Sporting Fingal Gone Belly Up

**SkStu** · 14/10/2010, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Sean South

This makes no sense. I don't know is this a pathetic attempt of a wind up or are you just a d1ck suffering from small club syndrome just being bitter? I'm no fan of the Gypos but they have* and will always be a big club in Irish football. Sames goes for Shams, Dundalk, etc.

* The past 60-70 years

according to some Bohs fans on our mb he is a former supporter of Shamrock Rovers. But it struck me as just an unneccessary dig.

**John83** · 14/10/2010, 10:35 PM

Someone should collect "Pineapple Stu is biased against my club" posts. We must be close to the whole set at this stage.

**legendz** · 14/10/2010, 10:53 PM

It's a ridiculous statement. Bohemians are a big club, goes without saying. 11 league titles they have, 4 in the 2000's.
Sunderland consider themselves a big club across the water, they've 6 league titles, their last coming in '35-'36. Bohemians won the league that same season '35-'36 but have added 2 in the 70's as well as the four over the last 10 years. Even if Boh's had not won their last 6 titles, they are a big club.

Originally Posted by oriel

I would never have thought that, makes our 7 years down seem like a career break ! Also I would have thought Athlone would have been there longer, I know Mons came up with us the first time in 2000/01. Decent enough website btw http://limerickfc.ie/home/home.html.

I`d love to see the likes of Limerick, Athlone & Finn Harps back up on merit and playing their part in a strong 16 team PD.

Is there really a possibility of the Premier being expanded to a 16 team division? Based on current status and 2 or 4 clubs being brought up from the A Championship to join Division One, the league could look like:

Premier Division (16)
Bohemians
Shamrock Rovers
Sligo Rovers
St Patricks Athletic
Sporting Fingal FC
Dundalk
UCD
Galway United
Bray Wanderers
Drogheda United
Derry City
Monaghan United
Waterford United
Shelbourne
Limerick 37 FC
Cork City FORAS

Division One (8 or 10)
Wexford Youths
Finn Harps
Longford Town
Athlone Town
Mervue United
Salthill Devon
Cobh Ramblers
FC Carlow
Tralee Dynamos
Castlebar Celtic

**Schumi** · 14/10/2010, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by legendz

Is there really a possibility of the Premier being expanded to a 16 team division?

These rumours come up every year, I wouldn't hold your breath.

**SwanVsDalton** · 15/10/2010, 12:39 AM

Probably won't work - 16 team Premier League looks like the Pro Evo Master League and I always botched my finances in the Master League.

**Spudulika** · 15/10/2010, 7:29 AM

Until the FAI and clubs get their respective and collective acts in order there won't be any such progressive measures. As we'd discussed on another thread, a closed league is never going to bring in the finances that a proper and functioning league system would.

**bingoballs** · 15/10/2010, 8:20 AM

No disrespect to Fingal fans but I wouldn't be sorry to see them going belly up. Whats their average home attendance? When they went 2-1 up against Shams in a Dublin derby in Tallaght you would imagine their fans would have gone mad, all eight of them did alright! Surely they are relying on European qualification to fund themselves for next season. They have a handful of fans and should they qualify for Europe, they would only be depriving Sligo Rovers or Pats fans a European adventure that their seasons truely deserve.

**legendz** · 15/10/2010, 8:50 AM

If the Premier was expanded to 16, it doesn't have to result in a closed league. There'd still be relegation to Division One and the A Championship. A league should offer a position where clubs can get a foothold in the league and look to build. Places 9th - 12th probably would offer that in a 16 club Division where if clubs advance they'd look at pushing up the table but it they fall back they'll face relegation battle.

**pineapple stu** · 15/10/2010, 9:17 AM

Originally Posted by John83

Someone should collect "Pineapple Stu is biased against my club" posts. We must be close to the whole set at this stage.

And I was going to change the line above my avatar too.

Have to laugh at the point about Sunderland claiming to be a big club on the basis of a couple of titles. It doesn't matter what they claim; it's what's reality that counts.

**marinobohs** · 15/10/2010, 9:52 AM

Originally Posted by Sean South

This makes no sense. I don't know is this a pathetic attempt of a wind up or are you just a d1ck suffering from small club syndrome just being bitter? I'm no fan of the Gypos but they have* and will always be a big club in Irish football. Sames goes for Shams, Dundalk, etc.

* The past 60-70 years

to be fair to Stu there is a germ of truth in his (pretty sad) version of Bohs history in that we were amatuer until approx 1969 when the club voted to go "semi pro" (Hon life President and still a club stalwart Tony O'Connell having the honour of the the first contract*) . In this we were years behind many other clubs and results in the 60's were poor with the club often finishing last and applying to retain Div 1 status. Indeed in the 1960s it would be fair to say Drums were the more prominent north Side club and had a Northside/southside rivalry with shams.

No club - including shams - have been a dominant power throughout their league career and certtainly not over one that lasted 120 years (and counting). bohs has evolved from 7 guys establishing a team in the Phoneix Park because they enjoyed a kick around through a variety of set ups -amateur, semi pro, full time etc. the club has never been relegated, not bad for a small club that is 120 years old !

if I or anyone were to descride shams history solely in the context of the events around 2004/2005 it would be a long way from the (through gritted teeth) illustrious history of the club and would diminish us more than it did shams.

Perhaps the fact that Stus prediction of relegation/bankrupty etc over the last couple of years have still not occured is the basis for the somewhat petty view of Bohs history ?

* no record available of whether the contract involved bar work

**Spudulika** · 15/10/2010, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by legendz

If the Premier was expanded to 16, it doesn't have to result in a closed league. There'd still be relegation to Division One and the A Championship. A league should offer a position where clubs can get a foothold in the league and look to build. Places 9th - 12th probably would offer that in a 16 club Division where if clubs advance they'd look at pushing up the table but it they fall back they'll face relegation battle.

Legendz, is there promotion and relegation on a structured basis from a pyramid structure of senior leagues in the FAI family? If not then it is a closed league by definition, the same as the pre-reformation structure in the English game. It isn't a coincidence or even Sky's influence that the English game has grown since 1987, when a proper pyramid was introduced. Before that it was (worse) than what we have in Ireland. However, this isn't about the wrongs of the current system, it's about how clubs survive. And I don't see FCC letting SF go since it would seriously affect their future attempts for funding.

**Mr A** · 15/10/2010, 10:56 AM

Surely given that any club that meets the (not very taxing) criteria can join the A-League, it couldn't be more open?

**The Lep** · 15/10/2010, 12:38 PM

[QUOTE=bingoballs;1412617]No disrespect to Fingal fans but I wouldn't be sorry to see them going belly up. Whats their average home attendance? When they went 2-1 up against Shams in a Dublin derby in Tallaght you would imagine their fans would have gone mad, all eight of them did alright! Surely they are relying on European qualification to fund themselves for next season. They have a handful of fans and should they qualify for Europe, they would only be depriving Sligo Rovers or Pats fans a European adventure that their seasons truely deserve.[/QUOTE]

Are you seriously saying that Sligo and St Pats deserve a euro spot just because they have more fans? Trust me, there was more than eight fans going mad

Are you still upset that Sporting Fingal won the cup last year? time to move on me thinks

Mod edit - "bitter" rubbish removed

**Spudulika** · 15/10/2010, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

Surely given that any club that meets the (not very taxing) criteria can join the A-League, it couldn't be more open?

No, by definition it's a closed league. As it stands a new club can just set up and ask to join, which is probably why this thread has legs.

**pineapple stu** · 15/10/2010, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by Spudulika

No, by definition it's a closed league. As it stands a new club can just set up and ask to join

You've directly contradicted yourself there.

Googling "closed league" gives the following as the first reply -

A closed league is a type of league where the number and the identity of the teams taking part in its activities do not change from year to year according to the performance of the member teams of that league and of other. They are the opposite of the promotion and relegation systems.

That's clearly not the case in the LoI, as the last couple of seasons have shown (three new clubs to the top two flights in as many years, for example, with only the first in a year when there was no promotion/relegation at the bottom of the First Division)

**legendz** · 15/10/2010, 12:48 PM

Exactly, it's up to the clubs to apply and meet the criteria. Any club incapable of getting a not very taxing A Championship licence isn't really going to get anywhere. Killarney in Kerry could apply if they wanted and set-up a rivalry with Tralee!

**Lamper.sffc** · 15/10/2010, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by bingoballs

No disrespect to Fingal fans but I wouldn't be sorry to see them going belly up. Whats their average home attendance? When they went 2-1 up against Shams in a Dublin derby in Tallaght you would imagine their fans would have gone mad, all eight of them did alright! Surely they are relying on European qualification to fund themselves for next season. They have a handful of fans and should they qualify for Europe, they would only be depriving Sligo Rovers or Pats fans a European adventure that their seasons truely deserve.

Ah lad give it a rest will ya. There was about 80 or more there. We have a small crowd but whats the point in saying there was 8. It was never the case. 40 or 50 of us stayed and sang till the lads came back out for their warm down after the match. Now the debate in here is actually interesting lets not head down this route for once cheers.

**The Lep** · 15/10/2010, 1:24 PM

Going on the league re-structure, the pyramid system could work easily enough. The winners of the Provinicial leagues playing in play-offs for 1 or 2 places in the A championship, the bottom 1 or 2 in the A championship either straight relegation to the relevant Provincial league or a play off like the Premier/first relegation one. The A side of a league club would be elligible for relegation and it would be something along the lines of what the Spanish league does with the B teams in the third tier.

**legendz** · 15/10/2010, 1:48 PM

The senior/district leagues are run on a different season. I can see a place for a provincial pyramid system within the current structures but no need to expand it to the national league unless they align both seasons.