Games Weekend of Friday 22nd of Sep to Mon 25th

[vinnie]

It’s funny to look at the League and the reaction to managers

Rovers fans all realise they’ve been way off previous standards this season and the whole thing needs to be refreshed so I don’t think too many would be sad to see Bradley leave.



I think the only Rovers fans that want Bradley gone are Runners in to be honest, rovers always had a solid 1500 - 2500 core of supporters that show up even when we are S***e, great to have the buzz of extra attendances but who in the name of god would get rid of a manager that has won the cup and three leagues in the last 4 seasons (hopefully 4 in a row) he has brought us from a team who were very predictable and average to where we are today, I think there have only been 3 previous managers to win 3 leagues in a row, so his achievement has to be acknowledged, and you have to remember he didn't want the job in the first place, he was happy coaching the underage teams, so a lot of credit has to go to the likes of himself, Pajo Flynn, Duffer, Stephen Rice Graham Gartland, and several ex players who have made the academy a success, I'd say if Bradley isn't with Rovers next season it will be his decision and nobody else's

[sbgawa]

No chance of him getting sacked even if we don't win the league. The crowds have doubled in the last 3 years so the newbies think we win the league easily every year.
I am.worried at the losses though 2m this year and unless we refresh the team I can't see this group winning next season ....is that another 2m? Or more or maybe less , either way its a worry

[CorribsideSteve]

For most of the hardcore of fans, the league is always 'bread and butter' and all that will ever matter. But nowadays since the financial reward for doing well is so great, how much money can SRFC afford to lose out on due to his inability to get decent results in Europe?

[ontheotherhand]

On a match thread where Galway get promoted after 6 years in the wilderness a Galway fan decides that the thing he wants to talk about is Rovers in Europe.

We are gargantuan. Thank you Steve.

And congrats. Looking forward to seeing how you do next season.

[trevy]

Waterford got a confidence boost with a good 3 0 away win against a team that we had drawn with 3 times already this season. Ronan Coughlan back and scored after being out injured the last month. Bastian Hery sent off again for Longford.

[outspoken]

Waterford got a confidence boost with a good 3 0 away win against a team that we had drawn with 3 times already this season. Ronan Coughlan back and scored after being out injured the last month. Bastian Hery sent off again for Longford.

Coughlan's goal was an og but for a man out for so long he looked very lively. Blues will need him if they are to get through the play offs.

[ger121]

No chance of him getting sacked even if we don't win the league. The crowds have doubled in the last 3 years so the newbies think we win the league easily every year.
I am.worried at the losses though 2m this year and unless we refresh the team I can't see this group winning next season ....is that another 2m? Or more or maybe less , either way its a worry

Was that a €2m loss for 2022 even with all the European money?

Said to death but transfers and tv/streaming revenue really needs to increase in the league. Too much reliance on match day revenue and European prize money, if you are one of the lucky 4 to qualify.

[redarmyfaction]

Not sure about that in our case JC. Bradley still has plenty of support at Rovers. Nobody thought going for 4 in a row would be easy. There's definitely some who wouldn't mind a fresh approach but you'd only have to go to Tallaght for a game to see how much support Bradley has from the majority.

I'd be surprised if the majority at bohs weren't happy for now but I do think they'll finish behind Shels so we will see how that goes. If they get 4th it would have to be seen as a good season. 5th...probably ok.

For me Sligo are the only team massively underperforming and I'm surprised Russel is still there but I don't know if he is well like or not.

Go on and win the cup and congrats on promotion. It's good to have Galway back.

I think Russell is too well liked, he is part of the DNA of the club and would be a big tear to sack him

[Calcio Jack]

No chance of him getting sacked even if we don't win the league. The crowds have doubled in the last 3 years so the newbies think we win the league easily every year.
I am.worried at the losses though 2m this year and unless we refresh the team I can't see this group winning next season ....is that another 2m? Or more or maybe less , either way its a worry

Personally I don’t think this is the appropriate forum to be mentioning €2m losses for this year…. Reason being is that it is a ‘headline’ figure that gives a distorted view of our overall real financial position ( which I don’t intend explaining here ).

Bottom line literally is the Board set the budget and targets and Bradley and his back room team plays a big part in achieving the targets ( he’s exceeded the targets set out on a rolling 3 year basis) . Internal controls of the budgets and spending rest don’t with him and any failure there is the responsibility of the Board.

So hopefully he decides to stay but that will depend hugely as to whether the Board are willing and or able to back his recently submitted plans - methinks they will

[Nesta99]

Personally I don’t think this is the appropriate forum to be mentioning €2m losses for this year…. Reason being is that it is a ‘headline’ figure that gives a distorted view of our overall real financial position ( which I don’t intend explaining here ).

Bottom line literally is the Board set the budget and targets and Bradley and his back room team plays a big part in achieving the targets ( he’s exceeded the targets set out on a rolling 3 year basis) . Internal controls of the budgets and spending rest don’t with him and any failure there is the responsibility of the Board.

So hopefully he decides to stay but that will depend hugely as to whether the Board are willing and or able to back his recently submitted plans - methinks they will

Are you the real John Delaney CJ

[Calcio Jack]

Are you the real John Delaney CJ

Nope…. He’s just a poor imitation of me

[legendz]

Game last night was a slog,and UCD defended well,but that's all they did. Rovers lost focus in exploiting the weakness in the students and the paint by numbers approach of our football was rendered pointless by the 10 UCD players in the box. Burt hasnt been a success and Burkey insistence on playing head down football made us about as dangerous as a rubber knife.
Still derry conspired to lose a game they had to win so it's a case of never look a gift horse in the mouth.


Just had a look there and we were on a run of 16 successive defeats against Rovers.

Don't know is there a worse record elsewhere in the league?
UCD's draw on Friday officially confirmed relegation?

Comfortable win for Treaty against 10 man Athlone.

Poor crowd owing to the game being a dead rubber, but all of a sudden it seems we might have a chance...
Wexford v Longford is an interesting playoff 6 pointer. Wexford can extend the gap to 10 or Longford can cut the gap to 4, with only 4 rounds remaining afterwards. Those final 4 rounds mightn't have much to play for.

[outspoken]

UCD's draw on Friday officially confirmed relegation?

Wexford v Longford is an interesting playoff 6 pointer. Wexford can extend the gap to 10 or Longford can cut the gap to 4, with only 4 rounds remaining afterwards. Those final 4 rounds mightn't have much to play for.

Even if we win, 4 points with 4 games remaining is still a decent cushion for Wexford. Longford gave up so much ground at the start and it's going to cost them. Friday was absolutely atrocious as was Kerry (and that's without all the off field stuff). It appears our season is fizzling out and anything bar a win tomorrow will confirm that. I'm more interested now in how much of the squad we can keep for next year and hopefully Hendo being backed to strengthen it early this time around. If he can do that there's no reason we can't be top 3 next season. This season was always going to be tough

[JC_GUFC]

Just had a look there and we were on a run of 16 successive defeats against Rovers.

Don't know is there a worse record elsewhere in the league?

Yes. Yes there is.

We have lost 23 times in a row to them.

To be ended next season.

Re: Bradley, I wasn’t saying Rovers fans want him sacked but that if he did leave (of his own will) that from fans I’ve been speaking to at matches they wouldn’t be too concerned that things would be freshened up and a new manager comes in for the required rebuild.

And to bring the thread back to Galway United - I would say a majority of United fans, myself included, wanted Caulfield gone after last year’s playoff.
Some was down to the style of play but for me his recruitment last year was terrible. He brought in players who he quickly fell out with, then brought in and played players who weren’t good enough and also experimented with a 3-5-2 formation that was an utter disaster, which he stuck with for far too long.
But for Conor Kearns having an absolute disaster in the playoff we may have beaten Waterford that night and ended up promoted but I think we’re far better prepared now for the Premier Division.
We’re a much better team than Cork from last season and they didn’t really add much at all to their squad but I feel we’ll be looking to add 5 or 6 players.
Maybe 6th is ambitious but I’d rather aim for 6th and miss out by 2 spots than aim for 8th and miss out by 1!

We could potentially finish ahead of Cork/Playoff Winner, Sligo, Drogs & Dundalk and any other team who has an off season.

[bohsmug]

Re: Bradley, I wasn’t saying Rovers fans want him sacked but that if he did leave (of his own will) that from fans I’ve been speaking to at matches they wouldn’t be too concerned that things would be freshened up and a new manager comes in for the required rebuild.

And to bring the thread back to Galway United - I would say a majority of United fans, myself included, wanted Caulfield gone after last year’s playoff.
Some was down to the style of play but for me his recruitment last year was terrible.

Guessing that's a fair enough assessment of where a lot of Rovers fans would sit at the moment but by the same token I only know about 2 of them :D

Caulfield kind of makes that rod for his own back. When his teams aren't effective it's fairly turgid. Essentially patience wears thing with a poor Caulfield side quicker than it does with others. Or maybe it's just something to hang your coat on when you're fed up with sub par results and performances and fans have little patience for either. He's a fairly combative character and opposition love getting one over Caulfield's teams. If Bohs beat Galway in the semi's you'll hear Caulfield's name being bellowed in chants and general conversation in... let's say a "gleeful" manner. If we lose the Caulfield factor will similarly ache and we don't even really have that big a history with him bar one cup semi where he just happened to be managing Cork.

[D24Saint]

Expecting a tough game tonight , Drogs are well set up. We have McGrath back at CB so should be spared a heart attack from starting Norman.

[joey B]

Bohs/Shels is a huge game tonight,Shels could go 2 points behind second with a win,should be a good atmosphere at that one…..

[sbgawa]

If Shels win tonight they will travel to Tallaght on Friday knowing a win puts them 4 points behind Rovers.
I simply cant see how Shels are where they are on the basis of what ive seen of them in the 3 matches we played against them this year.
The standard of the league this year is awful (and thats from someone who still hopes we win it) rather than someone down the firld throwing Darts at the team winning.
Even with that said Shels must have something about them that we havent seen this year in matches against Rovers

[D24Saint]

If Shels win tonight they will travel to Tallaght on Friday knowing a win puts them 4 points behind Rovers.
I simply cant see how Shels are where they are on the basis of what ive seen of them in the 3 matches we played against them this year.
The standard of the league this year is awful (and thats from someone who still hopes we win it) rather than someone down the firld throwing Darts at the team winning.
Even with that said Shels must have something about them that we havent seen this year in matches against Rovers

Dreadful standard overall imo. We shouldn’t be anywhere near a title race but still in the mix at the business end of the season.

[Jack B]

Shels have really impressed me this season. Think they're excellently coached but have just lacked in individual quality and were too reliant on Moylan. Not surprised that with Wood and Jarvis being successes they've gone on even more of a run and capitalised on how ropey the more established sides have been.

[D24Saint]

Daly had made three changes tonight. I’m ok with Leavy starting but Norman and Mark Doyle should get the stress levels up a few notches.

[joey B]

Cork clearly accepted their play off fate….

[ger121]

Nobody wants to take the title off Rovers.

[placid casual]

Watched the last 30 mins of the drogs-pats game. its an absolute scandal the level of officiating in this League of Ireland. It's criminally poor. They literally look like the kind of refs you see on the replays of The Big Match from the 1970's on cable tv- overweight, part timers who don't belong in a professional league.
Cracking winner by Drogs all the same

[kksaints]

Watched the last 30 mins of the drogs-pats game. its an absolute scandal the level of officiating in this League of Ireland. It's criminally poor. They literally look like the kind of refs you see on the replays of The Big Match from the 1970's on cable tv- overweight, part timers who don't belong in a professional league.
Cracking winner by Drogs all the same

He was utterly incompetent, probably the worst I've seen. We were poor but it was shocking refereeing. Drogs winner is unbelievably good, needs to be seen.

[sbgawa]

Nobody wants to take the title off Rovers.

I'm off to do a bit of research on the record low average points total per game in the leagues history to see if there has been one as bad as this one. I guess there has to be.

[Jack B]

Absolutely bizarre game. Freak goal and a wonder goal for Drogs and from what I could tell one of the worst refereeing performances I've ever seen. Only decision I've managed to watch back was him booking Forrester for diving rather than giving a penalty which has been backed up as one of the more scandalous decisions I've seen.

[patsdad]

Watched the last 30 mins of the drogs-pats game. its an absolute scandal the level of officiating in this League of Ireland. It's criminally poor. They literally look like the kind of refs you see on the replays of The Big Match from the 1970's on cable tv- overweight, part timers who don't belong in a professional league.
Cracking winner by Drogs all the same

In a two minute spell in injury time he gave Forrester a yellow for being fouled (in the box) and Curtis a red for being fouled. Crystal clear on the replays. With multiple cameras covering all incidents these days you’d like to think the officials would have some accountability as in England but we know that won’t happen. Pats will surely appeal the Curtis red but the system will close ranks as always.

The fact that we didn’t take three points from a game we dominated is down to our own mistakes but the penalty howler cost us an almost certain point which could yet be the difference between getting Europe or not.

[joey B]

Fantastic goal.

1706405683313127439

[Onapointoforder]

Fantastic goal.

1706405683313127439

The Pat’s midfield made it hard for Markey?*??

[culloty82]

I'm off to do a bit of research on the record low average points total per game in the leagues history to see if there has been one as bad as this one. I guess there has to be.

In recent history, 2010 appears to be the last time that the champions averaged less than two points per game:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_League_of_Ireland_Premier_Division

[sbgawa]

Yeah I'd got that far back and nothing as far back as 2006.
I'd say that 2010 season the standard was better then this year but I suppose that's subjective.
36 games 67 points that year. Rovers on 59 with 5 games left. Wouldn't bet on us beating 67 points but as derry pats are unlikely to get to 62 or 63 it probably doesn't matter.
I'll celebrate winning the league if we do it but unless we freshen things up for next season it won't be 5 in a row. Someone has to step up you'd imagine

[sbgawa]

Having gone 20 years winning feck all in the past I'm happy to win the league any way we can

[2 Year Contract]

Absolutely bizarre game. Freak goal and a wonder goal for Drogs and from what I could tell one of the worst refereeing performances I've ever seen. Only decision I've managed to watch back was him booking Forrester for diving rather than giving a penalty which has been backed up as one of the more scandalous decisions I've seen.

Here’s the free out that was awarded, an absolute joke of a decision from the round man with the whistle

https://x.com/anacourseceltic/status/1706409039775543747?s=46

[TonyD]

Here’s the free out that was awarded, an absolute joke of a decision from the round man with the whistle

https://x.com/anacourseceltic/status/1706409039775543747?s=46

A scandalous decision. Cracking strike to win the game in fairness (Daragh Markey has really come back to haunt us this year, great assist from him too) The ref did us big time tonight though. Would like to see the red cards again too.

[2 Year Contract]

A scandalous decision. Cracking strike to win the game in fairness (Daragh Markey has really come back to haunt us this year, great assist from him too) The ref did us big time tonight though. Would like to see the red cards again too.

Agreed, a goal worthy of goal of the season in any league, Rooney looks a very good player this season. I haven’t seen the reds back yet but both of Mulraney's cards looked soft and for the Curtis one myself and everyone around me was calling for a pats free kick, it was more of a 50/50 but a straight red card seemed totally uncalled for from where I was on initial viewing.

[joey B]

If the First division play offs weren’t sorted already they definitely are after tonight,fair play to Wexford for churning out the results late in the season,haven’t impressed me any time I’ve seen them but have got the results when it mattered…..

[ger121]

Having gone 20 years winning feck all in the past I'm happy to win the league any way we can

Too right!

[oriel]

Decent win or actually a win (at last) for Dundalk last night, yet this is still not a good side, could have conceded two goals easy such was the usual lack of concentration at the back, but a welcome win all the same.

Results did go our away above the table, but I still think we have left it too late to finish 4th, the gap is only 4 points though and no games in hand, 5 to go and we have Shels (a) and Bohs (h), but realistically we would need to be winning 4 of the last 5 and I do not see that happening.

Cork City look tired and disinterested, Keating is a superb talent but that said they looked depressingly like a team that had already accepted their fate and made little or no effort apart from 2 chances.

[outspoken]

Decent win or actually a win (at last) for Dundalk last night, yet this is still not a good side, could have conceded two goals easy such was the usual lack of concentration at the back, but a welcome win all the same.

Results did go our away above the table, but I still think we have left it too late to finish 4th, the gap is only 4 points though and no games in hand, 5 to go and we have Shels (a) and Bohs (h), but realistically we would need to be winning 4 of the last 5 and I do not see that happening.

Cork City look tired and disinterested, Keating is a superb talent but that said they looked depressingly like a team that had already accepted their fate and made little or no effort apart from 2 chances.

Fair play for not being blinded by the scoreline. A better team would have exploited that Dundalk back four, all over the shop at times but Cork no where near good enough to exploit it. Louth derby will be interesting.

[Bohtastic]

Still simmering about that match in Dalymount last night.
Several Shels players went down as if they'd been shot in the head whenever they were under pressure.
I haven't seen time wasting as bad as that in 20 + years (and when you've looked at Ger Doherty that's saying something).
Ref has to stop it, so they lay as if dead, only to rejoin the action after a sideline visit.
Dreadful, cynical side. Not much of a spark last night without Moylan.

[2 Year Contract]

Keating is a superb talent but that said they looked depressingly like a team that had already accepted their fate and made little or no effort apart from 2 chances.

I genuinely couldn’t believe it when he signed a new long term contract with Cork at the start of July. He’d have every team in the country queuing up to sign him if he didn’t sign that contract. With all due respect it’d be quite the waste if he’s still playing for Cork next season

[sbgawa]

Sam Curtis appeal against red card turned down and he gets 2 game ban. The system is a joke. AFAIK not one change all season. Clubs need to call the fai on this **** at seasons end. Zero point in current ststem

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Lafferty was given a 6 game ban and the kind folks reduced it to 4

[vinnie]

Ah Jaysus, I always take these absolute defo peno shouts with a pinch of salt but as an ex referee I can honestly say Pats were feckin robbed there



Here’s the free out that was awarded, an absolute joke of a decision from the round man with the whistle

https://x.com/anacourseceltic/status/1706409039775543747?s=46

[TonyD]

Ah Jaysus, I always take these absolute defo peno shouts with a pinch of salt but as an ex referee I can honestly say Pats were feckin robbed there

Yep, we were. Very annoying too that Sam Curtis gets a two match ban. Honestly don’t think it was a red. Both players went in high. The least they could have done was leave it at a one game ban. I’ve seen conflicting stories on whether it applies to the cup semi or not. Anyone know for sure ? Doesn’t really seem to be a reason why it wouldn’t.

[Martinho II]

Yep, we were. Very annoying too that Sam Curtis gets a two match ban. Honestly don’t think it was a red. Both players went in high. The least they could have done was leave it at a one game ban. I’ve seen conflicting stories on whether it applies to the cup semi or not. Anyone know for sure ? Doesn’t really seem to be a reason why it wouldn’t.

According to Irish Sun today, SC would miss Cork FAI cup game TonyD.

[2 Year Contract]

Pat’s fans don’t seem too keen on Jon Daly, he had a good run at the start and somehow are potentially in contention for the double despite having played badly for the last 6 weeks or so.

Performances of late haven’t been great but you can’t really knock the results too much, which at this stage of the season is the most important thing. I don’t think I’ve seen a single fan say they want him out or anything like that if that’s what you’re suggesting. Just saw a tweet highlighting the league table since he got the job, Pats are top. Baring in mind that although he was Clancy's assistant, he wouldn’t have had final say on a lot of the squad signings so we’ll see what he does personnel wise in the off season, having Redmond and Grivosti unavailable for most of the season this year hasn’t helped things so fingers crossed the bad luck on the injury front will remain in 2023

https://x.com/cunneen92/status/1709501466619109666?s=46