Kildare v Armagh

The most alarming characteristic is the distinct lack of intelligence, on and off the pitch

They're in hard training
They've injuries
Coldrick rode us
The conditions were against us
Lads are carrying knocks
We're not interested in the league
We're building for championship
Jack is only 3 games in
He is building a team and needs time

I'll get all the excuses in early . I'll give you an example of what summarises Kildare in a nut shell . Jamie Clarke wins the ball, swinging arm catches a Kildare man in the face. He stops, because only he knows why. Armagh kick the ball over the bar. Can you imagine any player from Donegal, Dublin, Monaghan... actually any player stopping completely because he got a belt in the face .

That sums up Kildare for me. This team and Jack O Connor are going nowhere .

Relegation beckons. Not just because of tonight's result

Jaysus . I got that wrong. Really thought we were in with a right chance at ht.
That was shocking 2nd half. Very poor.

Only for Mark Donnellan this would be a complete white wash. Awful pity it wasnt because we deserved it

Right, this sums it up.

Second half we had a dangerous storm at our backs that nearly caused the game to be cancelled, for all of it we played against 14 men that were defending a lead they surely assumed would be barely enough if at all, and the score across that period was Kildare 0-9 Armagh 0-8 with that last score coming five minutes into stoppage time.

Can I pull expenses well beyond the the average industrial wage for six months, set up a team like this, get these results with these performances, and be told that it's too early to judge so keep on milking the account for the rest of the year and maybe another two after that? Where do I sign up?

That's not giving the players a pass for that's a seperate issue.

But while they are absolutely useless, at least that's free.

For those who say I'm harsh, game three, month six, can you tell me what the gameplan was? Any of it? Any idea what they are trying to do exactly because they don't seem to know either.

This team and management are spineless. They had chances in the first half to get scores and didn't. The only point they did score should have been a goal. It looked like the only tactic was stay down after they got challenged to time waste.

Then they come out the second half and armagh show more in 2 minutes than the entire 40 minutes kildare did. They were kicking in the high ball into Flynn and Feely when they had 30 minutes of play to go and with an almighty wind behind them. Very few players wanted to take the ball and kick a score.

I wasn't expecting a win for Kildare but was hopeful of a performance. But that was nowhere near good enough. This team are in a battle now, and do they have the fight for it. By the looks of it, not a hope

FionnMcCool wrote:

Jamie Clarke wins the ball, swinging arm catches a Kildare man in the face. Armagh kick the ball over the bar. .

Goldrick allowed the point and then Yellow carded Clarke for the belt in the face...…..

If it was a foul then it was a free out with no point...….if it was not a foul the point counts and Clarke stays on the pitch...…..

Which was it ????

That sort of crazy stuff from refs drives me mad...…

Only saw the second half but Kildare keep committing stupid easy fouls when no need...….cant win doing that

We're in trouble I think. I advocated patience which I would just about subscribe to still but that 2nd half was inexcusable inept, devoid of anything positive and will cast a shadow over the rest of the league campaign.

Once again a Kildare team comes out after the break and faff about like they are 20 points up. I can't see a structure or game plan and certain players should be moved on as they are just past it.

Gonna be a long short year.

We're in bother alright.. something seriously wrong in that Squad.

We. Can’t. Tackle.
We. Can’t. Tackle.
We. Can’t. Tackle.

Badger85 wrote:

We. Can’t. Tackle.
We. Can’t. Tackle.
We. Can’t. Tackle.

We haven't been able to tackle since Grimley left McGeeney's set up. However it's such glaring problem now it's at farcical levels.

I reckon I could run through the middle of that defence and I ain't played competitive football in twenty years.

I’m totally shellshocked after the past week. Armagh are no great shakes & they’ve just beaten us out the f*****g gate having played the entire second half a man down into a gale force wind.

Sad to say but we’ve looked a Div 3 team this past week. You’d say Tier 2 is something we might actually win but you know we’d balls that up as well.

Side note - actually it’s a major note - but in 2013, Kieran McGeeney retained Div 1 status & won a Leinster U21 title. Then a bunch of idiots decided Jason Ryan was a better option.

Look at the Monaghan stood up & sewed into the Dubs tonight. We are genuinely being to shame by other counties out there - if we actually have any shame. It’s been a f*****g ordeal watching Kildare since Geezer left.

Completely sickened.

I'm not going to slate the lads after that, we got assaulted and the ref let them away with it, Armagh were the better team, and we have a hell of a lot of work to do

Kildare are just simply not good enough. Poor skills and can’t tackle. Relegation looks a real possibility.

e.s.b. wrote:

I'm not going to slate the lads after that, we got assaulted and the ref let them away with it, Armagh were the better team, and we have a hell of a lot of work to do

It's not fucking fannyball. Do it to them, give as good as they get. Nope. Lie down and moan to the referee. Rinse and repeat. To steal a phrase from Colm O'Rourke, a bunch of pansieboys.

Flopping hands all night from Kildare while the Armagh boys threw their full bodyweights into Kildare men left right and centre.

CantonasCollar wrote:

Kildare are just simply not good enough. Poor skills and can’t tackle. Relegation looks a real possibility.

Three points there - in reply to one, these players used to be good enough as they came through the ranks.
In reply to two, that's what JOC is getting paid to instill.
In agreement with three, with knobs on

Back on Jan 2nd I predicted (simple me):
Match wise, here's how I see it going:
Fermanagh - probable win
Roscommon - loss
Cavan - possible draw, possible loss as Cavan have just come out of Div 1
Westmeath - possible win
Armagh - loss
Laois - draw
Clare - possible win but wouldn't count on it.
I'd see us landing around the 8 point mark with Roscommon and Armagh going up.

I think we'll definitely be facing Offaly in the championship and I wouldn't count any chickens there till they're hatched.


Let me update that

Match wise, here's how I see it going:
Fermanagh - probable win YES
Roscommon - loss - LOOKS LIKELY
Cavan - possible draw, possible loss as Cavan have just come out of Div 1 - LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT LOSE
Westmeath - possible win - POSSIBLY MAYBE
Armagh - loss YES
Laois - draw - THINK THEY'LL BEAT US
Clare - possible win but wouldn't count on it. NOPE
I'd see us landing around the 8 point mark with Roscommon and Armagh going up. - NOPE - I SUSPECT WE'LL BE RELEGATED

I think we'll definitely be facing Offaly in the championship and I wouldn't count any chickens there till they're hatched.

All I can see is we are going backwards. We have no will to win, no desire about that squad, Do we know what we are about,only for the Don we would have been destroyed, he saved 3 goals. I think our fitness is way off, don't know what O Connor will do next. If I was him, sort out midfielder , Take you're best 5 of the 20 team and stick them in and go with that.At least some of them the have drive and want to win. This could get out of hand very soon , if there is not a change of direction. That dressroom tonight need to have a hard look at itself.I hate having a go at the lads, but if you were there tonight you would understand.

kelf wrote:

FionnMcCool wrote:

Jamie Clarke wins the ball, swinging arm catches a Kildare man in the face.  Armagh kick the ball over the bar.  .

Goldrick allowed the point and then Yellow carded Clarke for the belt in the face...…..

If it was a foul then it was a free out with no point...….if it was not a foul  the point counts and Clarke stays on the pitch...…..

Which was it ????

That sort of crazy stuff from refs drives me mad...…

Only saw the second half  but Kildare keep committing stupid easy fouls when no need...….cant win doing that

Coldrick was poor but he didnt cost us. Unless your leg is hanging off, and even at that you can still crawl. You dont stop. But it sums up Kildare , our players and their attitude.

Long and short of it it. The players arent good enough and havent got anything near the mentality to be elite .

Taibi wrote:

e.s.b. wrote:

I'm not going to slate the lads after that, we got assaulted and the ref let them away with it, Armagh were the better team, and we have a hell of a lot of work to do

It's not fucking fannyball. Do it to them, give as good as they get. Nope. Lie down and moan to the referee. Rinse and repeat. To steal a phrase from Colm O'Rourke, a bunch of pansieboys.

Flopping hands all night from Kildare while the Armagh boys threw their full bodyweights into Kildare men left right and centre.

This. Absolute bunch of complete and utter fannies . Pansies boys. Sissies. Whatever you want to call them . They're it and more .

Stopping because you got a belt sums it up for me. The same fella is no where near good enough for this level too might I add.

Badger85 wrote:

We. Can’t. Tackle.
We. Can’t. Tackle.
We. Can’t. Tackle.

We can't defend
We can't defend
We can't defend

We are fannies
We are fannies
We are fannies

Had high hopes for this team but I can’t ignore the evidence - over the past year we have been mentally & physically intimidated by Clare, Fermanagh, Armagh. We simply don’t have the mental & physical toughness to be a top side.

Watching Monaghan-Dublin here... Dubs coming at them like a tornado at start of the second half. Then Beggan steps up & points a free from the MIDDLE OF THE FIELD. Our lads are shitting their pants from 20 yards.

Maybe other people can summon optimism for Roscommon but I’m totally demoralised.

Mayo played Dublin last week and Colm Boyle did his cruciate and was on the ground holding his knee, a Dublin player had the ball near him and he hopped up trying to chase him to win the ball back. That Mayo team are men and give their all for the cause our players don't.

Questions need to be asked of management too, we honestly look worse than last year + our tactics in the second half tonight were non existent, fire a few fucking high balls into Feely jaysus groundbreaking stuff!! Thinking back to the Fermanagh match we were lucky we got the goals when we did, if we didn't we could be sitting on 0 points. O'Byrne cup, and our first 3 league performance show us we are in a relegation battle rather than promotion. When Jack took over he stated that our main aim was to get promoted....

I miss Geezer!!

It’s getting worse but we could see this coming with this group....
But I remember when to me one of the only people that cud bring mental strength to the group in Malachy O’Rouke was spoken about a lot of people on here were saying he wouldn’t suit Kildares style, well until someone from the county board, management team or players stand up to be counted tonight will happen over and over again, we are dealing with a group that are so insulated they believe from within the gates of Hawkfield where not only bodies get massages but ego’s do too that they are as good as anyone out there and don’t have a notion of the workload and commitment needed to compete at the highest levels, we needed to strip it right back to basics and get a group of workhorses and start a journey from there not keep going with the same old same old......

And some on here as bad don’t like picking names of players but reading on here Dan Flynn was coming back as the messiah, he didn’t want to put on the jersey last year, not a leader when backs are to the wall and he has scored 1 count them ONE point in two games when we need a forward....

I think a damning thing tonight was how easy it is to take D.Flynn out of a game. Surrounded several times tonight and so weakly turned it over. Can not stay calm under pressure and find a pass. Also very easy to make him frustrated and get a rise.

Great to have him back BUT too easy to take him out of the game and it can be like only having 14 men on the pitch tbh.


One positive and it's a tiny tiny one. Paddy Brophy has remembered where the goal posts are. Hopefully he continues to rediscover some form. Starting to kick some points this year.