Games Friday 10th to Saturday 18th September

[SeanDrog]

Bizarre game, Drogs well worth the lead at half time but Bohs wasted 4 great chances in 2nd half.Stunning goal by Burt.Top class saves by Drogs keeper.
Lose on Monday and cup is only real option for Bohs to qualify for Europe.

I’ve been reading some harsh words about bohs first half performance but most teams would have dropped the heads - bohs dialled up the gears and really threw everything at us and on another night may have won, they should take the positives from that.

For Drogs that’s 7 points from 9 (Dundalk Sligo bohs) so hopefully that’s us pulling out of our mid season slump - the signing of McRedmond was a coup as it sorted our defense out. Lyons back training so hopefully he’s back soon too.

[placid casual]

Everyone can relax now into their usual positions.
Order has been restored.

[trevy]

Add Rob Harvey(again) to the list of incompetent referees from last night. Waterford fans were already dreading him refereeing for Shamrock Rovers before the game and he lived up to expectations. The usual response of the FAI is to ban managers who speak out about referees instead of trying to improve standards of referees or dropping the ones who are causing problems every week.
It was the same in the Sligo v St Pats game when there was a blatant trip on a St Pats player in the box in the 2nd half and ref was looking straight at it and waved play on.

[Nesta99]

Everyone can relax now into their usual positions.
Order has been restored.

The cream always rises to the top, Dundalks has soured but thats a temporary issue. Rovers have give no shortage of chances to make this and interesting title race but no one is able to step up. If its not the classic worst league season ever, it will certainly rank as one of the easiest ever where champions can drop points, play poorly, have a load of players out so using a patched up team and still just do enough. If it wasnt for Bill and rowing in messing on playing affairs, this may have been Dundalk's cakewalk!

[sbgawa]

Add Rob Harvey(again) to the list of incompetent referees from last night. Waterford fans were already dreading him refereeing for Shamrock Rovers before the game and he lived up to expectations. The usual response of the FAI is to ban managers who speak out about referees instead of trying to improve standards of referees or dropping the ones who are causing problems every week.
It was the same in the Sligo v St Pats game when there was a blatant trip on a St Pats player in the box in the 2nd half and ref was looking straight at it and waved play on.

The defender blocked the ball with his hand cast iron free kick.
To be fair to Harvey he was about 5 yards away and gave it instantly, i was 50 yards away and it was an obvious handball. i didnt think yellow card but i dont know if the rule is yellow for goalbound handball tbh
Complaining about the ref when you were lucky to get out at 2 nil rather than 5 nil is stupid. Waterford have been great recently and Bircham has done a great job turning it around but sometimes you just arent good enough and its nothing to do with the ref

[sbgawa]

The cream always rises to the top, Dundalks has soured but thats a temporary issue. Rovers have give no shortage of chances to make this and interesting title race but no one is able to step up. If its not the classic worst league season ever, it will certainly rank as one of the easiest ever where champions can drop points, play poorly, have a load of players out so using a patched up team and still just do enough. If it wasnt for Bill and rowing in messing on playing affairs, this may have been Dundalk's cakewalk!

I would agree up to a point.
Rovers had a thin squad last year and were lucky with injuries compared to this season.
The difference was Jack Byrne and Aaron McEneff were special creative players and that was how come we won so easily.
We weren't lucky to have them though they were sought out and signed by the manager.

Take those two out of the team and it was always going to be closer.
The squad is still relatively thin hence we had that really bad run of 7 or 8 matches when we had a load of injuries/suspensions.
The Dundalk league winning squads had much more depth after the first couple of years allowed them strengthen.
I'm hoping the euro money this year as well as the Scales / McEneff/ Zefi/Bazunu extras allow us to add more depth so if we have a load of injuries next year we have a bit more cover.
Luck?? you have to take advantage and you do kind of make your own as well.
We will need to strengthen as Derry look to be about to mount a charge Pats will improve and will have euro money to look forward to and Dundalk cant be as bad again.
Bohs might be regretting giving such a long contract to Long if they dont win the cup, lose to Harps on Monday and thats 10 losses this year from 24 matches. With a decent budget and the young players coming from St Kevins youd think they should be doing better (in such a weak league)

[DCWA]

I Dundalk cant be as bad again.

Why exactly?

[DCWA]

Seeing the footage from last night McGinlay seems to throw a punch although doesn’t connect. I am all for plenty of leeway so would be accepting of a booking for it but rules as they are probably justifies his sending off. Can’t see any reason for Thomson’s red. Again though it shouldn’t be hyped out of proportion, it was a scuffle over a football.

[joey B]

Seeing the footage from last night McGinlay seems to throw a punch although doesn’t connect. I am all for plenty of leeway so would be accepting of a booking for it but rules as they are probably justifies his sending off. Can’t see any reason for Thomson’s red. Again though it shouldn’t be hyped out of proportion, it was a scuffle over a football.

Joe Thomson escalates the whole situation though,fair enough Sadiki shouldn’t of held on to the ball but I don’t think there’s a sending off if Thomson doesn’t launch himself into Sadiki,anyway not gonna change anything now!

[thebronze14]

The answer to both of these questions to be honest is yes, absolutely. They did not “batter” Sadiki obviously that’s a fair bit OTT and in any case given the size of our Canadian comrade only 3 players is probably leaving themselves short staffed for the task of battering him.

Good game, wasn’t anything particularly nasty in it for me even including the brawl. I don’t think there should have been any reds. Harps really have it over Derry at the minute, have our number every time recently and full credit for it.

Again hate seeing this hyped up on social media / forums etc a lot of sh!te spoken (I don’t use any social media platform but do see screenshots etc of things circulating whatsapp). Need to take a deep breath and realise it was just an entertaining game of football between two okish mid table teams.

Olawabi who always impresses me was up front was poor tonight I thought especially with the timing of his runs, Higgins might reconsider that one yet.

Fair post. Draw fair result. We were lucky to be level at half time. We were much better second half but dropped too deep. Incident at the end was much ado about nothing. It's a derby game, good to see a bit of passion and indeed an open game. Great to see Harps go in these days with no fear against Derry. Hup Ireland's shame

[sbgawa]

Why exactly?

Why do I think Dundalk can't be as bad again? I just can't believe a squad including the core of a multiple league winning side can be as bad two seasons in a row. Even a blind dog finds the odd bone and u can't imagine the transfers being any worse than this years.....oh and they will surely sign a keeper

[sbgawa]

Tomney sends off a longford player for tripping a dundalk player who had three quarters of the pitch and 10 players to go.
Unbelievable decision , longford down to 9 men for last 5 mins ....

[CorribsideSteve]

Blackburn were relegated withing 5 years of winning the Premiership in 2000. Atletico Madrid got relegated 3 years after winning La Liga in 1997. I'm sure there's a few other sizable additions in the context of unlikely relegations not long after success. Are Dundalk going down? They ARE actually running out of time to avoid it now (or at the very least the Playoffs). I actually have a soft spot for them but this is as bad as they've been since the 2010's surely. Great win for Sligo last night after a woefully horrendous run both Domestically and in Europe, and Pats will feel they left that one behind them. Coughlan and especially Forrester had really poor games. Shamrock Rovers workmanlike steady plod to the title continues however. I would love to see Galway back in the top flight. Getting rid of Tommy Dunne when they were solidly midtable in the Premier have resulted in a few years wandering the graveyard. Hopefully they go up and Caulfield stays on a bit, as much as I've denounced his Wimbledon 1990 approach to style of play in the past.

[sbgawa]

Tomney sent Han off so it was 10 against 9 and then bottled it by not sending off cleary in the last minute when he took Nugent down who was clear on goal admittedly on the half way line but he sent off a Longford player for tripping a dundalk player way further out

[SeanDrog]

Longford 1-0 Dundalk .. 2 sendings off … as a Drog I enjoyed this match


Well fought Longford

[sbgawa]

Longford 1-0 Dundalk .. 2 sendings off … as a Drog I enjoyed this match


Well fought Longford

3 sendings off

[SeanDrog]

3 sendings off

I stand corrected missed the first one as game was on iPad while watching movie with the family even better result for Longford

It will be interesting to hear Vinny Perth’s post match reaction. I thought Dundalk would pull out of the play off spot but after tonight I’m not so sure.

[D24Saint]

Tomney sent Han off so it was 10 against 9 and then bottled it by not sending off cleary in the last minute when he took Nugent down who was clear on goal admittedly on the half way line but he sent off a Longford player for tripping a dundalk player way further out

That man must be the most useless pencil neck referee out there. He is absolutely hopeless.

[Bohtastic]

Tomney sends off a longford player for tripping a dundalk player who had three quarters of the pitch and 10 players to go.
Unbelievable decision , longford down to 9 men for last 5 mins ....

Thought that sending off was ridiculous. Didn't look particularly dangerous- may have merited a yellow as it was two footed, but the Dundalk player was running away, and looked like he had his heels clipped.
Dunno about Cleary and whether it should have been a red- maybe there was a covering player?
Couldn't see the Han sending off- Tomney suggested a stamp, but at the time I was wondering if there was a degree of "let's even it up" after Manley going.

[Nesta99]

Well at least the referee is getting a good lot of the attention, good thing for Dundalk fans on this occasion...