Jesus lads, I've been around this league a long time. I've been the annoying 6 year old on the terrace abusing the opposing goalkeeper. I've been the spotty 14 year old hassling the grounds man at Milltown to let me help him put the nets up (he did!) I've been the guy sitting in the stand on his own watching an end of season game with nothing to play for. I've been the guy who started a company to supply league of Ireland clubs with playing kit with ridiculously generous free kit allowances (sorry about the quality of service Dundalk, Waterford, Monaghan and Bohs to name a few) I've been the club promotions officer at UCD (yeah how'd that work out?) I was a Kitman at Longford, Kildare and Athlone. You could say I've been around. But in all my years I've never come across such a festering turd of document as this Conroy report. I need a stiff drink.
No mention of increasing prize money or decreasing affiliation fees I'm assuming? Or any suggestions that will cost the FAI any more money?
Upwards to the vanguard where the pressure is too high.
Declan Conroy will be on Soccer Republic. As will John O Sullivan.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
I wonder why prize money is listed for league cup and league but not FAI cup? Odd omission.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
The well known LoI aficionado , Eamon Dunphy, gets his oar in
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-31565931.html
Mick Wallace personal political broadcast!
Tuned in expecting to be annoyed by the content of the report. Now I'm just annoyed by the level of discussion. Anyone flipping through the channels and stumbling across this would struggle to identify it as a discussion of the future of a country's top domestic football league.
To me it says a lot about attitudes that they would talk about cutting down the premier rather than trying to grow the first division.
I've finally lost all faith in the LOI ever going anywhere. A ten team top flight simply doesn't work as proven before and a split will only help to kill off more clubs that don't compete for trophies every year. I fear for the future of many mant clubs with these new proposals
Had a great laugh heading down the M1 tonight listening to Game On. Dunphy kept going on about how the main footballing people in Ireland weren't asked about the report (i.e Brady, Giles and Dunphy), while Niall Quinn was consulted.
As for the report itself. I'm terribly disappointed.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
It's a bit unbalanced alright but clubs will always prefer to be near the bottom of the premier fighting for survival than mid table in an expanded first division, more media exposure, better crowds , higher entrance fees etc.
The solution to the problem of the first division is not to screw up the premier division.
Do you really want to play Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers 5 times each season? Playing the same teams over and over again does nothing to create interest.
The FAI should reduce the costs of competing in the first division in order to encourage more clubs to participate.
how independent was this report
am i just paranoid or is there alot of FAI spin in it
The thing is the FAI probably spoke with one voice, while even within clubs there are wildly disparate opinions of different matters affecting the league. So perhaps it became a bit weighted by the clubs drowning themselves out. But perhaps I am being very kind to a guy who has history working with the FAI previously.
One thing I would love to see is the clubs being brought together to discuss things on a more regular basis. Quarterly meetings, with themes, would make sense I think. This might help to build more consensus around some issues at least.
Unimpressed with the report overall, although Dunphy's outrage was extremely funny.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
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