Next LoI player to play for Ireland?

[Sliogán Dóite]

But how many internationals do Dunfermline have in their first team? Zero.

It would have been funny if you had have said Aberdeen, as an international called Zero played for them...

[Donal81]

In fairness, the Premier League is one of the fastest leagues in the world and Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool would be in the top bracket of clubs in the world (well not Liverpool but I had to include them for obvious reasons). It's definitely in the top 5 of leagues.

[Closed Account 2]

define a "decent" league then?

A league which contains a team (or teams) who have reached either the group stages of the Champions League or the latter stages of the UEFA Cup (say within the last 5-10 years). This would give you :-

- Serie A
- Spanish Liga
- German Bundesliga
- English Premier League
- French League
- Greek League
- Dutch League
- Turkish League
- Scottish League
- Portuguese League
- Belgian League (Anderlecht, Clubb Brugge etc have been in the CL groups a few times)
- Ukrainian League (Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donestsk as above)
- Czech League (Prague as above)
- Russian League (Lokomotiv, Spartak, CSKA Moscow in CL, latter also won UEFA Cup)
- Norwegian League (Rosenborg)
- Serbian League (Partizan were in the CL groups 2 years ago)
- Croatian League (Dinamo/Croatia Zagreb were in the CL groups a few years ago)
- Swedish League (AIK Solna were in the Champions League groups about 5-6 years ago IIRC)
- Danish League (Bronby as above)
- Finnish League (HJ Helsinki - as above)
- Swiss League (Basle in CL groups 2-3 years ago)
- Israeli League (Maccabi Tel Aviv and Haifia were in the CL recently)
I think Maribor (of Slovenia) might have been in the group stages but not sure when

If you take this years UEFA Cup into account youve also got Romanian and Austrian Teams getting to the latter stages of that competition. Also Steaua Bucharest and Sturm Graz have both been in the CL Groups but I think in both cases it may have been more than 10 years ago.

The EL is improving, but it badly needs to have a representative in the Champions League groups (or even in the new UEFA Cup groups) if it is to be viewed well in terms of other leagues in Europe. Hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later.

[pete]

The EL is improving, but it badly needs to have a representative in the Champions League groups (or even in the new UEFA Cup groups) if it is to be viewed well in terms of other leagues in Europe. Hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later.

What the eL needs is for all 3 teams to contribute to the coefficient ranking points as for all shels performances bohs & longford under achieved last year. With probably all 3 eL sides seeded in their qualifying rounds this year minimum expectation would be for all 3 to make it to 2nd qualifying round. The eL is too far way from moving to 2nd qualifying rounds automatically.

[Mayo Red]

LOI is an absolute joke, it's full of plumbers and janitors.

Obviously a well thought out and balanced view from an Eircom League regular!!

[the 12 th man]

LOI is an absolute joke, it's full of plumbers and janitors. The Premiership is arguably the best (certainly top three) league in the world. No comparison. The fourth place striker on the worst team in the Premiership is miles ahead of the best player in the LOI.

without a doubt the poorest attempt to troll i've seen for a long time.
not even funny.......................

[Colbert Report]

I'm not trying to troll. It's my honest opinion. Honestly, name me one player in the EL who would start for ANY team in ANY position in the Premiership.

[pineapple stu]

With respect, you would expect Crewe and Coventry to blow away a bunch of students at any given time. UCD are one of the poorest sides in the NL Premier Division, who are regularly relegated from the top flight.

mypost now added to "idiots" list...

UCD are currently seventh in the Premier - nearly top half, in other words. Only half the team are currently students. We have been relegated once in the last 15 years when Doolin screwed us over, and were fourth in the league as recently as 1999/2000. If this sort of ignorance is what you're basing your argument on, I think we can very safely throw it out the window.

[mypost]

If UCD are the wonderful team you perceive them to be, why do most neutrals not want them in the Premier Division? Because they contribute nothing to the league in terms of football, fans, atmosphere, or ambition. Like it or not, the likes of Shels, Cork, Pats, and Bohs don't want them around.

The apparant world-beaters that are UCD, lost their first 7 games of the season when they were last in the top flight. I went to one of those games as a neutral when they played Cork at home. Cork had barely won an away game for a year, yet comprehensively thrashed them 3-0 on their own pitch. They were duly relegated.

Their game plan, particularly away from home, is to put 10 men behind the ball, hoof the ball aimlessly up the park, batter the opposition black-and-blue for 90 minutes, and hope to sneak a point. Occasionally it works, like at Shels and Cork, other times it's a disaster like what happened at Finn Harps and at Pats this season. It never changes, period! Watching them play is a painful experience. All they do is reinforce the negative impression that neutrals have of the league.

If UCD are the galacticos of the NL that their fans perceive them to be, maybe we should have a thread entitled "will a UCD player ever play for Ireland?" Unfortunately, that would be a very short thread!

[jofyisgod]

I'm not trying to troll. It's my honest opinion. Honestly, name me one player in the EL who would start for ANY team in ANY position in the Premiership.

Fool. I'd struggle to name any Championship player worthy of that, no matter eL. Since when have we been comparing the eL to the Premiershít anyway? No eL fan would claim they are of a similar standard, it's just not realistic.

I take it that you have never seen an eL match, if not never, then certainly not in the past 3 years. At Cork City, the majority of the team are professionals, not as you so eloquently put it 'janitors and plumbers'. Shels are a class outfit too, and would certainly give jokers like Crystal Palace,etc. a run for their money.

BTW, I'd rate Jason Byrne higher than Kevin Lisbie, who I'd guess is Charlton's 4th choice striker.

[Poor Student]

It would have been funny if you had have said Aberdeen, as an international called Zero played for them...

Sadly he died in a car accident a few months ago. Hicham Zerouli was his name I think. A Moroccan.

[Poor Student]

I think Maribor (of Slovenia) might have been in the group stages but not sure when

They qualified in the 99/00 season beating Lyon 3-0 on agg in the 3rd round qualifiers. They picked up four points in the group stages with an away win against Dynamo Kiev and an away draw to Leverkusen. The SNL is a poor league though which is declining. Maribor are now crap and in finanacial trouble and the other big club Olimpija Ljubljana are dead.

[Poor Student]

If UCD are the wonderful team you perceive them to be, why do most neutrals not want them in the Premier Division? Because they contribute nothing to the league in terms of football, fans, atmosphere, or ambition. Like it or not, the likes of Shels, Cork, Pats, and Bohs don't want them around.

Because you don't like it when our little club often takes your respective scalps.

The apparant world-beaters that are UCD, lost their first 7 games of the season when they were last in the top flight. I went to one of those games as a neutral when they played Cork at home. Cork had barely won an away game for a year, yet comprehensively thrashed them 3-0 on their own pitch. They were duly relegated.

True we had a bad start that season but Stu or someone would know better, under Pete Mahon in the last 3rd of the season were we not one of the form teams?

Their game plan, particularly away from home, is to put 10 men behind the ball, hoof the ball aimlessly up the park, batter the opposition black-and-blue for 90 minutes, and hope to sneak a point. Occasionally it works, like at Shels and Cork, other times it's a disaster like what happened at Finn Harps and at Pats this season. It never changes, period! Watching them play is a painful experience. All they do is reinforce the negative impression that neutrals have of the league.

Rubbish. We don't even have the type of players suffieicent to play Route 1, our strikers are small or medium sized. We're one of the better football teams. We keep the ball on the deck.

If UCD are the galacticos of the NL that their fans perceive them to be, maybe we should have a thread entitled "will a UCD player ever play for Ireland?" Unfortunately, that would be a very short thread!

I could bat about names like Quigley, Tony McDonnell etc., what does that prove? Rovers hardly have a litany of potential ROI internationals amongst their ranks either.

UCD will always pay their players on time, offer good facilities, never cause any hooligan problems, continually produce a conveyor belt of future players for other eL teams and more often than not compete well in the Premier Division. I'd worry more about your own club without a home, poor track record of paying players, rooted to the bottom of the table and hardly playing sexy football themselves.

[pineapple stu]

If UCD are the wonderful team you perceive them to be

When did I say that we were a wonderful team? I merely refuted your point that we were one of the worst in the Premier and were always gteting relegated. The rest of your argument is some pointless anti-UCD rant which has nothing to do with the thread. I'm not arguing for a call-up for any of our players. I'm merely pointing out that (a) we aren't anywhere near as bad as you make us out to be and that (b) your conclusions which rely on that theory are stupid. I didn't think a more idiotic post than your previous one was possible, but hey, credit where it's due - you've proven me wrong...

Occasionally it works, like at Shels and Cork, other times it's a disaster like what happened at Finn Harps and at Pats this season.

I assume you're basing such views on having been at the games, of course? No? Didn't think so. Just making things up to suit yourself then.

True we had a bad start that season but Stu or someone would know better, under Pete Mahon in the last 3rd of the season were we not one of the form teams?

Yep, we had 12 points in 20 games under Doolin (seem to remember Rovers taking 11 games to register a win during the mid-90s...completely different, of course), but in the last 16 games - nearly half the season - we were fourth on form with the best defence in the country by a good bit and an average goal scored total. In our last game, we played the Cup winners completely off the park. Presumably, of course, by putting ten men behind the ball...

[Qwerty]

I'm not trying to troll. It's my honest opinion. Honestly, name me one player in the EL who would start for ANY team in ANY position in the Premiership.

The Premiership is the richest league in the world, each team fielding several internationals, some teams are basically are International Selects - why be so perverse as to pick that league as it is better than 99% of leagues in the world?

Several eL players have gone straight into Scottish Premier teams - Byrne, Dempsey & Hunt. I'm sure that many eL players would fit into many Eurpeans league teams.

[mypost]

Winners of U21 league last year.

So what?? What do you want? A street parade? Or perhaps a parade around the Belfield campus, in your case. Winning the U21 league is about as important to NL football, as who finished 8th in the 1st Division two seasons ago!! Nobody gives a toss.

No ambition for the future obviously there? Contribute nothing? How many ex UCD players are amongst the top in the league? Quite a few.

The ex quote sums it up. They wanted to move to a club whose ambitions matched theirs.

Clive Delaney left UCD for West Ham a couple of years back.

West Ham released him soon afterwards. Good enough for amateur UCD, out of his depth for a poor professional club in England.

Like in Drogheda on Friday!!??

Congratulations!! Any team can score a winner, when there's no time left to equalise.

And we can start one with what Pats Rovers Bohs etc etc player will ever play for Ireland. That would b real long also.

I think you'll find that Bohs and Shels players HAVE actually played for Ireland.

In fairness to UCD fans, you're not alone. I give Home Farm the same treatment. And I'm not the only NL fan who feels that way about those clubs. In that case, (to quote p stu), there must be a lot of "idiots". Sorry that the thread has gone on a bit of a detour, but it was inevitable when a certain poster here declared that crap English teams blew away his side, the only NL side they could.

[Poor Student]

So what?? What do you want? A street parade? Or perhaps a parade around the Belfield campus, in your case. Winning the U21 league is about as important to NL football, as who finished 8th in the 1st Division two seasons ago!! Nobody gives a toss.

You claim we offer nothing to the league. We're a proper structured club who are bringing players through into this league and developing them and plan for the future.

The ex quote sums it up. They wanted to move to a club whose ambitions matched theirs.

We have our limitations but how many clubs don't? The point is we are developing quality players for this league. We don't just squander and blow everything in the present. We have a proper organised club structure (except under Doolan). You claim we offer nothing to the league. We offer a stable club which pays its players, competes and develops talent for the league.

West Ham released him soon afterwards. Good enough for amateur UCD, out of his depth for a poor professional club in England.

Good enough to be noticed by an EPL club. Good enough for high flying Derry City and good enough to play in one of the league's strongest defences when at UCD.

Congratulations!! Any team can score a winner, when there's no time left to equalise.

Well you want to pretend we're an unadventurous catenaccio side, yet you slag us when we go and win a game from behind away. Can't have it every way.

I think you'll find that Bohs and Shels players HAVE actually played for Ireland.

I think you'll find none of them will be winning another cap again. The point was no club has a great chance of having an international while at their club not just UCD.

In fairness to UCD fans, you're not alone. I give Home Farm the same treatment. And I'm not the only NL fan who feels that way about those clubs. In that case, (to quote p stu), there must be a lot of "idiots". Sorry that the thread has gone on a bit of a detour, but it was inevitable when a certain poster here declared that crap English teams blew away his side, the only NL side they could.

Well yes there are a lot of idiots who don't recognise our crowds even without away fans are bigger than a third of the league, we don't play catenaccio and we offer the league plenty and we compete well. We haven't been beaten by more than one goal this season. We're here to stay for a long time. Get used to it.

[Plastic Paddy]

Now that, through the unerring erudition and cogency of argument presented by Students Poor, Pineapple and co., we have seen asserted the fundamental and inalienable right of UCD FC to exist and indeed prosper in the top flight of Irish club football, do you think you could either take it elsewhere or just DROP IT AND MOVE ON?!?

Let's move somewhere back towards the thread topic. Thanks lads.

PP

[Plastic Paddy]

I have a feeling u might be fighting a loosing battle somehow!!!

Unless you want pistols at dawn, Shooter, drop it now please.

PP

[gustavo]

ive closed this before i'm closing it again both arguments have been done to death.