Games weekend 21st October to 24th October

[DCSIL]

Congratulations Rovers.


We're three points ahead of Harps now. But two or three points ahead, we can't lose on Friday. And if we lose to Rovers (which we will) then Harps can still pass us out with a draw on Friday and a final day win

You could beat a worn out Hoops to stay up yet.

[pineapple stu]

We haven't beaten them in ten years or something daft

It's not something I'd be banking on anyway!

Well done Rovers too; got there in the end

[joey B]

Thought UCD shaded the second half,pushed up on Shels and got their goal but lacked the quality for a winner,Friday will be intresting now,must win for us and must not lose for UCD.....

[Candystripe]

Congratulations Shamrock rvrs. Looking forward to next season's league already but cup final first to look forward too.

[The Bowler]

Not sure the point for us at Shels tonight counts for a huge amount, win at Harps Friday we get the playoff spot, draw and Harps have a chance by winning away to Drogs in final day as long as we lose in Tallaght. Ultimately, I think we probably both go down,but definitely advantage UCD

[sbgawa]

Have to say i am delighted to get it done tonight.
First team against Gent on Thursday , Reserves against Derry , first team away in Swedan and then whoever is left standing against UCD.
There is a million euro to play for in the two euro games that has to be first priority now.

[sbgawa]

When Rovers completed the 4 in a row in 87 if you told me between then and 2010 23 years we would win 1 more title (94) and not win the cup for 32 years i would have said impossible.
When Dundalk closed the gap in titles won to 17 to 14 when they won in 2019 i felt they were unstopable and on their way to passing us out......3 titles later and its 20 to 14 and i can hopefully shuffle off this mortal coil with Rovers still Irelands most successful club.

I dont like talking about the English game but anyone who lived through the 70's 80's 90's and saw Liverpool win the title in 89/90 and said they wouldnt win a title again for 30 years would have been certified.
Man United won the Premier league for fun until 2012/13 and havent won it since.

Tonight i'm hopeing that the obvious threat posed by Derry is enough to keep us focused as things can fall apart evry easily.
Rovers 80s team was the ground sale, Dundalks team was Kenny leaving and peak 6 going nuts, Man Utd was Fergie leaving.....things happen.

For tonight im going to enjoy it but i hope we keep working hard and mind things both on and off the pitch

[redarmyfaction]

Derry played like it was a dead rubber tonight.

[lofty9]

Derry played like it was a dead rubber tonight.

As I said yesterday. The chase ended on Friday night, pie in the sky thinking after that.

Well done Rovers. Won it easy enough.

[Philosophizer]

Have to say i am delighted to get it done tonight.
First team against Gent on Thursday , Reserves against Derry , first team away in Swedan and then whoever is left standing against UCD.
There is a million euro to play for in the two euro games that has to be first priority now.
Well done, Rovers.
And I was immediately thinking the same thing as you sbgawa. Wil be very interesting to see how they perform in the remaining ECL games…

[oriel]

When Rovers completed the 4 in a row in 87 if you told me between then and 2010 23 years we would win 1 more title (94) and not win the cup for 32 years i would have said impossible.
When Dundalk closed the gap in titles won to 17 to 14 when they won in 2019 i felt they were unstopable and on their way to passing us out......3 titles later and its 20 to 14 and i can hopefully shuffle off this mortal coil with Rovers still Irelands most successful club.

I dont like talking about the English game but anyone who lived through the 70's 80's 90's and saw Liverpool win the title in 89/90 and said they wouldnt win a title again for 30 years would have been certified.
Man United won the Premier league for fun until 2012/13 and havent won it since.

Tonight i'm hopeing that the obvious threat posed by Derry is enough to keep us focused as things can fall apart evry easily.
Rovers 80s team was the ground sale, Dundalks team was Kenny leaving and peak 6 going nuts, Man Utd was Fergie leaving.....things happen.

For tonight im going to enjoy it but i hope we keep working hard and mind things both on and off the pitch

That's a fair enough summary there SB, Dundalk did win one more title after SK left, (2019) but everyone knew it was slipping in terms of dominance of winning leagues. May have won the cup in 2020 but this year is probably more a fairer reflection, 3rd or 4th. You can probably throw Cork City into the mix also, 2nd best team during 2014-2018 (and best in 2017), their decline was they simply ran out of cash trying to catch DFC who were spending EL monies from 2016, then underwritten by P6. Nothing last forever though and at least the hadnover figs by p6 end of Nov last year showed no debt and over 1m in the bank.

Congrats to Rovers, best team always wins the league. Would imagine Derry will give them a harder run next season, with DFC and Pats again fighting it out for best of the rest.

[pineapple stu]

Congrats to Rovers, best team always wins the league. Would imagine Derry will give them a harder run next season, with DFC and Pats again fighting it out for best of the rest.
I know there's a big gap between Premier and First, but you'd have to imagine Cork should be able to be top half next season and throw a spanner in the works there.

[Jd2793]

I know there's a big gap between Premier and First, but you'd have to imagine Cork should be able to be top half next season and throw a spanner in the works there.

cant see that. we'll have a tiny budget and our team this year fell over the line to win it. personally dont think we've more than 4 players upto scratch for PD. id take 8th right now if it was offered.

[joey B]

What’s the craic with the Preston North End link with Cork? Is there still a link or investment from over there?

[pineapple stu]

cant see that. we'll have a tiny budget and our team this year fell over the line to win it. personally dont think we've more than 4 players upto scratch for PD. id take 8th right now if it was offered.
Surely the budget would have to be not far off the non-European sides though? Even in the First, the crowds are bigger than Drogheda and Shels, plus probably Sligo and Bohs. One club city too - you can't be too far off those (plus Harps/UCD/Waterford) in terms of budget?

Something still wrong with the way the club is being run if not, I'd have thought?

[Jd2793]

Surely the budget would have to be not far off the non-European sides though? Even in the First, the crowds are bigger than Drogheda and Shels, plus probably Sligo and Bohs. One club city too - you can't be too far off those (plus Harps/UCD/Waterford) in terms of budget?

Something still wrong with the way the club is being run if not, I'd have thought?


we'll be closer to drogs than shels id imagine. bohs have been well ran for a while now and have good money in the bank we'd be nowhere near them. if waterford go up i could see their new guy throw some cash around. one thing is certain we wont be near a bohs/dundalk as an outsider for 4th-5th place.

[Jd2793]

those big crowds will drop off by may this year when we are struggling. wont be more than 2.5k through the gates imo

[sbgawa]

That's a fair enough summary there SB, Dundalk did win one more title after SK left, (2019) but everyone knew it was slipping in terms of dominance of winning leagues. May have won the cup in 2020 but this year is probably more a fairer reflection, 3rd or 4th. You can probably throw Cork City into the mix also, 2nd best team during 2014-2018 (and best in 2017), their decline was they simply ran out of cash trying to catch DFC who were spending EL monies from 2016, then underwritten by P6. Nothing last forever though and at least the hadnover figs by p6 end of Nov last year showed no debt and over 1m in the bank.

Congrats to Rovers, best team always wins the league. Would imagine Derry will give them a harder run next season, with DFC and Pats again fighting it out for best of the rest.

I had thought about including Cork but they won very little so arent really on the same levels as the other multipe winner teams, that being said they had the most spectacular fall.
I appreciate Dundalk won another league in 2019 but from the outside looking in it was simply Kennys team winning the league with a passenger as manager before it all started falling apart.

[sbgawa]

we'll be closer to drogs than shels id imagine. bohs have been well ran for a while now and have good money in the bank we'd be nowhere near them. if waterford go up i could see their new guy throw some cash around. one thing is certain we wont be near a bohs/dundalk as an outsider for 4th-5th place.

I dont understand how your budget will be close to Drogs you will have probably 3 times the gate reciepts at least on them so unless you are carrying debts in from this season surely you will have more to spend than them. I cant imagine Comercial income at Drogs is more than Cork

[pineapple stu]

we'll be closer to drogs than shels id imagine. bohs have been well ran for a while now and have good money in the bank we'd be nowhere near them. if waterford go up i could see their new guy throw some cash around. one thing is certain we wont be near a bohs/dundalk as an outsider for 4th-5th place.

Are Bohs all that well run now?

For all the money (Matt Doherty, decent Euro run) they've not won anything for more than a decade now, have gone backwards this year, and then sacked Long with no real succession plan in place.

I think you're being a bit pessimistic, albeit Cork do seem to have been really badly run for a few years now.

[Jd2793]

Are Bohs all that well run now?

For all the money (Matt Doherty, decent Euro run) they've not won anything for more than a decade now, have gone backwards this year, and then sacked Long with no real succession plan in place.

I think you're being a bit pessimistic, albeit Cork do seem to have been really badly run for a few years now.

being well run off the pitch doesnt mean you are going to be good on it. look at the quality of player bohs have, they can clearly compete to a point. their jersey sales alone dwarf anything we'll do next year. then you add in that doherty + devoy money .
the current board who've steadied the ship since 2019 have been good but theres only so much they can do without outside investment. IMO 8th would be a success for us next year. depending on who goes up. its hard not to be pessimistic when you know most of the squad isnt good enough to make the jump up .


Our gates will be fine for a few weeks but once results go poorly (which in all likelihood they will) the wheels fall off the wagon and we are left with 2-3k of supporters through the gates. merch + gate receipts wont sustain you getting to 5th place. you need investment which we wont have. plus its what got us in the mess in 2018, the old board budgeting for crazy crowds of 4k a game when our performances were trending the the wrong direction. by the end of 2019 there were games it felt like less than 2k in the ground.

[sbgawa]

Are Bohs all that well run now?

For all the money (Matt Doherty, decent Euro run) they've not won anything for more than a decade now, have gone backwards this year, and then sacked Long with no real succession plan in place.

I think you're being a bit pessimistic, albeit Cork do seem to have been really badly run for a few years now.


Bit early to be thinking of next season now but assuming that Rovers , Derry , Dundalk, and Pats keep a bit of a gap to the rest the battle to avoid the drop next season could be desperate enough. Id expect Cork to be strong enough to compete with the other teams in the PD.
Having Harps and UCD cut adrift this year took the pressure off everyone, i doubt it will be the same next year

[RealJohn91]

Are Bohs all that well run now?

For all the money (Matt Doherty, decent Euro run) they've not won anything for more than a decade now, have gone backwards this year, and then sacked Long with no real succession plan in place.

I think you're being a bit pessimistic, albeit Cork do seem to have been really badly run for a few years now.
The business side of Bohs is being extremely well run. Between merch, sponsorship and increased memberships and season tickets the club is creating very healthy revenue every season.

[pineapple stu]

But if that's not translating to on-the-pitch performances, is it out of the question that Cork couldn't finish ahead Bohs next year?

I don't think it is

[oriel]

Providing Dundalk get Europe indications are that main owners StatSports will increase budget a fair bit.

Also if we do get europe it will rank well up there with recent achievements, as playing with 8 players out either injured or left since June, and pretty much no striker since Mid August !

[ontheotherhand]

Well jaysus. I thought we were out of steam altogether but the Pats performance was a throw back to us at our best. Derry made it easy in the end but it was some run from them at the start and end of the season to put the pressure on. Fair play to them. Higgins is still learning but I'd be feeling very optimistic if I was a Derry fan. I don't understand why they took their foot off the gas in the league but that's their choice. They'll be right there next year with a fit Duffy and a few new faces I'm sure. I wouldn't write Pats or Dundalk off either. We are fading a bit and while Derry are on the up, Dundalk and Pats at their best this season looked very good. Just not consistent enough and both need more depth but the core is there.

We still need a refresh and some more quality to compete in Europe but for now I'm really enjoying 3 in a row and #20.

Hopefully we can at least go and give Gent and Djurgarden a good moral hiding now for all the neutrals.

Good luck to all of you in your various battles for the cup, Europe, survival etc. The season coming to a close is always so bittersweet. You want the result but you don't want the journey to end.

[ger121]

Are Bohs all that well run now?

For all the money (Matt Doherty, decent Euro run) they've not won anything for more than a decade now, have gone backwards this year, and then sacked Long with no real succession plan in place.

I think you're being a bit pessimistic, albeit Cork do seem to have been really badly run for a few years now.

Ah, we are well run off the pitch and turn a profit every season. Of course we will see if that is still the case with FT football and an increased budget. On the pitch I can’t really argue with any of your points.

[ontheotherhand]

Ah, we are well run off the pitch and turn a profit every season. Of course we will see if that is still the case with FT football and an increased budget. On the pitch I can’t really argue with any of your points.

What do you put that down to Ger? As much as I like to have a go at Lambert, it's clear he's effective in certain areas. So what's missing on the football side? The managerial search in particular seemed to suggest a lack of foresight or focus. Do you have a director of football type there?

[Kiki Balboa]

That Buckley signing seems odd to me as an outsider.


Bringing a fella back from holidays on a 3-year deal (who will be 31 next year and 34 when it expires - especially after multi-year deals for Flores and Junior arent setting the world on fire), and making him captain for the next season before this one is even over- it just doesnt seem that well thought out.


The whole Ian Ryan drama being in media... bringing in a whole squad half way during the year.... then sacking your manager when they were baiscally in pre-season against teams well-settled. Don't know, maybe im looking too much into it... just seems junior ball to me.

[ger121]

What do you put that down to Ger? As much as I like to have a go at Lambert, it's clear he's effective in certain areas. So what's missing on the football side? The managerial search in particular seemed to suggest a lack of foresight or focus. Do you have a director of football type there?

My own view on this, is we are slow to do what other clubs are doing. Multi-year contracts, increasing budgets, going full-time, moving to morning training.
All of these things have cost us on the pitch and means we are chasing other clubs who have a head start on us, by doing these things a season or two sooner.
It’s like we want to be leaders in the league when it comes to off field activities but that same mindset is not there when it comes to the footballing side of things. Whatever strategy and business plan we have in place for the football club, is again in my view, weaker than the other elements of that strategy and business plan for the club.

[ontheotherhand]

My own view on this, is we are slow to do what other clubs are doing. Multi-year contracts, increasing budgets, going full-time, moving to morning training.
All of these things have cost us on the pitch and means we are chasing other clubs who have a head start on us, by doing these things a season or two sooner.
It’s like we want to be leaders in the league when it comes to off field activities but that same mindset is not there when it comes to the footballing side of things. Whatever strategy and business plan we have in place for the football club, is again in my view, weaker than the other elements of that strategy and business plan for the club.

Yeah that's how it seems from the outside looking it. There's a lot of focus on, for want of a better word, "the brand" but at the same time an assumption that you can do all that work at the expense of what happens on the field. Like you can grow the brand and the football can catch up over time. If you were combining the growth aspects with results on the field you'd be flying. As it is I could see increased scrutiny and skepticism around some of Lambert's more left field ideas given that all LoI clubs have limited resources and if you don't put some of them into results then you risk alienating a lot of the older support and potentially turning off the newer support over time. Ultimately fans want something to celebrate even if all of us somewhat enjoy the pain of supporting our clubs as well! The downs make the ups etc.

I'd disagree with Kiki on Buckley though. You missed him badly this year and he's well capable of playing into his mid 30s. If anything you should have convinced him that Aus could be done after his career and that's another example of the football strategy being a bit out of whack.

[RealJohn91]

That Buckley signing seems odd to me as an outsider.


Bringing a fella back from holidays on a 3-year deal (who will be 31 next year and 34 when it expires - especially after multi-year deals for Flores and Junior arent setting the world on fire), and making him captain for the next season before this one is even over- it just doesnt seem that well thought out.
We've had at least four different captains this season, each one terrible in their own unique way. It was a no brainer giving him the armband back.

[Philosophizer]

If anything you should have convinced him that Aus could be done after his career and that's another example of the football strategy being a bit out of whack.
The 1 year travel/work visa that Irish people can get for Australia is only available to people under 30 isn’t it. There’s a reason why people do a year or 2 in Australia when they’re young and not later in life.

[Kiki Balboa]

We've had at least four different captains this season, each one terrible in their own unique way. It was a no brainer giving him the armband back.

Im not saying he shouldn't be captain at all. Or that he is a bad signing (probably will suit Devine).

My point is making him captain in a season when he cant be registered while you have another captain actually on the pitch is just off for me. Why not just wait till this year is done and dusted to make the announcement, start fresh with a new captain in the offseason.

For me, on the outside and could be wrong about it, just seems like a club scrambling to placate the fans. Sign a fan favorite, make him captain... nobody can complain for a few months.

[ontheotherhand]

The 1 year travel/work visa that Irish people can get for Australia is only available to people under 30 isn’t it. There’s a reason why people do a year or 2 in Australia when they’re young and not later in life.

Ah fair enough. I didnt know that. It's a wonder we don't lose more.

[2 Year Contract]

The 1 year travel/work visa that Irish people can get for Australia is only available to people under 30 isn’t it. There’s a reason why people do a year or 2 in Australia when they’re young and not later in life.

Not likely given he wasn’t under 30 when he went there

[Philosophizer]

According to the internet he was 30 in June just gone, so that would make him 29 when he went to Oz.

[2 Year Contract]

According to the internet he was 30 in June just gone, so that would make him 29 when he went to Oz.
Apologies, right you are. Brain fart on my part