Kildare 0-14 Donegal 1-12

Horrible way to end a match and a season. We came so close to a final last year and I truly believe we would have beaten Cork. But to succeed this year we needed 3 things in our favour, a favourable draw, no major injuries and no bad referee calls. As you know we didnt get them. We got the tough side of the Leinster draw, had to play meath a second time in Navan and got 2 major ref calls against us with Dublin and Donegal. As for the injuries I am confident that had we Kelly, Lynch, Earley available we would have won easily. By the way Muldoon was in the square before the ball and Meath got a 2nd chance so we dont need to apologise to anyone. We didnt get a 2nd chance against Dublin after Brogans late free. All we can hope for now is that the injuries clear up and that the young guys are given their chance in the league. The players owe us nothing.

I agree with so many of the posts here and wish there was a 'like' button. Those lads owe us nothing, they give up so much, put their lives on hold and then get a poor decision costs them a big match AGAIN! Why can't the GAA bring in video ref, it would solve a lot. A quick replay of what happened yesterday and itd be plain to see it was a goal and would be fairer, and more open. Time for the GAA to move on.
I also think the time has come for the county board to make official complaints and make their feeling known . We can't sit back and take this any more, poor decisions have mow cost us 3 big matches.
I think this team will go on next year, there's alot if young players and alot to come back from injury, but it must be so hard to pick yourself up after a disappointment like yesterday. I know I'm devastated , imagine how the players must feel.

rgb wrote:

Tommy, you've a fair neck to be talking about cynicism. Nothing like a hard-hitting post to make some newspaper editor sit up and take notice,eh? Is the aul' blog not getting enough hits?

In years to come, when you're sitting in your new job, ranting and raving like Pat Spillane or Eamonn Dunphy, you can sit there and ponder: "I shit on my own county to get this gig but I'm worth it."

RGB, to reply to those words, all I will say is to go and have a running s**te for yourself.

As for the rest, I never called them cowards, I said the way they fouled in the second period of extra time was and in case you didn't see it, how many times did we rugby tackle guys, pulled out of them, wrestled them to the ground in the most cynical and blatant fashion? I am not saying we should be abusive towards them at all, but there has to come a point when after we cheer them off, we need to realise and question a team that loses that sort of a game and again exits the championship to a team they should be beating, at a stage they should be going further than. That is called underachievement, and while reaching the last 4 and last 8 and calling it underachievement is a sign of how good that team is, it's still underachievement. Again!

Yesterday was the worst of all those clutch games to lose, because we lost it, they didn't win it. How many times did we kick away stupid ball, shoot aimlessly, pass aimlessly... We had more chances to win that game than most teams who win an All Ireland and yet we are sitting her this morning looking into bleakness. I pray Kieran McGeeney stays but even he must be wondering because after four years of giving them everything, and teaching them to give it everything, we are a Division Two side, who have not won anything.

How long are the gaa going to allow players be assaulted off the ball. During the match yesterday at least three kildare players were taken out off the ball, Jd, Kelly and leper. During the derry match a number of incidents also occured. I am sick of linesmen standing on the line watching this going on and doing nothing about it. Lads train all year towards these big matches only for a player from the opposing team to attempt to put them out of the game in the very first minute. I can't think of any other sport in the world that would allow incidents like this to go unpunished

We died by our swords once again.

It's very hard to take and it's just as hard to keep coming back but we've all got to cling to the hope that the pain of all these near misses will one day drive us over the line.

Funny enough TK, I have no issue with a lot of your criticisms regarding the cynicism and Kildare's performance in general. The phrase "turning white togs brown" was OTT though.

What I object to is your blatantly personal agenda- using this forum to have a cut because you need to get noticed.

You wouldn't use those words if you met those players face to face.

rgb wrote:

Funny enough TK, I have no issue with a lot of your criticisms regarding the cynicism and Kildare's performance in general. The phrase "turning white togs brown" was OTT though.

What I object to is your blatantly personal agenda- using this forum to have a cut because you need to get noticed.

You wouldn't use those words if you met those players face to face.

Where in the love of God did you get that crap from. Do you really think that's how the world works? Get noticed, under a pseudonym! Want to know why I am on here giving my opinion? Not to get noticed but because like the other people on here Kildare GAA is my life, I follow them all over the country from O'Byrne Cup to All Ireland crunch ties. When other Kildare people left the Upper Cusack Stand laughing and joking yesterday, I couldn't get up. I sat down for half an hour until the Gardai told me I had to move for safety reasons. So cut the bulls**t. I have no agenda other than my love of Kildare.

And to answer your remark about s**ting themselves, I can't find another way to describe the second period of extra-time. Why else tackle like that, pass like that, foul like that?

Jesus the more I read your post RGB the more I worry about how you get through the day if you are that clueless!!!

Would you use those words if you met the players face to face?

I've spoken to two since this morning and said they blew it. Didn't quite say they shat themselves, but did say they threw it away and that last 10 in extra time was shocking stuff from a mental point of view. So yes, I would!

I've spoken to two since this morning and said they blew it. Didn't quite say they shat themselves, but did say they threw it away and that last 10 in extra time was shocking stuff from a mental point of view. So yes, I would!

You didn't quite say they shat themselves?

I told you what I said to them, any other details you want to know? Still haven't quite heard your opinion of what happened in the last 10. How would you describe the collapse.

As I asked already, did you or didn't you use the phrase "Ye shit yourselves, lads" when you were talking to the two players about yesterday?

Can you not read? I told you exactly what I said which was to that effect but I don't use such language in conversations with football players. I told them they blew it which is the same thing, I told them they were poor mentally in last 10 which is the same thing...

Now we are getting to the heart of the matter. You are willing to use phrases on an internet forum about the players that you are not willing to use when you meet them face to face.

I can't make it any simpler but clearly it's not simple enough to get through to a man who thinks I post here to get a job! You asked me would I say to them what I have said on here, I told you I did, so what exactly is your point. And again, can you give your thoughts on what happened in the last few minutes rather than abusing people who lose their jobs. PS would you say that to my face?

Absolutely heart broken, gutted sums it up for me. Can only imagine how the lads feel.

That's all I'm saying on the matter, its still too raw at this stage. I'm hoping when club championship resumes it will get the wheels back on track again for football.

Whatever happens McGeeney needs to stay. We have the big man, peter kelly, hugh lynch all to come back, there is silverware in this side.

Geezer must stay,he must. Sucess doesnt come over night it took Armagh what 4/5 years of determination and grit to get their all ireland. Silverware is in this side but if Geezer leaves I really think it will be back to the days of hammerings

You wouldnt say it to their faces tk. like you were talking to the lads this morning,and there gutted.What they did say was that they blew it and also the ref was quite poor.There is only so much knock to get and by god we have taken them.

They asked an opinion, they were subs yesterday. I asked did they want an honest opinion, they said yeah, and I gave it to them. If you don't face the truth you'll never conquer so no point lying to guys that want to improve.

Actually, you didn't say it to them TK, that's exactly my point. You softened your words when you met them. You seem happy enough to throw the insults around, yet are you not guilty of it yourself too? Why didn't you give them both barrels like you did here?

As for saying it to your face, I haven't said anything here that couldn't be said face to face. As you have already admitted, you didn't repeat to the lads what you said here. You softened it.

I'm sorry if you think I was being abusive at you personally, that wasn't my intention. And if you think I was being snide, then I apologise wholeheartedly. I take major issue with your phrasing though. And I saw red when I saw you basically accusing them of cowardice/mental weakness/shitting themselves etc.

I strongly object to your use of the phrase that was completely OTT and you shouldn't use those words if you are the supporter you seem to be. You shouldn't even want to.

Mental frailty isn't the glib explanation for everything though. You don't fuck up a pass or pull down an opponent because you are simply mentally weak. Like you, I wasn't at all happy with Kildare's display yesterday, but I would put that down to Donegal's negativity as much as any other factor. Are Donegal's late tackles and misplaced passes mental weakness? Or is that all irrelevant because they go ahead with 20 seconds left and we hadn't the time to respond?

Very hard defeat to take lastnite, can't believe we lost it with 3 points up in extra-time, why did we start fouling near the end instead of tacking on another few points.

The goal was a joke, this is the second year in a row we have gone out because of a referee's bad call.

I really hope McGeeney stays on for another year.

I thought McGrillen, Eoghan O' Flaherty and Rob Kelly played well and Conway and Smith did too when they came on.

At least Club Championships can resume now.

I don't think TK would be physically able to type if Kildare supporters heard him saying the lads sh#t their shorts yesterday , never mind what would happen to him if he said it to Geezer and the team.
I was heartbroken at the final whistle but applauded Kildare off the pitch and appreciated the effort those men had made in what was a massive battle against the Ulster champions.
Waiting around in an emptying stadium acting forlorn and full of sorrow sounds like a" poor me" spoiled child looking for attention.

Some shocking posts on this thread and some great ones. Emotions running high no doubt.

Darryl Flynn gave one of the best midfield displays Ive ever seen in Croke Park yesterday. We cleaned them out for long periods at midfield along with rob kelly.

Look,
we lost it ourselves. We should have been out of sight in the first half and in extra time. Huge credit to Donegal. Their brand of football maybe awful but its up to us to counter it and we didnt.

We hit an awful lot of bad ball into the forwards, took the wrong passes when sweeping forward and snapped at chances when an extra yard or another look at the posts was needed.

You could analyse that game til the cows come home but when it matters most Kildare always seem to fall short throughout the years. That is what needs to be addressed. We are sniffing around the top table but just cant seem to do enough to warrant a seat at it.

I do think the panel is good enough for another few years yet. Look at the great 98/00 teams. They were made from huge disappointment and heartbreak in the early 90's but came back and delivered at the end of the decade.