LOI Talk, Rumours, Gossip, Transfers etc 2018

joeysoap

The league is over a long time ago,unfortunately.

But it is Dundalk who are playing the champagne football.

True Drogs gave it a right go in the first half, but after half time it could have been any number of goals.

Even if it ends on Monday night, this team have done the club and supporters proud.

MD1990

If Ogbene is on a 2 year deal Limerick might get a good fee for him.

Been brilliant this season.

A lot of good young players in the LOI atm.

ben.schlomo

Huge win for us tonight. Beating a relegation rival and doing it well. An even first half but we dominated the second half and had plenty more chances on top of the three.

johnnyryan89

Massive massive win for Limerick. Was 3pts you didn't expect and a result against Pats in two weeks could see us safe. Can see the bottom three as it is at the moment being the three that goes down.

NIMAN

Derry 0 - 5 Bray

Nothing more to add.

joeysoap

NIMAN wrote: »

Derry 0 - 5 Bray

https://youtu.be/Zt1tEMK5PhE

dfx-

Easy win for Rovers really. Big swing with other results. Derry were eight points ahead when they won in Tallaght a month ago with a +15 goal difference and it's all wiped out. What's Harps fixtures like in the run-in?

Big game on Monday, extra effort from Pats expected with the two other games this season. They've probably been the best away side in Tallaght so far..

overshoot

dfx- wrote: »

. What's Harps fixtures like in the run-in?..

We are screwed... Dundalk at home next, Derry (a), Drogs (h), and bohs (a).
Limerick beating cork was a double hit as it means Dundalk will most likely have something to play for against us. Derry now in a scrap for 4th and what will most likely be a euro spot.
What's the story with dalymount, will bohs be in it next year? Theyl want to go out with a win too if its the last game.
We have beaten bohs twice at home, and like them our away form is better, beaten Derry too... But I'd say we need 7pts and don't feel too optimistic

AllGunsBlazing

overshoot wrote: »

We are screwed... Dundalk at home next, Derry (a), Drogs (h), and bohs (a).
Limerick beating cork was a double hit as it means Dundalk will most likely have something to play for against us. Derry now in a scrap for 4th and what will most likely be a euro spot.
What's the story with dalymount, will bohs be in it next year? Theyl want to go out with a win too if its the last game.
We have beaten bohs twice at home, and like them our away form is better, beaten Derry too... But I'd say we need 7pts and don't feel too optimistic

Yourselves, us (Sligo Rovers) and of course Drogs for the drop.

Quite frankly, we have it coming with the succession of ****e managerial appointments we've made over the last few seasons. From Heary to Robertson, and now Lyttle - a parade of clueless chancers with absolutely no discernable footballing philosophy whatsoever. The one glimmer of hope was Adams and we saw fit to pull a contract from under his nose at the last minute.

Even if we miraculously dodge the drop this year I'd fully expect us to go the next. Too much damage done at this point.

D14Rugby

overshoot wrote: »

We are screwed... Dundalk at home next, Derry (a), Drogs (h), and bohs (a).
Limerick beating cork was a double hit as it means Dundalk will most likely have something to play for against us. Derry now in a scrap for 4th and what will most likely be a euro spot.
What's the story with dalymount, will bohs be in it next year? Theyl want to go out with a win too if its the last game.
We have beaten bohs twice at home, and like them our away form is better, beaten Derry too... But I'd say we need 7pts and don't feel too optimistic

Id love for harps to stay up but after seeing them last night its easy to see why youre in the position you are, lovely going forward at times but by god was there some awful defending going on. I can see you beating drogs and maybe bohs and you seem to up your game against Derry so i wouldn't say all hope is lost yet.
On last nights game i thought we (rovers) were good, we weren't brilliant but got the job done and done well which is all you can ask for.
I thought Mccourt was brilliant for harps last night, his passing, first touch and set pieces were just quality. I said it in March and ill say it again now, hes worth the entry fee alone at times.

overshoot

We don't have the squad to cover injuries/suspensions and lost a few more due to the little rotation Ollie does. Mailey, Cantwell and Coll all out last night who would start at the back. Cantwell was no replacement for Cowan either. It was Blaney's first start for us last night. Molloy awol leaves us missing a lot defensively in midfield too.
Definitely good offensive players McAleer was a find, McCourt has been playing deeper to cover molloys absence. Unfortunately it is our defensive frailties that will being us down, not something you would attribute to a horgan team before this year. Then again our budget is half that of sligos so it's a miracle we are in the scrap at all

dfx-

Ollie was sitting in front of me last night (is he banned again? ). He seemed to have particular issue with McBride, McAleer and Morrissey, constantly at them to pick up and switch on..

Why wasn't Boyle playing? Suspended or injured?

overshoot

dfx- wrote: »

Ollie was sitting in front of me last night (is he banned again? ). He seemed to have particular issue with McBride, McAleer and Morrissey, constantly at them to pick up and switch on..

Why wasn't Boyle playing? Suspended or injured?

Ollie suspended! Whatever he did in limerick. He yells at everyone. Boyle was on the bench, he probably could have been in there at rb, especially with Dee moved to the centre. Coll was out sick so maybe he had a touch of it too and was making up numbers.

johnnyryan89

How long of a suspension did he get for what happened in Limerick that time?

Sue Pa Key Pa

I always hated when Ollie was serving a suspension when he came to Ferrycarrig Park. I stand by the dugouts and loved watching his, eh....passion.

Lyle Lanley

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

Yourselves, us (Sligo Rovers) and of course Drogs for the drop.

Quite frankly, we have it coming with the succession of ****e managerial appointments we've made over the last few seasons. From Heary to Robertson, and now Lyttle - a parade of clueless chancers with absolutely no discernable footballing philosophy whatsoever. The one glimmer of hope was Adams and we saw fit to pull a contract from under his nose at the last minute.

Even if we miraculously dodge the drop this year I'd fully expect us to go the next. Too much damage done at this point.

Hard to know if we'd go down next year. We'd obviously have a different squad, Lyttle shouldn't be judged until he's had a full season with a squad he put together. Robertson assembled one of the worst squads in the history of the league and we're not down yet.

Worth remembering that three teams won't be going down next season either, though it will be a smaller league. Any club could have a poor off season and end up bottom next year.

Oat23

On Off The Ball earlier they were discussing the LOI betting thing and one of the guys on there mentioned that 1D games average around €650k in bets per game and PD matches average €2.5m per game.

I had no idea it was that much.

joeysoap

Oat23 wrote: »

On Off The Ball earlier they were discussing the LOI betting thing and one of the guys on there mentioned that 1D games average around €650k in bets per game and PD matches average €2.5m per game.

I had no idea it was that much.

Sunday times have ab article on it today. Those are the figures quoted. Gaelic march €50,000 as punters abroad don't know the rules.

overshoot

johnnyryan89 wrote: »

How long of a suspension did he get for what happened in Limerick that time?

I think that was the last of it... But not 100% sure. Been rather hectic lately.

On the betting odds that's staggering figures... That's probably enough to cover the budget of both clubs involved in a match for the year (prem and d1) did it mention if there was a big rise following the camera deal?

joeysoap

overshoot wrote: »

I think that was the last of it... But not 100% sure. Been rather hectic lately.

On the betting odds that's staggering figures... That's probably enough to cover the budget of both clubs involved in a match for the year (prem and d1) did it mention if there was a big rise following the camera deal?

It's the headline article in the Sunday times. 4 year contract at €120k a year is mentioned with Trackchamp. Pro14 rugby match €1.2 million. English premier match €203 million.

Athlone (average attendance <200) apparently paying NO wages to the two players charged, only accommodation and food, at least that's what they said at the disciplinary hearings.

You couldn't make this stuff up. If that's true the FAI are not blameless.

joeysoap

Rogers is the referee at the X tonight. Not the strongest referee in the league.

AllGunsBlazing

Lyle Lanley wrote: »

Lyttle shouldn't be judged until he's had a full season with a squad he put together.

Thanks for putting that thought into my head. It'll be a while before I get a decent nights sleep after that.

As for future squads - money is going to be a very big issue. We gambled in the transfer window and had been banking on a decent cup run. We also have three underage teams to account for now as well. It will be a long time before any Rovers manager gets the kind of budget Robertson pissed away.

2018 is going to be another slog - even if it's in the First Division.

Lyle Lanley

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

Thanks for putting that thought into my head. It'll be a while before I get a decent nights sleep after that.

As for future squads - money is going to be a very big issue. We gambled in the transfer window and had been banking on a decent cup run. We also have three underage teams to account for now as well. It will be a long time before any Rovers manager gets the kind of budget Robertson pissed away.

2018 is going to be another slog - even if it's in the First Division.

We're not facing any issues the rest of the league doesn't also have. We'll be ok, regardless of what league we're in. We always survive.

CHealy

joeysoap wrote: »

Rogers is the referee at the X tonight. Not the strongest referee in the league.

If ye turn up and play well (ye will), Dundalk will have no problem beating Cork City tonight. We've been in relegation form for 5 weeks now at this stage and I cant see it ending soon.

justshane

I expect Cork to raise there game and win, it's more important of a game for them and that will show.

doncarlos

CHealy wrote: »

If ye turn up and play well (ye will), Dundalk will have no problem beating Cork City tonight. We've been in relegation form for 5 weeks now at this stage and I cant see it ending soon.

On paper and form Dundalk should win but I have a strong feeling this will be Cork's night. If you can't motivate your players for a home game against your biggest rivals of recent seasons to win a league title you may as well give up. Cork are a far better side than recent form suggests and have excellent players. It wasn't just Maguire that got them here.

CHealy

doncarlos wrote: »

On paper and form Dundalk should win but I have a strong feeling this will be Cork's night. If you can't motivate your players for a home game against your biggest rivals of recent seasons to win a league title you may as well give up. Cork are a far better side than recent form suggests and have excellent players. It wasn't just Maguire that got them here.

I agree with your last few points there but I just cant see who is going to put the ball in the net for us tonight, and if we are going to beat Dundalk we will need to score more than 1. Id take a draw all day long.

AllGunsBlazing

Lyle Lanley wrote: »

We're not facing any issues the rest of the league doesn't also have. We'll be ok, regardless of what league we're in. We always survive.

A hitch in the First Division certainly wouldn't be a disaster, the club needs to reset. The one fly in the ointment is that Lyttle is signed for another year. It's easy to see why he was facing the axe at Cliftonville when we came to his rescue. Out of his depth.

Pighead

justshane wrote: »

I expect Cork to raise there game and win, it's more important of a game for them and that will show.

doncarlos wrote: »

On paper and form Dundalk should win but I have a strong feeling this will be Cork's night. If you can't motivate your players for a home game against your biggest rivals of recent seasons to win a league title you may as well give up. Cork are a far better side than recent form suggests and have excellent players. It wasn't just Maguire that got them here.

The attempted jinxing is admirable lads but CHealy is right. We will not lose this game this evening. We are simply playing too well. At the very best Cork may get a draw but even that would surprise me. Our form for the past month has been sensational and although the league is over there is huge motivation for the Dundalk players this evening to remind Cork that we are still the top dogs.

We will simply have too much pace for them. Connolly and Duffy will cause absolute mayhem down the flanks. McMillan is in the form of his life. Gannon is back to his very best. Gartland has been playing like Franco Baresi for about a month now. Rogers is actually looking pretty solid as well. We will not lose this game.

We used fcuk all energy the other night against the Drogs while Cork had a tough battle against Limerick. Also got a chance to rest many of our key players.

Prediction: Cork City 0 Dundalk 2

Team for this evening: Rogers, Gannon, Gartland, Vemmelund, Massey, Benson Shields, Duffy, McEleney, Connolly, McMillan.

MD1990

McCormack & Bennett I think will come in for Cork. Bolger is a liability defensively so easy to get past 1v1 probably be on the bench.

I suspect Cork will go route one bypass midfield & they will have to play deep with the pace Dundalk have on each wing. I think Dundalk should win McMillian,Duffy,Connolly & McEleney all on great form.

CHealy

MD1990 wrote: »

McCormack & Bennett I think will come in for Cork. Bolger is a liability defensively so easy to get past 1v1 probably be on the bench.

I suspect Cork will go route one bypass midfield & they will have to play deep with the pace Dundalk have on each wing. I think Dundalk should win McMillian,Duffy,Connolly & McEleney all on great form.

Bolger is already waiting to captain Waterford for next season, he hasnt turned up at all this year despite plenty of chances, and the thought of Duffy, McEleney or Connolly getting a run at Bennett scares the sh1te out of me. We wont go route 1 because we have no one to aim for, it'll be all played down the left wing where Griffin and Sadlier were the only good things about last Friday night.

The_Kew_Tour

Nervous about tonight. Can't see us winning with the form both sides are in. Draw please:(

justshane

Real pity it's on a Monday for attendance reasons, a Saturday night game would of got a huge crowd I'd guess.

Why is ko 7.20 and not 7.45?

Pighead

Deleted User wrote: »

Why is ko 7.20 and not 7.45?

TV games are generally on earlier.

dfx-

RTÉ will have been at more Cork games than some home fans at this rate, following them around and around.

Corholio

Play the right starting XI tonight and we'll be definitely up for it. Too many bizarre positional experimentations the last while. Even though the striker position has been weak the last while, players like Sadlier have stepped up and put in some great performances. We've had chances in all the games we've had poor results in, just need to put some away. Just no Keohane at right back please. Beattie and Griffin are well able to handle wingers pace wise.

Should be a cracker either way.

Pighead

Despite having the league all but wrapped up you would still have to say that this is a huge game for Cork City this evening. Defeat against Dundalk would ensure that this team will go down as one of the most underwhelming league winning sides in history. Don't get me wrong Cork were excellent for the first half of the season but since they exited Europe in July and subsequently lost Maguire their form has been pretty patchy and judging from comments on this thread by Cork fans they've been playing pretty poorly. A win this evening for Cork will give their supporters something to cheer about and give their league victory more value in the eyes of many neutrals.

ShamoBuc

justshane wrote: »

Real pity it's on a Monday for attendance reasons, a Saturday night game would of got a huge crowd I'd guess.

The game will be a near sell out.

I cannot see anything other than a Dundalk win.
I would bite the hand off you for a draw but I can't see us even getting that.

CHealy

Pighead wrote: »

Despite having the league all but wrapped up you would still have to say that this is a huge game for Cork City this evening. Defeat against Dundalk would ensure that this team will go down as one of the most underwhelming league winning sides in history. Don't get me wrong Cork were excellent for the first half of the season but since they exited Europe in July and subsequently lost Maguire their form has been pretty patchy and judging from comments on this thread by Cork fans they've been playing pretty poorly. A win this evening for Cork will give their supporters something to cheer about and give their league victory more value in the eyes of many neutrals.

With all due respect, I couldnt give a flying .... what value the neutrals have of our (fingers crossed) league victory. I dont slog myself up and down the country to see what the neutrals think. We all come on here to have a laugh and see what fans of other teams think of various aspects of the league but as soon as the final whistle goes in whatever game it may be, I'll be celebrating like a mad man with the fellas Iv been going to games with for 15 years and I dont really care what anyone else thinks. Im sure everyone here would be the same.

For what its worth, I dont think it'll be tonight, I fully expect there to only be 8 points in it come half 9.

Roar

Very easy for Dundalk to play well the last two months when there’s been absolutely no pressure on them.

Pressure back on them tonight, and I fully expect them to crumble, as has been the case every time they’ve played City this season.

City 2-0, comfortably.

ShamoBuc

CHealy wrote: »

With all due respect, I couldnt give a flying .... what value the neutrals have of our (fingers crossed) league victory. I dont slog myself up and down the country to see what the neutrals think. We all come on here to have a laugh and see what fans of other teams think of various aspects of the league but as soon as the final whistle goes in whatever game it may be, I'll be celebrating like a mad man with the fellas Iv been going to games with for 15 years and I dont really care what anyone else thinks. Im sure everyone here would be the same.

For what its worth, I dont think it'll be tonight, I fully expect there to only be 8 points in it come half 9.

Couldn't agree more. Fall over the line.....means we are champions and I couldn't give a fiddlers what anybody else thinks if it. And I fully expect to do exactly that, fall over the line! I'm following city since 84 and make no mistake about it, if we win the league I will celebrate it the same as if Seanie stayed and we won it a month ago with a record points total.

CHealy

Game will sell out by 6pm by the way, only 200 tickets left for sale at the gate.

BOHtox

The lead at the top is only 11 points now. Will be down to 8 with a Dundalk win but what was it at one stage? Must have been around 20

kksaints

Farcical own goal for Cork there.

Oh Gartland.

Some nice play in build up.

doncarlos

Cork the better side and deservedly in front. It'd be a ****ty goal to win a league to though

SteelyDanJalapeno

doncarlos wrote: »

Cork the better side and deservedly in front. It'd be a ****ty goal to win a league to though

That goal won't win the league, that might be the last chapter, but it's already been wrapped up.

joeysoap

City are much the better side. Massey miles late with his tackle. McCormack playing terrific. Goal itself was unlucky but City deserve their lead. Ref is having a good match ( two first bookings were harsh)

justshane

As I mentioned earlier it's a massive game for Cork and it's showing, they're up for it more than Dundalk and it's showing.