All Ireland senior football final 2012 Donegal v Mayo

[haveaharp]

I think as had been said before Brolly is in the Joe Brolly business and his main aim is to keep this business open any way he sees fit. Unfortunately for us we are seen as a legitimate target at the moment to so we'll just have to grin and bare it. We can take solace in the fact that he is bereft of any intelligent insight and while he can illicit a knee jerk angry reaction he isn't likely to unveil and deep dark character flaw that Mayo people will have to continually lose sleep over. All Joe has done is enshrine his place as one of the true idiots of this island of ours which is an achievement of sorts! I kind of feel sorry for him in that the only satisfaction he has in life is sinking so low that lowest common denominator seems like the top of mount everest for him. He really most have some serious confidence issues to be in such a bad state and in this he reminds me of Kevin Myers or the lad who got a bit of abuse in secondary school but never got over it! Maybe it's a bit selfish but as low as Mayo supporters/players feel after this loss reading snippets of Joe's take on things reminds us that life could be a lot worse if the only joy of life is to attack the vunerable or perceived vunerable!

What was posted on Twitter doesn't give the full story. In the article Brolly had a right go at Alan Dillon, accusing him of never performing when Mayo needed him most and claimed he was the 'craven prototype' of Mayo forwards.
What he had to say went far beyond the conventional limits of freedom of expression.
The fact that Dillon and the rest of the team rallied after the disastrous start and had whittled the lead down to 3 points by the interval wasn't mentioned.
I seldom pay attention to what that baxtard has to say about any game because he indulges in mockery at every turn.
On the other hand, Colm O'Rourke gave a different account of procedings.
According to him, "There was no shortage of bravery and there is definitely something to build on with a team that chose to fight rather than collapse when another annihilation looked entirely possible, a trait not always associated with Mayo." and
"In that first half, Alan Dillon, Kevin McLoughlin, Lee Keegan and Donal Vaughan really took on the challenge."
Also, "In fact, Mayo's tackling was a bit Rambo-like at times and several of Donegal's frees in the second half were given away by rank indiscipline .......Many of the Mayo players showed inexperience in that regard."
No mention of a pre-planned policy of tactical fouling or throwing in the towel.
You're free to take your pick; which of them actully watched the game?
Brolly engaged in another despicable ruse that is his hallmark.  He didn't actually say that Myos should be sent on holidays; he was merely quoting what someone else had to say.
Same bolloxology at the end.He met Pat Gilroy for a pint and Gilroy was still seething at the result of the game against Mayo and rightly so.
In a side panel, the clown claimed that scientists at the Munich university had set out to find an antidote to the problem of highly- talented sportsmen getting the collywobbles on big occasions.
"Next season, we will see Mayo footballers clenching their left fist repeatedly and an All Ireland will surely be a formality."

If that's his idea of objective analysis, I'd hate to have him represent me if I ever wind up in court.
LIke every other 'Mayo,' I've had my gripes about the side's performance but it's still the best team and management I've ever seen.
Stuff Brolly!

Whilst Brolly no doubt is being his usual antagonistic self what he possibly fails to mention in his analysis actually goes further. You say he didnt mention the rally by Mayo and the fact that they got it back to 3 and but for some wayward shooting maybe would have been closer at HT. What he also omitted was that Donegal won this playing at maybe 75-80%. I believe there was plenty more in the tank had Mayo have turned the screw.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Now that the draws for the 2013 Championships are about to be made is it not time to put this thread to bed?

Well said and fair play, I didn't expect a Rossie to be the one to end our Misery (for this year anyway)

I'm only longing for a return of the days when we used to put ye in lots of misery 

If any consolation to you it's still full of misery for us going from Frenchpark to Athlone.

Is the Westmeath feel good factor still valid for the boys from the whest now that ye don't drive past establishments with the flags out anymore? Wouldn't read too much into them anyway, sure we were only trying to part ye wealthy farmers from yer shekels. The flags were always taken down after ye had passed back through that evening. 

[blast05]

I think as had been said before Brolly is in the Joe Brolly business and his main aim is to keep this business open any way he sees fit. Unfortunately for us we are seen as a legitimate target at the moment to so we'll just have to grin and bare it. We can take solace in the fact that he is bereft of any intelligent insight and while he can illicit a knee jerk angry reaction he isn't likely to unveil and deep dark character flaw that Mayo people will have to continually lose sleep over. All Joe has done is enshrine his place as one of the true idiots of this island of ours which is an achievement of sorts! I kind of feel sorry for him in that the only satisfaction he has in life is sinking so low that lowest common denominator seems like the top of mount everest for him. He really most have some serious confidence issues to be in such a bad state and in this he reminds me of Kevin Myers or the lad who got a bit of abuse in secondary school but never got over it! Maybe it's a bit selfish but as low as Mayo supporters/players feel after this loss reading snippets of Joe's take on things reminds us that life could be a lot worse if the only joy of life is to attack the vunerable or perceived vunerable!

What was posted on Twitter doesn't give the full story. In the article Brolly had a right go at Alan Dillon, accusing him of never performing when Mayo needed him most and claimed he was the 'craven prototype' of Mayo forwards.
What he had to say went far beyond the conventional limits of freedom of expression.
The fact that Dillon and the rest of the team rallied after the disastrous start and had whittled the lead down to 3 points by the interval wasn't mentioned.
I seldom pay attention to what that baxtard has to say about any game because he indulges in mockery at every turn.
On the other hand, Colm O'Rourke gave a different account of procedings.
According to him, "There was no shortage of bravery and there is definitely something to build on with a team that chose to fight rather than collapse when another annihilation looked entirely possible, a trait not always associated with Mayo." and
"In that first half, Alan Dillon, Kevin McLoughlin, Lee Keegan and Donal Vaughan really took on the challenge."
Also, "In fact, Mayo's tackling was a bit Rambo-like at times and several of Donegal's frees in the second half were given away by rank indiscipline .......Many of the Mayo players showed inexperience in that regard."
No mention of a pre-planned policy of tactical fouling or throwing in the towel.
You're free to take your pick; which of them actully watched the game?
Brolly engaged in another despicable ruse that is his hallmark.  He didn't actually say that Myos should be sent on holidays; he was merely quoting what someone else had to say.
Same bolloxology at the end.He met Pat Gilroy for a pint and Gilroy was still seething at the result of the game against Mayo and rightly so.
In a side panel, the clown claimed that scientists at the Munich university had set out to find an antidote to the problem of highly- talented sportsmen getting the collywobbles on big occasions.
"Next season, we will see Mayo footballers clenching their left fist repeatedly and an All Ireland will surely be a formality."

If that's his idea of objective analysis, I'd hate to have him represent me if I ever wind up in court.
LIke every other 'Mayo,' I've had my gripes about the side's performance but it's still the best team and management I've ever seen.
Stuff Brolly!

Whilst Brolly no doubt is being his usual antagonistic self what he possibly fails to mention in his analysis actually goes further. You say he didnt mention the rally by Mayo and the fact that they got it back to 3 and but for some wayward shooting maybe would have been closer at HT. What he also omitted was that Donegal won this playing at maybe 75-80%. I believe there was plenty more in the tank had Mayo have turned the screw.

I believe had Mayo kicked those 3 scores shortly after half time then we would have kicked on and won by 4 or 5 points on the basis that Donegal guys would have found themselves in uncharted territory .... have blown a big lead and after getting hammered for the first 10 minutes of the 3rd quarter (above any quarter). Doubt creeping into minds, heavy legged, Jimmys word at half time not stacking up.... etc etc

Its another opinion and is equally as plausible as yours.
What i know however is we didn't kick the 3 scores and Donegal won by 4 pts. Anything else is just pure conjecture.


Oh and Croi na hEireann, there are still plenty of Garrycastle flags up around Athlone and the Bridgids one are going back up after the hammering they gave Elphin on Sunday !!

[Croí na hÉireann]

Don't be fooled by them blast, McDonalds ain't good for you and Kilmartins makes enough money as it is.

[ross4life]

I think he meant that the Mayo posters have posted the main points of Brolly's article, on twitter. Someone was asking could they get it online but the gist of it has already been tweeted out by them. Presumably with things like - 'The p***k' appended

Correct.

[macdanger2]

Was just thinking earlier - how would the game have gone had Murphy / McFadden been out and Andy Moran been fit??

Or if it hadn't been for the handling error, we would have only been four points down after fifteen minutes. Or if B Moran had popped that point over instead of wide, Varley hadn't put that free wide early in the second half.......

I know they're "what ifs" but all the same it makes you wonder....

In relation to criticism of JH and his substitutions - in the run up to the game, I don't remember hearing anyone describing Feeney as the man we needed to bring on if we were in trouble. Not saying he didn't play well but it's not like we had a proven game changer on the bench that he didn't bring on. I thought putting AOS into FF was an exceptionally poor move though - it was desperation stakes with 15 minutes to go.

Who is there around the county who can make the difference next year:
Parsons?
Killer (if he's back from London)?
Regan?
Kirby?
Conor O'Se?

Anyone else??

[Lar Naparka]

I think as had been said before Brolly is in the Joe Brolly business and his main aim is to keep this business open any way he sees fit. Unfortunately for us we are seen as a legitimate target at the moment to so we'll just have to grin and bare it. We can take solace in the fact that he is bereft of any intelligent insight and while he can illicit a knee jerk angry reaction he isn't likely to unveil and deep dark character flaw that Mayo people will have to continually lose sleep over. All Joe has done is enshrine his place as one of the true idiots of this island of ours which is an achievement of sorts! I kind of feel sorry for him in that the only satisfaction he has in life is sinking so low that lowest common denominator seems like the top of mount everest for him. He really most have some serious confidence issues to be in such a bad state and in this he reminds me of Kevin Myers or the lad who got a bit of abuse in secondary school but never got over it! Maybe it's a bit selfish but as low as Mayo supporters/players feel after this loss reading snippets of Joe's take on things reminds us that life could be a lot worse if the only joy of life is to attack the vunerable or perceived vunerable!

What was posted on Twitter doesn't give the full story. In the article Brolly had a right go at Alan Dillon, accusing him of never performing when Mayo needed him most and claimed he was the 'craven prototype' of Mayo forwards.
What he had to say went far beyond the conventional limits of freedom of expression.
The fact that Dillon and the rest of the team rallied after the disastrous start and had whittled the lead down to 3 points by the interval wasn't mentioned.
I seldom pay attention to what that baxtard has to say about any game because he indulges in mockery at every turn.
On the other hand, Colm O'Rourke gave a different account of procedings.
According to him, "There was no shortage of bravery and there is definitely something to build on with a team that chose to fight rather than collapse when another annihilation looked entirely possible, a trait not always associated with Mayo." and
"In that first half, Alan Dillon, Kevin McLoughlin, Lee Keegan and Donal Vaughan really took on the challenge."
Also, "In fact, Mayo's tackling was a bit Rambo-like at times and several of Donegal's frees in the second half were given away by rank indiscipline .......Many of the Mayo players showed inexperience in that regard."
No mention of a pre-planned policy of tactical fouling or throwing in the towel.
You're free to take your pick; which of them actully watched the game?
Brolly engaged in another despicable ruse that is his hallmark.  He didn't actually say that Myos should be sent on holidays; he was merely quoting what someone else had to say.
Same bolloxology at the end.He met Pat Gilroy for a pint and Gilroy was still seething at the result of the game against Mayo and rightly so.
In a side panel, the clown claimed that scientists at the Munich university had set out to find an antidote to the problem of highly- talented sportsmen getting the collywobbles on big occasions.
"Next season, we will see Mayo footballers clenching their left fist repeatedly and an All Ireland will surely be a formality."

If that's his idea of objective analysis, I'd hate to have him represent me if I ever wind up in court.
LIke every other 'Mayo,' I've had my gripes about the side's performance but it's still the best team and management I've ever seen.
Stuff Brolly!

Whilst Brolly no doubt is being his usual antagonistic self what he possibly fails to mention in his analysis actually goes further. You say he didnt mention the rally by Mayo and the fact that they got it back to 3 and but for some wayward shooting maybe would have been closer at HT. What he also omitted was that Donegal won this playing at maybe 75-80%. I believe there was plenty more in the tank had Mayo have turned the screw.

I have no problem with that but I feel it only applies to the second half. Donegal showed plenty of nerves and lost their sureness of touch when Mayo began to fight back, a fact that was mentioned several times by the RTE commentators.
But Mayo never looked likely to score even one goal never mind several as was needed to give them a chance of winning.
At the interval, Donegal decided to revert to their normal defensive style of play as they knew Mayo had little chance of scoring a goal and from an early stage the result was inevitable. I noticed that after the break Donegal didn't bother to contest Mayo kick outs but pulled their men back into their own half. They were in effect conceding possession as they felt confident that they could regain it on turnovers.
Mayo didn't have a Murphy or a McFadden onboard and their flashes of individual class made the difference on the day.
I don't think anyone could have prevented Murphy's score. It was class and it was something all the theorists in the world couldn't have anticipated.
Credit also to Colm Anthony; he seized on a half chance, a rebound off the pos,t  and reacted so quickly that nobody could have prevented that one either. Both goals were superb, driven home by exceptionally talented players but neither was the result of pre-planned strategies. That's the way it goes I guess when your luck turns against you.
Now, when it comes to disruptive tactics, I feel that, here again, Donegal were better prepared than Mayo. How many times did they form a wall in front of a Mayo free taker and then have one man break off as soon as the freetaker began his run?
When Mayo were awarded frees in their own half or too far out to point, Donegal repeatedly refused to move back quickly so their defenders could get into position. When the ref got pissed off with this, he 'rewarded' Mayo by moving the ball forward. Big deal, invariably the free was still outside scoring range and Donegal still got time to get their men behind the ball into position.
Brolly never alluded to this or anything else I've mentioned.
I've no gripe with Donegal, they had natural goalscorers and we hadn't - simple as that.

[moysider]

I think as had been said before Brolly is in the Joe Brolly business and his main aim is to keep this business open any way he sees fit. Unfortunately for us we are seen as a legitimate target at the moment to so we'll just have to grin and bare it. We can take solace in the fact that he is bereft of any intelligent insight and while he can illicit a knee jerk angry reaction he isn't likely to unveil and deep dark character flaw that Mayo people will have to continually lose sleep over. All Joe has done is enshrine his place as one of the true idiots of this island of ours which is an achievement of sorts! I kind of feel sorry for him in that the only satisfaction he has in life is sinking so low that lowest common denominator seems like the top of mount everest for him. He really most have some serious confidence issues to be in such a bad state and in this he reminds me of Kevin Myers or the lad who got a bit of abuse in secondary school but never got over it! Maybe it's a bit selfish but as low as Mayo supporters/players feel after this loss reading snippets of Joe's take on things reminds us that life could be a lot worse if the only joy of life is to attack the vunerable or perceived vunerable!

What was posted on Twitter doesn't give the full story. In the article Brolly had a right go at Alan Dillon, accusing him of never performing when Mayo needed him most and claimed he was the 'craven prototype' of Mayo forwards.
What he had to say went far beyond the conventional limits of freedom of expression.
The fact that Dillon and the rest of the team rallied after the disastrous start and had whittled the lead down to 3 points by the interval wasn't mentioned.
I seldom pay attention to what that baxtard has to say about any game because he indulges in mockery at every turn.
On the other hand, Colm O'Rourke gave a different account of procedings.
According to him, "There was no shortage of bravery and there is definitely something to build on with a team that chose to fight rather than collapse when another annihilation looked entirely possible, a trait not always associated with Mayo." and
"In that first half, Alan Dillon, Kevin McLoughlin, Lee Keegan and Donal Vaughan really took on the challenge."
Also, "In fact, Mayo's tackling was a bit Rambo-like at times and several of Donegal's frees in the second half were given away by rank indiscipline .......Many of the Mayo players showed inexperience in that regard."
No mention of a pre-planned policy of tactical fouling or throwing in the towel.
You're free to take your pick; which of them actully watched the game?
Brolly engaged in another despicable ruse that is his hallmark.  He didn't actually say that Myos should be sent on holidays; he was merely quoting what someone else had to say.
Same bolloxology at the end.He met Pat Gilroy for a pint and Gilroy was still seething at the result of the game against Mayo and rightly so.
In a side panel, the clown claimed that scientists at the Munich university had set out to find an antidote to the problem of highly- talented sportsmen getting the collywobbles on big occasions.
"Next season, we will see Mayo footballers clenching their left fist repeatedly and an All Ireland will surely be a formality."

If that's his idea of objective analysis, I'd hate to have him represent me if I ever wind up in court.
LIke every other 'Mayo,' I've had my gripes about the side's performance but it's still the best team and management I've ever seen.
Stuff Brolly!

Whilst Brolly no doubt is being his usual antagonistic self what he possibly fails to mention in his analysis actually goes further. You say he didnt mention the rally by Mayo and the fact that they got it back to 3 and but for some wayward shooting maybe would have been closer at HT. What he also omitted was that Donegal won this playing at maybe 75-80%. I believe there was plenty more in the tank had Mayo have turned the screw.

Er no, I don t think so. Donegal players like the McGees, Gallagher, McGrath had possibly their best games all year. Murphy was easily better than earlier games. Mclynn and Lacey were their usual very effective selves. The water carriers like McLoone, Kavanagh, Thompson and McHugh did their usual stuff with McHugh not having his biggest effect. McFadden got lucky with the goal but has never really troubled us and McBrearty did a shift but was not really going to be a big influence either. Overall most of the Donegal players played their usual or above their usual. Any suggestion that Donegal played their poorest game does not stand up to scrutiny.

Mayo on the other hand did play the poorest game of their championship. A disastrous start meant it was never going to be otherwise. The first goal was survivable but the second meant that for Mayo to win, Donegal would have to crack.

For Donegal to crack those scores in the 3rd quarter had to be nailed, but weren t. Donegal might still not have cracked but to suggest that they might have had plenty more in the tank is amateurish. Laughable in fact. The liklihood is that they would have had to cling on a bit like they did against Cork and Mayo did v Dublin.

[J70]

I think as had been said before Brolly is in the Joe Brolly business and his main aim is to keep this business open any way he sees fit. Unfortunately for us we are seen as a legitimate target at the moment to so we'll just have to grin and bare it. We can take solace in the fact that he is bereft of any intelligent insight and while he can illicit a knee jerk angry reaction he isn't likely to unveil and deep dark character flaw that Mayo people will have to continually lose sleep over. All Joe has done is enshrine his place as one of the true idiots of this island of ours which is an achievement of sorts! I kind of feel sorry for him in that the only satisfaction he has in life is sinking so low that lowest common denominator seems like the top of mount everest for him. He really most have some serious confidence issues to be in such a bad state and in this he reminds me of Kevin Myers or the lad who got a bit of abuse in secondary school but never got over it! Maybe it's a bit selfish but as low as Mayo supporters/players feel after this loss reading snippets of Joe's take on things reminds us that life could be a lot worse if the only joy of life is to attack the vunerable or perceived vunerable!

What was posted on Twitter doesn't give the full story. In the article Brolly had a right go at Alan Dillon, accusing him of never performing when Mayo needed him most and claimed he was the 'craven prototype' of Mayo forwards.
What he had to say went far beyond the conventional limits of freedom of expression.
The fact that Dillon and the rest of the team rallied after the disastrous start and had whittled the lead down to 3 points by the interval wasn't mentioned.
I seldom pay attention to what that baxtard has to say about any game because he indulges in mockery at every turn.
On the other hand, Colm O'Rourke gave a different account of procedings.
According to him, "There was no shortage of bravery and there is definitely something to build on with a team that chose to fight rather than collapse when another annihilation looked entirely possible, a trait not always associated with Mayo." and
"In that first half, Alan Dillon, Kevin McLoughlin, Lee Keegan and Donal Vaughan really took on the challenge."
Also, "In fact, Mayo's tackling was a bit Rambo-like at times and several of Donegal's frees in the second half were given away by rank indiscipline .......Many of the Mayo players showed inexperience in that regard."
No mention of a pre-planned policy of tactical fouling or throwing in the towel.
You're free to take your pick; which of them actully watched the game?
Brolly engaged in another despicable ruse that is his hallmark.  He didn't actually say that Myos should be sent on holidays; he was merely quoting what someone else had to say.
Same bolloxology at the end.He met Pat Gilroy for a pint and Gilroy was still seething at the result of the game against Mayo and rightly so.
In a side panel, the clown claimed that scientists at the Munich university had set out to find an antidote to the problem of highly- talented sportsmen getting the collywobbles on big occasions.
"Next season, we will see Mayo footballers clenching their left fist repeatedly and an All Ireland will surely be a formality."

If that's his idea of objective analysis, I'd hate to have him represent me if I ever wind up in court.
LIke every other 'Mayo,' I've had my gripes about the side's performance but it's still the best team and management I've ever seen.
Stuff Brolly!

Whilst Brolly no doubt is being his usual antagonistic self what he possibly fails to mention in his analysis actually goes further. You say he didnt mention the rally by Mayo and the fact that they got it back to 3 and but for some wayward shooting maybe would have been closer at HT. What he also omitted was that Donegal won this playing at maybe 75-80%. I believe there was plenty more in the tank had Mayo have turned the screw.

I believe had Mayo kicked those 3 scores shortly after half time then we would have kicked on and won by 4 or 5 points on the basis that Donegal guys would have found themselves in uncharted territory .... have blown a big lead and after getting hammered for the first 10 minutes of the 3rd quarter (above any quarter). Doubt creeping into minds, heavy legged, Jimmys word at half time not stacking up.... etc etc

Its another opinion and is equally as plausible as yours.
What i know however is we didn't kick the 3 scores and Donegal won by 4 pts. Anything else is just pure conjecture.


Oh and Croi na hEireann, there are still plenty of Garrycastle flags up around Athlone and the Bridgids one are going back up after the hammering they gave Elphin on Sunday !!

Having watched this again, based on another Mayoman's claim a few days back that it was one-way traffic in the third quarter, I don't know what game you boys were watching. Yes, Moran had a bad miss (or is that typical of his shooting?) and Mayo missed a free from out on the right (that wasn't exactly straightforward, but should have been scored). The other chance that was missed in those minutes came from near the sideline and was a very difficult shot! And right after, Michael Murphy missed a very scorable chance for Donegal from 40m right in front of goal. A little while later, David Walsh missed a chance similar to Moran's. Yes, Mayo's misses came in quick succession, but that third quarter was even, unlike the first or second quarters.

But yes, HAD Mayo scored those three chances, it might have been a different game. They weren't good enough. End of story. Believe me, we've been there plenty of times ourselves over the years.

[maigheo]

I think it is always the case in that losing teams will always rue missing chances at different stages of the game and will forever be wondering what if?For me Donegal were the better team on the day and fully deserved there victory and no amount of what ifs will change that.

[IolarCoisCuain]

If we're playing hypotheticals, here's one: what would have happened if Horan managed Donegal and McGuinness managed Mayo? Same result? Different result?

[Lar Naparka]

If we're playing hypotheticals, here's one: what would have happened if Horan managed Donegal and McGuinness managed Mayo? Same result? Different result?

I dunno; there are too many complementary what ifs involved to make a rational decision.
Horan in particular would have to live in Donegal and be in a position where he could devote enough time to the management of his team to fit in 11 training sessions a week as McGuinness is reputed to have done.
I think if McGuinness tried to impose his training regime on the Mayo buckos, a lot more than Conoreen would have flung their rattles out of their prams.
For me, Donegal are the best side in the country with Mayo and Cork vying for the runner up spot. If Andy Moran were fit and on form, I'd feel McGuinness might just have been able to bring Sam to Mayo at long, long last. But that's another stroll through  hypothetical territory.
For that matter, if both Jimmys stayed put, Mayo might have ended their long wait.
Mayo without Andy is like Hamlet without the prince.
He was sorely missed on two counts; his football ability and his leadership qualities.
Who knows and at this stage, who cares?

[give her dixie]

Here are a couple of good video's posted by the GAA on their facebook and twitter feeds. Well worth a watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTG_Qeldtak&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UW-1mCGGg&feature=player_embedded

[From the Bunker]

A letter from an American friend
Mayo Advertiser, October 05, 2012.

By John Maughan


I regularly email a friend of mine in the US regarding the progress of the Mayo team. He is quite fanatical about Mayo football and regularly travels 'home' to see his beloved county play in the championship. He could not travel for the All-Ireland but did watch it live on TV. He sought my views on the game. I have decided to let you see his response to my email where I suggested that Mayo were beaten by a better team on the day.

"I am afraid you have been infected with the same 'tragic philosophy' that has grown up in Mayo over the years. I believe we could have won! We just didn't play our own game, end of story. After defeats we have grown used to making excuses and I see by your e-mail, here we go again! You mention the full forward line in comparison to Donegal. If games were played on paper there would be no need for a field! Hey, we beat Dublin who had a good forward line and where was the Donegal forward line after the first 10 minutes. We actually outscored Donegal in the remaining 60 minutes by three points! I don't give any credit to the "after game" philosophies to soothe our pain. We have been at that too long. If I were manager I would take that team into the meeting place at the beginning of the new season and literally tell them we threw it away and let's not have any "after" excuses this year. I forgive James Horan for his misplaced strategy. It blew up in his face and I hope he has learned. The great backs we had all year sort of disappeared at least for 15 minutes and the forwards were left throughout the game — as I saw it — without the familiar runs of the half backs. John, we have to blow away this "ah, sure ....etc" philosophy. I said at the beginning of the year I thought we have a right good team, particularly after their victory over Leitrim. We sparkled against Down and Dublin. John, we HAD THE ABILITY TO WIN IT ALL. Trouble of waiting till next year is that I am getting older and wondering if I will ever see the day again! Little did I know that September 23, 1951 would be a day of joy that would have to last a lifetime. There had to be disappointments all over the place. Nearly every member of my family was there last Sunday, scrounging tickets everywhere and got quite a few in Cork from their cousins. I read there were people from Australia who had come with great hope. They went home in tears. Pauric Carney — the great Mayo player — a legend has expressed the opinion he can't understand what has happened to the Mayo spirit. I think a lot of it is we take defeats too easily. If we suffered more we might not be so tolerant of losing and making excuses. It was Henry Ford who said 'if you believe you can do it, you will, if you don't believe then you won't.' You and I have seen so many examples in football of that saying. Hopefully we will discover a good man or two in the off season, but I say those guys are young and they CAN do it. (Did I ever tell you about my years with Craobh Rua in Sligo? Everybody said when we got the club going again we had no chance. We dug up players everywhere and won two championships. Somebody believed!) Enough!"

This email from my friend has resonated with me. It has made me think about how close Mayo are to an All-Ireland title. Over recent years we have gradually managed to raise the profile of the county and the expectations of supporters, to levels that are a long way off the earlier status quo. Here I refer to the decade of the seventies during which Mayo did not get to perform championship football in Croke Park at all. It was a dark time for Mayo football. When we did eventually make the breakthrough in the early eighties, we simply were not ready to win an All-Ireland. Now we know what competing at this level is all about. No team really outplays a Mayo team these days. Mayo over the past few years have become one of the most consistent counties in the country and, notwithstanding the fact that luck and timing have not been kind to us, we are very definitely getting closer to the Holy Grail.



Youth is on our side in the battle for glory

This current Mayo side has a very formidable defensive system with quality players who luckily have plenty of youth on their side. Ger Cafferkey and Keith Higgins are two players that are recognised among their peer group as real quality. Kevin Keane, despite a shaky opening 10 minutes in the All-Ireland, displayed great character by having a massive game after being partly responsible for conceding a couple of early scores. Lesser players would have been looking towards the side line for a rescue, but not this Covey. He will be a massive player for Mayo into the future.

Our half back line has two All Star nominations... No need to elaborate here. We are more than capable of holding our own at midfield, albeit this sector could do with a player with greater mobility. The one area that needs strengthening is the full forward line. We have struggled to put up scores when faced by teams who pay a particular emphasis on defence. Andy Moran, when he recovers from his knee injury, will strengthen this line considerably and if the likes of Conor O'Shea and/or Cathal Carolan, both members of the current squad, can make an impression over the next few months, I expect they will have lots to offer a Mayo forward line.

I have spoken to a few in Castlebar Mitchel's who think that, if he could put on a few Kgs, Tom King has the potential to make it. Evan Regan could also come into the reckoning in the near future as he showed lots of classy touches at underage level. If a couple of those lads could step up to the mark then a really bright future beckons with no reason why Mayo cannot be back at HQ next year with another good chance of landing the big prize.

[dlgael]

That's certainly an alternate view to things. Another would be that Mayos weaknesses were identified correctly and targeted successfully.