Mayo GAA Discussion

If horan would team up with rockford, i think it would be a masterclass. Rochford to develop the matchups, horan to ensure goalkeepers or something daft isnt attempted. Both to holder each other accountable. Rochford, whatever you say about him, he was so enthusiastic and motivated. i think he didnt develop youth - which Horan would compliment on. my sunday night brain fart

I often wondered the same, but judging on the way that Horan goes through selectors I don't think he would work well with Rochford at all.

Likewise!

probably, but the equation is only as smart as the fella writing it. a SWOT analysis is whats really required. When you look at Horans strengths, some are Rochfords weaknesses and vice versa. Your equation (🤡) also leaves out facts. Horan and rochford both have the closest records of beating dublin in an all ireland final. In an era when dublin presented the (undisputed) greatest football team ever. Both managers did what they could, with their own shortcomings, and the limitation of having hte 2nd best player in each position.

PS, your language is deliberately very insulting to the two people involved. What have you done to support the cause? how many time loser are you?😂

He was criticized first time around for being tactically exposed in big games 3 years in a row, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Said he learned his lessons. He's learned nothing. His tactics against Tyrone were probably the worst yet. He's gone backwards. Just a tactically naive manager and as you say time to move on.

The Tyrone managers are senior IC novices. How is that ahead of Horan? Bad or good tactics has little to do with players and at the same time many of these Mayo players have played in multiple AI finals and all of them at least 1 AI. Tyrone and Mayo are at about the same stage of development.

There's a difference between criticism and abuse.

Both Mayo GAA and now today the president of the GAA have had to release statements to point this out to gobsh1tes who go over the top.

That's a fairly sad state of affairs.

Good post. There is nothing wrong with criticizing a culture around a team or county. There are two prime examples in recent years of a failing culture being turned around and teams made into AI winners. Jim McGuinness inherited a negative culture in Donegal when he took over, they were known more for drinking than football. He turned it around. So did Pat Gilroy in Dublin - flashy players kissing the badge and all that, nowhere to be found in really big games. He also turned it around.

The culture in Mayo hasn't been great for decades.

But changing the culture also means dropping certain players who are considered undroppable if they aren't performing. Players should be criticised purely for what they do on a football field, not because they promote this or that commercially.

And one huge change in Mayo would be to think of the Mayo team as underachievers rather than overachievers which is what some people call them every year.

In fairness to management it is not an easy job. Often the biggest obstacle they have to tackle is their own county board. Something that Jim Mc Guinness knows all about, but at the same time the buck should stop with management when it comes to criticism.

Just on your mention of culture and Donegal players drinking before he took over. People have said if only half the stories were true it was madness. Truth is they were all true and more. They were and are a great bunch of lads, but you would not have found a crazier collection in a long weeks march. How he got the buy in required from them to this day is still a mystery to me.

You know what I meant, their tactics were far superior to Mayo's who had no tactic except run it into contact, which was exactly what everyone said you shouldn't do against Tyrone. But that was just one mistake. There were others. You can't expect to win an AI with one recognized midfielder for example. Or put your faith in players with almost no experince in an AI final who played well in an A vs B game. Or leave Darren Coen on the bench until its too late, or take off one of the few players who looked like a threat, while leaving on players who offered no threat, and so on.

As for the 4 goal chances, its all to do with composure. You could have 10 goal chances but meaningless if you don't convert them. So they got the composure part right too!

Tyrone are a good team, but certainly not world beating. They had a fair number of wides. They also had a bit of luck, one or two decisions go their way, superior tactics and hugely superior use of the bench.

They benefitted from Mayo naivity over running into contact and naivity about the threat from McShane. Mayo also had no midfield worth talking about. And even though its well known if you run at the Tyrone defence you cause them problems, how often did Mayo do that? It was O'Hora who was running at them until he was taken off.

All this falls on the manager first and foremost who I think you will agree had a stinker. Forgivable maybe if he was a novice, but 7 years as a senior IC manager?

There is every chance Horan could get Mayo to a final again next year, where they will be beaten again.

Its fair critique and don't allow anyone tell you otherwise.

That really is my opinion on it also. As fans, what good is it if we can't discuss it and give opinion?

pretty sure Tyrone are classed as "world beaters" best in ireland. would whoop the American and uk teams, and that to be quite frank in the GAA world beaten.

thats akin to saying the corks the kerrys the donegals. there is only one of each. or the conor mortimers, the ciaran mcdonalds, the michael murphies.. terrible turn of phrase

So how are people 10 days or so after the event ?

It still grates with me, it was an opportunity that we have not had as Mayo fans in quiet a few finals and they did not get the job done.

Another poster posted here had a post where he/she gave the advantage to either Tyrone or Mayo in all the 15 spots on the field.

Most of those advantages went to Tyrone in that posters opinion and to me it's purpose was somehow to show that Tyrone were always better team anyway.

I don't buy it, I think a lot of it was hindsight, most people would have given the majority of advantages to Mayo in the days prior to the final.

It don't think there was a lost opportunity like it since 1996.

So what is the future, should we as Mayo fans be in a win or bust mood for 2022 ?

Obviously that's not easy because you still have Dublin, Tyrone and even the over rated Kerry to deal with to win it, but even the young guys on this team have now been to two All Ireland finals, they have beaten Dublin, the older guys have years of experience, as has the manager.

Is it not time for us as fans to expect a win and nothing else from this team and this management will be sufficient ?

That's the way I see it to.

I absolutely acknowledge what Horan has done for Mayo both in the first and second stints, but he has to get us over the line in 2022.

Loads saying to get rid of him but who out there would be better. A hard core Galway lad beside me says he would love to have Horan over Galway. Granted he has his faults and I would have a bigger issue with his bench selection as one guy could be in for a game and gone after that. It's hard for guys to build form. If guys don't turn up for a final, it's hard for a manager to make it work.

He has done more for Mayo than anyone before him, so I hope he waits as I don't see anyone better.

I would not get rid of Horan in 2022 seeing as he has one year left anyway, but if they fail to win in 2022 I really can't see the value in keeping him on, and of course he may step away himself at that point.

As for a replacement for 2023 I can't give you one, I don't live in the county so I don't know what the club scene is like.

I recall when Rochford left Michael Solan was a potential candidate, and I for one would have preferred him over Horan as I feared that Horan would be too forgiving to the older players that he developed in his first stint (got that wrong thankfully).

Is Solan still a viable candidate ?

He has won a title after all.

Freeman-gate.

Freeman seemed to be doing fine in the 2013 All Ireland final when Horan for some reason subbed him off sometime before HT

I was behind that goal that day and I though he was doing fine, very surprised why he was taken off.

I can't recall who replaced him.

There might have been a element of panic from Horan in it, Mayo were not leading but they were not too far behind either at the time if I recall.

He was criticized a year earlier for not doing something quick enough when Donegal got two early goals, maybe he thought he had to be seen to be doing something in 2013 and Freeman was the victim.

Aidan's composure in taking that goal stands in marked contrast with his lack of composure with his goal chance against Tyrone :(