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Just shows you how bad things are in Mayo when we cannot even come up with a better candidate than Maughan........Mayo God help us.

jeez saffronandblue ,your posts are way over the top as regards maughan.To say he was a complete failure is utter nonsense especially after the last 4 years of misery.The most we can ask for from any manager is to have the team very competive and play to the best of there ability and maughans teams usually done that.I for one would settle for that right now but it still seems to me that some of the knockmore posters would settle for 4 or 5 of there clubmen on the county team,rather than being successfull.

I don't believe that my comments are over the top.  We have gone with Maughan twice before to no avail.  In terms of Knockmore players, only Kilcoyne when fit should get on the team imo.  The pattern of appointments have followed a very similar path, with politics been the most important consideration rather than football, which is sad.  Surely there is 1 other person in the country who is better than Maughan?? Obviously not, so why is he not in charge for the last 15 years. 

Yes, he will make us more competitive than the last few years, which would not be hard.  But in terms of tactical ability he falls far short of what is needed to take us over the line.  Some of his tactical decisions and sustitutions in his most recent club game shows that he has not learned................a Tom Reilly type substitution handed Knockmore the game last weekend, ask anyone in Crossmolina and they will tell you that.

Just shows you how bad things are in Mayo when we cannot even come up with a better candidate than Maughan........Mayo God help us.

Imagine going back to Maughan again for the third time.........this would be the greatest joke of all.  All of his last management efforts have ended in total failure....Crossmolina, St. Geralds(he had a super panel of players to work with), Ross, Mayo etc, etc, etc.  They go on about Micko having only one trick up his sleeve in getting teams to do 30 laps of a field....Sir John is no better.......apart from the tan....post to post been his signature mark.

Will they have to bring Johnno back again when Maughan has finished?

We have been saying that he is overrated in Mayo for years and no one seemed to take notice .

If you have seen him in action in the the International Rules Series you will see him in all his glory.....no protection for his own players and he is like a little lap dog for the Australian refs during the game.  He might as well be marked abscent in these games.

Overrated? YES, YES, YES.

The underage structures are a pile of crap.  I have been teaching for years at secondary school level and in all that time I have seen the Mayo coaching staff coming in to the school on only a few occasions.  I don't see too many kids getting excited about what goes on at these development squad outings.  If anything it puts some kids off the idea of progressing their footballing careers as they take a knocking if they don't make the grade at under 15 level, when many will only be beginning to develop physically. 

There are only a small number of the same teachers who are training teams in the schools and the help they get is minimal.  Martin McGrath was the last decent coach that I have seen coming to the schools, he was enthusiastic and was ever present.  From what I can see, clubs train teams for about 3-4 months.  For the remainder it is down to the schools.  Any teacher will tell you that the first training session in September shows up the lack of training that takes place during the summer months.  Clubs need to do more at primary school level to get kids involved.  Even in Knockmore which is one of the larger clubs, the amount of kids available when you get to under 14 level up is extremely small. 

On a more positive note, Mr. Maughan, who is favourite to get the Mayo managers Job, will get the chance to look at Kevin O'Neill once more in action.  Maughan reckons that he was not up to intercounty standard.  Anyone who wants to know why he should never be allowed to manage Mayo again should come to see O'Neill V's Maughan on Saturday week.  Kevin is 10 years past his prime but he will still be the best forward on show in Mchale park next week........Not good enough....we shall see

Hi Barney,

Any chance you could add the names of Pete McGrath, Peter Canavan or Sean Boylan to the vote.....they all come from a winning background

It's a measure of how worried people are that a friend of mine from Knockmore told me he'd like to see Maughan come back (well, he said Maughan wouldn't be the worst, which is as near as a Knockmore man could go about Maughan). It shows you though - there's blind terror out there about who'll take over next. There's serious talent coming through at minor and Under-21 - will we make the most of it or will we let it rot?

The Ballymagash meeting doesn't fill me with hope.

I don't think there is a Knockmore man alive who would want the tanned one back after his treatment of Kevin O'Neill, Peter Butler, Kevin Staunton and Declan Sweeney when they were in their prime.  They may not have been up to Tom Reilly standard but they were not far off.  I remember watching Knockmore playing Crossmolina in Castlebar last year.....O'Neill beat them on his own and maybe only Maughan who was prancing on the sideline might have thought that he was not good enough.  Will he have learned from previous mistakes......does a leopard change his spots.....but at least it keeps the Fine Gael boys happy in the county board. 

This is only a gripe from one fan from one club, Id say that people could name a good few other players from a variety of clubs who were treated poorly by the same man.

Maybe someone could select a Mayo team of players that Maughan did not use enough of?

I have said it on here before, but the only thing required to be a Mayo manager is that you must be a Fine Gael supporter.....That leaves Noel Connelly, John Maughan etc as the type of candidates that will be considered.  There is so much politics involved in Mayo GAA that it is a joke.

You can put your house on Connelly if he wants the job which will be a disaster from what I have heard from players who have played under him at under 21 level.

So I have been told.........I would hate to think that insurance is such a big issue when playing football.  Sad if it has got to that stage.......but would not be surprised.

Knockmore don't deserve to be favourites. Kilcoyne hadn't his best day shooting wise. Everything he hit went wide. Too tight a game that's played by Knockmore.

I have to agree.  I never seen a team to play with such negative tactics.  Knockmore are terrified to attack.  Its 2 forwards and 13 backs/goal keeper.  I would not mind if they were playing a team with gifted forwards but Ballinrobe had nothing up front.  I was disgusted with the way that Knockmore were set up and how they played.  No point having forwards like Munnelly, O'Neill and Kilcoyne if we only play 2 forwards and one of them is an out and out full back

The best player was O'Neill by some distance.  Vaughan for Ballinrobe was very good and their full back, Killeen was fairly handy.  Anyone know what age this lad is or if he ever got a run out with the county?

I can think of only one outsider.......a hardie wee monn called Peter'The Great' Canavan.

Would love to see him getting a shot at some of our boys........

For God sake if we are to go down the road of Noel Connelly we are finished ......he may be the chosen one in the same way as he got the contract on the McHale Park job............he should stick to the building game though....from what I have heard from players who have played under him, his style is one dimensional and involves fire and brimstone ranting in the half hour before players leave the dressing room.  If that is what we need then I can think of a hundred lads and women on the terraces in Knockmore who could do that.

We need some serious operator from outside who brings with them a winning habit.  If they want a stand out player from the 90's to run the team then look no further than James Nallen.  Respected, intelligent, even if he is from Crossmolina

Names that are going to be listed as possible contenders:

Noel Connelly
Pat Holmes
David Brady
Liam McHale
James Horan
Kevin McStay
John Maughan
Peter Forde

And probably some others that are just not coming to mind. There should be no reason why we cannot get the right combination of 3/4 capable men to work together so that Mayo fulfil may fulfil its potential.

To that list.

Noel Connelly - I wouldn't have a problem with this man appointed manager.
Pat Holmes - If he's to be involved, it needs to be as a selector under Connelly. The Senior job needs a manager not a team effort and I wouldn't like to see Pat being the manager.
David Brady - In a word, no. Does not yet have the experience to be an inter county manager, if a manager wants him as a selector it would be a good move.
Liam McHale - Might a goer, but I don't think he'd pass a county board as it currently stands.
James Horan - Like Brady but with a bit more managerial experience, it could be a dream move but I think it's too risky.
Kevin McStay - No. I would like to see him involved, but not as the manager.
John Maughan - No. We can't keep going back to John Maughan
Peter Forde - Would be my first choice as manager, would be ideal if he had Noel Connelly and either DB or James Horan as selectors.

http://mayosports.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/mayo-live-by-the-sword-die-by-the-sword/

Thats some hard-hitting stuff in that article Barney... who writes that?
Its amazing when you see it all put together and written. Its a no holes barred piece.

Anyway regarding the choice of managers and you list:

Noel Connelly - I think he is a shoe in, but its his selectors and backroom team that needs to be right (more on this later)
Pat Holmes - I never rated Holmes as a manager or a player. I havnt heard a good word for him by anyone than has played under him which is worrying.
David Brady - His heart is in the right place but I dont think he has the head for it. Lacks any managerial experience. I think he is a hilarious pundit though.
Liam McHale - Cant see this one either. I think he was fishing for it around the time or M&M and he had no chance.
James Horan - He has to deliver us the Paddy Moclaire cup before he tries to deliver Mayo Sam. I wouldnt rule him out in the future for the Mayo job after some more experience and a few Moclair cup's coming to Ballintubber.
Kevin McStay - Liked him as a player but I dont rate him as a manager. Did some awful things when he was Mayo U21 manager and frankly isnt cut out for it. Not a bad pundit though.
John Maughan - He would certainly bring back some colour and instil some steel back in Mayo.
Peter Forde - Its hard to know with Ford. he is doing Ok with Castlebar but is there a shadow over his relationship with the county board?

My dream managerial team would be:

Manager: Noel Connelly
Selectors: James Nallen, Tommy Jordan

Or something to that effect

Is Glen a Blue shirt?

Now that the great one has decided to leave after 4 years of making things worse, who will take over as the next Mayo Manager?

Could it be one of the following Fine Gael candidates??

1. John Maughan
2. Pat Holmes
3. Noel Connelly
4. Michael Ring
5. Enda Kenny

Applications to Mayo County Board and ONLY members of Fine Gael need apply

My money is on Michael Ring

[Imagine if we were heading out to play Kerry or Cork with this team]

What a team to have built after 4 years of trying........there isn't a half decent club team that would fear the Mayo forward line.  We are going backwards so quickly under ALL of this current management team.  It looks like a joke of a team, I only hope it is a joke.  Imagine if we were heading out to play Kerry or Cork with this team......Mayo God Help Us.

I take it you re not impressed. Would you not cut him a bit of slack for injuries itself? You realise of course that if we progress that we will be going out v Cork or Kerry with this team- if we get that far? I mean what other team is there?

Wont be in Sligeach myself this weekend Moysider, will stick to the fishing this weekend.  I think I could do serious damage to myself if I had to look at Andy 'cannot get off the team' Moran one more time.  Might see ye in the Nippers place on Saturday night for a first hand account of proceedings. 

Must get AM out of my head or I will be having nightmares soon