Town 2025

**MoydowMonty** · 21/12/2024, 2:16 PM

How are we now

Happy Christmas to ye. I came across this forum randomly and I think it's time to get some Town talk going again here now that the dust has settled on 2024, as well as a couple of years of inaction here from what I can tell.

So what are we hoping for from Town's 2025 ? I'm personally just hoping we pick ourselves up after last season and not be dancing around the bottom place again, maybe a dark horse run for 5th. But I'm not holding my breath on reaching playoffs. Really depends on what the squad looks like. I hope the squad doesn't get gutted again like Winter 2022, but I also can't blame any of them for wanting to leave after how 2024 went.

Seeing the likes of Cobh and Kerry get good backing and making big signings will add to the challenge too. So I'm not sure what to expect from us at the moment

**Martinho II** · 21/12/2024, 3:35 PM

Originally Posted by MoydowMonty

How are we now

Happy Christmas to ye. I came across this forum randomly and I think it's time to get some Town talk going again here now that the dust has settled on 2024, as well as a couple of years of inaction here from what I can tell.

So what are we hoping for from Town's 2025 ? I'm personally just hoping we pick ourselves up after last season and not be dancing around the bottom place again, maybe a dark horse run for 5th. But I'm not holding my breath on reaching playoffs. Really depends on what the squad looks like. I hope the squad doesn't get gutted again like Winter 2022, but I also can't blame any of them for wanting to leave after how 2024 went.

Seeing the likes of Cobh and Kerry get good backing and making big signings will add to the challenge too. So I'm not sure what to expect from us at the moment

Yeah Im rather worried not one signing or resigning announced yet. And Kerry FC have serious money being pumped in too. And Cobh a major investor in the market. The lack of noise from club rather worries me to say the least I will leave it till last minute and then decide!

**MoydowMonty** · 21/12/2024, 4:37 PM

Originally Posted by Martinho II

Yeah Im rather worried not one signing or resigning announced yet. And Kerry FC have serious money being pumped in too. And Cobh a major investor in the market. The lack of noise from club rather worries me to say the least I will leave it till last minute and then decide!

Think only us and Athlone have no signings announced if I'm not wrong.
And like the season kinda starts in less than a month if you count the Leinster Senior League. I see Wixted, O'Connor and Serdeniuk are showing up as unnattached in the FAI connect app, whether that means they're officially gone or not I'm not sure.

Another small aside is no jersey on sale yet. I wouldn't mind but ideally you'd have them out before Christmas to help with sales.

**Martinho II** · 24/12/2024, 1:25 PM

Heard yesterday that Kyle OConnor has left us to go to Athlone Town. Its not confirmed yet though. Theres talk that the chairman may be quitting according to my source which explains the lack of news coming out of the club these days!

**MoydowMonty** · 24/12/2024, 3:35 PM

Originally Posted by Martinho II

Theres talk that the chairman may be quitting according to my source which explains the lack of news coming out of the club these days!

Just to clarify, this is the Longford Town chairman you're on about? That would certainly be a big change. He's been there for a long time

As for O'Connor, while his 2024 wasn't as strong as his 2023, I'd still rather have him. He'd be a real loss

I also see Adeyamo and Hery don't have the club attached to their names on FAI Connect anymore, they would more huge losses if they're indeed gone

**Martinho II** · 25/12/2024, 4:05 PM

Originally Posted by MoydowMonty

Just to clarify, this is the Longford Town chairman you're on about? That would certainly be a big change. He's been there for a long time

As for O'Connor, while his 2024 wasn't as strong as his 2023, I'd still rather have him. He'd be a real loss

I also see Adeyamo and Hery don't have the club attached to their names on FAI Connect anymore, they would more huge losses if they're indeed gone

Yeah correct. Dont want Adeyemo or Hery as they were superb for us towards end of last year!

**MoydowMonty** · 25/12/2024, 8:55 PM

Definitely. Adeyamo as the top scorer and Hery our most creative player last season. They'd be missed if they're indeed gone.

We finally have some sort of lift off on the signings front at least. O'Shea, Norris and Slater. All good re-signings.
I hope that's the start of a rake of announcements over the next couple of weeks

**Keen2win** · 27/12/2024, 8:25 PM

Will see how the first few games go but likely to be down the bottom again. The club is at its lowest ebb in c. 30 years.

Interesting JH is apparently off, but he might hang around. Can see LTFC getting demoted to the new tier II in a few years - unless there's some changes round the place. Not keeping Anthony Elding an absolute disgrace and worst decision of them all. Where are all the 17s players we won our first ever national league title with a few years ago??? This thing of Dublin managers training in Dublin, never watching the academy, with Dublin players who can't make the 5 or 6 Dublin teams is getting very outdated. Just my opinion

**MoydowMonty** · 27/12/2024, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by Keen2win

Can see LTFC getting demoted to the new tier II in a few years - unless there's some changes round the place.

See this is a serious worry I have too. What would happen with the club if we dropped another tier? Suddenly you're not even in the LOI technically. You surely can't charge the same prices as you were. Attendances would drop once again. So right there you'd have a fair hit to income.
Would we still look to recruit lads from Dublin or rely more on a local team as it's a lower level? Hard to say. But it would be even less attractive to recruit the kind of players we've been signing the last few years in 3rd tier

And you just know what people's attitude to the club is like around the county as it is. If the club got relegated from the first division, they'd really dig the boot in (course the same people would be straight along the bandwagon for a playoff or a big game).

I might be overthinking it but I just feel like it could be fatal for the club to drop to the 3rd tier.

**Keen2win** · 28/12/2024, 10:07 AM

Hopefully it all comes good for the club

**outspoken** · 28/12/2024, 11:29 AM

Not sure where the JH rumours have come from, if he was off today or tomorrow we wouldn't have made any re-signings, he's definitely not going anywhere this season.

He did say at the dinner dance he can't go on forever and he said it was disappointing to see how volunteer levels had really dropped off and how it's the same faces keeping the club alive year or year, maybe people are reading into that but I think he was just pointing out the obvious that in its current form the club simply can not compete at the top end of the table anymore that we desperately need more people to get involved with the club.

Good to see the town thread back active

**Martinho II** · 28/12/2024, 1:35 PM

TBH if we are relegated to 3rd tier I couldnt see us having Dublin based players. It would be all local I imagine. I think that interest would drop too. Whether that would lead to better relations with the local league is up to them I imagine?

Thats a huge blow that Hery has gone to Athlone.

**MoydowMonty** · 28/12/2024, 2:34 PM

About 2 years ago they had a call out for volunteers. I put my name down as did 3 lads I know. Not one of us heard back. If we didn't hear back how many others didn't either? Don't be crying out for volunteers then not bother to respond to those who offer to help

I'm hoping that I'll get a house near home in the coming years and then I'd look to see can I volunteer some way. But I was a bit peeved off at the time by what I said above.

And aye, that Hery move is a kick in the teeth. He definitely won't be the last key player to depart either

**outspoken** · 29/12/2024, 1:37 AM

What's all this on here about Elding lately and how he should be either managing the first team or running the entire club? Why did he last a handful of months at Sligo after he left us? If he's the second coming of our lord and saviour why hasn't he had a job in the LOI yet?

**outspoken** · 29/12/2024, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Keen2win

Ok that's your opinion

No different to your opinion that he's the next Pep Guardiola, maybe he is and he'll end up leading Mayo FC into the new third tier in a few years and doing an amazing job but until then there's no basis to be saying that the club made a huge mistake in not appointing him as manager or CEO.

I still feel our biggest mistake in recent years was letting Daire Doyle go.

**outspoken** · 29/12/2024, 7:38 PM

Is there any chance we can keep this thread from descending into the same rabbit hole every other town related discussion seems to go down these days, some genuinely interesting points raised in the opening posts.

Hopefully some more player next week, while the likes of Athlone and dundalk have been very busy theres plenty of clubs who have been quiet too such as harps, bray and treaty so hopefully we can steal a march on a few of them and maybe mix it for a top six finish next season as opposed to another scrap to avoid wooden spoon

**Keen2win** · 30/12/2024, 1:47 AM

Personally don't think it's worth falling out over just basing it on the League title win - purely football.. the 17s done very well last year under a different manager too and he should be kept on also of course. That's 2 crops of players that will hopefully make their way into first team but at present it doesn't seem to be happening much.

anyway onwards and upwards we should all support the current management they definitely deserve their chance too. Maybe I was too harsh with my words, is any decision in football disgraceful it's only a game!!?

**outspoken** · 30/12/2024, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by Keen2win

Personally don't think it's worth falling out over just basing it on the League title win - purely football.. the 17s done very well last year under a different manager too and he should be kept on also of course. That's 2 crops of players that will hopefully make their way into first team but at present it doesn't seem to be happening much.

anyway onwards and upwards we should all support the current management they definitely deserve their chance too. Maybe I was too harsh with my words, is any decision in football disgraceful it's only a game!!?

No falling out here, genuinely interested in your opinion on it. I used to go out and watch the academy teams and give them a bit of coverage when I lived at home, I know the players used to love seeing live updates of their matches and getting the experience of doing an interview after games but I don't get home too often now outside of match days so you're better clued in than me about talents coming through.

Tbf to Wayne and I suppose Hendo too, the likes of Gilly and Emmanuel James got plenty of opportunities last season and did ok.

I actually think the addition of women's teams has been brilliant, at the recent dinner dance it was fantastic to see so many young girls up receiving their awards and clearly loving being a part of the wider club, the aim seems to be getting a senior team in place at some point which can only help the club grow further but it will also add even more expense which kind of links in with earlier discussions here, it's becoming next to impossible for us to compete without some serious money coming in from somewhere

**Longfordian** · 01/01/2025, 1:06 AM

Catching up on this thread. As the nominated moderator, try not to get into personal arguments please but I do note everyone took a step back in the end so thanks everyone. On JH leaving, I think he'll never leave the club in the lurch but at the same time he's probably not that far off retiring at this point and it's natural to be looking around and saying I won't be here forever. The problems as others have said is that the league is moving on rapidly in terms of both minimum commitments and player costs and we simply don't have the population and support to sustain a much higher budget. Even our glory years of 20 years ago almost ended with us going bankrupt.

**outspoken** · 01/01/2025, 12:28 PM

Delighted to see Eric Yoro re-sign. Looked like he couldn't tie his own laces in his first few games but he really grew into the shirt as he played more games. Hopefully get him a good partner at the back and we can try and improve our woeful defensive record from last two seasons. I would like to see another keeper brought in to challenge Halwax.