Leinster Leader's front page today : Familiar scenes of agony at final whistle

Did anybody read this article on the front page of the Leader today. I though the tone of it was very cynical towards the team.

A section of the article as follows:

"Despite all of the heartbreak of recent years and decades, most people reckoned that last Sunday would be Kildare's day and we would be on the road again to Croke Park on All-Ireland final day on September 19.

The day ended with Allenwood's Johnny Doyle listening to words of consolation from one Down player as the injured Dermot Earley congratulated another, while the rest of us wondered how much longer either man will continue down heartbreak road.

Notwithstanding a vibrant club scene and competitive local championships played within the county; ultimate success has proven elusive.

There is a sizeable playing population within the County Kildare and the relatively small size of the county means that the players on the panel can assemble fairly readily.

Whether working or not, most players on the county panel are within easy reach of County Kildare – unlike counties, for example, in the West or even in Ulster.

And most of the time, money has not been as hard to come by as it might be in less prosperous parts of Ireland.

For all that though Kildare have struggled for too long to make the breakthrough.

To the get to this year's semi-final after reaching the quarter-final in 2009 reflects reasonably well but it's not enough.

Why is it that success is so hard to find? Down have won five All-Irelands since Kildare's last success in 1928. And since then many other counties have won the Holy Grail. Think Meath, Cavan, Donegal, Offaly, Derry, Tyrone, Mayo, Armagh, Roscommon. Some of these had no tradition worth speaking of.

Kildare have never won an All-Ireland minor football title or a National Football League for that matter.

We, it seems, always lose"



No far be it for me to tell a journalist what to write but I find it incredible that this could be written on the front page of the Leader a couple of days after one of our most heartbreaking days. Did this man not see how fundamentally of the pace we were before Geezer took over. We have come so far in such a short time that.
Why is he using Counties such as Roscommon, Mayo and Cavan to beat Kildare with. The more I read it the shittier it comes across.

Compare that to Tommy Callaghan's article which I though was a good read and fair to a Kildare team who have gave everything for the last three years.

Paul O' Meara sort yourself out.

We, it seems, always lose"

I don't think it was cynical at all just another disappointed Kildare supporter who could almost touch Sam yet it seems that elusive holy grail might as well be in outer space.

Did he miss Antrim , Leitrim, Derry, Monaghan and Meath, this year. Wexford, Offaly Laois and Wicklow last year.

A sweeping statement if there ever was one.

I gave up reading Paul's articles a good while ago. Always head straight to Tommy's colum for a reflection of the real feeling within the county. He regularly seems to hit the nail on the head although he can be a bit OTT at times.

Nothing that Paul wrote is untrue but it probably does not reflect the ture feeling in Kildare about the season just gone. It might have been better to defer that article for a week or two and concentrate this week on the positives of the season.

We are all dissapointed but I think most fans were very impressed with the huge steps forward the team took this season. Yes, we need to make the big breakthrough but as someone else mentioned in another thread, this season is like '97 and hopefully next season we can make another big step forward. It will take a huge effort to get back to a SF again next year but I've no doubt that big lessons were learned this year.

Something to build on rather than something to regret.

we would all like to question decessions made and how we can`t win the big games but now is not the time, the start of next is the time for geezer to ask them questons

have not read any report about last sunday match and never will

JME

Totally agree with you about the article.Started to read the paper when I was in the shop and was shocked by the tone of it.I would like to know what he was trying to achieve by it as it was a bit close to the bone.Is he trying to sell papers or is he just pissed off with life at the moment ? And a picture of JD crying to the side of it. It's people like him that convince me that we need McGeeney the winner even more than we think.

IMO he was way over the top and needs to chill out a bit.

Agreed JME, my thoughts reflect yours, a bit harsh and insensitive, and probably reflecting ignorance of what that team has really given, while technally not untrue it was lacking any true knowledge of the bigger picture, 'superficial beermat journalism'.

Maybe O'Meara's piece should have been re-directed to the sports section and away from the front pages but its hard to be critical of someone for been honest and for not getting too bogged down with sentimentality by the emotional aftermath of the defeat.
Too many local GAA journalists are afraid to rock the boat as such a lot of what they write is just sycophantic drivel and any criticism they do occasionaly venture is usually powder puff subtle hints.
I don't buy the Leader anymore as I think the Nationalist is a far superior paper for sport and especially GAA coverage.
There was two contrasting pieces in yesterdays Nationalist one from Brendan Coffey and the other from John Roddy.
Coffeys was a Hugh McGrillen love in, yes Hugh ran tirelessly on Sunday but on numerous occasions on Sunday he was ruthlessly exposed, imo if you're looking for something OTT then read Coffeys article!.
Roddys article was contrasting, yes he did of course like everyone else have a pop at the officials, but he was brave enough to look a little deeper as to the reason for Kildares defeat. He wrote:

There are far too many of yesterdays men warming the Kildare bench"
At least 3 of them should be immediately stood down, as they have in all due respect, nothing to contribute in the long term".

He also hinted very strongly that Kevin O'Neill should be seriously looked at for a recall and that both David Lyons, Gary White and Karl Ennis should be given a more definitive role next term.
You don't have to agree with what John said but reading through the lines he thinks that the current Kildare first choice defence is by far our weakest link and the rock we are most likely to perish on, and I for one am very reluctant to disagree with him, in fairness the loss of our first choice midfield exposed them to more pressure on Sunday, while they were not quite as bad as against Louth but their raggedness was pretty evident all the same!.

I would like to ask Paul which one of the players/management asked him to follow the team and promised him that they would win the All Ireland? My guess none of them.

Paul, if you want to follow Kildare follow them, that means sticking by them when things go bad, if you dont want to do that feck off and get another interest.

By the way did you pay for your ticket on Sunday or did you get a free pass because you are part of the press?

Lads in fairness I think we have to be able to take some criticism and we shouldnt get offended by it, we should use it as a spur and prove them wrong next year.

It was a great summer to be a Kildare man, the lads gave it their all, I had some great days out travelling the length of the country supporting our boys in white (and green), but I still get that gnawing feeling that this was the one we let get away. This was our best chance yet to win the sam, no tyrone, dublin and kerry, an arguably weakened Cork team, a Down team we should have beaten albeit a few rubbish decisions and luck not going our way.

Are we meant to just sit back now and be happy with our AI semi final appearance and rest on our laurels? I dont think we can do that, we have identify where things went wrong on Sunday and improve on them for next year.

So for next year...our aims?? I think we should hope to avoid the qualifier route at all costs...the Leinster title should be our first target, no early round defeats to the likes of wicklow and louth,build up momentum as Leinster champs and target the AI final as a minimum...

I have to agree with JME, this article made for depressing reading. I accept that journalists shouldn't be "fans with typewriters", they should have opinions and be critical when necessary but for a front page article, to simply say we lost again like we always do was unfair in the extreme.

I can see both sides of the argument, as Squire has said nothing in the article is necessarily untrue, but the timing of it three days after the loss and to have it on the front page was a poor decision.
A lot of the players would have read that and I'm sure that it would not have sat well with them because it certainly didn't sit well with me.


for the record I always buy the Nationalist and the Leader.

Think that was a bit harsh on the team,even just three days after the match.
Best print in the leader was Tommy callaghans

On the front page of the liffey champion is a picture of a child bawling her eyes out with her kildare jersey on her. Seems like a diehard supporter!!

There are always people waiting in the long grass, waiting for moments like last Sunday to put the boot in. When McGeeney first arrived on the scene Mr Roddy described his tactics as puke football, he also has an agenda regarding certain players not being on the panel.

I don't see where or in what position Kevin O'Neill could have made a difference last Sunday, its been flogged to death and now urban legend. Kevin on his day is a fine footballer but he's not firing on all cylinders.

Its easy do an Eamon Dunphy, its easy point out where things went wrong and Geezers quote about the difference between a pat on the back and a kick on the arse springs to mind.

Put yer medals on yer chests lads and cast yer stones...............

Stonecold wrote:

There are always people waiting in the long grass, waiting for moments like last Sunday to put the boot in. When McGeeney first arrived on the scene Mr Roddy described his tactics as puke football, he also has an agenda regarding certain players not being on the panel.

I don't see where or in what position Kevin O'Neill could have made a difference last Sunday, its been flogged to death and now urban legend. Kevin on his day is a fine footballer but he's not firing on all cylinders.

Its easy do an Eamon Dunphy, its easy point out where things went wrong and Geezers quote about the difference between a pat on the back and a kick on the arse springs to mind.

Put yer medals on yer chests lads and cast yer stones...............

Agree 100%.

There's plenty of people who were waiting for this side to fail, sharpening the knives before every game this year.

Kildare reached the Semi Final for the 3rd time in 60 odd years this year, playing fantastic attractive football along the way.

Why cant Roddy give credit where credit is due instead of sticking the knife in?

Kevin O'Neill issue has been flogged to death, they day of a towering full back is gone. Every player from 1-15 needs to be mobile and comfortable on the ball.

I would agree with most of these but I do think the defence could still do with improving... you're talking about the inches needed to win an All-Ireland. I don't think Kevin O'Neill is the answer or has been for three years. Of course if he gets his mojo back he'd definitely be worth a place in the panel... but we need to try to cut out the concession of goals - and 1-16 was way too much to concede.

yeh maybe few more defenders needed to pressure whats on the pitch,hopefully find another kelly out there!!

Stonecold isn't Mr Roddy entitled to an opinion just like everybody else? his puke football statement has proved spectaculary wrong as Kildare play a style of football that is very easy on the eye, as I said earlier you don't have to agree with him but should he just zip it because people on a public forum disagree?.

Stonecold you've been critical of Kavanagh in the past have you not?
We all have our own little agendas as to what we believe is best for this Kildare team, and John Roddy, Paul O'Meara etc are no different, but we all have one thing in common and that is a love for Kildare football even if that sounds a bit cheesy? so I think the players and mentors are mature enough to take the rough with the smooth, don't forget many of us fans spend/spent large amounts of money supporting this team and should be entitled to an opinion whether positive or negative.

I've said on here a few times as regards players been paid as its they who make the draconian sacrifices not the mentors. Yes its those well paid mentors themselves who inflict these draconian restrictions on their fellow human beings for virtually no reward for their endeavours only the vague, distant possibility of glory? but for the vast majority of them more often than not their reward is just the pain of losing yet again, after putting in months upon months of gruelling training while their social lives grinded to a virtual halt! [truth be known this been a supposed amateur sport by law such restrictions is probably an infringement of these players human rights?], but yet some of you would gladly pay Geezer a half a million euro to stay on at the Kildare helm without even a blink of an eye, but mention paying players and this forum remains spectaculary muted on the subject?.
The GAA remains the most hypocritical sporting organisation on this planet, yet the illegal payments for managers and mentors alike goes totally unreported or more to the point is brushed gently and conveniently under the carpet and not seen as morally wrong?, yet the dinosaurs would gladly burn you at the stake as a heritic for daring to mention payment for players.
Forgive me for changing the subject slightly but its a subject that eats away at me from the inside OUT!!!

Jayus lads is this all we can chat about,
Can we all not look forward,with this team and Gezzer at the helm.
Stone cold i agree with you in everything you say,after the louth match every one wanted Gezzer to go,
Bolton not a full back,shortie to small etc etc,sick to the teeth of all them.
To me the lads of 2010 every single one of them are great,Heres to 2011

[quote="carburyman"]Jayus lads is this all we can chat about,
Can we all not look forward,with this team and Gezzer at the helm.
Stone cold i agree with you in everything you say,after the louth match every one wanted Gezzer to go,
Bolton not a full back,shortie to small etc etc,sick to the teeth of all them.
To me the lads of 2010 every single one of them are great,Heres to 2011[/quote]

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Fair enough carburyman all the players deserve great credit, but it would be a pretty boring forum if all we talked about on here was how great they all were!.

We're all entitled to our opinions even if they are wrong!

I have great time for McGeeney and I take my hat off to the 30+ lads who put in the hard graft for the cause this year. That's not to say we can't express our opinions. I felt similarly to O'Meara in the direct aftermath of the match - my feelings were that we blew it and we might never get a better chance of an All-Ireland for decades. I've mellowed somewhat in the days since and am now looking forward to the club action and hopefully some new talent emerging that will help take this Kildare team to the next level.

It's easy to forget how thin a line it is between success and failure. Kildare were the width of a crossbar and a post away from qualifying for the All-Ireland Final last Sunday. However, we rode our luck somewhat against Antrim the first day in Newbridge and could have gone out. Similarly two years ago we were seconds away from losing to Cavan when Foley, Dermot and Jimmers combined to pull us back from the precipice. Had Kavanagh not scored that goal, McGeeney would have been hung, drawn and quartered and Kildare would probably still be down amongst the also rans of the footballing world.

I repeat - I did not want McGeeney out after Louth!!! not looking for a medal or anything but it's not true to say everybody wanted him out. And to be fair, I wasn't on my own... probably in teh minority alright.

To be fair to John Roddy when he made his puke football statement, it was 2008 and Kildare were playing a very different brand of football to the last two years. Grimley is on record as saying they got it wrong trying to impose Armagh on Kildare. I also think he's right about the defence needing work. Don't think these aren't things McGeeney isn't thinking about already... read article in the Times on Sunday, about when the players were meeting up on the Monday to go on the piss after losing to Tyrone - when he met up with them, he was just off the phone to a psychologist he wanted to bring on board for this year... if you stand still, you go backwards

As i said in an earlier post Ogie, preparing for next year began at 5pm on Sunday.
Thats why its important McGeeney is kept on board so that he can do that.

McGeeney is not stupid and he knows where he must work on within the team, its about finding them players.

I would also like to state that i didnt want McGeeney out after Louthgate, its was a poor defeat and had all the hallmarks of being caught on the hop.