QuoteWexford v Cork - 616
The weather really dented the numbers. Small crowd from Derry, few hundred tops.Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
I know of a few regulars who just went to the beach instead.
Wexford v Cork - 616
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
UCD v Shels - maybe 1300?
Stand looked reasonably full, but a few gaps that weren't there against Bohs
Dundalk v Harps was 2,016 which was the lowest of the season, the previous low was UCD in April (2,053).
Holiday season kicking as most who go with me are all away, plenty of gaps around the ground, but sure you will get that during this and next 3 weeks or so.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
Not helped by the lack of an away crowd either. Probably the lowest travelling support to Oriel in a long time.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
1354 at the RSC.
Just over 30 of us I think I counted before kick off. The people that stayed away did themselves a favour
i predict our lowest crowd of the season by miles today < 3k , barely any talk about it and i almost forgot myself
A lot of pessimism around about crowds currently, after the highs of the previous few months. European football is also messing up the schedule and breaking the habit/momentum of going to games for some fans. Will be interesting to see where the averages get back to in September.
Harps in particular sounds worrying
Probably blue in the face saying this, but it's summer footballs detriment. As long as I've been collating attendance figures, the majority of clubs notice a drop off in summer, rising again from September/October again onwards.
People on holidays, European games taking preference, an evening on the beach or a day out with the family, there's any number of factors that lead to a smaller attendance during summer months.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Winter football was an awful spectacle from the TV POV though, and the overall product was very poor IMHO. I remember the highlights of games from Sports Stadium of places like The showgrounds, and Tolka Park in the late 90's; mudbaths, sandbaths, everyone and their jerseys covered in mud and rain, and endless scrappy matches with the ball bobbling around constantly, players misckicking,poor passing. It all certainly contributed to our teams getting absolute canned every year in Euro tournaments to a far worse degree than what currently passes for poor Euro performances. Unfortunately, attendances dropping during the summer is the downside of that. If teams were fully professional with 4 sided fully roofed and seated stadia (besides a handful of current teams) with pitches capable of draining away underneath, we'd probably go back to winter football as we'd be set to cope with the rigours of autumn and winter, but that's a light year away.
I'd be slightly wary of that comparison - we get much easier Euro draws these days because of the increased number of qualifying rounds, and that helps too. 2001/02 was the last real winter season, and in that year Bohs drew Levadia Tallinn (and won 3-0) and then met Halmstad of Sweden, Cork got Metalurgs of Latvia (a disappointing loss), Longford had Litex of Bulgaria and Shels had Brondby. The previous year, the first round draws were Aberdeen (v Bohs), Lausanne (v Cork), Sloga Jugomagnat (v Shels) and Velbazhd Kyustendil (v UCD). Bohs and Shels won, and UCD went out on away goals after two draws.
Go further back and the discrepancy gets bigger - Celtic, Rangers, Altay Izmir and CSKA Kyiv in 1998/99 for example. They're tough ties, by and large. Tougher than this season's four-letter lot of Hibs, Bala, Riga and (in the second round) Mura. Or last year's starters of Stjarnan, FH, Newport and Slovan.
I think you're right to say it's contributed to improved Euro results, but so have a more professional approach and even easier draws.
3239 in Tallaght today.
Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.
Absolutely there's positives and negatives. But, while pitches are fantastic at this time of year, they're not so much at the start and end of the season.
Don't want to drag this back into summer/winter argument, but several of the pitches were a disgrace at the start of the season, and at the end of last season. They're crap at the start of the season because there's no growth over winter to allow a pitch to recover properly for the start of a new season in February.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Suppose so Nigel, but with respect given your results / position was there going to be an appetite for this trip? I checked back and noticed there was 2,676 in the earlier round game v FH in Oriel and that also wasn't an easy sell for FH fans as it was a Monday night in Feb !
Met a good few Harps fans in Kennedys before - always good to see away fans in there, perfect football pub for a bit of grub and a few drinks, less than 5 min walk to oriel park, had some good nights in there. General rule is if they see you are going to be well behaved for away fans, in you go and no probs.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
We’re lucky we have quite a few Harps fans living in Dublin that go to the games in Louth and Dublin obviously,I’d say the numbers actually travelling from Donegal are sparse at the minute…
Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.
Completely get that, and made same point in a previous post, took a photo for a few mates on holiday, 5 seats around me all free, all away for FH game, on plus side it was my round this week, so only had to pay for one pint of harp at HT !
Joking aside, yes summer football has helped LOI clubs in europe, and agreed crowds drop off in July and early Aug, but take this all away, and look at the fans experience, regardless if crowds drop a little mid summer, supporters still get to go to games in warm to mild conditions.
Most months its bright when games over, weather so much better, of course it rains but its still not going to be cold, does anyone really want to consider going back to chilly / freezing conditions of Nov-Feb, jumping up and down to keep warm, hands frozen and coldest part of the day going out of games, that's a no from me.
Also away trips so much more attractive, I can recall beer garden in Jacksons Hotel, FH away, Cork City away twice lovely walk in the summer around TC area, Waterford too during SK era, another great summer evening and walk back into the city, so many examples v dark and cold evenings in winter seasons.
Sligo away is the best also, Sat nights and two games moved last 2 two seasons so missed both chances, then we have Galway to possibly come back up, the best weekend away city in the country, and I remember away games in Terryland in the winter, bleak.
Last edited by oriel; 23/07/2022 at 9:09 PM.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
Just to add another example to the difficulty in comparing eras directly, to Non LoI fans, mostly in England, saying that Dundalk reached the last 16 of the European Cup, raises eyebrows. But you'd hope they take your word for it as looking at that 1979/80 run beating Hibs Malta (preliminary round) and Linfield was enough to get to the last 16. Still, it sounds good as people tend to assume its a like for like context with the more current formats.
If the teams drawn by Dundalk from 1970-1990 bar a couple of exceptions its a whose who of the top table of European football still today, im sure its similar for our other clubs. Dundalk unbeaten at home for a run of 8 years in the period is impressive in itself considering the opposition, but rarely winning a tie is understandable. UEFA broadening competitions did away with those big paydays in gate receipts but then it helped LoI chances of progression through a few rounds. In a slight turning of the circle there is a chance again to get some plum draws from big leagues with the way UEFA has pandered to heavyweight leagues. Im a traditionalist, would like to see a CWC back eg. Head prefers things now where there can be a number of ties, heart would like the days where a Red Star Belgrade in their pomp have to roll up to Oriel.
I dont think anyone would really contest that the summer season, even meeting similar or lower ranked leagues, is a help to performances (if not results) from 2002. Just on fitness and sharpness there was improvement, it arguably should have been more pronounced with results - we scared a few big clubs when we should have beaten them considering missed sitters and defensively brainless moments, Shels v Rangers in Tranmere is a top example but pre 2002, maybe Drogheda v Kiev is the biggest or closest missed scalp? I cant seem to find one spot for all LoI clubs records in Europe where a cursory look may show a changing trend, if anyone happens to know and could point me in the right direction would be appreciated
An quirky example of how a LoI's relative standard was misread was the 2015 Dundalk tie v BATE. Shakytor Soligorsk played and well beat Derry in 2014, they then played and easily beat Glenavon in 2015, both legs a couple of weeks before Dundalk played BATE in CL QR2. The assumption was made that Derry, Glenavon, Dundalk, LoI and IL were all the one, BATE were miles ahead of other Belorussian sides, budget and winning the previous 9 or 10 leagues. After the 1st leg, 2-1 Dundalk with an away goal and competitive, Journos, media, fans etc tore strips off BATE, manager should go, worst standard league season ever etc. After the 2nd leg it was acknowledged that they had expected the tie to be much more of a formality from looking at other results and minimal scouting done (in United Park, 1-2 with an injury time winner). The papers had pieces on some of the eccentricities of football on the island of Ireland after the efficient job BATE did in killing the tie with a 0-0. Month or so later they were in CL group with Barce and Roma and Leverkusen. The following year they took us very seriously but we'd learned a thing or two about the dark arts from them and we know how that panned out. Beginning of the end of their domestic dominance, havent made CL Groups since 2015 after 4 in the previous 5 years.
Its also a long way from when Bohs hammered them in the 1st Summer season. and champions Shels were humbled by Hibs Malta and not far off life support, Dundalk in the 1st Divsion and homeless Rovers hanging on to survival by the fingertips. Yup work is dragging a bit today....and I might be out a bit on the years
Kennedy's is always our go to spot before matches. You don't get many handier in the league and the staff and patrons are always very friendly. Food there must be a new thing as the last time I was there I was starving and they didn't have anything. This time I got something quick and not very nice before hand. If I knew I would have waited!
6,323 at Tallaght for Ludogorets last night. Main + South stands sold out, and East stand looked fairly full from my angle.
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