I have the height of respest for both CmD and JOM so i don't know what to make of the story i just read on hoganstand.Ciaran rarely if ever speaks out about anything,as everyone knows he is an intensely private man,so when he does speak people tend to listen.Can this be true? johnno only spoke to him one in the last 5 months? I don't know what to believe,either way i'm gutted.

kimbap (Mayo) - Posts: 81 - 30/04/2008 14:31:47    13855

id wonder about the credibility of those statements- hey perhaps they are true perhaps not, i would imagine both men with the credibility they hold in the game that it was not like that at all- both are too shrewd for that and i dont think mac donald would ever run to the papers now would he has there ever being a gaa star that shunned the press so much he had absolutely nothing to do with them so i think we all will take that with a pinch of salt=- remeber stuff like this came out before about mcdonald and interaction with fans, journos printed loads of stuff saying they were talking to the man last wednesday in person- when mc donald was actually in spain at the time so wait and see, jonno will comment on it it public if there is anything to it, id say they are both laughing about it on the phone now

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 30/04/2008 14:52:13    13868

attention seeker. "JOM doesn't want me, look how much i love mayo, i dont want young lads thinking i dont want to play for mayo".

My god i have heard some rubbish, sounds like he thinks he is too good to play league football, says he has no back problems well why was he not out training and playing with everyone else over the winter. O'Mahony obviously treats everyone as equals and fair play to him. If you dont put the effort in you dont play.

So to sum it up. Dry your eyes and grow up.

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 30/04/2008 14:57:25    13871

an armagh man on about publicity stunts have you any memory at all..... sometimes i wonder!

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 30/04/2008 15:04:03    13884

ellaborate or just more hot wind?

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 30/04/2008 15:10:31    13888

Sure the dogs on the streets knew this was coming. I heard JOM in an interview months ago and it was obvious this was coming.

Personally I'd have him in the squad for championship games but hey, I haven't won an all Ireland as a manager now have I?

Floops (Dublin) - Posts: 1623 - 30/04/2008 15:15:22    13897

Found it very strange for MacDonald to come out in the papers and say that as he has never been one to use the papers to get any message out. Going by the statements he's made he's trying to push it back on JOM. Looks like a clash of personalitys more than anything else, but it wouldn't be the first time that Ciaran McDonald has not got on with a manager. At 33, I'm not sure how much more mileage JOM would have got out of him and Mayo do have to start bringing new talent through even if they are very big shoes to fill

holymoly (Dublin) - Posts: 757 - 30/04/2008 15:17:58    13907

Glad to see the back of him to be honest, I was in croker when an Aussie was beating the hell out of Mattie Forde, Ciaran McDonald looked then went the other way, I wouldnt be that confident having him in the team beside me

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 30/04/2008 15:20:59    13917

Its hard to understand how this has happened. How could there be such a breakdown in communications. I mean if o mahony did not want to include mcdonald this year and wants to move forward building a new team, then thats fair enough. But why not tell mcdonald this and allow him to announce his retirement? On the other hand, if johnno did not think that mac was available, then why didnt mcdonald pick up the phone and offer his services and make it clear that he is available for selection? Did they speak to each other at all or whats the craic? Its an awful shame if mcdonald is finished at county level now becuase of this

redandgreen (None) - Posts: 691 - 30/04/2008 15:33:41    13942

to be fair the i think mayo have brought in more than anyone this year in the new talent department- look at the u21 semi final how many will start championship under the age of 22 still very much on course to land sam next year 2009 mayo sam its inevitable and the bet will be made after the first championship team is named this year- if its the youth we have her in the bag it will be as easy as taking money from a dub

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 30/04/2008 15:35:32    13944

Mac and mcgeany were the only irish payers that stood up to the aussies, after he was specifically targeted in 2004.The man is a legend,never mind fans praisin him,listen to what other players say about him.A gentleman on and off the pitch,he's the one hanging around for an hour after games signin autographs for the young kids.You can count the interveiws he's given to the press on one hand,this after being one of the most well known irish sportstars of the last 10 years.If he does not play for Maya again while he is fit then I don't think any GAA fan could disagree the game will be poorer for it.

kimbap (Mayo) - Posts: 81 - 30/04/2008 16:00:36    13971

"mac" stood up to the Aussies after what again? you said it he was attacked. Never stuck up for his team mates i watched it i couldnt believe my eyes an Irish Man walking away from another in trouble.

ps i take nothing away from his game he was a dedicated player but ever since i saw that incident i had no respect for him.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 30/04/2008 16:30:22    13997

Don't count your chickens till you can lay some eggs ball-boy!!
Mayo have had underage success but we'll just have to wait and see how many of these guys can step up to make an impact at senior. McDonald will be a huge loss to Mayo, as play maker everything ran through him.
Would Mayo have more Pierce Hanley's waiting in the wings? Is there any truth that he may be coming home?

holymoly (Dublin) - Posts: 757 - 30/04/2008 16:33:00    14002

North Side Gael
County: All
"mac" stood up to the Aussies after what again? you said it he was attacked. Never stuck up for his team mates i watched it i couldnt believe my eyes an Irish Man walking away from another in trouble.

ps i take nothing away from his game he was a dedicated player but ever since i saw that incident i had no respect for him.
****************************************************************************************************
This is just about the most ridiculous thing ive ever heard (and that takes some doing on these pages). If there were more players like mac then we wouldnt have incidents like that senseless brawling between dublin and meath. Mac was never interested in getting involved in that petty nonsense and always walked away from any trouble. He didnt have to go out and act the hard man. He is hard. Doesnt need to prove it to anyone. The only time i ever saw him getting involved in anything was when he was attacked and was forced to defend himself. And boy can he look after himself! (as the aussies found out)

redandgreen (None) - Posts: 691 - 30/04/2008 17:11:24    14036

N.S.G. The only thing I would have been disappointed with McD for was, that he lowered himself to play that ridiculous game with the aussies in the first place. Many of our hard men discovered they werent as tough as they thought. So called compromise rules is no game for gifted players like McD.

Fidel Custard (None) - Posts: 37 - 30/04/2008 17:43:15    14055

I certainly didn't see McDonald running away from any aussies, in fact, quite the opposite. Despite getting lumps knocked out of him he constantly went looking for the ball and kept going. I thought he was a credit to himself and the country in those games.

As for his contributions to Mayo football, he got a lot of unfair stick, and I always felt he was too good for those he was playing with. Someone like McDonald can only look good if he has other good players around him, men on the same wavelength and capable of taking advantage of his good work, but McDonald had very little supporting him in the Mayo forward line over the last 12 years. People said he delayed letting the ball in, but on many occasions he had nothing to aim at in the full-forward line. Imagine what he would have done with a full-forward line of Canavan, O'Neill & Mulligan to aim at like Brian McGuigan had, or Sheehy, Liston and Egan that made Ogie Moran look great (when, in reality, he never had McDonald's ability).

Contrary to popular belief, McDonald wasn't poor in the 2004 final, despite Eamon Fitzmaurice hanging onto him all day, and in 2006 he was very clearly injured. Look at his performance for Crossmolina in the all-ireland club if you want to see what the man could do on the big day, or his lung-bursting run to score the winner against Dublin in 2006 to see how much he cared.

In truth, McDonald has probably little left to offer at the highest level, and O'Mahony is building a new side, but gaelic football is saying goodbye to one of the most exciting players of his generation.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 30/04/2008 17:43:42    14057

Mcdonald gave an interview tellin his story to the independant on wednesday...just said id tel ye..

johnaton94 (None) - Posts: 15 - 30/04/2008 23:00:58    14138

I think the pony-tailed one is a great player to watch. Some great skill, passing and scores. But he reminds me a lot of Graham Geraghty. Very similar in terms of ability and very similar in terms of controversy - possibly attention seeking.

I read GGs book and I have to say that it was a hard read at times but the striking thing is that in all the various controversies over the years he was never to blame for any - according to himself. Team mates, managers, officials, the media - anyone but him. Kinda gives you a real insight I feel.

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 30/04/2008 23:31:44    14145

Well done Thomas Clarke on your comments. Some of the comments about MCD leave are nothing short of astonishing. He certainly has been one of the finer exponents of the game and its a shame that other lads of his calibre or creativity aren't coming through in Mayo or any other county.
Agreeing with Thomas I felt that alot of time when he was accused of holding the ball up over the years was because his team mates just didnt see the pass he wanted to give.
As for the compromise rules I remember him taking a beating in the first few minutes from several Aussie lads but that didnt deter him for the rest of the contest unlike many of the other 'hard men' on the Ireland team. The aussies quickly learned (like many club and county opponents down through the years) that using these bully boy tactics against MCD was about as useful as an ash tray on a motorbike.
Its a shame that this incident / disagreement has made the papers but its a quiet time of year for GAA writers and this is just want they wanted. I will say that MCD was not a man for courting the papers unlike others from the county over the last number of years.
Personally I think he is still good enough for the panel but I don't know the full story and respect that JOM will try do whats best for Mayo football. Its a shame to see his career with the county end like this but hopefully I will get to see him in action for Crossmolina over the summer. I hear he is flyin for Crossmolina these days.
McDanger abú

Weary (None) - Posts: 249 - 01/05/2008 08:48:09    14177

definately the best of all time no questions noone could even come close- never mind expert fans, players were terrified of him in a blink of an eye he could make a complete fool of any defender- no man in the country has consistently got the better of him- he man have had a bad day and that usually still ends up with a man of the match performance- most skillful dedicated player we have ever had play our games- i think if he does retire the gaa should honor him in some way - i think it would be befitting to rename the hill after ciaran - its no more than he deserves and has proved with the best point ever scored in croker that he is indeed king of the hill

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 01/05/2008 09:10:23    14183