Weekend 28th/29th July

[joey B]

Premier Division 28th July

*ALL 7.45PM

Bohemians v UCD
Cork City V Shelbourne
Drogheda United V Sligo Rovers

First Division 28th July

Athlone V Waterford
Kerry FC V Finn Harps
Wexford V Treaty
Galway v Bray

First Division 29th July

Longford v Cobh 7.30PM

[legendz]

A disappointing week in Europe. Especially for the clubs involved, except for Derry of course. The European qualifiers are always fraught with danger. Very little can be taken for granted. While it is great to see clubs having done well in Europe in recent years, the league shouldn't be defined by it. Shamrock Rovers or Dundalk winning or losing last night shouldn't be stopping anyone from getting behind their team.
Kerry are on a bad run in the league. They have played well of late but no results to show in the league for it. A lot of experience has been built up. Frustrating not to see that transfer into results.

[joey B]

With Bray away to Galway,where you’d expect them to lose it’s a big weekend for the 4 teams behind them in trying to get a playoff spot,Athlone playing Waterford too so chance to make up ground on them aswell….

[2 Year Contract]

Really bad goalkeeping for the shels goal by Cork's 48th goalkeeper of the season on his debut

https://twitter.com/leagueofireland/status/1685004925498187778?s=46

[Bunny Kelly]

That’s a bit harsh on the Cork keeper especially given some of the goals they have conceded this season

[pineapple stu]

Shock as Ollie Byrne gives Shels a soft goal.

(I've seen a lot worse around the league this season in fairness)

[TonyD]

That’s a bit harsh on the Cork keeper especially given some of the goals they have conceded this season

Ah he was poor for it in fairness. The central defenders seemed to go missing in action too. Poor all round from Cork.

[2 Year Contract]

That’s a bit harsh on the Cork keeper especially given some of the goals they have conceded this season

I’ve hardly crucified him, I just said it was really bad goalkeeping, which it was. The other keepers they’ve had have also let in some clangers this season too, but that’s completely unrelated to this one being bad goalkeeping

[Jd2793]

pathetic defending from city for that shels goal. we are where we deserve to be in the table. shambles from top to bottom

[Shinkicker]

Bohs were poor in the first half and UCD probably should have scored. In the second half it was always going to be Bohs. Afolabi got both the second was a terrific finish. Not because he is a crowd favourite, but Danny Grant changed the game entirely.

[Shearer]

Terrible error by Conor Winn for Treaty, a pitiful keeper.

[joey B]

Harps made hard work of that,no way we should be needing a 94th goal to win that,but a win is a win.....
If Kerry get some better players that'll be a hard to place to go,horrible pitch and they were right up for it in the second half and got they're equaliser,think there was a bit of a scrap after the game too.....

[joey B]

Terrible error by Conor Winn for Treaty, a pitiful keeper.

He was brutal 10 years ago,obviously hasnt changed!

[2 Year Contract]

Just 9 points separate 1st and 6th place with 11 games to go. Pretty tight league table considering it’s apparently a league that rovers don’t get challenged in

[pineapple stu]

On the flip side, Galway have confirmed a playoff place with a dozen games to go. 22 points from those games and they guarantee the title - though less in reality as Waterford's form has gotten ropey lately. Mayn't be quite guaranteed to win the promotion playoff. That Cup game will be interesting

[Shearer]

He was brutal 10 years ago,obviously hasnt changed!
Worse player in worse shape. Shouldn't have been retained last year, I'd rather blood a kid.

[joey B]

Its a decent strike from Boyd but I think the Cork keeper will be disappointed with second goal aswell....

[legendz]

Cobh, Athlone, Wexford and Bray all missed out on the playoffs last year. Three currently occupy the playoff spots and Bray are just outside the playoffs.
Frustrating to lose another game. Conceding from set pieces is the same story over and over. Lessons supposedly learned are not being applied.
Waterford might be a bit sluggish of late but it looks like Cork City v Waterford will be the playoff promotion relegation playoff.

[listowelceltic]

Sickner for kerry tonight. Fully deserved a draw. Undone by a set piece again. A bit of a row at full time. Think someone got a red card.

[nigel-harps1954]

Sickner for kerry tonight. Fully deserved a draw. Undone by a set piece again. A bit of a row at full time. Think someone got a red card.

Kerry came out after Harps hard in the second half but I think only one team was ever winning that game.

Axworthy got sent off after the final whistle for getting needlessly involved in a scuffle. Harps sub keeper Oisín Cooney got booked in the same handbags.

[The Bowler]

Brabinteely fall out of the play off places, that's some achievement in that league. The sheen gone right off Ian Ryan. He surely can't survive the chop at the end of the season if he doesn't make play offs. Pressure well and truly on.

[Jd2793]

wonder what bucko must be thinking after signing upto our sh1tshow. must have deep deep regrets

[Philosophizer]

Danny Grant changed the game entirely.
He did more in his 1st two mi utes than Connolly or Akintunde did all night.

[da bishop]

Wexford deserved their win,Treaty were woeful especially second half,Conor Winn very poor and very unfit ,Tommy Barrett has added three more to his squad continuing his policy of aquiring ANYBODY not from the midwest whilst at the same time hitching his interviews about the Treaty project,ie the academy and player locally sourced from the midwest plus the endless by now boring sermons on amateur status ,cant strenghten ,everbody else is fulltime blah blah.

[Shearer]

Wexford deserved their win,Treaty were woeful especially second half,Conor Winn very poor and very unfit ,Tommy Barrett has added three more to his squad continuing his policy of aquiring ANYBODY not from the midwest whilst at the same time hitching his interviews about the Treaty project,ie the academy and player locally sourced from the midwest plus the endless by now boring sermons on amateur status ,cant strenghten ,everbody else is fulltime blah blah.
You obviously missed his interview last weekend where he said he tried to sign junior players from the region and they turned him down, although you probably didn't considering you spent long enough rabbiting on that he didn't do interviews despite the fact that he's on local radio every single Saturday morning. Corey Chambers has come in as a goalkeeper, if you can find a fella locally who is good enough and wants to play then you're a genius.

Young 16/17 year old goalkeeper on the bench that's touted for big things, Scott Kirkland & Lee Devitt starting, Fionn Doherty on the bench, Darren Nwankwo suspended, Willie Armshaw injured, Mark Murphy (still underage) injured. Nikodem Kozlowski and Robbie Lynch still underage and probably being saved for their own games.

If you'd some bit of knowledge I wouldn't mind but if brains were dynamite you wouldn't have enough to blow your cap off.

Go away and read Beano for yourself.

[outspoken]

Wexford deserved their win,Treaty were woeful especially second half,Conor Winn very poor and very unfit ,Tommy Barrett has added three more to his squad continuing his policy of aquiring ANYBODY not from the midwest whilst at the same time hitching his interviews about the Treaty project,ie the academy and player locally sourced from the midwest plus the endless by now boring sermons on amateur status ,cant strenghten ,everbody else is fulltime blah blah.

Let's call a spade a spade, hes working with scraps down there. The Treaty "project" hasn't worked. Club is regressing as opposed to growing and it's only 3 years in. You'd already be fearing that they will end on the Limerick LOI scrap heap like the Limerick clubs of the past.

[Shearer]

Let's call a spade a spade, hes working with scraps down there. The Treaty "project" hasn't worked. Club is regressing as opposed to growing and it's only 3 years in. You'd already be fearing that they will end on the Limerick LOI scrap heap like the Limerick clubs of the past.
Fairly unfounded.

The club hasn't regressed, attendances are on par with last year albeit could be better. More work in the community needed for sure, but it takes time to convert people when for the last 80+ years every iteration of the previous clubs had Limerick in the title.

Academy doing well including a WU17 title and countless internationals, a Women's team that has done alright outside of last year and a Men's team overperforming for the most part.

I do understand what you're saying in some sense but think it's fairly premature to say it hasn't worked. The goal is to be there for the long run and not just to crash and burn every ten years. It's a slow burner but only by continuing to reach out will results be seen.

[total hoofball]

Delighted with Shels' third win over Cork this season, mostly didn't have to break much sweat with little stress

That Cork City team is the worst full-time professional team I've seen at Premier Division level since.. em well Cork City in 2020

[Another Bohemia]

He did more in his 1st two mi utes than Connolly or Akintunde did all night.

Thought Connolly played well myself. His end product was a bit hit and miss but he created a fair few chances in the first half that should have been put away. Thought Byrne also played very well. Really composed on the ball, won plenty of aeriel battles and stopped a few attacks before they even started. We need a new left back and keeper as a matter of urgency though. Talbot just can't catch the ball anymore and we drastically improved when Flores moved to left back.

[2 Year Contract]

What’s the story with Twardek and O'Sullivan this season? Both seem to have done very little. Is it injury problems, a lack of form when they’ve played or are they just not fancied by Devine?

[outspoken]

Fairly unfounded.

The club hasn't regressed, attendances are on par with last year albeit could be better. More work in the community needed for sure, but it takes time to convert people when for the last 80+ years every iteration of the previous clubs had Limerick in the title.

Academy doing well including a WU17 title and countless internationals, a Women's team that has done alright outside of last year and a Men's team overperforming for the most part.

I do understand what you're saying in some sense but think it's fairly premature to say it hasn't worked. The goal is to be there for the long run and not just to crash and burn every ten years. It's a slow burner but only by continuing to reach out will results be seen.

Just think it's hilarious for anyone to think Barrett is the problem, yes, I like him personally, but if he was doing a bad job I'd call it out. I was speaking to people down there earlier in the season and the club are barely even able to provide the basics for the team at times. When the hammered Longford earlier this season it was the best performance I've seen from any side against us.

[2 Year Contract]

Wexford deserved their win,Treaty were woeful especially second half,Conor Winn very poor and very unfit ,Tommy Barrett has added three more to his squad continuing his policy of aquiring ANYBODY not from the midwest whilst at the same time hitching his interviews about the Treaty project,ie the academy and player locally sourced from the midwest plus the endless by now boring sermons on amateur status ,cant strenghten ,everbody else is fulltime blah blah.

I really don’t understand the whole thing about wanting most of your squad to be from the club's local area. I think I saw someone on here use the same thing as a potential reason as to why Longford's crowds are so small because they have so many players from Dublin.

Personally I couldn’t care less what part of the world any of the Pats players come from, I care about how good they are. Yes I understand it’s nice to have a few locals in the team but by all accounts if there was a much better player available from Cork, or Beijing, I’d be all for replacing the local lad. It’s a strange GAA type mindset in my opinion

[cláirseach]

I was surprised by how many things Tommy Barrett was doing on Matchday when I visited Treaty this year. Very much just a glance from an outsider but they seem like a club where a handful more volunteers would make a huge, huge difference.

[RealJohn91]

What’s the story with Twardek and O'Sullivan this season? Both seem to have done very little. Is it injury problems, a lack of form when they’ve played or are they just not fancied by Devine?
Twardek has done alright when given a chance but he's clearly down the pecking order. O'Sullivan has been a disaster of a signing and sums up the last days of the Keith Long era really. Supposedly on a pretty hefty contract too.

[Guitd]

I think Galway utd are almost there after so many years in the graveyard the promised land is in sight

[Guitd]

I think Galway utd are almost there after so many years in the graveyard the promised land is in sight
Anyone know what’s the biggest points total for a first division league winner and points difference to second

[Another Bohemia]

What’s the story with Twardek and O'Sullivan this season? Both seem to have done very little. Is it injury problems, a lack of form when they’ve played or are they just not fancied by Devine?

Feel bad for Twardek. He has done well when he's played. He has his limitations but so do most players in this league. Up until the last 3-4 weeks I would certainly have started Twardek over Connolly just because of Twardeks effort in attack and defence but Connolly looks like he's turned a bit of a corner he played really well in both games against Shels and was very good last night imo. If he can get a bit of consistency in his end product he'll have had a good season.

O'Sullivan was probably a bad signing last year who then picked up an injury and only got back to fitness before the start of the season. Aside from his goal against Dundalk he hasn't been up to much but he's also been playing on the wing which just doesn't look like his position. I thought he was a CM but if that's the case he'll have a hard time getting any minutes. Clarke and McManus should start every game. Bucko is the club captain so will likely play a fair bit. Flores is a bit inconsistent but has a great set piece to justify his inclusion. McDonnell is a bit of a jack of all trades, he can play most positions across the middle decently enough and has a good engine to track back and Coote excels centrally! He can create something out of nothing and very nearly did last night. That's more than enough to rotate throughout the season without even considering playing O'Sullivan.

[joey B]

Anyone know what’s the biggest points total for a first division league winner and points difference to second

Limerick won it by 23 points in 2016,it was only a 28 game season aswell ,dropped only 9 points ….

Cobh got 77 points in 2007 in a 36 game season ,its the highest points total as far as I can see ….

Limerick’s 75 in 28 games in 2016 is definitely the most impressive though….

[ger121]

What’s the story with Twardek and O'Sullivan this season? Both seem to have done very little. Is it injury problems, a lack of form when they’ve played or are they just not fancied by Devine?

They just aren’t up to it to get a place in the starting XI

[Philosophizer]

Thought Connolly played well myself. His end product was a bit hit and miss but he created a fair few chances in the first half that should have been put away. Thought Byrne also played very well. Really composed on the ball, won plenty of aeriel battles and stopped a few attacks before they even started. We need a new left back and keeper as a matter of urgency though. Talbot just can't catch the ball anymore and we drastically improved when Flores moved to left back.
Agreed on Talbot and Kirk.
Connolly’s pace is frightening but his decision making and final delivery are so frustrating. More of them than not his final ball disappoints.

[Nesta99]

I really don’t understand the whole thing about wanting most of your squad to be from the club's local area. I think I saw someone on here use the same thing as a potential reason as to why Longford's crowds are so small because they have so many players from Dublin.

Personally I couldn’t care less what part of the world any of the Pats players come from, I care about how good they are. Yes I understand it’s nice to have a few locals in the team but by all accounts if there was a much better player available from Cork, or Beijing, I’d be all for replacing the local lad. It’s a strange GAA type mindset in my opinion

That whole local player stuff is purely an excuse for barstoolers to not go to games. If a team is full of locals and there have been a few at Dundalk the excuse becomes 'theyre not good enough'. The single biggest influence on attracting local support is winning! Wexford's purpose, for example, is to develop local talent and fair enough, Longford its to try to be conpetative so will sign the best players that they can attract from wherever. Actually the wide geographic make up of Dundalks most successful era broadened the interest in the team well beyond Dundalk and locals didnt care that there were no locals.

[Philosophizer]

That whole local player stuff is purely an excuse for barstoolers to not go to games. If a team is full of locals and there have been a few at Dundalk the excuse becomes 'theyre not good enough'.
100% correct

[joey B]

It isn’t even just barstoolers either,very prevalent among those people mad into their local junior clubs and will use the local player excuse to s**t on the local LOI club,see it all the time up here anyway…..

[da bishop]

I was surprised by how many things Tommy Barrett was doing on Matchday when I visited Treaty this year. Very much just a glance from an outsider but they seem like a club where a handful more volunteers would make a huge, huge difference.

Really..might be open to correction....Tommy has an assistant manager,/keeper coach,....a coach....a s/c coach...a physio.....a kitman....and numerous others pottering about as well and he has time for playing keepy uppy with the subs prematch....what things would you have witnessed he does that maybe others could take on.

[CraftyToePoke]

Really..might be open to correction....Tommy has an assistant manager,/keeper coach,....a coach....a s/c coach...a physio.....a kitman....and numerous others pottering about as well and he has time for playing keepy uppy with the subs prematch....what things would you have witnessed he does that maybe others could take on.

But you've nothing to say to Shearer about the local players who are playing, when you said there were none ?
Nothing either to add on the local and regional players who passed on the opportunity as detailed by Barrett in a recent interview ?

LOI in Limerick is cyclical, whether its called Limerick or Treaty, whether it plays out of the Markets or not, it ebbs from poor to a point where even better junior players don'f fancy it, to things getting a bit better, to a false dawn and then back to square one again. This weird weekly ill informed hard on you have for Barrett is just a bit strange lad. The team are about where they should be, resources wise, making up the numbers in D1 & its dull, its boring.


So, who would you appoint who would come and do it on this budget who would light up your life bishop ?

[joey B]

Watched a bit of Longford/Cobh this evening ,Longfords penalty summed them up,handy enough for Cobh without having to be any great shakes….

[outspoken]

Watched a bit of Longford/Cobh this evening ,Longfords penalty summed them up,handy enough for Cobh without having to be any great shakes….

Spot on.

[Martinho II]

Spot on.

We werent the same side at all when Jack Brady and Dylan Hand were suspended. No complaints with the result.Keegan has them well coached and we played into their hands quite badly.

[da bishop]

But you've nothing to say to Shearer about the local players who are playing, when you said there were none ?
Nothing either to add on the local and regional players who passed on the opportunity as detailed by Barrett in a recent interview ?

LOI in Limerick is cyclical, whether its called Limerick or Treaty, whether it plays out of the Markets or not, it ebbs from poor to a point where even better junior players don'f fancy it, to things getting a bit better, to a false dawn and then back to square one again. This weird weekly ill informed hard on you have for Barrett is just a bit strange lad. The team are about where they should be, resources wise, making up the numbers in D1 & its dull, its boring.


So, who would you appoint who would come and do it on this budget who would light up your life bishop ?

Given the rather petty comments by Shearer at the end of his post he hardly merited a reply but for you CTP i will get back to him
Qn the above at no stage did i ever say there werent local players playing,i,ve said other things about the local aspect but not that and Tommy is the one who has constantly..in his interviews about the Treaty project ,gone on about aquiring the playing personnal from the midwest .Your correct on the cynical nature of LOI football and in that respect i am cynical about the current manager i dont buy into the big love in for Tommy and his budget ,which he has successfully used as a crutch,is no better or worse than any of the clubs bar the two fulltime teams and obviously Kerry whom Tommy is now comparing Treatys setup to,recent interview for reference, ,,,spare me.Lastly as with most jobs plenty waiting in the q to take over especially when THE big/other clubs q up to take Tommy away ,sure hes that good isn he/

[Shearer]

Given the rather petty comments by Shearer at the end of his post he hardly merited a reply but for you CTP i will get back to him
Qn the above at no stage did i ever say there werent local players playing,i,ve said other things about the local aspect but not that and Tommy is the one who has constantly..in his interviews about the Treaty project ,gone on about aquiring the playing personnal from the midwest .Your correct on the cynical nature of LOI football and in that respect i am cynical about the current manager i dont buy into the big love in for Tommy and his budget ,which he has successfully used as a crutch,is no better or worse than any of the clubs bar the two fulltime teams and obviously Kerry whom Tommy is now comparing Treatys setup to,recent interview for reference, ,,,spare me.Lastly as with most jobs plenty waiting in the q to take over especially when THE big/other clubs q up to take Tommy away ,sure hes that good isn he/
The mask slips.