Mayo v Roscommon - Connacht SFC Semi-Final, June 20, Venue TBC

[stephenite]

To be honest I think it was one of those games, every single thing went right for us, every single thing went wrong for Roscommon. The Rossies have already a championship win against Leitrim - they were missing some of their bigger guns through injury. I don't think they would've been cleaned out so badly in centrefield if Seamie O'Neill was playing. Point is, yesterdays result was a bit of a freak - I was confident we'd win but no one saw that coming.

The worst thing the Rossies could do after yesterday is over react, I hope they don't.

[Zulu]

Despite the big win I thought the game raised some major red flags that Mayo need to heed. The ball into the big two was woeful at times and more often than not far too straight, they won't ever dominate a middle third like that again so the ball going in needs to be of a far higher standard. There was a number of bad wides and they gave up at least 3 goal chances which shouldn't be dismissed simply on the basis of poor concentration, though that would have played a part. Nevertheless Mayo have beaten two teams quite comfortably and this should help keep training simmering nicely.

[muppet]

Mayo won the 1st 6 kickouts and scored heavily before the Roscommon forwards even had a ball to compete for. Having had a bad start they then never looked like recovering. Some one had a go at Donie Shine earlier which is very unfair for a guy who was still a minor in 2008, he will have his day. David Flynn was class in 2006 but it is too soon for him to play 6 on experienced guys like Trevor or Alan Dillon.

In 1996 Mayo came from Division 3 and  had no form in the previous couple of years to nearly win Sam but we were underachievers then. This Ros team are seriously short on raw materials and blaming the last manager, the previous manager or (wait a year) the current manager won't solve the problem. The problem is more serious than that and 2006 is looking more and more like a blue moon that was mistaken for the birth of a golden era.

As for Mayo well nothing really learned. We now have the ability to vary our game with the twin towers approach. For all the talk of Barry Moran not functioning the early scores came off broken ball that had been aimed at him. Like Donaghy he might not necessarily catch the eye but take him out of there and things could stop happening. I'd leave him.

Kilcoyne and O'Shea should keep their places and of course Conor should be fit which would leave 4 into 3.

If we are to take any positives out of it Ger Cafferkey and Trevor Howley both have valuable game time in positions that were problems last year and in the case of Cafferkey has been a problem for a decade. They will benefit from that as will Kenneth O'Malley and Keith Higgins may have needed the game too.

I hate putting a negative point on an 18 point win but our wing half backs, while great players, don't tackle in any useful way and that will be a problem later in the summer.

[Shrewdness]

Everybody who had any direct involvement in that Roscommon performance yesterday is a disgrace to their county.
I'm talking about the players and management and the much over rated Fergal O'Donnell.

O'Donnell spent the whole league campaign talking the poor mouth and talking up crap teams that Roscommon were set to face. The result was that we hardly managed to stay up by the skin of our teeth. When young lads hear their manager coming out with that shit, it dents their self belief and self confidence, so it's no wonder Ros looked beaten from the off yesterday.

They seemed to have no set plan, organisation or method to anything they were trying to do yesterday. After yesterday, i believe the people of Roscommon owe a huge apology to John Maughan for the way he was slated last year.

Roscommon football is a sinking ship, and i see no way back from yesterday.

The minors of 3 years ago are no babies now, and yet, can anyone name 2 of them who look like they have what it takes to cut it at senior inter county level???
The more experienced players like Mannion, Higgins, Finneran, Casey and Dunning are finished, and some of them were never better than useless.
A lot of the Ros players yesterday didn't even have the basic skills.

Add it all up and this is what you get.........

Inadequate young players + over the hill experienced players + mediocre management =YESTERDAY'S RESULT

[Azzurri]

Everybody who had any direct involvement in that Roscommon performance yesterday is a disgrace to their county.
I'm talking about the players and management and the much over rated Fergal O'Donnell.

O'Donnell spent the whole league campaign talking the poor mouth and talking up crap teams that Roscommon were set to face. The result was that we hardly managed to stay up by the skin of our teeth. When young lads hear their manager coming out with that shit, it dents their self belief and self confidence, so it's no wonder Ros looked beaten from the off yesterday.

They seemed to have no set plan, organisation or method to anything they were trying to do yesterday. After yesterday, i believe the people of Roscommon owe a huge apology to John Maughan for the way he was slated last year.

Roscommon football is a sinking ship, and i see no way back from yesterday.

The minors of 3 years ago are no babies now, and yet, can anyone name 2 of them who look like they have what it takes to cut it at senior inter county level???
The more experienced players like Mannion, Higgins, Finneran, Casey and Dunning are finished, and some of them were never better than useless.
A lot of the Ros players yesterday didn't even have the basic skills.

Add it all up and this is what you get.........

Inadequate young players + over the hill experienced players + mediocre management =YESTERDAY'S RESULT

Hang on a second will ya.
I wouldn't call anyone who was out training on the bitterly cold winter nights and who gave so many hours to the cause a disgrace to their county like you have just done.
Yes it was a poor performance, but there will always be days like those. We have to keep our heads up and look to the next game. Dont get me wrong, I left Castlebar as disappointed as the next man but your post is a complete overreaction.

Fergie O'Donnel has given everything he has in this job. We just don't have the players. How you can call them a mediocre management is beyond me.
I don't owe John Maughan any apology. For the money he was rumoured to be getting as manager, he was a huge disappointment. Whta sort of county manager is commentating for RTE radio at the same time as one of the biggest Roscmmon club championship games is taking place?

To the Mayo fans, it's a pity we didn't give ye more of a game yesterday but I for one would love to see ye win an all ireland and i wish ye the best of luck in the connacht final.

[mannix]

azzuri is probably right, the players are not there. in time they may become a force but playing diision 3 is no help and you need to have good players and management to stay in division 1 or 2 and experience the speed of the better teams even if it is only the league.
and by the way great minors are not guaranteed to be great seniors.

[ildanach]

If Barry Moran can't make hay against that sort of defence he'll have no chance later in the season.

totally agree with you there. it was very frustrating watching him with balls bouncing off his chest and legs. dont think the experiment of the 2 big men is working.especially with the ball going down their throats instead of maybe a diagonal ball. would rather have o se full forward with mort and kilcoyne on either side or perhaps trevor at full forward with parsons at cf

[ross4life]

Its a collective blame, and all sides need to look at themselves.

Ive been totally unconvinced by this myth that because ros won the minor in 06 they will be strong, but there not even close imo, they beat Leitrim who were down to the 4th choice free taker and only scrapped a win.  Ros at senior are poor and have been last few yrs simple, the older players arent leaders and thats the problem especially on the field. There in serious danger of wasting the underage talent coming through.

hmm i think i told ya already? but this is coming from a sligo fan that witnessed Mayo 3-11 Sligo (defending conn champs) 0-7 just last year!!!

it's easy to kick someone when their down no myth i still have great faith remember there only still 20 i would be more worried about sligo with no underage success & no players coming through

If you think thats a kicking when your down you are sadly mistaken. That is a 100% fair post and is in no way an attempt to kick ye when yere down. WTF are having a go at me for . Maybe its the emotional reaction of yday so I'll let you off and when you read it back you might see sense.

maybe i selected the wrong Quote but i was purely make a comment to the many Comments you had about us & forgetting same thing Could happen to Sligo

well best of luck next week!

hope to see ye in Hyde park on July 19th

[SLIGONIAN]

Its a collective blame, and all sides need to look at themselves.

Ive been totally unconvinced by this myth that because ros won the minor in 06 they will be strong, but there not even close imo, they beat Leitrim who were down to the 4th choice free taker and only scrapped a win.  Ros at senior are poor and have been last few yrs simple, the older players arent leaders and thats the problem especially on the field. There in serious danger of wasting the underage talent coming through.

hmm i think i told ya already? but this is coming from a sligo fan that witnessed Mayo 3-11 Sligo (defending conn champs) 0-7 just last year!!!

it's easy to kick someone when their down no myth i still have great faith remember there only still 20 i would be more worried about sligo with no underage success & no players coming through

If you think thats a kicking when your down you are sadly mistaken. That is a 100% fair post and is in no way an attempt to kick ye when yere down. WTF are having a go at me for . Maybe its the emotional reaction of yday so I'll let you off and when you read it back you might see sense.

maybe i selected the wrong Quote but i was purely make a comment to the many Comments you had about us & forgetting same thing Could happen to Sligo

well best of luck next week!

hope to see ye in Hyde park on July 19th

Man I know how ya feel trust me on that, just its probably a time for reflection in roscommon and not to relying on the 06 team to come through is what im getting at, just way too much pressure on those lads to reignite the seniors and i feel maybe its not a certainty to happen, also I am well aware of whats ahead of us next week, but nothings impossible and I always take the optimistic route before games.

[ross4life]

Its a collective blame, and all sides need to look at themselves.

Ive been totally unconvinced by this myth that because ros won the minor in 06 they will be strong, but there not even close imo, they beat Leitrim who were down to the 4th choice free taker and only scrapped a win.  Ros at senior are poor and have been last few yrs simple, the older players arent leaders and thats the problem especially on the field. There in serious danger of wasting the underage talent coming through.

hmm i think i told ya already? but this is coming from a sligo fan that witnessed Mayo 3-11 Sligo (defending conn champs) 0-7 just last year!!!

it's easy to kick someone when their down no myth i still have great faith remember there only still 20 i would be more worried about sligo with no underage success & no players coming through

If you think thats a kicking when your down you are sadly mistaken. That is a 100% fair post and is in no way an attempt to kick ye when yere down. WTF are having a go at me for . Maybe its the emotional reaction of yday so I'll let you off and when you read it back you might see sense.

maybe i selected the wrong Quote but i was purely make a comment to the many Comments you had about us & forgetting same thing Could happen to Sligo

well best of luck next week!

hope to see ye in Hyde park on July 19th

Man I know how ya feel trust me on that, just its probably a time for reflection in roscommon and not to relying on the 06 team to come through is what im getting at, just way too much pressure on those lads to reignite the seniors and i feel maybe its not a certainty to happen, also I am well aware of whats ahead of us next week, but nothings impossible and I always take the optimistic route before games.

Fair point but you must Remember it's not just 2006!  we got to the last three connaught minor final's & were very unlucky not to win them all & same goes at u21 last five years 4 finals we got so close last two years!! & i have not mentioned the huge talent of under 16s & schools coming through. and underage success is vital to small footballing counties like Leitrim, Sligo & Roscommon

my point is we didn't have a foundation before & Rome wasn't builted in a day (here's hoping we will come good in 3/4 yrs time)

[Beard]

While the result is shocking from a Roscommon point of view, it is unfair to blame those involved with the 06 minors. You have to try to integrate the younger players into a side with some decent established players in order to achieve success. Roscommon's underage results throughout the nineties and up to 04 were absolutly dreadful. in 99 the minors lost to Mayo by 1-19 to 2-4 and in 91 Leitrim beat Ros by 2-13 to 1-5. Only the Roscommon CBS run in 98 which produced the likes of Gerry Lohan, John Hanly, Paul Noone etc. was a positive. As a result their are no senior players in the county of sufficient quaility to provide a spine of a team (Canavan and Dooher in Tyrone are a good example of providing a platform for minors coming through). Unless Fergal can persuade a few players who have gone off the scene for the last few years to come back I don't see how Roscommon can manage to build anything despite the underage talent coming through.

[Barney]

I genuinely feel sorry for the genuine Roscommon supporters. We know what it is like to be beaten out of the gate - the difference is we have tasted good days to get that far. What ye had to endure is far worse. While there is a tension between Mayo and Ros which makes the games all the more interesting there is no fun in beating ye when ye are down, and a rejuvenated Ros would be good for Connacht football and for Mayo and Galway.

I'm sure ye don't want to hear from Mayo lads but patience (a virtue I have not been blessed with when it comes to Mayo football) is the key. FOD is a decent and proud Rossie. Yesterday I feel the team never got out of the blocks because the mental battle was lost. The talk all week was of "good performance" and that was obviously the focus within the camp - the Rossies of old could be deluded but they would rip into Mayo and make us fight to beat them. There was no belief yesterday that could happen. There are a lot of young players on the Mayo team, many of the same age, but they have better back-up and believe.

As for ourselves I am quitely satisfied with the ruthless way we went about doing the job. It may come back to haunt us that we have not been challenged but we were clinical and sharp yesterday. Obviously we'll have plenty to discuss before the Connacht Final but maybe those of us who doubted the manager may be proved wrong, maybe the plan is coming that step closer to fruition. A win against Galway would be a massive boost for us. Beaing Sligo jsut wouldn't have the same impact.

[Lar Naparka]

I recorded the match and I sat down this morning when I had the house to myself and looked at it again- this time objectively.
I liked what I saw.
Kenny was on his game, Keith was flying, Gardener was enjoying himself and the other backs were doing their bit also. Ronan was in great form and seems to have recovered from his recent medical trauma. Upfront, I was impressed by the forwards' work rate and concentration and after reviewing the game, I still feel the same way.
When 15 players go on the field, it is quite probable that one or more will turn in a below-par performance. It would be illogical to expect otherwise.
I am thinking of Barry Moran here.
I don't accept fully the criticism that some others here have levelled at him; he has had better days in a Mayo jersey alright but he was not found wanting where commitment to the cause was concerned. Maybe the fault for his dropped passes lies elsewhere. I doubt if he enjoyed the quality of passes he was getting a lot and there was a definite breakdown in communication between him and the others around him.
I'd suggest that he is being judged rather harshly because of the fine form of those around him. On many days in the recent past, we'd have been damn glad to have some sort of a full forward at all.
IMO, he passed one acid test –he showed for the ball at all times.
It would be churlish to ignore the input of John O'Mahony either.
He had his best display to date in the bainisteor's bib.
Okay; the lack of opposition from a very disappointing Roscommon side has to be taken into account but the work ethic of Mayo and their determination to stick at it until the result was a foregone conclusion is a new and welcome development.
For Roscommon, it was a case of a step up too far and too soon. We have had too many days like that to gloat over their misfortune. Any team that goes to Pairc Sean and comes away with a victory has to be a useful side and Roscommon didn't turn up yesterday to merely provide numbers.
We didn't meet a quality team but the way in which we did the business did impress me.
It's time to get down to business again and concentrate on crossing the next hurdle.
I'm satisfied that a good start has been made.

[Rossfan]

azzuri is probably right, the players are not there. .

Absolutely true. We have damn all in the over 21 age bracket .

My Gettysburg speech   last week didnt work yesterday as we went out playing Div 3 League football against a big strong mobile team playing intense Championship football.

We're down now but will rise in time...however we are talking 2012 at least before we'll have these green shoots. I just hope that some good young lads dont fall by the wayside along the way.
Most of the Mayo posters ( with a few dishonourable exceptions) have been kind in their remarks when they could have had a field day. Thanks lads.
However calls for apologies to Maughtan are wide of the mark.

I was talking to some of the management team last night but really can't remember what they were saying as much porter was consumed(by me !!).
I suppose we'll now draw  the winners of Monaghan/Armagh.

[Bomber2312]

As i'm not fully aware of the roscommon panels strength and dept, surely some change should have been made earlier, either tactically or in personell. The biggest concern for mayo is the two morans, Bary had a stinker and wasnt too impressive in NY, while andy is not abled to tackle. I agree mayos forward ball was too straight