So is the first division no longer a graveyard?

[Candystripe]

Looking at some of the attendances so far in D1 and although it's early in the season the averages are up (not surprisingly) but even Harps,Waterford,Limerick and others are getting decent crowds.

If it gets tight near the top five IMO the crowds will get even larger and with both Cork and Derry involved along with Shels then maybe the "graveyard" name may be forgotten for a season or so.

With Derry and Cork pulling over 2,000 in against what would not be classed as "crowd pulling teams" and Limerick getting almost 1,000 and playing well is the Derry and Cork disasters from last year the shot in the arm the first division needed??????

[paudie]

Yeah, good to see Derry and Cork fans are sticking with the clubs depsite the farces that resulted in them being in Div 1. Hopefully it will continue through the season.

Also good that other clubs will benefit from larger away support etc.

[Dillonman]

Are limerick getting close to 1,000?

[sheao]

Are limerick getting close to 1,000?

They will anyway when we are around there good friday !

[Dundalkjames]

Its a horrible **** of a division:mad:

[Riddickcule]

Although its well and good seeing the 1st Div. thriving a bit, i still want Derry and Cork back up here in the promised land. I'm liking the progress CCF-Co-op are making, with the crowds you will get the revenue will come, and you'll be back up here in no time, same for Derry.

[Dodge]

Although its well and good seeing the 1st Div. thriving a bit, i still want Derry and Cork back up here in the promised land.
You realise they'd take your spot, don't you?

[De Town]

Yes, it's still a horrible **** of a graveyard that I wish I didn't have to visit. Take me back to the days of going to Dublin every second week instead of having to travel to places I never want to go to.

[El-Pietro]

Cork City will continue to boost crowds up and down the country. Athlone doubled their crowd when we came to visit, hopefully we can help out Limerick a little bit as well.

I'm enjoying the novelty of visiting grounds we don't normally get to see. So far its just been Athlone as we were eased in gently with the Brandywell up first, and I'm not especially looking foward to Jackman Park, particularly with the weather forecast, but Wexford, Monaghan, Ballybofey, Longford, will be a nice break from Dublin every other week.
I'm sure it will wear off over time though. But the first division is certainly interesting this season at least!

[Spudulika]

What are the odds that only one of the "big two" land back in the PD next season? In many ways the torture that was the off-season has led to a more interesting 2010, especially with more interest in domestic football. Maybe we should have this every year, can't Drogheda go, no wait, maybe Bohs can get caught, no wait, maybe SFFC lose their backing, no wait. In fairness I hope all clubs can benefit this season and the league makes a massive leap forward.

[pineapple stu]

What are the odds that only one of the "big two" land back in the PD next season?
Quite high, I'd say. Waterford are a couple of years ahead of Cork and Derry in the rebuilding process and seem to have started where they left off last year; I'd expect them at worst to stop either of Cork or Derry.

[gufct]

Id say they are very high as the league will be restructured at the end of this season with a 16 team Premier looking a dead cert.

[OneRedArmy]

Quite high, I'd say. Waterford are a couple of years ahead of Cork and Derry in the rebuilding process and seem to have started where they left off last year; I'd expect them at worst to stop either of Cork or Derry.Absolutely.

We're a poor enough side, Waterford comprehensively outplayed us.

I'd be shocked if we went up.

[Jofspring]

Absolutely.

We're a poor enough side, Waterford comprehensively outplayed us.

I'd be shocked if we went up.

Waterford will win the league. Outside of that if a few teams can stay close together in 2nd down to 4th then i think a lot will come down to how the teams strengthen in July to how they finish. This is where Cork and Derry will come good and push on but they need to be there or there abouts mid way through the season to have any chance.

[Sam_Heggy]

Waterford will win this division at ease this season.

After that you could throw names into a hat.

[Spudulika]

Shels might make a run for it too, agreed Waterford are looking well, and there is a general levelling. It could be a fudge, and positive one, to create a 16 team Premier for 2011, and I'd be for it. How they'll organise it will be a different matter. No relegation from the PD, and 6 up? Would be mightily strange but who would arrive in the "promised land"?

[derm]

Waterford will win this division at ease this season.

After that you could throw names into a hat.

Unless their Cork boys come home in July ;-)

[micls]

What are the odds that only one of the "big two" land back in the PD next season? In many ways the torture that was the off-season has led to a more interesting 2010, especially with more interest in domestic football. Maybe we should have this every year, can't Drogheda go, no wait, maybe Bohs can get caught, no wait, maybe SFFC lose their backing, no wait. In fairness I hope all clubs can benefit this season and the league makes a massive leap forward.

Haven't spoken to anyone down here who expects us to go up. We're starting from scratch. Mid table and financial security for this year and maybe we can look at trying to be up around the playoffs next year.

Obviously it's still very much a novelty down here at the moment. Owning the club, no bad press, some nice football from some young lads and a great buzz around the place. Ive no doubt that'l dim the longer we're down here though.

[blue til i die]

Unless their Cork boys come home in July ;-)

which is never going to happen :D

[Dodge]

Sounds to me like some of th e corpses down there are trying to convince themselves "This is not a graveyard, this is not a graveyard, this is NOT A GRAVEYARD"

[osarusan]

Sounds to me like some of th e corpses down there are trying to convince themselves "This is not a graveyard, this is not a graveyard, this is NOT A GRAVEYARD"

get out of our thread.

[blue til i die]

No matter what anyone says, it is a horrible league, simple as that.

[micls]

Sounds to me like some of th e corpses down there are trying to convince themselves "This is not a graveyard, this is not a graveyard, this is NOT A GRAVEYARD"

:D

It's all about relativity, when the corpse was in a crematorium the graveyard doesn't seem so bad.

You wouldn't find a single City fan who would take where we were last year over where we are now.

[Dodge]

You wouldn't find a single City fan who would take where we were last year over where we are now.

Thats because they're ghosts following For a Scoop now ;)

[Spudulika]

Haven't spoken to anyone down here who expects us to go up. We're starting from scratch. Mid table and financial security for this year and maybe we can look at trying to be up around the playoffs next year.

Obviously it's still very much a novelty down here at the moment. Owning the club, no bad press, some nice football from some young lads and a great buzz around the place. Ive no doubt that'l dim the longer we're down here though.

I hope it long continues and that the youth policy is pursued, certainly it will suceed if it is. Cork has a reputation of being a hothouse of players capable of going across the water, this alone is an incentive and way to get long term stability for the club.

I wouldn't worry too much about more than a couple of seasons in the lower league, Dundalk have emerged stronger in many ways and more community oriented after a lengthy spell out.

[Bluebeard]

It does seem to be better this season than ever before, but I cannot wait to get out of it. Dunno that our form will hold the whole way through though. We caught Cork at the best time - don't think they'll get promoted, but they will be getting a lot better. Derry similarly so, and at home with our tails up. We've yet to play Shels and both Lims and Mons looking stronger than for a few seasons, and Harps are always going to have a go.

[MariborKev]

It's still a graveyard.

[GUFCghost]

From watching MNS it looked like they had a half decent crowd and a good ground.

[oriel]

Id say they are very high as the league will be restructured at the end of this season with a 16 team Premier looking a dead cert.

This would be close to my personal choice, although would 15 home lge games be enough v the current 18 in the PD and 16 or 17 in the FD ?

That would be a proper league of ireland then, have the likes of Rovers and Bohs going down to play teams like Limerick & Athlone rather than a handy trip around the M50/M1 and few weekenders to the west.

Cork lads, you`re not missing that much, and just think you`re in for a treat when you travel up to Mons, the legendary Mons dogs will be your first port of call.

I'd nearly give them a wild card PD entry for this alone........

[dancinpants]

Aye, its great to have a team to support and all that, but really the novelty of playing "new" sides has worn off already - and we're only 4 games in FFS. Games against Harps and maybe Shels might add a wee bit of fervour when those fixtures come round but....

....the 1st Division really DOES have an air of depression about it. It IS a graveyard. :(

[Candystripe]

If it wasn't for the fact that we will have Cork,Shels and Harps to play I would agree that it is a graveyard.But as we are in it we have no choice but to make the most of it and hopefully get outta it ASAP.

I have to say though, the standard is seriously crap compared to what we were used to watching in the premier league.

[Rasputin]

See how your attendances hold up when you spend the guts of 5 or more seasons in that cesspit.

[bluewhitearmy]

Or 16 years :weep:

[Bluezar]

It is a graveyard.Here at Waterford United, I'mjust praying we can keep this early season momentum going and get back to up to the Premier Division!

[twoenz]

I really don't like the idea of a 16 team Premier Division. Yes it's needed to get Cork and Derry back up, but on the whole I'd say that football is suffering, what are the Premier League crowds like without the 2 cities?

[Martinho II]

I really don't like the idea of a 16 team Premier Division. Yes it's needed to get Cork and Derry back up, but on the whole I'd say that football is suffering, what are the Premier League crowds like without the 2 cities?


not great twoenz it sums it up that none of the top flight most home clubs attendances so far is greater than derry or cork .city..Derry got 5000 people Cork got 4500.

[stann]

Have to say I like Div 1. Don't like being in it, and can't wait to get back out of it, but since we are here, it's not that bad a place to be really, especially this year.
Apart from the obvious attractions of having Cork and Derry with us this season, there are many other redeeming features. New teams to go and visit, much more of the country to see, nice quirky grounds, very much nicer people involved in the clubs (bar one or two), a lack (sadly not total) of annoying little Green Street scrotes, and more wins for a club like us, a not inconsequential matter for me at least, who hasn't seemingly forgotten the soul-destroying effect of suffering loss after loss after loss after loss in the Premier only a few seasons ago.
The standard is lower obviously, though not as much as some are suggesting.
Bad first division is bad indeed, but good first division can hold its own with at least the lower end of the Premier, as ourselves and Fingal showed in the Cups last year, and UCD (sans Finn) are showing in the league now.

As we're mentioning it though, another vote here for the 16 team Premier, the only way to go.

[artane-shels]

The 1st division i wouldn't say is a graveyard. Now obviously the standard isn't as good as the Premier that's a given, but there's still some brilliant football to be played. From the sounds of it last weekend on the prem was quite boring, where the 1st division things are shaking up quite differently.

To the Cork and Derry lads saying they're looking forward to heading to the likes of athlone and salthill....I'll talk to you again in a few months :P

[mypost]

Obviously it's still very much a novelty down here at the moment. Ive no doubt that'l dim the longer we're down here though.

It does.