Greatest League in the World 2024 [new thread available]

Irishmale0399

doncarlos wrote: »

Two of the players he brought in were from his alma mater which is a college that is much smaller than DKIT and play in division 3 of college football. He talks about winning champions leagues but signs lads that would be LSL level at best.

They came from his sons (Matt the owners) former college. Did Peak6 at any time say they were signed be first team players?? They are there to try and develope...... So why not give them a chance to see if they can improve in a professional enviroment and full time training. Who are they harming???

srfc d16

Irishmale0399 wrote: »

Again if I am correctly informed, Dundalk did not pay Dogans wages nor are they paying them this season at Athlone...was done via Peak6 from the states, so not effecting Dundalks budget.

That sounds a bit fishy. I was under the impression that 3rd party ownership of a player is not allowed in UEFA countries. If he is registered with Dundalk as the parent club but a separate trading company is paying his wages I think that may be against the rules.
I'm not certain on this but I thought Uefa do not allow it

Irishmale0399

srfc d16 wrote: »

That sounds a bit fishy. I was under the impression that 3rd party ownership of a player is not allowed in UEFA countries. If he is registered with Dundalk as the parent club but a separate trading company is paying his wages I think that may be against the rules.
I'm not certain on this but I thought Uefa do not allow it

Bit like Ronan Finn....playing full time football and working full time for a Rovers sponsor....60-80 hours weeks are illegal per European and Irish employment law



Glass houses and all that, and before you continue...he was on an amateur contract last season...so they could do what they want...I am sure this year there will be an agreement which meets UEFA and Irish employment standards.

srfc d16

Irishmale0399 wrote: »

Bit like Ronan Finn....playing full time football and working full time for a Rovers sponsor....60-80 hours weeks are illegal per European and Irish employment law



Glass houses and all that, and before you continue...he was on an amateur contract last season...so they could do what they want...I am sure this year there will be an agreement which meets UEFA and Irish employment standards.

Take it easy. Not everything is an attack on Dundalk and Peak 6 so I have no idea where your glass houses comment is coming from.
I genuinely don't know if it is the rule. I said "I was under the impression." "I'm not certain but I thought" I could be completely wrong and there may be no issue with 3rd party ownership.

Oat23

A lot of time and investment has gone into our youth sides over the past 5 years and it's brilliant to see it bearing fruit now. Mark Byrne is continuing to develop and had two nice assists last night plus a goal. Johnny Kenny up front is only 17 but has scored 4 in pre season so far. Looks to be a real talent.

If his name sounds familiar to some of the older lads here it's because his dad, also Johnny, played for us back in the 90s. Also played for Harps and Galway.

Can't wait for the season to start now.

https://twitter.com/sligorovers/status/1369046580016386048

the heathen

Irishmale0399 wrote: »

Believe it or not, I am told by a very reliable source Bill had nothing to do with sourcing the American signings nor does he have much to do with any signing apart from saying hello, my son owns Peak6, I am the Chairman....welcome to the family, around the day the contract is signed

This is absolutely not true. I know for a fact that he's vetoed at least one signing this winter that the management wanted and had agreed to sign.

Bill is not as passive as you'd like to think.

doncarlos

the heathen wrote: »

This is absolutely not true. I know for a fact that he's vetoed at least one signing this winter that the management wanted and had agreed to sign.

Bill is not as passive as you'd like to think.

It's not true in the slightest. He is a micro manager that has to be involved in everything. If Magilton can keep him at arms length I think we'll be fine, if not we will regress.

This season could be a serious transition for the club if we are to buy in to what Magilton is saying and the type of players that we are targeting. Some of the players that have been signed don't seem to fit in to this narrative and I have a feeling that these are players that Fillipo signed (Abibi who has played in Serie C and Mitskogen who scored against us in Europa league) and could be to his downfall.

the heathen

doncarlos wrote: »

It's not true in the slightest. He is a micro manager that has to be involved in everything. If Magilton can keep him at arms length I think we'll be fine, if not we will regress.

This season could be a serious transition for the club if we are to buy in to what Magilton is saying and the type of players that we are targeting. Some of the players that have been signed don't seem to fit in to this narrative and I have a feeling that these are players that Fillipo signed (Abibi who has played in Serie C and Mitskogen who scored against us in Europa league) and could be to his downfall.

Yeah, the only thing about the two you've mentioned is that if the Abibi signing is a flop, at least it's mitigated somewhat by the Cherrie signing, in-that they can turn to him if Abibi is a disaster, so he'll probably get away with that one. And I do kinda think Mitskogen will have his uses.

Irishmale0399

the heathen wrote: »

This is absolutely not true. I know for a fact that he's vetoed at least one signing this winter that the management wanted and had agreed to sign.

Bill is not as passive as you'd like to think.

Did Bill personally veto it or was it Peak6 who told Bill to veto it on their behalf, which is a very big difference. Bill is Peak6s man on the ground so to say.... A lot of people seem to think Bill is a lone rider, he is not. I am not going into the ins and outs of it, however rest assured I know 110% Bill is not making decisions alone, there are a few other people involved on both sides of the pond.

pgj2015

doncarlos wrote: »

It's not true in the slightest. He is a micro manager that has to be involved in everything. If Magilton can keep him at arms length I think we'll be fine, if not we will regress.

This season could be a serious transition for the club if we are to buy in to what Magilton is saying and the type of players that we are targeting. Some of the players that have been signed don't seem to fit in to this narrative and I have a feeling that these are players that Fillipo signed (Abibi who has played in Serie C and Mitskogen who scored against us in Europa league) and could be to his downfall.

Should every player signed not be a managers pick? I think they should, then if they dont work out it is the managers fault and you can sack him if results are poor.

hardybuck

pgj2015 wrote: »

Should every player signed not be a managers pick? I think they should, then if they dont work out it is the managers fault and you can sack him if results are poor.

Signings in most bigger clubs are done by Committee. A strong manager would have final approval/a veto on signings.

shanec1928

The Comedy show continues

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/filippo-giovagnoli-role-diluted-after-23644688

Lyle Lanley

shanec1928 wrote: »

The Comedy show continues

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/filippo-giovagnoli-role-diluted-after-23644688

There are still some Dundalk fans that will be defending the ownership on here.

It's an absolute joke and they're going to end in a bad way very soon.

Ferris_Bueller

The headlines make it sound worse than it is IMO, it is more than likely to avoid getting hit by a fine again and working around the coaching badge requirements. Some of the headlines are making it sound like Giovagnoli is leaving and Keegan is going to take over.

MD1990

so Keegan who was Giovagnoli's assistant is now the manager
So roles have reversed because of the UEFA fine & badges issue.

But Giovagnoli got the job based on working on some summer camps.
Keegan was managing Portlaoise AFC in the LSL 3rd tier last year.

This is madness.

Lyle Lanley

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

The headlines make it sound worse than it is IMO, it is more than likely to avoid getting hit by a fine again and working around the coaching badge requirements. Some of the headlines are making it sound like Giovagnoli is leaving and Keegan is going to take over.

Basically they're going to try harder to get away with cheating this year then.

doncarlos

Lyle Lanley wrote: »

There are still some Dundalk fans that will be defending the ownership on here.

It's an absolute joke and they're going to end in a bad way very soon.

We've been a shambles since Hulsizer replaced Mike Tracey as GM. Two years of extremely poor decisions some of which are continuing to reverberate. It's hard to know how it will end as everything will depend on how much Hulsizer steps back. However, off the pitch we're actually not in too bad of shape. We're debt free, have no long contracts in place and are in no danger of relegation. If Peak6 were to pull out in the morning and a fan group were to take over we'd be ok albeit as much scaled back outfit in the bottom half of the table rather than the top. On the pitch apart from in goals we actually could have a stronger squad than last season. Whether it's good enough to close a 22 point gap is another question.

The 'appointment' today is smoke and mirrors though. If there are question marks over how much power Giovagnoli has over first team affairs, Keegan will have a whole lot less. Neither should be anywhere close to managing Dundalk.

Lyle Lanley

When it falls apart you'll be back where you were in 2011. Struggling to stay up while playing in one of the worst stadiums in the country.

Obviously you'll have memories of the good times, but no attempt has been made at any stage to improve the club in the long term. That's a pity, and you'll all regret it in the end.

I don't think your squad is better than last year and I'm not sure you're in 'no danger of relegation'. I'd say little danger, but there's always a chance and signing a load of unknowns definitely increases that chance!

joeysoap

Dundalk appointed John Gill while Vinny Perth was ‘studying’ for his badges. Everybody knows FG has no intention of doing the same. Putting Keegan out front is the obvious option. But you have to do it ‘out front’ not just for show. That’s my reading anyhow.

doncarlos

Lyle Lanley wrote: »

When it falls apart you'll be back where you were in 2011. Struggling to stay up while playing in one of the worst stadiums in the country.

Obviously you'll have memories of the good times, but no attempt has been made at any stage to improve the club in the long term. That's a pity, and you'll all regret it in the end.

I don't think your squad is better than last year and I'm not sure you're in 'no danger of relegation'. I'd say little danger, but there's always a chance and signing a load of unknowns definitely increases that chance!

I'm sure you mean 2012 that was the season we were nearly relegated. It was the final season of Gerry Matthews ownership and he was trying to get out. We were also up to our necks in debt and nearly went to the wall. The three seasons before that we were fairly comfortable in mid-table. It's not a regret I will ever have as it's something that the fans have no control over. Peak6 won't invest in the ground as they won't get an ROI. I've accepted that. It's a crap state of affairs but it is what it is.

I genuinely believe it is. Gannon and Rogers are the only ones I definitely would have kept. Even at that, Gannon isn't the player he was a couple of seasons back. I'm not sure if it's a decline physically or he was no longer motivated playing for Dundalk. Signing for Rovers might have him back at his best, time will tell I suppose. I probably wouldn't have minded too much if he went to Pats or Bohs. Fair point about always a chance of relegation but over a 36 game season I can't see us not picking up more points than Longford or Drogheda.

I do have massive reservations over the manager but player for player for player I do feel we're stronger.

Oat23

WatchLOI subscriptions launched today
https://www.watchloi.ie/

The confusion over how many games will be shown has been cleared up too.

Get your Kick-Off Pass now and enjoy 60+ games till the mid-season break for less than €1 each!

There's 70 games until the mid-season break. I am guessing they say '60+' for one of these reasons:
Eir come on board and cover two or three.
RTE decide for some reason to make a game exclusively live on TV/their player.
Or what I think is the reason: They are simply covering themselves for when we inevitably have postponements and the full 70 games they advertised as part of the subscription aren't played before the mid-season break.

Irishmale0399

Oat23 wrote: »

WatchLOI subscriptions launched today
https://www.watchloi.ie/

The confusion over how many games will be shown has been cleared up too.



There's 70 games until the mid-season break. I am guessing they say '60+' for one of these reasons:
Eir come on board and cover two or three.
RTE decide for some reason to make a game exclusively live on TV/their player.
Or what I think is the reason: They are simply covering themselves for when we inevitably have postponements and the full 70 games they advertised as part of the subscription aren't played before the mid-season break.

Interesting is that they do not have the sunscription for those abroad like last season. This would suggest if a game is live on TV it will not be on WatchLOI. Not sure if this will be a problem for the likes of Eir, however RTE insisted on getting more money last year from those games on TV and stream.

Oat23

Irishmale0399 wrote: »

Interesting is that they do not have the sunscription for those abroad like last season. This would suggest if a game is live on TV it will not be on WatchLOI. Not sure if this will be a problem for the likes of Eir, however RTE insisted on getting more money last year from those games on TV and stream.

Actually now that you've pointed out the lack of foreign sub that probably says TV rights are locked in as is and Eir won't be involved later on.


RTE TV games are listed as being shown on WatchLOI though so nobody will be missing out on those.
It even lists RTE as the broadcaster rather than WatchLOI, so it's not a mistake - https://www.watchloi.ie/fixture/SL21-5-R1B

I'd say the '60+ games' thing is definitely them covering themselves for when postponements push a handful of the 70 games before the break into the 2nd half of the season.

Ohmeha

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

The headlines make it sound worse than it is IMO, it is more than likely to avoid getting hit by a fine again and working around the coaching badge requirements. Some of the headlines are making it sound like Giovagnoli is leaving and Keegan is going to take over.

Whatever about the FAI I don't think UEFA will let this one go over Dundalk's latest pisstaking attempt with their new "manager"

Irishmale0399

Ohmeha wrote: »

Whatever about the FAI I don't think UEFA will let this one go over Dundalk's latest pisstaking attempt with their new "manager"

I understand where you are coming from, however I doubt very much it would be in the interests of the FAI nor UEFA for Peak6 to take it to court. It would potentially expose the licensing process or better said the lack of it and governence issues within the LOI. It would only further expose the whole **** show under a certain former CEO who held a seat at the top table with UEFA.

topmanamillion

Ohmeha wrote: »

Whatever about the FAI I don't think UEFA will let this one go over Dundalk's latest pisstaking attempt with their new "manager"

Absolutely, this is the kind of sh1thousery LOI clubs get away with in the league but head off to Europe and its hefty fines.

Dundalk are essentially saying "We`ve a team of managers, nothing to see here". They reckon they`re geniuses and they`ve found a loop hole to needing badges, as if UEFA won`t notice the large bald Italian lad they fined last season for managing without badges is now just one of a group of co-coaches!:pac:

Big Ears

Oat23 wrote: »

Actually now that you've pointed out the lack of foreign sub that probably says TV rights are locked in as is and Eir won't be involved later on.


RTE TV games are listed as being shown on WatchLOI though so nobody will be missing out on those.
It even lists RTE as the broadcaster rather than WatchLOI, so it's not a mistake - https://www.watchloi.ie/fixture/SL21-5-R1B

I'd say the '60+ games' thing is definitely them covering themselves for when postponements push a handful of the 70 games before the break into the 2nd half of the season.

https://help.watchloi.ie/support/solutions/articles/77000382946-which-events-will-be-streamed-

It states here that all games will be shown on the service, except those broadcast on pay TV channels domestically.
So it still leaves it open for them to sell rights to Eir if they can.

joeysoap

Ohmeha wrote: »

Whatever about the FAI I don't think UEFA will let this one go over Dundalk's latest pisstaking attempt with their new "manager"

If Dundalk tell everyone Keegan is the manager I can’t see what’s wrong?

Magilton - the former Ipswich Town boss - confirmed today that Giovagnoli’s position had to be reassessed because of FAI licensing requirements

Aren’t Pats pulling a smuggle too?

Added: I was wrong in my previous post - Filippo and Giuseppe are looking to get on courses for their badges.

Oat23

Things going really well at Swindon under the ownership & management of Lee Power and John Sheridan.

Lost a derby tonight. Players were fighting with each other in the tunnel away to Accrington the other night and now Sheridan is having journalists banned from asking questions because they aren't questions he likes.

It's sad when bad things happen to nice blokes.

https://twitter.com/JonnyLeighfield/status/1369428982060441600

smackbunnybaby

Oat23 wrote: »

WatchLOI subscriptions launched today
https://www.watchloi.ie/

The confusion over how many games will be shown has been cleared up too.



There's 70 games until the mid-season break. I am guessing they say '60+' for one of these reasons:
Eir come on board and cover two or three.
RTE decide for some reason to make a game exclusively live on TV/their player.
Or what I think is the reason: They are simply covering themselves for when we inevitably have postponements and the full 70 games they advertised as part of the subscription aren't played before the mid-season break.

Have they mentioned if they will show any first division games? I generally watch Cork City and Shelbourne games (what a bad year last year was) and thought i read they may offer D1 this year. But I dont see it now

Oat23

smackbunnybaby wrote: »

Have they mentioned if they will show any first division games? I generally watch Cork City and Shelbourne games (what a bad year last year was) and thought i read they may offer D1 this year. But I dont see it now

That will be showing all the first division and WNL games on a separate platform using AI cameras but subscriptions aren't available to buy yet. Haven't seen any pricing mentioned either.

https://loitv.ie/

kksaints

Oat23 wrote: »

That will be showing all the first division and WNL games on a separate platform using AI cameras but subscriptions aren't available to buy yet. Haven't seen any pricing mentioned either.

https://loitv.ie/

It was €79 for the full season according to an email I got from the FAI yesterday. Very good value I think.

artanevilla

Bohs WNL games will be included if you are a Bohs member/season ticket holder.

Oat23

artanevilla wrote: »

Bohs WNL games will be included if you are a Bohs member/season ticket holder.

All the WNL games are to be broadcast for free according to the FAI press release last week. It's only the 1D games that you will need a subscription for.

A new FAI platform – LOITV - to stream all SSE Airtricity First Division matches for the season

LOITV will offer, for the first time ever, streaming of all SSE Airtricity Women’s National League matches free of charge on loitv.ie

Amirani

This actually bodes really well. To get to a situation where we have all Premier, First Division and WNL games shown in relatively high quality online (AI or otherwise) is excellent.

tayto lover

Oat23 wrote: »

Things going really well at Swindon under the ownership & management of Lee Power and John Sheridan.

Lost a derby tonight. Players were fighting with each other in the tunnel away to Accrington the other night and now Sheridan is having journalists banned from asking questions because they aren't questions he likes.

It's sad when bad things happen to nice blokes.

https://twitter.com/JonnyLeighfield/status/1369428982060441600

Pub team,

joeysoap

A job for Vinny Perth

Irishmale0399

joeysoap wrote: »

A job for Vinny Perth

Not in Europe, Vinny has standards....:rolleyes::rolleyes:

hardybuck

tayto lover wrote: »

Pub team,

In fairness to Swindon, they had average crowds of 7-8k in League 2 and have access to facilities that most LOI clubs can only dream of (Council owned stadium also btw).

Eoin Doyle was unreal for them scoring 25 goals in 28 games in 2019/20. I don't know how or why they didn't keep him, because he's scored another 14 this year in League 2 with Bolton. I wonder if he'll ever make the move home - he'd undoubtedly be the best striker in the LOI if he did.

Power has been at pains to point out how dire Swindon's finances are, and that he can't keep supporting them with his own money forever (very similar to his position on Waterford).

How true or not only he'll know, but I'd say a lot of clubs over there are barely keeping the lights on while continuing to pay large wages.

Oat23

Doyle probably left because Bolton offered him a 3 year deal on very good money. Impossible to turn down that kind of financial security at his age. Plus, his family lives in Liverpool so it suits him perfectly. I'm sure Swindon would have been desperate to keep him.

As for the pub team comment I'm sure he was just joking since it's Sheridan.

hardybuck

Oat23 wrote: »

Doyle probably left because Bolton offered him a 3 year deal on very good money. Impossible to turn down that kind of financial security at his age. Plus, his family lives in Liverpool so it suits him perfectly. I'm sure Swindon would have been desperate to keep him.

As for the pub team comment I'm sure he was just joking since it's Sheridan.

Ah I know, Sheridan didn't do himself or the club any favours with his behaviour. Reflective of the culture in the club under the Power ownership in my opinion.

I suspected as much with Doyle. Goal scorers are like hen's teeth - if someone like Dundalk or Rovers could get a player like him it could make a crucial difference in a tight Euro qualifier.

Awesomeness

I know a few lads who are planning to watch the LOI games through a dodgy box.

Its disappointing they don't get the fact if the site doesn't make money they won't be able to get it via their dodgy boxes because there will be nothing to pirate

Captain Havoc

Awesomeness wrote: »

I know a few lads who are planning to watch the LOI games through a dodgy box.

Its disappointing they don't get the fact if the site doesn't make money they won't be able to get it via their dodgy boxes because there will be nothing to pirate

I think football has become reasonable for the "armchair supporter". I have Now TV and watch the EPL on it, you can cancel anytime you like. It's the same for LOI go, just pay for the match without having to subscribe or subscribe and watch all the LOI you want. The best thing about dodgy streaming sites is that they've brought down the cost of on-demand or subscription services via the internet. Poor quality streaming sites are not worth the €5 or €10 you save to watch a match. I watched PSG last night via Now TV, great game and I watched Rovers games on my Smart TV last season, all in good quality. I think with some people it's just ingrained to dodge paying for stuff.

joeysoap

Rovers follow Dundalk down the sponsorship road .

A few years ago we had brewery sponsored teams in the league

Now it’s bookie sponsored



Follow the money ?

Oat23

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I think with some people it's just ingrained to dodge paying for stuff.

Nail on the head.

I don't care about people pirating Sky as their prices are a complete joke. Trying to pirate LOI matches because you're too cheap to pay a third of what match tickets would cost is just absurd.

It was quite common in Sligo last summer. I know people who sell IPTV and they told me they had so many people asking. Even lads who hadn't been to the Showgrounds in 2 or 3 decades. These people just like the idea of getting something for free that they would otherwise have to pay for. They think they are beating the system or whatever you want to call it.

Omackeral

Oat23 wrote: »

They think they are beating the system or whatever you want to call it.

Cute hoorism sprinkled with a bit of ''I'm alright Jack''.

- bo -

artanevilla

Bohs announce the DCU Sports Campus will become their permanent training/academy base with a commitment to invest a 7 figure sum in the facility over the next 18 years.

First phase already completed with dedicated BFC dressing rooms at the facility.

https://bohemianfc.com/?page_id=16217

Beagslife

Just heard my first WatchLOI advert on Newstalk there. That makes a change. Hopefully, a media push and a longer lead in tied to the previous seasons experience will lead to a better uptake this time round.

joeysoap

This the same FAI paying €250,000 a year to Robbie Keane ? ( more than winning the league, cup, league cup combined, and they’re sponsored !)

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/fai-monitor-dundalk-see-who-23664317