Ucd (h) 16-08-13

[kingpin4]

O'Leary and Kelly are back, don't know about the international clearance for Tiofack or Nyoni yet, but I'm presuming that at this point its come through.

Need a much better performance than against Drogheda last week, I'm hopeful of a 2 - 1 win for us.

Sadly, I think attendance will be low with Junior clubs back fully now.

[kingpin4]

Disgusted. I don't even know what else to say, what a waste of money going there tonight. Less than 1,000 at it too... we were so unbelievably poor! I'm worried again, 9 points off bottom with the next 4 games not really classed as "winnable"
Any other thoughts on tonight's game?

[Lim till i die]

Erm.... Thought the crowd wasnt bad all things considered.

[osarusan]

F**k sake - wake up, open this site, and this is the result I see. What the hell is wrong with the first team?

[kingpin4]

F**k sake - wake up, open this site, and this is the result I see. What the hell is wrong with the first team?

Some of them honestly look like they don't care. Gamble is one of the main ones too, he's been poor for a while.
The system completely failed last night, Curran left isolated again and his work rate wasn't what it usually was.
Don't understand why Taylor waited so long to bring on Gaffney.
This whole idea of keeping possession on the edge of our own box isn't working either, we've conceded so many times by not just getting the ball away to the midfielders.

Thankfully we've a break from the league next week, but I do worry of the repurcussions a heavy defeat to Dundalk could have. We could easily go the next 4 games with no wins.

[fieldofmarkets]

quite poor overhaul, especially as we were looking very comfortable in the first part of the game. Some poor individual performances and an overhaul lack of intensity. I do think Bradley played well and I like him in that spot, he's probably the best passer on the team and stays cool in a tight spot. Despite the poor effort we should still have had 3 goals so I think if Taylor can get them to put the appropriate effort in we will be fine, if not, another win before the season ends is hard to see.

Could not see what happened with the Kelly red, it looked like they just ran into each other. We can't really afford to loose defenders at the moment.


Had gotten used to the Thomand Park pat downs, brought my father in law lastnight to his first game....he was a little taken aback with it. It really does give a very negative experience to the casual attendee.

[LK37oldskool]

Make no mistake,we're in the relegation battle. Home performances are killing us.The constant drop in crowd shows that all the goodwill by the public is gone and we're back to the regulars from the Jackman era. Taylors lack of a Plan B and sticking with players who regularly underperform is a major factor. We all knew that the defence had to be addressed in the transfer window but sadly he rathers playing players out of position. Taylor should be looking over his shoulder.

[Sea Bird]

boring possession going nowhere backwards most of the time they showed more passion and more control when they had it played with purpose I don't know what Taylor is thinking when he says we play total football someone should enlighten him that it is boring negative no penetration and moving it way to slow style of football...only for Shelbourne having a nightmare start to the season we would be in very serious trouble and we could end up there yet looking at the next 4 league fixtures.. after watching tonight I doubht we have the stomach for a scrap and all the opposition know how to play against us ( even pike) ;)

[Jofspring]

Kelly's red card was spot on. He kicked the UCD player up into the air well after the ball was released. It was madness and he got what he deserved.

Barr Nzuzi at centre back and Gaffney when he came on I thought we were brutal. Started the game so brightly with great intensity and it just went downhill from there. Bad decision making was a key one.

Galbraith should have stuck his one on one and Gambles side foot instead of a decent square ball was scandalous.

[delboyderis]

Another very dissapointing result for limerick.the season now seems to be about survival.not good enough all season,cant score up front,poor midfield and defence shocking.stuart talks a lot about progression and learning from mistakes but that doesnt seem to be happening.only 9pts off the bottom now.we should be happy with mediocrity.only 800 or so at the game last night just shows who the real supporters are.from a promising start of the season to this?back to the drawing board im afraid.

[da bishop]

that was tough going last night having to witness what was in general an inept performance,same story line with our tactics...[and lack of?],easy to defend against and as our playmaker,,ryan...is so deep starting potential attacks[if you can call them that] all the opposition have to do is set up properly and wait..for a mistake,a stray pass or press a midfielder like bradley who always recieves the ball facing his own goal.going foward its curran or nothing and one has to feel for him as by the end last night his usual high performance had desended into a sorryfull effort.taylor needs to evaluate,a leader like purcell badly needed,more help for curran,galbraith a kick up the you know where,get the confidence back into the few decent players there,MAKE THE CHANGES even early in games when they warrent it,have the plan B ready ugly or not,cut the bullsh..e interviews and lets finish the season strongly please.

[blueblood]

As da bishop said we make it too easy for the opposition, we don't have the players to do what Taylor thinks we're doing, what other team keeps passing around the back and from forward positions all the way back, we're just not good enough, start by keeping the ball as far away from our back 4 as possible then worry about the rest,

[bluewhitearmy]

He insists on playing a system that suite hardly any if any of the players we have its ridiculous.

[kingpin4]

I don't think you can fault him for not criticising the players in public and always trying to put a good spin on it... Even though he has slaughtered a few in private with just them...
He has been a bit tactically inept in not having a plan B, and the substitutions have been baffling at times. But his biggest fault is trying to put players in to a system instead of picking a system to suit the players.
I know the players haven't performed as expected, but I think they look like they have run out of steam...
He's fairly safe for this year, (unless we get relegated, but that won't (and shouldn't) happen) but next year the fans and board won't be as generous as they have this year. Even the diehard guys I've sat with in the stands were cursing it last night like never before.

[Lim till i die]

Make no mistake,we're in the relegation battle.

We are in our eye.

I make out we prob only have to take four points from our Bohs/Shels/Bray trio of fixtures and the jobs a good un.


The constant drop in crowd shows that all the goodwill by the public is gone and we're back to the regulars from the Jackman era.

You were in Jackman.

847 for a lower mid table slog with ucd on a weekend clashing with the hurlers and junior ball coming back??

You could divide.that crowd by four.


Taylor should be looking over his shoulder.

Not picking on you, there was a lot of this hysteria arpund Friday night.

Given the circumsrances around his appointment he's perfectly entitled to at least the first half of next season.

[LK37oldskool]

LTD, on our current form the next 4 games its likely we'll get zero points. Its also possible that the 4 teams below us will pick up points which puts us in a dog fight.I dont see too many players in that squad with a stomach for that i'm afraid. I was in Jackman every friday night since they moved there and there were very few nights when the crowds dipped to 200. We had the best average attendance in the first division for years.
Thats not my point. I was saying that we are back to the same people who always supported Limerick. Most of the new supporters have decided not to bother any more mainly due to the awful performances. I like many regulars persuaded my friends and work colleagues to come to Limerick games this season and they did but now their not interested as they see the quality of football is so poor which is disappointing but true.
I'll always support Limerick but its Taylor i have doubts about as are many others on this post.

[sadloserkid]

But his biggest fault is trying to put players in to a system instead of picking a system to suit the players.

Hard to disagree with that. They system itself seems flawed to my inexpert eye though. Even when we do try and build from the back they're faced with two static, straight lines of their own players across the pitch ahead of them, as has been said by others, it's easy enough defend against.

All that said (and allowing for the fact that Friday night was a debacle) there is a small amount of hysteria creeping in with some people. Some perspective wouldn't go amiss.

[harpin]

I said this in February

You have to coach the skill before the gameplan, so we may give away a few soft goals this year.......like every other year:p

and we still have the same problem...round holes square peg or whatever

[fieldofmarkets]

Isn't football wonderful....I watch the same games but have to disagree with much of the sentiment. We just came up and our manager did not have enough time to build a full squad of his own, staying up, which we will do, is the measure of success this year. We will be even better next year.

I have no problem with the tactics, our problem has been a lack of effort by too many of our players on too many nights. Any night they show up the tactics have no problem in getting results. We are playing a far more attractive style this year than years past. Yes, our back 4 have conceded goals by playing around at the back. They've conceded even more from lumps forward by the opposition. I'd rather keep playing it around and concede a few rather than watch us get hammered by hoofing (remember watching that under Scully). Once our midfield puts an effort in and gives the defenders some options we will be fine.

[bluewhitearmy]

Isn't football wonderful....I watch the same games but have to disagree with much of the sentiment. We just came up and our manager did not have enough time to build a full squad of his own, staying up, which we will do, is the measure of success this year. We will be even better next year.

I have no problem with the tactics, our problem has been a lack of effort by too many of our players on too many nights. Any night they show up the tactics have no problem in getting results. We are playing a far more attractive style this year than years past. Yes, our back 4 have conceded goals by playing around at the back. They've conceded even more from lumps forward by the opposition. I'd rather keep playing it around and concede a few rather than watch us get hammered by hoofing (remember watching that under Scully). Once our midfield puts an effort in and gives the defenders some options we will be fine.

Based on what? We have been going backwards since the first series of games.

Completely incorrect imo the tactics are awful.

Get hammered? We won the league under Scully?

[fieldofmarkets]

I would say we will be better next year because Taylor will have a deeper squad and made up of players which he has picked.

I guess tactics are one of those things that can be debated without ever having a real conclusion and preferences are subjective. I like this seasons' tactics, just prefer watching them.

We eventually won the league with Scully. I was delighted, but it certainly wasn't pretty.

[kingpin4]

I would say we will be better next year because Taylor will have a deeper squad and made up of players which he has picked.

He's picked nearly all the players, very few were already signed when he got in because there was a lot of nervousness on here about starting pre season with only 4 (? I'm happy to be corrected) players signed. Gamble, Bradley, O'Leary and Purcell are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head.
Granted he probably doesn't have as many signed as he'd like, but remember he had Mernagh, Long, Michael Daly, Garry Shanahan, Derek O'Brien and a few more all training for a few weeks and offered them nothing. Before we get into are they good enough to start or not, they'd certainly be better options than what we've had on the bench for most of the season.

I'm obviously for giving him time and building slowly, but to have the 6th biggest budget and barely survive would not constitute a successful season in my eyes.
People are definitely being influenced by all the post match negativity though, we'll all mellow during the week and think we'll win Friday again :)

[delboyderis]

dont be making excuses about the junior soccer season and hurling on which affected the crowd numbers.its the die hard fans who support limerick week in week out.you have guys who
























excuses like junior soccer season and hurling dont wash.its the die hard lads who support the team week in week out that keep it going.also a lot of people support english soccer but wont support their own and yet they hate the english?i wouldnt say that limerick are safe yet from relegation with the form they are in.its going to be an anxious end to the season and what promised so much has withered away to a really poor first season in the top flight.




+

[NeverFeltBetter]

I keep saying this over and over again, but Limerick are not the Irish Man City. Finishing in 10th is a successful season in your first year back in the PD, and I fully believe the team will finish several places higher than that, and higher again next season.

[sadloserkid]

what promised so much has withered away to a really poor first season in the top flight

I'm not disappointed at all, quite encouraged by where we are to be honest. As you noted it's our first season in the top flight, it's gone o.k. overall.

[bluewhitearmy]

I keep saying this over and over again, but Limerick are not the Irish Man City. Finishing in 10th is a successful season in your first year back in the PD, and I fully believe the team will finish several places higher than that, and higher again next season.


I'm not disappointed at all, quite encouraged by where we are to be honest. As you noted it's our first season in the top flight, it's gone o.k. overall.

No lads remember its not good enough if we are not challenging for the league in our first season up or at least Europe. After all "With the squad we have we should be winning" with out first team full of players with loads of LOI winning experience and our bench of superstars i think its only fair that we win everything.

Seriously though some people around Limerick seem to have no understanding at all of football let alone LOI with their expectations. Something that you will get with going up and getting bigger crowds though i suppose.

[NeverFeltBetter]

The sort of comments the Facebook page gets during matches are the worst example of that. There are people there who really think Limerick are Abu Dhabi United.

[bluewhitearmy]

The sort of comments the Facebook page gets during matches are the worst example of that. There are people there who really think Limerick are Abu Dhabi United.

The best for me is "With the players we brought in from the UK we should be doing better" id love to know what people are basing it on seen as i think its safe to say that none of them had ever heard of let alone seen Axel,Folan,Nzuzi and Curran play before and one or two may have heard of Galbraith and Williams but i bet ya very little or none have seen them play more then twice.

They seem to expect these lads to be as good as the players playing in England and Scotland, if they were they wouldnt be here.

[sadloserkid]

Shur Folan and Nzuzi had basically never played first team football anywhere before, you can't get that sort of experience on the cheap.

I feel I should stress that I don't think we've had a perfect season by any stretch but the level of expectation that some people seem to have brought with them this year beggars belief.

[Jofspring]

This is something I feel a lot of our fans (and Pat Dolan) need to realise.


Malky Thomson: Shane Costelloe was the youngest to line out in Friday’s home game against UCD, but the 18-year-old was joined in defence by Stephen Folan (21) and Patrick Nzuzi (20), in a back four that had an average age of just 20.75 years.

Also on the pitch were the likes of 21-year-old David O’Leary and the quartet of Shaun Kelly, Danny Galbraith, Axel Bossekota and Craig Curran who are all 24 or under.

The average age of the seven-man bench was just over 19, with 17-year-olds Tony Whitehead and Colm Murphy included among the substitutes and Rory Gaffney (23) and Darragh Rainsford (18) coming on in the second half.

Despite one or two older lads the vast majority of the team this season are youngfellas and are still learning the game.

[da bishop]

poor judgement call by malkey there ,the age thing is certainly irrelevent i terms of the ucd game,did he have the calculator ready near the end of the game to help evaluate the poor performance in terms of age?....ucd average age i.e. whole team is probably 20.75.WE DID NOT SPEND BIG for sure people do need to realise that ,but we are paying handsome wages and looking after the players well ,some being fulltime so our budget is quite large and some players would want to realise that and buck up.ya overall a midtable finish would be acceptable imo,but anything less would be disappointing,tbf most can see what taylor is trying to achieve ,he deserves time to do it but it does not mean he or the players are beyond a question or two every now and then and lately thats getting a regular thing.

[Jofspring]

Malky was talking about in the bigger scheme of things like the future rather than the UCD match in particular.