View Full Version : Linfield a class apart
kevinito
18/02/2006, 9:12 PM
From a distant vantage point down south in Cork I can only admire Linfield's marvellous season. Winning every league game except one draw is impressive. I think it makes Linfield favourites to retain the Setanta Cup provided they are up for it and the prizemoney on offer should keep them keen. I recently had a wonderful visit to NI. I met so many friendly and kind people.
The debate rages down here about the merits of an All-Ireland League. Clubs in the Eircom League may have more cash but I believe the standard of the Carnegie Premier is superior to the EL and Linfield are without doubt in my mind the best team in Ireland.
Derry City, Shelbourne and Cork City have all improved in recent seasons but outside of these 3 clubs I don't believe the EL itself has got any better even though clubs budgets down here are huge in comparison to clubs in NI.
Do clubs and supporters in NI take the Setanta Cup seriously and would it be fair to say that some supporters stay away from attending Setanta Cup games for political reasons as it may signal the slippery slide into an all-ireland league?
Linfield are good but way overated,well see this in the Setanta Cup.
blueman1886
18/02/2006, 10:14 PM
Linfield are good but way overated,well see this in the Setanta Cup.wtf would you know?? anyway heard all that last season,"we'll see in the setanta cup" sure we won the fecking thing and won it easy.
ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE.
Aaron
18/02/2006, 10:15 PM
Linfield are good but way overated,well see this in the Setanta Cup.
I wouldnt say they are overated but had shels not had a poor season last year i thi nk they would have beat them. If i was a linfield fan i would be worried by th lack of pace in the defence. With McCourt, Farren and McHugh i think Baillie and 'winkie' Murphy will have a tough time. Dont get me wrong they are two class acts but the pace of our three amigos may do some damage. I also think Spike and thompson will have a tough time with pizza and big clive. If we play to the best of our ability then i think we can beat Linfield. Looking forward to it and hope that once again the only winner on the nite is football
BRING ON THE LINFIELD!!! :D :D
De Town
18/02/2006, 10:36 PM
I also think Spike and thompson will have a tough time with pizza and big clive
Sorry, but Thompson's pace will make bits of Hutton and Big Clive IMHO.
jorge
18/02/2006, 10:43 PM
wtf would you know?? anyway heard all that last season,"we'll see in the setanta cup" sure we won the fecking thing and won it easy.
ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE.
Well see int the setanta cup and see how you progres in Europe.:)
Fortuna1886
19/02/2006, 11:27 AM
Derry are playing us at a good time, we have gone off the boil recently and several key players are looking a bit tired. I'm still confident but not as confident as would have been in December.
blueman1886
19/02/2006, 11:40 AM
Jorge lets not forget here linfield are only a part time team.
SwiftsSupporter
19/02/2006, 1:06 PM
TBF their a good side and all but everyone else is crap this season. Glens haven't turned up. Ports haven't a squad worth talking about and Hamilton only plays when he feels like it. Swifts, Ballymena have taken half a season to start putting it together and we're still not even that good.
Linfield arn't that great at the back but they might have well won the league had everyone else been ready but their flattered by everyone else this season. Still favourites for the Setanta though
SwiftsSupporter
19/02/2006, 1:08 PM
I wouldnt say they are overated but had shels not had a poor season last year i thi nk they would have beat them. If i was a linfield fan i would be worried by th lack of pace in the defence. With McCourt, Farren and McHugh i think Baillie and 'winkie' Murphy will have a tough time. Dont get me wrong they are two class acts but the pace of our three amigos may do some damage. I also think Spike and thompson will have a tough time with pizza and big clive. If we play to the best of our ability then i think we can beat Linfield. Looking forward to it and hope that once again the only winner on the nite is football
BRING ON THE LINFIELD!!! :D :D
I've seen Derry a few times as well as Linfield and have been very unimpressed by yous. Linfield are fvourites and should win this game as with their passing and so on your players will be running around in circles like you did in Cork
Speranza
19/02/2006, 1:45 PM
Why do you assume that the preformance in Cork was the norm. We were awful in Cork, IMO our very young squad froze on the night. Up until that match we were playing amazing football. In my mind there is no doubt that our squad is better than Linfield's however pre-season rustiness may take its toll on Monday.
SwiftsSupporter
19/02/2006, 3:13 PM
You were awful because Cork played through you. I haven't just seen the Cork game but Linfield will do the same. I wish you good luck but I just feel Linfield will win
Raheny Red
19/02/2006, 6:29 PM
Originally posted by kevinito
I believe the standard of the Carnegie Premier is superior to the EL and Linfield are without doubt in my mind the best team in Ireland.
superior:eek: :confused: will you go way outta that...............
Do clubs and supporters in NI take the Setanta Cup seriously and would it be fair to say that some supporters stay away from attending Setanta Cup games for political reasons as it may signal the slippery slide into an all-ireland league?
Of course, all clubs in the North want to be the best in Ireland, i think they would look at these games as a huge challenge for them and knowing the prize money theres alot at stake for all 8 clubs.
If anything last years success by Linfield was probably unexpected as most people would have put their money on a southern team winning, this proves that both north and southern football are not that far apart, now with Derry City entered the frame aswell this year will surely be harder for Linfield to retain the title.
A face
19/02/2006, 8:12 PM
Linfield's Jeffreys hungry for seconds
There was much excitement and anticipation at the 2006 Setanta Cup Draw at Collins Barracks in Dublin on Monday evening, as the eight competing teams discovered their fate.
The cross-border competition, boasting the most lucrative soccer prize on the island, kicks-off on Monday, 20 February and features some mouthwatering ties.
Read more at www.setanta.com (http://www.setanta.com/content/setanta/ie/cms.nsf/systemcontent/newsarticle?open&articleid=d8ee3cb70f70976d802570d500790b74&)
You were awful because Cork played through you. I haven't just seen the Cork game but Linfield will do the same. I wish you good luck but I just feel Linfield will win
Lets get this straight, Derry froze down in Cork. Everyone knows that . Otherwise if derry were that bad then why did they go on a 26 match unbeaten run. This was a fantastic run, all because of quality football and quality players. Our defeat in cork was a learning curve because the past four years they have been in relegation battles and our first season challenging for honours wheras Cork were there or thereabouts the past four seasons. Wait till this comming season and you will see Derry with a lot more experience of challenging
Dassa
20/02/2006, 11:36 AM
Do clubs and supporters in NI take the Setanta Cup seriously and would it be fair to say that some supporters stay away from attending Setanta Cup games for political reasons as it may signal the slippery slide into an all-ireland league?
No-one up in NI really minds the idea of an all Island league even tough it could be a disaster for clubs like my own with the loss of three or four of the big clubs but it does seem inevitable. As long as the National teams situation is sorted out and secured I cant really see much objection.
Sorry, but Thompson's pace will make bits of Hutton and Big Clive IMHO.
And you were saying.....:D :D
Wot a performance from the city for our first match of the season. Not only did we match Linfield we outplayed them for most of the match.:D
Dassa
21/02/2006, 10:18 AM
Yea derry played very well, Linfield players lacked heart for this game and was clear derry wanted it more.
A face
21/02/2006, 1:14 PM
Yea derry played very well, Linfield players lacked heart for this game and was clear derry wanted it more.
Yeah, Derry have a big heart alright, thats one thing they can reply on !! :p
-lamb-
21/02/2006, 8:54 PM
No-one up in NI really minds the idea of an all Island league even tough it could be a disaster for clubs like my own
um, i disagree. i mind.
what exactly would an all ireland league do for my team?
either you have the possiblity of having to travel far too far for an all ireland second division or you play localised second divisions which is much the same as things are now but minus the bigger gates.
why exactly wouldn't i mind?
Dassa
21/02/2006, 10:55 PM
um, i disagree. i mind.
what exactly would an all ireland league do for my team?
either you have the possiblity of having to travel far too far for an all ireland second division or you play localised second divisions which is much the same as things are now but minus the bigger gates.
why exactly wouldn't i mind?
Mightnt have got across what i meant. i dont want to see AI league either as it would be a disaster for my club but was trying to say that no-one up north here has a problem with it politically.
A face
22/02/2006, 12:14 AM
um, i disagree. i mind.
what exactly would an all ireland league do for my team?
either you have the possiblity of having to travel far too far for an all ireland second division or you play localised second divisions which is much the same as things are now but minus the bigger gates.
why exactly wouldn't i mind?
Not being funny now lamb, but just wanna ask here, do you not want to try in play in the first division ?? Why did you (automatically it seems) think you'd be in the second all the time ??
For the record, i dont know how it is with ye, but every club in the first division down here aspires to be in the premier division and more than 50% of them have been contenders in recent season. Dont know if i am fully right on this but to my knowledge all, that ALL of those clubs have looked like contenders to come up at one stage in the last 8-9 years.
I'm not being funny now but is it right that clubs who cant/wont compete for promotion or at least dont aspire to, hold back the league from progressing.
What i am saying is that, there is a chance here at hand to get every bar-stooler off their seat and into a ground near them, only if there is a decent TV deal, sponsorship and swell of support. That can happen if there is a united league. In my opinion that renewed energy will effect every club, even the ones at the end, i know you'll say exponentially but how is that different to now ? You are saying you rely on a few big gates, can i ask roughly what kind of percentage is this in relation to your overall attendance ?
Either way, i think it is completely mad that while both leagues suffer there is a means to resolve it right on our door step, and think about it .... how many poor mouth stories have you heard in your time involved in football, all clubs feeling the pinch at some stage and then you'd turn this down ?
Dassa
22/02/2006, 10:09 AM
well going by continual speculation, clubs like larne and loughgall just wont be invited to join this new wonderful AI league. The big 2 and the ports seem to be the only ones wanted. also it seems that it wont be a brand new league and it will instead be an EL with Linfield,Glens and ports invited to join. for me this isnt acceptable. Also as the cup has shown with attendances it really has gripped the imagination.
blueman1886
22/02/2006, 1:30 PM
Linfield where tired on monday night and never really got going untill the second half when they got the ball down and played a bit of football and got in behind derry a few times only to be let down by poor crossing,but lets not forget these lads played a tough match two days previous and have had over 30 games under their belt not to mention they all work full time jobs and then train 3 nights a week,derry city never even looked like scoring although they played some nice football at times,both sets of keepers never had a save to make all night and derry scored a pen which isn't to much to shout about:rolleyes:
Krstic
22/02/2006, 1:54 PM
Linfield where tired on monday night and never really got going untill the second half when they got the ball down and played a bit of football and got in behind derry a few times only to be let down by poor crossing,but lets not forget these lads played a tough match two days previous and have had over 30 games under their belt not to mention they all work full time jobs and then train 3 nights a week,derry city never even looked like scoring although they played some nice football at times,both sets of keepers never had a save to make all night and derry scored a pen which isn't to much to shout about:rolleyes:
Didn't look like scoring:confused:
One of your defenders cleared off the line from a corner, Oman missed an open net which he headed over, after your keeper went for a walk and Noel Bailie made a super block as McCourt looked set to score.
And Derry City players are Part-time as well, most have other jobs.
WHO SAID SO?
Just going by tabloid articles especially an article I seen in the Mirror by a Journalist called Doyle. not sure his first name. appeared about a month ago or so.
A face
22/02/2006, 4:02 PM
well going by continual speculation, clubs like larne and loughgall just wont be invited to join this new wonderful AI league. The big 2 and the ports seem to be the only ones wanted. also it seems that it wont be a brand new league and it will instead be an EL with Linfield,Glens and ports invited to join. for me this isnt acceptable. Also as the cup has shown with attendances it really has gripped the imagination.
Dazza, i know you're saying it was a journo ... but think about it, do you think any clubs down here would sign up for something like that ? We have all said on here in the past that it would be all or nothing, clubs down here will have the exact same concerns down here and they will have to be addressed. I think its in everyones interest that the best possible deal is made available to clubs when signing up for this.
This hand-picking idea was not welcome by eL fans aswell.
-lamb-
22/02/2006, 5:28 PM
Not being funny now lamb, but just wanna ask here, do you not want to try in play in the first division ?? Why did you (automatically it seems) think you'd be in the second all the time ??
For the record, i dont know how it is with ye, but every club in the first division down here aspires to be in the premier division and more than 50% of them have been contenders in recent season. Dont know if i am fully right on this but to my knowledge all, that ALL of those clubs have looked like contenders to come up at one stage in the last 8-9 years.
I'm not being funny now but is it right that clubs who cant/wont compete for promotion or at least dont aspire to, hold back the league from progressing.
What i am saying is that, there is a chance here at hand to get every bar-stooler off their seat and into a ground near them, only if there is a decent TV deal, sponsorship and swell of support. That can happen if there is a united league. In my opinion that renewed energy will effect every club, even the ones at the end, i know you'll say exponentially but how is that different to now ? You are saying you rely on a few big gates, can i ask roughly what kind of percentage is this in relation to your overall attendance ?
Either way, i think it is completely mad that while both leagues suffer there is a means to resolve it right on our door step, and think about it .... how many poor mouth stories have you heard in your time involved in football, all clubs feeling the pinch at some stage and then you'd turn this down ?
i'm just being realistic, not necessarily unambitious. i see our top 4-6 teams joining this league and, due mostly to lack of funds, the rest left behind. this will mean an even bigger financial split between the likes of my club and the lucky few in the top league.
you forget that we are already in the premier league (just) so why would i want to be dumped into a 2nd tier?
this leads to my view of larne being in some form of second division. i have to ask myself do i want to make a 400 round trip for a mid table all-ireland second division match? you have to take into account that i havent missed a single match, home or away, friendly or competitive, in about 3 years. i still think its unlikely that i'd take that trip, ESPECIALLY not midweek.
the only other options left are a regionalised 2nd div (less income for my club, less big games) or try to buy our way through the leagues, likely leaving us in huge debt which we only just came out of last year. not an option.
so, for me (and i'm sure a lot of IL fans if they really thought about it) an all-ireland league offers only out of reach dreams of success and wealth which larne have not much hope of achieving unless they are in from close to the start.
in terms of crowds i'd say we sit behind linfield, glentoran, ballymena, glenavon, portadown and coleraine but ahead of the rest. we are probably averaging 500 but we aren't exactly achieving much success on the pitch other than reaching cup finals. the blues and glens treble and quadruple that average. the one good thing is that we still have the potential to drag the crowds out at a hint of success. with a brand new stadium looking to be on the way this should increase.
kevin_devine
23/02/2006, 9:24 AM
blueman1886, are you blind or what hi!!
Derry totally outplayed you's the other nite and if thats all you's have to offer to EL clubs, then you will never hold on to the Setanta!
Don't be a Mug and catch yourself on man!
-lamb-
23/02/2006, 4:28 PM
blueman1886, are you blind or what hi!!
Derry totally outplayed you's the other nite and if thats all you's have to offer to EL clubs, then you will never hold on to the Setanta!
Don't be a Mug and catch yourself on man!
to be fair linfield HAVE had a seriously hectic run of matches recently. it's no great surprise they were tired.
Speranza
25/02/2006, 2:39 PM
Easy excuse for a bad preformance. We might have only got a point from the match but the difference in class was apparent. Do Linfield have a midfield? Didn't look like it the other night and Noel Baillie MOTM? every time he came up against Stevo or Farren he ran away.
A face
25/02/2006, 3:02 PM
i'm just being realistic, not necessarily unambitious. i see our top 4-6 teams joining this league and, due mostly to lack of funds, the rest left behind. this will mean an even bigger financial split between the likes of my club and the lucky few in the top league.
Lamb ... just read this and see what you think? (http://foot.ie/showpost.php?p=440731&postcount=42)
-lamb-
25/02/2006, 7:24 PM
Easy excuse for a bad preformance. We might have only got a point from the match but the difference in class was apparent. Do Linfield have a midfield? Didn't look like it the other night and Noel Baillie MOTM? every time he came up against Stevo or Farren he ran away.
it's easy because it happens to be true. they've been tiring for a few games now, as their performances have shown. it's not a pro-linfield excuse, far from it. just observation.
at the end of the day it still took a penalty for a fresh derry city to get only a draw, different class or not.
@ a face - i've read the thread. an interesting point about older fai clubs reapplying to the ifa. i wonder.......
i've still to see how things would benefit my club or its supporters though.
for the supporters - if the class is so much better in the eircom then we'd get stuffed as we can't afford to strengthen much more. if not then whats the attraction of the extra travelling?
for the club - if there's more money in the league and still the same talent pool and same % income gap then how does the club benefit? our better players would get picked up by a top league club as we get put into a lower league.
obviously SOME clubs will benefit and the football might improve in the top league but for the rest of us i think we'd end up the losers here.
i'm not worried about euro places as larne have never been in europe in its 117 years existance, nor am i worried about my national team as if there was a worry this all-ireland league would be a no go from the start. i speak purely as a larne fc fan, a mid-sized club from a mid-sized town.
Easy excuse for a bad preformance. We might have only got a point from the match but the difference in class was apparent. Do Linfield have a midfield? Didn't look like it the other night and Noel Baillie MOTM? every time he came up against Stevo or Farren he ran away.
Good post. I was surprised at the physical difference of both teams, more than one of the Linfield players looked overweight imop. To be fair to Linfield we have to take the word of the lads on here who know their team better than we do, makes the remainder of their games in the comp even more interesting
Dyl10
25/02/2006, 11:13 PM
The debate rages down here about the merits of an All-Ireland League. Clubs in the Eircom League may have more cash but I believe the standard of the Carnegie Premier is superior to the EL
Is that not a bit contradictory? if linfield are the ILs best team and they go the whole season winning every game but one, yet our top 4 teams arent far off them, then how is theyre standard better than ours?
Speranza
25/02/2006, 11:52 PM
To suggest that teams in the IL are generally of a higher standard is sheer lunacy. Ourselves and Cork pulled away from the pack last year big time and $hels are of a similar standard. IMO there is no club on the island that can meet this level. It involves a bit of guesswork but if Linfield were in the EL I think they would finish mid table at best.
-lamb-
26/02/2006, 9:36 AM
To suggest that teams in the IL are generally of a higher standard is sheer lunacy. Ourselves and Cork pulled away from the pack last year big time and $hels are of a similar standard. IMO there is no club on the island that can meet this level. It involves a bit of guesswork but if Linfield were in the EL I think they would finish mid table at best.
so shels, cork and derry are quite a bit better than the rest of the eircom league, linfield would finish no higher than mid table..........and yet linfield won the setanta, finished the league a poor second (in football style terms at least) to glentoran and portadown gave cork a run for their money. (i'm not even going to use glens this year as a comparison as everyone knows they've fallen to bits this season and have a ton of injuries, lost their manager etc)
your logic looks just a little rose tinted speranza.
i'm not saying there is more class in the IL or in the eircom as i just don't know for sure, but on those same terms, neither do you.
i doubt the top level of player is any better really, but there should be more top level players available to eircom teams solely on numbers alone. this may mean more teams with a higher % top level players in the eircom but not necessarily any more skilled than the top il teams.
tbh i think if the il and eircom were merged the il teams would be spread evenly from top of your premier all the way down into your div2
Speranza
26/02/2006, 3:22 PM
I think the fitness level of the el players last year played a big part. As I said the top three in the el are pulling away big time and this showed in Windsor last week. Ferguson and Thompson who have tore the IL apart this year got nothing and the goal itself came from a defensive error.
This years Setanta will tell us much more as the el teams are well prepared. Every El team has had foreign training camps and appear to be taking the competition more seriously.
-lamb-
26/02/2006, 5:50 PM
so the eircom teams have spent their time totally focused on the setanta cup whilst the il clubs have all sorts of other stuff to contend with, namely the irish cup, league, fighting for euro spots and to a lesser extent (for linfield) the county antrim shield?
what exactly was your point again?
dancinpants
27/02/2006, 3:54 AM
Lets be honest we can argue about the Setanta all night. If an IL team wins it, the EL fans will say "ah, but ye were all mid season and fit". But if an EL team wins it the IL fans will say "Ah but we we're tired coz we're mid season". Its a bullsh*t argument, and one that will NEVER settle the "which league is best" argument. Supporters of each league don't believe the other at the moment because excuses are readily available to both sides.
Personally, I think that the EL is of a higher standard. But forgetting about Derry, Shels, Cork and Drogs for now - how would UCD do in a game against Coleraine? StPats v Ballymena? Longford v Newry? Sligo v Limavady and so on. This argument needs more teams involved than the 8 involved in the Setanta.
I would say there is greater strength in depth in the Eircom League but at the top level of both leagues it is pretty much on a par. The Setanta Cup results since the competition started have shown this. The only real hammering was Shelbourne against the Glens last week and for Linfield to go to Tolka Park and beat Shelbourne showed that there is no big gap. Remember that final was towards the end of May when Shels were well into their season and ours was over domestically.
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