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I like the idea of a playoff for europe but how would it work considering you don't know how many teams qualify via the league until after the cup final. For example if 3rd place beats 4th in the play off 4th place can still qualify for europe depending on who wins the cup.
It's not going to be much more than that in Longford. Should we be looking to kick them out too?Quote:
Originally Posted by cestlavie
The big downside to one division is the lack of competition to avoid relegation.Quote:
Originally Posted by gufcfan
Anyone who plays the bottom four teams at this time of the season knows they will fight for everything. Can the same be said for the few mid-table teams?
I'm not sure fans of premier division teams (or teams outside the league) are really grasping the situation. In an ideal world, there'd be two, competitive divsions. Making the first run with perhaps 6 teams rather than biting the bullet on a single division now, will just mean a smaller single division a few years down the line, as clubs won't survive medium term.
If it's not that bad, why don't we increase relegation/ promotion. Suck in a few mid table teams who apparently going through the motions into the relegation battle. Give those teams left in the 1st more of a chance to get out? 3 down, 3 up, and a play off. If having something to play for is the be all and end all.
This old nugget has arisen again. Rumour has it that some of the top premier sides are going to put a second team into the first division. Thoughts?
For ****s sake. The First Division is a joke at the moment the way it is, but this will take the biscuit. What are reserve teams going to add to the First Division. The FAI would be better off keeping Salthill and Mervue in the league than having second string sides from the top Division. Also, will these Reserve teams have to pay the league entrance fee? Will players that played in the first team be able to play in the Reserve team?Quote:
Originally Posted by prince20
I think it's a good thing, certainly if a Shamrock Rovers B team joined it. Home games played on a Saturday, probably attendance of 500+ still and a decent travelling support.Quote:
Originally Posted by harps1954
Pure nonsense. Shamrock Rovers first team struggled to get 500 home fans at times in the first division.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bawnville Hoop
Reserve teams would completely destroy the already disgraceful first division. It works somewhere like Spain but it would make a farce of things here.
We get an average 200 for our under 19's games we would get well over 500.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
But what would be in it for the reserve sides. Winning it doesn't mean promotion. And surely you can't have a situation whereby players can switch between reserves/first-team at will. The reserve team would have to be registered with the FAI as a completely seperate club for administration purposes meaning that the transfer window rules would have to operate. If not, you could have a situation whereby the reserve team could play a stacked side in the FD to prevent a club gaining promotion. Picture this scenario (highly unlikely, but could happen).Quote:
Originally Posted by Bawnville Hoop
It's the last game of the season. Rovers are struggling at the foot of the Premier Division. Waterford are sitting in top spot in the First Division, a point ahead of Rovers reserve side. Rovers first team are going to be relegated. However, if Rovers reserve side beat Waterford they will win the FD, meaning that they can't be promoted and meaning that their first-team can't be relegated. If no rules in place to prevent players freely moving between first-team and reserve team, Rovers could play all their first team players in the reserves to a) prevent Waterford from getting promoted and b) maintaining their own place in the Premier Division despite finishing last.
I said it in previous posts - the FAI are fast-tracking a one Division league. And it won't be a 16 team Premier. It will be 10 or 12 teams because slowly but surely they are killing the First Division. We are already without two clubs next year, so we have only six guaranteed teams in the First Division. And that Galway FC thing still seems as far away as ever.
Someone said earlier to put everyone into the one Division for a year to decide make-up of league in 2015 and this will give a year to get Junior / Intermediate clubs time to come on board for the FD for 2015. However, we have known for a full year that there was only going to be one club in Galway in 2014 and that there would be a vacancy in the FD for the 2014 season. What have the FAI done to bring in a new club or two since then? **** all.
The LOI ran with a one Division league in this country for 60 odd years. After almost 30 years of a two tier system, it's fair to say that the League has gone backwards during that time (not really because of the two tier system to be fair). However, the product has got worse because Ireland doesn't have the players to support a 22 team senior league.
In the 30 years of the League of Ireland with a two tier league, we have seen all the following come and go:
St. Francis
St. James Gate
Newcastlewest
Monaghan United
Galway United
Dublin City / Home Farm Fingal / Home Farm Everton
Sporting Fingal
Kilkenny City
Kildare County
Derry City (only to be reborn with no debts)
Cork City (only to be reborn with no debts)
and now
Mervue United
Salthill Devon
I'm sure I've missed out on one or two as well.
How many of the above were founder members of the First Divison?
I've also said it before - Waterford United, Finn Harps, Athlone Town and Longford Town all have a lot to offer senior football in this country. All were in the First Division this season and all (bar Longford) were in the League before the First Division was formed. These four, along with the 12 clubs in the Premier Division, would make for a decent one-tier League of Ireland. All right, there would be no relegation. But the league survived for 60 years in this country without relegation. Dead rubber matches. I don't subscribe to that theory. Are you trying to tell me that a Harps team sitting in 10th or 11th place in a one-tier league wouldn't want to beat a Derry or Sligo team pushing for the title? Or a Waterford team trying to do the same to Cork? Try watching the lower reaches of the First Division for dead rubber games.
The League of Ireland it more or less a one team league at the moment in the eyes of the FAI and the media (and, I should add, in the eyes of many supporters of Premier Division teams).
There's many things wrong with the League of Ireland. Putting reserve teams into the First Division will make it worse. You would be better off with one Division trying to keep 16 teams alive in this country without killing off some more to add to the list above. Because, like it or not, that is what is happening.
Division 1 clubs are there for a reason, they are not good enough for the premier. Making one league will have a severe hit on the top league of Ireland clubs. i.e 2 home games against Bohemians or 1 against Bohemians and 1 against Cobh Ramblers. 4 figure difference in the attendance there.
The 1st division will act like the A Championship. Reserve team clubs have no impact on promotion or playoffs. If a Shamrock Rovers reserve team finished first whoever was second effectively finishes 'first' if they can be promoted.
I know I said it was a good idea at first but I meant it as the alternative to keep a first division.
Works the other way too. Instead of Cobh having two home games against Wexford, they will have one against Wexford and one against Shamrock Rovers. Huge difference there too from a Cobh point of view.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bawnville Hoop
Division 1 clubs are there for a reason - they are not good enough for the premier. There's clubs in the premier that aren't good enough to be there (Shels, Bray and Bohs have all been poor this season and Waterford, Longford and Athlone would probably have done as well as the three mentioned). Where do you draw the line at who is good enough and who isn't?
The Genesis Report into the running of the League of Ireland recommended the 'A' League and two Divisions of 10 teams each. Just five our six years later, the FAI has disregarded the 'A' League and the 10 team Premier Division lasted two or three years.
The two Divisions should be run in a similar fashion. However, we have one Division that plays teams three times each while another plays each other four times each. We had 20 senior clubs in Ireland this year, but we had the farcical situation of one league having 12 teams and another having 8 teams. Only in Ireland would we have something like this. If there is 20 senior teams, we should have two leagues of 10 teams each. Who cares if everyone plays one another 4 times. How do you solve this - simple, have more teams in a Division. If this means a 16 team top flight (playing 30 games) so be it and bring back the 'A' League.
Cobh shouldn't be dragging down premier division clubs revenue, they need to be promoted like every team in a lower division across the world.Quote:
Originally Posted by harps1954
The line is drawn by the team who finishes top of the 1st division and the team finishing last in the premier. Athlone walked the league and Roddy admitted he'll need to improve the squad by a long margin to stand any chance of competing in the premier division.
Given the FAI's statement confirming that Mervue will definitely not be in next year's premier, I really hope Longford can do us all a favour, turn this around and relegate Bray.
Care to make a point instead of being ignorant?Quote:
Originally Posted by L.T.F.C.
MNS said FAI confirmed if Mervue beat Longford and qualify for playoff final, The playoff final wont be going ahead
Typical, Pat Devlin trying to pull another rabbit out of the hat!!!!
nothing of course to do with him being mates with all the Fai (wasn't he on the staff a few years ago with Brian Kerr or Steve Staunton,)
Come on De Town beat Mervue and Bray that way the playoff will work as it was intended not the farce that will be caused by a Mervue victory,
I think it's a disgrace that even if Mervue beat Longford (which well they might) they will not be allowed into the playoff,
if the Fai had any balls they would have voided the Mervue points once the weren't 1st or 2nd in the league and given the playoff birth to Waterford, at least that way both teams would have had something to play for,
This now will (I believe) mean Mervue will be even more fired up for the 2nd leg on Friday to stick it to the Fai
Are there many premier clubs who would field a second team? Premier clubs wanted the A championship scrapped a few years ago due to costs.Quote:
Originally Posted by prince20
I could only see about 3 or 4 clubs at most fielding a B team. It would offer a solution for some clubs who want to develop players out of the U19 squad. B teams, and even C teams, play in other levels of the game. I wouldn't be against the idea. If it does happen, it'll send out a signal the FAI want two tiers as opposed to one. While I'm not against a one tier premier division, it is important that there is a level between U19 and premier.
Absolute pile of sh!te. By your logic we're better off letting a club rot in the First Division than drag down the revenue of a top Premier side? Disgraceful attitude for a League of Ireland fan to have, particularly that of a Shamrock Rovers fan who were bailed out by other clubs not too long ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bawnville Hoop
I recall a collection done by Harps fans for Rovers when they almost went to the wall about 10 years ago. I'd be fairly certain there wouldn't be a quarter of that money raised had we all known the high and mighty attitude the Rovers fans would be having in the future.
You should be thoroughly ashamed.