North-South Cup ..... green light!!!?

[sullanefc]

I was a bit iffy about the comp at first. Thought it was another league cup in disguise. But havin seen the prize money go for it lads!! I suppose top 4 in the league would be the entrants unless you want to have the top 3 and the cup winners.

What time of the year would you play it though??? I'd prefer, start of our season/end of theirs like march/april. I'd hate for it to be a distraction from our league run in. And keep it well away from Euro comps. We don't want to be playing Linfield away after getting to the intertoto qf and then to play a league game two days later.

[eoinh]

ild say it willl take place in October as its starting this season. It will keep the EL season going for a few weeks more which is good. The break this season was waaaay too long.

[sullanefc]

Well it should be played once our season is finished. We don't need extra fixtures at a time when we're marching for the title

[brendy_éire]

I honestly DON'T believe the eventual participants will be decided on merit. Sponsors will dictate where the support is and where the major population centres will be.

A lot would depend on who the sponsors actually are. If they are any exclusively northern sponsors, someone like Halifax bank for exampe, I'd guess they'd push to have ourselves included. From they're point of view they'd have an extra team and supporters to target, they won't ignore the 120,000 person market in Derry.
However if it's sponsors who operate on an AI basis, say eircom or East BT, can't see any reason to include ourselves, other than our unusual circumstances.

[GalwayFrancis]

any body know what the ireland cup will be called???any clue of the sponsors???and who is actually organising???

[Lux Interior]

A lot would depend on who the sponsors actually are. If they are any exclusively northern sponsors, someone like Halifax bank for exampe, I'd guess they'd push to have ourselves included. From they're point of view they'd have an extra team and supporters to target, they won't ignore the 120,000 person market in Derry.
However if it's sponsors who operate on an AI basis, say eircom or East BT, can't see any reason to include ourselves, other than our unusual circumstances.

AFAIK this is an FAI initiative, who lined up the (as yet, unnamed) sponsors before making their appraoch to the IFA.

[Lux Interior]

Any good nights out in Phibsboro?

[Lux Interior]

Doyles Corner,when it's Bohs.v.Rovers .......though small beer compared to L*nfield v.Glens....

I've yet to see a pig's heads land by the corner flag

[dortie]

To be honest, I wouldn't be too happy "risking" a bus into the Brandywell without the required PSNI presence (your stewards may be well voiced in all aspects of stewarding but, lets be honest, we wouldn't be dealing with a couple of hundred daytrippers here).

The route into East Belfast is not as contentious as you might think. Motorway M2, M3, Sydenham By-Pass (park buses there) and a short walk, via now-empty houses to ground).

But, in my opinion, a Derry 'invite' should be dependant on a healthy league finish/cup placing and not some sentimental bullsh'ittery.

You would have no trouble in the Brandywell provided some of your supporters left their paramilitary flags etc at home. See the difference with Derry City fans is we dont see the need to fly 'National flags' at soccer games, the only tricolours we have produced recently really have been in Cyprus for the european game.

I know the route into East Belfast, but facing reality for us to run buses into it we would need to go in disguise. Lets get real here, this competition is what most Irish soccer fans have wished for North and South but there is serious potential for trouble unless neutral venues are chosen. You know as well as i do it could lead to murder.

Great to see, but neutral venues throughout the country need investigated.

BTW: I agree that we should progress via merit, but I can tell you now it depends on the sponsors and what they are looking for......lets face it ..Derry City v Glentoran/Linfield in a competitive competion again would pull the biggest crowd, dont you agree. Think back to the 60s.

[eoinh]

Details of the competition will be unveiled tomorrow morning by the FAI. See here

[Lux Interior]

You would have no trouble in the Brandywell provided some of your supporters left their paramilitary flags etc at home. See the difference with Derry City fans is we dont see the need to fly 'National flags' at soccer games, the only tricolours we have produced recently really have been in Cyprus for the european game.

I know the route into East Belfast, but facing reality for us to run buses into it we would need to go in disguise. Lets get real here, this competition is what most Irish soccer fans have wished for North and South but there is serious potential for trouble unless neutral venues are chosen. You know as well as i do it could lead to murder.

Great to see, but neutral venues throughout the country need investigated.

BTW: I agree that we should progress via merit, but I can tell you now it depends on the sponsors and what they are looking for......lets face it ..Derry City v Glentoran/Linfield in a competitive competion again would pull the biggest crowd, dont you agree. Think back to the 60s.

Not suggesting there wouldn't be trouble but for your 'disguise' suggestion re: route to the Oval, ditto to the Brandywell and that is the only ground I would have any reservation in visiting.

The tri-colour flying doesn't bother me one jot, what would concern me is the lack of PSNI in the ground to avert any potential trouble from the less desirable elements in both supports.

No PSNI - No Glens - that is the reality.

Derry City at the Oval in the 60s was never a 'big' fixture and my da, who travelled to the Brandy, never thought that special either. However, things have moved on and this fixture now WOULD be big business - and Ive a sneaking suspicion that this is what the sponsors will be attracted to.

[Lux Interior]

Just heard that it's three clubs each. Irish League reps - Champs, Runners-Up, Cup Winners, ergo Linfield, Portadown and Glentoran.

[harry crumb]

are any of the teams in the irish league professional. Do they get better crowds than the southern teams?

[sullanefc]

Just heard that it's three clubs each. Irish League reps - Champs, Runners-Up, Cup Winners, ergo Linfield, Portadown and Glentoran.

3 teams each? sounds stupid to me. 4 teams each would be better surely.

[Lux Interior]

are any of the teams in the irish league professional. Do they get better crowds than the southern teams?

Nope, although there is a smattering of full-time professionals throughout the League.

Due to 'financial constraints', Glens have NO full-time professionals (we had two last season but one has gone and one has had his contract 'restructured'). Top wage at the club would be in the region of £450-500.

Crowds - hard to compare - but deffo down from the high of the early 90s. Probably for reasons like this, that the North-South has been initiated.

Glens have a good, solid fanbase but only come out in their entirity for Linfield and, lesser extent, Ports. Unfortunately we haven't undertaken any major surgery on the league structure - like the EL - to try and maximise these crowds.

[Macy]

Due to 'financial constraints', Glens have NO full-time professionals (we had two last season but one has gone and one has had his contract 'restructured'). Top wage at the club would be in the region of £450-500.

€680ish to €760ish. eL Clubs not the only ones being ripped off by the players. Is that nett or gross? My other pet hate about the eL wages....

I wonder how the eL are going to chose the entrants - last seasons positions and cup winners, or this seasons? Hopefully last season, using the same critea as the IL.

[corkharps]

There was a simular competition in the 1970's(President's Cup?).Harps beat Linfield in the final on penos in the mid seventies,unfortunately there was a full scale riot afterwards.Have things moved on enough since?The thought of Union Jack clad away supporters arriving in busloads would still be a red rag to many!Maybe if the tickets were only distributed through official supporters clubs, the threat of violence would be limited?I would love to see it work and be expanded.How can the FAI get TV coverage and massive prizemoney for this ,yet they are unable to do ANYTHING to promote the EL?

BTW I think Derry should be the first name on the list,because they're great!

[eoinh]

Its going to be known as the Setanta Cup. 8 teams involved, knock out

[namloc]

Its going to be known as the Setanta Cup. 8 teams involved, knock out

6 teams involved (3 from eL and 3 from IL), split into 2 groups of three teams. teams play each other home and away in the groups and group winners play each other in the final.

[dortie]

No PSNI - No Glens - that is the reality.

Looks like its on merit now anyway so theres no worries on our behalf.

As for No PSNI - No Glens -
You may consider our last meeting in the Irish league as the last time you will play Derry in the Brandywell then. Thats never going to happen.