I'd just like to see UCD win the cup
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I'd just like to see UCD win the cup
So if UCD in the First Division and then win their Semi-Final, they will have a nice 5 week gap doing f'all or playing friendlies and paying players extra wages until the cup final on November 4th
Gotta love the FAI's sophisticated scheduling of LOI football
Probably play colleges league games
The draw on Monday on MNS anyone know?
Please please please FAI, we'll forgive you just this once if you fix the semi final draw. It's the only way we're not getting yet another Cork/Dundalk final. Ok, they're the best two teams in the league by a distance, we all get it, but enough already !
The contrast between the muck the Irish team produces and the quality of some of the goalscoring in the Longford Cork game tonight was night and day.
You can add our second in to that list actually
I look forward to seeing a clip of it :) It was described as stunning in the RTE report to be fair.
Ah you know yourself; it's the vertigo that comes with seeing the finishing line. Dundalk fans are doing the same thing. We've the division's two form sides to play - lose to Harps next week and we've to go to Longford, with McGlade scoring for fun, them chasing a play-off spot, and they beat us 5-1 last time out. There's easier run-ins.
But yeah, one point is not a lot to need, for sure, especially as we're on a run of nine wins and a draw in ten games
Yeah, some head the ball. The fans around him were embarrassed by it. Aborah was their best player when he came on.
UCD will be a great addition to the Premier next season. That Davis lad looks a gem and, presumably, will be around for a few years if he's just started a scholarship.
In truth, CIE Ranch gave UCD a much tougher 90 minutes than Waterford in the previous round. It was easy to see that Waterford are a team whose form has disintegrated. We looked very comfortable for large periods of the match in spite of our opponents greater size and experience. A clear and well deserved win. Our only hope of the final is to get the winner of Derry v Bohs but even that's a tall order. Nice to be in the last 4 after 11 years though.
Just wondering who is the UCD number 6? Can’t find squad numbers on their website
Greg Sloggett
(I think we use squad numbers under protest. We're a weird club :) )
Is the draw this Monday?? Or are they waiting for Derry V Bohs to be played 1st?
Monday
That was some win for UCD last night, I expected them to push Waterford close but wasn't expecting them to win it in 90. That's a fair old achievement. Heard they are playing good stuff, and looking forward to seeing them next year if as expected they get auto promotion.
Didn't see any of the Dundalk game but it sounded much more straightforward than last weeks hard fought win in the league. Watched some of the Cork game, looked a complete stroll in the park for them, Sadlier was very good, superb 3rd goal, unfortunate timing by Stewie Byrne awarding MOTM 2 mins earlier to Sheppard, who I only realised after reading reports didn't even score ! Big win though for Cork.
Interesting to note Dundalk haven't met Cork in a non cup final FAI match since 1987/88 I think. Could all change on Monday night.
Edit : credit to @historyLOI the last meeting pre cup final was the 1988/89 QF
I'd go so far as to say it's pretty essential for the sake of the FAI Cup that Cork and Dundalk face each other in the next round.
If we have them both in the final for yet another year it's going to kill the appeal of the final as a spectacle for the many neutrals who usually go along. Plus it'll just look bad for the league. #GroundhogDay
So a UCD V Bohs final might get half the attendance of Cork V Dundalk, but would have more neutrals attending?
Is that how you measure "pretty essential"?
I would prefer Dundalk reach the final and meet different opposition than Cork for novelty and atmospherics (both pre-match and in the ground), but I'm not at all clear as to why you say "it'll look bad for the league" if the top two meet again.
I only now see that there is also being discussed on the attendance thread. One thread is enough for this.
One thread is enough for slightly negative comments about Dundalk?
How do you think the rest of us feel each time you score petty points off Rovers on every second thread?
I really don't see the point being made by EatYerGreens as being in some way negative towards Dundalk, as you appear to do. But maybe your post is really more about trying to score a point with your second comment?
I would prefer a different final pairing, but questioned that the number of neutrals attending is the primary issue or that it is "essential" for the FAI Cup.
That's a big dollop of condescension.
Maybe it fits for you - when you appear unable to adequately back up the view you expressed that the attendance of neutrals is such a critical factor
It was obviously for purposes of illustrating a point - one you choose to ignore. Most would accept that it is probable that at least one of Dundalk or Cork will be in the final
A cup competition by its nature isn't always won by the best team, look to the UK as a for instance.
Cork and Dundalk are miles ahead in the league but a combination for several years now of a bizarre run of luck in terms of avoiding each other and some remarkably friendly draws have left us where we are now. (Cork are in the semi now having played 2 non league teams and Longford who they beat 7 nil).
Dundalk have had a friendly draw as well.
It does make the league look bad as for people that are not engaged with the league they must think That DFC and CC never lose a match in a pub league.
I rarely miss a cup final but I'm bored with Cork V Dundalk
The cup needs a bit of magic/romance (Pats in the final having not won in 50 years) Rovers Ditto, Waterford promoted and regenerated getting there, UCD as a first division club, something to engage people.
If Cork and Dundalk are there again its just another cup for the winners without the magic.
I remember when Rovers won the cup year after year it meant less and less whereas now it would be huge.
Just my tuppence but I think it is essential , the cup final is a big day for the league and neutrals interest is important , people criticise the FAI for not promoting it and getting a bigger crowd but a bit of variety might spice it up. selling another DFC CC final will be a hard sell.
UCD v Cork or Dundalk would float my boat.
Nail on the head there sbgawa.
It's very far from being about whether neutrals are motivated to go the final. They're just a symptom of the underlying issue of repetitive finals killing the appeal of the competition (and by extension impacting the league as a whole).
Just watched the end of Longford v Cork game last night, Sadlier was clearly the best player on the park, and what a fantastic effort for his 3rd, but did he really need to say that in the interview 'I don't know why I didn't get MOTM'
I don't think any player should ever put an individual award above a win. He should have just laughed it off, but he was clearly annoyed.
I agree with the main thrust of this
Most LoI fans (including Dundalk & Cork supporters) are bored of this reoccurring cup final pairing, although I'm not sure that the top two meeting paints the league in some sort of unfavourable "pub league" light.
I totally agree that any of UCD, Derry or Bohemians in the final would add novelty and romance among other positives to the cup final occasion.
I suspect Dundalk V Cork would probably still draw the biggest attendance; while this is a factor, in my opinion, neither this or the number of neutral fans attending is the single biggest issue
So it seems we are agreed on this, after all!
I would wager the vast majority of LoI fans couldn't give a tuppenny who's in the cup final unless their team are in it.
My own interest in the cup starts and ends (so usually quite early) with Limericks participation.
I find it kind of interesting as a kind of social conditioning thing that Irish football fans stopped caring about the fai cup at the exact same time english fans stopped caring about the fa cup. Bear in mind I'm a strange guy though.
The Cup certainly used to mean a lot more to fans and gates used to go up for it.. at least at Harps when I started going. It's a pity the cups are now so low in people's esteem in my opinion.
I think maybe people are reading too much into this. All fans views RE Cup final (any cup final)
- my team get there
(if not)
- any other team beating shams :cool:
(if not)
-decent competitive game with a few goals.
there is no doubt that Cork and Dundalk are the two outstanding teams of the last 5/6 years, have produced some excellent games and deserve all they won. it is the fact that they have been there so often that makes most fans (other than Cork and Dundalk fans) want someone (anyone ;)) else in the final. The novelty of some other team would enhance the interest for neutrals (whatever they are) as it would be different to recent finals. Not better, not worse, just different.
How many neutrals go to Cup finals? Always felt it was poorly supported by neutrals.
I don't think there's any way of knowing, but I'd say it gets more neutrals than you might think. It's the one time of the year when an LOI game actually feels like a major event, which in itself is a draw. I've personally gone to finals without my team being in it - and have brought fans of other teams along when we've been in finals too, plus relatives with no real interest in Irish football. It's that kind of a one-off occasion that is possible to attract people to.
It would be interesting to know how many tickets for the Final the FAI shifts to those who have the Aviva seats which give them discounted entry. They're usually the ones higher up in the ground at Finals, in the corporate boxes etc. Presumably many of those wouldn't be regular LOI supporters at all.
I have an FAI International season ticket and it gives you free entry into the Premium Section for the Cup Final. I believe there is about 15k season ticket holders, hard to pinpoint the amount of that who avail of it for the Cup final but I'd take a guess that 3k to 4k avail of it based on when i was in the Premium for last years final
Colin Kearns and Neale Corbet the keepers in the UCD v Waterford game.
Can't be often MNS get both keepers' names wrong
Dundalk vs UCD
Derry City/Bohemians vs Cork City
So still on course for a 4th consecutive Dundalk/Cork final, Fran seemed a happy man with that draw
Should be straight forward for dundalk you'd think, UCD would give them a game though. Quite the opposite for us, whoever we end up playing.