LOI fixtures Fri 30th June - Weds 5th July

[ToberonaTornado]

Premier:

Friday-

Bray Wanderers v Dundalk FC
Drogheda United v Limerick FC
Saint Patrick's Ath v Galway United

Sunday-

Sligo Rovers v Shamrock Rovers - 6pm

Wednesday-

Bohemian FC v Dundalk FC

First Division:

Friday-

Shelbourne FC v Waterford FC
Wexford FC v UCD -8PM

Saturday-

Cobh Ramblers v Athlone Town - 7:15pm
Longford Town v Cabinteeley FC - 7:30PM

----------------------------------------------------------------------
REFS: http://www.extratime.ie/articles/19255/match-officials-appointed---week-18/
SUSPENSIONS: http://www.extratime.ie/articles/19254/suspension-list---week-18/
COUPON: http://www.paddypower.com/football/football-matches/ireland

[AlanOB]

Conor Molan and I will be covering the Drogheda game, at the usual link (www.mixlr.com/limerick-soccer-live) for anyone who might be interested.

[PartySaint]

Biggest game of the season so far for Pats tonight

[AlanOB]

Could theoretically cost Keegan his job with a victory too.

A much-needed victory.

[KBurke]

Financially I don't think we can afford to fire another manager

[sbgawa]

harsh to be firing any manager in the bottom 5 when two wins would have anyone in mid table

[thomas72]

Limerick 2up away to drogheda

[joey B]

Can anyone explain to me why Shamrock Rovers can play on Sunday but Derry can't, where is the logic with the FAI???

[sbgawa]

Rovers didn't ask not to play

[pineapple stu]

0-0 in wexford, as Waterford fail to beat Shels. Wexford were really poor, and frustrating we couldn't win, but we didn't have the spark to.

It's a cliche, but this must be one of the worst First Divisions ever. Whoever goes up will be big favourites to come back down again.

[WoodquayBoy]

Financially I don't think we can afford to fire another manager
But can we afford to stick with this one and inevitable relegation? It was a mistake to sack Dunne; it is a necessity to sack Keegan.

[TonyD]

Galway should have won tonight. Pats were beyond appalling, even after getting a gift of a lead goal. I really despair for us.

[wonder88]

Galway are really the draw specialists. I was very disappointed by the team selected by Keegan last week v Bray, tonights selection was the club's strongest team I think, so hope he is learning from his mistakes. If people are calling for Keegan to be sacked, what is their opinion on Buckley and the other managers in the relegation zone(apart from Sligo)?
It is going to be a struggle for Galway, but I wouldn't give up yet.

[Lim till i die]

That is the worst drogheda team of all time.

And I have seen some fairly terrible drogheda teams down through the years.

We were shocking, playing this strange mix of hoofball and over elaborate incredibly slow counter attacks.

drogheda were just completely incapable of doing anything about it.

Beat galway next week now and we set ourselves up for our traditional big game failure at home to shamrock rovers.

drogheda though - dead last. Put the mortgage on it.

[total hoofball]

Very one-sided 2nd vs 3rd match at the Carlisle Grounds. Was like the Dundalk of the previous few seasons, another stunner from McEleney,.

[Ezeikial]

Very one-sided 2nd vs 3rd match at the Carlisle Grounds. Was like the Dundalk of the previous few seasons, another stunner from McEleney,.

Dundalk renaissance?

One swallow does not make a summer, but that was a seriously impressive performance

[osarusan]

We were poor enough, wasting one attacking opportunity after another, but Drogheda were really bad. Really really bad.

Can't see them finishing outside the bottom 3.

[legendz]

Great result for Limerick. Possibly within touching distance of guaranteeing their first target which is safety.

Dundalk seem back on form. Dundalk are capable of going on a 10 game or more winning run on current form. Great to see them in that zone before Europe.

I half anticipate that Cork will lose at least two league games in a row in the next few weeks but it should be a wobble more than a stumble with the commanding lead they have opened up.

[AlanOB]

Breaking down exactly why that game in United Park last night was so tough-to-watch:

Drogheda United 0-2 Limerick: Super Blues struggle to break down doomed Drogs (https://tacticstruck2.com/2017/07/01/drogheda-united-0-2-limerick-super-blues-struggle-to-break-down-doomed-drogs/)https://tacticstruck2.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/droglim.jpg?w=431

[sbgawa]

Terrible loss for rovers tonight. Chance to go 7 points clear in 3rd place ...asuming bray are either gone or an asterix away. Dissapointing.

[Dalymountrower]

Huge win for Sligo and Pats back into drop zone.

[sbgawa]

Bohs and limerick have to be in with a shout of a top 4 and probable europa league place now.

[LK37oldskool]

Limerick 6 behind Bray and 5 behind Rovers with a game in hand over both. If we can sort out our defence we could make some ground them. Rovers in Limerick in a fortnight should be a cracker.

[sbgawa]

If we get through next thursday I could see that being cancelled.

[sbgawa]

Either way it's more a case of rovers derry Lim bohs all with a chance of 3rd 4th and probable europa league. Can't completely rule out bray if they don't fold some of the players may play on anyway out of loyalty to kenny . Rovers should be good enough have shown good form lately and should have won tonight....one of those games , hope it's not an omen for thursday

[Ezeikial]

Gerard Lyttle reckons Sligo Rovers battered Shamrock Rovers today

https://audioboom.com/posts/6070727-gerard-lyttle-after-1-0-vs-shams

[ToberonaTornado]

There were batterings alright :D:fighter2:

https://twitter.com/FitzoSligo/status/881589297253687296

[sbgawa]

Nah but I don't begrudge the guy his first win.

Roll on thursday

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

It's not his first win

[sbgawa]

Mea culpa

[dong]

According to Alan 'not afraid to call it as he sees it' Cawley it is.

[Nesta99]

There were batterings alright :D:fighter2:

https://twitter.com/FitzoSligo/status/881589297253687296

Whats their beef this time? Some comment about the real rovers. Certainly fired a few rocks of whatever was picked up and it is good to see a Garda actually in the mix and trying to push tem back and on his own for a good lot of it!

[Asterix]

Whats their beef this time? Some comment about the real rovers. Certainly fired a few rocks of whatever was picked up and it is good to see a Garda actually in the mix and trying to push tem back and on his own for a good lot of it!


Sligo fans spent the last five minutes of.the game throwing stones at us in the away section then snatched a flag. Rovers fans went and got it back.

[sbgawa]

There were batterings alright :D:fighter2:

https://twitter.com/FitzoSligo/status/881589297253687296

Are you sure that was the rovers match, or actual footage from the first day of the battle of the Somme ? :)

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

According to Alan 'not afraid to call it as he sees it' Cawley it is.

Was funny listening to him say it week on week

[Ezeikial]

Sligo fans spent the last five minutes of.the game throwing stones at us in the away section then snatched a flag. Rovers fans went and got it back.

I applaud the gallant Shams fans who took umbrage at the dastardly actions of the Sligo folk and tried to remonstrate with them and illustrate the error of their ways

[bluewhitearmy]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if it was Sligo fans that started it. I've seen on social media their little gang of schooligans trying to start on a few different sets of fans and they started on us outside a pub up there too and no matter how much some Sligo lads say it on social media its not just lads between 13-17 ones that started on us definitely in their 20s.

[Charlie Darwin]

I feared the worst when I saw the team. No changes bar the suspension from a team who played two time zones away on Thursday is crazy. Poor management from Bradley.

[sbgawa]

Most clubs have a collection of muppets including sligo.
Complete ejits, why go out of your way to antagonise the rovers fans (who have their own muppets) when you should be enjoying a huge win that lifts your club up the table.

[Ezeikial]

Most clubs have a collection of muppets including sligo.
Complete ejits, why go out of your way to antagonise the rovers fans (who have their own muppets) when you should be enjoying a huge win that lifts your club up the table.

Rovers are by some distance Ireland's number one when it comes to creating trouble.

It is astounding how many apologists and polemicists appear when the Rovers fans misbehave.

[Charlie Darwin]

:D:D:D

[Nesta99]

I feared the worst when I saw the team. No changes bar the suspension from a team who played two time zones away on Thursday is crazy. Poor management from Bradley.

Two time zones..come on now Charlie its a few hours, not exacty as if they were a week in Austraia and had to adjust. It isnt any different from playing in Cork, Derry with quick turnover. Maybe fresh legs were needed but dont do a Cork fan and go off on one about travel and especially not time zones within western Europe.

[Lim till i die]

There were batterings alright :D:fighter2:

https://twitter.com/FitzoSligo/status/881589297253687296

Goodness gracious.

Was there many killed??

[Charlie Darwin]

Two time zones..come on now Charlie its a few hours, not exacty as if they were a week in Austraia and had to adjust. It isnt any different from playing in Cork, Derry with quick turnover. Maybe fresh legs were needed but dont do a Cork fan and go off on one about travel and especially not time zones within western Europe.
I'm not making excuses. I'm saying our players aren't good enough to play two games in that space of time.

[pineapple stu]

I feared the worst when I saw the team. No changes bar the suspension from a team who played two time zones away on Thursday is crazy. Poor management from Bradley.
Iceland is one time zone away. Closer to home than most places in Europe.

Stjarnan played on Sunday too, interestingly. Won 3-2 in the cup.

[Nesta99]

I'm not making excuses.

I'll take your word for it! It is a major balancing act when in Europe especially when teams do progress and having a squad with sufficient depth to keep things on track domestically is an expensive business. The money on offer in Europe is great in the relative terms of prizemoney in LoI but winning a round makes all the difference to really make an impacton the balance sheet when costs are deduted. Its important for Bradley in that regard to prioritise, just for now, the EL especially with the potential of Bray falling away. Id have thought the squad was good enough to keep in touch with a European slot, and with a charter to Iceland it is an easier trip than a coach to Derry etc.

[sbgawa]

Rovers are by some distance Ireland's number one when it comes to creating trouble.

It is astounding how many apologists and polemicists appear when the Rovers fans misbehave.

Tx for taking an interest as always :)

[Nesta99]

Just watching the highlights from Inchicore and when Pats scored the players all went to the assistant to celebrate and looked like they were almost ignoring Buckley as he looked to shake hands?

[Charlie Darwin]

I'll take your word for it! It is a major balancing act when in Europe especially when teams do progress and having a squad with sufficient depth to keep things on track domestically is an expensive business. The money on offer in Europe is great in the relative terms of prizemoney in LoI but winning a round makes all the difference to really make an impacton the balance sheet when costs are deduted. Its important for Bradley in that regard to prioritise, just for now, the EL especially with the potential of Bray falling away. Id have thought the squad was good enough to keep in touch with a European slot, and with a charter to Iceland it is an easier trip than a coach to Derry etc.
Our players don't really have any experience of playing in Europe then backing it up on the weekend, through a mixture of being young and not having played for clubs in Europe before. When they had three games in a week before the break they ended up looking knackered after half an hour against Pats. They'll adapt in time, as most teams do, but worried it won't be in time for Thursday and it could easily cost us in the final league places.

[jinxy lilywhite]

Eh Ronan Finn, Simon Madden, Darren Meenan, Michael O'Connor spring to mind