First Division

**superfrank** · 16/03/2008, 5:47 PM

Early days I know but the top four have already played one of each other and it looks like it could be a 4-way race for the one place already.

What do the First fans think?

**LeixlipRed** · 16/03/2008, 5:50 PM

Who are you counting as the 4th of the top 4? Longford? Won't be near promotion. I still expect SF to be well clear of them with Monaghan in 5th and Longford back in 6th. Dundalk will run us close with Waterford 3rd possibly though I haven't seen them play yet so will have to revise that prediction possibly. I think our team is still getting used to playing together. I'd say Dundalk will lead by the odd few points til half way and then it'll be close fought after that

**Keen2win** · 16/03/2008, 6:25 PM

Originally Posted by LeixlipRed

Who are you counting as the 4th of the top 4? Longford? Won't be near promotion. Longford back in 6th.

I have to disagree. I don't think we will win the division but I don't think we will come 6th either. We should be at least challanging for the top 3-4.

**L37Ultra** · 16/03/2008, 6:44 PM

Longford will be higher than 6th for sure. Good win for Sporting Fingal today but they wont be as high as 4th in my opinion. Strangely enough I think the current League table wont be far off the final table with Shelbourne and Longford swapping places. The bottom 3 will be made up of Wexford, Kildare and Athlone I think. With Monaghan, Limerick and Fingal ahead of them. And then the expected top four of Shels, Waterford, Longford and Dundalk ahead of those. Its the highest standard D1 for a long while I think.

**SPXcyan** · 16/03/2008, 7:09 PM

Definately gonna be between Shels, Dundalk and Waterford for the title but I just havent a clue who will snatch it!

**shep** · 16/03/2008, 7:38 PM

I think its gonna be a 3 way fight between Dundalk,Shels and Waterford,with home form being the key.Not ruling out Longford just yet but i think the bigger squads of the "big 3" could be a factor towards the end of season.

**De Town** · 16/03/2008, 8:09 PM

Dundalk, Shels and Waterford will be the only real challengers, and I fancy Shels to win it. Hopefully we'll get 4th, but i can't see us challenging TBH.

**oldyouth** · 17/03/2008, 8:22 AM

Definite 50/50 split with Wexford, L37, Kildare, Monaghan & Athlone capable of filling any spot in the bottom half.
Tighter in the top half with Shels & Dundalk favourites

**The Man Himself** · 17/03/2008, 9:50 AM

watched the waterford longford game on friday and waterford should have hammered them,
worse longford team iv ever seen and they still snatched a point with a poxy peno in the last min,
judging by what iv seen this season so far' its going to be a very long season watching a pis poor 1st division.

**KUFCMan** · 17/03/2008, 1:27 PM

Is the Athlone v Waterford game on Friday or Saturday?

**Battery Rover** · 17/03/2008, 8:49 PM

Originally Posted by KUFCMan

Is the Athlone v Waterford game on Friday or Saturday?

Friday 7.45PM

**pineapple stu** · 17/03/2008, 8:53 PM

Don't see why everyone's writing Fingal off with the squad they have.

**Bluebeard** · 18/03/2008, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Don't see why everyone's writing Fingal off with the squad they have.

I'm guessing that it will be the difference between squad and team. Last year everyone was talking up Dundalk because of all their new signings, but they finished considerably behind Cobh and Harps because they simply did not have time to gel as a team. This time around, that should be different. SF could take a few weeks before they start to gel, despite the quality of the squad. Liam Buckley has also been out of top grade football in this country for five or six years, and that will tell too, as things have progressed in terms of tactics and fitness in many of the clubs, not least the "Big Three" in the division of Blues, Shels and Dundalk.

(Longford I know very little about at the mo, and cannot bring myself to place them in the same bracket as the other three until I do.)

**Mr A** · 18/03/2008, 12:29 PM

Last year everyone was talking up Dundalk because of all their new signings, but they finished considerably behind Cobh and Harps because they simply did not have time to gel as a team.

This doesn't really make sense as Dundalk did very well in the early part of the season and only faltered later on in the year. In fairness injuries to key players probably held them back a bit, but they couldn't keep pace with the form of Cobh (consistent throughout the year) and Harps (awful start, great finish). If anything, your argument applies more to Harps than Dundalk.

**jebus** · 18/03/2008, 12:51 PM

Bit early to be talkiing about who's going to win the league isn't it lads? If anyone on here said at this stage last year that Cobh would win the league they would have been laughed off Foot.

All I can say at this stage is that if 1-3 clubs pull away early on this year is going to be the most depressing yet due to the 'one club up' promotion

**paulie_walnuts** · 18/03/2008, 3:42 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

This doesn't really make sense as Dundalk did very well in the early part of the season and only faltered later on in the year. In fairness injuries to key players probably held them back a bit, but they couldn't keep pace with the form of Cobh (consistent throughout the year) and Harps (awful start, great finish). If anything, your argument applies more to Harps than Dundalk.

Agree 100% with Mr. A.

Absolute ********, unless you mean mid season signings, which I would more say upset the team than anything.

But if you mean pre-season signings then seriously, 10 wins and 4 draws from the first 14 games is hardly 'team not gelling' form.

I'm glad we're not being talked up overly much this time around. We have made some very good signings, players that are familiar with each other (Rovers midfielders - Cassidy is a class act), and Robbie Martin up front, who is going to be a big player for us this year. The key will be home form and not dropping many points against the lower sides in the division. We had a very good 3-0 win (without playing that well) over Monaghan the other night, and I fully expect us to get something in Longford this coming week. The game away to Fingal will be very interesting, a lot of their players wanting to get one over on their old club.

Too soon to know who will be in the shake up, 10 games in we will know. I know nothing about Waterford or Longford tbh

All that said, I'm confident we can do it this year.

**eelmonster** · 18/03/2008, 3:47 PM

Originally Posted by paulie_walnuts

I fully expect us to get something in Waterford this coming week.

A train ticket to Longford?

**paulie_walnuts** · 18/03/2008, 3:48 PM

Originally Posted by eelmonster

A train ticket to Longford?

Originally I had called Fingal 'Final' 3 times

**eelmonster** · 18/03/2008, 3:51 PM

You should have let it stand.

**pineapple stu** · 18/03/2008, 7:08 PM

Originally Posted by Bluebeard

I'm guessing that it will be the difference between squad and team.

In a 36-game league, I can't see how that'll rule them out of some sort of contention to be honest. Plenty of time to get a run going, as Harps showed. Especially as they're already off the mark.