Sligo Rovers manager Ian Baraclough has confirmed that John Dillon, Liam Buchanan and Mark McGoldrick have left the club.
I heard Croly got the job in rovers. But dont know when they will announce it. But knowing rovers they will probably do it before Sunday. Not thinking of Europe. But heard there is trouble in the Pats camp.
Sligo Rovers manager Ian Baraclough has confirmed that John Dillon, Liam Buchanan and Mark McGoldrick have left the club.
Are any of those lads any good? McGoldrick was poor when with us on loan if I recall correctly.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Russell was always good anytime I saw him for Sligo. Maybe with Lynch and Cawley (presumably) on board the club doesn't see a need for him anymore. I didn't see much of Buchanan but I was under the impression he was brought in with a view to next season, but perhaps he sees himself getting a better deal in Scotland. I don't know anything about McGoldrick.
Manager: Fergal, have you your boots with ya?
Fergal: Ya, I have them here.
Manager: Ah good stuff, well give them to this man so, he forgot his!
Buchanan looked decent when I saw him play perhaps lacking slightly in match fitness but could do a job for someone in this league I think.
Celebrating 130 Years of Athlone Town Football Club - Pride of the Midlands Since 1887
Genuinely sorry to hear that John Dillon is leaving. A gifted player with wonderful guile on ball, elusive and swift, and terrific at threading through seemingly impossible passes.
His main problem was that he would give ball away too easy. In short he was a flair-player and very often players weren't on his wave-length. Further he had to contend for a place in midfield with Ritchie Ryan at his best and didn't get a deserved run-out. As for the current squad I would have him ahead of Cawley, Connolly, Lynch and Joe N'Do or Millien. He is a vastly superior player to Ventre, who though honest doesn't have anything like Dillon's talent.
Dillon's goal against Shams last season was pure class and why he didn't get more of a run this season, baffled me.
It was his dynamic play (when we were utterly without ideas against St Pats) that resulted in the penalty.
He was imo the only player who could come off the bench and create a bit of buzz.
I hope he can get into a decent side in Ireland or UK and does well into future - a guy with his talent deserves better recognition of his ability.
While we have won the League this season, the quality of play was no where near as good as last season's, and it was North and Quigley that were the difference.
Well written John.....
Ah here what team have you been watching...better than Ndo,Lynch,Cawley??JD is a good footballer but he seems to be lacking drive at times.He's the sort of player that has loads of ability but needs a kick up the ass at timesHe's been here i think 3 seasons now?And still hasn't delivered on his potential.He's hardly played this season,he did well in the pats game but out from that he was poor in the few outings he had and I don't think it was a surprise to anybody that he was let go.
I am not surprised he has gone but not for the reasons which you feel are important, indeed, it is possible the only reason he stayed on probably this season was the prospect of a decent run out.
In truth, we have been poor, lethargic and lacking any creative football in latter half of this season. As I said North and Quigley have papered over the fundamental cracks with this side.
The team's reputation hangs on their wonderful football of the previous two seasons.
As stated Cawley only plays back-ways, N'Do is completely self indulgent, holds up play and allows opposition to reform and Lynch is ok going forward but is clueless in defence, and will never, ever, turn a game on its head. Young Connolly was getting in ahead of him, which can hardly have done much for Dillon's morale.
Baraclough simply stuck to Cook's formula - but his has imploded this season with players simply playing without cohesion - without the likes of Keane and/or Davoren the engines giving you basically extra men in midfield and solid defenders.
The only time Rovers are a potent threat is when Gavin Peers is at half way line and we have actually pushed up -- left open to counter-attack with probably 80% of goals coming through pi+s-poor "defending" involving Ventre or God Help Me Gaynor.
We simply don't have a real midfield presence - with Quigley expected to link from midfield to upfront and considering he is mercurial ie blows hot or cold, you won't get the engine that Dillon had.
I would imagine it was Dillon who decided to leave and Baraclough and Committee (ie Mr Kelly) considering they won't up the stakes will do well to find a player of Dillon's quality -- particularly compounded if Quigley decides he wants to leave.
As there are good players in LOI, now that we are in a position to bring in domestic talent, I didn't like Baraclough talking shipping them in from England etc, etc.
Dillon -- who came to the club when it was a virtual non-entity, imo, was class in the said game against Shamrock Rovers, and for him its a pity that the game was at the end of the season and not the beginning - such is life and I hope, as stated, things work out for him elsewhere.
I mean Ventre gets rave reviews from the ill-informed commentators on MNS -- he is dreadful and will soon be found out [I will accept he is a grafter and a very hard-working honest players, but a star of the league he aint] whereas players of genuine talent simply don't fit in and are dispensed off, that's whats happened here.
I wish him the very best.
I've never seen such a beautiful post about such an average footballer
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
---
New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
I wish him him the best as well but absolutely no way we should have been killing ourselvea to hold onto him. Been here 3 seasons, under 2 different managers and never established himself in the team fully. His performance in Belfield this year was woeful beyond belief and the main reason he never saw much time on the pitch afterwards.
We played some great football this season at times. We also dug in when needed to to pick up valuable points at other times. The league winning game had bits of both on it.
You sound like you were happier when we were never really threatening for the title like we were the last few seasons but able to play great football cause there was no pressure on us. The only real time we were really in the reckoning under Cook was when we went to Inchicore last season. And lost.
Cook deserves great credit for getting the squad together. Barraclough deserves great credit for moulding them, along with the players he brought in, into league winners.
Dillons lack of any sort of physicality was always a huge issue i think. I don't think you could question his ability on the ball but you need a lot more than that.
The fact is he never did anything to address that either and was the same weed getting pushed around as he was three years ago.
Although its ancient history - for me the home game with Derry before the Shams game - was the game inn which Cook essentially bottled it. A frustrating 1-1 when we needed to go for broke and Cook simply caved in and refused to go for broke.
The following game was versus Shams when Dillon played a stormer - that was when the real pressure was on, and in fairness to Dillon he came up trumps. Based on that game alone he deserved a first team place but didn't get it.
I know he played poorly at Belfield and had his critics - but I don't think if fair to rule him out on the basis of one game and I know there were a few boo-boys on his case. The lad has a lot of skill and is a cut-above most when in possession - Baraclough will have done a master-stroke to get a better player, for the same money - I have a feeling that we won't.
Sure he didn't even start that game against Shams!
I thought his best performance was up in Tolka in the very first game of this season. Barracloughs first game. He was outstanding that night. That was his chance to nail down a starting spot there and then. He started the next few games but didn't impress and was replaced on a team.
Bookmarks