Games weekend 5th 6th May

[sbgawa]

Refs can't help being influenced and some of the decisions that have gone against Rovers in bihs matches have been truly awful for penalties and sending offs so I'd say they are conscious of not making big marginal calls maybe even subconsciously. Bit like some of the well known divers in the EPL pre var were denied penalties by refs who started from the position that it was "probably" a dive.

[Kingswood Rover]

Just coming down of cloud 9 and looking at the Replay it looked a clear pen. These things tend to balance out and we got some payback in that dept last night and we also had the bit of luck with some other decisions, denying it is flat earthish..... but in saying that Rovers have that ability come back time and time again V shels to win the league at the end of last season and V Cork and Shels at home to salvage 2 points from the grave and i think if its 1 a piece towards the last 10 u would have to fancy Rovers. One thing i have noticed this season in the 2 Derbies is that Bohs now play decent passing football and dont try and kick the bejaysus out of anything clad in Green and White. Rovers and Derry are in Europe which should balance things out in terms of squad strenghts and its not out of the question that Bohs will be thereabouts towards the end of the season. My dream may come through Rovers V Bohs in the FAI cup final at Landsdowne with 50 K in the ground. "you can should yer english football up yer........"

[Bohtastic]

Just coming down of cloud 9 and looking at the Replay it looked a clear pen. These things tend to balance out and we got some payback in that dept last night and we also had the bit of luck with some other decisions, denying it is flat earthish..... but in saying that Rovers have that ability come back time and time again V shels to win the league at the end of last season and V Cork and Shels at home to salvage 2 points from the grave and i think if its 1 a piece towards the last 10 u would have to fancy Rovers. One thing i have noticed this season in the 2 Derbies is that Bohs now play decent passing football and dont try and kick the bejaysus out of anything clad in Green and White. Rovers and Derry are in Europe which should balance things out in terms of squad strenghts and its not out of the question that Bohs will be thereabouts towards the end of the season. My dream may come through Rovers V Bohs in the FAI cup final at Landsdowne with 50 K in the ground. "you can should yer english football up yer........"

Fair comments re the peno. Think there were a few other decisions that were dodgy- Afolabi seemed to be wrestled all over the pitch. Re. Clarke being offside for his goal, not the most egregious mistake we've seen this season, I guess I see why it was missed. Likewise Towell being off or on (still unclear from replays), mind you Talbot seemed to do a good job avoiding contact? I think we could have kicked on if we scored a penalty - but who's to say.
Whatever about it, we were better than the match in Dalymount tf.

Hopefully we can stay there or thereabouts in time for Europe and the distraction that entails, then you never know.

[Dermobohs]

Easy to miss that offside in real time tbf, and Clarke gets credit for showing willing to get up there. Personally, and this is going to be unpopular with our fans, I’d sooner see marginals given to the attacking player. Yes the penalty was nailed on, but Grace probably had a bit of luck coming after that mad red card a couple of seasons back. No doubt we’ll get a bit of a dodgy call in our favour next time. I do wish refs would call out the pulling and dragging at corners though, lopes in particular had a double handful of bohs shirt every time and wasn’t called on it.
All in all a very good game though, swinging one way then the other, a good advert for the league.

[oriel]

With the benefit of replays I think it was a penalty but watching it live (and I was kinda behind the ref) I thought cleary got the ball first so I can see how the ref doesn't give it. Wouldn't have been a red card as he was clearly going for the ball so would have been a yellow and pen if ref had seen it that way. Crawley is a bohs fan so was ripping at the penalty but never mentioned Towell was onside when taken Down in the box, wouldn't expect anything else from him, he was OTT these things happen. Rovers has pico sent off in the first game of the season for nothing and have had some terrible decisions this season but you have to grow up and take it.

Fair enough, I would agree a peno and yellow card (in hindsight).

[oriel]

I think most clubs are seeing some very strange ref decisions this season and not just confined to decision effecting games like last night. I`m not a fan of VAR but Clarke did seem to be just inside the 'offisde area' for his goal.

Paddy Barrett second yellow for Shels last month, can't think of any others now but there were a good few really poor calls by the refs in other games, maybe Benson red card v Rovers for us, but he was silly to go in high.

It didn't effect our game last Monday but Malley was ruled offside for a header in almost exact same position but looked onside v UCD, it was only 1-0 at the time and UCD had a great chance for 1-1 on 90 before we got a second in 90+2.

#LittleThings

[ontheotherhand]

Fair play to bohs, they looked far better last night than they did in dalymount. I can see now how they've gone on their run. That said the better team won so I don't understand the consternation from a few quarters. Maybe people are listening to Cawleys biased analysis and not taking the emotion out of the game.

2-1 might have been a fairer scoreline but I think we had the gears to make that even more comfortable. Burke and Gaffney off the bench didn't have to break a sweat and still created the second.

Bohs did have two ten minutes patches in each half where they put on pressure but we were completely dominant for 20 mins at the start of each half and had the better chances overall. The rest was even enough. Made for a good game I thought, end to end at times. I think Paddy Kirks chance was the real turning point though, not the bohs peno shout. If they had scored that in the first half the game might have gone differently but I was never really worried watching from the south stand. Well maybe a little towards the end of the first half.... Both teams had good peno shouts turned down so that evens out. Blaming that on a game they lost by two is a strange take. They weren't guaranteed to score the peno even if they got it.

If bohs had the same firepower up front that they threw from the stands they'd be in good shape. Not sure what was thrown but they were bigger than the bangers I remember growing up. Hasn't gotten any attention but that's to be expected for the new media darlings. I miss the days when it was us.

[Jack B]

Obviously should have been a penalty but I've seen a lot of people be up in arms that it should have been a red too, when per the laws of the game it can't be as Cleary has genuinely tried to play the ball. I know it's a nit-picky point and Bohs were robbed regardless, but for all of the stick the officials take some of the folk dishing it out should probably be more clued up themselves.

Side note but as it was mentioned earlier I do think if I were a Bohs fan I wouldn't be a huge fan of *some* of Lambert's carry on. Think it's a bit unbecoming for a person in his position to be piling on like that. I've seen him do similar in the past slating opposition commentary teams etc.

[oriel]

Decent win for Dundalk and a point clear now in 4th, we were def the better side in the second half, good few chances to score, still as long as it was 0-0 always tricky.

Then Keith Ward rolling back the years, nice one.

3 wins on the spin now, amazing what that can do to confidence.

[sbgawa]

Great win for Dundalk in sligo I had expected sligo to win

[oriel]

Most I expected with 5 out injured and still in re-build mode was a draw, so a great nights work.

[Nesta99]

Fair play to bohs, they looked far better last night than they did in dalymount. I can see now how they've gone on their run. That said the better team won so I don't understand the consternation from a few quarters. Maybe people are listening to Cawleys biased analysis and not taking the emotion out of the game.

2-1 might have been a fairer scoreline but I think we had the gears to make that even more comfortable. Burke and Gaffney off the bench didn't have to break a sweat and still created the second.

Bohs did have two ten minutes patches in each half where they put on pressure but we were completely dominant for 20 mins at the start of each half and had the better chances overall. The rest was even enough. Made for a good game I thought, end to end at times. I think Paddy Kirks chance was the real turning point though, not the bohs peno shout. If they had scored that in the first half the game might have gone differently but I was never really worried watching from the south stand. Well maybe a little towards the end of the first half.... Both teams had good peno shouts turned down so that evens out. Blaming that on a game they lost by two is a strange take. They weren't guaranteed to score the peno even if they got it.

If bohs had the same firepower up front that they threw from the stands they'd be in good shape. Not sure what was thrown but they were bigger than the bangers I remember growing up. Hasn't gotten any attention but that's to be expected for the new media darlings. I miss the days when it was us.

Sounds like unnecessary circling the wagons OTH! There isnt outrage at the result, frustration with ongoing incompetence of officials. Wouldnt have mattered if SRFC were involved or not, a live game on TV won by a title challenger where one goal shouldnt have stood and a penalty should have been given, it would have had people speaking out. I think Devine's reaction was the correct one mind, focusing on how chances shouldnt be coughed up and opportunities need to be taken - it was refreshing having a manager being introspective on a result rather than a Duffer moan, legitimate or not. As it is Rovers are just the lucky club!

[Nesta99]

Most I expected with 5 out injured and still in re-build mode was a draw, so a great nights work.

Great win for Dundalk in sligo I had expected sligo to win

I think it was a very big win against a side that imo are the best of the rest side. If Dundalk, and we should, back this win up against Cork then its really is a job being well done at Oriel all things considered. We need to be picking up points whenever key player ie Hoban is available as I simply dont have any faith in his replacements. That we cant rotate at all means a hectic period has gone very well too. Hopefully come July there will be the oportunity to bring a few lads in, so keep in touch and Europe is possible.

Its early to be thinking about 2024 but with the very possible prospect of Galway and Waterford being promoted for Cork and UCD it will make next season super competititive you'd think, no poor sides, Drogheda the smallest club but certainly a good side. Bar a probable standout top 2, it could be a real cut throat season. I mention it now as for some sides, including Dundalk, what happens now with squad development could be really key for next season and its not that often outside building a championship side that one season could signficantly lead in to the next.

[ontheotherhand]

Sounds like unnecessary circling the wagons OTH! There isnt outrage at the result, frustration with ongoing incompetence of officials. Wouldnt have mattered if SRFC were involved or not, a live game on TV won by a title challenger where one goal shouldnt have stood and a penalty should have been given, it would have had people speaking out. I think Devine's reaction was the correct one mind, focusing on how chances shouldnt be coughed up and opportunities need to be taken - it was refreshing having a manager being introspective on a result rather than a Duffer moan, legitimate or not. As it is Rovers are just the lucky club!

Sometimes you need an auld wagon circle Nesta. We have people claiming the game was rigged and the bohs COO taking to Twitter to have a moan as if they were robbed of a win. Completely over the top stuff when you consider the game as a whole. They were well beaten on the night regardless of the officials who got calls wrong for both sides.

Devine spent a good amount of time on the penalty call too but I'd agree he comes across well for the most part. If he had a clinical striker they'd have scored one. Not sure about Afolabi.

[sbgawa]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care

[ontheotherhand]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care

I had a nightmare once about Cawley and Kerr doing Rover's games. Still shook.

[ger121]

RTE shouldnt have Crawley doing Rovers games , he has no concept of professional objectivity,
He's a bohs supporter full stop, goes to their games.
Given the attention LOI gets in RTE they probably dont care

Could you not say the same about Gartland? He actually works within the academy structure so is hardly going to be overly critical of Rovers and I say this as someone who thinks he is an excellent pundit and co-commentator, but he pulls his punches when it comes to the club.

[ontheotherhand]

Could you not say the same about Gartland? He actually works within the academy structure so is hardly going to be overly critical of Rovers and I say this as someone who thinks he is an excellent pundit and co-commentator, but he pulls his punches when it comes to the club.

If you, as a bohs man, find Gartland to be an excellent pundit then he must be pretty successful at staying objective. He also doesn't hide his ties to Rovers and just analyzes the game as best he can. Cawley, in contrast, pretends to be completely neutral and can't hide his bias at all. All he wanted to talk about was one decision by the ref with zero insight into the game itself. You'd swear it was a nil all game where bohs had all the chances and were denied only by one bad decision. Bizarre stuff but typical of his soundbyte hungry approach. Stuey was better in comparison and actually looked a bit exhausted by it all.

[sbgawa]

Could you not say the same about Gartland? He actually works within the academy structure so is hardly going to be overly critical of Rovers and I say this as someone who thinks he is an excellent pundit and co-commentator, but he pulls his punches when it comes to the club.

I think there is a difference between pulling your punches on co comms while being very good in general and going totally OTT and hammering a ref for one decision that went agasint your team the way crawley did. He shouldnt be let comentate on Bohs games if he is going to go hysterical when things dont go for them.

[Guitd]

Super win on Fri night for GUFC
10 points clear after 1/3 of the season is unbelievable but a long way to go . Waterford were pretty much toothless once Coughlan was kept quite but he did sneak one in , surprisingly thought they would offer more as a win was needed to close the gap .Attendance of 2700 fair play to the 200 Waterford fans who made the journey .