Will the eL extend the league season for Derry City? Should the league extend the season?
The way i see it they have only 3 free midweeks left - have to re-arrange Sligo game into 1, if they get to FAI Cup semi as expected need to more that league game into another. That just leaves 1 free midweek for a cup replay. I haven't even considered what qualifying for the Uefa Cup group stages would do.
Ollie would throw a fit if they did.
TO TELL THE TRUTH IS REVOLUTIONARY
The ONLY foot.ie user with a type of logic named after them!
All of this has happened before. All of it will happen again.
Definitely will not happen. There would be no need for all this congestion if they hadnt had that stupid break in June.
KOH
In the unlikely event that City get to the UEFA Cp Group Stages, the FAI will have to look seriously at the situation.
On the one hand, Derry would have a silly amount of key games to fit in between now and November. Then, bizarrely, the club would have no games at all for the final period of the UEFA group fixtures. We'd then have to look to a series of constant friendlies to keep the team match-fit !
But we'll worry about all of this if and when the opportunity arises !
Ollie would be right to throw a fit if they did. If they are going to extend the season because a team cannot play 2 games per week (a team like Derry, no less, who practically have 2 first teams) over an extended period then everything Roddy says about the minnowism of this league is true.
ONE CITY, ONE TEAM.
Derry now have a 2 game per week schedule worked out.
22/9 (A) Shelbourne (Lge) - live on TG4
28/9 (A) PSG UEFA - Live on Setanta
1/10 (H) UCD (FAI QF)
6/10 (H) Bohemians (Lge)
10/10 (H) Drogheda (Lge)
14/10 (A) Longford (Lge)
17/10 (H) Sligo (Lge) OR 19/10 UEFA ?
20/10 (H) Drogheda (Lge)
24/10 (H) Shelbourne (Lge)
27/10 (A) Waterford (Lge) OR FAI CUP SF
2/11 UEFA ?
3/11 (H) Bray (Lge)
6/11 (A) Drogheda (Lge)
10/11 (A) St Pats (Lge)
17/11 (H) Cork (Lge)
23/11 UEFA?
29 or 30/11 UEFA?
3/12 FAI CUP FINAL
13 or 14/12 UEFA?
If Derry make the FAI Cup SF then I see Waterford moving to 1/11 - unless we also make Group Stages of UEFA when Waterford will have to go to 13/11.
Worse case is a CUP SF replay and UEFA group stages which would mean the Cup replay being after the league ends which would still be 2 weeks before the Cup Final. Only problem I could see is the Sligo game if we make group stages - but there is always the chance the league could be over either way which would possibly allow one game to be after the final league match.
Derry will just about be OK for fixtures - the players will deserve their end of season break
Last edited by refjohn; 19/09/2006 at 1:55 PM.
Didn't see that. BTW ye should update your website
Anyway i think any congestion is to some extent Derry Citys own fault. Obviously playing well in multiple competitions means a lot of games but i think Derrys failure to re-arrnage games earlier is basically their own fault.
Sure Shels game of 30th June has not been played yet & Drogs game in between Uefa Cup games needlessly postponed.
The Drogs game was apparently off at request of Drogheda. Derry played Limavady that night to keep players match fit.
Next season I think the FAI should make Euro teams play each other on the weekend of European games - even if it means scheduling them to meet 2 or 3 times in one month.
That way the games can then be rearranaged for early in the season - not later where cup replays and weather postponements come into play. We had a 2 week break to allow the suits to go to the World Cup - Derry v Shels Cork v Drogs would still have got decent crowds if played at this time.
Clubs have some responsibility - so have the league. In the Premiership last weekend many European clubs were down to play each other to ensure there were enough Saturday games - we know who qualifys from Europe - all it needs is a bit of strategy.
Last edited by refjohn; 19/09/2006 at 2:07 PM.
You can't extend the season - other clubs simply couldn't afford to keep paying wages and would never agree.
As regards fixtures not enough effort is put into getting games early. For example couldn't the fixtures be devised that on the first weekend 6 games be played on a Friday and a second round of matches on the Monday - only 2 of the 11 play on a Saturday, so while they may not be too happy they would at least be guaranteed a home game on the Monday.
It would be wrong to extend the season unless we get into UEFA Cup group stage. All domestic fixtures should be played within the alloted league time- a fixture build up is the price of success. Generally speaking, teams aren't supposed to be winning the treble on a yearly basis, just because we are still in two domestic competitions should not mean the whole league should be held back- winning all three competitions is hard for a reason and to achieve it mean you have to have a team that's good enough, not one that gets to play matches when they want to after the season should be over.
Agree re: playing matches earlier, European teams playing one another, and WC break- common sense would be nice, but sure when has that ever bothered the FAI?
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