Setanta Cup Final Attendence ???

**Buller** · 19/05/2005, 7:31 PM

Any guesstimates on how many people will be at the first setanta cup final between shels and linfield?!
Im going with 6 to 7,000....

**harpskid** · 19/05/2005, 7:48 PM

I'll say a disappointing 5,500

**�anna** · 19/05/2005, 7:49 PM

depends how many linfield bring. shels will have their usual 2,000 or so and maybe a few of the european rent-a-crowd lot will turn out

**Slash/ED** · 19/05/2005, 8:17 PM

Linfield are saying around 2,000 possibley more, I think that'd mean a ground of around 6,000.

**A face** · 19/05/2005, 8:54 PM

6000 is poor .... final should be full house in Tolka at least, to be fair there is no one could argue with that ... the money alone that is at stake it should be full !!

**Buller** · 19/05/2005, 9:14 PM

Originally Posted by A face

the money alone that is at stake it should be full !!

I couldn't agree more but with the barstool premiersh!t culture we have in ireland, should be normally doesn't have any impact on what it actually will be... we should expect at the very most 7 or 8,000, i'd be very suprised if it was a full house. Im still going with my guesstimate of 6,000

**Bosco** · 19/05/2005, 9:18 PM

Be realistic Aface,of course it SHOULD be a full house,the same way any final SHOULD be a full house,the same way the setanta cup final should be the talk of the country but it will be the Fa cup final.The interest just isnt there.I would guess 6,000

**�anna** · 19/05/2005, 10:16 PM

Pity we didn't get to the final, I reckon we'd have brought 4 or 5,000. Amazing the number of city fans/day trippers who appear when a trophy appears on the horizon

**Stevo Da Gull** · 19/05/2005, 11:30 PM

3500-4500

. Attendences for the comp are'nt as good as I had expected but thats probably because people would rather sit on their a*se at home and watch the match than go to it.So maybe the viewing figures are good.

**Poor Student** · 19/05/2005, 11:34 PM

Anyone have any idea how the comp did from a TV viewership perspective?

**harry crumb** · 20/05/2005, 12:52 AM

5000 is what Ollie Byrne expected.

Its depressing in fairness. What do you expect from a City of west-brits.

But the fans that will be there will make it a great occasion.

**carrickharp** · 20/05/2005, 6:50 AM

Would say around the 5,000 mark as well.

**patsh** · 20/05/2005, 8:03 AM

A major problem is that Setanta is a rival to RTE and TVMoron, so they are going to ignore it as much as possible, only mentioning it as a fixture, rather than the major event that it is.

I'm sick that we won't be there, and I'll say again that only for appalling reffing we would have been, but I really hope that Tolka is full and there is a decent game with a few goals.
Hoping for 6,000+......

**drummerboy** · 20/05/2005, 8:11 AM

Is it the type of match to bring your kids to?

**gspain** · 20/05/2005, 8:19 AM

Originally Posted by patsh

A major problem is that Setanta is a rival to RTE and TVMoron, so they are going to ignore it as much as possible, only mentioning it as a fixture, rather than the major event that it is.

I'm sick that we won't be there, and I'll say again that only for appalling reffing we would have been, but I really hope that Tolka is full and there is a decent game with a few goals.
Hoping for 6,000+......

Fair point but why do they ignore our league and cup then?

**Cosmo** · 20/05/2005, 8:25 AM

there's a guy here at work that used bring his kids to dublin city matches last season - feel sorry for the kids!! (as he is unable to go to fridaty night matches). He was thinking of bringing them to the final tomorrow but decided it against it as he reckons it wouldn't be the best of matches to bring them to re: potential for trouble, sectarian chanting, etc etc.

I personally think he's being way ott and its a pity because i reckon it'll be a cracking atmosphere.

**patsh** · 20/05/2005, 8:27 AM

Originally Posted by gspain

Fair point but why do they ignore our league and cup then?

I'm not defending RTE/TVMoron, merely pointing out that they have a commercial excuse to ignore this competition. Both stations will make a huge deal out of a cup final in a different country tomorrow, and barely mention Setanta....

**Drumcondra Red** · 20/05/2005, 8:51 AM

The attendances have been poor for all of the Setanta Cup games, (Cork's 80,000 being the exception!!!) it just wasn't advertised well enough, and the promotion of the final has been rather poor too, I don't just have to wait till Saturday!

**dcfcsteve** · 20/05/2005, 9:12 AM

Originally Posted by patsh

I'm not defending RTE/TVMoron, merely pointing out that they have a commercial excuse to ignore this competition. Both stations will make a huge deal out of a cup final in a different country tomorrow, and barely mention Setanta....

TV3 havn't ignored Setanta at all - they usually show the goals on Sports Tonight just after the games. Eircom League weekly has mentioned the Setanta, but from memory hasn't really shown the goals though. I'm guessing the show is pre-recorded, so if it is they could be ignoring Setanta out of the fact that this prevents them showing the games from earlier that evening (i.e. they'd always be over a week behind in their coverage of it).

RTE are the real sinners here, though I'm not convinced it's some well-thought Machiavellian commercial strategy on their part to ignore it. I'd bet money on the feckers in the sports department just not even being aware of when Setanta games are on etc. Amateur ignorance, rather than professional competitivenesss.

**patsh** · 20/05/2005, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

TV3 havn't ignored Setanta at all - they usually show the goals on Sports Tonight just after the games. Eircom League weekly has mentioned the Setanta, but from memory hasn't really shown the goals though. I'm guessing the show is pre-recorded, so if it is they could be ignoring Setanta out of the fact that this prevents them showing the games from earlier that evening (i.e. they'd always be over a week behind in their coverage of it).

RTE are the real sinners here, though I'm not convinced it's some well-thought Machiavellian commercial strategy on their part to ignore it. I'd bet money on the feckers in the sports department just not even being aware of when Setanta games are on etc. Amateur ignorance, rather than professional competitivenesss.

TVMoron refer to it as like any other sports competiton going on in the country, they don't treat it as a major event, and given the cross-border demension, it is a major event.
RTE radio do carry reports of the games, talk about it on their sports bulletins, and have had discussions on it on Saturday Sport, and it's often mentioned on their Friday night show, so RTE know very well it's going on.
I believe that RTE TV are deliberately ignoring it, as Setanta are a rival who nabbed F1 off them, bid against them for GAA coverage, and are a serious competitor for certain sports events.

Setanta could have promoted it a bit more though, and having the final a week later, or even on next Sunday would be a bit better, but it will be lost in the coverage of the Northwest 200 in the North, and the f*pping FA Cup Final here.