Shels v Sligo FAI Cup final - Lansdowne Road 6th Nov

[S.E.P.1990]

I'm bored, I feel like stirring again for the craic......it was definitely a dive. 100%. I was speaking to 61.56% people who said it was definitely a dive. 23.23% said it wasn't a dive. 15.21% said they were undecided. Theres your proof. It's a unanimous decision.

Ah ha! Good try but to be unanimous it would have to be 100%.......

[Dodge]

Of course the opinion of the media matters, if they were all saying that the diving Clancy deserved to be sent off then we could say that the ref actually didnt have that bad a game.

You can say what you like, you don't need media validation for it.


They were not, all the reports have in common the same theme - there was contact, Clancy went down, it should not have been/may have been a pen, it was not a yellow card, the ref made the wrong decision.Now you're just making stuff up. Not a single person I read or spoke to thinks it was a pen


Still I am bemused that anyone could think it was a dive and that the yellow card was warranted. That is all....
Clearly thats all, as its only your 7th or 8th post the matter...

[dong]

The media in this country is only interested in all things Dublin anyways and are none too happy when it doesn't work out their way. We are well used to it.
A few hours of rain in the capital there last week and you would swear it was the end of mankind as we know it.

[Charlie Darwin]

The media in this country is only interested in all things Dublin anyways and are none too happy when it doesn't work out their way. We are well used to it.
I really hope you're not suggesting the Dublin media give a toss about Dublin soccer teams.


A few hours of rain in the capital there last week and you would swear it was the end of mankind as we know it.
People died in the floods. It was a big deal. I know Sligo has had flooding too recently but it's not on anything close to the same scale.

[Spudulika]

Was surprised at how poor Sligo were as I have the height of respect for their normal manner of play. Watched between 2 Russian Premier League matches with a mixed bunch of people, was slagged for constantly saying how good the standard in the LOI is now and how Sligo are a really good side etc. Dreadful officiating, a throwback to the rugby world cup final (in terms of inconsistency). Don't believe Sligo deserved to win, Kelly's "professional" cheating in the penalties goes to show how the laws are never enforced in football though I'm just glad Shels are alive, that Pats can once again fly the fly in Europe and hope Paul Cook stays in the LOI, despite yesterday's match. Looked like a great atmosphere.

[Dodge]

its funny that non Dubs STILL don't get this.

When a country team plays a Dublin team, the whole league wants the country team to win. Country folk want the country team to win, and Dubliners want their local rivals to lose.

A Bohs fan in the media (of which there are many...) isn't going to be pro Rovers/Pats/Shels, even if he was going show any bias, as he dislikes them more than he dislikes country clubs

And as for your comment on the floods...

[bluewhitearmy]

its funny that non Dubs STILL don't get this.

When a country team plays a Dublin team, the whole league wants the country team to win. Country folk want the country team to win, and Dubliners want their local rivals to lose.

A Bohs fan in the media (of which there are many...) isn't going to be pro Rovers/Pats/Shels, even if he was going show any bias, as he dislikes them more than he dislikes country clubs

And as for your comment on the floods...

Id be fairly sure that is complete bull.

[Dodge]

Its as bull as saying the Dubs want the Dubs to win ;)

[bennocelt]

Eh sorry bennocelt, care to explain the "tsk" for this post? The keeper was obviously off his line..

That it happens all the time in football, sour grapes and all

As for the "dive", have to be honest all the guys I were with in the pub thought it was a dive as well, but then we did have a skinful!

[GalwayRed]

Found time to post on this now. I haven't seen any replays and I've only seen one article about the match so I'm still going on what I saw at the time.
I think the sending off was a terrible decision and am absolutely adamant he didn't dive and I would be genuinely shocked if the replays prove me wrong. I didn't think it was a penalty either. Think it was just well defended by the Sligo player. It was a game changing decision. We were competing very well and looked like we might create a few chances. After that I can't blame us for sitting back or time wasting. We were playing a full time side who just finished second in the league and pride themselves on their attacking play and we were a man down.
Having said that Sligo was poor and its hard to know would they have scored 11 v 11. I don't know was it arrogance on the players part or what but they just didn't perform.
Paisley was absolutely immense and deserved his man of the match award but our whole defence was superb.
In general I thought Richie Winters was absolute rubbish and there was no consistency to his decisions. I was too far away to tell with the penalties but have heard from a lot of people that Kelly was miles off his line. The penalties weren't great but it doesn't help if the keeper has that much of an advantage.
As for the couple of Sligo fans criticising our crowd. I'd wager at least 10000 of those Sligo fans there haven't been to a Sligo match since last years final so give it a rest. We had about 5000 which was alright I thought even though most of them haven't been seen at Tolka in a long time if at all. We didn't stop singing either and I thought even though there were less of us we created a good atmosphere.
I was so proud of our players as well. They gave it absolutely everything and unfortunately just fell short. We have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be proud of this year so don't worry about the champagne lads.

[bluewhitearmy]

. We had about 5000 .

I really dont think so.

[WoodquayBoy]

Congrats to Sligo, and in particular their Galway lads Alan Keane and John Russell. Went to the game, sat in the Sligo end behind the goal and for my sins I wore my GUFC jersey with pride - it's the only way one will ever be seen at a Cup final. Lots of Sligo fans came up and commiserated on the season we had, and with the wish that we'll be back in the top flight sooner rather than later. Appreciated that.
As for the game, my first reaction to the 'penalty/red card' was that Clancy had dived and deserved the booking. Having watched replays, I'm not that sure, but the referee had a split-second to make a decision, so I can see why he booked the player. Having seen Sligo tear us apart in Terryland, and a few times in the Showgrounds as a neutral, I can say they are rarely that boring to watch, but Christ they were brutal yesterday. For courage alone Shels deserved it, but courage doesn't win you anything, and after the sending off, I can't remember one clear chance they had. That said, apart from Davoren's goal and Russell's header late in the first half, Delany didn't have a lot to do either. Which is just as well, considering the bags he made of Davoren's shot. Kelly may have come off his line for the penalties, but that's up to the officials to sort out, it's not his fault he got away with it. And it is very unfair to suggest Shels 'bottled' it - they played against the defending Cup champions, and a side that finished second in the Premier Division, for 90 minutes with just 10 men. One last note in relation to Shels - I thought, considering how the game panned out, it took great strength to come down to where the Sligo fans were gathered to applaud them after the trophy presentation, a gesture which was returned in kind by the Sligo fans. We all have our rivalries - me, a United fan, sitting with the great unwashed of Sligo being one example - but at the end of the day, we're all in this madness of a league together.
UTID

[sligoman]

Disgusted that Kellys chearting on the penos wasn't spotted by the ref ... terrible way to "win" a cup final.No need for ""...FAI Cup Champions 2011 is a fact. We won.

find it stange that sligo have been in the last 3 cup finals, won 2 but never won one of the games.Haha, good man. We won the cup, that's all that matters and all that will be remembered. Winning in 90mins produces same result as winning on penalties.

WE were the better side until the sending off.In your opinion. In mine you weren't.

As for the comments about us not creating much of an atmosphere, that was partly due to the fact the stewards down our end were the most ignorant I've ever seen at football match. Trying to force everyone to sit in their specific seat meant that some of the 'singing' crowd were spread around. Caused more trouble than if they had to just leave us like last year.

[Hairy Bowsie]

I really dont think so.

Over 5000 actually.

Great display and atmosphere from BD. Very disappointed with the display and atmosphere from Sligo

[Spudulika]

Congrats to Sligo, and in particular their Galway lads Alan Keane and John Russell. Went to the game, sat in the Sligo end behind the goal and for my sins I wore my GUFC jersey with pride - it's the only way one will ever be seen at a Cup final. Lots of Sligo fans came up and commiserated on the season we had, and with the wish that we'll be back in the top flight sooner rather than later. Appreciated that.
As for the game, my first reaction to the 'penalty/red card' was that Clancy had dived and deserved the booking. Having watched replays, I'm not that sure, but the referee had a split-second to make a decision, so I can see why he booked the player. Having seen Sligo tear us apart in Terryland, and a few times in the Showgrounds as a neutral, I can say they are rarely that boring to watch, but Christ they were brutal yesterday. For courage alone Shels deserved it, but courage doesn't win you anything, and after the sending off, I can't remember one clear chance they had. That said, apart from Davoren's goal and Russell's header late in the first half, Delany didn't have a lot to do either. Which is just as well, considering the bags he made of Davoren's shot. Kelly may have come off his line for the penalties, but that's up to the officials to sort out, it's not his fault he got away with it. And it is very unfair to suggest Shels 'bottled' it - they played against the defending Cup champions, and a side that finished second in the Premier Division, for 90 minutes with just 10 men. One last note in relation to Shels - I thought, considering how the game panned out, it took great strength to come down to where the Sligo fans were gathered to applaud them after the trophy presentation, a gesture which was returned in kind by the Sligo fans. We all have our rivalries - me, a United fan, sitting with the great unwashed of Sligo being one example - but at the end of the day, we're all in this madness of a league together.
UTID

This is one of the best and most intelligent posts on these boards for quite some time. Thank you!

[Dunny]

That it happens all the time in football, sour grapes and all

Hardly sour grapes like. The keeper was off his line.

[Sean South]

Over 5000 actually.

Great display and atmosphere from BD. Very disappointed with the display and atmosphere from Sligo

Shels end was more impressive over all through out the game it was a security nightmare as mentioned above our end.

On displays it was easier for Shels having the north stand. It suits all league of Ireland ultras groups better because of the size but BD reused a old crowd cover and their tifo would be lost and not really noticed if it was in the south stand. Both tifos in this video but I think ours was better but I'm biased. Rovers fans also had a load of pyro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Dz-yqB6Jw

[Fivesilver]

Thought WoodQuayBoy and GalwayRed's posts were pretty good considered summations of it, despite the fact I don't agree with everything.

Two more thoughts:

If Delany was aware that Kelly was coming off his line, gaining a huge advantage and not getting punished, why didn't he try it himself?
and


Very disappointed with the display and atmosphere from Sligo

Presumably you had no problem with the shootout taking place at our end, then. Personally, I thought it was unfair on Shels, but what do I know?

[CSFShels]

If Delany was aware that Kelly was coming off his line, gaining a huge advantage and not getting punished, why didn't he try it himself?

Wouldn't really make alot of sense to change the technique he has used for years for that reason.

[dong]

This thread is some craic. Keep it up lads.:cool:

[Dodge]

Wouldn't really make alot of sense to change the technique he has used for years for that reason.
Considering he faced 4 and conceded 4, I think i'd be trying something different for the last one...

[CSFShels]

Considering he faced 4 and conceded 4, I think i'd be trying something different for the last one...
Not really that simple. The odds are always massively in favour of the taker. Deano has saved plenty in his time with us. Just wasn't his day with the penos. His keeping for their goal however is another story.

[shellyriver]

Was at the match. Seated in the upper east stand on the half way line. Despite you outnumbering the Shels fans 3-1, they out sang you for most of the match

Didn't out sing me matey.

What were you out with your decible meter? Did, it remind you of the 'hard core' Sligo Rovers fans at Dalymount who out-numbered and out-sang Bohs fans two years in a row?

Have no problem with most Dublin fans that I have ever met -- hi-fived a few Shels lads before the game. But must be stated, their vocal turnout was very poor, all things considered.

Must dash going to enjoy evening at the Showgies with the Little-Bit-a-Red boys.

[Dodge]

Have no problem with most Dublin fans that I have ever met -- hi-fived a few Shels lads before the game
You sound like one cool dude

[shellyriver]

You sound like one cool dude

Hell ya, but so were they -- so that's cool!

[born2bwild]

Just watching the replay footage on MNS. Shameful, disgraceful refereeing. I've heard a fair few tinfoil hat stories around Tolka Park about the FAI and of course, I've dismissed them. Now I'm starting to wonder.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

No penalty but no second yellow card

Kelly well off his line for all the penalties (they were very poor penalties none the less).

However Paisley should never have lasted the whole game

[Dodge]

Every club thinks the FAI have it in for them. They're all right

Nothing worse than fans who can't accept people make mistakes and believe its a conspiracy against them

[Oldred]

Well at least Shels made their own bit of history yesterday. Beaten twice in the FAI cup in the same year!!

[born2bwild]

Every club thinks the FAI have it in for them. They're all right

Nothing worse than fans who can't accept people make mistakes and believe its a conspiracy against them
I know, but the sheer incompetence of that refereeing defies credibility. How is it possible for Winter to have been so awful? It's not a matter of "believ it's a conspiracy" as you say. It's a question of not believing my eyes. I'm not looking for a conspiracy; I'm trying to make sense of what I saw and I am struggling.

Didn't Winter see Kelly standing yards off his line for those penalties? If he did see it, why did he choose not to apply the rules of the game? If he didn't see it what [I]was he looking at and who decided that a blind man was suitable to be the referee of the FAI cup final?

[ger121]

Didn't out sing me matey.

What were you out with your decible meter? Did, it remind you of the 'hard core' Sligo Rovers fans at Dalymount who out-numbered and out-sang Bohs fans two years in a row?

Have no problem with most Dublin fans that I have ever met -- hi-fived a few Shels lads before the game. But must be stated, their vocal turnout was very poor, all things considered.

Must dash going to enjoy evening at the Showgies with the Little-Bit-a-Red boys.

Just giving my opinion on what I observed. You of course will have yours. As the saying goes, opinions are like arseholes everyone has one...

[Fivesilver]

I'm not looking for a conspiracy; I'm trying to make sense of what I saw and I am struggling.

I take it you haven't seen much of Richie Winter before. The chat among people I know all week was that he had the potential to seriously mess up the final. He's an utter muppet. No conspiracy - it just happened that he did more damage to you than to us yesterday. He's mucked things up for us in the past on more than one occasion. He was always going to make a pig's micky out of it - the only question was who was going to suffer more.

[bluewhitearmy]

Over 5000 actually.

Great display and atmosphere from BD. Very disappointed with the display and atmosphere from Sligo

I highly doubt there was 500 never mind more but thats just my opinion.

Shels fans were far better though sang all through the game Sligo fans were very quiet.

[CSFShels]

No penalty but no second yellow card

Kelly well off his line for all the penalties (they were very poor penalties none the less).

However Paisley should never have lasted the whole game
Paisley definitely should have received the second yellow card once he'd been booked, but his first yellow card was never even a free-kick so it kinda evened itself?

[born2bwild]

I take it you haven't seen much of Richie Winter before. The chat among people I know all week was that he had the potential to seriously mess up the final. He's an utter muppet. No conspiracy - it just happened that he did more damage to you than to us yesterday. He's mucked things up for us in the past on more than one occasion. He was always going to make a pig's micky out of it - the only question was who was going to suffer more.
No, I saw him send off a Bohs player (Downes?) a month or two ago out in Tallaght.

Edit: No he wasn't the ref for that.

[Hairy Bowsie]

Shels end was more impressive over all through out the game it was a security nightmare as mentioned above our end.

On displays it was easier for Shels having the north stand. It suits all league of Ireland ultras groups better because of the size but BD reused a old crowd cover and their tifo would be lost and not really noticed if it was in the south stand. Both tifos in this video but I think ours was better but I'm biased. Rovers fans also had a load of pyro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Dz-yqB6Jw

You are biased because in the showpiece final, your lot did a card display? Any one person can organise a card display, lack of effort and imagination

[shellyriver]

Just giving my opinion on what I observed. You of course will have yours. As the saying goes, opinions are like arseholes everyone has one...

What I averred was predominately not opinion, as for the last sentence...let's end the metaphor here...for everyone's sake....

[mypost]

Shameful, disgraceful refereeing. I've heard a fair few tinfoil hat stories around Tolka Park about the FAI and of course, I've dismissed them. Now I'm starting to wonder.

Stop wondering. The refs may be incompetent (Martin Hansson, Mike Reed, Alan Kelly) but they are neutral.

[lawman]

"................., but his first yellow card was never even a free-kick so it kinda evened itself? "


clear yellow card for me... but I'm a football supporter not supporter of a particular club :) seriously though, I think it was for stopping the attack rather than being danegerous or anything more sinister. after all nobody was hurt and the medical people didnt have to come on,(as far as I remember)...
Anybody clarify that for me?

[Sean South]

You are biased because in the showpiece final, your lot did a card display? Any one person can organise a card display, lack of effort and imagination

Ill give you your bite squire.
You involved in BD? No? Didn't think so. 4000 cards takes more then one lad. As for imagination each to their own but using old materials for a final not for me. Original? It's not as if any other fan group here has tried cards at that scale and pulled it off. The south stand was full of bandwagoners what would BD do in that stand?

[lawman]

agree with that. lots of mistakes made by lots of people yesterday...

Team selections, pass or shoot, left or right, tackle or not..
Thats what makes football the greatest sport in the world...
All the questions, the what ifs, the yes it was no it wasn't, the agree to disagree,

All we see in the heat of the moment is our own teams colours.
If we win we accept most of the refs mistakes( in our opinion), provided it doesn't have any lasting consequences, like suspensions etc, but if we lose it was all the refs fault, not the manager, not the missed attempts on goal etc


At least thats how I see it and I see far more live football at all levels from schoolboys up to international level than football on tv..... I just can't listen to all the paid experts comentating... easy to see all the right passes and give all the correct ref decisions having tv and computers to draw lines and take away all the guess work.......

Sure isnt that why rugby is so boring? :)

[lawman]

Was at the game and the equaliser looked a rocket... but having watched on MNS I wonder what the keeper was thinking?

Bet he cringed when he saw it.. Must be horrible to be a player and have to see your errors shown to the nation..

Maybe worse than seeing it in the ugly section :)

[lawman]

Again, I'm nuetral, but I didn't see much on MNS that would suggest the ref was disgraceful !!! What I did observe was the opions of all the panel... THEIR OPINIONS.... if you watch it again with the sound off then you will only notice decisions that do not go in favour of your team...... ROSE COLOURED GLASSES SYNDROME.

I believe that was first diagnosed around the time football was invented, funny coincidence that isn't it:D

[lawman]

"The odds are always massively in favour of the taker"

I watch a lot of late night poker and know of no stats that would back that up....

possibilities...
1. goal
2. save
3.wide
4.over the bar
5.hit the bar
6. hit the upright
7. scuff it
8. hit it too softly to cross the goal line
etc etc etc

dont see great odds there:confused:

[El-Pietro]

just to further the Richie Winters is a terrible but not biased ref

I know someone who watched the game with Turlough O'Connor and apparently hes involved in disciplinary hearings. He said that whenever theres hassle its always Winters as he likes to make games about himself

[Charlie Darwin]

Grand job he got the cup final then.

[bennocelt]

Hardly sour grapes like. The keeper was off his line.

It is if they keep moaning about it

[S.E.P.1990]

Ill give you your bite squire.
You involved in BD? No? Didn't think so. 4000 cards takes more then one lad. As for imagination each to their own but using old materials for a final not for me. Original? It's not as if any other fan group here has tried cards at that scale and pulled it off. The south stand was full of bandwagoners what would BD do in that stand?
There were two new banners used in the Shels end and a couple of older ones which where at previous matches. Considering the numbers involved in putting it together I thought they did well.

I liked the Sligo card display. Its much easier to organise unless you are putting a crest/picture on the cards themselves. (Not taking away from the efforts of those involved).

Apart from that there was very little noise from the Sligo end (I think that was a reflection of watching their team playing quite laboured football, and getting nervous). I can't remember amy real chants coming from Sligo, there was a large round of applause at one point which I assume was for a player warming up. The Shels end never really stopped chanting throughout the game....though a lot of it was quite angry chanting!!!

[dong]

Apart from that there was very little noise from the Sligo end (I think that was a reflection of watching their team playing quite laboured football, and getting nervous). I can't remember amy real chants coming from Sligo, there was a large round of applause at one point which I assume was for a player warming up. The Shels end never really stopped chanting throughout the game....though a lot of it was quite angry chanting!!!

We won the game, whether or not your chanting was louder (which I seriously doubt considering your paltry support) is irrelevant so why you keep banging on about it embarrassing yourself is a mystery.
Ask Mathews what he thinks.

[pineapple stu]

"The odds are always massively in favour of the taker"

I watch a lot of late night poker and know of no stats that would back that up....

possibilities...
1. goal
2. save
3.wide
4.over the bar
5.hit the bar
6. hit the upright
7. scuff it
8. hit it too softly to cross the goal line
etc etc etc

dont see great odds there:confused:
Just wanted to highlight quite possibly the most bizarre post ever on foot.ie. And that's saying something.

Obviously hitting your cards too softly to cross the goal line is a common happening in late night poker.