Season run in.

[osarusan]

Here's the table.

2595

Bohs are safe with their points. Drogheda are gone.

Here's the run in for the rest of us.

Limerick:
H v Cork
A V Pats
H v Drogheda
H v Galway
A v Rovers

Sligo:
A v Galway
H v Bohs
A v Rovers
H v Derry
A v Drogheda

St. Pats:
A v Bohs
H v Rovers
H v Limerick
A v Galway
H v Cork
A v Derry

Finn Harps:
A v Rovers
H v Dundalk
A v Derry
H v Drogheda
A v Bohs

Galway:
H v Sligo
A v Bray
H v Pats
A v Limerick
H v Dundalk

Starting at the bottom, I think Galway are in real trouble (obviously). Games against the other teams also in trouble, and a final game against Dundalk. But the Derry win suggests they have belief about them.

Harps also in trouble, as apart from the 3 points against Drogheda, it's hard to know where they will pick up points. Sickener last weekend and two tough games coming up too. I think they're most likely to finish 11th.

Pats have a game in hand, and I think they'll pick up enough points to get out of it.

Sligo - are they coming into some form? The Drogheda game on the final day might save them. Massive game with Galway this weekend.

Limerick - excluding Cork and Rovers, we have 3 games left against the teams below us, 2 of them at home. We really should have enough about us to get the points we need.



The week by week swings and changes will be fascinating.

[EnzoScifo10]

Harps run in and that 90th min Sligo goal will send them down. I think if we beat Drogheda and not lose to Galway we will be safe. Predictions.... Sligo 37, Limerick 36, Pats 35, Galway 34, Harps 31.

[osarusan]

Harps 31? They will surely pick up 3 points against Drogheda.

[EnzoScifo10]

Are Drogheda going to lose every game? They might but free of pressure I think they will pick up a point or two and hopefully it's Harps and not us.

[Centenary]

I think the current bottom 3 will be the 3 to go down. Harps have a brutal run-in with the exception of Drogheda and have the worst goal difference by far.

Galway might hit form but the teams above them almost all have to play Drogheda which is as close to guaranteed 3 points as you can get. It's a definite must-win for them this wknd against Sligo though.

Think we'll be ok but it's uncomfortable. Showed some good fight in the last 2 games, a point or 3 this wknd would be nice though...

[CraftyToePoke]

I've always thought it vital we don't dip into the bottom three, we might hang on if we hold just outside it but I don't want to have to find out if this group have the collective capability to fall from fifth into the trap door places & then come back out again. You look at the Drogs / Galway home games as the place we get it over the line for weeks now hopefully but if we drop into the zone before it will be ugly, there will be enough pressure on those two games without starting them from tenth place. Harps have two nasty fixtures coming up, as have Pats, so hopefully that will prevent it & then get it done before the last game.

[Lim till i die]

If we had beaten harps a few weeks ago we'd be safe.

But not for the first, second or third time this year we made a show of ourselves.

I've maintained for a long time that we are going to be fine, some of the teams below us are so dire they are just going to run out of games.

But I can't see it being cosy and I can easily see it going to the final day.

If we beat both drogs and Galway at home I'll give all the players a fiver.

[fieldofmarkets]

Your money will be safe. We will have to pick something up in one of the other games to stay up I think.

[SandwichBoy]

One of Galway or Sligo will go on a run and get 7 - 9 points. Hopefully Harps go down but they are dogged *******s. I think it's a harder task than being made out, we are right there. The thoughts of the First Division are frightening, please christ we take a point or something on Friday.

[Castlepook]

Probably off topic but Joel Constrain has signed for Balla and with Gharbhan still in Limerick, it makes you wonder what's going on at times. Ronald's man management, refusing to play Trace and signing Cameron the gimp, emptying the dressing room and all round stupidity could still send us down.

[SandwichBoy]

Henry Cameron is the greatest travesty of a player I've seen. Has somebody checked he was actually a football player and not some relation of McDonald, looks like an Ali Dia job.

[bluewhitearmy]

Probably off topic but Joel Constrain has signed for Balla and with Gharbhan still in Limerick, it makes you wonder what's going on at times. Ronald's man management, refusing to play Trace and signing Cameron the gimp, emptying the dressing room and all round stupidity could still send us down.

A win and a draw and a far more balanced looking team in the 2 games Tracy has come back in for recently how it took so long I'll never know.

[sadloserkid]

I still think McDonald wanted to make an example of Tracy (a la Kelly, Williams and O'Conor) but he couldn't because the testimonial had already been announced.

We were headed straight down and he had no choice really but to recall Tracy if he wanted to keep his job. The improvement in form and shape since Shane got back in is an indictment of McDonald's decision making in the first place, not some amazing tactical revelation he's uncovered.

Things are a whole lot more comfortable this morning though.

[Jofspring]

I still think McDonald wanted to make an example of Tracy (a la Kelly, Williams and O'Conor) but he couldn't because the testimonial had already been announced.

We were headed straight down and he had no choice really but to recall Tracy if he wanted to keep his job. The improvement in form and shape since Shane got back in is an indictment of McDonald's decision making in the first place, not some amazing tactical revelation he's uncovered.

Things are a whole lot more comfortable this morning though.

Without doubt Shane has proved McDonald wrong. I'd nearly have more respect for McDonald if he came out now and acknowledged Shane's performances and that he should have been in the team earlier.

[osarusan]

I was assuming that Coughlan had to be released during the window so he would be able to sign for a club in NZ. Might well be wrong on that though, not sure of rules about free agents.

[fieldofmarkets]

We were blessed to get a point last night and even more blessed that Galway blew it in Bray. Looking at it now, is it possible we could still need 40points?

[gael353]

Blessed to a point. But Galway were lucky too apparently bray had a nailed on pen in the 93rd but the ref bottled it. Also yes we were lucky to get our point but pats first was well offside. We may have to relegate Galway

[Castlepook]

[QUOTE=gael353;1938933]Blessed to a point. But Galway were lucky too apparently bray had a nailed on pen in the 93rd but the ref bottled it. Also yes we were lucky to get our point but pats first was well offside. We may have to relegate Galway[/QUOT

Love to think we could, but they are playing well and scoring plenty. If we sit deep we could be in the ****. McDonald needs to have his team well drilled and up for it ..

[bluewhitearmy]

Beat Drogs and we are safe.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Doomsday scenario over last two matchdays

Galway beat Limerick
St Pats beat an uninterested Cork
Sligo beat uninterested Derry

Standings:

Limerick 39
St Pats 38
Sligo 38
-------------
Galway 37


Last matchday
Shams beat Limerick
Sligo beat Drogs (or draw, which would leave them level with us)
Galway beat uninterested Dundalk
St Pats beat uninterested Derry (or draw, which would leave them level with us)

Final Standings
Sligo 41
St Pats 41
Galway 40
-----------
Limerick 39

I don't think any of the results I've suggested, especially against sides that have won the league/secured Europe/are prepping for a cup final, are all that unrealistic. Nothings decided yet, being the point.

[bluewhitearmy]

I think people are playing on the whole uninterested thing a bit too much. Why would Derry not go out and try to win the game like? Even Cork after celebrating are a much better team than Pats not saying they won't beat em but both those games are still in Derry and Corks favour being realistic.

[sbgawa]

The current Cork team are not better than Pats based on the last 10 games and Dundalk could easily lose their match against Galway, (they lost 5-2 at PAts at the end of last season when they were getting ready for a euro match)..
But its a bit like a 4 horse accumulator bet, all the results look possible but one of them always manages to let you down, I'd say your safe enough...
And anyway the third bottom team will probably be replaced by Bray after the FAI rule on the betting issue down there.

[NeverFeltBetter]

I think people are playing on the whole uninterested thing a bit too much. Why would Derry not go out and try to win the game like? Even Cork after celebrating are a much better team than Pats not saying they won't beat em but both those games are still in Derry and Corks favour being realistic.

I take your point, but to be more detailed than to just say "uninterested", I think it's really fine margins in the League of Ireland: one player sold, one player injured, one team having just that little bit more of a vested interest in a game than the other. The gap between Cork and Pats isn't truly astronomical to begin with and if, say, Pats take the lead against Cork in the 80th minute, will Cork be mentally ready to chase the game down to the best of their ability? Or will a bunch of players be thinking about the Aviva and their holidays and just decide, even subconsciously, that it isn't really worth any extra effort?

[bluewhitearmy]

I take your point, but to be more detailed than to just say "uninterested", I think it's really fine margins in the League of Ireland: one player sold, one player injured, one team having just that little bit more of a vested interest in a game than the other. The gap between Cork and Pats isn't truly astronomical to begin with and if, say, Pats take the lead against Cork in the 80th minute, will Cork be mentally ready to chase the game down to the best of their ability? Or will a bunch of players be thinking about the Aviva and their holidays and just decide, even subconsciously, that it isn't really worth any extra effort?

I admit all of that could be right but if Pats put in a performance like they did against Galway they have no hope even against a half hearted Cork they were awful in that game. Anyway its not really a big deal you were just giving a worse case scenario.