Harps winner against Bohs was a bit of a cracker. Ascroft picked the ball up in midfield himself, played in the cross, and scored the winner. Not a bad minute of action from him.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
It's difficult to know if you are taking about the past, present or the future, but there is little evidence to back up your view
Past
Rovers currently have 52 points from 26 matches - an average of 2.0 per match
That average points per match would have achieved maximum of 3rd place in any of the last 5 years since Cork became prominent in 2014
Present
Rovers are currently second - of course they would be top if it wasn't for Dundalk.
However Cork were well ahead of Rovers current 52 points total at this stage last year. Rovers current performance levels would have them in 3rd place last season.
Cork demise has opened the door for Rovers and has led to lots of hype and delusions about their performances
Future
Who knows - perhaps a lot depends on whether they retain the manager or not?
Shamrock Rovers have clearly improved and have added some more strength in recent signings, but have a distance to travel yet
Limerick's first loss to Cabinteely last night. Is the season over yet?
If Harps escape relegation Ollie Horgan might get a call from a panicking owner in the EPL in January to save them from relegation
Goes to show what consistant hard work can achieve and how things can come together. Obviously still a way to go but I dont think Harps fans can ask much more than givE themselves a chance to stay up. Assuming UCD are relegated fixtures in the run in suit Harps even if its just that Cork have Dundalk and Rovers in their last 2 fixtures so on the form guide getting within 5/6 points and staying there to the very end could see a very dramatic relegation play-off place battle. I dont think either would lose the play-off when the chips are down but as things are right now Harps being on the upward curve and Cork at best plateaued Harps would be the more positive even with Horgan's merchant of doom act. A lot of football still to be played at both ends of the table!
It can still all turn very quickly and I wouldn't rule out UCD yet,they still have a game in hand on us one good result for them,which they're capable of and its back in the mixer,one thing we do have in our favour is we still have UCD and Waterford to come to Finn Park,it'll certainly be an intriguing end to the season.
Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.
Problem for us is we've only three home games left of nine, and have only one away point all season.
Could have been so much different of course not just if we'd not lost players (Farrugia particularly annoying as he's still in college, but also O'Neill, Davis and Molloy), but also injuries and suspensions haven't helped. Josh Collins, Seán MacDonald, Evan Osam, Kearns of course - they've all missed a lot of games, and we just don't have the squad for that. And even when we didn't lose a player - Scales - we've still gotten messed around.
Obviously there's a long way to go yet and it's only a few weeks since we beat Harps to put daylight the other way, so things can change. But if nothing else, we've another 8 scholarship players coming in shortly and worst case scenario is we should be challenging for the First Division title next season. And obviously fair dues to Harps if they can reach the play-offs - or even stay up - even though I do think Horgan is an absolute blight on the league.
I think I’ll be putting the passport away for now. We have been rubbish of late and if we are not careful we could be out of Top 4 altogether.
We.re not being pulled, we're going of our own free will
At the moment we're praying for Harps to return to form & stop winning
That was one God awful game.
Pats were as bad as us but at least they tried to play & managed to hold onto the ball.
Highlight of the night was Clifford getting booked for diving
Clarke must have thought he was in the back garden playing with kids so little had he to do.
I can't wait for this season to end.
Cobh get a late late winner to beat shels 1-0
Not shocked by that. Shels have been on a run of winning games without playing consistently well and I was concerned after last weekends positive results there might have been early some champagne cork popping inside players and some fans minds. There was always plenty of rope to hang ourselves with Cobh (a), Longford (a), Bray (h), Drogheda (a), Limerick (h)
Title race firmly back on between Shels, Drogheda and Longford
The Leinster Senior League needs a strong Bohemians
Yup. And now into the last 9 league games of the season, we effectively have the FAI Cup and the LSC only just starting. A club going on a run in both competitions will be swamped.
Agree with this, it’s certainly the speed of the decline of Cork that I just can’t understand. This is still a full time training squad who should at a very minimum be comfortable in mid table. The players must have almost given up and that has to unacceptable.
Im sure most are still on decent contracts, wages wise. It’s a real pity as Cork is one of our great sporting cities / areas, and were easily the best supported in LOI for home league games from around 2014-2018.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
It should be added that there shouldnt be a supporter across the league that would gloat at Cork's demise, Dundalk and Rovers as the current top two were not so long ago in the first division slugging it out for promotion (with one Vinny Perth practicing the dark arts in the Rovers side then). There isnt a club that hasnt gone through the full cycle of boom and bust!
Do I care about Cork's current stock? No not particularly. Can I empathise with Cork supporters frustration? Absolutely!!
Last edited by Nesta99; 04/08/2019 at 11:12 AM.
see in the first division that both shels,drogs and us have to play Bray and considering Bray want to make the playoffs its all to play for and I wouldnt be surprised to see a shock in one of these games!
Gary Cronin is he the right man to manage Longford Town?
Ya. Cotter was Caulfields assistant for 5 years. Expecting him to start playing a completely different style was never going to happen IMO. He is Caulfield light but with far less intensity. The players don't look like they are being inspired by him. 0 passion.
I don't know how winning a league could be a negative but If Maguire doesn't win the league in 2017, does Caulfield lose his job? I don't know if the old board would have done it, but there would have been large dissent from the stands, myself included. There were calls for him to be let go in 2016...
Ya. No passion in the players at the moment.
There are rumours that Cotter is confident in getting the job. He is deluded if he thinks this. When the job was advertised the board told him to apply. My own feeling was that was done out of courtesy. He feels it is nailed on for him?? Don't know. It would be a disaster if he were appointed.
Fans will have no say in the appointment. Only the elected board.
On the finances, the way budgets work at City is that the manager is given the money and is free to spend it as he chooses. Having seen Caulfield spend a large budget has made me re think my opinion on directors of football who rein in wasteful managers. We had a squad of 29 at the start of the season made up mainly of squad fillers. The wastefulness was tragic. Much better to have a tighter squad of higher quality IMO.
The old board set the budget for the coming season and it turns out they were very generous to Caulfield. The new board discovering that there is no nest egg (despite members voting a few years ago to have one in place) and the 2019 budget was set at a level that required attendances of 4000 per game. Ridiculous. Caulfield blows all the money and the current board, and Cotter, have been trimming a lot of the fat from the squad this summer. There has been finger pointing from supporters of old board to supporters of new board and vice versa but my own opinion is that the new board will do well when the mess is sorted. Any dissent you here will be coming from the old board who squandered all the money.
We have only 2 players contracted for 2020 so there is no legacy issues re contracts and the new man has a blank canvass more or less but will have to operate a budget that doesn't include European money as we will not get there now.
If that new man is Cotter,, I despair. The new board are smart people. They hardly would. Would they....
All fair comment. Not at all as per PC's claim that Dundalk fans are revelling in the Leeside fall from grace, the opposite is the case for some who miss the niggle. A few years nip and tuck with Rovers will occupy those types. I dont see how a board (legally) can overturn or ignore a decision by the members. There is little recourse but that alone should mean they'd be in for heavy criticism from all quarters. While Cotter wouldnt be an appointment that would galvanise supporters maybe he is hamstrung by the issues you mention - cleaning up a mess left and would be doing things differently if it were possible. I do think an appointment during the season gives a new manager that added time to assess things going forward assuming there isnt a risk of relegation.
On an assistant taking over, and its by no means menat as the Dundalk way is the best way, but there are notable differences between Perth and Kenny. Perth is quicker to make changes when they are needed 1st half, half time and so on which you wouldnt have seen under SK. Perth also rotates and utilises the squad more - partly by necessity this season but squad players were allowed get stale imo in previous seasons whereas this season all possible combinations of players at the back have featured for example. Perth obviously wants to build his own legacy but a lot of what he is doing makes sense and this isnt a revisionist take on the Kenny era where some of the shine has come off due to him leaving. One of the main criticisms of SK during his time at Dundalk was an almost belligerent loyalty to players he payed to bring in when other options might have been better for selection.
Who knows maybe Cotter and the board at Cork have had this very type of conversation and he is in with a shout and he can then build and play 'his own team'!?
Last edited by Nesta99; 07/08/2019 at 10:04 AM.
Apparently motions voted at FORAS meetings are not binding for the board and so it is legal to ignore them. That said, the board should be ashamed for 1. Ignoring the members and 2. For not being prudent in having a nest egg. Especially given the recent Arkaga and Tom Coughlan mismanagement of finances.
I agree about making the permanent appointment now so the new guy can make assessments now, but I don't think appointing a new manager plus background staff is affordable. Plus all the existing coaches have to be paid too. Hence appointing from within. Apparently Healy and Bennett were approached before Cotter and they knocked it back. So we are where we are.
I have heard the argument in Cotters favour that this is not his team/mess etc. But he can't be completely disassociated from the Caulfield era. Plus, whatever about poor tactics/team selection, the players haven't looked motivated and John Cotter is not one to inspire IMO. Plus the fact that 5/6 starters were in the league winning side means they should be doing better IMO.
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