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With not much more than a few Antrim Shields to their name, they currently sit top of the league, 5 points clear of the perennial winners, Linfield. Could this be their year? They have a few southerners in their line up as well. I like to see the underdog do it but Linfield have a way of winning the league no matter what.
Larne have been defensively superb - I think it's 10 clean sheets in their last 12 in the league.
Drawing 0-0 at Coleraine at the weekend isn't a bad result but with Linfield going for 5 league titles in a row they have all the experience. Larne do have home advantage when the teams meet in the split. Both teams have 2 home and 3 away games.
Although just 2 points further back it kind of feels like Cliftonville are running out of steam, they only scraped a late win away at Newry on Saturday and were beaten by Dungannon the week before. They do have 4 of their 5 games at home though.
Am I correct in thinking that Larne havent never won the NIFL or any trophy before boys?
A few Antrim Shields and they won the 2nd division a few seasons ago. This is new territory for them.
Larne winning 2-0 at Cliftonville tonight means Linfield have to get a result against Glentoran at Windsor tomorrow just to stay in the race.
A Linfield win would still leave Larne only needing one win from their last three games to clinch the title.
While a Linfield draw would leave Larne only needing a draw.
A loss to the Glens would mean that was it done.
Hard to see Larne not winning it now, the Cliftonville game was the key test for them. I think they should be able to have it wrapped up before hosting Linfield.
The Glens snatched a draw at Windsor tonight, via an injury time equaliser by Bobby Burns - he loves scoring against that lot lol.
Leaves Larne 9 points ahead of Linfield, each with 3 games left, meaning one more point absolutely guarantees the Inver men the title.
Obviously I'm disappointed that the Glens' season fizzled away to nothing after a decent start but still, fair play to Larme - worthy wionners over the season.
And they aren't Linfield! :D
So they've done it I see, whats the background here ? Is there a chequebook super hero recently involved or where did this come from ?
Also, forgive me but Irish League would hardly be on my radar at all apart from a few usual suspect clubs, it kind of presents as a Rangers minus a Celtic set up & a bit one horse & dull. What would the League of Ireland equivalent story be theoretically ?
Nice to see an under-dog win something. Even better when it is a league.
There is, yep. Larne are a bit like Derry in that a very successful businessman is happy to lash money into his local club - one of the founders of Purple Bricks, the online estate agents, in this case. Still, there's worse ways of spending your money I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke
Be interesting to see how they go in Europe - they had a great run good season and could easily be the first IL side to make the group stages of Europe. Linfield were seconds away this season
When Kenny Bruce - brought up in Larne and one of two brothers who founded online Estate Agency Purple Bricks - bought Larne FC, I would have been wary, because the club itself was in a very bad way, while there had been talk of the ground being sold for redevelopment etc, meaning that they'd have to find another home etc. In other words, ripe for a property play.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
But fair play to him, for not only has he ploughed money into the team (transfer fees and wages etc), but he's also rebuilt the ground (3 sides so far) and training facilities etc and encouraged the town to get behind the team, such that they're now getting crowds of around 2k, when they were nearer 200 when he took over. (Population of the town is just under 20k).
Here is what he said last November:
"What has come into the club so far is about £5 million," he told BBC Sport.
"We are in a really good, sound financial position. We have got no debt, we own all of our facilities and we don't have to pay rent to anyone else, so we are in a good solid position to move forward."
Asked if Larne would be sustainable if it were not for his own personal investment, the native of the East Antrim town said he feels positive about the direction the club is heading.
"Every single month we are getting closer and closer to sustainability," he continued.
"Of course, developing players and securing transfer fees for those players is going to be very, very important, as is getting into European football. But from our perspective we are seeing really good signs that it is becoming sustainable."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63522694
While here is a more general overview of their progress since he took over in 2017:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65251194
Giving a good account of themselves again this year. Two in a row ?
In pole position, though it's a 3-way race between Larne (70 pts), Cliftonville (67 pts) and Linfield (66 pts), all on 29 games played, with the split to come.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
After a slightly inconsistent start, Larne have really hit their straps recently, incl a big win over Linfield, who themselves have stumbled recently after their flying start. Cliftonville have hung on in there throughout and have a huge game tonight at home to Linfield - win that and it could be a huge boost or blow respectively to the two teams' morale.
At the moment, the bookies have Larne 8/15 for the title, with Cliftonville and Linfield both 3/1 - tonight's result could shift the last two's odds a tad, I guess.
Table here: https://www.nifootballleague.com/pre...024/standings/
Awful pity theres no highlights show any more like they had recently on the BBC! Even matches live you have to watch them on BBC iplayer. Pity.
True, though watching live games via iPlayer on a Smart TV is still pretty good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinho II
Meanwhile, the Blue Shytehawks beat Cliftonville 3-0 at Solitude tonight - good for the title race, if not so good for my humour!
Didnt know that Jim Magilton is manager now in NIFL. Where was he got from Ealing Green?
Looks like a two horse race now.
After his spell as Asst to Michael O'Neill at Shams, he had a short, unsuccessful (and messy?) few months at Melbourne Victory.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinho II
Then after a year not appearing to do very much, he was appointed Elite Performance Director by the IFA in 2013. I assume that Michael O'Neill had a say (the say?) in that. Seemed to do a good job in that role, I think including being responsible for setting up Club NI (youth development pathway which brought through Conor Bradley and some others). Later became U-21's manager and eventually after 7 1/2 years with the IFA, left to take up a role at Dundalk, which I'm sure you know more about than me.
Then after another period of not-very-much, he took over at Clftonville in the summer. It's fair to say that his was not a popular appointment with Reds fans at the time, but I suspect that he's turning them round, for even though they're now probably out of the title race (not completely certain with the Split still to come), to have kept them in the running this far as a part-time outfit against far better resourced f-t teams in Larne and Linfield (and Glentoran :rolleyes:) is to his credit.
No reports of him head-butting any of his players yet. :cool:
Im intrigued with the allegations on head-butting when did JM do this?Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-butt-row.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by Martinho II