Who will win the 1st division

[Lamper.sffc]

our other meetings with Fingal and Shels were in the first and third games of the season with a new manager and half a new squad still getting to know each other.

In fairness while it wasnt a new manager involved with us we had a new team trying to gel also. A more true reflection of all the teams will come in the second phase of games. Also a pretty hard group of games coming up for yous.

[corkboy360]

Unforunately it will be no fans college coming up :mad: NFCD

[Dick Long]

It's true the next few games will be tough and chances are that some ground will be lost, but then again - before the visit of UCD at the end of the second phase - there are 7 winnable games to catch it back up again, ON PAPER possibly a bit easier on the whole (with no trips to Limerick, Athlone or far away Harps) than the reverse version which were all won in the 1st phase...

Athlone Town (h)
Longford Town (a)
Finn Harps (h)
Monaghan United (a)
Limerick FC (h)
Mervue United (a)
Kildare County (a)

[shep]

I think UCD will win it,with a real scramble between Shels Fingal and Waterford for the chance to play the premier losers.

For the last 4 years now the 1st Division its been real competitive and enthralling(and heartbreaking) for the fans involved.Part of me would like to see Shels go up.

[Lamper.sffc]

I think UCD will win it,with a real scramble between Shels Fingal and Waterford for the chance to play the premier losers.

For the last 4 years now the 1st Division its been real competitive and enthralling(and heartbreaking) for the fans involved.Part of me would like to see Shels go up.

I think no team deserves a place in the premier but i can understand why you would want shels up. Makes for better games. Bigger crowds and i would think the grudge between clubs and shels would be great so in turn makes for a better match.

[RoversHead]

Waterford with a bit of luck.Good away trip and a great aul club imo.

[cheech]

Harps will make the playoff. Mark my words. New manager and new players coming in July. If Harps can pick up points between now and then they may even nick it from Waterford.

[passerrby]

Harps will make the playoff. Mark my words. New manager and new players coming in July. If Harps can pick up points between now and then they may even nick it from Waterford.

Kildare will make the playoff. mark my words. new manager and new players coming in july. if kildare pick up points between now and then they may even nick it from waterford...

well he started it

[corkharps]

20th of May. Resting next to bottom of League. Finn Harps will rise like the pensioner on viagra and finish second to Waterford!:D

[Schumi]

Harps will make the playoff. Mark my words. New manager and new players coming in July. If Harps can pick up points between now and then they may even nick it from Waterford.

The play off with the A League team?

[Black and White]

I think UCD will win it,with a real scramble between Shels Fingal and Waterford for the chance to play the premier losers.

For the last 4 years now the 1st Division its been real competitive and enthralling(and heartbreaking) for the fans involved.Part of me would like to see Shels go up.

I would like to see shels go up too, because they would bring a big crowd to Oriel, add to the atmosphere, other 3 clubs wont have much away support, thats why I want teams liek Bray or Galway to go down more than Drogheda, I like the atmosphere at grounds where teams have a good support.

[Blue-Army]

Our problem is that we have only 16/17 in our squad. We've only had 4 subs on a few occasions this year.
We'll win the league if we can bring in a few players in July... Otherwise, I think we'll just miss out. :(


Some win tonight btw. 4-1 in Fingal!!!

[Lamper.sffc]

Our problem is that we have only 16/17 in our squad. We've only had 4 subs on a few occasions this year.
We'll win the league if we can bring in a few players in July... Otherwise, I think we'll just miss out. :(


Some win tonight btw. 4-1 in Fingal!!!

Fair play, yous where well worth the 4-1 scoreline no arguments there. Best team i have seen so far this season are waterford. How bad where we tonight? terrible stuff.

[pineapple stu]

We'll win the league if we can bring in a few players in July
Can you afford to do that? Would have thought it'd be strange to start out the season with 17 players when you could afford a couple more.

[CSFShels]

And they certainly haven't had unexpected extra income from gate receipts. Maybe the 3 sponsorship I dunno.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Fair play, yous where well worth the 4-1 scoreline no arguments there. Best team i have seen so far this season are waterford. How bad where we tonight? terrible stuff.
Surely questions have to be asked about the manager. All you need is a slightly above average to get your players play close to their best, which would be enough to win the league.

[blue til i die]

And they certainly haven't had unexpected extra income from gate receipts. Maybe the 3 sponsorship I dunno.

But maybe our expected gate receipts were really low that we're actually getting more than we had budgeted for..... :cool:

[LeixlipRed]

But maybe our expected gate receipts were really low that we're actually getting more than we had budgeted for..... :cool:

And if you believe that I have a very long list of other assorted lies and tall tales you'll believe too :)

[blue til i die]

Even with our tight budget atm, i'd still expect at least 1 to come in in July.

[CSFShels]

Even with our tight budget atm, i'd still expect at least 1 to come in in July.
Doubt it'll be anyone notable though. Same with UCD. Fingal and Shels will be signing in some I'd say, last season both sides brought in a good few new players in July, it ruined some good form for Fingal, while it sent us off on a ridiculously good run. Hope the same happens this year. Although Fingal aren't having much form to ruin at the mo.

[GlasnevinRed]

With the possibilty of Madden going to Bohs and with Meenan gone aswell there's hopefully a chance for a couple of players to come in. We've been struggling a bit lately when it comes to injuries aswell.

[DeNiro]

Is it one automatic promotion, then runners-up in playoff v 2nd last in prem? If that is the way, I suspect Waterford to win it out and UCD into playoff.

[GalwayRed]

Is it one automatic promotion, then runners-up in playoff v 2nd last in prem? If that is the way, I suspect Waterford to win it out and UCD into playoff.
Winners go up automatically. Then theres a play off between 2nd and 3rd at the home ground of the 2nd placed team. Theres a playoff between the teams 8th and 9th in the premier. 8th is at home for that playoff. Then the winner of the first division play off plays the loser of the premier division play off over a 2 legged match. The winner goes up(usually).

[DeNiro]

Winners go up automatically. Then theres a play off between 2nd and 3rd at the home ground of the 2nd placed team. Theres a playoff between the teams 8th and 9th in the premier. 8th is at home for that playoff. Then the winner of the first division play off plays the loser of the premier division play off over a 2 legged match. The winner goes up(usually).

Thanks. Heard something like that the other night, but that it was way too compilcated for the FAI to administer!

[LeixlipRed]

I dunno about the playoff between 8th and 9th in PD. Anyone?

[stann]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAI_League_of_Ireland_2009_season#Play-Offs

[Lamper.sffc]

Surely questions have to be asked about the manager. All you need is a slightly above average to get your players play close to their best, which would be enough to win the league.

I know its the stereotype thing to do after a bad result but yeah question will have to be raised about the managers decisions which baffle me at times. Zayed being played on the left of a so called 3 man attack.:confused: Gaynor was up on his own, he is more suited to the left. The fact we play 4-3-3 with such a narrow pitch at home, Surely it would make more sense to play 4-4-2 and widen the game across the pitch. Spread teams out as much as possible. When we do get crosses in 9 times out of 10 we have only 1 or two in the box because one of our strikers is the one crossing.

While i do believe we would have lost this game anyway the scoreline was helped by the fact we are missing our top 3 defenders. I think any team would be in trouble if they had Maher, Byrne and Paisley missing from their defense.

[CSFShels]

While i do believe we would have lost this game anyway the scoreline was helped by the fact we are missing our top 3 defenders. I think any team would be in trouble if they had Maher, Byrne and Paisley missing from their defense.
Haha none of the rest of us have defenders of that quality in the first place.

[stann]

Speak for yourselves. :p

[Dundalkjames]

Waterford United

[Lamper.sffc]

Haha none of the rest of us have defenders of that quality in the first place.

Which is why i said any team would miss these defenders:confused:

Do you start every post with Haha

[JC_GUFC]

The worrying thing for Fingal is what will happen if they don't achieve promotion this season. Will the plug be pulled?

I'm guessing the amount they're spending on wages is more than about 50% of Premier Division clubs. I'd also wonder how they're staying within the 65% limit on expenditure.

To be fair crowds have been bigger than I thought they'd be but I can't help feeling they could turn out to be another Dublin City.

[LeixlipRed]

Which is why i said any team would miss these defenders:confused:

Do you start every post with Haha

He's always laughing at you ;)

[CSFShels]

Which is why i said any team would miss these defenders:confused:

Do you start every post with Haha
Most yeah, I'm a jolly kinda guy. And my point was that most other teams don't have that quality of defender anyway and still dont concede 4 goals at home.

[Lamper.sffc]

Most yeah, I'm a jolly kinda guy. And my point was that most other teams don't have that quality of defender anyway and still dont concede 4 goals at home.

Yes but that still doesnt take away from the fact we where missing 3 of our best defenders
any team would miss their 3 best defenders especially when a fullback(who is 5 foot 8) has to play in the centre of defense. Anyway i still think we would have lost the game with or without our injuries. The margin would have been less

[corkharps]

Move over ladies,Harps are on their best run of the season!:p

[Lamper.sffc]

Big one tonight between ourselves and UCD. We need to win to get back on track.

[aidz1]

best side of the monaghan home games ive seen so far has been fingal, though i have yet to see ucd or waterford play yet.

[bluewater]

Big one tonight between ourselves and UCD. We need to win to get back on track.

Not sure what result I'd like for this game. Suppose I'd be glad of a draw with us winning at home to Wexford. :p

[Jofspring]

Haven't seen Fingal play yet this season but from what i'm hearing they better show they want it a bit more in games or UCD will beat them.

[CSFShels]

To be honest, saying which side looked best when you saw them having mainly all only played each other once is a bit mad. We're in the First Division, results are all that count, Cobh Ramblers were not a particularly impressive side, nor were Dundalk. If you're looking for the most impressive side, in a win, it'll probably always be Fingal, but if they screw it by not being bothered in every game, then its irrelevant, and thats whats happened so far. Shels have probably been the least impressive in their games this season, but at the moment are probably in the best position to win this league. Just off the 2 at the top, with a more in depth squad to last the season, without the problems that seem to be arising at Fingal. As I've said, before though, I reckon one of the other 3 will prove able to finish the race, and we'll finish 2nd, couldn't say who though.

[Lamper.sffc]

Good win last night. Puts us back on track. Im hoping at least one of the other two contenders slips up this weekend

[pineapple stu]

It was a good result, but not a good performance. If Fingal keep playing like that, they won't win the league anyway. Still a poor side for what's out on the pitch and what's being spent.

I predicted a while back that the number of chances we miss would come back to haunt us. No goals in three games now; Killer's on two in nine, Dave Mac on none in the same time. Need to get back scoring goals. Monaghan, Harps, Arklow and Kildare next up; hopefully we'll get back on form there.

[corkboy360]

Waterford with a bit of luck.Good away trip and a great aul club imo.
Agreed.

[LeixlipRed]

According to shels fans who went to the game Fingal were appalling. Bodes well. If we weren't so bloody bad as well.

[Youths4Ever]

Having seen all the top 4 teams play this season at least once Waterford look the best IMO. Was not at Shels Wexford game last week but by all reports Shels where very poor even Keely had some choice words in a post match interview on supporters club website.

UCD looked to reliant on one player and it was just something about Fingal players body language that put me off when I have seen them this year

[CSFShels]

Tonight I realised we actually are going to win this league, we keep grinding these wins out of nowhere, god knows what we'll be like, when we actually start playing to our ability.

[thischarmingman]

Shels could have finished the game in the first half, they let Mons back into it in the second half and looked very jittery defending a one goal lead. Flood ran his socks off though, even when he was left holding the ball up with little support when Shels were holding onto the one goal lead. Took his (deserved) goal well.

Also, Bermingham's was a nice piece of skill.

[GalwayRed]

This game at home to Waterford is big now. A win next Friday would leave us in a very strong position. As CSF said we will start playing well eventually so the fact that were keeping pace so far is cause for optimism. Id take a play off spot without a doubt but who knows if we can keep grinding out these wins we have a shout at winning the division

[blue til i die]

Tonight I realised we actually are going to win this league, we keep grinding these wins out of nowhere, god knows what we'll be like, when we actually start playing to our ability.

Yeah, it really is getting annoying now! :mad:

I still think that even if someone loses next week in tolka, there's still plenty of time left to recover from it. Should be a good game though, can't wait. We still need to beat Wexford tommorrow first to stay move 3 points clear, but it is gona be a tricky game.