Congratulations,if Mayo is going to win Sam you will be there

Is that 3 MAN of the game awards for Aido so far this year?

One of the all-time greats of Mayo, I dread the day when we can no longer look to him for a lift on the pitch when the going gets tough.

In this form and fitness Aidan can play several more years. This is the best football I've seen him playing.

Connaught final will be time enough for his next one @WJ. I'd like to see him sit out the next one.
Sitting in the stand will also give him a better perspective on where we can improve for a Connaught final. He knows his football.Mattie likewise needs to sit it out and Diarmuid to start around the middle.
A day to experiment, but we probably won't.

First off congratulations Aido.Very well deserved.
Think it might be time to put Aido and Flynn in midfield.Our two best ball winners by a country mile.
The new rules suit high fielders and there's no one better than Aido.
We simply cannot go up against the better teams losing the midfield battle.

We will miss him when he's gone.

Of course he was, but for perversity I voted for Darren.

I tend to think that Joe Canny has been his whisperer. His game has improved so much since he came along. It may be a coincidence of course.

And that catch! Give us a link to it Willie Joe. Ah go on!

Some fetch
https://x.com/FergalDurkan/status/1909234413939851754?t=7k5qQGpt07m62Ie-lUquwg&s=19

Unfortunately we don't have 2 or 3, AOS. I actually think we taken away from his game. Play full forward, play midfield, play full back. He been asked too much, but his willing to do whatever for team. I know when Lee retired, and Boyler and Keith Higgins also, you think we going suffer without them. But I think AOS and Cillian going to missed more when gone

A Colossus on Sunday, had the pleasure of meeting him once. A gentleman for sure. Great to see him rack up a few scores, would remind you of the way Donaghy used to play lately, just bulls through lads. Unstoppable on his day.

Wonderful player, right ball to the right man is the key for him

Why O why is Aiden not wearing number 14 and left in around the square and play plenty of high ball into him. He catches it and quick pass to incoming player or breaks it for corner forwards to pick up.

REMENBER THE PANIC DONAGHY CAUSED TO US OVER THE YEARS.

Aido with the form he’s in be a wrecking ball at 14 like O Donaghy and Ryan and maybe Conroy feeding off him. Well sure Kerry played that one late in the championship. Maybe Mc Stay holding back himself and hoping to cause havoc with it. Here’s hoping

Aidan’s fielding on that last Sligo kickout is a reminder that he is the only player in the current set up capable of doing that and the reason why we can’t afford to leave him at full forward for an entire game when in any case the ball is rarely kicked in long to him

Aidan O Shea very good on Sunday, a constant threat, just keep giving him the ball and hopefully they start letting in a few high diagonal kicks into him. Is he gone on holidays now or is the team gone somewhere?
I though Carney was very good in full forward also, has the pace to trouble defenders, good on high balls in and can score off both feet. Irwin was doing well in there but Carney is a step up, Carney and O Shea in there and O Donoghue floating isnt a bad full forward line.
BUT Carney is also needed out in the middle for kickouts. Thornton did well, so Im guessing he will hold his position. D O Connor is an option for midfield, I can see him doing the role Ruane was doing of a sweeper and then leave Ruane up the field in a half forward position and let him attack at will..

Is Dylan Thorton a natural midfielder or is he another half forward like Flynn and Carney? Where does he play for Ballina? Looks to be a bit a size about him anyway. He is a nephew of the Brady lads as far as I know and they were all big strong men. Hopefully he follows in Davids footsteps for Mayo.

Dylan Thornton is very good in the air. If it's catchable he'll catch it and he's very comfortable out-fielding a typical sized wing back.
Looks a bit stronger than he used be which makes sense after a full Winter with the county setup.

The catch against Kerry in the league was just as spectacular. When you factor in longevity, Aido has to be our most important player the last dozen years or so .

Aiden O'Shea never got the accolades that he so deserves. He is an all time great.

Sean Burke, I think he made two spectacular catches towards the end of the Kerry game in Castlebar. Spectacular? Unbelievable more like.

Would also like to know how many frees would Clifford have got if he was getting “tackled” like O Shea did on Sunday.
Not really having a go at Clifford either, he is fouled alot but also knows how to play the ref, its more how the refs are seeing these situations and are not consistent in there decisions

Well done to Aidan. A fantastic performance.
There’s an interesting and maybe worrying stat from the weekend. 18 teams played championship football, and as far as I can see, Mayo were the only one not to score a two pointer.

I understand the longevity and his appetite to keep going season after season..but people slightly getting carried away..one still has to mention the 0-00 in 7 finals..like that just can't be forgotten, played hours of football in those finals and didn't register a score...not being negative just a fact. And I think Keegan was alot more important to mayo in terms of man marking or simply attacking. So I will have to reserve judgement until he produces on the big day and the team wins..great servant for sure however.

I doubt Aidan o Shea will be worrying about anyone reserving judgment on him.As mentioned on here before we wouldn’t have been in a lot of those finals without his contribution.he was mostly positioned around midfield in most of those finals also .By that strange logic if he scored 1 point over all those finals would that prove his worth over 17 seasons

Without keegan, who's mayos best ever player they wouldn't have made some of those finals too..o shea was positioned between full and centre forward for 4 or 5 of those finals too..and at midfield..my question is why didn't he take the game by the scruff like a young Michael Murphy did to mayo in 2012? Well now he had numerous opportunities to score more than 1 point 1985..and if he's your full forward and main man whether at 14 11 or 8..wouldn't you want him chipping in with a a bag full of scores in 7 finals????

Imagine Clifford, Gooch, brogan, Murphy, canavan never scoring in 7 finals..you think that be accepted in those counties? Ha, come on..only in mayo

And who is anyone on here to say what is accepted.Aidan o Shea is a midfielder by definition who was switched around to other positions for the benifit of the team including playing at full back on the great Kieran donaghy.one of the great midfielders of all time darragh o Shea scored 1-31 in his career while Aidan o Shea has scored something like 8 -40 so far .Michael Murphy was always a forward who sometimes dropped to midfield same as Peter canavan.would Peter canavan be able to go to midfield to win a vital kickout.That 7 finals point is usually used by people from other counties trying to give a dig…….

And the argument of Aidan o shea not being a forward justifies his inability to kick a single score? Even if you say ok he's a midfielder..why wasn't he able score front there? Like Fenton or o shea, or sean cavanagh? No if he's full forward..you have to be scoring end of..or even at 11...like if your a forward, named on the team..you should be able score. So I don't agree with your point

No I'm a mayo man...I just try to be fair and not go over the top...I give praise and credit when due..look its just an opinion

You said he's a midfielder by definition, he was also our freetaker too for a while, do u remember his free from 13 yrds v dublin in semi final 2021? Like this isn't having a go at anyone..just facts.

Maybe have a look back over those finals and see how many opportunities he had to score aside from the 21 final when he was positioned at full forward darragh o Shea never scored “a bagful of points” in any final but that didn’t mean he didn’t contribute hugely as did Aidan o Shea so I certainly don’t agree with your opinion

Using the not scored in a single final is such a lazy excuse. I remember he set up keegans goal in the replay in 16. No point into analysing his every final appearance, all that matters is the future. O’Shea has been vital and was vital to the mayo team’s success in 10s. That’s not up for debate. Why he’s such a maligned figure is strange and i’ve yet to hear an actual reason to dislike him

Arsenal 3 Real Madrid 0
Anything is possible in a ball game and Mayo should never loose sight of that.

Plunkett, not having a go..just facts..and it shouldn't even be an excuse..that's 7 finals..hrs of football, and not a flag raised from the main man and captain of one or 2 aswell..it would be bad enough one or 2 finals but 7..on the final day is the only place to do your stuff if you want to win sam..Joyce did it twice too don't forget that..had a woeful half v meath in 01 then kicked 10 points. Like you have to stand up when it matters...anyway, I understand people have opinions...leave it at that tonight..safe home

Larry David - I think you've made your point on that issue at this stage.

AOS and Carney could be rotated in midfield and ff positions. Definitely worth a try imo.
Thornton must be showing up in training. Hopefully we will give key players a rest for Leitrim game. McStay will have a headache picking panel for Connacht final.

I am amazed at this ‘not being accepted’ comment Larry David. Who is to say what is acceptable and unacceptable. Countless managers of Mayo have picked him since 2009. Perhaps they have all been wrong. He has hung around for 16 or 17 years despite not ever having won the big prize. That is fantastic service despite the fact he has had to put up with the criticism from ‘experts’ inside and outside the county who say he is not good enough, Now we may not have had the greatest team ever but we have had pretty decent teams since 2009 and he has been there year after year. Interesting that you name check Gooch, Clifford , Canavan, some of the greatest natural forwards the game has ever seen. I don’t think anyone suggested Aido is or was a natural forward so such comparisons are as irrelevant as me saying I haven’t seen Gooch or Canavan making fantastic catches in big games and that that sort of thing isn’t acceptable. Accept him for what he is. A player who has been asked to do all sorts of jobs in all sorts of positions for his county and who has given Trojan service, A true warrior for the cause.

Well I for one , am sick of our so called supporters constantly criticising some of the best players we ever had. It’s being going on for years. Liam McHale and Kieran McDonald had to put up the same crap. It’ll be a sad day when Aidan says he’s done. If people have a ready made replacement for him, I’ll say ok.

Lets hope Aidan is treated the same as Clifford and Murphy in terms of refereeing this year. All of my heroes never won a Celtic Cross. Boyler, Zippy, Chrissy B, Leeroy, Clarkie, Kevin O Neill, Ciaran Mc, Kevin Mc , Alan D . It doesn't bother me, they are Legends to me. Maybe be Sad to some, but that's what I live for.

God bless you Bonnie
My heroes too
Plus a few older..
Joe corcoran
Willie
Morley
Johnny Carey
Willie joe
So many...

I just don't understand this constant criticism of Aido. It's bad enough coming from outside, but even more annoying when it comes from inside the county. And comparing him to Clifford, Canavan etc. is like comparing Mozart to Jedward. Aido is not a prolific scorer, never was and never will be. But his value to Mayo is immeasurable in so many ways. 16 years and counting, hardly ever injured or otherwise unavailable. He may not score a lot, but he does a lot of unglamourous donkey work, puts shifts in all over the field, wherever he is needed. He sets up a lot of scores and would be responsible for many more scores, if he got even a fraction of the frees he has been entitled to-he has to be one of the most fouled players around and probably gets the lowest percentage of frees. Knowledgeable supporters know and appreciate his overall contribution to the team. He will be sorely missed when he hangs up his boots.

@GlassagusDearg. Well said!
Crucial line,'knowledgeable supporters'....the rest I wouldn't even engage with. I suspect they are foreign stations anyway.

@Glas Agus Derg yes well said .

Aido gets so much undeserved abuse .

It will be a sad day when he hangs up his boots.

He was unreal for us again v Sligo and the only one stood up for us v Derry first half last year and one of the only two mayo guys to get nominated for an all star last year says it all!

Glasagusdearg, you misunderstand what I'm saying..I take your points, but forget about being a natural forward for a minute. Look at the way Brian Fenton grabbed his last All Ireland v Kerry in 23 and got 2 scores at vital time from midfield. Cavanagh, predominantly a midfielder was played at 14 v kerry in 08 final and played havoc..u see my point? It's not critical, I acknowledge his abilities such as fielding at times and tackling. My point is i class a great player doing it when it's final day and chips are down, game is in melting pot as they say..imagine a big score or 2 from him in the closing stages...he's had some awful attempts and then no attempts at goal when it was on...hitting goals v sligo and these teams isn't the same thing...I'm not critical once again..that's all il say now..as WJ said enough .

The new rules are making a huge difference to lift Aidan's game. He's not defendabke 1 v 1.
Aidan in my view is a new weapon this year.

I see Ginger Tiernan ratified as Charlestown manager for year ahead..what a player he was, as important to his team as any club player over last 25 yrs, was completely overlooked at co level..brave , hard as nails ,excellent passer, great fielder and could kick a score..I saw him dominate v the likes of Staunton, Brady and Mcgarrity..for not a very big man had some leap.

David tiernan was in the mayo team during the 2002 season and also involved in 2003

I know that, but didn't get the chances he deserved...won motm v ros one those yrs too...maybe disagreement with mgmt I'd guess. There was certainly not much better than him around in those years

Tiernan was a very good player but his lack of height at county level was a major drawback.if I recall correctly he was totally dominated against cork in 2002 quarter final

Under the new rules I think this give AOS a new and more important role in the team than ever before. In the forwards it should offer him more space (and hopefully teams wont be able to afford to have 4 defenders hanging out of him!) and because of the long kicks out we'll need him to cover off there at critical moments like in the last few minutes against Sligo. AOS is more than a larger than life presence, he is a 'highly' skillful footballer across many facets of the game.

I agree JP but do we create enough of those 1 on 1 situations with AOS.
Looking forward to seeing Comer and AOS in McHale for the connacht showdown. I know Roscommon have a lot to say about that...

We absolutely do not create enough of those opportunities for Aido. Even more galling when McStay used to say as a pundit that he would build the team around Aido at 14. He's needed in midfield at times. He's needed inside. But we should be aiming to get at least 4 or 5 direct balls into him a half. It's been a decade since there has been this much space in the full forward line..bloody use it. And for God sake, get the speedsters running off him.

Does anyone know if the leitrim game is on tv next weekend i can't make it to carrick? On another note what are people's thoughts about some country grounds not having a hooter system and will it have any affect on how things play out. They say it's small margins that win games and if some games finish with the hooter and more are whatever time the ref adds on does it bring a bit of chaos to the whole thing.

Lack of height not a good enough excuse..he could outfield David Brady..was only giving a handful games. Was a better footballer than any midfielder mayo had, he was just as good at full back.

Mayo had some big men around the middle before then and since..unfortunately had no football in them

I am sick and tired reading about these totally unjustified attacks on Aidan. He has been one of our greatest players for the last 17 years. The fact that he is still playing at such a high level is a wonderful testimony to his character and dedication to the Mayo cause.
So please lay of him. Be grateful we still have him.

JJ, no one is attacking him..dont worry it's all opinions but there's also facts too.

David Tiernan was a brillant club player and carried charlestown at times but he did not have all the qualities required for senior inter county at the top level. Btw when are the tickets out for the mayo leitrim game.

And who did have all the qualities at the time?

Fergal Kelly, David Mcdonagh, Shane Fitzmaurice ?

James Gill?

David Tiernan seems to be benefiting from ''the less he plays the better he gets'' syndrome.
If AOS never got selected he would be a legend living easy on the ''shure I never got a chance'' syndrome.

Ah sure listen, I'm actually annoying myself talking about it, I guess I look for different things in players that's all...we'll enjoy the sunshine and carry on.

The problem with Aidan in big games was that we never had a plan B after get the ball to Aidan. Top teams (I.e. Dublin) were able to crowd him out or bypass him with speed. Kerry always played Donaghy much more smartly, having runners feeding off him rather than expecting him to do it all himself. For the first time ever we are doing that and reaping the rewards.

@larrry David .who is using lack of height as an excuse.we played limerick in the Hyde back in 2002 with David tiernan and David Heaney in midfield against John galvin and we were absolutely cleaned in midfield until David Brady was brought in on galvin.we were were also cleaned out in the middle against graham canty and I think Nicholas Murphy against cork.As I said tiernan was an an extremely good player but at inter county level 6 foot plus players are needed.in your original post you stated that tiernan was completely overlooked by mayo managements but of course that isn’t a fact

The worry with Aidan at FF was that we would play too much ball into him and become one dimensional.
It has ended up the other way where we don't play enough ball into him. You'd love nothing more in a game than us sending a long diagonal ball in around the house for him to battle it out. Maybe Diarmuid and Paddy who you would have down as decent kickers can bring that.
Was there any official word on Paddy or Tommy after the Sligo game. I know the manager was asked about Jordan and replied that he was fine. Any word on the others?

Quote from Kevin McStay on Paddy -

“Paddy is in the middle of the games and he's playing and it's great to see him. He was out here Friday night, running around like a young lamb, so it was great".

So that's either good news on the return of Paddy, or McStay was thinking ahead to his dinner that evening.

That's great news on Paddy he will be a big boost to have back hopefully see him v Leitrim .

We should probably focus on now then talk about matches 20 plus years ago. In all honesty who really cares

I wouldn't worry about it too much 1985..as goalkeepers game evolved and midfielders/forwards were picked out Cluxton style on the run..it would have suited Ginger more..he was just a better footballer than what was around, regardless of height.

Youre right plunkett..I agree, enough about the past

Totally agree as I didn’t bring up David tiernan who last played for mayo 22 years ago

Someone asked if the Connacht semi-final against Leitrim is being shown live. Mike mentioned on the latest pod that it's going to be streamed live on GAA+.

@williejoe. Thanks. Good to know