In his defence, his first half season at Pat's was very promising. 11 wins in a row (was it?) and ended up in a title race.
Last season was a disaster, and this season then needs to be an improvement for a coach of his profile.
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He had a slow start to Pats after taking over from Daly. A good run in Europe lead to the 11 wins in a row.....which corresponded with several players looking for a new contract which back fired after several were given big deals to stay on.
Journalists are saying Drogheda fans are going to be banned from some away games.
Which I don't get, it penalising other clubs for Droghedas behaviour. Why not give them a home match ban ?
Ive always that a coaching teams is as important as a manager. Does depend on how much a manager is willing to listen. Its no secret that Kenny has great belief in the way he wasnts the game played, committment to players to a fault. We can all see that the days of slow build-up, possession based game ihasnt the impact it did. Things have gone to higher intesnity, more direct, and posession means little enough. Sam Allardyce would be bank in his element where lesser sides are not trying to outplay quality oppoition but back to POMO, long throw ins in to the box and all. Maybe Gartland is too much a Kenny man to offer alternative thinking. The one strength Kenny had was getting a lot more out of average players than anyone should, creating real belief but from what Pats fans are saying they are not leaving it all on the pitch, no late goals, showing too much trust in some lads. Its not unfixable. Big spenders are not getting the return youd expect recenly. Rovers win leagues but can be sketchy although the can afford to pick and choose when to perform, go up gears or just do enough.
I think a strong point on any manager is how an opposition fan rates him, for example when Dundalk had that disaster period with Noel King for one month, SK was linked, I would have loved him to come back, but we were a basket case, he was right to pass.
Now with the re-build, and things looking up, the ground finally looking good for all its faults, the lights are amazing strength and the pitch looks great, ball seems to zip across it, back to same Q on SK now, not on your nelly as they say, I wouldn't even consider it if it came to a choice between him and Kilduff.
That said, for some reason I do see him coming back to Dundalk at some point, but years and years away, more so for his personal location as he's living in Blackrock.
On Pats, they have yet to play a home game, I think a little harsh to say he's struggling, but if he misses europe again, I would question if Kelleher will stick with him, then again he will need paid off, as prob has at least 2-3 years left on his contract. Pats may well improve this season though, very early stages.
Just on the Drogs thing, word on banning them for their next away game, I also don't get the logic on that as its only punishing the home club hosting, and in this case its Sligo (their next home game).
As its a Sat night, its one of the more attractive games, ok the Drogs fans may well miss out, but its more the case that Sligo will suffer as if Drogs took say 350 over, that's around 6k (I've estimated mix of most adults / kids and avg price), so that's not exactly fair why Sligo should take the hit.
Anyway, seems Drogs might have more concerns on a very bad week for them per this and if their owners are seriously considering their position. Anyway thats none of my concern, more is that they should be billed for all damages last night.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...043900578.html
For some reason, I cannot use the QUOTE function, this is a post in reply to MeathDrog
You seem a decent guy and a proper football fan, appreciate your words after last night, and I can tell you if boot was on the other shoe I`d be furious at Dundalk fans celebrating doing wanton damage, as would any supporter.
We met your club secretary in the away end around 10pm last night, he was absolutely disgusted with the damage and had his hands on his face, I didn't catch his name, he also verbally apologised to the Dundalk CEO on behalf the club.
We all know clubs have morons (we also have), but last night was just off the scale, plus it was all planned and comments made during the week from the F45 that it would happen too was just unbelievable, and more so given the week that Drogs had with the sensitive behind the scenes things going on.
In summary, not that I have much influence, but any I have and with friends and supporter groups, we will be doing our best to 'guide' away fans going to next Drogs game to behave properly, 2 wrongs don't make a right etc.
They've already had a couple of away bans, they are totally ineffective. The FAI need to take some flack here I'm afraid. The level of violence has been escalating very quickly in this fixture in recent years. It's gone from breaking into each other's grounds and stealing flags to on pitch brawls and now plain outright pre planned criminal damage and running battles in the streets.
I don't like calling for it as it effects genuine match going fans but there needs to be a home stadium closure, a serious fine and a concrete warning that if there's as much as a sweet wrapper thrown again it's a points deduction.
If last night is swept under carpet like the 2024 brawl was and like Derry v Bohs was last year then this will only escalate further. What's next, a stabbing? That may sound incredibly dramatic but we are talking about completely brain dead individuals who have been dragged up.
On the 'quote' issue, ive found if you click it and when it start with the loading circle or whatever it called, click it again and it load for me.
I actually think that suspended bans are effective and a middle ground. But be prepared to actually implement a ban for any infraction. It has everyone on tenterhooks, fan self police, players and management start influencing with stroking ultras egos with best fans in the league, we need their support, comments. Clubs up their game with security and apply ground regs. Make the supension severe like for 2 seasons and a serious fine. If you significantly fine host clubs away fans can do stuff to activate fines so something has to happen to prevent that thinking. I would go as far as any ban, suspened or not, including a ban on a next qualification for Europe. If an issue happens in a cup game its ejection from that competition. It needs to hit fans, yes there is collateral damage, but it is what it is until the message gets through. The English self imposed (or government) ban on clubs playing in Europe helped clean up English football at all clubs in 5 years (along with Taylor Report on grounds), crowd problem on a major scale across every club.
Its not at all dramatic. We have often commented on the potential for a fan getting badly injured by flares and it has now happened. If I were that family Id be suing the FAI for including flares in promotional material when its against their regulations. Along with club fo not dealing with fans and then the fans themselves as its is all negligence. If we cannot say that a fan wont be badly injured or even a death, as a result of fans misbehaviour, including stabbing, beating the sh1t out of someone etc. then it is not dramatic, it is something we have in the back of the minds just hoping that it wont happen. Which it will evetually if there isnt proper intervention now. Its just a matter of time. This Dundalk Drogheda ultra thing has had tit for tat escalation already happening. Tbh I dont get it, its a younger Dundalk fan things. The rivalry with Drogheda would be a bit like Shels ultras reacting to UCD, geographical proximity but its not that much of a sporting rivalry when 1 heavily dominates bar occasionally. These Dundalk ultras should be laughing at the idea of a rivalry. It would annoy F45 an awful lot more than engaging with them.
Do we have a police force that these things get reported to. Are they as passive as it seems at face value. I have wondered what they actually do in grounds bar watch the game. When something happens you rarely see a move toward the problem. What is their role, or the legal status of arresting people at a game. Is it that laws are inadaquate. Like pitch incusions, maybe that isnt a legal offence, maybe flares aint either so on what grounds can people be prosecuted bar endangerment stuff which have pretty high bars of burden of proof?
Article on the assault on the female Waterford fan last week below. Not only did she report it to Gardai, but their response was to villainise her! Absolutely pathetic from Drogheda Gardai and should be investigated further.https://x.com/betweenstripes/status/...485738204?s=46Drogheda United really should be due a stadium closure for several home games to honest, far too many incidents have gone on and banning fans from attending a few home games might just force their absolutely useless owners to do something about the huge problem they have within their support
Got to say it really seems that violence at the grounds is on the rise. Reminds me of 20+ years ago. The irony is the Aviva games with bigger crowds and fans mixing before and during the games seem to be just fine. Maybe it is time to punish offending clubs with early Sunday kickoffs and bans on away fans. Not fair on the away fans but too many scumbags causing havoc on a Friday night under the cover of darkness.
So Drew Harris was right to try to move people about, break up cliques, change rosters and try to develop a different ethic? I typed Hugh Ord first but copped it before posting, bit where tf did that come from!!
Listening the Minister of Sport, seems Droghedas actions made LOI as a whole less attractive for Government funding.
No point funding facilities if toerags are gonna toerag.
The premeditated nature of the damage combined with the online gloating afterwards is despicable tbh. Add in the fact that the group is organised and well known makes it worse. Comparing it to one dope letting off a firework down in Waterford and being soundly called out by other fans is nonsense. This is a whole different level. The entire ultras group should be banned. It's a shame as some of the displays they do are great. They've really made a show of themselves here though.
I doubt it is different in the LOI as it is in the NIFL were if police are required to operate inside a ground then not only do the club need to pay for the service but the police could require complete control of the ground at costs clubs could not afford.
For the Garda to take any criminal action, they firstly need to identify the offender. That is not an easy task. The legal bar for that is set very high. A grainy bit of cctv footage through smoke and high intensity light showing numerous people all dressed in black and masked up will not suffice.
Im no expert on Guards, or the dynamics with LOI clubs, so maybe I shouldn't be speaking.
I just know getting them out to you know, solve crime can be quite difficult.
Local GAA club here was scammed out of 1000s by lads who forced the groundsman to let them tarmac their car park under threat of violence (of course it was just dumped). Guards just said they shouldn't have paid and left it. Lots of people around here have similar kind of stories.
Yeh the F45 lads need to be banned for a while from United Park and away games. It's the only way the message will get across. The fact they put a video up Sat morning laughing about the incident and the week of the game numerous of the groups own social media pages were saying they would do it
I've actually met these lads in Mother Hughes before a game a few years ago when I was in Drogheda early for a game, and most of them were 100% and had the craic with them but actions like this must have consequences
As a lot of them have personal relationships with J Byrne I doubt they will ban them imo
The guards have been absolutely useless in Galway in relation to a number of incidents in Woodquay and the ground in recent years. Rather than diffusing situations, they have actively made them worse or just seem to let things happen before intervening at the last minute. It would be very easy to control what are usually relatively small and isolated incidents with basic crowd control practice but this seems to be alien to them. A couple of innocent bystanders were very lucky to not be seriously injured by pyro and a full can of beer being thrown and just missing their heads by inches. All while the guards watched on.
Every club should have a high fence between away fans and the pitch. Most supporters are fine but there's always a few that have the potential to let the side down.
Also, imo, if a supporter decides to cover his face with a balaclava or scarf, stewards and guards should view this as a threat to public safety and be entitled to kick the shyte of them
You have clearly never been in many grounds when it's freezing cold if you think using a scarf for warmt on your face is a problem, its all you can do to stop your cheeks from freezing over. It's nearly March and I'm dreading how cold it's going to be in Tallaght later and it's not even a cold day out
This is it! Why you want Gardai who were standing watching in proximity to act and grab at least a few of the culprits. There are numerou accounts from local residents that Gardaà stood and watched these scumbags divide out and conceal the flares before entering the ground. Can the confiscate these items, I dont know if the law exists to do so, but they could have had some cop on and tipped off security!! Once in the ground identifying individuals to charge etc is going to be hard to mae stick in court if there is any doubt as to who was responsible with many, dressed the same...it means it must be dealt with through football association itself and a collective responsibility attitue taken so group bans, BCD games and so on. I dont like that the minister is taking a wider perspective, has another grant funded facility in the league been severely vandalised? If grounds were properly funded and developed facilities its makes it a lot easier to prevent crowd problems, proper turnstyles, cctv, distances from pitch and the like. I still am not sure the penny has dropped for a lot of Droghea fan that were laughing at this, especially the ones that are not F45. I still havent seen more than a few speak out. MeathDrog here, Deputy Drog on Orielweb, a few on various FB pages but the amount that havent revised their perspective in the cold light of day is still concerning. Doubling down - I hope it is jut pride and that they are quietly quite worried about the ramifications. But its not regret at what happened its worry about what may happen and I think its an important ditinction in the grander scheme of things. We shouldnt be ok with wanton scumbaggery just in case of consequences - failings of societal attitude, basic decency!
Absolute howler from McGinty. Dundalk created very little but get their rewards for staying in the game right till the end
Created very little? Loads of chances, admittedly poorly executed for the most part but easily gaining parity. Rovers were apart from a twenty minute spell poor enough.
Can see why you wanted Mulraney gone though.
I only saw the last 30 minutes and Dundalk looked good value for their draw. McGinty was terrible for the cross
Helps sooth the dropping of points late on by pick up 1 in similar fashion. There is a fight and resilience to this Dundalk side. I think we'd have taken 3 points from 3 games (unbeaten) when you include Derry and Rovers, derby game too which is never easy. The gap in ability iwas very apparent tonight but all you can do is limit stronger opposition and hope to nick a goal. 1st half it looked a matter of time before the rearguard conceeded a couple. 2nd half better. Not convinced it was a straight red, 2nd yellow, same result on the night but less suspended games. If there was a doubt ref could and should have given yellow knowing Leonard was on 1 already.
Good to see Teahan appears to be making an impression, if being promoted to the starting XI's any indication, granted rotation must also have entered the equation there.
Brain fart on my behalf! I was meant to say Rovers created very little (in terms of what would’ve been expected of them in a game like this) and Dundalk got their rewards for sticking in the game after the red, which is when rovers should’ve killed the game off given the numerical advantage. Kearns had a much quieter night than he’d have expected.Yeah I can’t see Mulraney lasting too long if he carries on the way he’s started life at rovers (granted it’s still very early days) when you look at the other options in that squad
He is pretty highly regarded in Oriel. Surprised if he doesn't nail the starter position by the end of the year.
Delighted with that result. 5 changes made from Drogheda as well, so there is depth to that squad.
Also, the red card is ridiculous, Greene is going away from goal, and is miles out and there is another defender there. No way a definite goalscoring opportunity. Its 100% a second yellow, so doesnt effect the match, but still a terrible call.
Rovers looked very good in patches.