22nd round LOI - 1st & 2nd August

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Originally Posted by oriel

I though apart from one half v Rovers, possibly 15 mins v Pats, the only other side to challenge us at home so far was during a 20 min period in the second half v UCD. They were excellent and may have got a result had we not been 2 goals up at the time. It did finish 5-1 but it was far from plain sailing at times.

It just have been very disappointing last night from Corks viewpoint and they will have thought they deserved a draw, but they took a very long time to really threaten us, I think 75 mins before the first real chance. They did improve in the second half and are a decent team, but I thought we deserved huge credit for getting the winner 2 mins later. As mentioned above, sending both centre halfs up immediately after losing the lead showed the hunger to get the winner.

The way Dundalk are set up makes it difficult for teams to threaten our goal, a consistent back four, decent keeper then Shields sits in front. This means one less in 'regular' MF but when you have sometime like Towell charging forward it's a system that works well.

Still long way to go and almost 3 months left to play, anything could happen, but it's looking good for us, that's for sure. Just need to keep focus on the next match, and Drogs away will be a tricky match.

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UCD were brilliant earlier on in the season in Richmond, we were very lucky to get a last minute winner.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

5-2 - give us that bit at least!!

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Apologies, I corrected this before I saw your post, it was indeed 5-2, also updated that we were actually 'hanging on' during that 20 min spell as it was 4-2 then.

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Originally Posted by Ezeikial

An air of resignation coming from Inchicore?

It was much better when ye were bristling with indignation about all sorts of things - now it seems that even a truckload of Queen CD's would do little for motivation and inspiration.

The gap is only 9 points and we are still due to come to Richmond Park on Sept 5

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Our title challenge ended a good while ago.

Not long home after a great night in Cork. I thought overall we deserved to win. Cork obviously decided they were going to try and kick us off the park in the first half. Definitely the dirtiest team we've played this season. Their lack of discipline clearly came from Caulfield as he was very animated every time a decision went against them. We should have went in 2 up at half time but in the second half Cork were much better and much more composed without actually seriously threatening us. I thought the decision to bring on Higgins played into Corks hands but it was good to see us respond so quickly after the equaliser.

It was great to see a full house there aswell. That's the first time I've been in Turners Cross since the league win in 91 and it is a fantastic ground. Definitely the best in the league. I think Cork are a bit like us last year and have plenty to build on.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

On another note - is that now ten games in a row without a goal for Shamrock Rovers B? That must be getting on for a league record?

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Since Galway at home I think. They were alright last night given the two confidence levels and experience in the sides until the first goal. They get very demoralised as soon as a goal goes in. They need some experienced players to drop down to help them. Robinson, SOC and Kelly should be the ones doing it..

Questions for Hawkins since the away game in Longford.

Yeah it was like they have no belief now that they can get a goal. They were trying hard and frustrated us for the first half but as a development squad why are they being set up to have ten men behind the ball? Yeah they might have been hammered (probably not tbh) but they'd at least build up some moves as a team in an attacking sense.

Fan cam for Dundalks winning goal on Friday night.Lad drops the phone in the celebration melee and then regains composure and keeps taping. :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7WE5_qCiE4

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Originally Posted by Yossarian

Not long home after a great night in Cork. I thought overall we deserved to win. Cork obviously decided they were going to try and kick us off the park in the first half. Definitely the dirtiest team we've played this season. Their lack of discipline clearly came from Caulfield as he was very animated every time a decision went against them. We should have went in 2 up at half time but in the second half Cork were much better and much more composed without actually seriously threatening us. I thought the decision to bring on Higgins played into Corks hands but it was good to see us respond so quickly after the equaliser.

It was great to see a full house there aswell. That's the first time I've been in Turners Cross since the league win in 91 and it is a fantastic ground. Definitely the best in the league. I think Cork are a bit like us last year and have plenty to build on.

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I like your choice of words in saying we're the dirtiest team you've played against, as let's face it, you're right up there. The ref lost control of the game early on. Both sides were awarded baffling frees, and I think we came off worse in the area. Correct me if you feel I'm being one-eyed here as perhaps I am. However, Towell could have been sent off in the first have for a ridiculous challenge. Meenan hacked down one of our players on the edge of the area while on a yellow. Then John O'Flynn while apparently clean through on goal gets taken out and not even a free given. Having said that, that was the first time that I'd seen us with a genuinely nasty edge. But in that atmosphere, against a superb side, I'd probably have been the same. There's no doubting that you have better players than is at the moment, but we had a few missing and a few who probably should have played due to injuries and fitness. So we're not a million miles off.

On another note, I really want to like Richie Towell, but that guy makes it difficult. He's a brilliant player though.

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

I like your choice of words in saying we're the dirtiest team you've played against, as let's face it, you're right up there. The ref lost control of the game early on. Both sides were awarded baffling frees, and I think we came off worse in the area. Correct me if you feel I'm being one-eyed here as perhaps I am. However, Towell could have been sent off in the first have for a ridiculous challenge. Meenan hacked down one of our players on the edge of the area while on a yellow. Then John O'Flynn while apparently clean through on goal gets taken out and not even a free given. Having said that, that was the first time that I'd seen us with a genuinely nasty edge. But in that atmosphere, against a superb side, I'd probably have been the same. There's no doubting that you have better players than is at the moment, but we had a few missing and a few who probably should have played due to injuries and fitness. So we're not a million miles off.

On another note, I really want to like Richie Towell, but that guy makes it difficult. He's a brilliant player though.

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I disagree, Cork's approach to the game was to get in our few faces and try to unsettle us. I didn't really see any malice in any of their challenges but they were cynical. Last season pats did it too us in inchicore and we succumbed to it and ended up loss don't the match and the league.
So I am delighted the way we were able to overcome that. What I wanted to see was us to run at the cork players on a yellow and make them foul us and hopefully get one or two of them sent off. Also our ruthlessness was magical. To score just after their equaliser only good to prove my theory that we just don't know when we are beat.

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Originally Posted by jinxy lilywhite

I disagree, Cork's approach to the game was to get in our few faces and try to unsettle us. I didn't really see any malice in any of their challenges but they were cynical. Last season pats did it too us in inchicore and we succumbed to it and ended up loss don't the match and the league.
So I am delighted the way we were able to overcome that. What I wanted to see was us to run at the cork players on a yellow and make them foul us and hopefully get one or two of them sent off. Also our ruthlessness was magical. To score just after their equaliser only good to prove my theory that we just don't know when we are beat.

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There was certainly malice in Towells challenge in the first half.

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

There was certainly malice in Towells challenge in the first half.

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That's like starting a fire and then complaining about the smoke.

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Originally Posted by Ezeikial

That's like starting a fire and then complaining about the smoke.

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So are you agreeing with me in a roundabout way? No side was innocent.

Towell's challenge in the first half definitely deserved a yellow, the slippery conditions just made it look far worse. I wouldn't consider Cork to be a dirty team, they can be quite physical though, but I would agree with Paulo E above the ref got some decisions badly wrong in the first half.

I watched the game back and the free kick given against Gaynor on Meenan for example was ridiculous, he clearly won the ball. Also the two booked, one each side for hand bags when Dlk got a free mid way through first half was another example of unnecessary over reaction by the ref. A final warning would have sufficed.

And to balance things out, I thought we were very lucky to get away with not conceding a penalty late on, the ball did look as if it hit Boyle and possibly changed direction slightly, we were fortunate with that for sure, but everyone has seen more 'stonewall' decisions for penalties not given in other games, in this instance the Lino didn't flag either, so it appears we got away with it.

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

So are you agreeing with me in a roundabout way? No side was innocent.

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I don't agree with you in relation to Towell having malicious intent to hurt or injure - it was a foul and a yellow card challenge, nothing less, nothing more.

It was fairly obvious that part of the Cork tactical approach was to try to unsettle Dundalk through physical aggression - that aggression spilled over into foul play and yellow cards.

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

I like your choice of words in saying we're the dirtiest team you've played against, as let's face it, you're right up there. The ref lost control of the game early on. Both sides were awarded baffling frees, and I think we came off worse in the area. Correct me if you feel I'm being one-eyed here as perhaps I am. However, Towell could have been sent off in the first have for a ridiculous challenge. Meenan hacked down one of our players on the edge of the area while on a yellow. Then John O'Flynn while apparently clean through on goal gets taken out and not even a free given. Having said that, that was the first time that I'd seen us with a genuinely nasty edge. But in that atmosphere, against a superb side, I'd probably have been the same. There's no doubting that you have better players than is at the moment, but we had a few missing and a few who probably should have played due to injuries and fitness. So we're not a million miles off.

On another note, I really want to like Richie Towell, but that guy makes it difficult. He's a brilliant player though.

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You make some fair points. John Caulfield appears to gone into the game with the tactic of ruffling Dundalk. It was a poor choice as Dundalk can be as nasty as any other team if they choose to go down that route. It also doesn't stop Dundalk creating opportunities, as they can counter-attack at pace. Cork played much better when they decided to concentrate on the ball rather than on Dundalk.

I wouldn't call Cork dirty, they was no off the ball stuff or genuine attempts to cause injury.

Cork need to look at the second half performance and figure out how to convert the possession they had into goal scoring chances.

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

I like your choice of words in saying we're the dirtiest team you've played against, as let's face it, you're right up there. The ref lost control of the game early on. Both sides were awarded baffling frees, and I think we came off worse in the area. Correct me if you feel I'm being one-eyed here as perhaps I am. However, Towell could have been sent off in the first have for a ridiculous challenge. Meenan hacked down one of our players on the edge of the area while on a yellow. Then John O'Flynn while apparently clean through on goal gets taken out and not even a free given. Having said that, that was the first time that I'd seen us with a genuinely nasty edge. But in that atmosphere, against a superb side, I'd probably have been the same. There's no doubting that you have better players than is at the moment, but we had a few missing and a few who probably should have played due to injuries and fitness. So we're not a million miles off.

On another note, I really want to like Richie Towell, but that guy makes it difficult. He's a brilliant player though.

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Towell could have seen red for that challenge alright though I think the conditions made it look worse but in my opinion Cork came out as a team with the intention of trying to bully and physically intimidate Dundalk and we just responded to it. I think Cork would have been better served trying to play football rather than trying to kick us off the park.

(sitting here waiting on Pats fans to bring up the first game of the season)

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Originally Posted by Ezeikial

I don't agree with you in relation to Towell having malicious intent to hurt or injure - it was a foul and a yellow card challenge, nothing less, nothing more.

It was fairly obvious that part of the Cork tactical approach was to try to unsettle Dundalk through physical aggression - that aggression spilled over into foul play and yellow cards.

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That was an example as a response to a claim that we were malicious and Dundalk were not. It was the dirtiest tackle in the game as far as I was concerned, but I'd agree with some of the posters below you that it was over-physicality and no off-the-ball stuff. That is, I don't really think that Dundalk are an intently malicious side in the same way as I don't think we are either.

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Originally Posted by Nah Nah Nah Nah

(sitting here waiting on Pats fans to bring up the first game of the season)

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It got even dirtier in the game in Richmond. Interesting to see it's not just Pats fans moaning about it. Dundalk like us beat them as well so it's not as of their fans are looking for an excuse, just pointing it out.

But look it's worked for Cork this season so they shouldn't care what others are saying.

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

That was an example as a response to a claim that we were malicious and Dundalk were not. It was the dirtiest tackle in the game as far as I was concerned, but I'd agree with some of the posters below you that it was over-physicality and no off-the-ball stuff. That is, I don't really think that Dundalk are an intently malicious side in the same way as I don't think we are either.

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Get real Pablo - you say Not an intently malicious side, but you label charge Towell with malice! Nonsense!!

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

There was certainly malice in Towells challenge in the first half.

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By the way the post you quoted made no such claim about Cork

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Originally Posted by jinxy lilywhite

I disagree, Cork's approach to the game was to get in our few faces and try to unsettle us. I didn't really see any malice in any of their challenges but they were cynical. Last season pats did it too us in inchicore and we succumbed to it and ended up loss don't the match and the league.
So I am delighted the way we were able to overcome that. What I wanted to see was us to run at the cork players on a yellow and make them foul us and hopefully get one or two of them sent off. Also our ruthlessness was magical. To score just after their equaliser only good to prove my theory that we just don't know when we are beat.

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