Don't understand that logic. Dublin council are desperate for cash and Dundalk are well off?
Anyway. The logic behind having the game in Louth is that it gives a opportunity to attract the casual sports fan in Louth to the match. These casual fans may like what they see and might decide to see Drogheda play in a league game. How will Drogheda United or any other LOI team progress if they do not use the opportunity of playing big(ish) games to market their team and club to the casual sports fan in their local area.
This is a missed opportunity by Drogheda to promote their club in their county. That they do not see the opportunity is not a surprise. They have consistently failed to get the town of Drogheda behind their club. This is nothing new.
Last edited by White Horse; 26/06/2013 at 10:13 AM.
My understanding is that the IFA have moved on from their pre-Kearns case perspective and have accepted that it is their own responsibility to convince eligible dual citizens to play for them rather than blaming others for their woes. Any anger towards the FAI would be misdirected. I think you're confusing the outrage of some of their crackpot fans with some sort of official association stance.
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 26/06/2013 at 9:19 AM.
'crackpot fans' ? Surely not...
Sligo Rovers can confirm that tickets for the home leg of the Champions League qualifying game with Molde have sold out.
Just under 3,500 tickets have been bought by Rovers fans for the home leg on Wednesday 17 July in The Showgrounds.
Molde will receive 10% allocation of the 3,900-capacity for the game.
Kick-off for the home leg will be 6pm
Who gets the other 10 tickets?
Sometimes it's hard to know if you are pulling the pi$$.
Hold on......
"SDCC Stadium is dead cheap - any rental offer at all is fine with the council"
"Drogheda will attract more by staging the match in Wicklow then in Louth"
You would skate on to the Drogheda board with that logic / sense of humour (delete as appropriate)
Maybe they just don't want to give money to their fiercest rivals? Seems reasonable to me.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Yes, they do rent the stadium out dirt cheap. They play schools rugby, U19s games, women's games - these aren't events that attract thousands. They make a real effort to get all and any events held there and I have no doubt they have been lobbying Drogs for some time to have the games held there. Dundalk, on the other hand, probably aren't hugely pushed about renting the stadium out unless it's really worth their while, ie the money is very good. Add to that the fact players hate the surface in Oriel, and the fact that Swedish players will be much more used to artificial surfaces than they are, it's not hard to see why they'd want to go with the Tallaght option, even if it is inconvenient for their local support.
I think Drogs have done a good enough job of that so far.
You have a point. The pitch could be a factor.
Drogheda like to play long balls into the corners. The Oriel Park surface is fast and suits teams with a passing/possession style of play. Every team plays to it's strengths, so perhaps they realise that Oriel Park is not for them.
Leaving an extra few millimeters of grass in Tallaght and not watering the pitch may be a better option.
Loving how wound up the Dundalk fans on here are getting that the Drogs didn't choose to play on their pitch. I could think of one good reason not to hold the game in Dundalk - the awful pitch!! Speaking as a Drogs from from the town who knows what he is talking about, holding the game in Dundalk over Tallaght would not attract a noticeable amount more to turn out. I also know that SDCC is not THAT expensive to rent! Get over it lads! :-)
Exactly, although I wouldn't go as far as saying it "suits" anybody - it forces Dundalk to play a short game but it hampers them when they would actually benefit from going more direct. To be honest, apart from being nearby I can't think of a single reason why Drogs would want to play in Oriel.
You're right apologies.
Still think Dundalk need to get over themselves though. I don't want it played in Tallaght either, would prefer Dayler myself tbh.
It could just come down to Drogheda not wanting to play on an artificial pitch. That and I wouldn't be in a rush to show the Molde fans the away section in Oriel.
As far away as Tallaght is, it is still an impressive ground that reflects well for a European tie. We don't know the ins and outs of the cost of pitch rental so that is all speculation. Our crowds won't be great regardless of where it's played anyway.
You've got no fans.
That's it in a nutshell. It might surprise you but most Dundalk fans wish you well in Europe.
You are missing an opportunity to develop your support base. It's bad enough not being able to play your home ties in Drogheda but choosing not to play them in Louth???
Also, if the reason really is the pitch, why are you planning the same pitch for your new ground?
Closer to home I suppose. Have good memories of the games against Kiev, IK Start etc.
I understand that most Dundalk fans wish us well, and it would be vise versa from me if the foot was on the other shoe.
Is playing a tie against Malmo (most likely going to lose anyway) going to enhance our fanbase by playing it in Oriel as opposed to anywhere else? Really?? Don't think so. The people of Drogheda and Louth to a lesser extent have had many opportunities to back the team and for the most part they don't.
I haven't heard a lot about the plans for the new pitch. Taking it all with a pinch of salt until I see some action.
You've got no fans.
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