Lacey: Players need tough love from fans

Former Kildare star Brian Lacey believes the county’s supporters have to get tougher on their inter-county team.

Going to back to his playing days, the former Tipperary defender remembers Lilywhite fans being overly sympathetic to their defeated teams.

He reckons they could have been more critical of Kildare in their last Championship game against Dublin, the 2011 Leinster semi-final defeat.

“The team probably realised they could have won or drawn that game, at least a draw anyway if that free hadn’t been given. Dublin were a man down (Eoghan O’Gara was sent off early in the second half) and in fairness they stepped up. Kildare supporters can be too good and too generous at times.

“I know from Tipp or Cork in hurling or football you’re fairly ridiculed when you are beaten. Any time we lost with Kildare we were never really blamed for a defeat. It was always somebody else’s fault.

“That was a game they should have won and we had games like that ourselves in the past. Maybe that’s the culture in the county and supporters have to get harder on the team than they have been.”

There’s no doubt in Lacey’s mind the Kildare players will this week remember the controversial winning free awarded against Aindriú Mac Lochlainn on Bernard Brogan.

He doesn’t believe they still harbour feelings of injustice about referee Cormac Reilly’s call against the defender, two years ago.

“It was one of those ambiguous things, even the camera couldn’t show for definite what had happened. If it occurred in the middle of the field he mightn’t have been pulled for it.

“Technically, it might have been a free but when Kildare look back on it they had the extra man and they should have driven on anyway.”

Lacey has no fears about the younger players in the Kildare team facing Dublin having competed with them at minor level.

Whatever happens, he has little doubt Kildare will have a major say this summer even though a Delaney Cup would tick the silverware box.

“People will argue the top eight in Division 1 are the top eight teams in the country at the moment. Whatever happens Kildare have a great chance in the Championship because they’ve come through the qualifiers each time (under Kieran McGeeney) and you can take huge confidence from that.

“Kieran has brought them to quarter-finals every year, getting them to Croke Park every time, they’re still in Division 1 and the future is bright. The talent is coming up, the structures are good and there will always be a support base in the county. Silverware is badly needed and that might take time as the U21s build up their experience. But have Dublin peaked?

“They did really well in the league but can they peak all year round. It’s a question that needs answering but they do have so many fighting for positions so that helps.”