Replying To Bosco98:  "Totally disagree, Brolly went too far. Mayo are not the first (nor will they be the last) team to agitate for managerial change - Galway & Cork hurlers come to mind, the only difference is that Mayo never won that All-Ireland - if they had, it would never have been mentioned again.
And for the record, Brolly was a fancy-dan kiss-blowing joke on possibly the worst team ever to win an all-ireland, I remember watching their magnificent 0-8 to 0-6 victory over Donegal in the ulster final, and he has the cheek to go on about bad football !!"

Replying To riverboys:  "Have to disagree with you green and red, a meeting was held and players agreed that the management should stay on for another year, a while later a few players flew over to London for a weekend and met with a business person, when they returned home they wanted the Holmes and Connelly out and Horan in instead, they convinced the other players to agree with this and the 2 lads felt they had no choice but to resign, that was player power and was wrong, incidentally has anybody seen Holmes or Connelly at a Mayo match since? I doubt it"

Replying To centerfield:  "Couldn't give a s***e about him and his kidney TBH"

Replying To Bosco98:  "Totally disagree, Brolly is a sports pundit (not a very good one - his assertion that the Dublin team only "switched on" in the 62nd minute of the 2017 all-ireland is ridiculous), not a moral arbiter - he went too far in a personalised attacked that is unfortunately typical of independent newspapers.
Mayo are not the first team (and won't be the last) to agitate for managerial change - Galway hurlers are the most recent example, the difference there is that they won the all-ireland that protected/insulated them from this type of abuse
I can guarantee that none of these Mayo players will be calling for Horan's head, although I'd have some serious questions over his (lack of a) kick-out strategy, as Rochford had got a quite decent one in place for 2017"

Replying To GreenandRed:  "Have to disagree with you green and red, a meeting was held and players agreed that the management should stay on for another year, a while later a few players flew over to London for a weekend and met with a business person, when they returned home they wanted the Holmes and Connelly out and Horan in instead, they convinced the other players to agree with this and the 2 lads felt they had no choice but to resign, that was player power and was wrong, incidentally has anybody seen Holmes or Connelly at a Mayo match since? I doubt it"

Replying To faithful4ever:  "I was at that final in 2017 and Brolly is absolutely right in that regard! Dublin were on autopilot for most of that game and still won...

If you have the ba**s to call for the managers head you damn well need to deliver the next year. Thats the big difference between the Galway hurlers and Mayo! Galway vindicated their decision to chop the manager and showed that the manager was (at least partially) to blame the previous year. However, Mayo demanded the managers head and then failed to come up with the goods over and over again. This proves that they were simply looking for a scapegoat in the form of the manager rather than having the spine to stand up, accept responsibility for the loss and get on with things the next year. I believe that this is what Brolly was really getting at when he was questioning the players manhood and I think he is 100% right!

Also, you highlighting the kickout tactic failing is a prime example of what WILL be used when Mayo players begin to agitate for change and blame the manager again... if bananas and bottled water were used in the past then kickout strategies are an easy excuse for the players! You can be sure there will be some rumblings in the team looking to get rid of Horan and when it happens I will remember this post and reply to it!"

Replying To Bosco98:  "I was also at that match, and I beg to differ. It's not only insulting to Mayo, but also extremely insulting to Dublin to suggest that they only woke up with 8 minutes of normal time left in an all-ireland final (I wonder what the many Dublin supporters on this forum think of that comment?)
So, back to the Galway hurlers, they won the semi-final with a JC wonder point in a game that could have gone either way. In the 2017 all-ireland football final, Cillian O'Connor missed a free in injury time, and Dean Rock nailed his.
Both of these games were decided on very fine margins, as the often the case with elite sports.
The Mayo footballers (and all other GAA teams) are amateurs, and devote a huge amount of their time for the cause, and they reserve the right to look for managerial change if they feel its needed. I repeat, Brolly's comments were too personalised and over the top, and as another poster has pointed out, would struggle to get past the moderator on this forum.
Actually to get specific, Brolly said that Mayo were great players but not great men, to me it is the other way around - they have showed fantastic character over the years to get so close, but overall their lack of technical ability (particularly in the forwards) has cost them (Kevin McStay had a very good article on this in yesterday's Irish Times)
I also repeat that there will NOT be a heave against Horan - if there is, I'm sure we'll hear from you, but I don't see it happening"

Replying To faithful4ever:  "I was at that final in 2017 and Brolly is absolutely right in that regard! Dublin were on autopilot for most of that game and still won...

If you have the ba**s to call for the managers head you damn well need to deliver the next year. Thats the big difference between the Galway hurlers and Mayo! Galway vindicated their decision to chop the manager and showed that the manager was (at least partially) to blame the previous year. However, Mayo demanded the managers head and then failed to come up with the goods over and over again. This proves that they were simply looking for a scapegoat in the form of the manager rather than having the spine to stand up, accept responsibility for the loss and get on with things the next year. I believe that this is what Brolly was really getting at when he was questioning the players manhood and I think he is 100% right!

Also, you highlighting the kickout tactic failing is a prime example of what WILL be used when Mayo players begin to agitate for change and blame the manager again... if bananas and bottled water were used in the past then kickout strategies are an easy excuse for the players! You can be sure there will be some rumblings in the team looking to get rid of Horan and when it happens I will remember this post and reply to it!"

Replying To TheFlaker:  "Another cringy post from a lad who hasn't a notion. Horan here for another 2 years at least. Mayo were far better under Rochford than the managers in 2015. You don't know why Brolly keeps going down this road, maybe go and find out."

Replying To TheFlaker:  "Another cringy post from a lad who hasn't a notion. Horan here for another 2 years at least. Mayo were far better under Rochford than the managers in 2015. You don't know why Brolly keeps going down this road, maybe go and find out."

Replying To supersub15:  "I wouldn't waste my time responding to postings on Brolly's outburst of " just not enough men" the history books will show that Mayo has left an indelible legacy of all things positive that brought them to the cusp of being presented with that elusive piece of silver soaked in the same blood sweat and tears that previously failed to get them over the line.
In the drawn game of 2016 when Cillian O' Conner pointed that free to draw the game, did that point make him a greater man than of his team mates, or when he missed that free deep into injury time in the replay did that make him a lesser player than his team mates, absolutely not.
Mr Brolly and his yes men / women, appear to be attention seekers and of those that need their "egos massaged " to keep things going.

"It's not the silver that makes the man, rather it's the man that makes the silver".
"

Replying To faithful4ever:  "Well we have very different interpretations on that final and there is very little point in arguing it any further. I would just like to mention that I was being in no way insulting to Dublin and I was merely highlighting that they easily could have dispensed with Mayo much earlier in that game had they been switched on! Dublin were noticeably lethargic and slower to get to grips with the game than they had been all year before that game.

Also, to tackle your "amateurs" comment, you really dont have even the slightest appreciation for how much work managers (and coaching staff) put in. It is about 3 fold what a player commits. When the players arrive for training and go home, the managers (and coaching staff) have put in hours of prep for the session, often arrived about an hour before hand (at least) to set things up and probably an hour afterwards assessing the training session that they just witness... AND THIS IS JUST FOR A TRAINING SESSION!!! when it comes to match analysis, they watch hours and hours of game footage and pick out the elements that need to be highlighted and nowadays they spend an hour if not more going through this footage with the players (all of which the manager is also at!). Just to note (and i am not downing the player commitment required, i have been involved as a player at county level and understand whats required) after training / games the player is getting on with his own life and football is a mere afterthought while the manager (and coaching staff) are doing all the background work (and thats all just the tip of the iceberg). So please have at least the slightest bit of respect when referring to the priorities of a manager versus the players because you have phrased it in a way that is wholeheartedly disrespectful to managers all across the country (in both codes at virtually every grade) to infer that they should be replaceable at the drop of a hat just because the players think they should be. Especially when games come down to such tight margins that only the players can be held responsible.

Finally, nice to see you contradict yourself with the following statement:

"Actually to get specific, Brolly said that Mayo were great players but not great men, to me it is the other way around - they have showed fantastic character over the years to get so close, but overall their lack of technical ability (particularly in the forwards) has cost them"

If their technical ability was what let them down, then they are spineless and unwilling to accept that their ability (or more specifically their lack of it) was the cause of their failure and instead decided to torpedo the management team to cover up for their failings.

I totally understand that management needs to be replaced from time to time but the success that Cody, Harte and lately Gavin have had shows that continuity, patience and a bit of loyalty to a manager can bring you a lot further. Teams and county boards are becoming too trigger happy with blaming managers. Some players should start looking in the mirror every now and again rather than passing blame all the time!

To reiterate, I believe Brolly was 100% right, willing to speak the truth knowing it would lead to backlash.
Sometimes its refreshing to hear someone tell it as it is rather than hiding behind pc Bull****. Also, i love this "personalised element" did he even name one specific player??? no! he also said that there were a number of honorable exceptions in the team but also did not mention them by name. So how was it personalised? it was aimed at the squad generally. And anyway he was right!"

Replying To faithful4ever:  ""It's not the silver that makes the man, rather it's the man that makes the silver" ---- Perfect statement coming from a Carlow man :)

All joking aside, can i be very very very clear on something that you have brought up through your below statement:

"in the drawn game of 2016 when Cillian O' Conner pointed that free to draw the game, did that point make him a greater man than of his team mates, or when he missed that free deep into injury time in the replay did that make him a lesser player than his team mates, absolutely not."

I am not questioning Mayo's 'manliness' with regard to anything they do on the field. Everyone is well aware they are a good team. Thats exactly what Brolly meant when he said "good enough players". His reference to manliness solely relates to the Mayo players inability to take responsibility and instead tank management to take the fall. So please get with the argument!"

Replying To GreenandRed:  ""It's not the silver that makes the man, rather it's the man that makes the silver" ---- Perfect statement coming from a Carlow man :)

All joking aside, can i be very very very clear on something that you have brought up through your below statement:

"in the drawn game of 2016 when Cillian O' Conner pointed that free to draw the game, did that point make him a greater man than of his team mates, or when he missed that free deep into injury time in the replay did that make him a lesser player than his team mates, absolutely not."

I am not questioning Mayo's 'manliness' with regard to anything they do on the field. Everyone is well aware they are a good team. Thats exactly what Brolly meant when he said "good enough players". His reference to manliness solely relates to the Mayo players inability to take responsibility and instead tank management to take the fall. So please get with the argument!"

Replying To jimbodub:  "Howya Seanie

Regarding Colm Boyle

He always made me think of the Dublin men that made up the 90's Dublin half back line. Skillful, tough, dedicated and willing to put their head where another wouldn't put their foot. Probably my favorite Dublin line of all time, they were hero's of mine when I was in my mid-late teens, like in Mayo's case they made up a shortfall of out and out quality forwards, one particular player Eamon Heary was a fan favorite, and unfortunately after grinding at the wheel for years he missed out on 1995. It was a sour point about that victory for me, he came back in under Whelan but the team was done at that stage and would be for the next 16 years!

Seeing Colm Boyle's face coming off the pitch reminded me of that. The face of a man that gave his all but will more than likely miss out and you could see what may have been going through his mind. Is this the last time I walk off this pitch etc. He's a player I admire and have enjoy watching so it wasn't nice to see.

I think in life we can all relate to such circumstances in our own way.

That's why the timing of J Brolly's article was in poor taste. Kicking them when they are down sort of stuff.

They deserve better IMO"

Replying To brisbane:  "His gf is from mayo"