Mayo GAA Discussion

I'd agree there, last year's all Ireland loss was definitely the waste of yer best opportunity to win a senior all Ireland, possibly ever. That was a poor enough, but lucky Tyrone team.

Obviously you know you own panel best, but outside looking in, ye are heading for a transition period and a serious clear out is required.

Galway probably about the right age to do a few years dominating connacht. Roscommon definitely gone into transition too.

Some people are just hilarious.

So the CB the same CB who got lambasted here a few years ago for NOT getting into bed with that eejiit are now somehow in cahoots with him bringing down Horan.

Seriously?

Horan had gone soft and not just stale. Players like AOS/Coen would have been benched during his first stent. He has done loads for Mayo GAA but we just don't have enough quality and lack consistency in the newer guys. COC is too slow now, the best player ever to play for us will most likely bow out(keegan). Mcloughlin is done, doherty is done, AOS is done, Doc is just an image of what he should be and has been for a while now.

We have loads of panel players who are stuck in no man's land Carr, Boland, Mchale, Orme, Moran, Coen etc etc.

The new guy has a rebuilding job on his hands, be under no illusion as he will need to clear out some of the names above as I expect some won't go. We will never win the big prize with any of the above (except Keegan) and that is the harsh reality.

I would have been keen on Rochford myself until very recently, maybe as recently as yesterday but I think it would be a case of deja vu deja vu...

A fresh start is needed

Im lost in your first paragraph, are you in agreement that you are slating using form as a performance indicator, and then yourself using form as an indicator? but because he was better than some of the others doesnt mean he was good. I can criticise for the black card. Commentary at the time was due to verbals, for which this is a sanction. other players werent black carded. doesnt make it right, but thems the rules.

Jason has come back from 2 acls in his 30s,not many guys in any sport can do that and perform at previous levels,he's not the player he was unfortunately and wouldnt be surprised to see him step away.

Keegan is one of the best players in the country and in a rich vein of form.Hennelly is getting better with age and on current form is the best keeper in the country.

The fact that they are all 32 is irrelevant.

When should we expect a new manager?

With the county club season upcoming would he be in place for the start of that so that he can have a look at who is out there.

Or would it be a case of letting the club season run and at the end see if anyone emerges as a strong candidate that was not in the frame already.

Yes maybe I don't disagree with that .

I was calling out a poster who was putting DOC,Leeroy and Hennelly in the same bracket as regards stepping away simply because they're a similar age.

I think Kevin Mac will go and maybe Jason,that'll be it.

Although it feels like the end of an era with James going we have a young team with a lot of older experienced guys.We have a team good enough to win the All Ireland with all the long term injuries back.

Just to add I think this managerial appointment is the most important one there's ever been,we are at a juncture now.We have the players to land the big one but we need to maintain the standards whilst also getting a bit of a bounce and fresh voice.

Rochie has the experience,respect and is a great tactician (it was fairly clear he didn't have much input in donegal this year)He knows whats involved at this level,I wouldn't be worried that we're having a manager back again,that's irrelevant if he can do the job.I think he would be the safest bet.

My own preference would be to be brave and take a punt on Andy Moran.He knows the standards,knows what it's like inside the bubble and has a great football brain.He has very little intercounty experience but has more than the current favourite for the gig.

A clubman like Dempsey is not the answer,he has never operated at this level,now I'm not saying he couldn't learn but that takes a few years,we need to keep things rolling and up it a few %.

Andy Moran is a definite no for me

Too inexperienced and too close to some of the current playing squad .

I like Rochford . A lot . If he does get the gig again I’ll be fine with that but I do wonder about the wisdom of going back again .

Kevin Mcstay ?

McStay is not an option if he wants to include McHale.

With all due respect to McHale he was a great player but is not suitable to current day management structures.

Too much "laps of the field" than "studying video " for this day and age.

Fitzmaurice is definitely out.

He's a teacher in Dingle and although he won an All Ireland he did not have to go through Dublin to do it, even in Kerry he is poorly regarded.

I agree with you on McGuiness, he did a great job with Donegal in 2012 and it was a very unique achievement, but he has not been able to follow up on it.

Mcstay and moran fall into the same category for me - too nice. There is going to need to be someone who is going to make some tougher calls, like horan did in his first stint. Someone who will keep a bit of distance will be required I feel.

Personally, id like to see a break from this narrative of we are lucky to have the players we have. It is all wrong. Mayo are a footballing stronghold and the way I see it, players should be privileged to wear the jersey for every second that they do, not the other way around. I feel that this is where horan went down. He became loyal to his players rather than the county. Ive no doubt it was bourne out of frustration with the cb, but it is still a bad move as regards keeping the team in the right mindframe. In kerry, they are lucky to wear the jersey, end of. We need to instill the same.

A view from a roscommon man re mcstay - he is magnificent if you have the panel already assembled and just need the bit extra to get over the line. I seen him in action in Roscommon Gaels and St Brigids and on both occasions he got absolute max out of good to excellent teams. He's tactically astute, decisive and players generally like him.

He did a good job with roscommon IMHO, but hadn't full support after the "dream team" fell apart. And roscommon can't afford not to be 100% pulling in one direction. So roscommon views are mixed on him.

I honestly don't think mcguiness could do it for ye. What he did in donegal could only be done with his home county... Lads put so much into it.

Ye know yer selves where the team is at. IMHO that panel hasn't an all Ireland in them even if lads are early 30s and have been great servants. There's a job to keep some, turn others into panel players and impact subs and cut lose a few more. Ye should have excellent young lads from the last few years - now is their time.

Best of luck with the search.

Rochford is close to the modern game and has a proven track record at that level.

Mcstay is a nice guy but has never been on the biggest stage,he's way too far removed from the modern game.

I know it's all about opinions and maybe I'm the one who's wrong but I don't see how Mcstay could be a better choice than Rochford by any known metric.

Another view from outside; Mayo have a habit of going back to the well to replace managers and no success to show for it.

That's a fair post.

For me the gap between club and county has widened hughly in the last 10 years,this is magnified when we're talking about a project like Mayo.

I think anybody who hasn't been there before is going to struggle to adjust,its a real sink or swim scenario and even those that will swim will need time to adjust.We have a squad now that can win Sam,we don't have the luxury of a bedding in period of a couple of seasons.

For this reason I'd go with Andy or Rochie.I wouldn't be too worried about Morans closeness with the current team,he has shown he can be ruthless enough and is very driven,I don't think he'd be worried about stepping on a few toes if it meant the ultimate prize. Andy surely would be more of a risk or a punt but he knows the standards,can maintain them and his energy, enthusiasm and belief coupled with football brain could be the thing to gel it all together and give us that lift.

To be clear I mean no disrespect to Ray Dempsey by pointing out he is a clubman.

On Andy, he had a shot at managing Ballagh before Leitrim and it didn't amount to much. He has no CV and is too close to these lads IMO.

I'd be very surprised if Dempsey was a done deal, hes not exactly a company man.

Dempseys minor team were excellent, it was the year O'Shea and Walsh were on it, if we had held onto the ball at one end we had it won, instead we took a silly shot that dropped short and they got an equaliser. The replay was in Longford and went to extra time, Hennelly dropped one straight to Conor O'Neill. Kyle Coney was Tyrones star man. Having said all that its 14 years ago!

How was McGuinness not able to follow up on 2012? In 2014 they hammered the greatest team of all time, something no other county could even get close to doing. They lost a tense final after their keeper kicked the ball straight to Donaghy for a late goal

His 4 year stint (plus the one u21 year) was one of the most impressive stints ever by a manager. 2010 brings an u21 team to an All Ireland final where they miss a last gasp penalty to win it. 2011 brings a lowly D2 team, known previously as a "crowd of wasters" to an Ulster. 2012 All Ireland. 2013 had a down year. 2014 mentioned above and quits afterwards, with the county not making a semi final since.

I don't like his character tbh, find him slightly arrogant but his achievements get completely overshadowed by the "death of football" stuff that its remembered for and that was happening well before he arrived. It's possible his methods are outdated but then again he's adapted his style quickly already once, and was agile at the time and still isn't that old. He'd be incredibly worth a roll of the dice for ye imo. Now there is also a Donegal job up for grabs and he may not want to return at all. Worth finding out though

There was Pat Holmes as well. It's rare other counties even go back to consider a manager, but mayo certainly have a habit of it.

I'd keep that man as far away from Mayo football as would be humanly possible, and increase the distance further again if I could. He caused immeasurable and irreparable damage to Mayo GAA and his most recent appointment was a sham and a disaster from start to finish.

The talk is that the gap between club and county has widened, and that's where I would have started off thinking. But successful club teams these days are extremely "professional" in their set-up. I wonder is it just us thinking that the gap has widened rather than it being any bigger than before.

Intercounty is a completely different ball game to what it was but it doesn't fall down on one man like it used to. A lot of it is about assembling the right management team / coaches / backroom staff to assist the manager.

My gut would be that Andy would be great to have involved in the management team, but that the main job would be too big of a step at this point in time.

I often wonder about Ciaran Mc's influence this year as well. He seemed to have a bit of a diminished role Vs last year but that might be reading into the supposed falling out... and our forward play was always going to suffer without Tommy and Ryan. But I wouldnt mind seeing him involved again.

Rochford, Andy, Ciaran Mc would look good on paper. Rochford strikes me as a manager who would let them grow into their own roles.

I maybe wrong but I would see Dempsey wanting his own team and being less open to that kind of thing.

I said I didn't fancy Rochford a few hours ago.... Ah, I give up. I'm rambling on.

I guess we'll only know if a good choice is made a year or so after the appointment is made. Whoever it is, I hope it works out.