Outside of Rovers, Derry, Pats and maybe Shels if they keep improving then its dog eat dog imo. We dont know what shape Dundalk will be in. Bohs will most likely be fine but as mentioned before Devine's teams tend to regress after early progress but can strengthen the squad sufficiently to overcome any limitations of coaching. We will have to wait and see how Drogheda's new owners wll do business but there are no rumblings of much change on going FT yet. Sligo have an awful lot to do and keeping Russell in place is a gamble, sticking could work if he is genuinely building but I think they should have been better this season, Cork got within spitting distance but didnt kick on when it looked like Sligo were in freefall. That said I dont think Sligo would have lost the play-off to Waterford. Then we have the 2 promoted sides, Galway are well backed financially, Horgan is an old warhorse if the going gets rough. Waterford will know what is needed under Long who I rate highly as a manager especially when working on a limited budget and building a solid if unspectacular side.
Currently i'd be very worried for Dundalk but of course that could change - tbh in LoI over the years ive been a supporter a lot can change one season to the next. There has been some consistency the last couple of season for sure but I dont think its a reliable indicator of things especially in a 10 team league. Its been a while since there hasnt been stand out 10/9th level sides that were the safety nets for other not being particularly good. Time will tell but I think the 2 promoted sides are better equipped for the premier division than others in recent seasons. The dreaded rut and a run of losses and any side will be looking over their shoulder in 2024.
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