Greatest League in the World 2024 [new thread available]

tastyt

Dissappointing move for Jack , great for the league and Rovers though and they can really be looking forward to European football now .

Theres obviously just something missing mentality wise with him that he doesn’t have the drive or toughness to make it at a higher level . Because nobody can tell me that Paul Green, Alan Judge, James Collins , Will Keane etc have more talent than Jack .

But I suppose that’s high level sport , what’s in the head is 50% of the talent

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118189108#Comment_118189108

You would have though he’d have had some better offers alright. Maybe the view in the UK is that he isn’t tough enough to cut it there. You can be sure clubs are aware of him and have been watching, so it’s strange. Undoubtedly great for Rovers to have him back though.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118191202#Comment_118191202

Well I doubt any Championship clubs would really be interested given his only decent form in the UK was for a team that got relegated from League One. Wages on offer in League One wouldn't be worth much more and you'd have to relocate to fabulous places such as Bolton, or Portsmouth when you could move home for a similar wage.

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118191324#Comment_118191324

Average player wage in League One is £4,500 (E5,300) per week. Average manager salary is £180,000 (E215,000). The average LOI equivalencies are fractions of these. League One is also a full time league. Not saying League One is the only option but any middle of the road full time league in Europe could blow the LOI out of the water without trying very hard and they didn`t even try.

It`s a step down for Byrne by any metric. Anything else is white washing.

Oat23

Disappointing lack of ambition from Byrne. Oh well.

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118191561#Comment_118191561

I`m not convinced there were better options or any other options really. Take his team mate last year, Aaron McEneff, on about £6000 per week at Hearts playing infront of 20,000 people. I doubt Byrne would turn that down.

Oat23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118191647#Comment_118191647

The timing of his release from APOEL certainly didn't help. I don't think any team in Europe could sign him until January as he wasn't a free agent when the window closed at the end of August.

If he had waited an interesting option at a higher level might have come up, and it's not like the option to go to Shams was going to disappear. Maybe he's just not bothered anymore and is happy to be the big fish in a small pond until he retires but it feels like a waste. I don't think he'll get a look in with Ireland now.

Dr. Bre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118191647#Comment_118191647

look at jamie McGrath at Mirren - one of their best players and in Irish squad . This could have been Byrne

NIMAN

So we reach the last night of the season, with plenty up for grabs.

I Wonder will we have any dramatic twists and turns tonight?

At Derry we really need Sligo to do us a favour against Bohs and us to do something against Dundalk, but can't see either of those happening.

At the bottom, I think Harps will beat Longford too, so no twists at the bottom either.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118191500#Comment_118191500

And I doubt he's moving back to Ireland for the average LOI wage. If he can get four figures a week and stay in Dublin why slum it out in the lower leagues of England if there even was an offer which he'd be very lucky if he got the average weekly wage of €5300.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118191647#Comment_118191647

I doubt McEneff is on 6k a week when Adam Rooney dropped to League Two and got paid more than what he was on with Aberdeen.

Doubt Byrne would be offered anything like that and Rovers was probably the best offer he had. Has been excellent in the LOI, but outside of the LOI he's only performed for a team that got relegated from League 1 and a team that got relegated in Holland.

Oat23

^ Adam Rooney went to Salford because they were overpaying 'big' names to drop down to that level, so that's probably not a great example.

£6k does sound a bit high for Hearts though.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118192114#Comment_118192114

And he was on something like 4k a week when he joined Salford. So would have been on half of what McEneff is supposedly getting when he played for Aberdeen when they were the second best team in Scotland.

joeysoap

Mad season. A few short weeks ago Dundalk were in real danger of finishing 9th. A penalty given ( McGraith originally gave a free out) in the 90+ minute will probably decide 4th now.

fullstop

Anyone know what game is on RTE? TV guide still has it as ‘TBC’, but I wouldn’t expect any less.

deisedude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118192833#Comment_118192833

Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda

fullstop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118192873#Comment_118192873

Makes sense. Show pretty much the only game of no consequence on the night.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118192908#Comment_118192908

Good old RTE.

Darkglasses

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118192833#Comment_118192833

It was decided weeks ago to show Rovers - Drogs but they never even put on their own TV guide? For fecks sake.

Oat23

I'm guessing they're showing it because of the trophy presentation.

They could have shown one of the interesting matches and then went to Tallaght afterwards but they never do that. There could be a relegation head to head and they'd still show the pointless game with the league winners to save a few quid.

deisedude

If RTE had ambition of putting on a good show they would do an NFL style where they go between the grounds to catch all the action for the last night of the season

tastyt

They give better coverage and promotion to the **** Donegal and Mayo county club finals ffs , and unfortunately that’s not even a joke

NIMAN

Of course they are at Tallaght.

Said it before, Rovers are the Dublin media's favourite team.

ArnoldJRimmer

2-0 at Finn Park, should be all over bar the shouting

deisedude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118193587#Comment_118193587

Credit where its due. Good to be able to keep track of all the action

Mr.Crinklewood

Sounds like Joey N'Do is constantly stepping on Lego.

Oat23

Bohs were awful until we started subbing players off. Europe is still in their own hands of course but there was a serious lack of intensity from them in the 1H in particular when a win would have wrapped up European qualification tonight.

If they lose the final I would love to sign Liam Burt from them, but he'll probably stay put either way.

Well done to Harps also. UCD v Waterford next week.

trashcan

Pats the better team down in Waterford, but a bit toothless up front, and took a good save from Jaros to deny Waterford late on. A game of little consequence, and to be honest it showed.

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118194144#Comment_118194144

Sums it up nicely. None of the three lads impressed upfront tonight. Abwankah was top class for the 1st half. He's a top prospect.

Oat23

Also Johnny Kenny, signed a new 3 year deal last week but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a clause in there and he leaves in January. Scored 3 goals for the U19s this week and a lovely goal tonight as well. Serious potential.

https://twitter.com/sligorovers/status/1461790241677840400

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118194275#Comment_118194275

Looks to have a big future. Still only 18, would be no harm for him to stick around Rovers for another season or two. Buckley even said the contract is laced with release clauses so if the right offer comes in he'll be gone.

Also fair play to Harps. The job Ollie does there every year is unbelievable. He works miracles on a shoe string.

PGE1970

Just home from Tallaght, great night.

It was a pleasure watching this Drogheda team this season, Tim McCann has done a great job. Credit also to Gary Deegan, my player of our season.

With a couple of astute signings, we could have a really good side for next season.

Credit to Rovers and a great crowd to see worthy champions. Chris McCann was a class act.

But what are you feeding Richie Towell? Chant of the night from Drogheda supporters to Towell, "overweight and overpaid"!!

overshoot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118194275#Comment_118194275

Quality strike. Another year of full time/top flight football could be better for him than reserves but has to be a matter of time before someone comes in for him.

Couldn't make it back to Finn Park but huge crowd and great performance, great way to end the season.

Waterford should have enough for UCD... but they have slipped a little the last few games. Maybe bircham's rant hasn't gone down too well. Enough quality in the UCD ranks to surprise them over a game. Could be interesting!

Oat23

Just looking back at the other goals now. Huge crowd in Tallaght as expected and Ballybofey/Oriel looked packed too. How many were at Finn Park? It must have been the 2nd biggest crowd of the night behind Tallaght which is great to see.

Biggest crowd of the season at the showgrounds also and Bohs must have brought 300/400 with them.

Good to finish with strong crowds everywhere after dealing with capped attendances most of the season.

dfx-

Supposedly just four 0-0 draws in all the Premier Division games this season..

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118195515#Comment_118195515

The lads on Commentary from Waterford said it was their best attendance of the season. Over 2600. Not bad. Hope Waterford win the playoff. Nothing (much) against UCD, but we don’t really need them in the Premier. Need the big regional clubs like Waterford in there.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118193075#Comment_118193075

Closest stadium to RTE maybe so don't have to pay their staff as much

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118195864#Comment_118195864

UCD always get promoted after a few seasons in the First Division. So if not this year, soon. Their system with players on scholarships means they're close to the peak of their cycle now with the likes of Keaney a few years into his degree.

Hard to know with Waterford. UCD have a decent chance. Bircham went on a rant about his own players after the Shams game, possibly as some ill advised motivational move looking for a response but they drew the Longford game after that which essentially put them in the play offs. I wouldn't mind a season of Bircham in the league, the type of character you feel has a legendary meltdown in him.

joeysoap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118195619#Comment_118195619

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118195619#Comment_118195619

There was only 4, though Rovers gave it a good lash a few times

howiya

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118196903#Comment_118196903

I didn't watch it and I wouldn't have watched any other game last night as I'd something else on but i think the rte bashing for showing rovers is over the top.

Many here think rte should be promoting the league but what better way to promote it than showing the best team in the league in a practically full modern stadium. Throw in the few mentions of Jack Byrne coming back, rovers getting the trophy, another Irish international Burke on the score sheet etc. All of that will trump the fact that the result meant nothing for floating viewers.

If the likes of people like us, and by that I mean people already interested in the league, wanted to see a game of consequence we could have gone to the relevant ground or paid for it on loitv.

And before anyone suggests it I'm not saying that rte should show rovers every game because of the above. I'm merely suggesting an alternative view.

I'd be critical of rte for a lot of things, but showing the champions final league game coupled with the trophy presentation isn't one of them.

fullstop

The point about showing Rovers at Tallaght with a big crowd and a great pitch is absolutely valid, but it was on RTÉ about 3 weeks ago with over 7k there against Harps. Last night was a no thing game. They could have gone there at full time for the trophy.

Had to laugh at Kenny Cunningham as well talking about the facilities Rovers have and other teams should take a leaf out of their book. Other teams don’t have the option of the council building a new stadium for them and backing from Dermot Desmond.

howiya

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118197713#Comment_118197713

That's a fair point about them showing them three weeks ago. I just think it'd be mad for them not to have shown rovers last night. It's not as if people who wanted to watch the other games didn't have the option to.

Ohmeha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118197010#Comment_118197010

This UCD team would be weaker than their teams that I saw got promoted in 2004/2009/2018 but with Whelan and Kerrigan two of the most threatening and in-form players in the entire LOI there is every chance they are capable of beating Waterford on Friday

Bircham's old school tactic to publicly throw his players under a bus was only going to backfire these days can't believe some people were applauding him. He's kept quiet after the past two games when you can be certain he still wasn't happy but I would wonder if he may have lost some of the dressing room coming into the most vital game of the season

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118197713#Comment_118197713

If the league is to go anywhere what Shams have should be bog standard run of the mill stuff for clubs. While Roadstone is exemplary by LOI standards its nothing compared to the majority of GAA county/club and Rugby facilities.

If you're a promising young footballer west of Dublin there are no elite facilities to train in and no access to fulltime coaches. That's the Delaney legacy of spunking millions on Trap, Tardelli, MoN and Keane who were apparently all world class but bar a few dire months at Forrest for the latter two never worked again after us.

NIMAN

Derry sign U21 goalkeeper Brian Maher, with Will Patching to be announced this week too.

Gavin "shels"

Great crowd at Tallaght yesterday, a lot of neutrals it seemed with a small enough Wexford support. Pity about the result :(

joeysoap

Rumour ( as usual) has it Dundalk owners no too happy with Vinny Perth. Apparently over Duffys refusal to play against Derry last week.

if it true I simply fine Duffy a weeks wages ( I don’t think that’s Vinny could find any more as there was only 1 game to go)

hardybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118197010#Comment_118197010

Waterford's squad is so small they only had four lads on the bench on Friday - and two of those were goalkeepers. Four players coming back from suspension should make a big difference.

Waterford beat them away in the cup with a few lads rested, but this is a cup final type game so anything could happen.

Colm Whelan, who was the star for Waterford when they won the U19 league in 2019, seems like a genuine talent and your team is always capable of a win when you have those types of players in your squad.

As another poster mentioned, the league is probably better off with Waterford in the Premier and UCD in the First Division. Waterford after the Power era are a different club, and UCD aren't ever getting crowds of 2k+ down at The Bowl.

joeysoap

more like 200

PGE1970

Dundalk are interested in Drogs manager Tim Clancy but he has two years on his contract left to run.

Derry has offered Drogheda full back Jimmy Browne a deal on good wages.

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118205645#Comment_118205645

Would be pretty damning if the Premier Division had no southern club next year. The fact the highest placed Munster club is in the relegation play-off isn`t s great sign as it is. All 3 city clubs have been p1ss poorly ran the past few years.