FAI Cup Final. Cork City V Dundalk 8/11/15

[White Horse]

It doesn't take 2 years to get fit.

Building up your core and being fit are two different things.

[oriel]

It wasn’t a great game, and the first half was terrible really. As the match wore on it was clear Dundalk would be the one pressing to win the game and especially in ET, I thought at that point it was just one sided, such was the fitness of Dundalk.

I got the impression if ever there was a game for Cork to beat Dundalk yesterday was that match, especially in the first half as we struggled to get a grip of the MF. I thought the same when Cork visited after we played BATE in July (1-1 draw), however once O’Donnell got going, and started his short passing, this seemed to breathe more life and belief into the side. Shields did well to slot into right full, however Towell was quiet enough in normal time, much more lively in ET, and Finn and Horgan were magnificent for most of the game. Mountney made a big difference when he came on, and will be thinking he should have started on the right. For Cork, Bennett was quality at the back, and Gaynor showed some great pace with decent crossing at times. We just got the feeling once it went to ET, there was going to be one winner only.

On Cork’s re-building, I would start with getting rid of Healy, he is far too slow, decent passer and can put in a tackle, but he offers little when the team are on the back foot, not sure about Miller either, but I`d be looking for younger guys in the middle, it’s an area that appears to be holding Cork back, just too slow. Thought that was a dreadful challenge on Gannon, especially the follow up leg coming through, nasty stuff, think this was Buckley, he didn’t even get booked.

Disappointing to read about the seats, and like another fan who mentioned this, it was the first thing someone said to me at work this am, FFS, it had to be negative. The fans have said it was only due to standing, but the photos suggest differently, another fine and probably a deduction from the prize money.

Overall it was a great day out, fantastic to see so many there with their small kids, ourselves included, it was a real big day out for all who went, 25,100 was good turnout, definitely over 10k there from DLK . Achieving another double and the clubs 3rd in total was just a great feeling.

Commiserations to Cork, but who knows if they have more self belief, they could have got something yesterday.

[Djm1901]

Went along as a neutral but decided to do my bit for the league and brought 9 others to their first LOI match in the hope of a decent game between the top 2 in the country. We got to the ground 30 mins early to make sure we got seats together in the unreserved premium section that were protected from the rain but just before kick off some of my guests went to get a bite to eat while I stayed behind. Along came an unpleasant Cork fan who took the seats and told me 'tough sh*t, if they all don't stay at their seats they can't keep them'. So our group were chucked down a few rows onto wet seats and Baltic conditions. Very frustrating trying to introduce people to the League and dispel the myth that LOI fans are unfriendly and unwelcoming when stuff like this happens.

Following that we ditched our status as neutrals and donned the Lilywhite colours for the day thanks also to some friendly Dundalk fans in our new seats. On the match itself, the weather didn't help contribute to a great spectacle and I felt the volume of fouls in the first half really stunted the game's flow. Highlight of the match for me (and my guests) was the incredible atmosphere generated by both sets of fans just before the end of he first 90 minutes. Congrats to Dundalk on a well deserved double; you've also earned 9 new fans in the process.

[seand]

Congrats to Dundalk on a well deserved double; you've also earned 9 new fans in the process.

Where were you when we were sh1te?

[CuanaD]

News editors can't wait to write stories about "football hooligans". It helps them to perpetuate the myth of the superior rubgy and GAA follower.

12 seats came lose when there was a surge after Richie scored an injury time winner. The club will pay the repair costs. What is the problem.

It's terrible journalism - there's certainly only 12 seats in those photos.

Looks to me like shoddy workmanship there - I see three weld-joints that have given way, I'd worry about the quality of the metals & joints here - all the damage is done to the metal parts & none to the plastic.

IMO I don't think any club should just 'pay the costs' - I'd be more for asking questions about the build & fit-out quality of the stadium here.

[pineapple stu]

Looks to me like shoddy workmanship there - I see three weld-joints that have given way, I'd worry about the quality of the metals & joints here - all the damage is done to the metal parts & none to the plastic.

IMO I don't think any club should just 'pay the costs' - I'd be more for asking questions about the build & fit-out quality of the stadium here.

[carrickharp]

25,103 the attendance according to twittererer

Sure I told ye that on Friday in the predictions league competition ; )

[seand]

Watching back lat night Tony O'Donoghue's interview with a visibly gutted Alan Bennett did nothing for Bennett's mood I'd guess. I'm paraphrasing, but his three leading questions were along the lines of 'you were beaten by the better team there.... it was a bit like when you lost in 2005..... will you be retiring now'

[Mr A]

Yeah I thought that at the time. A real Tony O'Donoghue special.

[colonelwest]

Really? The major columnists in the newspapers (I'm thinking, for example, Keith Duggan or Ken Earley in The Irish Times) never go near the LOI. Just looking at the IT and Examiner websites this morning, the Dundalk Cork match is hardly prominent. I remember - thirty or forty years ago - when the Cup Final was regarded as a major sporing event by the newspapers, and the coverage reflected that. I'd guess coverage of English football and Irish football was about 50/50 back then. It must be 80/20 now in favour of the Premiership, if not more. Credit to McDonnell, Liam Mackey and a few others, but they're lonely voices.

Each journo covers a different beat; Earley for one rarely if ever has anything to do with the LOI as Emmet Malone covers the LOI and the national team for the IT (and does a good job of it in my opinion), Earley mostly covers the UK football & Second Captains is his main gig these days and Duggan is the Chief Sport writer for the IT, he covers mostly the GAA. Can't speak to the Examiner as I wouldn't be a regular reader of it either online or in print.

30/40 years ago there wasn't wall to wall coverage of every ball kicked or sport played worldwide. At a glance there now the 2nd byline/ headline on the IT sports section is Dundalk complete the double and in the national league section there's plenty of coverage there and the IT would have the least coverage out of the IT, Indo, Star, Sun etc. Neil O'Riordan and his young fella do great coverage for the league in the Sun as well.

It's tv and radio (& the FAI to a fair degree as well) as opposed to print/ online outlets where the league lacks any sort of advertising or coverage bar Soccer Republic and the odd perfunctory mention of the scores on the news.

I don't doubt that Dundalk were fitter and stronger, but why is that?
Why should any team be fitter or stronger than any other at the end of the season?
I would have thought that talent, tactics, missing players etc would be areas where some teams could have an insurmountable advantage but surely fitness is some everyone should be able to achieve and shouldn't be the deciding factor. Do some teams still not take strength/fitness seriously?

When Stephen Kenny came in one of the first things he did was to get Graham Byrne in and he has total control over the squads strength and conditioning and dietary stuff, he's the head of DCU's fitness department. The lads follow his plans down to the smallest detail and even over the close season will be working on a program, think they'll be getting their close season details come the end of the month off him.

[Asterix]

It's terrible journalism - there's certainly only 12 seats in those photos.

Looks to me like shoddy workmanship there - I see three weld-joints that have given way, I'd worry about the quality of the metals & joints here - all the damage is done to the metal parts & none to the plastic.

IMO I don't think any club should just 'pay the costs' - I'd be more for asking questions about the build & fit-out quality of the stadium here.

The seats aren't designed for people to be standing on them, if dundalk fans were standing on them and they broke then the club should pay.

[Sean South]

The seats aren't designed for people to be standing on them, if dundalk fans were standing on them and they broke then the club should pay.

Or the security company for not doing what they are paid to do... It's only a few seats anyway, I don't see why there was a big deal made out of it.

[Dunny]

The seats aren't designed for people to be standing on them, if dundalk fans were standing on them and they broke then the club should pay.

I'll happily supply a Bag of cement,a barrowful of sand and a few nuts and bolts up to Lansdowne to sort out the job if people will stop wittering on about this stupid fcuking non story! What a crock

[Dodge]

I'll happily supply a Bag of cement,a barrowful of sand and a few nuts and bolts up to Lansdowne to sort out the job if people will stop wittering on about this stupid fcuking non story! What a crock

Will you sort out the away section in Oriel first?

[Dunny]

Will you sort out the away section in Oriel first?

You get the OK from Gerry and it'll be done.

[White Horse]

Will you sort out the away section in Oriel first?

That will take more than a bag of cement.

[ger121]

I'll happily supply a Bag of cement,a barrowful of sand and a few nuts and bolts up to Lansdowne to sort out the job if people will stop wittering on about this stupid fcuking non story! What a crock

It made the papers so it's not a non-story. On a good day for the League it was a negative story and could have been avoided. One thing is sure, the seats didn't fold themselves. Maybe instead of getting all agro on here, you should direct your anger towards those from your club who caused the damage.

[White Horse]

The damage is not that bad.

[Dunny]

It made the papers so it's not a non-story. On a good day for the League it was a negative story and could have been avoided. One thing is sure, the seats didn't fold themselves. Maybe instead of getting all agro on here, you should direct your anger towards those from your club who caused the damage.

Getting all agro
Get Jim Cusack from the Indo on to this story and it'll be a diesel laundering criminal RA border rats wreck national stadium headline in no time
Did it make the print edition?

[punkrocket]

Building up your core and being fit are two different things.

Agreed, but 2 seasons? come on.
We're talking basics here, same with nutrition.