Search Results for 'Kevin McStay'

You don't often hear an inter-county manager saying it was the wrong decision taking on the job, or it was wrong that they were offered the job in the first place. But Pat Holmes did admit last Saturday night that when he was appointed Mayo manager for the first time in 1999 it probably wasn't the right choice by him to take it on or for the county board to offer it to him.

They knew they didn’t do themselves justice last year when they crashed out of the Mayo Senior Championship at the quarter-final stage and Ballintubber used that loss as motivation to drive them on this time around.

The widely anticipated County Board meeting passed off relatively peacefully last Thursday night with a few members of the board resigning over the process in which the new Mayo managers were appointed. The story had gained national headlines for all the wrong reasons and certainly it was a little embarrassing the way matters were conducted in appointing Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly. An apology was offered as there were and still are a lot of disgruntled people in the county. I am sure Kevin McStay and Liam McHale are bitterly disappointed at what happened, and some gesture or apology to both men should be offered as both are true Mayo Gaels who gave an awful lot to the green and red and they deserved at the very least an interview before been told they did not have the job. I am sure anyone reading this has heard the vile rumours about players not wanting McHale, which I am told could not be further from the truth. It is amazing how widespread the rumours went and pretty much to the point that people started to actually believe them. Liam McHale suffered a severe character assassination over the last few weeks and did not deserve it. Good luck to Pat and Noel; it is time to let them at it. The new management team along with selector Michael Collins and strength and conditioning coach Barry Solan from Ballaghaderreen were deep in discussion and taking lots of notes during the senior semi finals last Sunday. I am a little surprised a forward coach/selector was not incorporated in the set up, I guess they will be basing their team on a strong defence. I feel someone like Kevin O’Neill would have been a great addition to offer some insight into good forward play. I am delighted Barry Solan has finally been given a chance with his own county. Apart from working with Laois and Kildare he has also done a lot of work with Katie Taylor so there is obviously good pedigree there. If Hollymount/Carramore win the intermediate title on Sunday and get a good run in the Connacht championship, Noel Connelly’s wife Valerie and their children may not be seeing a lot of him for the next few months.

Thursday nights meeting of the Mayo county board saw Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes ratified as the new Mayo senior management team for a three year term. The pair were given the unanimous support of the club delegates at the meeting when the proposal was put before them.

Two of the potential names in the hat for the vacant Mayo senior manager’s job have spoken to the Mayo GAA County Board in relation to the job, the chairman of the board, Paddy McNicholas, told the Mayo Advertiser this week. The closing date for nominations for the post was 11pm last night. Speaking to the Advertiser yesterday morning, McNicholas said: “We’ve two men who are interested in the job, with Noel Connelly backed up by Pat Holmes and Kevin McStay who is backed up by Liam McHale. We’ve spoken to both men about the job, one in person and the other on the phone recently. There are a few other names out there, but none of them have come to any of us about it yet.” When asked how many nominations had been received as of yesterday morning, a number of hours before the deadline closed, McNicholas said that he was not aware that any official nominations had been submitted at that stage, but expected them to come in during the course of the day.

Finally getting over the 20-year-old itch and winning the Moclair Cup looks to have freed this Castlebar Mitchels team from the nagging doubts that many had about their ability to press on and mark themselves out as one of the truly great Mayo club sides. They have another opportunity to kick-on again this Sunday, when they go toe-to-toe with the current AIB All Ireland club champions, St Brigid's in Hyde Park. While bookmakers may have the Roscommon men as 4/7 favourites and Castlebar as 15/8 outsiders, those numbers will been have paid little heed around Páirc Josie Munnelly, as Pat Holmes along with his management team of Alan Nolan and Shane Conway put their players through their paces in preparation for Mitchels first provincial final since 1993. Last Sunday, the Mitchels wrapped up the Mayo double with a comprehensive 2-15 to 1-2 league win over the previous holders of the Moclair Cup, Ballaghaderreen. In 10 league and seven championship games they have gone into battle in this year, Mitchels have only been overturned once, on the opening day in the league, when the side they saw off in the county final (Breaffy) edged past them on a boggy and misty spring day.

Former Irish international rugby manager Eddie O’Sullivan and Sunday Game analyst Kevin McStay will lead out a strong team of sports men and women at a special seminar to explore what it takes to succeed in sport in today’s world where injuries, heartache, losses, and set-backs have to be overcome and where the lure of an easier life is never too far away.

With the All Ireland final not to long away now, there’s not much else being talked about around the county. If you’re someone who is looking for some expert opinion on the game over the next week, there’s plenty of opportunities to hear some expert views.

St Brigid’s 2-11

The waiting is nearly over and the final pieces of the jigsaw are now in place as St Brigid’s ready themselves for a titanic All-Ireland Club Football Final showdown with Dublin and Leinster club champions Ballymun Kickhams on St Patrick’s Day.