Former Mayo star Ciaran McDonald has definitive ideas on how to combat the blanket defence approach.

During his first ever live television interview with Second Captains Live on RTE last night, the Crossmolina ace, who was renowned for his swashbuckling style on the field of play, opined: "People say football is in a bad place, I think football is in a great place at the moment.

"The amount of training that's going in, the amount of media that's involved. I think football will just evolve.

"Now I think, even more so the long distance kicking, the thinking two or three steps ahead ... I think football has to go wide.

"Width, from your corner forwards, keeping them wide no matter how many people come back to keep as much distance from you and the extra man back.

"Recycle, get your good kickers on the ball that can score from 40 or 50 yards out, that can think two or three steps ahead.

"I think it's more of a thinking game now. People are on about mass defences, but every manager has a right to set up his team the way he wants. I think it's up to the player to see. A manager has A, B, C, D of tactics but when a player goes out on the field he can't be looking over to the sideline looking for inspiration from a manager.

"He's done his job."

Despite turning 40 last January, the 2004 All-Star continues to line out with his club ...

"Still enjoying it, training hard. I love my club, I have always loved my club and there is a great bunch of fellas there now that weren't around when I first started playing football.

"My first championship game, the majority of the panel weren't even born, but I'm there and I am trying to hang in there and give them a small bit of wisdom if they will listen to it an odd time.

"I love football, I just love it. I love reading about it, I love watching it and I love trying to learn. I go to U7s training and you can learn from them. I just love playing the game.

"You often get word, 'are you going past it? Are you making an ass of yourself?' Well, I would hope that some one would tell me, 'Ciarán, enough is enough'. I hope at this stage it hasn't come and I'll keep going for another while."

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