New league format

[Block G Raptor]

What A complete load of B*****X
why not just have a 22 team cup competition it could'nt be any worse than that insane proposal
fcuking muppets every last fcuking one of them

[thejollyrodger]

Personally I would favour a 12 team super league with clubs admitted on strict tests. The tests based on their current stadium/new stadium plans, crowd attendences, finanical situtaion, pro/semi pro/part time.

Take the best 12 and put them into a new relaunched super league and apply the same tests to any northern clubs wanting to join (maybe 4 will meet the criteria). Then you have a proper league like the one in czech republic. 1 or 2 of the top 2 - 4 clubs should be able to get into Champions League / UEFA Cup.

Below the super league they can go ahead with regional divisions. I can see two anyway, one in the north and one in the south. Whats wrong with that ??

[MariborKev]

Personally I would favour a 12 team super league with clubs admitted on strict tests. The tests based on their current stadium/new stadium plans, crowd attendences, finanical situtaion, pro/semi pro/part time.

Below the super league they can go ahead with regional divisions. I can see two anyway, one in the north and one in the south. Whats wrong with that ??

Ridiculous criteria for entry.

Dublin clubs have artifically inflated attendance figures due to the large number of "Dublin derbies" and travelling support within the capital.

On what criteria do stadiums count? Portsmouth, Fulham, Everton and other all have "poor" stadium when compared to modern constructions such as the Reebok and JJB. Under the same criteria the Brandywell and United Park are the worst stadium amongst the top 6 in last year's league. Do we lose out because of that?You say include future stadium plans, but one only has to cast your eye towards Tallaght to see the folly of that.

As regards you financial situation criteria, so me an Irish club in a healthy financial state and I will give you the crock of gold I have at the end of this rainbow.

Pro/semi pro/part time is another misjuded criteria. This feeds back to financial situation. Why should a club risk it all to go full time(St Pats as an example) only for it to blow up in their face, just to gain entry to this super league.

Whats wrong with your idea you ask?

What's right with it is my honest reponse!

[gufct]

and it could be just 10 teams and the uefa licencing criteria will be even more strictly policed after Rovers and Bohs Tax Bills coming to light last season.

[NY Hoop]

It could be a big boost to football in the regions and would certainly be interesting for a few years. It just might give a lot of clubs breathing space to get their houses in order off the pitch- the league is going nowhere while most of its clubs are run in a totally half-assed manner. There would be a fair few derbies for everyone and it is the only way practical of moving towards a 16 team league as we currently don't have enough clubs for that.

The pool for those outside the top eight would have to be given a lot more thought, and it would have to be a lot clearer where the league is going after the transitional period. If it's to be brought in, it has to be next season otherwise next year will be meaningless.

As gufct says you are missing the point. This proposal is only for next season and then the 10 team Genesis league will happen in 2007.

The only worry is their proposal regarding the regional teams. We dont have enough players or fans as is let alone bringing in more teams ffs.

KOH

[thejollyrodger]

Of course there needs to be a strong regional balance but at the end of the day, the super league is about the best teams playing each other and raising the standard of play in ireland.

[Dodge]

Stadia should defo be a criteria. Not talking about ridiculous stuff but minumum number of covered seats etc.

[Mr A]

Yeah- I think the point is that however many teams are going to be in the superleague- it's going to happen and if clubs don't have their houses in order they're not going to get in. This proposal is probably seen as a way of taking pressure off clubs for a year to allow them to try and do just that. It could also be a fairly interesting competition.

I think it could be the big spenders that would benefit most from taking a long hard look at the way they run their affairs. According to one person I talked who was at the meeting with Genesis last week there are very few clubs making anything resembling proper tax returns and a couple of clubs spending well over 100% of their turnover on wages! At some stage this crap has to stop, and serious sanctions brought to bare on those who don't comply.

[pineapple stu]

Stadia should defo be a criteria. Not talking about ridiculous stuff but minumum number of covered seats etc.

True, although it raises the issue about planning - do you allow clubs with concrete plans for new stadia a licence? Drogheda, UCD, Athlone and Finn Harps all have dumps of grounds, for example, but all have plans for new grounds at various stages of progress. Do you turf all them out? A new ground - even a new stand - takes time.

North prem clubs:- Bohemians, Derry City, Drogheda Utd, Longford Town, Shelbourne, Sligo Rvs. North First Div Clubs:-Athlone Town, Dundalk, Finn Harps, Monaghan utd, Shamrock Rovers.

South prem Clubs:- Bray Wanderers, Cork City, Dublin City, St Patrick's Athletic, UCD, Waterford Utd. First Div Clubs:-Cobh Ramblers, Galway Utd, Kildare County, Kilkenny City, Limerick FC

So in order to decide who's in the new ten-team Premier, you pick the top four teams from two groups which are spectacularly mismatched. The Nortgern group has five of the top six teams from last year, and the First Division clubs include the two relegated teams. Meanwhile, the South Group has five of the bottom six Premier teams! There are some shower of gobsh!tes running this league if this proposal even saw the light of day.

[thejollyrodger]

Yeah- I think the point is that however many teams are going to be in the superleague- it's going to happen and if clubs don't have their houses in order they're not going to get in. This proposal is probably seen as a way of taking pressure off clubs for a year to allow them to try and do just that. It could also be a fairly interesting competition.

My point E X A C T L Y. The new super league has to be a proper league with everything above board, meeting set standards, econmic etc. Of course there will be big and small clubs but the league cant afford any more fiascos like Shamrock Rovers carry on.

[Mr_T]

I havent got a link.We had Bryan McNeice from Genesis down the week before last for an open forum which was very interesting and I think every club should do the same. The Genesis report has been adopted and its only the actual make up of the superleague that has to be sorted out.

The Genesis report was circulated to the various stakeholders for comment. When was it formally adopted by the LEague and FAI as the way forward for the league? I do not recall this happening.

The structure for 2007 is not decided and debate on it has not even commenced formally, hence the reason why this transitional season to a format in 2007 which is not even decided yet, is ridiculous.

[pineapple stu]

This proposal is probably seen as a way of taking pressure off clubs for a year to allow them to try and do just that.

How is it going to take pressure off clubs if you have to finish in the top four to get into this new super league?!

[WeAreRovers]

I think it could be the big spenders that would benefit most from taking a long hard look at the way they run their affairs. According to one person I talked who was at the meeting with Genesis last week there are very few clubs making anything resembling proper tax returns and a couple of clubs spending well over 100% of their turnover on wages! At some stage this crap has to stop, and serious sanctions brought to bare on those who don't comply.

Spot on. Some deluded gypo described Rovers as "down and out" on this thread. Actually only ourselves and maybe one or two others are ready for any new regime in which clubs must be run in a proper fashion. In fairness to Bohs ( ) they are probably one of the better run clubs themselves.

Having said all that the proposals for next season are nonsense. I'd rather play in the 1st Division - where we are supposed to be - than in any fake set-up such as the one proposed.

Funny how the proposal for next season has Rovers, Shels and Bohs in the one group. Some people just can't do without their Dublin derbies.

KOH

[Mr A]

How is it going to take pressure off clubs if you have to finish in the top four to get into this new super league?!

I think the idea is that the new superleague will be made up according to various criteria- including minimum standards off the pitch. Clubs with issues in those areas would then have a year or two in which to worry about them without worrying about relegation or whatever.

To be honest though, we're all kind of guessing here as few hard facts seem to be coming out.

[pineapple stu]

I didn't think worse criteria could be found...!

[Macy]

True, although it raises the issue about planning - do you allow clubs with concrete plans for new stadia a licence? Drogheda, UCD, Athlone and Finn Harps all have dumps of grounds, for example, but all have plans for new grounds at various stages of progress. Do you turf all them out? A new ground - even a new stand - takes time.

Turf them out. 1500 covered seats has been the official requirement for the premier going back at least to the late 90's. We had to ask and were given an exemption of one season to build the stand - the likes of UCD, Drogheda, Bray, Harps etc have flouted these rules long enough.

[pineapple stu]

So we're now turfing out -

Athlone
Bray
Cobh
Drogheda
Dublin City
Dundalk?
Harps
Galway??
Limerick
Kildare
Kilkenny?
Monaghan
Pat's?? (1200 seats? Or is it 1800?)
UCD
Waterford
Shamrock Rovers

Which leaves Bohs, Shels, Cork, Derry, Longford and Sligo in the league.

You may as well be turf out the First Division clubs without 1500 covered seats by denying them promotion.

I accept that Longford got a stay and that the rule was in place for a long while before (though did it refer to promoted teams exclusively like in England?), but if the bar is set too high, the league is going to come out with more egg on its face.

[Macy]

Or make them groundshare grounds that do.

If we just continue having rules with constant exemptions whats the point in the rule? Clubs with wishy washy plans just keep getting exempted the rules with no sign of progress at all. A lot of the clubs on that list don't even meet the 1st division requirement of 500 covered seats ffs.

[pineapple stu]

But who are, say, Drogheda, Dundalk and Monaghan going to groundshare with?

I accept the rules should be followed, but what's the point of having unattainable rules - such as 1500 covered seats, no exceptions even if you're building a new ground? Also, very hard to build a new stand if, as has been the case, the FAI's incompetence has caused capital grants to be suspended.

[Mr A]

In Harps case we were specifically told by the FAI not to improve Finn Park due to the new stadium project.

Bit harsh to turf us out of the league for doing what we're told!

Fair play to Longford for getting a decent stadium up so quickly and all, but I wonder would they be so confident about passing strict financial scrutiny?