GalwayBayBoy]

The confidence of the Mayo people here in Dublin by the way is staggering. Never seen such bravado before a game which I suppose is  a relief to the cageyness/ downplaying  most counties engage in before big games.

I've gone to school, college and worked beside Mayo people all my life and invariably they fluctuate between being either morbidly pessimistic about their footballers or wildly optimistic to the point of delusion. With not a whole lot of grey area in between. You get used to it.

[Crete Boom]

The confidence of the Mayo people here in Dublin by the way is staggering. Never seen such bravado before a game which I suppose is  a relief to the cageyness/ downplaying  most counties engage in before big games.

I've gone to school, college and worked beside Mayo people all my life and invariably they fluctuate between being either morbidly pessimistic about their footballers or wildly optimistic to the point of delusion. With not a whole lot of grey area in between. You get used to it.

Well in fairness our mood is just connected to the Mayo team which is either dumped out of the 1st round of the qualifers or becomes provincial champions challenging for the big prize in Sept with little or no grey area in between . Don't know if you ever get used to it just better at drinking to cope with it!!

[seafoid]

The main worry for me is that throughout the campaign to date, Mayo have drifted out of games. This cannot happen against Dublin. But I fear it will. We are not 'destined' to win because we lost the previous 6. I did say before Dublin v Kerry that the team that beats Dublin will win Sam. Can Mayo be the team? Hopefully, but then again, I share concerns raised by Iolar and moy and others who doubt the Mayo team too.

Hey Farra - what about a crazy scenario like Mayo win a game they have no right to win with a flukey goal at a key moment?
Loads of teams have lost all Irelands to so called lesser teams. 

[Croí na hÉireann]

Can't wait for Sunday now. All the ingredients there for a better game than the Kerry Dublin semi final. Dubs are saying nothing, not even to their nearest and dearest, expect a massive performance from them. If Mayo are to win they have to excel at two things: apply huge pressure to the Dublin shooter (Dublin will look to create their usual much larger than average shot attempt) and attack the Dublin fb line. I expect COC and Moran to play better than expected but the man I'd be looking to feed is Freeman. Has really developed his game this year and is attracting zero attention in the build up. Like Clare in the hurling they need to bring something unexpected at 3.30. If Brennan plays everyone expects Dillon to be the man to do a Gooch on him. I'd throw Higgins in centre forward though with the instruction to move him around and run at him. They could also look to drop Higgins back between the 21 and the 45 where the Dubs take the majority of their shots from.

Don't expect any changes to the Dublin team. Can't see them disrupting the hb line and midfield they have been using all year at the last minute. The vastly under rated Paddy Andrews has to start up front as well. Probably the most accurate of all the Dublin forwards. Expect a big game from Kilkenny and Flynn as well. Connolly to blow cold though, struggles to reach the same high levels two games in a row. Dublin will win this if they start to convert the numerous goal chances that they have been creating. Too much head down shooting for the corner when a simple pop pass to the free man inside was the correct option.

Can't see more than a point or two in it, if I was putting money on it I'd stick it on the draw. Hope we get a result on the day though, will be fantastic celebrations no matter which team wins it. Hope everyone deserving gets sorted with tickets, may the best team win.

[rosnarun]

The main worry for me is that throughout the campaign to date, Mayo have drifted out of games. This cannot happen against Dublin. But I fear it will. We are not 'destined' to win because we lost the previous 6. I did say before Dublin v Kerry that the team that beats Dublin will win Sam. Can Mayo be the team? Hopefully, but then again, I share concerns raised by Iolar and moy and others who doubt the Mayo team too.

Hey Farra - what about a crazy scenario like Mayo win a game they have no right to win with a flukey goal at a key moment?
Loads of teams have lost all Irelands to so called lesser teams. 

I dont think i ever remember  mayo winning a match they shouldn't have, the seem to need to be way better to win matches they have often lost ones they should have won ,  its the inability to catch a luck break that has hurt mayo over the years.
I mean Coyle from the  half fecking way fecking line

maybe sunday will be that day.......

[seafoid]

The main worry for me is that throughout the campaign to date, Mayo have drifted out of games. This cannot happen against Dublin. But I fear it will. We are not 'destined' to win because we lost the previous 6. I did say before Dublin v Kerry that the team that beats Dublin will win Sam. Can Mayo be the team? Hopefully, but then again, I share concerns raised by Iolar and moy and others who doubt the Mayo team too.

Hey Farra - what about a crazy scenario like Mayo win a game they have no right to win with a flukey goal at a key moment?
Loads of teams have lost all Irelands to so called lesser teams. 

I dont think i ever remember  mayo winning a match they shouldn't have, the seem to need to be way better to win matches they have often lost ones they should have won ,  its the inability to catch a luck break that has hurt mayo over the years.
I mean Coyle from the  half fecking way fecking line

maybe sunday will be that day.......

It would a great habit to break. Something really jammy for a change.