Chalky White and Kildare Mystery

Now that the Championship is over [and i held this for that reason] For the life of me i cannot understand why Chalky has not figured in the kildare team in any position in the half back line or midfield area .I have seen most of the games this year in the Championship and nobody has stood out for me but him. In the semi final against my club he won this area on his for the full hour. He has matured in the last year in leaps and bounds,no silly stuff going on just gets on with his game. Free taking, Fielding, defending ,Reading of game all immense. So this begs the question why he didn't start or come on any stages during the year.

For me even if the manager didn't rate him, we needed one of the selectors with a bit of balls to step in, and this did not happen so here lies my problem.
A kildare selector for me has to be as good at making decisions as the manager even if they don't agree on it. I never see this happening on the sideline in the Kildare camp and i have being at every match except 4 in 5 years. I hope the new selector who ever it is has the know how to do this so Kildare have every advantage on the field of play.

I was told today at the match that Chalky stepped away from Kildare setup like a lot of good players down the years who didn't get a fair crack of the whip.I just hope this is not true.

As a happy Sash Man it is easy to comment. By far the best player in this years championship has been Chalky White.
Geezer clearly does not see talent on face value! His sideline kick today was worldclass. If there are fifteen better players in Kildare then they are very well hidden.
It is time to get ready for the Ryan/Rainbow dream ticket and get people that can see some class!!

I agree with you big G although I am not a fan of chalkys, I have seen him both in the league and champship this year and he has been exceptional it is a mystery why he was not getting game time with kildare it know looks very farcical considering his displays this year. On the Glen Ryan situation I hope he comes back and manges Kildare next year, I am not a fan of Rainbows and hope he stays with Carlow, he was very poor with the under 21s when he was there.

I'd agree that he has been one if not the best player in the championship this year. The most important two words in that sentence are this year. Since he had played all his football after Kildare have been knocked out it's no mystery he has not got a game. It's next year that he will make a case for a starting place.
As for him not getting picked before, well he has never stood out for the seniors unlike he did for he U21's so it's it should come as no surprise he couldn't make the first fifteen. Maybe this year he he just "got it" and figured out how to play to his strengths. He's still young so there are plenty of years to play for Kildare.

I love the world class comment. Since Gaelic football is only played at the highest standard in Ireland I think you are getting a little ahead of yourself. Too much Sky sports I think there. Glenn Ryan seeing class, is this the same Glenn Ryan who never gave Hugh McGrillen a game for the U21's. If you are basing the next managers job on criteria like that I could pick a hole in any manager in the Country.

No mystery at all. He hasn't been good enough to play senior football for Kildare. His general play and most of all his temprament have been a long way off what a senior county footballer should be.

He does seem to have found some of the form that he enjoyed at underage as this years championship progressed. Here's hoping he can maintain that form and carry it forward for Kildare.

God knows we badly need a decent centre back!

Disagree with your temperment statement above BTA, Kildare have been too nice in recent years, and its shown when we've encountered some of the stronger teams, we were almost bullied. In my view we need a few more enforcers or whatever you want to call them in the team, no harm in picking up a few more yellow or even red cards if we get a few more wins when it matters

some players need an extended run in a team and not to be looking over their shoulder worried that if the make a mistake that they will be taken off and Chalky probably falls into this category. Its clear he has the potential to fill a very important position for us whether he will or not remains to be seen.

heard that rumor to about him stepping away from the county side and hope its not true

If he doesn't want to be there then he is better stating it now and letting some one else get a chance. I would hope he gives Kildare many more years but this squad is at a cross roads. Only those who really want to be there should be picked. I'd rather have a player with half of the talent who gives it everything than a player who has it all and won't commit fully.

For me Chalky is not just a natural Centre Back, but a Leader also. I would make him Captain to be honest.

well done the sash they took there chances and we didnt, chalky showed what a footballer should be, everything he did was 10/10. catching kicking reading of the game. i cant understand how hes not the first name on the kildare team sheet

Not much of a mystery for me, Chalky has been poor for Kildare in recent times and a liability when he played, ponderous on the ball and unsure in possession conceding too many turnovers. He looks to be playing without any confidence when he plays with Kildare while from all reports he seems to have been outstanding for Sarsfields this year. I do think if he could bring that form and confidence into the Kildare Jersey he would be a major plus

Chalky has the potential to be the best center back in the country. Just hope what we've seen from him this year can be carried into the Kildare set up next year. Now looks to be finally living up to the wonderful U21 player he was.

Chalky has walked away, do you think its just a matter of walking back in again?, from a personal point of view fair play to chalky, you can only stand so much, its harder to get off the team than on it, but the geezer cult will tell you different?

Like tonnes of players who only got one game and were never to be seen again, an almost appeasement to the clubs?, but I was never really interested in your player anyway?, I'm quite happy with (my) the McGeeney crew, they know my way? an ousider will (might) upset the Kieran way.

No idea what that means, but if he has walked then so be it we'll just move on to the next player. I'm just glad that not every player walks away when he is not picked. Some of them have a bit of fight in their bellies. He has never deserved his spot on the Kildare team due to poor performances no matter what the Sarsfield supporters say.

Regardless what you think of chalky, personally Chalky has had a few great games for Kildare and a few poor ones, but for some reason his poor ones totally ostracized him, basically he was never forgiven.

If my post was a little cryptic forgive me, what I'm saying McGeeney was molding a team in his image, and he I suppose thought by 2010 he had perfected the team he wanted, any outsiders now will be a hindrance because they wouldn't have had 2 + years experience of Kierans way under their belt, basically you were surplass to requirements, its called not upsetting the applecart.
Many decent club players were given token gestures in the O'Byrne cup or the odd league match, but never really stood a chance of ever breaking onto the senior team proper as Kieran had already made his mind up.

Successful?, well the jury has and is still out with me.

I am sorry Kildare cat / care to remind me if some of these great games that Chalky has played for Kildare? I don't ever remember him having great games for the seniors - although many times through no fault of his own."

I am a huge fan of Chalky : and would love to see him given an extended run at number 6 or even in Midfield. His performances at under 21 level when captaining that team to an All Ireland final were inspirational.

He has been played too many times out of position for the senior team many times being played in the full back line which does not suit him.

He has everything required at the highest level / he can field, he can pass, he is as strong as an oxx / maybe pace is one thing he is lacking a bit of.

I hope rumours of him walking away are wide of the mark.

I think Chalky is a very talented player but the problem has always been what position to play him in.

He played a few times at corner back and was pretty terrible. Not good at man marking. He even played a load of games at full back a few years ago in the O'Byrne Cup and league but when it came to championship he was destroyed.

Most recently he has played in the half back line. At times he has looked good especially going forward. However, it's impossible to forget when he market Alan Brogan and was again shown up as lacking pace and being a poor marker.

Though he played superbly for Kildare U21's at half back he is actually a midfielder. However, he isn't tall enough to be an intercounty midfielder. Good at club level though. Sarsfields have often played him in the half forward line and let him drift into mid-field and get involved. That's probably the best role for him from a Kildare point of view as our half forwards are often dropping well back.

I would certainly like to see him given another chance as players can go through ups and downs and no player should be written off. If Sarsfields have a good run in Leinster then that may affect the chances of him playing for Kildare next year though.

Get it off yer chest man!!

Maybe that sounded harsh but just to be clear, if I were the manager I'd try to fit him in somewhere. Most likely as I suggested in the half forwards but working alot around the middle of the pitch.

Give him a try at midfield. He's no smaller than O'Neill or Kelly who were both played there this year.

Chalky is in a similar position to Mick Foley a cpl of years ago and we know how that worked out when a little faith was shown in him

lillyboy wrote:

Chalky is in a similar position to Mick Foley a cpl of years ago and we know how that worked out when a little faith was shown in him

Possibly so. But 2 key things here. Foley wasn't accomodated or fitted in. He worked his way in and found his true position. But most importantly, he didnt walk away when things werent going his way.

It will be interesting to see how he fairs in the Leinster campaign but I hope Chalky can carry the form and momentum into the new season for Kildare.

Chalky isn't walking away, he has army commitments next year that will prevent him from giving the necessary commitment to Kildare.

Yes heard that also, supposed to be going abroad in March for 6 months, a huge loss to Kildare and Sarsfield.
I too cannot understand how badly he has been treated by Kildarde Management. I think it may have been the Meath Game where mind games were being played but was he not named at no 6 on the original starting team, but dropped before throw in, seemed ok in warm up and I think 3 or 4 subs used and he was not among them.
I also watched Kildare play a full 15 a side game the week before the Cork game in Hawkfield and to me and a lot of observers on that evening he was one of the few players to impress and seemed to be involved in everthing, lots of talk leading up to that game of changes around the middle, again ignored.

By the way dont get me wrong I am in no way a Sash supporter but just think he has wrongly got the wrong end of the stick from our management team, especially in 2012.

To me chalky and mick foley have both been treated poorly by management......mick foley got a all star at full back and has been fcuked around all year by playing him everywhere but full back.....we could see how disappointed he was when he was taken off in games this year and wrongly taken off in most of these games imo, we must be the only county who plays a all star full back out of position and then wonder why we a leaking scores all year long, it was sheer luck by the management that the had to play him at full back, his natural position imo and not a tacticial or positional master stroke by management....... likewise chalky will be grey and old if he is to wait on the present management to play him in his natural position.....its amazing that a player of his quality is left on the line so often when we are crying out for a center back/ stopper.......also it is baffling that our manager who played in this position for club and county cannot see this.........