QuoteShane McMonagle re-signed for Harps.
Still mad to see Waterford buying up players rather than using the free agent market, fascinating.
Shane McMonagle re-signed for Harps.
Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.
I think in the context of LOI transfers substantial is really hard to figure out. Someone mentioned earlier the biggest transfer between league clubs is 80k. So could 30-40k be considered a substantial fee? Especially when an experienced striker has moved in the window for the lower end of that range. Really hard to know but I must say I'm not sure I understand all the hype around Lonergan. Is he really that good or have that much potential? Can't say he's stood out a huge amount in the half dozen or so matches I've seen of himOriginally Posted by 2 Year Contract
He really struggled last year, scored a brace in a 7-0 win over UCD and another brace against Dundalk in which he had a great game tbf, but those were his only league goals last season (also scored one against Harps in the cup and he might’ve scored one in another cup game in November too) The worry for me was that it wasn’t so much he was missing a bag of chances when he played which Carty did a good bit of, but Lonergan on the other hand didn’t really seem to be getting into the positions to score either. There’s definitely flashes of a talented player in there somewhere tho as he showed on a handful of occasions last year and for 6 months with UCD the year previous
Paaatrick's Agletic
I’d say Trevor Molloy to Bohs has to be close to the record fee. It was 40 or 50k punts then convert to euros and add on twenty years of inflation. It would be interesting to see how it equates.
I think he went for about IR£40k which is worth about €80,500 in 2023. https://www.hargaden.com/enda/inflation/calculator.html
If you could mix Carty and Lonergan's qualities together you'd probably have the best striker in the league, but they were hit and miss individually. Carty proved to be the best option because he had a great overall game but despite some nice goals his finishing was ropey to say the least and he missed some great chances. Lonergan on the other hand has some great game-winning moments of quality about him but they were few and far between last season and his general game was poor at best. Bad first touch, linking of play etc.
Saying that though I'd be a bit disappointed if he did go. He's still young and you can see the potential there with him, I'd probably fancy him to come on and win a game for you rather than Cian Kavanagh who is likely just going to be a functional back-up to Keating. I can easily see Lonergan being one of those cases where he moves and scores a bunch of goals for someone when it clicks for him.
Hopefully we are now in a different era but seeing so many LOI clubs paying fees for players, and not even top LOI players is worrying.
Is it?
Is it not a sign that there's longer player deals, which is good for the LoI in terms of players not moving abroad on free transfers?
Transfer fees are being paid for players not wanted by other clubs like Lonergan is because clubs are fighting over a continuing shrinking pool of decent domestic Irish players, that is not a sign of healthy league
The Leinster Senior League needs a strong Bohemians
It does create something of an arms race when there doesn't appear to be much in the way of additional income coming in to the league. New owner money is all well and good until they want a return or they pull out. They're not fans.
Upwards to the vanguard where the pressure is too high.
Honestly link up play and getting into positions to score are my biggest things for strikers. Georgie Kelly and Johnny Afolabi both went through periods of being in the right position and missing sitters but once it clicks they usually keep going in. The build up play just gives you an excuse to play them when they are missing those chances as well.He really struggled last year, scored a brace in a 7-0 win over UCD and another brace against Dundalk in which he had a great game tbf, but those were his only league goals last season (also scored one against Harps in the cup and he might’ve scored one in another cup game in November too
Far from it. We cry about English clubs shafting us on transfer fees, how can we demnd top dollar for players if we have no respect for ourselves in the first place? Even up north, paying transfer fees has been common enough. Would I pay a fee for Darragh Leahy or McCourt as Waterford reportedly have done? No chance, but it's good for the league, if we want to become an actual industry this is an important step.
BetweenTheStripes.net - Home of Between the Stripes LOI podcast.
Is it though? Or is it an expected, some might say inevitable, outworking of the minimum contract? Maybe even a sign of greater professionalism from the clubs?
Short term this could be viewed as a positive. Now longer term...
it becomes a problem if we're relying on sugar daddies, European prize money or big money transfers abroad to finance these domestic transfers. The FAI have to drop the other boot, and that's increasing prize money.
Either way expect greater reliance on academies, and possible uptick in player swaps like Dundalk were angling for recently.
You realise you decry relying on European prize money then saying league prize money increase being a solution makes no sense?
Sure increasing the prize money is necessary in my opinion but I think it's somewhat like the first time buyers scheme with houses. It just makes everything within the league more expensive rather than actually solving any problems. Clubs need to look at their own merchandising and maximising that revenue. Increasing season ticket sales and looking to add more to the match day experience than just a 90 min game (better food/coffee options, club bars, entertainment before & after games to keep people on site & spending money in the club) better facilities ties into this. I also think there's a huge area of growth in social media. You look at some of these influencers online who put out some of the most banal and pointless content but make a comfortable living from it. There's certainly money to be made from a league and club level for that.
TL,DR Clubs need to be financially stable regardless of any prize money (domestic or international) to really push on because as we've seen in this league all to often you can win the league one year and in a few years be relegated.
I definitely think it's an incentive for clubs to offer "multi-year" deals. If they get €20k for an internal transfer it probably covers the cost of the extended contract.
Stability at teams has to be a good thing, I was also thinking this must be one of the first years there hasn't been an off-season managerial change at any Premier Division club.
I phoned the speaking clock to hear a voice speak, it said - "At the tone you will be very much alone"
I think there could be a bit of a player in Cian Kavanagh - during the off-season he was a player I ear marked as a possible signing for Galway United. Definitely needs to score more and he had a bit of a horror show against Tobol in the Conference League but I think his general play was better than McGonigle, who seemed to have totally lost his way at Derry by the end. For some reason I thought he was a bit taller than he actually is - I guess he's just quite well built.
I phoned the speaking clock to hear a voice speak, it said - "At the tone you will be very much alone"
All very true - and don't forget non matchday income. I think we're really bad at it. You wouldn't see many businesses have their shop closed for all bar, say, 25 days of the year. Increasingly new-build grounds - even down the leagues in England - include stuff like hotels, shops, parking facilities, etc, to generate money outside matchday. I think it was Walsall a few years back who said they could run a professional football club without any matchday income.
I think due to the nature of the grounds here it's probably a bit harder to ensure non match day income. Pat's and Shels own their ground (actually unsure about whether Shels completed that purchase) but both grounds have very limited scope for growth from what I can see. They could add a coffee shop or pub/restaurant on site possibly but plenty of these ventures have been failing lately and it's not just because of unpopularity if them but the costs of running them. I don't know if any ground that would be owned by the club and have space for a hotel but open to correction on that. Either way there are a plethora of options open to clubs without needing hotels that they can look into.
Agree with you, was just speaking on those specific differing qualities of each. From what I've seen Kavanagh looks like a better all-rounder than Lonergan, but Lonergan I'd have more hope in pulling a great moment out of the bag if you were chasing a game etc. I think Keating is essentially replacing Eoin Doyle, Kavanagh for Carty and then you have Lonergan still there when comparing last season's options for Pats to this. Kavanagh seems to me a bit similar to a lot of strikers in this league in recent times where he's a handful to deal with and a good squad option, but at the same time the jury is out as to whether he could grow into a player that you'd even be expecting to hit double figures over a league season.
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