Remember watching the BBC NI Sports programme one night and it had an IFA official and a local journalist and they both rejected the idea of an all Ireland league.
Backward, Depressing and Pathetic.
Like our league only a few short years ago.
Kildare UCD gone into ET
kdjac
I think we were unable to get out of first gear when at 2-1. O'Donovan booking was idiotic.![]()
Dungannon have done well in the competition but aside from the first season Portadown have been pathetic. FFS i think only 250 at Cork City game & 100 tonight. Is there any wonder Setanta won't do live tv games from Shamrock Park... Maybe there should be minimum crowd requirement?
BBC match report.Sean O'Connor scored a brace as Portadown ended their miserable Setanta Cup Group Two campaign by losing 3-0 to St Pat's at Shamrock Park on Monday.
Eamonn Lynch netted the opener after 52 minutes and O'Connor grabbed his first on 62 before Brendan Clarke saved a Marc McCann penalty soon after.
The Ports were made to pay as O'Connor scored again in the 76th minute.
St Pat's ended on top of the group and will have a home draw in the semi-final against the Group One runners-up.
kdjac
UCD won on penos.
kdjac
Cork 2 - 1 Dungannon
Not very impressive,Cork stumbling over the finishing line!
To be fair, the LOI has shown the IL up this year, I will give you that.
But one thing I can say is, the IL is experiancing a lull at the moment. Glentoran are a terrible side as are Portadown. Dungannon are a decent side but no punch up front.
Next season you will see Cliftonville in the Setanta replacing either Dungannon or Portadown.
Cliftonville are the best team Linfield has faced this season, they gave us a good royal hammering on the first day of the league season 3-0.
I would expect Cliftonville to beat LOI teams as often as LOI teams would beat Cliftonville.
Linfield will obviously still be a force as always.
Glentoran WILL be better next season. They are going through a stage at the moment where they have too many passangers and only a few good players. There will be a big clear out in the summer and they will pick up better players.
I will also say another thing, our league has 16 teams. Our pool of players is a small pool and when it is spread out to 16 teams, very average players who shouldn't be in the league come into these teams.
The season after next the league will go down to 10 or 12 teams. This on it's own will make the league more competitive as the rubbish players will be relegated and there is less teams to share a pool of the better players.
I would give it 3 years and IL teams will be competing pretty well with LOI teams.
Linfield and Cliftonville are by far and away better than the rest of the league. The reason it looks so tight is because there are so many bad teams that any team with a bit of talent could go on a big run.
The Hallion Battalion Molests football.:D
That's assuming the LOI doesn't improve in the meantime and the setanta cup is still around in three years time ....
I'm not trying to take a dig at the IL but LOI clubs will continue "to show the IL up" if the competition continues simply because the LOI is much further down the professionalism road than what the IL is.
Setanta guy wrote in the programme last night that they have signed up for 2009-2012.
Far more than 250 at the Cross last night.
City definetly have the best bands playing at half-time.
O'Bama - "Eerah yeah, I'd say we can alright!"
G.O'Mahoney Trapattoni'll sort ém out!!
I thought there'd be less.
Was surprised at the Dungannon support.
Brought down a good few and made themselves heard.
City definetly have the best bands playing at half-time.
O'Bama - "Eerah yeah, I'd say we can alright!"
G.O'Mahoney Trapattoni'll sort ém out!!
If the IL is experiencing a lull then I don't know what is happening to the eLOI with such an exodus to the UK in the close season.
I don't want to offend anyone but Portadown lost 6-0 & 11-0 on aggregate to St Pats & Cork City. At least Dungannon put up a fight.![]()
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