Don’t blame coach..it’s us on field failing to perform
O’CALLAGHAN SAYS PLAYERS MUST TAKE THE BLAME
KILDARE’S Kevin O’callaghan says that the players, rather than management, must take responsibility for their poor League showing.
The Lilywhites will play in Division Three next year after losing all seven of their League games this year, which means they must reach the Leinster final to avoid the Tailteann Cup this summer.
Their Leinster Championship starts with a quarterfinal against surprise packets Wicklow in Portlaoise on Sunday after Oisin Mcconville’s side shocked Division
Three winners Westmeath last weekend.
Win that and they’ll have a semi-final against Louth or Carlow to book a spot in the All-ireland group stage.
“I’m not even going to think about that for now!” said O’callaghan at the prospect of the Tailteann Cup. “We just have to win our next match and take it game by game. That hasn’t crossed my mind.”
There has been much focus on the position of Glenn Ryan, now in his third year at the helm, with county chairman Mick Gorman announcing at a county board meeting in February that he had told the manager that “performances and results have to greatly improve”.
But O’callaghan is very complimentary of the management team that Ryan has assembled, particularly coach Colm Nally, a Dubliner who has previously worked with Meath and Louth and who came on board this year.
“Colm is top class. He’s probably the best coach I’ve ever had in my playing career. I couldn’t speak highly enough of Colm. His training sessions are always different and challenging.
“Obviously, it hasn’t reflected in our results thus far. I wouldn’t say that’s a fair reflection on Colm or his training. We just need to bring what he’s taught us to the championship. Hopefully, it will go our way.”
He added: “None of our problems on the pitch have stemmed from a lack or coaching or training, the management side of things, it’s all been player-based or individuals not performing to the highest levels that they should be.”
Gorman’s comments were aired after Kildare lost their opening two League games and while results didn’t -improve O’callaghan argues that performances did.
“Our defensive structure was very good in the last few games. If you watched us, we were well organised in those matches. “We probably let ourselves down in terms of our shooting efficiency, we were creating as many chances as the teams we were playing.”
Amid the team’s struggles, criticism hasn’t been in short supply, particularly on social media.
“It has been tough, you just have to take it with a pinch of salt, some people are commenting hate or saying negative things online from a place of insecurities or sadness in their own lives, so sometimes you just have to pity them,” said O’callaghan.
“Sometimes you have to look at it whereby some people might not have much money and paid money to come and see us and left disappointed, so you’ve to look at it from that side of things as well.
“It goes both ways, you just have to focus on inside the group and what you can do better for each game as it comes.”