Rovers vs Shamrock

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The Battle of the Rovers kicks off the 2010 Airtricity League campaign at The Showgrounds, as Sligo Rovers host Shamrock Rovers.

Always an eagerly anticipated fixture, extra spice is added to this encounter by the fact that two of Sligo’s attacking players – Eoin Doyle and Padraig Amond – were signed from the visitors.

Hoops manager Michael O’Neill knows that a tough match awaits his side as they look to get 2010 off to a good start.

“Our away form last year was excellent, but we’re expecting a very tough game up in Sligo,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that as no away game is ever easy in this league.

“That’s the way it’s been since I arrived at Rovers and I know that this season will be no different. Having said that, we’re all eager to get going and looking forward to the challenge.”

The Dubliners travel west without suspended duo Craig Sives and Pat Sullivan, while last season’s top scorer Gary Twigg is ruled out through injury.

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http://www.airtricityleague.com/inde...hamrock-rovers


No Twigg? Sorted.
If Peers and Blinks are playing I'd be very confident. Nice to see Cook has some tough decisions to make, the team picked itself for most of last season.

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Originally Posted by sligorover

http://www.airtricityleague.com/inde...hamrock-rovers

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They call that a preview? Grand if it was on a Shams fan site. Quote and squad update from one team. I know journeying beyond the Pale into the Heart of Darkness is a terrifying prospect, but how difficult would it be to pick up the phone?

This should be 1 of the games of the season, Sligo to win 2-1.

1-0 get in there, times like this wish i wasn't exiled..

1-1.

Many thanks for the tweets.

thanks for twitter and extratime updates,much appreciated.. sounds like a fair result on the run of things.. 2,900 was a good crowd as well, how many shams fans turned up

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Originally Posted by prodsc

Buttimer refs- he's one of the better ones AFIK, not in my Black book...yet!!

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Well he's sure in there now!

I think I know the referees reason for giving the penalty, I just wonder what his excuse is.

Good first game for the lads, hard fought, but very encouraging ,fair play to the lads..thought the referee was a total burke and was too influenced by the appeals of Shams for any slight challenge,well done to the forza boys for the banners.Attachment 1579

Where to start....god i fu%king HATE O Neill and Shams........we started very well and deserved to be AT LEAST 1 up by the time Doyle scored...They came into it 2nd half..without ever looking too dangerous....but the whole game was overshadowed by an unbelievable man of the match performance for Shams by the referee...i will have to reserve judgment on peno until MNS but it should have been a free out for a foul on Keane in the lead up...Shams players handled the ball on 5 seperate occasions duting the match and not one free awarded..and most annoyingly everytime we jumped to contest headers(Blinks and Keane particularly)it was a free against but not when a Shams player did it(including once where Murray i think had two hands on the back of Blinks)...i could go on but i wont..sat behind the away dugout for a change to see O Neill in action..whinging moaning cheating git.

P.S.....well done to the FORZA lads on the excellent banners and atmosphere but i think even they most die hard Ventre fans amongst ye have to see this team will go nowhere with him playing in midfield.

Your too right bout that. I hate coming out of a game giving out about officials but Buttimer tonight must have been gettin a lift on the Shams bus! So many bad decisions......good night.

Keane was MOM even if he did give away the peno.didn't see it I believe it may have been harsh!! Lookin forward to MNS!

I was right behind the goal for the penalty decision..the ref gave a penalty because the shams players shouted at him basically.

Game of two halves tonight we were all over them in the first half then let them back into in the second, game really turned with amond and ryan going off strange changes i think, ryan was controlling the whole game great free kick in the first half and hit the bar in the second, danny was like a headless chicken in the midfield letting players run off him all over the place, amond and blinks had shams defence tied in knots, still in all it was a major improvement on the 3-0 thumping last season.

Alot of positives to be taken from night...So much room for improvement aswell.

Thought Keane and Peers were excellent although i did think Keane was looking for a foul in the build up that led to us conceeding freekick. It may have been a free out but i didnt have a good view of it. Just wish we could have built on the start we made, we seemed to hand initiative to shams as soon as we had ball in net. Once Whelan got booked it seemed to affect his game...Ryan i thought was excellent first half. Thought the lads that came on were always up against it as game had reached frantic pace at that stage and difficult to adjust

As mentioned by a few here its great to have such a strong bench, should really induce the best out of everyone

As for the officiating, maybe instead of all this pre season work in limerick, someone might sit them down and explain, that when a player(s) handles the ball deliberatly, it is a free to the opposition. When players and managers seek to get opposition players booked they too should be booked, & when the ball crosses the sideline it is a throw in to the team that didnt touch the ball last! Frustrating isnt the word but it i cant see it changing just got to hope it balances out over season..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnixDS8eFbY

Would have been nice to get the three points against that shower, but i suppose a third of something is better than all of nothing! No doubt Shams will have Chris Turncoat, at least on the bench next week, now that its safe for the FAI to make a decision in their favour!

On the bright side...

Sligo played Shams four times last season, and lost all four (L 2-1, L 0-3, L 3-1, L 1-2). In the very first match against Shams this season, Sligo received more points than in all four of last season's matches combined. While a draw is never satisfying enough, for us to have played them to a draw in a match (a match that we could/should have won) shows that this will be a better season than the last. With this said, Sligo better come away with a 'W' next time they play Shams!

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Originally Posted by Oldred

Would have been nice to get the three points against that shower, but i suppose a third of something is better than all of nothing! No doubt Shams will have Chris Turncoat, at least on the bench next week, now that its safe for the FAI to make a decision in their favour!

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From my understanding they have bottled making a decision on Turner and passed it on to some independant body to decide................ probably some crowd called Shams Supporters club or Dublin league of Ireland commission...........:D

Was at the game, but was in with the Shams fans, came down from Dublin on the bus - good fun, but a little weary of my culchie accent!!! Right beside me a mad Sligo fan shouting for Sligo every time they got the ball - in the Shams end!!!!!Had to politely tell him to feck off and move away from where I was - Jesus wonder how he ended up since he moved deeper into the Shamrock Rovers crowd!!!
Good game, good atmosphere and great to see packed crowds for the LOI. Game of two halves really, and to be fair most of the Shamrock rovers fans were also wondering about that peno.
But what a save near the end by the Shams keeper, definitely will be a highlight in tomorrows MNS

I was behind the goal, not sure who handled but it seemed to me that our player was getting out of the way of the ball, but the ball was definately handled.. The referee definately couldnt see it and the protest was so strong from Shams that it swayed his decision..It infuriates me that these so called linesmen or assistant referees arent even spoken to either to confirm the penno or say the defender was getting out of the way of it.These refs need to get off thier high horse and leave the ego in the dressing room, How many times was the game held up because advantage wasnt played.?

Well without doubt the best signing of the close season for O'Neill has got to be Buttimer, outstanding Buttimer, Man of the Match performance for Shams.
Life is full of funny coincidences isnt it? What are the chances of Bohs and Shams getting Penalties in games they were struggling in this weekend?

As for the football played by our lads, was outstanding tbh, in defence we are just rock solid, granted shams controlled long periods of the game but they just never looked like scoring. They really have no teeth without Twigg. The team was outstanding with special mention to Davoren, Keane, Peers, Amond and Ryan. Our defence was just immense and the workrate throughout the team was brilliant, the teams fitness is definetly a different proposition to last seasons. All in all im fairly happy, still thick over the peno but sure what do you expect playing Shams or Bohs? A good point for the lads playing against 12 men.