Roddy Collins running down the league on NewsTalk

[Charlie Darwin]

Roddy is one of the best half-dozen managers who has been around the LoI in recent times and getting Monaghan promoted last year was a real achievement. He also speaks a lot of sense when talking about the entertainment value of teams managed by Fenlon, that guy who was at drogheda, and O Neill's Shamrock Rovers, all those teams where made up of highly paid full-timers yet were awful to watch.

I take it Roddy hasn't bothered looking back on the videotapes of his Bohs side. Clubs that win this league tend to play more direct football. It's a simple fact that in semi-professional leagues, the stronger and more athletic sides tend to triumph, and Roddy's winning sides were no exception. Sligo may buck the trend this year.

[Spudulika]

Spudlika from reading Monaghan Utd's press release I dont think they will ever come back to loi football.. What is your take on it?

I'm not 100% sure either way, but they have a strong community base and if they continue to bring through young players it's a matter of time (4-5 years) until they get a solid group to re-enter the league.

[Mr A]

Getting the players isn't the issue. It's massively expensive to be an LOI club even before you pay a player or any staff, and I think more and more clubs are struggling to keep the show on the road.

Monaghan hadn't the support to appeal to like other clubs have been able to to muddle on after a crisis and that was probably a big factor in their demise, but they'll not be the last club to fold.

Indeed we probably won't have to wait long for the next to go belly up.

[A face]

Roddy doesn't think much of the show grounds anyway, if his comments on MNS last night are anything to go on .... and being honest, its a great ground, when the new stand is done it'll be as good as Turner Cross imo

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Yeah I thought that was strange as well. Suppose he didn't want to admit anyone had a decent ground unless the council were paying for it which is what he was trying to pull Fran Gavin up over

[MagicMon]

Getting the players isn't the issue. It's massively expensive to be an LOI club even before you pay a player or any staff, and I think more and more clubs are struggling to keep the show on the road.

Monaghan hadn't the support to appeal to like other clubs have been able to to muddle on after a crisis and that was probably a big factor in their demise, but they'll not be the last club to fold.

Indeed we probably won't have to wait long for the next to go belly up.

I hope I'm wrong, but I can't see a Monaghan team coming back to the league for a long time, if ever. There was a fair bit of schadenfreude about the club resigning from the league, mainly from local players with an inflated opinion of themselves... if the team played locals they'd lose and people wouldn't support MUFC because they were crap, if the team was winning then they were only a bunch of mercenary Dubs... I'd say that if 11 players from the town won the league then people would complain that they wore the wrong shade of blue or something. Plus the elements in the GAA would work hard to prevent a 'soccer' club gaining a good foothold in the region- this is a big barrier to getting an LoI club access to some of the schools in the town for example. But the main reason is that until the economy picks up significantly there just won't be the money around to support a league side, and potential supporters will be leaving Monaghan to get jobs.

[Jofspring]

I hope I'm wrong, but I can't see a Monaghan team coming back to the league for a long time, if ever. There was a fair bit of schadenfreude about the club resigning from the league, mainly from local players with an inflated opinion of themselves... if the team played locals they'd lose and people wouldn't support MUFC because they were crap, if the team was winning then they were only a bunch of mercenary Dubs... I'd say that if 11 players from the town won the league then people would complain that they wore the wrong shade of blue or something. Plus the elements in the GAA would work hard to prevent a 'soccer' club gaining a good foothold in the region- this is a big barrier to getting an LoI club access to some of the schools in the town for example. But the main reason is that until the economy picks up significantly there just won't be the money around to support a league side, and potential supporters will be leaving Monaghan to get jobs.

Precisely what goes on in Limerick. I must have heard hundreds of excuses not to support the league. Some people will just always have something to complain about. In saying that though despite our crowds not increasing much the attitude towards the club in the city at the moment is 100 times better than it was over the last 20 years.