"A lot of the Kildare boys will know exactly what McGeeney is going"- Former Kildare selector Carew on McGeeney's time in charge

Last weekend there was ‘The Davy Derby’; ‘The Banty Derby’ came less than three weeks ago, and now it is time for what is being billed as ‘The Geezer Derby’ as former Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney comes up against his old county for the first time since leaving in 2013. Ask anyone about McGeeney’s time in charge and they will have an opinion. Some will note that Kildare were in the doldrums before the former All-Ireland winning Armagh footballer descended down from the heavens of Ulster football, divinely leading the Lilywhites through the All-Ireland qualifier series on numerous occasions and making them supremely competitive once again. Others will point to the lack of a Leinster title, the perceived cost of running the county team under his tutelage and the failure to ever really punch above their weight and take down a big hitter in championship football. Maybe it’s best to ask someone who soldiered through with the current Armagh manager for five of his six years in charge of Kildare. Niall Carew is now a well-regarded intercounty manager in his own right following a stint with Waterford and his current role with Sligo, but he cut his teeth at this level when working as a selector for McGeeney from 2007 to 2012. “I suppose like most managers he would be very thorough in what he does,” he told the Kildare Post. “He gives off great vibes to the players in terms of energy and desire. Tactically he’s very good too. You won’t be in the management game if you’re not. He was very easy to work with. “A lot of the Kildare boys will know exactly what McGeeney is going to bring to the table in terms of Armagh next week.”

-Inside knowledge- 

‘Geezer’ gave 13 of the current Kildare panel their debuts during his reign, and Carew notes that bringing through youth was always something he was keen to do. While Cian O’Neill is doing likewise, there is an argument to be made that the current manager is benefitting slightly from the fact that so many of his players under the age of 25 already have numerous years of intercounty experience already. “He probably wouldn’t have gotten the credit for that, bringing all those new players through,” said Carew. “Those boys are probably only coming into their primes now as well. I think when they look back on their careers they’ll probably be thankful to the managers who gave them their start and their chance because there are players that managers will overlook. They’ve a lot to be thankful to those who gave them a chance. They’ll know Geezer well, and it’s an intriguing game because I think Armagh are like Kildare; they’re building as well.” While O’Neill states that McGeeney’s previous relationship with many of the current players will have no bearing on Saturday’s game, Carew feels quite different. “It’s nice to have knowledge of players coming into the game because you know makes them tick and what doesn’t. I think it’s an advantage for Geezer having worked with them players. The way Kildare are setup, they’re a different team to what he had, but he’s still going to know six or seven of those lads that are starting. I do think it’s a small advantage for him going into it, but every game takes on a life of its own anyway.”

-Parting ways-

When looking at the build-up to this Saturday’s it’s impossible not to cast the mind back to McGeeney’s exit from Kildare football, with county delegates voting by 29 to 28 at a ballot to oust the Mullaghbawn man from his position in 2013. Carew feels that his former colleague would not have been too hurt from the decision, especially when it became clear that McGeeney had the backing of the majority of the players in the panel. “I suppose the biggest thing for any manager is never what the clubs or the county board want, it’s really if the players want him to stay on,” explained Carew. “If the players didn’t want him to stay on I think it’d effect your confidence, it’s only human. The other thing is probably more personal if you want to stay on. I’d say it didn’t affect him that way in terms of confidence or self-doubts, I don’t think it made much difference. I’d say he would have been hurt in terms that the vote didn’t go his way, but that’s out of your control and you have to respect everyone’s opinion as well and you’re not going to please everyone. “The biggest thing for any manager is to make sure that your players want you to stay on and I think that it’s fair to say that the Kildare players wanted McGeeney to stay on that year but the county board didn’t perhaps. Look, they’re entitled to their opinion. They do a lot of work with the clubs and the county board; they’re definitely entitled to their opinion. “It would affect you if the players didn’t want you; that’s soul destroying for any manager because then you’re asking yourself serious questions.”

-Working with Roli- 

Another interesting aspect of this game when it comes to the managerial side of things is the fact that Carew has also worked with Kildare selector Ronan Sweeney, firstly in Waterford and then in Sligo as the Moorefield man learned his trade in intercounty management. The Kildare players have been hugely complimentary towards their new trainer, and Carew isn’t surprised. “Because he’s only finished up and he’s still playing club football as well he has the temperature fairly right when he goes into training sessions,” said Carew. “He’s still playing at a good level and only after coming off playing at a high level. “He’s easy to work with and he just has one ambition; to improve the team he’s with. I think that’s what he is doing with Kildare, along with Enda Murphy in fairness who is doing a good job as well, and obviously Cian as well. I think the voices of Enda and Roli have brought a good bit of freshness to the whole setup. Roli is a very good friend of mine and he’s an excellent coach… he’ll only get better as well.”

-In the balance-

So finally, how does the current Sligo manager see this game on Saturday going? His adopted county’s interest in the championship concluded almost two weeks ago, but Carew will still be shouting on the Lilywhites this Sunday. He knows plenty about Armagh after playing the Orchard County in the opening round of this year’s league – earning a draw on that occasion – and he thinks that the opposition have progressed immeasurably since. “Armagh probably could have beaten Tipperary by a bit more I would have thought,” noted the St Kevin’s clubman. “I thought the scoreline flattered Tipp a bit, so to go to Thurles and get a win in the championship is always good. You can’t forget that they were in an All-Ireland semi-final last year. Armagh are getting better each year and I think they’ll relish playing Kildare. At the same time when you look at Kildare, for major parts of the game against Dublin they competed very well.” “Kildare are in a good place also and I don’t think there’s going to be much between these two teams. That’s not me sitting on the fence; I’d hate to call it. Obviously I want Kildare to win, but at the same time I think Armagh and Kildare are at the same level at this time of the year. Armagh have everyone back, there’s Doyler at centre-back and that will be a massive loss for Kildare. He controls that area very well and has a massive presence there. “You’d be hoping that doesn’t sway it if Armagh have everyone fit that it could come down to that bit of luck and Kildare not having Eoin Doyle at centre-back because he’s a real leader and he sets the tone for Kildare most days.