Green and Red |  |
| Posted: 26 Sep 2012 09:53 AM PDT We're all, I'm sure, still deciding in our own minds how we feel about how Sunday's All-Ireland final went for us and so I'm delighted to welcome back into the guest slot Davitts Man to provide his perspective on events. Jimmy's winning matches, Jimmy's winning games - that song is still in the heads of most Mayo and Donegal folk at the minute for totally different reasons. For the northern folk they are planning the tour Sam will take within the county for the winter; for us the nightmare continues, another All-Ireland final of three cheers for Mayo. The worst phrase we can hear uttered.
So was this a final we left behind or one we were never going to win? A bit of both. After such a bad start we were always going to struggle to come back and win but credit must go to our lads who recovered to give it their all and were there about as the game entered the home straight. I felt, however, that if pressed the Nordies would probably have too much for us and put the foot back on the accelerator if needed. From the fans' point of view this one is hard to take as we had our chances particularly early in the second half but for some poor shot selection we could have got back on terms, but I think the majority of us also thought it would be a bridge too far. It was a case of ifs, buts and maybes. What if Andy was fit, what if Cillian had got that free early on instead of the ball hitting the back of the net down the other end? But that's all history now. It's another All-Ireland final defeat and another winter without a visit from Sam will have to pass. However unlike previous defeats there is no talk of drawing boards or that dreaded phrase which gets my blood boiling: 'Mayo, God help us'.
It was very interesting to note the defiant mood in the Regency Hotel on Sunday night when there was plenty of talk about next year and how James is building something for the future. I think most of us have to agree with that sentiment. This is a very young team and a lot of the lads have yet to hit their prime. Yes, some tweaks are needed and some new faces will be introduced before we'll be the ones calling for three cheers for our vanquished opponents in mid-September. One gripe I had from the weekend is I heard on numerous occasions afterwards the opinion being voiced that at least we didn't shame ourselves. I think that's a terrible attitude to have: by God if we were good enough to get to the final (which we were) then shaming ourselves should have been the last thing on our minds.
The dark winter nights will pass and every now and then we'll think what could have been. However when the FBD rolls round we'll hope that this is finally going to be our year and that come September next year that we'll be the ones singing Jimmy's winning matches, Jimmy's winning games and that the Croke park stewards will be busy enacting Plan B as Sam Maguire is finally draped in the green and red. |
| O'Neill's departure confirmed + are you ready for next year? Posted: 26 Sep 2012 05:19 AM PDT The Irish Examiner has today followed up on the story they broke yesterday about Cian O'Neill's departure from Mayo's management set-up with a piece definitely confirming that the Moorefield man will not be staying on as team coach next year. In doing so, the paper reports that O'Neill has denied he's jumping ship to join Kerry and he's claimed instead that it's health problems relating to his back that have forced him to resign after a year in the role. O'Neill's departure obviously leaves a pretty major gap in James Horan's backroom team and I guess the hope must be that there's something to the story the Irish Examiner had yesterday that Barry Solan would be joining the set-up. As well as developing further on the playing side, it's vital that we're also fully tooled up on the sideline next year – James hinted at this at the post-match banquet on Sunday night when he publicly called for greater "investment" from everyone involved in the push for All-Ireland glory – and so it's important that this key appointment is nailed down as quickly as possible. I know most of us are still in emotional rehab after Sunday but it seems clear that the GAA's scheduling department isn't going to allow us to wallow in self-pity for any decent length of time at all. This is because, as @clubmayo pointed out this morning, the draw for next year's championship is set to take place on Thursday of next week (4th October). Moreover, with Leitrim leaping over to New York and Sligo sloping off to London, this means that ourselves, Galway and the Rossies will be in the pot for the preliminary round and if we draw either of them we'll be facing them in an opening round tie on their home turf. Many would say that after our handy draw in Connacht dish ear we're due something a bit more challenging in 2013 and a Salthill date with Galway in late May, for example, would certainly fit the bill in this respect. If this does come about, it'd be a repeat of the draw we got in 2007 following our last All-Ireland final appearance. It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that what happened to us that day shows that any assumptions about going one better in 2013 need to be tempered by the realisation that before we can start to think about winning Sam next year, we first have to plan for making our way through the championship minefield and back to the final once more. |
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