Who is going to win the 2021 League

So my take on this for next year (Listed below in likely finishing order this year...)
Major Caveat is that as per usual in LOI transfers over the next 4 months can make predictions now look pretty stupid

Shamrock Rovers Prediction 1st
Assuming we retain most of our team we have to be in with a massive chance of retaining the league.
Obviously Jack B is a big factor but even without him (add 1 or 2) we have a big shout.

Bohemians Prediction 3rd
Bohs have had a great season but i think have overachieved a bit with several smash and grab or narrow wins which will be hard to repeat.
Huge respect for Long so if he is still there maybe he can repeat.
With Dalymount being pushed out and the Tolka move being delayed Long may have a bigger budget next year to help courtesy of the Doherty money

Dundalk Prediction 2nd
Which Dundalk?? making a prediction on Dundalk now is like betting on the Ante Post for Cheltenham next March without knowing is your horse even going to run.
Do they sign back a lot of this team?? new lads from the States??
On the basis of the players still under contract and assuming P6 still around they will probaby still have a budget that will allow them compete.
Even signing back a few will give them the core of a super squad.
Have serious doubts about FG

Waterford Prediction 4th
If Power stays with it and Murphy up front (and in goals :) ) they will be compeititive.

Pats Prediction 6th
Hard to keep signing new teams, don;t expect much improvement

Sligo Prediction 7th
Bit like Pats hard to see much improvement but in this league one or two players can make the difference and they will have another year of Buckos influence

Derry Prediction 5th
Really poor this year was amazed to see Devine getting an extension on his contract, don't see how he has earned it. Derry should improve but will they....If Devine was given an extension maybe it means he is going to be backed with a bigger budget

Harps/Shels lets wait and see.........although if Harps stay up i don't see them being relegated next year

According to this tin foil hat wearing gob$hite on the bozos forum it's all a conspiracy anyway!.

"What Rovers done during the FAI meltdown was a masterstroke, and nobody from the media raised an eyebrow.
The got their man is as chairman of the NLEC who held the casting vote that dictated the direction the return to football would take, shortly after they elected themselves to the first division.
They got another of their men into the top job running the league, topped off with the leagues doctor who just happens to be Rovers doctor already in situ, and just to put they icing on the cake Pico became Chairman of the PFAI.

They literally have every angle and every decision covered all while there was no functioning FAI and no Ollie Byrne type character, to call them out on the stunt.

No point complaining now."
"

Don’t see the top 3 changing too much, Dundalk and Bohs switching spots. Rovers massive favs at this very early stage.

Quite a lot of the division is then a much of a muchness with some teams being a complete unknown for next year.

As for Derry agree with OP Devine getting an extension was a surprise and looks very premature now. That was announced a few days before the dreadful showing in Riterai and subsequent extremely poor form.

Some of the signings brought in for the league restart have just been woeful with one or two bright points.

Assuming we don’t go down the wishful thinking is that PO’D and the management team are and always have been willing to write off this season and put serious investment in for next year and build a team. I think this is very wishful thinking.

More likely is we will see further stagnation or deterioration under Devine and that he will not see out the 2021 season.

All very speculative.

Dundalk should be massive favourites with the budget they have- but recruitment is absolutely key of course.

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Originally Posted by Mr A

Dundalk should be massive favourites with the budget they have- but recruitment is absolutely key of course.

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The issues i'd be concerned about in using the largest budget - a significant clearout and so a lot of new players in. Regardless of quality generally this takes time to reap reward, exceptions have happened eg the squad Stephen Kenny built from scratch. There are question marks over players brought in that are signed up for next season, are the good enough, worth their wage, or will they prove to be better than they have shown this disrupted season. Some long serving members of the squad are either not interested for whatever reason, noses out of joint, or are not aging well. Gannon is the main chap thats looking like he is barely going through the motions, be interesting to know what tis issue is for one of the most professional players in the league. Gartland is in some of his best form at 33, Rogers probably should call it time after EL. Start drafting in players from lower US football levels will be messy - if we look at how players have done after a move to the US, Barrett, Kilduff, Sheils among others it may be something of an indication to minimum standards needed. We could see a few more Colovic type signings which would be more positive than negative imo. But we do need to refresh things while keeping the squad ethic that has served us well. I also think the S+C side of things needs some mixing up, added to, changed to add to ideas and systems there - I actually think this needs to be done regularly enough with continuity as familiarity between players and S+C coaches makes things stale. Jump back to a time when Dundalk players dreaded being injured due to the work the had to do in rehab like cycling out the Cooley Mountains and back - I think we need more of that with the amount of injury prone players we have.

What happens at Rovers over the close season will dictate the 2021 league, not just with keeping Byrne, but adding some firepower, having people that can take some of the weight off Finn as eg he is is less and less a back to back game man especially if playing 90mins.

Bohs will strengthen but will always claim its done on a tiny budget, they need to make sure they dont get raided for players.

St Pats will either be very good or very bad....no surprise there but pivitol for S'OD and a few players. Forrester looked interested v Dundalk last weekend.

Harps need to kick on if they stay up as they should, and they are capable. They could be a preferred option to Derry for players depending on where Derry are going under Devine. He seems to improve teams early on and then plateaus quickly, last time out from free scoring Derry to an awful run of form, this season its very inconsistant.

Waterford will depend entirely on how bothered Power is.

Could be tough for Drogheda, they have never been able to resist pushing budgets to the absolute limit when in the Premier Division, so whether they stick mainly with this team that is growing or try to do a Shels, will tell its own story. If Shels are relegated it will be no surprise to see the likes of the Brennans obviously at United Park with Kilduff, Sheppard, Deegan et al. I think they would be better off keeping most of ther current squad with the addition of maybe Poynton, Lotefa, few loanees.

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

Bohs will strengthen but will always claim its done on a tiny budget, they need to make sure they dont get raided for players.

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Don't forget Bohs have the guts of a million quid coming from the Matt Doherty transfer. If Dundalk are to have a transition season next year and Bohs can add one or two decent players, then they could well start the season as favourites to be Rovers' main challengers.

I think they very well could. One of the reasons for playing the poor mouth card wont cut it 2021. The can remain prudent but it will ve by choice and dont have to lose players and as ye say can strengthen. Adding in Europe to their income might encourage at least a moderate loosening of the purse strings.

Dundalk certainly have the money, but it needs to be spent a lot better in recruitment, and not giving out contracts for example to unproven UK players that no one else was after, Patching being prime example, and who unfortunately is still under contract.

We will need almost an entirely new MF to compete with Rovers next season, lots of other areas too will need rebuilding, and with the expected turnover of a lot of players, I would think winning the league might be a year too early. Maybe if the better / fully committed out of contract players are kept, and they can be supplemented with 4-5 top quality new signings, we might have a better chance.

Need to get a better manager in though, maybe that's a reason why p6 are not doing contract talks, as they only expect FG to stay until the Arsenal home game.

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

The issues i'd be concerned about in using the largest budget - a significant clearout and so a lot of new players in. Regardless of quality generally this takes time to reap reward, exceptions have happened eg the squad Stephen Kenny built from scratch. There are question marks over players brought in that are signed up for next season, are the good enough, worth their wage, or will they prove to be better than they have shown this disrupted season. Some long serving members of the squad are either not interested for whatever reason, noses out of joint, or are not aging well.

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Ironically this is a similar situation to the one inherited at Rovers by... Stephen Kenny :)

Yeah and it brings its own issues, SK having a clear and clean slate at Dundalk meant no baggage. I still think given the time that Croly, Fenlon and Bradley were afforded, Kenny would have delivered at Tallaght. I think some squad members at Dundalk have rebelled, downed tools, in a sinilar way to what SK had to deal with. Some shrewed business is needed by Dundalk, even if that is entirely internal. I dont think the manager needs to go Oriel! Its not gonna happen but FG with Trevor Croly as assistant is a workable forumula. Maybe Keegan can fill that role!?

I'm sure Kenny would have succeeded given the time Bradley has been given but sometimes lessons are hard-learned. What we've since learned about tragedy in his personal life puts a different spin on it too, but I do think it was just the worst time he could have taken over.

Taking over a championship side is almost as hard as being thrown in to save a side from relegation for obvious different reasons, certinly from a rep point of view. The only way is down if taking over at the top. Wasnt aware of personal issues going on in the background tbh.

So Rovers have traded Marshal and Lafferty for Gannon and Hoare.
That is without doubt an improvement overall.

We have also signed McCann who has a pretty impressive career but of whom i know very little and Danny Mandroiu who i presume is to replace Jack Byrne ...so that is a net negative although i think Mandroiu has great potential he isnt JB, maybe McCann will be a midfield version of Joey O Brien , if he is it becomes a positive :) .
Rumour is we are in for Duffy and that would change the picture for sure.

Any title odds for next season ?

Given the upheaval at Dundalk and Bohs looking like losing a few key players it looks worryingly like a one horse race already for next season.

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Originally Posted by DCWA

Any title odds for next season ?

Given the upheaval at Dundalk and Bohs looking like losing a few key players it looks worryingly like a one horse race already for next season.

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Forgetting about an on form Harps mate:ttth:

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Originally Posted by thebronze14

Forgetting about an on form Harps mate:ttth:

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Harps looking well for next season has to be said Rovers might just have a bit too much over 36 games. Harps for Europe.

At the moment Rovers got to be favourites with the business they’re doing.

Bohs and Dundalk can’t really tell which way they are going to go yet.

Sligo will crack on. Bolger is a good signing and they’ve kept one of the leagues best keepers in McGinty.

Same as above with Pats and Waterford.

Derry look to be planning long term for once.

Harps have kept McGinley, will they get a transfer top up this year after THAT Cup tie.

Longford and Drogheda are signing well.

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Originally Posted by DCSIL

At the moment Rovers got to be favourites with the business they’re doing.

Bohs and Dundalk can’t really tell which way they are going to go yet.

Sligo will crack on. Bolger is a good signing and they’ve kept one of the leagues best keepers in McGinty.

Same as above with Pats and Waterford.

Derry look to be planning long term for once.

Harps have kept McGinley, will they get a transfer top up this year after THAT Cup tie.

Longford and Drogheda are signing well.

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so wonder who will go down next year I wonder ?

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Originally Posted by DCWA

Any title odds for next season ?

Given the upheaval at Dundalk and Bohs looking like losing a few key players it looks worryingly like a one horse race already for next season.

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I know we are looking good but I wouldn’t say the Drogs have it in the bag just yet ;)

I think we need another few with Premier Division experience. Not sure we'll get many goals from the forward options we have currently either.