Where to next?

Well that’s the end of 2019. A gap year is the best I can describe it as.
Where to next for that team? They’ve taken a lot of heavy defeats. Serious work is required on their mentality.
Who does that work?
And how do they do it?
Players need to be thanked for their service and sent on their way. Have we someone who’ll do it?
An outside manager?
Who’d take a job when you haven’t a hope of winning a trophy? Cunningham in Roscommon could win a provincial title. O’rourkr I’m Monaghan could say the same. No one can take the kildare Jon and say they can win a provincial title. It’s not an attractive Jon lads. Much as I’d like it to be. We could struggle to get interest from candidates with the required experience and skill to turn this ship around.

Kildare might need a big name, somebody who can make above average players think that they are better than what they are.

With Conleths to be developed and unless with get a kind benefactor or we as a county really put our hands deeper into our pockets there isn't going to be a white knight sailing in to save us. Within the county ? Glen and Davy or the Moorefield lads would be the bookies fav but would any of them actually take it?

It’s a job where you haven’t a hope of winning silverware. They’ll struggle to get a “big name” to take it.
For what it’s worth I think we need someone to take an overall view of Kildare football.
From the age of 14 a young lad in Tyrone knows that they’ll be playing a certain system the whole way to seniors. Same with Donegal. Both counties have systems used by all teams. Players know it inside out.
In Kildare there’s nothing like that. Every team play a different way. The seniors have no game plan or system. You can’t work on a kickouts system over the course of two weeks. Those Tyrone lads could do theirs in their sleep.
A director of football is something the cb should consider. Someone to oversee all underage teams. Geezer tried that but then those who knew better got rid of him...

Agree that we need someone over seeing the underage structures, maybe we have ie the GDA's ? Not convinced on the system thing as the game changes so much but i would be happy if players could tackle and execute the basics of the game better. I don't think the development squads spent enough time with them to do this, probably 8/12 times a year? But the schools do and maybe this is where we need to target. Hit the schools and your working with the best 120 not 30 and everyone wins. Could clubs do more? Maybe but a lot of lads at most clubs are just playing for the craic and won't want to spend the working on these things. Anyway all we need is more volunteers it's that simple, Jim Gavin says so

Look we may have some footballers who have potential but let's face it. Look at the team we had out yesterday and I would say there were club footballers in the crowd saying I marked him out of it or I always get the better if him. We need a manager than all players will get behind. Someone who actually can train players to fend fo themselves without looking for backup.

You don't need to win anything to to get players motivated. McGeeney didn't win Leinster or All Ireland but every player under him would have done anything for him and still would. He was developing a plan to link the underage set ups right through and get Maynooth University on board as a partner for players to attend so they could stay near home and play. But we all know what happened and those that new better are still there making shite decisions.

You also don't need to win anything to be able to devise a kickout strategy, you don't need to win anything to be able to get players to tackle properly, you don't need to win anything to set up a team to defend in a way so you don't concede 2-22 on your own pitch.

What you need is a personality that players respect and will row in behind. I never got the feeling CON had the backing of all the players. Certainly the opt outs would back this thought up. We need a manager who knows exactly how his team should play and how to achieve that. I doubt anyone can tell me after 4 years of the current manager what exactly is his way or style of playing.
Its probably pie in the sky but Malachy O Rourke would sort a lot of our ills out. The chance of him taking it though would probably be slim.

We need someone of vision and a will to get the right man, not just the easy option. Syl Merrins had that vision, does our current chairman.

Good post Rex, pretty much sums it up for me

What’s the selling point we have for someone like O’Rourke, O’Connor et all?
Managers take over teams to win something. What exactly can we win in the next few years?
In every other province teams have a chance. Cunningham knee this, O’Rourke knew this, Rochford going to Donegal knew this.
We’re not as coveted a team to manage as many here think we are. You’re on a hiding to nothing with Kildare, if you’re an outside manager.
Davy Burke is different however. A kildare man. Loves his county. A proven winner underage... Another name who should feature in any future set up is Roli. The players loved him by all accounts.

It amazes me that every county imagine that top manager's are queuing to take up positions. We are as bad as laois when Micko was sacked after they won their first Leinster in over 50 year's, they thought they knew better and shoved him out. Likewise in Kildare there was grumbling to get rid. Over 50% of clubs in Kildare decided against listening to players appeals to back Mc Geeney because these buffoons thought they knew better than players who actually know their manager

The McGeeney decision was and will be one of the worst and most vindictive moves in Kildare GAA history. A small group who had an agenda made that happen. A small group who by and large are all still in positions of influence and power. We still haven't recovered.

But we need a manager of that ilk, strong personality with a clear vision. Unfortunately if we get someone like that it won't be long before those same people will be sharpening their knives because that manager won't listen to them or toe their line. Thus we'll get a yes man who'll do as he's told.

The position should be advertised. An open and transparent process to choose the manager should be conducted in order for the CB to be fully accountable for their decision. The search for the next manager should be a countrywide search. The names of those interviewed for the position should be noted at CB meetings.
It’s too easy for them to hide away from their decisions. Incidentally, why does the county chairman sit in the dugout??

There was no small group which wanted Mcgeeney out. It was a wafer thin decision made by the clubs. And some practically non-existent hurling clubs had a vote on it for some reason. Mcgeeney didn't help himself by not forming a working relationship with the clubs. He was arrogant towards them and fell on his sword cos of that when results went against him. To be honest it was possibly the natural end of a cycle anyway. Would be good to have him back but can't see him leaving this improving Armagh side anytime soon.

Think Davy Burke should get it next year.

The aim for Kildare should be to get to Div 1 and stay there - otherwise we’re at nothing.

To accomplish that, we need D Flynn & P Cribbin, plus last year’s U20s to commit.

Hopefully Burke could help in that regard.

If the top players in the county aren’t onboard next year, it’s pointless tbh. This current squad isn’t good enough, end of. It’s gone stale & too many lads on easy street.

lilysavage wrote:

There was no small group which wanted Mcgeeney out. It was a wafer thin decision made by the clubs. And some practically non-existent hurling clubs had a vote on it for some reason. Mcgeeney didn't help himself by not forming a working relationship with the clubs. He was arrogant towards them and fell on his sword cos of that when results went against him. To be honest it was possibly the natural end of a cycle anyway. Would be good to have him back but can't see him leaving this improving Armagh side anytime soon.

Don't want to get into this again but members of the board voted against the chairmans wishes. If they had done what was asked of them by their own chairman he would have continued. Thus it was a small group who had an agenda.
Once they voted against the chairman they should have resigned. Yet they carried on as if nothing was wrong and whst was worse they were allowed to.

It was a disgrace the way McGeeney was treated.

In the year he left, he’d retained Div 1 status & won a Leinster underage title.

Imagine CON did all that this year on the back of Newbridge Or Nowhere. Jesus Christ we’d be building a statue of the man in Newbridge.

Was simultaneously thrilling & depressing seeing Wexford win the hurling today. Made me wonder when we’ll see scenes like that in Kildare again. Twenty years since last Leinster next year.

Will be the next century before we do it again at this rate.

Another reason I think Burke would be great for this squad: he abhors laziness & unlike O’Neill will not hesitate to drop lads.

That U20 team played champagne football but it was all built on application & workrate. His mantra was always: “You can tackle & stay on the field - or not tackle and check out the view from the subs bench.”

This team badly needs that obsessive perfectionism & boot up the hole.

Don’t agree they are a fine bunch of players and it is an insult to say they need a boot in the hole. The county, the clubs, the coaches and our county senior players need leadership and coaching. The people who appointed Jason Ryan and Cian o neill need to go. Mr Donnelly mr Gorman and mr dunny need to go. People with intelligence integrity and leadership qualities need to take over the reins. Enough of mediocrity and blaming players the root cause is our inept administrators who are influenced by unelected people who call the shots. Let’s wake up the current regime need to go. Let’s make Kildare great again.

Don’t agree they are a fine bunch of players and it is an insult to say they need a boot in the hole. The county, the clubs, the coaches and our county senior players need leadership and coaching. The people who appointed Jason Ryan and Cian o neill need to go. Mr Donnelly mr Gorman and mr dunny need to go. People with intelligence integrity and leadership qualities need to take over the reins. Enough of mediocrity and blaming players the root cause is our inept administrators who are influenced by unelected people who call the shots. Let’s wake up the current regime need to go. Let’s make Kildare great again.

Administrators have nothing got to do with team matters so I've no idea how you can blame the county board for yesterday. They picked O'Neill and he was the man the majority of Kildare fans wanted in charge. What a weird post. I'm assuming you're a troll by you last sentence.

I’m entitled to my opinion I’m assuming your either mr Donnelly mr Gorman or mr dunny from your last post. Of course the county board are relevant in how our senior team operate and. Are set up. The set the tone they set the standards and the goals for our great association in the county. No goals no leadership no integrity no vision no ambition influenced by unelected people. They need to go we deserve better let’s make Kildare great again.

Not con's biggest fan tbh and i think he should go for lots of reasons flynn masterson murray walking away the biggest ones that been said he cant tackle every attacker on the pitch and he shouldnt be blamed for their lack of....some of our so called tackles were like watching u10s in their first game a shocking performance

Also Taibi. My last sentence in the post you think is weird and are so critical of is “let’s make Kildare great again”. It’s not that weird !!!

Shuffling the deck chairs on the titanic, innit. Even Micko wouldn't get a look in for a Leinster championship with the pick of the rest. Nobody worth their salt will want to come anywhere near any senior Leinster county. Regardless of who's chairman.

Edit: yeah that's pessimistic but any realistic analysis of Gaelic Football shows a sport dying on its knees. Hurling will go the same way if the elephant in the room is not addressed. What we really need to do is try and poach some of these superior volunteers that our hugely admirable neighbours seem to have so many of.

Glen should get it. There's no one else within the county that's more qualified imo. But he wont even be considered due to the pettiness of the suits in hawkfield. I think davy burke will suffer the same fate unfortunately due to his comments last year when leaving the setup. I'm not confident we'll find anyone suitable and end up settling for some mercenary.