Setanta Cup Round 3

[thischarmingman]

Might as well have one thread for tonight and tomorrow.

Monday:

7:45
Cork 2-0 Cliftonville (O'Flynn 71', Mooney 75')

8:05
Dungannon Swifts 0-3 Drogheda (Grant 4', Gartland 34', McMinn og. 66', O'Brian 86')

Tuesday:
St. Pats v Linfield
Glentoran v Derry

[pete]

Really small crowd at Dungannon.

Strong City side with just one change (Mulcahy for Murray). Cliftonville keeper Connolly MOTM so far.

[JC_GUFC]

That Drogheda fan on the megaphone is hilarious.

The highlight of the match without a shadow of a doubt.

Dungannon are even worse than I thought, can't believe I backed them to win a match on Saturday!

[Gareth]

Who is that guy, I had to turn teh sound off cos it was annoying the crap out of everyone in the room. he is very out of tune.

[passinginterest]

That Drogheda fan on the megaphone is hilarious.

The highlight of the match without a shadow of a doubt.

He clearly knows he can be heard too, like the way he asked if everything was OK at home! Getting a bit irritating now though, and I've only had it on since half time.

[pete]

That Drogheda fan on the megaphone is hilarious.

Hilarious not quiet the word I would use.

City 2 Cliftonville 0
O'Flynn rebound after Horgan shot
Mooney header after O'Callaghan corner

[Gareth]

I think Setanta may have got to him!!!

[deecay]

That Drogs fella is hilarious

[pete]

City 2 Cliftonville 0 fulltime

[BobtheDrog]

final score drogs win 4-0 fabio returns and scores the fourth

[pete]

The upside of Drogs fan screaming was that it drowned out Bryan Hamilton.

Felix & Pats chats are bizarre. When discussing O'Briens goal celebration (he took off his shirt & got booked) I thought for brief moment Felix was asking Pat if he would get booked if he took off his shirt (apologies for the mental image I posted)

Thankfully no Dungannon next season as they are out of their depth. Not as bad as Portadown as at least Dungannon try.

[holidaysong]

It's good to see O'Brien back. He is Drogs through and through and he shouldn't have to suffer on the sidelines as his team enjoy their moment in the sun!

[ifk101]

Thankfully no Dungannon next season as they are out of their depth. Not as bad as Portadown as at least Dungannon try.

Will we have a Setanta Cup next season though? Seems like interest in the competition has pretty much died this year - teams aren't putting out their strongest sides. There isn't much of an interest from the public (low crowds) and there exists a big question mark about how competitive the cup is in the group stage. Last night's match between Dungannon and Drogheda was described on the Setanta website as "a glorified training session for the visitors" - hardly bodes well for Setanta's continued sponsorship of the cup.

[Dodge]

Same questions come up every year. AFAIK they;ve committed themselves until 2010

[pete]

The IL does not have the strength in depth so 4 teams is too many. Drogs & ourselves knew we already in the semi finals as soon as the draw made so hard for fans to take too seriously. I think 1600 crowd as much as I would have expected (Dungannon come to town will be half that).

Interest will increase when get to the semi finals.

The only solution I can think of is change to a knock out competition. If made it two legs when would still have these mismatches.

[Rory H]

The only solution I can think of is change to a knock out competition. If made it two legs when would still have these mismatches.

i think it would be a lot better if it was knock out only where the games had to be settled on the night. .

[Ambaiste!]

Will we have a Setanta Cup next season though? Seems like interest in the competition has pretty much died this year - teams aren't putting out their strongest sides. There isn't much of an interest from the public (low crowds) and there exists a big question mark about how competitive the cup is in the group stage. Last night's match between Dungannon and Drogheda was described on the Setanta website as "a glorified training session for the visitors" - hardly bodes well for Setanta's continued sponsorship of the cup.

Even Setanta themselves aren't pushing it too hard on the advertising front. In the programme at last night's City v. Cliftonville game, there was a full page ad for Setanta promoting EPL, SPL, rugby, golf, pretty much everything except the Setanta Cup (and LOI for that matter)! Struck me as strange but it's obviously an indication that it's not pulling in the required viewers and is consequently very low on their list of priorities.

[Steve Bruce]

I think the Setanta cup suffers a lot because of the fact your league plays in the summer and our league plays in the winter.

For instance Cliftonville ARE a very good side, but they have a small squad. They have lost something like their last 5 games domestically, which tells you they are going through a very rough patch at the moment. If this match was in September the results could be very different.

That is not to take away from the LOI, which I would admit is a stronger league overall, although I would still argue that Linfield are a match for any team in the LOI as has been proved over and over again in the Setanta Cup.

I just think the Setanta cup scheduling isn’t really favourable to IL sides. Title run in etc. Although the 2nd set of games will be played at the tail end of the LOI season, you will be more or less qualified now anyway.

Dungannon Swifts on the other hand, they are just not good enough. They are well down our league and Drogheda exposed why.

Next season it will be Coleraine, Linfield, Cliftonville and Glentoran. Glentoran are slowly but surely building a new team and are beginning to look half decent. Coleraine will be our whooping boys next season, although they can be difficult at the showground’s (although Linfield hammered them a couple of weeks ago their).

Cliftonville I would imagine would try to build on what they have, although they could possibly be a flash in the pan as they do lack any real individual quality. An excellent football team, but few players who would make the grade at Windsor for example. Cliftonville need 4 or 5 players to strengthen the first team and to improve the depth of their squad, which has cost them dearly this season.

Linfield next year might not be a force if rumours are true. Thompson, Stewart, Gault & Mannus are all supposed to be linked to moves across the water to England. If this is the case we lose 3 NI internationals and an under 21 international. Then Bailie, Ferguson, McShane & Winky Murphy will be a year older, possibly retire (although unlikely I think for Ferguson, Murphy & Bailie). So we could be about to go into a transitional period at Windsor.

Anyway just a few thoughts on the Setanta cup. I do however think the bubble has been firmly busted.

[CharlesThompson]

I just think the Setanta cup scheduling isn’t really favourable to IL sides. Title run in etc. Although the 2nd set of games will be played at the tail end of the LOI season, you will be more or less qualified now anyway.

I'm not meaning to have a go here but the scheduling, no matter when it's scheduled, would appear never to favour the IL sides as long as they appear to be non competitive. Granted Linfield are the exception to the rule here, but I'm not convinced that by moving half the qualifiers to September/October (whenever), is going to prove to make the IL sides more competitive.

As things have been, a reason trotted out as to the reason behind the IL lack of competitiveness is that they are coming to the end of their season. I'm pretty sure that when the competition resumes after the summer when the IL are still getting turned over that the reason for that will be because the eL sides are now competing with IL sides not long after their pre-season and are fitter.

The problem with the Setanta Cup IMO is that the eL teams are better than the IL teams. I honestly don't think that there's any other reason.

[razor]

I'm not convinced that by moving half the qualifiers to September/October (whenever), is going to prove to make the IL sides more competitive.

The problem with the Setanta Cup IMO is that the eL teams are better than the IL teams. I honestly don't think that there's any other reason.

Only time will tell here.
Cliftonville were terrible last night, the worst team to play at the Cross since Kilkenny City last year.
It was terribly frustrating we didn't convert more chances, could have been 7 or 8 at the end.