Kildare v Armagh

I know! Anyway, for all my slagging of Mayo earlier... If our boys want a look at what it takes to be top four material, look at Lee Keegan and Colm Boyle today. Warriors, the both of them... Compare and contrast Keegan's handling of Roscommon dangerman Enda Smith with us rolling out the red carpet for Clarke last night.

Whenever Roscommon attacked, Keegan was all over him. Didn't matter if he had to foul him, employ the dark arts - whatever it took, he was going to do it. For good measure, also got forward, kicked 1-3 and drove the team on. That's the cutthroat nature of life at the top end. Until we develop that ruthless hard edge we're going nowhere.

Ourselves and Galway learned some harsh lessons about football and life this weekend.

Positives div One next year negatives goalkeepers kick out, not winning breaking ball, runners off the shoulder, too many lads being taken out with one good pass, and above all a hard edge. Need above badly.

You'd nearly have to laugh when you think about what Tyrone are going to do to Clarke next weekend. You can expect Tyrone to crush them with minimum fuss. That's what top teams do - not perennial mediocrities like Kildare.

If only we were like Mayo. They've made more All-Ireland finals in the past five seasons than we have in 82 years.

If people think they can compare us to Mayo then it really shows the delusion of some Kildare fans.

Our great underage record....

Two Leinster u21 titiles in 10 years. ( have only beaten Dublin once in this time)
3 Leinster Minor titles in 5 years. (have beaten Dublin twice in this time)

Great by Kildare standards but if this is heralded as our Golden era then we have plenty to worry about. We left at least 2 more Leinster u21s behind us by failing to close out a tight game.
2013 our Minors and u21s had collective brain farts in Tullamore in their respective All Ireland series.


At schools level, in A competitions we have only won anything of note with the help of Offaly.
We have 2 Leinster senior club crowns ever.

We have great structures underage apparently. I personally think its great S&C at underage level. We can blow disorganised and limited teams away with superior speed and physicality but when a team can cope with us in these things and reduces it back to a game of football where you have to think your way out of trouble we get beaten time and time again. Like Saturday.

I was very disappointed but no one can be shocked. Its happening year in year out with teams and clubs that represent Kildare. Sash in Leinster last year, Kildare u21s v Galway in 2013, Kildare minors v Tipp in 2015 etc etc etc...

Umpire On Ditch what are you on about?

We've beaten Dublin four times at minor level in that time.

Twice in 2010. Destroyed them in Parnell Park in 2013. Beat them comfortably again in Croke Park in 2015.

This is the most well-resourced underage system in the history of the GAA we're up against.

So at least get the facts right before coming out with fake news rants like that.

Good post Umpire, particularly about the S&C seemingly being prioritised above improving skills. It was a shock to see those games in Tullamore in 13 and realise we had no forward with the skills and direct running of if Shane Walsh and Diarmuid Murthagh. They made us look very ordinary and our ability to react was disappointing.
Despite that I really think our defenders are the main problem as they are too nice and give forwards to much respect. It was only in 98 when nice guys like Rainbow and Finn adopted a mean attitude to match that of Ryan, Dalton and Lacey that we had a defense that could keep the score down. No surprise that we had our only chance at AI in glory in that year.

Defensively, Kildare teams at all levels are too open, too nice and I'm truly sick of saying it.

Cost us U21 titles in 15 and 16, a minor title this year. Another lame showing on Saturday night. You'd say we should learn from it, but we never do. As Rex, said we could write a PHD with what Kildare teams have learned in that time.

Anyone know where we can unearth a few tough tackling psychopaths? Real leaders with a win-at-all-costs mentality? We could do with them.

Need someone that can teach them how to get under a forwards skin, rile him, make him lose that 5% of concentration. I'd like to see maybe an Andrew Mac lochlainn do a bit of coaching defensively. Listening to him on the radio he has a passion for Kildare and his knowledge of how to defend seems good. Added to the fact he could get under the skins of the best of them is a bonus. A nasty streak is badly missing in a lot of our lads. Maybe it's because they are young but you need to grow up at some point.

Everything McGeeney said about Kildare came to the surface again on Saturday. We play to nice and don't cope well when it's put up to us. Cian will once again make changes and he must prioritize the defence over the next 6 months. A few more of the older lads will move on, but you must replace them with players of equal standard or better because you are not improving the squad. That is a challenge.

It's a long dark winter until next year and a lot of soul searching will need to be done. Putting in huge time on training pitches, gym time GPS, diet plans and occlusion glasses is great, but the one question they need to ask themselves is what am I prepared to do on the pitch to win a game. If they are not prepared to go to the edge and over it when needed we aren't going anywhere and we'll all be back here again next year reading the same story

Rex wrote:

Everything McGeeney said about Kildare came to the surface again on Saturday. We play to nice and don't cope well when it's put up to us.

This is the most sickening aspect. Liam Hayes said it on his column on Saturday - it's the challenge for this generation of Kildare players. Are they going to stick to the county's traditional meek stereotype or are they finally going to be the group that grows a pair and becomes winners. Honestly, nights like Saturday would make you question whether it's worth spending a fortune following Kildare teams around the country.

You need to believe you're good enough to win and go out and prove it. Unfortunately, history suggests this group are destined to be another group of likeable also-rans but it's only them who can change it.

Had a big rant written but just deleted it. Can't be arsed. Bottom line is Kildare teams don't have the balls to win big matches.

It's true - that sums it up in a line. Btw, Hayes raves about the footballing abilities of this Kildare group. But rightly says there's a question mark over their bottle and will be until they win an All Ireland.

Watched the match back.. Jez some of our shooting was horrible.. but to see Jamie Clarke waltz by Tommy moo without a glove on him, and he only on. Shocking stuff altogether.

Hylo was my motm v Meath for the job he did on bigy Reilly.. What was wrong with him picking up Clarke ?.. then to ask Mark to do that job late on was a crazy management decision.

Kildare backs marking kildare forwards in training or A v B matches must be a really nice pleasant evening.

What fact have I got incorrect Haunted Graffiti?

Defensive issues well documented and correct so no point in debating further. I do however have serious issues with lack of tactical changes on the sideline Saturday evening. Whilst we were crying out for somebody to run at Armagh from deep in an effort to create space we left the best player we have at doing this marooned in at full forward where he was getting on no ball. Surely a swap with Daniel and Niall would have been worth a go? Also how they had a free man for pretty much all their kickouts for over 70 minutes is something I can't get my head around.
Fully appreciate players need to step up themselves on the pitch when things go wrong but why have a manager on the line at all if they can't try and implement change as a game unfolds?

Kickouts drove me demented. When we went a point up, we needed to move in for the kill, pin them back. Still let them walk out with it. Meanwhile, at the other end, the tone had been set with Clarke strolling about the place. Amateur hour.

On the evidence from the weekend, ourselves and Galway have a mountain to climb staying in Div 1. I thought we were on the right track after Dublin game, but have serious reservations after Sat. Armagh a bloody Division 3 team!!

We ask if this group can be different having just been given the answer. It's interesting at a time when the sport has become scientific that we can sum up this group with some old school terminology. After two days, I say this not with a reflex but with thought. So much ability there but ultimately spineless and the lack of courage in the face of a challenge from an inferior team reeks of cowards. Protest such language all you want but up to them to prove otherwise but that would involve a pair dropping at sometime. Ultimately they are losers, plain and simple. Few things more pathetic in sport than guys with massive potential who cannot use it because they are scared of a challenge and run from any battle. As I say, losers. Don't expect that to change as all the money and managers cannot coach that out of them.

Do you know Tommy, you are probably right. You'd really want to throw your hat at it after Sat. A truly dismal effort.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R0oECCuN6I

This sums up better than anything I can say about some of these comments!

Well, if you mean it was all downhill for Gwen Stefani after that one hit, I can see the parallel with Kildare.

I think they can change. Micko' s early team were regularly bullied by Dublin but changed totally by 98. Remember Glen' s shoulder on Connell in 00 final? We need to see a few tackles like that going in next year.
On a few occasions that we turned Armagh over on Saturday with aggressive tackling and the crowd, however small reacted loudly.
For what it's worth I thought we were unlucky to have no return from 3 shots of the woodwork yet Armagh got 2 points from 2 shots. That's a huge difference in a tight game. Even playing below par and a few disallowed points we were not far off.
Scant consolation for players and fans but I still think with a few more additions to the squad we are not as bad off as we might feel right now.
Feel free to slate me for my naivety/ optimism/ poor eyesight!

I am usually optimistic, but unfortunately it's always the same bullshit with Kildare - we'll learn next year, the year after, in a decade. I think a lot of us are sick of it.

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

On the evidence from the weekend, ourselves and Galway have a mountain to climb staying in Div 1. I thought we were on the right track after Dublin game, but have serious reservations after Sat. Armagh a bloody Division 3 team!!

And a bloody Div 3 team that Laois beat 3 times last year, twice in the championship and once in the league as I have been reminded of a few times this morning. All good banter though and the Laois guys I work with feel we have progressed unbelievably over the past two years and with a bit of luck could have snatched this one.