Pats & Derry as title challengers

**pete** · 07/05/2006, 5:59 PM

I don't think anyone would deny Derry City bare not title contenders. Will score plenty of goals & good home record. I would say jury is out on their abilities in away games to top teams but if they can win at home won't matter. I would have Derry ahead of Drogs as last seasons experience will be valuable.

Drogs are defensively solid but don't attack much. Also inexperienced team bar few ex-Bohs players.

Shels also have fire power but seriously dodgy defence. If they get clean sheets could win.

Cork City, solid defence, lacking fit scoring forwards & left wing. Biggest strength is confidence of last year & proven big game team. Champions League involvement could kill small squad if don't add 1-2 quality players.

Pats are unproven & realistically top 6 would be progress. No european football could help them but hard to see how could win the league unless becomes a tight 5 team competition.

Nobody else has any hope.

**el punter** · 07/05/2006, 6:10 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Will score plenty of goals & good home record. I would say jury is out on their abilities in away games to top teams but if they can win at home won't matter.

Not to be an utter smartarse but Derry won as many league points away as at home last season. They played one extra fixture away...but got as many points.

Cork actually won more points away from home.

It does a little to disparage the ocassional whining from the non-Dublin clubs about how many more titles would be won if the massive round trips to Dublin hadn't to be made up to 10 times a season or so. (I appreciate this is a minor digression from the core topic)

**Speranza** · 07/05/2006, 6:39 PM

Pete, look at our record at Tolka, it couldn't really be any better. Losing twice at the X was the only time we didnt play well aginst the better teams.

**sligoman** · 07/05/2006, 7:02 PM

Pat's did not look good enough to be classed "title challengers" when they came to the Showgrounds earlier this season and I don't think they will be come the end of the season either. Derry will be though.

**el punter** · 07/05/2006, 7:10 PM

Originally Posted by sligoman

Pat's did not look good enough to be classed "title challengers" when they came to the Showgrounds earlier this season and I don't think they will be come the end of the season either. Derry will be though.

Shels weren't too hot against you either but I wouldn't think you'd write them off.

Would it be fair to say Pats now have a similar profile to what Derry's was at this stage last year...kind of a "nice to see them up there, but it won't last" thing?

**sligoman** · 07/05/2006, 7:13 PM

Originally Posted by el punter

Shels weren't too hot against you either but I wouldn't think you'd write them off.

Shels were a lot better than Pat's were. They dominated the second half, Pat's didn't dominate either. Pat's were easily the worst team bar Waterford to have come to the Showgrounds so far this season in my opinion, that includes Bohs

.

**harry crumb** · 07/05/2006, 8:42 PM

The "BIG 4" are a good bit ahead of the other teams.

I can't see Pats breaking into the top 4 positions. I just don't think they have enough good players.

However 5th would be a great season.

It is shaping up to be an excellent race for the title.

Its up to teams like Longford, Sligo to try and bridge the gap.

**pineapple stu** · 07/05/2006, 8:46 PM

Originally Posted by harry crumb

Its up to teams like Longford, Sligo to try and bridge the gap.

Why focus on teams in the bottom half?

Next two rounds (i.e. to the end of the first round of matches) feature a lot of games between the top five - Cork v Shels, Pat's v Derry and Derry v Cork - and also a few games against teams in the bottom seven - UCD v Longford (postponed admittedly), Waterford v Dublin City, Bray v Sligo and Dublin City v UCD, so there's a chance for the gap between the to pfive and the rest to close up a bit.

**Dodge** · 07/05/2006, 9:05 PM

Just noticed that Derry haven't played any of the other top 5...

**kdjaC** · 07/05/2006, 9:51 PM

Im hoping for 5th for us and i rexckon Derry will win the league have done since the start. Im just happy i sort of expect us to win at Richmond regardless of who we playing. Its been a while.

kdjac

**Speranza** · 07/05/2006, 10:49 PM

Dodge, we haven't played any of the top 5 in the league but we drew with Shels twice in the Setanta.

**Patronizer** · 08/05/2006, 7:23 AM

Originally Posted by sligoman

Pat's did not look good enough to be classed "title challengers" when they came to the Showgrounds earlier this season and I don't think they will be come the end of the season either. Derry will be though.

Ya seen many opposition scorin 15 seconds after ya's in a clash??

**Aaron** · 08/05/2006, 9:17 AM

we drew with Shels twice in the Setanta.

Two games we shud have won! If Darren Kelly was to sign for us this wud only strengthen our squad and it seems more than likely he will, i think we will honestly have the strongest squad in the premier division. Signing him cud be the difference of us winning the league. As i said from the start cork havnt strengthend and will eventually falter in my opinion. Shels will start to pick up more points and drogheda may start to take a dip after the shels defeat. Pat's cud be the suprise package and i wudnt rule them out yet cause they cud do wot we done last year.

**wws** · 08/05/2006, 11:00 AM

Pats wont come anywhere near winning the league but we're back as the team everyone hates to play - we're solid and tough tackling with Maguire and Mulcahy providing the steel and solid spine that the others willingly work hard around and we've singlehandedly ressurrected the scoring talents of Paul Keegan and Trevor Molloy, two vets of the LoI enjoying an unlikely Indian Summer to their careers. Creatively,the under rated Mick Foley has bedded down after a frustrating start to LoI football and now knows how to be effective in this league, sometimes you need a season of failure before creative players like him twig how to be effective in this type of football. He's learned, he's now central to how we play. Add in a couple of bright young things Sean O Connor and Luke Fitzpatrick (debut v Dub City) and we have a lively mix which will trouble all the teams til we get the inevitable injury to Keego or Molloy.

In reply to the Sligoman - Keego and Molloy are central to our forward threat - they have to play together to be effective - Keego was suspended against yous and Molloy got injuered and came off in the first half - hence you didnt see us at our best and we STILL SNATCHED a point through sheer doggedness against you. I believe Sligo will be excellent at home and dire away this year

**sligoman** · 08/05/2006, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by wws

I believe Sligo will be excellent at home and dire away this year

Thanks for pointing out the obvious

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**micls** · 08/05/2006, 11:54 AM

Derry will definately be challenging come the end of the season. I think one of the top four will win it but honestly think it would be foolish to try to pick a winner at this stage. If the league stays as close as it is I think the run of games after Eupore will be the key to winning the league. It'l be interesting to see how Derry and Drogheda react to their european adventure and if ours and shels experience will be of any advantage.

Pats will do well this year I think but will be hard pushed to break into the top four. They have solved their goalscoring problem of last year and are solid defensively. The one advantage they might have is not having the distraction of Europe. If any of the top four slipup as a result of Europe Pats could challenge for a top 4 place. Don't think they are title contenders though

**wws** · 08/05/2006, 11:56 AM

Your welcome. My special subject is analysing the "bleedin obvious". I'm hoping for a job on TV3's EL Weekly!

**desaintsno.12** · 08/05/2006, 5:17 PM

don't think we'll win this year but we've come on so much from last year.we seem to fear no one now which is a big change. i feel we are cpaable of gettin a top 4 however if we get a bad run of injuries mid season it could all change but on the other hand if the squad stays fit we have an excellent chance of europe