Lack of initiative shown by League [Archive] - Page 2

pineapple stu

02/02/2010, 10:37 AM

It is though. The concept of the league is grand. It's a concept which works the world over. Many of the people in the league are idiots, and you've noted above that they need to be sorted out. It's important to distinguish the two, I think. I'm a bit surprised at you going with a blanket "The league's not working, try something else"; it's very tabloidy for you.

I also think you are being too simplistic with your county-based approach. As an example, I know the people running our club have said that if we ever became, say, Stillorgan Celtic or South Dublin United, they'd have no interest in it. Drogheda and Dundalk fans have both said they'd have no interest in a Louth FC. So a county based scheme would only serve to alienate many of those who are currently involved in the game and you'd be looking for people to come in out of nowhere to fill the gaps.

Province based will never work because that'd be four clubs; it only works in rugby cos the Welsh and Scots can join in.

County-based works in GAA cos it's tradition. Club based works in the LoI because it's tradition. You have to build on what you have, not discard it entirely and pretend you can start anew.

Schumi

02/02/2010, 10:56 AM

Apart from everything else, county based league would make Scotland look competitive. The Dublin team would win practically every year.

endabob1

02/02/2010, 11:48 AM

I think the league is going to revert back to being almost entirely amatuer in its nature, it's the only way it will survive. The days of ambition are gone, the idea of a fully professional league is dead in the water for the forseeable future at least. Maybe with the SPL also seemingly on the slide it will come a time when we end up with some sort of Celtic Football League akin to the Rugby equivalent but at the moment all I can see is a part-time domestic league.

dahamsta

02/02/2010, 1:10 PM

I'm a bit surprised at you going with a blanket "The league's not working, try something else"; it's very tabloidy for you.

I think that's unfair tbh. I genuinely believe that the league does not and can never work in it's current format, and there isn't a speck of evidence to suggest otherwise. And I've had to listen to a laundry list of ineffective and often downright ridiculous "fixes" in the time I've followed the business of football. If anything, at this point it's the "it can be fixed" mantra that's "tabloidey".

I also think you are being too simplistic with your county-based approach. As an example, I know the people running our club have said that if we ever became, say, Stillorgan Celtic or South Dublin United, they'd have no interest in it.

Then maybe the league would be better off without them. The league would be better off without a very large percentage of people currently involved in it. Their hearts might be in it, but their brains aren't.

Apart from everything else, county based league would make Scotland look competitive. The Dublin team would win practically every year.

If that was the case, people would have given up GAA a long time ago. It doesn't work like that in practice.

Schumi

02/02/2010, 1:27 PM

If that was the case, people would have given up GAA a long time ago. It doesn't work like that in practice.

It doesn't work like that in the GAA as it's far more popular down the country than in Dublin. Places like Kerry and Kilkenny can compete with places with higher populations because no other sport is popular there. Football is the number one sport in Dublin and 11 of the last 13 titles have been won by Dublin teams. If they were all merged to one team, no other team could ever compete.

Regardless of that, this is just another pointless quick fix. Most fans of current teams won't follow new made up teams and the quality of play still won't be high enough to get barstoolers interested.

pineapple stu

02/02/2010, 1:47 PM

Then maybe the league would be better off without them. The league would be better off without a very large percentage of people currently involved in it. Their hearts might be in it, but their brains aren't.
As schumi said, you'll just end up alienating people who are doing good work for the game while still not getting the barstoolers (for want of a better catch-all term) interested. That'd do far more harm than good.

Also, I've not used the "It can be fixed" mantra. Just implement the rules and it'll be ok. It won't be what some people would like to think it could be, but that's because their expectations are too unreasltic, not because the league's broken.

Out of interest's sake - what would you define as a "working" league?

joeSoap

02/02/2010, 1:50 PM

Given the population of Dublin then it would be feasible to have sides from Fingal, Dunlaoighre/Rathdown, Blanchardstown, Tallaght and Clondalkin. Each of those areas has populations to rival any city in Ireland. Anyway, this is straying slightly off topic. I still maintain that there should be at least a gesture from the FAI to show that they are interested in making the league work and putting a budget together for LOI promotion would be a good idea.

dahamsta

02/02/2010, 2:23 PM

Out of interest's sake - what would you define as a "working" league?One with most of it's clubs not up to their ears in debt would be a start. What would you define as "not working"? :) I understand yours and schumi's points about the rest of it, I just don't agree with ye. And on joeSoap's point about Dublin clubs, that would be precisely the point of making the primary league county based. The number of Dublin clubs in the premier league is just plain silly, it's resulted in idiotic factionalisation and a complete waste of resources. Does nobody up there understand the word "consolidation"?

pineapple stu

02/02/2010, 2:53 PM

One with most of it's clubs not up to their ears in debt would be a start. What would you define as "not working"? :)
Fully agreeing with you still. I just don't see any link between moving to a county-based system and clearing debt. I do see a link between sorting out the idiots and clearing debt.

The number of Dublin clubs in the Premier is unfortunately a decent reflection of football in the country; it's far more popular (playing-wise) in Dublin than in other areas. Changing to a county-based system won't affect that. What'd happen is that Dublin FC would walk the league every year and you'd get increasing apathy from Cork XI (the incarnation, not the number of players... :) ) who keep on not challenging. I think a similar thing happened during Rovers' period of dominance in the 80s (before my time, so that may be inaccurate or even plain wrong).

Riddickcule

02/02/2010, 3:37 PM

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/blogs/viewblog.asp?bid=418

That is probably the best article i have seen with regard to our shambles of a league.

Almost every league in europe has gone through a thorough reform, many did so in the early 90's
The Fai are not fit for that reform, they failed to live up to the genisis, their 5 year plan clearly isn't working as after 3 years nothing has really changed.

pineapple stu

02/02/2010, 3:59 PM

It's an appalling article with absolutely no back-up for its conclusions.

10000 will turn out to watch Real for a friendly. Of course they will. Next step - find the money for an Irish club to sign Ronaldo and you'll get 10000 a wek turning out here. That money won't come, therefore the comparison is pointless.

tiktok

02/02/2010, 4:16 PM

That is probably the best article i have seen with regard to our shambles of a league.

It's just another poorly thought out GAA/Rugger Bugger assessment, a typically lazy, boring, weak effort.
If that's the best article you've seen, you should read a second article quickly before your brain rots.

Take this gem..
"Accustomed to the atmosphere at a crowded-to-capacity Croke Park for GAA and rugby matches, and the success on foreign fields of Leinster and Munster, the Irish sports public wants its teams to rub shoulders with the world’s best."

Yeah, we all know the typical Irish sports fan is an event junkie. He's a moron who wants to shake a shamrock, slap himself on the back because he respected God Save the Queen at Croke Park, drink himself stupid in Cardiff with the lads, think he's brilliant for humming along to the French national anthem; who knows how to get to Croke Park, but not Parnell Park, the kerryman who doesn't bother with league games because he's 'waiting for the all-Ireland', the Corkman who'll march with the hurlers in patrick street but won't watch the same fellas play a match a few weeks later, he's the fella who knew all about cricket when we beat Pakistan, who starts playing tennis when Wimbledon's on and who pops down the snooker hall when Ken Doherty is doing well. The fella who'll have a punt on the Grand National and discusses his tips, when he couldn't tell a horse from a greyhound the rest of the year. The fella who walked around in a Michael Jordan TShirt right throguh the 80's and 90's but who never knew that there was a National basketball arena. The Irish Sports Public has no interest in the graft, just the glory.

The people mentioned become "accustomed" to the Atmosphere in Croke park for maybe 3 Full Rugby games a year [if we play a decent Southern Hemisphere side in Autumn]. Maybe it's the 2 to 3 packed matches in the GAA championship he'll be accustomed to [as he avoids all the league games], he spends so much time on his backside in front of the TV that it's little wonder he's turned on by seeing Ronaldo in the flesh for €60 when he could get 5 competitive league games for that.

The knob who's accustomed to that is only accustomed to it because he'll only attend 5 'events' a year, and will only watch 10 'events' a year on the telly. AIL rugby teams play 20-30 games a year, League of ireland clubs play more, GAA county teams play many more league games in front of tiny but appreciative crowds than they play in front of capacity crowds at Croke Park. That type of knob doesn't have the stomach or the balls to be a proper supporter, doesn't have the spine to get off his arse to go see a team once a fortnight through the season.

Any attempt to redefine our league to meet the base whims of the lowest common denominator in Irish fans is doomed to failure. All that knob who wrote the article wants is to be there so that he can boast to his mates on Monday morning that he was there.

Onefootednopace

02/02/2010, 4:28 PM

Tiktok, I can't find the thanks button, but you are spot on in your comments.

culloty82

02/02/2010, 4:33 PM

There's little reason to abolish the clubs - the European results show they're about the same standard as the middle of the Championship or the SPL minus the Old Firm. All that's required is that the FAI and clubs observe the licensing rules and get their own houses in order. It's only the individual clubs own faults if they are struggling to survive, first sort out the internal problems like wages and management before making marketing, regional development and community activities the priorities, as people will support their local club if they feel it belongs to them. As for the League itself, have a proper pyramid with county leagues feeding into provincial leagues, with an A Championship style First Division then linking to the Premier, so that every part of the country will feel part of the system.

Dodge

02/02/2010, 5:57 PM

Perhaps I'm being a bit simplistic but the way I look at it is that the county-based system works for GAA and the province-based system works for rugby, so football needs to follow their lead.

The set up of the sports are completely different adam.

The top GAA teams would play, on average, no more than 20 games per year, and even then league games get only a fraction of the support Championship games get.

The top rugby players in Ireland are centrally contracted. This would simply not work in football. Their own seasons are split in 4. 1) Warm up/early league games (followed by autumn international) 2) Heineken Cup group stages (when the Magners leageus takes a major step back and basically reserve teams playin most games) 3) 6 nations (when top players leave their provinces for 2 months) 4) End of season (when again magners league takes a massive step back from Heineken Cup). Its actualy in the players contracts that they their games are limited

Of course, none of these are of any relevence to Irish football, as the major block on irish football taking off isn't any of these, or the lack of FAI "initiative". It�s the fact the overwhelming majority of people interested in football in this country, proclaim their allegience to british clubs. I'm not trying to be a little Irelander here, but a 30 year old man who buys a Man Utd kit and has a Red Devil tatto is dead to the LOI. He's never, ever, ever going to be interested.

Continuing in the misguided impression that the current setup can succeed, in light of overwhelming evidence against, is just plain wasteful, and will remain fruitless.

"The league is grand" sums it all up nicely though. If there is a main problem, that's it. It's not.

The League is grand. The problem is with people who think they're bigger than the league (Ollie, Arkaga, the Gerrys). The league can find a nice little space for itself, and can definitely develop its infracture to the point where all clubs are solvent. But we'll never be a big league. The "Great Sporting irish public" simply don't want to know. If that means part time, so be it.

BillyG

02/02/2010, 6:36 PM

Riddickcule

02/02/2010, 10:30 PM

And that about sums it up, saying the league is grand....*sigh

dahamsta

02/02/2010, 11:19 PM

I don't really understand how anyone can use that phrase in relation to the league. It's bizarro world stuff.

Dodge

02/02/2010, 11:37 PM

Because the league isn't the problem

the clubs are the problem. Most clubs are in a shambolic state. Getting rid of the league admin won't change one iota of this.

dcfcsteve

03/02/2010, 12:04 AM

Perhaps I'm being a bit simplistic but the way I look at it is that the county-based system works for GAA and the province-based system works for rugby, so football needs to follow their lead.

You are looking at it far too simplistically. Rugby, GAA and football are very different sports -m with very different traditions, support bases and heartlands. Just because one type of set-up works for one doesn't mean it'll work for another. Your own post inadvertently acknowledges this by referring to the fact that rugby and GAA have found success with two different structures - not the same one. Provincial doesn't worek for GAA, yet it does for Rugby. Yet just because a county structure works for GAA you're extrapolating that it will work for football. Where is the eveidence for this ? Where else in the world has football clubs worked on anything other than an club structure ? Even in the likes of the US and Australia - where football has been created from scratch - they implemented club structures.

Why ? Because that model reflects the history, support-base and heartland of football. In essence - it reflects the reality of the game. Football is an urban sport, with a largely working class history. Hence clubs in population centres is a sensible structure. Convesrely, GAA is a predominantly rural sport, with a very parish-up structure. Hence County works best for that. Rugby, however, now exists in a pan-national structure on a week-to-week league basis. The club structure in Ireland was juts too small and weak to enable participation in this - same also for Wales and Scotland. So the provincial/amalgamated structure made sense for rugby. But that doesn't mean that a Connaught FC or a Co Leitrim FC is the way forward for an urban largely workign class sport like football. Far from it. Different sports, different realities.

Continuing in the misguided impression that the current setup can succeed, in light of overwhelming evidence against, is just plain wasteful, and will remain fruitless.

But what isn't working ??:confused: Are you saying the concept of club football doesn't work at all ? In which case that is patently wrong, as shown in every other country in the world. Alternatively - are you saying that it just won't work in Ireland ? If so - again that would be wrong. It has worked in the past here and it works in other small countries with similar issues re the appeal of other leagues (e.g. Cyprus, Norway). So what exactly doesn't work ?If you mean clubs spending more than they ahve and then ending up in trouble then yes - clearly that doesn't work. But the league doesn't HAVE to be that way !

"The league is grand" sums it all up nicely though. If there is a main problem, that's it. It's not.

Everyone knows the league has problems. As others have suggested - the way to address that is to tackle the core of the problem, which is clubs doing stupid things with money. Ignoring the reality of the sport and looking to enforce an alien structure on it would do nothing. You'd still have Louth FC or AFC Derry spending more than they have. We don't need a change in structure - we need a change in culture.

Dodge

03/02/2010, 12:18 AM

Top top post steve

everything I wanted to say without the smartarsery

dahamsta

03/02/2010, 12:41 AM

It's the clubs, it's the FAI, it's the clubs, it's the FAI, it's neither, it's both. Honest to god lads, take off the blinkers and look around. The clubs are in rag order and couldn't run a ****up in a brewery, and the FAI applies Modern Parenting techniques to them ("errah they'll be grand") because they couldn't give a crap about it anyway. It isn't grand, it's a basket case. Kick it while it's down, get rid of it.

I'm going to back away carefully now, because ye're convinced. And of course ye're entitled to. But it's your opinions that keep the league the way it is, and I'm entitled to laugh my ass off that too. With friends like ye, who needs enemies. ;)

endabob1

03/02/2010, 6:16 AM

Excellent post dcfcsteve even if a disagree with parts of it.

I do agree that there are fundamental differences between the audience for GAA, Rugby & Football and what works for 1 may and probably will not work for the other. I can see a time however where a Rugby style set up would work in Football, purely because the SPL is on the slide Celtic & Rangers are being dragged back to the level of Dundee/Killie etc.. rather than them dragging the others with them.

The Australia example is a relevant one because it wasn't entirely started from scratch, a new league was formed but the teams from old league got the option to bid for a franchise (and that's what they are, not clubs) in the shiney new fully professional league or to revert back to being part-time playing in their state leagues. A couple of sides from the old NSL did make the leap but the remainder reverted back to their old part-time or semi-pro status. If ever there is to be a fully professional league in Ireland, that's the template I'd like to see used, current clubs can pitch for the spot, those that don't want to can stay in a part time sustainable league, the key is to make sure there are stringent financial controls in place so that bidding clubs have got the cash to support full-time football.

Comparrsions with places like Cyprus or Nowmay are as irrelevant as comparing Football to the GAA or Rugby imo, they have different cultures and nothing like the diversity of major team sports being played like we do here. They are not competing with Gaelic Football, Hurling, Rugby Horse Racing & Golffor column inches in the Sunday Sports supplement.

The league doesn't have to be the way it is, but how many times to you tinker with it in similar formats before you finally realise that a more fundemental change is needed. It's like a relationship that goes bad, you try to make it work, you buy flowers, you spend money you don't have to whisk her off to Paris for the weekend to try to inject some romance but when you're back in Dublin on a soggy March Monday morning you realise that you have nothing in common anymore and you finally call it quits before you end up hating each other.

Acornvilla

03/02/2010, 9:04 AM

but norway has other sports to compete with that we dont have like every winter sport imainable like coss country skiing or ski jumping to name but a few which draw huge crowds so i'm sure they have a lot of people who are intrested in spors such as that and dont care at all about football and their legue works just fine because the clubs dont go spending money they dont have. whyle cyprus has a few sugar daddys bankroling the clubs dont they?

pineapple stu

03/02/2010, 9:09 AM

I'm going to back away carefully now, because ye're convinced. And of course ye're entitled to. But it's your opinions that keep the league the way it is, and I'm entitled to laugh my ass off that too. With friends like ye, who needs enemies. ;)
Thing is, until you can shown some sort of reason why changing to a county-based structure would have a positive effect on the league, we're going to laugh at you too, and dismiss your opinions in the same way we do Riddickule's.

The people who run the legaue and the clubs are, by and large, morons. (There are some very capable people too, who would be lost and not replaced under your proposal). The solution to people being morons isn't to go changing the fundamental structure of the clubs. They're just two utterly unconnected things.

Redie

03/02/2010, 10:32 AM

tiktok and steve deserve some kind of award for their brilliant posts.

In recent weeks Crystal Palace were deducted 12 points for going into administration and in the past similar sanctions have been issued to Leeds, Luton, Southampton etc.

Portsmouth players miss payment of wages on a regular basis a la Cork City.

It was recently announced that only two teams in the English Premier League are dept free - Birmingham and Wolves - with Man U announcing they have a dept of over 700 million pounds.

Now where were the calls to scrap the English league and start again and when was it ever claimed that English football was in crisis.

Of course our league is far from perfect, god knows we hear enough about all its difficulties but it also has so many attractions going for it that makes it a complete joy, it's just that no one wants to talk about them.

Dodge

03/02/2010, 11:03 AM

It's the clubs, it's the FAI, it's the clubs, it's the FAI, it's neither, it's both. Honest to god lads, take off the blinkers and look around. The clubs are in rag order and couldn't run a ****up in a brewery, and the FAI applies Modern Parenting techniques to them ("errah they'll be grand") because they couldn't give a crap about it anyway. It isn't grand, it's a basket case. Kick it while it's down, get rid of it.

And replace it with what? You think there's tons of people out there loking to be involved in running professional/semi professional football in Ireland? So we replace them with 26/32 new county teams. Who builds those stadiums? The FAI have bent over backwards (multiple times) to ensure clubs don't die because they know that they don't have clubs ready to replace them. How will changing league admin improve spectator facilities and playing standards?

WoodquayBoy

03/02/2010, 11:13 AM

Spot on Redie, don't see too many clamouring for the Premier League in England to be scrapped. Why? Because the clubs ran up the debts through stupid takeovers or exhorbitant wages agreements. Overhaul all the CLUBS here and put proper manage,ent of the league in place, but the 'scrap the league' line is simplistic and foolish IMO

joeSoap

03/02/2010, 11:19 AM

Dodge

03/02/2010, 11:54 AM

So you're saying knock 7 clubs out of the existing league, exchange Leitrim for Rovers with the Sligo club. Advertise this, and hey presto people will start flocking to the games? You really, honestly believe that? Not to mention the poor people of Dublin city who's only choice would be to support Blanchardstown play in Phibsborough....

OK, even if I buy that. What happens when they get to the ground and the football is poor, and they can't have a dump as the loos are a disgrace? (and thats not a dig at Sligo, its the same everywhere). YOu mention Limerick in your above post. You're going to leave them alone I see. Do you think marketing would make that ground acceptable to punters?

RoversHead

03/02/2010, 12:35 PM

Getting a bit silly here ,heres my take ,lets deal with two main probloms ,1 full time pro football has been a disaster for the clubs and the league 2 the league is run by people who dont have a clue and dont give a xxxx.pointless talking about anything else untill those two issues are addressed.

passerrby

03/02/2010, 1:08 PM

The League is grand. The problem is with people who think they're bigger than the league (Ollie, Arkaga, the Gerrys). The league can find a nice little space for itself, and can definitely develop its infracture to the point where all clubs are solvent. But we'll never be a big league. The "Great Sporting irish public" simply don't want to know. If that means part time, so be it.

well said that man. of course there is problems with the league but we must first fix our broken clubs then we can begin to have a sustantablle league. and then maybe we can grow to a level that is our real level and not one that certain people think we should be playing at

Mr A

03/02/2010, 1:14 PM

If the FAI gradually upgraded its regulations and the enforcement of its regulations year on year it would help things a lot.

Instead they seem to be scared to really go the whole hog on it so the incentive to act recklessly remains in place.

joeSoap

03/02/2010, 2:40 PM

The FAI are ultimately to blame here. If they enforced the 65% of income salary cap then you wouldn't see certain clubs that have had well documented off pitch problems in the state they're in. Bohs had a near €30K a week wage bill a couple of seasons ago on average gates of 2000 a fortnight. Do the math.

Professional football is a no-go in this country, pure and simple.

Dodge

03/02/2010, 2:45 PM

Acornvilla

03/02/2010, 2:46 PM

stop paying the players so damn much so!!!! you can be professional easily on anywhere between 450-600 euro a week if they want more let them see if they can get it abroad

Mr A

03/02/2010, 2:56 PM

If the FAI enforced all the rules, there wouldn't be many clubs). As I've said if Derry are kicked out, nobody's replacing them and that definitely makes the league a poorer place. The morons in charge of clubs know this. Catch 22 and all that

Yeah, so they need to grow a set and start properly punishing clubs that feck up completely even if their face fits in the league. In the long run everyone would benefit. Short term pain for long term gain.

At the moment the incentives to gamble are just too great and the punishments for financial insanity tend to be minimal at best.

Riddickcule

03/02/2010, 7:36 PM

Professional football is a no-go in this country, pure and simple.
Why do you think that? Seriously ffs the conservatism on this forum is doing my head in.

Ireland... Developed Economy, Improved infrastructure, sports mad...of course professional football can work ffs.

It just needs time, money and energy which isn't coming from the Fai.

Something afesh will do the trick, proper marketing in place, strict criteria incl. the management of clubs.
Out with the joints like Salthill and Mervue, ridiculous having 3 clubs in Galway, and that is one of many reasons why the Fai arn't fit to do it.

Base clubs on geography and potential none of this history/sporting s***e..
If the Loi hasn't worked for 70 odd years its not going to work in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.

peadar1987

03/02/2010, 8:39 PM

Base clubs on geography and potential none of this history/sporting s***e..
If the Loi hasn't worked for 70 odd years its not going to work in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.

If the clubs are based on geography and potential, they will lose all credibility, the league have to be seen to be run on purely sporting grounds, or else the regulars will **** off, and the barstoolers still won't come. We need to build on the existing support base of the league, not alienate it.

The way to do this is to improve the facilities, nothing ridiculous, just clean toilets, fresh paint, unobstructed views and somewhere dry to sit, and then market the ****e out of it. I've been going to Hibs games this year. Our product is just as good as the SPL, and Hibs get 10,000 a week as one of two teams in a city little bigger than Cork.

Edit: Obviously this requires money, which nobody has, and therein lies the rub

Dodge

03/02/2010, 9:04 PM

.

Ireland... Developed Economy, Improved infrastructure, sports mad....

Wrong on all three counts.

It just needs time, money and energy which isn't coming from the Fai.
It isn't coming from them as they don't have it. And neither does anyone else. Where do you siggest the money comes from?

Something afesh will do the trick, proper marketing in place, strict criteria incl. the management of clubs.
Like club licensing?

Out with the joints like Salthill and Mervue, ridiculous having 3 clubs in Galway, and that is one of many reasons why the Fai arn't fit to do it.

Base clubs on geography and potential none of this history/sporting s***e..
So set a club in Leitrim (who don't want one) in favour of established clubs who want to progress? Are you going to force people to set a club up? Don't forget that geography and marketibility was a factor in the recent league restructure

If the Loi hasn't worked for 70 odd years its not going to work in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.
What do you define as worked?

dcfcsteve

03/02/2010, 9:05 PM

Professional football is a no-go in this country, pure and simple.

No it's not.

Paying money you can't afford for professional players is a no go in this country. Same as it is in every country.

But you could have professional players on sensible wages that could be supported by revenue. There is nothing inherently 'no go' about the concept of professional football in Ireland.

The standard would be lowe than currently - perhaps only for a while - but it would be more sustainable. But even the bloated English footballing system is showing early signs of developing a bit more fiscal realism, so as wages slowly decline elsewhere the competitive position of low-paying Irish cluhbs would improve.

The problem is idiot Directors insisiting on paying wages they can't afford as they MUST have success. But there's no reason why we couldn't have full-time players on wages that ARE affordable to their clubs.

irishultra

03/02/2010, 9:08 PM

Its the irish peoples fault for the leagues mess but its only football. there is way more important things and if wearing goggles in a pub brings them joy then thats fine.

dcfcsteve

03/02/2010, 9:12 PM

If the Loi hasn't worked for 70 odd years its not going to work in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.

You do realise that club football in Ireland worked perfectly fine for about 90 years, and that it's fall from popularity was far for ineviatble and doesn't have to be irreversible.....?

I love the notion that all that football in Ireland needs is a different wrapper - a county shirt, not a club one - and the promised land will be reached. The phrase 'rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' was never more apt a description for fecking around the edges ratehr than tackling the 'cultural' and administrative issues that are the core of football's problem in Ireland.

For example - who in their right mind would entrust money to develop a stadium to the feckin' eejits who currently run Irish football clubs ??

joeSoap

04/02/2010, 9:35 AM

Perhaps a common sense course should be run for all club owners prior to every season. Theres a huge lack of it going around at the moment.

marinobohs

04/02/2010, 10:23 AM

Theoretically you could have a league in place regionally that already has grounds/infrastructures in place to go....

Dunleary/Rathdown: (UCD Bowl)
Fingal (Morton Stadium Tolka Park)
Blanchardstown (Dalymount not a million miles away)
Tallaght/Clondalkin (Tallaght Stadium)
Dundalk/Drogheda: (Oriel, United Park)
Cork (Turners X)
Limerick (Jackman)
Kerry League (Tralee)
Galway/Mayo (Terryland)
Sligo/Leitrim (Showgrounds)
Athlone/Longford/Monaghan (choice of 3 )
Donegal (Ballybofey)
Derry (Brandywell)
Waterford (RSC)
Wexford (Ferrycarrig)

That could make up a 15 team league spilit geographically that if marketed, and advertised correctly could make a conceiveable league. Plus because of the regional aspect of it, it could attract a following from people who want to support their county or region rather that a club, thereby attracting the GAA ish element.

not one of the above teams (as you named them ) has any history/fan base. talk about throwing out the babay with the bathwater........

Unfortunately, I don't see full time football as viable in the LOI and think that all clubs will revert back to part time or at best some hybrid arrangement. I had hoped that an all Ireland League might be the catalyst for rebuilding the game here but the SETANTA Cup doesn't fill me with any confidence on that approach.

As said by previous posters it appears our "soccer loving public" are more interested in SKY Sports than Irish football.