Mayo GAA Discussion

100% on the button, Pressrun.

There's too many easy narratives. There are also a lot of folk who don't seem to watch games or see what goes on, but take their opinions from what the read in the papers or the like.

It will be interesting to see how the narrative shifts over the next few weeks for some counties.

Brilliant news. He will offer so much power going forward. Be some battle with SOS provide Kerry get the win

Aido has been brilliant in plenty of big games. But in a few against Dublin has not done well. But he has to play against Kerry. He can break up play like no other when he's on form.

That game was the biggest rollercoaster I think I've ever been on. If we can just get our pressing and running game going in the first half then we're sorted for the final.

Agreed, for me he is also a starter. his game is so much more than kicking points, and thats okay. There is a job there for him. Hel be put man marking David Moran or Tommy Walsh, sacrificing our slowest player for their game makers is not a bad prospect

Perhaps. He does have attributes but his weaknesses can be exploited - Dublin have done so effectively by concentrating on his lack of pace. It's not entirely fair to criticise the chap for being exposed for pace when he's not Linford Christie himself.

Will be interesting to see how David Clifford does vs Tyrone as he's been misfiring a bit vs Cork the last 2 games, and as mentioned elsewhere seems to have fallen from Best on the Planet to second in his own house.

I'm not for a second comparing Aido to Clifford in terms of Footballing ability, David Clifford is an absolutely outstanding footballer, but is it not a bit similar in terms of how the expectations that have been created?.

Actually the more I see and hear from Oisin McConville the more I like him.

There are a fair few ex footballers now commentators or pundits who seem to have a dissordinate amount of almost hatred for certain Mayo players.

😏

Remember we have had an ex Meath player complain that Mayo players including AOS were egotistical simply because they talked to and spend some time with the fans, especially the kids.

FFS these would complain if the players ignored the fans and when they don't they complain anyway.

You have a couple of ex Dublin players, who have been involved in recent enough Dublin management teams, come out and whinge whether the Dubs win or lose.

And in the case of one it is totally unwarranted criticism of a highly personal nature.

And the fact he is given column inches in a non Dublin based paper is rather surprising.

Yes AOS is not the fastest player out there, is not a brilliant old fashioned full forward belting over collosal points on either foot and he has sometimes made wrong decisions like taking the ball into contact when he shouldn't have.

And yes he has not had huge influence on games against Dublin.

He has added hugely to Mayo over the years and like the other older lads deserves colosal respect for continously going back to the well year after year pushing to lift the holy grail.

And if he is so shyte as some of these so called experts claim then why do the Dubs foul him so much and put another player in front of him to collect breaking ball?

And I also think down through the years, maybe because of his size, he never gets the amount of protection from referees that other players get.

I think someone put it brilliantly a few days ago by saying that Aidan is a lightning rod for attention. A lightning rod doesn't go out looking for it but because it's so tall (and a few other things), it gets it.

I was chatting about the match a few days ago to someone who I would consider a huge fan and a well-balanced, well educated one. Aidan's poor game came up and the fact that he was out doing interviews before the game didn't help... his head can't be right if he's doing interviews in the lead up to a game...!!!

I hadn't read the interview but my first reaction/question was when was the interview was done? That was met with an "I don't know"..... I'm fairly sure it wasn't in the last week was my response and I told my friend that he should be a bit wiser to the media and the fact that "Aido sells" for them.

I never even went to check the article until reading recent comments reminded me about it. Here's the article, it wasn't even an interview, he was just questioned after the Galway win! It clearly states it was from weeks ago, but of course, it was held back until the day of the game. Some people would want to wise up.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/interview-im-not-going-to-be-everybodys-cup-of-teaaidan-oshea-on-dealing-with-abuse-and-mayos-new-era-40750322.html

I never really understood all that "if he's doing interviews/media he can't be right" etc. I recall a programme from an All Ireland Final a few years ago. Bernard Brogan appeared in no less than 4 different adverts. Didn't seem to affect him on the pitch.

Again - narratives.

That was the GAA hour. He did go on that a few years back after the Fermanagh game and the "dive" and his wording ending up as one of those really annoying sound bites in the podcast for years to come.

Anyone got a bucket and spade?

McHale Park pitch resurfacing well underway

https://fb.watch/7u2ovLsXal/

Tbh, RTE acted like a ragtop looking for scandal when Aidan was subbed. Canning tried to make a big deal about Aidan and James not shaking hands (not done with other subs afaik) as Aidan sprinted to get off the pitch. Cantwell then made some stupid comment before ET about how Aidan was disgusted about being taken off. Pure trash from them.

He has never scored in an All Ireland semi or final.

Pretty sure he kicked a nice point in the first half of that game.

Thanks I stand corrected. I think he takes far too much abuse, he's been a super player for Mayo for 10 years now. But at his level inability to kick simple scores is not acceptable and not that hard fix, I mean I'd have put that mark over. On the other hand I definitely wouldn't have won the high ball. If he had tapped over those 2 gimmie scores he was on his way to motm and an iconic croker performance. It's fine margins and in the long run it may yet be all to the good.

No player should have to take any abuse. None.

They're the ones effectively putting a lot of their lives to one side to do what they do and we are the beneficiaries by the entertainment it provides.

And while I'm sure both of us might have had a good chance of those scores, neither of us have ever had to put up with abuse Aido will have had to take - particularly in front of the hill - last Saturday or any other day - be it on line or in person. Anyone trying to play it out as banter or bringing colour to the game is just making excuses for scummy behaviour.

Its the true mark of a coward to be abusing amateur players be it from a terrace or from people online. You know for certain that none of these little toerags would have the balls to repeat themselves if the man was standing in front of them.

may have just been an attempt to try to make something as apparently Dean Rock was a bit peeved when he was subbed vs Kildare, so trying to raise that sort of false flag.

Oh yeah, 100%. Except Rock threw out the arms as if to say wtf when he was subbed in that game. Aidan just jogged off into the stands. Pure nonsense by rte

Can't disagree with anything you've said there. I remember watching his Breaffy team lose a county final 2 weeks after Mayo lost one of their finals around the middle of the decade. By the end of the game there was torrential rain and in his moment of utter dejection, fatigue and cold he still stopped to sign autographs for a swarm of kids. It said a lot about a man some people call a bottler and a choker.

On the mark AOS missed he took it from the exact spot where the mark was made which was a slightly tricky angle for a ciotog.

Most regular free takers would have engineered their run up so their angle was much more advantageous when they kicked the ball.