Games weekend 3rd to 7th May 2024

Hilarious that my comment about Shels struggling on the Oriel surface is being twisted = Shels fan BLAMING the pitch for OUR poor performance

So some facts lads 5 league games under Duff at Oriel and 0 wins for Shels (I'm not including that LSC 0-4 win in 2023) = the blame on that performance is on that team and Duff, apparently they trained all week on an artificial surface in an attempt to adapt but it didn't do anything last night. We haven't played well at the Brandywell either but it's a bit better surface than Oriel and we have got better results there. I look forward to seeing how bad the Brandywell currently is on Monday if I was a betting man 0-0 with another conservative hard to watch defensive performance from Shels

Very bizarre in a league riddled with dogsh.!t pitches this season including Tolka that some fans get upset over criticism of their beloved bouncy plastic grass

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Originally Posted by total hoofball

Happy enough with the point for Shels because we were pretty awful tonight the players clearly struggle on that artificial pitch

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The teams are closer in terms of strength and organisation than they've been in a long time. I don't think it's a bad thing that we are seeing such tight contests to be honest.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

While the fare on show in Finn Park wasn't exactly a classic, any poor performance by either football team was well outdone by a truly dreadful refereeing performance. If the standard of football is bad, the referee was really out to set the bar for utter shyte standards sets.

Treaty had one shot, none on target.

Harps created a bagful of chances and barely scored one goal.

Needs to be a massive improvement but at least we're in third with a couple of fairly winnable games in Bray and Longford over the coming week.

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I go into every game this season believing we can win, home or away. I also go in believing we can lose to anyone home or away and not surprised if we do. All teams are much of a muchness. We are pretty solid through the team but rubbish going forward. Our solidness is enough this season to be around the playoffs thankfully

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Originally Posted by total hoofball

Hilarious that my comment about Shels struggling on the Oriel surface is being twisted = Shels fan BLAMING the pitch for OUR poor performance

So some facts lads 5 league games under Duff at Oriel and 0 wins for Shels (I'm not including that LSC 0-4 win in 2023) = the blame on that performance is on that team and Duff, apparently they trained all week on an artificial surface in an attempt to adapt but it didn't do anything last night. We haven't played well at the Brandywell either but it's a bit better surface than Oriel and we have got better results there. I look forward to seeing how bad the Brandywell currently is on Monday if I was a betting man 0-0 with another conservative hard to watch defensive performance from Shels

Very bizarre in a league riddled with dogsh.!t pitches this season including Tolka that some fans get upset over criticism of their beloved bouncy plastic grass

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Be honest though, you were blaming the pitch really, just dressed up nicely as a 'struggle' with the pitch!

If Shels were coming from a superb grass pitch, played the ball exclusively on the deck and then had to adapt to any other surface then maybe there is validity to the agrument. But having to cope with a mucky, badly scarred pitch regularly at home, it could be argued that that is the cause of not coping with a faster surface away. Its not fans being upset by criticism of a pitch in a leage of dogsh.!t pitches, it is reaction to someone talking dogsh.!t

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

any poor performance by either football team was well outdone by a truly dreadful refereeing performance. If the standard of football is bad, the referee was really out to set the bar for utter shyte standards sets.

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It wouldn't be a weekly match thread without Nigel giving out yards about the referees!

Not much going on in the Bowl last night to be fair. UCD the better side generally but lacked a bit of guile up front (on a still bumpy pitch). Can't reflect well on the First that we're nine games unbeaten now. Finn still to come back too, so a playoff final is a very real possibility even at this early stage of the season

Is Finn far away from coming back?

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Originally Posted by total hoofball

Hilarious that my comment about Shels struggling on the Oriel surface is being twisted = Shels fan BLAMING the pitch for OUR poor performance

So some facts lads 5 league games under Duff at Oriel and 0 wins for Shels (I'm not including that LSC 0-4 win in 2023) = the blame on that performance is on that team and Duff, apparently they trained all week on an artificial surface in an attempt to adapt but it didn't do anything last night. We haven't played well at the Brandywell either but it's a bit better surface than Oriel and we have got better results there. I look forward to seeing how bad the Brandywell currently is on Monday if I was a betting man 0-0 with another conservative hard to watch defensive performance from Shels

Very bizarre in a league riddled with dogsh.!t pitches this season including Tolka that some fans get upset over criticism of their beloved bouncy plastic grass

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I'm not a fan of these pitches, and I always say I'd prefer grass, but a decent artificial can be better than a poor grass pitch, but the above point Brandywell better than Oriel, that's just nuts, its almost a dangerous surface plus they have another league team playing there every second week too (Institute), that said i'll be glad to see the back of our current one this season.

Good luck on Monday !

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It wouldn't be a weekly match thread without Nigel giving out yards about the referees!

Not much going on in the Bowl last night to be fair. UCD the better side generally but lacked a bit of guile up front (on a still bumpy pitch). Can't reflect well on the First that we're nine games unbeaten now. Finn still to come back too, so a playoff final is a very real possibility even at this early stage of the season

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Is O’Connor an upgrade on Meyler do you reckon Stu?

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Originally Posted by sbgawa

Is Finn far away from coming back?

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Supposed to be back this month.

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Originally Posted by joey B

Is O’Connor an upgrade on Meyler do you reckon Stu?

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Don't really know. There was talk last night that we're doing really well given the players we lost in pre-season and how badly last season went. I think with a young part-time squad though, the Premier can go badly wrong and that's what happened last year. That we're up near the top is probably more a reflection of the gulf between the two divisions than anything else.

Was a bit worried after losing three of the first four, but we're motoring along nicely now without really playing great. Our best performance may have been the defeat in Cork

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It wouldn't be a weekly match thread without Nigel giving out yards about the referees!

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To be fair, I think you'll find I've been largely fairly complimentary of referees this season. Last night was just woeful though.

Didn’t have huge chances to win it but shoes the gaps in the squad with injuries.

completely dominated that wins half but can’t really point to clear cut chances. Having watts / Byrne for a full game that’s 3 points . Have to be happy where we are with bodies seemingly coming back

Not a great game at Finn Park,Harps deserved the win as they were the only ones trying to play ball.As the commentaters on Loitv were saying Treaty were just hoofing it upfield.,no chances ,no shot on target,no decent passages of play.Barrett can make all the excuses he wants but its awful stuff and 9 of that lineup started the first game of season v Cobh plus Walsh back tho minus Curran who is obviously missed ,players look lost ,lacking confidence and dont look fit.3 points v Athlone a must at this stage given no wins in 9.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Don't really know. There was talk last night that we're doing really well given the players we lost in pre-season and how badly last season went. I think with a young part-time squad though, the Premier can go badly wrong and that's what happened last year. That we're up near the top is probably more a reflection of the gulf between the two divisions than anything else.

Was a bit worried after losing three of the first four, but we're motoring along nicely now without really playing great. Our best performance may have been the defeat in Cork

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The league has moved on in terms of S+C but I always thought one of UCD's strengths was the way the young players seemed to play with that youthful free abandon, no fear, bags of energy and didnt let the pressure of big games or crowds get to them. Crops of players can come together too of course but more recently UCD sides have looked almost over coached, rigid systems rather than just playing whats in front of them. If the sort of talent that was in the side that scared some FT European sides, under the last coach I'm not sure a European adventure would have been put in a book. Having not seen UCD this season, there is at least the impression of getting back to some traditional strengths - can never be ruled out of a promotion stuff. Maybe Bowler just tainted my perspective on Meyler as a coach.

Ah I think the 2015 side was very good though. Benson, O'Neill and Watts in midfield - all multiple title winners now. Mulhall and Langtry with a lot of experience - adults in the side effectively. Corbet was a very solid keeper (I remember suggesting Dundalk sign him to replace Rogers, but ye went for McCarey and Abibi instead!) and Swan up front in great form.

It was a much better team than this year's I think. And yet it also started out with three defeats in the first four games before finding form

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Ah I think the 2015 side was very good though. Benson, O'Neill and Watts in midfield - all multiple title winners now. Mulhall and Langtry with a lot of experience - adults in the side effectively. Corbet was a very solid keeper (I remember suggesting Dundalk sign him to replace Rogers, but ye went for McCarey and Abibi instead!) and Swan up front in great form.

It was a much better team than this year's I think. And yet it also started out with three defeats in the first four games before finding form

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I would have said pound for pound a great LoI side then you mentioned a couple of our former underage international gaolkeepers...

Enjoyable enough game in Drogheda if lacking quality,plenty of tackles flying in…..

The old helter skelter derby type game indeed. Its hard to knock it around the tight pitch with passes getting cut out more often than not. Battle of attrition stuff and a single goal could be enough. Can 22 players stay on the pitch - Deegan gave Doyle quite a clatter for his yellow and leading with the elbow in to the head youd see given as a red in LoI but not one youd shout for arguably could have had a second. Awful shame that a player was again hit by something thrown from the crowd. Using the tifo flag to disrupt a throw in is childish stuff. Right under the cameras so the person who threw the bottle could be identified but fine nonetheless.

Dreadful goal for Dundalk to concede ,the keeper and Paul Doyle badly at fault,mostly Doyle I think…..

Yeah the last thing you can do in United Park is concede softly like that. Very hard place to chase a game so will stay as it is or Drogheda add to the score on the break while Dundalk chase a leveller late on. Even if we werent goal shy its shut up shop for DUFC time.