League to revert back to 12 teams in 2005

**eoinh** · 13/03/2004, 2:35 PM

Personally i think its a mistake.

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/sport/sto...6y434&t=soccer

What do others think?

The play-offs were great! Now there gone!

**brendy_éire** · 13/03/2004, 2:51 PM

Originally posted by eoinh
The play-offs were great! Now there gone!

Great when we win them, aye.

Not great for your mental health though.

I'm for the 12 team Premier, the 10 team one wasn't really working, it was creating a far too big Dublin bias. We need more regional teams in the Premier.
Who were the 8 clubs that supported the 10 team Premier? And will it be teams playing each other 3 times a season, like with the First? I'd rather see it 4 times a season, 3 is just awkward.
Another idea might be to create a 12 team First Division. Kerry and Mayo would be contenders, already being in the Leauge Cup.

**adamcarr** · 13/03/2004, 3:13 PM

Are the Playoffs not back for the end of the 2005 season? i'd say Dublin City will go down and Bray, Harps and UCD will be up. I thought the ten team was much better and probaly easier to organise!

**TommyT** · 13/03/2004, 4:20 PM

Originally posted by brendy_éire
I'm for the 12 team Premier, the 10 team one wasn't really working, it was creating a far too big Dublin bias. We need more regional teams in the Premier.
.

******. The bias has nothing to do with the ten team league and everything to do with how crap the culchies are. Bray and UCD will probably win two of the promotion places.

**pineapple stu** · 13/03/2004, 4:47 PM

That's great news, I think (and not just because it makes things easier for us). Closing off the Premier to the likes of Monaghan, Kilkenny, Athlone, etc. can't do tham any good and will only expand the gap between First and Premier. Plus playing teams four times a season was too much - maybe three times isn't great, but it has to be better. UEFA licencing's going to be fun next year though - it's hard enough to find 10 teams to get an A licence, never mind 12...

The likes of Harps will certainly survive in a 12-team Premier and will benefit from a couple of years there. More money for the provincial teams basically - what's the harm in that?

The league could do worse than try and get two new teams for the First Division though, like Kerry and Mayo mentioned.

Great timing from the league as usual though...

Even if they had to abandon their AGM a couple of times.

I presume the play-offs will be back for next season though? They're a huge money-spinner for the clubs, if nothing else.

**Slash/ED** · 13/03/2004, 5:04 PM

It'll mean we have to play eachother three times a season I think, which is a completley stupid system and gives far to big an advantage to the title challanging side who gets the two home games over their rivals. Also, the chances of Dublin and UCD now both being premier teams, not to mention Bray, is now very high, so the league will only be further based around the Dublin area and the areas around Dublin.

**Gary** · 13/03/2004, 7:43 PM

Thats fuucking disastrous. Thbe play off kept the 1st division interesting. Now we are just going to see Bray, UCD and Harps promoted.

Playing each other 3 times is stupid as well. Christ sake, i really do wonder why i bother with this stupid league. Its run by a bunch of ****s.

**A face** · 13/03/2004, 9:22 PM

I have to say i am gutted about this.

What a stupid move, that has to be said ... Last year, both league for the first time ever were great, good competition and football was getting better.

info@fai.ie

Eircom League
80 Merrion Square
Dublin 2
Phone: 01 7037575
Fax: 01 6768096
eircomleague@fai.ie

Very poor decision ..... and things seemed to be going in the right direction.

**Dr.Nightdub** · 14/03/2004, 7:56 PM

Can't say I'm particularly upset about this. While playing eleven other clubs three times a season is daft, it's better than the monotony of playing nine others four times.

As for the Dublin bias of the Premier Division, the sooner the culchies start focussing on merit rather than geography the better. If you're not good enough, you're not good enough - regardless of whether you're from Dublin or from the bog.

The 12-team Premier seems to have been re-introduced largely at the behest of culchie teams. But say for the sake of argument that Bray, Harps and UCD are promoted and Waterford go down, then 66% of the Premier will be from greater Dublin (I'm including Drogheda now there's a decent road to it). That's supposed to represent less Dublin bias than the current 60%? Well done culchies, another master stroke. No doubt they'll be back with another whinge before the 2005 season...

**A face** · 14/03/2004, 10:04 PM

Ultimately Dr. Nightdub is right, although i wouldn't have worded it like that. Clubs need to improve on the pitch to advance, there is no getting away from that. Actually clubs like Bray coming up with 22 team league stuff are really no doing us any good. No matter how much we tinker with the league, if they want ot advance they have to improve, simple as.

**Martinho II** · 14/03/2004, 10:08 PM

I would agree with the twelve team division- there were no spark to a lot of the dublin derby games plus there were too many draws.

It would allow a few of the clubs that havent been in the top division a long while to come back up but i am dying to find out the way promotion is sorted out in 2006-will the playoffs come back or not?

I would agree on the earlier comment on two new teams being elected into the league-we need new blood badly.

**A face** · 14/03/2004, 10:24 PM

I know it is not top flight but the first division was great last year. Seriously, it was a good competition and i think attendences were up overall. The play offs were great (Harps and Derry would always have that though)

I wouldn't give out about the first at all.

The premier .... the quality was good and it was tight .... Derry who are normally up at the top lagged a bit and nearly dropped. In my opinion this is bad because it wouldn't be good to lose them. But everyone has to admit .... the competion was good, every point was vital.

Maybe there were a few too many draws but the football did and would continue to improve and thats what you need, thats what the league needs. (could i even say a successful future depends on it).

There is argument for the 10 being repeative four games etc. but 12 is unbalanced ... that is worse in my opinion. If it were to get bigger then it should be 16 or 18, nothing else. I think it is changing for the sake of it.

If a team comes up from the first ... they should be able to compete and not by the whipping boys, so changing from 10 to 12 might solve the problem or teams not getting into top flight ... but is it solving the problem. I dont think so.

**corkharps** · 14/03/2004, 10:58 PM

Originally posted by Gary
Thats fuucking disastrous. Thbe play off kept the 1st division interesting. Now we are just going to see Bray, UCD and Harps promoted.

Playing each other 3 times is stupid as well. Christ sake, i really do wonder why i bother with this stupid league. Its run by a bunch of ****s.

I wish I had your confidence,I think the First Division will throw up a few surprises this year.

**Dodge** · 15/03/2004, 9:24 AM

And I'll repeat only one club has ever won the league playing 17 away and 16 home games. It automatically gives 6 teams an advantage...

**Éanna** · 15/03/2004, 9:52 AM

Originally posted by Dr.Nightdub
Can't say I'm particularly upset about this. While playing eleven other clubs three times a season is daft, it's better than the monotony of playing nine others four times.

As for the Dublin bias of the Premier Division, the sooner the culchies start focussing on merit rather than geography the better. If you're not good enough, you're not good enough - regardless of whether you're from Dublin or from the bog.

Apart from the word "culchie" I agree with ya there Doc. I think the best way forward would be a 16 team premier where teams play each other twice and have a first deivison split into northern and southern sections.

**liamon** · 15/03/2004, 10:36 AM

If we have 16 teams i nthe top flgiht, then where do we get enough teams for the first division?

**Éanna** · 15/03/2004, 11:01 AM

That could easily be achieved by bringing in teams like tralee dynamoes and st michaels- teams from counties not represented at the moment.

**Macy** · 15/03/2004, 11:17 AM

Mullingar are still knocking around, and signing players. A cousin of the missus has been signed for them after returning from England. IMO 16 team premier, with the 1st would be 2 divisions of 10 split on a regional basis would be the best bet. However whether there are enough teams willing to sacrifice intermediate/ junior success for the 1st is debatable.....

**Bald Student** · 15/03/2004, 11:38 AM

I don't like being negative lads, but I think we need to get licenses for the current league teams before introducing more teams.

When the league has at least 12 'A' and 10 'B' licenses, only then can we look at increasing the total number of teams.