Official Premiership Thread

**gerryscore** · 11/12/2006, 4:27 PM

i look forward to the galway celebrations. it is a big achievement for a club the size of galway to only finish one position behind dundalk. a big well done to all concerned with galway united.

**Aaron** · 11/12/2006, 4:30 PM

People, every club signed up for this. No-matter how much they rant on about how they should be in the Premier, they agreed to sign to this agreement and therefore they coudnt turn back on it. I do agree that Dundalk should be in because they beat Waterford in the play-off but when they signed up to the agreement they knew exactly what was required to get into the new premiership and they didnt match it. Its hard lines but thats what they agreed to. Also i have no sympathy for Waterford, they thought they'd bring in **** players and rest on their laurels thinking Mr Delaney will secure their place in the Premier. Well hard lines yeez didnt get in, good luck in the First Division

.....plus it means we only have to travel to Munster twice next year!!

**jebus** · 11/12/2006, 4:31 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Its a ****ing disgrace and any Galway fan coming on here bleating about it should be ashamed of themselves

*In my, and many other fans eyes the vast majority of people who supported this from day one have been Galway fans, and thats not even mentioning the pig headed crowing they have been doing in the last few weeks on this website about this. Apologies to any Galway supporter who saw sense and didn't support this for lumping you in with that shower. I said 'fans' because I can't honestly say that I think of them as 'football fans' given all this 'we're best off the field' nonsense they have been coming out with, try winning something on the pitch lads before you start thumping your chest

Originally Posted by Conor H

PREMIER LEAGUE.

Damn I love being proved right about those Galway 'supporters'

**OneRedArmy** · 11/12/2006, 4:34 PM

The clubs (and a lot of posters on here) can whinge all they want about off-field points etc. but they signed up to the process, so it really is a case of tough luck, unless Dundalk or Waterford can prove that the criteria was not adhered to or applied rigourously and consistently.

I'd be surprised if they can prove this to be honest. The IAG were set up as an independent body specifically to avoid allegations of favouritism and the like and they SHOULD have evidenced all their decisions in great detail as they surely knew that there was always going to be one or more clubs very unhappy with the results.

Intuitively the results make sense. It is well known that Galway focused on long-term off-field structures at the expense of short-term on field performance over the past few years (the anti-Shels) and they are being rewarded for this. Not sure on Waterford's structures but they can't be that good or they would have been shouting from the rooftops about them. Dundalk can't be surprised and last weeks announcement about the training centre has been shown up for what it was, a last minute attempt to get in the headlines. I suspect UCD's late season rally on the pitch was their saving grace.

More interesting (to me at least) is the criteria going forward. Are on field and off field criteria going to be used for promotion/relegation going forward? If you think about it, its ridiculous that they wouldn't be as you would end up with clubs slipping back into short-termist behaviour of spending too much on players wages and not enough on development and infrastructure.

If the FAI has any sense they will divvy out the windfall payments they have been promising the new set up would bring based on the off field criteria (rather than simply dividing by the number of clubs or putting it all into prizemoney).

**bigmac** · 11/12/2006, 4:34 PM

Originally Posted by City till I Die

Also i have no sympathy for Waterford, they thought they'd bring in **** players and rest on their laurels thinking Mr Delaney will secure their place in the Premier.

Yeah cos John Delaney's done so much for the club

He's our Kilcoyne FFS!

We brought in the only players we could afford and we have a debt free club that is no longer making a loss each year. If that costs us a season or two in the first division then fine, but get your facts straight before you start posting such rubbish.

Have you seen any Waterford supporters on here giving out about the result?

**cooee** · 11/12/2006, 4:35 PM

can I assume there will now be court cases, recriminations, accusations and all of the usual Irish senior football shenanigans.
At the same time the English premiership will have a rip roaring league title race....all of the 12 year old kids and future football supporters will be glued to RTE news and Supreme Court to get the results of the Irish premier league NOT! How boring compared to Match of the DAy, Sky Sports Super Sunday....

At least the FAI tried to have a process laid out in advance - but when the result of the process does not go the way that someone wants then the process was faulty and it should have just been straight league results.

The public are votingh with their feet....

**jebus** · 11/12/2006, 4:35 PM

Originally Posted by City till I Die

People, every club signed up for this. No-matter how much they rant on about how they should be in the Premier, they agreed to sign to this agreement and therefore they coudnt turn back on it. I do agree that Dundalk should be in because they beat Waterford in the play-off but when they signed up to the agreement they knew exactly what was required to get into the new premiership and they didnt match it. Its hard lines but thats what they agreed to. Also i have no sympathy for Waterford, they thought they'd bring in **** players and rest on their laurels thinking Mr Delaney will secure their place in the Premier. Well hard lines yeez didnt get in, good luck in the First Division

.....plus it means we only have to travel to Munster twice next year!!

Amazing how this line of arguement is coming out of people who support clubs who this no promotion/relegation issue had no effect on whatsoever. What do you think would happen if, say Dundalk, had voted against it? Do you think that would have stopped this happening? Because all I think would have happened there would they would either a) have had no chance of being promoted this year because the FAI would have a grudge against them, or b) be kicked out of the league altogether because the FAI would have had a grudge against them. Do you really think Dundalk voting against this would have stopped it? Really?

**GalwayFrancis** · 11/12/2006, 4:36 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Damn I love being proved right about those Galway 'supporters'

so what do you see as a 'supporter' jebus?
someone who attends every match he can, someone who organises buses so other supporters can go to away game, someone who spends alot of time and effort incouraging other people to go to matches and someone who spends money out of his own pocket to make the terraces a louder and more colourful place?
well if so, conor H is a very big 'supporter', as are the majority of gufc's regular fans

**DmanDmythDledge** · 11/12/2006, 4:36 PM

Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

I suspect UCD's late season rally on the pitch was their saving grace.

No, our off the field set up was always going to be an advantage too.

Just heard on RT� radio that Waterford got more points than Galway, but Galway were chosen to be ahead of them!

**gerryscore** · 11/12/2006, 4:39 PM

this galway promotion stinks to high heaven if the rumour they scored less than waterford is true.

**GalwayFrancis** · 11/12/2006, 4:40 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Amazing how this line of arguement is coming out of people who support clubs who this no promotion/relegation issue had no effect on whatsoever.

well technically this process effected every club, even the mighty derry city had to go before the IAG and be evaluated. do you think if derry didnt show up to their IAG meeting, that theyd be in the premiership, only scoring out of the 50% on field activities?

**MarkyH** · 11/12/2006, 4:41 PM

I'd say Deleaney is disgusted that UCD finished so high in the league that he couldn't relegate them. Galway always had all the right ingredients (not on the field though) to appeal to Delaney and his cohorts - PR, marketing, media coverage, 5 year plans etc. To me it looked like Waterford gave up trying on the field as they presumed they were going to be in the Premier League no matter what next year.

**jebus** · 11/12/2006, 4:42 PM

Originally Posted by GalwayFrancis

so what do you see as a 'supporter' jebus?
someone who attends every match he can, someone who organises buses so other supporters can go to away game, someone who spends alot of time and effort incouraging other people to go to matches and someone who spends money out of his own pocket to make the terraces a louder and more colourful place?
well if so, conor H is a very big 'supporter', as are the majority of gufc's regular fans

Quite simply someone who believs in their club achieving their goals on the pitch. After all are we not meant to be supporters of a competitive game? Its that simple GalwayFrancis, that simple.

The Celtic League teams in rugby must be ****ing themselves laughing at us, how are we going to win fans from them?

**DmanDmythDledge** · 11/12/2006, 4:43 PM

Originally Posted by MarkyH

I'd say Deleaney is disgusted that UCD finished so high in the league that he couldn't relegate them.

Criteria etc...

**Raheny Red** · 11/12/2006, 4:44 PM

Nice trip to Galway now. Can't see how clubs can complain if they signed up to the bloody thing

**jebus** · 11/12/2006, 4:44 PM

Originally Posted by GalwayFrancis

well technically this process effected every club, even the mighty derry city had to go before the IAG and be evaluated. do you think if derry didnt show up to their IAG meeting, that theyd be in the premiership, only scoring out of the 50% on field activities?

Do you think for one second that Derry were ever in danger of being relegated? Do you think that they wouldn't show up for an IAG meeting? If they didn't wouldn't that say that they don't want anything to do with the League of Ireland? Stupid argument GalwayFrancis, albeit a slightly better one than Conor's

**Kildare Lad** · 11/12/2006, 4:44 PM

So, what will happen to the 1st division if Limerick do not suceed in their appeal?

When will the new team in the league be announced?

**Philly** · 11/12/2006, 4:45 PM

If that is true then it is baffling...... Hopefully it isn't.

**OneRedArmy** · 11/12/2006, 4:45 PM

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

No, our off the field set up was always going to be an advantage too.

The move to the Bowl certainly helps, also administratively and financially I would say UCD are very well run. This would compensate for getting hammered on the marketability side.

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

Just heard on RT� radio that Waterford got more points than Galway, but Galway were chosen to be ahead of them!

Was it someone from Waterford alleged this?

As I said above, given that the process was always likely to be challenged by the losers I'd be surprised (not very surprised mind given the stupidity of some involved!) that the process was fudged in such an obvious way.

**jebus** · 11/12/2006, 4:46 PM

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

No, our off the field set up was always going to be an advantage too.

Just heard on RT� radio that Waterford got more points than Galway, but Galway were chosen to be ahead of them!

If that's true......well this is already a disgrace regardless, but if that's true there won't be words in the English language to describe this farce