Kildare v Longford

Btw, not saying I would drop everyone, but there is scope for change in starting team to put it mildly.

Also – attitude. They should be in Longford's faces and shoving them around before throw-in. Get ahead early and then make them bitterly regret allowing this to go to a replay. Aim to beat them by 10-12 points.

Time to man up.

I think he has to make changes to the backline. You are not exactly losing any quality continuity that's been built up. Win or Lose you'll find out if what he trys at the back any better. It cant be much worse. Options limited though I admit apart from Conway at 6, maybe move Cribbin to halfforward, put Kelly in fullbackline. ODonoghue could come in wing back.

What is there to lose – Jesus LONGFORD put 3-15 on us.

If that hasn't the starting defenders hanging their heads in shame I don't know what will.

Don't know what the story is with the U20s – you know, the team who won the All Ireland last year, those boys – but O'Neill seems to be doing a brilliant job of alienating them.

If I was in his shoes, I would give serious consideration to starting someone like Archbold or Gibbons.

Nice job letting Masterson & Murray walk out as well.

Anyway, sorry I'm ranting – but you get the picture.

I know the options are limited given the number of players not available at the moment for one reason or another but there's still a bit of scope to shake things up. The team I'd start this weekend (even though it will never happen) is

1. A O Neill
2. M Dempsey
3. E Doyle
4. P Kelly
5. C O Donoghue
6. F Conway
7. D Hyland
8. K Feely
9. T Moolick
10. A Tyrell
11. N Kelly
12. D Slattery
13. N Flynn
14. B McCormack
15. J Hyland

lillyboy wrote:

Re dropping Donnellan, how many games has young O Neill played in goals this year? Should have played 2/3 league matches

The problem with Aaron O'Neill's lack of game time is pretty much replicated throughout the panel.

Kevin O'Callaghan featured as a sub in a few league games (Meath and Clare at least), same goes for guys like Cian O'Donoghue, Mark Barrett and Jason Gibbons. We're relying on lads who have had very limited game time this year to come on and change games for us and have a positive impact on team that is for the most part playing poorly.

We went through the league with largely the same 17-18 players playing every week.

If O'Neill decided at the start of the league we aiming to go full strength every week, giving 100% and looking to achieve promotion then fair enough. If he said we're happy to just save our place in Division 2 and we'll look to rotate the squad and give some fringe players a bit more experience and try out a few of the under 20's then fair enough. The problem is we did neither.

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

Don't know what the story is with the U20s – you know, the team who won the All Ireland last year, those boys – but O'Neill seems to be doing a brilliant job of alienating them.

If I was in his shoes, I would give serious consideration to starting someone like Archbold or Gibbons.

Nice job letting Masterson & Murray walk out as well.

Anyway, sorry I'm ranting – but you get the picture.

How many of the under 20's are we realistically expecting to be involved on game days though? The gap between under 20 and senior is bigger than the gap between under 21 and senior was and bar the 2013 team we haven't seen a whole lot of players make the move up for us.

Matthew Ruane has been the standout player for Mayo this year yet it's his first season playing for their seniors, they only used 3 or 4 other players from their 2016 Under 21 All Ireland winning team against Kerry and Roscommon.

Con O'Callaghan, Brian Howard and Eoin Murchan are the only players who won the Under 21 All Ireland with Dublin in 2017 to be featuring regularly for them, there's a few involved in the extended panel but they're not exactly getting more game time than somebody like Masterson or Nash have been seeing.

There's a balance to be found between giving the younger lads some game time and exposure but at the same time we can't expect them to go in and lift a sinking ship on their own.

If In Doubt, I feel CON has been totally wrong in how he's utilised U20s. There should have been more game time for them during the league – not always necessarily starting, but being used regularly.

Yes, when it comes to Kerry, Dublin, Tyrone, I'm not expecting them to be match-winners.

But don't tell me for a second that a core of those boys couldn't make a serious contribution against a team like Longford. I'm not having it.

Anyway, this is actually part of a separate discussion about O'Neill's weaknesses and I'm not getting it during championship as promised above.

Back to the game.

Also, comparing us to Mayo & Dublin – we are not as good as Mayo & Dublin. We NEED to change it up.

Fear An Geata wrote:

I know the options are limited given the number of players not available at the moment for one reason or another but there's still a bit of scope to shake things up. The team I'd start this weekend (even though it will never happen) is

1. A O Neill
2. M Dempsey
3. E Doyle
4. P Kelly
5. C O Donoghue
6. F Conway
7. D Hyland
8. K Feely
9. T Moolick
10. A Tyrell
11. N Kelly
12. D Slattery
13. N Flynn
14. B McCormack
15. J Hyland

Good shout for a team. Fat chance of it happening as we know.

Bit of unbalance about that forward line. Flynn Jimmy Ben And Adam are all finishers.niall playmaker and it’s hard to know what Slatts is. Is he a worker or a finisher?! Most teams will have 2-3 finishers a playmaker maybe 2 and then 2 work horse forwards that are getting back to help with defence and have the engine to get up the field again to supposed the attack. Can’t see who that is in your team? In this regard I don’t think we have ever replaced Paidi O’Neill.

O’Doboghue has never lit my fire on wing. Archibald would deserve a go.

Have to hand it to Tyrrell... I'm a Moorefield supporter and even I thought he was a bit short of inter-county standard.

Well, him & Hyland the only two who stood up and played like they had a pair last day. Would be nice if some of the others could take up the slack on Sunday.

Also, where IS Archbold?! Lads seem to be coming & going from squad at a rate of knots.

JohnnyC wrote:

The really frustrating thing watching Kildare is the amount of amount of easy scores we give up in every game and our failure to learn from them.


We have Cian O'Neill who is supposed to be a good coach/tactician, good football men in Tom Cribbin and Karl O'Dwyer, Alan Flynn who is another highly rated coach and Michael Fennelly (one of the great hurlers as performance coach) involved with the team but we keep doing the same thing match after match and don't seem to learn. I've given up expecting anything to change at this stage.

Which might suggest some/a lot of the fault lies with the players?

Tony Archibold getting better and better each passing day on this forum. Has the chap even played senior intercounty?

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

Totally agree Micky. Where the f**k are the Daltons, Ryans, Laceys, McCreerys etc in this group?

The type who hit first and never ask questions later.

I have NO DOUBT O'Neill is too soft on them & mollycoddles them – it's so glaringly obvious in their performances.

Have you ever actually been to a Kildare training session?

Fear An Geata wrote:

I know the options are limited given the number of players not available at the moment for one reason or another but there's still a bit of scope to shake things up. The team I'd start this weekend (even though it will never happen) is

1. A O Neill
2. M Dempsey
3. E Doyle
4. P Kelly
5. C O Donoghue
6. F Conway
7. D Hyland
8. K Feely
9. T Moolick
10. A Tyrell
11. N Kelly
12. D Slattery
13. N Flynn
14. B McCormack
15. J Hyland

You can be sure Uncle Tom will insist on a place for the nephew.

tomoneillandhissisteranne wrote:

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

Totally agree Micky. Where the f**k are the Daltons, Ryans, Laceys, McCreerys etc in this group?

The type who hit first and never ask questions later.

I have NO DOUBT O'Neill is too soft on them & mollycoddles them – it's so glaringly obvious in their performances.

Have you ever actually been to a Kildare training session?

Have you ever actually been to a Kildare match?

lilysavage wrote:

Tony Archibold getting better and better each passing day on this forum. Has the chap even played senior intercounty?

Came on for the last 20 minutes or so away to Donegal in the league.

Don't think he featured before then or played any O'Byrne Cup games.

There is a certain group of players who know no matter how good or bad the play they aren't going to be dropped. A sub coming on is probably thinking no matter how well I play I am not going to start the next day. It all leads to the half arsed attitude throughout the team.

Imaging the message dropping someone like Doyle would send. Then 20 minutes into the game pick the poorest performing defender and send Doyle on and say go win your place back. You'd see if he is a real captain then.

Certainly with the way the current defence is tearing it up, NO WAY should Archbold or Gibbons be let anywhere near team. And thank god John O'Toole and DJ Earley are nowhere to be seen.

All Ireland medals, Schmall Ireland medals.

I'm serious – it was a worthless achievement. Why did we even celebrate it?

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

tomoneillandhissisteranne wrote:

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

Totally agree Micky. Where the f**k are the Daltons, Ryans, Laceys, McCreerys etc in this group?

The type who hit first and never ask questions later.

I have NO DOUBT O'Neill is too soft on them & mollycoddles them – it's so glaringly obvious in their performances.

Have you ever actually been to a Kildare training session?

Have you ever actually been to a Kildare match?

I have missed three championship matches since 1989; missed five league matches in that period and maybe half a dozen O'Byrne Cup matches. And your point is?

Were you not the one who, some months back, was never going to a Kildare match again under this set-up?

You commented on what is and isn't happening at training sessions - so I asked the question - which remains unanswered.

And, while we're at it, you say: "I've promised to not whinge about O'Neill this summer for the greater good."

WHEW, he'll be relieved to know that.

It's flattering you are so obsessed with my posts.

Have not attended a Kildare training session, but would venture that performances this year don't exactly reflect Jim McGuinness-levels of coaching ingenuity.

I'm using results – what metric are you using?

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

It's flattering you are so obsessed with my posts.

Have not attended a Kildare training session, but would venture that performances this year don't exactly reflect Jim McGuinness-levels of coaching ingenuity.

I'm using results – what metric are you using?

No, not obsessed with your posts HG but like the poster above, I am simply sick of you talking horsesh-t... and bleeting the same anti-CON mantra...

People repeat this perception that we pick the same 15 every game, and in their heads, it becomes fact. But it’s incorrect. 29 players have got game time in the league and championship this year.

29 in 9 and a half games isn't much when you consider you should make at least 5 subs a game now with black cards, blood subs. A number of players like Gibbons, O'Callaghan, Archibold, McNally, Nash, Murray barely got 70 minutes between them.

Ohtoohtobe wrote:

People repeat this perception that we pick the same 15 every game, and in their heads, it becomes fact. But it’s incorrect. 29 players have got game time in the league and championship this year.

I don't think anyone including myself said he picks the same 15. My words exactly were there is a certain group of players. Don't like naming names but by their own high standards Donnellan, Kelly, Doyle, Cribbin & Brophy have had their fair share of poor games this year but they are never dropped. You could possibly add Conway to that list but he has been consistent enough.