2024 Season, Arrivals and Departures

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Dundalk, Sligo and Drogheda looking the obvious relegation candidates at this stage you'd have thought?

Not sure what Galway and Waterford have done to avoid that list

[sulywaterfordfc]

It’s probably early days to call who’ll be in danger,you’d imagine Galway and Waterford will be looking to add strikers to their squads yet,I’d say it’ll be a proper dogfight though no UCD’s, Harps or Cork’s !! to make life easier for them!

We only got 15 signed (officially announced), we’ll definitely be looking to add several more I’d say. As there’s no UCD, could be any one of Dundalk, Sligo, Drogs, Galway and Waterford occupy the bottom two. None standout out from one another imo, and I don’t think any on paper right now are good enough to challenge the top half. Think Bohs will be comfortable 5th, a distant off top 4. Things don’t look good for Dundalk though, losing a lot of players, there’s next to no quality experienced league players available either. Could be a difficult year if there squad is filled with inexperienced youths from the different UK leagues.

[Shinkicker]

Dundalk, Sligo and Drogheda looking the obvious relegation candidates at this stage you'd have thought?

I hope you are correct, that would mean Bohs are safe!! We've let approx 6 go for different reasons and only signed 2

[pineapple stu]

Not sure what Galway and Waterford have done to avoid that list

Galway walked the First Division and hammered two Premier sides in the Cup last year. It'd surprise me if they were in a dogfight, but then Galway have surprised me before

Waterford probably a fair call; Coughlan is a huge loss.

Sligo and Dundalk the two sides most obviously going backwards at the moment I think, and from not great starting points

I hope you are correct, that would mean Bohs are safe!! We've let approx 6 go for different reasons and only signed 2

If Bohs are in a relegation fight next year too, then I think we can start to crack out the "weakest league ever" moniker again!

[placid casual]

Galway and Waterford will fight it out for the bottom spot imo,they haven't got remotely the kind of talent that's going to see them in mid table. Would choke to death with laughter at dundalk getting relegated but they'd have to really fall apart for that to happen. Think Sligo are the one team from this season's premier division who might be "in the mixer" for the playoff's.
Drogs and boez are too solid to be anywhere near the bottom.

[Another Bohemia]

We only got 15 signed (officially announced), we’ll definitely be looking to add several more I’d say. As there’s no UCD, could be any one of Dundalk, Sligo, Drogs, Galway and Waterford occupy the bottom two. None standout out from one another imo, and I don’t think any on paper right now are good enough to challenge the top half. Think Bohs will be comfortable 5th, a distant off top 4. Things don’t look good for Dundalk though, losing a lot of players, there’s next to no quality experienced league players available either. Could be a difficult year if there squad is filled with inexperienced youths from the different UK leagues.

Not sure why you think Bohs will be comfortable next year. I read here that we have 18 signed for next year. That number remains the same but with the noticeable loss of Afolabi our only senior striker on the books. We have probably the worst keeper in the league as our starter. Our captain is starting the season on the injury list barring a miraculous recovery (even when he recovers he was always reliant on being the fittest player on the pitch so it will be some time before he's back to form) and we only have 4 recognised defenders in a defence that has been a weak spot for the last 3 seasons. It's great having 18 players signed but if they are all trying to fit into the same 2 or 3 positions then it's worth feck all

[D24Saint]

On paper the league looks set to be less competitive than normal for the European places. It seems several clubs are struggling with recruitment. How our new players gel into the squad will be interesting. If we can get back into Europe and give Derry and Rovers a close run id be happy.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Galway walked the First Division and hammered two Premier sides in the Cup last year. It'd surprise me if they were in a dogfight, but then Galway have surprised me before

Waterford probably a fair call; Coughlan is a huge loss.

Sligo and Dundalk the two sides most obviously going backwards at the moment I think, and from not great starting points


If Bohs are in a relegation fight next year too, then I think we can start to crack out the "weakest league ever" moniker again!

Plenty of examples of teams cruising to the first division title not finding the premier division straightforward in the past. Be interesting to see how they get on.

[Jack B]

Still too early to say how good certain sides will be with any confidence really. Bohs are in a dodgy situation up front and in defence, and likewise Dundalk look to be in a particularly worrying state with their squad, especially once Hoban is gone, yet for all the negativity around them at the moment you wouldn't put it past a few correct calls in recruitment meaning they don't have much to worry about in terms of getting caught up at the bottom of the table. Considering some of the players already there too. Feels like Rovers, Derry, Pats and Shels are the only sides you can get a gauge on at the moment as to varying degrees they were able to hold onto the bulk of the existing squad and largely add to it with players from within the league/that have experience of it.

[Nesta99]

Galway and Waterford will fight it out for the bottom spot imo,they haven't got remotely the kind of talent that's going to see them in mid table. Would choke to death with laughter at dundalk getting relegated but they'd have to really fall apart for that to happen. Think Sligo are the one team from this season's premier division who might be "in the mixer" for the playoff's.
Drogs and boez are too solid to be anywhere near the bottom.

Well every cloud has a silver lining!

[pineapple stu]

Plenty of examples of teams cruising to the first division title not finding the premier division straightforward in the past. Be interesting to see how they get on.

Maybe not by quite that margin though, and hammering two Premier sides in the Cup as well. (Granted, everyone hammered us, so that win just indicates they can keep up)

Limerick and Waterford (2016/17) were the last two to romp the division and ended up seventh and fourth the following season.

But that doesn't mean Galway will do the same of course. Be an interesting one, as you say.

[nigel-harps1954]

I don't think anyone outside of Shamrock Rovers, Derry, Pats or Shelbourne can sit too comfortably at the minute.

It's very early days yet, but Sligo and Waterford seem the two at danger for me currently.

[gufct]

Looks like Coughlan to Fleetwood to be confirmed shortly . Don’t know what the link is doing for Waterford.

[Nesta99]

I don't think anyone outside of Shamrock Rovers, Derry, Pats or Shelbourne can sit too comfortably at the minute.

It's very early days yet, but Sligo and Waterford seem the two at danger for me currently.

Agree on the 1st point but Bohs have a squad even if lacking in some key positions. Dundalk are in trouble unless there is a lot in the works that we dont know about but currently I would have us in yer group with Sligo and Waterford. Even if we make a bunch of world class signings it is another rushed and disrupted preseason without anything like a settled squad/ By this stage we should be adding to a stable base yet it feels a lot more like a rebuild - Hoban or no Hoban.

[sbgawa]

No such thing as to good to go down, who would have had Cork going down and that was with UCD (no offence Stu) probably occupying 1 of the bottom 2 last year and this year there is no obvious weak link for number 10 position.
Waterford look the weakest at the moment i reckon but i went along to the playoff final in Tallaght and i couldnt get over the antics of the owners Son. If he is 25% as committed to Waterford as his MULTIPLE celebrations there might be a few bob or loans going into Waterford in Jan.

Sligo almost managed to fall into the playoff place last year and were abject at times so id have them next in line.
Then Drogs, then Dundalk unless either sort themselves out soon.
Cant see Bohs not being in a decent state by the start of the season, even losing Afolabis 12? goals they have the money to spend on replacements.

I think Galway will surprise people and be better then people think

[oriel]

Any clubs fortunes can change with 4 or 5 new decent additions, will reserve judgement on Dundalk until the numbers are filled up.

For now no point as clearly 7-8 maybe even more are required, will all depend on that quality, Hoban will be moving on that's clear, his pace has gone a little and didn't do much in europe last season (1 goal in 4 games), that said I'd have kept him, but whats the point with a player clearly disgruntled and wanting out, could effect whole team, still the whole episode was so badly managed.

As things stand, its not looking great for 2024, hopefully things will settle down in the next week or so.

[total hoofball]

Looks like on average across the 10 Premier Divisions teams about 75% of squads of filled now with the 4 European teams around 90% filled they probably only have maybe 2-3 signings each to make

The other 6 clubs are going to have to recruit seriously well within the next 6 weeks to have optimism of punching into that top 3 of 4, I think Shels will be the most vulnerable to fall out of that top 4. With the pool of known LOI players mostly snapped up by now I'm expecting alot of unknown UK, foreign and loan signings to be announced by the other 6 which is an expensive lottery if you get it wrong as Cork, Sligo, Finn Harps and Dundalk have experienced in recent years

I think Galway and Waterford look to be in a bit better shape than UCD and Cork from last season but I do think those two and Drogheda are looking early contenders for the relegation spots, if Dundalk and Sligo balls things up with recruitment then they can easily be in the relegation mix

[joey B]

Dundalk signed Koen Oostenbrink,Dutch midfielder last played in May for Eindhoven in the Dutch Eerste Division,played 19 times for them in 22/23,as always its a wait and see with these types of players…..

[total hoofball]

Looks like Coughlan to Fleetwood to be confirmed shortly . Don’t know what the link is doing for Waterford.

Confirmed now. I'm sure Fleetwood will sort them out with a replacement striker. You can maybe see why in their predicament at the bottom of the table they would want to try an in-form goalscorer albeit at a bad level, not camparing Coughlan to their signing of Jamie Vardy from the Northern Premier League years ago


https://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/news...-announcement/

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Looks like on average across the 10 Premier Divisions teams about 75% of squads of filled now with the 4 European teams around 90% filled they probably only have maybe 2-3 signings each to make

The other 6 clubs are going to have to recruit seriously well within the next 6 weeks to have optimism of punching into that top 3 of 4, I think Shels will be the most vulnerable to fall out of that top 4. With the pool of known LOI players mostly snapped up by now I'm expecting alot of unknown UK, foreign and loan signings to be announced by the other 6 which is an expensive lottery if you get it wrong as Cork, Sligo, Finn Harps and Dundalk have experienced in recent years

I think Galway and Waterford look to be in a bit better shape than UCD and Cork from last season but I do think those two and Drogheda are looking early contenders for the relegation spots, if Dundalk and Sligo balls things up with recruitment then they can easily be in the relegation mix

Id have Drogheda ahead of us and Dundalk at the moment