That sums it up perfectly.
If the players don't show fire in the belly,well it's hard to expect it from supporters.
Just maybe things will come to life over the next few weeks.

The Dubs media ( former player ) up to their usual trick again, slating Mayo for looking to get the game played outside Croker, mind you he didn't state that the rules are,.

Home venue
Away venue
Neutral venue

Bate the blanket - the article was aimed at rising Mayo fans, i wouldn’t pay much attention to what he thinks.

I totally agree with you Tony

Amazing how that former Dublin player is now trying to portray himself as an angel .a lad that was suspended for eye gouging and caught on camera biting and head butting opponents.constantly sledging where the officials conveniently ignored it being a black card offence.he played in a great team but I would have zero respect for him as a player or as a pundit

No more than that other mouth-piece Brolly, why does anyone give oxygen by reading anything written by that former Dublin ‘player’ who has become a holier-than-thou lecturer on all things Gaelic football? The only thing he doesn’t appear to spout on about is eye-gouging, something he was previously an expert at.

Rossies look very decent against Dubs. Well set up at back with a sweeper in front of Con and taking good scores.
Looks like theres bout 5000 at it...

Dublin v Roscommon less than 10K in attendance over 70K empty spaces for the Sea Gulls. You'd wonder if the Croke Park suits have finally killed the Golden Goose. Food for taught for those that don't believe that Dr Hyde Park is big enough for the Neutral fixture versus Mayo.. Maybe the Dubs are more interested in Leinster Rugby or or Man UTD in the FA Cup final ? .. they definitely seem to have "lost that lovin feeling for the Mighty Dubs" Thank God for Bruce Springsteen and Leinster Rugby probably bring in enough to make sure that the suit's continue to get paid.

I think Philly is being dealt with harshly on here. After all they're being forced to play their home game against Roscommon at a neutral venue, obviously giving Roscommon an unfair advantage.

Parnell Park would have been plenty big enough for the Dubs today.

Ah lads relax. Sometimes he writes to annoy Mayo fans but last weeks piece was very complementary to Mayo. Some weeks he gives great insight and food for thought. No-one is making you read it, but if you could get over your bias towards him, you will find he has something to say, because he was on that winning team. I really hate when Mayo fans take everything personnel.

GAA should have sold Croke Park and developed a stadium for the four provinces, Gaelic village to host fleadhs, summer schools and everything Irish in the centre of the country. But like everything else, we have to centralise Everything in the capital

Build a new stadium in Athlone and sell Croke park

Leinster the Mayo of the Heineken cup...!

Rossies not doing to badly either they are doing well or else dubs just not out of 2nd gear.

Fair play to rossies though I thought dubs would be out of sight by now..

Dubs will target the Mayo match to go up that gear. Some very poor wides by Dublin though they are spoilt with their strength in depth.
Dubs defenders don't like being taken on, maybe players like McLaughlin and Toomy C can exploit that.

Rossies have run out of steam but I would suggest we need to play a sweeper next weekend as the roscommon ff line look very lively and it is very important we play one against Dublin...
I'd suggest O Hora. I don't think he's a man marker but can get through a lot of work and brings a bit of steel.
I'd play 2 man ff line and keep Tommy out in HF line.

Dubs all of a sudden mincing Roscommon in the space of about 10 mins. Nobody can compete with their bench.

@ontheditch totally agree dubs will be a different team v us they always up a gear or two when they play us but so do we to!

I presume Dublin weren't at full intensity if John Small didn't get a card.

We don’t always go up a gear against Dublin.they absolutely hammered us in 2019 and last year.It’s very difficult what the Dublin mindset is for these games.they would expect to beat Roscommon handily enough and in the end that’s what happened.Are they deliberately keeping in low key and we probably won’t even know against us as it isn’t knock out for them .in fairness there wasn’t a whole between ourselves and Roscommon in Connacht semi final so next week is massive to get to 4 points

@1985 obviously we don't always manage to go up a gear v dubs but we always at least try to be at our best when we play them. And don't think any of us have forgotten how they hammered last year either.

I didn’t say we always go up a gear .I think you said that .it’s all very contradictory..our team from 2012 to 2017 did stand up to them in championship but times have changed and I would be very wary of reading anything into Dublins displays in this round robin rubbish

@1985 I never said you said we always go up a gear? Not sure what your issue is?

I literally just said we always try our best v dubs and nothing else.

Jeez even I'm going back now to see what he said/she said. Doh!

The marking by Tyrone on Donegal shooters is poor enough. Both getting goal chances but not taking them.
I had a good laugh at that JoeG.. so true

Similar to David Gough a few weeks back Joe McQillan tarnishing his reputation with a number of baffling calls. I

@ JoeG , still laughing at that one. The only Dub that has more Cards than Celtic Crosses.
Tyrone V Donegal is tight

The game v Rossies is our immediate concern.
And I still think it's our system of play that's dragging us back.
Management have to devise a system the bring TommC into it. An outstanding individual player, this slow build up we have means he is double marked every time. At least he will have some space in Hyde but we are the slowest team I've seen this year taking the ball from defence to
attack.
For most of today's game Roscommon confined the Dubs to long range shooting. So if they are given time to set up their defensive stall, they will be hard to break down and we dont exactly shoot out the lights at long range. It's going to be tougher than last time out to beat them. Stakes are high for both teams

Croker empty again, not the venue for these matches. Looking at Dublin game, we should have enough for Rossies, but I suppose you never know. We have had 2 weeks break to prepare and unless we push on now its for nought. Louth had a huge win against Meath, think its first win in championship since 1973 v Meath.
No huge surprises today. Donegal still winning matches.

As of now, Donegal looking pretty good and will be hard to beat. The Rossies did OK, stayed in the game for a good period. They would always be planning that the games to focus on was Mayo and Cavan. It will be a harder battle than the provincial SF, but no reason that we cannot beat them three times in a row.

If we beat Rossies and lose to Dubs, who is likely to be in PQF?

Guys just on the comments are we afraid to play outside of Croke Park or are we more interested in Soccer, or Rugby. Definitely not afraid to play outside Croke Park. Would prefer it at this stage. Our Management team, Players, and the majority of fans have been saying it for a long time that we want the games outside of Croke Park. As for the attendance I think the new layout of the season has between League, and Championship too many games too close together. I know for me since the end of January, I've been too 8 League games including the Final, and my fourth championship game today. That's 12 games in 16/17 weeks. People are tight for cash, and are going to pick and choose games. ( And yes I know 9 of them have been in Croker Park, so can only imagine the burden on fans travelling regularly ) Attendances around the country are down, and the G.A.A. need to look at this situation. Also scheduling games the same day as FA Cup, Scottish Cup Final, and Rugby European cup final ( not that I personally have an interest in any of those garrison games lol ) really needs to be looked at. Personally I don't think it's working. Mayo a wonderful Footballing county, so would love to hear some of your opinions on it.

@Hill16, Don't think the Dublin setup cares about where games are played looks like a corporate decision really. But it is an advantage to know every blade of Croker as the games at the business end of the season will be played there. The layout of the season does not work, and with the price of everything its almost impossible to attend the games that you would like to. Its way too compressed at the minute. Agree with the scheduling vs other "foreign" sports lol. The coverage in general is poor. At least throw one of the games on TG4. Listened to two games on Radio this evening as not paying the tenner for Gaago unless its Mayo.
I am a believer in trying new things but my heart says 3rd week in September every time.
Looks like the Dubs put on the afterburners and the bench to bate the Rossies.
Looking forward to the clash wherever it may be, sure it gives you the chance to have a night away from the Local if nothing else.

I understand that Louth should have won by a further 10 points.
A big monkey off their back

Poor Colm O'Rourke another example of how punditry on the couch is an easier life some are better suited to..

CP an advantage for Dubs for sheer convenience, but I doubt the players or Management would give a damn if was played in Tallaghfornia in Bellmullet.

Donegal looking very good again. Think they have to be taken seriously as contenders now. They have a keeper with a great kickouts, huge midfielders who can move, great pace throughout the team, and most of all Jimmy has them believing in each other. Only thing they lack is a killer inside forward. McBrearty is way past it.

Gizmo, I don’t think for a second he would have taken the job, only for he was put out to pasture by RTÉ. He was asked in the past and refused.

Looking at how direct all teams were today we really need to wake up. We are meant to have a very athletic team so we need to step up and use it. Rochford must be scratching his head when he looks at Donegal. Ros were decent enough today and that game will have them spot on for us.

Agree Nephin, that was a bit tongue in cheek. RTE done a big clear out of punditry personnel to bring in new blood, presumably with more modern ways of thinking.

On punditry, I thought the Saturday game was good tonight. Got a good ‘feel’ for the games and the analysis was fair with little added bullshit.

While the Rossies got some good scores, was it ever in doubt? Dubs won as they pleased - their movement is frightening, and they are only getting better.

Official attendance at Croker not declared according to the Irish Examiner. Pay attention please is the message to the suits in HQ... golden goose is on the platter and yeve no-one to blame bar yourselves with this ridiculous schedule.

Donegal have the same panel of players as when Rochford was coaching them, just playing different type of football , running forward with the ball and kicking points. When will we ever learn.', doesent look like we will.

Youd have to question why Tommy isnt put out to wing forward . Billy joe a while ago articulated it well why we would benefit a lot more from him running into the D area from out in a wing forward position .

You could argue the case that Paul Towey is a more clinical inside scorer than Tommy Conroy, at least for a sub impact role.

If we finish second in the group, and I’m not saying we WILL, our opponents could be one of: Derry, Monaghan, Cork - at home. I don’t think we could play the Rossies again, but I could be wrong. We would be coming off a loss, whereas Monaghan or Derry would be coming in with a win the previous week.

All speculation of course!

Personally id argue back that towey is soley an off the bench player cause of his lack of strength and size . Tommy has cut through that dublin defence in an all ireland semi final , we know he can do it .

If bringing out Tommy out we need to drop one of the following 6 (Boland,McHale, Carney, Diarmaid OC, Jordan Flynn, Loftus). I think McHale has played himself in ahead of Boland who should still feature and Loftus has also done enough to be considered ahead of Carney and possibly Flynn, Diarmaid can play midfield. If Tommy comes outfield, Cillian can’t be left out, MOM last day. Towey impact sub when things open. Very accurate but would need blinding pace at his size to avoid tackles with packed defences. Aido is the other question, do we leave him off and bring on to add power. We needed that vs Galway.
Donegal are contenders because of the Jimmy factor, he’s given them confidence, unbeaten this year. They could take out Dubs in an AI SF as they did before.

Donegal have pretty much the same panel of players as Paddy Carr had last year, so don’t understand why Rochford is getting criticism now because McGuinness is doing so well with them. They had relative success under Declan Bonner assisted by Rochford winning Ulster championship. McGuinness is an absolutely top class manager who by sheer charisma and tactical excellence gets the best out of his players. Look at how wretched Donegal were in 2010. Then he took over, introduced a totally new strategy, were very competitive in 2011 won AI in 2012, were the only team to beat Dublin between 2013- 2020 and has come back this year and Donegal remain unbeaten. There is no doubt but that he is a brilliant coach. Stephen Rochford was Mayo manager in 2016 and 2017 when we played incredibly good football v Dublin. The naysayers will say he failed to win a Connacht title, but he was innovative and courageous in his decision making, some of which backfired.. On pundits leaving the comfort of RTE/ SKY to manage their county teams, I admire them, the likes of McGuinness, Horan, McStay, O Rourke etc. At least they are prepared to get up off their backsides and give it ago. When I see Brolly and Spillane do likewise I will give them credit. Easy to sit in a studio and criticise. Not quite so easy to successfully manage an inter county team.

Regarding Philly, he actually gives the game away, every advantage counts to avoid the extra game before an AI QF. He also knows Mayo people are upset with the County board on the Kerry and Kildare games so that’s why they came out rather than on the QT. If there wasn’t a logjam, I’d be happy to play corker and I’m sure the team setup is the same but yes bring the dubs out of home comforts and keep the field level to try and win the group.
If we have some good impact subs to mark the dubs impact subs then we have a chance. However would want to be 3+ ahead at 60 to 65 mins in an ideal world.
In any case Ros weren’t bad for 3/4 of that game. The dubs went for the jugular after the 1st goal, a lesson for all. So we need to focus on Ros. A small win would be fine so long as we win. Ironically we have an unfair advantage of an off week for this one so let’s be ruthless.

@Catcol: You're spot on. Rossies (or Cavan/Dublin) would all be avoided, along with Galway, in any pQF or QF.

- Any of Armagh/Derry/Galway likely to finish in 3rd in Group 1 (assuming Westmeath can't win a surprise).
- Any of Cork/Tyrone/Clare likely to finish 3rd in Group 3 (assuming Donegal don't suffer a surprise defeat).
- Any of Monaghan/Louth/Meath to finish 3rd in Group 4 (assuming Kerry don't suffer a surprise defeat)

(from most likely to finish 3rd to least likely on those for me, but wouldn't be shocked with a few more shocks along the way. If we finished 3rd it'd be the same teams I'd predict fighting for 2nd place too, but slight different orders there where I'd expect Derry/Tyrone/Louth to be favourites for 2nd)

At this point you'd expect Donegal & Kerry to top their groups, so repeats of Ulster or Munster Provincial Finals look unlikely. If we don't manage to force Dublin to 2nd a repeat of the Leinster pairing wouldn't be possible, so at that point it'd just be a potential Connacht repeat if ourselves and Galway finish with either side in 2nd and the other in 3rd. If that scenario played out it'd be a 50% chance of either the Group 3 or Group 4 sides. Without Galway in the mix it'd be a 33% between Group 1, 3 or 4.

On Donegal , the swagger that mcguiness has gave them is breathtaking when ya consider how far down the pack they were last year . He has something about him , he loves Donegal , the pride of place he installs into the whole Donegal thing is so impressive .

Imagine having 6 subs that would make any team in the country to bring on every year to blow you out of the water, happened to us time and again against Dublin, how many subs do we have of the same calibre maybe one or two. Bring the subs back to 3, 6 subs is some advantage for the Dublin monster

Now everybody come on let’s calm down.

We all know that Jimmy is a bit of a fraud and that the Rochford style of play is the one that will lead us to the promised land. Sure isn’t Jim responsible for all the problems in football these days, and Rochford the reason way Corofin have been the best club in the country for the past 20 years.

In all seriousness, watching Donegal yesterday you’d have to wonder what the hell Rochford was doing up there. He also had Michael Murphy at his disposal in that side. And now people are wondering why mayo support is so “weak” this year. Maybe because most of us on the blog are only enjoying watching Donegal, Dublin, Kerry style of play.

Our tactics are a million miles off what the rest of the big teams are doing and I fear we will be found out again very soon if we get back into Croke Park, especially if and when the Dubs tune in.

Towinjustonce pundits left or were encouraged out because of dropping numbers and negative feedback in press and on line about staleness of analysis??

Catcol, agree, last nights punditry was good actually analysis, far ahead of the cliches we had to deal with in previous years.
Also on the game never being in doubt, Rossies put up a good fight in fairness to them. But when Dublin felt need they rolled the bench and upped a gear and sin é.

I wonder what conroy would be like in midfield. He has the height. Could be a Sean Cavanagh type maybe

I'd say Tommy in for Carney, Mchale keeps his place and Flynn (on basis that if Flynn finds form he can do much damage vs Carney finding form).

AoS, Cillian and RoD in FF line, assuming that there's a proper plan in place to stop them being run out of position. Gives the option of either of RoD and AoS to drop into HF to change focus of attack. Loftus as option to come on and grab an odd point, along with Boland. Carney more of a running (and bit of fielding) option and Towey if game fully opens up.

Only fear would be that if there's not a proper plan in place for using Cillian and Aidan would lack of pace be an issue.

Tommy Conroy in midfield as a Sean Cavanagh type? Come on now. He's never featured there, he's about 5'11"/12 stone at the most. A Paddy Durcan or Sam Callinane is a broad shouldered kind of athlete can operate around there.
I'm not getting any connection to one of the best midfielders of all time in 6'3" 14 stone Sean Cavanagh.

I would say a better comparison with Tommy conroy would be Michael donnellan who dropped into midfield in later years but again was a different type of player and sean Cavanagh was a much bigger man .we have enough problems in midfield without putting even smaller players in there

I can’t see how Tommy Conroy could be a midfielder. He doesn’t offer an aerial presence whatsoever and has never shown an ability to progress the ball with the foot. He has speed, which I’d argue isn’t the biggest quality needed for the middle of the field. He’s not strong enough either. Look at Parsons and Seamus O’Shea, Fenton and McCarthy, Conroy and Maher in Galway, even the two big lads in Tyrone. Size and strength vital for that position. I can’t remember to many teams that have won All Irelands with lite framed players. I don’t see any other position other than corner forward for Tommy because of his speed.

Green & Red - you are correct. When Rochford was involved with that Donegal side, their style of play was boring and backward, and crucially they never looked like actual All-Ireland contenders. All very similar to what we are playing now tbh. Amazing that some people think there is nothing to be said about his involvement in that set up and Donegal's transformation since leaving that style of play behind - they look a stronger, more assured and more settled team than us.

It should be remembered that Stephen rochford is not the mayo manager.he has the unusual title in Gaelic football of assistant manager but Kevin mcstay as manager should have the final say as to how we set up and play.Anyway we have to give the benefit of the doubt to them until we see how the season pans out .I for one have zero interest in these round robin games and the championship for me will begin at the quarter finals stage

Of course Jimmy has the benefit of four or five new young players,but that won't suit the critics

Couple of things:-
- Congrats to the minors great result even though it was probably a patchy performance. Always a good position though win with room for improvement.
- On Rochford in Donegal he wasn't the manager but would have had input, the buck stops with the Manager and its the same for McStay.
- On Jim McGuinness I'll put this out there. On his first meeting with Tyrone I thought Tyrone were unlucky not to win in normal time. Yesterday Donegal never looked like losing and were excellent in that 2nd half. Jimmy learned and applied much more from that first game - that is what makes him a great manager.
- That performance yesterday by Donegal I would make them close enough to 2nd fav's behind Dublin for Sam.

Corrick every county brings in new players over the years.did you expect mcguinness to bring back Michael Murphy and colm McFadden.i would have thought you would understand this as the biggest critic of the critics

Is it just my tv or is the sound and picture out of sinc on RTE2 for everyone?

same here Joe G...I though it was my TV !!

Bloody RTE. ?

I also have been amazed at Donegal’s performances, style, verve and zest, the enthusiasm and focus of their players and the strength, belief and thrust on the field.
As a poster said earlier, this must be down to the McGuinness factor, a man who can rally the talented players and get them to play for him.

At the same time, by nature, I am sceptical of instant success stories. Yes, we’re watching one before our eyes in that Donegal have won Ulster.

Firstly, I’m wondering what style of play this success is based on. It appears to be high running and energy, lots of support runners, excellent shooters, a great goalkeeper and some decent reading of the opponent.
Should we in Mayo hang our heads in shame that we can’t measure up to this standard? I thought that was our own signature style too (with work to do on the long range shooting).
Secondly, I agree with a remark Tomás Ó Sé made last night on the Saturday Game. While he and all at the table believed Donegal were brilliant and had substance, he said he’d like to wait to see their performances against the top-ranked teams (Dublin and Kerry) before being able to really say where Donegal are at.
I reflect that Mayo has tended to come undone against Dublin and Kerry too. We have been very wishy washy and our performances have been underwhelming but we generally manage OK until we reach the big guns.
(That said, Roscommon is a challenge next week!)
We need the long range shooting and accurate shooting working for us to undo the blanket defences. That’s why I’m really happy Cillian is back in form.

People on here often confuse Tommy Conroy for Tommy Goals the Tommy Conroy from Kiltane who could actually score goals and points and scored a goal in the all ireland minor final which Mayo won. Now ye are confusing Tommy Conroy to be a midfielder. My goodness

As we have,but comparing the present Donegal team with the team that was available to the Donegal management would be like comparing the Irish football team which will be available to the future Ireland manager to what was available to Stephen Kenny,we have at the moment the very best management team in my lifetime,you can snipe all you want,but that is a fact

Going back to 2017 there was alot of talk about Donegal being a coming team with Jason McGee and ciaran Thompson mentioned as having huge potential and they were big favourites to beat us in castlebar back in 2019 .For whatever reason it never clicked for them so for mcguiness to come back in and turn them around so quickly is extraordinary.He clearly has something be it tactical or motivational but clearly the players all buy into it very quickly and at this stage I wouldn’t be hugely surprised if he wins another all Ireland with them in the next couple of years.Momentum is hugely important and those couple of comebacks in close games will have given them enormous confidence and unfortunately we could have handed the same momentum to Galway.Alot of talk on here about making our support and making noise at games but the crowd react to what’s happening on the field and you can only judge a team on what you see on the field in front of you.There is a general lack of excitement in the way we play now unfortunately but ultimately it can only be judged at the end of the season

Corrick with all due respect because you think this is the best management team in your lifetime does not make it a fact it’s simply your opinion .I am not sure as yet I would put them above John o Mahoney John maughan and james Horan as yet but who knows what might happen

I think Tommy Conroy should be in the half forward line.
If he doesn't show something soon perhaps it is time to give some one else a chance.

Corrick - I don’t know how old you are so can’t comment on your lifetime experience of mayo managers but surely James Horan is more successful then Stephen Rochford and Kevin McStay?

Horan has 6 Connaught titles and a league title (8 years) vs 1 league title and 0 Connaught titles (5 years) for Rochford. Not to mention 4 All Ireland finals for Horan compared to 2 for Rochford. That’s not even including the blank Rochford drew in Donegal when he was up there.

Add in the fact that Horan built the team Rochford inherited not once but twice. As Kevin McStay said in his first interview after he became manager “James has done the rebuild”.

There is actually more of an argument to suggest this is one of the most unsuccessful managements in mayo history but again I don’t know your timeline for seeing managers.

1985 - to add to your point on McGuinness I think a lot of people get caught up in his great ability on the tactical side. It’s also worth pointing out that he studied psychology in college so the man is a excellent when it comes to understanding players. I’ve a feeling his man management has a just off the scale and knows exactly how to connect with all different personalities in a panel. A very underrated quality in any successful manager.

Mickey Moran was very successful Manager, 1 year got to All Ireland Final , then let go.

To be fair to corrick he didn’t say the most successful management team he said the best management team he has seen.Again either can only be applied at the end of their term

Comparing Tommy Conroy to Michael Donnellan. Goodness!!

Corick . I really hope you’re right, but we definitely can’t declare that yet. Maybe we can discuss it again in a couple of months.

I have followed Mayo since the sixties,undoubtedly this is by far the best management team I have seen,until July you are entitled to your opinion

Fair play Corick- hard supporter. Out of interest what do you judge the best on?

Maybe we in school together in Cross so Corick.

Off the top of my head of the 15 management teams we have had since 1983 only 3 have failed to win a Connacht title.Anthony Egan and Kevin mcstay in 1995 .pat holmes 2000 to 2002 although he did win one in 2015 with Noel connelly.Stephen rochford 2016 to 2018 and Kevin mcstay and Stephen rochford 2023 to present day .Again I will state I was very happy to see the two lads get the job as I always felt mcstay deserved another crack at it and of course if they were to win an all Ireland no one would be one bit bothered about Connacht titles and before someone corrects me I mean Connacht titles with mayo

Ahh the aul superstars debates , reminds of why ciaran mac isnt held in the top category , its simply because in the GAA world you have to get them medals , the whole debate is null and void imho . Like that matt connor for offally , hed just be a kevin o brien of wicklow if offally didnt have a great side in that era .

Anyway i want to make a note of how wrong the pundits /journos get it every year , last week both james o donoghue and paddy andrews were making love to Derry and how they would make bits of Galway such was going to be the reaction to their defeat in ulster , there was eye rolling and genuine fear of how they would dismantle galway . Beep beep wrong again

Dick clerkin this week almost mocking dinegals celebration of winning the anglo celt and how tyrone would have their eyes set on winning sam such is the nature of the Tirrone mindset . Beeep beep wrong again .

Its not that i expect these fellas to get it right all the time , its the absolute cockiness they predict with . Like they know something the rest of us dont .

Corick you are entitled to your opinions but not your own version of "facts" as you would say yourself :)

This management team could very well prove to be our best ever, they almost the definitely best funded which an important starting point in modern era.
But as it stands they way off what Horan and Maughan achieved, and even Mickey Moran in his one year spell but they have another 30 months or so to rectify that and lead us to promised land and ensure they wouldnt need to buy a pint in county again.

@GBX1.My point about Michael donnellan was that he was a forward who converted to midfield in 2001 championship as a runner as he certainly wasn’t a stereotypical midfielder in that era but he did have the giants Kevin Walsh and Sean o domhnaill to come in to the the fetching.I certainly would never consider Tommy conroy as a midfielder but in terms of build and size he is closer to donnellan than Sean cavanagh

Corick, maybe the current management team are over thinking with safety first and should let the players express themselves.

Again, Donegal is the benchmark this year, with a different style to Jim McGuiness first term as manager, now it's attacking football with great speed.

Do any of ye posters remember the Urban Myth going about a few years ago about 'Croke Park' needing at least 30K attendance to open the gates or it wasnt financially viable?. Of course that was all rubbish .. It does cost money to open it just as sure it costs money to open any venue. But Croke Park has costs regardless of it opens or not, opening for a small crowd dosent change that. Croke Park like McHale Park or Dr Hyde Park all depend on volunteers and Croke Park can close certain sections off like the upper decks and so on. The old Nally Stand would have been big enough for last Saturdays fixture. I think 2002 Armagh were All Ireland Champions, the National Football League used to start in October or November, anyway I attended a league match between Dublin and Armagh it was October or November of that year , I remember the attendance was over. 70K, and Dublin were not All Ireland Champions. Now on Saturday just gone less than 10K in attendance for Dublin in homely Croke Park and them All Ireland Champions versus Roscommon the only team that Dublin played in last years Championship and Dublin didnt beat. and less than 10K turned up. Is it all the success that Dublin have had recently , playing Roscommon seems trivial to so many Dubs or what? . Are the Dubs actually getting embaressed by their continued success, their superior financial clout, or the Leinster and National GAA gifting Croke Park to the Dubs for almost every possible fixture for the all of this century? .. Sure Manchester City must sometimes look across the Irish Sea sometimes with envy. Regardless unless something is done soon to address the issue Parnell Park will be plenty big enough for the Dubs.. Leinster Rugby , Bruce Springstien or who knows Garth Brooks might have to take up the slack, or else those Sea Gulls around Croke Park will be allot slimmer next time we see them.

Leantimes say it's a combination of factors e.g.
- ERC final
- FA cup final
- full round of club games on in Dublin as well
- predictable outcome to result
- predictable outcome with no jeopardy even if a shock took place.

Gizmobobs....All fair and valid points but ...same factors in play for Donegal v Tyrone full house..the expectation was that this fixture Donegal v Tyrone would be close (maybe not so mush Roscommon v Dublin)..but last year Dublin v Roscommon was a draw. Croke Park for Dublin fixtures have been getting smaller in the last few years. Two Dublin women down in Mayo for the weekend sat beside me for the Mayo v Derry League Fixture in Castlebar, they were shouting for Mayo as they told they wanted Mayo to qualify for the League Final because they taught rightly as it happened that if Derry qualified for the League Final v Dublin the attendance and athmosphere would be very slack.

Doesn't appear Donegal or Tyrone had adult league games on like Dublin had leantimes, and Ulster weren't contesting European final, so they definitely larger factors.

But agree with you that more at play, apathy perhaps due to the prolonged years of success? Taking for granted they going be at business end of championship so saving themselves for now?

Or is it the enjoyment factor going from the game? Our own attendances have dropped dramatically in the last year or so as well, after years of being the only county alongside Dublin to sell out season ticket allocations several hundred were cancelled this year. Their diminished value a factor no doubt.

Likelihood is it's a little bit of all these things and more.

A lot of different topics being aired and I'll throw in my tuppence halfpenny worth on a few of them. I would say that the low attendance are down to a number of factors such as, the number of games crammed into a short time period, the lack of Jeopardy in many of the games, the expected one sided nature of some games and, for me, possibly the biggest factor, which is how boring the game has become. Maybe the GAA gurus will wake up at some stage, but I wouldn't hold my breath. With regard to games in Croke Park even leaving aside the ridiculous "neutral venue" situation, the small attendances in a cavernous stadium lead to a very flat atmosphere and that, in itself, should be enough to have these games played elsewhere. While Jim McGuinness has done a decent job and deserves credit, I am not joining the rush to have him canonized just yet. Donegal caught Derry on the hop and took advantage of Derry's gifting of goals thro' goalkeeping stupidity and scraped past Tyrone twice, who are a team in transition. Also I would not be going overboard about Galway or writing off Derry either as I feel that the stupid red card had a big bearing on the result of that game. One final thing and to state the obvious, Mayo need to start scoring goals or they are going nowhere fast-need to score one or probably two goals to win games, as we approach the business end of the Championship.

No,not from near Crossmolina,how very dare you tarnish me with that,how many all Ireland have those other managers won,in contrast to both Kevin McStay,and Stephen Rochford?

The answer is those other managers won the same amount of senior inter county all Irelands as mcstay and rochford which is none as that is the subject matter.alot of lads have won club all Irelands and couldn’t cut it at inter county level because there is no comparison .Anyway good luck to the two lads for the rest of the year

That game on Saturday wouldn't have been been held in Croker had Dublin had a stadium capacity over 5000. The fact is they don't despite several attempts to purchase land etc. They've been thwarted by hooray Henry's and bleeding hearts on each occasion.
There's planning permission in for the Old spawell driving range (near St Jude's and Faughs gaa pitches) to build a 25000 capacity pitch but there's been the usual banana kick back, banana meaning build absolutely nothing absolutely nothing at all. To be fair to the Dublin county board there's little scope with for other sites with the current housing crisis etc.

Exactly 1985, the answer is the same as myself and yourself on the Sam Maguire's won as managers :)
Looks like we can expect more bad news on injury front this week unfortunately. Haven't seen it cited in official outlets yet though. But these things are part and parcel of the game sadly.

Looking forward to the weekends game, may not be able to make this one so thankfully GAA go to fall back on!

Absolutely Sean, Jim is some man. It confirms to me what Micko said years ago, that any 15 in any county have the potential to win an All Ireland. That still rings true, even in the modern game with all that entails, ie the elite professionalism aspects.

For me the key is Personnel. Limerick have it and the Dubs have it. It's getting the right people in there, especially managers and coaches. I think the physios and nutritionists etc are also important but not crucial. That knowledge is all out there freely available.

Proper coaching and mentoring though is an entirely different thing. And yes Gizmo, O'Rourke is getting a rude awakening!!! I'm thrilled. I always despised his sneering and belittling. Well look at him now. His team are a disgrace, an absolute embarrassment. And he's working from a similar deck as McGuinness in Donegal. Actually Colm probably has the advantage over him as he has been developing (or trying to) that Meath team for a couple of years now. Karma is a bitch.

Barry Cassidy Ref for Saturday

I would suggest that winning an all Ireland club title is every bit as difficult as winning with a county team,seeing as there is only about eight to ten county's capable of winning Sam

There is realistically only 3 and at a big push maybe 4 teams in the running for Sam this year.

We could skip many needless games and go straight to two semi finals.

It is what it is I suppose.

Corick Bridge, not according to County Board who determined intercounty experience as being the key factor in management selection process.

Thanks Corick - so it’s club all Ireland wins you use to decide how good the current inter county management team are, and ironically Rochford and McStay have the same amount of club all Irelands as Micky Moran. Poor man was ran from Mayo after getting us a Connaught title and All Ireland final appearance in one year. No doubt we will see the best of this management team very soon. You don’t get it wrong to often on here to be fair.

If the current management are the right people for the job - we will see a much better defensive shape, more pace to our attacks and a better forward plan to create and take chances in the next few weeks. Because other than these few small things - the management have got a lot right!!

There seems to be some of conspiracy theory at play that certain people are out to get Kevin mcstay and and Stephen rochford which is an absolute load of old nonsense.This is a discussion forum on mayo football and if people came on here after a poor performance by the team or the management and said it was great and we were fantastic then they are being totally dishonest.we all want to see Mayo win an all Ireland be it with Kevin mcstay or any other manager from inside or outside the county and the absolute childish rubbish about the best management in our lifetimes can only be judged when the current managements term comes to an end.what they did at club level or any other level is irrelevant at this point.At this point in time the current managements championship performances have been average to very poor and if it doesn’t improve then we all know what the outcome will be.Anyway as I said good luck to our management.no one ever said it was easy

Who are the 3/4 teams capable of winning the all ireland ? (Bate the blanket )

I know one match that would fill crokepark @corick bridge managed by Kevin mcstay v 1985 managed by a. n other. I'd pay for that anyway. 70 minutes or 15 rounds I'd go to either.

No Doubt would we stream via GAA Go or in protest at everything not being free to air go DAZN pay per view?
If go DAZN we could get Jake Paul to manage 1985 :)

I seen at the weekend Connacht LGFA had a clubs 7s tournament, it is a pity there is not more of those sort of events particularly in summer months in mens calendar, sevens can be very entertaining and would be ideal in Summer when clubs struggle for numbers with Exodus to states. Well done Connacht LGFA.

@gizmobobs.no streaming. Attendance only

The turnaround in Donegal is remarkable. They were all over the place last year & did sweet f all in the 4 years under Bonner/Rochy while they were there (outside of Ulster). McGuinness seems to be able to make lads believe they are miles better than they ever thought they could be. They would give every ounce they have for him & believe 100% in him. It's a big jump to go to All Ireland contenders so soon, but they seem to be on the right road.

Donegal played turgid football under Rochy/Bonner & it's pretty much exactly what we're seeing now under our "great" management team. It didn't work in Donegal, it won't work here. So dispense with it or there will be a huge portion of fans who will happily see the back of them come end of this year's championship.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope we have something different to bring to the table. But I'd be highly surprised if we do.

Football is a simple game. Attack quickly & often.. work a chance & have a go. The more shots you have, the more chance you have to score. It's not rocket science. Our management team can't seem to work this out. They'd rather keep the ball all day & win a game 1 point to nil. But when you leave your full back line exposed with 50 yards of space in front of them, do we actually expect to win anything?

You’re right Mayo Focus.
Surely a 50% conversion rate with 3 from 6 shots is better than 100% with 1 from 1.

I am sorry to say Mayo Focus, I have to agree with you. The Cavan game was the day to experiment and try something different. We have quality players but they are locked into a system that requires keeping possession as priority.
No need to wonder why we don't create goal chances. We allow opposition forwards to drop back at their leisure and double up on marking up. Conroy is a classic case of how wrong we are getting it. His strength is in one on one situations where he is in space. It must be so frustrating for him and for supporters who are cringing at 'Slow play Mayo'. Several of our good quality players are underperforming because they are coached out of expressing themselves.
But it doesn't seem to bother Rochfod and co.

Jim McGuinness would have moves practiced that end with the likes of Tommy Conroy being handpassed the ball bearing down at pace 1 v 1 towards goal.
Look at the Donegal goal v Derry with the coordinated fake handpass, that was a practiced move, two attacking players involved.

100% Nephin & Ontheditch

@Sean Burke the Football Pod lads even last week still backed Derry to get to All Ireland Final. I still think Derry could make some shapes this year & could be the bogeyman in the prelims.

The top 3/4 at the moment? Dublin, Kerry & you'd probably have to say Galway & Donegal are now emerging as the most likely challengers

Derry can be in shake up if manage to navigate next couple of rounds without their halfback line. Their first 15 are strong, but cannot afford to lose players as depth may not be there just yet.

It's interesting how Donegal and Jim McGuinness stock has risen and McStay & Rochford has wained on here. Personally I believe if Mayo were to meet Donegal right now in say Croke Park I fancy we would beat them. That said I don't think Mayo or Donegal would beat Dublin or Kerry right now and Galway is 50/50. So while it's extraordinary the improvement McGuiness has brought about it's very difficult to see him improving them to the point of winning Sam

One thought provoker, it will likely be a hot summer, in my view there's a lack of thinking ahead on that from teams. Do you really need an intense on pitch warmup in proper full sun heat? Players end these games pretty flogged without hot weather. If a team can be brave around legs in the middle, a hot day is a great test of that aspect.

@toe to hand

I see your point in relation to Mayo beating Donegal if the game was tomorrow. I personally think it would be close but Donegal win it late on.

The frustrating thing is that if the game was played 12 months ago we would definitely win. Our style of play is such a difficult watch these days compared to other counties. Our defensive shape isn’t great at all and if other teams took their goal chances so far we could have been in right trouble.

We don’t look like ripping a team apart and it just sucks the enjoyment out of the game. The frustration in the fan base is that other teams are not only playing a better brand but far more convincing winning games.

We played 5 championship games last year and lost 3. The vast majority wanted a break away from “Horanball” and have more shape but at this rate we are play deadball with equally less shape.

Sean, sadly Mayo have not shown anything yet that would put them in the top 3 or 4 team, but with alot of luck and all players showing good form this may change.

I hold of on celebrating McGuinness yet as he has done sweet f all either outside of ulster and yes I agree they have made huge strides but I won't be kissing his boots yet until I see how he gets on against the non ulster teams. On another note I can't see how people are talking about derry so much after 2 terrible championship performances and hammering mayo after losing to Galway by a wrong decision free and 2 championship wins v derrys record so far. Don't get me wrong i have plenty of doubts about our bucks but the 2 scenarios above don't make sense to me and right now I'd rather be in the position of the red and green as opposed to the red and white.

It is past time Conroy showed some form.
We cannot persist wit non scoring forwards
It think it is one of the most open championships in years.
Galway seem to have got a lift by beating Mayo.
But I think Armagh will stop their gallop.

Why are Mayo playing this boring sideways slow football that doesn’t seem to suit them?
And why are Donegal playing fast attacking football?
Do McStay and Rochford need to get on the phone to Jim?

Look its all about opinions ,i just dont see this great all iteland contender in Derry as of yet anyway . Be some meltdown if Armagh beat them in their own backyard . On another note the pace of dublins attack in the last 10 mins v ros was wild scary , there were three of them in a line at one point sprinting forward , i thought i was watching the 100m olympic final for a second .

Yes Sean, I made the same point earlier about the Dubs - they smell blood and swoop, and bang, goal. Sometimes it may not come off and it'll 'only' be a point.

We are really going to miss Paddy from here on. It's an awful blow. He really knows how to run at opponents and to take the game to a team - he did it to the Dubs in the league and to Galway. He does it with control and a score usually occurs; also gives the team and supporters a great lift when it happens.

When will we know the date/time /venue of minor 1/4 final ?

@Sean burke: "The tier one All-Ireland MFC quarter-finals are scheduled for June 8-9, the semi-finals on June 22-23 and final on July 6-7." from https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41268622.html when the changes were first introduced.

The Minor Hurling Quarter Finals are due to be played this coming weekend and GAA yet to even announce the pairings for those games, never mind day/time/venue... so I'd not like to make any predictions on when we might find out the details for ours.