Ireland - Premier League

I don't think many of you follow the Irish Premier League, but if any of you have any knowledge, this is your chance to surprise me.

It's a good day to post this after current champions, Drogheda United almost put out Dynamo Kiev after losing 4-3 on aggregate (Drogheda hit the post and missed an open goal from six yards in the dying minutes...the goal would have put Kiev out).

It's a good league to watch, it's improving too, so if any of you follow it at all, leave your thoughts.

Oh, and by the way, Finn Harps is my local team!

I support Sunderland and we've plucked a few players from there like Roy O'Donovan last year and now David Meyler from Cork also.

A Sunderland fan, eh? What do you think of the Keane and Quinn partnership?

Yes, O'Donovan was a very good player while he was in Ireland but Sunderland is a huge step up from Cork City, yet Keane seems determined to bring through the guys of his locality, which can only be admired really.

Cork were champions a couple of years ago, but their side is not the same, so many different faces.

I am really enjoying the Keane-Quinn partnership. I like how you never hear about many of our deals until the players are signed and also how Keane takes no smelling as from agents and the like. Quinny just stays in the background and does what Keane needs to build the squad. The amount of Irish players we have signed is amazing but there was only really Clive Clark proved to be of no worth.

offtopic :
Hey Caxi we are going to play against Republic Ireland in Qualification Group for WC in South Africa.
Is this your country ?

haha, yes, Ireland, Bulgaria, Italy all in the one group, we should get some good debates going via Laziofever.

Italy are obvious favourites, Bulgaria have a great squad, Ireland have a good squad but a great manager (although I doubt Trap's international management credentials).

should be a close group.

Caxi wrote:

haha, yes, Ireland, Bulgaria, Italy all in the one group, we should get some good debates going via Laziofever.

Italy are obvious favourites, Bulgaria have a great squad, Ireland have a good squad but a great manager (although I doubt Trap's international management credentials).

should be a close group.

Great

Yes that should be an interesting group but also Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro have some good players and can cause Italy, Bulgaria and Ireland some problems. When does it start.... in September or October I think?

Anyway back to the topic.... I do not know much about the Irish PL but I have heard of some teams like Drogheda and Cork. And yeah the former were close to beating Kiev just recently. That would have been a fantastic result!

they should have went through, they had Kiev shaken with their second goal and missed some glorious opportunities.

it will be a good group, i wasn't discounting the others at all, Cyprus beat Ireland 5-2 in the Euro qualifiers. won't happen again though!!!

It will be intresting to see what Trappatoni can come up with, hopefully he can contribute to great success and bring forward talents from Irish league. I always support Ireland

is this some kind of right in a way?
Given
Finnan--O'Shea--Dunne--???
A.Reid--Duff--Kilbane--McGeady
Keane--Doyle

That's a good team man, though not like the 1994 world cup team, they seriuosly could have battled for the semifinals if not for bad luck with referees. Anyone remember the game against Italy and Ray Houghtons goal? Ireland was great back then, hope they will come back and even bigger

Caxi, why won't Stephen Ireland play 4 NT, is it still the girlfriend-grandma thing?

12tnr wrote:

Caxi, why won't Stephen Ireland play 4 NT, is it still the girlfriend-grandma thing?

yes and no. he said something like it doesn't matter how he does in an Ireland shirt, the media will still hate him and criticise him so why would he play for us.

another factor is that Trap doesn't want him back in the team. he has a very definite system and he doesn't believe Ireland would fit in it.

The Irish premier league??? Come on,no disrespect but isn`t it as bad as the Welsh premier league? I mean the Welsh one has teams from places I`ve never heard of.

Still there`s palyers like Roy keane who were spotted in the Irish league so it can`t be that poor a standard.

Galles. wrote:

The Irish premier league??? Come on,no disrespect but isn`t it as bad as the Welsh premier league? I mean the Welsh one has teams from places I`ve never heard of.

Still there`s palyers like Roy keane who were spotted in the Irish league so it can`t be that poor a standard.

Most of the kids in the Irish league are very capable. You have to remember, football is huge in this country and we have arguably the best youth teams in the world.

So, not quite the Welsh league.

Point taken.

It`s going to come to judgement for us soon,our decent teams have been playing in the English league for as long as I can remember. Now with Celtic and Rangers proposing a move to the English league,they`re pointing out that Swansea and Cardiff are in the football league yet are answerable to the Welsh FA. In the 90`s the offer was on the table to join the Welsh league,when six teams refused and wanted to stay in England they took away the European spots.It was great you would win the Welsh Fa cup and get a slot in the Cup Winners Cup! I saw teams like Monaco Panathanaikos at Swansea,George Weah,Emmanuel Petit and the like graced the Swansea ground but when the time came all agreed that it was better to smelling as in a good league than good in a smelling as league.Now with two teams just falling short of play off places to the premiership I wonder how long it will take before we get hoofed out.

I meant no disrespect mate,I think the contrast of players available was quite evident when Wales played Ireland in the qualifiers recently. What is the set up on the emerald Isle? Isn`t Linfield in the North? I thought it wasn`t like the rugby team,is there a seperate league? i remember we played Derry in the 80`s in the Cup Winners

There is a separate league although both merge for a pre-season cup tournament in the summer/autumn. Linfield are in the Northern Irish league system and generally win it every year (although Glentoran beat them this season for a change). Derry City are part of the Republic's league and they came relatively close to making the Champions League a few seasons ago. They lost fairly narrowly to Deportivo La Coruna in the final stage and even Drogheda United were one goal away from eliminating Dynamo Kiev in the qualifiers, hitting the post twice in the final 5 minutes and look at Kiev sitting in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

With enough money, we would surpass the SPL. I mean, Derry City destroyed Gretna 5-1 away in the UEFA Cup when Gretna had hit their peak and Derry City where a mid-table side back then. The problem is cash, Reading have pinched a lot of our footballers in recent years and got to the Premiership with them so the talent's there.

Then our youth teams beat Spain (the world's best side supposedly) and we win a few European youth championships and yet we have a poor league. But the talent is there.

Galles. wrote:

The Irish premier league??? Come on,no disrespect but isn`t it as bad as the Welsh premier league? I mean the Welsh one has teams from places I`ve never heard of.

Still there`s palyers like Roy keane who were spotted in the Irish league so it can`t be that poor a standard.

I agree with Caxi that the Irish league is of a higher standard than the Welsh League! But, i have to admit, i find the Irish league very hard to watch, the standard of football is poor, although improving! The Irish league team's have been punching above there weight in European competitions! Like Derry City going through a few rounds in the UEFA Cup! Not to mention Shelbourne almost making the Group stages of the CL a few year's ago and Drogheda United pushing Kiev very close.

But all in all the standard of football is poor and will never be able to compete with the bigger league's in Europe. And any talent that is produced is sold almost straight away, which never helps.

The Republic have been punching above there wight in the World Cup Qualifier's. A good front two of Keane and Doyle, how ever, besides McGeady (The best player that the team has), the midfield is very average, with the likes of Keith Andrew's, Darren Gibson and Glenn Whelan. Who are clearly average at best player's. Dunne has been shakey at the back and O Shea, is O Shea, average. I support the team, dont get me wrong but im a realist, and the team has surley punched above there weight, with a group of average and very hungry player's.

Northern Ireland are a prime example of a team of complete average player's made up of second division players and player's who cant get into there respective Premiership team's and could well go on and clinch second spot in there group.

The NI Domestic league is very poor and is of the same standard of the Blue Square Premier League (England's 5th Division), with the team's unable to make any impact in UEFA CL Qualifying or UEFA Cup Qualifying!

So it seems Cork City are no more and all league points this season won against them will be wiped from the league standings.

What an atrocious and absolutely farcical situation. Ever since the league has gone pro, teams have gone bust.

The potential in the league is there but it needs investment.