ABK - Anyone But Kildare?

[ONeill]

I don't buy into the anti-Kildare feeling seeping through from various media outlets and even on here. However - there's no denying it's there.

From Tuesday's Belfast Telegraph:

Declan Bogue: Kildare's less-than-Lilywhite spin shows one way to lose friends and influence

Our perceptions of teams can cause a peculiar blindness.

Take Kildare for example. Before Sunday's Leinster semi-final, we were bludgeoned into believing that they were a fraction behind Dublin, Cork and Kerry as realistic All-Ireland contenders. While this message was continually being driven home by their spectacular training budgets, their earnestness in preparing the right way, the truth was harsh.

The truth is that they lost to Wicklow in the first year of the McGeeney reign. They also lost to Louth in 2010. Their only notable victories in Championship football have come against Meath.

A mythology around being on the wrong side of referee decisions also coloured perception.

They will point to Benny Coulter's illegal goal in 2010, without citing Graham Geraghty's disallowed goal last year. A sheen of victimhood has been added.

They are also flat-track bullies. Because they couldn't last the pace in Leinster, they were freakishly drawn against the losing county from the Ulster final for three years; Fermanagh, Monaghan and Derry.

Each time, the Ulster side had only six days to get over the pain of defeat. while the Lillywhites perfected their plan by coming through the qualifiers.

Last year, a story appeared, traced to the county, about Donegal's tendancy to foul in the opponents' half of the field.

Donegal, who had come from nowhere to win a provincial title, used it as all the motivation they needed to beat Kildare.

Now, Kildare play Cavan in Breffni Park. Although Cavan boss Terry Hyland has appealed to fans not to turn it into a cauldron of hate, it's a fact that Seanie Johnston is going to get a very hot reception from fans who only wanted to see him playing for Cavan, and playing well. They will come through that test, but they have brought on so much negative attention that a Cavan win would be cheered by the vast majority of GAA fans.

And that's what happens when you disrespect the game, the association and other counties.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/declan-bogue/declan-bogue-kildarersquos-lessthanlilywhite-spin-shows-one-way-to-lose-friends-and-influence-16180952.html#ixzz1zkKaovQi

[Donnellys Hollow]

[Dinny Breen]

What the media giveth the media taketh..

Amazing how people buy into it though...

[Dont Matter]

There was plenty of reasons to hate the flourbags long before Seanie J or the geezer were about and there will be plenty of reasons after they've gone as well.

[Syferus]

Alot of this sort of stuff is inflated on places like here and in print. Most people would prefer Kildare to win the All-Ireland over every other genuine contender, maybe Mayo excepted.

In the main few really care one iota about SJ, victim-hood or any of that, it's just people with a macro focus (and usually an agenda) on a major topic that try to use those to vilify an entire county.

[Dinny Breen]

There was plenty of reasons to hate the flourbags long before Seanie J or the geezer were about and there will be plenty of reasons after they've gone as well.

And wait till Donie Kingston puts on the sacred white jersey 

[ck]

Excellent article. The fact that McGeeney has developed Kildare football is a myth. More qualifier games against poor opposition does not dispel this myth!
All he has done is made Kildare a laughing stock throughout the country. Many have lost allot of respect for Kildare through their actions and this has been compounded by Kildares arrogance over Seanie Johnston (led by McGeeney despite his pathetic claims of innocence) Are there any decent GAA people in Kildare(?) who are prepared to speak out or are they all too busy sniggering at a club hurling match thinking they are being fierce smart!

I travel through many counties with work and believe me, Kildare are detested for their actions. I expect them to continue as they have done under McGeeney and win absolutely nothing! (and create allot of enemies)

[ONeill]

I'd say Geezer'll be loving the siege mentality opportunity. He strikes me as that type of boy. For the craic they should refuse to stand for the anthem and instead do a type of salute in the direction of Kildare.

Something like this:

[Dont Matter]

There was plenty of reasons to hate the flourbags long before Seanie J or the geezer were about and there will be plenty of reasons after they've gone as well.

And wait till Donie Kingston puts on the sacred white jersey 

He might get to wear it next year but i don't know if our white jersey is that sacred, we only wear it now and again.

[seafoid]

Anyone but Kerry  but I  would have Kildare win it before Donegal.

Mayo have to win it first though.

[Dinny Breen]

Excellent article. The fact that McGeeney has developed Kildare football is a myth. More qualifier games against poor opposition does not dispel this myth!
All he has done is made Kildare a laughing stock throughout the country. Many have lost allot of respect for Kildare through their actions and this has been compounded by Kildares arrogance over Seanie Johnston (led by McGeeney despite his pathetic claims of innocence) Are there any decent GAA people in Kildare(?) who are prepared to speak out or are they all too busy sniggering at a club hurling match thinking they are being fierce smart!

I travel through many counties with work and believe me, Kildare are detested for their actions. I expect them to continue as they have done under McGeeney and win absolutely nothing! (and create allot of enemies)

Wow! Going by all those exclamation marks you must feel really strong and passionate about McGeeney and Kildare football. Hope you didn't forget to breathe..

[Farrandeelin]

Anyone but Kerry  but I  would have Kildare win it before Donegal.

Mayo have to win it first though.

Why? Sure it will only cause others to hate us. We don't like been disliked at all!

[eviemonkey]

For the last 4 or 5 years Kildare have always represented easy 'copy' for a section of the Dublin-based GAA journalists. First they were happy to build them up for the potential feel-good factor of a new county breaking through and winning an elusive All-Ireland title, then the close games and hard luck stories followed and now the same media are happy to tear strips out of the same panel and management.

Some of the tabloid-esque media will now move on to Donegal as the next focus of attention. God forbid some of them would ever publish an incisive piece on the actual football being played. Between the news print guys and RTE you could nearly count on one hand the amount of credible GAA journalists in the country who actually cover the games themselves and not the hoopla which surrounds them.

[Lar Naparka]

Jeez, I could never hate Kildare people!
All of them I know are sound characters. I was a bit pissed off with the carry-on over getting Seanie into a county jersey but I don't blame the fans or the players for that.

[AZOffaly]

I don't hate Kildare either. I'm a bit ambivalent to them to be honest, and in general would love to see Dermot Earley and john Doyle get an All Ireland. There are parts of North/East Offaly where Kildare would be the big rivals alright, but down my way we've more interaction with Tipp, Westmeath and Laois. Even Roscommon and Galway at times.