Athlone last night

Hi there:

I just have to vent my frustration somewhere so it may as well be here. A large group of limerick supporters travelled last night to Atlone only to witness prob the most gutless display (cept for derek and Robbie and Brendy)
that we have seen in a long time.

Once again Our Clown of a Keeper cost us a least one goal. He simply has to be dropped before the season is over before it's begun. Likewise drop CP up front. He has not done the business in any match either last season or this. He has pulled out of every challage so far this season and Robbie is carrying the full load of work up front.

We seem also to run around like headless chickens with no leadership both on and off the park. The most tactical shout coming fron the dug out was "Come on Limerick" half way through the second half.

All in all The worst display showing no pride in the jersey that I have seen in a few seasons. We have strength in depth. It's time for changes : O'Sullivan or Healy in Goal or me or anybody but Mooney the Clown !!. Push Wolfe into midfied or in front of the back four. Timmy Lynch to come on at the back and Derek upfront .

Mick Aherne should be back or at least in the squad? He is a versatile player that has 2 feet and can help out in many positions.

We have made 1 Positional change per match each of them has been Left Back. All 3 Left Backs have played well. We DO NOT have a problem at left back. It's opbvious to all where the Problems are. MAKE CHANGES NOW before it's too late.

At this rate we will be able to count the spectators by hand once again :mad:

Worried :(

JohnD

Well, that says it all.

Agree with John on all points made.

The real question is whether or not the changes that need to be made will be made. NOC will make or break himself in many fans eyes if he doesn't remedy these problems in Tuesday's first 11.

Anyone got player ratings from last night ??

There's a problem right down through the middle of the team. I could tell that having just seen the Monaghan game, and I referred to it in my player ratings for that game. If I can see it straight away, surely NOC can see it if he is working with them all the time?

The problem is there is no real backbone to the team, we have a weak spine. Dodgy right up the middle from the keeper to striker. First off, Mooney is a shaper, looks like he's more interested in how he looks and acts rather than concentrating on the game. Someone in the Monaghan game thread said he is a space cadet, either way he's not up to it as far as I can see. Big reputation, no balls.

Secondly, Wolfe is not a central defender, he is a weak link there and shouldn't be starting there. If NOC perseveres with him there, we will leak goals. Stephen O'Mahoney is out of form and therefore should not be starting at the moment - he leaves his flank wide open and can't pass the ball.

Thirdly, our central midfield is not going to work. There is no complimentary partnership there. I don't like midfielders like Hughes because they don't do enough for me. We need a dominant midfielder who can spray the ball about, especially alongside the inexperienced Barrett who likes to run alot and play box to box. All Hughes does is sit, doesn't offer enough for me. Good tackler, good battler, but no ability to dominate or inject urgency when on the attack. It's a timid central midfield that will be easily dominated by the better sides.

Finally, in a word, CP O'Brien. Playing with the handicapp of one striker and ten men every game is a joke. I said pre-season that I didn't think we have enough quality up front and we don't. The fact that NOC failed to sign a decent midfielder and front man with EL experience is disappointing to say the least, poor judgement and bad management to be brutally honest.

Will it be a yo-yo season? Hard to beat at home, but clueless away? I'm prepared to give NOC the benefit of the doubt as it is so early into his reign. However, I think we might not be too far away from yet another Limerick controversey, that being fans unrest with a poor performing team and a manager who won't be sacked........One thing is guaranteed - there won't be 1800 people there on Tuesday night, or for the rest of the season if things carry on like this......

Great post 4 couldnt agree more about the problems being right down the middle. Buckley of Fairview has to be got now cos his Junior internationals are over. My team for Tuesday would be.
1 O'sullivan/Healy/me/u/crusty the clown anyone except the player who has caused 5 of our 7 goals conceaded thus far.

2 Mike Aherne
3 Tobin
4 Finnucane
5 Lynch
6 Barrett
7 Donnellen on the right
8 Wolfe
9 McCarthy
10 Robbie
11 Molen

subs Hughes, Cosgrave, Hartnett, ryan and whatever goalkeeper is good and non clumsey

What happened to Jimmy Fyffe?

Though I wasn't at the Athlone game, it seems imperative that team changes have to be made if the club is to make progress from last season. We finished bottom of the League last year and that is exactly where we are right now. :( If we fail to win on Tuesday night against Kilkenny then we really do have to question the possibility that this club has the potential to fulfil the ambition expressed by the current owners when they took over the club. Not only was team improvement among their aims but also 600 new seats at Rathbane, buses to the ground and a new club website. Well, where are they?
I'm not saying that NOC shouldn't continue as manager, but if results don't pick up quickly then we can forget about building up more support and we won't see that great attendence we had against Monaghan repeated, let alone improved upon.

Good man gael : My Starting 11 is :

1 O'Sullivan (Goals)
2 Tobin LB
3 Finnucane CB
4 Lynch CB
5 Aherne RB
6 Barrett Centre
7 Donnellen RHS Midfield
8 Molan
9 Wolfe (Defensive Midfield role)
10 Robbie
11 McCarthy

JohnD

My team:

........................O'Sullivan

Aherne........Finucane.....Lynch......Tobin

Donnellan......Hartnett....Barrett......Molan

..................McCarthy....Kelliher

I'm assuming Keith Hartnett is available (seeing as I haven't seen him yet this season), if not then Chris Kerins maybe.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stevo Da Gull

What happened to Jimmy Fyffe?

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Jimmy was the best goalkeeper in the first Div last year and with fitness John Healy was an able understudy. The club went out and signed a prem goalkeeper Noel Mooney (coz we're heading to the prem of course) and Jimmy fealt that his position was being undermind so he left. Hes not playing with any club right now. Mooney has been the cause of 5 of the 7 goals conceaded so far and we have John Healy back from injury now and looking very fit and also a third keeper in Kevin O'Sullivan whos good as well. But we await to see if our premier keeper will hold his place for tuesday, :confused:

is o'sullivan the guy that played in nets for st michaels? if so he's a quality keeper

must agree 100% with gael ,fyffe was the best keeper i the div last season,cannot understand o'connor's reasoning for not signing him up.if fyffe was in goal when you played us ,you would not have gone away with no points.also o'brien is a passenger ,why was he resigned? was it last season that he refused to travel to some games? from the times that i have seen him play i would not rate him,he must be the most selfish player in the div.

Maybe the Town were just better than ye on the day?
We had some excellent performances esp from Carberry and mcCann.

If Fyffe is not approached about a return to the squad there is something incredibly wrong with the current management team. Their ideas so far have failed and will undo the good work being done off the pitch. That said I won't outrightly condemn - but unless the necessary measures are taken on Tuesday I don't see a future for either Limerick or NOC this season.

The second half performance last Friday was utterly abject. We had no leadership, no ideas, no drive and no nerve. Athlone absolutely destroyed us. We huffed and puffed to absolutely no avail. I honestly think that the second half of that game was every bit as bad as our worst performances last season.

Changes must be made, everybody there can see that Mooney, and to a lesser extent O'Brien, aren't contributing to the team.

Kilkenny haven't started too badly and I don't think we'll have it all our own way on Tuesday night either.

Suprised no one who was at the game mentioned this so I'd better bring it up :D

Iarfhlaith Davin - may his funny little name forever be despised by Limerick fans for the cheating nature it represents :mad:

and the left full who threw a punch and an elbow (spotted by linesman) but waved away by referee) yet our boy gets sent off for for missing a tackle on a diver?

Its all a conspiracy against the "Mighty Blades" I tell you :p :D

Oh dear conspiracies I think I'm coming down with Cork City Syndrome :D

Fyffe had a spell with us and Chris O'Connor is expected to be missing for something like 6 weeks during the season with the Australia U-20's, Jimmy would be a great signing.
I cant beleive Limerick let him slip away :eek: :confused: .


BTW, Good luck this season, its good to see yar headin in the right direction, albeit without a quality keeper like Jimmy :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

I think I'm coming down with Cork City Syndrome :D

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:eek: ;)