Future Cream of the Crop in LOI

[Aaron]

Interesting idea - I think that, just maybe, despite the security blanket of negativity that the average EL fan wraps him or herself in, we might actually begin to see some potentially useful changes quite soon. New grounds for us and Drogheda, major improvements at Terryland and the X, and maybe a chance for Derry to get hold of the Brandywell. On top of that, some clubs are beginning to be run a bit properly - the old gamblers mentality of betting everything on results - or the run in Europe- is receding a little, and the FAI, (and this hurts to type) with the salary cap and the TV money may also be helping.

For a long time, the 'thinking' inside Irish football was just that kind of despairing last throw of the dice stuff - the Shels model in other words (actually I'm not having a go - we very nearly did the same). Maybe, a realisation is growing that small, cumulative steps might get us closer to a viable domestic game than the big glorious splash that has all the barstoolers slapping their foreheads and going 'why, Lorcan, there's football here too; why did nobody tell me?' and rushing off breathlessly to St. Colman's or Station Rd.

Some intelligent investment is going into the game finally - your man out in Inchicore, the lads up in Drogland (giving them the benefit of a large doubt), Cork, and Wallace in Wexford - a half- dozen, non- lossmaking clubs, playing in decent stadia, with attendances creeping up to the 4-5,000 mark and we won't know the place.

Good post. I just find it insulting as an EL fan that Boh_So_Good feels only a few clubs will be the "Cream of the Crop" in a few years time rather than every club striving to be the best. It will be more difficult for some than others of course but how can you say clubs have no ambition. I'm sure Kilkenny are trying to get a better fanbase, i'm sure Wexford are the same. I've no doubt Shelbourne are trying to get their feet back on the ground and get back to were they belong. Every club has ambitions

[Boh_So_Good]

Every club has ambitions

If you consider hoping not to go under or waiting for a National Lottery hand out is having "ambitions" then you would be correct.

Lots of clubs have little or no real ambition. Their supporters are on this board day in and day out saying just that. Com'on get real.

[Tis-smeee]

new stand startin at the rsc next week

[Boh_So_Good]

Good post. I just find it insulting as an EL fan that Boh_So_Good feels only a few clubs will be the "Cream of the Crop" in a few years time rather than every club striving to be the best.

What are implying? That we have some kind of Marxist league were there are no top clubs.

If you ask me a bit of social darwinism would do wonders for the league as a whole. There is more to be gained from an SPL type league model were you have a couple of major clubs who boost the attendences of all other clubs on away games. How can that be any worse that a league were all teams are mundane.

That "sure god love us" mentality is one of the reason the LOI went down in the past.

[gufcfan]

Just been thinking about the current situation of clubs in the league and were they are heading, what backing they enjoy and other drivers and it's clear that a cream of the crop is developing. Not that this is a good thing, but it's better than when all the clubs were all essentially fecked a few years back.

Bohs
Drogs
Dundalk
Cork City
Galway Utd
Saint Pats

That's my list of power clubs in the LOI in the future.

all the other clubs will be nipping at their toes for many years to come I suspect.

id like to think so but they have a lot of work ahead of them yet

[Aaron]

If you consider hoping not to go under or waiting for a National Lottery hand out is having "ambitions" then you would be correct.

Lots of clubs have little or no real ambition. Their supporters are on this board day in and day out saying just that. Com'on get real.

Want to name a few of these clubs?

[TonyD]

Want to name a few of these clubs?

Now there's an invitation to a good verbal kicking if ever I heard one

[Boh_So_Good]

Want to name a few of these clubs?

They know who they are.

[Aaron]

They know who they are.

Well I want you to tell me who they are. If your going to make remarks about clubs ambitions why not name them? Do Bohs have ambition, if so what is it?

[Risteard]

A question.
Is there real potentiol in Waterford and Limerick?

With potentiol meaning getting to the stage where they're established as safe Prem Div clubs who sporadically compete for honours.

[dcfcsteve]

Are you serious or what? Of course we want to grow as a club, we have lots of ambitions. We are currently in the process of getting an 8,000 all seater stadium built with a "Soccer Dome" which has 6 mini pitches in it and retail units in the Brandywell. This is a club that made great strides in Europe and has ambitions to go further.

Your a moron if you think any club never mind Derry City has no ambition to grow. One of the things Stephen Kenny said when he came was Derry City had the potential to be massive, and said the same thing when he left. He left because he had his own ambitions to manage at a higher level

Derry has ambition - but severley limits its ability to fulfill that ambition by being 'a mom and pop operation'.

We look to volunteers to do everything - including crucial things like fundraising and merchandise. Hence we have the laughable situation where it has effectively been impossible for the vast majority of those who want one to buy a Derry City home top for the last 2 seasons, and our other merchandise is a joke.

If we don't get serious and professional about bringing money into the club, ambition will be meaningless - as we simply won't be able to afford it.

[Saint MacDara]

I believe theres definitely potential for Limerick and Waterford to be permanent fixtures in the prem league.

Take Limerick,with a population of 52,000 compared to a town like Drogheda with 35,000 the numbers are there to support the club even with robust competition from rugby and gaa in the city.The reason Drogheda have succeeded in establishing themselves is because of having an alright ground,commited fan base and most importantly backers who believe in driving the club forward.

With alittle investment,business support and an intelligent board theres no reason why the crowds in Limerick wouldnt flock back.

Maybe im being too optimistic,but i just feel that if a city cant maintain a premier club there aint much hope for significant growth anywhere else in the league.

[dcfcsteve]

Just been thinking about the current situation of clubs in the league and were they are heading, what backing they enjoy and other drivers and it's clear that a cream of the crop is developing. Not that this is a good thing, but it's better than when all the clubs were all essentially fecked a few years back.

Bohs
Drogs
Dundalk
Cork City
Galway Utd
Saint Pats

That's my list of power clubs in the LOI in the future.

all the other clubs will be nipping at their toes for many years to come I suspect.

Firstly - I'm not sure what this notion of a 'power list' is supposed to be all about. The fortunes of football clubs continue to ebb and flow over time. Leeds United would recently have been considered a power club in England - Wigan would never have been. Yet look at how they're both doing now.

Today's EL power list would contain a few hardy perennials who will usually be somewhere in the mix in our league - you need only look at league tables over the last few decades to confirm that. The other's would change over time, so are largely meaningless speculation based upon present performance. For example - I personally don't expect Drogheda to remain a key force in Irish football beyong the medium-term, as I believe they are too dependent upon individual funders, playing in a town with no real soccer tradition and no deep or strong roots for the club. Only time will prove me right or wrong in this.

Secondly - that list you gave above is just wierd. Dundalk or Galway being 'power clubs' whilst City and Rovers aren't...?

[Risteard]

Ignoring past Limerick footballing glories, rugby is always going to be the main gig in Limerick.
The Waterford hurlers would prob be even more of a bandwagon than Munster rugby.
That should pass and if the RSC is improved and they stay in the prem a few years, its feasible but by no means certain that they could compete.
As for Limerick, I'd imagine the will and backing just isnt there and won't be for quite some time. I've heard L37 get attendances in the low hundreds, correct?

[dcfcsteve]

Ignoring past Limerick footballing glories, rugby is always going to be the main gig in Limerick.
The Waterford hurlers would prob be even more of a bandwagon than Munster rugby.
That should pass and if the RSC is improved and they stay in the prem a few years, its feasible but by no means certain that they could compete.
As for Limerick, I'd imagine the will and backing just isnt there and won't be for quite some time. I've heard L37 get attendances in the low hundreds, correct?

Agree.

Waterford is a town with a decent senior footballing pedigree in Ireland. Their current team is just going through a bad spell. It happens, and is no indication of potential or future performance.

Limerick, on the other hand, seem to have fundamental problems when it comes to senior soccer. The city can't seem to sustain a club, and squabbling within the footballing fraternity seems to be an ongoign concern. Soccer will be down the pecking order versus rugby in limerick for the foreseeable future. I woukld say that smaller towns like Dundalk or Sligo - with good footballing traditions - would therefore offer more potential than Limerick for the foreseeable future.

[ofjames]

can you elaborate on Derry's plans for their new stadium and facilities etc...?

I didnt hear anything bout it before, sounds the job though if it gets built

[SwanVsDalton]

can you elaborate on Derry's plans for their new stadium and facilities etc...?

I didnt hear anything bout it before, sounds the job though if it gets built

Derry have been conditionally granted the Brandywell site, along with the neighbouring civic amenities area, for the lovely price of £1. The reason for this is that, with the upkeep cost and the land being classified as 'leisure land', the Land Valuation boyos declared that would be a reasonable deal for the Brandywell to be sold for a single quid.

The plan at the minute is to secure funding from both North and South governments to build an 8,000 seater stadium with adjacent state-of-the-art leisure facilites (the aforementioned 'Soccer Dome' with astro-turf pitches etc) and other retail facilities (the rent for which will be key to the upkeep of the Brandy).

To this end, tenants for the retail units have all but been secured and the requisite funding is also well down the line. Derry have received the tacit support of the main players and it has been reported that the issue of the Brandywell was actually brought up by Seamus Brennan at the recent North-South Ministerial Council meeting.

[bellavistaman]

our ambition is to get up and stay up to be fair in last 4 years we have shown ambition, and have been knockin on the premier door a while now, hopefully this season we'll do it.

[WeAreRovers]

Best thread ever. And so many of you bit.

KOH

[holidaysong]

The plan at the minute is to secure funding from both North and South governments to build an 8,000 seater stadium with adjacent state-of-the-art leisure facilites (the aforementioned 'Soccer Dome' with astro-turf pitches etc) and other retail facilities (the rent for which will be key to the upkeep of the Brandy).

Will this be like the JJB Soccer Dome we have in Dundalk?