Mayo GAA Discussion Part 2

That result was quite a shock to the system.

Nobody doubts there has been a possible mental fragility sometimes manifested in an inability to protect a lead in some Mayo performances.All Ireland finals,All Ireland semi finals/semi final replays but does that justify the bottlers tag?Such a loaded and lazy phrase to throw out by those who wish to gloat and seek pleasure in other counties misery,frankly pathetic.

Evidently mental strength is a intricate part of the make up of a winning team so we have not been good enough and are well aware of same.Although I'd stand by my long standing opinion that ultimately we are lacking in the requisite firepower to get us over the line.We have been reliant on a now misfiring half back line and the ability to win a mountain of possession to compensate for this glaring deficit.

It did appear that more than a hint of complacency,mental fatigue(lack of intensity and desire to win the dirty ball),clueless systems and possible leggy team(overtraining) as demonstrated in Kevin Keane's leg cramps...surprising were contributing factors.The stupidity of going into the tackle with predictable turnovers of possession,pedestrian like build up play,lateral passing and poor shot selection.

I thought Conor Lane had a poor day out,lots of mystifying decisions.Early on Mayo could not buy a free,he contributed greatly to a high free count and a poor contest which was very stop start.

I found the starting of Stephen Coen a recognised half back/midfielder in the forward very strange.Ditto the deployment of Keith Higgins in a more forward position.What was the rationale behind a move untested in this calendar year which failed dismally?

Kevin McLoughlin one of our better performers,not sure if he's the man for a sweeping role.We don't seem to be able to work the role of a sweeper...a Cian O Sullivan very well.That infamous soft centre down the middle of the Mayo defence was evident when Galway moved at pace.

Indicative of the undercurrent of complacency was the poor shot selection in the first half,Cillian O Connor's seeming obsession with demostrating his ability to take a long distant score off his left side.Aidan O Shea's wide off the outside of his boot,unnecessary.

Our midfield over the years has been one of our greatest strengths,it malfunctioned yesterday.Conroy and Flynn,two fine footballers cleaned us out.Flynn can run at pace and previously demonstrated his eye for a goal against the kingdom in Croke Park.Jason Gibbons was quiet before his unfortunate departure with a shoulder injury,possible fracture.Tom Parsons had a day to forget and Seamus O Shea's chronic loss of form continues.

TBF there have been signs that the team is in decline,the national league was a real struggle.Although the Roscommon victory was a chance to put down a marker the copybook was blotted by the number of wides with near 70% possession.The days out against Kerry and Down showed up many worrying facets of our game.

Many changes are needed for the qualifiers.David Clarke must come under serious consideration for the next game after Robbie Hennelly's crucial error last night,there have been other costly ones down through the years.Ger Cafferkey although not as physically imposing is more mobile than Kevin Keane.

Paddy Durkan did'nt really get into the contest with his marauding runs.Lee Keegan is far too good a player to not step up.Colm Boyle in many ways the heartbeat of the team was one of our best performers,you're always guaranteed 100%.

Our midfield problems are very worrying,we have few options.Hoping an out of form Seamus O Shea can rediscover his best form with Jason Gibbons a likely long term absence.

It was a shame Diarmuid O Connor could'nt start,the tide had already turned whence he entered the action.The Galway goal seemed to spark a widespread headless chicken like panic in the team.

Jason Doherty's tendency to bring the ball into contact and a likely swarm tackle is infuriating.One can't fault his work rate but he does'nt threaten the goalposts enough.

Hopefully Cillian O Connor,Evan Regan and maybe a starting Conor Loftus will be better able to win their own ball the next day,too much spilt ball.

I am not too sure about the suggested twin towers strategy of Aidan O Shea and Barry Moran inside.Aidan has had better days out,crowded out inside,spilt ball and arms in the air.Not working hard enough.

Both lads are lacking in any great mobility.It's great in theory,a helping hand for Aidan and Cillian can feed off of the ball won.We may not get to test/roadtest such a system against an only perceived weakness of the Dublin's of this world minus Rory O Carroll.They seem to have coped quite well in his absence.

I've the height of respect for the lads for the great joy they've given us selflessly over the last number of years.Not been good enough is not failure in my eyes.It had to end some time.Can they now show the ultimate mental strength to bring us a long and ultimately fruitful summer culminating in a long overdue victory on the third Sunday in September?We must continue to believe and support the lads and take little heed of the snide gloaters and begrudgers.

I echo Yop's sentiments re the fiasco that was the seating arrangements in the stand,season ticket holders were not properly advised before the game that certain blocks were reserved for paying ticket holders.

Congrats to the Tribesmen,deserved victory.Excellent midfield,as always natural forwards and a surprisingly stout defence.

yop wrote: »

I see none of the 6 season tickets in my seating group were showing up as Attended.

Not updated here either. Might be the usual Connacht council delay.

Any word on what happened to Jason Gibbons in the end? I heard a broken collar bone, but not sure if it's true. Hope he has as speedy a recovery as possible.

statto25 wrote: »

Mine now updated...They must be watching.

hmmmm.... 2/3's of ours updated here as of now :rolleyes:

Avns1s wrote: »

There was no mention in the email to Season Ticket Holders (mine anyway) that part of the stand was to be reserved.

The only reference to seating was "To attend this fixture you simply need to attend the venue and present your season ticket card for scanning at the designated turnstile(s). Seating is unreserved and season ticket holders will be seated in the Covered Stand.".

Now, I wasn't someone that arrived in early enough to get a seat in any of 104, 105 or 106 but if I had been, and managed to sit in one of those sections, given the wording of the email I would be pretty damn slow to move!

It wasn't just season ticket holders, anyone who had a stand ticket that arrived early enough to get a "better" seat in the apparently unreserved stand, was asked to move. I got in at ~6:20 and people who were holding me a seat had already been moved twice - it seems nobody was sure where 106 ended and 107 started, and from the quoted email from HQ, looks like they didn't know which rows in these sections were reserved either.

Re the game, it's all been said already.
We were flat, couldn't recover from the goal and that was that. Poorest display in many a year, but it's time to move on.
We either regather ourselves and attack the qualifiers with serious intent or we pack it in til next year.

We'll know which it's to be after 10 minutes of the game on July 9th.

Robson99 wrote: »

Call it lack of mental strength, calling bottling call it whatever you want, but the fact is Mayo have a soft underbelly and it has been there for years. The same as our hurlers. I'm not gloating nor do I seek pleasure in ye losing all Ireland finals, we have lost more than our share. I actually feel sorry for ye

Thanks for your pity but not necessary.No team has a god given right to a celtic cross but these lads and the men that have managed them these past few years can hold their heads high.personally I expect a reaction from them in the qualifiers,maybe it won't result in an all-ireland but they aren't soft,they aren't bottlers and they are still have the ability to mix it with the best. Having said that,the set up of the team saturday did us no favours .The template we had before this season does not need such radical changes imo.What we did lack up to now was strength in depth.The u-21 lads are ready to step up to the plate and the qualifiers is an ideal opportunity to blood them.The dream is still alive.

Yup. Bit of a disaster losing Cafferky. Kevin Keane did pretty well the other day on Comer, but if he gets injured, what other options do we have at the back? Chris Barrett seems to be recovering from his injury at a glacial pace too, so who knows how fit he is.

Oldtree wrote: »

hmmmm.... 2/3's of ours updated here as of now :rolleyes:

Still not updated and after email no record. kids ticket and all :mad: even got the photos to prove it.

Aidan has his word. Hate seeing these type of articles, no need to be talking shop to the press.

http://m.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/mayos-aidan-oshea-were-now-facing-our-biggest-test-as-a-group-34818765.html