A refreshed James Horan is ready for life's new challenges

"I don't get shocked anymore with football."

PERHAPS the best phrase to describe James Horan's second stint as Mayo manager so far is topsy-turvy.

From last year's high of annexing a first Division 1 title in 18 years to this year's low of suffering relegation from the top flight for the first time in 23 years, the league has been a rollercoaster in Horan's two years back at the helm so far.

The championship, meanwhile, has been no less interesting, with defeat at the hands of Roscommon in the Connaught championship last year followed by a run all the way to the All-Ireland semi-finals, where the Dublin juggernaut proved too much for Mayo, while this year has resulted in a first provincial title in five years and a date with Tipperary in the last four.

This is no normal year, of course, but Mayo might have benefited more than most from the enforced layoff as the team's form back in spring, before the Covid-19 pandemic landed, was poor.

"I think the break suited us – or maybe another way of looking at it is we made the most of it," Horan said.

"We completely released the players. We didn't have any training. We worked with the clubs and, I think, worked well with them just in general in putting no pull or no strain on anyone.

"When the club season was over the players were ready to play (for Mayo) and were really looking forward to being back playing with the top players in the county. I think players were refreshed, and management too because we were able to watch the club championships and see what was happening.

"Sometimes you can get into an echo chamber within the county, and sometimes when you're out of that you change and see things a bit differently.

"At the moment as well I think for everyone in general life has changed things, or maybe things that you thought were very important a couple of months ago mightn't be as important now."

As soon as inter-county football resumed back in October, Mayo were under severe pressure as they had two big league games against Galway and Tyrone before heading into a straight knockout Connaught championship.

To win the provincial title they would need to secure three wins on the road – and that's just what they did with wins over Leitrim in Carrick-on-Shannon, Roscommon in Hyde Park and Galway in Salthill, making up for the disappointment of relegation – though they made a huge effort at surviving the drop with a scintillating victory over Galway followed by a narrow defeat against Tyrone in a high-scoring encounter.

What pleased the manager most about the Connaught final win over Galway?

"I think we started very well, we had a lot of energy in what we were trying to do, we had a lot of possession...didn't utilise it as much as possible but we were doing a lot of things right. I suppose we were under pressure from their kick-outs but stuck at it.

"There were a couple of things: Tommy Conroy closed a guy down on a short kick-out and won a turnover, and there were times we attacked very well, Matty's (Ruane) score in the second half and Bryan Walsh's introduction and what he did... There were a couple of things we did that were really strong.

"At the end of the game we were against momentum, at the end of a six-week campaign, away from home, all that kind of stuff, so to get a game like that is always good for team togetherness. That was a big output of the game too."

Evolution

This year, Horan and his management team (which now includes Ciaran McDonald, who 'has a really interesting take on the game' according to the Mayo manager.

"We're very aligned on what the key things are for sport and Gaelic football at a high level," he said.) have introduced a number of new players to the squad, and it certainly has had the desired affect so far.

"There's a few things to it. There's the natural evolution of a team that happens and then there are injuries that allow you to bring on new players as well.

"The way the season went this year, especially with the shop window of the club championship, it had a lot of players really sharp.

"It made it a very interesting dynamic and probably added to lots of players being involved. There has been a strong team there for a number of years but time waits for no man if there are guys playing well they'll get their shot.

"We've a lot of really great quality young guys, as you've seen over the last number of weeks. We're just looking to continue that.

"We don't see it as young and old at this stage. It's just guys training together and whoever's playing well, plays. That's where we're at."

The flip side is telling more established players they're not in the matchday squad. "It's one of the toughest sides of the job," Horan agreed.

"You've seen those players over the last decade and how committed and straight and honest they are in how they play. But whoever's in form plays – we have pretty clear criteria on that. It makes it more straightforward for everyone."

For Horan, however, the rules around extended panels not being allowed to attend games needs to be re-examined.

He stated: "Not allowing the panel to go to games, it is outrageous, to be honest. I think the players, to a certain extent, have been taken for granted. I genuinely do.

"We have guys that have given a decade, some more. It may be their second, or last time going to Croke Park. For them to have trained all year, given absolutely everything, and then not be allowed into a venue, it’s outrageous really, it genuinely is.

"There are obviously protocols that need to be in place for sure, but you can’t tell me that we can’t have 10 players that have given a huge amount, socially distant, in those stadiums as well. It’s a killer for some guys. It's an absolute killer, to be honest."

Horan's topsy-turvy second spell in charge of Mayo appears to be on the upward curve at the moment so maybe, just maybe, the long wait for an All-Ireland title will come to an end this year.

However, he's not looking beyond Sunday's semi-final against one of this year's surprise teams, Munster champions Tipperary – though for Horan, the Premier County's success this year has not been a shock.

"I don't get shocked anymore with football," he admitted. "They're a really good team. I think they've shown that for a number of years now. A lot of them have been together since minor.

"They've some very good players, they have their own way of playing, and they're very competitive. I wasn't at all surprised (that they won the Munster championship), to be honest.

"As we've done all year, we won't look too much at what others are doing – we've more than enough ourselves to try and get right and improve and develop, and that's where we'll put our energy."