John Crofton Resigns

[Dinny Breen]

Kildare senior football manager John Crofton has resigned his position with immediate effect citing family commitments as his reason.

Crofton has been in charge of the Kildare senior football team since 2005 when he took over from Padraig Nolan.

In a statement today, chairman Syl Merrins said "Kildare Countyboard would like to thank John, not only for the last 2 years, but indeed a lifetime of service where he played with distinction for many years. We wish him well in all future endeavours."

I wish John luck, he did well my with own club Towers but always knew the step-up to inter-county was too much for him.

Where to from here with Kildare football, honestly only Carlow and Kilkenny would be rated below Kildare, with Wicklow, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath all fancying their chances...

Meath, Louth, Loais are well ahead of us and Dublin aren't even in sight..

We have a competitive senior championship but poor underage structures although competitve at u/21 level....

Who would want the job, Luke Dempsey, Big Joe???

All very depressing....

[Captain Scarlet]

Who is available at the moment around the country. Mulgrew, Kearns,???
Anyone that could be lured by our fabulous players?

[Star Spangler]

You often hear commentators talk about how much more successful Dublin should be because of the population base they have.  I think Kildare are very much in the same bracket.  In many ways they are a sleeping giant but it's hard to pin down exactly what the problem is.  I've been involved at club level in Tyrone and to a much lesser extent in Kildare as well, and to be honest there are noticeable differences at that level but I'm not sure why that's the case.

[Dinny Breen]

and to be honest there are noticeable differences at that level

SS, what are the differences? Is it attitude, skills etc etc

BTW Leixlip gave your boys a bit of a hammering at the weekend, in saying that we were muck against Clane and deserved to lose....

[Star Spangler]

SS, what are the differences? Is it attitude, skills etc etc

The most obvious difference is in the structures I think.  In Tyrone a club is either senior, intermediate or junior.  There's only one exception to this where Errigal Ciaran have one senior side and one junior side and this was the first year this has happened.  So the club focuses on getting the best out of their first 15.  For the players not making the first side there is a Reserve team which plays in a reserve league in a corresponding senior, inter or junior format.  I know junior clubs in Tyrone that would put some big Kildare clubs to shame in terms of facilities - training pitches, weights rooms etc. but yet they play junior football.  They have the same attitude as senior clubs but they have to work their way into senior.  By the time the club is senior they're usually a fairly slick operation.

BTW Leixlip gave your boys a bit of a hammering at the weekend

The main thing for Kilcullen at this stage of the year is that senior status has been maintained for another year!

[lynchbhoy]

thats sad news
kildare might be good next season now !