What next for the fans...

Gentlemen and ladies, well aware of your opinion of me in recent days but I stand by it and I believe we cannot go upwards without going onwards. But anyway, trying to think to the future without analysis. Most of you know who I am, please keep to yourself the ones who do know because why reveal another identity behind a pseudoynm, but left Croke Park last Saturday after being told by a Garda I was obliged to leave 90 minutes after full-time. However at the end of the game, I watched so many Kildare supporters leaving and laughing as if it was just a day out. Another woman in front of me described Tomas O'Brien (sic) as pathetic and lacking self belief.

Of course every county has this, but why? In the end I was wondering about this country-wide analysis of Kildare fans being wonderful and also as Newbridge being some media-lazy description, namely a fortress. I know Kildare fans have potential and are better than most, but why stop there, and why do so many care for a day and never bring about even a tiny bit of the following all year...

I've been lucky enough to be in Brazil a few times and witness passion even when soccer games there don't matter. It's an amazing experience to witness such a joy! This is not meant as some young hoodie-wearing call for support, but why can people in our great county not set a trend and come in numbers, in colours and be passionate all year long.I've talked many times about the lack of passion the GAA inspires most months, but why not set a trend, turn Kildare games all year into being the place to be, and not in suits or whatever to get votes. I don't mean ultras stuff as per soccer, but at least there is passion there.

Hopefully the team are looking to improve. What about us, and I dont mean the 40 regular posters... How do we get 15,000 in Newbridge in February wearing white every Sunday. The lads will be preparing to make it happen, can we set a trend in GAA where we turn our in passion and numbers and colours from start to finish? Maybe not but throwing it out there and willing to help organise...

And fair enough, if people like a summer day out, respect for that too, just wondering what we can all achieve, because there are a lot of passionate people here...

PS For the team and a terrace flag that doesn't turn into some shame to carry like the last one, just reading an American football book.... "It doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down. All that counts is how many times you get back up"....

Ah leave the bandgowan fans alone where lucky to have them judging my some of the crowds this year many other counties are losing them!!

most people in our section stayed behind in shock but probably more in appreciation of the team to clap them into the tunnel after the game.



I think Kildare has a great support, probably one of the best (numbers wise) after Dublin and I dont care if they are bandwagon jumpers. If they are Kildare thats enough for me.



You say there were a couple of people there who may not have your knowledge of the players or indeed some that realise its a game of football and theres other things out there in life and are able to move on quickly once the whistle blows. Probably only a handful out of maybe 15000 kildare fans there.

St Conleths in February is never going to be the Maracanã in fairness. True, our support is down but we are still up there as one of the best supported counties nonetheless.

There will always be people who jump on the bandwagon. I have no problem with that as long as don't deprive a genuine fan of a ticket and there's no chance of that really happening unless we're talking about contesting All Irelands. Who knows, that woman might not have been bothered going to the match herself but her little Johnny wanted to go so she brought him along.

Club Kildare is one way people can show practical support I suppose but I know that's not always feasible in the current climate as they say.

Anyway, I know we are all sick after last Saturday but give it a few months and we'll be looking forward to the O'Byrne Cup and looking up league fixtures. To paraphrase Chumbawumba, "we get knocked down, but we get up again, you're never going to keep us down".

Firstly my opinion of you TK is that you are a very talented user of the English language and I would not be fit to comment on you there, but even you must realise your choice of words were wrong after the match, I'll put that down to the despair and emotions everyone was feeling at the time. However I'll agree your sentiment that we threw it away was closer to the truth.

As for the crowds and atmosphere all during the year, I think it's a combination of things.

Promotion of matches, The condition of St Conleths, the public view that the league is not important and to be honest the weather.

I have said it many times here before that to get people going you must create and event. Ireland is funny that for all big sporting occasions you can't get a ticket for love nor money however you can see the exact same team playing most weeks with a third of the crowd. Take last night for instance, Shamrock rovers had a sell out for their game against Copenhagen. Where are all these other supporters during the year. That's why I think we love an event or occasion more than the actual sport.
Promote games, tell people your county is relying on them for the extra inch, tell them it's their duty to support their county team and hit them when they are young. Make a Kildare match something people want to go to. Make it seem every league game is the most important thing happening that weekend in the County. However doing that leads into my second point.

St. Conleths is lets be truthful here a disaster. If you are summer supporter sitting there and you are thinking of going to a match I think the thoughts of heading in there will put a lot of people off. Me, I love the place but your casual supporter would be thinking, terrible toilets, not enough seating, poor view from behind the pillers and just go to the whitewater or watch Sky sports all day.

Moving on ,the league is not important is said every year thousands of times even by the most dedicated fans. So why would a day tripper spend money on something that they see as pointless. Again if Kildare got to a final in Croke Park they would be out again because it's in Croke Park and it's an occasion.

Lastly the Weather, again your average summer supporter looks out his window on a wet February afternoon and thinks I ain't spending 15 euro to stand in that poor ground for something that's not important.

Every sport has the bandwagoners, but that's where most supporters start. Myself was the league semi final against funny enough Donegal in 1991-2. I was hooked after that and get to 95% of games a year since. So hopefully after the last few years we have got a few more young supporters that are bitten by the bug and that's all you can ask for because unless the home games are promoted properly, league games will only ever be that to most Kildare natives just league games.

The nature of the competitions in GAA makes the championship and its do or die nature more appealing to the bandwagon jumper. When you go to a League match there isn't the same urgency involved and this explains the lack of passion.

I'd love to see that Galatasaray atmosphere in Newbridge but unless we were guaranteed a game there every two weeks over the course of the season. It wouldn't happen for the 3 or 4 League games we get per season anyway.

It's also easier for soccer supporters because games are 90% home support and the grounds are sectioned off etc. GAA games are always more mingled, support wise. Imagine if all Kildare supporters had been forced into the terrace opposite the stand in Portlaoise for the Laois match- we would have had some atmosphere.

The only time I ever saw a partisan crowd in Croke Park was for the International Rules games. I usually sing along respectfully to Amhran na bhFiann for GAA matches but that day I fucking belted it out because I wanted to show the Aussie supporters beside me how serious I was and this was serious stuff.

That's why I resent the fact that the Dubs get to do this in the Hill and other counties don't.

A few things struck me in the posts here - the state of Newbridge is one but that in itself can be overcome - is being overcome by those who go there. But there's really no sense of occasion there - yes the weather is a factor but even in bad weather it's possible to provide a spectacle or at least a welcome. A bit of warm food for sale; decent music (mind you we are ahead of Portlaoise with the one CD of "A thousand Irish Folk(?) Tunes" or whatever it is).
One of the things I love about the emptiness of Newbridge on wet league days is the fact that anything you say about the ref/the umpires/the linesmen/ the opposition can be clearly heard!!!! I even had a linesman answer me at one of the matches this year - he actually explained his decision. You won't get that in Croke Park.
Cill Dara abu!

Not directly related to what you said but did anyone notice Linesman Eddie Kinsellas reaction the other day when we got the free at the end of normal time ,you could see him start to grin when Coldricks hand went up and he literally turned to the crowd smiling with the roar when it went over id actually say it was more than half admiring of the Kildare fans passion.

fargo wrote:

Not directly related to what you said but did anyone notice Linesman Eddie Kinsellas reaction the other day when we got the free at the end of normal time ,you could see him start to grin when Coldricks hand went up and he literally turned to the crowd smiling with the roar when it went over id actually say it was more than half admiring of the Kildare fans passion.

Did happen to be the same linesman that waved the green flag knowing we socred a legit goal only to be overuled by the ref 40 yards away ?

If so id say he was just happy to see the desicion didnt cost kildare the game ....welll at that point anyway

I spent a lot of years going to every OB Cup and League game, and in an era when we had far far less hope than we do now, and I would say there are only a real hardcore of about 2-3,000 Kildare fans who will go to matches in January and February no matter how good or bad the team is, and who would not dream of missing an away qualifier, no matter how bad the defeat in Leinster was.
Then there are about 8,000 who attend almost every home league game and wouldn't dream of missing a championship match.
There are about 12,000 who wouldn't miss a championship match in a Leinster venue. The rest is mainly a bandwagon. So 15,000 is perhaps unrealistic.
I really identified with your story of sitting there for so long after TK. I was beyond tears. Storing the memories of Donegal people roaring in my face and Jim McGuinness' lack of grace for the day when we kick the living fcuk out of them (and it will come - Laois fans were at the same craic in 2005 and in my book, we can never kick the shyte out of them often enough or by enough).

Listen all. Can we face the facts....we are a second tier county in football terms. We will always have potential to reach a quarter final or perhaps a semi. Donegal came from nowhere and are in a semi. Where do we go from here? Can I be a heretic and suggest a new manager? I dont think Geezer is too good within the 70 minutes of a game!! We have been found wanting in the last three years in the games that matter. Wicklow, meath(2011), Laois and derry are not the best teams out there. We are below Kerry, Cork, Dublin, Tyrone.

You are entitled to that opinion but can I ask who you would choose to be in charge. A few names to discuss perhaps.

Its not all doom and gloom , you won the O Byrne Cup this year , thats a start ,thats some silverware for geezer & the boys , you finished 7th best team in the country , so all is not that bad

the big cal wrote:

Listen all. Can we face the facts....we are a second tier county in football terms. We will always have potential to reach a quarter final or perhaps a semi. Donegal came from nowhere and are in a semi. Where do we go from here? Can I be a heretic and suggest a new manager? I dont think Geezer is too good within the 70 minutes of a game!! We have been found wanting in the last three years in the games that matter. Wicklow, meath(2011), Laois and derry are not the best teams out there. We are below Kerry, Cork, Dublin, Tyrone.

Yes we are but sure what's the shame in that? Those four counties have more playing resources and a much greater tradition of success. We are as good as anything else that is out there which is a huge leap forward from where we were in 2007. What makes you think that a change of manager will help bridge the gap and who do you suggest as a replacement?

You also need to look at the age profile of those four teams. Kerry have plenty of lads that are coming towards the end of their careers - Tom Sullivan, the Ó Sé's, O'Mahony, Brosnan, Galvin, Griffin. Even the likes of Donaghy, Cooper and Declan Sullivan have huge mileage on the clock for lads in their late twenties. Cork too have plenty of players who will be the wrong side of thirty in 2012 - Quirke, O'Leary, Miskella, Kissane, Canty, Pearse O'Neill, Nick Murphy, Donncha O'Connor. Nearly all of Tyrone's key men are in decline - Dooher, McMenamin, O'Neill, Cavanagh, Gormley, Jordan.

Dublin are in a strong position at the moment and they have some of the finest young talent in the country as anyone who witnessed their demolition of the Kildare minors will testify to. I think they'll win at least one All-Ireland in the next three years. Dublin have the potential to completely dominate Leinster and Kildare are probably the only county with the resources to compete with them. Meath don't appear to have a lot coming through while Laois and Offaly look in terminal decline.

How Kildare nurture the last few talented minor teams will be crucial for the long-term future of Kildare football. Most of the Kildare panel (bar Johnny and Dermot) are in their mid-twenties and should be coming to their peak. We are still a few players short but they might be coming through - Dowling, Mulhall, Fogarty etc. If they can step up to demands of senior inter-county and add fresh impetus to the team then we'll be competitive for another few years at least. Kerry, Cork and Tyrone are coming back to the pack but it's important that we remain at the leading edge of that pack because they won't be down for long given their respective resources. If we can have a good run with injuries and hopefully a bit of long overdue luck with the match officials then there's no limit to what can be achieved in the next two or three years but only if the right decisions are made.

Excellent analysis KK. Am beginning to feel a bit better now.

the big cal wrote:

Where do we go from here? Can I be a heretic and suggest a new manager? I dont think Geezer is too good within the 70 minutes of a game!!

I know threads are getting intertwined here but in response to big cals post.

Is it not fair to say that he is learning his trade as a manager? and that he deserves to finish out his contract? If he fails at the end of that. then judge him!

I honestly believe he has brought Kildare forward, no we have a mental and physical fitness that we have always lacked.

Do you not believe that Kildare have been very unlucky over the last couple of years with decisions going against them? . I accept we have been found wanting in certain games which I beleive is down to experience from players and management alike and will and is improving. I also understand that the team has never really found its top gear, you might say Kildare arn't good enough, 'second tier team' to quote you, but I think we are. Remember Tyrone 09 and even though we lost on this day I don't think we have hit a performance like we did that day, yes we fell short too that day but McGeeney was only early days so to speak in his new career and Stephen O' Neill was only exceptional in the second half, a natural forward which makes the difference.

I know someone said it hear over the last couple of days that it seems every match some one steps up to the plate and the following day they step down and some one else steps up, but if the team could get a performance from a good number of the players on any given day, we we can beat anyone and this is without 2 allstars a fit Conway, who coincidently was brilliant that day against Tyrone, Hugh Lynch and so on, I think Kildare are going in the right direction under the right man and with a bit of luck, not to mention proper officiation of the game, we will see success and be better for it in the long term and to put it in your words be a so called first tier team, like where was Tyrone untill the won Sam, I would suggest in place where nobody really noticed!!

In answer to some of the posts after my original one... I think that Geezer will be marked down, in the future, as one who developed football in the county, IN THE SHORT-TERM. I am involved at grass-roots and there is a decline within the club scene. The hybrid player, the lack of league outings for same, the postponement of championships etc etc will do no good for the long-term development of football within Kildare. GEEZER is "learning his trade" but so is McGuinness.

Could I suggest Glenn Ryan as an alternative. He got the U21 to an All Ireland final in his first year. He knows and more importantly RESPECTS the clubs within the county. He doesn't carry a large back-room team (of a coach full, excuse the pun). This cannot be sustained indefinetly.

I have been following Kildare since the late 70's and am a paid up member of Club Kildare. Go to O'Byrne, League, C'Ship and Challenge games.

Could I suggest Glenn Ryan as an alternative. He got the U21 to an All Ireland final in his first year. He knows and more importantly RESPECTS the clubs within the county. He doesn't carry a large back-room team (of a coach full, excuse the pun). This cannot be sustained indefinetly.

I think he has commited to another term with longford

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with the bandwagon, like others have mentioned as long as the genuine fans who support the team all around the country earlier in the year can still get tickets come August (and hopefully next September) then whats the harm.

It's better to have the bandwagon supporters out like the last few matches than to be the whipping boys of Leinster with no chance of getting the bandwagon rolling.

Can't see us achieving much of an increase in league attendances unless we gain promotion, no offence to Sligo or Antrim but the Kerrys, Dublins and Corks of this world would bring out a bigger crowd in Newbridge. If this did happen then it'd be reasonable to assume that bigger crowds for league matches would lead to bigger crowds for the early rounds of the Leinster championship. Facilities could be improved, and should really I suppose, just the basic like, food and drink stands, a small tea and coffee stall or something wouldn't be impossible to put in.

There's fans out there who'll go to every game, senior or junior, football or hurling. Then there's the fans who'll only go when we play in Croke Park. I know plenty of people who played hurling or football at underage level but wouldn't dream of going to league or O'Byrne Cup games, but they'd be the first ones looking for tickets should we get to play in Croker, and they'd be the first to give out about team selection should we lose. Better to have them with us for only the odd match than not at all though I say.

Pure White wrote:

this is without 2 allstars a fit Conway, who coincidently was brilliant that day against Tyrone

He didn't play at all, done his cruciate a few weeks earlier against Wicklow!

As for the thread topic, maybe if all the fans bought big umpire rain proof jackets, we could add a big of colour, be like the Dutch football fans!!

bloodsub, your right, my mistake, I'm thinking of his performance in the Dublin game 09...

What next for the fans, ? The answer is simple . Off to thurles with ye saturday and support the boys in white in the ALL Ireland final.

Well said Gaffer. Twould be nice to see a good Kildare following there, and please god, with a bit of luck, we'll have some silverware to bring home.