1 of 1- Andy
- Tekel Towers LEGEND
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Dundalk
Yet another showing up for Scottish football, not only do the Irish national team qualify ahead of us their League or Ireland champions have secured European group football till Christmas.
Beating a team who regularly qualify for the CL group stages in a CL qualifier tonight.
Big ask for them to win the play off round to qualify but guaranteed Europa League group stages.
Think "soccer" is the third most popular sport in Ireland. It doesn't matter though, Doncaster says the SPFL is now box office with Joey Barton in the Premiership.
Why are other smaller countries getting it right while our National and club sides go from bad to worse?
- PatReilly
- Tekel Towers LEGEND
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Re: Dundalk
Andy wrote:
Yet another showing up for Scottish football, not only do the Irish national team qualify ahead of us their League or Ireland champions have secured European group football till Christmas.
Beating a team who regularly qualify for the CL group stages in a CL qualifier tonight.
Big ask for them to win the play off round to qualify but guaranteed Europa League group stages.
Think "soccer" is the third most popular sport in Ireland. It doesn't matter though, Doncaster says the SPFL is now box office with Joey Barton in the Premiership.
Why are other smaller countries getting it right while our National and club sides go from bad to worse?
You mention Doncaster: one of the reasons we'll continue to fail. He suggested gates went up last season in anticipation of the return of the OF, widely quoted in the press, yet not one journalist took him to task over this.
Doncaster also thinks Rodgers (Ulster) and Barton (England) will improve our game. Of course he also thinks 'Rangers' survived death/liquidation. In his mind, a return to the situation of the early noughties is all it will take to get Scottish football on track Even although we've never, as a nation, got to any major finals since 1998.
The Scottish game being run for the benefit of two Glasgow organisations, who would leave the set up if given an opportunity, means we will continue on a downward track for the foreseeable future.
- Tek
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- From: East Kilbride
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Re: Dundalk
Watched the highlights there.
Narrowly beaten away in Russia 2-1 v Zenit St. Petersburg but played very well and deserved a point imo (hit the bar right at the death).
They're still second in the group though and can almost progress if they win their next home game v Al Alkmaar.
Not bad going for a part-time team.
- PatReilly
- Tekel Towers LEGEND
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Re: Dundalk
Not just a part time team, the starting eleven were all native RoI players last night, with only Dean Shiels and the back up goalie from other nations.
Ex United player Paddy Barrett was on the bench, after opening the scoring for Dundalk in the weekend league victory. Stephen O'Donnell, who was at Falkirk, is also a regular starter.
Barrett, Shiels and O'Donnell were hardly sought after while in Scotland, it maybe shows what a difference a good manager can make.
But wait: Dundalk's manager is Stephen Kenny, a flop boss at Dunfermline.
What's the secret?
The only thing that I can think which the Irish do differently is offer time and patience.