Dundalk remain the team to beat but League of Ireland is at a crossroads
Dundalk the team to beat on the pitch but questions surround long-term governance as FAI plan handover
AS AN experienced former Labour Party TD, President Higgins knows a thing or two about the business of coalition.
He will be at Turner’s Cross this evening for the President’s Cup, the official curtain-raiser for the new League of Ireland season, yet it now seems certain that this campaign will run in tandem with behind-the-scenes political machinations.
League chief Fran Gavin confirmed yesterday that the FAI are still planning to hand control over to a new hybrid company run by the clubs with the association holding a stake – with this arrangement due to be signed and sealed this year.
There are strong suggestions, however, that a firm agreement is some way off. “We’ve made it clear that decisions need to be made,” said Gavin, without confirming a deadline. “If this is to come in from 2020, plans need to be in place and that’s going to take a lot of planning.”
While talks between a steering group have continued, a new player has entered the equation in the form of Niall Quinn and his vision for an independent league with state support. Gavin has confirmed that he is the FAI official who met with Quinn after hearing him on radio.
“I don’t think he was fully informed and I wanted to inform him on what we do,” he said. “He said he would get more meat on the bone (of his plan) and we’ll meet again. We’re always open to meet anyone who wants to improve Irish football.”
Alternative
The prospect of an alternative solution presents a dilemma. Gavin did not exactly deny that this could drag on – with the FAI staying in charge in the event of a ‘no deal’ – while stressing that a handover ahead of 2020 remains the ambition. It would seem unwise to sign into any plan before Quinn’s team present their white paper. Watch this space. The danger is that it becomes a vacuum.
On the pitch, it might be more straightforward although the FAI’s recruitment of Stephen Kenny from Dundalk added an unexpected twist. New head coach Vinny Perth has landed the best gig in the country, but it will carry serious pressure.
Dundalk kept hold of their big guns on the pitch, which gave them an edge in a typically busy transfer market notable for the shortage of top-end Premier players available. Old title rivals Cork have been weakened by departures.
It means the theory that clubs need to go abroad if they are to lift standards will be properly tested. Players from Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bermuda, Jamaica and Nigeria are amongst the recruits, in addition to a variety of British arrivals.
As it happens, though, the three most intriguing arrivals are talented Irish midfielders seeking to rebuild their careers.
Jack Byrne was tipped for greatness as a kid at Manchester City, but he desperately needs to make his stay at Shamrock Rovers a successful one after a series of short-lived moves that set alarm bells ringing. At 22, he does have time to live up to his billing.
Personal circumstances accelerated Chris Forrester’s desire to come back to Ireland and rejoin St Patrick’s Athletic from Aberdeen. Dundalk can afford to gamble in an attempt to upgrade and brought in ex-Wat- ford and Irish U-21 international Sean Murray following a stay in Denmark.
The sheer volume of playmakers ties in with the argument made by retired pros that the league was more intense in the mid to late 2000s with players given less time on the ball by well-drilled sides.
It is a more technical league now, and that allowed the likes of Patrick McEleney and ex-Shamrock Rovers playmaker Graham Burke to shine in recent seasons. Forrester, Byrne and Murray should do so too – if they are healthy and happy.
Sligo Rovers boss Liam Buckley and returning Derry supremo Declan Devine have both rolled the dice by shopping abroad for flair. UCD and Bohemians like to pass the ball too, which lends itself to entertainment. Critics would argue that some players have it too easy.
Finn Harps are a throwback team in a sense, a part-time outfit in an increasingly full-time world. They will find it tough, but will make their opponents work hard for every point. An uneven fixture list with almost two thirds of the league played before the mid-season break emphasises the inequality.
Dundalk were able to do overnight stays for away midweek games last year, a detail that makes a difference in a logjam. They were able to go to Spain during pre-season while others battled the cold.
Still, the Lilywhites have to prove that the appetite to set their own standards remains. They now have a proven core of league winners, and a more balanced squad than their likely pursuers. Chris Shields was a revelation in 2018, with his graft and work-rate allowing the likes of Robbie Benson, Jamie McGrath and mid-season returnee McEleney to roam.
In Michael Duffy, they also had the league’s most effective attacking winger, and in Patrick Hoban they have the outstanding striker with Georgie Kelly an able deputy. Cork and Shamrock Rovers managed to compete very well with Dundalk in one-off games when they matched the Louthmen physically. But they struggled to match their consistent quality and lacked a sure bet for goals like Hoban. They still do.
If Kenny was still around, there would be no question marks hanging over the title race. The change in the dugout leaves them with a point to prove, and they should succeed in doing so in a domestic context. It may have to be accompanied by European progress for their US owners to really consider it a step forward. Rovers and Cork should both make Europe for a sixth consecutive year, which delivers a stability of sorts although it’s the minimum expectation for both Stephen Bradley and John Caulfield. St Pat’s have spent heavily – Mikey Drennan’s arrival from Sligo was a coup – with a view to breaking back into the Eurozone with Waterford catchable.
There’s a consistency about the podium places that contrasts with the instability of the noughties, when the boom and bust cycle spread both wealth and misery.
Turbulence is less frequent now, but this remains a league that is trying to figure out where it’s going.