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Best hands I've ever seen on a Kildare player, one of fastest in panel. In fairness McGeeney didn't use him right either nor did two different Kildare teams as they used him as a panic pass rather than a decoy too often. Midfield option or half-forward dropping to middle, maybe worth a try. But he never walked away under McGeeney. If we can afford to shrug at a guy like that leaving our bench, I'll book September tickets in the morrow. It's yet another indictment of the worst manager Kildare have had since..? (Who was before Micko actually?) Anyway, really rate the guy, hopefully back under new manager in July.

Jaysus Tommy we're looking at him full-forward on and off since 2006 and it hasn't happened. I was at every game in the league in 06 when Crofton was trying this as every team in the country tried to ape Donaghy/Kerry and I thought then that it was midfield or nowhere for Tomas yet we persisted for a decade.
It can't always be the ball in/support that's the problem, can it? His finishing ability simply wasn't good enough for an inside forward at this level.
Mind you a couple of things I'd say in his defence is that he had great heart and also should have been given far more frees - he nearly had to be beheaded for a ref to give it.

Tommy there's enough legitimate sticks about to beat Jason Ryan with without making stuff up aswell.
Glorifying a clearly limited footballer as a means of getting at Ryan is pathetic, get some perspective.

Disappointed to see him go. Always thought he was underrated. When he played full forward he was always a handful for whoever he was marking but unfortunately never got enough support from his team mates around him. So many times he was left up front as the only Kildare player among 3 or 4 defenders. We'll miss him when the championship comes around. Hopefully he'll be back under a new manager in the future.

Probably is another indictment of Ryan's management. I'm sure Tomas would not have left if we were in Div 1 and expecting to be competitive in the championship. But taking his football ability on its merits I can't think of any other serious football county who have a forward of Tomas's limited and one-dimensional talents on their team. He may have good hands but the game is called football and as I've said before he can neither solo, kick-pass or kick a point. That made him far too easily handled by a decent full back.

So while squad defections never reflect well on a manager and I've no doubt Ryan's incompetence was a factor in his decision, I'm not going to be hypocritical and lament his exit. It allows us to continue to focus on developing Podge or maybe Dan Flynn in that position.

Crofter wrote:

Probably is another indictment of Ryan's management. I'm sure Tomas would not have left if we were in Div 1 and expecting to be competitive in the championship. But taking his football ability on its merits I can't think of any other serious football county who have a forward of Tomas's limited and one-dimensional talents on their team. He may have good hands but the game is called football and as I've said before he can neither solo, kick-pass or kick a point. That made him far too easily handled by a decent full back.

So while squad defections never reflect well on a manager and I've no doubt Ryan's incompetence was a factor in his decision, I'm not going to be hypocritical and lament his exit. It allows us to continue to focus on developing Podge or maybe Dan Flynn in that position.

Another player who isn't and never will be good enough.

I said in a different thread. Write off the year, put it down to a bad experience. Learn nothing from it and stumble on to the next moron appointed by a bunch of morons and fuck wits.

I see nothing to suggest the current executive have the know how or balls or take Kildare anywhere but further down from where they are at the moment. When you have executive members who shook hands with McGeeney and gave their promise to back him only to do the opposite really sums up Kildare at county board level. Self serving sleeveens.

You reap what you sow. I have accepted now that we're in Division 3 next season. We deserve to be there.

Who would you play FF then Freddie? Don't think we are awash with obvious alternatives to Fogarty.

Things must be fairly bad in there if lads are willing to leave weeks before the championship!!

Thomas considering Playing for Offaly..

O'Connor is simply not good enough. He gives 100% when called upon and he has a good pair of hands, but that's where his capabilities end.

He's a very popular guy amongst Kikdare supporters and I think this clouds people's judgement of him.

If he does tog out for Offaly, best of luck to him.

If he wasn't playing for kildare people would be calling for him in there!he is big,strong fit,fast,defiantly good enough for the panel!3rd midfielder wud be best suited for him

Hes had more chances than anyone. Is an option for last five or ten minutes but cant have any complaints as again this xear he wa poor in the league, particularly against Roscommon when ball after ball went into him in secondhalf snd he invariably was turned over.

walsheman wrote:

If he wasn't playing for kildare people  would be calling for him in there!he is big,strong fit,fast,defiantly good enough for the panel!3rd midfielder wud be best suited for him

Can't solo, can't kick pass, can't kick a point,
stamina levels untested at I/co level... how anyone could consider any of those as the traits of a county midfielder is beyond me..

Good luck to him with Offaly although presumably he would have to wait until next year to play with them?

Say what you like but I'll take a player who gave everything he had over many years for Kildare over a blow in manager who has destroyed Kildare football in less than 18 months.

Can't believe people on here can happily put the boot into a Kildare player who is so obviously disillusioned with what is going on that he'll up sticks and play for Offaly.
Jesus, there is going to play for Cork and then there is going to Offaly. What the f*ck is happening.
No one seems concerned at this. We had the most dedicated players in the Country a few years back. Now they would rather retire, stop playing and head overseas or move to another County rather than be near the spoofer Ryan. I'm dumbstruck.

What the hell is the spoofer Ryan doing? Why has no one pulled him up and asked serious questions? How in God's name can people at the top watch with impunity as he kills Kildare football.

The decision to let him continue after the league shambles will echo into the next decade. The Chairman is inextricably linked to Ryan now. Hard to get rid of that smell.

Bad News Baba wrote:

Say what you like but I'll take a player who gave everything he had over many years for Kildare over a blow in manager who has destroyed Kildare football in less than 18 months.

Can't believe people on here can happily put the boot into a Kildare player who is so obviously disillusioned with what is going on that he'll up sticks  and play for Offaly.
Jesus, there is going to play for Cork and then there is going to Offaly. What the f*ck is happening.
No one seems concerned at this. We had the most dedicated players in the Country a few years back. Now they would rather retire, stop playing and head overseas or move to another County rather than be near the spoofer Ryan. I'm dumbstruck.

What the hell is the spoofer Ryan doing? Why has no one pulled him up and asked serious questions? How in God's name can people at the top watch with impunity as he kills Kildare football.

The decision to let him continue after the league shambles will echo into the next decade. The Chairman is inextricably linked to Ryan now. Hard to get rid of that smell.

hackett should pulled up as wel

It's not putting the boot in I think everyone likes him and appreciates the effort he puts in. We're just discussing his record as a player. Kildare fans going mad over this but I was looking over his record. He scored 2-4 in the past four years in the championship and started plenty of games in that time. People want to give him endless chances but if it was Darroch Mulhall or someone with that record he'd be off the panel long before now and getting far more viciously slated.

So no Baba I'm not concerned because I don't think he's good enough to start or come on with the other options we have and the players coming through. If you're not going to actually play a player then it's no surprise that he'd leave the panel, like hundreds before him.

Having said that I think Tomas would do well with Offaly, just a change of scenery and they'd love him and build a forward line around him. It'd be a nice story too with the connection through his auld lad. More power to him if he goes.

Baba I think you are reading too much into people's view of Tomas. I have been calling for Ryan's removal and believe he is a total spoofer who hasn't a notion how to manage this team but I'm not going to make Tomas a cause célèbre as I just feel he is a limited footballer. That's not sticking the boot in, it's just a football related opinion based on years of watching the lad.

By the way panels up and down the country have players leaving around now including those with successful managers - eg. Tyrone footballers, Cork hurlers. It happens and isn't necessarily an indictment of the manager. In Tomas's case I do imagine it's got something to do with disillusionment at what's going on within the camp allied to his own lack of game time.

Crofter, how many of them head off to another County? That's pressing the nuclear option, whatever his limitations as a footballer are, he has played through thick and thin with Kildare and now a year or so after the impostor has been in charge he throws all that in the bin and possibly defects to Offaly.

You can nearly smell the stench from the camp, it's rotten to the core. For the love of God someone get Ryan out.

Always was a fan of the player and never felt we got anywhere the best out of him. Someone said he only scored 2-4 but how many scores did he set up in those years despite being so isolated most of the time?
He was third choice at full forward in the game against Dublin in 2011 but in the short time he was on he completely turned the game in our favour setting up Leper for 1-1 to draw us level.
He was far too often the easy option for a hoofed in ball because the player in possession had neither the skill or the imagination to play a more intelligent pass.
In the drawn semi final last year Mayo had Kerry on the rack in the closing stages until Donaghy came on. The first high ball into he won and instantly O'Donoghue was on his shoulder to take the pass and bury it. I have no doubt that O'Connor would have caught that same ball every time and equally certain that there would not have been a Kildare player within 20 yards of him. Thats what a good ball winning full forward can offer a team and sadly we hadn't a clue how to use him properly.
I wish him the best in his future. I remember one game in Portlaoise when he and JD were the last players to leave the field because of the amount of autographs they were giving to kilds with a smile.

100% murof, lads looking at his scoring rate forget how he could change a game if he was used right. Kildare never used him in the correct way. He was always fighting three defenders. Other teams don't put three lads around him if they don't think he was a threat.

It's an absolute disgrace Ryan has left him with no option. He was very popular, why? because he gave his all and never backed down. His departure will only hasten the exit of the impostor. Hopefully Tomas thinks about going to Offaly as I'm sure the new manager if he had any tactical nuance could use him in the right way next year.

Iv heard now that David hyland is off to America as well. It's looking like a bad league is heading straight into a bad championship campaign. Hugh Mcgrillin saw the writing on the wall a long time ago as I suspect did Foley. No effort made to get feely back from England.
I'll complaint but still be there to support the players who are putting in the effort to represent us.

Bad News Baba wrote:

Crofter, how many of them head off to another County?  That's pressing the nuclear option, whatever his limitations as a footballer are, he has played through thick and thin with Kildare and now a year or so after the impostor has been in charge he throws all that in the bin and possibly defects to Offaly.

You can nearly smell the stench from the camp, it's rotten to the core. For the love of God someone get Ryan out.

i have said earlier I think it is probably linked to the manager. I just refuse to shed tears over TO'C, earnest and all as he seems to be. Not even sure if the Offaly thing is anything more than a rumour. Of course he is unhappy - he hasn't been playing. Whether he should have been is a matter for (long) debate.

murof wrote:

Always was a fan of the player and never felt we got anywhere the best out of him. Someone said he only scored 2-4 but how many scores did he set up in those years despite being so isolated most of the time?
He was third choice at full forward in the game against Dublin in 2011 but in the short time he was on he completely turned the game in our favour setting up Leper for 1-1 to draw us level.
He was far too often the easy option for a hoofed in ball because the player in possession had neither the skill or the imagination to play a more intelligent pass.
In the drawn semi final last year Mayo had Kerry on the rack in the closing stages until Donaghy came on. The first high ball into he won and instantly O'Donoghue was on his shoulder to take the pass and bury it. I have no doubt that O'Connor would have caught that same ball every time and equally certain that there would not have been a Kildare player within 20 yards of him. Thats what a good ball winning full forward can offer a team and sadly we hadn't a clue how to use him properly.
I wish him the best in his future. I remember one game in Portlaoise when he and JD were the last players to leave the field because of the amount of autographs they were giving to kilds with a smile.

Lots of conjecture there - hard to prove one way or the other what he would or wouldn't have done with different players around him. I think what Kildare urgently need are players who make things happen rather than those so dependent on others feeding them. Comparing him to a player like Donaghy is laughable and typical of the Kildare fan's often over-blown view of our players' abilities. I also wish him well in the future whether he turns out for Offaly or not.

kildare12 wrote:

Iv heard now that David hyland is off to America as well. It's looking like a bad league is heading straight into a bad championship campaign. Hugh Mcgrillin saw the writing on the wall a long time ago as I suspect did Foley. No effort made to get feely back from England.  
I'll complaint but still be there to support the players who are putting in the effort to represent us.

It was looking like that anyway with the manager we have in position. The Feely comments a bit harsh. He's earning a living, albeit presumably modest, playing a sport he clearly wants to play. Why would he come back and surely the earlier management/CB are more culpable for letting him go in the first place? (Seeing as you believe management teams have the power to exercise such power).

Young players from under-performing counties are more likely to head off travelling so the Hyland rumour is no surprise. Good young player but doubtful he'd have been playing too much.

Sorry Crofter but it would have been very easy to prove what he could have done with players around him, just have a few play close to him for a few games and you would find out very quickly one way or the other.
My comparision of him to Donaghy was soley on his ability to win ball and lay it off and I honestly believe he was the equal of him on that. I never said he was as good an all round footballer or as good a scorer, the evidence cleary shows he wasn't so I'm not sure what you find laughable about that.
I never had an over-blown opinion of Kildare footballers and honestly think we have produced very few outstanding players over the last 25 years. The only one that spring to mind are Buckley, Ryan, Earley and Doyle. The rest were simply very hard working, committed and honest footballers but then every county has them also.