Dave Kelly - the boot room

[Ringo]

© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie

Shels collect season's honours

Wednesday November 24th 2004


THE formalities may have concluded off the pitch but The Boot Room can always make a little more time to upset even more Eircom League hotheads. So, in no particular order, and with no particular reason to offend, as this is purely a personal reflection, here is a brief compendium of the Premier Division campaign's highs and lows.

Team of the season: Undoubtedly, Shelbourne. Winning back-to-back titles would have sealed the award in itself, but their European adventure has also raised the bar. Emulating their achievements will prove to be an even bigger test of their ability next season.

Flop of the season: Bohemians. From double winners to also-rans in double-quick time. The messy end to Stephen Kenny's tenure may not have altered the tenor of their season but failure to finish in the top two certainly has. Predictably shorn of many of their best players, having allowed their contracts to lapse, next season will be an uphill struggle for a club who have demonstrated a will to be the country's best.

Players of the season: Eschewing convention, we'll choose one per club. Bohemians Kevin Hunt. Cork City Kevin Doyle. Derry City Peter Hutton. Drogheda United Dan Connor. Dublin City Gary O'Neill. Longford Town Sean Dillon. St Patrick's Athletic Keith Fahey. Shamrock Rovers Trevor Molloy. Shelbourne Wes Hoolahan. Waterford United Daryl Murphy.

Manager of the season: Pat Fenlon. Special mention to Alan Matthews.

Goals of the season - Champions League: Dave Rogers' left-footed screamer which knocked Hajduk Split for six in Tolka Park. FAI Cup: Sean Dillon's coruscating extra-time strike for Longford Town deep into injury-time which ended Drogheda's interest in the competition. League Cup: Dillon again, this time putting Bohs to the sword with another superbly timed long-ranger. League: Michael Nwankwo finishing a typically slick Cork City move against St Pats in Inchicore. Trevor Molloy nicking the ball off Bohs keeper Shay Kelly in Dalymount, any one of Andy Myler's free-kicks or Jason Byrne's crucial second in the penultimate game against Waterford

Save of the season: Steve Williams' finger-tip effort in Iceland against KR Reyjkavik which, had it not prevented a goal, would have almost certainly prevented Shelbourne advancing any further in the Champions League and raising the profile of the League for a brief spell during the summer.

Comeback of the season: Shelbourne in Reykvaik and at home to Lille, Felix Healy and Pete Mahon, Gary O'Neill, Neal Horgan, Longford Town in the Cup final.

Fond Farewells: Paul Osam, Mbabazi Livingstone, Toccy O'Connor, Liam Buckley.

Feuds of the season: Paul Doolin v Pete Mahon, Dermot Keely v Roddy Collins, Pat Dolan v Pat Fenlon.

Best atmosphere: Lansdowne Road for Shelbourne v Deportivo La Coruna. Wouldn't it be great if it were like this all the time. As Fenlon admitted last week, it's the only occasion when most Irish fans are tempted to get off their arses, which doesn't say much for the weekly bread and butter diet.

U-turns of the season: Drogheda United's €20 entrance fee, Roddy Collins walking out of Dublin City, Shamrock Rovers and Liam Buckley, Bohemians and full-time status, too many clubs and their players' contracts

Best ground: Dalymount Park. Special mention to the Flan Siro and the (sadly rarely visited) Cross.

Worst as in uncomfortable ground : United Park. Special mention to officious stewards in Richmond Park.

Website of the year: Foot.ie.

Programme of the year: Cork City.

Referee of the year: Alan Kelly.

Substitution of the year: George O'Callaghan coming on to change Cork's season away to Dublin City.

Signing of the year: Alan Moore (Shelbourne).

Moan of the season: (Aside from EL clubs' petty rivalries and FAI incompetence) Eircom League clubs bemoaning dearth of media coverage, despite the fact that they receive a disproportionate amount of space in the newspapers given the hopeless attendances. The really grating thing is that most of the clubs treat the press with complete and utter disdain! Wonderful logic!

Person of the year: Shelbourne chairman Finbar Flood. For his statesmanlike qualities during the club's European run.

Reasons to be cheerful: The Setanta Cup, a dry-run for an All-Ireland league which might rescue club football in this country. The FAI caring about the League we hope. The return of Finn Harps. Alan Moore and Gareth Farrelly deciding their future lies in the Eircom League. UCD winning U21 league.

Dave Kelly
The Boot Room


© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/

[tiktok]

Good read Ringo, agree with the most of it to be honest. Although...


Best atmosphere: Lansdowne Road for Shelbourne v Deportivo La Coruna.
Wha? :confused:


Best ground: .....the (sadly rarely visited) Cross.
Ah. All becomes clear. ;)

The atmosphere for the Hadjuk split game was better than that for the Depor game IMO, if you have to give it to Shels.


Website of the year: Foot.ie.
Hurrah.

[max power]

see in the real world coming second in the league doesn't get much mention above, but the trophy winning clubs do ;)

[patsh]

see in the real world coming second in the league doesn't get much mention above, but the trophy winning clubs do ;)Mentions for Longford:
1. Pots "Longford Town : Sean Dillon"
2. Mots "Special mention to Alan Matthews"
3. Gots "FAI Cup: Sean Dillon....League Cup: Dillon again"
4. Cots "Longford Town in the Cup final"
5. BG "Flan Siro"

Mentions for Cork City:
1. Pots "Cork City Kevin Doyle"
2. Gots "League: Michael Nwankwo"
3. Cots "Neal Horgan"
4. Fots "Pat Dolan v Pat Fenlon"
5. BG "Cross"
6. Prog ots "Cork City"
7. Sub ots: "George O'Callaghan coming on to change Cork's season away to Dublin City"
I've left out Alan Kelly and Foot.ie, both Cork related.

So thats 7, at least, mentions for City, 5 for Longford.
When you get back to the real world, Max, be sure to let us know.....:D

[max power]

Mentions for Longford:
1. Pots "Longford Town : Sean Dillon"
2. Mots "Special mention to Alan Matthews"
3. Gots "FAI Cup: Sean Dillon....League Cup: Dillon again"
4. Cots "Longford Town in the Cup final"
5. BG "Flan Siro"

Mentions for Cork City:
1. Pots "Cork City Kevin Doyle"
2. Gots "League: Michael Nwankwo"
3. Cots "Neal Horgan"
4. Fots "Pat Dolan v Pat Fenlon"
5. BG "Cross"
6. Prog ots "Cork City"
7. Sub ots: "George O'Callaghan coming on to change Cork's season away to Dublin City"
I've left out Alan Kelly and Foot.ie, both Cork related.

So thats 7, at least, mentions for City, 5 for Longford.
When you get back to the real world, Max, be sure to let us know.....:D

sorry maybe i should have made myself clearer, on the pitch.....prog and dolan v fenlon, give me a break :D

and as for kelly, are yee really proud of the westlife wanna be :p

plus sean dillon got 2 mentions on one section ;)

[patsh]

sorry maybe i should have made myself clearer, on the pitch.....prog and dolan v fenlon, give me a break :D

and as for kelly, are yee really proud of the westlife wanna be :p

plus sean dillon got 2 mentions on one section ;)It's ok to be a fan of a small club like Longford, Max, you don't need to justify it to yourself........;)

[max power]

It's ok to be a fan of a small club like Longford, Max, you don't need to justify it to yourself........;)

ah thanks :D

btw whats thw european cap of turners cross next season, if u need at least 6,500 give the small club a shout ;)

[Terry Phelan]

"""btw whats thw european cap of turners cross next season, if u need at least 6,500 give the small club a shout """



:D :D :D

[patsh]

btw whats thw european cap of turners cross next season, if u need at least 6,500 give the small club a shout ;)Yes, you lot will NEVER have any need for 6,500 seats...:D

[max power]

havin and owning are 2 different things ;)

[patsh]

havin and owning are 2 different things ;)Yes they are, we can all see the seats themselves when the cameras are at Flancare, while we can all see the need for even more seats when the cameras visit Turners Cross....:D

[max power]

Yes they are, we can all see the seats themselves when the cameras are at Flancare, while we can all see the need for even more seats when the cameras visit Turners Cross....:D

ur right, our big matches are normally cup finals in flansdown road :D

[Colm]

ur right, our big matches are normally cup finals in flansdown road :D

Yeah and as Pat Dolan said the other night there were more people in Turners Cross on Friday night than turned up for our domestic cup final.

That's actually quite worrying when you think about it.

[fbtn]

More in Finn Park to watch us win the First Division than in Richmond to watch Shels lift the Premier...............thats just as worrying.

[pete]

"""btw whats thw european cap of turners cross next season, if u need at least 6,500 give the small club a shout """


Are ye selling off some seats at Flansiro? ;)

Think we'll be putting in new seats in shed stand when built.

All the goals of the season mentioned were scored in dublin & seems by own admisson indo doesn't leave the pale :rolleyes:

Well done foot.ie :D

[Longfordian]

All the goals of the season mentioned were scored in dublin & seems by own admisson indo doesn't leave the pale :rolleyes:

Well done foot.ie :D

Drogheda and Longford arent in Dublin! (Sean Dillon in FAI Cup semi and League Cup Final)

[patsh]

ur right, our big matches are normally cup finals in flansdown road :DWhat has that got to do with all your empty seats in Flancare?

Though I guess a small club like yours is happy with 1 big game a season.....:p

[max power]

What has that got to do with all your empty seats in Flancare?

Though I guess a small club like yours is happy with 1 big game a season.....:p


big clubs win trophies.....hmmmmm or do they :rolleyes:

[harps1954]

Reasons to be cheerful: The Setanta Cup, a dry-run for an All-Ireland league which might rescue club football in this country. The FAI caring about the League we hope. The return of Finn Harps. Alan Moore and Gareth Farrelly deciding their future lies in the Eircom League. UCD winning U21 league.
:rolleyes:

[patsh]

big clubs win trophies.....hmmmmm or do they :rolleyes:Now Now Max, you getting increasingly desperate....
Small clubs have their place, I welcome you and your club in our league. Sure you lot are always handy for 10 points............:D

[Crambler]

referee of the year alan kelly???????????????????????????????????????

must be a printing error or doe's it show how bad the standard of ref's is in the e.l.

[Bosco]

© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie

Drogheda United Dan Connor.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/


:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: .Droghedas player of the season hasnt even played for them yet

[Longfordian]

Presumably he means Danny O'Connor..

[kevincronin2000]

[MOD EDIT: Merged from another thread. --adam]

according to a report on todays irish indo Dave Kelly named foot.ie as his website of the year.

Well done, (because it is)

[SSS]

[MOD EDIT: Merged from another thread. --adam]

The Bootroom column in today's indo had a good article with Dave Kelly selecting his own "of the season" awards - good views on some City stuff with Nwankwo, Hoggie, Doyle, George all getting a mention..as do foot.ie and the City programme



THE formalities may have concluded off the pitch but The Boot Room can always make a little more time to upset even more Eircom League hotheads. So, in no particular order, and with no particular reason to offend, as this is purely a personal reflection, here is a brief compendium of the Premier Division campaign's highs and lows.

Team of the season: Undoubtedly, Shelbourne. Winning back-to-back titles would have sealed the award in itself, but their European adventure has also raised the bar. Emulating their achievements will prove to be an even bigger test of their ability next season.

Flop of the season: Bohemians. From double winners to also-rans in double-quick time. The messy end to Stephen Kenny's tenure may not have altered the tenor of their season but failure to finish in the top two certainly has. Predictably shorn of many of their best players, having allowed their contracts to lapse, next season will be an uphill struggle for a club who have demonstrated a will to be the country's best.

Players of the season: Eschewing convention, we'll choose one per club. Bohemians Kevin Hunt. Cork City Kevin Doyle. Derry City Peter Hutton. Drogheda United Dan Connor. Dublin City Gary O'Neill. Longford Town Sean Dillon. St Patrick's Athletic Keith Fahey. Shamrock Rovers Trevor Molloy. Shelbourne Wes Hoolahan. Waterford United Daryl Murphy.

Manager of the season: Pat Fenlon. Special mention to Alan Matthews.

Goals of the season - Champions League: Dave Rogers' left-footed screamer which knocked Hajduk Split for six in Tolka Park. FAI Cup: Sean Dillon's coruscating extra-time strike for Longford Town deep into injury-time which ended Drogheda's interest in the competition. League Cup: Dillon again, this time putting Bohs to the sword with another superbly timed long-ranger. League: Michael Nwankwo finishing a typically slick Cork City move against St Pats in Inchicore. Trevor Molloy nicking the ball off Bohs keeper Shay Kelly in Dalymount, any one of Andy Myler's free-kicks or Jason Byrne's crucial second in the penultimate game against Waterford

Save of the season: Steve Williams' finger-tip effort in Iceland against KR Reyjkavik which, had it not prevented a goal, would have almost certainly prevented Shelbourne advancing any further in the Champions League and raising the profile of the League for a brief spell during the summer.

Comeback of the season: Shelbourne in Reykvaik and at home to Lille, Felix Healy and Pete Mahon, Gary O'Neill, Neal Horgan, Longford Town in the Cup final.

Fond Farewells: Paul Osam, Mbabazi Livingstone, Toccy O'Connor, Liam Buckley.

Feuds of the season: Paul Doolin v Pete Mahon, Dermot Keely v Roddy Collins, Pat Dolan v Pat Fenlon.

Best atmosphere: Lansdowne Road for Shelbourne v Deportivo La Coruna. Wouldn't it be great if it were like this all the time. As Fenlon admitted last week, it's the only occasion when most Irish fans are tempted to get off their arses, which doesn't say much for the weekly bread and butter diet.

U-turns of the season: Drogheda United's €20 entrance fee, Roddy Collins walking out of Dublin City, Shamrock Rovers and Liam Buckley, Bohemians and full-time status, too many clubs and their players' contracts

Best ground: Dalymount Park. Special mention to the Flan Siro and the (sadly rarely visited) Cross.

Worst as in uncomfortable ground : United Park. Special mention to officious stewards in Richmond Park.

Website of the year: Foot.ie.

Programme of the year: Cork City.

Referee of the year: Alan Kelly.

Substitution of the year: George O'Callaghan coming on to change Cork's season away to Dublin City.

Signing of the year: Alan Moore (Shelbourne).

Moan of the season: (Aside from EL clubs' petty rivalries and FAI incompetence) Eircom League clubs bemoaning dearth of media coverage, despite the fact that they receive a disproportionate amount of space in the newspapers given the hopeless attendances. The really grating thing is that most of the clubs treat the press with complete and utter disdain! Wonderful logic!

Person of the year: Shelbourne chairman Finbar Flood. For his statesmanlike qualities during the club's European run.

Reasons to be cheerful: The Setanta Cup, a dry-run for an All-Ireland league which might rescue club football in this country. The FAI caring about the League we hope. The return of Finn Harps. Alan Moore and Gareth Farrelly deciding their future lies in the Eircom League. UCD winning U21 league.

Dave Kelly
The Boot Room

[Hecko]

don't normally read the indo, but that's areally good article. used to have a lot of time for Emmet Malone, but his stuff has been really dry this season and recently a bit like reprtinted press releases from Tolka.

Kelly is dead right about clubs bemoaning coverage when they won't be arsed getting crowds to come out (except us obvioulsy ;) )

[CollegeTillIDie]

Folks

Have ye all missed something?
Dave Kelly, a hack who earns his living covering the damned thing, says that the Eircom League gets a disproportionate amount of media coverage given the crappy attendances. Compared to what Dave, rugby, Gaelic and hurling?
Well lets compare like with like because the FAI Cup is the glamourous competition in domestic football so let's park it alongside the Heineken Cup and the All-Ireland Championships and compare coverage of Leagues with Leagues.

Correct me if I am wrong but AIL Rugby club matches have attendances around the 200 mark especially outside the top Division.

The Dubs the so called best supported team in the GAA moved their matches to Parnell Park which only holds 10,000 and there is no outcry from fans about not being able to get tickets for National League games in that code either. Overall, taking the coutry as a whole, GAA National League crowds in both Gaelic and Hurling are a fraction of those for the Championship. Yet all of these get coverage.

I have a number of questions.. if the Irish Indo cuts back its Eircom League coverage, which is paltry as things stand, especially of the First Division, wouldn't he be out of a job? After all it would probably like the so called Irish Times be full of wired stories from England. How many frigging Indos are sold in Manchester, London and Liverpool as a matter of interest?

P.S. Dave, your paper and it's sisters always manage to find room on the front pages for stories that damage the domestic game and the association however, but not room for the actual games the bread and butter football fixtures which are the raison d'etre for the FAI in the first place.
Interesting don't you think?

[Gary]

Thread already being discussed here (http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=19899).

[dahamsta]

Nice one Dave, and well done to all the users that make Foot.ie what it is.

[EDIT: Threads merged]

adam

[max power]

even me :confused:

[TonyD]

Folks

Have ye all missed something?
Dave Kelly, a hack who earns his living covering the damned thing, says that the Eircom League gets a disproportionate amount of media coverage given the crappy attendances. Compared to what Dave, rugby, Gaelic and hurling?
Well lets compare like with like because the FAI Cup is the glamourous competition in domestic football so let's park it alongside the Heineken Cup and the All-Ireland Championships and compare coverage of Leagues with Leagues.

Correct me if I am wrong but AIL Rugby club matches have attendances around the 200 mark especially outside the top Division.

The Dubs the so called best supported team in the GAA moved their matches to Parnell Park which only holds 10,000 and there is no outcry from fans about not being able to get tickets for National League games in that code either. Overall, taking the coutry as a whole, GAA National League crowds in both Gaelic and Hurling are a fraction of those for the Championship. Yet all of these get coverage.

I have a number of questions.. if the Irish Indo cuts back its Eircom League coverage, which is paltry as things stand, especially of the First Division, wouldn't he be out of a job? After all it would probably like the so called Irish Times be full of wired stories from England. How many frigging Indos are sold in Manchester, London and Liverpool as a matter of interest?

P.S. Dave, your paper and it's sisters always manage to find room on the front pages for stories that damage the domestic game and the association however, but not room for the actual games the bread and butter football fixtures which are the raison d'etre for the FAI in the first place.
Interesting don't you think?

Well said College - I thought it was just me who was getting sick and tired of Dave Kellys moaning. As you say, he makes his living principally from the league - what is he saying ? that he would rather be over in Old Trafford evry week writing about Man U ? (And to think, this guy is/was allegedly a Pats fan- oh, the shame)

[harpskid]

Reasons to be cheerful: The Setanta Cup, a dry-run for an All-Ireland league which might rescue club football in this country. The FAI caring about the League we hope. The return of Finn Harps. Alan Moore and Gareth Farrelly deciding their future lies in the Eircom League. UCD winning U21 league.

:D Good man Dave

[joey B]

Referee of the year: Alan Kelly.
Jaysus thats a good one.

[pineapple stu]

Reasons to be cheerful:...UCD winning U21 league.

Nice to see someone appreciates the value of the club!


Feuds of the season: Paul Doolin v Pete Mahon, Dermot Keely v Roddy Collins, Pat Dolan v Pat Fenlon.

Amazed he even nominated the latter two! Doolin v. Mahon must win hands-down! :D

[Shelsman]

The only thing that surprises me is that he didn't name himself as sports journalist of the year too !!!

:D :rolleyes: :eek:


:p

[NY Hoop]

Folks

Have ye all missed something?
Dave Kelly, a hack who earns his living covering the damned thing, says that the Eircom League gets a disproportionate amount of media coverage given the crappy attendances. Compared to what Dave, rugby, Gaelic and hurling?
Well lets compare like with like because the FAI Cup is the glamourous competition in domestic football so let's park it alongside the Heineken Cup and the All-Ireland Championships and compare coverage of Leagues with Leagues.

Correct me if I am wrong but AIL Rugby club matches have attendances around the 200 mark especially outside the top Division.

The Dubs the so called best supported team in the GAA moved their matches to Parnell Park which only holds 10,000 and there is no outcry from fans about not being able to get tickets for National League games in that code either. Overall, taking the coutry as a whole, GAA National League crowds in both Gaelic and Hurling are a fraction of those for the Championship. Yet all of these get coverage.

I have a number of questions.. if the Irish Indo cuts back its Eircom League coverage, which is paltry as things stand, especially of the First Division, wouldn't he be out of a job? After all it would probably like the so called Irish Times be full of wired stories from England. How many frigging Indos are sold in Manchester, London and Liverpool as a matter of interest?

P.S. Dave, your paper and it's sisters always manage to find room on the front pages for stories that damage the domestic game and the association however, but not room for the actual games the bread and butter football fixtures which are the raison d'etre for the FAI in the first place.
Interesting don't you think?

Absolutely bang on. Hit the nail on the head there. Never was an apology from the herald bogroll re their disgraceful front page article on us, and indeed all EL fans.

Dont forget this is the same muppet who said we should drop out of the league, get our finances in order and then come back! Just like that! :eek:

Some nerve moaning about EL coverage. So on that basis what about the pages of junior football carried in the herald every week when they attract as much fans as CHF?!

KOH

[Dr.Nightdub]

In fairness to Dave Kelly - and this isn't just cos he's a Pats fan, the same can be said of Emmet Malone and Gerry McDermott - I think it's because he is actually a fan of the League and has to put up with the same sh1te as the rest of us (crap officials, inept administrators, woeful facilities, overweaning egos distracting attention from what the players achieve on the pitch, burgers that are a menace to public health), an undercurrent of exasperation does come through in his articles.

What would you rather, a gilded lily or someone standing up to say the emperor's clothes are a bit threadbare? To Joe Public, Shels' European exploits were about the one shining light in a season that was otherwise only really highlighted but also blighted by financial woes, Roddy's treason (copyright Noel King) and Rovers' continuing stadium circus.

We'd all love if the only LofI coverage was about the football and not about off-the-pitch nonsense. From that point of view Shels in Europe was all there was to write home about. There wasn't enough of a contest for the League to make that worthwhile in news terms.

My one criticism of Dave Kelly and other LofI journalists is that they must know as well as the rest of us that everything about Shels' finances CANNOT be kosher, yet they turn a blind eye. He mentioned in that article that Bohs have effectively gone belly-up (despite the Kaiserslautern windfall a couple of years ago). How come Shels have not only not gone the same way, despite lower crowds (and yes, offset by the Depor-in-Lansdowne windfall) but are now hoovering up the cream of the talent in the League to create a squad of LofI galacticos? I'm not looking for Woodward and Bernstein, but a little investigative sports journalism couldn't hurt.

I know Pats' finances are fairly harum-scarum as well but the cutbacks we've made reflect a sense of trying to do things honestly. If failings on our part were to be highlighted as well, so be it, but "Where th' offence is, let the great axe fall"

[CollegeTillIDie]

In fairness to Dave Kelly - and this isn't just cos he's a Pats fan, the same can be said of Emmet Malone and Gerry McDermott - I think it's because he is actually a fan of the League and has to put up with the same sh1te as the rest of us (crap officials, inept administrators, woeful facilities, overweaning egos distracting attention from what the players achieve on the pitch, burgers that are a menace to public health), an undercurrent of exasperation does come through in his articles.

What would you rather, a gilded lily or someone standing up to say the emperor's clothes are a bit threadbare? To Joe Public, Shels' European exploits were about the one shining light in a season that was otherwise only really highlighted but also blighted by financial woes, Roddy's treason (copyright Noel King) and Rovers' continuing stadium circus.

We'd all love if the only LofI coverage was about the football and not about off-the-pitch nonsense. From that point of view Shels in Europe was all there was to write home about. There wasn't enough of a contest for the League to make that worthwhile in news terms.

My one criticism of Dave Kelly and other LofI journalists is that they must know as well as the rest of us that everything about Shels' finances CANNOT be kosher, yet they turn a blind eye. He mentioned in that article that Bohs have effectively gone belly-up (despite the Kaiserslautern windfall a couple of years ago). How come Shels have not only not gone the same way, despite lower crowds (and yes, offset by the Depor-in-Lansdowne windfall) but are now hoovering up the cream of the talent in the League to create a squad of LofI galacticos? I'm not looking for Woodward and Bernstein, but a little investigative sports journalism couldn't hurt.

I know Pats' finances are fairly harum-scarum as well but the cutbacks we've made reflect a sense of trying to do things honestly. If failings on our part were to be highlighted as well, so be it, but "Where th' offence is, let the great axe fall"

I raise this issue everytime I meet Emmet Malone and Dave Kelly.
Emmet Malone says usually when I meet an EL supporter complaining about coverage I note the points made by them and then raise them with my sports editor. He then usually tells me all the arguments made by the sports editor one Malachy Logan for not having bigger EL coverage in the so-called Irish Times.

Dave Kelly should have said an inordinate amount of coverage given the lack of co-operation of EL clubs with the media.... and I would not have had a go.
I know from speaking to other journos that trying to contact EL clubs can be a nightmare at times. It was just a cheap shot and I refer back to NY Hoops points about the Herald attacking EL fans in general and Rovers ones in particular.

Gerry McDermott is also a fan of the EL and to my knowledge has never had a cheap shot at the League's expense.


I would not have any problem with the broad thrust of your posting at all though for the record.