what is wrong with the mental psyche of mayo footballers?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzwhere you not at the sligo longford game with big joe and bernie

Or watching the rugby, seeing as The Rat and I are the same person and all

one way or the other,i predict that dickie will have to have the last word.

Aye, and no doubt, something repeditive and boring.

bring on rocky.........the piper and the rest........

i dont see many of yre buddies supporting yre dickie tonight?was there a charlie macarthy?or did u just bore the tits of them.

Don't be complaining about Mayo KR,........they are a fu**in cash machine!! I know two people from Mayo. My brother in law and Enda Kenny. Both complete gobsh*tes. The fact that the counties footballers are a bunch of losers is of no surprise to me!!

I hate to say it, but Dublin are absolute certs for the All Ireland. With Gooch gone, that's the nail in Kerrys coffin. Mayo may end up in a final, but Cork probably the only other realistic potential winners.

I am surprised at Callitasucit, that post is unworthy of him.

Mayo gave us Michael Davitt and is a beautiful county,rather than head to some dreadful commercial place in Spain go spend a few days in Mayo you might be pleasantly surprised.

When Mayo play football most neutrals are on their side now,they have the Jimmy White mantle.

I was talking from a sporting, and predominantly football, point of view WM. Admittedly with a view pints on board. I'm sure Mayo, like the rest of Ireland, is a beautiful place to holiday.

But they have promised more than they have delivered on far too many occasions now. Greats, like Ciaran McDonald had to watch as his teammates consistently crumbled when faced with the greatest challenge.

Yes, they play a lovely brand of football, and it is refreshing to watch, but refreshing wins you nothing. I'm not a lover of losers in any sport, whether its Jimmy White, Lee Westwood, the English soccer team.....etc. I would far rather my son to be a Tiger Woods, Stephen Hendry, Michael Schumacher, Rafa Nadal, Tommy Walsh,.....etc, than be branded with the Jimmy White mantle. Some of them may not be the most popular people around, but natural born winners they are. And that is something that Mayo have seemed incapable of providing. On the green grass of Croke Park at least.

Michael Davitt was indeed a great, and to him we are indebted, but of him I wasn't speaking.

If Mayo get to the final again this year, I like last year will be laying them til the final whistle. One day, they may fall over the line, but it will be a long way back to equilibrium for their backers.

I rest my case.

For a county whose only sport is Football, they produce very few truly skillful forwards who can kick points from play.

I don't know are ye underrating Derry a bit, I saw them in Kilarney and they were very impressive.

all ire final sep 2014 cork v mayo, winners mayo!

Horan should have stepped aside after last year. Having lost consecutive All Irelands they needed a new approach and now they look to be going backwards. With Galway stuck in reverse themselves under Mulholland Roscommon are worth an interest at 10/1 for Connacht this year. Their U-21s already won the province and their seniors have been promoted to Div 2 under Johnny Evans. They look poised for a decent crack at this years championship.

The sooner they win an All Ireland the better for everybody; the 24 hour security detail on the 2 surviving members of the '51 team is costing the country a small fortune.

My wifes family spring from Mayo , her cousins are still in place there where they are fixtures for generations back . Many holidays there based on racing and golf . So they rank third place in my support after Down and Kerry , birthplace and second home respectively .  Both of those know how to win when they have the ammo , Mayo unfortunately dont  , and they have had good ammo .

Still hopeful , maybe the rest of us should lie down and let them win one , if only for the 2 remaining survivors of that 51 team . First team I went to support in Croke Park  was Mayo , with an uncle ( married to an aunt )  who was also from Mayo roots  , that was 1953 team I think .

Kelly, I think most GAA fans would like to see Mayo win an All Ireland (even the county's Fire Officer !).

My first All Irel was 1968 when Down played Kerry. I attended with my father. As we climbed up the stairs at the back of the old Hogan Stand, I asked him who did he want to win. He said, Down. I asked why. "Because they're the underdogs" said my Dad. I asked him what an "underdog" was, and he explained it to me. He then, at my request, bought me a Down flag.

My other abiding memories of the day were being overwhelmed at the hugeness of Croke Park when we entered the seating area; my first  sighting of a GAA team wearing non-white togs, hearing that rousing song ,"The Star of the Co. Down" for the first time, and,of course, Down's remarkable win.

A great day and great memories (which I may have posted before!).

I was there in 60 and 61 , reb . Was scared on the terraces , due to the 91,000 odd who were sharing the ground with us .  It was dangerous , if anyone moved or slipped forward , everyone did .  I stood in front of my father , with his hands on my shoulders and my younger brother behind him in similar fashion , mostly to protect my father who was not tall despite all his brothers being 6 foot plus .

Magic day , and we had 4 more , although in 91 and 94 we had prime seats being team connected . Long time before we get back there despite management efforts , we just aint got the talent at present . 2010 was a slight aberration , but I posted on the run up to that match that only 2 of that squad would have got on the 91 PANEL , and only Clarke would have been on the team, not sure who would have been left out , might have been the captain with Gary Mason moving back to where he was best , viz defence .

And my father had backed Down in 60 , he got 3/1 to his £25 quid on the day .  Paid for the day and a bit of loose change after meals and travel etc . Unforgettable day(s) .

Great stuff, Kelly. Always nice when your team wins and you make a few bob out of it too. Our Dads may be gone and I don't know where, if anywhere, but the memories they provided us with live on.

Very nice reply Reb...Re Fathers..

Thanks workrider.

Mayo are not good enough to win an all Ireland at the moment.

Have not seen them since last year .  They WERE good enough to win an All-Ireland , several times in recent memory , but they didn't , and some people have identified that as a flaw , which it might be .  Just cant help feeling if they had been from a different county they would have converted their talent into medals , some counties are better at that than others , Mayo dont have that record , mores the pity for their "faithful" .  Time can change things though !

Kelly that old man of yours was some Billy Bunter,I started work in 1960 my wages were a pound a week.

Your father was having half my yearly income on Down,a pony was a lot of money in those days.

great posting by reb and kelly.....the 68 team is proudly hanging in my office with a close relative off mine sitting in the first row.......

Looking at the team photo from 1968 and fail to see your relative Dickie, maybe this one does not contain the mascot?

this is reality rat not make believe stuff.....

Wildman , my father was a good punter .  He had some very good greyhounds , and you could get a grand on them in the forties when the Yanks were around and markets were buoyant .  That "uncle" with Mayo roots as posted earlier clerked at the dogs and the book was 3 grand up after 3 races at Celtic Park --3 skinners .  A good semi detached house in Belfast could be bought for £500 in those days , just figure that out .

Cant remember how much tickets for the All-Ireland were back in the sixties , wildman . £25 was a decent bet obviously , but small compared with his previous "involvements " .

I am still friendly with 3 or 4 of that 68 team , richters , if I knew your roots I could  probably figure out which one you are related to .

Wildman , you were underpaid !  When I started to work in Dublin in 1962 my salary was nearly 700 punts a year . Mind you one of my flatmates was an articled clerk in one of the big accountancy firms , and he was paid buttons .  He never forgot that period , used to set aside his budget every Friday night and had only a few bob left for "life" .  He married money though ! And he was the youngest qualified accountant in Ireland when he finished his "time" . Have lost touch with him though .

I didnt even get the pound it was added to my fathers wages.

I accept what you say about the betting,the fifties were times of stagnation and emigration but the Irish betting rings were notoriously strong.

one of my flatmates was an articled clerk in one of the big accountancy firms , and he was paid buttons .  He never forgot that period , used to set aside his budget every Friday night and had only a few bob left for "life" .  He married money though ! And he was the youngest qualified accountant in Ireland when he finished his "time" . Have lost touch with him though .

Cracking story, Kelly, keep 'em coming.

Mayo have lost 7 out of 7 all Ireland finals since 1989 I think,doesn't that tell you that they were not good enough.

Plenty of times they were good enough. Just lack bottle.

total overreaction to mayos recent loss and draw with dublin.1,.they are missing their entire full back line.2, they were a kick of a ball away from winning it last year.in spite of carrying an underperforming andy moran,an injured cillian o connor and an underperforming aidan o shea.3,the first goal was total naievity on behalf of rob hennelly in trying to be "pure"in his attempts to clear the ball in his tussle with bernard brogan.would brogan have scored that goal against any northern team?kerry?  he would be left on his back feeling sorry for himself...i havent lost faith with this mayo group and i think they will finally win it this year despite everything...and just for the doom merchants among us.  remember the league semi in 2011   cork toyed with dublin and beat them 6/7 points..a short 5 months later dublin were champs and cork were chumps..beware league form!!

Ozy , that was to illustrate the differences in remuneration prevalent in those times . My flatmates brother worked alongside me and would have had a comparable salary to myself( 13 punts a week ) , decent in those days .  But his brother finished up with 10 bob a week ( 50p ) as his "spending money for the week when he had apportioned out his fixed costs ( and he was a punctilious accountant , Friday evening ritual ) .

Kavvie , I remain hopeful that Mayo can get the monkey off their back , 7 losses in a row is a terrible monkey .  Can only believe it is in the mindset , football ability / fitness etc are OK , no reason for defeats other than underperforming  self belief . Maybe they should be looking at early videos when Mayo won their share !

The reason Mayo haven't won an All Ireland for me is that bar Ciaran McDonald, who was more a creator than a scorer, they have never had a blue-chip forward who could kick points from play under pressure. The likes of Moran and Mortimer are good players, but they probably wouldn't have gotten near any of the good Kerry, Tyrone or Dublin teams of recent years. There is little wrong with Mayo from 1-9