Time to Start...

**Mr A** · 30/11/2007, 3:01 PM

....thinking about the new season. If the FAI continue with the policy of having derbies the first weekend then the premier fixture list may well look something like this:

Cork City V Cobh Ramblers
Derry City V Finn Harps
Shamrock Rovers V Bohemians
Bray Wanderers V UCD
Drogheda United V St Pats
Galway United V Sligo Rovers

That's some start if they go for it- looking forward to it already

(Given that this will probably kick off all the major set piece arguments in the league in one go I reckon we'll get a 50 pager out of this one)

**Mr A** · 30/11/2007, 3:05 PM

For D1 we might have:

Kilkenny V Waterford
Athlone V Longford
Dundalk V Shels
Kildare V Monaghan
Wexford V Limerick

Some of them are a lot more tenuous and there's a lot more room for shuffling in D1- but I reckon Shels Dundalk is a great one to start with.

**MyTown** · 30/11/2007, 3:09 PM

Sligo came to Galway for the season opener last March. They'd hardly repeat that. More likely we'll have to go to Ballybofey or Derry, with Sligo at home to either yourselves or Derry

**Sam_Heggy** · 30/11/2007, 3:11 PM

Imagine the arguments on which is the biggest derby game and which should be shown live.
It obvious its Harps - Derry though.

**mypost** · 30/11/2007, 3:13 PM

This is not a club-arranged fixture list anymore, so hopefully, there won't be fixture reversals, nor derbies in Week 1, but spread out this time.

**Dodge** · 30/11/2007, 3:14 PM

The Drogheda Pats derby would be on tv obviously

Anyway i reckon it'll just be a reverse of last years fixtures and it'll be announced 2 weeks before the season is due to start

**Mr A** · 30/11/2007, 3:30 PM

I did not bother trying to work out who would be at home- just had a stab at the likely pairings if the FAI continued with having derbies as the first games. I think it's a good idea, and should be kept on.

**passinginterest** · 30/11/2007, 3:42 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

For D1 we might have:

Kilkenny V Waterford
Athlone V Longford
Dundalk V Shels
Kildare V Monaghan
Wexford V Limerick

Some of them are a lot more tenuous and there's a lot more room for shuffling in D1- but I reckon Shels Dundalk is a great one to start with.

Wexford v Kilkenny
Waterford v Limerick
Dundalk v Monaghan
Athlone v Longford
Shels v Kildare

That's more how I'd see the first division.

**Mr A** · 30/11/2007, 3:56 PM

Yeah, that's certainly better from the derby point of view, but given that the FAI want to maximise crowds on the first weekend so that they can get all excited about the progress being made I stuck Shels and Dundalk together. Also, Waterford and Kilkenny would have a bit of history, so stuck them together too. All good though.

**Lim till i die** · 30/11/2007, 5:00 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

For D1 we might have:

Kilkenny V Waterford
Athlone V Longford
Dundalk V Shels
Kildare V Monaghan
Wexford V Limerick

Some of them are a lot more tenuous and there's a lot more room for shuffling in D1- but I reckon Shels Dundalk is a great one to start with.

Nice one.

It's not even January and I'm depressed

Here's how I would do it:

Wexford V Kilkenny
Athlone V Longford
Dundalk V Monaghan
Shels V Kildare
Waterford V Limerick

My logic being that:

Shels and Dundalk will get big crowds regardless of opponent and there is actually a bit of needle between Dundalk and Mons.

Athlone v Longford is a big derby game, possible 2,000 crowd.

It's fairly irrelevant for Wexfords crowd who they play and besides I think most of them consider Kilkenny their derby anyway.*

Waterford v Limerick would be a fairly big game for us historically (cue 1 year old jokes) and one I'd definitely look forward to. I reckon we could bring 150 to 200 down there.

*I'll actually be interested to see Wexfords crowds this season now that the novelty has worn off. If they continue to be mind numbingly awful I genuinely think you could have another (albeit slightly bigger) Kilkenny on your hands.

That is of course assuming Mick Wallace keeps them in the League

**Risteard** · 01/12/2007, 2:06 AM

Pity that City are likely to only get the one trip to Queenstown.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 01/12/2007, 8:15 AM

Originally Posted by Mr A

For D1 we might have:

Kilkenny V Waterford
Athlone V Longford
Dundalk V Shels
Kildare V Monaghan
Wexford V Limerick

Some of them are a lot more tenuous and there's a lot more room for shuffling in D1- but I reckon Shels Dundalk is a great one to start with.

You'd better with Shels playing Kildare and Dundalk playing Monaghan more Derbylike. Or Waterford v Limerick and Kilkenny V Wexford as listed earlier in the thread

**Pablo Escobar** · 01/12/2007, 9:05 AM

Originally Posted by Risteard

Pity that City are likely to only get the one trip to Queenstown.

I thought we play them there twice!?

**Raheny Red** · 02/12/2007, 5:30 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

I reckon Shels Dundalk is a great one to start with.

Longford away first day of the season please

**half_full** · 02/12/2007, 5:37 PM

Don't really think any of the matches are real derbies more like local rivalries, bar Bohs Vs. Rovers of course.

**TonyD** · 02/12/2007, 6:39 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Anyway i reckon it'll just be a reverse of last years fixtures and it'll be announced 2 weeks before the season is due to start

Two whole weeks - sure what's the rush ?

**onephillyhughes** · 02/12/2007, 6:55 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

The Drogheda Pats derby would be on tv obviously

Give us Monaghan away, we owe them

**niallsparky** · 02/12/2007, 8:16 PM

I'd rather not play Rovers in Gameweek 1. Anybody else would be fine though.

**don ramo** · 02/12/2007, 11:54 PM

who cares, it stupid to have all derbies at once anyway, you have to spread them out over a season, i would hope to get city, derry, harps and drogs at home first series of games, whoever you get at home first series you play them at home twice, would be nice to have city first game, they should just get the computer to do it, im not bothered other than to save drivin up the north of the country 4 times, last time was murder