Do you think the 10 team premier division has been a success?

**dahamsta** · 03/01/2003, 2:35 PM

[ Posted on behalf of Shelsman. ]

**Shelsman** · 03/01/2003, 4:32 PM

Please don't vote 'No' just because your team is in releagtion trouble!

I think the standard and competitiveness in the Premier Division has been the highest yet. Likewise with the 1st Division ( even though a lot of this is done to the excellent new playoff system ). I think the standard of the 1st Division is better now that there are always two extra strong teams competing in it.

In the Premier Division there used to be at least two 'whipping boys' but now there are no longer any easy games ( which is probably why Cork City struggled so much early on ( I can feel a wave of Cork anger hitting the replies soon! )).

**James** · 03/01/2003, 6:05 PM

you're some lang�r $h��$fan

**joe** · 03/01/2003, 6:31 PM

I think it's too early to tell and with Premier Division teams playing wach other 4 times next season we'll have to see if it becomes tedious or not. The First Division seems to have benefited from the extra two tams and the fact that the top four all have a chance of going up.

**TommyT** · 04/01/2003, 3:05 PM

I agree with Joe. Largely good for the league but let's wait and see if the repitition becomes tedious.

**pete** · 06/01/2003, 9:43 AM

I don't think repetition for city be too much of a problem but will be a tedious amount of dublin derbys now.

I think 10 teams is good as there just is not the quality for a 12 team Premier division.

**Real ale Madrid** · 09/01/2003, 12:26 PM

Why play 36 games a season why not play just 27. along with the league cup I think is is enough games and It keeps things more competitive.

**Macy** · 09/01/2003, 12:38 PM

Originally posted by Real ale Madrid
Why play 36 games a season why not play just 27. along with the league cup I think is is enough games and It keeps things more competitive.

Disagree, as I think you have to even up the home and away games.... To get a true reflection you need the equality of a full home and away fixture list...

**fosterdollar** · 09/01/2003, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by Shelsman
Please don't vote 'No' just because your team is in releagtion trouble!

I think the standard and competitiveness in the Premier Division has been the highest yet. Likewise with the 1st Division ( even though a lot of this is done to the excellent new playoff system ). I think the standard of the 1st Division is better now that there are always two extra strong teams competing in it.

In the Premier Division there used to be at least two 'whipping boys' but now there are no longer any easy games ( which is probably why Cork City struggled so much early on ( I can feel a wave of Cork anger hitting the replies soon! )).

agree with this definitely. The premier has been cleaned up well for good competition and the extra stronger teams present in the 1st division are raising standards there. 4 meetings each next year will be much fairer than the 3 this year

**Xlex** · 09/01/2003, 1:20 PM

but at the end of the day its going to host alot of dublin derbies...

Need a full season to iron it out... unfair of any of our relegation rivals to have to play Cork twice in Cork... whilst we play them twice on their travels...

**�anna** · 09/01/2003, 2:26 PM

a stupid idea from the outset. what we have is the dublin district league + city, derry and longford. bohs and shels are way ahead of everyone else, city and shams are fighting a private battle for 3rd and 4th and then evryone else is fighting relegation. it�s a disaster. the scottish league tried it and it failed, we should have seen the glaringly obvious proof that it wouldnt work.

the best idea was what pat devlin suggested 2 years ago- have a 2 year 22 team 1 division league to give everyone a chance, and then make a decision.

**pete** · 10/01/2003, 10:34 AM

Maybe even as much as half the 1st division clubs are barely above leinster/munster senior league standard.

Looks bad to have the likes of Monaghan in the Premier division.

Shels & Bohs are ahead of the rest because they are investing in the future. I'd be surprised if any Premier club had lower attendances this season than last & the 1st division may even have had increases as well. The average standard of the Premier division has improved as no wipping boys anymore.

Maybe in a few years as the overall standard of the eL improves the Premier could be increased back to 12.

**crc** · 10/01/2003, 11:04 AM

There's definately more quality in the Premier, but there's a serious problem about the number of clubs from around Dublin. The fact that there are only two clubs from outside Leinster is ridiculous - but then its up to teams like Waterford, Galway and Sligo to do better (it looks like Waterford and one of Harps, Galway or Cobh, but Kildare could still make the playoffs).

Also, equal number of home and away matches will be fairer.

**Gone Away** · 10/01/2003, 11:43 AM

Was against it at the start, but am coming around now.

What it is basically doing is showing that there is no room for error. If you fook up badly consistently, you will be punished by relegation.

Look at teams like Longford and Derry, who, in October thought they were fine in mid table, they relaxed and are now in deep deep trouble.

I just hope that a few Dublin teams get relegated to make way for teams like Galway, Harps, Waaterford, to make it a real League Of Ireland.

**fosterdollar** · 10/01/2003, 12:03 PM

it wouldnt be a so called 'dublin district league' if the non- dublin teams got their act together in the 1st div. cant always blame the number of teams in the league for their absence. they can contend for places in the premier just like longford did to gain their place, and now they seem to be holding on to it.

**Colm** · 11/01/2003, 4:51 PM

Originally posted by �anna
the best idea was what pat devlin suggested 2 years ago- have a 2 year 22 team 1 division league to give everyone a chance, and then make a decision.

On this occasion Devlin was talking boll0cks.
Even when it was 12 teams there was always one or two whipping boys so obviously the standard is not good enough to support such a proposal.
Also, it would be embarrassing to have so many below-par teams with sub-standard grounds in our top league.
Finally, any league needs relegation. Four or five teams at the top could easily pull away from the rest and that would leave the vast majority of the league with nothing to play for. It would lack any competitive nature and would become very boring.

**Real ale Madrid** · 13/01/2003, 10:20 AM

It should not matter that all the clubs are from the same area. Even if the 10 premier league clubs were all from the same street, they are there on merit and it is up to the rest of the clubs to put up a challenge.

On the topic of a 22 team league that would mean min. of 42 league matches. We should be trying to decrease the number of league matches not increase the number.

**�anna** · 14/01/2003, 4:34 PM

Originally posted by Colm
It would lack any competitive nature and would become very boring.

I think long-term, or even medium-term it would be a bad thing, but as a short-term thing (i.e. the 2 year period he suggested) it would give everyone a fair chance.

**pete** · 14/01/2003, 5:32 PM

I don't understand the reasons suggested for a 2 year period with 22 team league. Surely there is a reason why teams are already in the 1st division? Could you imagine the whippings teams at the bottom of the 1st division would get at Dalymount, Tolka, the Cross etc...

Its going to be fairly hard for the top 10 teams let alone the top 12 teams to try & create fulltime squads.

**Shelsman** · 15/01/2003, 8:19 AM

Originally posted by Colm
Four or five teams at the top could easily pull away from the rest and that would leave the vast majority of the league with nothing to play for. It would lack any competitive nature and would become very boring.

Exactly, just look at the top 4 in the first division -as far as they're concerned they are having a good season as they are doing well in the 1st division and getting good crowds. If there was just one division they would never be in the top 4. If a team is good enough they will get promoted and stay up.

I agree that it would be better if say the likes of Waterford / Sligo were in the Premier rather than UCD but it is up to themselves to get there! Besides, there's no point in having a provincial team in the Premier if they're rubbish. If a team were getting hammered every week it would be embarrasing for the club and the fans.