Well done Sligo, played some great football this season and won the league in style.
Well done Sligo, played some great football this season and won the league in style.
Sligo could dominate for a few years if they keep their manager and Squad together.
Pats would have to improve to challage as they most likely just fall short again, Drogs could loose some of their team and may not be as good next year. It is hard to know how good rovers will be next year
Bohs, Cork & Derry all going through a phase of rebuilding so it could be a few years before they can mount a serious chalange for the league
Were Pat's really that far off though??
I reckon they would have won the league had they Danny North instead of him being at Sligo. He was second in the scoring chart despite missing a large chunk through injury. From what I saw of Pats this season, they were crying out for a Danny North style striker to stick away the chances they were creating.
Perhaps in the early part of the season but Pats' season really got going when Fagan learned how to shoot. They would obviously have done better with a quality player like North but I don't think he and Fagan could play in the same team and they were arguably the two best strikers in the league this season.
are you takin the pi$$.
fagan is a dreafull finisher and together with forrester's ability to get injured at the drop of a hat is the reason why pats were never going to win the league.
the best strikers score the most goals, just like the best teams win the league.
1.twigg
2.north
3.take your pick.
Shamrock Rovers- Where trophies are won and envy is scarce
Who knows how many goals North would have ended up with had he not got injured.
As for a Twigg-less Rovers, who knows where the goals are going to come from now ... Rovers haven't seen his sort of consistency since the days of Larkin and Byrne. After all the progress since the move to Tallaght, methinks the wilderness awaits again.
Goal keeping mistakes probably cost us the league. We also dropped 5 points after games in Europe which didn't help.
Here on a technicality.
I think Twigg has shown, when it comes to European competition, and the step up in standard, that he's not able to compete at the higher standard.
He may be a quality finisher, but his all round game play is very suspect at times as C.D has stated above.
If he was a better footballer in general, he would have made it at a much higher standard in my opinion.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
People used to say the same about Brendan Bradley. He actually used to get abuse from Harps fans for being "lazy" and "a terrible footballer". This is the same guy who is still the record holder for the most amount of goals in League Of Ireland.
If only we had a young fit Bradley alongside Kevin McHugh for next season.
Twigg does have a limited game and has found his place/level at LOI but the fact is he has been the best striker in the League for the last 3/4 years. I have no doubt that had he been playing for Pats they would have (at least) run Sligo closer.
Personally I expect Pats to be a better more consistent team next season (they will have a season playing together) and with one maybe two signings I would expect them to seriously challenge next season.
Shams still probobly have the best squad in the League on paper. IF they can get a decent manager in and get the team organised they should also be there or there abouts in the title race.
Again, Sligo should be better side for having won the title and should agian compete but talk of a Sligo dynasty (as trainee suggests) is a bit premature at this stage.
Champions.
Well done Sligo!
“Jockey Wilson . . . What an athlete.” - Sid Waddell
www.donegaldarts.com
Well done Sligo. Delighted for you.
That's something that was being repeated all season, but I never believed it. Always thought us and Pat's were fielding a better 11 week in week out. And if there was strength in depth, what explains the almost constant presence of Gilbert as a starter, or the extensive use of Dennehy?. I'm still not convinced Kenny was the main problem either, more a group of players who had lost their hunger and had started to believe their own headlines. That's part of the reason I won't be taking anything for granted for next season - it's going to be hard to reproduce the will to succeed that 35 years without the title gives you.
I'm glad someone gave Rogers a mention too. Hardly put a foot wrong all season. Doesn't look as flashy as, for example, Sava, but makes less mistakes, dominates in the air to an extent that must demoralise wingers who see decent crosses repeatedly go to waste, and his distribution, atrocious at the start of the season, got better and better every week. I had a lot of time for Clarke, but I thought Rogers was in a different class this season and was worth a good few points to us.
"Even if the wind stops to blow
Even if the sea ceases to flow
Even if the sun ceases to rise
The name of Sligo Rovers will shine and shine forever like the morning star glittering in the sky."
I think that's what was meant by 'on paper.' In terms of talent, Dennehy eclipses any winger in the league but he was woejus all year, although I still think one of our best players which is a damning indictment. Players like Oman, Powell and Brennan were the best in their positions in the league as recently as three years ago. On paper it was the strongest squad but in practice they just didn't have the desire or commitment to do it. I don't think hunger will be a problem for Sligo next year, they'll just find out that retaining a title can be more difficult than winning it.
I know what you mean, Dennehy has loads of skill, but there's no point in having all the talent in the world if you turn up and play crap for an entire season. I always judge opposition players on the basis of whether I'd like to see them play for us. McCabe I'd take back in a heartbeat (it may be his charming personality), but I wouldn't want to see Billy within an ass's roar of the Showgrounds. Same way as I was disappointed we lost Daryl Horgan but happy to see the back of Aaron Green.
"Even if the wind stops to blow
Even if the sea ceases to flow
Even if the sun ceases to rise
The name of Sligo Rovers will shine and shine forever like the morning star glittering in the sky."
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