Half-Time Review

[culloty82]

With the mid-season report in full swing, it's time to take stock of the season to date, and assess what has worked so far, and what needs improvement.

Pros:

Commercial Sponsorship - That has undoubtedly been one of the major successes of the club, having landed a notable shirt sponsor, and a good working relationship with Tralee Chamber of Commerce.

Social and Traditional Media: Once pre-season preparations began in earnest, Kerry set out to communicate their expectations as soon as possible, and despite the lack of achievement on the pitch, they have largely avoided much of a backlash as a consequence.

Individual Performances: Even when notable results have been the exception rather than the rule, Kevin Williams probably takes the gong for player of the season for sheer consistency, while the interplay between Ryan Kelliher and Leo Gaxha has offered the greatest attacking threat, even if rather muted over the last month or so.

Cons:

Pre-season Preparations: There can be no doubt that the planning for the inaugural season left much to be desired, from the absence of friendlies (which could have been arranged and played away from home), to the last-minute works on Mounthawk Park, and the late arrival of playing gear, all of which left the squad late off the starting blocks compared to the rest of the division.

Season Tickets: In hindsight, the out-of-kilter pricing implemented should have set alarm bells ringing, but at the time, there was still hope that it was somewhat of an aberration, and that such initial problems could be ironed out over the course of the season. As it stands, failing to benchmark to the rest of the league meant that there was no discernable floor to attendances, and it remains to be seen when/if the levelling off point will be reached.

Recruitment: The intention to largely concentrate on Kerry-based players remains laudable, and the arrival of Matt Keane and Seán McGrath initially suggested there would be an equitable mixture of youth and experience. Currently however, the squad has become too dependent on last season's U19s, when perhaps a greater number of players from the dominant Killarney KDL clubs may have assisted progress this term.

[listowelceltic]

Pros
On the pitch Ronan Teehan is my player of year so far closely followed by Sean Mcgrath. Wasn't too impressed with Kevin Williams on first viewing but he's been excellent since. Off the pitch kerry seem to be building a solid fan base and the singing section seems to be getting bigger by the game. Great to see.
Cons
Outside of the odd hammering which is to be expected with young players my only gripe is the pitch surface. Definitely takes from the spectacle. I understand there are no other options though with so many kdl teams using it. Something to look at for the future though if those pitches are banned. No problem here on season ticket pricing. Getting good value for it even if it is one of the more expensive in loi.

[legendz]

Pros:
Commercial Sponsorship - Agreed with Culloty above.
Social and Traditional Media: Agreed as well.
Individual Performances: I've been very impressed by Williams, Teahan, Kelliher and Gaxha.

Youth - The lads stepping up from the youth teams are being asked a lot. The Athlone win with such a young team was a fantastic result. There will be benefits from the experience that they are gaining.

Cons:
Pre-season Preparations: Definitely should have had three testing games at least in preseason. It was like they wanted to have a big reveal on the opening night. The first round of games was like being in preseason while everyone else was hitting the ground running.

Season Tickets: It was a very disappointing and surprising announcement. Completely out of step with the rest of the league and supporters expectations. It wasn't a good start making a decision that wasn't considerate of supporters. Other clubs have made decisions in the past which have driven people away never to return.

The Club: The club talk a lot about "the club". Not "our club". Club membership etc. for a community club to be our club is needed. Takes time possibly.

Recruitment: The signings of Matt and Sean was a positive start. It was a difficult market to be fair. Gaxha was a great late addition. Some other experienced players brought in have been a massive disappointment. I wouldn't be too critical of recruitment at the same time. Hopefully we'll see improvements starting in July.

Tralee on matchday - An away supporter commented that there was no sense of matchday in Tralee on the evening of a game. I think it was a fair comment. These things will grow organically I guess. The suggestion would be a supporters club and a venue in town before the game. Will take time though and people willing to organise.

Galway away early in the season: It was embarrassing. What is worse, it was predictable.

[legendz]

Dennehy is saying the club would have more points if they were settling for draws and not pushing for wins? Is that the right approach? 7 points from 26 games. Any sporting pride in trying to achieve as many points as possible?

[culloty82]

The basic approach any manager has to take in any league is to be pragmatic, and adapt your tactics to suit your opposition - so obviously, for your Galways and Waterfords, the priority will always be to sit tight, and try to squeeze them as much as possible, knowing they'll always dominate possession. With mid-table sides (Wexford, Athlone, Cobh), you can afford to be slightly more ambitious, and for the games against teams nearer Kerry in the table, they're the main priorities to target for points. Kerry's strengths are more in midfield and attack than at the back, but the first aim should be to pick up draws where they can, and if it becomes clear during matches that a win is possible, only then should they push on and take risks.

[legendz]

I agree fully. I know Billy wants to play on the front foot etc. but the group have to learn to pick up results as well. Many good teams have got their defensive structure right first and then built the attack from there.

[culloty82]

Rather radical shakeup of the Kerry line-up, as Kos, Gaxha and Kelliher are all dropped, with Ainscough, Brosnan and Amechi coming in - hard to shake the impression that the aim is to be less attack-minded this evening.

[legendz]

The continued defensive failings in the second half of the season was a big disappointment. Billy from some of his comments seems to accept that the squad was defensively weak at managing set pieces. They'll have to strengthen the squad there during the winter if the club are to target 30+ points next season.