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Connelly/Holmes

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Very interesting read in the independent today. The 2 lads come across as two decent men who were absolutely shafted. How the Mayo county board sat back and allow a few to dictate and force out 2 great servants to mayo football is a disgrace. Wonder did the breaffy contingent put pressure on the goal keeping change for the replay. I have always admired the way mayo played and hope they win an all ireland someday just hope it's not this group of players jacktheDub (Dublin) - Posts: 944 - 17/12/2016 17:30:49 1940680 Link
Replying To jacktheDub: "Very interesting read in the independent today. The 2 lads come across as two decent men who were absolutely shafted. How the Mayo county board sat back and allow a few to dictate and force out 2 great servants to mayo football is a disgrace. Wonder did the breaffy contingent put pressure on the goal keeping change for the replay. I have always admired the way mayo played and hope they win an all ireland someday just hope it's not this group of players" "Wonder did the breaffy contingent put pressure on the goal keeping change for the replay. " after reading about the players letter to County board I wouldn't be surprised if ever you wanted to know what a Clique is this is it. Talk about having your cake and eating it!! arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4896 - 17/12/2016 18:02:56 1940684 Link
I think we all had a fair idea this was the case. They can't do it on their own, I think that's clear now, they NEED a man they can look up to and who can inspire them. Horan had their ears, but I just don't think he was as astute as he needed to be. And also just to state the obvious, they need better forwards. realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8591 - 17/12/2016 18:15:25 1940685 Link
Too many chiefs you had dillon questioning the inclusion of moran, o'shea going to management and telling them he wanted hennelly in goal. Connelly / Holmes talk about the few who wanted to dictate everything wonder was it the same with horan the only difference was the 2 guys didn't tolerate it and the players didn't like it. From outside you could probably guess who the instigators were. jacktheDub (Dublin) - Posts: 944 - 17/12/2016 18:38:50 1940689 Link
The goalkeeper rumour has been doing the rounds for years now and what happened this year didn't help. 2 great servants they were as players but probably not up to it as top level managers. They did have some valid points in fairness and the Breaffy boys demanding an inferior goalkeeper because they like his kickouts is bananas. but I don't believe the account of what happened with the medical staff or the logistics. The truth in all this is somewhere in the middle. Fact is tactically Mayo massively improve this year keeping it tight at the back so for anyone to claim they were no better this year when they got rid of the lads is just false. A lot of people want them to fail which is fair enough, but at least be honest in the analysis. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7891 - 17/12/2016 19:11:14 1940694 Link
Replying To TheFlaker: "The goalkeeper rumour has been doing the rounds for years now and what happened this year didn't help. 2 great servants they were as players but probably not up to it as top level managers. They did have some valid points in fairness and the Breaffy boys demanding an inferior goalkeeper because they like his kickouts is bananas. but I don't believe the account of what happened with the medical staff or the logistics. The truth in all this is somewhere in the middle. Fact is tactically Mayo massively improve this year keeping it tight at the back so for anyone to claim they were no better this year when they got rid of the lads is just false. A lot of people want them to fail which is fair enough, but at least be honest in the analysis." Fair in analysis? So yeah you prove the end justifies the means were fans are concerned (which is why they don't get to pick teams), so right I get that but honesty cuts both ways. Ultimately it is not good if players pick teams especially some of the yokes playing for Mayo, some class players but also some some fairly mediocre players too. When those class players start to wane who is going to bring in the replacements? Who is going to transition? who is going to want to walk into this bizarre coaching setup? I don't think this Mayo team will be in last four come the summer and then this novel arrangement will show how really stupid it is. arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4896 - 17/12/2016 20:25:09 1940700 Link
Replying To TheFlaker: "The goalkeeper rumour has been doing the rounds for years now and what happened this year didn't help. 2 great servants they were as players but probably not up to it as top level managers. They did have some valid points in fairness and the Breaffy boys demanding an inferior goalkeeper because they like his kickouts is bananas. but I don't believe the account of what happened with the medical staff or the logistics. The truth in all this is somewhere in the middle. Fact is tactically Mayo massively improve this year keeping it tight at the back so for anyone to claim they were no better this year when they got rid of the lads is just false. A lot of people want them to fail which is fair enough, but at least be honest in the analysis." It is strange that you call the 2 lads who acted with complete integrity through this whole episode liars. It looks like they set there stall out and we're honest with the panel there was a few who didn't like what they had to say so they picked up on anything they could to knock them with. AOS said the players didn't want to pick there manager but that is exactly what they wanted. They now have there yes man in charge. Mayo were a better team last year with the 2 guys at least they were in a position to win the replay. This year they led once over 2 games for A couple of mins. Why is there nobody asking questions about the senior players who have so much influence that they can get 2 good men removed from there position? jacktheDub (Dublin) - Posts: 944 - 17/12/2016 20:28:03 1940701 Link
It seems to me that the only thing preventing the current Mayo panel ftom winning an All Ireland is the absence of a Jim Gavin. I would be very surprised if Jim Gavin tolerated those attitudes and egos. GormlaighG (Mayo) - Posts: 77 - 17/12/2016 21:31:40 1940714 Link
Replying To jacktheDub: "It is strange that you call the 2 lads who acted with complete integrity through this whole episode liars. It looks like they set there stall out and we're honest with the panel there was a few who didn't like what they had to say so they picked up on anything they could to knock them with. AOS said the players didn't want to pick there manager but that is exactly what they wanted. They now have there yes man in charge. Mayo were a better team last year with the 2 guys at least they were in a position to win the replay. This year they led once over 2 games for A couple of mins. Why is there nobody asking questions about the senior players who have so much influence that they can get 2 good men removed from there position?" No we weren't better last year. Playing the usual gungho football that got us nowhere. Connelly and Holmes were great servants to Mayo football but we're better setup under Rochford and McEntee and hopefully will continue to improve. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7344 - 17/12/2016 22:47:06 1940727 Link
Replying To GormlaighG: "It seems to me that the only thing preventing the current Mayo panel ftom winning an All Ireland is the absence of a Jim Gavin. I would be very surprised if Jim Gavin tolerated those attitudes and egos." He wouldn't and doesn't. realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8591 - 17/12/2016 23:17:38 1940732 Link
I for one hoped Dublin would win this year and after the drawn game I prayed they'd win. Mayo players cueing up for interviews after the game proved where some of these lads are at in their own heads. On of their oldest forwards in particular. I'm delighted that letter got released and am sick to the teeth of hard luck stories and curses and we will be back next year and all that crap. They have over achieved for years with the quality of players they have but humility and dignity costs very little. They should be ashamed and emabarrased! tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 17/12/2016 23:59:48 1940733 Link
Replying To realdub: "He wouldn't and doesn't." And he is right. And your team have reaped the benefits. If Mayo don't win in 2017, lol, I sincerely hope ye do the three in a row. GormlaighG (Mayo) - Posts: 77 - 18/12/2016 00:09:31 1940735 Link
Hi, long time reader of posts but this is my first post. It's been long known in Mayo that certain players are dominating the team setup. Whilst I agree we need 1 or 2 more consistent long range scoring forwards to support COC I do believe we could already have a AI in the bag if things went right. However we were always deserving runners up and as much as I like to moan about Kerry/Dub I have to say that they were deserving champs once all analysis was done and emotion forgotten. I personally think this interview is a good thing. I felt sorry for H/C after reading it. Nobody deserves to have their rep questioning without valid reasons given. I also believe Rochford is a better manager but I hope he reads this interview and learns a thing or two from it. AOS was more of a disadvantage than an asset to Mayo this year and unless he decides to put an AI before he own agenda he IMHO should be dropped. No one player is bigger than a team...no matter how many fans or twitter followers he has. Nonetheless looking forward to yet another "mixed bag of emotion" year of GAA CMoo (Mayo) - Posts: 1 - 18/12/2016 01:54:35 1940742 Link
These statements from C/H are going to do no good for Mayo football going forward, if anything this could start mutiny within the camp but maybe these thing's would be better left unsaid as every panel of player's that play together will have issues within the group but IMO these thing's should never be said publicly. Why have chosen to come out now? Why have they decided to go the media? Obviously they want to damage some "Ego's". Clearly a lot of residue still left from 2015. Supermacs88 (Galway) - Posts: 248 - 18/12/2016 09:51:20 1940751 Link
http://indo.ie/sjEe307dRB0 That's some read posters. clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 18/12/2016 10:02:43 1940753 Link
Replying To GreenandRed: "No we weren't better last year. Playing the usual gungho football that got us nowhere. Connelly and Holmes were great servants to Mayo football but we're better setup under Rochford and McEntee and hopefully will continue to improve." Ye might not have been better last year but ye were also no better this year . Just stayed in division 1 beaten by galway n connacht and apart from the tyrone gMe didn't exactly play well n the qualifiers . Just like last year when the opportunity presented itself to beat the dubs in the first game this year (second game last year ) the players were not up for it I don't see mayo getting as easy a route to the All Ireland in 2017 tbh rossy15 (Roscommon) - Posts: 617 - 18/12/2016 10:10:17 1940755 Link
First things first Mayo where incredibly unlucky not to have Sam residing in Mayo this Christmas. 2016 was there best showing in an all Ireland final in 20 years and with Lady Luck not going your way it made it impossible to win. Any clear sighted person (especially Dubs) will admit this. For 2016 especially in the later stages Mayo look to have a defensive structure and tightness that was lacking in previous years. They have a midfield which is as good as any around with strength in depth of the bench, but forwards let them down or lack of spread of scores let them down. Is this Mayo team capable of winning Sam? absolutely! What happened last year was wrong by the Mayo players, it seem to me that they never wanted Holmes or Connelly in the first place and this seemed to be the problem. With regards to the interview in yesterday's paper it can be described as many things, but one thing for certain it is just damaging to player relationships within the panel. It has highlighted the difference of opinion between Seamus O'Shea and Alan Dillon in terms of the management picking Clarke and Andy Moran. I can understand the two men wanting to tell their side of the story after being removed by player power and that understandable as there was no shame losing to Dublin after a replay in 2015, but wait a few years. This Mayo team is closer than ever before in my opinion. As Mayo men who have given their heart and guts to their county, why would they want to derail the attempt next year by bringing this into the public domain. It could strike as bitterness on their behalf. Maybe they don't want to see the players that undermined them reach the holy grail when they failed to? shaggylegend (Monaghan) - Posts: 1928 - 18/12/2016 10:47:58 1940762 Link
Replying To Supermacs88: "These statements from C/H are going to do no good for Mayo football going forward, if anything this could start mutiny within the camp but maybe these thing's would be better left unsaid as every panel of player's that play together will have issues within the group but IMO these thing's should never be said publicly. Why have chosen to come out now? Why have they decided to go the media? Obviously they want to damage some "Ego's". Clearly a lot of residue still left from 2015." Whats good for the goose is good for the gander Supermacs The players had their say last year when they got the 2 guys removed from their jobs. To do such a public act of defiance was going to have repercussions, I don't think the timing is too relevant as the season is over. It's more a case of that it would get a lot more exposure now in the media with so little else going on in the GAA right now. The only thing I was disappointed about was that Connelly and Holmes didn't name names, I think this act of dancing around it weakens their argument a little bit. However, the original lack of transparency from the players from the start of this thing was always going to allow for interpretations to get skewed. I wouldn't take what Connelly and Holmes say as gospel either, but, the players took the nuclear option which for me is the real danger. Whether their intentions came from a well informed group/source or they had a crystal ball that told them this was the right thing to do, they set themselves a dangerous precedent by going behind the managers backs and outing them. Yes Rochford came very close to winning the all ireland but what happens when Rochford starts making decisions that aren't popular with some or not all of the same bunch of players. Will he get the same treatment? When do they take the blame for their short comings and not the management. I'm not ignorant to the players simply want to win and they want to give themselves every chance of achieving that but there are ways and means of going about it. I've heard this argument of how players should be involved in managerial decisions over and over again with examples of successful teams doing so. But it's not that straightforward, trust, loyalty and respect are things that get built up over time. Who's to say that had they shown a little bit of those 3 things to Connelly and Holmes they wouldn't have Sam Maguire staying in Mayo this winter? keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 18/12/2016 11:23:56 1940771 Link
First things first Mayo where incredibly unlucky not to have Sam residing in Mayo this Christmas. 2016 was there best showing in an all Ireland final in 20 years and with Lady Luck not going your way it made it impossible to win. Nah....not for me! What luck would have made a difference? Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 18/12/2016 11:24:49 1940772 Link
Hard to admit it but our hurling fraternity a bit like Mayo. Plenty of egos and a sense of entitlement. Playing Mayo over the years a bit insufferable for these very reasons. I support both codes but unreal the difference in attititude within Galway between our modest fooball outlook but very different hurling attitude (although I totally agree with our argument of being in Leinster fir all hurling grades and getting fairness regarding home matches). Having a hurling dominated Co. Board does not help for resource equity within the county. I wonder will Anthony Cunningham do a similar expose. kiloughter (Galway) - Posts: 1946 - 18/12/2016 11:31:50 1940773 Link