Summer Soccer Poll

**dfx-** · 31/07/2006, 2:38 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

as IMO the change to Full time football has been more important in this regard.

Going into European games at full force against teams in a pre-season type mentality would be what I would attribute it to more than full time football which has obviously helped.

PS. I voted Summer some time last week..

**Peadar** · 31/07/2006, 2:45 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I wonder how much of that can be directly attributed to summer football and not to just a change in attitude on the clubs' behalf?

I was thinking about this over the weekend and I can't remember a season where the top 4 teams in the league have been our representatives in Europe. That is surely a contributing factor to our success this term.

Having said that, I still think that the league has a better chance of growing in its current form.

**pete** · 31/07/2006, 3:57 PM

Originally Posted by d f x-

Going into European games at full force against teams in a pre-season type mentality would be what I would attribute it to more than full time football which has obviously helped.

Because eL sides play in the northern european section its rare that our opponents have a winter season so has been no real advantage for the Uefa cup.

In the CL qualifiers the summer season has sometimes been an advantage like this year.

**Shelsman** · 31/07/2006, 4:47 PM

Originally Posted by EnDai

Not encouraged by summer football? You basically said you prefer to go to the beach or have a BBQ than go to a game, thats your choice fair enough. But apart from putting sand in the stands to make castles with and giving out free burgers what do you think is the best way of "persuading the floating supporter that a night at the football is the best way to spend your Fridays during the summer months"? Quality of football perhaps?

Yup, all those free burgers would definitely make him

A FLOATING FAN !!!!

**Shelsman** · 31/07/2006, 4:51 PM

Originally Posted by Poor Student

It has yet to be proven that there's any correlation between those two.

Let's face it spanner head, there will be very few people who can prove this either way. We can at best deduct and make educated guesses, OR ( God Help us ) OFFER OUR OPINION!!!

**Slash/ED** · 31/07/2006, 5:03 PM

How will switching to winter football improve anything in the league? Do you really think crowds will mysterously rise dramatically because we get to play in sh*t weather conditions for a few months of the year?

There are those who argue that summer football hasn't improved attendences, how does this prove we need to switch back? Crowds are NOT related to when we play our football and that is NOT how we will get them up. If we continue to play in sub standard stadiums we will continue to get sub standard crowds december or july.

As for Dublin City, anyone who thinks they're faith was remotely related to a few months of our season being in warm weather is delusional.

Summer football has helped in other regards and therefore is more attractive and better than winter football. It wasn't a miracle cure, it was a slight help however. And a slight improvement, no matter how slight, is better than none...So why on earth would we go back? It's not going to solve anything. If you think crowds will suddenly jump because we're playing in the freezing rain on mud pitches then you're also delusional.

**Student Mullet** · 31/07/2006, 5:12 PM

Originally Posted by Shelsman

It has yet to be proven that there's any correlation between those two.

Let's face it spanner head, there will be very few people who can prove this either way. We can at best deduct and make educated guesses, OR ( God Help us ) OFFER OUR OPINION!!!

You can prove a correlation easily enough. European results and the leagues ranking have improved recently but league attendances have not. There has therefore been no correlation.

**passerrby** · 31/07/2006, 6:14 PM

there are a small number (3 maybe 4)of clubs trying to force a debate at council level on this issue,J D wants summer football Most clubs want summer football so this will not get of the ground ,incidently I agree with him on this

**pineapple stu** · 31/07/2006, 6:31 PM

Originally Posted by Slash/ED

How will switching to winter football improve anything in the league? Do you really think crowds will mysterously rise dramatically because we get to play in sh*t weather conditions for a few months of the year?

There are those who argue that summer football hasn't improved attendences, how does this prove we need to switch back?

If crowds have dropped 20% since summer soccer - which best figures show they have - then you would imagine, ceteris paribus, that the switch has had something to do with that, and that reversing the switch would therefore reverse some of the impact on attendances.

Originally Posted by Slash/Ed

Crowds are NOT related to when we play our football and that is NOT how we will get them up.

Curiously, that's one of the main points the summer soccer advocates sold the idea on. Now they're saying it's irrelevant?

Originally Posted by Slash/Ed

As for Dublin City, anyone who thinks they're faith was remotely related to a few months of our season being in warm weather is delusional.

In fairness, I don't think anyone disagrees with this.

**EireBadBoy** · 01/08/2006, 1:32 AM

Summer.

**NY Hoop** · 01/08/2006, 11:26 AM

The main reason for the switch to summer was to improve the European results. Guess what? It's worked.

Going back to winter to suit a couple of clubs and nuuters like keely would be the beginning of the end.

AGAIN do we want to go back to getting hammered in Europe?

KOH

**Jerry The Saint** · 01/08/2006, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by NY Hoop

The main reason for the switch to summer was to improve the European results. Guess what? It's worked.

That was one of the reasons, yes. Another of the main reasons was to "avoid competing with the (English) Premiership", boosting attendances and media coverage. Guess what? It hasn't worked. In fact the evidence suggests it's had a negative impact.

AGAIN do we want to go back to getting hammered in Europe?

Results have improved but Irish clubs 'getting hammered in Europe' was already finished before summer soccer was introduced (with the exception of Zimbru which I'll mention to save anyone else having to

) largely due to proper full-time squads and much improved coaching and preparation from our participants.

**NY Hoop** · 01/08/2006, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Jerry The Saint

That was one of the reasons, yes. Another of the main reasons was to "avoid competing with the (English) Premiership", boosting attendances and media coverage. Guess what? It hasn't worked. In fact the evidence suggests it's had a negative impact.

Results have improved but Irish clubs 'getting hammered in Europe' was already finished before summer soccer was introduced (with the exception of Zimbru which I'll mention to save anyone else having to

) largely due to proper full-time squads and much improved coaching and preparation from our participants.

Boez getting hammered by Ferencvaros, Cork getting by a Latvian side and Dundalk getting hammered home and away by a Croatian side would suggest otherwise.

If we get better results in Europe at the expense of some crowds going down temporarily then most forward thinking fans would take that.

When the facilities get better and the results in Europe continue then the crowds will surpass any winter season.

BTW what is with your avator?

KOH

**pineapple stu** · 01/08/2006, 1:03 PM

Originally Posted by NY Hoop

Boez getting hammered by Ferencvaros, Cork getting by a Latvian side and Dundalk getting hammered home and away by a Croatian side would suggest otherwise.

I think European results started to improve around 2000/01. That was the year UCD drew home and away against Kyustendil, Shels beat Sloga before drawing in Norway and Bohs beat Aberdeen before winning in Germany. That was also about when full-time teams started coming in. I think the Bohs game in Aberdeen was mentioned as the first time Bohs (or possibly any LoI side) had fielded an all full-time XI. That was the first time since 1994/95 an Irish team had made it through a round in Europe - and even then, it was Sligo scraping past a Maltese team - and the first time in some 20 years that we'd won away from home.

The following year, Bohs hammered Maardu and game Helsingborgs a close game. Longford put in a very creditable performance against Lovech and were a couple of minutes away from matching our feat of draws home and away.

2002/03 was an unmitigated disaster, but Dundalk were a First Division side and Shels was a one-off.

In 2003, we started into summer soccer properly - and we won one game and lost seven. Following on from that, we've done very well every year.

Conclusion? Summer football has helped European results, but I think full-time teams, proper preparation and confidence have helped just as much, if not more.

**NY Hoop** · 01/08/2006, 1:13 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I think European results started to improve around 2000/01. That was the year UCD drew home and away against Kyustendil, Shels beat Sloga before drawing in Norway and Bohs beat Aberdeen before winning in Germany. That was also about when full-time teams started coming in. I think the Bohs game in Aberdeen was mentioned as the first time Bohs (or possibly any LoI side) had fielded an all full-time XI. That was the first time since 1994/95 an Irish team had made it through a round in Europe - and even then, it was Sligo scraping past a Maltese team - and the first time in some 20 years that we'd won away from home.

The following year, Bohs hammered Maardu and game Helsingborgs a close game. Longford put in a very creditable performance against Lovech and were a couple of minutes away from matching our feat of draws home and away.

2002/03 was an unmitigated disaster, but Dundalk were a First Division side and Shels was a one-off.

In 2003, we started into summer soccer properly - and we won one game and lost seven. Following on from that, we've done very well every year.

Conclusion? Summer football has helped European results, but I think full-time teams, proper preparation and confidence have helped just as much, if not more.

In 2003 we won 2 games in europe. The best preparation is games as we werent full time but we were on a winning streak at that time. You can be full time but if you're playing in winter you will suffer in Europe because you wont have played competitive games.

KOH

**Poor Student** · 01/08/2006, 1:18 PM

Originally Posted by Shelsman

Let's face it spanner head

What the hell is your problem? Aren't you supposed to be a mod?

**Dodge** · 01/08/2006, 1:37 PM

Originally Posted by NY Hoop

You can be full time but if you're playing in winter you will suffer in Europe because you wont have played competitive games.

And if You're part time you'll suffer from not having all your best players available or only training twice a week together or any other number of factors. The point is that NOBODY can categorically say that Summer football has or hasn't worked. European results are better not but IMO full time (and particularly higher wages attracting better players) has helped this more. Crowds are down but In the opinion of some, thats only at cubs who are struggling on the pitch.

Somethings are clear, it was introduced with no research and no research has been done to see if its had any effect.

**pineapple stu** · 01/08/2006, 2:05 PM

Originally Posted by NY Hoop

In 2003 we won 2 games in europe.

Is that counting InterToto? Didn't have those results to hand (apart from ourselves obviously). Bohs beat Borisov 3-0 and lost 1-0 before losing 1-0 and 4-0 to Rosenborg; Shels lost 3-2 and 1-0 to Olimpija and Derry lost 2-1 and 3-0 to APOEL.

**Shelsman** · 01/08/2006, 4:46 PM

Originally Posted by Poor Student

What the hell is your problem? Aren't you supposed to be a mod?

Sorry about that, I just got a bit worked up and all.....

**Jerry The Saint** · 01/08/2006, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by NY Hoop

BTW what is with your avator?

It's a cautionary example for people with more money than sense (especially people like Rocky Seery who didn't even have a lot of money to begin with). If everyone forgets about CHF some idiot will be doomed to repeat their mistakes!