First Division Standard

**pete** · 18/06/2003, 4:34 PM

With all the recent talk of improved standrads in the Premier Division anyone any info on whether the extra clubs has improved the 1st division? Are crowds also increasing with the sun?

**�anna** · 19/06/2003, 6:47 PM

Quality IMO isn't bad, some teams try to knock the ball around (Limerick for one, and Dublin Franchise ) others are very kick and rush/ hoof (athlone and to some extent galway) My worry is that teams would adopt a different approach when promoted- e.g. waterford are IMO a dreadful team to watch, they kill games, but it works- can't argue with it, it'll probably keep them in the premier, but I can see most Div 1 sides doing that if/when they come up. Fenlon was calling for a 12/14 team premier in the mirror yesterday- I think he's right.

**patsh** · 19/06/2003, 7:17 PM

Originally posted by �anna
Fenlon was calling for a 12/14 team premier in the mirror yesterday- I think he's right.

Himself and Eoin Hand were on Saturday Sport on radio last Saturday and had a very interesting discussion. (most of which was repeated by Spillage on the BRB on Saturday night, as if he had thought of it all by himself !) Nuttsy was on about his time in the Irish League and how 10 teams brought in a downturn in standards and loss of punters after only 2 seasons. Teams knew each other to well, too many repetitive games and fans got tired of seeing the same teams. The league has struggled crowd wise ever since.

**tiktok** · 19/06/2003, 9:26 PM

that's a fair point oddboy, playing everyone four times a season will breed disinterest in more 'seasonal' fans, but it goes back to the old chestnut, if we increase the premier to fourteen teams what happens to the first division, are there six teams about the country ready to step up to that level (from Mullingar, Kerry, Mayo etc), and would standards drop then?

**Macy** · 20/06/2003, 8:46 AM

Thats all very well, but in recent years there has always been 2 teams well a drift at the end of the season..... That's no good for the league either, at least with a 10 team league the standards are close and competitive, and at last there isn't the ridiculous situation of playing teams either away twice and once at home, or home twice and once away.....

**sadloserkid** · 20/06/2003, 8:52 AM

If you're going to increase the number of teams I think you'd be better off doing it gradually - go to two divisions of 12 for maybe 2-3 seasons first and then reassess the situation again and look at bringing in two more. Kildare proved that teams can come in and hold their ground from the off. As for who'd come in... how about...

Stage 1
Mullingar Town (Well they tried last time so it's only fair to offer it to them first)
Kerry League (Could do with a name change though - Kerry Celtic anyone!

)

Stage 2
Mayo League
Peake Villa maybe? Were in the U-21 league at one point I think and are from another big untapped county.

Stage 3
???
???

TheSeagullsNest · 20/06/2003, 8:57 AM

the level of sime of the matches is defo very high, Bray Vs Harps earlier in the season was a very tight game and would not have been out of place in the premier league by any means, but on the other hand, no disrespect to kilkenny here, the bray game againist them a few weeks back was the worst game of football i have ever seen at the carlisle grounds and it was because of kilkenny and the way they approached the game.

Personally i think the crowds have gone up, i'd say Bray are averaging about 700/800 per game ???????? and i dont think it was that much last season. The league needs to expand to have at least 14 teams in the premier and 12/14 in the 1st. They should bring the likes of the Kerry and Mayo leagues into it and maybe promoting a few teams from the lensister senior league or even something like Kildare have done.

**sadloserkid** · 20/06/2003, 9:00 AM

Originally posted by TheSeagullsNest

I was wondering where you'd gotten to Mr R!

TheSeagullsNest · 20/06/2003, 9:14 AM

quit my last job in Dell to go travelling for a while, just started my new job last week so havent had a chance to be on here or the el message board that much, but that'll all change now, ya's wont get me off it now that im back in the swing of things

**Rocky** · 27/06/2003, 3:02 PM

I reckon the standard has improved alright. The crowds at Rovers are more or less the same as last year.

Most teams in the first are far too physical. I took a Belgian friend of mine to Rovers vs Bray. He was surprised at the standard. said Sligo played good football. Bray were like ''a pub team'' and ''a bunch of hachet men''. His words not mine!

**TommyT** · 28/06/2003, 5:35 PM

I go to a couple of firstr division games a year and I have to say the standardis as high as I've ever seen it. Even Monaghan looked reasonably useful.