With Mayo going for the 5 in a row in connacht yet there has been no talk about them. They have been consistent team over last 5 years. They would have won Sam last year only for a few crazy referee decisions. Can they cope without Jim Horan and bring Sam home?

HughHunt24 (Cork) - Posts: 841 - 13/06/2015 21:50:56    1736509

Cue the usual bitter lazy analysis. "Bottles" "chokers" and talk of the curse. Would be great to hear some actual though out analysis.

Mayo have the best middle eight unit in the country and are powerful enough to over run any team when motoring well. They need a new option in the full forward line ( maybe Aiden O Shea) to offer a plan B.

Higgins is the best corner back in the country, Keegan and Boyle the two best half backs, they are very strong in midfield and Kevin McLaughlin is one of the best link men their is.

They have gone back to Clarke in goal and Keane at full back.
That should improve kick outs and improve things under the high ball. If it works and O Shea going to full forward provides an extra 3-4 scores per game, they will have enough to do it.

People forget that they should have beaten kerry last year (twice) and Dublin the year before. If they can score more when on top and avoid injuries to the big players they will be hard bet.

A win today will mean a meeting with Dublin in croker.
It'll be nice to get back into the hill and force the dubs to go to a game early again.

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1140 - 14/06/2015 08:54:38    1736513

I'm not sure sure refereeing decisions have cost Mayo over the last few years.

They are one of the top teams in the Country - they have been so close. New management can sometimes unlock the secret - its generally instilling a deep level of belief into the team.

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1418 - 14/06/2015 09:13:40    1736522

A win today will mean a meeting with Dublin in croker


_____________________

What ? How ?

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 14/06/2015 09:25:07    1736524

No bottlers. A tough team but the final hoodoo seems to lie very deep with any mayo team. Mayo and Kerry have the 2 best mid fields in the country. If Oconnor had one other partner in crime in the forwards, they would be strong challengers this year. As it is I dont think they have the options up front.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 14/06/2015 09:51:29    1736530

waynoI
County: Dublin
Posts: 10449

1736524 A win today will mean a meeting with Dublin in croker


_____________________

What ? How ?
1 of there big problems thinking way ahead

OhtobeARossie (Roscommon) - Posts: 1764 - 14/06/2015 09:55:28    1736531

Refereeing decisions have cost them surely but they also threw away a few opportunities, in any event we are in the here and now and the chasing group are closing, Galway and Roscommon in Connaught, Monaghan and Armagh in Ulster, Kildare, Laois and possibly Meath (we will have to wait and see) in Leinster and Tipperary (hopefully) in Munster are closing the gap to the top 4 all the time. However if they win this Connaught title after beating Galway and Roscommon they should be in good shape for an All Ireland assault. I think the time is now or never for this Mayo team though.

mhunicean_abu (Monaghan) - Posts: 1045 - 14/06/2015 10:00:58    1736533

They didn't win Sam because they weren't quite good enough, end of story, nothing to do with a referee. They more than likely won't be good enough to go all the way, very hard to keep going to the well with the same bunch of players trying to convince them that this year will be their year, I hope I am wrong.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7910 - 14/06/2015 10:05:03    1736535

Blaming referees is only making excuses. They dont have quality forwards, even O Connor is not in same league as Gooch, O Donoghue, Murphy, Connolly or Colm O Neill.

HEREBENJI (Donegal) - Posts: 422 - 14/06/2015 10:11:59    1736536

im sick backing mayo over the years.granted they got rode last year by the ref against kerry but there always seems to be something.corner backs dropping balls .two of their best players running into each other..bad full backs..goalies not taking out corner forwards under high balls...but to call them dark horses?!!? they are 3rd favourites ffs!!

kavvie (Clare) - Posts: 505 - 14/06/2015 10:39:14    1736543

It's hardly being bitter to say that Mayo are bottlers - sine I met the wife 15 years ago I have been to and seen enough failures when it looked like this might be the year for the men in Green and Red. I am not a Mayo man and I came away from Croke Park feeling frustrated with them having seen them in the previous rounds dispose of teams playing good football. Mayo are in the top 6 teams year in year out but I can't see them breaking the hoodoo this year and lifting Sam - would love to be proved wrong though. But dark horses - more like nightmare (see what I did there.....)

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 14/06/2015 11:01:10    1736549

I just want to get over today for now. Very warm here in Galway already. Huge support here and looking forward but weary of Galway.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11248 - 14/06/2015 11:10:44    1736551

Looking at the Mayo team that they have picked for todays game
all their doing is shuffling the deck they have been tried and
tested and came up short in the last number of years
Mayo are lacking up front they need a Michael Murphy Diarmuid Connolly
to win the Ai Looks like the talent is not there dependent too much
on O Connor he would struggle to make the Kerry bench

wfkerry (USA) - Posts: 933 - 14/06/2015 11:36:03    1736554

I don't think Mayo have the best middle 8 in Ireland. They have the best half back line and are strong in midfield with plenty of excellent cover, but the half forward line is weak and where they falter. O Shea is being moved around to put out fires in other areas, K Mac is very good, the other wing is usually weak.

PrisonLove (Mayo) - Posts: 38 - 14/06/2015 12:36:52    1736575

Wfkerry.. O'connor wouldn't make the Kerry bench? He ripped yee to shreds last year in both games so that doesn't say much about yeer full back line! Only O'donaghue and gooch would be ahead of him in the Kerry forward line

mrblob (Longford) - Posts: 71 - 14/06/2015 12:43:20    1736580

O'Connor reminds me of a German International Striker, not the classiest or most stylish but deadly and effective. Mayo lack one other blue chip forward.....you need two to win an AI

sportsfan14 (USA) - Posts: 281 - 14/06/2015 12:54:26    1736585

No forward who on their day is unmarkable, eg Conor McManus, James O Donaghue, Bernard Brogan, Michael Murphy. Yes, Cillian O Conner has shown glimpses of that form but has to do it more consistently.

PoppinPoints (Meath) - Posts: 225 - 14/06/2015 13:02:18    1736587

It's forwards for me , when the chips were down in 12 and 13 , they didn't have them - end if story . I can't ever think of a team to win Sam that doesn't have 2-3 top class front men .
Don't think they will win it but at the same time , I don't think they would be dark horses either !

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 14/06/2015 13:05:42    1736588

Mayo are one of four teams that you could see winning the All-Ireland. They have not appeared far behind in matches against Dublin, Kerry and Donegal over the last three years. These experiences can be character building and I think this is the year they will win out.

Byanthon (Tyrone) - Posts: 1780 - 14/06/2015 13:12:52    1736592

People questioning Cillian O Connor? Laughable? He has been one of the top players in the country for the last 3 years despite a terrible run of injuries. Someone claiming he wouldn't make the Kerry bench? Brainless comment. Other posters are right when they say Mayo don't have another forward in that calibre to help him out. We need Aidan O Se as a target man this year and we need to stick at it, something new has to be tried. Anyway, today will tell a lot.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7910 - 14/06/2015 13:50:05    1736609