Fixture changes.

[nigel-harps1954]

Boohoo. We went 7 weeks without a home game.

Congratulations. I'm very happy for you. However, that doesn't make any difference to Finn Harps financial situation.

[Olander]

Congratulations. I'm very happy for you. However, that doesn't make any difference to Finn Harps financial situation.
Get on with it. You didn't see us putting out statements moaning like babies and our situation was far more severe than Finn Harps.

[El-Pietro]

Cork's squad is pretty thin due to injuries, to be fair. O'Connor is their only left-back for a start. They have a bigger squad than Dundalk but they still had to sign 78 year old Dave Mulcahy as defensive cover. It's reasonable that any LOI team would have a game called off. The interesting thing is this will mean Horgan is available to play them, which means it may backfire.

Horgan would have been available anyway, he'll serve the second game of his suspension in the cup this week.

[nigel-harps1954]

Get on with it. You didn't see us putting out statements moaning like babies and our situation was far more severe than Finn Harps.

http://connachttribune.ie/dunne-unhappy-with-seven-week-gap-in-home-games-433/

Tommy Dunne wasn't too happy with it anyway. There's an awful lot more moaning in that than what Harps have said.

Besides this, I don't think anyone at Harps were 'moaning like babies'. What exactly was more severe for Galway? Harps have gone three, four weeks and five weeks separately earlier in the season without home games. September 16th is our next home game. Many other clubs are in the same boat though. Fixture planning and dealing with postponements are a shambles in this league.

[Olander]

http://connachttribune.ie/dunne-unhappy-with-seven-week-gap-in-home-games-433/

Tommy Dunne wasn't too happy with it anyway. There's an awful lot more moaning in that than what Harps have said.

Besides this, I don't think anyone at Harps were 'moaning like babies'. What exactly was more severe for Galway? Harps have gone three, four weeks and five weeks separately earlier in the season without home games. September 16th is our next home game. Many other clubs are in the same boat though. Fixture planning and dealing with postponements are a shambles in this league.
Post match reaction with a journalist from a local newspaper and a club releasing a statement crying, hardly the same now is it? I'm unsure as to why you're linking that article.

[nigel-harps1954]

Post match reaction with a journalist and a club putting out a statement, hardly the same now is it? I'm unsure as to why you're linking that article.

But what exactly was wrong with that statement? I'm struggling to understand your view here. There was nothing particularly whinge or moany about it.

[brendy_éire]

And Youths get kicked to the kerb as a small club. We were down to play Bohs on Friday.

What?! That is utterly bizarre. There has to be more to it than that. What are Wexford getting in return?

[oriel]

If I was Cork, I'd have played the Dundalk and Finn Harps games and tried to keep the pressure on, especially with the calendar Dundalk have next 3 months.

Now they have two games themselves to re-fix. They could easily have coped with O'Sullivan and/or Shephard up front, I get the point on O'Connor, but that's really only one position. Dundalk played Grimes as left full in Wexford, and started Kilduff away to Galway. Then again, the rule clearly states that any club can request a cancellation if two players are called up, so they must obviously think it is in their best interest. I'd still have gambled and tried to have got points on board.

Cork will also be facing a mid week trip up to Dundalk now instead of a Friday night, also if Cork draw away to Rovers in the cup (not an unlikely event) they could be playing Rovers 3 times in a week.

Think it was mentioned before here, Dundalk definitely fortunate to have only one away game in EL before the league season ends, and that is the closest one, v Alkmaar.

On our re-arranged match v Bohs on Fri, good to see this could have been arranged so quick, its another one out of the way.

[El-Pietro]

Interesting that Dundalk fans don't see missing O'Connor as a big deal, but every single City fan thinks postponing these games is a good idea. We can't afford to play without him. We haven't had a tonne of injuries this season, but they have all come in the back line. John Dunleavy was our first choice right back and second choice left back at the start of the season. Michael McSweeney was our fourth choice centre half and third choice right back and until recently we were playing him at right back every week, hes since been dropped in favour of Stephen Beattie which I don't entirely understand. With him at right back and without Dunleavy we had no backups at centre back, no back ups at right back, and only Kevin O'Connor at left back.

We probably should have done more to strengthen these positions in the window but we have to deal with our squad as it is currently composed. Playing Dundalk without Sean would have been difficult, playing without Kevin would have been impossible.

[White Horse]

Interesting that Dundalk fans don't see missing O'Connor as a big deal, but every single City fan thinks postponing these games is a good idea.


Its just difficult to understand how a team who are challenging for the title are afraid to play without their first choice left back. Their left back, FFS.

[El-Pietro]

If you saw him play more often then you do then you'd understand.

[Charlie Darwin]

Its just difficult to understand how a team who are challenging for the title are afraid to play without their first choice left back. Their left back, FFS.
Maybe they understand they need to be at their best to get a result against the defending champions.

[Ezeikial]

Once the Bohemians match was re-fixed for this weekend, it is no issue for Dundalk that Cork exercised their prerogative to postpone.

[seand]

Have to say I'm not comfortable with the league fooking Bohs and Wexford around to suit Dundalk. Still, the silver lining is that it's negated Cork's (entirely legitimate) attempt to game the fixture list themselves.

It's hard to balance though, I feel the league have an obligation to support the clubs in Europe, but it's hard to do that without messing up everyone else's fixtures. And someone up thread suggested we should have no league fixtures on an international weekend- that'd help!!

[El-Pietro]

Still, the silver lining is that it's negated Cork's (entirely legitimate) attempt to game the fixture list themselves.

Really? You think our aim was to game the fixture list? Did you notice we also requested the Finn Harps game be postponed? If we were trying to make life difficult for Dundalk why would we have both games postponed? Perhaps we just wanted our full squad available for the games we have to play.

Heres a tip, the entire world doesn't revolve around Dundalk.

[oriel]

Once the Bohemians match was re-fixed for this weekend, it is no issue for Dundalk that Cork exercised their prerogative to postpone.

Yep that's actually a fair point, from having no league game on Friday we now have one to replace the Cork game, albeit its away.

When the Dlk v Cork game is re-fixed, it will almost certainly be a first for a mid week league fixture between the two clubs.

There were cup replays in the past, (almost sure 1987-88 was one) but I can't recall any league games mid week ever.

[disgruntled]

Really? You think our aim was to game the fixture list? Did you notice we also requested the Finn Harps game be postponed? If we were trying to make life difficult for Dundalk why would we have both games postponed? Perhaps we just wanted our full squad available for the games we have to play.

Heres a tip, the entire world doesn't revolve around Dundalk.

Fortunately :rolleyes:

[dundalkfc10]

Really? You think our aim was to game the fixture list? Did you notice we also requested the Finn Harps game be postponed? If we were trying to make life difficult for Dundalk why would we have both games postponed? Perhaps we just wanted our full squad available for the games we have to play.

Heres a tip, the entire world doesn't revolve around Dundalk.

Obvs not considering we "COULD" be 10 points clear before you play another league game! If we lose tomorrow and get a game re-fixed for nxt Fri night (Bohs at home still be to played from july) it could be 13 points!

I dont think Cork thought at all!

[Ezeikial]

Really? You think our aim was to game the fixture list? Did you notice we also requested the Finn Harps game be postponed? If we were trying to make life difficult for Dundalk why would we have both games postponed? Perhaps we just wanted our full squad available for the games we have to play.



It is entirely Cork's prerogative to invoke the postponements (irrespective of the motivations), but it would hardly be feasible to request the postponement of only one of the affected matches.




Heres a tip, the entire world doesn't revolve around Dundalk.

Come on now - of course not, but the destiny of this years league title probably does

[Dodge]

Really? You think our aim was to game the fixture list? Did you notice we also requested the Finn Harps game be postponed? If we were trying to make life difficult for Dundalk why would we have both games postponed? Perhaps we just wanted our full squad available for the games we have to play.

Heres a tip, the entire world doesn't revolve around Dundalk.
Do you think Cork would have sought to have both games postponed if they were against, say, Wexford and Harps? I doubt it

[seand]

Really? You think our aim was to game the fixture list? Did you notice we also requested the Finn Harps game be postponed? If we were trying to make life difficult for Dundalk why would we have both games postponed? Perhaps we just wanted our full squad available for the games we have to play.

Heres a tip, the entire world doesn't revolve around Dundalk.

Absolutely, I think it'd be fair to say that Cork City's title challenge does though.

[El-Pietro]

Do you think Cork would have sought to have both games postponed if they were against, say, Wexford and Harps? I doubt it
Impossible to say. But we did postpone the Harps game, we were under no obligation to do so. We could easily have postponed the Dundalk game and played the Harps game.

[dundalkfc10]

Impossible to say. But we did postpone the Harps game, we were under no obligation to do so. We could easily have postponed the Dundalk game and played the Harps game.

Rumours in Dundalk today that our game V you will be 2nd last game of season on a Monday, you will be able to give us a guard of honour onto the field as we will have it wrapped up by then

[disgruntled]

Rumours in Dundalk today that our game V you will be 2nd last game of season on a Monday, you will be able to give us a guard of honour onto the field as we will have it wrapped up by then

If ye have then good for you but don't you think you need to win a few games first ;)

[sbgawa]

Rumours in Dundalk today that our game V you will be 2nd last game of season on a Monday, you will be able to give us a guard of honour onto the field as we will have it wrapped up by then

Wow talk about tempting faith !!

[dundalkfc10]

If ye have then good for you but don't you think you need to win a few games first ;)

if we drop 10 points in our last 12 games, we would finish on 75 points.

Cork would need to pick up 31 points out of 36 to win the league. (30 points if they can get back the 10 gd)

Im quite confident 3 in a row will be on way to Oriel

[sbgawa]

if we drop 10 points in our last 12 games, we would finish on 75 points.

Cork would need to pick up 31 points out of 36 to win the league. (30 points if they can get back the 10 gd)

Im quite confident 3 in a row will be on way to Oriel

Can't argue with the maths if you drop 10 points from last 12 matches etc. Worth noting perhaps that you have dropped 6 in your last 3 games....

[Ezeikial]

Cork can be backed for the league title at 5/2 currently

I think that is probably a decent bet.

http://www.oddschecker.com/football/other/ireland/premier-division/irish-premier-division/winner

[patrickccfc]

It's not easy for both clubs with the fixture back log with both of us playing twice a week for most of the run-in. Dundalk are favourites I think with the GD effectively giving them a 5 point advantage. Both of us still have to go to Sligo which will be a tricky one for both sides. The game that was postponed Friday would've had a massive bearing on the run-in, if dundalk won then it would've been hard to see past them winning it, had we won then it would makes things interesting. Both sides will drop points, I just hope our inability to capitalize on our recent games in hand doesn't come back to haunt us, as had we won them we would be in a great position now.

[Dodge]

Rumours in Dundalk today that our game V you will be 2nd last game of season on a Monday, you will be able to give us a guard of honour onto the field as we will have it wrapped up by then
I don't think you could have 'easily'. I think if you asked for only one game, you'd have been laughed out of it

[RathfarnhamHoop]

if we drop 10 points in our last 12 games, we would finish on 75 points.

Cork would need to pick up 31 points out of 36 to win the league. (30 points if they can get back the 10 gd)

Im quite confident 3 in a row will be on way to Oriel

or you could say if you lose to cork and draw one and cork win one from there cork just have to match you and they win the league. I think....open to correction if i've got something wrong along the lines somewhere

[sbgawa]

Cork can be backed for the league title at 5/2 currently

I think that is probably a decent bet.

http://www.oddschecker.com/football/other/ireland/premier-division/irish-premier-division/winner

Cork are 5/2 rovers are 3 points behind them (admittedly with a game more played) and they are 50 to 1 ?? That's value.

[Ezeikial]

Cork are 5/2 rovers are 3 points behind them (admittedly with a game more played) and they are 50 to 1 ?? That's value.

For it to be value, there has to be some realistic chance of winning.

Even Stuey Byrne hasn't tipped Rovers yet

[Nesta99]

Time to extend the league season! I dont see any reason why not!! :p

[sbgawa]

For it to be value, there has to be some realistic chance of winning.

Even Stuey Byrne hasn't tipped Rovers yet

Realistic no ...50 to 1 still value

[Charlie Darwin]

For it to be value, there has to be some realistic chance of winning.

Even Stuey Byrne hasn't tipped Rovers yet
I think that's usually the point where it changes from a football bet to a novelty bet.

[Lim till i die]

If cork somehow manage to mess up winning the league this year it'll be the funniest LoI moment since Dan Murray's pay for our bus telethon on red fm.

Dundalk, with their fixture pile up, have sent the league title down to leeside all wrapped up in a nice package. John Caulfield is currently running with the scissors to open it.

Seriously though cork fans if you fail this time - for the love of John o Flynn allow a tiny little bit of common sense to sink in and put that man in a rocket and launch him at the centre of the Sun.

[ToberonaTornado]

Realistic no ...50 to 1 still value

Do you know the bin in the bookies for the free Friday draw?............

:D

[Ezeikial]

Realistic no ...50 to 1 still value

Your optimism is refreshing

[sbgawa]

Even less realistic now but then without optimism Rovers wouldn't be around and neither would Dundalk !

[Real ale Madrid]

Are Dundalk going to play the Sunday after the Europa League games do we think / know / any announcements?

[disgruntled]

If cork somehow manage to mess up winning the league this year it'll be the funniest LoI moment since Dan Murray's pay for our bus telethon on red fm.

Dundalk, with their fixture pile up, have sent the league title down to leeside all wrapped up in a nice package. John Caulfield is currently running with the scissors to open it.

Seriously though cork fans if you fail this time - for the love of John o Flynn allow a tiny little bit of common sense to sink in and put that man in a rocket and launch him at the centre of the Sun.

We'll send him up to you instead & you can have Tina back as well :D

[Mr A]

Fixture scheduling hasn't been good enough this year. Teams with massive gaps between home games then a load piled in together, fixtures moved at short notice, massive pile ups for Cork and especially Dundalk and all a bit chaotic- and all this in a year when the weather hasn't given any bother!

Clubs in Europe should not automatically get their league matches postponed- either pull them forward or play them on the weekend they're due. If these clubs want away fixture rescheduled they should have to compensate the home clubs.

[TheBoss]

Its not that complicated to sort out the fixtures for the teams that play in Europe. I would suggest either moving the 2-week summer break from June to July (even extend it to 3 weeks maybe?) or have the teams that are playing in Europe play each other. We know right now that 3 teams will play in Q1 in EL next year, you think those in charge of the league know this too.

[sbgawa]

Its not that complicated to sort out the fixtures for the teams that play in Europe. I would suggest either moving the 2-week summer break from June to July (even extend it to 3 weeks maybe?) or have the teams that are playing in Europe play each other. We know right now that 3 teams will play in Q1 in EL next year, you think those in charge of the league know this too.

That's an excellent idea....

[sbgawa]

Its not that complicated to sort out the fixtures for the teams that play in Europe. I would suggest either moving the 2-week summer break from June to July (even extend it to 3 weeks maybe?) or have the teams that are playing in Europe play each other. We know right now that 3 teams will play in Q1 in EL next year, you think those in charge of the league know this too.

That's an excellent idea....we could start the season a wk later to even up the split if needed.

[sbgawa]

Maybe schedule top 4 to play each other home and away either side of the break to gI've more room and minimise European disruption for teams not involved in europe.

[jinxy lilywhite]

The root cause of this is the tight schedule that the league has to try to fit the games in. Trying to condense 3 domestic competitions into a 40 week period.

If any team started making 3 rounds in Europe there was always going to be issues if the insistence is that league games must finish by 28th october.

Wexford fans may be ****ed off at dundalk over their bohs games being rescheduled but the truth is that dundalk need games to play and are running out of time in which to get this completed.

This issue wouldn't of happen if cork didn't decide to cancel the dundalk game at the last minute by losing 2 players out of a squad of 25 to international duty.

[brendy_éire]

Wexford fans may be ****ed off at dundalk over their bohs games being rescheduled but the truth is that dundalk need games to play and are running out of time in which to get this completed.

That's not Wexford's problem, it's Dundalk's. Dundalk could, along with the other teams in Europe, have played some games well in advance. Plenty of spare Mondays in March and April. Alternatively, Dundalk could play three games in some weeks. Not ideal, but they'll deal with it. Instead, Wexford get shafted. Disgraceful stuff from the FAI.


The issue wouldn't of happen if cork didn't decide to cancel the dundalk game at the last minute by losing 2 players out of a squad of 25 to international duty.

It wasn't last minute, it was announced as soon as the U21 squad came out. Cork are perfectly entitled to call the Dundalk and Harps games off. Cork don't need to take any criticism over that.

[Charlie Darwin]

The root cause of this is the tight schedule that the league has to try to fit the games in. Trying to condense 3 domestic competitions into a 40 week period.

If any team started making 3 rounds in Europe there was always going to be issues if the insistence is that league games must finish by 28th october.

Wexford fans may be ****ed off at dundalk over their bohs games being rescheduled but the truth is that dundalk need games to play and are running out of time in which to get this completed.

This issue wouldn't of happen if cork didn't decide to cancel the dundalk game at the last minute by losing 2 players out of a squad of 25 to international duty.
Jesus, this argument between you lads and Cork is getting very tired. You've both been very well-treated by the league and other clubs in accommodating your need to have games moved. As we were in 2011. The sniping between each other was funny to start but it's just a bit tiresome now.