Back to business - Salthill away

We simply have to get back to winning ways on Friday night and while I expect Devon to be well organised and difficult to break down you's expect our attacking players to be very fresh after the break and I would expect us to score two or three.

Bit of a problem at the back with McCarthy and McDonagh out with suspension so thank God Enda Curran is suspended for Salthill, I wouldn't expect him to be there much longer anyway. It sounds like TC will move Tyrell into Centre-half and give the new left back a run out so will be interesting to see how that goes.

Haverty and Nkolo should be back too so this is a big point in the season and with so many of our rivals facing each other on Friday you'd hope we can win and they will slip up but we have to do the business first with some massive games coming up.

Still seats on the supporters bus for anyone who wants to travel, leaving longford at 5-30 just give liam a text.

Des Hope shouldn't be far off either, he seems to be back in full training. Treacy and Tyrell should be fine if that's what Tony goes with. Who'll come in for Salmo? Doyle or O'Neill I suppose?

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Originally Posted by Longfordian

Des Hope shouldn't be far off either, he seems to be back in full training. Treacy and Tyrell should be fine if that's what Tony goes with. Who'll come in for Salmo? Doyle or O'Neill I suppose?

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the new signing from shamrock rovers DK in his town notes reckons it will be him! Mick Lee is out for the season acc to the Longford Leader. I thought he had left us!

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Originally Posted by outspoken

W
Bit of a problem at the back with McCarthy and McDonagh out with suspension

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id say we could concede one or two but our attacking will be too strong, say 3-1

I'd imagine the line up will be

Bennion
Havo Treacy Tyrell (new LB, sorry cant remember his name)
Doyle Gillespie
Shaw Quinn Nkolo
Sully

A win of any description please!

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Originally Posted by outspoken

I'd imagine the line up will be

Bennion
Havo Treacy Tyrell (new LB, sorry cant remember his name)
Doyle Gillespie
Shaw Quinn Nkolo
Sully

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Is Purdy out? I'd rather see Shaw up front and put Quinn on the wing. He played Quinn behind O'Sullivan against Athlone with Shaw on the wing and it backfired big time!! A bit of a selection headache for Tony, he could go with your selection at the back or he could keep O'Neill at right back and put Havo at centre back with Treacy. Midfield will prob be Gillespie and Doyle in the middle with a choice of Purdy, Quinn and Nkolo on the wings with Shaw joining Sully up front.

I think we rely too much on hoofball up to Shaw when we go 442. Since we switched to 4231 for the Cobh game at home, I think we've played much better football in general. While he didn't have much of an effect on the game in Athlone, Quinn has been very impressive in the hole behind O'Sullivan. I like Gary Shaw, but I'm not sure if he fits into the system as a winger tbh. I wouldn't mind seeing Purdy and Nkololo (if fit) on the wings tonight, just to see how that goes.

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Originally Posted by De Town

I think we rely too much on hoofball up to Shaw when we go 442. Since we switched to 4231 for the Cobh game at home, I think we've played much better football in general. While he didn't have much of an effect on the game in Athlone, Quinn has been very impressive in the hole behind O'Sullivan. I like Gary Shaw, but I'm not sure if he fits into the system as a winger tbh. I wouldn't mind seeing Purdy and Nkololo (if fit) on the wings tonight, just to see how that goes.

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Yeah true enough, Shaw hasn't really hit form this season. If Nkolo is fit then that could be a option to look at but how fit is he after his lay off?

C'mon Town!!!

We are gonna win nothing this year!

1st half we created nothing, dont think we had a shot on target, 2nd half was no better then tracy got sent off(addin to the long suspension list ) we sat back, ischei won a corner and with few scrapy shots it fell to willie who slotted it home, then we sat back , was a matter of time then, with a make shift back four it was inexperience that cost us, no need to stick out the leg and give the forward the chance of a peno... disappointing...

next week is a massive game, were 4 pts ahead and in **** form still, TC needs to rattle them and come out like its a cup final next week..

motm was willie tyrell, he commanded the defence and was wining most of the headers and tackles for 93min...

In truth we were lucky not to be 3-0 down at HT because our old striker Biansumpa missed a sitter and Bennion made two great saves, we created nothing and for me the most disappointing thing is we are being outplayed and out passed by the likes of Salthill and Mervue, they have the best pitches In the country and we play hoofball on them?

Treacy played well but deserved to go for 2 rash tackles and I couldn't see us scoring after that but credit to ischi who won a corner out of nothing and after 3 big scrambles it finally fell to man of the match tyrell who placed it in the top corner.

We were pinne in then with the extra man and it was only a matter of time now that you think back on the game before they score its just so sickening the way and the time it came at. Bennion was been man handled for their corners and what does Sean Grant do only book bennion and award another corner? A corner which lead to the penalty. A lot of people didn't think it was a peno but I thought it was and as Fitzy said inexperience cost O'Connor as he left a foot dangling and the salthill man gobbled it up.

The biggest game of the season next week and my big fear is we will once again resort to hoofball and this young Waterford side will outplay us on our own ground because from speaking to blues fans they are playing anything but long ball since obrien left.

Absolutely awful performance,we didnt deserve a draw never mind a win!Salthill had by far the more chances throughout the game!Im not interested in going on about the referee's performance, every referee in this league is **** poor and if we're going to have to blame a referee decision for robbing us when we are playing a team at the bottom of the league then there is clearly something wrong!Besides, Treacy's sending off was a definite sending off,I was right beside it and he was very late just lunging!On the peno, I didnt get a proper view of it but i've heard from some town fans that it was a definite peno and from others it was a definite dive so...

As said above Tyrell was brilliant at centre half, got his head to everything and made a good few blocks in the second half and then there's his goal on top of that!ThoughT the whole back four were decent enough, Treacy was solid before he was sent off,the new lad O'Connor seemed to fit in well and it was great to have Havo back although O'Brien was giving him a lot of problems down the left wing.

We were seriously lacking in midfield, Salmo was very badly missed and even if we do bring someone in it will be impossible to replace him. Nkolo was extremely wasteful every time he got on the ball. Quinn was probably the only player outside of the back four that had an in any way decent performance, although I like him playing in behind Sully it might be an idea to move him back into centre mid. Didn't get a proper look at Gorman as it was nearly all Salthill by the time he came on.

Sully and Josh didn't link up well at all in the first half, long balls being pumped up to Davy to try and head on to Josh,surely it should have been the other way around?Mick was no better when he came on in the second half,I don't like having a go at players but he's simply not good enough,I really don't see what he brings at all and some of the mistakes he makes are comical.

All in all a very disheartening performance, I said earlier in the week that we don't need to be bringing in players needlessly but I hope Tony is having a think about it now that Salmo is gone. Hopefully this was just a slip and gives the lads a good kick up the arse for Waterford next week which is now an absolutely huge game!If we dont get a result next Sat, this is looking all to like the start of our collapse this time last year..

I'd be worried if we don't add a midfielder and maybe another decent striker. With Salmo out we need a bit of energy and physical presence in the middle. I haven't seen anything of Gorman and I know he's highly rated but he's inexperienced. Pushing Quinn in there could be a good move alright. If we add Curran as rumours suggest we might that'd be a big help up front, take some of the pressure off Davy.

Paudie Quinn is a free agent what would people think of him in midfield? More of a number 10 but plenty of energy and a great playmaker.

Thought it was a definite peno from where I was standing. Was it not Gorman who took the Salthill player down? Was talking to tony mannnion (former salthill manager) after the game and he said Salthill offered Curran to us but Cousins turned him down as 'he wasn't good enough to get in our team'!! He's in talks with Athlone now. That could be a nail in the coffin for Cousins if true. Defeat next week against Waterford and pressure will really be on Cousins.

Hmm dunno what the situation is but Cousins was speaking very highly of him on Shannonside the other day and Curran seemed to be hinting on Twitter today that he could end up with us. The Westmeath Independent in their match preview reckoned he's unlikely to sign for Athlone as we'd come in for him too. Roddy was looking at another striker they reckoned. I'd still expect to see him join Athlone though.

I'm just saying what Mannion told a few of us last night after the game and I'm sure he'd know a bit more on what's going on there than any of us on here. But I hope he's wrong as I think he'd be a super partner up front for O'Sullivan. I couldn't see Cousins turn him down myself but you just never know!!

i thought tony mannion was still in charge of salthill lads. it looks like i was glad i didnt make game last night due to work commitments..

I notice someone asked him on Twitter directly was he coming to Longford and he said something along the lines of you'll have to wait and see. Didn't deny it though.

And if you read down further he's all talk with Gorman from Athlone praising them on a good result and also talking up Roddy!! We won't know for definite until its signed and sealed I suppose.

Ah yeah no point in over analysing things people say on Twitter in fairness!

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Originally Posted by Town Legend

Was talking to tony mannnion (former salthill manager) after the game and he said Salthill offered Curran to us but Cousins turned him down as 'he wasn't good enough to get in our team'!! He's in talks with Athlone now. That could be a nail in the coffin for Cousins if true. Defeat next week against Waterford and pressure will really be on Cousins.

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Well I can say for certain that that is not the case but unfortunately I can't say much more, could be some developments very soon tho.

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Originally Posted by outspoken

Well I can say for certain that that is not the case but unfortunately I can't say much more, could be some developments very soon tho.

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Whats not the case? Pressure on Cousins if we lose next week or Cousins passing on Curran?

Cousins not being interested in Curran.

So you can't tell us anything, but Cousins has been trying to sign Curran. Well I'm glad you didn't tell us that, you should not tell us things more often.

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Originally Posted by Acornvilla

So you can't tell us anything, but Cousins has been trying to sign Curran. Well I'm glad you didn't tell us that, you should not tell us things more often.

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That's not the half of it. :)

PM me the other half :P

Or don't ;)

Curran will end up signing for Longford especially with the money being thrown about.

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Originally Posted by Battery Rover

Curran will end up signing for Longford especially with the money being thrown about.

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Any chance you could tell me how you know so much about how and where we are spending our money?

Frankly i think you're manager talks **** and you've gladly gobbled it up and regurgitated it.

Was just about to say the same thing, I've seen a few Athlone fans posting as if it is a fact that we are throwing money at him when I honestly can't imagine that we are.

I heard Tony had him in the shower down in Salthill Fri night and had Cronin up on a ladder showering him with 50 euro notes out of a bucket.....and that's a fact ;)

In fairness, Roddy and the Athlone lads are right. We're stinking rich. Signing O'Sullivan, Tyrrell, O'Neill, O'Connor, Gorman, Isichei, O'Hanlon etc. from non-league teams or youth teams of the bigger clubs must have cost us a fortune. Rolling in money we are.

http://i43.tinypic.com/f2vm84.jpg

Neither club may get him yet.

the bold rodster was up to his old tricks today in the star today. I am surprised noone mentioned it but he said we are losing David O'Sullivan. If you are reading this Roddy Collins **** off and mind your own business! you will not wear us down!

To be fair, he's probably not reading this...

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Originally Posted by Martinho II

the bold rodster was up to his old tricks today in the star today. I am surprised noone mentioned it but he said we are losing David O'Sullivan. If you are reading this Roddy Collins **** off and mind your own business! you will not wear us down!

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u r dead right da town.. I could have phrased it better but you get my point!

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Originally Posted by De Town

To be fair, he's probably not reading this...

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You'd wonder sometimes if he had the mental capacity to read at all..