At this rate, I’ll have to start paying closer attention to see who are in the play-off positions in the 1st Division. Thank god for Waterford so far...
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At this rate, I’ll have to start paying closer attention to see who are in the play-off positions in the 1st Division. Thank god for Waterford so far...
Saw a stat today that Pats result on Monday leaves them with 21 points and 14 goals scored from the 9 games played. That equals both equivalent totals from 2020 but in half the games
Well the last time Bohs were in a relegation play-off a couple of years later were beating German opposition in Europe and nabbed a league title so the obvious thing is to bring back Roddy!! Never relegated so still the perfect match...Quote:
Originally Posted by ger121
Incredible. The last 2 seasons Pats have very much underperformed, the budget was increased after Buckley left I think? Theyre finally delivering a bit of that promise. Forrester (when on form) and Benson are two of the most creative players in the league, terrifying for a defence.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
We'll hopefully take some of the wind out of their sails at the weekend though ;)
It’s nailed on that we bring in multiple summer recruits. Our squad is short anything from 5 upto probably closer to 10 players and severely so in key areas. Lacking in depth but also in quality and yes experience in the right places.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neish
Now that we have changed manager I am much less worried about relegation. The season aim has to be clear and simple. Stay up and build for next year.
If Power caves into Sheedy & Newells clear strop to get out of LOI, and employs a half ar€ed manager instead (A Reynolds?) then relegation might not be the foregone conclusion it seems at present.
Can't see either derry or boez being involved in relegation although questions would be asked about boez recruitment policy, especially with their supposed increased budget- Where's Hery?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neish
We'll take 7th. Our most experienced player has been our defensive weaklink... For the winning goal the other night , watch Lafferty - who on earth watching or playing football in the past ten years expects Barry McNamee to take the ball down the line to beat a full back? Barry comes inside, sets up the winner. On the other side our least experienced player is our best player this season. We need more players as the bench is light, but I'd take quality over experience, maybe a few loans from England to bolster the squad to we get to next season.
So thats Dundalk and Bohs that have questions over recruitment. Rovers have played it safe by signing former champions players and youngsters pinched from a less well off rival. Whatever about Dundalk's financial ability to really go outside the usual markets, I'm not sure what Bohs can do with an increased budget that really just allows for more of the same but with a bigger quad if the choose. There will always be players that are a hit or miss and even those players can go elsewhere and be a hit/miss and so on. There are no shortage of scouting aids but signings are so much more than stats - SK has a good number of flops as does Alex Ferguson tbh, so it's easy asking the question but not so easy to fool proof player recruitment. I think the more comical situation on signings at Dundalk is heavily influenced by the agent system that can see a quick buck when they get the ear of a board member that hasnt much footballing saavy. We have been lucky that FG did have an eye for a decent player and some contacts, keeper aside, but the rest will be assets and the keeper situation fixed. If it wasnt for that we would have a squad of very average, fringe, North American college players.Quote:
Originally Posted by placid casual
Hery went over on his ankle in training , played 20 mins of the season so far. Back training and a couple of games away from playing.Quote:
Originally Posted by placid casual
Stephen Mallon 0 minutes playing, injured,due back early July.
Burt and Tyreke Wilson have been excellent
Coote when he gets more game will prove to be a very good signing.
Georgie Kelly has been the disappointing signing so far.His confidence looks a bit shot but he clearly has potential, may not show it with us but it will click for him some day, could be an Aaron Green type player when he matures.
The failure to replace the Grant/Wright combination of 18 goals and assists and the inability of our two established centre halves and Talbot to effectively communicate is where we have dropped maybe 7/8 points we would have secured last season. Don`t see another player like Danny Grant in our league, would have said Michael Duffy had it two years ago, but looks a bit stale /complacent over the past year.
In fairness to Rovers they signed on professional terms 10 young kids from the academy and have hooked them up with Ashfield college Murphy (second start for Murphy) and Nugent played on Monday and several others have been on the bench this season but have not made it on much as so many games have been tight last minute stuff. They were all signed after the SRFC 11 thing was kicked out as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nesta99
I've said it before DFC will get sorted once they get a keeper, Bohs looked poor in any match ive seen them play this season bar the matches against Rovers and Dundalk. Kelly is struggling for goals and they dont seem to have any options which seems a bit of an oversight by Long tbh.
Still to good to go down given Longford and Waterford
The academy setup at Rovers was always going to reap rewards. If not all big transfers, supply well coached players to the league in a UCD kinda way. It's great to see the reward for those kids and have them on the bench. It emphasises the work that is needed at other clubs. I do think that Bradley has been a solid if unspectacular manager and quite conservative in his signings for the mot part. The league winning team took a Paul Doolin timeframe to build and it also coincided will the fall off of other clubs at the top of the table in pretty unique circumstances. It's not a criticism, if anything it is the safest way to build a side - look to the real potential in players at other clubs that can be picked off due to better finances. Bohs lost out, McEneff was alwas going to want away from the hatchet football in Cork, it was all in for players out of contract that were almost annual medal winners at Dundalk, and even to solve a keeper crisis it was a return to stalwart that had won the league with Rovers a decade previous.
Contrast that to how say Paul Cook built a side, Kenny turning relegation fodder to challengers with unheralded journeymen and broke through a ceiling or two subsequently. There is no doubt that Dundalk need a better return from signings and be less scattergun. Rovers took a low risk slow and steady model and used agent influence also. The bigger picture at Rovers was a Croly effort that Fenlon almost scuppered for a quick return. Bradley got his chance due to the recognition that the turnover of managers was damaging and he nearly was shoved by fan before the cup win. Byrne was a key signing of course and the losses in midfield are still pretty gaping and plenty of fans are not too happy with team selection. Rovers are in a safe pair of hands with Bradley but I dont think he is a great tactician and scouting senior players has been of the very obvious type. Young player development I cant see Bradley having a particularly significant role until they are practically ready for the senior squad. Rovers will compete but if Dundalk do get the managers appointment right and with the resources available, I think Bradley might have to move out of the comfort zone and take some risks.
Nesta99, I hate to point it out to you, but dundalk are gonna go backwards before they can even attempt going forwards. The old reliables of shields, hoban, mcmillan etc are on the downslope of their careers, and the signings made have been a farce. That squad needs to be dismantled and begun again - I don't expect dundalk to finish any higher than 4th or 5th this season(Rovers, sligo pats,maybe boez) and then your owners might just decide to take their "saccarball" home. You are then beyond screwed if that happens.
I think Bradley sees pats and O'Donnell as the major threat over the next 2yrs - although that could change if O'Donnell leaves for dundalk. Rovers can attract any young player in this country now due to their recent sucess so replacing ageing players (Finn, McCann, OBrien) in future won't be a huge challenge, in my view
Screenshot for prosperity
No need to point out to me at all PC, Ive seen team come and go myself. Squads evolve as they age but Rovers is no different with O'Brien, Finn, Gannon, Mannus players getting on. Not that easy to replace some of them as you think but a healthy youth setup to help with any transition. I think Dundalk have been in full reverse if there is need to go backwards to go forwards. It doesnt change my thinking much though that even as things stand that Dundalk are not yet done for and at least at face value have the resources to get back challenging sooner than later if the managerial choice if the right one.Quote:
Originally Posted by placid casual
Interesting read. Always good to see how the more reasonable fans of other clubs see your mgmt/club. I'd disagree with almost every point to be honest but I see where you're coming from at least. I'm delighted with Bradley so far and I'm far from alone at Rovers. But then I'd call every other manager in the league "solid if not spectacular" bar Keith Long who is, of course, a spoofer of the highest order.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nesta99
I would be interested to learn what Keith Long has been " spoofing" about. He may lack of ambition and fails to win the big games, but can`t say I would describe him as a spoofer . Then again managers quickly fall in and fall out of favour, Stephen O Donnell was being pilloried last year for being out of his depth and he is now apparently a footballing genius for having a successful opening third of the season.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
Dundalk bias here probably but I think S'OD was always going to improve Pats if given the time. He would never accept lazy players which is a good start, but also is able to put the arm around players too eg Forrester and doing so is really working out, thankfully for the player - reading the interview about his personal difficulties last week wasnt an easy read so very glad he is getting back to his best.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dalymountrower
I'd start to worry if it was any other way;)Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
No surprise I disagree completely with Nesta too. Bradley is bizarrely maligned/under-rated by fans of other clubs possibly down to simple if understandable anti-Rovers sentiment. The view from within is that he has, along with Stephen McPhail, done and continues to do a stellar job. The much-mocked 'project' has born fruit exactly as planned.
To take one of Nesta's points, succession planning at Rovers is constantly ongoing, of the older players Nesta mentions - O'Brien, Finn, Gannon, Mannus - only Mannus doesn't have a replacement lined-up. Gannon has Max Murphy chomping at his heels, Joey has Hoare, Pico, Grace and Scales all competing for 3 CH berths while Finn is now largely a squad player with a leadership role.
Bradley has also built that squad painstakingly over the last few years bringing kids through, utilising players versatility - Scales at LWB, Greene up front, Finner - rehabilitating players with bad reputations - Jack, Burkey and now Mandriou. As for fans being unhappy with the midfield chopping and changing it's much more of a case that we are all wondering what our best CM pairing is. Looking more and more like it's Watts and Gary O'Neill who incidentally is also very, very under-rated, best player in the league for my money but his unflashiness means he goes unnoticed.
Bottom line is that we are very happy with Stephen Bradley but non-plussed at the constant under-mining of his achievements, even the all time unbeaten record of 31 league games which is a phenomenal achievement has been under-played. Ah well, we'll live.
We had Chencinski and Horgan in the same situation. Thank christ Bazunu showed up to save us.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
True, some Sligo fans on here have been unsuccessfully trying to cultivate a rivalry with Finn Harps since we stopped caring about them. Now that they're good again they're allowed try have a rivalry with us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nesta99