Kildare v Westmeath

Team picked. A lot of talking points : good to see Earley rested and Lynch given a chance, Kavanagh dropped ( bit surprised by that one but after his awful display in Cross McGeeney sending a clear message). Disappointed in a way to see Cribben lose out although the superior passing of Flats is hard to ignore and he needs games. Would have considered Scanlon at corner back for Bolton and left Cribben wing back though. Rainbow back makes perfect sense in a league environment after his Tipp performance and keeps his fitness ticking over for the championship where I think he will play a role off the bench similar to Conway in 2008. Good to see Kelly back also. Can't believe Whyte still getting his game. I may be proved wrong over time but he doesn't seem to have the "balls" for inter county. Think we should win with this team but I doubt its going to be the 20 point hammering some are predicting on other sites ( you know the ones, where the Admin seems to refuse any new users)

1. Paul Flood (Maynooth)

2. Hugh McGrillen (Celbridge)
3. Damien Hendy (Castledermot)
4. Emmet Bolton (Eadestown)

5. Morgan O'Flaherty (Carbury)
6. Brian Flanagan (Johnstownbridge)
7. Mark Scanlon (Round Towers)

8. Daryl Flynn (Moorefield)
9. Hugh Lynch (Confey)

10. Robert Kelly (Straffan)
11. Anthony Rainbow (Suncroft)
12. David Whyte (Moorefield)

13. Eamonn Callaghan (Naas)
14. Karl Ennis (Maynooth)
15. John Doyle (Allenwood)

Happy to see Flats back and Callaghan in from the start. Can't wait for Conway's return I think he will make a big difference.

Yeah hope lynch does well. Conway will make some difference when hes back. I just hope we win as if we have any hope of promotion we need to win the final games.

Well, hard to know what to make of that yesterday. Another pretty wretched performance and taking into account the poverty of the opposition you'd argue it was worse than Crossmaglen. We may have blown promotion now as we needed a good margin to match our rivals. At any rate a performance like that would not be enough in Portlaoise or Navan surely. Again we looked leaden-footed and had no discernible game plan. We lost midfield again, despite the best efforts of Flynn and Roly's improved display when brought on. Some positives : Johnny's courage to go for those late scores when he'd been having another off-day, Flats showed us what we'd been missing in the half back line and was my man of the match, Callaghan got another 70 minutes under his belt and his finish was top class for the goal. We also saw O'Neill back at full back after Hendy was inevitably called ashore. I wouldn't go overboard about Kev's performance on Flanagan as he came out about 50/50 to me but that was certainly an improvement on the hapless Hendy. At least we showed good character as well to come back from the abyss. Negatives (deep breath) : three players withdrawn in 20 minutes is an embarrassment both for the players concerned and the management who picked them. Can't do any good to the individuals' confidence, can it ? Goalkeeper is becoming a BIG issue. Flood's rush of blood to the head puts the jersey back "on the market". I've said enough about Hendy. I didn't think Bolton was much better beside him and McGrillen was "ok". Lynch missed his chance and I think I only remember him touching the ball once. David Whyte : I'm sorry but I just don't see what he brings. He gets plenty of ball, looks athletic enough, but I don't think he's scored more than a point in his games to date and his 45's are awful. Geezer must see something I don't on the training pitch. Rainbow had a few good moments and a much needed point but wasn't a patch on the Tipp performance. Ennis may have had his last chance for a starting spot as that's two bad performances in a row now. Smith can't come back soon enough. Kelly seemed very rusty and placing him in the inside forwards for much of the game a strange move. Overall, we are 5 games in, only 2 to go and we seem to have no consistency, no set tactics or approach, about 6 positions up for grabs ( to me only McGrillen, Flats, Flanagan, Conway (if fit), Flynn, Earley, Doyle, Smith (if fit), Kavanagh (has to get his place surely despite terrible form ?) are nailed on to start in June. Anyone wishing Grimley was back ?

Ratings:

Flood 5
McGrillen 6
Hendy 4
Bolton 5

O'Flaherty 8 (man of match)
Flanagan 7
Scanlon 6

Flynn 7
Lynch 4

D.Whyte 6
Rainbow 6
Kelly 6

Ennis 5
Doyle 7
Callaghan 7

Subs:
Sweeney 7
K.O'Neill 6
Kavanagh 6
Donnelly 6
Cribben (not on long enough)

I also worry about our lack of consistency and if they have a game plan it seems to go out the window 10 or 15 minutes into the match. I keep telling myself they will improve but with only 2 games to go time is running out. I needed cheering up after the rugby on Saturday but I'm afraid this match didn't do the job.

It could be worse gremlin. You could be a Leeds fan facing into a League One match with Millwall on Sky tonight as the last chance to salvage a dire sporting week end

Almost as bad Crofter - I'm Liverpool and to make it worse the other half is Man U.

Jaysus what can we make of that performance. We would want to improve if we think were going to beat laois and meath. Johnny is brilliant - what would we do without him!

Yeah isn't it great to know that even on an off day Johnny can still produce scores like that. Crofter I see your dire weekend of sport didn't get any better .

It certainly didn't, and I'm not sure next week end will improve much either. But sure we'll go once more into the breach like the fools we are...

Crofter wrote:

It certainly didn't, and I'm not sure next week end will improve much either. But sure we'll go once more into the breach like the fools we are...

Don't bother yourself Crofter. Fool? What are ya talking about? For what it's worth, I'm fairly confident Kildare will win Saturday night. For a start, Dermot Earley is playing. You know him? The best midfielder in teh country? All Star? A touch better than Hughie Lynch? But listen, if it's such a chore, honestly, you should stay at home. I'm not even a Kildare man and that line has fucking incensed me.

Bit of an over-reaction Ogie. I have supported Kildare for 35 years and rarely miss a game despite being in exile. I have not missed any of the 5 league games played this year. Forgive my depression after a bad sporting week end. Don't tell me you were thrilled with Kildare's efforts against WM ? I suppose you'll jump on me for supporting an English soccer team as well as my county but it was really their dire performance on the box on Monday that triggered it. I admire your optimism about Saturday night and of course I am looking forward to the trip and would love to have the same optimism as you about the outcome. I feel it will be a close match that can go either way based on relative form of the two teams. By the way, I do know Dermot Early, I lived a few doors away from his family when he was a kid and have followed his fantastic career with interest

I'm no bigot Crofter, I support soccer, rugby, racing, golf, snooker, darts, cricket, football, hurling, aussie rules etc. etc. I just couldn't get over the 'we'll go once more into the breach like the fools we are' after an old league result. The performance was cat but take away the two goals at the start, once Hugh Lynch was replaced by Roly at midfield, that was the big difference. So Dermot in there is the key. Laois are no great shakes; Kildare haven't been able to select a team with any consistency but tomorrow's is their strongest since Tyrone. The confidence needs a boost and from what I hear of training, we can expect much better Saturday. Anyway, whatever happens, I'll not care really because it's what happens in the summer that counts.

anyway, forgot to say, we can all have an off-day and be in foul humour, and if you support Liverpool, that's entirely understandable... my response was just to you considering yourself a fool to go watch Kildare play and reading too much into what's happening when injuries and suspension are a blight and it's March. I'm hopeful you'll be in better form coming from Portlaoise. Actually, I'm confident.