Glenn Ryan lets rip after Kildare's defeat to Dublin and "second rate" treatment in Croke Park
Five minutes into a run-of-the-mill press briefing following Kildare's two point defeat to Dublin in the Leinster SFC semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday when a question to Glenn Ryan saw the Kildare manager give those in authority two barrelfuls as he waded into what had obviously been bothering him and it suddenly came to the boil.
The query concerned had he some disagreement with Sunday's referee Fergal Kelly as he (Ryan) was seen heading to the match official immediately after the final whistle was sounded.
While acknowledging immediately he had no grip with the match official, “I felt Fergal Kelly had an excellent game” he then took aim at the presentation of the game, the venue and the fact that Dublin have an edge every time they play at Headquarters.
“The first think is we were down in Carlow last week and you are told, out on the pitch over the PA, that the game will be delayed for ten minutes; nothing through our official channels.
“Today we were told the first game was going to extra-time and our game would be pushed back half an hour maybe 35 minutes if it doesn't go to penalties but if it goes to penalties 'we will let you know when it will start'.”
An irate manager added “I though wee were well past that planning — just in case — surely the game today (before) it started it would take into account extra time and penalties, which it should have been, not the time set that if this happens we can change things around.”
Warming to his task the Kildare boss strayed into an area we have heard before but nothing is ever done about it, when he added “There is the familiarity that Dublin have here (Croke Park) no other team gets a chance and it does benefit them (Dublin)” adding “I am probably echoing the thoughts of most other counties.
“Then on the sideline it is always our players that are told to put in the gum shield by the fourth official or a fifth official; it is always the fourth official telling our sideline to step back a bit, when a mentor from the Dublin team is actually standing in ours (area) and then you see a sideline ball that was not a sideline ball given against you, but there is no one incident in the game that swung it, and I thought that Fergal Kelly (referee) did a very good job on it; you can all it sour grapes if you like but it a familiarity that is certainly not Dublin's fault.
“All these calls seem to come in at big moments in the game, it is so frustrating and while I say Fergal Kelly did a great job but in general from the sideline from officials you just always feel you are getting treated second rate.”
Asked about an incident when one of his (Kildare) players was down getting treatment and one of the Dublin backroom (Darren Daly) was close by, Ryan replied “but where was he”?
Quiet close came the reply from the questionnaire to which Ryan replied “he was in our designated area, yet I am told to tell one of my officials to sit down and this man is in our area; how is that?
You talk about things that should and should not work out ; that had nothing got to do what happend out on the pitch today, adding “I don't want people to think I am sitting up here giving out because we were beaten, I am frustrated after being beaten, I am absolutely, but you know it is meant to be a neutral venue, they say, it is not and if they (officials) are not able to accommodate penalties and extra time today without moving the times of the game of course it should have been played in a neutral venue, whether one of the games was here and the other somewhere else; common sense tells you.
“Why do the players always have to suffer in regards to these things; we were going through our warm-up and then you are told the game is put back 20 minutes; put back half an hour, and that is the same for Dublin, absolutely, there is no difference in terms of the treatment of us and Dublin in that regard but surely with all those games coming as quick and as often and the schedule that is put on players, the planning should focus mostly on what is best for the players.
“Telling players out on the pitch, on one occasion and then given approximate times, if it goes to penalties another time; why did they not start us at 6 o'clock what difference would that have have made, at least we would have known our plans; and yes Dublin are in the same boat in that regard.