setup next year

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09/12/2004, 6:54 AM
Ringo

setup next year

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independe...issue_id=11790

Meanwhile, Athlone's Paddy McCaul looks set to be elected temporary eircom League chairman at a Board of Control meeting this evening. A number of First Division clubs want the Athlone secretary to take the job on an interim basis until the AGM in March following the resignation of Declan � Luanaigh.

There are a number of other major issues to be discussed, most importantly, how the League will be run next season. With the reversion to a 12-team Premier Division, it had been expected that there would be a 33-game season.

"A 33-game season is an inequitable system and a club like ours could suffer if there is a reduction on the number of home games," said Shelbourne secretary Ollie Byrne.

It is expected that the 10-team First Division will be run off over a 36-game season with just one automatic promotion spot and one play-off spot available.

Would be good for the three teams that went up, at least two of them, have a very good chance of staying up.i think 33 games is more than enough., its hard to fit all the games in as it is.
09/12/2004, 7:07 AM
Macy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ringo

Would be good for the three teams that went up, at least two of them, have a very good chance of staying up.i think 33 games is more than enough., its hard to fit all the games in as it is.

It's just w@nk not having the same number of home and away games against each other.....
09/12/2004, 12:00 PM
joeSoap

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macy

It's just w@nk not having the same number of home and away games against each other.....

So, the solution would be a 22 game season which is too short, or a 44 game one which is too long. You can't have it every way :ball:
09/12/2004, 12:19 PM
Cosmo

Here, i dont know if this has been mentioned before but does anybody know when the season starts?? (even a rough idea).

Btw I agree with ye Macy on the playing teams 3 times a season thing but as said above unless it was kept as a 10 team premier (which is way too small), the only other option is to dramatically increase the number of teams in the Premier.

I would be in favour of that and would try and bring in some amateur clubs (well amateur in name anyway - theyre probably better run than most EL clubs!!) into the EL to make up the numbers (like some of these clubs seem to have better facilities than the majority of 1st division clubs anyway!!)
09/12/2004, 12:24 PM
A face

.................................................

Actually ... does anyone know the official side of things ... when with the league give us the fixtures. Have they given any sort of time frame .... they surely wont leave it as late as last year .... would there be any harm in having the fixtures this side of Christmas !! .... i know that is ambitious but what reasons are there for not getting them before that ??
09/12/2004, 12:25 PM
anto eile

play everyone 3 times then split the top and bottom halves in two, so teams play another 5 games.then its 38 games (more revenue) . and it could be fixtured so that teams play an even amount of home and away games
09/12/2004, 12:26 PM
Schumi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmo

Here, i dont know if this has been mentioned before but does anybody know when the season starts?? (even a rough idea).

Last season started on the 19th of March so maybe Friday the 18th next year? That's only 14 weeks away tomorrow! :eek:
09/12/2004, 12:27 PM
Schumi

Quote:

Originally Posted by anto eile

play everyone 3 times then split the top and bottom halves in two, so teams play another 5 games.then its 38 games (more revenue) . and it could be fixtured so that teams play an even amount of home and away games

The problem with that though is that you could end up playing a team 3 times at home and only once away or vice versa.
09/12/2004, 12:30 PM
paudie

Quote:

Originally Posted by anto eile

play everyone 3 times then split the top and bottom halves in two, so teams play another 5 games.then its 38 games (more revenue) . and it could be fixtured so that teams play an even amount of home and away games

I was going to say that could happen. Especially if some clubs get together to support it.

Splitting the league near the end isn't ideal, but playing 33 games isn't either.
09/12/2004, 12:30 PM
tomsoc

The official line is nothing is decided until the AGM in Feb. But the league will "probably" start on the same weekend as for 2004 (as Schumi said).
Fixture lists, promotion/relegation won't be known until after the AGM.
09/12/2004, 12:31 PM
holidaysong

Quote:

Originally Posted by anto eile

play everyone 3 times then split the top and bottom halves in two, so teams play another 5 games.then its 38 games (more revenue) . and it could be fixtured so that teams play an even amount of home and away games

That wouldn't really work because you could still end up with the top six being the teams that played one extra home game and the bottom six being the teams that had one less. Then when the league splits you would be unable to even out the amount of home games played by each club.

You would need to play 22 times and then split into 6 and 6 play 5 home and away and end up with each club having 32 games - 16 home, 16 away. You lose one game in the season but at least it is fair for everyone!
09/12/2004, 12:33 PM
pineapple stu

Quote:

Originally Posted by anto eile

play everyone 3 times then split the top and bottom halves in two, so teams play another 5 games.then its 38 games (more revenue) . and it could be fixtured so that teams play an even amount of home and away games

They did that for two years back in the mid-90s but it got dropped. I assume (though you can't be sure!) that there was a good reason it was dropped (i.e. that it wasn't working out), and so it won't be back.

Slight variation on that would be play two rounds of matches (i.e. 22 games), then split and play two more rounds, with a total of 32 games and a guarantee that you'd play teams the same number of times home and away. But that gives all the usual problems with the split system - lack of big games for smaller clubs, teams missing out by a small margin on the top half and having nothing to play for, etc. The 33-game system isn't perfect - and having played Dundalk, Kildare, Bray and Harps away twice this season, as well as having one extra away game, we know as well as anyone! - but there doesn't seem to be an alternative (bearing in mind that I don't agree with the ten-team Premier).
09/12/2004, 12:33 PM
pineapple stu

Echo! :D
09/12/2004, 12:39 PM
holidaysong

Quote:

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Echo! :D

Great minds think alike and all that... :D
09/12/2004, 12:53 PM
anto eile

fair enough it has its drawbacks, i was just trying to contribute to the possibilites/alternatives. the top/bottom split is what they do in scotland afaik
09/12/2004, 12:54 PM
Neish

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsoc

Fixture lists, promotion/relegation won't be known until after the AGM.

Got a txt from the Eircom league service saying that was to be decided on tonight thursday 9/12/04. It satated that a 1 up 1 down and a playoff between 2nd in 1st div and 2nd last in premier was most likely

Although the txts have been wrong on ocassion in the past
09/12/2004, 12:55 PM
pineapple stu

Quote:

Originally Posted by anto eile

The top/bottom split is what they do in Scotland afaik

Yeah, that's right. Think one year recently Celtic had the title won before the split, which completely defeated the point!

Incidentally, with all the talk about teams who get the extra away game almost never winning the league, and the worry about Shels dominating the league in hte next few years, is the current set-up such a bad thing?

Don't know if I agree with that myself even, but it's an interesting point...
09/12/2004, 1:03 PM
patsh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ringo

"A 33-game season is an inequitable system and a club like ours could suffer if there is a reduction on the number of home games," said Shelbourne secretary Ollie Byrne.

WHat does he mean like a "club like ours"?
Is he implying that there are other clubs who would not suffer because of a reduction in home games?
If $hels get Bray, UCD, Waterford, Derry, Harps and Drogs at home twice next season, gates would not be great for those games and we'd hear the piggie squeal then......
Somehow though, I don't think $hels will have to travel to Dalyer, the Cross, or the Brandywell twice next season.
The other point about this f*ckup of 2 to 1 games is travelling expenses. City, Harps, Derry or Waterford could concieveably have to travel to Dublin 14 times next season (Drogs and Bray included as they are more or less Dublin), yet get only 7 home gates in return to pay for all that travelling.
After the disgraceful fixture arrangements for City last season, I don't trust any of those f*ckers and the list should be circulated to clubs by the first week in January at the latest, so that any complaints/objections can be sorted out well in advance.
It shows just what a total joke the legaue is that we can't have the list before Christmas, we all know which teams are playing in what division
09/12/2004, 1:04 PM
NY Hoop

Muppets should have left it the way it was. 18 home and 18 away in a 10 team competitive league.

One step forward and 2 steps back!

Start it first weekend of march and finish it second last sunday in october with Cup Final the following sunday. But then that makes sense :eek:

KOH
09/12/2004, 1:15 PM
Cosmo

10 team league is a definite no no for me anyway :rolleyes:

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