Shels will be relegated to first, so if Mervue go up its means bray will be relegated too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Longfordian
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Shels will be relegated to first, so if Mervue go up its means bray will be relegated too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Longfordian
Salthill presumably won't be competing next season. Which clears the way for a eight-tier system of two sides apiece.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trainee
I know I might be being stupid on here (not for the 1st time)Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
The 1st division has 8 teams
if Salthill pull out that leaves 7
Athlone go up that leaves 6
it looks like Shels are going down back up to 7
if Mervue or Longford go it it will mean a premier team (probably Bray) coming down thats still 7 teams
please explain!
Oh yeah, maths was never my strongest subject. But then again it's pretty much impossible for Bray to actually be relegated. It'd probably bring on the apocalypse.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trainee
I don't see how 7 is sustainable (if it was 7, which I'm not sure it would be), whoever goes up or comes down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Longfordian
I don't see it how 7 is suddenly less sustainable than 8. The FD will potter on until there are less than 6 I'd say.
4 fewer games, 2 fewer home games. You're talking about 24 league games in, what, 35 weeks in the season is it?
The FAI will just add another round probably. Anything to paper over the cracks.
A free week in every seven for a club.. two fewer home games. Clubs are hanging on by their fingernails even without doing anything reckless or silly, and soon we could cross the tipping point where more just pack it in. Perhaps the season could be contracted with the first starting later than the premier, meaning fewer week's wage to pay .. maybe something could be cobbled together and we could limp on with seven. But we seriously need the powers that be to take things in hand and provide a vision and strategy for the league rather than inconsistent short term improvisation.
I don't know what they're opinion is this season, but Waterford were going to pull out last year if it was 7. (Trying to stay the right side of the site rules) The impression in my local paper, if things stay as they are, and Longford won the playoff, there'd be serious questions about whether it'd be 7 teams in the first.
They appear determined to remain in the league:
http://www.waterford-united.ie/club-statement/
Obviously they have a lot of work to do as the issues that became clear earlier in the year show.Quote:
The Board would like to reaffirm its commitment to maintaining League of Ireland football in Waterford but the task of regrouping will require support and commitment from all quarters.
The long and short of it is that the FAI either make it easier, financially, to become part of the LOI at the FD level for potential applicants - that is, lower the entrance fee and maybe some of the infrastructure criteria - or they merge the two tiers into one, at least for a time. Continuing on with 7 or 6 clubs in the FD will be possible for one, maybe two season at most before the lost revenue and lack of opportunities make the question redundant. Mervue, Salthill, Waterford and Wexford could all conceivably be gone from the LOI in the next 24 months.
They could start with not actively blocking willing and able clubs, like they did with GUST.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
Exactly, stifle the growth of what could be a great club by people who love the club, and for what? Are they listen to junior sides/leagues too much or what? Sounds very dodge to me to be honest. I just dont think they can afford to be playing around with potential clubs like they are.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
I wrote another rant, but screw it who cares at this stage. FAI do what they like, protect their positions at ANY cost and look after the licka***s that keep them "democratically" in their positions.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
Pssin in the wind would be an understatement.
I actually believe that GUST are being unfairly punished for Galway United's actions. It's obvious that the FAI have a grudge and an agenda against GUST. I feel a lot of it boils back to the 2006 promotion. The FAI took a lot of flak for that and believed the lies told to them by Galway United which then embarrassingly came back to bite them in the arse.
It may have become personal for the FAI over time, but in the grand scheme of things it's not even about GUST. The only thing certain FAI officials and want is to keep control of whatever joke-shop is happening in Galway. Makes absolutely no difference to them who it is or how good or bad they are, as long as it's their puppet.
It's just that GUST want to fix things and bring everyone that actually wants to help in together and have a FORAS type situation. Ideally what should happen is a co-op with ultimate say over the club would exist, with GUST ceasing to exist.
A proper co-op structure and club like FORAS were allowed to create and were lauded for doing so by the FAI hasn't been allowed because it would take away this control from the FAI.
Sort of back to the topic, Mervue have done a super job this season, but promotion or no, there is no appetite for LOI football among their membership so a couple of more seasons is all I could have seen them competing for. It's just too much of a financial strain where you gates don't even pay the match officials.
I don't think it makes any difference whether Mervue are in the LOI next season or not in terms of Jokeshop FC happening. The whole reason for it is to keep those votes and positions away from the great unwashed. Galway FC would just be a couple of reps from Mervue and Devon showing their faces and keeping the GUSTies from getting any ideas about fixing anything.
Regarding merging the divisions, I'd be all for a single division now, there'd be a good bit of variety in the games. Changed my mind on it as I was against the idea.
I wonder is one of the reasons some clubs are against it because it would extend the season length? If you had 30 teams in the division the season would be about 5 series longer.
The season is way too short at the moment IMO.
A longer season would be no harm, but even with 6 teams left to make up the First Division it would be better for everybody to have 2 divisions.
No relegation is a terrible idea. More games against bigger teams is not a justification for doing it. It doesn't make all the negatives disappear. Games against big teams or not, if you are outside the top few teams, nobody will care if you win or lose.
It's a shame to see the first division in it's current state. It was some division a few years back with 12 clubs, and even more so when the likes of Cork and Derry were playing in the division.
In my view, very much being on the outside of what's going on, GUST should be allowed return on their own. If Mervue and Salthill are still there, what about it? They've become established in the league over the last few years. As long as they are eligible for a licence, while it's not ideal for 3 clubs from the area, just get on with it.
I believe the FAI are looking for a sort of natural wastage to try and take the problem of two divisions out of their hands. If they can contribute to finishing off another 3 clubs they'll be down to a nice 16 team premier division and all will be well with the world again. We are bound to see at least 3 teams going to the wall in the next couple of years.
Why 16? 18 clubs over 2 series is only one more game than the current 33 games of the Premier Division. Teams will have 17 home games each and it more or less fits into the current schedule. If they consider an intermediary A type league between U19 and Premier Division, 18 clubs split into 3 regions could be a good starting point.Quote:
Originally Posted by abcd
18 clubs definitely makes more sense alright. allow clubs to get a bit more money in and if it were one division there would be no repeat fixtures, and big games would be big.Quote:
Originally Posted by legendz
I completely disagree with this. The point is made time and time again, but attendances will fall off a cliff once teams have nothing to play for.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
The bottom clubs would be presumably playing to avoid re-election. At the top end you could have playoffs for European places to extend interest. As it is there are teams in the premier who've had feck all to play for for some time and the same in the first.
I am old enough to remember a 1 divison league and fighting relegation does not result in bigger home crowds, compared to a comfotable mid-table position. Could someone from Bray confirm that there (hom support) crowds have increased since they fell into the relegation places, it does not look like it. I mentioned this before, there could be re-election for bottom 2 clubs and a financial penalty/fee to pay, also automatic explusion if a club finishes bottom 3 years in a row; this would get rid of the likes of Salthill for example.
Can't make it to Mervue game tonight, but I think the attendance will be more telling than the actual score of the match.
100% agree with this.Quote:
Originally Posted by wonder88
Also, this is probably where Fahys Field will now see a record attendance.
Couple of hundred LTFC heading to it by the sounds of things. Biggest interest in an away game since we went down 6 years ago. Funny how much more of a buzz there is this year compared to last. One good win has lifted the spirits.
1-0 Mervue. Corie Treacy sent off for LTFC, he's just back from a two game ban after getting sent off against Mervue if I remember rightly. FFS.
If theres a couple of hundred of ye in it, ye must be outnumbering the home support as there is only around 300-350 at the matchQuote:
Originally Posted by Longfordian
Comon Mervue.
looking at the et updates mervue are all over longford, when is the 2nd playoff match in longford next friday or sat?
607 the offical attendance
Full time 1-0. Could have been a lot worse given the sending off fairly early on. Still in with a shout.
Every country has a different football culture, but in most of leagues I've seen the attendances fall drastically when there's nothing to play for. 70s, 80s, were different times where there were fewer entertainment options and in some cities, all over the world, the sunday football was the only choice available. My team, which usually has average attendances ranging from 3k to 7k falls to a 3-digit figure when it has nothing to play for anymore (usually when it's already relegated, what happens year in year out).Quote:
Originally Posted by wonder88
Indeed being in relegation zone might not boost attendances, but we are speaking of a scenario where there's nothing to play for from the day 1. Imagine you are a Bohs or Bray fan, you know the team won't compete for the European spots, and since there's no relegation, why follow the matches at all? Actually, if I were from the board of one of those teams, I would build the cheapest squad I could (possibly an amateur one, and I bet most of other teams would do the same) knowing there is nothing at stake and the public wouldn't be interested, making the gap between those and the 3-4 teams that can afford building a competitive squad even bigger. We could easily have 6 or 7 Salthills.
My opinion is a single-division championship would be a good temporary measure, qualifying the best 10/12/14/16 teams for the next season, leading to a deadly championship with loads of drama and competition to the last minute, while FAI has one year rather than a few weeks to convince well established junior teams to join the league (something it has never done, actually going after the teams and making it more attractive to join, lower the requirements, raise the prizes, better promotion, regional groups, etc, etc, etc). Depending on how much would be able to join, we could see how big the Premier Division could be.
My guess would be that if Mervue win the First Division playoff, the the FAI will just let the 2nd last Premier team (ie Bray or UCD) stay in the premier. Not saying this is correct just what I'd imagine will happen from looking at FAI decisions in the past
Pure nonsense.Quote:
Originally Posted by gufcfan
Why's that then?Quote:
Originally Posted by L.T.F.C.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wonder88
**** poor for a playoff game. The game doesnt make sense unless the FAI are hoping that the can pull off some kind of stunt Re keepings Shels in the Premier league.
How could Shels stay in the top tier? Athlone are replacing them.