MacHale Park provides few home comforts for Mayo in competitive football, as the accompanying statistics establish.

Friends Buckley and Rochford must pit their wits against each other, writes Christy O’Connor.

As his name continues to be linked with the Mayo senior manager’s position, Westport have been given no indication that James Horan won’t be remaining on in charge of their senior team.

Stephen Rochford’s acrimonious departure from Mayo has been handled similarly to the last heave against the management team three years ago: Badly.

Mayo have been one of the great mysteries of the GAA world. The ‘nearly men’ of the modern generation.

A second season in charge, a second All-Ireland final appearance. Put like that, Stephen Rochford has a record Jim Gavin can never match.

Mayo’s decision to deploy Aidan O’Shea at full-back to man-mark Kieran Donaghy isn’t the first rabbit from the tactics hat that the westerners have employed 2017 – Lee Keegan, drawn All-Ireland quarter-final v Roscommon.

It’s rarely been known to work. Certainly not in elite Gaelic games.

As simple as flicking a light switch, it will come right for the Cork footballers. But when that will be, Eamonn Ryan can’t say for sure.

Mayo fatigue is being experienced across the country but this team doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. That belligerence has to be respected yet the question is, can they transform doughtiness into dominance? John Fogarty looks at the arguments for and against.

An aggrieved Aidan O’Shea has dismissed as inaccurate last year’s cutting interview given by former Mayo managers Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes.

Stephen Coen had little doubt Mayo people would travel in such numbers to support the team in Tralee on Saturday.

A headache for hurling referees

Mayo boss Stephen Rochford says the spirit within his squad is “second to none” ahead of the start of the new season.

Mayo’s football panel will not be issuing an official response to extraordinary claims made by former co-managers Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes.

Before we compliment the wizardry of Stephen Rochford, some words of praise for one of his predecessors, Pat Holmes, who successfully pulled off a trick or two in his spell at the Mayo helm.

Player power. As frowned upon phrases in Gaelic games go, it’s right up there. The alliteration only goes to underline its perceived foulness.

When this Mayo squad, still hurting from blowing a winning position against Dublin in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final replay, came together to discuss the management of their group last season, they concluded they needed a change.

The minute Mayo slipped, the players knew their necks were for the stocks.

He has undoubtedly felt the glare of being under the microscope, for he has been the focus of attention since taking over the reins at Mayo.

It will be interesting to see if Cork forwards can make any inroads into Donegal quagmire...

Tomás Ó Sé has revealed he placed money on Mayo to win this year’s All-Ireland title as soon as Stephen Rochford and his backroom team was confirmed.

Aidan O’Shea has admitted that losing Mayo’s long-running status as a Division 1 team would be a major setback, though conceded that the situation has effectively been taken out of their hands.

They may only have had a six-day turnaround between matches, but it’s been a long week in many ways for the Mayo footballers and their new manager Stephen Rochford.

New Mayo manager Stephen Rochford has attempted to temper expectations in the county by admitting survival in Division 1 is his top priority.

Connacht Council secretary John Prenty has warned that further player uprisings, similar to the revolts which rocked the province in 2015, will lead to the creation of a “monster” within the GAA.

Diarmuid O’Connor only turned 21 last week but the 2015 Young Footballer of the Year is adamant Mayo’s footballers don’t feel extra pressure this season to prove they were right to oust the previous management.

A REQUEST to Mayo supporters. No more “Mayo 4 Sam”. No more public displays of affection. We get that your longing for an All-Ireland is stronger than most if not everyone else. 

New Mayo manager Stephen Rochford said he will be using next year’s league campaign to experiment as much as possible and fashion a team for a big championship assault.

Stephen Rochford was officially ratified as Mayo senior football manager at a County Board meeting in MacHale Park, Castlebar last night.

Kevin McStay says that not being selected as Mayo boss last year is the biggest disappointment of his GAA career.

Corofin might not have expected the call to have come as early as it did but they know it was always a case of when not if Mayo would rap on Stephen Rochford’s door.