Article in Financial Times

[galwayhoop]

It's a ridiculous idea

I'm a Limerick F.C. fan, why in ainm de would I want to follow a Munster team

i think the whole point arose here in relation to a hypotetical euro league where eL teams were not even mentioned for inclusion in the article. as a small country (who play many sports) we need to look at ways of nuturing talent in this country without relying on the clubs accross the sea for this. it is merely a suggestion whereby the eL clubs remain but the elite players are also selected for provencial teams to compete in a european style legue which is run in addition to the eL. (a-la the heineken cup.)

a bit like the rugby - cork con, galwegians, garryowen .... etc are still in existence and compete in the all ireland league. the elite players then also play for the provencial teams in the heineken cup and then the best of these play for the international side. - this should create a high enough standard where the cream of the crop were at the very least provided with the option of staying at home instead of flocking to britain for supposed fame and fortune.

i honestly feel that the idea, in theory, could actually benefit the game as a whole in the country - as a consequence though the eL would be affected (and as a GUFC supporter obviously this would be hard to stomach) but it is a question to be posed - Where exactly are we going as a nation in relation to football and at the moment the eL (unfortunately) is not an attractive enough product for the vast majority of football supporters in this country.

[NY Hoop]

Amazing there are people like that. And he calls himself irishfan?

How about Irish people supporting Irish clubs?

Dont think real fans despise the premiership at all by the way. I look at it the way you look at the monkies scratching their arses in the zoo. With mild amusement but fascinating as well.

KOH

[galwayhoop]

another question to be posed is if we did run a series like the inter-pros with the winner then playing in the CL would the game benefit? would we be able to compete at a higher level?

i'm not saying the above is the answer merely that it is not as wild a suggestion as first thought

[Dodge]

Dont think real fans despise the premiership at all by the way.

Most have a second club in England, pretty much every one of us watches match of the day or Man U v Arsenal type games. Its the intensity of the irish (sic) media coverage of it some have a problem with.

[Lim till i die]

i honestly feel that the idea, in theory, could actually benefit the game as a whole in the country - as a consequence though the eL would be affected (and as a GUFC supporter obviously this would be hard to stomach) but it is a question to be posed - Where exactly are we going as a nation in relation to football and at the moment the eL (unfortunately) is not an attractive enough product for the vast majority of football supporters in this country.

I follow Limerick would have absolutely shag all interest in a Munster set up. The only possible reason for such a notion would be to drag in the knob-end bandwagon brigade ala Munster rugby and even at that they'll only come out for the big games

The only purpose this idea would serve is to kill off the Eircom League once and for all

Have you been at an AIL game recently?

[galwayhoop]

Have you been at an AIL game recently?

have absolutely no interest in the 'egg men'

i know what yer sayin lim but i'm actually thinking of a way whereby the elite players aren't packed off over to england at 15 or 16 years old only to come back home 3 years later or so and feel like total failures, not having developed very much and in many cases packin in the game.

i really think we should look at ways of retaining players in this country untill they are at least 19 or 20 or older. even if there was no inter - pro set up you could still run regionalised academies (think this is on the agenda already) where talented players are kept at home with a full time set up and looked after and not exported in their mid teens to fend for themselves!

then the Q is whether the eL in it's current guise will produce the next genertion of top irish player - or do we need to look at radically overhauling it and not just picking teams on their stadiums and balance sheets for the delaney super-duper league

[irishfan86]

Amazing there are people like that. And he calls himself irishfan?

How about Irish people supporting Irish clubs?

The Premiership can hardly be called an English league anymore. The players come from a wide variety of nations, and the teams are very often owned by foreigners (Chelsea by a Russian, Man U by an American, etc), and its great success comes from that internationalism.

The Eircom league is dominated by Irish players, owned by Irish people, and very protectionist.

In this era where people are aware of the kind of quality football that is being played elsewhere, they are unwilling to pay to see inferior football down the street in the pouring rain in a dilapidating stadium played by players who half the time can't even make wages high enough to sustain themselves on football alone.

I don't have access to much Eircom League here, but I watch everything I can get a hold of, and watched a couple of matches in Derry's recent European run.

I'd love the Eircom League to be successful, and well supported by the Irish people, but it simply isn't happening, and thus realistic (if radical) alternatives need to be looked at if football in the country is to improve.

[Billsthoughts]

Just on the rugby comparison; its worth bearing in mind that the provincial system always existed and these teams do actually have histories of their own. they werent just created with the advent of profesionalism. no such structure exists in football.

[Billsthoughts]

In this era where people are aware of the kind of quality football that is being played elsewhere, they are unwilling to pay to see inferior football down the street in the pouring rain in a dilapidating stadium played by players who half the time can't even make wages high enough to sustain themselves on football alone.
.

couple of points
they do it for ireland games(ya cant get more inferior football than what we have been subjected to lately)
If you are talking bout dillapidated stadiums they did the same in england for years before they upgraded all the stadia after hillsborough. and even if we did have these so called "super teams" the stadia isnt here anyway.
I dont see how a players wage should effect whether you go to a game or not? sureley the fact that they are earning more modest salaries should only strengthen the ordinary punters identification with the players rather than weaken it?

[Student Mullet]

There's no point in proposing any radical change untill all the small cack-ups we currently have are fixed. If we can't manage to put together a proper rulebook or fixtures list under the current system the same mistakes would appear and undermine any new system.

[Lim till i die]

have absolutely no interest in the 'egg men'

then the Q is whether the eL in it's current guise will produce the next genertion of top irish player - or do we need to look at radically overhauling it and not just picking teams on their stadiums and balance sheets for the delaney super-duper league

It has absolutely died on its Ar$e

The new super league is a shambles

There's no reason why well run Eircom league clubs into the future couldn't hang on to their best talent until their early twentys upon which time of course they'll move on to bigger things if offered. Its the way of the world

Would Connacht F.C. be able to compete with Man U for a young player??

[irishfan86]

I realize the stadia isn't in place- having a bigger team whether through Premiership association or participation in a wider European league would demand that.

If a larger team arrived, it would invest in the youth system here to greater affect than the Eircom League has done previously, and better training facilities would naturally come along with a decent home ground.

Regarding the salaries, my point was that players on low wages who have to work other jobs can't fully dedicate themselves to their football training and preparation as a result, and so the product drops to even lower levels.

The media obsession with footballing millionaires and the support of tabloids by the masses shows you just how much the public loves to support the working class player in the Eircome League.

[NY Hoop]

The Premiership can hardly be called an English league anymore. The players come from a wide variety of nations, and the teams are very often owned by foreigners (Chelsea by a Russian, Man U by an American, etc), and its great success comes from that internationalism.

The Eircom league is dominated by Irish players, owned by Irish people, and very protectionist.

In this era where people are aware of the kind of quality football that is being played elsewhere, they are unwilling to pay to see inferior football down the street in the pouring rain in a dilapidating stadium played by players who half the time can't even make wages high enough to sustain themselves on football alone.

I don't have access to much Eircom League here, but I watch everything I can get a hold of, and watched a couple of matches in Derry's recent European run.

I'd love the Eircom League to be successful, and well supported by the Irish people, but it simply isn't happening, and thus realistic (if radical) alternatives need to be looked at if football in the country is to improve.

The premiership is in england so it is the english league. That pathetic excuse is always used by the muppets here who "support" an english club.

I dont agree our league is protectionist at all. There are no quotas for example on where players come from. Indeed Joseph Ndo was POTY here.

We play in the summer season now so no pouring rain! Agree that facilities are not the best but are definitely improving.

I think you said it all when you said that you dont have access to the EL. I know nothing about cricket so I dont comment on it.

KOH

[Billsthoughts]

We have been in need of a stadium for the last god knows how many years and we still havent got one...what makes you think some premiership team is gonna build one?
I dont think working part time effects a players ability to deliver "product"
probably effects their ability to get addicted to online gambling and porn and get done for a dogging session with some drunk girl but doesnt effect their footballing ability

[irishfan86]

I think you said it all when you said that you dont have access to the EL. I know nothing about cricket so I dont comment on it.

KOH

I haven't seen a great deal of games, but the ones I have seen have been supposedly the biggest- European games, Setanta Cup games....essentially the showcases of the league.

And it doesn't stand up.

The quality just isn't there, I can see the half-filled dilapidated stadiums.

Irish people love supporting the Premiership, why not give them a team their own to compete in that league, or in a European wide-league should one come to be?

Semi-professional football will still exist if it gets you off, and the majority of football fans will get to see a superior product they didn't have access to before.

[NY Hoop]

It doesnt stand up is merely your opinion.

I'm Irish I support an Irish club. If you travel around Europe supporting your local senior side is normal.

There are full time clubs here. Are you aware of the improved results in Europe? Do you think the leagues in Scotland, Sweden and Finland should give up and import an english club because they dont come up to your standards?

If poeple here love english football so much the solution is simple. Move there.

KOH

[gustavo]

down the street in the pouring rain .

Presumably if the Premiership did come here its sheer brilliance would be enough to banish rain for good.

[irishfan86]

There are full time clubs here. Are you aware of the improved results in Europe? Do you think the leagues in Scotland, Sweden and Finland should give up and import an english club because they dont come up to your standards?

If poeple here love english football so much the solution is simple. Move there.

KOH

I am aware of the full-time nature of some clubs, as well as the improved results.

I am also aware of the average attendances, which is the real indicator of professional footballing growth.

Regarding Scotland, their attendance is much better than the Eircom League, and the Old Firm provide a European interest for the casual fans (where the bulk of the income comes from), Eircom League players and coaches consider it a step up- the manager of Derry, one of the best clubs here, goes to the worst team in the SPL for example- and even with all that, there is always that debate in the background about the Old Firm joining the Premiership.

Sweden manage to keep the majority of their talent within their country until a good age, and you can see the success they've had as a result by qualifying for major tournaments on a consistent basis, and having clubs compete in the UEFA Cup group stages regularly.

I don't know anything about Finnish football so I'm not going to go there, but my point above is that even Scotland and Sweden are miles ahead of us domestically.

[Soper]

I haven't seen a great deal of games, but the ones I have seen have been supposedly the biggest- European games, Setanta Cup games....essentially the showcases of the league.

And it doesn't stand up.

The quality just isn't there, I can see the half-filled dilapidated stadiums.

If you've seen the European games, then you would have seen FULL stadiums, for example the Brandywell against PSG and Gretna and IFK.

So I think you are a liar and a spoofer.

[irishfan86]

If you've seen the European games, then you would have seen FULL stadiums, for example the Brandywell against PSG and Gretna and IFK.

So I think you are a liar and a spoofer.

I really don't have access to many games, I only get to see what people record and post online which is almost nothing when it comes to the Irish league.

I do recall seeing many empty seats during a Shels European game I saw last season.

Points criticizing my knowledge of the Eircom League may be valid, but I am no liar.