Shamrock Rovers entering a team in Div 1 next season

**sbgawa** · 20/02/2020, 1:53 PM

Originally Posted by Scrufil

So what happens if a group of fans decide to protest against their club playing Rovers II, & stand outside before the teams arrive? Will players be willing to pass the protest line? As fans we still have this right and as 'stakeholders' the FAI nua should pay more attention to what fans and clubs want. My opinion thus far is that the FAI nua is rubbish and they are just paying lip service to real change.

Genuine question ...what would you be protesting about.
Leave aside the integrity of the league question please (Limerick betting scandal / going bust/ cabo playing on a rugby pitch in front of 100 people. Kilkenny city Salt hill devon Graveyard etc etc etc)
This is purely a schoolboy club driven agenda with a few gullible people pulled in.

**The Lilywhites** · 20/02/2020, 2:01 PM

Originally Posted by RathfarnhamHoop

See Longfords social media guy is making a show of himself again

He'd be better off working on their graphics and content than that nonsense.

Don't see the issue with Rovers II personally. They're the only club that wanted to or had the resources to do it. Dundalk II would have been allowed to enter as well if the club had any actual interest in youth development outside of handing out the odd token contract for PR purposes.

Perth is on record backing the Rovers II idea although maybe that comment was angling for the Rovers job in the future!!

If it's only 1 outfield first team player allowed what's the big deal!

**osarusan** · 20/02/2020, 2:06 PM

Under 21s with only 1 outfield player from the senior squad seems reasonable.

I wonder will they just get kicked up and down the pitch all season.

**sbgawa** · 20/02/2020, 2:13 PM

First thing i would do if playing a bunch of 17/18/19 year olds would be to kick them up in the air and see how much they fancied it but then when i played you didnt get a yellow card unless you actually hit someone

HARD.

**RathfarnhamHoop** · 20/02/2020, 2:23 PM

Originally Posted by The Lilywhites

He'd be better off working on their graphics and content than that nonsense.

Don't see the issue with Rovers II personally. They're the only club that wanted to or had the resources to do it. Dundalk II would have been allowed to enter as well if the club had any actual interest in youth development outside of handing out the odd token contract for PR purposes.

Perth is on record backing the Rovers II idea although maybe that comment was angling for the Rovers job in the future!!

If it's only 1 outfield first team player allowed what's the big deal!

Same lad was giving out about rovers putting a team lineup in their highlights videos last season because it was giving away tactical insight, lad either hasn't a clue or has a massive chip on his shoulder.

Funnily enough no first division players have a problem with it either, it's just certain board members making it an issue and everyone and their mother knows what their real motives are.

**Martinho II** · 20/02/2020, 2:27 PM

Back in 2014 season when shamrock rovers B were last in the league I assume the same rules were in place and as said by another poster there was no major fuss at all if my memory serves me right I think it was the small amount of Shamrock Rovers senior players that couldnt make the first team that played in it. I think Dean Kelly was part of that rovers B squad when he played the odd game and he played for us a season later. I think Rovers B have genuine intentions so I think its a good compromise for now.

Way to go is have what we did in 09 season when we had the A championship.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 20/02/2020, 3:05 PM

Need to play it very carefully with any resurrection of the A Championship. It died off for several good reasons, and left the league with a massive headache with the situation in Galway. Some form of regionalisation, a limited schedule and strict adherence to licensing for any team's seeking promotion!

**pineapple stu** · 20/02/2020, 3:13 PM

Agree with that. The A Championship isn't a panacea for anything. The LoI has a huge problem in that it's largely disconnected from the rest of football in the country, and very few clubs want to play in it. The A Championship doesn't really address those two issues. It just adds another layer of "meh" for the most part.

Wasn't there teams who left their own local leagues to join the A Championship, and then had to rejoin at the bottom of the local rung when it folded? Or am I making that up?

**NeverFeltBetter** · 20/02/2020, 3:23 PM

Tralee Dynamos as I recall.

Edit: Yeah, they got bumped down two tiers in the Kerry District League. Strolled their way back to the top, but it was essentially two lost seasons for the club.

**pineapple stu** · 20/02/2020, 4:00 PM

That's who I was thinking of alright. Daft stuff

**RathfarnhamHoop** · 20/02/2020, 5:58 PM

Going to be so very sweet when we win the first division then the FDA demand that we're relegated to the newly created 3rd tier for devaluing the division

**Longfordian** · 20/02/2020, 6:16 PM

Is it actually spelled out anywhere that Rovers can't get promoted? What happens if they end up in a play off spot? I know it won't happen in all probability, just curious.

**outspoken** · 20/02/2020, 6:20 PM

Originally Posted by Longfordian

Is it actually spelled out anywhere that Rovers can't get promoted? What happens if they end up in a play off spot? I know it won't happen in all probability, just curious.

Yeah they can't be promoted and aren't eligible for play offs so 6th could be enough for play off place in a 10 team league which is ridiculous

**Asterix** · 20/02/2020, 6:32 PM

Originally Posted by outspoken

Yeah they can't be promoted and aren't eligible for play offs so 6th could be enough for play off place in a 10 team league which is ridiculous

Well thats down to the low number of teams in the league. Its not as if 5th in a 9 league team getting playy offs would have been better.

**gufct** · 20/02/2020, 6:35 PM

The total arrogance from Rovers supporters is unbelievable. I backed Kram back in the day as did loi supporters from all clubs so I find their lack of understanding or empathy for clubs fighting for their futures.

**pineapple stu** · 20/02/2020, 6:51 PM

I don't think Galway v Rovers II is all that comparable to Galway having Terryland sold from under them in fairness.

**RathfarnhamHoop** · 20/02/2020, 7:20 PM

Originally Posted by gufct

The total arrogance from Rovers supporters is unbelievable. I backed Kram back in the day as did loi supporters from all clubs so I find their lack of understanding or empathy for clubs fighting for their futures.

How on earth are clubs fighting for their futures? What possible detrimental impact could Rovers II have on another clubs solvency?

If anything financially its better for the other clubs. Take the fact it's Rovers out of it. A 10 team league playing each other 3 times with no midweek games is financially better than either a 9 team league playing each other 3 times so losing overall number of games and having weeks with no income, or a 9 team league playing each other 4 times which would mean weeks with no income and midweek games which at that level are almost guaranteed to be break even events at best.
So before you even factor in away fans just having a 10th team is financially better for the clubs. Then on the away fans front Rovers are bringing 40/50 fans on Saturday at least, for the first division that's a decent away crowd, won't happen every week but it will every so often and will financially benefit the home club when it does.

**Longfordian** · 20/02/2020, 7:50 PM

I for one welcome our new Rovers overlords. I have to say I know a lot of the powers that be at LTFC for a good while and have rarely disagreed with the route they've gone down whilst running the club but I just can't see the major problem. It's not ideal by any means but, and I'm being flippant, our new sponsor isn't going to pull out just because Limerick aren't in and Rovers II are. The integrity of the division etc is a nice idea but when it comes down to it at the end Drogs would feck over LTFC, LTFC would feck over Drogs, they'd both feck over Galway etc. Win your matches, finish as high as you can.

**Town Legend** · 20/02/2020, 8:40 PM

I find it funny how one of the reasons Rovers fans are giving as good reason for them to be included is the amount of fans they''ll bring. Last time they were in they brought no one!! How is this going to be any different??

**mcgonigle** · 20/02/2020, 9:40 PM

Originally Posted by Town Legend

I find it funny how one of the reasons Rovers fans are giving as good reason for them to be included is the amount of fans they''ll bring. Last time they were in they brought no one!! How is this going to be any different??

It's not, but they can't see past their own arrogance. In their heads they are the greatest thing to happen to football in this country. That's why they're all on here having a hissy fit that fans of other FD clubs aren't delighted with the privilege of playing the famous green and white hoops in the greatest stadium built by a county council