What has changed our fortunes?

[osarusan]

As a fan following the club from a distance, I use these pages a lot to give me some idea of how the club is doing.

Over the past 2 to 3 years I've been using the site, the club have had more downs than ups, and a lot of the blame has been placed on Noel O Connor.

This season, the club are very well placed and seem to be a pretty formidable team, at least on First Division level.

What would people think are the reasons for this turn around in fortunes, or is still to early to say that this has happened?

Hoping to get some answers as there isnt anywhere else I know to find any decent info on the team.

[LFC in Exile]

IMO the change around over the last three seasons i.e. from the Pike days (when we ended up bottom of the league and had to play a goalkeeper as a striker) is the intervention of Danny Drew. The club is being run on a more commercial basis. We have signed decent players (quite a few from junior ranks who wouldn't have touched us when we were floundering in the Pike Field). The pick up in attendances (compared to Pike) has enabled us to maintain a stronger squad.

Compared to last season I am not sure we have had that much of a dramatic shift upwards. We are more competitive this season. I think a lot of that is down to the teething problems of last season - the squad was huge at the start of the season and it took almost the whole year to get a settled side. This year the squad is smaller but better. There are better quality players in Purcell, Lester, Heffernan etc. A lot of credit has to go to NOC for getting these players on board, but that goes back to proper administration which was absent before DD.

[4tothefloor]

Yeah I'd go along with most of what LFC has said. I think also we have notably better players this season who are prepared to play ball, i.e. Lester, Heffernan. You can only play ball to feet to the likes of Heff and Robbie out wide, so there's more empasis on keeping the ball on the deck this season. Which is a huge thing if we want to attract people to the games. So on the pitch everything is good so far.

Danny Drew has been the big difference but I think he'll forever be fighting a losing battle by staying at Hogan Park. I read either in the Limerick Independent or Post that Fr. Joe Young intends being back on the board as part of any lease agreement. Not only that, but Young also hopes to see a few other names from the past return as well. So basically all the old cronies who fcuked up the club in the first place now want back in as part of the lease agreement. Jumping on the bandwagon. Doesn't sound good to me and I doubt if you'll find many fans who'd want these people back either. Why Limerick football always has to be so complicated and political just amazes me!

[Olander]

Colin Heffernan is one of the main reasons.

[CraftyToePoke]

id go along with the above as well, its basically having had a few quid behind us for the first time in a while that is making the difference, and hopefully it will continue to do so.

[osarusan]

Yeah I'd go along with most of what LFC has said. I think also we have notably better players this season who are prepared to play ball, i.e. Lester, Heffernan. You can only play ball to feet to the likes of Heff and Robbie out wide, so there's more empasis on keeping the ball on the deck this season. Which is a huge thing if we want to attract people to the games. So on the pitch everything is good so far.

Danny Drew has been the big difference but I think he'll forever be fighting a losing battle by staying at Hogan Park. I read either in the Limerick Independent or Post that Fr. Joe Young intends being back on the board as part of any lease agreement. Not only that, but Young also hopes to see a few other names from the past return as well. So basically all the old cronies who fcuked up the club in the first place now want back in as part of the lease agreement. Jumping on the bandwagon. Doesn't sound good to me and I doubt if you'll find many fans who'd want these people back either. Why Limerick football always has to be so complicated and political just amazes me!

Cheers for the replies, and they all seem to be on the same lines, which is unusual for this forum!!

Regarding the "old cronies" returning to the board, how influential would that board be? In the old days of LFC, was that board influential?

[4tothefloor]

Regarding the "old cronies" returning to the board, how influential would that board be? In the old days of LFC, was that board influential?
It'd be an interesting mix! You have the current board with Drew and Kieran Judge being pretty influential. Then there's the Pat Dolan situation. He's knocking around the club so there's definately a chance he'll come on board, if he's not already. Then there's Michael O'Sullivan, the previous chairman. He's now involved again as well. If Young and his cronies were to enter the scene, you'd basically have significent representatives from the last three regimes, i.e. The previous two chairmen would be on board.

You'd then have to ask a lot of questions. Why do they want in? What will they bring to the table that Drew/Judge/maybe Dolan are already offering? My opinion? Nothing positive and I can only foresee problems. Too many cooks and all that.......