Mayo GAA Discussion

RedDevil55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119255823#Comment_119255823

No worthwhile news? It has been said for several weeks he has a groin injury. What were you hoping to hear? The supposed falling out is complete bullshit.

Who would you have played yesterday instead of Cillian? Darren McHale was also injured.

Vish81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119255823#Comment_119255823

It does bother me beause rightly or wrongly media does influence the mind-sets of the general public whether right or wrong.. and it creates stigma..

Same as politics..

Re- next manager

Jim Gavin for me, pay him whatever it takes.

A 2yr financially attractive contract so he doesn't feel bogged down, so by then he will have ironed out our shot selection and movement issues in the final 3rd, leaving us in good stead for the next manager to continue his good work..

Its a major problem that very few out there can fix..

Not sure if there is anyone inside the walls of mayo that are good enough, but if we had to make an internal appointment i would have Rochford 1st, and maybe Dempsey 2nd .

Thing i liked about Rochford was that he wasn't a tunnel vision manager, he ignored the league and connacht to a certain degree , and carefully managed players fitness levels so he had a full deck to play with at the business end of the season , and it no surprise Andy Moran had his best season under him when he implemented the kicking game..

MacDanger

I saw this comment on the blog and I think there's a lot of truth to it:

How many strong, powerful and lethal forwards have we produced in 70 years. Those kind of lads play in halfback centre field for their clubs in Mayo.

In Kerry they play at centre forward or full forward

A Geaney, Clifford or Sean O Se, Maurice Fitz etc would be midfielders/ halfbacks in Mayo where they would be encouraged to do solo runs all day.

If you look back at the last 15-20 years, you could easily name 20 Mayo wing backs/grafting half forwards that were among the best in the country and it has to be down to where we choose to play our best players at club level i.e. in the middle 8 where they carry loads of ball. It's very difficult to change that mindset

Cartman78

Ruane didn't look right yesterday at all imho....he ran back around 50 mins after Moran (I think), we turned it over and Durcan or someone went tearing up the pitch....Ruane hobbled up to around the 45, was really huffing and puffing and just stopped and looked like he was going to puke.

Don't want to single him out but was just in front of me in the stand so it really stood out.

There was a few others that looked dead on their feet from half time onwards....we can all speculate about the reasons why but it could just simply be too many hard miles on the clock for some players

RedDevil55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256067#Comment_119256067

The point was made about our 6 starting forwards yesterday. Flynn, Diarmuid, Loftus and Carney are midfielders for their clubs. Kevin McLoughlin plays as a half back/sweeper for knockmore. So Cillian was the only natural forward in the team.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256098#Comment_119256098

That's a fair point although I don't there's a load of top quality corner forwards in the county that we're not using. Players currently on the panel that you might look at for those corner forward positions would be:

• Coen - can blow hot and cold but he's a man who'll take on a shot if nothing else, may not have the workrate required for IC football
• Carr - shows flashes of brilliance, if he could do that even semi regularly, he'd make a huge difference for us
• Orme - started the year well but tailed off; still v young and will make it IMO
• Boland - can be very good at times, would like to see him getting more games
• McHale - has been injured too much to get a run of games, I think he could offer a lot
• Towey - played a bit during the league although generally seemed to play a good bit from goal
• M Moran - seems to be injured a lot; came on last year against Belmullet and was v poor

Anyone else? Others that might be worth a look are McStay, Heneghan & Walsh from Castlebar, Ruttledge, Colm Moran

While all teams have injuries, I think we were particularly unlucky to have two injuries in an area where we don't have great backup

Higgins5473

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256023#Comment_119256023

Is that a complete dreamlike desire similar to Clifford relocating to Castlebar transferring to Mitchell’s and declaring for Mayo county football? Because it’s just as likely. Gavin has some director role in the Irish Aviation authority, has all his family and life in Dublin, has achieved everything in the game and more, would be extremely loyal to Dublin football…to name but a few reasons, in fact the Clifford scenario I mentioned is a lot more likely than Gavin managing Mayo.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119255823#Comment_119255823

Apologies for being harsh but you've got to stop soaking up all the bullsh1t that goes around these days.

Tim O'Leary and the like seem to be leading a campaign borne out of some strange entitlement that he feels he / "we" have to know all the inner workings of the county set-up.

Now RO'D might have been annoyed that CO'C took over duties... I would expect a competitive player like him to want to keep the duties, thats natural. But there's no credibility in these Twitter fantasys.

How did Kev McL start yesterday given the huge falling out himself and Horan had... These stories are dreamt up and thrown about with reckless abandon by guys out there who really haven't a clue.

If they throw enough sh1t, some of it will stick /they might get something right.

I've no doubt Horan can be blamed for certain things but there's no credibility involved when you go about blaming him for every single thing.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256297#Comment_119256297

With the early championship this year the silly season in Mayo is in full swing in June rather than September.

This post sums up the daftness of it all.

People really need to stop bringing what ever shite the donkey in London is spewing on his Twitter account here.

Let's wait until the dust settles, if Horan gets another term then fine he's still a good man for the job, if he doesn't let's hope his replacement can at least equal him and hopefully better him.

Fr Tod Umptious

Off topic for the current discussion about yesterday and the future.

But does anyone know where @seligehgit went?

He/She was usually a very good poster on this thread.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256067#Comment_119256067

Nail on head. And it starts young. Clubs think the best option is having the early developer dominating all round at U14 by pulling him out the field even though his natural position may be inside. They then get to 18/19 and they are no longer physically as far ahead but no longer have then instincts for the forwards. This is the way in mayo as long as I remember.

We then get the situation where we try to convert the likes of Jack Carney into a FF when all his football to date has been out the field. Madness

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256098#Comment_119256098

Conroy and RO'D would have started yesterday if fit (conspiracy theories aside) and that would have given us much more balance.

We could always do with more scoring forwards and our (hard running) style doesn't lend itself to bringing them through sometimes imo.

But that style has gotten us a fair amount of success in the past decade, the main prize aside obviously.

As people have said, it's probably best to let the dust settle before having these debates but we would have had a fairly balanced team with those two in it, and Cillian (who doesn't seem right) wouldn't have been so isolated.

When we've had these strong "runners" we've had for the past decade(s), it was fairly logical to use them / play that style imo.

MayoAreMagic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256297#Comment_119256297

100% agree. We want this to improve and that to improve and everyone else to improve. But the first place to start is ourselves in consistantly listening to all this garbage. All this toxic nonsense bourne out of club rivalries and/or a soured twitter merchant. If reflects poorly on us that that stuff gets traction and we should really be more measured on it. For example, horan is looking after his clubman apparantly, by giving the top scoring forward of all time some responsibility in the team and not looking to sub him off yesterday. Yet 5 posts later horan is getting abuse for only having one 'natural forward'- the same player again - in his team because the rest play in midfield for their clubs! Which is it?

People just need to park their anger and approach the thing with objectivity. Keith higgins played in ff for his club, so did Vaughan, does that mean they can only play that position? We wanted horan out before, we were crying out for his return afterwards. Do we really want to open up the floor to the cb to do their worst on that front? The frank way i look at it is, there is no better option currently. If there was im happy for that to be explored, but we have to recognise that change for change sake is not positive.

Coillte_Bhoy

Re the posts about into developing good inside forwards etc, piece in yesterday's Indo

https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/mayo-must-alter-a-losing-formula-the-absence-of-guile-to-turn-possession-into-scores-has-been-a-constant-grievance-41790030.html?fbclid=IwAR0Il64FlcAMPtj2LNsBlITywvfFQnC-6LZiRb8eMhEx9MHdvR0EsCfmgt8

Vish81

Mod Edit

Warning issued.

Squatman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119255876#Comment_119255876

so which is it, was he objectively good, or was he off colour? you mention not using past performances - yet you then say they were off colour - i ask, off colour compared to what? past performances perhaps?

i say he had a poor performance. interpret it any way you like, but the typical player yesterday did not get black carded. His influence on the game was not missed, given that we clawed back a 2 point deficit and went in level while AOS was off.

Green&Red

Disappointing yesterday, the chances were there to win that. Too many players didn't perform and thats been the story of the season.

Some thoughts on yesterday/the year

• Cillian has been carrying an injury all year, not sure if its the same Achilles he got in Clare last year but he definitely wasn't the same player we had in 2019 but I wouldn't be writing him off
• Diarmuid, Ruane and Paddy Durcan all have had a terrible year, hard to do well when three of your top players are all off the pace. Durcan was marking Clifford for the goal yesterday and got burned for pace, because he hesitated, when have we ever seen that
• We need some full backs, not sure where they are coming from though, I haven't seen too many in club football, maybe Sean Holmes for us but he is young and light. Harrison is a massive loss. You can't expect to contain top quality full forwards with a full back line made up 100% of wing backs
• Thought Stephen Coen had a very good say yesterday after a poor year
• As for forwards in the county I'm not sure theres anyone not involved with the panel thats scoring heavy - Healy was in for a while at the start of the year but very hard to come from a junior team. Maybe Colm Moran?
• I don't think its viable for Horan to stay on, there is just too big a group that want him gone and when you have that donkey in London stirring things it has turned toxic. Rochford would be my man as the next manager. McGuinness or Gallagher if they could get them otherwise

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256390#Comment_119256390

Hope all is well with him, he was a great contributor.

Unfortunately, I think he seemed to post less when he became a moderator, and like many maybe, the new site wasn't hard to leave.

happyoutscan

I'm not sure if there are better options available, but I think a change of scenery is definitely needed.

As for the suggestion that ROD was fit but not selected. Nonsense.

I though Coen and O'Shea were fine yesterday. However, I'd be concerned about the lack of pace from both Coen and Cillian.

Kicking balls into the corner for Cillian to ridiculously chase - when it was apparent it was not going to work was headwrecking.

Hope the team enjoy their few weeks of summer.

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256688#Comment_119256688

• I'll be interested to see what McBrien can do if he can put the injuries behind him. Looked solid, if understandably raw, in the few cameos we've seen to date. Big potential there for a powerful 3 that would be comfortable being pulled out the field too. I'll be crossing my fingers watching Ballagh' this year.
• Big potential in Alfie Morrison in the coming years in the corner but he's probably a bit away yet on the S&C front. Again, be keen to see how the year pans out for him. (Conal Dawson the other I'll be paying a lot of attention to. I'll be surprised if both don't start sniffing around panels in the next 3 or 4 years)
• On forwards not sure anyone shooting the lights out that's missing (debates to be made about Boland on that one I guess) but serious work to be done on the setup, structure and drilling of the lads in general. Far too many shots coming from just outside of a decent range rather than just inside, again. Has killed us all year. The 'easy' fix to that one is more pace up there (so Tommy and Ryan) to create gaps and opportunities that bit further in. A little too easy to stay on top of a forward line where James Carr is our outstanding pace and the next best is probably Diarmuid or Jack Carney (both brilliant lads, but pace wouldn't be their outstanding feature).

Whats the story with the Durcan solo? Its very annoying to watch and if anything it seems to slow him down

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119257175#Comment_119257175

Not even sure it's a solo anymore. More like a toe tap.

He seems to only do it under pressure / when surrounded, I'm surprised opposition haven't been calling out for frees for it tbh.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119257572#Comment_119257572

It's legal alright I'd say - the rule is "may be played from the foot to the hand - toe-tapped". I presume he does it as it's harder for an opponent to flick the ball away

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119257620#Comment_119257620

I always thought it had to leave the hand though, maybe he is releasing it a few mm.

MacDanger

Yeah, I presume he releases it a small amount

Green&Red

O'Neill had a similar solo, it definitely left his hand which was enough

Vish81

Mod Edit

Warning issued.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119257572#Comment_119257572

Thing is he seems to do it in space also, and when trying to break from cover. In the past, afterburners on, hop and a solo and Paddy was gone, now its his little toe tap and he is still in traffic. And while he is still getting forward there seems to be less intent and pace. Injury still a concern I wonder?

MayoAreMagic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256655#Comment_119256655

Its both. His season as a whole was one of his poorer ones, but his performance yesterday was an improvement and furthermore he was probably better than several other middle third players - none of whom are getting much criticism here. Surely you can see how biased that makes the thing sound?

Why do I have to either think he is great or sh*te? It is far more nuanced than that.

He got a black card but it was a bad call. He didnt deserve a black card. I dont see how you can criticise him for that, its completely unfair. It should have been a yellow card for both, or nothing for either. Im no oshea apologist, but we have to be fair with assessments if we want to improve.

Call me Al

Just announced that Horan is stepping down as manager..

What now?