Wouldn't even be any point in every attempting to join the League of Ireland and Irish League. Even games with the top sides would have fuck all interest so the bottom games would be a complete non starter.
Too many pointless suit jobs to be lost for it ever to be even close to an option anyway.
Jordan Rossiter is going to be an absolute star. He's a proper little throwback, with his jet black boots, shirt tucked in, and shorts pulled up to his chest. I love him already.
I know the name, is he ex Liverpool?Quote:
Originally Posted by John
He is. Captained England at about six different levels of youth football too.
This might be the most idiotic idea ever:
https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/arti...s-ligue-1-club
Surely it's just a way to launder money or something equally shady.
If Dundalk do win the league this season then it'll have to be their best yet. The October schedule is mental.
4th - Derry City
8th – Sligo
11th – Cork City
14th – Rovers
17th – Longford Town
20th – Zenit
23rd – Bohemians
25th – St. Pats
28th – Galway United
Pat Flynn's retirement statement was better than most, and a nice dig at Bohs too.
Quote:
Today I retire.
So I thought….. i better do a statement. I’m going to name drop a bit so please forgive me.
I didn’t want to retire but the legs don’t move like they used to and when the slowest player in the league says to me “I’ll be your legs” I knew I had to call it a day…so thanks for that Mark Rossiter.
To Kiara…….My girlfriend in my Joeys days and now my wife as I finished in Longford. You were there for it all.Thanks for your patience, understanding and keeping my feet on the ground.
Leaving for work at 8am, going straight to training and getting home at 9pm was tough…so to my kids I apologise for missing so much and look forward to spending all my time with you. If you have my passion on the pitch and your Mam’s passion in the bedroom you will excel at whatever you choose.
Big thanks to my family who helped me so much over the years. Especially my Dad, you went out of your way so much to help me, I’ll never forget that.
To my friends who’ve been there since the start and supported me home and away, thank you.
To my aunties and uncles who looked after me when I was clubless in England, thank you.
To all the Coaches, Managers, Physio’s and Kitmen I’ve had, and the time you put in, thank you so much.
To all my teammates….thank you for your ability to adjust to playing with 10 men most weeks.
To the referees, I apologise for the tackles and my colourful language that led to them colourful cards. My wife would like to thank you for the hundreds of Euro’s in fines I had to pay because of you.
To the fans of Waterford thanks for making me a cult hero.
To the fans of Shels, it’s my biggest regret in my career that you got relegated when I played for you, it’s a huge club and shouldn’t be in that situation.
To the Pats fans, I got paid for doing what you do…..watching games from a bench every week. It wasn’t down to lack of trying, it was just Kenna and O’Brien were outstanding. I hope I repaid you with the Cup Final song I wrote for you.
To the Longford fans, I admire the handful of lads who follow the team everywhere they go. We had bad nights but some great ones too. It’s a great club. Thank you.
To everyone at Shamrock Rovers thank you. Friday nights and coming from my house you could see the floodlights. Pulling on the famous green and white and hearing the fans sing as you wait in the tunnel, then the teasing smell of burgers and chips as you wait for the whistle to blow. It’s what you dream of. I was just a fan that got lucky.
To the Fans of Bohs, I loved playing in Dalymount. I loved the abuse and I loved having Coke bottles hopped off my head. I didn’t like you, but I have to say I admired your passion too and I’ll miss it.
Football is the greatest game on earth and anyone who says otherwise is a lying Luther.
It gave me the chance to win All Irelands.
It gave me the chance to learn from my hero Denis Irwin everyday in training.
It gave me the chance to play in the same team as a man people say is the maddest man in football, Paul Gascoigne….this was true, until I met Boccer Bayly.
It gave me the chance to captain my country at youth level and blast out Amhrán na bhFiann.
It gave me the chance to meet the President of Ireland.
It gave me so many kicks in the balls, like relegations, injuries, missing Christmas’ and missing friends & family.
It gave me the chance to win leagues with superstars like Twigg, Bradley, Baker, Salmon and O’Sullivan.
It gave me the chance to have great friends like Stephen Rice and Pat Sullivan, classy on and off the pitch.
It gave me the chance to mark Cristiano Ronaldo from corners.
It gave me the chance to stand in a helpless wall when Del Piero stuck a free in top corner.
It gave me a chance to play against the leagues best…..Derek Pender, Glen Crowe, Jason Byrne, John O’Flynn and Christy Fagan.
It gave me the chance to play under great captains like Kenna and Murray.
It gave me a rivalry with Killian Brennan, a great player that wasn’t afraid to kick me back. I’ll miss that.
It gave me a chance to miss a peno in front of 30,000 people in Lansdowne Road.
It gave me the chance to have songs sung about me….some good, some bad.
It gave me the chance to play for all of Dublin’s big clubs.
Anyone that watches football will know I’m an average player but hard work and commitment was the reason I got all these chances.
If I can do it anyone can.
Never give up.
Thank you football.
Swindon Town's chairman has taken over Waterford United. They'll walk division one with 3 or 4 loans.
We think he's doing a "budget Pozzo" so would expect to see youngsters loaned out for experience and maybe even some talent coming our way (following the somewhat troubled Jordan Stewart).Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Is Jordan Stewart that former (maybe United or Ipswich? prodigy who was supposed to be the next *Enter relevant midfielfer here*?
Wasn't he that Scottish kid that played for Real Madrid?
We're both wrong, but I now know I mixed him up with Marcus Stewart.
edit: No, he's age doesn't match so it must be the much more less inspiring Michael Stewart from United. No idea why I thought he was a prodigy of any sort. Must have come good for me in FM or something.
I got a Northern Irish fella when I googled it.
That's Jack Harper, who's just about getting into Brighton's reserve side at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
Jordan Stewart was a young midfielder for Leicester around the CM 01/02 era, but he wasn't hyped as far as I can remember.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pen
Could be him too I guess, but I'm leaning towards mixing what actually happened with some shit manager game I had back then (might have been Premier league manager or something).Quote:
Originally Posted by CJay
This thread reminds me of John Bostock.
Jordan Stewart is a Northern Irish lad.
Next time you think your FA is incompetent, spare us a thought.
https://www.balls.ie/football/irish-...-report/354551
:DQuote:
Proposals included.
LOI scores displayed on bus stops
Hollywood walk of fame containing the faces of ex-greats decorating the pathway up to the ground
Painting the bus stops near the ground in the club colours
Regional Heritage incorporated into the club brand - illustrated with the example of Sligo Rovers harnessing the power of WB Yeats (slouching towards the Showgrounds penalty box to score?)
Games with MLS sides to promote among US audiences
Half-time EA Sports tournaments broadcast on (which?) giant screens
Some of that must be parody. There is, for instance, not a fucking chance that such a presentation included a well paid man having an imaginary phone conversation with 'Joe's Pork Sausages'.
I wish it had all been one big comedy routine.
In all seriousness, however Dr Nick that bloke may seem, the people doing the same consultancy for the 'top' leagues are probably not much less idiotic, but probably paid 50 to 100 times as much. Marketing is all one big bullshit merry-go-round.
'Confidential transparency'. I mean, for fuck sake.
Got knows how much this lad cost over all, they had him working this for 12 fucking weeks. Easily more than the league champions would have got in prize money anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Pavel's really let himself go, by the looks of things.
Season kicks off on Friday here. The FAI have basically shat on the first division by announcing they're going from 12-8 to10-10 next season so it'll be 3 down, 1 up with no playoff. I'd expect most of the clubs out of the promotion running (Waterford have cash so should run away with things) to get rid of a lot of the part time players by mid season and go with U19's. I'll pop along to the first few Shels games and suss things out but the fan groups are still standing by the planned boycott over the stadium move so attendances could be down to double figures.
Up top there's been a good bit of turnover at Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers and Bray have spent a fair bit so, along with Cork City, there should be a decent title race coming anyway.
Bit of a shitter.
http://www.derryjournal.com/news/der...ride-1-7873265
Oof. No age to go. I hope it wasn't something suspicious or suicide.
Why does football attract so many Walter Mitty lunatics?
This guy has shown a few brief glimpses of his madness in the past but this is new levels.
They went even madder today with a follow up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
https://www.balls.ie/football/bray-w...atement-370240
Freeview have added a new channel, Free Sports, and they are going to be showing some 'other' leagues which tend not to be on other channels - it's kicking off with Sporting Lisbon vs Fierense at 7pm and then Benfica vs someone at 9pm on Friday night.
Tenerife vs Granada (Sunday, midday) and Standard Leige vs Charleroi (Sunday, 5pm) are also on this weekend, but they're going to be showing some Irish League and I think I read South American stuff as well.
Spanish segunda is quality if you like fucking slow, goalless football. Very much like Serie B in the good old days when, similarly, Serie A was the best league.
South American league football is only marginally preferable to open heart surgery without anaesthetic.
Couple of fixing bans.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2017...a-year-by-fai/
Cork City finally limped over the line to claim the title tonight. Every single medal should be shipped over to Preston to Sean Maguire, they've been horrendous since he left.
So I take it that wasn't their ground that folded in the wind over the weekend?
It was indeed. It was supposed to be last night but they postponed it til tonight. The bits of roof were pulled away this morning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shindig
Decent turnaround. Wonder how much a bill for that sets back a club like Cork?
It would hit any club hard here. Even Derry City we're going mad about the loss of money because they'd travelled to Cork on Sunday and it wasn't postponed until they were already down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shindig
They won't exactly be rolling in it from the league win either, I think the prize money is less than €200,000.
It must be a little soul destroying to know that, unless you're lucky to sneak a European group stage, your balance sheets are always going to be tight.
Dundalk sale to a US investment group confirmed. This will only end in tears.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2018...ed-consortium/
Doubt it gets more than ten extra people to show up but nicely done all the same.
Do you know what way this works these days @Boydy?
Like if the league ended today, could Ballymena win the playoffs and the title from 6th?
http://i65.tinypic.com/o8bh41.png
Not entirely sure. I think it's just a split type thing rather than a proper play-off. So the points still count, it's not the top 6 in a knock-out or anything.
Ho Chi Minh City FC Season Ticket prices announced.
400,000 for my usual spot. That works out at $1.36 per game :drool:
Serious value.
Between being in England working and the snow, I haven't had a chance to use mine yet.
Yeah, being so cheap to watch football here kinda makes a season ticket redundant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
First day of the Chinese Super League today. Guangzhou derby to kick things off and it's the best match I've watched all season. Currently 5-4 to R&F with ten to go.