IN THE IMMEDIATE aftermath of Kildare’s loss in the football qualifiers to Tyrone on Saturday, Kieran McGeeney told reporters it was too early to decide on his future with the Lilywhites.
However, in a separate interview with Kildare-based radio station KFM, the former Armagh footballer launched a sensational broadside and a number of former players turned pundits ‘that are there for entertainment’ and should be ignored. McGeeney added that many of the individuals [he did not name names] were cowards as players and cowards now.
McGeeney said, “That’s sport like, you know, but you just have to keep going; there’s knocks. There are people out there that will tear you apart. The thing about it is — and you tell them that — I played with a few of those boys and them fellas were cowards when they were playing. They’re cowards now when they tear these fellas apart.
“You have to accept that from people. There are good people out there too. They’ll analyse the game and see the sloppiness. You have to take that stuff on the chin. That’s good analysis of a game. You’ll take that, you have to learn from that and move on. The naysayers and the people that are there for entertainment, you just ignore them and get on with it.”
McGeeney also lamented the sloppy play that allowed Tyrone some points ‘they didn’t deserve’ but praised his panel as a very proud bunch of fellas destined for success in the near future. He attempted to avoid criticising referee Joe McQuillan, who sent off Kildare’s Peter Kelly and who needed a Garda escort off the field in Newbridge amid unpleasant scenes.
“Listen,” he said, “you better not talk about referees, their assessments. [It is] something that seems to be beyond everybody’s comprehension so you just let them at it.”
To listen to the full interview on KFM, click here >>>
