5th place play-off of sorts

[L.T.F.C.]

I don't know what you mean about TC saying to his players that push for promotion, but give it to someone else. The fact is, our squad isn't good enough for the premier. We need to spend another while down here. This is the first year we've assembled some form of squad that is challenging the better teams in the division. That took four years. Being thrown into the premier will put us back down where we are, and being left with a few players(Sorry Marty). Cousins gone then and another few years of rebuilding. Next thing you know we're a solid First Division team. We need to have patience and take our time. Outspoken, you need to check what a sunshiner is. They'll come out when thats happening be it Champions League or promotion decider. We've worked very hard in the First Division, we shouldn't throw it away!

[Acornvilla]

well we are going to be in the 1st division for another season at least, and if we are good enough to get promoted we (the players) deserve to be up there in 2 years time, this discussion is a bit stupid

[outspoken]

well we are going to be in the 1st division for another season at least, and if we are good enough to get promoted we (the players) deserve to be up there in 2 years time, this discussion is a bit stupid

Ye it is stupid I can't imagine any fan of any team saying oh sh1te we just got promoted damn it anyway???? If we go up it will be a brilliant day no matter what follows, as long as we have a club to follow I'm pretty happy.

[L.T.F.C.]

Ye it is stupid I can't imagine any fan of any team saying oh sh1te we just got promoted damn it anyway???? If we go up it will be a brilliant day no matter what follows, as long as we have a club to follow I'm pretty happy.

"A brilliant day"? What good is one day? Useless is what it is.

There is precedence here. The precedence being: we were relegated. Three years of mediocrity. This season we have been playing well enough. If we go up next season, we'll more than likely come straight back down and loose all of our players and probably Cousins. We have neither the money, fans nor Premier league standard players to compete. If we did get promoted it would be a bittersweet day for me anyway.

[Longfordian]

There's another precedent, Bray Wanderers. For a number of years they were a bit of a yo yo club but they ran their club well and didn't run into any major financial difficulties, keeping a solid nucleus of players. We lost most of our players in 2007 but other clubs were spending much more money then. The difference between what they'd get elsewhere these days and what the Town could pay them wouldn't be that big and there's only a limited number of clubs that would suit them in terms of location, training etc. If they get destroyed in the Premier Division as you seem to think they would why would any of the other clubs be fighting over them? Every club needs ambition and as long as things are run smoothly off the field then promotion can be a good thing.

[outspoken]

There's another precedent, Bray Wanderers. For a number of years they were a bit of a yo yo club but they ran their club well and didn't run into any major financial difficulties, keeping a solid nucleus of players. We lost most of our players in 2007 but other clubs were spending much more money then. The difference between what they'd get elsewhere these days and what

the Town could pay them wouldn't be that big and there's only a limited number of clubs that would suit them in terms of location, training etc. If they get destroyed in the Premier Division as you seem to think they would why would any of the other clubs be fighting over them? Every club needs ambition and as long as things are run smoothly off the field then promotion can be a good thing.

summed up pretty much everything I was going to say there. Have to say I've never heard anyone say it would be bittersweet to see their team promoted.

[Macy]

There is precedence here. The precedence being: we were relegated. Three years of mediocrity. This season we have been playing well enough. If we go up next season, we'll more than likely come straight back down and loose all of our players and probably Cousins. We have neither the money, fans nor Premier league standard players to compete. If we did get promoted it would be a bittersweet day for me anyway.

To focus on the relegation as the cause of our problems is totally unrealistic. The reality is, even if we'd survived we'd have lost that many players because of the financial issues of the previous few seasons (overspending/ imploding attendances). It's like when looking at where we are as a State and blaming it on the auld lehmans, and ignoring the previous 5 years governmental feck ups.

[outspoken]

To focus on the relegation as the cause of our problems is totally unrealistic. The reality is, even if we'd survived we'd have lost that many players because of the financial issues of the previous few seasons (overspending/ imploding attendances). It's like when looking at where we are as a State and blaming it on the
auld lehmans, and ignoring the previous 5 years governmental feck ups.

well said.

[L.T.F.C.]

While taking all of your points on board, and admitting that thinking about relegation as a detrimental to us is kinda wrong I still think that the club as a whole isn't ready for the Premier. We had a fairly good squad in 2007. We had the league's top scorer! When we go up, we want to stay there. Going up and down isn't what we need. I'd much rather be competitive in the First Division , than getting hockeyed every week in the Premier Division!

[Acornvilla]

Well we were competitive this season, next season we push on and improve, so if we do achieve promotion we are well worth our place up there in 2 years time, it is a long way away you must remember

[outspoken]

Haha you'd swear we were so long in the premier we'd rather just stay in the first lol.

[Massop 10]

L.T.F.C. I have to say what you are trying to argue is pure nonsence ! I'm sorry but it is. In football the aim must be to compete at the highest possible level. As we should all aim to do the best we can in life. Do you honestly think Shamrock Rovers fans were saying that they should not go into the Europa League Group stage incase the get bet in there games ? No is the answer, they want to see the team challange and try their best, as do the players. I also find what you said about the team off the mark to be polite to you. Many of the team would be well able and capabale to compete in the Premier division next season ie. Hunt, Rouse, Deans, Dowling, Hyland, Salmon, Brady and Walshe to mention just a few while any of the squad would only benifit from playing week in week out at a higher level. What is the point of just playing season after season in the kicking division we are in ? Players will leave a club alot quicker if there is no ambition rather than a club who get promoted, even if relegation follows at least they will hae the ambition to go and push again. At the time when Bray were a yo-yo club alot of the players and Pat Devlin with his coaches stayed on and from what I was told by their fans and some players at the time they all found the different challanges exciting ! Mid-table boredum is not how a club will survive.

[Frank76]

Lads, would I be right in saying that Munnelly will have a lot more say in what happens with LT and apparently Gillespie is been groomed to take over from Cousins after this or next season???

[Longfordian]

The first part maybe, I don't know though. The second part, no chance of that. Gillespie isn't exactly the management type!

[outspoken]

Does Gillespie even have any badges?

[L.T.F.C.]

L.T.F.C. I have to say what you are trying to argue is pure nonsence ! I'm sorry but it is. In football the aim must be to compete at the highest possible level. As we should all aim to do the best we can in life. Do you honestly think Shamrock Rovers fans were saying that they should not go into the Europa League Group stage incase the get bet in there games ? No is the answer, they want to see the team challange and try their best, as do the players. I also find what you said about the team off the mark to be polite to you. Many of the team would be well able and capabale to compete in the Premier division next season ie. Hunt, Rouse, Deans, Dowling, Hyland, Salmon, Brady and Walshe to mention just a few while any of the squad would only benifit from playing week in week out at a higher level. What is the point of just playing season after season in the kicking division we are in ? Players will leave a club alot quicker if there is no ambition rather than a club who get promoted, even if relegation follows at least they will hae the ambition to go and push again. At the time when Bray were a yo-yo club alot of the players and Pat Devlin with his coaches stayed on and from what I was told by their fans and some players at the time they all found the different challanges exciting ! Mid-table boredum is not how a club will survive.

It is not nonsense Massop10 and here is why. We're not ready to be back in the Premier. We don't have the money and tonight proves we don't have the players. I don't know if you were there, but we couldn't even beat Salthill Devon who are rightly at the bottom of the First Division. The players should aim to do their best, and thats lovely, everyone should but that won't be good enough in the Premier. We don't have the funds to survive in the Premier. And don't be so silly comparing the Europa League to the LOI Premier Division. I never said that we shouldn't be promoted in the few future, we should. But we need to be patient, and take our time. We're simply not ready.

[outspoken]

Your fighting a losing battle here LTFC your saying were not fit to go up just because of 1 meaningless game tonight. So if Shamrock Rovers or Derry or Sligo or anyone went out tomorrow morning and lost to Galway United would that mean their not fit for the premier division? And the way you go on youd swear it was the barclays premier league we were trying to get into. Theres not a massive gulf in class between a top 5 first div side and a lower end premier team sure look at shels drawing with pats last night and why has there been 2 first division teams in the last 2 ea sports cup finals? Theres no doubt in my mind if we were in the prem this season wed stay up ahead of Galway and take points off the likes of UCD and Drogheda and yes while next years 12 team league will be a lot tougher we would not disgrace ourselves in it sure this season we only lost maybe 2 games by a goal or more and we gave Bohs and Rovers and UCD frights over the last 2 seasons so your argument is totally flawed.. On the financial thing there are a lot of clubs just hanging in right now ie. Bohs so if we just keep a steady budget like were doing we wont struggle like you think especially with improved gates from playing in the top flight. Anyway wed be nearly in Dublin every week I'd say travel costs would be a lot less in the Premier than first (maybe someone could confirm that for me?)

[Martinho II]

Your fighting a losing battle here LTFC your saying were not fit to go up just because of 1 meaningless game tonight. So if Shamrock Rovers or Derry or Sligo or anyone went out tomorrow morning and lost to Galway United would that mean their not fit for the premier division? And the way you go on youd swear it was the barclays premier league we were trying to get into. Theres not a massive gulf in class between a top 5 first div side and a lower end premier team sure look at shels drawing with pats last night and why has there been 2 first division teams in the last 2 ea sports cup finals? Theres no doubt in my mind if we were in the prem this season wed stay up ahead of Galway and take points off the likes of UCD and Drogheda and yes while next years 12 team league will be a lot tougher we would not disgrace ourselves in it sure this season we only lost maybe 2 games by a goal or more and we gave Bohs and Rovers and UCD frights over the last 2 seasons so your argument is totally flawed.. On the financial thing there are a lot of clubs just hanging in right now ie. Bohs so if we just keep a steady budget like were doing we wont struggle like you think especially with improved gates from playing in the top flight. Anyway wed be nearly in Dublin every week I'd say travel costs would be a lot less in the Premier than first (maybe someone could confirm that for me?)

travel costs would be down significantly ie Kanes send a bus up from Longford to ferry the players from Dublin to away matches.. obviously that would stop with the Dublin matches.. btw LTFC Massop10 was at the match he was beside me! I am sure he will be postin to defend himself later!

[Massop 10]

So L.T.F.C. you were at the game last night ? To let you know yes I was there. As I have been for 27 of the 29 league games plus our cup games this season ! Was doing my coaching badges for the other games. You will have noticed so that we were missing Salmon (many peoples player of the season) and Brady (one of the best wingers in the league this season) for starters. You are intitled to your opinion and I respect that as we all have one but I feel you are judging the Team souly on results and some games you have seen. I belive you have not made all of the games this season from reading your posts. Just to let you know that I am judging weather or not we are ready to go up by the PERFORMANCES that I have seen week on week where I have seen us play out of our skins to be caught be an unlucky goal or a bad referees call or a sending off that totally changes the game (Limerick away a few weeks ago for one !). Also the team we have this year has an average age of 21/22 years of age so IF we went up we could add a couple of experianced players and that would help to cut out some of the mistakes that the younger inexperianced players have made and help them to develop. To get experianced players though of any addition we need to be in the Premier Division. So for that reason (I feel) we could quite comfortably survive in the premier and build again as the attendances increse with the larger crowds coming from the bigger clubs. To be honest the first time we went up I remember lots of people saying " Oh They'll be back down next year cos they are a team of nobodies and are not good enough." Tell me did that happen ? It is all well and good been negitive or having that feeling but honestly, as you argueed earlier, if we went up only to come back down you said that we'd lose support. There was 80 approx at the game last night and 30 approx of them were from Salthill !!! A season in the Premier would 1. Improve the players we have as they would play at a higher level. 2. Generate a better matchday profit as away teams bring more support and more people in Longford would come out to se the teams they see on the TV. 3. The club would get more advertising revenue as they would have TV, newspaper and even computer game exposure (Fifa 13 by EA Sport) and 4. As said above travel costs would be lower. So I'm sure you can now see there are a lot more positives to even getting one year in the Premier than been stuck in the graveyard First Division. I would have no problem discussing my opinions with you in Cork next weekend.

[outspoken]

I was given an attendance of 237 for the Salthill game....could that be right? And no way was there 30 Salthill fans Massop! Thats the only thing in your entire post I disagreed with the rest was 100% spot on.