Greatest League in the World 2024 [new thread available]

PGE1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122178613#Comment_122178613

I agree. He's a joy to watch but could probably contribute a bit more.

A lovely player though.

budgemook

Two very interesting Dublin derbies this evening. You wouldn't know what Boh's will do in any game really and then you have Kenny hoping to avoid 3 losses in a row at Pat's. Score draw.

Then there's Rover's who everyone expects to go on a run but can't seem to get it going and Shels who everyone expects to fall off but half way through the season it hasn't happened yet. I can't call this one.

artanevilla

For me it's a nailed on 0-0 at The "A Dublin Derby" at Dalymount.

PGE1970

Rovers battering Shels.

Shels go one up.

deisedude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122178613#Comment_122178613

Thought i heard Markey had a good job and therefore the evening trainings at Drogheda suited him as he doesn't want to go full time

Amirani

Bad half of football from Bohs, littered with mistakes.

Couple of bad injuries for Pats for Keating and Mulraney.

PGE1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179517#Comment_122179517

He's an accountant.

deisedude

Con Murphy talking about the Shelbourne fans enjoying a spliff and the smoke coming into the commentator box before Segwaying to Shelbourne must be on a high

This truly is the #greatestleagueintheworld

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179517#Comment_122179517

Yes, have heard that, but if he was getting better offers to go full time he might consider it. Plenty of years to be an accountant.

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179546#Comment_122179546

Injuries came from relatively innocuous incidents. Was worrying when they called immediately for the stretcher for Keating, hope both don't look as bad as they did.

Still plenty of goals in this one, neither side defending particularly well. Palmer and Melia are having very good games so far. Hope we can hold on for the win.

PGE1970

The Derry commentator just claimed that Reece Witherspoon made a good run down the wing for Sligo!

kksaints

Another injury time goal costs us again.

Oat23

Whenever I watch Derry at home and things aren't going their way the main commentator is a nightmare to listen to. Seems incapable of taking his emotions out of it and resorts to sly digs every time. Also called Reece Hutchinson "Reese Witherspoon" in injury time which might be the worst commentary player name blunder the league has had.

Our bench tonight was seriously weak. If you take out Richard Brush the other 7 lads included 5 who haven't played a LOI minute and the other two only have 450 minutes between them. Average age was probably 17 or 18 as there were a few 16 year olds there and 6 of them are teenagers.

artanevilla

Does refereeing really have to be this bad?

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179790#Comment_122179790

Lots of unnecessary yellow cards for both sides alright although the penalty decision was the correct call.

Dr. Bre

shels defence could win them the league

Pawwed Rig

I think The Golden Miller might be right

Great result tonight for Shels. Galway flying aswell which is great to see for a newly promoted club

MarkSRFC21

Mad game that. Rovers Dominating and then soft pen and 3 injury subs killing it. Shels 10 men behind the ball, 3 shots and 2 goals but that’s how they play. Long road back for rovers from here.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179798#Comment_122179798

Its between Shels &…. eh, shels!

From a Rovers p.o.v 5IAR is gone.

CSF

Easy

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179798#Comment_122179798

Dunno if Rovers won anyway. Ye they came out of the blocks quick, but you'd expect that from the home side, who are league favourites and with a point to prove, chasing the new league leaders.

Shels would of grown into it anyway. As for the injuries, your players must be made out of cotton wool. A light breeze seems to have most out injured

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179868#Comment_122179868

Have you started to believe yet?

MarkSRFC21

Listen it’s hard to say how any game coulda shoulda woulda went. Either way Rovers seriously lacking a cutting edge all year and really struggling to break teams down and then individual errors killing us. Injury situation is crazy and another 3 tonight plus a pico suspension next week.

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179883#Comment_122179883

A little bit more for sure, but long way to go

The Golden Miller

As I said before, Rovers are nothing to fear and I expected us to get a result. Like Keane said about Everton, there's obviously a common denominator in all the injuries they're getting, half their team falling down today again as if they were shot. Some of them just need to toughen up or don't have the heart for the fight Shels are bringing, and want the easy way out.

Everyone said we were done and Rovers and Derry would kick on. As I said we had our bad patch and it was us that would kick on. Alot of people judged Shels by the second round of games, but the real Shels is what we seen in the first round.

This Rovers team are done, you can only go to the well so many times. This mythic run everyone talks about isn't happening, and Derry don't have the consistency. We'll go from strength to strength and stretch this lead over the season. We've only started to see the real Shels again, and we're simply too strong and well organised for the rest of the league

MarkSRFC21

Blaming injuries on a lack of heart or fight is a crazy statement tbf. Tho probs agree this rovers team are really struggling.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179912#Comment_122179912

Maybe, but not too many of them looked up for a fight today when we got at them, alot of soft injuries

ben.schlomo

At this rate we'll be the only challengers to Shels!!!

As easy a win as we've had all season tonight, Dundalk offered very little outside a ten minute spell second half where they moved the ball well. Another night where we faced 0 shots on goal.

Two games in hand, if we won both we'd be 2nd, just sayin'!

PGE1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179900#Comment_122179900

Who said you were done?

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179922#Comment_122179922

When we had one or two defeats and a draw, and Rovers and Derry pulled us in, the general consensus was we had a quick start but were poor. That Rovers would take over and run away with it

MarkSRFC21

looked like a groin, an ankle and a concussion ? - hardly soft injuries or a lack of fight

CSF

Shels winning with 2 goals from Jarvis feels like chaos in this place

NIMAN

We might all have to admit that TGM is a football genius.

The Golden Miller

Will Jarvis is the best on earth ha! Love the fact everytime he gets the ball now, he's looking to run at lads again. For 5 or 6 games, seemed to have no interest in that, just passed it backwards, often giving it away. I'd love to know what went on behind the scenes there. Some people reckoned he was homesick. Loves playing in Tallaght though.

The other thing I noticed about Shels in the last year or so, when we score first we generally win. When we don't, either draw or lose. Simply can't chase a game. For a good few games on the bounce, we were conceding first every game with individual mistakes. They seem to have cut that out. When we go in front, very formidable, but when behind, can't open up teams to a great extent. That would still be a worry for me

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179946#Comment_122179946

Derry are yet to see the real Shels and Jarvis. Expect a very different performance in our next meeting

NIMAN

Draw a fair result at Brandywell tonight. Was well impressed with Sligo, they came to play and were easily the best team in the 1st 45min.

We got back into it in the 2nd half, but just didn't have enough to win. Terrible mistake by Maher acting the eejit again.

Was well impressed with Barlow andChapman tonight, excellent players.

And yet another draw for us. Simply not good enough, dropping far too many points. We'll end up 3rd or 4th.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122180028#Comment_122180028

You's keep looking like your about to kick on, and then don't.

Pats fans will be sick. They love conceding last minute goals deep into injury time

NIMAN

We ain't kicking on. Not a chance under Higgins.

The 1st half was the worst I have seen a Derry team play in many years. Truly awful. We have gone backwards over last couple of years. Fans are voting with their feet, attendances dropping off over the last 3 or 4 games too.

PGE1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179930#Comment_122179930

I don't agree with that. You have been top for weeks on merit.

I certainly said that I fancy Rovers but I'm certainly not that conceited to think that I speak for anyone but myself!

I watched 70 mins of your match tonight. Rovers were the much better side until the red card but you got three points. Fair play to you.

I still wouldn't rule Rovers out, the squad is so big and they have really good players.

But you are serious contenders now, more than Derry. You really have a chance and that's down to your manager. He has done a brilliant job.

PGE1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122180051#Comment_122180051

I don't know your budget but I expect that it's the second highest in the league.

As an outsider, you are poor to watch. I wonder how long Higgins has left because I expect that your supporters expect better?

CSF

Having watched highlights there, I actually think Pico is fortunate to avoid the straight red for the first pen. I don’t believe he’s making a genuine effort for the ball. Knows Smith is behind him and has to make the foul.

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122180044#Comment_122180044

Sick is too small a word. Conceding injury time goals is a nasty little habit to get into. We were decent in spells and really should have seen the game out. Mason Melia was terrific, makes such a difference when he’s not asked to lead the line on his own. Good to see Tom Grivosti back on the pitch too. Stephen Kenny said in his post match interview that Ruairi Keating was taken to hospital. Hope he’s ok and it’s just precautionary.

Ohmeha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122180260#Comment_122180260

Lopes knew what he was doing for the 1st penality. The FIFA rule change in 2016 for professional fouls/last man and the wording surrounding 'attempt to play the ball' has been another stupid rule change which has left referees defaulting to yellow cards because it's now a grey area as to what is a cynical foul and all defenders know the rule change is in their favour, the incentive is now to take down the attacker while not making it so obvious if it's a cynical attempt to take the yellow, pre-2016 Lopes would have had to pull out of that challenge risk conceding or take the red card and hope the penalty is missed

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122179944#Comment_122179944

Delighted my man Hakiki got a run out too. I think he'll be a very important for us in the future. Great talent.

On the highlights, the commentator said it was his fourth appearance of the season. Unless I'm blind, that's the first I've seen of him this season.

We talk about squad dept. If he's a fifth or sixth choice sub, we've dept, because he's as good a talent any team could bring on as their first sub

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122184247#Comment_122184247

He has come on late in games a few times, but never enough minutes to really matter.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122184254#Comment_122184254

How do you rate him? Good potential? An important player for the future. Duff keeping him around is no coincidence

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122184256#Comment_122184256

Can’t imagine he will be around next season. Why would he even want to?

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122184316#Comment_122184316

He will, he has a very big part to play. One for the future.

He's not being kept for no reason. In his appearances from the bench last season, never put a foot wrong. Came on and attacked the opposition in impressive fashion, brought the fight to them when things often went stale, and until Jarvis came good in the last few games, was the most eye catching player.

Dunno what he's done, other than inexperience, that has him resigned to the bench so much this season. He's a spark that can ignite a game back in our favour once we've gone stale.

I'd back him to the hilt, this guy will become our most important player in time.

He's hugely impressed me anytime I seen him, absolute baller. He's being kept for a reason as I said!

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122184316#Comment_122184316

As for the why? Jarvis be gone at the end of the season. He's a natural replacement. I think he knows he goes in there next year. Just as big a talent.

People thought I overestimate Jarvis, they'll do the same with Hakiki, I don't know how you haven't seen his talent/potential. Like Jarvis, guy has lightning in his boots

Liberta Per Gli Ultra

Credit to the Shels fans, at this moment in time they have the best supporters in Dublin in terms of the quality of their chants and the amount of fans willing to make the effort.

Traditionally they were 4th in that league, but the mentality and age bracket (20-45) looks and sounds like us (Rovers) in the 2000s. Even avoiding rehashing chants from Celtic and other British clubs, unlike the rest of the league. Fair play.