Greatest League in the World 2024 [new thread available]

Zebra3

dreamers75 wrote: »

Up to their old tricks I see.

What old tricks?

wadacrack

CSF wrote: »

In fairness, I’ve never watched a full LOI game on TV that didn’t involve Shels so this combined with us being so impossible to watch has probably combined to me feeling like I’m only watching out of that sense of obligation to loyalty.

I certainly enjoy when we win, but it rarely feels like 90 minutes well spent when watching on the telly. Whereas Friday nights were always the highlight of the week even through some of the most dour First Division teams we had.

LOI far better in person with fans. The standard of football is not high enough to keep people entertained for 90 minutes. I havent watched a game on it in a few weeks and have lost a little bit of interest in the league. Hopefully fans can return nxt season in some capacity

dan1895

Zebra3 wrote: »

What old tricks?

Like having Gary Dempsey banned for betting irregularities maybe? Wait that wasn't Shels.

overshoot

CSF wrote: »

I'm finding some of them doing the research making it even more tedious. Yes Stephen Alkin, we know that Ciaran Kilduff used to play for Kildare County. You don't need to spit these random irrelevant facts at us for the full 90 minutes.

Agreed... And they way they come out just shows up so much more compared to someone with genuine knowledge.

cms88

Wilberto wrote: »

Siobhán Madigan

*Shudder*

Careful you can't say anything bad about her, no matter how bad she is...

Ohmeha

dan1895 wrote: »

Is it two legs? Heard during the week that it's only a one off.

You're right, I see they've changed it to one leg. 90 mins much better for Shels to pull out one final 1-0 smash and grab job, 180 mins means having to actually play football at some point over the tie

The only question is unclear is who gets home advantage, coin toss, neutral venue or higher ranking team which would be Shels/Harps?

Cape Clear

Cape Clear wrote: »

Football doesn't work like that as other posters have pointed out. As for humble pie I'll pass on that have an extra slice for yourself.

You keep missing, I am speculating hopeful dreams, you seem to think what I am saying is fact.

We'll see what hemmings has in his mind in time to come.

Other posters pointed out? I know how football works and if I was hemmings I would be using cork city to feed back and forth to Preston. So many irish youngsters go to England too early

howiya

howiya wrote: »

Take Trabolgan out of the equation. If you are a player at Preston or any other club and the club wants to send you on loan you have a say in where you end up or if you go out on loan at all. Take a look at a map of the EFL clubs. A player based in Preston could go out on loan to any number of clubs without having to move house, never mind moving to another country.

Totally agree, surely the same can be said for bigger clubs sending players on loan to Belgium, Denmark etc from the UK.

Also, the irish league has a different season to England, would be ideal for 3 month loans to act as pre season or a player coming from injury to loan to cork for a few months to build up match fitness.

Regardless there will be some connection going both ways

overshoot

Ohmeha wrote: »

The only question is unclear is who gets home advantage, coin toss, neutral venue or higher ranking team which would be Shels/Harps?

I've heard neutral, given whose in the playoffs, id imagine it means the showgrounds if harps finish 9th. Maybe Athlone if it's shels?
I'd far rather the two legs... Drogs did win the first against us last year

Cape Clear

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You keep missing, I am speculating hopeful dreams, you seem to think what I am saying is fact.

We'll see what hemmings has in his mind in time to come.

Other posters pointed out? I know how football works and if I was hemmings I would be using cork city to feed back and forth to Preston. So many irish youngsters go to England too early

With respect I don't think you have an iota call it speculating if you wish. Footballers aren't machines that can necessarily be redeployed at a whim add agents and legalities into the equation and the feeding back and forth is a lot harder in practice than in theory.

Zebra3

overshoot wrote: »

I've heard neutral, given whose in the playoffs, id imagine it means the showgrounds if harps finish 9th. Maybe Athlone if it's shels?
I'd far rather the two legs... Drogs did win the first against us last year

What sort of evil c*nt would send us back to Athlone? :D:D

UnleashTheBeast

CSF wrote: »

Out of interest, are people enjoying watching the games on TV? I know as a Shels fan we’re accustomed to a less entertaining style than some other teams in the league, but I just don’t feel LOI football translates to TV at all. Even the teams who think they play a nice standard of football are still such low quality.

I find it really easy to ignore the quality of what I’m watching when I’m at the games because there’s so much to the experience then, but watching our games on TV has felt like such a chore even when we’re winning.

Really really hope the league doesn’t start back in 2021 before fans can come back.

I'm enjoying it, I bought it as a "neutral", my club is in the First Division, but I've a wider interest in the LOI.

In my experience of watching watchloi games, Shelbourne games are mind-numbingly boring. They're probably the most boring team to watch, perhaps even worse than Finn Harps.

joeysoap

I don't know, when Harps Park the bus..........

dfx-

you just have to wait five minutes for a Harps second yellow.

They've a good chance tonight though - Rovers no game in a month, league over, Burke suspended, Byrne/Greene probably not 100% yet in recovery, Lopes not ready yet and a boggy pitch.

overshoot

Zebra3 wrote: »

What sort of evil c*nt would send us back to Athlone? :D:D

Considering they put longford-galway in Athlone you may be safe enough!

Ohmeha

Longford/Galway is going ahead at the UCD Bowl on Friday night

That clearly benefits Longford as the majority of that Longford team and coaching staff are Dublin based and they have just come off a play-off win that same ground

CSF

UnleashTheBeast wrote: »

I'm enjoying it, I bought it as a "neutral", my club is in the First Division, but I've a wider interest in the LOI.

In my experience of watching watchloi games, Shelbourne games are mind-numbingly boring. They're probably the most boring team to watch, perhaps even worse than Finn Harps.

It truly is enough to suck the joy out of football.

joeysoap

Pity we didn’t win but that result takes everybody but Waterford out of 3rd. A draw against Sligo or a Harps result should do ( or get to the cup final - you never know)

kksaints

Hard to know what to make of that result for us. Should have taken one of our three good chances in the first half but apart from the goal we created nothing in the second half.

Ohmeha

Rain, mudbath in the middle of the pitch, no Byrne/Burke/O'Neill/Farrugia/Lopes playing for Rovers, perfect conditions all round for Harps to get something out of this game which should add more misery at full-time to Shels' weekend

Omackeral

This pitch in Ballybofey is among the worst I've ever seen/

chopperbyrne

This pitch is awful.

Might put money on a 0-0 now.

Ohmeha

chopperbyrne wrote: »

This pitch is awful.

Might put money on a 0-0 now.

I'd put my money on a Harps win they're the better side and Rovers only know how to pass a football and they don't look like they know what they are doing on that pitch. Then they're playing tiny Dean Williams upfront against 5 Harps tall physical centre backs

Ohmeha

Yes scrappy horrible goal scored by O'Brien

Gavin "shels"

Omackeral wrote: »

This pitch in Ballybofey is among the worst I've ever seen/

If it wasn't for Covid their game during the week and today would have no way go ahead. Surprised neither away side have kicked up a fuss about it. There was pictures that went viral of Cabo's pitch last season and it was in better nick.

As for Shels last night... as a whole it was probably the most embarrassing result I've witnessed in my near 18 years supporting/watching/attending Shels. Shocking.

Oat23

When I said I was looking forward to this game I had forgotten about the pitch.

overshoot

We were well on top the 10mins before the goal, has completely broken our stride though. Crap one to give away. Still feels like a free hit but there is a chance of something from this.

On the pitch, its because of covid and postponements this is the third game in a week on it and it's been lashing all week in Donegal... Hardly any point in saying it's going ahead because of covid.
It is brutal though and we need the new ground really, drainage channels were cut into it a couple of years ago pre season but only so much you can do with summer football. The sods over them were lethal until bedded in. Only Waterford, shams again and the cup semi still to go on it this year....

kksaints

Oat23 wrote: »

When I said I was looking forward to this game I had forgotten about the pitch.

It's such a mud bath. Should be on one of those nature programmes about man surviving in the harshest conditions.

Zebra3

The pitch is fine. :pac:

kksaints

Some save by the Harps keeper.

pgj2015

There is a lot to be said for astro pitches, it can rain away for a month and you can still play on them and it doesn't effect the quality of the match.

artanevilla

pgj2015 wrote: »

There is a lot to be said for astro pitches, it can rain away for a month and you can still play on them and it doesn't effect the quality of the match.

There's also a lot to be said against them.

Pawwed Rig

The ball is not even bouncing half the time as the pitch is so water logged

chopperbyrne

Ohmeha wrote: »

I'd put my money on a Harps win they're the better side and Rovers only know how to pass a football and they don't look like they know what they are doing on that pitch. Then they're playing tiny Dean Williams upfront against 5 Harps tall physical centre backs

Good thing I'd already backed them at -1.

Zebra3

pgj2015 wrote: »

There is a lot to be said for astro pitches, it can rain away for a month and you can still play on them and it doesn't effect the quality of the match.

The issue here is that games "have to be played", not the state of the pitch.

MonkstownHoop

Surely there'll be a decision on the Rovers Derry game soon considering Derry could end up in the playoff spot

Zebra3

MonkstownHoop wrote: »

Surely there'll be a decision on the Rovers Derry game soon considering Derry could end up in the playoff spot

Don't see why there's a delay.

The FAI already announced what would happen.

joeysoap

Astro in Derry, Astro on oriel, Astro coming to Dayler, Harps have to thinking about it.( Showgrounds pretty poor for last years cup semi final if I remember)

Don’t Molde play on Astro ?

joeysoap

E

Zebra3 wrote: »

Don't see why there's a delay.

The FAI already announced what would happen.

You can smell the fear coming out of abbotstown. My money is they’re praying Harps don’t win on Sunday thus making the decision easy. What about today’s cup match, I say it goes ahead, later on.

Zebra3

joeysoap wrote: »

E

You can smell the fear coming out of abbotstown. My money is they’re praying Harps don’t win on Sunday thus making the decision easy.

Fully agree with you, but they have to make a decision asap so the clubs involved know where they stand.

If they don't award the game to Rovers, I'd guess it could end up in the courts.

Wuff Wuff

Rory Gaffney hasnt been in a Rovers sqad since August, very strange, he was playing well too before he dissapeared

rahenyrover

Wuff Wuff wrote: »

Rory Gaffney hasnt been in a Rovers sqad since August, very strange, he was playing well too before he dissapeared

Bad hamstring injury

artanevilla

joeysoap wrote: »

Astro in Derry, Astro on oriel, Astro coming to Dayler, Harps have to thinking about it.( Showgrounds pretty poor for last years cup semi final if I remember)

Don’t Molde play on Astro ?

Incorrect on Astro to Dalymount, it's to be Desso Grassmaster, same as at Lansdowne.

pgj2015

joeysoap wrote: »

Astro in Derry, Astro on oriel, Astro coming to Dayler, Harps have to thinking about it.( Showgrounds pretty poor for last years cup semi final if I remember)

Don’t Molde play on Astro ?

we dont live in a country suitable for grass pitches, it rains far too much here. look at the shamrock rovers v bohs match earlier in the year, the conditions were atrocious. the standard of football in loi isnt as good as the premier league so we dont need muddy pitches making the games worse to watch.

Cape Clear

Cape Clear wrote: »

With respect I don't think you have an iota call it speculating if you wish. Footballers aren't machines that can necessarily be redeployed at a whim add agents and legalities into the equation and the feeding back and forth is a lot harder in practice than in theory.

With respect followed by an insult, carry on.

Trying to speculate on what a new owners agenda and are possibly thinking and having you coming on trying declare I have no clue what I am talking about although I have repeatedly said I am speculating as to what the new owner might be thinking in purchasing an Irish soccer club whilst still owning an English soccer club. With the Irish club having a better chance at European football than the English one. We'll see what Hemmings does over the next few months/years. I am hopeful, but it could also be another false dawn.

hardybuck

pgj2015 wrote: »

we dont live in a country suitable for grass pitches, it rains far too much here. look at the shamrock rovers v bohs match earlier in the year, the conditions were atrocious. the standard of football in loi isnt as good as the premier league so we dont need muddy pitches making the games worse to watch.

That's utter nonsense. Ireland is one of the best countries in the world to grow grass.

The RSC in Waterford is a fantastic grass surface. While I appreciate Waterford has far less rain than Donegal and Sligo, grass pitches in most parts of Ireland should be maintained.

artanevilla

We are literally world renowned for our grass. It's not called the Emerald Isle for our countryside covered in astro.

pgj2015

artanevilla wrote: »

We are literally world renowned for our grass. It's not called the Emerald Isle for our countryside covered in astro.

we are also world renowned for rain. grass pitches are great the odd time in the summer if we get a few days without rain but a lot of the time it ruins a game. astro pitches havent done Dundalk any harm in the last few years.

joeysoap

If and when Finn Harps move to their new ground they will have give it serious thought. Only fair to say Weather yesterday was atrocious from Pairc Ui Caoimhe to McCool park. ( more or less opposite Finn Park).

Cape Clear

Fella's used to give out about John Caulfield and his "agricultural" styled football.....