SQUEAKY BUM TIME IN FINAL GAME OF SEASON
THE beginning of the end for Vinny Perth was a poor result against St Patrick’s Athletic back at the end of July.
A little over three months on, a game with much the same hallmarks has piled the pressure on Filippo Giovagnoli in his attempt to ensure he is the long-term successor to Perth.
A draw was no more than Pat’s deserved on Sunday but Dundalk’s failure to get the job done, yet again, means they now go into the final game of what has been a season to forget domestically with Europe still not secured for next season.
Yet again, the Lilywhites were not good enough. Their schedule might be punishing right now and conditions poor at Richmond Park but their attitude and application also left a lot to be desired.
Giovagnoli made a call to persist with the three centre halves and wing back system that he utilised against Arsenal three days earlier. While it was perhaps logical going into the lion’s den of the Emirates, it simply failed to work here with Dundalk unable to control the ball in the middle of the field and unable to work enough openings to trouble the home defence.
Indeed, it left Dundalk exposed numerous times and a more clinical side than Pat’s, who only relegated Cork City have scored fewer than this season, would have punished them.
The result means Dundalk must get a result at home to Sligo Rovers on Sunday, meaning that for the second week in-a-row a league game will take on more significance than the trip to Austria on Thursday to face Rapid Wien.
Dundalk’s superior goal difference means it looks highly unlikely they will finish outside the top four, which could be good enough for Europe depending on how the FAI Cup pans out, but they’ll need at least a point to ensure third if Waterford win away to Finn Harps at the weekend.
It’s a situation the Lilywhites really shouldn’t be in but the constant failure to rise to the occasion in the league is a concern. While Giovagnoli has masterminded some memorable results in Europe, three wins from his eight league matches in charge has cost him a lot of support amongst the fan base that he should be handed the reins on a permanent basis for next season.
If anything, the European results have merely papered over the cracks of a club that is at a bit of a crossroads right now and a big few weeks lie ahead in determining where they go for here. It doesn’t bare thinking about what would happen if there was no European football to boost the budget next year though.
Both sides struggled to contend with the conditions in the early stages with Daniel Cleary’s shot from range on 11 minutes well over and a drilled effort from Chris Shields three minutes later flashing to the left and wide.
Dundalk had their first let-off on 19 minutes when Billy King beat firstly Cleary and then Brian Gartland all too easily only to be denied by Gary Rogers.
Hoban would drag a shot wide a minute later but he was celebrating his 10th goal of the season on 23 minutes in one of the few positive moves of the game from the visitors. Stefan Colovic’s ball in from the right was met by Darragh Leahy who slid it across the six yard box for Hoban to tap in his 104th goal for the club, equalling the record of Paddy Turner. Only three men have now scored more goals for the club than Hoban.
He would go close again on 32 minutes after outmuscling Luke McNally to fire a left footed shot across the face of goal but not before Dundalk had another let-off when Jordan Gibson fired into the side-netting after rounding Gary Rogers. Admittedly,
Sean Hoare’s presence on the line was off-putting for the former Bradford City man.
There were further scares for Dundalk before the break as Rory Feely fired wide from a corner before King had a shot which may or may not have struck a Dundalk arm in the box but thankfully nothing was given by referee Paul McLaughlin.
The home side continued to do much of the pressing on the restart with Shields doing well to block a Gibson shot on 53 minutes.
The equaliser would arrive on 64 minutes with Lee Desmond’s cross seeing former Lilywhite Robbie Benson get up above Hoare to head past Rogers. It was the 65th goal of his career and his fifth against Dundalk, who he had also scored against at Oriel Park back in the summer.
Dundalk did have chances to sneak it after that with Michael Duffy having a shot deflect over off Ian Bermingham on 71 minutes before David McMillan was denied by Brendan Clarke eight minutes from the end after being slipped in by Hoban but it wasn’t to be for Dundalk and they can have little complaint.
Third, which has been the aim for some time, is still likely and possible but it really should have been wrapped up long before now and the fact it hasn’t will do little to help Giovagnoli convince players, staff, the board and fans that he is the man to guide Dundalk to better things next season.
joy of the Europa League can only paper over the cracks for so long.
The problems, some of which emerged around Vinny Perth’s sacking, haven’t gone away and a little over five weeks before the 2020 football season is due to wrap up at home to Arsenal in the Aviva Stadium, the futures of up to 18 players remains very much up in the air.
By my reckoning, Gary Rogers, Aaron McCarey, Sean Gannon, Cameron Dummigan, Brian Gartland, Sean Hoare, Jordan Flores, Michael Duffy, John Mountney, Dane Massey, Sean Murray, Nathan Oduwa, Daniel Kelly, David McMillan, Lido Lotefa, Josh Gatt and the on loan duo of Georgie Kelly and Taner Dogan are all out of contract next month.
Excluding players in the academy, that leaves just 10 under contract for 2021: Andy Boyle, Stefan Colovic, Daniel Cleary, Chris Shields, Patrick Hoban, Patrick McEleney, Greg Sloggett, Darragh Leahy, Will Patching and Jimmy Corcoran.
That isn’t even enough to field a side for next year, while question marks remain over who will be in charge.
Chairman Bill Hulsizer went on record after Dundalk’s Europa League group stage qualification that interim head coach Filippo Giovagnoli would be offered the job full-time. While there are no indications to suggest that will not happen, the failure of a deal to be signed as yet leaves a lot up in the air.
While Giovagnoli - or anyone else - is unlikely to keep all 18 out of contract, it’s worrying that little or no progress has been made on ANY deals.
At the same time St Patrick’s Athletic are understood to be eyeing up Sean Gannon and Daniel Kelly, Shamrock Rovers like the look of Sean Hoare, Glentoran are monitoring Aaron McCarey and Derry City are dreaming about bring Michael Duffy home, with League One sides also understood to be keen on the winger.
Of course, it’s the club’s prerogative to look elsewhere for players, but who exactly is overseeing that?
Certainly the recruitment regime in the recent past has left a lot to be desired. Obvious areas where strengthening was needed have gone ignored, while the profile of signings don’t match up with the club’s stated goals.
If the aim is to be in the group stages of Europe every year, that’s fine, but you can’t do that by signing an abundance of players from abroad. A restriction on the number of non-home grown players meant that Patching and Gatt had to be omitted from Dundalk’s current Europa League squad, while there would undoubtedly have been another high-profile omission were it not for Massey’s injury.
While neither Patching or Gatt have had the impact they would have liked at Oriel as yet, no signing is made on the basis it won’t work out, so why sign them if there’s a chance they, or others, can’t play in Europe?
If Giovagnoli is to get the job, through no fault of his own, the big question is does he know enough about the league here or the players in it to strengthen Dundalk from within the league.
And given he has been mainly in America in recent years, has he even a knowledge of the English and European markets to identify new signings?
Since arriving, the Italian has said he has no direct involvement in re-signings. That may change, but either way something has got to give this winter at Oriel Park. The club cannot continue to operate in a situation where directions from American conflict with what is happening here or vice versa. The current staff at Oriel Park need to be either trusted to steer the ship or a Director of Football or CEO appointed to oversee things.
One thing is for sure, the current rudderless approach with bickering in the background cannot continue. Clarity is needed to ensure the next clash with Arsenal on December 10th is not part of the end of an era and rather just the starting point in attempting to wrestle back the title as Stephen Kenny did from Cork in 2018.