Kildare v Cork July 25th Semple Stadium 7pm

[Ohtoohtobe]

It's not one win though Dinny. It's seven wins and losses to Dublin, Meath and Monaghan after extra-time.
I just think context is everything. He took over a squad whose best players were either retired or past their best. A county divided down the middle and with no pot to p*ss in.
The squad consisted of young players with promise finding their feet at this level (Eoin Doyle, N Kelly, Cribbin, Donnellan), most of whom would leave the country (Hurley, Brophy, Flynn, Hyland, Mulhall), great servants who peaked around 2011 (Leper, Bolton, Paudie, etc) and club players with zero championship experience (Fitzpatrick, O'Grady, Murnaghan, McNally).
Since then the only really bad championship performance was the first half against Meath last year. Dublin this year was poor but I can forgive that because they have their best-ever team and have done the same to more battle-hardened sides than us (eg Monaghan).
In those circumstances to win about 70 per cent of your championship games is very good. Indeed it's the same as McGeeney managed with a team that included genuine top class players such as J Doyle and Earley.
Now he has gone one step further by beating a top-six side. Scratch that, hammering a top-six side.

I would always want to play at the highest level of league football possible but christ man, championship is what football is about. Were you happier in the 80s when we were in division 1 and couldn't win a championship game to save our lives?

Playing at a higher level in the league will be more important if players develop the way we want in the next three or four years and we wind up dark horses for silverware again.

As for Leinster championship - McGeeney lost to Louth and Wicklow, not Meath and Dublin. If that's all it's judged on, he should have been gone in June 2010.

And I don't really care what he's like at interviews.

Look at the flip side - if we sack a man who brought us our best championship win in 15 years, seven wins and a draw out of 11 championship games, and back to the All-Ireland quarter-finals, what would be our excuse?

"Well, his interviews are very bad and the league form isn't acceptable and losing to Dublin isn't acceptable."

Maybe I am in the minority here but I don't think there's any decision to be made.

[Dinny Breen]

Four of those wins Longford, Offaly, Louth and Clare. Division 3 and 4 teams. That leaves 3 wins of substance, Laois in a replay noting that we should have lost the first day, Down and Cork. The last two very similar performances but are those two victories enough to counter abysmal performances against Meath and Dublin. Also Ryan was involved in 2013, a terrible championship year, do we ignore his involvement with that? We have too many players not involved who should be and I don't mean a 37 year old John Doyle, what's Ryan's role in that, foot soldiers are as important to a successful squad as the starting XV, why didn't he get more u21s involved? Kildare will be probably be favourites for the Leinster u21 next year do we trust Ryan to be involved and bring them?

If Ryan stays and he's building a strong case I can't deny, I mean Murnaghan is actually looking like an inter-county player, same as O'Grady and Fitzpatrick, their development is to his credit but he needs to change things up and that probably means two new selectors and a cull of a few senior players, great foot soldiers like Lynch, Flynn and Conway. As for his interviews it's a minor thing but you want to see leadership, it makes it easier to believe, imagine if Micko was manger and we were playing Kerry this weekend, his enthusiasm his energy would make want to be taking the field believing you can win, with Jason nice guy but his utterances don't fill you with confidence.  Like I said a small thing and certainly not a deal breaker.

[Jinxy]

He got very excited at the end.
A bit too excited to be honest.

[Donnellys Hollow]

He got very excited at the end.
A bit too excited to be honest.

He was channeling his inner Banty.

[Jinxy]

That's how it's done.

[redhandefender]

Except Banty won f**k all!

Can't believe someone is complaining about Ryan's interviews. Of course its his job to play things down to the media to keep the hype away from the game away from his team. the more the media see it as a walkover for Kerry the better for Kildare.

He will be firing up his team for a shock behind closed doors and have them believing they can do one on Kerry.

[Zulu]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/brian-cuthbert-steps-down-as-cork-manager-688642.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Cuthbert stepping down it seems.

[moysider]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/brian-cuthbert-steps-down-as-cork-manager-688642.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Cuthbert stepping down it seems.

No surprise there.
But it's such a horrible break to get when a ref mucks up. A win in the Munster final would have seen Cork have a very realistic chance of getting to the AI final.

Such a difference a ref makes.

A very good league. Got things spot on for Kerry but of course Mr Padraig Hughes wasn t having that and decided that he would have to intervene.

[Syferus]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/brian-cuthbert-steps-down-as-cork-manager-688642.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Cuthbert stepping down it seems.

No surprise there.
But it's such a horrible break to get when a ref mucks up. A win in the Munster final would have seen Cork have a very realistic chance of getting to the AI final.

Such a difference a ref makes.

A very good league. Got things spot on for Kerry but of course Mr Padraig Hughes wasn t having that and decided that he would have to intervene.

None of that excuses what happened on Saturday night.

[moysider]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/brian-cuthbert-steps-down-as-cork-manager-688642.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Cuthbert stepping down it seems.

No surprise there.
But it's such a horrible break to get when a ref mucks up. A win in the Munster final would have seen Cork have a very realistic chance of getting to the AI final.

Such a difference a ref makes.

A very good league. Got things spot on for Kerry but of course Mr Padraig Hughes wasn t having that and decided that he would have to intervene.

None of that excuses what happened on Saturday night.

There are no excuses in sport - period.

But things happen and a team can wilt or bolt depending on breaks. I prefer reasons to excuses.

[twohands!!!]

Statement from the Cork County Board

http://www.gaacork.ie/taggedNews/363765/99/statement_issued_by_cork_county_g_a_a_board-brian_cuthbert

All the fault of the ref, the weather and the turn-around that Cork aren't in an All-Ireland semi-final apparently.

[rrhf]

I think they are entitled to be annoyed and they are entitled to have a go at the media who are not only hanging managers and players out to dry but are dictating disciplinary action and rule changes.

[Rossfan]

Great rant that!!

[From the Bunker]

''The tremendous performance of the team in the drawn Munster Final has been widely acknowledged, and it is quite probable that but for a totally wrong refereeing decision in that game, Cork would now be in an All-Ireland Semi-Final. The short  turn-around time between the replay, played in exhausting weather conditions, and the qualifier game against Kildare, cannot be ignored as a factor in that defeat.''

Can't disagree with that. Donegal had to play in similar circumstances (weather wise ) in their last 12 game before playing Mayo in 2013. They were clearly fecked from that game and the short run to the Quarter final game.

[AZOffaly]

I said at the time that I couldn't understand why Cork and Kerry both didn't ask for the replay the following Saturday, giving the losers the recommended 2 week break before qualifiers.