Páidí stokes Mayo debate with riled O’Mahony

PÁIDÍ O SÉ says he’s sticking to his guns in a dispute with Mayo manager John O’Mahony over the “underachieving county.”

O’Mahony expressed annoyance at claims made by O Sé earlier he could lead Mayo to All-Ireland glory. The Fine Gael TD hit back at O Sé’s comments and claimed: “I’d like to think that if I managed Kerry for eight years I’d have won more than the two All-Irelands he did with them.”

But yesterday O Sé was sticking to his guns in his Sunday Independent column. He wrote: “Presumably, John O’Mahony is doing a good job in Mayo and he is quite entitled to his opinions. But, then, so am I. I would have thought, however, that John, having become a Fine Gael TD, would have acquired a thicker skin and become a more hardened street fighter.

He has my respect as a football manager, but I still believe I have my own abilities to bring to the table – things that Mayo desperately need at the moment.

He added: “Mayo are an underachieving county, there’s buckets of football ability there and I would certainly fancy my chances of winning the All-Ireland if they were in my charge.

“The facts speak for themselves. Mayo haven’t won an All-Ireland since their two-in-a-row in 1950/’51, both teams captained by Sean Flanagan. Mayo have a serious tradition and have a huge reservoir of natural footballing ability.

“By that I mean, at its simplest, the ability to go up in the air, catch the ball, land with it and kick it accurately. In many parts of the country, you will find players doing all sorts of tricky things, switching the ball from A to B to C to D and back to A again, but getting nowhere at the end of it all. They just don’t have the natural football ability and know-how that is in the blood and nature of players from counties like Mayo and Kerry.

“Facts are sacred, comment is free. What I give above are facts that can’t be gainsaid and my opinions are my entitlement. Good luck to you John in 2010 and if Mayo pull it off, I hope to be first in the queue to congratulate you. But let’s stick to fair shoulders from now on!”

Meanwhile Trevor Mortimer is set to captain Mayo again this season. The Shrule/Glencorrib clubman has appeared in two All-Ireland finals (2004, 2006) and has amassed three Connacht championship medals (2004, 2006, 2009) and a national league title (2001) during a very successful ten year career. Mortimer’s Tuam-based housemate Peadar Gardiner will be continuing as vice-captain. The Crossmolina clubman has been lining out for Mayo since being introduced by John Maughan in 2004.