Weekend 1st to 4th of March 2024

Difficult to assess which is worse the standard of goalkeeping in the league or the continued malignancy that is LOI officiating.
None of our creative players are now available with Burkey gone with a suspected hamstring issue, which is just dandy. Shels league to win it seems.

Pats look awful. Joe Redmond looks half the player he was last season. Keeper is pants. Inexplicably let Lonnergan go on the cheap (for second time!). Forrester cruising around like he doesn't give a rats. Shocking work rate all over the park. Seems like the cup win gone to their heads and they were all on the beer amd pies for the winter. Trouble ahead.

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

I know the feeling well! All those Burke red cards busting a gut to get a result against a formerly dominant Dundalk is proof positive that teams do indeed try harder, too hard at times, to turn over the top ranked side in the country. CJ its as old as football itself all over, not just Shamrock Rovers....:D:D I could understand if you had just won a 1st league in a long time like 4 years ago or so, but after 4 in a row you should be used to this, not moaning about any side that makes an effort against you. As I have said before, you really have stepped in to the Cork fan breach - are teams allowed tackle against Rovers these days?Maybe thats why all the starmen are crocked...

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Think you’re losing the plot….. I’ve never moaned about any side making an effort against us …. I did before make the point that my view is that for the last 50 plus seasons I’ve been following Rovers , teams always seem to raise their game against us no matter what our league position was and has nothing to do with whether we were the dominant team at any given time ( albeit more often than not we were))

you previously mentioned that wasn’t the case and then as now went off on a tangent about us not wanting to be challenged , tackled etc. and now you are saying that lesser sides do raise their game against the ‘dominant’ team

So my earlier post this evening after you’d suffered your second heavy home defeat since playing us was a ‘tongue in cheek’ comment supporting/proving my view which it does emphatically.

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Originally Posted by The Bowler

Pats look awful. Joe Redmond looks half the player he was last season. Keeper is pants. Inexplicably let Lonnergan go on the cheap (for second time!). Forrester cruising around like he doesn't give a rats. Shocking work rate all over the park. Seems like the cup win gone to their heads and they were all on the beer amd pies for the winter. Trouble ahead.

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I’d be more of the opinion that the players aren’t buying into the system and are somewhat disillusioned with the system the manger is forcing on them. The keeper is very green.

Bad night weather wise but only 1600 in Oriel tonight doesn’t augur well as they were an absolute shambles tonight.

Great for us to get our first win all the same and for Chapman and Max to get off the mark. Certainly look a better proposition then last season but injuries killed us last season and with the small squad if that happened again things could change for the worse but we’ll enjoy nights like tonight.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Dundalk making four subs by the start of the second half says a lot

Also made six in total - concussion sub one of them?

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I think the centre half was probably off with concussion. Took a knock to the head before half time.

Sligos third goal this evening has to be seen to be believed,it’s Sunday league like in how bad it is,very embarrassing…..

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Originally Posted by sbgawa

Jaysus just saw the pats keeper in Waterford. What was he even thinking??

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Yeah he was dreadful. Then I saw the Dundalk keeper for Sligos second ( I think it was the second ?) and realised it wasn’t even the worst goalkeeping howler of the night. !

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Originally Posted by Calcio Jack

Think you’re losing the plot….. I’ve never moaned about any side making an effort against us …. I did before make the point that my view is that for the last 50 plus seasons I’ve been following Rovers , teams always seem to raise their game against us no matter what our league position was and has nothing to do with whether we were the dominant team at any given time ( albeit more often than not we were))

you previously mentioned that wasn’t the case and then as now went off on a tangent about us not wanting to be challenged , tackled etc. and now you are saying that lesser sides do raise their game against the ‘dominant’ team

So my earlier post this evening after you’d suffered your second heavy home defeat since playing us was a ‘tongue in cheek’ comment supporting/proving my view which it does emphatically.

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You not moaning CJ is like a Rovers fan that loves the Kilcoynes - its simply incompatable! You have indeed made this same point on multiple occasions over the years and certainly believe that it is a phenomonen unique to Shamrock Rovers - it isnt. You have indeed moaned about it being unfair - it isnt. Yes I have had a good laugh at such comments in the past and I liken it to how outraged Cork fans got when others dared try to play against them, tackle etc. and that you fill the void beautifully. Out of interest, if it isnt a moan, what is it, a passive observation over 50 years win lose or draw?

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

You not moaning CJ is like a Rovers fan that loves the Kilcoynes - its simply incompatable! You have indeed made this same point on multiple occasions over the years and certainly believe that it is a phenomonen unique to Shamrock Rovers - it isnt. You have indeed moaned about it being unfair - it isnt. Yes I have had a good laugh at such comments in the past and I liken it to how outraged Cork fans got when others dared try to play against them, tackle etc. and that you fill the void beautifully. Out of interest, if it isnt a moan, what is it, a passive observation over 50 years win lose or draw?

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One man’s observation is another ones moan…. I’ll leave it at that

If only the FAI would just let dundalk play Rovers every week.

Or even let Rovers play Dundalk every week? :p

Bohs looked lost last night, like they had no real game plan so we resorted to hoofing the long ball more often than not. Team selection was odd as well. Connolly not starting is malpractice as he's the only winger actually creating chances at the minute. Starting Miller out wide is like sticking James Clarke out there, it makes no sense, he's not a winger he's a cm. I'd nearly forgive the bad defending for the 2nd goal if stuff like that wasn't happening throughout last season as well. This team has some individual talent that is masking a lot of poor coaching and game planning. So credit to Adam McDonnell who is involved in every phase of the game, James Clarke who is easily our best player and covering the terrible build up play by popping up with goals at regular and sometimes important intervals and Dylan Connolly for actually beating a man and putting in a cross to the box. Now don't get me wrong I think there are other good players in the Bohs squad the pair of McManus' both look to be good ball retaining midfielders that are important when you don't bypass the midfield with a long ball. Cian Byrne has played well as our only CB to start every game especially given his age and relative lack of experience but I don't think they will be able to overcome the bad management that they are currently under. Cheers for the effort you've put in Declan but it's time to say good-bye.

forrester was disgraceful for waterfords 1st goal. no defending that from a guy of his experience.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Or even let Rovers play Dundalk every week? :p

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Well that doesn't make any sense. don't think we can draw our way to the title

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Originally Posted by joey B

Enjoyed the Rovers/Derry game,both teams tried their best to play on a really heavy pitch,Higgins will be tearing his hair out not to win though,I think he had every CB he has on the pitch at the end and still conceded from a high ball into the box,fine header from Poom all the same…..

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Yes, poor goal to concede. At the very least, he shouldn't have been given a free header. He'll be annoyed, but a goal down with 20 minutes to go, he'd have taken a draw.
Entertaining game overall. First half could have finished 2-2. I think it was a foul for the penalty, but you don't always see them given. Grace was lucky to stay on the pitch. Not sure what he was thinking putting his hands on the ref, then there was that dive in the second half. Didn't see the handball for our second, but maybe that evens things out.
Thought Burns was excellent all night, caused us real problems. Ben Doherty, my player of the season last year, hasn't been great for the past two games. Maybe it's just a blip, but he's been caught out for two goals in the past two games.

The Tallaght pitch was probably in the worst condition I've seen it. Is it just weather-related, or is it being used for often these days? It's usually immaculate.
On the attendance, we commented that it seemed low, but it's still over 4k for a miserable Monday night in March. Just an indication of how far the League has come in the past few years.

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Originally Posted by sbgawa

Jaysus just saw the pats keeper in Waterford. What was he even thinking??

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Wait till you see ours, was so bad taken off at HT and wasn't injured !

Seemingly Dundalk's biggest league (non FD, even typing that is bad as there was another) defeat in OP since 1955. It was a horror show.

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Originally Posted by brendy_éire

Yes, poor goal to concede. At the very least, he shouldn't have been given a free header. He'll be annoyed, but a goal down with 20 minutes to go, he'd have taken a draw.
Entertaining game overall. First half could have finished 2-2. I think it was a foul for the penalty, but you don't always see them given. Grace was lucky to stay on the pitch. Not sure what he was thinking putting his hands on the ref, then there was that dive in the second half. Didn't see the handball for our second, but maybe that evens things out.
Thought Burns was excellent all night, caused us real problems. Ben Doherty, my player of the season last year, hasn't been great for the past two games. Maybe it's just a blip, but he's been caught out for two goals in the past two games.

The Tallaght pitch was probably in the worst condition I've seen it. Is it just weather-related, or is it being used for often these days? It's usually immaculate.
On the attendance, we commented that it seemed low, but it's still over 4k for a miserable Monday night in March. Just an indication of how far the League has come in the past few years.

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Very entertaining game, both sides going for it. Very little doubt that they will be the top two sides this year. Derry second goal a definite handball but we didn't take our chances so left ourselves open to that. Pitch was heavy due to the recent weather, will be back to its best soon I'd hope.

Was very amused to read the comments about the 'low' attendance - 4,800 on a crappy Monday night is a brilliant crowd in anyone's language.

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Originally Posted by Another Bohemia

Bohs looked lost last night, like they had no real game plan so we resorted to hoofing the long ball more often than not. Team selection was odd as well. Connolly not starting is malpractice as he's the only winger actually creating chances at the minute. Starting Miller out wide is like sticking James Clarke out there, it makes no sense, he's not a winger he's a cm. I'd nearly forgive the bad defending for the 2nd goal if stuff like that wasn't happening throughout last season as well. This team has some individual talent that is masking a lot of poor coaching and game planning. So credit to Adam McDonnell who is involved in every phase of the game, James Clarke who is easily our best player and covering the terrible build up play by popping up with goals at regular and sometimes important intervals and Dylan Connolly for actually beating a man and putting in a cross to the box. Now don't get me wrong I think there are other good players in the Bohs squad the pair of McManus' both look to be good ball retaining midfielders that are important when you don't bypass the midfield with a long ball. Cian Byrne has played well as our only CB to start every game especially given his age and relative lack of experience but I don't think they will be able to overcome the bad management that they are currently under. Cheers for the effort you've put in Declan but it's time to say good-bye.

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To add to this I just watched the interview with Devine from after the game. I don't know who he's trying to blame for the poor performance whether it's the coaches or the players but I found myself thinking throughout that it wasn't a good look for him because whether it was the players not executing a solid plan or the coaches giving the players incorrect instructions in the build up to the game is irrelevant as he's the manager. He oversees it all and as myself and others have mentioned the issues from last night were visible last year as well so what's he been doing to try to resolve it? It's now 2 groups of players (3 if you want to count the last few games he came in for at the end of the 22 season) that have shown the same soft underbelly and lack of cohesion.

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Originally Posted by brendy_éire

Yes, poor goal to concede. At the very least, he shouldn't have been given a free header. He'll be annoyed, but a goal down with 20 minutes to go, he'd have taken a draw.
Entertaining game overall. First half could have finished 2-2. I think it was a foul for the penalty, but you don't always see them given. Grace was lucky to stay on the pitch. Not sure what he was thinking putting his hands on the ref, then there was that dive in the second half. Didn't see the handball for our second, but maybe that evens things out.
Thought Burns was excellent all night, caused us real problems. Ben Doherty, my player of the season last year, hasn't been great for the past two games. Maybe it's just a blip, but he's been caught out for two goals in the past two games.

The Tallaght pitch was probably in the worst condition I've seen it. Is it just weather-related, or is it being used for often these days? It's usually immaculate.
On the attendance, we commented that it seemed low, but it's still over 4k for a miserable Monday night in March. Just an indication of how far the League has come in the past few years.

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Very fair assessment. Grace was lucky. We got no luck last season early doors in terms of cards but we've done OK so far this season.

More to come from both sides but it was more entertaining than I expected given the weather. We had a few passengers and I'm really not sure why we didn't use our subs more. Letting Burke play himself to a cramp was ridiculous. Something must have been up with our other options.

Still struggling badly without the wingbacks. Weak defensively on either side and relying on Burns and Burke to create a bit of magic.

Agree on the crowd. Almost 5000 in that weather with it on the TV. About 250 from Derry Id say? Fair play. Long way to go when the game might have been called off.

On the pitch, the snow took its toll I think. There were puddles all over it over the weekend. It usually drains well so that tells you how much it got hit.

Hope you enjoyed the trip anyway.