Your feelings after Round One

So most teams are in or around where they were expected to be with the notable and very creditable exception of Drogheda.

The three title favourites within a point or two of the top with Galway hanging in there.

Sligo and Cork are in trouble. Waterford, Bohs and Derry probably have enough to say out of it.

What do people feel about their team’s first round? My take on Pats:

So far we haven’t come near the heights of the final round of last season, probably because the two wingers who starred in that period are both going through a quiet patch. Despite that, we’ve scored more goals than anyone else, had five clean sheets, and are just a point off top. What’s more, refereeing errors cost us points in our first two games. With the squad we have I’m very optimistic about the coming months. Next weekend is massive, though, home to Shams and away to Drogs.

First 9 games done and after a poor start I guess have to be happy to be a point off the top. Massive week ahead though , Pats then bohs. Two more wins and i. Definitely happy

Cork City have began like the predictable promoted team. Questions on the squad standard as most players have found the Premier division level difficult.
All the usual problems, losing your main strikers to serious injuries, manager may be out of his depth, fans not happy with a €25 ticket charge..................but it goes on, 27 games to sort it out!

Longford - Everyone happy with the work rate of the team. Some encouraging performances and good wins at home. Very limited in the final third though and squad depth killing us when trying to change a game with subs. Overall, if we finish 8th or above it will be an ok season. If we could do some business in the summer we could probably finish as high as 6th. Need to win away soon. 9 months without an away win isn't good.

As a Drogheda fan... not unhappy.

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Originally Posted by Straightstory

As a Drogheda fan... not unhappy.

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I'd say yer buzzing, away trip in Europe coming up fairly soon too.

It's been a great start for us, the only negative is that second half performance against Rovers. Our squad has more depth this season and Moses Dyer is beginning to look like the striker we've been after for a few seasons. It's incredible that we still have Clarke, McCormack, McCarthy and Horgan all to come back yet. We are definitely capable of a top 4 finish this season I think.

Fairly pleased overall. Holding our own against stronger teams eg the Shels draw and the Pats win, and getting the business done against a fair share of the other teams. Cork should have beaten us on the opening night , and aside from the Rovers match, our only defeat so far, we've largely carried on from where we left off last season which shows good continuity. Rovers expertly squeezed us out and made us look very toothless in that match, once they went ahead. My concern is that once a team sits in with a lead and are defending well, we're stuck. Overall though, 16 points from 27, and 4th spot is a very decent return.

Content enough with Pats, though it's been a bit of a funny one so far. When you look at the table it's looking quite healthy, although from watching our games it feels like there's a lot more in this team. We've scored the most goals in the league but for the most part individual attacking players haven't been at the races at all, outside of Keena who has been brilliant but is now injured.

I feel as though the likes of Shels and Rovers that were also predicted to be up there this season are by this stage playing as you'd expect them to while we're still playing in fits and spurts at times, having to grind out certain games etc when that probably isn't the ideal plan. I'm interested to see whether that is just what this team is in a quite competitive league or - injuries permitting - we end up going up a level as the likes of Mulraney, Elbouzedi etc also find some form to go along with the rest of the side.

Rovers as expected are creeping up, Derry will be very disappointed and will need to go on 4 or 5 game running win to get back into title race in my view.

Pats are solid, Drogs continue to defy the odds and are on some run to be fair, wonder if Bohs will be sniffing around Doherty? For me though I just think Shels will sneak it again, but it will be close, Pats / Rovers / Shels.

Relegation, not looking good for Sligo, would say early days but we never really recovered after series 1 last season, Cork C and Bohs not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination.

As for the FD, obv happy with the start by Dundalk, and more so that off the field appears to have settled down, but its a really poor standard this season, the FD, games have not been too good to watch, opposition putting 2 lines of defence on a lot of visits to OP.

Hard to know how to evaluate Kerry - in terms of on the pitch results, we'd only be a few points off the play-offs, but for every excellent performance (Wexford, Athlone), there have been some real stinkers thrown in (UCD, Treaty, Bray). Luke Palmer has already stepped up to the mark from the Academy, and if Adams could show real consistency to match his flashes of potential, there may yet be a promising season in store.

I will give Shels a B- but with this league being as tight as last season it will take a half season to have more of a confident take on where we really may end up

Positives after one series of games we are right in the mix, we have only lost 1 in 9 and despite our backline being battered with injuries we have only conceded 6 goals in those 9 games which is along our trajectory from last season so our resolute hard to beat DNA that got us over the line to last seasons league title looks to be still there. I also think our conditioning looks excellent we seem to have more in our legs toward the end of games against so many teams particularly in the Rovers and Pats games which stood out

Negatives like in the 2nd half of last season we are not scoring enough goals, we are still blunt in the final third and we will not get away with that goal scoring ratio this season to secure any 2nd league title or even a top 3 spot. New signings are a mixed bag; Kerr McInroy looks to be a hit, jury is still out on all of Chapman/Norris/Odubeko/O'Kane and Daniel Kelly who was considered an injury risk when he was signed of course hasn't kicked a ball so far. Injuries have been a bigger problem for us this season maybe it just swings in roundabouts with some bad luck like young Lewis Temple breaking a bone in his foot in training days after securing MOTM against Pats

If I could work out what position we were in I'd have a better idea!

Fifth if we keep Wexford's points - but will we? (Probably; either Wexford were wrong or the FAI won't like to admit a mistake)

But really it's I think our worst ever start to an LoI season and that can't be good. But the defence is solid and if we can get a few goals on decent pitches we'll be ok. Continuing Cobh's run of losses at the weekend would put a different gloss on things

Delighted. Lulled everyone into a false sense of security.

Can’t be too disappointed,lost our manager 6 games into the season but we’re competitive,the most positive news of all though is we’re getting a bar that serves Guinness in the ground!

We're doing a bit better than I expected, as outspoken says can't argue with the efforts so far from a very young squad. It's going to be a very long season though unless we can add a few players somehow in the window.

I'm surprised Reynolds has lasted as long as he has given the results. Plenty of winnable games lost due to the team only showing up for a single half or not showing up at all. There is a good squad there I think but he cannot figure out how to get them playing together or what his best 11 is. I think depending on the results of the next couple of games that will likely decide his fate. 2 losses he's gone Monday evening and it's announced Tuesday morning, 2 win or a win and a draw he likely sees out the season.

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Originally Posted by Another Bohemia

I'm surprised Reynolds has lasted as long as he has given the results. Plenty of winnable games lost due to the team only showing up for a single half or not showing up at all. There is a good squad there I think but he cannot figure out how to get them playing together or what his best 11 is. I think depending on the results of the next couple of games that will likely decide his fate. 2 losses he's gone Monday evening and it's announced Tuesday morning, 2 win or a win and a draw he likely sees out the season.

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This is not sour grapes AB - and I will point out the SOD was excellent in year 1 at DFC, but by christ he was awful in relegation season, so not sure what he is bringing to the party with Bohs in 2025.

Do you think Bohs might already be looking for a replacement (Doherty has to be in running) or will they give him more time in April?

Honestly, it's been positive enough, bar the opening game of the season away to Kerry. We are where we are, we've probably one of the lowest budgets in all the LOI, we've an awful lot of kids in the squad getting their first taste of senior football, and we're competing well enough given the resources we have.

There's no reason a fit squad can't compete for the playoffs this year, after seeing the first round of games. It'll be key keeping the likes of Tony McNamee and David Cawley fit, and Max Hutchison has been superb playing out of position at centre back all year.

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Originally Posted by oriel

This is not sour grapes AB - and I will point out the SOD was excellent in year 1 at DFC, but by christ he was awful in relegation season, so not sure what he is bringing to the party with Bohs in 2025.

Do you think Bohs might already be looking for a replacement (Doherty has to be in running) or will they give him more time in April?

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Wouldn't read that as sour grapes TBH. It's a question all Bohs fans have about all the coaching staff at the minute. On the pitch they've changed from 4 ATB to 3 ATB with wingbacks after the Cork game if I remember correctly so they are certainly trying to change things I just don't think it's working. The players still seem to be behind Reynolds and the coaching staff (see Tierney's celebrations for the 2nd goal against) and they are probably more behind him than the squad was with Long when he was let go and Devine when he was given the boot. So the players are seeing the work being done and appreciate that they could be doing better (at least that's what I'm seeing). While none of this is O'Donnell specific he would certainly have input in all this so the staff is putting in effort but I just don't think they are the right people for the job. Other Bohs fans will have more negative opinions on the coaching staff but I just think they are wrong people, wrong time.

As for searching for another manager I certainly hope a shortlist is ready and they have been reaching out to guage interest. I don't think a prolonged search is good for the team morale if they sack a manager who the players are still in support of. The problem is who's available? Higgins will likely start as the favourite and given how poorly Derry are showing with a supposed upgrade on manager and many senior former internationals added to the squad it paints his tenure up there in a good light. Doherty is someone the fans would certainly want but I just don't see him abandoning ship when Drogheda are potentially in a title challenge and will play euro games in the summer. Maybe they try a cheeky bid for Joey O'Brien at shels? Politically it would be a good fit and a big issue is a lack of steel in Bohs defence so that might be an interesting option if he wants to move up to being a manager, that is of course a big if.