Kieran McGeeneyÂ’s reign as Kildare senior football manager came to an end last night. The former All Ireland winning captain with Armagh lost out by 29 votes to 28 at a county board meeting. McGeeney who took over in 2007 had the backing of the players to stay on but club representatives last night decided against giving him their backing by a single vote. The news only emerged after some lengthy consideration at the county board meeting in Newbridge last night, where support for McGeeney was always likely to be hotly debated: some clubs had mandated their delegates to oppose the recommendation that McGeeney should get another two years in charge, although in the end he lost out by just the minimum of margins.
McGeeney joined the Lilywhites in late 2007 and guided the county to an All-Ireland semi-final and five quarter finals but failed to win a Leinster or All-Ireland title during his tenure.
The players have had their say on his departure
Johnny Doyle: “A black day for Kildare. I’ve never felt as empty”
Emmet Bolton: “58 club delegates who have never seen us train went into a room tonight and decided what was best for us. They totally disregarded our opinions over the last couple of weeks.
Eamonn Callaghan: “I’ve never been ashamed in my life to be a Kildare footballer, until tonight. Gutted.”
McGeeney joined the Lilywhites in late 2007 and guided the county to an All-Ireland semi-final and five quarter finals but failed to win a Leinster or All-Ireland title during his tenure
