Greatest League in the World 2024 [new thread available]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092067#Comment_119092067

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092137#Comment_119092137

To the second post.. nobody from Galway will get ahead of themselves even if they win next week.. our winning record is the worst in Ireland "pound for pound".. one 1st Division, one FAI and one league cup is my off hand guess and with the majority of that in D1 that's a woeful return.. any of the other larger areas win the D1 within 3/4 years but we've always went up as a runner up.

Having said that, after the Comer takeover, my longer term view is we'll take over(or be a consistent top 3).. the LOI is ripe for any regional club to take over.. a Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Cork, Derry.. Dublin doesn't hold the same advantages in football it has in GAA and Rugby due to their football team club set up and the likes of Dundalk just isn't a sustainable or growth prospect due to their size.

A Galway league win with the Comer money could see a huge bounce next season as I think most wrote this season off(in terms of auto promotion) when the takeover went through.

Depends what they want to do, but I can't see them (at their age investing and) not really pushing it more than a fan owned club.

DrumSteve

Great performance from the lads last night, got a bit squeaky near the end but well worth the victory.

Anyone know the status of the injury list. A few of them went off last night, Twardek, Murphy, looked like Flores/ Promise were carrying a knock too.

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092995#Comment_119092995

Boyd has done well to be fair to him. He isn't a 20 goal a season striker by any stretch, but he has put some shift in and still come up with some important goals.

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092548#Comment_119092548

Agree with that. What’s worrying is that we don’t seem able to cope with being pressed on the ball. Huge performance needed against Derry on Monday, but if they take a look at what Derry and Shels did to us and do the same, can see us struggling again. Not helping that Chris Forrestor and Darragh Buns seem to have gone off the boil.

joeysoap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092230#Comment_119092230

poor alright. And McGraith is another one. not surprisingly as they can’t get anyone to do the job. Few poor referees assistants too

Ohmeha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092501#Comment_119092501

Finally identifying a best starting X1 and clearing those numerous early season injuries and addressing the goalkeeping situation is paying it's dividends in these games to show that best starting XI can compete with all teams in the league. We played so many games without Clarke, Lunney, Farrell, Boyd, Moylan, Griffin in the starting XI, all are making a big difference together seen in these past 3 games, night & day last night from both teams from the opening game of the season

The bench is thin on quality and experience, another round of injuries/suspensions will hurt us, there will have to movements in/out during in the transfer window if we want to push on. Despite all the talk about the LOI and increased spending the standard of the Premier Division still doesn't look great to me I'm optimistic if we recruit well and see exciting young players like Moylan, Farrell, Hakiki continue to develop under Duff we should be moving up the table in the seasons ahead

Dr. Bre

Buckley gone from Sligo

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119096704#Comment_119096704

Can’t imagine Horgan would even be sacked if they went down. What he has done there has been remarkable.

Oat23

Horgan should never be sacked. He's like the Irish version of Christian Streich at Freiburg. What he does with that team and budget every year is amazing and he'll decide when he leaves himself.

Bucko is the best manager we've had since Baraclough and a lovely man to boot. He embraced Sligo and Sligo Rovers and seemed to really love being the manager here, but it was time to part ways. I still think we have a decent squad capable of challenging for 3rd or 4th if the right appointment is made.

overshoot

Plenty still call for Ollie's head when we go through our annual bad patch... He isn't perfect, far from it (discipline, bringing through youth, style) but has had us consistently in the survival mix when the club is run for c600k.... Plus for the 5 or so years before he joined... That's as another level of bleak...

Don't think there should be any question of sacking him this year (even if we go down) but going by soundbites I'm not sure he will keep at it much longer... It's a hard slog part time and been near 10 years now

Gavin "shels"

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119093489#Comment_119093489

How good was Jad on Friday for such a young lad! Clarke coming in over Webb has been key to our stability I think too! His composure is unbelievable. All in all Friday was great, roll on a huge one tonight! Can't say UCD at home on a Monday gets the senses tingling but sure.

Ohmeha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119096594#Comment_119096594

I haven't been too much tabs on any potential unhappiness with Buckley at Sligo but even by LOI's fickle standards I'm genuinely surprised by his departure

He was only recently receiving acclaim for overachieving for past two seasons achieving 4th/3rd place finishes, into Europe twice and then winning 3/drawing 3 of their first 6 games until Shels beat them on April 1st. No question they've been on a poor run since, surely he earned enough at that club to be given at least another 4 or 5 games? Considering the revolving door of crap managers Sligo had for 4 years after the departure of Baraclough before Bucko came in they would want to have his successor identified and be an upgrade

I also have no doubt that Ollie's head is not immune from the Harps chopping block at some point

Ohmeha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119101492#Comment_119101492

Jad did really well for only his 2nd start, I think still he is only 18 or 19?

I wish I could pretend Shels weren't playing tonight on this crap rainy Monday night but it's about 16 years since we won 4 in a row in the Premier Division it's unmissable!

Drumpot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119103812#Comment_119103812

Good first half from shels. You can really see the team properly playing like a team now. I know UCD made one or two dangerous chances but shels look the better team.

Hakiki has a lovely touch on the ball and he looks like he has quick feet , I like the look of him. Boyd starting up from offers so much more then Carr.

Was planning on going to game but ended up working late, but enjoying it on LOI tv, come on shels….

Drumpot

Get in shels, well deserved win but weirdly enough UCD could of easily had 2 or 3 goals. Clarke made some good saves from some pop shots , including a peno on 92.

Playing with confidence, very encouraged, roll on Rovers.

fatbhoy

Where are all these Shels fans coming from. Back in the day they had about two, maybe three.

chopperbyrne

Any reason for the stoppage time up in Drogheda?

Dr. Bre

Top 2 beaten

Jarhead_Tendler

How has Dervan been playing at Shels?

Drumpot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104723#Comment_119104723

I like him. He looked busy and got stuck in early shels games when they were playing awful so all you could take from the games was that he had a bit of fight in him. He faded a bit for a few games and there’s a couple of off games, especially one (can’t remember who) were he was losing possession on a fair bit. But got back in last few games and has played well. He wasn’t down on team sheet against Drogheda but was last min inclusion.

To be fair, first 8 -10 games shels were muck so it was hard to take much from it and fairly analyse any player (but the GK who was poor- moving Clarke in goals was vital). But they have been growing last few weeks. Aodh looked tidy tonight , I didn’t actually realise he was playing for awhile, think he got a tight new hair cut 😂

Jarhead_Tendler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104769#Comment_119104769

Thanks for that I am a Longford supporter. Glad he is doing well. He will give it his all every game anyway that is for sure

Oat23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104573#Comment_119104573

Shels have always had fans. Weren't they protesting for ages or am I thinking of another club? I remember a few of them on here or foot saying they weren't going to matches when they were in the FD..I think it was Shels anyway.

Ohmeha

The anti-Duff brigade around the LOI family are going to be seething tonight that Shels' winning streak is now exposed as not all to down to Joey O'Brien

Not a vintage performance by any means, timing of both goals at either side of the half couldn't have come at more perfect times, aside from that near wobble at the end it was another mostly solid professional display from a team looking more and more confident. Let's go 5 in a row!

trashcan

Great bounce back from Pats tonight. Bohs could genuinely feel hard done by to go in 2 down at half time, it took some super saves from Joe Anang to stop them levelling it at 1-1, but the second half was reasonably comfortable for Pats. Much more like it after the horrors of last Friday.

Drumpot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104809#Comment_119104809

I was a big shels fan at the start of the 90s when a friends dad would bring me to games. I used to have season tickets and loved going to the friendlies in the summer. Kept an eye on them in 00s but Lost touch for numerous reasons.

I had always wanted to go back to games but for numerous reasons it didn’t happen, not least having a small family and living near drogheda United. But when they got relegated to division 1 I got a season ticket and started going to games again when they opened back up in COVID.

Have a season ticket again this season and I’d like to keep going. Being able to watch on LOI tv is great aswell because it’s a decent trek for me to goto games and like tonight sometimes the time I need to get there makes the trip impossible. I have to leave by 6.30 to be in ground settled for kick off at 7.45. Traffic is hard to predict and I usually have to allow 15 mins to park and get upto ground.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104579#Comment_119104579

Reports say 4th official was hit by an object thrown from crowd.

shanec1928

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119103797#Comment_119103797

Nothing to be surprised about. We’ve been dire since Europe last season. Only for we had such a big lead and everyone else around us were muck, we limped over the line again. We only had 1 plan under Buckley and he wouldn’t change it. Dropped to many points already to teams we should be beating. He took us as far as he was going too. Was a bit like how his spell at pats ended, all got very stale. It was like a different team tonight no negative football that had set I under Buckley and a bit of desire to play for the full 90 mins. Hopefully we can kick on and get back to challenging for a euro spot.

NIMAN

Another dismal display from us tonight. Potentially now 3rd if Dundalk win their game in hand.

Time for Higgins to show why he was such a highly regarded coach. Something ain't right with us, and our tactics now seem to be long balls and hope McGonigle can produce a bit of magic.

Thin squad is a big issue. We will need to add to it as soon as the window opens.

Oat23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119105043#Comment_119105043

We’ve been dire since Europe last season.

We picked up only 40 points in the league since July last year until his last game against Bohs.

P33 W10 D10 L13. That's relegation form.

cdeb

That's not close to relegation form in fairness.

Strange game in Tolka. Shels were the better side, but we gifted them the two goals, and if we hadn't done that, I don't think Shels had it in them to score for themselves.

But we did gift them, so we got what we deserved

Oat23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119105151#Comment_119105151

It's certainly not acceptable form for a full time team with the budget we have either.

Waterford were relegated with 42 points last season. The point I'm trying to make is he hasn't been sacked for what has happened in the first 17 games. This stretches back to last season when we played the same turgid, uninspiring football often.

cdeb

In fairness, Waterford got relegated because they sacked their manager the week of the playoff final, then started a centre-half up front and proceeded to try to kick UCD off the ball for 80 minutes. They were a shambles of a club, which Sligo aren't.

The point about poor form being a longer issue is fair, but it's not relegation form because of a one-off freak result helped by a crap Longford team giving most sides a 10/12 point headstart. That's a record high points tally for a relegated team in a 10-team league afaik.

And they got 42 points from 36 games, which you're comparing to 40 in 33. Big difference there

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119105151#Comment_119105151

Our form of late would suggest we do have an extra gear, but with the goals coming a minute either side of HT, we never really hit into it, and never had to.

Hodors Appletart

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104573#Comment_119104573

Most STs sold for this season than any other, some of that is the Duff effect and some of it, I believe, is down to how the club is doing things at the moment - it just feels different around the place on match nights. I also get to see the senior mens team training pretty regularly and there seems to be a decent atmosphere between them too.

The Briogaid Dearg fans group has also embraced the Women's team the last couple of seasons and it's great to see.

On last night's match, we controlled it from start to finish but Clarke definitely had to earn his crust and was my MOTM.

We won't be extending the winning streak on Friday.

PGE1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104907#Comment_119104907

No Drogheda supporter, myself included, will think that until it is mathematically assured.

That said, with twenty minutes to go last Friday night, if you said that we'd have six points out of those two games, I'd have called the white coat men.

Football is a strange game. We end up with two midfielders as full backs last night after Dane Massey went off.

And for those to haven't already noticed him, keep an eye on the career of Sam Long, our goalie. We're hoping that rumours of Lincoln wanting him back are untrue. He is an absolute smasher.

cdeb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119105611#Comment_119105611

That's also probably quite reasonable, yep

fatbhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119105656#Comment_119105656

Well, it's great to see. Back in the '90s when Wes used to play for yous, and you had a really great team, playing beautiful football, I made the journey over just to watch yous the odd time purely because of the quality of the football played. But it's a surprise to me now, and it's kind of strange to me, to see this healthy support boost at Shels. It's heartening to see.

fatbhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104809#Comment_119104809

Well, they had none in the '80s. NONE (apart from a few OAPs). Then when they started becoming attractive in the '90s they got a few, but only a few.

Hodors Appletart

Wes was playing early to mid 00s, the era you are thinking of is the Shero & Gegho era (there was small overlap) - even then our support base was low enough, I remember being disgusted at certain league attendances at the time when were beating Split and playing Steaua, and Lille and Deportivo in Landsdowne Rd, thousands of people at those games and a couple of hundred for matches against even a team like Derry City.

I remember Fenlon made a comment one time about there being one man and his dog at matches, and he wasn't far wrong, and definitely comments on this very forum back them about the size of our support

fatbhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119106406#Comment_119106406

Yeah, that's it. I remember watching the European match where yous beat that Russian team in Tolka; Shels played them off the park. So that was the '90s I think, probably around '95. Then the great Shels team of the '00s you talk about, that had Wes and success in Europe, and mad Ollie. They were great times. It's a pity Shels didn't have that traditional large support that Rovers, Bohs, and even Pats have. Although I think they were well supported in the '50s and '60s, and I'd say Bohs probably weren't back then. So I guess it all goes in cycles, to a certain extent, although Rovers probably have always had a large fanbase regardless of era.

Hodors Appletart

Ha, that Russian team was Karpaty Lviv, from Ukraine! That match was my first ever Shels match. My friend from across the road brought me with his older brother or his da and we ended up pictured on the back page of a newspaper the next day. We were behind the goal at the Drumcondra end of the ground that night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSfd_gpthF8&ab_channel=retroloi

joeysoap

Nobody want vinny Perth as manager? League winner. League Cup winner, elite cup winner, and only beaten by pens in an fai cup final. Could do a lot worse

shanec1928

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119106955#Comment_119106955

if he was good enough dundalk would have kept him.

joeysoap

dundalk obviously had their target and Perth wasn’t it. But there are plenty of others. Maybe a money thing? Or maybe his targets are too high? Surely he would do a good job for a 1st division club. (Ex City And Galway) The American owners had their own ‘ideas’ 🙄

joeysoap

Sounds like he wants premiership

https://www.otbsports.com/soccer/vinny-perth-dundalk-1293397

Gavin "shels"

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119104809#Comment_119104809

Going back to last game of 2016 that is yes, boycott was for all of 2017 then a large portion of us returned in 2018 but there was still people boycotting up until last season. Change in ownership, Board of Management, etc... has united the club thankfully over the last few years - not being able attend Tolka for a year was horrible!

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119107651#Comment_119107651

Wouldn't want him anywhere near Rovers. Going on the airwaves pining for his job back from the yanks after they sacked him wasn't a good look. Actually going back then into that sh1t storm showed he has zero integrity. Any player would be able to walk all over him.

Darkglasses

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119107665#Comment_119107665

Thankfully that's been ruled out today - https://wexfordfc.ie/latest-news/1326-ian-ryan-to-stay-at-ferrycarrig-park

Best for everyone involved I think. Breen & Hunt deserve more time at Waterford, Ian deserves a bigger step up when he finishes with Wexford, and I'd spend the entire summer break ugly-crying.

Patrick2010

Only 500 tickets left for Tallaght tonight, looks like another sellout.

howiya

Watching Rovers and Shels on LOITV. Rovers 2 nil up at half time and good value for the lead. Rovers high press causing us problems and we struggle to get up the field. Gaffney took his goal well.

Don't see many games on LOITV. Impressed with the quality.

Showed the goals at half time. Great free kick from Patching in Derry and Pats won't be happy with how they defended Dundalks goal.