Tonight's gamesTonight's - 16 August

[RathfarnhamHoop]

You don't have to try to double down on something that is so obviously unfair and inaccurate

Generalise - to make a broad, sweeping assumption or statement - is exactly what I said you were doing.

Your justifying "fact" about Bohs fans is also askew for example - I recall the much maligned marinobohs recently giving repeated credit for the matchday experience and organisation at Tallaght Stadium (maybe this credit is due to SDCC?)

I thought the fact I was making a sweeping generalisation was blindingly obvious? Even included a "maybe" to say there are obviously exceptions which again I would have thought was obvious.

[Ezeikial]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRN_AlCpNCx5Wv7Y4oezdALH4Ike51Z9-Knit8g7r1abOIvo9ms

[ToberonaTornado]

GIS rest of of us a break from yousers superior wit,
Guys,as they used to say back in the golden days of football forums,fecking message each other cos nobody,bar yous wants to listen in.

[Calcio Jack]

And the group think continues in the posts above... suggest for convenience you set yourselves up as BoEz and jointly post to cut down on the boring repetitive narative

[ThirdManRun]

The model of the club just hasn't worked out this year. Last year we blitzed the First Division and had a very credible cup campaign by reaching the semi losing narrowly to Dundalk at Oriel. Slogett and O'Connor departed in the winter and the squad was pretty much eviscerated in the summer. Yes, we had started to drift but the squad depletion and the uncertainty has left us unable to credibly compete this year. Maybe succession planning has been insufficient or maybe that level of flux just can't be managed. I feel having already lost all our best players and having just signed two experienced Premier quality midfielders may actually see us positioned to hit the ground running in the First.

As for last night, I think the youthful nature of the team leaves us prone to complete collapse in a way that might not happen if we had a few veteran heads. It's been an arduous and challenging season and the team must be increasingly demoralised. Rovers actually played better against us in Tallaght and could probably have hit more than ten the time they hit seven but last night we performed even worse. Credit to Bohs for continually pushing and having the appetite.

Succession planning is one thing, but UCD constantly churn out young players. Obviously they struggle to maintain premier division status frequently, but never before have the been so badly embarrassed. Portsmouth / Rovers / Bohs results shouldn’t happen regardless of the level or circumstances. A lot of people refer to the players they lost during the midseason, but it’s not like they were flying before the break and have just fallen off a cliff since!

From the outside looking in, Mahdy seems to consistently score goals and make the difference in games. He’s been behind Davis who scored less goals and now Sam Byrne who is seriously out of shape.

Would I be right in saying a lot of the UCD squad is the U19 squad that one the league a couple of seasons ago/competed in Europe? You would wonder if last seasons success was down to a golden group of talent rather than managerial decisions!

[Kingswood Rover]

Within 10pts and 2nd is progress, law of averages game coming up as well, next season we need to be challenging till the end though.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Did t think we were that bad first half. We had most of the ball and Sligos lead came against the run of play. Second half was definitely the best I've seen us play this year. Much more drive and urgency about us. McAuley does look a find.

Bohs 10 against UCD ! Wow. That's actually embarrassing. Shouldn't be happening in the top tier in the country.

Don’t know about against the run of play as Romeo had missed a sitter about a minute before that. We were abysmal in the second half though and got what we deserved. Just kept giving the Ball back. Really need something in centre midfield to go with Cawley.

[total hoofball]

Succession planning is one thing, but UCD constantly churn out young players. Obviously they struggle to maintain premier division status frequently, but never before have the been so badly embarrassed. Portsmouth / Rovers / Bohs results shouldn’t happen regardless of the level or circumstances. A lot of people refer to the players they lost during the midseason, but it’s not like they were flying before the break and have just fallen off a cliff since!

From the outside looking in, Mahdy seems to consistently score goals and make the difference in games. He’s been behind Davis who scored less goals and now Sam Byrne who is seriously out of shape.

Would I be right in saying a lot of the UCD squad is the U19 squad that one the league a couple of seasons ago/competed in Europe? You would wonder if last seasons success was down to a golden group of talent rather than managerial decisions!
UCD had enough decent players with LOI experience in their starting XI last night to have ensured not have lost anything like 10-1 but an inexperienced goalkeeper and another couple of inexperienced U19s in defence in a system that passes the ball out of the backline can become a recipe for disaster.

That horrifically bad Galway United team from 2011 conceded 8 on one occasion, 7 on one occasion and 6 on four occasions. This current UCD team are still superior to that Galway United team so I think O'Neill is going to have to change their approach to avoid this again if he's stuck with inexperienced teenagers at the backline.

[Poor Student]

Succession planning is one thing, but UCD constantly churn out young players. Obviously they struggle to maintain premier division status frequently, but never before have the been so badly embarrassed. Portsmouth / Rovers / Bohs results shouldn’t happen regardless of the level or circumstances. A lot of people refer to the players they lost during the midseason, but it’s not like they were flying before the break and have just fallen off a cliff since!

From the outside looking in, Mahdy seems to consistently score goals and make the difference in games. He’s been behind Davis who scored less goals and now Sam Byrne who is seriously out of shape.

Would I be right in saying a lot of the UCD squad is the U19 squad that one the league a couple of seasons ago/competed in Europe? You would wonder if last seasons success was down to a golden group of talent rather than managerial decisions!

Mahdy is developing and he's just not that effective as a centre forward. He's only figured so much due to Davis' injury earlier in the season and departure. He may be our top scorer but in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king. I don't think the complete gutting of the squad in midseason can be understated. We've never had our squad disassembled midseason like that. We had one outfield sub in one match. We had sustained a bad run of losses but we were rarely outclassed. The complete collapse has taken place after the raft of departures. I wouldn't focus too much on the Portsmouth result, it was a friendly utilising U19s and U17s. Pineapple would have a better idea how many of the title winning/European U-19 squad are in the current senior team. I think Kearns was one.

[marinobohs]

And the group think continues in the posts above... suggest for convenience you set yourselves up as BoEz and jointly post to cut down on the boring repetitive narative
Or shams could stop posting crap and expecting everyone else to accept it as “fact”

[Calcio Jack]

Or shams could stop posting crap and expecting everyone else to accept it as “fact”

Is that your view or the BoEz group view ?

[joey B]

Shelbourne look as good as promoted,Longford in for a long slog in the playoffs..

[Martinho II]

it would be a help if the shels fans behaved themselves. they destroyed 13 of our seats in the away end in front of the guards and they fired cans onto the pitch when they scored. they wrecked a pool table in one of the pubs in longford before the game.

win or lose shels fans are a disgrace and I safely bet you that they will get away with the damage caused to the ground cos the FAI were afraid of them.

we were a total disgrace ourselves and didnt deserve a point at all as we let shels bully us on the pitch. mind you the first goal for shels has being proven to be offside.

I think our tactics were completely wrong and I dont fancy us in the playoffs and will get battered by Bohs in the FAI Cup. I think Neale Fenn has a lot to answer for too. his tactics baffled our fans!

[marinobohs]

Is that your view or the BoEz group view ?
Can you confirm Shams are going to stop posting crap ?
In your own time.... 😁

[Charlie Darwin]

Mahdy is developing and he's just not that effective as a centre forward. He's only figured so much due to Davis' injury earlier in the season and departure. He may be our top scorer but in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king. I don't think the complete gutting of the squad in midseason can be understated. We've never had our squad disassembled midseason like that. We had one outfield sub in one match. We had sustained a bad run of losses but we were rarely outclassed. The complete collapse has taken place after the raft of departures. I wouldn't focus too much on the Portsmouth result, it was a friendly utilising U19s and U17s. Pineapple would have a better idea how many of the title winning/European U-19 squad are in the current senior team. I think Kearns was one.
Skinner was the 19s keeper that year afaik. Kearns' development has probably surprised everyone since. Scales and Collins were the centre-halves that year and there were a few lads like Corcoran who have since left. Simon Power has obviously gone on to England but most of that team haven't really continued in football.

[TonyD]

Don’t know about against the run of play as Romeo had missed a sitter about a minute before that. We were abysmal in the second half though and got what we deserved. Just kept giving the Ball back. Really need something in centre midfield to go with Cawley.

Granted, but I still think we had far more of the play in the half. In fairness to Sligo you did have a couple of really good chances in the second half as well, even though we were generally on top.

[pineapple stu]

Skinner was the 19s keeper that year afaik. Kearns' development has probably surprised everyone since. Scales and Collins were the centre-halves that year and there were a few lads like Corcoran who have since left. Simon Power has obviously gone on to England but most of that team haven't really continued in football.
Kearns was the keeper by the time the Youth League came around - but the Youth League is strange because the team that qualified were too old to play by the time it came around.

The Youth League team still reached the semis of the U19 league that year - lost in a bat**** crazy semi against Pat's; 7-5 or something silly like that - and we were in the semis again last year. Of the Youth League team, Kearns, Dignam, Farrell, Boore, Farrugia, McDonald and Ryan were all in the squad at the start of the season. So at worst, we had two golden generations, but I don't think ThirdManRun's point that a golden generation basically covered for managerial decisions stacks up. A golden underage generation is a managerial decision in itself in terms of signing those players.

We've had lots of golden generations before, but ultimately a whole team can't jump from 19s to the Premier, which is kind of what's happened with so many players either departed or injured. The best UCD teams have always had players stay on after college - think the likes of Tony McDonnell, Alan Mahon, Alan McNally and so on, who played ten seasons - and you then introduce 2/3 new players each year. But we can't afford that any more.

[disgruntled]

it would be a help if the shels fans behaved themselves. they destroyed 13 of our seats in the away end in front of the guards and they fired cans onto the pitch when they scored. they wrecked a pool table in one of the pubs in longford before the game.

win or lose shels fans are a disgrace and I safely bet you that they will get away with the damage caused to the ground cos the FAI were afraid of them.

we were a total disgrace ourselves and didnt deserve a point at all as we let shels bully us on the pitch. mind you the first goal for shels has being proven to be offside.

I think our tactics were completely wrong and I dont fancy us in the playoffs and will get battered by Bohs in the FAI Cup. I think Neale Fenn has a lot to answer for too. his tactics baffled our fans!


He does have you well up the table & in a shout for promotion.
There are some Cork City fans who want to see Fenn at Turners Cross :confused:
Maybe its because he was a decent player back in the day for us.

[Martinho II]

He does have you well up the table & in a shout for promotion.
There are some Cork City fans who want to see Fenn at Turners Cross :confused:
Maybe its because he was a decent player back in the day for us.

for last while since our form collapsed we have being playing three at the back which is ok against weaker sides but not the stronger ones.. in hindsight now I think its too early for us to go up. Drogheda and Shels were knocking on the door last season so I dont think Shels will have their own way yet considering these two have to meet for the final time soon!

[seand]

Some man, chatted to him in McGowans a few times back in the day...hadn't seen him in years but happy to see he was still about after tbe first match of the season. As for our match, we were comfortable until the needless concession of the first goal and the sending off. We needlessly went into self destruct then it could have been any score. Was a free shot really and with the ucd game doesn't feel like much damage was done

I thought Harps looked decent before the first goal. They looked confident and were happy to play football. The first two goal were atrocious defensively. Harps should be comfortably clear of UCD, you would think, it's hard to see them making up the points on anyone else though.

[sbgawa]

Good win on Friday in Derry
Hopefully follow up tonight in Waterford
Academic in the context of the league at this stage but finishing strongly is important.
I'm hoping we can lose no more ground between now and season end that way i can spend the winter hoping that next year will be our year. :)
A strong finish and starting next season with Jack Byrne still in the squad will give me some of that "hope" that normally kills you.

[Onapointoforder]

UCD lost 16 out of 20 before July 1st and 6 out of 8 since July 1 - so no change there. There may be plenty of new faces on the pitch, but the same old manager

[Ezeikial]

Good win on Friday in Derry
Hopefully follow up tonight in Waterford
Academic in the context of the league at this stage but finishing strongly is important.
I'm hoping we can lose no more ground between now and season end that way i can spend the winter hoping that next year will be our year. :)
A strong finish and starting next season with Jack Byrne still in the squad will give me some of that "hope" that normally kills you.

It's hard to imagine anything other than a comprehensive win for Rovers tonight, as Waterford are on a diabolical run of form. Since the Blues defeated St Pats in early May, UCD are the only other team they have beaten in the league.

A win tonight for Rovers would be their first back-to-back league wins since beating Cork in Tallaght in May.

Since then Rovers have managed only 12 points from 8 games. After tonight Rovers will have another 8 league games until the end of the season

Maybe Jack Byrne is some sort of footballing Messiah, but Rovers recent record is not exactly the stuff to inspire dreams

[placid casual]

Fair play to ye doing all that research. You must really love Rovers.

[Martinho II]

it would be a help if the shels fans behaved themselves. they destroyed 13 of our seats in the away end in front of the guards and they fired cans onto the pitch when they scored. they wrecked a pool table in one of the pubs in longford before the game.

win or lose shels fans are a disgrace and I safely bet you that they will get away with the damage caused to the ground cos the FAI were afraid of them.

we were a total disgrace ourselves and didnt deserve a point at all as we let shels bully us on the pitch. mind you the first goal for shels has being proven to be offside.

I think our tactics were completely wrong and I dont fancy us in the playoffs and will get battered by Bohs in the FAI Cup. I think Neale Fenn has a lot to answer for too. his tactics baffled our fans!

in clarification to that post it has being pointed out to me elsewhere that there was no pool table wrecked in a longford pub. apologises to any confusion and anger caused.

[Mr A]

In fairness, one can see how people might think parts of Longford have been wrecked by someone.

[sbgawa]

Fair play to ye doing all that research. You must really love Rovers.

Thats the thing about stats, i don't care enough to go doing the reasearch but from memory ,,,,,,,,, :)

Since then Dundalk have played 6 games in Europe without winning a match and scoring 2 goals, they have zero more European games until the end of the season.
Maybe Vinnie Perth is some sort of footballing Messiah, but Dundalks recent record is not exactly the stuff to inspire dreams.

[Nesta99]

I beg to differ, 6 games in Europe for a LoI club is the stuff dreams just ask any Waterford fan and suggest that to a Dundalk fan c2012 and there would have been some fit of laughter!! The €1mil+ this year isnt too shabby for no wins and only 2 goals! Brings us damn close to breaking €10mil in prizemoney since 2014. We cant complain too much tbh ;)

[Ezeikial]

Here is one from memory....

While Rovers have managed 12 points in the last 8 games, Dundalk have won 22 points

Dundalk's record is pretty sound thanks

[sbgawa]

I beg to differ, 6 games in Europe for a LoI club is the stuff dreams just ask any Waterford fan and suggest that to a Dundalk fan c2012 and there would have been some fit of laughter!! The €1mil+ this year isnt too shabby for no wins and only 2 goals! Brings us damn close to breaking €10mil in prizemoney since 2014. We cant complain too much tbh ;)

Would have thought you'd see my refusal to fish as a positive :)
Should be a good match in oriel tinight

[Park_Lane]

Would have thought you'd see my refusal to fish as a positive :)
Should be a good match in oriel tinight

How did the big club get on?

[marinobohs]

How did the big club get on?
Who ? Killester?

[Park_Lane]

Who ? Killester?

Good team Killester! Wouldn't of bent over as quickly as the peoples club did tonight!

[RathfarnhamHoop]

Aaron Greene now joint second top scorer in the league, which I think makes him the sole top scorer from open play. Funny how perception works isn't it that this season Greene has been widely considered to be a poor finisher while Hoban is still considered to be very clinical. So is this perception wrong or are Rovers just carving teams open so much more often than Dundalk that Greene has more opportunities to miss?

Jack Byrne with two great goals and Cory Galvin with a belter too. Thomas Oluwa got his first senior goal too to top off a great night's work.

[marinobohs]

Good team Killester! Wouldn't of bent over as quickly as the peoples club did tonight!
Yep, losing to Killester much more impressive than losing to Dundalk 😁 then again, you'd know - on both counts.
"The Cup Specialists" LOL

[Park_Lane]

Yep, losing to Killester much more impressive than losing to Dundalk 😁 then again, you'd know - on both counts.
"The Cup Specialists" LOL

Ah we all know the boez are the real cup specialists! They just don't do semis.
Anyway relax you still have the coveted choccy mallow trophy to concentrate on! Think of all those hipster aways days to Mull of Kintyre FC and Dog and Duck Athletic! Chin up!!

[marinobohs]

Ah we all know the boez are the real cup specialists! They just don't do semis.
Anyway relax you still have the coveted choccy mallow trophy to concentrate on! Think of all those hipster aways days to Mull of Kintyre FC and Dog and Duck Athletic! Chin up!!
We just do derbies 😁 or as Bradser calls them “cup FINALS”

[Charlie Darwin]

Aaron Greene now joint second top scorer in the league, which I think makes him the sole top scorer from open play. Funny how perception works isn't it that this season Greene has been widely considered to be a poor finisher while Hoban is still considered to be very clinical. So is this perception wrong or are Rovers just carving teams open so much more often than Dundalk that Greene has more opportunities to miss?

Jack Byrne with two great goals and Cory Galvin with a belter too. Thomas Oluwa got his first senior goal too to top off a great night's work.
Hoban scored four from open play tonight to be fair. He's had a poor season by his own standards but he's still got it.

[Martinho II]

Hoban scored four from open play tonight to be fair. He's had a poor season by his own standards but he's still got it.

seen it in the sun today for a poor season from him he has scored 19 goals or so. thats a hell of a good season imo considering the stick he gets!

[Nesta99]

Aaron Greene now joint second top scorer in the league, which I think makes him the sole top scorer from open play. Funny how perception works isn't it that this season Greene has been widely considered to be a poor finisher while Hoban is still considered to be very clinical. So is this perception wrong or are Rovers just carving teams open so much more often than Dundalk that Greene has more opportunities to miss?

Jack Byrne with two great goals and Cory Galvin with a belter too. Thomas Oluwa got his first senior goal too to top off a great night's work.

Cant agree with that being the assessment of Hoban's form this season. From debating whether the contract issues were affecting his form to the much maligned European campaign where 'a more clinical striker' was needed to take us to the next level, there has been plenty of discussion on this season's form compared to last. What has kept him first choice striker is is all round play, especially holding the ball up and creating chances for others. He always had goals in him but want being clinical. Maybe last night has got the monkey off his back and he goes on a run of scoring form! Would you swap him for Greene?

[Ezeikial]

Hoban scored four from open play tonight to be fair. He's had a poor season by his own standards but he's still got it.


seen it in the sun today for a poor season from him he has scored 19 goals or so. thats a hell of a good season imo considering the stick he gets!

Apparently his 50th goal in all competitions since the start of last season.

Odds on to be the leagues top scorer again this season.

[Nesta99]

Apparently his 50th goal in all competitions since the start of last season.

Odds on to be the leagues top scorer again this season.

We cant count the refereeing conspircay thats put Hoban top of the scoring charts and us top of the table - sure the 200 penos given at the box cant be counted, well not by RH anyway!

[sbgawa]

misspost

[sbgawa]

Open Play League Goals

Greene 11
Parkhouse 10
Parkes 8
Uzokwe 8
Dinny 7
Byrne 7
Duffy 7
McEneff 6
Hoban 6
Mandriou 6

I think it is reasonable to exclude penos when judging a player as goalscoring records can look way better over the course of a career if massaged by penos.
The Peter Crouch podcast (which is beyond brilliant for anyone who hasn't discovered it) had an episode on penos and Peter Crouch was lamenting that he took very few penos as he never pushed forward and was saying there were people ahead of him in the goal-scoring charts who were not as good strikers.
Hoban is a good striker who is having a poor run of form it happens, i don't watch enough Dundalk games to know what else he contributes.
Greene kept his place at the beginning of he season for the work he was doing to create stuff for others, when people were complaining about the chances he was misisng he was one of the most effective players on the pitch for us, its nice to see him getting a few goals now to top off the good workrate. The screamer he scored against Appolon seems to have given him a confidence boost and strikers feed on confidence, Hobans cup goals may give him the lift he needs

[Dalymountrower]

Hoban is ( by far) the best proven striker in the league. Apart from his finishing, his ability to win ball and keep possession makes room for other attacking players . Can`t really understand why it didn`t work out for him in the lower leagues. I would be surprised if Dundalk don`t offer him a new contract

[sbgawa]

Hoban is ( by far) the best proven striker in the league. Apart from his finishing, his ability to win ball and keep possession makes room for other attacking players . Can`t really understand why it didn`t work out for him in the lower leagues. I would be surprised if Dundalk don`t offer him a new contract

I'm sure they already have but he is holding out for either more money or a longer contract.
I can't see him anywhere other than Dundalk next season

[seand]

Open Play League Goals

Greene 11
Parkhouse 10
Parkes 8
Uzokwe 8
Dinny 7
Byrne 7
Duffy 7
McEneff 6
Hoban 6
Mandriou 6

I think it is reasonable to exclude penos when judging a player as goalscoring records can look way better over the course of a career if massaged by penos.
The Peter Crouch podcast (which is beyond brilliant for anyone who hasn't discovered it) had an episode on penos and Peter Crouch was lamenting that he took very few penos as he never pushed forward and was saying there were people ahead of him in the goal-scoring charts who were not as good strikers.
Hoban is a good striker who is having a poor run of form it happens, i don't watch enough Dundalk games to know what else he contributes.
Greene kept his place at the beginning of he season for the work he was doing to create stuff for others, when people were complaining about the chances he was misisng he was one of the most effective players on the pitch for us, its nice to see him getting a few goals now to top off the good workrate. The screamer he scored against Appolon seems to have given him a confidence boost and strikers feed on confidence, Hobans cup goals may give him the lift he needs

It's interesting to look at the goals from open play stat, but why would pens be excluded when judging a goal scoring record? Because they're too easy? In that case should we exclude tap ins? Goals against UCD?

[Ezeikial]

Other exclusions that may give a fairet reflection of ability:
Maybe also excluding goals scored from free kicks? Tap ins? Goals scored against teams with 10 men? Goals against UCD in the second half of the season? Goals scored against teams after they are relegated?

What about cup games?

[pineapple stu]

It's interesting to look at the goals from open play stat, but why would pens be excluded when judging a goal scoring record? Because they're too easy? In that case should we exclude tap ins? Goals against UCD?
I guess clubs tend to have designated penalty takers, so if, say, Rovers get a penalty, Greene might be explicitly told he's not taking it, which makes it different to a goal from outfield.

Both stats are relevant though I think.

[sbgawa]

It's interesting to look at the goals from open play stat, but why would pens be excluded when judging a goal scoring record? Because they're too easy? In that case should we exclude tap ins? Goals against UCD?

I think its generally accepted that penos are a bit of a gimme and pad out some players goals totals.
For tap in's you have to be there (Gary Lineker springs to mind) for goals against UCD.......thats just mean :)