LETTING Kevin McStay go was one thing, but letting him down was another.
Mayo were in the news for all the wrong reasons again last Wednesday night when the county board announced a decision had been made to “relieve” the 1985 All-Star forward and his management team from their duties in a cold, classless statement.
This was a PR disaster entirely of their own making.
Appointed on a four-year term in August 2022, McStay stood aside for health reasons after Mayo’s shock All-Ireland group-stage loss to Cavan on May 18.
There was no mention or acknowledgement of his health ordeal in the statement, which was quite unbelievable — and the worst part of it all.
Mayo bowed out of the Championship after losing to Donegal on June 15. McStay was relieved of his duties ten days later. Why so soon?
Had any sort of review been conducted as per those of the previous two campaigns and did the county’s clubs back the decision? None of this was clear.
Sure, it’s been a tough few years on the field. Galway have won four Connacht titles in a row and Mayo have not reached the All-Ireland semis since 2021.
But there were sliding-doors moments during McStay’s tenure. He won a Division 1 title in his first campaign in 2023, beating Galway in the final.
But a request to bring the game forward was rejected by Croke Park chiefs, meaning they had a seven-day turnaround to their Connacht SFC opener against Roscommon and the Rossies pulled off an ambush in Castlebar.
In the All-Ireland group stages they inflicted a first Championship defeat on Kerry in Killarney in 28 years but came a cropper against Cork, letting slip a six-point lead to lose and miss out on a direct quarter-final spot.
Again they bounced back, sinking Galway in Salthill, only to get blown away by Dublin in the second half in the last eight.
Coach Liam McHale — McStay’s brother-in-law — quit, citing differences with management over the style of play and the first in-depth review came in the autumn.
Last year, Connor Gleeson’s last-gasp kick sank them in the Connacht final against Galway.
Referee David Gough subsequently admitted that he wrongly penalised Conor Loftus for over-carrying and so the late, late winning free should never have been awarded.
Having drawn with Dublin in the All-Ireland group stages after the Sky Blues’ Cormac Costello levelled at the death, the teams both finished on five points but the Dubs topped the group on score difference.
And so it was the preliminary quarter-final route again, and this time Chrissy McKaigue’s 75th-minute leveller forced extra-time before Derry got the job done on penalties. Mayo were out by the end of June.
Another review took time, with club delegates voicing their concern at how long the process was taking at a county board meeting in early September.
The board eventually confirmed McStay would remain for 2025.
Cillian O’Connor and Pádraig O’Hora left the squad. Galway won the Connacht final by a point again and the group-stage elimination and McStay’s health scare followed.
BETTER EXAMPLES
But the parting of ways and how it was handled was a massive insult to what the Ballina man has contributed to Mayo football as a player and a manager.
On the same night that McStay was ousted, Antrim released a gushing statement after boss Andy McEntee stepped down.
The Saffrons had a flat campaign but acknowledging and thanking the work of their manager was the decent thing to do.
Roscommon did likewise when Davy Burke left his post last Friday.
The Rossies had a poor Championship but there was still an acknowledgement of the work that goes into what is often a cut-throat, thankless job.
Mayo failed to show that appreciation to their outgoing boss. They let themselves down badly and they let down McStay.
