Mayo GAA Discussion Thread

yop wrote: »

Colm O'Rourke isn't a Mayo man, read his piece in the paper or listen to his interviews. Listen to the sports shows also, Tomás O'Shea isn't a Mayo man, yet listen to what he said about the game.
Michael Lyster, yes you guessed it, isn't a Mayo man.

Will I go on or do you want to go on embarrassing yourself?

DDC1990 wrote: »

I don't think anyone disagrees with this, just that we don't think it cost Mayo the game. Both sides suffered.

keane2097 wrote: »

I think the size of the pitch meant the short kick outs were harder to do tbf to Hennelly

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

I was one of those here who congratulated Kerry after the game. For what's it's worth I don't think Mayo were robbed by the ref or were denied a place in the final by some cabal in Croke Park, we lost the game because we got some of the match-ups wrong and didn't address our most glaring problem throughout the year - defence. Horan just wasn't cute enough with his tactics and match-ups, it was obvious Ger Cafferkey (a player who had been out injured three months ago) was going to struggle against Donaghy. He should have had a bigger man on him, If he couldn't sacrifice one of the O'Sheas then it should have been Kevin Keane from the start, not the most mobile of defenders but very strong and someone who eventually got the better of Donaghy when the game was slipping away. For some reason we've been shipping goals all year and it needs to be the first priority of the new management team, if it means sending Lee Keegan and Donie Vaughan up to the forwards and replacing them with players more suited to a defensive game then so be it.

Midfield was the other area where it all badly wrong, have to say I was very impressed with David Moran, for a man of his size he is skilful, you could tell himself and Geaney were very comfortable playing together and their passing and running was superb. I just think for all Mayo's much-vaunted midfield we haven't really settled on a final partnership, it's been chopping and changing all year with Vaughan, AOS, Gibbons, Barry Moran and Tom Parsons all making appearances beside Seamus O'Shea. We need a partnership of equals, I would think a SOS and a Parsons/Gibbons pairing would work best, but it needs to be worked on and stuck with.

Hennelly's kick-outs cost us as well, I believe one of Kerry's penalties was as a result of a kick-out going straight over the line. In this day and age of Cluxton and his game changing kick-outs I couldn't believe how one-dimensional the strategy was, he just seemed to hoof it into mid-field and hope for the best. We didn't adapt our strategy there at all, play the short ball or try and split the half forwards which at this stage in the game is unforgivable.

I think it was totally against the run of play that Mayo were seven points up and it was never going to last. The talent is there in Mayo but we need to manage it better. James Horan has done trojan work and hopefully the current squad will still have the drive and determination they showed over the past three years.

But to get back to your main point about Mayo fans whinging about the ref, I think it's completely understandable, for all of Mayo's faults they weren't far off Kerry and surely you will concede that big decisions can cost teams games. I think the problem most Mayo fans have is not that Kerry were cynical (they certainly were, seen it with my own eyes, I shouldn't need to recount it here as I'm sure you seen it yourself) but the fact that the referee completely lost control of the game from the first few minutes onwards. Kerry knew from early on that the ref was soft and they played it to the limit. No complaining about that, teams will do what they have to win, but the fact that an All-Ireland semi-final was reffed so poorly was an absolute disgrace, the players who sacrifice so much and the supporters deserve better. The fact that referees are amateur is neither here nor there, if paying them resulted in a higher standard then I'd be all for it, the GAA have the money. You didn't see it happen with Joe McQuillan yesterday.

All in all we mightn't have been the better team but I don't think a level playing field is too much to ask for, we've had enough heartbreak down throughout the years.

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Well that's that then.

Straight after the game I have to say I was not that disappointed, all year I had been under the impression that this team may not have it in them to make another All Ireland final after loosing two in a row, and as it tuned out they did not make the final.

But in the past few days it has began to creep up on me that this may have been a real lost opportunity.
Just after the final here last year I posted that Mayo needed luck to win and All Ireland, and that luck had to include having a fully fit squad and not meeting a juggernaut in the final.
As it turned out the squad were all fit this season and the juggernaut crashed on Jones's road on Sunday afternoon.
Now I'm not going into the analysis of who would win between Mayo and Donegal but because it's Donegal and not Dublin I am looking ion Saturdays loss as a missed opportunity.
And we had ample opportunities to win both of those games but never took them.

So onwards to to 2015 and a new regime.
I hope that the following are nowhere near consideration, John Maughan and Tommy Lyons.
Both would be a major step backward for Mayo football.

I'm a bit more open to the Pat Holmes or Kevin McStay ideas.
Both have won major national titles as managers. I feel Holmes was just a place holder for the Maughan return in the early '00s, but he still won the League.
They need a manager who will continue to enhance the good work Horan has done in regards to preparation, strength and conditioning etc that are all important in the modern game.
I'd be worried also that the county board may take this opportunity to pick a yes man, one is not totally committed to the above in order to save a few bob.

From a player point of view I think there needs to be a total refreshment of the squad.
I'm not suggesting dropping the guys that have done great service this past four years but we need cover in a lot of places on the field and it's good to have competition for starting places.
This squad is more or less the same since 2011, it needs new blood.
Even though the only possible retirement I see is Dillon they still need to get new young guys getting experience in all parts of the field.
With that in mind would Enda Gilvarry be a a good choice as manager, he has had recent minor success and will be well aware of the guys coming through that can strengthen this team.

The goals for 2015 should be as follows
League
Div 1 status while using as many new players as possible. Div1 status may be though this year with Donegal and Monaghan replacing Kildare and Westmeath, plus Mayo have only 3 home games, but they still have to get those young guys out into the thick of it.
A SF spot would of course be a bonus.

Championship
Barring a complete purge of what is there at the moment I can see them in with a great shout in Connaught again.
Roscommon may be improving but they will have to come to Castlebar in 2015
Galway have improved and will play Mayo in Galway if they meet, but Mulholland's stepping down I fell has knocked them back a bit, it's hard to know.

If you win Connaught then you are in good shape going into the QF. If the GAA stick with the A\B for another year then Connaught champs will play Leinster loser or qualifier in the QF, not a huge task.
But if they go back to the open draw then anything is possible.
A SF would likely involve Dublin, who will be no doubt still smarting from the embarrassment of yesterday and would image be very strong.
If Mayo were to lose to Dublin in a SF in a new managers first year, with changes in the team then it would not be a bad start at all.

On Horan I think he did a great job. I was delighted when he was given the job because Mayo needed new young impetus at the time and he was the perfect fit. And that's why going to Maughan or Lyons now would be such a bad move.
He brought us from the depths to despair in Longford to two finals, 4 SFs and 4 Connaughts, on the way we beat most of the big teams, Cork x2, Dublin, Donegal, Tyrone, Down. The only pity is that we never won the big thing and never beat Kerry.

By the way Chorah Elser or whatever he name is is a tool, as is the lard ass who went on the field, and the people in Supermanc's afterwards lauding him as some sort of hero.
Tools the lot of them.

washman3 wrote: »

I must have been watching a different game to you.!!
Aidan O'Shea was extremely poor. His first touch of the game was on 17 MINUTES, imagine that.!! your supposedly key player doesn't touch the ball for 17 minutes. And that touch was a hopeless ballooned effort that everyone assumed was going wide but collected brilliantly by C.O.C that led to the penalty.
His second touch was a fine catch of a high ball that was actually intended for the Mayo full forward line, but he turned, carried well and again set up C.O.C. for a goal, taken out by Enright in the process.
2 touches were his total contribution in 35 mins.
In the second half he fared hardly any better, even driven back by a shoulder from one of Kerry's smallest players, and virtually anonymous in ET. Contrast this to David Moran who had 43 possessions during the game.!!
Would'nt agree either re Parsons, should have done more considering his size and strength at midfield.
Seamus O'Shea did well, but should have been switched to mark Donaghy when it was obvious to everyone bar Horan that size/strength was needed at 3.

washman3 wrote: »

In fact I would have S.O.S. yards ahead of his brother as he is a much better team player.