If we’re going down, let’s go down swinging

If the mood music surrounding a team is negative, then performances on the field tend to follow. For evidence of such, see Manchester United Football Club and Mayo GAA. Both organisations are mired in boardroom upheaval, financial turmoil and have under-fire managers. One cannot open a newspaper or scroll through social media without encountering a negative article or post about these two struggling institutions. No news is good news – and my God, both would love a few quiet, uncomplicated, stress-free summer months.

As a player, what happened at executive level rarely bothered me. But when the world and its mother is speaking negatively about an organisation you pour so much time into, it eventually seeps in. Everything starts to feel heavy and weary. Right now, everyone involved with Mayo and Manchester United looks like they need a break, a reset – maybe even a change. The Red Devils are lucky; they’ll get a two-month summer break, probably in the Bahamas, the Maldives or Ibiza. No such luxury awaits Mayo’s players, management or executives. They’re knee-deep in championship and urgently need a performance – pronto.

Mayo’s last few weeks have borne all the hallmarks of our annus horribilis in 2010, when our season ended ignominiously with defeat in Longford. On its own, that loss wasn’t a massive shock – the writing had been on the wall a month earlier after a woeful display in a League Final in Croke Park against Cork. That summer felt like death by a thousand cuts: the no-show against Cork, followed by an insipid performance in a Connacht semi-final loss to Sligo and finally the coup de grâce in Pearse Park. As things snowballed from bad to worse, lads just wanted out. In truth, it was almost a relief when it ended and we could walk away. That may sound defeatist or mentally weak, but it’s incredibly hard to arrest a slide and resurrect a season when the wheels have completely come off.

That disastrous year ended up being the precursor to a major cultural and mindset shift in Mayo, and things improved dramatically in the seasons that followed. All involved with Mayo will be hoping that we’ve now reached our nadir and that, once this season ends, the only way is up. As unlikely as it seems, Mayo can still salvage something from this season. But for that to happen, there must be a shift in both attitude and tactics.

When I think back to Kevin McStay’s early days as Mayo manager in 2023, when everything felt fresh, new and exciting, one quote from a post-FBD match interview really stood out. He loosely said, “If our attitude is right, our energy will be right. And if a Mayo team has energy, they’ll always have a chance.” The players’ attitude simply wasn’t right for the Cavan game and as a result, our energy was on the floor. Cavan ran amok.

So whose responsibility is it to instil and inspire the right attitude in young men – the players themselves or the manager? That’s the eternal question. But whether they’re playing for the manager or not, these players should show more personal pride and give everything they have for the rest of the season. It’s expected there’ll be a major shake-up in Mayo’s playing and management ranks once the season ends. Some of these players may not get many more chances to wear the green and red. So go and make a mark in the next fortnight. This could be last chance saloon.

From a tactical point of view, I’d keep things very simple. When confidence is low, instructions need to be direct and uncomplicated. I’d pick as many scoring forwards as possible and get the ball into them as often as possible. Fair play to Stephen Coen for kicking four points from play from defence against Cavan, but Mayo need more than three points from play from our attackers. It may sound primitive, but I’d plant Aidan O’Shea on the edge of the square and get long, early ball into him. Have scorers feeding off him and our scoring return is bound to increase. O’Shea’s last-minute goal last weekend was a tantalising glimpse of what could have been had we adopted those tactics earlier.

It's high time too that we joined the party and started making use of the new rules. Free-scoring teams are playing vertical ball and attacking their opponents at every opportunity – tactics which the new rules encourage and reward. Lee Keegan was right to cite Mayo’s frustrating habit of sticking an arm up in the air to slow down the attack when in possession. Speaking to RTÉ, he said it drove him “cracked” – and it’s hard to argue with that. The optics are poor. It signals a team lacking imagination, bravery and adventure. It’s a throwback to a Dublin tactic from a bygone era, when they controlled every match and valued possession and patience as key virtues. All it does now is spark groans and frustration in the crowd. It’s not a Mayo tactic.

Manchester United fans have a famous terrace chant when their team isn’t entertaining them – it simply goes: “Attack! Attack! Attack!” That’s what we want to see in Omagh on Saturday night – an attacking, energetic display full of Mayo DNA. Funnily enough, Tyrone’s fantastic win over Donegal may actually help Mayo’s cause. Of course, they’ll still want to win it, but it’s no longer a must-win game for Malachy O’Rourke’s men. It is, however, a make-or-break clash for Mayo – and more often than not, the team that needs the win most comes out on top.

As depressing as the Cavan game was, Mayo have had an extra week to recover and reset for a season-defining fixture. Tyrone, meanwhile, will be absolutely buzzing after their stonking Ballybofey victory, but it’ll take a few days to come down from that high before trying to ramp it up again. That’s no easy task. Given our outstanding record against Tyrone and in Healy Park, an ambush could be on the cards. Indeed, in normal circumstances, I’d quite fancy our chances this weekend. But alas, these are far from normal times and it will take a huge performance, a change in fortune and a serious injection of desire if we are to emerge victorious on Saturday night.

Last Wednesday, Manchester United failed to beat Tottenham in the Europa League Final – a match that summed up their entire season and sorry state. If Mayo similarly fail to beat Tyrone, it will round off a miserable few weeks for those of us who follow both Mayo and United. God be with the days when Alex Ferguson could storm into the dressing room at half-time and rouse his players with the simple words: “Lads, it’s Tottenham.” Wouldn’t it be great if all Kevin McStay had to say in Saturday’s team talk was: “Lads, it’s Tyrone”?

But inspirational speeches shouldn’t be needed this weekend. The players should still be stinging from last week’s meek performance. Their professional pride must drive a strong bounce back. Win, lose or draw on Saturday, we want more bite and more edge in our play. And if we’re going down, let’s go down swinging.

One more thing...

Of the eight first-round games in the All-Ireland series, not one has been televised live on free-to-air terrestrial TV. Last Saturday’s Champions Cup Rugby Final was shown on RTÉ, and next Saturday’s Champions League Final will be too. These finals feature teams from England, France, and Italy — yet we can't watch our own national sport on our national broadcaster. Make it make sense.