Seamus Blake Weather Report

Galway footballers capitulate in Castlebar

By Ray Silke

Gloomy and dismal is the only way to describe the fare on offer last Sunday in McHale Park between Galway and Mayo in the Connacht senior football championship.

The whole mood of the day - the weather, the football, and the entry prices - was dark and very disappointing.

At least the Mayo team and supporters have the consolation of winning the game easily by 1-12 to 1-06 and are into the Connacht final, but even they will know they were involved in a stinker.

The first half was a really rancid, error-ridden affair that had more mistakes and unforced errors than you would expect to see at a poor club game. It brought a new meaning to “puke football”.

Both sides looked totally inept and, while the conditions were poor with a hard and slippery pitch and wind, that could not excuse the lack of ball control that most players exhibited.

The number of times in the game Galway turned over the ball when they were in possession was outrageous and some of their kick passing defied belief.

They had no cohesion, and when Mayo turned the screw in the second half, Galway could only muster one solitary point in 38 minutes.

The poor quality of Galway’s use of possession, their inability to keep the leather, and the lack of a discernable pattern to their play does beg the question: what type of stuff have they been doing in training for the last eight months?

Mayo, too, will have to improve if they want to beat Roscommon.

They kicked nine or 10 wides in the first half - some from poorly taken frees.

Galway beaten in diamond

The O’Shea brothers bossed midfield, Donal Vaughan controlled centre-back, and with Alan Dillon won a world of breaks - how Greg Higgins was nominated to pick him up and then left marking him for the full 70 minutes is beyond comprehension. Mayo had ample opportunities to put some day light between the sides.

In the first half Galway were almost completely dependent on frees from Cormac Bane to stay in touch. He hit 0-4 (3fs) in that first half and looked Galway’s most potent attacker.

A lucky break allowed Paul Conroy to shoot a goal that pushed Galway into a 1-5 to 0-4 half-time lead they did not deserve.

Leading by four points, few could have foreseen their collapse in the second half and Mayo were 3/1 to win at half time.

James Horan’s men took over completely around the middle and their half-forwards of Kevin McLoughlin, Dillon, Andy Moran and Cillian O’Connor burned a hole through the Galway half-back line.

This Weeks Best Guitar Cds - Week of 04/19/2011

&Nbsp;  Can this really be Brain Setzers first all instrumental album? It's kind of strange to realize that someone so identified as a "guitar guy" hasn't put out a collection of instrumentals yet,but here it is just the same. The man who could have been relegated to one hit wonder status for the Stray Cats has simply refused to stop making good music. The man manages to tie together punk and rockabilly with zoot-suit attitude that's not a costumed contrivance,then mash it up with a big band jazz orchestra and Christmas tunes! What's the one thing that makes this all work? His guitar.The only thing strange about an instrumental album Setzer is that it did not happen sooner. This collection acts as a kind of road map to how he arrived at his style diverse. The influence of Les Paul is more than one appearance. "Blue Moon of Kentucky" country rockabilly show how really simple next-door neighbors. "Distribution Earl" is a recall a fine banjo Scruggs style lick or two has done in the directory of many a guitarist. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a natural choice, and the melody gives Setzer Gene Vincent's own flavor. There are also some originals mixed in with the classics and "Go Go Godzilla" finds Setzer almost,dare I say,heavy in a garage rock way. Setzer has never been stingy with great guitar moments throughout his career but this is a treat to finally get the full on guitar extravaganza I didn't realize I'd been waiting for!    If I ever do an article named "The Top Ten Bands Incorrectly Labeled Hair Metal" I think Badlands might just top the list. Top quality hard rock played by band members that each posses impressive chops to match their equally impressive resumes. This band deserved far better. At $20 apiece ,these reissues aren't cheap but offer some worthy bonus tracks to ease the sting.

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