Games weekend 5th 6th May

[oriel]

Most I expected with 5 out injured and still in re-build mode was a draw, so a great nights work.

[Nesta99]

Fair play to bohs, they looked far better last night than they did in dalymount. I can see now how they've gone on their run. That said the better team won so I don't understand the consternation from a few quarters. Maybe people are listening to Cawleys biased analysis and not taking the emotion out of the game.

2-1 might have been a fairer scoreline but I think we had the gears to make that even more comfortable. Burke and Gaffney off the bench didn't have to break a sweat and still created the second.

Bohs did have two ten minutes patches in each half where they put on pressure but we were completely dominant for 20 mins at the start of each half and had the better chances overall. The rest was even enough. Made for a good game I thought, end to end at times. I think Paddy Kirks chance was the real turning point though, not the bohs peno shout. If they had scored that in the first half the game might have gone differently but I was never really worried watching from the south stand. Well maybe a little towards the end of the first half.... Both teams had good peno shouts turned down so that evens out. Blaming that on a game they lost by two is a strange take. They weren't guaranteed to score the peno even if they got it.

If bohs had the same firepower up front that they threw from the stands they'd be in good shape. Not sure what was thrown but they were bigger than the bangers I remember growing up. Hasn't gotten any attention but that's to be expected for the new media darlings. I miss the days when it was us.

Sounds like unnecessary circling the wagons OTH! There isnt outrage at the result, frustration with ongoing incompetence of officials. Wouldnt have mattered if SRFC were involved or not, a live game on TV won by a title challenger where one goal shouldnt have stood and a penalty should have been given, it would have had people speaking out. I think Devine's reaction was the correct one mind, focusing on how chances shouldnt be coughed up and opportunities need to be taken - it was refreshing having a manager being introspective on a result rather than a Duffer moan, legitimate or not. As it is Rovers are just the lucky club!

[Nesta99]

Most I expected with 5 out injured and still in re-build mode was a draw, so a great nights work.


Great win for Dundalk in sligo I had expected sligo to win

I think it was a very big win against a side that imo are the best of the rest side. If Dundalk, and we should, back this win up against Cork then its really is a job being well done at Oriel all things considered. We need to be picking up points whenever key player ie Hoban is available as I simply dont have any faith in his replacements. That we cant rotate at all means a hectic period has gone very well too. Hopefully come July there will be the oportunity to bring a few lads in, so keep in touch and Europe is possible.

Its early to be thinking about 2024 but with the very possible prospect of Galway and Waterford being promoted for Cork and UCD it will make next season super competititive you'd think, no poor sides, Drogheda the smallest club but certainly a good side. Bar a probable standout top 2, it could be a real cut throat season. I mention it now as for some sides, including Dundalk, what happens now with squad development could be really key for next season and its not that often outside building a championship side that one season could signficantly lead in to the next.

[ontheotherhand]

Sounds like unnecessary circling the wagons OTH! There isnt outrage at the result, frustration with ongoing incompetence of officials. Wouldnt have mattered if SRFC were involved or not, a live game on TV won by a title challenger where one goal shouldnt have stood and a penalty should have been given, it would have had people speaking out. I think Devine's reaction was the correct one mind, focusing on how chances shouldnt be coughed up and opportunities need to be taken - it was refreshing having a manager being introspective on a result rather than a Duffer moan, legitimate or not. As it is Rovers are just the lucky club!

Sometimes you need an auld wagon circle Nesta. We have people claiming the game was rigged and the bohs COO taking to Twitter to have a moan as if they were robbed of a win. Completely over the top stuff when you consider the game as a whole. They were well beaten on the night regardless of the officials who got calls wrong for both sides.

Devine spent a good amount of time on the penalty call too but I'd agree he comes across well for the most part. If he had a clinical striker they'd have scored one. Not sure about Afolabi.

[sbgawa]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care

[ontheotherhand]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care

I had a nightmare once about Cawley and Kerr doing Rover's games. Still shook.

[ger121]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care

Could you not say the same about Gartland? He actually works within the academy structure so is hardly going to be overly critical of Rovers and I say this as someone who thinks he is an excellent pundit and co-commentator, but he pulls his punches when it comes to the club.

[ontheotherhand]

Could you not say the same about Gartland? He actually works within the academy structure so is hardly going to be overly critical of Rovers and I say this as someone who thinks he is an excellent pundit and co-commentator, but he pulls his punches when it comes to the club.

If you, as a bohs man, find Gartland to be an excellent pundit then he must be pretty successful at staying objective. He also doesn't hide his ties to Rovers and just analyzes the game as best he can. Cawley, in contrast, pretends to be completely neutral and can't hide his bias at all. All he wanted to talk about was one decision by the ref with zero insight into the game itself. You'd swear it was a nil all game where bohs had all the chances and were denied only by one bad decision. Bizarre stuff but typical of his soundbyte hungry approach. Stuey was better in comparison and actually looked a bit exhausted by it all.

[sbgawa]

Could you not say the same about Gartland? He actually works within the academy structure so is hardly going to be overly critical of Rovers and I say this as someone who thinks he is an excellent pundit and co-commentator, but he pulls his punches when it comes to the club.

I think there is a difference between pulling your punches on co comms while being very good in general and going totally OTT and hammering a ref for one decision that went agasint your team the way crawley did. He shouldnt be let comentate on Bohs games if he is going to go hysterical when things dont go for them.

[Guitd]

Super win on Fri night for GUFC
10 points clear after 1/3 of the season is unbelievable but a long way to go . Waterford were pretty much toothless once Coughlan was kept quite but he did sneak one in , surprisingly thought they would offer more as a win was needed to close the gap .Attendance of 2700 fair play to the 200 Waterford fans who made the journey .

[TonyD]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care

Cawley is a Sligo man surely ?

[Shearer]

Cawley is a Sligo man surely ?
Brings his kid to a lot of Bohs games.

[Shearer]

Frustrated Kerry FC boss Billy Dennehy calls out under-performing senior players after Longford loss (https://m.independent.ie/regionals/kerry/sport/soccer/frustrated-kerry-fc-boss-billy-dennehy-calls-out-under-performing-senior-players-after-longford-loss/a1480326347.html?utm_campaign=seeding&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook)

Some harsh words from Dennehy.

Murmurings that some players were shown the door on Friday but just rumour for now.

[Nesta99]

Sometimes you need an auld wagon circle Nesta. We have people claiming the game was rigged and the bohs COO taking to Twitter to have a moan as if they were robbed of a win. Completely over the top stuff when you consider the game as a whole. They were well beaten on the night regardless of the officials who got calls wrong for both sides.

Devine spent a good amount of time on the penalty call too but I'd agree he comes across well for the most part. If he had a clinical striker they'd have scored one. Not sure about Afolabi.

Its a moot point but the Clarke goal chalked off, correctly and the possibility of Afolabi peno and its not well beaten - result still up in the air. I dont think you can strictly call a better performing side (didnt dominate for 90) as outright winners if those calls had been given. As for rigged result - pure bs that doesnt deserve any air, Bohs directors are hardly known for rising above pettiness and avoiding the sour grapes. If I were a Rovers fan (ugh!) a good chunk of satisfaction would always come from the dumy spitting by Bohs admin - its great fun as not a Rovers fan, them and Drogheda have been masters at the small club snipe over the years!

[legendz]

Frustrated Kerry FC boss Billy Dennehy calls out under-performing senior players after Longford loss (https://m.independent.ie/regionals/kerry/sport/soccer/frustrated-kerry-fc-boss-billy-dennehy-calls-out-under-performing-senior-players-after-longford-loss/a1480326347.html?utm_campaign=seeding&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook)

Some harsh words from Dennehy.

Murmurings that some players were shown the door on Friday but just rumour for now.The honeymoon phase is well and truly over. Repeated mistakes over and over. Very frustrating. The younger players who have been part of the youth teams in recent years are showing the desire required. Some experienced players are not performing. You would have thought the more experience the better but it's not happening.

[ontheotherhand]

Its a moot point but the Clarke goal chalked off, correctly and the possibility of Afolabi peno and its not well beaten - result still up in the air. I dont think you can strictly call a better performing side (didnt dominate for 90) as outright winners if those calls had been given. As for rigged result - pure bs that doesnt deserve any air, Bohs directors are hardly known for rising above pettiness and avoiding the sour grapes. If I were a Rovers fan (ugh!) a good chunk of satisfaction would always come from the dumy spitting by Bohs admin - its great fun as not a Rovers fan, them and Drogheda have been masters at the small club snipe over the years!

Clarke was onside when Kenny headed the ball (kept on by the player who jumped with Kenny) and we had our own strong peno claim denied. If you watch the entire game again in the cold light of day it was pretty comfortable for a derby. Bohs deserved maybe one goal but we were well worth 2 so I was never really worried to be honest. And I'm usually a nervous wreck! I think we would have scored more if they were chasing as well.

[Philosophizer]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care
Isn’t Cawley a Sligo supporter?
I’ve sat close to him before in the west stand at Tallaght. I assume he is a regular at a lot of grounds.

[Philosophizer]

Brings his kid to a lot of Bohs games.
Had his young lad with him in Tallaght too the time I was sitting near him.

[joey B]

Isn’t Cawley a Sligo supporter?
I’ve sat close to him before in the west stand at Tallaght. I assume he is a regular at a lot of grounds.

He’s 100% a Sligo Rovers supporter,it’s pretty clear if you’ve ever listened to his podcast,his son follows Bohs though which he’s mentioned a few times on it aswell…..

[WeAreRovers]

Clarke was onside when Kenny headed the ball (kept on by the player who jumped with Kenny) and we had our own strong peno claim denied. If you watch the entire game again in the cold light of day it was pretty comfortable for a derby. Bohs deserved maybe one goal but we were well worth 2 so I was never really worried to be honest. And I'm usually a nervous wreck! I think we would have scored more if they were chasing as well.

Spot on, we were very comfortable all night. Least nervous I’ve ever been at a derby game, thought we had extra gears we didn’t need.

Some of the decisions that have gone against is in recent years v Bohs were of a magnitude miles head of a marginal offside and a decent penalty shout -Lee Grace sent off when the ball smacked him in the face as an example.

Looking ominous for the rest of the League now with Rovers on fire at both ends of the pitch and with Jack in the form of his life but funnily enough some would rather focus on refereeing than face that fact. So be it.

[sbgawa]

Its a moot point but the Clarke goal chalked off, correctly and the possibility of Afolabi peno and its not well beaten - result still up in the air. I dont think you can strictly call a better performing side (didnt dominate for 90) as outright winners if those calls had been given. As for rigged result - pure bs that doesnt deserve any air, Bohs directors are hardly known for rising above pettiness and avoiding the sour grapes. If I were a Rovers fan (ugh!) a good chunk of satisfaction would always come from the dumy spitting by Bohs admin - its great fun as not a Rovers fan, them and Drogheda have been masters at the small club snipe over the years!

It does to be fair :D i thought live that cleary had got the ball and it wasnt a pen but i actually said if it was a pen and they lose it will make it even better listening to the whinging.....in fairness LAmbert didnt let me down

[De Town]

He’s 100% a Sligo Rovers supporter,it’s pretty clear if you’ve ever listened to his podcast,his son follows Bohs though which he’s mentioned a few times on it aswell…..

I think I'd rather be consigned to a lifetime of being deaf than stick an episode of his podcast on.

[Calcio Jack]

It does to be fair :D i thought live that cleary had got the ball and it wasnt a pen but i actually said if it was a pen and they lose it will make it even better listening to the whinging.....in fairness LAmbert didnt let me down

Personally I never give a thought to comments from others as I gave up worrying about what others have to say about us years ago…. However I do agree that a club director making such comments shows a total disregard for the norms/ expected behaviour attached to their office As an aside but also perhaps enlightening is his ‘dress sense’- I saw a photo of him addressing a group of chairpersons from other European clubs recently - his attire could be best described as ‘chic EuroWallace’

Not to judge by appearances etc. but……

[total hoofball]

Frustrated Kerry FC boss Billy Dennehy calls out under-performing senior players after Longford loss (https://m.independent.ie/regionals/kerry/sport/soccer/frustrated-kerry-fc-boss-billy-dennehy-calls-out-under-performing-senior-players-after-longford-loss/a1480326347.html?utm_campaign=seeding&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook)

Some harsh words from Dennehy.

Murmurings that some players were shown the door on Friday but just rumour for now.
They've hardly got any senior players they are mostly inexperienced kids! Dennehy sounds like he is happy to throw the very few of the senior players under the bus to cover himself

[Martinho II]

He’s 100% a Sligo Rovers supporter,it’s pretty clear if you’ve ever listened to his podcast,his son follows Bohs though which he’s mentioned a few times on it aswell…..

Cawley is a native of Sligo whos a huge Sligo Rovers fan whose uncle is a legend at the club Harry McLoughlin. He lives in Dublin now.

[sbgawa]

He is originally sligo and still is obviously but lives in dublin and supports bihs with his son. Its not controversial he's allowed do it , he just needs to try to stay professional instead of pileing on a ref for what wasn't an obvious pen without the benefit of replays because he is upset at going behind. I was screaming for affolabi to be booked for diving (pre replays obv) Crawley goes on an anti ref rant and brings in the cork boss who lost his job because of a bad decision apparently......with 9 points from 14 games and losing to UCD.

It's not hard to act professionally but to hard for him

[ontheotherhand]

Cawley is a Sligo fan who wears bohs pyjamas folks. He's completely compromised and has been for a few years now.

[legendz]

They've hardly got any senior players they are mostly inexperienced kids! Dennehy sounds like he is happy to throw the very few of the senior players under the bus to cover himselfA lazy comment. Kerry do have some senior players. If you were manager, you would have obvious expectations from the senior players with experience.

[Philosophizer]

He is originally sligo and still is obviously but lives in dublin and supports bihs with his son.
Does bringing his son to matches mean he support Bohs?

[sbgawa]

Does bringing his son to matches mean he support Bohs?

No but listening to him (and not just friday) confirms it. Again I've no problem with that but when you are supposed to be a professional TV pundit doing analysis but you lose the plot because your team loses that's where it becomes stupid

[dlhoop]

There's been a lot of analysis of the penalty decision in Tallaght but looking back at the replays, that doesn't seem to be the decision that was made. There was a tackle on Gary O'Neill in the lead up to the penalty claim that the ref adjudged to be a foul worthy of a yellow card. He let the play progress and then went back to the original foul, booked the Bohs player for the tackle and gave Rovers a free out. Not sure why he let play go on as hard to see how there could have been any advantage to Rovers but it looks it was largely irrelevant whether or not Cleary got the ball.

[ciaraa]

I think I'd rather be consigned to a lifetime of being deaf than stick an episode of his podcast on.

5 lifetimes for me

[ger121]

No but listening to him (and not just friday) confirms it. Again I've no problem with that but when you are supposed to be a professional TV pundit doing analysis but you lose the plot because your team loses that's where it becomes stupid

Cawley is not a Bohs man, he is a Cawley man. He is paid to give his opinions and giving it the Dunphy makes for good tv and plenty of gigs. Doesn’t mean he is always wrong in what he says. He was spot on about the quality of refereeing Friday.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Most I expected with 5 out injured and still in re-build mode was a draw, so a great nights work.

We had 5 players go off with injuries during the game to add to the others already out. Hopefully none of them are too serious.

Decent game. Thought we had the better of the chances in the first half and looked really good first 15 of second half but Dundalk gad the better of it after that.

Thats 3 games where at half time we were saying it’s going to be 1-0 to someone. Lost to Bohs and Dundalk at home and won at Pats.

[Nesta99]

There's been a lot of analysis of the penalty decision in Tallaght but looking back at the replays, that doesn't seem to be the decision that was made. There was a tackle on Gary O'Neill in the lead up to the penalty claim that the ref adjudged to be a foul worthy of a yellow card. He let the play progress and then went back to the original foul, booked the Bohs player for the tackle and gave Rovers a free out. Not sure why he let play go on as hard to see how there could have been any advantage to Rovers but it looks it was largely irrelevant whether or not Cleary got the ball.

No harm but I aint gonna look back to have analyse that claim, its done and dusted. Buuuttt if the ref was playing advantage to Rovers in that phase of play then incompetence is not what youd call it.... Never say never in LoI but I think you may be throwing a cat among the pigeons just to see the scuffle on this one! Maybe there was a shadow of a player around or near the box that fouled in the lead up, obstructing the assistants view of the peno cliam :eek:

[Peaky Blinder]

There's been a lot of analysis of the penalty decision in Tallaght but looking back at the replays, that doesn't seem to be the decision that was made. There was a tackle on Gary O'Neill in the lead up to the penalty claim that the ref adjudged to be a foul worthy of a yellow card. He let the play progress and then went back to the original foul, booked the Bohs player for the tackle and gave Rovers a free out. Not sure why he let play go on as hard to see how there could have been any advantage to Rovers but it looks it was largely irrelevant whether or not Cleary got the ball.

Sssshh, don't be letting little things like the facts get in the way of a social media crusade to rewrite events. All kidding aside, a few people said that to me but I haven't gone back to check myself so cant validate it.

Either way, Rovers were without doubt comfortable and the better team for the vast majority of the game & always looked the more likely to win it, which is exactly what happened. Credit to bohs, a big improvement on the run-around they got a few weeks ago in Dalymount, I genuinely wasn't expecting them to be as well organised so soon after the last game, and credit to Devine for having the cop on to call it as it is and not fall into the Keith Long trap of attempting to appease the bohs grandstand by making outrageous claims to deflect from poor tactics & inferior quality. I have far more respect to Devine's ability that I ever had for Longs & suspect given time will put a far more decent face on that bohs team than Long ever did.

[Dermobohs]

That’s interesting I hadn’t realised.
Big question then is why did he allow play develop when bohs were attacking? Mad stuff, causes confusion and brings trouble on himself.if it’s worth a yellow it’s should be blown up there’s no benefit to rovers playing on?

[total hoofball]

A lazy comment. Kerry do have some senior players. If you were manager, you would have obvious expectations from the senior players with experience.
Go away with your lazy comment. It's a terrible look for a new LOI team less than 3 months with an inexperienced manager already publicly mouthing off on the few experienced players who he recruited and who are not exactly big shakes in the LOI anyway some stuff in new clubs should be sorted in house if the manager has any legitimate issues

[Nesta99]

Sssshh, don't be letting little things like the facts get in the way of a social media crusade to rewrite events. All kidding aside, a few people said that to me but I haven't gone back to check myself so cant validate it.

Either way, Rovers were without doubt comfortable and the better team for the vast majority of the game & always looked the more likely to win it, which is exactly what happened. Credit to bohs, a big improvement on the run-around they got a few weeks ago in Dalymount, I genuinely wasn't expecting them to be as well organised so soon after the last game, and credit to Devine for having the cop on to call it as it is and not fall into the Keith Long trap of attempting to appease the bohs grandstand by making outrageous claims to deflect from poor tactics & inferior quality. I have far more respect to Devine's ability that I ever had for Longs & suspect given time will put a far more decent face on that bohs team than Long ever did.

Devine has enough else to be moaning about with Bohs trying to get their home fixtures switched this month for their part in No Mow May...

[Nesta99]

Go away with your lazy comment. It's a terrible look for a new LOI team less than 3 months with an inexperienced manager already publicly mouthing off on the few experienced players who he recruited and who are not exactly big shakes in the LOI anyway some stuff in new clubs should be sorted in house if the manager has any legitimate issues

Agreed! Its always a bad look when a manager publically castigates their players at any level. It mostly precedes a managers exit when they are eithe desperate or dont care and are looking to get the sack. I doubt either situation fits for a newbie LoI club barely a 1/3 of a season old.

[legendz]

Go away with your lazy comment. It's a terrible look for a new LOI team less than 3 months with an inexperienced manager already publicly mouthing off on the few experienced players who he recruited and who are not exactly big shakes in the LOI anyway some stuff in new clubs should be sorted in house if the manager has any legitimate issues What was inaccurate about the manager's comments?


Agreed! Its always a bad look when a manager publically castigates their players at any level. It mostly precedes a managers exit when they are eithe desperate or dont care and are looking to get the sack. I doubt either situation fits for a newbie LoI club barely a 1/3 of a season old.Are you saying that conceding the same sloppy goals over and over is a good look?

[Nesta99]

What was inaccurate about the manager's comments?

Are you saying that conceding the same sloppy goals over and over is a good look?

Nope, im saying publically castigating players is not a good look.

[outspoken]

Nope, im saying publically castigating players is not a good look.

Given the rumours around the ground on Friday about the professionalism or lack of it from what appears to be a number of players I'd say he's just right. Doesn't say much for us only scrapping by them Friday but they look a really poor side.

[Nesta99]

Hows the SRFC academy wonderkid loanee getting on? Was it ever figured out how an amatuer club could take a pro on loan?

[sbgawa]

Hows the SRFC academy wonderkid loanee getting on? Was it ever figured out how an amatuer club could take a pro on loan?

* incoming for Kerry :)

[ToberonaTornado]

We had 5 players go off with injuries during the game to add to the others already out. Hopefully none of them are too serious.

Decent game. Thought we had the better of the chances in the first half and looked really good first 15 of second half but Dundalk gad the better of it after that.

Thats 3 games where at half time we were saying it’s going to be 1-0 to someone. Lost to Bohs and Dundalk at home and won at Pats.

Good Game,even stevens for most but Dundalk defended well(for once) and i thought we just shaded it.
Sligo got a bit impatient 2nd half(Muller cleared otl and Shepps saved x 2) and Dundalk took advantage of that. Wardy's late goal a testement to the old adage "keep an eye on that wee bolxox"
:D
We've a bit of a head of steam now and staying below the radar. Cork game big now and a few of the injured on the mend. Next few games massive for us. Cork(H),Derry(A),Bohs(H)

EDIT: Paul McLaughlin,ref in this match excellent 10/10

[legendz]

Given the rumours around the ground on Friday about the professionalism or lack of it from what appears to be a number of players I'd say he's just right.Exactly. Noone can have any complaints.

[Nesta99]

* incoming for Kerry :)

Well they have to earn their LoI spurs!

[Nesta99]

Exactly. Noone can have any complaints.

We obviously differ on how players acting up should be dealt with by a club and manager. There have been quite a number of players that were at Dundalk over the years, in batches at times, and professional is not a term youd put beside their name unless it was prodessional waster. They were dealt with with in house policies on discipline and codes of conduct. Unless every player is problematic I think a scattergun attempt, publically rollciking players, can do damage including the negative publicity for the club - why should supporters bother if its publically said that players couldnt be bothered. You wouldnt get the happiest man in the LoI, Ollie Horgan having a public pop at his players, but I'll bet he was effective dealing with lads lacking professionalism, they'd shape up or be out on their ear and imo it shows current and future signings that there is no joke shop.

[ger121]

Devine has enough else to be moaning about with Bohs trying to get their home fixtures switched this month for their part in No Mow May...

Dundalk fans could only wish their club could participate in No Mow May.