I see James Horan has been forced once again to release a statement in order to dispel negative rumours surrounding his team

All of which are mostly coming from within his own county

Earlier this week he had to release a statement clarifying why his team didn't make an appearance at an organized event over in NY leaving scores of supporters and young children disappointed

He laid the blame directly at the foot of the Mayo CB - He had made it clear that his team would not be taking part yet the Mayo CB continued with plans and staged the dinner regardless. He then had to come out and explain the situation to the media. The Mayo CB seemed only too happy for James Horan and his players to take the blame, you'd think they would have been honest and made the effort to clear up these rumours and not leave it to James Horan himself

Now we have another story about a fall out with one of his selectors and in the space of a week he has to release another statement to the media, and going back to 2013 the rumour mill was in over drive about a problem within the camp in the build up to the AI final, and then we had all the fall out regarding why he made some of his tactical changes during the AI Final and once again he had to come out to dispel rumors after the event in relation to his tactics in another interview

All of this negative noise directed at the team cannot be doing any good and it's all coming from within Mayo...

For a county who are so desperate to land an All Ireland title... yiz don't make it half difficult on yourselves!

Negative story after negative story...

I'm no massive fan of James Horan but a lot of this noise seems completely unjustified and it appears to me that there are those within the county, both in the media and general support who are actively looking to latch onto any negative rumour about the team and run with it...

He must be getting pretty sick of it at this stage... and it's all coming from his own!

Time after time having to justify himself and his actions in the media, dispelling rumours, clearing up negative news stories about himself and his players, selectors

He must be scratching his head at this stage

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 14/05/2014 13:16:30    1587530

Mayo dont have the same aura about them atall this year, seems to be a breakdown in communications and togetherness. A lot of bickering and giving out etc

Cant be good. When the **** hits the fan in the heat of summer against a good team, will they have the stomach for it like they had last year, or will that 5% that they seem to have fallen back by come back to bite them in the ****?

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 15/05/2014 08:47:02    1587842

Mayo will win the All-Ireland this year.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 15/05/2014 11:25:23    1587912

Mayo have been winning all ireland for the last 4 years Slayer
what makes this year so different?

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 15/05/2014 11:32:15    1587918

slayer
County: Limerick
Posts: 4907

1587912
Mayo will win the All-Ireland this year.

________

I absolutely agree...called it weeks ago.

But these negative stories coming from within their own county are not doing their team or manager any favours

Negative story after negative story

Two stories in the space of a week that James Horan had to clear up in the press... on top of all the conspiracy theories from 2013

I'm sure the Mayo CB aren't best pleased with him passing the blame for the fiasco with the NY event with supporters

That in itself is bringing unwanted pressure...

It's going to be hard enough for Mayo this year without all this negativity

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 15/05/2014 11:36:10    1587922

Well after the McGeeney era finished the media needed something else to kick around I suppose.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 15/05/2014 11:36:17    1587923

doublehop
County: Kildare
Posts: 3862

1587923
Well after the McGeeney era finished the media needed something else to kick around I suppose.

Your missing the point , the negativity and stories source is Mayo ! There doing it to themselves .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 15/05/2014 12:02:49    1587945

He must be scratching his head at this stage

Why must he be scratching his head? Sure he has nothing to worry about other than getting the team ready to play the winners of Leitrim v Roscommon.

For a county so 100% sure that ye already have the All Ireland this year some of ye are very preoccupied with how mentally frail the Green and Red are this year. Bless ye and yer little cotton sox, yer concern is as amusing as it is condescending.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7336 - 15/05/2014 12:21:03    1587964

GreenandRed
County: Mayo
Posts: 777

Hey.. we're not the ones slagging off Mayo and looking to latch onto any negative rumour

That's all coming from within Mayo...

This past week...Horan has had to come out twice to defend himself from fellow county men...

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 15/05/2014 12:28:10    1587968

I don't know if mayo can win the allireland but they would be the 1 team that could beat the dubs IMO. What way are the semi going this year? Is it munster v ulster and Connacht v Leinster?

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 15/05/2014 12:28:19    1587969

A nothing story, just poor journalism in fairness. Horan was dead right what he said, no team should attend a function the night before a championship game, regardless of the opponents.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 15/05/2014 12:51:09    1587984

He made one statement which simply cleared up the position of the team and management. The other was in a scheduled interview with a local newpaper. On the topics themselves, nothing stories. He called out a journo, and rightly so, we dont need that rubbish in the gaa and I would hope any manager in his position would do the same.

Gavin Duffy must have ye worried lads... Jonah Lomu is after getting a job in westport too.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 15/05/2014 12:54:51    1587988

This past week...Horan has had to come out twice to defend himself from fellow county men...

So what?

It doesn't bother Horan, that's part of his job as manager to have to deal with county board politics. The Mayo county board have a history of making **** ups. They should have explained the NY fiasco, they didn't but it's done now.

Horan himself was the subject of many's a rumour after last year's All Ireland, many of them started by begrudgers. It didn't phase the man. Let him manage the team and the county board can make the sambos. Unfortunately the county board can sack Horan but Horan can't sack the board.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7336 - 15/05/2014 12:56:30    1587989

KingdomBoy1
County: Kerry
Posts: 1988

1587969
I don't know if mayo can win the allireland but they would be the 1 team that could beat the dubs IMO. What way are the semi going this year? Is it munster v ulster and Connacht v Leinster?

This year it's Connacht v Munster and Leinster v Ulster

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 15/05/2014 13:26:31    1588020

All is obviously not well in the camp with these stories coming out. No smoke without fire.

lowballplease (Galway) - Posts: 935 - 15/05/2014 13:50:02    1588034

Your missing the point , the negativity and stories source is Mayo ! There doing it to themselves .

No I'm not missing the point. There's these kinds of stories flying around every county. I live on the Meath/Dublin border and there's no shortage of rumours (true or not) about individuals involved in those setups. None of it makes the press though. Look at those stories about the management team fighting and the confusion over the US function. It's all lies or poor journalism or both. Find me one story where the facts has any real impact on the preparation of the team. Obviously the stories themselves do but was there anything actually happening before?

The worst thing about these things is that they are self-serving. The next half-story will be a seller because of all the existing speculation. McGeeney/Kildare stories were fair game after the sensationalist mis-reporting of Kildare's finances and the admittedly self-inflicted Seanie Johnston affair. After that some nonsense story like a couple of Kildare players being unavailable to play Railway Cup can make the lead sports story in a broadsheet newspaper even though afterwards it was clarified that there was nothing in it. Still it'll just grow and grow and grow.

Great for paper sales, unfair to those involved.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 15/05/2014 13:51:21    1588035

Mayo will not win sam this year, it wont be for want of effort, preparation or desire. It just wont happen for reasons unknown. The same way that benfica froze last night for the 8th final in a row.

There were 2 stories out about them in the past couple of days. One concerned the dinner over in New York. I think that it was very strange that the players or at least a few of them didnt go in and say hello for 20 minutes, pass themselves and head off. However, I dont know the full story, that is what it looks like on the surface.

Mayo will need Cillian Oconnor fit and well for all of august and september this time. They will need massive performances from their midfielders for 70 minutes likewise. For this reason, I cant see them do it. Consistency is the key word. Why they lack this consistency, and why mysterious bad performances occur on the big day fall into the reasons unknown category.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 15/05/2014 15:15:44    1588111

Donegalman
County: All
Posts: 1233
There were 2 stories out about them in the past couple of days. One concerned the dinner over in New York.

You are wrong...and that's the problem with viewing things on the surface. I spoke to a number of players on the Sunday night in the Oldcastle Bar in Manhattan and from what I could see all the team were there and they seemed in good form and mingled freely with supporters.

The issue arose at some country/golf club up in Yonkers, where American kids and families mainly had gathered for a BBQ and excepted the team to do a meet and greet after training, this did not happen. If you believe Horan, they said they would not undertake any such activities BEFORE the game but the County board went ahead anyway...someone made a balls up along the way but the players themselves would be last on my blame list.

Plenty of kids got to meet and take pictures with the players after the game but that incident on the Friday night was shameful and should not have happened. I read here or on another forum that Galway players a few years back engaged in some pre-match activities including a cruise down the Hudson, much to the players disbelief and they nearly got beat over there.

what the craic with Evan Regan.why is he not involved?

HandyMoran (Roscommon) - Posts: 327 - 15/05/2014 17:21:23    1588207

As I recall Mayo were supposed to be falling apart when Conor Mortimer got the hump and left. And then Horan was supposed to have lost it when he had a public spat with Joe Brolly last year. Then he was supposed to have upset everybody by bringing Hennelly in from the cold. Then we heard that Alan Freeman and Richie Feeney would never play for him again after last years All Ireland...

Either it's all rumours or it doesn't affect these Mayo players.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 16/05/2014 13:27:04    1588537