Walsh calls for ‘large numbers’ to back Kerry

KERRY Chairman Sean Walsh is calling on supporters to show faith in the Kingdom’s under-fire footballers and support them in Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Longford in Fitzgerald Stadium.

However, what he hopes for more than anything else is a return to form, maintaining that it’s the only way to end rumours of unrest in the camp.

Pointing out that the game had been timed for 3.30pm at Longford’s request (to facilitate supporters returning home), Mr Walsh expressed the hope that the true Kerry supporters will “return” to give players and management the type of backing they need.

“There are a lot of good footballers in the Kerry team. We’re hoping for a good performance from everybody to try and get a place in the quarter-final against Armagh.

“We haven’t had great support over the last two matches, at home and in Cork, but we’re hoping they’ll come out in large numbers to support the team this time.’’

Responding to talk of dissent within the camp, he said: “We have heard a lot of rumours and talk over the last three weeks — every one of them totally false.

“I have said consistently there’s only one group of people who can silence that and that’s the Kerry team — by going out and playing good football.

“That’s the only thing that will finish all the rubbish we have been listening to.’’

Mr Walsh accepted that the form of the team had been a concern to a lot of people, including the management.

“You wouldn’t want to be a rocket scientist to point out that things haven’t been going well for us.

“But, we didn’t play that badly either in both games against Cork. In the first game, we were unlucky we didn’t get a few late frees to go ahead and nearly win the match.

“In the second match I thought we were right there when we were only a few points down near the end. I thought we were beaten by a very good Cork team on the day. It’s not all gloom and doom.’’

On the credit side, he thought that Colm Cooper played a bigger role in the replay in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, when he created openings but didn’t finish well.

“The satisfying thing for me in the replay about Colm Cooper was the amount of ball that went into him. He won ball against Graham Canty who is a very good back and while he wasn’t scoring he was very near to getting four or five points and putting in a man-of-the-match performance.

“We’re hoping that players like Colm will return to that class of form next Saturday and that other players around him will lift their game also.

“If the Kerry players need any bit of motivation, it’s the fact that if they win — and it’s a very big ‘if’ on this occasion — the real target for Kerry will be Armagh.

“And that will be a real rallying call — to take on a northern team.’’

Kerry last played Armagh in the 2002 final. That year, they lost to Cork in the Munster semi-final replay, made steady progress through the qualifier route — beating Fermanagh, Kildare and Galway, before hammering Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final.