League of Ireland Monthly: August 2015

volume 2 / issue 06 august 2015

INSIDE: ALVARITO: THE LOI’S ONLY SPANISH INTERNATIONAL BIG INTERVIEW: TYRELL -‘I WAS DISAPPOINTED LEAVING LONGFORD’ DUNNE: ‘GUYS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE UNDER MORE PRESSURE AT HOME.’ THE DIFFERENCE: CHRISTY FAGAN JOHN CAULFIELD’S FUTURE AND MUCH MORE...

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LOI INERNATIONALS: ADOLPH ‘ALF’ HANSON Dave Galvin tells us about the famous Everton and Liverpool winger whose succesful time on Merseyside was mirrored with Dublin’s Reds.

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Aaron Cawley underlines the importance of Social Media as clubs still fail to exploit likes, followers, and hits into bums on seats every Friday.

Editor / Designer Kevin Galvin Photography / Graphics Timmy Keane timtimmedia.com George Kelly georgekellyphotography.com Barry Masterson barrymasterson.com Colm McSweeney http://eyetothegrounds.com/ Contributors / David Kent Aaron Cawley Aaron Gallagher Luke Duffy Colm Cuddihy Dave Galvin Aaron Doherty Conor Philpott Kieran Burke Cover Page / Swan Song: Ryan Swan fired UCD into the second round of the UEFA Europa League against Luxembourg’s Dudelange Credit: Barry Masterson The use or redistribution of any part of this magazine is strictly prohibited unless explicitly authorised by LOI Monthly

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#LOI: THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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UNITED THEY STAND Luke Duffy goes behind-the-scenes at Galway United in a pivotl time for the Connaught club with a League Cup final and a relegation battle coming.

LOI TO MLS? After Athlone Town’s statement earlier last month denouncing the current system in favour of the MLS Colm Cuddihy weighs up the pros and cons.

BIG INTERVIEW: WILLIAM TYRELL

Kieran Burke sits down with Wexford Youth’s latest addition after his shock exit from Longford Town.

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THE DIFFERENCE: CHRISTY FAGAN Aaron Gallagher profiles one of the league’s most prolific target men.

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FAI CUP FRENZY With the Third Round of the Republic’s national Cup competition coming up, Aaron Doherty previews a round which may see its replays.

THE FUTURE OF JOHN CAULFIELD

Despite taking Cork City from mediocrity to two title challenges in just 18 months, recent performances have seen John Caulfield under fire. During a pibotal time in his tenure Conor Philpott asks what the future holds for City’s all-time top scorer.

8-1 in the previous fixture.

Underneath the radar are St Patrick’s Athletic; the 2013 Champions have won their last seven league games and are closing the gap little by little. They face a trip to Oriel Park in the middle month which has the potential to blow the title race wide open.

August sees the return of the English Premier League, and while many League of Ireland fans don’t like to admit it, its impact on our own national league is direct and widespread, and Sky Sport’s latest gimmick may seriously threaten the health of the LOI.

Hello all once again and welcome to the latest issue of League of Ireland Monthly!

So in the end, apart from a great showing by UCD it was a disappointing enough season once more for Irish teams in Europe - Shamrock Rovers struggled and were dumped out by Odds BK in the Second Round, Pats underachieved once more and as for Cork City, the less said about that the better...

While David Kent’s article covers it in greater detail, Sky’ Sports 5, the ‘European’ channel, should be exploited. Sky’s GAA coverage has been a success in terms of viewing figures, and given our summer soccer season, their loss of rights, and the casual fan it may attract it would be a deal that would suit both parties.

Actually, no, let me speak about that game in Reykjavik where around 50 hardy City souls travelled all the way out to Europe’s most Western island to see their side’s pathetic second-half display.

Thankfully Manchester United’s game against Aston Villa was switched from a Friday night to an early Saturday kick-off, but with Friday night games set to be introduced in 2016, the FAI and league authorities need to start thinking on how to counteract this inevitable loss in attendences, particularly given the project, if successful, is sure to extend to every weekend.

Having scored, cancelling out KR’s first-leg away goal, the Leesiders went into the break a man up and seemingly in a position to dominate proceedings.

Our League of Ireland International is a hugely interesting read this week, as Dave Galvin profiles the only Spanish international to have ever played in the League of Ireland. Alvaro Rodriguez Ros.

Instead what we saw was a typically insipid, fearful performance we see year in, year out from Irish sides who have a commanding position in European competitions.

‘Alvarito’ played and beat great Real Madrid and Barcelona teams in the past with his plucky Atlético side, picking up a serious haul of honours in the process.

But more over, the lack of basic technical skills, organisation, and closing down of the ball made a bit of a mockery of the league in which City sit second.

Elsewhere we have an indepth look at the happenings of Galway United, this year’s promoted side, and see how the Premier newcomers have settled into top-flight life under Tommy Dunne.

Since then on Leeside supporters have seen a huge turn-around in performances, while the capturing of Steven Beattie seems to be the sign of something new; Conor Philpott has a piece on John Caulfield in this edition while we will have an exclusive interview with the man himself next month which is not to be missed!

We also have a fascinating interview with William Tyrell on his unexpected exit from Longford Town, and moving to promotion hopefulls Wexford Youths.

Ahead of them however once again stand Dundalk, who are perhaps starting to wobble a bit. The Lilywhites were dumped out of the Europa League after a battling, but ultimately inadequate performance against BATE Borisov.

It took a dubious penalty to see them draw 1-1 against City at Oriel Park, though in truth they could have had a penalty at the end of the game, and a draw was ultimately a fair result. Last week however they scraped past a Bray team that they hammered

We are always looking for people to contribute, so get in touch at loimonthly@gmail.com If you enjoy the magazine please think about donating and helping us continue providing this free service! loimonthly.com/donate is where to go for that.

Enjoy the read,

Kevin Galvin Editor.

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opinion | david kent

LOITV – SHOULD WE BE LOOKING TO THE SKY? It’s been well documented over the last few seasons about the national broadcaster’s attitude towards the national league. RTE have made some, shall we say questionable decisions, over the last few years. In 2014, they signed a new deal with the FAI to show 78 games live, over four years. This averages out at 19 a season. It’s well known that they rely mostly on the cup games in the latter stages to bulk it up.

At the start of this season, they promised to show 17 league games live.

At time of writing, they have shown FOUR. That is downright pathetic.

The saving grace of this season has been Setanta, who have done tremendous work in the absence of RTE, screening 11 so far, and have a run of 9 weeks in a row with live LOI on the TV. With interesting analysis, and pundits (having Owen Heary on as he was being sacked from Sligo a prime example), it’s amazing the difference in standard.

We should’ve seen this coming from RTE after they switched Soccer Republic to a

Will we see reporters in choppers over Tallaght Stadium?

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Source: Balls.ie

Soccer Republic’s switch to a graveyard slot only shows RTÉ’s intentions towards our league.

graveyard timeslot last year, 11:05pm on a Monday night. The diehards will stay awake to watch it, but for a college student like myself, or a parent with a young family/working early, not a hope, I rely on player most days.

Which brings me to my point of this article. The Best League in The Entire Universe EVER starts back on Saturday, LIVE on Sky Sports. But Sky have had a rough off season. They’ve lost almost all the major league rights in Europe. A major blow came with the rights for the Champions League and Europa League being won by BT Sports. This resulted in Sky paying nearly 5 billion (BILLION!) pounds to secure the main Premier League rights.

Source: rte.ie

a game every Friday night for the remainder of the season, and then when the PL finishes up in May 2016, have them start it again! The league has been summer football for nearly 10 years, it’s astonishing to me how Sky haven’t looked at this before (or if they have, how they haven’t been let do it). Irish soccer fans love supporting English teams, usually through a red button on a Sky remote. Yes it might not get them out the door into the stadia, but if they could watch a game live, you could see a domino effect appear.

Sky last season launched their ‘Sky Sports Europe’ channel Sky Sports 5, focusing on the other leagues around the continent. It’s looking a bit bare for this season though! The La Liga, Dutch Eriedivisie, and the Coppa Italia is what Sky have been able to cling onto. All the rest – Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Primera Liga, Swiss Super League, Serie A- All on BT for this season. Leaving a pretty big gap in Sky’s schedule on that channel for the next few months.

Now there is the argument about the grounds, and how in a poor condition some of them are, so perhaps Sky wouldn’t want to come near them, but then you realise that Sky in the past (And currently) have broadcasted games from the likes of the Oval, Seaview, Solitude, and a host of Conference grounds. Yes, some of these are possibly still better than the likes of the Carlisle grounds, but looking through the League of Ireland, you don’t really see that many poor facilities. Give Dalymount, or HKD Park in Drogheda a quick scrub and hey presto. It’s not as if the cost of rights will get in the way either, given how Sky and BT can blow billions of pounds on the PL.

John Delaney should be straight into the ear of Barney Francis and should be promoting the League of Ireland to be shown on Sky Sports.

Imagine the exposure it’d get, far more so than the one currently got from RTE. Have them show

Fans and the FAI should be pushing this to happen. It’s time for a reality check for RTE, pull the finger out and commit more to the league, or give the rights to Setanta or Sky, to people who actually care about the game.

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LEAGUE OF IRELAND INERNATIONALS ALVARO RODRIGUEZ ROS ‘ALVARITO’

BY DAVE GALVIN Over the years, Shelbourne, as both long-standing and founder members of the League of Ireland, have included among their ranks a diverse selection of non-Irish internationals, the most illustrious of whom is arguably Spain’s Álvaro Rodríguez Ros, known universally throughout his homeland simply as, ‘Alvarito’.

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A European Cup Winner’s Cup and Copa Del Rey winner with Athlético Madrid during a career which peaked in the early 1960s, it could well be argued that the Spaniard’s finest hour came, not with the acquirement of winners medals, but rather courtesy of the brace of caps he earned with Spain during a summer tour of South America in July 1960.

Later on, and very much towards the latter stages of his playing career, Alvarito took the unusual step of moving from Murcia in the southeast of Spain to Tolka Park in Dublin. Accepting the offer of then Shelbourne chairman, Danny Trainor, to take on the role of player coach, the move signalled a first tentative step into football management for the ex-Spanish international. In League of Ireland terms, and more particularly in the context of the Irish domestic game in the mid-1960s, securing the signature of a player once capped by Spain was a unique coup for Shels, while the circumstances surrounding such a brave acquisition, and the story of Alvarito’s time in Dublin 9, makes for an interesting tale. Álvaro Rodríguez Ros was born on 16th June 1936 in the town of Ujo in the province of Asturias in northwest Spain, a region which is also the birthplace of Arsenal’s Santi Carzola and New York City FC’s David Villa. Initially lining out with local outfit’s Racing Club Langreano and Deportivo Caudal, a move to one of Asturias’s two most famous football entities Real Oviedo (the other is Sporting de Gijón) in 1955, led to a first taste of professional football for the young full back. A regular starter for Oviedo over the following two seasons in Spain’s Segunda Divisíon, the country’s second tier, his performances caught the eye of Athlético Madrid manager, José Villalonga Florente, who would later manage the national side. Before too long the youngster had secured a dream move to ‘Los Rojiblancos’ (the Red and White’s).

Immediately following the transfer, his growing reputation was yet further enhanced with a first appearance on the international

stage as a member of the Spain B squad that competed for, and won, the Copa Del Mediterráneo or Mediterranean Cup in 1959. As the name suggests, the Mediterranean Cup was a competition reserved for countries in the Mediterranean region and was first contested in 1949. It was held on three separate occasions under very different guises and involved full, B and Olympic selections. The competition was subsequently integrated into the wider Pan-Mediterranean Games, which also featured a range of other sporting disciplines.

By far the most protracted of the three Copa Del Mediterráneo’s was the final version which ran for fully six years from 1953 through to 1959 and featured ‘B’ sides from France (effectively a French Olympic X1), Italy and Spain as well as full international selections from Turkey, Greece, and Egypt.

In all twenty-eight games took place across many different cities, among them Cairo, Bayonne, Cagliari, Istanbul, Marseille, Athens and San Sebastian, though political difficulties of the era dictated that those games scheduled between Greece and Turkey never actually took place. In the event, Alvarito’s involvement was all too brief, consisting of just a single substitute appearance in a 2-0 victory at home to the Turks. Interestingly, by that juncture, the appearance of substitutes in games, though becoming relatively common, especially on the international stage, was still not a universal practice, and wasn’t introduced into English League Football for example, until the 1964/65 season.

Back in Madrid and Alvarito’s Athlético career had begun promisingly, and by the end of the following summer of 1960, he was already both a full international and a Spanish Cup (then titled the Copa Del Generalissimo) winner. Athlético had never won the Spanish Cup and no doubt few gave them too much of a chance in the 1960 decider, given that their opponents were the newly crowned league champions, and fierce Madrid rivals’ Real, who held the

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The Atlético Madrid side with Alvarito (back row, 3rd from right) that defeated city rivals Real in the 1960 Copa del Generalísimo final 3-2.

Source: colchonero.com

added advantage of hosting the showpiece occasion at the Santiago Bernabéu. Despite the presence of superstars like Alfredo DiStéfano, Ferenc Puskás, José Santamaría and Francisco Gento in the Real line-up, it was however their neighbours, with Alvarito in his customary full back role, who triumphed on a 3-2 score line, in what proved to be a pulsating encounter.

Within weeks Alvarito had travelled to South America with the international side and made his debut for Spain on 17th July 1960 at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago where the visitors enjoyed a 4-0 victory over their host’s Chile. Among the goal scorers was Alvarito’s Athlético teammate Enrique Collar, along with the aforementioned Di Stéfano, who notched a brace. Three days later, and at the same venue, Spain, this time without the young full back on board, again proved too strong for the Chileans, comfortably winning by four goals to one.

Having also sat out the first game of the tour, a 4-0 win in Lima against Peru, Alvarito made his second, and as things would transpire,

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last, international appearance in Spain’s fourth and final tour outing against Argentina. On 24th of July at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aries, the visitors suffered their only defeat of the tour when losing 0-2 to a couple of goals from José Sanfilippo.

In some ways, that was as good as things would get with respect to Alvarito’s footballing career. On returning home from South America, he quickly surrendered a regular starting berth to acquire an unwanted role as a dependable, if infrequently utilised, squad member. Somehow, Villalonga had lost faith in his new international full back; a situation compounded by a succession of niggling injury problems. Despite repeating their Copa success in 1961, again defeating Real Madrid in the decider, and winning the European Cup Winner’s Cup that same year, Alvarito featured only in a supporting role on each of those prestigious occasions.

When a second successive Cup Winners Cup final berth was secured, this time against Tottenham Hotspur in 1963 (Athlético were thumped 5-1), once again Alvarito failed to

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gain any game time. Within months he had cut his losses in favour of the opportunity to move to fellow La Liga outfit Real Murcia in order to regain regular football. It proved a good decision, and Murcia finished comfortably in mid-table over the following two campaigns while their new full back clocked up his wished for regular first team appearances.

And so, in a move that took virtually everyone by surprise, Alvarito fetched up in the League of Ireland. In his intriguing book Shelbourne Cult Heroes-From Bulawayo to Ballybough, author Sean Fitzpatrick sheds some more light on the circumstances of the transfer. ‘Alvarito was part of the Athletico side valued at £500,000 that beat Drumcondra 13-1 on aggregate in the European Cup. He had dropped out of Athletico’s first team but Shels chairman; Danny Trainor remembered him and was instrumental in signing the Spanaird, who also came to Dublin to study

1965, a result which sparked a mini revival of fortunes for a side languishing in the bottom half of the league table. Successive heavy defeats to Dublin rivals’ Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers towards the latter end of March however, soon put paid to all thought of mounting a serious title challenge, while Drums, who were fellow tenants at Tolka Park, again proved an insurmountable obstacle in the FAI Cup, ending Shels interest in the second round.

In the event, the Reds finished a hugely disappointing 6th in the final league standings.

By the time the final championship outing, a 0-3 reverse at Cork Hibernians had arrived, a combination of persistent injury problems, alongside difficulties with the language, had seen Alvarito return home to Spain. A move to Córdoba CF proved a final stab at playing glory in his native country, and at the same time, signaled an underwhelming end to his time in League of Ireland football. In all, the

He had dropped out of Athletico’s first team but Shels chairman; Danny Trainor remembered him and was instrumental in signing the Spanaird, who also came to Dublin to study English. While admitting to knowing little about Irish football, Alvarito declared himself favourably impressed with Shels English. While admitting to knowing little about Irish football, Alvarito declared himself favourably impressed with Shels in their Inter Cities Fairs Cup tie against Athletico in November 1964 where Madrid sneaked through 2-0 against a side containing such talents as Heavey, Roberts, Hennessey, Conroy, Barber and Hannigan and was delighted to be approached to move to Dublin’.

Fitzpatrick goes on to relate that Alvarito went to the cinema on his first full day in Ireland and later joined his new teammates for training at Irishtown. He made his debut in a 2-1 home league win against the eventual champions Drumcondra on 24th January

Spaniard lined out 7 times in the league for Shelbourne and just once in the FAI Cup. Following on from a relatively successful stint at Córdoba, Alvarito briefly tried his luck in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with Vancouver Royals and later with Santa Barbara in the United States. Over the next two decades and more, right up to the early 1990’s he coached a succession of lower division Spanish sides, among them Unión Deportivo Marbella, before signing off with a spell in charge of Unión Deportiva Melilla in Spain’s third tier Segunda Divisíon B.

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#LOI: THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY: AARON CAWLEY

Cabinteely’s recent ribbing of Mario Balotelli shows the power of Twitter Source: @Cabinteely_FC

At the minute the most powerful tool for the big brands use for getting their products out there is social media.

Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or Instagram big businesses world wide are using it for free advertising and letting people know all about them.

As regular readers of LOIMonthly know I did a piece a couple of months back on Cork City and how they have used a very good advertising strategy to get people through the turnstiles at Turners Cross and how other clubs in the League Of Ireland should follow their example.

One way other clubs could possibly do this is through the use of social media, and as a bit of a social media addict it’s something I’m seeing very little of.

It’s free to use and clubs here in Ireland could reach a massive target audience.

As I’ve already stated businesses around the world use social media on a near hourly basis to interact with their customers and I feel this is something League Of Ireland clubs should tap into.

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Clubs up and down the country should be tapping into the reach social media offers. It’s a limitless spectrum in which clubs in Ireland can use to attract new supporters to home games.

I know some clubs use social media to give away free tickets etc to games but there’s so much more that can be done in my opinion. If you look at any of the big clubs across the water they use social media to promote their brand to its full potential.

Most of not all Premier League clubs throughput their season hold social media interviews with current and past players, use social media to promote certain games that are coming up and use it to keep their fans updated of all the goings on within the club. This is something I would like to see League Of Ireland clubs do.

Fans of clubs in Ireland would eat up the opportunity to ask current and ex players questions on their time at clubs, their thoughts of their time in the league and what they think could be done to

Cork City are one obvious example of a League of Ireland team getting social media right. Last year they capitalised on the madness surrounding Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s holiday in Cork to promote not only their upcoming game, but the club itself with the tweet going viral

Source: @CorkCityFC

promote the league more.

This is wrong.

I feel if clubs show that they are friendly and willing to interact with fans it will encourage a more family friendly atmosphere, encouraging footfall through the gates.

I am proud to say I am part of the LOIMonthly social media team and I have contributed in getting word out there about the magazine and what its content, and if I can do it then those working within each club that have a journalistic background should be more than capable of promoting their respective clubs.

Again I’m going to use someone attached to Cork City as an example of proper use of social media. City’s mascot Corky The Cheetah runs his (or hers, not sure of its sex) twitter account where it on a nearly daily basis interacts with fans from not just Cork City but fans of every League Of Ireland club.

People notice this and, in turn, see Cork City as a family orientated, friendly club becoing more likely to go to games.

Why clubs don’t use the likes of Twitter and Facebook to promote themselves is beyond me. I follow quite a few League Of Ireland teams on Twitter and all if them bar one or two would only be active coming upto matches.

Will this begin to happen? Time will only tell, but the fact remains that clubs remain far behind in the competitive world that is social media. Clubs that have thousands of followers are simply throwing away prospective customers due to their own lazyness and lack of appreciation for the power social marketing holds, particularly in the area of entertainment.

I hold out hope that someone reading this takes the social media bull by the horns and uses it to promote their club to its full potential.

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WORDS: LUKE DUFFY

UNITED THEY STAND Galway United celebrate reaching the EA Sports Cup final after defying the odds to beat strong favourites Dundalk. It will be the Tribesmen’s first cup final since reforming Source: @GalwayUnitedFC With so much unpredictability taking place at the bottom the SSE Airtricity League, not to mention the jostling for positions at the top, it can be easy to forget about the teams who make up the middle of the table. Among those teams bunched together from sixth to ninth position sit Galway United, a team that only won promotion to Ireland’s top flight through a play-off against UCD last year.

More than that, they have managed to keep many of their young core together as they look to grow into a established Premier Division outfit. Talented individuals such as Alex Byrne and Jake Keegan have remained with the team, and have continued to grow in Galway colours.

While avoiding relegation appears to be the main objective around these parts, manager Tommy Dunne is enthusiastic about where this team can go in time.

“Of course you’re looking at always trying to improve everything you do from every aspect of the club. We’ve a strong enough group (of players) but you’re always looking to add to that. But if you’re looking to make a step then you need to make sure you’re keeping your best players while

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also trying to improve by bringing in a couple.”

While Galway have one of the smaller squads in the league and could do with a couple of extra bodies, they have been able to maintain relative consistency in their team selection throughout the season. This in turn has led to some notable results throughout the year to date, including a 5-3 victory over a rejuvenated Bohemians side back in May. Somewhat strangely however, is the fact that Galway have looked better on their travels than at home, and it is something that hasn’t been lost on Dunne, or midfielder Ryan Connolly. Currently sidelined with an injury he hopes will clear up sooner rather than later, Connolly sees improvement on their performances in Eamonn Deacy Park this season, while also acknowledging that the team still seems to do better when playing away.

“I definitely think we were better on the road than at home last year for some reason, but this year we seem to have settled into Eamonn Deacy Park a little bit better. However we still don’t pick up enough points at home. We need to make our

home ground more of a fortress if we can, to the point where teams don’t like coming here.”

Dunne echoes the sentiments of Connolly, while also revealing that is is something the team as a whole have spoken about on occasion. “We’ve actually touched on that ourselves, that our away form seems to be better. Why? I don’t know, perhaps guys feel like they are under a bit more pressure at home.” Indeed, their home ground is among the best in the league, boasting desirable facilities and a quality playing surface.

Playing in a venue like that regularly is great if you’re a player, as Connolly himself can testify.

In theory that should lead to Galway playing the brand of football they want to, and sometimes it does. But the modern feel can work both ways, as opponents tend to enjoy playing there as well.

“Look, it’s a lovely stadium, lovely pitch, lovely dressing room. We just need to get teams on the pitch and make them realise, hold on a minute here, it’s not going to be an easy game.”

While the team is still building towards that goal, the away form continues to be a means to pick up points. This was evident in their last league encounter, a 3-1 defeat away to St. Patrick’s Athletic.

While the result was not what the team would have wanted, they played with a freedom, especially going forward, that was refreshing to see.

They went after their opponents and had some joy in doing so, they just could not pick up any points.

Playing with confidence away from home as they have quite frequently this season is something that wasn’t lost on Connolly either. “Sometimes you can go away from home and play with no fear. Now maybe that’s because of the crowd or something like that I don’t know, but for me every game is the same. Whether you’re playing Dundalk or Limerick, you still have to go out there and do the same things.”

Dunne will always appreciate performances like the one he witnessed against St. Pat’s out of his squad. However although they sit only one point behind sixth place Longford United, he has not allowed himself to get too carried away, preferring to keep an eye on the chasing pack as much as the teams currently above them.

“Look, we have to be realistic about where we are. We want to win as many games as we can, but for us to get over the line, I would imagine we need to pick up another fourteen points, but that’s easier said than done. We haven’t picked up fourteen points in any of the phases (of the league) and so we need to be able to do it this phase.” This grounded approach, that of trying to improve while also being realistic about where the club is right now, is what has Galway just far enough out of trouble, for the time being at least.

Bubbling away under the surface however, is a belief and a confidence that, should this team secure top flight football again for next season, as many observers feel they will, this team can push on and find more long term success. “If we’re not looking to improve on where we finish this year, then where are you going? You’re just standing still and going backwards, you’ve got to keep improving,” feels Connolly.

His manager share similar sentiments about the future of this team, while once again looking at the bigger picture and taking all things into consideration. “You’re always trying to improve everything you do from every aspect of the club.

We’ve a strong enough group but if you’re looking to make a step, you need to make sure you’re keeping your regular players and maybe bringing in (some players). But financially can the club afford to improve?”

With the run in on the horizon, there are plenty of positives to take from Galway’s first season back in the Premier Division. They picked up some needed points early to stay out of a real relegation scrap, for now. In doing so they’ve been able to go away from home and play with a certain freedom, culminating in results such as the 5-0 hammering they gave Bray Wanderers in the Carlisle Grounds back in April.

Now all that remains is improving on some patchy home form, while also keeping their core group of players together. Achieve that, and next season could see this team make some real noise in the top flight, with the team providing tough competition to anybody in the league. Galway United are a club on the rise.

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LOI TO MLS? BY: COLM CUDDIHY Athlone Town recently released a statement saying that they felt the First Division wasn’t “not fit for purpose” and saying that the current League of Ireland system should be scraped and the League of Ireland should follow an MLS style structure which (according to Wikipedia) goes as follows; teams are divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Teams play 34 games in an unbalanced schedule: 24 matches against teams within their conference, plus 10 matches against teams from the other conference.

At the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the Supporters’ Shield.

Supporters of the league have been divided on this issue but I’m going to look at the pros and cons if this proposal was put into place: PRO: LESS TRAVELLING Because of the spilt of division that would mean that clubs would have to travel less to away games, two clubs that would benefit greatly from this would be Cork and

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Derry City. If you were to travel from the Brandywell to Turners Cross that’s a 16 hour all round trip on a bus. It would also mean that teams could bring more away supporters to games.

CON: EMBARRASSING SCORE LINES Due to the gulf in class between the Premier and First divisions, there could be quite a number of uncompetitive matches.

Dundalk have scored 49 goals at the time of writing in the Premier Division, the most in the division, with Cabinteely conceding the most in the First Division. If the two were to be in the same conference, there could be more score lines just like when the Lilywhites defeated the Bray Wanderers earlier in the season.

PRO: NO THREAT OF RELEGATION At the minute, this one would only suit Limerick, but still the drop between the Premier and First Divisions is huge. To put it into perspective, there’s only one team from the First Division left in this season FAI Cup in Athlone Town. Cobh Ramblers,

While the proportions may be the same, the United States’ sheer population numbers allow for the economies of scale Source: wikipedia.org

Waterford United and UCD were knocked out by Killester United, Tolka Rovers and Sheriff YC respectively, with Finn Harps, Wexford Youths, Cabinteely and Shelbourne being knocked out by Longford Town on penalties, Cork City, Drogheda United and Dundalk respectively. That doesn’t make for great reading for the quality of football in the First Division, if three relatively good sides in that division cannot overcome amateur league teams.

CON: LACK OF FUNDS We all know that the Premier Division in this country isn’t very well funded, but compare that to the MLS and why that structure is doing so well over there. The highest earner in the MLS at the moment is KAKA of Orlando City. He is earning a grand total of $6.6 million a year, which breaks down to roughly to $127,000 a week. Compare that to Damien Duff, who is pulling in €2,500 a week for charity.

It doesn’t matter what type of league structure you have when you’re to afford to pay one player that kind of salary. You should also compare the population, America is home to 316.5 million people, while only 4.5 million live in Ireland. Seattle has a population of around 600,000 people, their team, The Seattle Sounders have the highest average attendance of 40,251 at home game, whereas when you compare that to Cork, which has the of 119,230, with Cork City averaging 4,453 people after the first third of the season.

PRO: LEAGUE FINAL EVERY SEASON! Last season, as you know, Dundalk won the title in a battle of the titans; winner takes all showdown in Oriel Park when they beat Cork City 2-0. That brought a buzz to the league not only in Cork and Dundalk but to the whole country, it brought a buzz the like I’d never seen before, the two best teams in the country going head to head to determine who would win the league. That final showdown happens every year in the MLS thanks to their play-off system which allows the top six teams in the east face off against the six best teams in the west, so maybe a League Final could bring the same type of buzz every year to the league like last year’s final did.

CON: NO EUROPEAN FOOTBALL My piece in last month’s issue was all about the famous nights Irish clubs have at in the Champions and Europa Leagues respectively, Irish clubs would no longer have those nights if the league was to go down this route. UEFA only allow countries with a normal league structures (of which we have now) to compete for European competitions. If this structure was to change there would be less money coming into the league, with Europe you have TV rights, UEFA money coming in and money from the opposition supporters looking to go to the game, if structure of the league was to change this would (sadly) no longer be the case. There’s no other case

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SURPRISE AS WEXFORD ANNOUNCE TYRELL CAPTURE

There was wide spread surprise throughout both Longford and Wexford this past week when it was announced that defender William Tyrell had been released by the Midlanders in order to sign for Shane Keegan’s Wexford Youths. While Tyrell had fallen out of favour following Longford Town’s promotion back to the top flight, the Wicklow native remained a strong crowd favourite and always seemed to preform well when called up by manager Tony Cousins. However, after several enquires regarding the availability of the defender, Tony Cousins decided Tyrell would be better served by a move to the South East with the Arklow Man said to be devastated upon his departure.

It wasn’t just the supporters that were caught off guard by this shock transfer but Tyrell himself admitted he had no idea he would be playing anywhere other than Longford for the remainder of the season.

Speaking to LOI monthly, Tyrell said this:

‘’Yes it did come as a surprise. I’d trained on the Monday night with longford, really enjoyed the session as usual and was thinking of Derry away for the weekend!

Sure I wasn’t happy at not playing every week but I loved the group of lads I was with and the training etc.’

Thirty-year-old Tyrell went on to say: ‘’I was very happy with Wexford’s interest in me at the same time as being disappointed to be leaving Longford. I know Shane Keegan and some of their players and they are a very well run club with good facilities and an up and coming team who have every chance of winning the First Division title this year so it was nice to be enquired about!’’

With Youths currently involved in a tussle for the First Division title, Tyrell’s experience of winning the division with Longford last season could price invaluable in what is far from a trophy laden dressing room at Ferrycarrig Park. While having 19

operated at left back during the majority of his two-and-a-half-years in the Midlands, Tyrell is naturally a centre-half by trade and this versatility will also give new boss Shane Keegan a strong hand in terms of team selection. When asked if the step back down to the second tier was a complete been for Tyrell, the former Arklow Town player honestly stated: ‘’Yes I did have doubts as it had been 2 years of really hard work with Longford to get

ity and never say die on field attitude, which famously saw the full-back come on and play with an injury in the play-off promotion final against former club Bray in 2013, saw the Wicklow native become one of ‘’De Town’s’’ all-time fan favourites and he was quick to send thanks to his Longford followers: ‘’I have had the best time of my career at Longford...It’s without a doubt the best

It came as a surprise. I’d trained on the Monday night with Longford, really enjoyed the session as usual and was thinking of Derry away for the weekend club that I’ve ever played for to date and I’m very grateful that i was given the opportunity by Tony Cousins! I’ve learned a lot, won a First Division title and played Premier football! I’ve made some great friends and I have to say that the fans and Despite the admitted uncertainty, Tyrell people at the club have been so good to was quick to point out the potential he me! They were always supportive and sees in the Wexford Youths dressing room positive and the club too. I cant thank the while also taking time out to praise his fans enough for everything and wish evnew boss: ‘’They’ve a strong and young eryone connected with the club the very squad with a lot of potential! They’ve a best in the future!’’ great young manager in Shane Keegan who has the players full backing and they While Longford Town fans are now asking have one of the best finishers in the coun- questions as of Tyrell’s replacement by Tony Cousins, Wexford Youths followers try in Danny Furlong! I think with a little luck Wexford can go on and win the First can look forward to their new heroes deDivision title which would be huge for the but against Shelbourne on Friday night in what is a massive game for both clubs as club and I hope that I can come in and the promotion battle really starts to heat help them achieve that!’’ up in the eight-team First Division.

Despite only plying his trade in the Red and Black of Longford for just over twoand-half-years after signing from the non-leagues, Tyrell’s off field personalpromoted to the Premier Division, but not playing every week was tough so I think overall dropping down and hopefully playing every week was the better option in the end.’’

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THE DIFFERENCE: CHRISTY FAGAN Christy Fagan (Right) puts pressure on Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper Craig Hyland in St. Patrick’s Athletic’s 2-1 win over the Hoops earlier this year Source: George Kelly

BY AARON GALLAGHER Sometimes you just don’t notice something until it’s not there anymore.

Television programmes getting cancelled, matches being postponed, celebrities passing away – all of them are greeted by the sudden jerk of “Oh. Right.

Hmm. Where to now?” Where once lay a constant, a source of reliability that you could always depend on – maybe to the point of taking for granted – now lays nothing, or better still a replacement.

But the replacement is never going to be the same, is it? It could be just as good in retrospect but it’s not the same, reliable constant you knew. As is the way of celebrities or TV shows or matches can also be said of footballers.

More precisely, St. Patrick’s Athletic’s striking ace Christy Fagan. Fagan’s one of those rare footballer’s that you can literally say “scores goals for a living.”

We’ve seen them before: David Villa, Miroslav Klose, even Robbie Keane.

Scoring goals is said to be the hardest thing in football and yet these men make it look like childsplay. Another week, another game, another checking of the League of Ireland livescores – Fagan’s scored – rince, recycle, repeat. The sky’s blue. The grass is green. Move on. We go again.

That’s not to say that scoring goals is all a player like Fagan does or to even diminish how hard scoring goals on a regular basis 21

is either. His 20 Premier Division goals last season speak for themselves but his manner of play, the means and not just the end product, is equally as intriguing.

Re-watching all of his goals from the 2014 season, a recurring pattern of an undeniable poacher’s instinct sets in.

Very few, if any, of his goals last season required more than two touches of the ball. Being in the right place at the right time can occur with players, but to be in the right place at the right time to score 20+ goals in a single season is no fluke.

Fagan goes about the game at his own pace because he knows, his team-mates know and the fans know that he is going to get his goal. There’s no two ways about it. There is one instance in St. Pats’s 4-0 win over Athlone back in April 2014 when Fagan starts the move by dropping deep into the centre of the park.

Attention is drawn immediately to the untracked run of full-back Ian Bermingham who races through three or four Athlone bodies. If you were told at the beginning of the move who was to score the goal, Bermingham’s the one you’d put your money on as he runs on to Fagan’s through ball.

But Bermingham runs into some trouble and after feeding Conan Byrne, the ball pings and bobbles around and before you know it Christy Fagan, the maker of the move, is putting the ball into the back of the net.

Because he always gets the goal. But this example also draws our attention to the other aspects of the striker’s game. Over the past two to three seasons as Liam Buckley hones and perfects his 4-3-3 22

system, Fagan has seemingly been the focal point from season to season.

Although Keith Fahey did appear to play as the pivot in the side’s three-man midfield last season, dropping deep and getting the play going, Fagan was always the one – like in the goal against Athlone dropping deep and receiving the ball from attack with his back against goal.

With this he will then lay the ball off to one of the duos of Conan Byrne & Ger O’Brien, or Chris Forrester & Ian Bermingnham who sweep down the wing and play a timed ball that Fagan will be on the end of.

It is this almost instinctive movement that Fagan plays with that makes him stand apart from other League of Ireland forwards. Playing on the Richmond Park surface every other week for the better part of four seasons means getting a sense of where you are on the pitch at what stage in the game, all in relation to where your team-mates – and the ball – are all the while.

Fagan’s absence has been particularly noticeable this season for St. Pats.

Persistent ankle and knee injuries has denied the player a consistent run of starts, meaning not only personal woes for the player himself but also forcing manager Liam Buckley into finding alternatives to last season’s PFAI Player of the Year.

But as we’ve said already, replacements are never going to be the same. Buckley has tried all of Aaron Greene, Ciaran Kilduff, Cyril Guedjé and Jamie McGrath as his main striker. Greene has looked the most promising in the position with

six goals in the league while McGrath has shown his undoubted talents would perhaps be of better use on either wing to accomodate his ability to beat a man.

Kilduff ’s was the most perplex of alternatives to Fagan’s absence. His signing was rumoured to accommodate a change of formation to play Fagan and Kilduff up front together in a 4-4-2. But with Fagan’s injuries combined with Kilduff ’s lack of form and starting opportunities, the combination never looked likely.

And so here we are today.

St. Patrick’s delivered what looked in certain stages like an unlikely 2-0 win over Johnny McDonnell’s Drogheda United with Jamie McGrath as the main striker the 18 year-old got his first senior goal for St. Pats in the 93rd minute following Killian Brennan’s opener.

But the game served to highlight Fagan’s absence more than ever. With the wind playing an inextricable part in St. Pats play whereby long diagonal balls to Conan Byrne were not viable on top of Drogheda’s tough man-to-man marking, St. Pats found it difficult to see where a goal could come from.

When Christy Fagan made his first return from injury against Dundalk

at Richmond Park back in May, the difference was exemplary. St. Pats looked like the Saints of the second half of last season all over again. Quick movement, decisive passing. Structured, fluid football set to the tone of a 2-0 loss.

But even in defeat the difference was noted. Fagan brings another dimension to St. Pats’s play and without him the Saints look a different team with other players, in particular Aaron Greene and Chris Forrester having to step up to the plate to fill the void where Fagan’s regular goals lay.

But that’s the difference that Fagan brings. Back from injury against Bohemians he scored twice in a 3-1 Dublin Derby win, making sure to celebrate in the faces of the fans that sung his name way back when Fagan was playing in red and black.

Later in the game he was greeted by a chorus of boos any time he touched the ball. The next day I asked a set of Bohemians fans why they were booing him. “Ah he always does it. He always makes sure to celebrate in our faces.”

“I don’t know why he does it. We loved him at Bohs and he was great for us.”

He always does it. Well, Christy Fagan’s always scoring. He does it for a living.

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FAI CUP FRENZY

The FAI Ford Cup offers clubs to kick-start their season, cement their dominance, or create the ultimate upset. There are sure to be a number of close ties in this year’s Third Round.

BY AARON DOHERTY This month brings plenty of tough battles in the Premier Division but it also brings the last 16 of the FAI Cup. The draw was made a couple of weeks back and it has thrown up some excellent ties. Holders St Pats who beat Shamrock Rovers in the previous round, must travel to Cork City if they are to make another step towards retaining the coveted trophy.

It’s a tough feat to successfully defend your cup in any league and that is no different here, with only Shelbourne, Longford and Sligo retaining it since Shamrock Rovers 3 in a row in the eighties. Liam Buckley’s side are certainly going to do it the toughest way if they are to lift it again.

Every year of the FAI Cup the story of St Francis

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gets brought up as we all love an outsider or non-league team to go far and shock everyone.

Bray Wanderers winning the cup in 1990 and 1999 or even Sporting Fingal in 2009 are probably the best surprises in the last 25 years but this year there could be something special.

With the power that Dundalk, Cork and St Pat’s have and the difference in quality between non-league teams and Premier Division sides, a shock is very unlikely but let’s take a look at the draw. After this round is finished, 4 Premier Division sides will have been knocked out and at least 1 non-league side will have advanced.

Leinster Senior League sides Tolka Rovers and Killester United have been drawn against each other with a quarter final place up for

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grabs. Both sides will be just finished preseason when that match comes around so very difficult to pick a winner. Cockhill Celtic have been giving a home draw against Longford Town and will certainly fancy an upset there.

Sheriff YC have been handed a home draw against division 1 side Athlone Town. The amateurs will be hoping to take advantage of the League of Ireland clubs financial problems and gain the quarter final spot. AUL side

managed to draw 1 game of their 21 games played.

Bohemians have home advantage against Bray Wanderers in another all Premier Division tie. Bohs have excelled this season under Keith Long, playing at a great tempo, organised and working to a plan. They are definitely an outsider to lift their first FAI Cup since 2008.

They face a Bray team that has entertained us all season with their off the field shenanigans.

Bohs have excelled this season under Keith Long, playing at a great tempo, organised and working to a plan. They are definitely an outsider to lift their first FAI Cup since 2008 Sheriff, stunned UCD in the last round beating them 3-1, and now, taking on another First Division side, they will be full of confidence.

Premier Division strugglers Sligo Rovers face a long trip to Cobh Wanderers, who beat nonleague Avondale United in the previous round.

It’s been a horrendous season for the Bit O Red who are sitting second from bottom. Joseph Ndo had taken temporary charge since the sacking or departure of Owen Heary but has made way for Mickey Adams who will be under pressure to succeed in the North-West.

Players have come and gone at the Showgrounds in a season that could have gave them so much. They signed extremely well in the off season but Heary just wasn’t the man to make it work. This game will be good for the League of Ireland side and will take their mind off the inevitable relegation battle.

Runaway league leaders Dundalk will travel to Galway looking to repeat there league win at Terryland Park a couple weeks back. Galway have been exciting to watch this season Connolly, Cunningham, Keegan and Curran all having excellent campaigns and the Tribesmen inability to see out draws make them very entertaining. Tommy Dunne’s sides has only

The whole Bray story is for another day but Mick Cooke will have his side well drilled and ready even if they don’t have the quality to advance. In the last tie of the round, Struggling Derry City will host Drogheda United. This is a game that is very tough to call. Derry are having their worst season in a long time.

Money issues, players leaving and a manager who can’t seem to take them to the next step are just some of the problems at the Brandywell. Last year’s beaten finalists have yet to click this season and haven’t replaced Rory Patterson or Michael Duffy, which is a problem in itself.

Drogheda are doing ok under Johnny McDonnell. They don’t play particularly good football but are a hard working team and have a real good chance of making the last 8.

The one time winners are relatively safe in the Premier Division so the Boynesiders will take this cup tie very seriously indeed.

Half of these games can easily go to a replay, there is a chance of some shocks but there is no doubt that this year’s FAI Cup is very unpredictable!!

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TOP MARKS: Cork City goalkeeper Mark McNulty salutes the home support after a confident 4-0 win against Bohemians. City’ have began to put down a marker these last few games and are sure to run Dundalk right to the wire again this season.

Source: Colm McSweeney

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Email Kevin at loimonthly@gmail.com for further information.

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Caulfield’s record with Cork City is superb but some poor performances has seen him under questioning

Source: @InphoPhotography

WORDS: CONOR PHILPOTT

THE FUTURE OF JOHN CAULFIELD On the 5th of March 2010, the newly formed Cork City Foras Co-op travelled to Derry to play their first league game. Both players and backroom staff had mere days to prepare for their first game back in the First Division. The club was owned by the fans, and immense pride emanated from the travelling faithful when a miraculous draw was earned from a marvellous strike

by Davin O’Neill. The fans were simply delighted to have a club, the result was something of an afterthought.

Now in August of 2015, the club has built itself an extremely solid foundation from the quagmire left behind by Tom Coughlan and the Arkaga group. The team regularly boasts the highest attendances in the league and will have use of the new centre of excellence facilities being constructed by the FAI in Glanmire. A sixth placed league finish and a continuation of monotonous 28

football was enough to see Tommy Dunne sacked midway through the 2013 league season. Stuart Ashton steadied the ship in a caretaker capacity playing some scintillating football in the process. John Caulfield took the reigns at the beginning of the 2014 season and guided the team to a second placed finish, an emphatic final day performance from Dundalk stood between the Leesiders and their third league title. With roughly eighteen months into Caulfield’s reign and his contract running out come the end of the season, now presents a good time for evaluating his tenure.

There’s no denying the team are far better placed now than they were in 2013 but is that enough? Has the team improved from last season even? It is difficult to state otherwise, they had two less points at this stage last season (twenty one

games played), notching seven more goals and conceding five fewer than last year’s tally. Impressive wins against Longford and Bohemians in recent weeks have inflated those statistics a bit but goals are certainly less of an issue for the Leesiders this season. Even with top scorer Billy Dennehy’s recent exile from the team, they have managed to put the ball in the net.

Mark O’Sullivan has been in superb form as of late, scoring five goals in the month of July, his stellar brace in the resounding victory over Bohemians a noteworthy highlight. One wonders about the Rebel Army’s struggles against some of their fellow European and title contenders.

This is perhaps the main criticism of Caulfield, his conservative tactics against the league’s elite. City have notched a solitary win against their top five opponents this season, that result coming against Bohemians at the end of July. You can’t win titles without beating those around you, and Caulfield’s seeming willingness to grab a point rather than go for the jugular appears to have already hindered his side. Dundalk have dropped seven points in their seven games against the top five teams (outside of those games they have only dropped two other points in a draw to Limerick), their persistence in attack is clear to see no matter the calibre of their opponent.

City’s lack of attacking endeavour is plain to see, their four goal haul against Bohemians flattering their meagre seven goals in seven outings against the top teams. One could

argue the moniker flat track bully is apt for this Cork side given their penchant for high scoring against the basement sides such as Limerick and Drogheda United. Caulfield may be acknowledging his shortcomings in this department however, the rather dismal defeat with a one goal lead and a man advantage in Reykjavik giving him the sign he needed. Since that embarassing defeat, City have notched 9 goals in their three league games. The manner they’ve played in has been equally impressive. The Caulfield era has seen a lot of long passes in the direction of the lone frontman, usually Mark O’Sullivan. The top teams have typically had little issue defending this, and City have struggled.

Billy Dennehy has been stifled against the top sides, blessed with superb pace, the Kerryman often struggles when taking on defenders.

His absence and a change in mindset has seen a reknewed commitment to playing the ball on the ground, a rarity in Cork since the bygone Damien Richardson days. This surprising approach particularly in the Dundalk game is encouraging for fans of the team. City often retreat when a goal ahead but they have pressed on in recent weeks. If they truly have turned a corner (upcoming games against St.Pats and Shamrock Rovers may give us an indication) then Caulfield should be safe.

Aside from his tactical decisions and conservative approach, Caulfield’s transfer record flatters to deceive. While the 29

City until recently hit a bit of a slump, and had an embarrassing exit to 10 man KR Reykjavik in the UEFA Europa League First Qualifying Round, one of the main sources of City fans ire towards their boss Source: Timmy Keane

addition of Mark O’Sullivan, Billy Dennehy and Karl Sheppard is deserving of merit, he has made some equally misguided moves. Former fan favourite John O’Flynn has played out of position and sadly looks unlike the player he once was. Many of his signings have failed to last the season, Kieran Djilali, Michael Rafter and Anthony Elding all departed at during his tenure. Additonally Gavan Holohan saw little gametime in his appearances this season with Dan Murray famously being selected over the former Drogheda man in a game against Bray Wanderers. Caulfield announced the signing of Holohan in a jubilant manner noting “he has huge potential” yet Caulfield didn’t place faith in the midfielder for much of the season.

Oly in recent weeks did Holohan look more confident and assured player, sadly an ankle injury picked up against Dundalk looks set to rule him out for a considerable length of time. Stephen Beattie may be a revelation if early performances are anything to go by, but Caulfield has made several poor signings. One can see why fans are frustrated with some of his decisions, 30

even if he has made some astute moves.

Human nature being what it is we often remember failings ahead of praising positive moves.

Perhaps the only precedent for such a managerial change on Leeside was Pat Dolan’s dismissal in 2005. While it certainly wasn’t the sole factor in his termination, Dolan’s failure to get past Shelbourne in 2003 and 2004 impeded City from true title contention.

Replace Shelbourne with Dundalk and a similar picture emerges. Back then Brian Lennox made a very courageous decision that was handsomely rewarded with a league the following season, and a cup win two years later. I believe that Caulfield will get an extension and while I may have misgivings over some of his tactical decisions and transfer market dealings, it would be hard to argue against a reknewal. He is a fan favourite from his years as a player, and given his success to date, he is a safe option.

Perhaps after years flirting with disaster safety is what Cork football needs.