All Ireland senior football final 2012 Donegal v Mayo

[cadence]

Cheers Cadence. Yeah it's a busy stretch this time of year. Lots of previews and finishing the book.

i saw that you were writing the book... if you don't mind, post a link on here when it's done please.

[ONeill]

Congrats on the nomination for the Irish Blog Awards too.

[emmetryan]

Cheers ONeill. And cadence, I'll post for sure when the book is out.

[Farrandeelin]

Yeah, Donegal do seem to be the favourites. But for me this Mayo team are good. Everyone has mentioned everyone except Kevin McLoughlin. As for AOS been a hit and miss player, well he has only regained his fitness for the last match and was harrying and hassling all the time. I'm too nervous now to write anything. I probably will be too nervous all week. I'm in knots now typing this, but, but, but...I'm not playing. I'm merely an anonymous keyboard warrior, ready to get stuck in next Sunday. I hope Cian O'Neill has us hardened and ready for this 'unstoppable Donegal juggernaut'. I hope Kieran Shannon has the minds ready and in place for this 'unstoppable Donegal juggernaut'. I hope too that the players can go out and do themselves justice. If we get beaten, it will be by 1/2 points. If we win it will be the same.

[cuconnacht]

Just a quick reply here ...
" I thought Keegan was poor v Dublin"  ... he played for 12 minutes !!!!

;DNice one kimosabe but ya shouldnt have told him,a tony blair in a hole keep diggin kinda thing is o neil,readn this board for eight years,o neils opinion(17000+),useless! .
Jokin big O.

[From the Bunker]

Yeah, Donegal do seem to be the favourites. But for me this Mayo team are good. Everyone has mentioned everyone except Kevin McLoughlin. As for AOS been a hit and miss player, well he has only regained his fitness for the last match and was harrying and hassling all the time. I'm too nervous now to write anything. I probably will be too nervous all week. I'm in knots now typing this, but, but, but...I'm not playing. I'm merely an anonymous keyboard warrior, ready to get stuck in next Sunday. I hope Cian O'Neill has us hardened and ready for this 'unstoppable Donegal juggernaut'. I hope Kieran Shannon has the minds ready and in place for this 'unstoppable Donegal juggernaut'. I hope too that the players can go out and do themselves justice. If we get beaten, it will be by 1/2 points. If we win it will be the same.

Kevin being out injured was a major factor in our 20 minute slump v Dublin, vastly under-rated player.

Paddy Power has the handicap at 2 points. And that is about right.

I can see this week as being a very distracting one.

[cuconnacht]

drunken post, so apologies for the common sense...

i think this game will be a belter. we have two team who are very different from one another. wee're the counter attacking crowd and mayo tend to play a more open game. mayo forwards as a unit have kicked some great scores to date, whereas we've upon the bandstand crew but also our counterattackers. very drunk but this is fact. haha.

You were doin great there for the first half of that bottle of donegal mountain dew cadence,but i lost ya for the econd half ofth buideal .go ta bed Cadence

  it's my first druken post here.... i'm quite proud of myself! feeling naw too bad today either. needed to get some drink training in for the trip over to dublin so last night's run out will do me no harm.

as an observation, first half of donegal mountain dew goes down easily enough. it's when the second half kicks in that reality starts to bite.

:)Im proud of ya too cadence,fierce strong stuff that donegal montain dew,shared a bottle recently with 2 aranmore men and a dunloe lad,we nearly built a boat to go back an take the country by storm but we couldnt find an axe thank god.Ye as well  as ourselves might be needing that trainin for a few years to come yet,feck the rest of the country.Any chance of sendin us ore a wee drop (trade secret,drink the bottom half o the bottle first an y,ell be sound

i'll swap you a bottle for a ticket!

Im gonna see and raise ya C,I,ll give ya four tickets for four bottles.

Bring a jumper!their for  leabgarra  ferry in 1st week a november.God damn Doney men and their mountain dew,the only thing worse than than postin drunk,is makin a solemn agreement with Tir Conallites in da same condition or callin yer wife at three in da mornin and tellin her yer late coz ya had to help robinhood or spiderman fight crime.Ach eist,your donegal agus mise mayo,the one  thing we do well to world wide acclaim is dig tunnels,your 4buideals and my shovels, jones road midnight saturday 22,what says ya.

[cuconnacht]

Musings of a Mayo Man.
The unrelenting gnawing knot in the base of my stomach can only mean one thing, game 5 and the final is 7 days away. The whole week is going to be consumed by thoughts and plans of the match; it'll be like a buzzing fly in my peripheral vision all week. I travelled home to this weekend to get a flavour of the atmosphere, maybe it's I'm a bit older than previous finals but the mood is quiet; "let's keep the hype for afterwards" one man put it.  Our 5th final in 23 years, what the boys in Cliffoney and Kiltoom would give for that?

The flags and bunting are up, the plans are being made; "what time are ye leaving? 7am....7am!?!....we're leaving a half 5, ah for jaysus sake, ye may as well hit the road tonight so" I heard yesterday. People are wary of daring to dream of a victory, once bitten, twice shy, "I cope with the despair, it's the hope that kills me" as John Cleese once put it.  If I ever need a dose of reality, I just cast my mind back to the plodding walks up Clonliffe road feeling that my insides were after getting a Jimmy Burke- esque drop kick all the way to Fairview park. As much as the sniggering lads in the media would like it, the football won't stop in Mayo. I had to laugh at a Guinness billboard in the town last year, "This is Rugby Country". I don't think so Guinness, I don't think so.

McGuinness/Medusa and his team/tentacles are a different animal altogether this year. From the 50 minute mark onwards, they let you breathe out before squeezing the life out of you. I've closed the eyes a few times to picture the scene next Sunday. The program  rolled up so tight in my hand I could use it to beat cattle down the road , heart at a steady 150Bpm  throughout the match, a lateral hand pass intercepted by Lacey , the Donegal crowd erupts in one big wave as a flying V of over the should pop passes bare down on our backline. I'm anxious now, god help me then.

However, the world's smartest computers are liable to make a c**k up, systems fail and throw in a dollop of human nature and error, and the fact that we're not half bad either ourselves, jaysus, I don't know. The team and management have given everything for the cause so far and I don't see them stopping now.  It could right down to the wire.

A few more things to do before I hit east again, visit the family plot to make sure the Green and Red is flying on the grave. Many the Mayo man and woman will be with us in spirit next Sunday. I know as Amhrán na bhFiann echoes around Croke Park, I'll tilt my head towards the sky, close my eyes and think of great men who wore the Green and Red both on the pitch and in the stands, and even my own grandfather.

Criost Linn.

"Na man,butterflies.All in the same wee boat.Yer Ballina,get thick with it,and lead from the front.Mhuigheo con bua no bas.

[cadence]

drunken post, so apologies for the common sense...

i think this game will be a belter. we have two team who are very different from one another. wee're the counter attacking crowd and mayo tend to play a more open game. mayo forwards as a unit have kicked some great scores to date, whereas we've upon the bandstand crew but also our counterattackers. very drunk but this is fact. haha.

You were doin great there for the first half of that bottle of donegal mountain dew cadence,but i lost ya for the econd half ofth buideal .go ta bed Cadence

  it's my first druken post here.... i'm quite proud of myself! feeling naw too bad today either. needed to get some drink training in for the trip over to dublin so last night's run out will do me no harm.

as an observation, first half of donegal mountain dew goes down easily enough. it's when the second half kicks in that reality starts to bite.

:)Im proud of ya too cadence,fierce strong stuff that donegal montain dew,shared a bottle recently with 2 aranmore men and a dunloe lad,we nearly built a boat to go back an take the country by storm but we couldnt find an axe thank god.Ye as well  as ourselves might be needing that trainin for a few years to come yet,feck the rest of the country.Any chance of sendin us ore a wee drop (trade secret,drink the bottom half o the bottle first an y,ell be sound

i'll swap you a bottle for a ticket!

Im gonna see and raise ya C,I,ll give ya four tickets for four bottles.

Bring a jumper!their for  leabgarra  ferry in 1st week a november.God damn Doney men and their mountain dew,the only thing worse than than postin drunk,is makin a solemn agreement with Tir Conallites in da same condition or callin yer wife at three in da mornin and tellin her yer late coz ya had to help robinhood or spiderman fight crime.Ach eist,your donegal agus mise mayo,the one  thing we do well to world wide acclaim is dig tunnels,your 4buideals and my shovels, jones road midnight saturday 22,what says ya.

i don't fly in until sunday morning, but if you get her started i'll bring the air spade and a muck board and we'll skip the breakfast and horse into it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwlsko1YqkM

[cuconnacht]

Cheers ONeill. And cadence, I'll post for sure when the book is out.

Whatever about the book emmet,I,ve enjoyed your analysis,and hope ya stay with us for many a game more

[ONeill]

Can some fcuker from Mayo, just one, have a go and attempt to formulate a small tactical analysis as to how they can approach this and win it?

Who do you think will be your key men? Where are the Donegal weaknesses? What can you do that Kerry and Cork couldn't?

Even someone who isn't from Mayo but gives them a chance. And none of this cute hoorism of giving it a lash. McGuinness shites lashes.

[emmetryan]

Whatever about the book emmet,I,ve enjoyed your analysis,and hope ya stay with us for many a game more

Thanks chief, I plan on hitting the road for some county finals next month.

[Shrewdness]

Has anyone else seen the big sign erected outside Ballyvary by a company who i won't name??

In big lettering, it welcomes Sam home to Mayo. Do these people ever learn?...Surely that sign was time enough being erected next Sunday evening, if Mayo win, before Monday's homecoming.
I remember a similar sign being erected in the same village in 2006, and it wasn't long coming down afterwards.

As a Rossie living in Mayo, i think the Mayo public are adopting a more sensible, low key approach to this final. No doubt the result of having their hopes dashed so many times in the past. Plenty of flags going up, and banners wishing the team well, but the one i mentioned outside Ballyvary is downright stupid at this stage.

As for the game itself, i have the same feeling that i've had all year....this is Mayo's year. There's something different about them this year. They seem a more focused, steelier outfit..There are many players in it who might not be household names outside the county, but that could change next weekend.
I've been impressed by players like Kevin Keane and Lee Keegan in particular.

However, if they're to bridge that 61 year gap, they'll need to avoid a collapse like most of the second half against Dublin, plus the first half of the Connacht Final, when if memory serves me right, they only scored 3 points...That first half against Sligo wasn't a collapse as such, but saw Mayo very frustrated by the way Sligo swarmed around them.

The ability to beat Dublin without Andy Moran shows how far this Mayo team has come.

I reckon we won't see a classic in the final, and wouldn't be surprised if the game produces no goals. It will be an intense, dogged battle, and i believe that Mayo can win it, and will it on a scoreline of 0-14 to 0-12, because as i said, there's something different about Mayo this year.

Best of luck to them, and let's not hear anyone telling them to win it for Connacht or for the West, because when Mayo lost in 1989, 96, 97, 2004, 06, the rest of Connacht didn't feel the pain of it like Mayo did......Do it for yourselves lads.

[ToWinJustOnce_Mayo4Sam]

Can some fcuker from Mayo, just one, have a go and attempt to formulate a small tactical analysis as to how they can approach this and win it?

Who do you think will be your key men? Where are the Donegal weaknesses? What can you do that Kerry and Cork couldn't?

Even someone who isn't from Mayo but gives them a chance. And none of this cute hoorism of giving it a lash. McGuinness shites lashes.

Play as Dublin Played last Year .... Dublin won.  The template is their... no need to reinvent the wheel !!!

[ONeill]

And how did Dublin play last year tell me