Anglo Celt on Seanie Johnston, McGeeney and Kildare.

He was obviously homesick

He had to pop home for the teabags

He has been training in the gym in Breffni Park a good while anyway - I read somewhere that he actually met Val Andrews coming out as the Cavan lads were going in to start training one evening! That's on the Kevin Cassidy standing next to Jim McGuinness on TG4 level of awkwardness!

Apparently, the CCCC have thrown it back to Cavan but Cavan say it's the CCCC's call. Looks to me like neither of them want to be seen to rubberstamp it but by the rules and evidence they have to, so like the GAA with the grants, they want somebody else to do it!

http://www.daraghoconchuir.ie/blog.php?id=1768

I would have thought that once he produced the necessary proof of residence that that would have been the end of it. The sooner the better it's resolved, either one way or the other.

I just reckon the CCCC don't want to be seen to approve it. I think they were dying to reject it. But obviously the required evidence was provided. You'd imagine it can't go on much longer.

Johnston back training with home club
23 February 2012

Seanie Johnston looks to have given up on his move to Kildare after he trained with Cavan Gaels last night.

The shock development came just hours after the want-away forward met the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) to put his case for a switch to the Lilywhites to them. Cavan officials were also summoned to Croke Park to meet the CCCC.

Johnston has claimed he is now living in Straffan, Co. Kildare and even invited GAA officials around to his house "for a cup of tea" to prove he is living there. But in spite of this, doubts have remained over his residency and it would appear his proposed transfer to the Leinster county is now dead in the water.

The 27-year-old, who has trained with Kildare club St. Kevin's in recent weeks, is eager to revive his inter-county career after he was sensationally left out of Cavan manager Val Andrews' squad last October.



good if true

Don't believe he has given up trying to play for Kildare , it doesn't make sense he go fight in his case with cccc and then in the few hours in between decide to give up and go straight back training with his old club

If we take it that he is still persuing this transfer then how the hell did he think it would be a good idea to go train with Cavan Gaels? You'd think he'd at least try to keep up the pretence. Must have been fairly late when he got back to Straffan that night

If true, that is pretty pathetic... You are either committed or you're not simple as...

The longer this drags on the more i want to just forget about it and move on. Could be more trouble than its worth.

Is there no journalist out there worth their salt and actually find out what the hell is going on in all of this?!?

If this story was told to you you'd have the teller moved to the nearest padded cell.

It's unbelievable. It's so unbelievable that I can only come to the conclusion that McGeeney and the County Board have no part in it. Surely they cannot be that mentally challenged?

this whole episode is an absolute farce.

Just wish the whole thing was over. We're a laughing stock over it.

lads the timeline thing i put up before highlights how messy it all is
http://www.anglocelt.ie/sport/gaelicfootball/articles/2012/02/20/4009063-johnston-saga-timeline/

all though that there are lads saying they know nothing and then it's obviously not true. FFS Kildare management and board have made a mess of the whole thing. everything could and should have been wrapped up behind closed doors and it would have been a formality.

people are giving out about Cavan Co Board for failing to assist but why would they sign off on something that is obviously BS ie Straffan address. He has given his details proving he lives there to Croker but why could that not have been done before Christmas. Lads this all started in late November.

Like I have commented on another thread

"the underlining deep question you all must ask , is there potential for this to happen ,yes he is a good player , and as some accounts have eluded to he has his days , at what cost is bring in a player with a so called history worth ?? I maintain he is a liability"

Maybe the current events support this , maybe not , I think as I have said before there are other homegrown players in Kildare who should be given / deserve a chance with the senior set up

This is getting messy and as another poster put it !! from the outside its becoming a farce , the senior setup should nip this in the bud , either they public declare they want him or say in hindsight thanks but no thanks !!

Roughly as i foresaw.... suppose u cant rule out any twist ,including him coming to Kildare still.Serious questions regarding the judgement of those involved ,undoubted repercussions for the mental preperation of the squad whether he does or doesent.Maybe woolberto next ?

What a load of bollox. Why the hell would a guy who's not even part of the panel yet be a distraction to our mental preparations?

I seriously think some people lie awake at night to invent this shit

Sometimes i suppose you realise that attempting to debate with certain posters will always be a waste of time.The fact that you would seize upon the player and define him as the the distraction tells me youre in that category.The point i was making is that in order to pursue a communal goal there needs to be absolute faith in the players available by the management but equally so vice versa .Effectively the management are playing their cards on the judgement of character and how they do their busines in public in this episode.Publicly suggesting youd welcome a a lukewarm player "with open arms"and then making a shambles of the process of recruiting him to boot surely has to impact the player /management relationship not necessarily straight away, but into the future.

Loo, you can talk all the bull that you like and dress it up however you would in the local rugger or cricket clubs. The fact remain, this management team have our county team on the cusp of doing something very special. SOmething which we havent seen since the Mick O'Dwyer era - if you can remember that.

These players have utmost faith in the manageent and give everything in their being to the cause. Sean Johnson is being judged on nothing only his football ability.
You say I "seize upon the player and define him as the the distraction", I say thats bullshit. You are the one who trotted out the crap about "undoubted repercussions for the mental preperation of the squad whether he does or doesent." You are the one making that rediculous claim, not me.
And I ask again, as you seem to have missed the question. HOW CAN A GUY WHO IS NOT CURRENTLY ON THE PANEL BE A DISTRACTION??

Because of the uncertainty about whether he's joining the panel or not. Put yourself in that situation; say there's talk about a big-name player joining your club, but it's very controversial. Everywhere you go, everyone wants to talk about it and they all have strong opinions on it. And there's no way you and your team mates wouldn't be talking about it. That's a distraction, maybe not the end of the world, but a distraction nonetheless.

Possibly a distraction from the usual everyday questions trotted out by people. Hardly a distraction when the gut busting gym seissions are being done, or the lung burning sprints etc. Or not a distraction from dressing room preparation ofr a big game.

Its fair enough that peoples opinion are divided on the arrival of Johnson, thats life. But to try and manufacture a distraction from training or performance is pathetic.

A lot of fluff added to your reply id say, and the abuse doesent help it to be fair.Look my point is that, if for kildare to suceed ,to use the cliche ,everything is a game of inches( im fairly sure thats even Mcgeeneys policy) these sort of slip ups and the atmosphere with it constitue several inches lost .Its taking nothing from the gut busting gym sessions ,id say every inter county team are doing those to a greater or lesser extent or do you imagine that theyre not ?.

fargo ,

Now maybe , someone ELSE understands the mentality here, when you dont toe the percieved political line , verbal abuse ensues , views welcome as long as the concur with a select few !!

I would agree to an extent ,subconsciously this will do damage from within in some shape or manner , like i have said before the management team need to address it now publicly or within its own environs , put at end to all the cloak and dagger mentality

How much longer can this farce drag on for?

Said it before, management have remained quiet and made a mess of this, their silence has allowed so much to be said and nothing has been explained or cleared up. But some people would like to think it's everybody's fault bar Kildare's. Saw McGeeney have a go at journalist John Fogarty of Examiner over the Supple article when asked his thoughts on it after the Monaghan game as well. Some will see this as me having a go at him, I'm not, just saying after doing so much right, this has been a very unpleasent start to a year I feel we could make a big breakthrough in.

This thread has ended up like the original Johnston thread. No one knows anything about what's happening so to stop all the bickering it will be locked until there is a decision one way or another.

Thanks