Genuinely - What is your confidence Level for Sunday?

A lot of entertaining posts, threads, banter and craic over the last month.

Loads of bravado but realisticaly how Confident or Nervous are you for Sunday?

In the back of my mind, i believe we can do it. I'm very wary of Down.
The 4 week break will have suited them more than us, we were really on a Steam Roller after Meath.
I'm nervous, very nervous for Sunday.
It will be heartbreaking to lose, and i wont be able to think about Football at any level for a fortnight.

Kildare by 4 genuinely.

Respect Down and particularly Coulter but it's a year or two too early for them.

Should be a great day in croker !!!

Very nervous - jesus I'm a bag of nerves for a Leinster first round match, let alone an All-Ireland semi - but I believe very strongly we will win the match. Hope it's not heart ruling head, I don't believe it is. Kildare to pull away in the last ten.

I'm not a believer in the big guy in the clouds but this means so much I'm covering my options and asking for this 'special favour'

think you hit the nail on the head on another thread bout playing to our potential....how we played against meath is our potential, if we play anyway near that we will win, full stop, no if's or but's. However, the majority of these lads are stepping into the unknown on sun.

The one thing that I have noticed from this team though - and its making me confident of us getting the result, is that they seem fearless, nothing seems to bother them. Whatever about kildare fans having/lacking confidence is irrelevant, the 30 lads going to croker on sunday seem to have it in abundance. And no better man over them to keep their heads screwed on.

very nervous for sunday . if we lose will not be sad because for last 3 months this team brought enjoyment to county that we never since 2003 the feature in bright .

fierce nervous myself,been a great year so far and really believe we have wat it takes to come over down sunday in what will be a very tight game,just as tight as cork v dublin

kildare by 1

I was confident a few weeks ago but the more articles and previews I read, the more nervous I become.

The pessimist in me is going to speak first: I wonder about how good were the opposition we've beaten. Antrim by all accounts were a willing but limited team. Their only strategy seemed to be trying to engineer frees for Paddy Cunningham to knock over. Leitrim, as expected, was a relatively straightforward task. Derry were dire and dropped the heads when we got the run on them. Monaghan seemed to put all their efforts into winning Ulster. Meath were flattered by their five goals against Dublin and their performances against Louth and ourselves were a more accurate reflection of their ability.

The optimist in me says Down are in a similar position. They needed extra-time to beat one of the worst Donegal teams ever seen. Tyrone beat them without ever having to engage top gear. They weren't convincing against Longford and only won in Tullamore by two points. Most of us would expect Kildare to beat that Offaly team comfortably with a minimum of fuss. They hammered Sligo but like Monaghan I doubt their hearts were in it much after their provincial defeat. You'd have to be impressed with the way they beat Kerry but looking back at that game everything seemed to go for them - Tomás Ó Sé and Galvin suspended, goal with their first attack, Declan O'Sullivan picking up an injury early on, Killian Young's goal disallowed, Donncha Walsh sent off when Kerry looked like they might be working their way back into it.

It's a very hard one to call and I think I'm letting my heart rule my head a bit. If we get a good start I think we'll quarry out a win. If we start like we did against Louth/Leitrim/Derry/Monaghan/Meath and Down get a bit of a run on us I'm not sure we'll be able to peg it back like we did in those games.

I think the 98 factor still there with alot of us just saw the video from nother thread and that chap thinking we would just be up to collect the cup. This team is different more confident better prepared and have a great backroom team. I think we will be in the final come 5.10pm Sunday and by a margin of 6-7 pts forget 98 this is the year will be our threshold from now on - on one further point has geezer commited to the future i know now is not the time but i pray that he is

[quote="fone"]very nervous for sunday . if we lose will not be sad because for last 3 months this team brought enjoyment to county that we never since 2003 the feature in bright . [/quote
Totally agree fone. they have made the summer for me and given the county a lift that is needed

Genuinely sick with nerves at this stage. In my heart I always believe Kildare can win because if I don't then what's the point in turning up week after week and year after year and shouting them on.

Having said that I was 23 before I went to my first All-Ireland Semi-Final and then went on to my first All-Ireland in the same year, my daughter who will be accompanying me on Sunday is 14months old going to her first Semi-Final and here's hoping she follows it up with an All-Ireland.

So am sticking with my heart, though this time my head agrees. Kildare by 3.

I'm sick all week more so because I'm usually really pessimistic, spend most of a match afraid to watch. Even when the team is ahead I'm the one saying there's always time for the opposition to come back, we need one more goal etc. The slow starts have frayed the few nerves I have left & I reckon the family deserve a medal to still accompany me to a match. So here's the problem if I always think we are going to lose why do I keep getting this feeling all week that this year is our year!
Then feel even sicker for tempting fate, just wishing for the final whistle on Sunday. Going to the camogie all ireland on Saturday, really hoping the girls can kick the winning off - though of course if they do I'll be convinced that's all the Kildare luck used up.

gaaweb wrote:

Genuinely sick with nerves at this stage. In my heart I always believe Kildare can win because if I don't then what's the point in turning up week after week and year after year and shouting them on.

Having said that I was 23 before I went to my first All-Ireland Semi-Final and then went on to my first All-Ireland in the same year, my daughter who will be accompanying me on Sunday is 14months old going to her first Semi-Final and here's hoping she follows it up with an All-Ireland.

So am sticking with my heart, though this time my head agrees. Kildare by 3.

my daughter was born two days before the leinster final in 98, she went in her rock a tot to her first & last semi final & final that year. She'll be at her 2nd semi final on Sunday I'm hoping she'll make the final this year - she's convinced as she is every year that we're bringing home sam - you'd think after 12 years the confidence would have taken a knocking but no!

For a person who has learned over the years to be naturally pessimistic where Kildare football is concerned after reading Duals post I feel almost optimistic.

The main positive I take from this Kildare team is their abilty to keep their heads and not to panic when faced with adversary something you couldn't say about some of the Kildare teams of old, but is it too much to ask for us to actually get out of the blocks faster than Usain Bolt for a change and not have to face adversary?.

So sick with nerves, it's hard to believe that there are people in County that prob don't even know that there is a match on Sun but that it has taken over our lives completely, my heart says Kildare.....my head is giving out to my heart for tempting faith.....Jesus.....think I'm gonna puke!!

Faith...its those people who will take your tickets for the final

Quietly confident (Positive thoughts)

not cocky & not too sure of ourselves boys but queitly confident...

don't be getting nervous.. what ever is going to happen will happen... Kildare are good! Down are good! lets pray we do it!! ....

Tell yes one thing for sure if the players are feeling like most of the boys in here...well were fcuked!!

still.. all an all an no mater what is said, Im gonna keep Quietly Confident!!

Cill Dara Abu

supersub wrote:

Faith...its those people who will take your tickets for the final

Supersub just hope that post just means that ur being optimistic bout Sunday, not presuming we are there already!

Out of 10 I would say i'm an 8 in terms of optimism. Think a good Kildare is better than a good Down but obviously its not as simple as that.
Worryingly I do see some similarities between this Down team and the Galway team we faced in '98. I say that because whilst we know Down are a decent outfit we don't know exactly how good they are or how how good they may become. If you think back to '98 Galway had quite a similar profile and as things transpired we were beaten by an excellent Galway team who were around for years after.
Having said that I feel this game is well within our range and I hope to come out with a 3 or 4 point win.
Now where did I put those rosary beads ......................

very nervous,have not got a nail left on my finger as it is,come sunday il be a wreck,i think a tight 2 point victory will do us

Prior to all the other matches I was confident we were going to win (and win easily) and I was right except for the Louth match of course. At the moment I'm confident that we'll win this one also by at least 3 points. However at the back of my mind is a big doubt, maybe I'm wrong and that's making me very nervous. I know for sure by the time the match starts all my present confidence will have evaporated and I'll be a bag of nerves.

fionnmccool wrote:

A lot of entertaining posts, threads, banter and craic over the last month.

Loads of bravado but realisticaly how Confident or Nervous are you for Sunday?

In the back of my mind, i believe we can do it. I'm very wary of Down.
The 4 week break will have suited them more than us, we were really on a Steam Roller after Meath.
I'm nervous, very nervous for Sunday.
It will be heartbreaking to lose, and i wont be able to think about Football at any level for a fortnight.

I think Down will make it very tough and limit every scoring oppurtunity.They will put pressure on yee at every point.The only way to counter this is to work harder than them,take every oppurtunity yee get and as Donal O Grady used to say "Get yereselves into a two horse race with ten minutes to go and back yereselves".

Whats happening Sunday????

Stonecold wrote:

Whats happening Sunday????

Think the Curragh races are on.!!
I'm quietly confident. Hoping for a good game and that the lads continue to do us proud!!

Closer to game we get and the less confident I feel. For the first week after the Meath I was thinking a four point win or so, now though the head and heart are close to war. Part of me genuinely feels we could do it this year but unfortunately I'm feeling more and more nervous with the more articles I read and reports I see.

If it wasn't for the pundits and bookies making us favourites and that bloody chicken I'd be fine...