Kildare manager 2016

[Donnellys Hollow]

Statement from the Kildare Senior Football Panel

Sept 5, 2013



Following a long meeting last night, the Kildare Senior Football Panel wishes to express its extreme frustration and disappointment at the sacking of our manager Kieran McGeeney on Tuesday night, ending a 6 year term that brought Kildare from rank outsiders to a consistent top 8 team in the country.

The players feel that our County Board has let us down greatly throughout this process and our manager has been treated with a complete lack of respect and loyalty following his six years at the helm. Kieran's reputation was frequently impugned at times by comments made over the past few weeks.

We believe that the County Board Management Committee should have used the powers available to them to reappoint Kieran McGeeney as senior football team manager for 2014 in accordance with their own wishes and those of the players. In not doing so they abdicated their responsibility and must accept much of the blame for the situation that the county now finds itself in.

Our ultimate wish is that last Tuesday night's decision is overturned and that negotiations are immediately opened with Kieran McGeeney to reinstate him and his management team for 2014. Tuesday's decision and the process followed has left us angered and we will be submitting our recommendations to the County Board in the next two weeks on how this process should be structured in the future. We expect a fair consultation process will be conducted with all parties. We don't believe that this is unprecedented nor do we think it is unreasonable.

The current County Board has been shown up to be dysfunctional and lacking in both leadership and unity. While the clubs are the heartbeat of the GAA and we do not wish to disrespect them or the people who work tirelessly within them, we do not feel that all club delegates voted in the best interest of the Kildare Senior Football Team, but based their decision on what served their clubs or personal agendas best. They were not in a position to decide what was best for us the players representing Kildare.

Again we would like to reiterate the wonderful job Kieran McGeeney has done as our manager for the past six years. His loyalty and belief in us as players has to be acknowledged and commended. Not only did he support us in our efforts on the pitch, he was an ever present adviser when assistance was needed off the field.

He brought an unprecedented level of professionalism to our set-up from the first day he met with us. He put in place the structures that were required to allow us to perform at the highest level, fundraising tirelessly for the squad set-up in the process. He carefully appointed all of his backroom team to ensure that his desire to succeed in a professional environment was matched by theirs. His training and coaching was of the highest calibre and there is undoubtedly no manager in the game who thinks more about it than he does. He transformed us from also-rans to challengers on a yearly basis.

We feel we must publicly acknowledge the huge contribution that Kieran and his wonderful management team has made including Julie Davis, Jason Ryan, Damien Hendy, Morgan O'Callaghan, Hugh Campbell, Danny Mulvihill, David Lyons, Tomas O'Connell, Helen Fitzpatrick, Niamh Connolly, Dwain McGuinness, Mick O'Toole, Robert Carroll, Johnny Bradley, Tom Murphy and Danno Keely.

The 2013 Kildare Senior Football Panel

[Itchy]

The county board didn't realise it was about what manager was best for the players it seems. Like me they were probably thinking what was best for Kildare.

I think Kildare should consider Val Andrews as manager.

[orangeman]

05 September 2013

IT HAS taken almost 24 hours to produce, but the 571 words written by the Kildare football panel could take years to overcome.




The pitiful statement brought out by the Kildare GAA team at teatime today sheds a very poor light on our footballers in the county and a worrying insight into the minds of our players, as a collective.

The loud ringing tone of self-entitlement, and of absolute arrogance, leaves a very poor pall on the image of our football team and of the county as a whole.

Make no mistake, this is a very poor day for Kildare, a county which is proud to possess some of the most knowledgeable and intelligent football supporters in the land.

Just who is advising these guys? I would suspect they are counselling themselves in their badly worded and poorly put out statement of "frustration and disappointment" at the sacking of manager Kieran McGeeney.

They point out that they are now a consistent top eight team. Let's just take that staggering statistic at face value for a moment - and there we come to the nub of the problem.

Can you imagine a Dub or a Kerryman pouting out the chest and making such an unambitious statement?

They then speak of progress made.

I didn't see much progress this year when we were hammered by the Dubs in the Leinster semi-final, nor did I during the qualifiers when we went out to Tyrone.

To make a very depressing story even more pathetic the players now want McGeeney reinstated and the panel will outline to the Kildare County Board, in the next two weeks, how future processes in the decision to keep or sack a manager are implemented.

This is the stuff of poppycock and one just has to wonder what sort of overblown, inflated, egotistical idiocy has taken over a team which has failed to win anything meaningful in many years?

The meandering statement goes into how professional an outfit McGeeney made the Kildare football team since his arrival six years ago.

Sadly, there is no sign of this so-called professionalism with this hysterical statement from a group of guys who should really start looking at themselves for the reasons behind the current failure of Kildare football.

[muppet]

Orangeman that piece was written in the Indo, by someone called Ian Mallon.

Anyone know who he is and why he feels his opinion on Kildare football is more important than the opinion of the Kildare footballers?

[Syferus]

What a shite article.

[Throw ball]

Orangeman that piece was written in the Indo, by someone called Ian Mallon.

Anyone know who he is and why he feels his opinion on Kildare football is more important than the opinion of the Kildare footballers?

If he had said that it was in the Indo at the start I would not have bothered reading it!

[rrhf]

Insane stuff.  Have a lot of time for Mc Geeney, although some of county players heads  are up their hole.  Any man can retire if you dont enjoy your hobby any more.  Play indoor footie. 
The clubs need to be given back the power in the GAA not these guys. 

[muppet]

Insane stuff.  Have a lot of time for Mc Geeney, although some of county players heads  are up their hole.  Any man can retire if you dont enjoy your hobby any more.  Play indoor footie. 
The clubs need to be given back the power in the GAA not these guys.

The clubs have all of the power and exercised it.

[heffo]

Anyone know who he is and why he feels his opinion on Kildare football is more important than the opinion of the Kildare footballers?

Newly appointed head of news in the Indo

[muppet]

Anyone know who he is and why he feels his opinion on Kildare football is more important than the opinion of the Kildare footballers?

Newly appointed head of news in the Indo

News or sports news?

Either way his opinion is not 'news'.

[Throw ball]

For all the talk of who do the players think they are, give the power back to the clubs etc. is it not a fact that some people in the GAA are in it for their own ambition. Just as there are many players who want to play for their county so there are many officials who want to be seen to be important in their club, their county, the GAA etc.. The players IMO have as much right to express their view as the officials who wield the power. Never mind the club being the heart of the GAA the real heart is the volunteers who give up their time to coach youngsters, who look after the pitch etc.. I hope when making their decision the officials took account of all the views in their club. For me the GAA is totally interdependent. As much as the club is its soul the county team is its heart. The ambition of people to see there sons, nephews, daughters, friends play for their county encourages them to support the club. The big days in Croke Park encourage people to get theirs involved. At the other end the club provides the grounding for these players, supports the community etc.. As much as the County Board had the right to make their decision so the players had the right to show the community spirit in the clubs was also in the county squad. Whatever the final outcome I hope Kildare maintain or improve their position on the inter county scene.

[Syferus]

It seems like incredibly reckless behaviour by these clubs, to be frank. It's not like it would take a genius to work out this sequence of events.

If Kildare don't re-vote (and force abstained delegates to make a vote either way) a new manager is already seriously damaged even before he takes over. McGeeney remains Kildare's best option.

[heffo]

Anyone know who he is and why he feels his opinion on Kildare football is more important than the opinion of the Kildare footballers?

Newly appointed head of news in the Indo

News or sports news?

Either way his opinion is not 'news'.

News, one of lots of new changes over there

[muppet]

For all the talk of who do the players think they are, give the power back to the clubs etc. is it not a fact that some people in the GAA are in it for their own ambition. Just as there are many players who want to play for their county so there are many officials who want to be seen to be important in their club, their county, the GAA etc.. The players IMO have as much right to express their view as the officials who wield the power. Never mind the club being the heart of the GAA the real heart is the volunteers who give up their time to coach youngsters, who look after the pitch etc.. I hope when making their decision the officials took account of all the views in their club. For me the GAA is totally interdependent. As much as the club is its soul the county team is its heart. The ambition of people to see there sons, nephews, daughters, friends play for their county encourages them to support the club. The big days in Croke Park encourage people to get theirs involved. At the other end the club provides the grounding for these players, supports the community etc.. As much as the County Board had the right to make their decision so the players had the right to show the community spirit in the clubs was also in the county squad. Whatever the final outcome I hope Kildare maintain or improve their position on the inter county scene.

Well said.

I am amazed at how many Gaa people bash players for not supporting managers and then bash players for supporting managers.

Back to The Indo 'News'.

"This is the stuff of poppycock and one just has to wonder what sort of overblown, inflated, egotistical idiocy has taken over a team which has failed to win anything meaningful in many years?"

They could be talking about their own performance:

Irish Independent Circulation Figures:

2012 H2 - 123,981
2012 H1 - 125,986
2011 H2 - 131,161
2011 H1 - 134,228
2010 H2 - 138,510
2010 H1 - 144,896
2009 H2 - 149,906
2009 H1 - 152,204

Source http://nni.ie (National Newspapers of Ireland)

[Donnellys Hollow]

Anyone know who he is and why he feels his opinion on Kildare football is more important than the opinion of the Kildare footballers?

Newly appointed head of news in the Indo

News or sports news?

Either way his opinion is not 'news'.

News, one of lots of new changes over there

He's the former motoring correspondent of the Evening Herald and is a Clane man I believe. I doubt he has ever set foot in Conneff Park.