Bohs are interested in bringing in Dean Lyness to cover for Talbot apparently and former Pat's player Jake Carroll is on trial too.
We were there (Tallin) in 2018, great trip, brilliant city, we played Levadia beat them 1-0 (Dylan Connolly would you believe) anyway found out later Levadia were by far the least popular club in the city as they had Russian links, Flora by far had the biggest support of the city.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
Yous bought him from Pats. He signed for free ahead of the 2015 season, struggled to dislodge Fagan from the team and was then sold in the summer window to Dundalk for a transfer fee. A win win for both clubs that transfer was, after Kilduff fit into that Dundalk team so well too
Paaatrick's Agletic
Kilduff is probably the Dundalk player I hated to love, depended on my mood - that headed goals v AZ or that missed sitter in ET v Rosenborg. the winner against Macaibi at home or the missed sitter in Israel that could have put got us through the group stage (for a while anyway). Pats fans (well Dodge) laughing at the mere notion that he was worth a transfer fee and yet could be (one of) the best value for money signings in league history, fee to value of goals scored? I suppose he did put us in a cup final and broke his back for the Dundalk cause too- total legend!! (Yes WeAreRovers I know he flirted with legendary status in Tallaght first, assisting the Partizan win and winning a league medal - additional context, he won 2 at Dundalk).
Funny how fickle football fans really can be as Hoban has and will become the love to hate legend.
In addition to those already mentioned on here, Bohs are also looking at Estonian centre half Marten Kuusk and a 20 year old centre half called Divin Isamala that plays Leinster Senior League for St Francis
Last edited by 2 Year Contract; 10/01/2024 at 11:11 AM.
Paaatrick's Agletic
A young CB from St Francis played a few preseason games for Bohs last year. Is it the same player? If so he could be a decent option he looked strong and fast in the game I saw vs Galway in the AUL with an experienced player like Carroll or Cornwall beside to help with positioning he could be very good
Saw it reported that despite the links to Bohs your man Kuusk is signing with a club elsewhere in Europe.
The Lyness situation is interesting one, would reckon McGinty is more likely but could all work out that they only need someone until, say, the summer to cover Talbot's absence which would work better for Lyness than signing for a full season which is what Pats would have been after. Good keeper all the same albeit I thought he got slightly overrated by winning player of the season.
Kept up with Jake Carroll a bit over the last few years because I wondered if he'd ever be an option to come back to us, he used to get a rough time of it off Motherwell fans and has had a couple of awful injuries during that time. Given he's got a couple of hundred appearances across England and Scotland and can cover a couple of positions he could end up being a useful squad player though.
I googled him and saw an article from this time last year about him being with Bohs in pre-season so yeah it’s the same lad. He was reportedly on the verge of agreeing a deal with Blackpool in May but that seems to have fallen through. He’s also trialling/trialled with Derby County this month and wants to go there but Bohs seem to be the fallback destination if the Derby thing doesn’t happen
Paaatrick's Agletic
Hoban on more than €2,500 mad money !!
Hoban to Derry confirmed. That will likely put them as favourites for the league, at least in the bookies. Can't say I'm convinced of Higgins as a manager just yet but I can't see any excuses for him based on what I think will be the weakest Premier division in a while. The drain on talent has hit a lot of teams and many will have multiple unproven players in their squads or even starting 11s come the start of the season.
By my count that makes 7 players as well as the head coach taken straight from Dundalk. A phenomenally detailed scouting system up in Derry.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Yeah I may be a bit early but we are starting preseason and a lot of clubs would admit themselves that they still need to add a few players to their squad before the season starts. Devine said as much in the announcement of Bohs new striker. Add to that the obstacles in bringing in players from abroad (cost of living and general lack of housing) and the uncertainty of how the players who do come in will perform. Lastly the more recent trend of pretty average LOI players earning contracts in L1 & L2 e.g. Rory Feely, Ciaran Kelly even to an extent Ronan Coughlan. The league isn't just losing talented young players but also some fairly average starters that previously would have spent their careers in the league and kept the level reasonably consistent as well as acting as a sort of mentor for younger players coming through. At the very least I think we'll see another inconsistent season where there won't be any outstanding teams and results from week to week will be unpredictable.
The LOI has never been in a better place as far as I'm concerned. The sign that seemingly average players are being picked up by League One and League Two clubs, and even First Division players going across and doing well, isn't a sign that the league is at it's weakest, it's arguably quite the opposite.
It's this nonsense "my club isn't doing amazing so the whole league is crap". It drives me mental reading it.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
The league is as strong as it can be every season. It's a pointless, if sometimes enjoyable debate.
Whoever wins it this season will have fought off more than a few heavy budgets. Some teams are clearly struggling to sort themselves out but while Dundalk are in decline, Pats are on the rise. While Bohs seem to have lost focus, Shels are aiming higher. Derry are....still building? Don't think it's any weaker than previous years by many metrics really? I do take the point about attracting players and we need to figure something out there but we still have some fantastic players on show and it's going to be even more competitive again I'd say.
Will we compete in Europe? Not sure. I do think other leagues are improving fast while we are staying still to an extent. Still, the football on show is good, the atmosphere is cracking and the buzz is great. I'd take the league now over most decades previously.....but then I'm a Rovers fan and Nigel's point works both ways!
Are we ready for the Predictions thread?
21 leagues and 25 cups.
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