QuoteWhat's the alternative?
Apparently this the FAI's proposed October schedule for Dundalk:
8th – Sligo (H)
11th – Cork (H)
14th – Rovers (A)
17th – Longford (A)
20th – Zenit (H)
23rd – Bohs (H)
25th – Pats (A)
28th – Galway (H)
Crazy stuff.
What's the alternative?
Nuts!!!!!Originally Posted by White Horse
Extend the season.
It's been proposed alright.
But how do you compensate for clubs with an extra week on the season (and an extra week's wages) because of Dundalk? Does Cork's season extend too? How do you compensate for clubs who lose on gate receipts because games are being moved to suit Dundalk?
Dundalk presumably asked for postponements, so all this seems to be something they should have planned before surely?
You could just push the Dundalk / Cork games to the Bank Holiday Monday. But with Dundalk playing Zenit the following Thursday away maybe that was not an option.
But that could cause Bray to miss out on gate receipts, because as it stands, there may be a big crowd up from Cork for the final day of the season.
Do you compensate Bray for that?
Compensation would have to be offered and Dundalk would ultimately have to give up part of their euro earnings.
This is the small minded thinking that holds back the league.
Would be a bigger crowd on the Bank Holiday Monday coming up from Cork anyway. No Work (afternoon /evening K.O.)
Not really.
Why should Bray lose out on money in a problem Dundalk created? Why should another club lose out on money because they've an extra week's wages because Dundalk can't play all their games in time?
Dundalk wanted the games postponed in the first place; can surely hardly be surprised that now there's a backlog?
Not Really ? It wouldn't be less anyway. Bray would lose nothing here.
Bray won't lose anything. Dundalk didn't create the problem - the FAI / League created the problem by not having a feasibility plan in place, in case, an Irish team made it to the EL group stages.
Its just 3 extra days and is not an issue if clubs pay the players until the end of the month which is not unlikely. I hope they were at least asked.
I doubt that the reality has crept up on them somehow - where have they indicated that they were surprised.
As a Cork City fan I don't really care and I guess the schedule isn't totally unprecedented, but the schedule IS chaotic and there is NO room for potential weather issues over the next week or so - this is a total shambles by the League.
I agree it's a shambles by the league. Games are always postponed around European time, and there was no reason why they shouldn't have been played in May (like Harps v Pat's...which was moved with five days' notice, which was another shambles of course)
But you can't go changing matches beyond the end of the season and then pretend that (a) Dundalk didn't create the problem (because they did, in part) and (b) it doesn't affect other clubs (because it does)
Extending the league season may ewll be the only solution - and moving Cork v Dundalk would have the least impact - but the matter needs to be considered fully, because otherwise you've got another shambles.
(I'm assuming here Dundalk v Cork on the Bank Holiday Monday and all other matches as per normal - are you saying Bray v Cork moved to the Bank Holiday Monday? But then how does that help Dundalk?)
If one or two games are pushed back a few days, then all the games have to be pushed back. Every final match has to be played simultaneously. Are you really going to compensate every club for it?
It's now that the clubs need to lobby the league to get rid of midweek games next season and extend the league by three or four weeks.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
I wouldn't have any sympathy for any of the clubs involved in Europe if they end up with fixture congestion. They get games cancelled so they can concentrate on Europe and they then make more money from that then a lot of the rest of the clubs might take in during a whole season.
Clubs won't lobby for that though as they don't want to pay players for an extra 3 or 4 weeks
Have to agree , I would love to be having the fixture problems that Dundalk are having!! , you can't change the rules at the drop of a hat..
Every club has to be treated with respect.
What needs to happen is the season should be extended for next year, clubs given notice of the extension and player contracts etc done on this basis.
It could be Rovers (he says hopefully) or anyone else next year but lets organise it properly and look professional about it.
I'd imagine that City's schedule will go along these lines
Code:DUNDALK CORK CITY 8th – Sligo (H) Galway (a) 11th – Cork (H) Dundalk (a) 14th – Rovers (A) Harps (h) 17th – Longford (A) St. Pats (a) 20th – Zenit (H) 21st - St. Pats (h) 23rd – Bohs (H) 24th - Wexford (H) 25th – Pats (A) 28th – Galway (H) Bray (a)
If it's only Dundalk v Cork, that would work (like Arsenal v Liverpool in 1989). But it would still potentially cost Bray, and that's an issue that has to be explored.
European spots are even now almost decided (it'll be Cork/Dundalk/Derry/Rovers). There's decent gaps between the bottom three too. So it's possible everything bar the title will be decided by the final round of matches.
I think the first leg of the promotion/relegation final is the Tuesday after the final round of matches? So you can't go moving Wexford's games (as it stands) to the Monday without a knock-on effect.
Not sure what the logic behind that is? Your suggestion would add big cost to clubs.
I doubt many people expected Dundalk to qualifying for the group stages. At one nil down in Iceland back in July, that looked a very remote possibility.
Do we now plan the season on the assumption that at least one club qualifies for the group stages?
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