A 16 team league would have 30 games, instead of the currently 33. Would be even shorter.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Printable View
A 16 team league would have 30 games, instead of the currently 33. Would be even shorter.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Pat Devlin made the statement few years ago, Bray was his club and they were in the premier division. If people read the piece John O Sullivan wrote (another man who would have an idea what he is on about)he said that Wallace put one Division idea forward even if his own club was likely to suffer.
I said you would need to have relegation to regional level with less rules/cost in regard to participation. Also I would support a split after one round of games, giving 31 games per season. Maybe offer a cup and prize money to the winners of bottom section etc
Did Sligo and Pats play each other around 6 times within 2/3 months last year? Is that a bit too much.
Six times is a lot, but it was spread out over the whole season. President's Cup, two legs in the Setanta Cup and three meetings in the league.Quote:
Originally Posted by wonder88
Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers met 8 times last season.
For Rovers fans that was probably too much (only 1 win from the 8 games) - but I would rather have that situation then playing last seasons bottom four FD teams on a regular basis
Dundalk/Shamrock R was the fixture I had in mind, Bohs/Pats met often enough as well. Would one trip a year to Cobh and Waterford be that much of a hardship for Dundalk players and fans?
With no disrespect to the teams that you mention my personal preference is to be playing decent quality teams (Pats, Cork, Sligo, Rovers etc) on a regular basis (even if overly repetitive) as opposed to the weaker sides who may find it difficult to be competitive.Quote:
Originally Posted by wonder88
Beating Rovers is always enjoyable if only because of the arrogance of a section of their support !
It's all relative to vested interests and circumstances at the time though, the "I'm alright Jack" mentality. You say that now but back when we were banging at the door under Giller trying to get back up, would you have had the same opinion? I doubt it. What happened to us, similar would no doubt happen other clubs. For example, I'm sure if Harps do a lovely Blu-Ray of the new stadium the FAI would take that in higher regard than if they finished lower in the league table than say Shels or the Youths. Ahem. Joking aside, the point still stands!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ezeikial
Other countries have had similar difficulties in recent times structure wise and I'd look to the Dutch league for a structure we can tailor to our own needs in this country; discounting team numbers initially as they have way more teams than ourselves; but they did have similar issues structure wise to bridge the gap between the pro/ semi pro and amateur game. Up until 2010 they had a similar issue where relegation from/ promotion to the first division was a practical impossibility.
Then again, on the other side of the coin, it all boils back to the fact that we do not have a proper pyramid structure and will never have one due to the inordinate amount of vested interests/ gravy trains/ blazer brigades/ quangos/ county fas/ the FAI and that whole kit and caboodle not wanting to change the status quo for fear of losing some semblance of power from their ego trip. Plus then the whole it costs more to enter the league in registration fees and associated costs than most clubs will take in makes it a near impossibility for most clubs coming into the league to make a go of it.
TL;DR: I'm alright Jack; Something should be done; Turkeys won't vote for Christmas.
I felt exactly the same back then - preferring to be playing decent quality teams then the excruciatingly painful dross that was the First Division.Quote:
Originally Posted by colonelwest
If you are asking would be in favour of a one single division LoI if I was a supporter of Harps, Waterford etc - of course I would!
However I am far from convinced that a 16 or 18 team division would be in the best overall interests of the league in the longer term
As we all did and as I'm sure all fans of teams in the first do, but if it's limited to the the top teams playing the top teams only; What incentive is there for lower clubs to try get up to that level and how would they do it if it's even more of a closed shop than it already is? Generally speaking on the pitch players/ teams will improve playing against better opposition plus the extra income generated etc, if they were left to their own devices they'd be circling the drain even moreso than has happened over the last decade. I agree 100% a one division league is not the way to go, plus it's actually not allowed by Fifa/ Uefa statutes, there has to be some form of promotion/ relegation in order for JD and the FAI to continue on the International gravy train.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ezeikial
We've tried 10, we've tried 12, 8 in the first, 10 in the first, 7 and a half in the first etc within the bounds of the current structure and it's akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. That's not to say the league is going down the swanny, imo the league is actually in decent standing the past few years relatively speaking, but without a root and branch reform of the entire structure there's only so much faffing about can be done with the limitations in place that will have very little effect on anything both in the short and long term for the league and pro/ semi pro football in the country.
As long as JD and the FAI continue to look at the domestic pro/ semi pro game as merely an annoying little necessity that they have to at least keep ticking over in some way, shape or form in order to have the big cash cow that is in the International team (especially with the new centralised UEFA TV rights deal etc) we're screwed.
The reality is clubs are scared to push the FAI. Its a bit flippant to try to blame the delegates.
Messing around with the split between first and premier is the same ******ology we've had for decades, and at this moment in time misses the point. 16 or 18 teams isn't ideal, but a 7 team first isn't sustainable. If another club goes are we going to say a 6 team division is a goer? We'll probably go to a 10 team premier, but then a year or to later we'll lose another club and then what happens (as a 7 team first still won't be sustainable).
I am pretty traditional in my football outlook, but if its not to be a single division, it has to be something more radical like a conference system and playoffs
Yes. Many, many times. But if Club delegates only get the opportunity to sit in front of the FAI once a year, at the Clubs convention, then what is realistically going to get done in that single two hour meeting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lim till i die
The PCA is the most positive move in years, once it's about the health of the league as a while and not clubs bickering out of self interest.
Are there any actual details available on the PCA?
The first rule of the PCA is that you don't talk about the PCA.
The second rule of PCA is: No Finn Harps Allowed.