Games weekend Feb 28th to Monday March 3rd

[total hoofball]

I can confirm it most definitely was not windy in the slightest.

Strange assessment of the game. Shels are not the easiest side on the eyes themselves. It wasn't particularly windy in Terryland at all tonight, so I'm not sure what you're going on about there. Tolka Park is arguably the worst pitch in the country at the moment, I'm not sure Terryland is that poor to be honest, but I think it's fair to say that no pitch is in particularly great condition at the moment after the months of rain.

A draw was probably fair overall, we sat back a bit too much tonight and should have had more of a cut at Shelbourne. Not the worst result for either.

So your own LOI TV commentator was lying it when he commented on it being a windy night with evident sound of wind coming through commentary along with three of the 3 flags behind the goal visibly showing it was windy

And Duff's post match interview pretty much similar to my strange assessment on the game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzSq8znXOjs

[Olander]

I wouldn't have said it was particularly windy last night, no. We're right on the banks of the Corrib, so we get a gale blowing into the ground at times. I don't really care what Damien Duff or what our commentator says, I was at the game.

TBH your post was just full of lazy cliched lines, and yes it was a strange assessment. "Oh tough physical game in Galway", "hard watch", "pitch was awful". There was barely a bad tackle in the game from either side. There wasn't even one yellow in the game. Your club has the worst pitch in the league currently, the surface last night didn't stop Shels from passing the ball side to side endlessly, sorry showing "patience".

Your own side aren't exactly free-flowing Barca, I distinctly remember you looking down your schnozz at us in the past as well.

[TVFBLOCKF]

Frustrating one from Shels on what was unsurprisingly a difficult watch against a tough physical Galway team in heavy enough wind on an awful Eamon Deacy Park surface. We were playing patient football up until scoring early in the 2nd half with a nice diving header from Caffrey but immediately at the resumption we completely shat the bed for the next 5 minutes endlessly giving Galway possession and corners before scoring an own goal from a corner which the linesman initially ruled out before Rob Hennessy overruled the linesman to give the goal. I didn't see anything wrong with Galway goal but I would still like to know what the linesman thought he saw it seemed that it was explained to Duff after the final whistle. Like with Rovers on Friday I felt we had enough to take 3 points but we are still unbeaten got some rotation done tonight and Lewis Temple looks like he has the chops for this level so it's a positive start to the season

There was bit of a breeze up there but certainly nothing that would have impacted the game in any way. The pitch is no worse or better than the vast majority of LOI pitches around the country at the moment and certainly no worse than Tolka!

[SRFC]

It was never going to work with Reynolds. The majority of the fans didn't like him to be begin with so he was always on a hiding to nothing. I still think there's a very good squad of players but we badly need someone else to get the best out of them now. It'll probably be O'Donnell though which wouldn't inspire me either.

I wonder would you make a play for Joey O'Brien. Surely he'll want to go on his own at some point and seems to be one of the most highly rated coaches around. Unless Joey waits around for Bradley to leave, but no real timelines for that at the moment

[ger121]

Not even sure where to start with Bohs so I'll start with Drogheda. They had us figured out. Once they scored they knew if they were organized we wouldn't create anything and if we did we'd fluff our lines anyway.

I thought Whelan and Parsons played well. Obviously with Whelan's injury history he won't start 90 every week but I think he showed a lot and created probably Bohs best chances. Parsons is crossing the ball in well but there are no bohs players in the box so it's very easily defended. Mountney and Kavanagh both poor for the goal. At this rate I think Kavanagh needs to be dropped once Cornwall is back he was to blame for the goal in Derry by carrying the ball forward and losing it in a silly position and he lost Oluwa and then got turned by him far too easily. Both games lost by 1 goal and he's to blame for both. Not good enough. I don't think the midfield is working at all. With Devoy and Morahan sitting so far back Tierney is having to drop back so as not to leave massive gaps in midfield which then means our strikers dropping back following or is isolated up top by themselves. Neither is good. Rooney on the right wing needs to stop. The only person in recorded history who is more left footed than Rooney is Christy Brown. He offers very little from open play in his preferred position so it's hardly surprising that he offers less on the right. Also the merry go round at free kicks needs to stop. Rooney is our best set piece taker, if your playing him let him take them. There needs to be consistency in the deliveries from set pieces and players need to get used to taking them on the pitch so they are not expected to pop their first attempt on top corner. Plenty of reasons Reynolds should go and I wouldn't be upset if I got an email from the club this afternoon that he's gone but there better be an actual plan in place replace him. No going in blind saying it can't get any worse. It absolutely can.

Great post AB. All your points are exactly what many supporters have been saying about last night and even before then.
I know Whelan maybe can’t do 90 minutes but he took off him and Parsons at the same time, despite them being our better players. Rennie just strikes me as a better number 2 than an actual manager. Will the board have the balls to let him go though given the financial implications. I have my doubts.
Waterford next and Long will be licking his lips.

[ger121]

I thought you were talking about Rovers until I read the last word!

We are more alike at the moment than we’d care to admit.

[nigel-harps1954]

Bottom of the table with the biggest budget. 2nd in a league no one wanted to win last year..Europe papered over the cracks.

Ditto

[Jack B]

It's interesting to see that Devine's record at Bohs actually looks quite good when compared to Reynolds. Still very early in the season with a lot of new players mind, but if the same issues are persisting then it's going to rapidly become harder and harder to excuse, especially that home record. From when I see them play I get the impression that SOD is as much the issue, it's often been a style of play with his fingerprints all over it.

[Another Bohemia]

It's interesting to see that Devine's record at Bohs actually looks quite good when compared to Reynolds. Still very early in the season with a lot of new players mind, but if the same issues are persisting then it's going to rapidly become harder and harder to excuse, especially that home record. From when I see them play I get the impression that SOD is as much the issue, it's often been a style of play with his fingerprints all over it.

We've played the same way since Reynolds came in so while I'm sure SOD has some say in preparations, play style etc (like all coaches do at all clubs id imagine) this is what Reynolds wants. Players have been signed to fit this style of play. But let's say this is all SOD that still reflects poorly on Reynolds as he should be dictating the style of play and coaches looking to get it implemented. If he can't control/overrule his coaches and get his style of play implemented over theirs then he should be out of the job for another reason.

As for Devine I was only thinking that he seems to be doing well at glentoran. Based on what came out after his spell at Bohs I'd be wondering if Paddy McCourt or Tim McCann is the real brains of the operation there and if they could be options to replace Reynolds.

[yurt]

Really enjoyable game in EDP last night. Shels owned all the ball outside of the 10 minutes after they scored.

Would argue that Galway looked fairly comfortable as usual out of possession. Majority of shels passes were well inside their own half. As Galway got tired they seemed to drop 10 yards as a unit and shels looked a bit more threatening down the stretch. Although there was nothing much clear cut created.

Patrick Hickey continues to impress me more every week. His technical ability has really improved and his ability to take the ball down when he's given a yard of space was noticable yesterday. He's absolutely vital to everything we do.

[SRFC]

Watching the highlights and the RSC appeared to be rocking last night. Great to see

[Jack B]

We've played the same way since Reynolds came in so while I'm sure SOD has some say in preparations, play style etc (like all coaches do at all clubs id imagine) this is what Reynolds wants. Players have been signed to fit this style of play. But let's say this is all SOD that still reflects poorly on Reynolds as he should be dictating the style of play and coaches looking to get it implemented. If he can't control/overrule his coaches and get his style of play implemented over theirs then he should be out of the job for another reason.

As for Devine I was only thinking that he seems to be doing well at glentoran. Based on what came out after his spell at Bohs I'd be wondering if Paddy McCourt or Tim McCann is the real brains of the operation there and if they could be options to replace Reynolds.

Yeah it wasn't that I was excusing Reynolds at all, just an observation. Watching Bohs vs us or the odd time I watch as a neutral there's oftentimes been similar set-ups to SOD'S Pats and Dundalk teams. More than anything rather than it being used as a means of giving Reynolds a pass I'd say it's even more reason for SOD to not get the job himself in the event the manager is sacked.

[WoodquayBoy]

I wouldn't have said it was particularly windy last night, no. We're right on the banks of the Corrib, so we get a gale blowing into the ground at times. I don't really care what Damien Duff or what our commentator says, I was at the game.

TBH your post was just full of lazy cliched lines, and yes it was a strange assessment. "Oh tough physical game in Galway", "hard watch", "pitch was awful". There was barely a bad tackle in the game from either side. There wasn't even one yellow in the game. Your club has the worst pitch in the league currently, the surface last night didn't stop Shels from passing the ball side to side endlessly, sorry showing "patience".

Your own side aren't exactly free-flowing Barca, I distinctly remember you looking down your schnozz at us in the past as well.

And let’s not forget that their goal originated with a good old-fashioned hoof out of defence by Paddy Barrett.

[2 Year Contract]

Really enjoyable game in EDP last night. Shels owned all the ball outside of the 10 minutes after they scored.

Would argue that Galway looked fairly comfortable as usual out of possession. Majority of shels passes were well inside their own half. As Galway got tired they seemed to drop 10 yards as a unit and shels looked a bit more threatening down the stretch. Although there was nothing much clear cut created.

Patrick Hickey continues to impress me more every week. His technical ability has really improved and his ability to take the ball down when he's given a yard of space was noticable yesterday. He's absolutely vital to everything we do.

Very true. Give him a ball and a yard of grass, he'll give you a move with a perfect pass. Give him a ball and a yard of space, he'll give you a move with goodly grace.

[Another Bohemia]

Yeah it wasn't that I was excusing Reynolds at all, just an observation. Watching Bohs vs us or the odd time I watch as a neutral there's oftentimes been similar set-ups to SOD'S Pats and Dundalk teams. More than anything rather than it being used as a means of giving Reynolds a pass I'd say it's even more reason for SOD to not get the job himself in the event the manager is sacked.

You'd find very few who would advocate for SOD to get the job and I don't think he will get it in the interim either should Reynolds be sacked. More likely will be the tried and trusted Detser/Crolly alliance in interim control. Honestly I'm unsure how Detser has lasted so many coaching changes? Maybe he's a great coach but I just don't see it and I think stuff like that is probably a big part of the issues on the football side of things. Seems to be a jobs for the boys mentality in some respects.

[EalingGreen]

As for Devine I was only thinking that he seems to be doing well at glentoran. Based on what came out after his spell at Bohs I'd be wondering if Paddy McCourt or Tim McCann is the real brains of the operation there and if they could be options to replace Reynolds.

No harm to Paddy McCourt, but there's no evidence that he has what it takes to be a Manager, yet at any rate. Same for McCann, whose brief spell in the top job at Distillery didn't work out, though he probably does a decent enough job in support. (Besides which, he's a Glen man through-and-through, with his kid now on the fringe of the first team squad)

Meanwhile Devine inherited the worst hand possible: owned by someone who knew nothing about the IL or football generally; the club effectively being run by arch-bluffer Mick MacDermott and his chums in the Boardroom; a poor squad which even then was performing way below its best; and Mad Mick being succeeded by possibly the only manager worse than him in the entire Northern hemisphere, Warren Feeney! Oh and a thoroughly disillusioned, divided and dwindling fanbase.

Since then, DD has done a terrific job in turning the whole club round; getting rid of some overpaid underperformers and replacing them with teams who look like they want to play for the shirt; getting far better results (always helps!) and best of all, restoring a degree of pride amongst the fans.

Of course, there is still a long way to go to make it consistent, never mind catch Linfield etc. And with the league title being beyond them, winning the Irish Cup (thereby qualifying for Europe) was hugely important. On which point they had a real stinker against (Championship) Bangor on Friday night, losing 3-0 in the Quarters, when it might have been double that. Still, he needed a response and it looks as though he got that (just about) in beating Ballymena 1-0 last night, another 3 points to keep them in second in the league.

So that even if that's as far as he ever takes the club, I reckon the fans would still be forever grateful to him for "giving them their club back".

[Another Bohemia]

No harm to Paddy McCourt, but there's no evidence that he has what it takes to be a Manager, yet at any rate. Same for McCann, whose brief spell in the top job at Distillery didn't work out, though he probably does a decent enough job in support. (Besides which, he's a Glen man through-and-through, with his kid now on the fringe of the first team squad)

Meanwhile Devine inherited the worst hand possible: owned by someone who knew nothing about the IL or football generally; the club effectively being run by arch-bluffer Mick MacDermott and his chums in the Boardroom; a poor squad which even then was performing way below its best; and Mad Mick being succeeded by possibly the only manager worse than him in the entire Northern hemisphere, Warren Feeney! Oh and a thoroughly disillusioned, divided and dwindling fanbase.

Since then, DD has done a terrific job in turning the whole club round; getting rid of some overpaid underperformers and replacing them with teams who look like they want to play for the shirt; getting far better results (always helps!) and best of all, restoring a degree of pride amongst the fans.

Of course, there is still a long way to go to make it consistent, never mind catch Linfield etc. And with the league title being beyond them, winning the Irish Cup (thereby qualifying for Europe) was hugely important. On which point they had a real stinker against (Championship) Bangor on Friday night, losing 3-0 in the Quarters, when it might have been double that. Still, he needed a response and it looks as though he got that (just about) in beating Ballymena 1-0 last night, another 3 points to keep them in second in the league.

So that even if that's as far as he ever takes the club, I reckon the fans would still be forever grateful to him for "giving them their club back".

So my thoughts on looking at them are a bit complex. Devines tenure as Bohs coach started well but descended into farce. At the end Gary Cronin gave an interview that painted a picture (to me at least) that Devine was very hands off as a manager and let the coaches do what they want, basically ended up being the inmates running the asylum. His transfer policy was a disaster to the point where we started the season 1 injury away from an injury crisis (which happened in the first half of the first game of the season). Players were obviously unfit and the team lacked any real game plan. Suddenly he's a great manager at glentoran and all of these issues have disappeared? Sure part of them could be attributed to Bohs (especially the inmates running the asylum part with coaches and it's why I'm so confused that we have coaches that have spanned 3 managers). So I'm looking past Devine as the source of that success and looking at his 2nds in command. I think people can change and improve obviously but not at such a rapid rate. The alternative is that the Irish league is several step steps below the LOI in terms of professionalism and quality which I'm don't believe.

Secondly I think the Bohs job (should it come up in the very near future) isn't going to be attractive to established managers. Many Bohs fans will want Doherty from Drogheda but I just can't see a world where he leaves a team he built that is entering Europe for a project he may see as a complete rebuild. So you need to look at people who "may not be ready". There was no evidence that Duff was ready but Shels have won a league under him, there was no evidence Long was ready for the Bohs job when he got it and he did well until the job got too much for him imo. With managers I think it's more a personality thing than being ready/not ready. All managers are coaches but not all coaches can be managers, as appears to be the case with Reynolds

[Nesta99]

Devines ability to get underperforming sides playing suggests that he has the personality to motivate. The way they fade though suggests that he relies heavily on that one attribute and doesnt pay enough attention to detail. Like he treats S+C just like a goalkeeper so they cant stay in games in the end. A manager like him needs peole around him to delegate to, could be argued as lazy but I think any successful side has a coaching team that compliment each other rather than one footballing genius. Wasnt Fenlon involved with transfers at Bohs? Even if it was said after that Devine rejected Fenlons signings, it doesnt make much sense imo as with a DoF model signings are made (preferably in areement with the head coach) and injuries would have forced those players to have been selected. From the outside looking in Devine at Bohs just looked to have quickly lost interest in the 'project' and I cant see Fenlon the easiest to overrule or to work with as a coach as he would pull rank and think he knew best. Could be there is just a good mix of people at Glentoran, even just less comuting/closer to home and there is more interest, stung by criticism and lifted his own game?

I think Bohs wiould have to go out of the league to find a manager unless promoting the assistant. There are good fits in the league but as suggested they may not want to move without a big offer. Bohs is an attractive job and as a club would be a step up for Doherty and the like even if they were leaving the top work theyve done behind. It will be about timing.

[sulywaterfordfc]

Started well tonight. Losing Seani and then missing a glorious chance to go 2 up was a damaging period coupled with Bolger going off. Was always going to be a struggle after the red and Waterford eventually got their winner.

Bolger going off at half time was massive. Changed the game. Especially as we scored in the first minute. Felt like Cork struggled to get a foot hold in the game in the second half, Murray just ran around like a headless chicken and added nothing to Corks team. Murray just wasn’t able to match what Bolger was doing in the first half. Cork were just more open honestly the midfield fell apart without Bolger. Thought we ran out deserved winners in the end. Shocked at how able for this level Bolger still is. As well as we’re doing the one thing we’re lacking is an old head in the middle like Bolger.

[Nesta99]

Murray is probably the biggest disappointment of all my years following LoI! i'd have seen him quite regularly at Watford when he was very young and was often a cut above on the pitch. Lost his way a bit but he seemed to be getting back to his ability, showed glimpses at Dundalk but should have torn up LoI with respect to the league. There was talk of him enjoying the nightlife too much and one of th reasons he moved to Belfast but that could have been ased on him organising the day trip North during the pandemic. Should still be a marquee type signing for Cork if he showed a fraction of what he is able - at least he was running around even if it was aimless as it wasnt lack of interest or effort. Waste