QuoteIs anyone here old enough to remember those days?Originally Posted by ColinR
found this at footballunlimited.com - it comes from the guardian
Irish football needs to sex up and wise up
Mistakes, ****-ups, snags, hitches; Robert Clougher argues that, ultimately, only improved organisation can move Irish football forward
Thursday August 25, 2005
There are some things you rarely see in print. The hen's teeth of the football pages include statements such as, "Manager praises referee", or "Forward admits to diving". Until recently, you were just as unlikely to read news of an Irish football team performing well in a European competition. Now suddenly, teams from the Emerald Isle have started to shine. Sort of.
Cork City go into tonight's Uefa Cup clash with Djugarden after drawing the first leg in Sweden 1-1. In 2004, Dublin-based Shelbourne were one match away from qualification to the Champions League group stage. These results didn't just happen by accident. They came about following two fundamental changes: clubs started employing players full-time, while the decision taken three years ago to switch to summer football means that Irish players are at their peak while most of their continental counterparts are still puffing through pre-season training.
But if Irish football is to make the move from moral to meaningful victories, it must first make the move from haphazard to professional organisation.
The schedule switch - the season now runs from March to November - has not increased attendances as much as league officials had hoped. Wholesale postponements are now a distant memory, but crowds remain as drearily low as before. In the Premier Division, the top teams average gates of a couple of thousand per match. And although there have been some impressive exceptions (last week's Cork v Shelbourne match attracted 7,000), a more vigorous campaign to promote domestic football is certainly needed.
As things stand, matches are promoted as if clubs are aiming to fill the function room of a local pub. A couple of posters here, a radio ad there. It doesn't work. The lack of traffic around various grounds on matchdays is testament to the league's tendency to whisper about itself when the situation demands it grab a bullhorn. There was hardly a better time to launch a publicity campaign than when the British leagues were on holidays, but instead of fanfare and fireworks, there was a pitiful silence. Irish football can't become relevant and meaningful to a public that is largely oblivious to its existence.
In addition to flaunting itself more brazenly, Irish football will only ever be more attractive if it sorts itself out organisationally.
While the quality of football among top teams has improved, the league is too often a parody of a serious tournament. Regrets? There are too many to ignore. Shamrock Rovers, Ireland's most successful club, were recently deducted eight points after their 2005 club licence was found to have been awarded on the basis of flawed financial and accounting information. This isn't an isolated embarrassment.
During the 2001-02 league season, St Patrick's Athletic completed an unenviable double: on two occasions they were found to have failed to register a player. In the first case, St Pat's successfully appealed a nine-point deduction, explaining that Paul Marnrey's registration forms had been lost in the post. In the second case, the Dublin club weren't so lucky; they were docked 15 points for failing to register Charles Mbabazi Livingstone, a penalty which ultimately cost them the league title.
Mistakes, ****-ups, snags, hitches; call them what you like. They all have the same effect: they divert precious media attention away from what's happening on the pitch. And what sponsor wants to be associated with such farces? Despite their Champions League campaign last season, Shelbourne couldn't attract a major backer before the start of the following domestic season. That's what happens when you pal around with known undesirables.
The performances of Cork and Shelbourne have shown that Irish football has moved on from the days when European clubs used to go to Ireland and run up a rugby score. At the moment, neither the league nor the clubs are taking the necessary steps to ensure the game never returns to those times.
the link is:
http://football.guardian.co.uk/comme...555380,00.html
Is anyone here old enough to remember those days?
Have Boot Disk, will travel
very good article thou
pats v zimbru - its not that long agoIs anyone here old enough to remember those days?
It's like Bohs beating Aberdeen, Kaiserslautern, Levadia and BATE never happened.
good article though. The league needs to be properly administered and advertised properly.
What was that score line again ??
Something like 10 nil wasn't it !?!?!
The SFAI are the governing body for grassroots football in Ireland, not the FAI. Its success or the lack of is all down to them.
Seriously though .... cant argue with any of it !!
The SFAI are the governing body for grassroots football in Ireland, not the FAI. Its success or the lack of is all down to them.
we got spoonedWhat was that score line again ??
Something like 10 nil wasn't it !?!?!
and not in the good way
Ní neart go cur le chéile...
Keith
.....and Bohs v Rosenburg was yonks ago
or Steau v Shels?????
both hammered
Pats were beaten 10-0 by nobodies. Bohs lost 5-0 on aggregate, a thrashing of course (nowhere near as comprehensive as 10-0) to a team with real European pedigree. Steau of course are also a team of real pedigree.
needless to say i disagree
bohs basically lost 4-0 - and 1-0 at home - they were crap - as anyone who saw the games can testify
ditto shels who embarressed themselves with schoolboy errors against steau - who showed their 'pedigree' by being knocked out by a team five points off the bottom of the league in norway. A team taht some experts here reckoned gave shels a chance to qualify for teh group stages
quite frankly if that is "progress" ..... well your happy to live in dreamworld
At least they weren't cricket scores!
A good article. Most important I think is to create a bit of hype about the games and take advantage of the English and Scottish off-season, but I suppose that'll have to wait for another season.
That Steua team also knocked Valencia out the UEFA Cup last year, and Shels were still in the tie up until the last 25mins.needless to say i disagree
bohs basically lost 4-0 - and 1-0 at home - they were crap - as anyone who saw the games can testify
ditto shels who embarressed themselves with schoolboy errors against steau - who showed their 'pedigree' by being knocked out by a team five points off the bottom of the league in norway. A team taht some experts here reckoned gave shels a chance to qualify for teh group stages
quite frankly if that is "progress" ..... well your happy to live in dreamworld
I agree with pretty much all of the article, but also noted that the journalist didn't really offer any suggestions as to how things could be changed.
Sex the league up?
How?
Goal Dancers!
God
Great idea! I might even go to a Dublin City game if they had them!Goal Dancers!
I know I've had this debate with someone here before but one way of sexing up the league is by having players names on jerseys.
Then they can advertise their "top" player better. I mean look at what happended to Real Madrid when they bought Beckham? Even birds who don't like football bought a jersey cause his name was on it. I know its not going to be as big as that the effect here, but the idea is there.
Its not really up to the journo on suggesting how the league should improve. Maybe the League should decide that for themselves.
I wonder would they ever have the idea of asking fans on what our thoughts on how to jazz up the league would be? They would get some surprising answers I'd imagine
Forzadrogs.....A blog by a Drog with an opinion!
Interesting timing for the article, as currently the big talk in England is about bringing the game back to it's roots with clubs like AFC Wimbledon, FC United, AFC Telford etc. Sexed down football if you like...
If you attack me with stupidity, I'll be forced to defend myself with sarcasm.
We do!
So do other clubs.
Have Boot Disk, will travel
Bit harsh on Zimbru. Admittedly, they weren't global megastars like Levadia Tallinn or Carmarthen Town, that's for sure.
Worst Irish result in Europe in recent seasons? Shelbourne going out to the counterfeit Hibs of Malta - FACT! (Even though it's not possible to lose 3-2 on aggregate in rugby...)
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