Monaghan v Kildare

[The Konica]

Very disappointed by Monaghans performance.
I expected them to be a lot better than that.

Kildare are a good team, but they are not a great team and if Monaghan were any good or had any serious ambitions they'd have won or at least put up a better performance.

You have to seriously question what Monaghan do in training.
They are excessively negative and have a dirty edge to them. It's not a particularly tough edge, but dirty and occasionally borders on nasty.
Also the fitness issue. We hear all the talk about how fit Monaghan are, but Kildare had no trouble with them and Kildare have been on the road for 5 weeks now.

Kildare have made good steady progress over all. I suspect that they'll pose a challenge for any team, but they're not the finished article yet. Their focus IMO has to be on error elimination, not on adding to their armoury, they've to much going wrong that a better team than Monaghan wold punish.

I suspect that there may be too many cooks spoiling the broth in Monaghan. It doesn't matter who they are or the personalities, but the fact is three smart men on the sideline will all want their point of view heard and it must lead to conflict.

Training must be a problem also, with each having their own ideas.

Grimley came to Monaghan in a blaze of glory and there will questions for Banty to answer on that front. if the rumours are to be believed very few teams have invested as much as Monaghan.
He's obviously not a magician and one year or one season is probably a bit much to expect him to reverse a teams decline, but he's certainly not able to claim to have improved them.

Monaghan have to sit down and have a serious look at where they are going. They have some decent footballers and some very good footballers, but if they want to do something or win something in the next few years some serious changes are to be made.

Banty will have to think long and hard about his place. He's brought some great energy to Monaghan, failed to win the big one, but he's been good for the county and if he does go he'll be hard followed. It could therefore go either way - move on upwards or fall backwards into the doldrums (or is that drumlins?)

The bottom line is not that Monaghan are a poor team, not that they are bad footballers, it appears to be a case of overtrained and mentally fatigued.

The next move for that county is critical.


As for Kildare, keep the engine rolling!

[Dinny Breen]

Kildare have made good steady progress over all. I suspect that they'll pose a challenge for any team, but they're not the finished article yet. Their focus IMO has to be on error elimination, not on adding to their armoury, they've to much going wrong that a better team than Monaghan wold punish.

Excellent point and one I would agree with, it's quite a young Kildare squad with the exception of JD, Dermot and a couple of others and I think a lot of those errors come from lack of composure which generally comes from experience, games like yesterday will only bring us on in that regard. We're not Tyrone or Kerry and I expect that you will need to beat both to win this years All-Ireland, I don't think any team left is capable of that.

I expect a lot of focus this week on Kildare been tired, 6 weeks in a row, they are not tired and these boys won't use that an excuse..

[AZOffaly]

Why is that annoying ould wan McStay obsessed with the free taker missing "on his own side" being worse than missing on the other side? What kind of bullshit is that? I fail to see the difference. One is exactly equal to the other by any logic I understand.

Sorry Hardy, just picking this up now. As an ex-free taker it is worse to miss on the near side because it means you have snatched at the kick a bit, and not had a good stroke. Missing on the far side where the ball just doesn't come around enough is less upsetting for a kicker.

It's the equivalent of missing 'below the hole' on a 6 foot putt.

By the way, well done Kildare, another great Leinster win, but I think they need to eliminate the wides. I tipped Kildare for a big championship this year, but I thought they'd come through Leinster. The 6 weeks on the trot might be too much depending on who they draw.

[Kerry Mike]

2 poor games in Croker yesterday sorry I bothered me hole going along, Monaghan just were not interested in the game and the same old tactics of trying to run the ball just does not work for them, they are a frustating team to watch , and I'm on cooking duties for the week now !!


The amount of space on both wings that could have been exploited by Monaghan was shocking but their tactics are poor , and losing midfield did not help, they need a few Paul Gavins aroiund the Middle of the field , Finlay is completly wasted in the middle. As for Dessie Mone up to his usual tricks and the Monaghan sub who threw away a kildare player's boot did himself no favours.

Kildare did enough to scrape through and with their big players contributing very little they will be happy with that and they may trouble someone in the 1/4 if they can improve.

[Maguire01]

I wouldnt say Woods is useless,but he doesnt have the physique to be out in the half forward line,If hes going to play at this level,it would have to be in the FF line where he can use his strength.

Woods has ability, but he's never been fit enough to play or have serious effect at Intercounty and probably never will at this stage.

Balls. Woods hasn't had a good year, but he's put in some great performances for Monaghan "at intercounty". Off the top of my head, he was MOTM for our game against Kerry in 2007 and the qualifier against Donegal in Ballybofey in 2008.

[Canalman]

Honestly think this Monaghan team is crying out for a fresh face in charge. Nothing  against McEneaney but I think he stayed on 1or 2 years too long. They seem a very dour bunch of lads and maybe need to play with a bit more carefreeeness.

[Main Street]

Throwing away a boot?     FFS would you get over yourself Kerry Mike.

It wasn't tactics which lost the game. There was not a team out there in Monaghan that could have made anything work better. 
The wings were used often, but many balls were directed hopelessly. The quality of Monaghan's use of the ball in Kildare's half was shocking. On midfield, it is suicidally naive to try and field the ball continually when you have some taller opposition player making no attempt to field but coming in from behind and slamdunking it with abandon. 

[Maguire01]

Honestly think this Monaghan team is crying out for a fresh face in charge. Nothing  against McEneaney but I think he stayed on 1or 2 years too long. They seem a very dour bunch of lads and maybe need to play with a bit more carefreeeness.

The problem is, once McEnaney goes, 4 or 5 are heading with him.

[lynchbhoy]

I doubt anyone could doubt we are a top 8 side

Jayzuz Dinny - a bit heavy with some of that ! Would you have said kildare were a top 8 team 6 weeks or two months ago !! Hardly!
As for the above- kildare are currently one of the top three maybe top four teams in the country on FORM right now.
However that imo doesnt mean they are one of the top 8 or 10 best sides.

There are plenty of counties that are full of potential eg if Kildare were to play Cork now, I wouldnt back against kildare based on corks form , but I think everyone would acknowledge that the rebels have the best squad in the country - though maybe Kerry folk would disagree.

What is happening is that there is an equalising of standards across the football championship.
Smaller counties are getting the upmost best out of their pool of players. Louth, Roscommon, Sligo, Down, Kildare, Meath, Limerick, Monaghan,Wexford all got to where they are/did by getting a lot out of the small enough resources they have.
All these sides have played up to or even above their expected ability.

The likes of Mayo, Galway, Donegal, Derry etc and even Cork and Dublin are playing way below what they should be capable of. Cork are scraping by and if they dont combine as a team from the next game onwards - they will get beaten and win nothing and run the risk of having to deconstruct the entire team as the Dubs have done in order to start to bring them forward again.
Whether this experiment with Dublin will bear fruit this season or not remains to be seen, I suspect it will be next year before they hit top gear. Armagh are a young team making a comeback. Will see what they are like next year also.

Kerry and Tyrone are on form as usual - This 'form' is permanent though unlike the Early season form Monaghan had or the 'great qualifiers form' Kildare and Down have found - unlike Tyrone and Kerry, this form is temporary until they find a way to sustain it like the top two. For monaghan I fear its too late and they will have to deconstruct and start afresh (albeit with a good base of players).
Kerry's form is natural talent with football intelligence. Tyrone has football intelligence and supreme tactics (with talent too).

to see yesterdays teams all gift away hard won posession is striking compared to Kerry and Tyrone. Even yesterdays winners (ok I didnt see the Down game) gave away too much.
One thing that sets Kildare apart from all the other pretenders is their breaking ball (that dreadful term 'dirty ball' only signifies the muck on a football on a wet muddy day) winning ability. Thats three games in a row they have done this do its no fluke, and gives them a chance against any team.
Great form can get you to finals (monaghan to ulster fianal and sligo to connacht final - but if and when it goes wrong it can go spectacularly wrong !)

[lynchbhoy]

2 poor games in Croker yesterday sorry I bothered me hole going along, Monaghan just were not interested in the game and the same old tactics of trying to run the ball just does not work for them, they are a frustating team to watch , and I'm on cooking duties for the week now !!

The amount of space on both wings that could have been exploited by Monaghan was shocking but their tactics are poor , and losing midfield did not help, they need a few Paul Gavins aroiund the Middle of the field , Finlay is completly wasted in the middle. As for Dessie Mone up to his usual tricks and the Monaghan sub who threw away a kildare player's boot did himself no favours.

Kildare did enough to scrape through and with their big players contributing very little they will be happy with that and they may trouble someone in the 1/4 if they can improve.

I think the loss to tyrone in the manner of how it happened just destroyed monaghans confidence. They tried a new ultra defensive tacktic yesterday it seems and lost their way in attack completely because of this.

Also think while rory woods is a bit on the dirty side - he isnt that bad and like a lot of players has hit a patch of poor form by his standards. When he plays well, he is a heck of a forward so dont criticise him on the back of two poor games.

Finally did anyone else think that both goals yesterday in the kildare v monaghan game should have been disallowed?
Kavanagh too a 'Martin Lynch' type of 8 steps with the ball along the end line before passing over for Sweeney to superbly flick the ball to the net?
Also The Monaghan lad was most def in the square before the ball for their goal.
If that armagh ref was umpiring at that end in the second half- then it proves that even intercounty refs cant get it right and we most def need video replay procedures for championship matches.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Great to be playing football at this time of the year and great to be back at Croke Park. I didn't think we'd have it in us to come through the back door after that bad evening in Navan at the start of June. Three quarter final appearances in three years under McGeeney and unbeaten in the qualifiers. That is good progress when you consider where we were starting from in 2008.

Kildare weren't at their best yesterday but still won fairly cosily. In fairness to Monaghan, they were very flat but it is desperately unfair to ask teams to turn out six days after a provincial final defeat. The wides are a bit of a concern but I'd be  more concerned if we weren't creating those chances. JD probably had his worst game ever for Kildare in terms of shooting but he'll bounce back. He wasn't at the races at the same stage last year against Wicklow but he then came out and had a stormer against Tyrone in the quarter-final. Jimmers stepped up to the plate big time after being quiet enough up in Derry. Leper and Flynner were excellent again and on their performances this season they would both fully merit an All-Star nomination.

The big turnaround since Louth has been our defence. Peter Kelly has been a real find. The guy has everything you want in a corner-back and nothing seems to faze him. Hughie McGrillen is growing into the full-back role and his frequent gallops up the field often create an overlap because most forwards don't bother following him. McLoughlin is having a great season for a guy that has shipped a lot of criticism down the years. Emmet Bolton's form has improved no end and Morgan O'Flaherty is hoovering up the breaks.

I don't mind who we get in the quarters because we'll give anyone a good rattle. I'd prefer Tyrone to Kerry considering we ran them close last year and the Kildare players will believe they can beat them. A local derby with the Leinster 'Champions' would draw a big crowd and a match with Roscommon would be a poignant occasion for obvious reasons. We'll have to start well because if we give Tyrone or Kerry the head start we gave Leitrim, Derry and Monaghan we'll be halfway down the Naas Road before half time. I wouldn't be overly concerned about leaving Monaghan back into it at the end of the game yesterday though. The game was won midway through the second half but Kildare didn't empty themselves and with six games in six weeks, that could help us next weekend.

Shorty - Gave a bad ball away during the first half. Kickouts have improved since his introduction during the League.
Kelly - Kept Tommy Freeman fairly quiet. Hard to believe he was a largely unheard of Kildare Junior a few weeks ago.
McGrillen - Confident and composed on the ball. His natural attacking tendencies shine through but he's finding his feet at full-back.
Mac - His best game for Kildare in Croke Park in about six or seven years.
Morgan Flats - Wins a mountain of breaking ball and very rarely wastes it.
Bolton - Has really put his Navan nightmare behind him. His pace is a valuable asset on a big pitch like Croke Park.
Flanagan - Not exactly setting the world alight this season but not doing a lot wrong either.
Flynner - Are you Willie McCreery in disguise? The most improved Kildare player over the last year.
Earley - Shipped some heavy knocks and is still struggling with his knee. Hell of a player and leader.
Jimmers - Top class yesterday. Gave an exhibition of point taking and set up the goal.
Paudie - Not his best day at the office. Will be lucky to keep his place for the next day.
Donnelly - Similar to Paudie O'Neill. It's a miracle he's playing at all though considering he has no cruciate ligament at the moment!
JD - Can't recall him being so wasteful in ten years in the Kildare jersey. Still worked his backside off though.
Smith - Showed very well and created a lot of space for Jimmers running of the ball. Need more from him on the scoreboard to go further.
Leper - Playing out of his skin this year. His form has compensated for Mikey Conway's continued absence.

Subs
Eoghan Flats - Kicked a point with his first touch and got through a lot of ball. Deserves to start next weekend.
Roli - Demotion to the bench was probably the kick up the arse he needed. Kicked a good point and finished off the goal.

[INDIANA]

Firstly a bit of perspective, 6 days is not enough time to recover after losing a provincial final, we've been on the receiving end a couple of times and it is quite simply not fair and needs to be addressed just don't understand why it has to be..

Kildare won but we didn't beat the real Monaghan but still we had a job a to do and our attiutde was professionally in its approach, nice to win with JD having an a bit of mare but regular Kildare watchers know we now have players who can step up to the mark when JD or Dermot are having off days, Jimmers was outstanding today shipped a bit of criticism last week as did Roli but Geezer has instilled such high standards that these players are their own worse critics and their response was excellent. Can't remember the last time I say John Doyle kick 6 wides in 1 half but we most be approaching a 100 wides this year but we are creating chances  however from here on in we need to be far more clinical if we want to progress.

Someone said that Spilliane made an intelligent point at half time and that Kildare's warm-ups are so intense that it might be leading to our slow starts, he might be onto something for once.

I doubt anyone could doubt we are a top 8 side (except that mad wannabe Derry man Lynchbhoy) but this is our third year in the quarter-finals and we have to push on.

Hard to look beyond Jimmers for motm but Bolton was outstanding as was the full-back line who between the 3 of them only conceded 1 point from play. Finally intelligent management from Geezer today, used his bench well and took the gamble that we wouldn't be caught at the end to rest some players and give the squad game time..

It's always a roller coaster of emotions being a Kildare supporter but it's great fun none the less. Onwards and upwards, 6 in a row next week, is that a record?

Relatively impressed with kildare yesterday. A good side but lack a bit of class to make them a top team. Monaghan were knackered yesterday. Not sure Banty can bring anything else to the table at thsi satge.

[Kerry Mike]

Throwing away a boot?     FFS would you get over yourself Kerry Mike.

Are you saying it didnt happen or that I should not be highlighting it...

[Donnellys Hollow]

Roli's revenge! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viDxVF8wMwk

[Armaghgeddon]

Roli's revenge! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viDxVF8wMwk

Very similiar to the Mallon tackle.