Aaron Kernan warns football is in danger of alienating its best talent

Former Armagh and Crossmaglen footballer Aaron Kernan believes the game is suffering due to a uniformed style of coaching that removes the impetus on individuals to play to their own strengths.

Kernan, 39, brought the curtain down on a sparkling career a fortnight ago after Crossmaglen's Ulster club SFC defeat to Tyrone champions Trillick.

He won eight Ulster club championship, 18 county crowns, three club All-Irelands and four inter-county provincial titles in a superb career, but the son of legendary manager Joe believes the game is no longer the spectacle it once was.

"It's tough to play in, because I know there's a better alternative," he told RTÉ Sport's Damian Lawlor.

"It's harder to coach the better alternative, but there's a better alternative to play than the modern day, and there's a better alternative to watch than the modern day. I don't think it needs a radical overhaul, but I do think that an awful lot of what is being coached at the moment is basic to coach, easy to understand and easy to implement.

"But teaching somebody how to create space, how to create separation if you're a half-forward from your half-back to receive a pass, giving the player at half-back the confidence to take on that pass, the earlier a half-forward gets the ball the earlier he can get it to a full forward - all these things flow if you're coached properly and you have the right plan in place.

"There was a stage when football was extremely enjoyable to watch - contests all over the field.

"Contests are what excite people, it's what gets crowds going. Players say you block out everything - but when you hear a crowd getting involved getting excited, it radiates onto the field. One complements the other.

"I just feel that if we keep going the