Setanta Cup 2012

Next years competition launches on January 25th at the Aviva Stadium where the preliminary draw will be made.

Cliftonville, Portadown, Glentoran and Lisburn Distillery are the unseeded IL teams whilst Derry City, Bohemians, St Pat's Ath and Bray Wanderers are the unseeded LOI teams

As per last year, 4 unseeded teams from both leagues will be drawn against each other, whilst Shamrock Rvs and Sligo Rvs from the LOI and Linfield and Crusaders from the IL will enter as seeded teams in the next round

Confirmed today in the Derry Journal

http://www.derryjournal.com/sport/fo...down_1_3332907

Delighted by this, I'm a big fan of the setanta cup

Foster the clown not making sure we qualified. As a Dundalk fan our Setanta Cup run was the best part of 2011, especially the first game away to Linfield.

.... Doesn't say much about 2011 for Dundalk fans if the first match of the season was the best part :(

State of the Setanta Cup, great idea but the lack of any real competition north of the border makes it all a bit of a farce.

Raging. Was hoping this would be done away with.

its only good for the prize money, cant see the point of it otherwise

Beats playing friendlies.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Beats playing friendlies.

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depends who the friendlies are against

Dates for Setanta Cup 2012 as follows:

Round 1
1st Leg Monday 13th February
2nd Leg Monday 20th February

Quarter Finals
1st Leg Monday 5th March
2nd Leg Tuesday 20th March

Semi Finals
1st Leg Monday 16th April
2nd Leg Monday 23rd April

Final
Saturday 12th May

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Originally Posted by sligoman

Raging. Was hoping this would be done away with.

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Why? if you're not bothered about it, don't go to the games. Likewise with teams/managers. If not interested, put out your reserve team

Some people like it, so whats the harm to you?

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Originally Posted by sligoman

Raging. Was hoping this would be done away with.

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Don't bother playing in it so, plenty of teams who'd only be damn glad to play in it.

The contempt shown towards the Setanta Cup is unreal, considering the chances of prize money & silverware

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Originally Posted by sligoman

Raging. Was hoping this would be done away with.

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Did you not enjoy the craic?

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Why? if you're not bothered about it, don't go to the games.

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I go to most games, unless there's a reason I can't, not liking a competition is not a reason I can't go. So I'll still go if I'm around, just would prefer if there was none so I wouldn't have to. Simple.

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Originally Posted by sligoman

I go to most games, unless there's a reason I can't, not liking a competition is not a reason I can't go. So I'll still go if I'm around, just would prefer if there was none so I wouldn't have to. Simple.

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Your an absolute weirdo.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Why? if you're not bothered about it, don't go to the games. Likewise with teams/managers. If not interested, put out your reserve team

Some people like it, so whats the harm to you?

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Even Setanta don't show half the games anymore. The winner has to play at least 5, possibly 7 extra games against either rubbish British opposition, or another 2 games a year against a LOI side. The prize money is much less than it used to be. It's nice to win it but from a fans perspective, it's too expensive, too much extra midweek travel, and basically just a waste of time. Imo of course.

That's fine. No one is forcing you to go to the games

This competition is tragic at the moment. If sides up the North were better, fair enough, but it just ends up same LOI teams playing each other again.

Even when we won it last v Monaghan, I was sorely tempted not even to bother, because there was a key league game with Shams, if I recall, on a Tuesday.

Why not freshen up format -- eg a First Division team thrown into the mix?

Maybe a more attractive proposition is to get into a Cup situation with some of the Scottish clubs. This would also give LOI a real benchmark as to progress?

Extra.

Time.

Multiball.

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Originally Posted by shellyriver

This competition is tragic at the moment. If sides up the North were better, fair enough, but it just ends up same LOI teams playing each other again.

Even when we won it last v Monaghan, I was sorely tempted not even to bother

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When were Monaghan in the Setanta Cup?

But the point you make is fair enough. If it's a choice of having to pay 15 quid for the big league game next weekend, or 15 quid to watch Crusaders at home when you're 5-0 up from the away leg, the choice is fairly obvious.

I was at one game of it last year. It was more than enough. I was hoping last year Setanta would see sense and put it out of it's misery. But no, they're back for another go.

Here's an idea. Why not have 2 groups of 4. 4 LOI teams in group A (e.g. Shamrock, Sligo Rovers, Derry City & Bohemians) and 4 IL teams in group B (e.g. Linfield, Crusaders, Cliftonville, Portadown). Teams don't play other teams in the same group, just all the teams in the other group (once only), this means that teams from the same league aren't playing each other too often as they are already sick of each other domestically. So Shamrock's fixtures might be: Linfield (A), Crusaders (H), Cliftonville (A) and Portadown (H). Top 2 in each group play each other with the top team getting home advantage. This then guarantees a LOI V IL final.

The downside would be that all the LOI teams could end up on 12 points and all IL teams on 0 points, but that would hardly happen.