Under 16s

[NeverFeltBetter]

Started in the LSDL First Division, have won first two games 21-0 and 8-0 according to the LSDL website.

Limerick had this statement up a short time ago, regards their (failed) attempts to be placed in the top tier: http://www.limerickfc.ie/limerick-fc-statement

It's an interesting question I suppose, as to whether the vast disparity in quality outweighs the traditional need to climb the ladder like everyone else, but its disappointing to see what will be, in effect, a largely wasted year for some of the clubs younger members.

[Jofspring]

Limerick should be Treated the same way as any other team/club be more in line if they stop going around tapping up players from all age groups.

The same way Pike and a few more junior clubs have been doing for years.

Limerick weren't looking for preferential treatment. Clubs are always asked at underage what division they would like to be in at different age groups based on what quality they have in the squad. Limerick said they had a strong squad so felt they should be in the premier under 16 league. The LDSL felt differently and despite limerick saying they were very strong still put them in the first division.

It has nothing to do with limerick wanting an entitlement over any other club. It comes down to the LDSL putting limerick in a division which is causing results like 21-0 and 8-0 (which was blown up with 20mins to go). It's of no benefit to anyone in the first division.

[redron]

Limerick should be Treated the same way as any other team/club be more in line if they stop going around tapping up players from all age groups.

Eh?
Is this where all the PS4 pre-orders have gone?:disappointed:;)



:rolleyes:

[redron]

Limerick should be Treated the same way as any other team/club...

Maybe things have changed in the meantime, but when Limerick entered an Under 12 team in 2011-12, they presumed they would be put in the bottom division (they had a "weak" squad, with many players having never played football outside of school (i.e. not in a proper club structure) and they were a new club in that age group), but they were placed in the top division.

After suffering a number of heavy defeats and giving a couple of walk-overs (iirc, I don't think they even scored a single goal), the team was withdrawn from the league.
A good few of the players didn't find other clubs :disappointed:.

:yin-yang:

[Jofspring]

I think you may find a big difference in tapping up junior players and tapping up schoolboys.

Not really. They are plenty of bigger clubs in this city that have tapped up schoolboys from other clubs. Happens all over the country and the world really.

[Sea Bird]

hypocrisy of the highest order pike have done more tapping in schoolboy football in the past 3 years than river dance ;)

[jaorta]

It is an absolute disgrace what is happening with this group of fourteen year olds.To meter out a 21-0 beating
to other kids is a very poor reflection on Limerick fc and on this teams management.the second match (8-0)
would have finished double this if it was played to the death.as a limerick fc supporter i think something needs to be
done immediately to restore our good?? relationship with the junior clubs.There is an awful amount of bad feeling being
generated and a lot of soccer people have made it known that they will never go to see limerick again.is pat o sullivan
aware of the situation??I know we wanted to be in the top tier but maybe we have poached too many players
a lot of whom have come from the desmond league which has had a very adverse effect on their home teams and god only
knows how poor the desmonds will be when it comes to inter-league tournaments.We are burning our bridges all over
the place and i feel we need to sort this out ourselves before any more damage is done.Anyone with a semblance
of football knowledge would have known that we didnt need to plunder so much to win either division.

[Jofspring]

I don't see what more they can do than releasing the statement. All clubs try get the best players in not just Limerick FC. The draw of progressing to the under 19's and further within the club is obviously enticing players in.

In saying that I think a rule needs to be brought in similar to the one trying to be enforced in Dublin where teams can't pull players from a certain distance away from their clubs base at certain age levels. We all know there has been a few clubs for years pulling players from all around Limerick when they hit under 17 and minor level.

I was involved with a club only a few years ago that had an under 14's player being tapped up by another local club.

Im involved with Coonagh now and a lot of lads that play with us played with Coonagh up to about 15 or 16 and then got asked to come up to other clubs to try win things and now a few years down the line have returned.

Its the nature of football sadly.

If you look at some of limericks successful under 17 and minor teams over the last 10 years or so a lot of the teams are made up of players that all came from other clubs from all around Limerick city and county and not necessarily up through that clubs youth system.

It seems at the moment there is another big fish in the pond at the moment and its knocking a few noses out of joint.

[Sea Bird]

beating another bunch of kids 21-0 to prove a point is not the answer to any problem.. is pat o sullivan aware of that?? the manager of that team should hang his head in shame absolute disgrace... go organise a game against st Kevin's boys or one of the top clubs and see how they get on??

[NeverFeltBetter]

What do you want the manager to do? Tell them to play without a goalie or something? They wanted to be in the top tier but were refused. If the other teams can't cope, it's not Limerick's problem.

[jaorta]

What do you want the manager to do? Tell them to play without a goalie or something? They wanted to be in the top tier but were refused. If the other teams can't cope, it's not Limerick's problem.

Im more concerned about the damage our actions are doing to this age group and its league.If you think we would get any sort of competition from the top division you are deluding yourself and the clubs statement comes across to me as being a bit arrogant.We would be winning these games 10-0 as well,dont be kidding yourself.Just because pike rovers have done this in the past doesnt make it right.word has it that one of the head men in the desmond league is scouting fourteen year olds for us!!!

[Sea Bird]

What do you want the manager to do? Tell them to play without a goalie or something? They wanted to be in the top tier but were refused. If the other teams can't cope, it's not Limerick's problem. it's kids your talking about so it's right the senior club in the city the club that are trying to encourage people to come and watch them at senior level go out and destroy a bunch of kids by 20 goals and maybe turn these kids off ever playing football again it ain't the rest of the teams fault in that division that limerick are in it.. 8,9,10 is enough put yourself in the shoes of the kids and parents at the receiving end of that walloping and the clubs..it's an absolute disgrace in my eyes and will win the club no friends in the long run..

[Jofspring]

I'd love to know what happened on the day. Firstly the ref should never have let the game go beyond 10-0. Secondly the opposition teams manager should have called for it to be blown up early and thirdly the limerick manager should have asked for it to be blown up early.

Until we know the facts on what happened on the day I'll reserve judgement.

I know of managers in the past that wouldn't let a game be blown up even when it was their team being hammered. I know of a ref before that wouldn't blow a game early either and I have also heard of managers that were over the team giving the stuffing that refused to allow the game being blown up.

[kingpin4]

it's kids your talking about so it's right the senior club in the city the club that are trying to encourage people to come and watch them at senior level go out and destroy a bunch of kids by 20 goals and maybe turn these kids off ever playing football again it ain't the rest of the teams fault in that division that limerick are in it.. 8,9,10 is enough put yourself in the shoes of the kids and parents at the receiving end of that walloping and the clubs..it's an absolute disgrace in my eyes and will win the club no friends in the long run..

I'm with Sea Bird on this. The relationship with the LDSL is already poor enough, so going thrashing teams 21 nil isn't doing anyone any favours.
The statement wasn't really necessary either, it did smack a SMALL bit of arrogance (even though it wasn't intended)

Imagine being one of those 16 year olds going in to school on a Monday morning and having to face that. You'll just end up crippling other teams in the division. I wouldn't be long taking my son out of a situation where he loses a game 21 0, serves no benefit to anyone. And of course it will have an effect on the attendances at Senior games.

[dutchie]

I was at the recent Limerick v LOngford u19s match and was talking to a coach who told me about the 21-0 score line,he said they were going to show up the ldmc,also a coach from the losing team told limericks manager that he hopes his players would never be embarrassed like his team were on the field.
I think it's a ploy of the underage management to tap up players from the Desmond leg,LImerick Desmond have made huge strides in the last 10 years and are very competitive,Limerick I feel think they will get less slack if they tap up the country boys instead of the city boys.
It seems LImerick tap up the players and then hold a camp where these players come in free of charge and sign for Limerick.Limerick fc spins the story that the players came to the camp of their own will and signed up themselves.
Of last years Kenneddy cup team from the Desmond's there are 8 players from it on this years Limerick 15 s team,one coming all the way from Broadford.
If these players are being tapped up by a Desmond lge official as stated above then that person should be named and questioned about it.

[Lim till i die]

If you think we would get any sort of competition from the top division you are deluding yourself and the clubs statement comes across to me as being a bit arrogant.We would be winning these games 10-0 as well,dont be kidding yourself.

The team thats there now at U-16 wouldnt win the U-16 Premier.

Similarly the U-15 team wouldnt be favourites for their league.

[bluewhitearmy]

Lads ye are talking absolute crap. Why in the name of god would Limerick not ask the better players to sign for them? Every schoolboy club has taken players from other clubs i wouldnt be surprised if some of the players Limerick have taken were already taken from another club to the one we took em from.

As for the scoreline, what are Limerick coaches supposed to do tell their players not to try as hard? What a great message that would be for young players to go out and not give their best.

Limerick are the top team in the City and County and it should be the aim of the senior club of Limerick to have the best players in Limerick it should also be the aim of the best players in Limerick to come and play for Limerick. Some of the posts on this just show how ridiculous the thought process of people involved in Junior and Schoolboy soccer are imo. "Tapping up" players ffs they dont have contracts they are not being paid they are being asked to sign and its then up to them if they would like to or not. If Limerick didnt have the best players at underage level then they wouldnt be progressing to under 19s and the hopefully the senior team then you would have people on here whinging that Limerick are not producing their own u19s or senior players or that Limerick have no players from Limerick coming through.

[redron]

As I understand it, the situation is like this:

* This is a new team for Limerick FC; the LDSL told the club there would be no barrier to entering the team, and to go out and assemble a squad

* On assessing the squad assembled, the coach indicated to the committee the strength of the squad and asked them to seek entry to the appropriate division

* LDSL considered all evidence and placed the team in the second tier


All coaches at all clubs try to assemble the strongest squad possible to work with.
Have there been any cases of actual inducement? Surely most players will base their decision on which club to play for on some combination of club loyalty, ambition and social interactions (i.e. if they have friends on the team).

Now, I can see the predicament that the LDSL found themselves in: which team from the top tier would they relegate to the second tier in order to fit Limerick FC in? Which club, inevitably with a more longstanding affiliation to the league, would they offend? I reckon they genuinely underestimated the gulf in ability between the Limerick FC squad and the rest of the division -- perhaps even expecting Limerick to win every match, but not in the manner which has unfolded.
Now, I don't know if there has been a change in the rules in the meantime, but I'm sure the club is slightly baffled by the difference in how this team has been assessed by the LDSL and how the Under 12 team was assessed for the 2011-12 season (see my previous post (http://foot.ie/threads/182986-Under-16s?p=1707773=1#post1707773)).

Of course, the question of how this team might continue on next season is a complicated one, as Limerick FC is not currently affiliated to the LDMC (they run the Under 17 league, don't they?).

[Sea Bird]

Lads ye are talking absolute crap. Why in the name of god would Limerick not ask the better players to sign for them? Every schoolboy club has taken players from other clubs i wouldnt be surprised if some of the players Limerick have taken were already taken from another club to the one we took em from.

As for the scoreline, what are Limerick coaches supposed to do tell their players not to try as hard? What a great message that would be for young players to go out and not give their best.

Limerick are the top team in the City and County and it should be the aim of the senior club of Limerick to have the best players in Limerick it should also be the aim of the best players in Limerick to come and play for Limerick. Some of the posts on this just show how ridiculous the thought process of people involved in Junior and Schoolboy soccer are imo. "Tapping up" players ffs they dont have contracts they are not being paid they are being asked to sign and its then up to them if they would like to or not. If Limerick didnt have the best players at underage level then they wouldnt be progressing to under 19s and the hopefully the senior team then you would have people on here whinging that Limerick are not producing their own u19s or senior players or that Limerick have no players from Limerick coming through.have no problem with anything you are saying except a coach letting his team win by that margin it's about humility and teaching the kids to show a bit of respect not go score again after 8r9 keep possession move the ball it was obvious to the kids at half time that it is a mismatch and what would they gain from doing that?? answer absolutely nothing..it's kids you are talking about at the end if the day not adults.. Limerick F.C. are a business and they need the public to keep them going I was one of many people disgusted when I heard the scoreline.. it was 100% wrong in my opinion...

[Jofspring]

The final scoreline was definitely wrong and should not have been allowed. I don't think the ref should have given either club a choice. Either blow it up or at the very least blow everything possible offside to keep it someway respectable.

[Gerrard1]

Limerick FC need to pull out of schoolboy football. The Limerick schoolboy league needs to take a serious look at the movement of players between schoolboy clubs. The best players moving to one or two clubs only weakens the clubs they have moved from. Schoolboy players and managers/coaches are disillusioned and are giving up football. Schoolboy football can learn from the GAA attitude towards player transfers where players rarely transfer. I'm a Limerick FC supporter and also involved with a Schoolboy club.

[Jofspring]

Limerick FC need to pull out of schoolboy football. The Limerick schoolboy league needs to take a serious look at the movement of players between schoolboy clubs. The best players moving to one or two clubs only weakens the clubs they have moved from. Schoolboy players and managers/coaches are disillusioned and are giving up football. Schoolboy football can learn from the GAA attitude towards player transfers where players rarely transfer. I'm a Limerick FC supporter and also involved with a Schoolboy club.

It would be crazy for Limerick to pull out of schoolboy. For years people have complained Limerick don't bring through their own players and now they are doing it or aiming to do it over time, people are complaining. The club needs to be self sustaining with its own youth structure or it will be forever doomed.

To cut off its future supply of players would basically mean no future for Limerick FC and be complete madness.

I agree about being stricter with the movement of schoolboys though and that should be throughout the country. I have thought for years (long before Limerick FC had schoolboys) that rules should be in place to stop the tapping up of schoolboys.

As I have mentioned, this is not some new phenomenom of clubs taking schoolboys from each other and a lot of the top schoolboy teams take players from all over Limerick city and county. Up in Dublin it is rife (hence the new rules up there) and even the Dubs come down to Limerick and take lads up there. I know quiet a few lads that signed for Dublin clubs at schoolboy level while still living in Limerick and had to travel up and down as 13 and 14 year olds.

Its big business for a lot of the Dublin clubs to come down for the Kennedy cup and tap up the best schoolboys around the country in the hope of moving them on to the UK and get a pay day out of it.

At the end of the day though it is up to the parents who they want their kids to play for at the very youngest ages and after that its up to the kids. No one forces anyone to sign anywhere they don't want to.

[blueblood]

If I had a kid with potential to progress up to u

[blueblood]

If I had a kid with potential to progress to u19s and beyond shows his ambition and signs for Limerick FI, then is told told by his coach not to try his hardest because the opposition were getting hammered I'd be p#ssed off! You can't expect some of the best players not to try what good is that to any young player?

[Treaty Gooner]

The plan was for Limerick to introduce schoolboy teams and gradually develop their structure from u8s up. This would have prevented and poaching accusations. Why did they decide to bowl in with u16s, entice many top players with promises of LOI u17 football and **** everybody off? Sorry, the league might be a bunch of old farts but sticking two fingers to them and everyone else in the league won't win them any friends.

[bluewhitearmy]

The plan was for Limerick to introduce schoolboy teams and gradually develop their structure from u8s up. This would have prevented and poaching accusations. Why did they decide to bowl in with u16s, entice many top players with promises of LOI u17 football and **** everybody off? Sorry, the league might be a bunch of old farts but sticking two fingers to them and everyone else in the league won't win them any friends.

Why shouldnt they have an under 16s? Valid reasons please not "They tokl players from other clubs" or " Its annoyed people" that is complete bull.

[bluewhitearmy]

About the scoreline if it was 13 or 14 year olds id say something but at 16 you are near enough to being of age to be part of senior teams that if you are not good enough then thats your problem. There are 16 and 17 year olds in the Limerick senior set up at the minute do you think St.Pats or Sligo would go easy on them same with Junior teams you think if Pike had 16 or 17 year olds in the team that the likes of Carew or Boro would take it easy on em? Not a chance.

Its not nice to see but the only people to blame are the ones that put a team in with such weaker teams in no way can Limerick FC coaches or players be blamed for going out and playing the game to the best of their ability imo.

[Treaty Gooner]

I'm afraid it's not bull, it's a plan they reneged on and it (poaching) is the biggest issue in schoolboy football. Develop your own players - which Limerick are doing, their original u8s from a few years back must be u11 or u12 now - and there's no issue. Poaching happens everywhere but that ruling has to come from the SFAI.

[bluewhitearmy]

I'm afraid it's not bull, it's a plan they reneged on and it (poaching) is the biggest issue in schoolboy football. Develop your own players - which Limerick are doing, their original u8s from a few years back must be u11 or u12 now - and there's no issue. Poaching happens everywhere but that ruling has to come from the SFAI.


When the season is over then no player is attached to any club so how is asking a player that is not attached to any club "poaching" or "tapping up" its not its asking a player that was with a club the previous season if he would like to join a new club the next season. There is no-one being forced there is no-one being offered money its people being asked would you like to join Limerick and then its up to them would they rather stay where they were or would they like to sign for Limerick and its their right to choose. The attitude here seems to be that they have to stay where they were just cos that is where they were that is ridiculous. Players leave clubs and players join clubs thats football.

Should players be stuck with clubs and teams they are too good for just because they played for them before?

Saying they should not have brought in a 16s team is ridiculous too they need it for people to progress to 19s if they didnt have it then they would still be taking 16 and 17 year olds to go into the 19s team and people would be whinging about that.

Like i have said before it should be the aim of all the best players in Limerick to play with the senior team of Limerick with the aim to progress to LOI or even a better level then LOI if anyone had any reasons why that should not be the case id love to know what it is.

[Gerrard1]

At the end of the day though it is up to the parents who they want their kids to play for at the very youngest ages and after that its up to the kids. No one forces anyone to sign anywhere they don't want to.

Parents are a big part of the problem. Some become football experts overnight even though they know nothing about the game and have never played. Many parents demand to know why their kid isn't starting every game and worst still why their kid is being played in a position the kid doesn't like. Parents 15 and 20 years ago never questioned club coaches and they gave their kids a clip around the ear if the kids questioned a coach in any way. Like i said the schoolboy league need to bring in strong rules which limit the movement of players from one club to another. Then we will see more competitive leagues and we might even see those players/coaches/volunteers that have packed it in coming back to the game.

[dutchie]

When the season is over then no player is attached to any club so how is asking a player that is not attached to any club "poaching" or "tapping up" its not its asking a player that was with a club the previous season if he would like to join a new club the next season. There is no-one being forced there is no-one being offered money its people being asked would you like to join Limerick and then its up to them would they rather stay where they were or would they like to sign for Limerick and its their right to choose. The attitude here seems to be that they have to stay where they were just cos that is where they were that is ridiculous. Players leave clubs and players join clubs thats football.

Should players be stuck with clubs and teams they are too good for just because they played for them before?

Saying they should not have brought in a 16s team is ridiculous too they need it for people to progress to 19s if they didnt have it then they would still be taking 16 and 17 year olds to go into the 19s team and people would be whinging about that.

Like i have said before it should be the aim of all the best players in Limerick to play with the senior team of Limerick with the aim to progress to LOI or even a better level then LOI if anyone had any reasons why that should not be the case id love to know what it is.

A club Approaching players in off season to sign is against the rules of the Desmond schoolboy lge,its called poaching,promising them the chance of playing u17 lge of Ireland is wrong,they should be left with there respective teams and be called in if they are good enough at u17 as they are finished with schoolboy soccer then,a lot of the clubs run busses from the Desmond lge into senior matches and travel in themselves and are valuable supporters,its all about bums on seats and if Limerick keep their policy of poaching maybe the two fingers will be thrown back at them!

[Daydreamer]

Its my understanding that from talking to people Invoved with Limerick that They dont Ask any players to sign , Just have summer camps and the Kids will follow other Kids , I watched That Under 16 team against Star Rovers and whilst well Better than star , Dont think that many are good enough to play at loi under 17 or 19 level , Do agree that Kids should stay with There clubs until they go to the next level ie airtricity U 17 / u 19 , any player worth his salt will want to go there , Problem is when and if an U 17 loi starts (is it definately happening) that players would have to sign at 14 15 and 16 years of age if they are good enough , I think that there will be huge problems then

[bluewhitearmy]

A club Approaching players in off season to sign is against the rules of the Desmond schoolboy lge,its called poaching,promising them the chance of playing u17 lge of Ireland is wrong,they should be left with there respective teams and be called in if they are good enough at u17 as they are finished with schoolboy soccer then,a lot of the clubs run busses from the Desmond lge into senior matches and travel in themselves and are valuable supporters,its all about bums on seats and if Limerick keep their policy of poaching maybe the two fingers will be thrown back at them!


Why should they be left at their respective teams? moving clubs is part of football if a player wants to leave and join a different club should he be forced to stay? Thats hardly fair on someone is it?

If coaches are getting that upset about players leaving they have no business being involved in football anyway as its part of football they should know that from the start.

The point of taking them at 16 is so they will be ready for 17s other then just throwing them together then.

There is not one single schoolboy club in the entire country that has never taken a player from another club id imagine.

So far you have repeated that players should be left at the club they are at without once giving a reason why.

[Treaty Gooner]

Do you know where the players come from BWA? 90% of the u19s are from the Emerging Talent, they haven't been developed by LFC but that's ok, they're ambitous enough to play at a high level. The LFC coaches and Emerging Talent coaches are the same people. The problem with the 16s and later the 17s is that they won't be, they'll just be LDSL or LDMC teams, the LOI u17 players will come from the Emerging Talent again. These current 16s aren't Emerging Talent players, they have being poached, spoofed that they'll play LOI and won't be developed by the novice coaches Limerick have in there. Dutchie makes a good point, for a club with poor performances and dwindling attendances they're doing themselves no favours.

[Gerrard1]

If coaches are getting that upset about players leaving they have no business being involved in football anyway as its part of football they should know that from the start.

So far you have repeated that players should be left at the club they are at without once giving a reason why.

How would Limerick FC feel if other League of Ireland Clubs came in and poached the best of the Limerick FC players ? think noses would be out of joint then...
Also, for the 3rd time the reason why players should be left with their clubs is because schoolboy teams will pull out of the league if the best players are transferring to play with just one or two clubs...this will reduce the number of teams in the leagues and it could also reduce the number of leagues. You'd never know we might end up with a League something like : Limerick FC A v Limerick FC B v Limerick FC C.
We can call it poaching/summer camps/word of mouth/friends telling friends etc - it doesn't really matter, the facts are that the lure of Limerick FC is too much for schoolboys to resist. Limerick FC need to go back to being what it was in the good old days, just a League of Ireland Club representing the people of Limerick and surrounding areas. Limerick FC should not be competing against Limerick schoolboy clubs. Terrible stuff.

[Treaty Gooner]

I think they should absolutely have schoolboy teams but with the club's chequered history with the city surely they recognise they need to be much more careful than the other clubs when it comes to these matters. Nobody wants to see LFC do badly but whoever is making the decisions to poach players, go to the papers with these stories etc needs to consider the long term effect it can have on the club.

[Daydreamer]

Players Move clubs all the time lads and in Big numbers , Last year Regional Utd Under 16 team got to a national cup final with the majority being from the County , Pike are winnining Practically every league from u11 to U14 beacause they have got players from Other clubs , Coonagh got a whole new team a couple of years ago at u 13 , a lot of these players have gone to summerville since , Players Move all the time from club to club for various reason , ambition parents friends etc , I do agree though that kids should not be given false hope by and i hope that Limerick fc are Not dangling that LOI carrot to young players , I imagine that Young people from all over the mid west will want to sign with Limerick FC because they are the senior club and playing in a good stadium and are dreaming of maybe one day playing there , My gut feeling though is that the majority of these kids are being encouraged to go Into limerick by there parents ,

[Lim till i die]

Delete

[bluewhitearmy]

How would Limerick FC feel if other League of Ireland Clubs came in and poached the best of the Limerick FC players ? think noses would be out of joint then...
Also, for the 3rd time the reason why players should be left with their clubs is because schoolboy teams will pull out of the league if the best players are transferring to play with just one or two clubs...this will reduce the number of teams in the leagues and it could also reduce the number of leagues. You'd never know we might end up with a League something like : Limerick FC A v Limerick FC B v Limerick FC C.
We can call it poaching/summer camps/word of mouth/friends telling friends etc - it doesn't really matter, the facts are that the lure of Limerick FC is too much for schoolboys to resist. Limerick FC need to go back to being what it was in the good old days, just a League of Ireland Club representing the people of Limerick and surrounding areas. Limerick FC should not be competing against Limerick schoolboy clubs. Terrible stuff.


This right here is why there is no point in even talking to you about the situation anymore you haven't a clue.

[Treaty Gooner]

This right here is why there is no point in even talking to you about the situation anymore you haven't a clue.

It was a sweeping statement alright but this sham of 'producing our own players for the 17s and 19s' is ridiculous. They'll come from the Emerging Talent and nowhere else.

[bluewhitearmy]

Do you know where the players come from BWA? 90% of the u19s are from the Emerging Talent, they haven't been developed by LFC but that's ok, they're ambitous enough to play at a high level. The LFC coaches and Emerging Talent coaches are the same people. The problem with the 16s and later the 17s is that they won't be, they'll just be LDSL or LDMC teams, the LOI u17 players will come from the Emerging Talent again. These current 16s aren't Emerging Talent players, they have being poached, spoofed that they'll play LOI and won't be developed by the novice coaches Limerick have in there. Dutchie makes a good point, for a club with poor performances and dwindling attendances they're doing themselves no favours.

There is noting to say that these players if good enough wont go on to LOI. All this talk that they have been spoofed about this and that id believe it when i see it for myself.

Daydreamer has given example sof other clubs in Limerick that have taken players. It happens in every league and ive never seen people get so upset about it.

[bluewhitearmy]

It was a sweeping statement alright but this sham of 'producing our own players for the 17s and 19s' is ridiculous. They'll come from the Emerging Talent and nowhere else.

There is nothing to say this will be the case. There is 100% no chance they will be developed by Limerick if they dont even have 15s and 16s teams at least now there is a chance for them to be developed and brought through.

[sadloserkid]

How would Limerick FC feel if other League of Ireland Clubs came in and poached the best of the Limerick FC players ?

It happens. The year Limerick reached the First Division playoffs most of our first team was picked off by other clubs (two to Cork, two to Galway, one each to Sligo and Waterford). Limerick got on with things, it's not pretty but it's life. People are entitled to move onto what they feel are better situations.


Nobody wants to see LFC do badly.

LOTS and LOTS of people (not you) want LFC to crash and burn, let's not delude ourselves here.

[NeverFeltBetter]

LOTS and LOTS of people (not you) want LFC to crash and burn, let's not delude ourselves here.


Maybe because limerick think they are the top dogs I for one hope they go bust for the how many time.they don't even have a place to call there own always going around with cap in hand.p.s. jp won't bail them out forever.

Case in point.

This hysteria over trying to sign the best players of the age group - trying to, not forcing - is bizarre to me. The idea that youngsters should be forced to stay at the very first club they play for is moronic. This isn't GAA lads.

[Jofspring]

It was a sweeping statement alright but this sham of 'producing our own players for the 17s and 19s' is ridiculous. They'll come from the Emerging Talent and nowhere else.

Over the last numbe of years the club has gotten players from the emerging talent in Ennis but this year a lot of under 19's are only 16 and 17 and have come from clubs in Limerick. Declan Farmer was only looking at the emerging talent at one stage but that has changed.

In limerick you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.

As mentioned no one batted an eyelid when the limerick fc schoolboy teams were struggling but now they are doing well its considered a disgrace.

Who are any of us to tell kids whether they are or aren't good enough to progress to LOI. If the youngfella wants to test himself and try make strides that's up to himself.

Lads have been heading to the UK for years only to be sent packing a few years later and a lot give up football. I haven't seen anyone giving out about that. Why not try keep them here for longer and let them progress up the ranks?

[jaorta]

[QUOTE=Treaty Gooner;1709350]Do you know where the players come from BWA? 90% of the u19s are from the Emerging Talent, they haven't been developed by LFC but that's ok, they're ambitous enough to play at a high level. The LFC coaches and Emerging Talent coaches are the same people.


I dont think that you are correct there treaty.My experience of the emerging talent
programme is that the coaches are from the FAI not LFC.I do agree with you and
dutchie that the club is doing untold damage to its fanbase,which is the main point being
made here but obviously some people have their head buried in the sand and will keep coming
onto this thread repeating the same points over and over again.I think we all ultimately want the best for Limerick fc
but some people need to see the broader picture which is we should be forging links and allies
within the county and city not alienating them.This to me is the crux of the matter...

[bluewhitearmy]

[QUOTE=Treaty Gooner;1709350]Do you know where the players come from BWA? 90% of the u19s are from the Emerging Talent, they haven't been developed by LFC but that's ok, they're ambitous enough to play at a high level. The LFC coaches and Emerging Talent coaches are the same people.


I dont think that you are correct there treaty.My experience of the emerging talent
programme is that the coaches are from the FAI not LFC.I do agree with you and
dutchie that the club is doing untold damage to its fanbase,which is the main point being
made here but obviously some people have their head buried in the sand and will keep coming
onto this thread repeating the same points over and over again.I think we all ultimately want the best for Limerick fc
but some people need to see the broader picture which is we should be forging links and allies
within the county and city not alienating them.This to me is the crux of the matter...


So Limerick should not aim to have strong teams in case people dont go to games over it? If people are stupid enough to not go to games because Limerick have signed a player from a club they are involved with then that is their own problem. It will make no difference to Limerick really in the long run if they are doing well then the bandwagon will get going and they will have good crowds if they are not they will have the usual few hundred that have been around for years.

[Jofspring]

You can't please everyone at the end of the day and the day the club try to please everyone is the day it will fold again.

Scrap the underage and don't try bring in the best players then the current fans stop coming.

Bring in the best young players and then the angry schoolboy teams stop coming.

Sign lads from outside of Limerick then people complain we have a team of Dubs or LOI journeymen.

A few years back we had all junior lads pretty much and people complained we were useless and going nowhere.

Sign lads from the UK and people claim the club are spending thousands and thousands and their is no connection between the senior team and the city.

For every thing Limerick FC do there is always someone upset, aggrieved, ****ed off etc…

It's basically a lose lose at the moment with a lot of people hoping the club fail so they can say "I told you so".

[NeverFeltBetter]

If Limerick don't make the effort to promote their youth teams, then the senior side won't be as good in the long run, which means the results won't be good in the long run, so the attendances will suffer.

Or maybe we can just spend loads of cash on the senior side to get success. No problems with that approach, no sir.

That we should try to "make friends" by deliberately aiming to have mediocre youth sides is a terrible approach. I don't want supporters to show up if it is concurrent with crippling our youth sides. If young lads want to play with Limerick, its their and their parents call. If you're unhappy, bitch to them.

[bluewhitearmy]

Also how many will actually stop coming because we have signed a few schoolboys, not many id imagine.