$h€l$ eL Champions 2003

**brendy_éire** · 21/11/2003, 9:29 PM

Shelbourne 2 - 0 Cork City
Drogheda United 2 - 0 Bohemians.

I hate to say it, but Ollie Byrne's dirty scumbags have won the League.

Fair play to the Drogs though. Would have wanted them to say up ahead of UCD any day.

**UCD_4_Life** · 21/11/2003, 10:40 PM

Brrrrrrrr.

**brendy_éire** · 21/11/2003, 11:27 PM

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
Brrrrrrrr.

Sorry now, but there's just too many Dublin teams in the Premier as it is. It's nothing personal.

**Leviathan** · 22/11/2003, 12:10 PM

Well done wee 'Billy' Fenlon, a Linfield Legend. A great achevement and good to see him continue at the top.

Neil · 22/11/2003, 12:12 PM

It's a sad day alright when a team that gets less than 3,000 at the title decider win the league...

Pathetic.

**ccfcgirl** · 22/11/2003, 12:26 PM

well done to shels they deserved it .

**Slash/ED** · 22/11/2003, 3:06 PM

Originally posted by Neil
It's a sad day alright when a team that gets less than 3,000 at the title decider win the league...

Pathetic.

I'd be amazed if Bohs got 3,000 for any non Dublin derby league match this season.

Either way, last night was some night. I thought Dolan was a great credit, to be fair, coming out to endure some stick from the fans waiting for the Shels players to emerge and clapping us and shaking a few hands as he walked out. Opinions on his management aside, I have to admit, I've always liked him, even if I'm in a minority there.

Just delighted to win the league, I think the best team won it but if Bohs could find consistency they could just as easy win it next year. My main concern now is making a few crucial additions to the side to do something in the CL next year.

**gustavo** · 22/11/2003, 7:37 PM

yea fair play shels . ye mightnt have been able to get the better of us this season but ye seemed to cope with the premier teams fairly well

**Colm** · 23/11/2003, 1:17 PM

I would much rather have seen Bohs win it. I can't stand to see that thug of a convicxt chairman get his hands on the league.
2500 the night they win the league, it would be hilarious if it wasn't so depressing!

**Footie_Fan** · 23/11/2003, 1:57 PM

Fair play to Shels. Deserved winners.

**Slash/ED** · 23/11/2003, 2:52 PM

Originally posted by Colm
I would much rather have seen Bohs win it. I can't stand to see that thug of a convicxt chairman get his hands on the league.
2500 the night they win the league, it would be hilarious if it wasn't so depressing!

If you think the other clubs would be much different you're deludeing yourself.

**patsh** · 23/11/2003, 3:40 PM

The league table doesn't really lie. If Bohs hadn't been so poor for the first months of the season, it would be a different story.
$hels deserved it, they are the best side, and were the best to watch too.
As regards the crowd size, it is fairly depressing in that it gives ammunition to those who want it to dismiss the eL as an irrelevance.
If City, Derry, Waterford or Longford and surely SPA as well, were in with a chance of winning the league at home on Friday, I reckon there would have been at least 5,000 at the games, maybe 6,000 or 7,000 in Cork.
Listening to the Radio1 yesterday on a review of the week, some clown spent 10 seconds makeing the smarmy comment that "Shels won the local league...well done Shels" in a really sarcastic voice and then went on to have a deep discussion for 20 minutes about the importance of Leeds and their troubles.
The first thing that has too be tackled is this attitude to "any non Dublin derby". This is the kind of bulls*t that the eL needs to get rid of.
The eL is a national, actually international, league, not something contested solely for the benefit of a few clubs in Dublin. If more attention was paid to building up the eL around the country, rather than having to constantly deal with the antics and carry-on of Byrne, in particular, but also the Dub centric attitude of Bohs, SPA and Rovers it might be easier to promote the game and get a more vibrant league going.
If as seems likely, Dublin City come up, they have no support base, crowds of 200 at most and will probably have exactly the same attitude as the rest of the Dub teams. Thats not bringing much to the party is it?
Contrast that with the scenes in Longford when they came back with the Cup, with Derry winning so much a few years ago, even a big turn out for the league being paraded through the streets of Cork far too long ago.
Dub clubs need to realise that more and stronger clubs outside Dublin is a good thing for them.

So next season when City win the league, the title will be won in front of 10,000...