Mayo GAA Discussion

Fr Tod Umptious

I asked my new best friend Microsoft Copilot if an outside manager has ever won an All Ireland senior football championship.

And only three ever have.

John OMahoney - how did I forget that.

Eugene MGee, from Longford won with Offaly in 1982.

And Fr. Tom Gillooly, from Westmeath with Offaly in 1971 and 1972.

They are very few and far between.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581559#Comment_123581559

Like I said, there's a reason why management teams are so large these days with multiple different disciplines and huge budgets.

Dublin didn't win a 5 in a row solely because of Gavin. Same with every other intercounty setup, they assemble a talented team around them.

As for people saying an experienced inter county manager is needed, there are multiple examples of new or fairly new managers winning AIs. And you have to start somewhere.

2021 is the classic example for me. Horan with years of experience was easily outfoxed by two relative novices in the AI final.

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581477#Comment_123581477

Exactly, if he coudlnt read the mood in the county and realise his time was up it shows poor judgement on his part

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581578#Comment_123581578

And even those mangers were from neighbouring counties. It would probably take O'Mahoney the same time to make it to a Galway training session as a player from Connemara.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581572#Comment_123581572

Did you even read my post? I gave him some credit for the good stuff. But when it came to AI final day he was always lost. A perfectly fair, accurate and factual statement.

Mayo had more than enough to win 2012, 2013 and 2021. Responsibility for wins and losses always rest with the manager.

If you bothered to read my previous post I said he was a great man for getting Mayo to finals, but once there wasn't so great.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581606#Comment_123581606

I did indeed read it although it won't linger long in the memory I'm afraid 😂😂

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581611#Comment_123581611

I don't care if it does or not.

Who do you think should be the next manager and why?

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581578#Comment_123581578

Maybe ask your new best friend if there are many or any comparable teams with Mayo's disastrous AI finals record. We are not typical and given that many of our final defeats were small margins surely it makes sense to have someone who has got over the line as manager or coach.

Audioslaven

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581130#Comment_123581130

The problem is you cannot understand the context of their statement and read between the lines.

It specifically used words like "relieve" and "immediate". I posted last night that it reads like a guy who didn't want to go and this is exactly what seems to have been the case. The CB are never going to say in a statement he didn't want to go. Why do that as they want to move on ASAP. McStay should have led from that and agreed an approach to his exit from a PR side. I think he has conducted himself badly that he didn't take an agreed approach or at least propose an exit… then execute it. Lots of people jumped the gun on the CB…. wrongly this time imo

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581680#Comment_123581680

The problem isnt that i dont understand context but rather that reading between the lines can lead to different conclusions, depending on who is doing the reading and what bias they may have.

You maintain that McStay didn't agree an exit approach but none of us were in the room. How do we know what he agreed or didn't agree? The board just issued an abrupt notice of the end of his tenure. The recruitment process was long and meticulous and the board kept the public informed at different stages. But whatever process was engaged in this week was kept out of public view. Seems strange to me.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581680#Comment_123581680

You could well be right in that McStay didn't want to go, only those in the conversations know for sure. It doesn't really matter what the details are, it's fairly clear he was sacked but the statement could have been worded more diplomatically at absolutely no cost to anyone. Instead, it's an unnecessary news story

Brendan Bendar

Starry Boy has no chance of getting the Mayo job.

Audioslaven

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581727#Comment_123581727

stop digging, this is so niave posting. There is nothing strange about it. If he and the CB agreed to an approach, he would have issued a statement and it would not have lots of people up in arms over the CB statement. I think they have told it like it is. They feel it is best to get the recruitment process going. It seems to me that they are leading from the front on this and they see no future with McStay and why wait. This is all very well co-ordinated approach, no messing around and dare I say they could possibly have someone lined up - reading between the lines 😀. Anyway, this has been on the cards since last winter's review and people are wondering about why it was done so fast…well now.. go figure that one out!!

Audioslaven

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581572#Comment_123581572

In fairness Horan was brilliant and he needed that bit to get over the line. Some say he would not listen to anyone but that could be what made him so good as he stuck with players and got serious buy in.

He is mayo to the core and on his first stent, made me so excited before the games, as I knew everything was given. Brilliant times when I look back at it. He made those players what they became keegan, boyle, vaughan, o'connor, o'sheas. I watched the 2017 game vs dublin on youtube the other day and what a panel we had. Shame really that they did not win it out.

hugeorange

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581995#Comment_123581995

Shame he left in 2014. They were on the brink of something then.

Happyilylost

Kevin Walsh. That is all.

munster87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581770#Comment_123581770

Too much of a winning mentality, wouldn’t fit in.

robbiezero

Not sure why Cuala winning what they did was seen as a penalty kick for O Malley.

There would have been a lot of Dublin clubs ahead of them in betting last year.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581995#Comment_123581995

Brilliant except on the day it really mattered when he was always useless.

I was done with Horan after 2021. His SEVENTH year as an inter county manager, 4th AI final and outfoxed by a pair of novice managers and a Tyrone team who have done nothing since.

If he had even the slightest tactical nous he could have won that final, and at least one of the others.

Andy Moran getting rave reviews by the way, seems to be big on preparation.

https://m.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/the-moran-identity-is-giving-the-farney-army-a-new-attacking-edge/a690926669.html

tobefrank321

Re McStay, it wasn't handled well. They could have waited until the championship was over, asked for a report from him and management team and then decide.

All the chopping and changing of championship formats and league and championship being so close didn't help.

Able to put in great performances against big teams but flop against lesser ones was not good. Unlucky manager but time to move on.

Arkiema

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581995#Comment_123581995

i never understand the disrespect Horan gets to be honest. Yes losing those finals will always be a lightning rod for criticism but where he took that squad and the country from in 2010 can never be overlooked.

Listening to a podcast lately and hearing him talk about Mayo football, high performance, standards coaching and developing players reinforced my belief that he should be involved in some developmental capacity - some sort of conduit between underage grades and development to senior.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123582338#Comment_123582338

Absolutely no question he should be involved at developmental level. Just not as Mayo manager.

Its time to give someone else a fresh start, probably Andy Moran. Give him a few years to bed in, and hope for a serious tilt in year 3 or 4, with a bit of preparation for an AI final.

I have nothing against Horan other than he won't win an AI.

Lecter8319

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581611#Comment_123581611

Go on Mac

Audioslaven

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123582064#Comment_123582064

Totally, he must have felt he had given his all and it didn't work out. I don't think Horan 2.0 came with the same passion and drive in his second stent. He was very raw and hungry in Horan 1.0 and everyone took to him as they saw the transformation he brought. Agree he should be in the development side of the house as they could do with someone of his experience to drive that.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123581578#Comment_123581578

Ask your friend how many Mayo managers have won and All Ireland with Mayo. Your friend should say less than three.

Lecter8319

what’s another year😂🥳

Westernview

Rumours going around that Austin OMalley with Andy are lined up for the job. Couod be BS but it feels like someone was already lined up before that meeting with McStay.