Former Mayo joint managers Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly have told today’s Irish Independent that the county’s All-Ireland famine will continue unless some egos are checked and outside influences curbed.

The men have outlined the the 2015 season and the dramatic fall-out which followed the defeat to by Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final replay.

Holmes and Connelly tell the paper that players have got to concentrate on playing football and being as ruthless as it takes to win. They’ve got to allow management to manage and keep outside influences away. If they don’t, it’s unlikely they will be successful. They said Mayo have been in ten All-Ireland Finals since 1989 and won none and that won’t change until attitudes change.

The interview outlines that management were already planning for 2016, only to be stunned by a revolt which left them with no option but to resign.

They say they believe that a disproportionate amount of power is vested in a relatively small number of players.

The two told the paper that they remained quiet all year on the circumstances which led to their departure after only one season in charge, so as not to impact in any way on Mayo’s chances of winning the All-Ireland but they say now is the time to speak out.

It comes just over a week after former Mayo defender Tom Cunniffe told the same paper in an interview that the squad were wrong to force a change of management.