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The FAI Cup competition could do with reinventing itself.
1. Keep replaying (all rounds) until there is a clear winner - no penalties shoot-outs!
2. Semi finals to be played at a neutral venue OR over two legs.
These rules have been used in the FAI Cup before and worked fine.
Semi Finals were played home and away in the mid to late 80`s, dont know why they changed as both clubs were guaranteed season best crowds. It seems to work ok for the Champs Lge !Quote:
Originally Posted by Paddyfield
With the structure of football in this country the neutral venue would never work, too many games would have to be played in dublin.
I remember (just about) one semi final when oriel was used as a neutral venue in the 70's. finn harps v athlone, 1974 i think, this match turned into a pure shambles as the athlone keeper (in his own version of soccer am`s crossbar challenge) tried to get the game called off by swinging like a madmad on the crossbar, he eventually broke it but it was fixed up and the game re-started, i think finn harps won 4-0.................the clip was shown worldwide...........
Ha ha ..... is it on youtube? :pQuote:
Originally Posted by oriel
Mick O'Brien is the keepers name. He lives in Ballyfermot and tells the story quite well ;)
He did the same thing at Finn Park a week later. The sign that was put up in the away dressing room asking visiting goalkeepers not to swing on the goalposts is there to this day.
If memory serves me well... he actually broke it twice during the semi and got sent off the second time...
wouldn't mind going back to the days of the three repalys seems to work well in the GAA championships it adds something of the epic to the whole thing. Personally hate extra time and penalty shootouts and would be happy if i never saw one again. Don't know about neutral venues for semi finals the crowds would probably be crap. Not sure Derry fans would relish a trip to Athlone or Longford to play their big semi final games and where would cork play a dublin team at a 'neutral venue' Bray?
Speaking of venues, assuming tolka is unfit for use at the end of the season, what chance of turner's cross (at that point, the only all seated and hopefully all covered ground in the league) hosting the final, similar to how it would have hosted the setanta final?
as for the other points, i think all knock out is fine, but i agree that replays should be used rather than penalties. all-knock out leaves the possibility of smaller teams like longford, waterford or drogheda making it to the final as in recent years.
As far as I know the RDS will be hosting this year FAI Cup Final
So are replays being scrapped completely then just like the league cup?
Floodlight pylons went up on Friday. No real sign of anything else happening yet, but I thought the whole re-development was supposed to be ready in the Autumn?Quote:
Originally Posted by Keego
It's to be ready for Leinster's Magners League games next year so it should be ready for the cup final.
That was what all the publicity has said, but its hard to see a new stand(s) being constructed in less than 3 months? They haven't even dug founds yet and concert season is almost upon us so they can only do limited work in that period.Quote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
Re-seeded pitch is looking good, although concert goers/horses will no doubt make a mess of that.
Maybe they'll still be able to use the temporary seating they had for last season's games. It's been closed since last year's Horse Show so surprised they haven't done more by now.Quote:
Originally Posted by OneRedArmy
the RDS will have a crap pitch and no atmosphere as the stands will be miles from the pitch. Better off playing it in Cork if you ask me.
talking of the cup when is the draw for second round
Munster senior league hq would be the best spot for the final, the league cup final in ucd looked terrible a few years back
I saw this thing on the internet where in columbia these midgets fight a lion to the death, unfortunately there have been fatalitites, but hey it would liven up the cup.
The draw will take place May 31st in Portlaoise according a couple posts on shelsweb!
Disgraceful behaviour altogether. I think all the teams should have to play each other and then we'd have a much better idea of who's the best.Quote:
Originally Posted by GavinZac
Oh wait - that would be the league!! :rolleyes: