The European
Championships was a complete non-event wasn’t it? Other than Wales and Iceland,
few teams made you take proper of the tournament. In fact, probably the main
facts to be gleaned were in regards to the support each nation brought with
them. While Hungary and Croatia did their level best to advance the cause of
boneheadism in the country that gave us Bonaparte, the bar was raised
impossibly high by Russia and, predictably enough, England. When I’m getting
ready for football, I often take a pair of gloves; though they tend to be Thinsulate ones to keep my hands warm on
the bitter terraces of the Northern League, rather than MMA combat issue ones.
However, I’m not Russian and what the pugnacious Putinistas demonstrated in
Marseilles is that, for all their designer trainers and £500 Italian knitwear,
the posturing Brexit louts who follow England away are not just a national
embarrassment, but an international one. Also, they’re soft as clarts and need
to shed a bit of timber if they want to properly utilise those Hamburgs and
Gazelles to run away from the tough guys, gesticulating wildly as they retreat.
My prediction is that this tournament marked the end of The Firm as a credible unit of English masculinity.
However, it
seemed as if Irish fans were cut from a very different cloth to their English
counterparts. Of course, unlike the EDL and UKIP wannabes singing about German
bombers, Irish fans are proud Europeans. Their tolerant, inclusive, peaceful
demeanour charmed and beguiled host nation and opposing fans equally. While their
team put in a decent showing, the
support was top notch. It was no wonder that Ireland’s followers were named by
UEFA as the tournament’s best. However, the sad reality is that the 20,000 plus
who travelled to France are more than likely uninterested in or even
antagonistic towards their domestic game. Depressingly, the week before the
Euros kicked off, the League of Ireland announced the lowest set of weekly
crowd figures for the 2016 season. Not only do crowds for the GAA sports of
football and hurling dwarf the attendances at League of Ireland games, the
domestic game remains a poor relation to English and Scottish (specifically
Celtic) soccer. The departure lounges of Dublin Airport are thronged each
Friday with weekending Premier League fans, while the sheer volume of
supporters’ clubs that meet up to watch games in dedicated fan pubs,
pejoratively nicknamed Barstoolers by
L of I enthusiasts, means that Irish football struggles to find a niche.
To put this
into some sort of context, Celtic played Barcelona at the AVIVA Stadium (aka
Lansdowne Road) on Saturday 30th July and over 40,000 spectators saw
Efe Ambrose score for Barca. That wasn’t the ultimate Barstooler experience though; 4 years previous Man United beat a
League of Ireland select 7-0 in front of 50k, almost all of whom took the piss
out of their own domestic players’ performances. Sickening. Just sickening.
Personally I was at Clontarf Cricket club for the Leinster Senior Cup final
versus YMCA, but if I’d been going to a game Longford Town v Galway United,
played at the same time as the AVIVA love-in, and fair play to them for that,
would have been my preference.
Since 1985,
when I lived in County Derry, I’ve been slowly collecting my League of Ireland
set; firstly Finn Harps from Donegal and then Derry City, until last summer’s
trip to Waterford United left me within touching distance of completing the lot.
In the last 30 years, I’ve seen the League of Ireland go from Sunday afternoon
blood and thunder scraps on mudheaps in the middle of winter, played in front
of packed, roaring crowds to Friday evening stalemates in July on immaculate
pitches with only the dedicated hardcore watching, often in silence. Sky television paid for floodlights at Irish
grounds, as a sop to moving the games from the traditional Sunday afternoon
slot in the early 90s. This innovation didn’t halt the rot in terms of
attendances and an April – October season was introduced in 2003, to negligible
positive effect. In 1986, there were 20 teams in 2 divisions, with the vast
majority coming from in and around Dublin; the same situation remains, though
the club names, identities and fates have changed.
The biggest
crowds are to be found at the current top 2 clubs and best European
campaigners, Champions Dundalk and Cork City, who both pull in more than 4,000
on average for league games. Indeed, Cork City bravely bowed out of the Europa
League against Genk in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,645 at their immaculate
Turners’ Cross ground. Dundalk’s
incredible trouncing of BATE Borisov, despite being forced to play at Tallaght
Stadium, the home of Shamrock Rovers, means they are in a play-off for the
group stages of the Champions’ League against Legia Warsaw, with the home game
slated for the AVIVA. Even if they lose that one, they’re in the group stages
of the Europa League, with 6 guaranteed games until Christmas. It will do
wonders for their finances and Ireland’s club co-efficient. Frankly, despite
the notorious history of fiscal impropriety among Irish football clubs, it’s
impossible to look anywhere other than those two for domestic dominance in the
next few seasons.
Meanwhile,
the historically successful Dublin powerhouses of Shamrock Rovers, Bohemian and
St. Patrick’s Athletic are treading water. The former have dispensed with ex-Hibs
boss Pat Fenlon after an indifferent campaign, while the latter pair struggle
by in aged grounds at Dalymount and Richmond Parks respectively. That said, St
Pat’s had 2,800 for a Europa League tie against Dynamo Minsk (when I landed at
Dublin Airport, the next departure was for Minsk) and Bohs sold out Dalier,
with 5,400 present for a 0-6 loss to Newcastle, the week before I arrived,
typically enough. Soberingly, Da Boez’s next game saw 1,175 in attendance for
the visit of Derry City; perhaps the most depressing Irish sports development
since the announcement of a new Sports
Direct store on Talbot Street.
Other top
flight teams tend to be regional hubs; Sligo Rovers, Galway United, Wexford
Youths, Longford Town and Bray Wanderers, not to mention Derry City and Finn
Harps, are basically county clubs. They boast strong traditions, fervent (if
modest) local support and community links. The real problem lies in the lower
division, where the unending struggles to remain in existence are real and
everyday problems, suggesting that 1 senior division of 16 teams is the only
logical way forward. Remember Setanta TV? It struggled on in Ireland until this
year, before rebranding as Eir TV, who show a live top flight game every Friday
night. State broadcaster RTE cover cup games and have a weekly highlights
programme on a Monday, Soccer Republic,
that brings in good viewing figures and boasts the intelligent commentary of
former national boss Brian Kerr, which begs the question why the FAI haven’t
found a role for him in their structure.
While Soccer Republic showcases the indigenous
Premier Division, there’s no money and no publicity below that level, meaning
the 8 team First Division is a sporting elephants’ graveyard. Limerick City may
be top by 20 points, but they’re funded personally by JP McManus, the horse
racing billionaire. Athlone Town are
Ireland’s oldest club; they’re bottom of the table, skint and ready to go bust.
Waterford United used to be one of the country’s foremost clubs, though they’re
on the bones of their arse. UCD (University College Dublin) survive on zero
crowds and the benevolence of their institution. Cobh Ramblers were Roy Keane’s first team,
but they’re definitely Cork’s minor club.
Drogheda United won the title a decade ago, then suffered relegation and
have financial problems. Shelbourne used to be successful, but they’re skint
and their Tolka Park home is in a desperate state. This is made all the worse
by neighbouring Bohemian having sold their Dalymount Park ground to Dublin
Corporation, with a full refurbishment promised. Shels are faced with a choice
of share, merge or die with their closest rivals.
The identity
of the final club in Division 1 was up for grabs in 2014; following the
disappearances of Kilkenny City, Kildare County, Mervue United, Monaghan
United, Salthill Devon, Sporting Fingal and latterly Shamrock Rovers B in
successive seasons, finding the correct team to make up the full complement was
tough. There weren’t many applications, so the FAI turned to Cabinteely, from
the affluent south Dublin suburbs to make up the numbers. The main problem was
they played at Kilbogget Park, a public amenity shared with Seapoint RFC, where
the only seats are the ones in the bar. I saw Dundalk lose 1-0 away to BATE in
the first leg, over a couple of fine pints of black porter there, incidentally.
A deal was struck with Blackrock RFC for a groundshare at Stradbrook, as the
differing seasons for the two codes barely overlap, so Cabo joined the senior
ranks in 2015. They promptly finished in last place, but unlike many other
clubs, Cabinteely may just be here to stay.
A glorious
Friday evening in July saw me take a scenic ramble from Dalkey to Blackrock,
for Cabinteely’s home game against Waterford United, with Dublin Bay on one
side and elegant seafront Georgian mansions on the other. Certainly, it was
scenery dissimilar to many of my normal matchday vistas. The crowds of Premier
Division games are announced, but not in Division 1. A rough estimate suggested
to me that around 400, paying €10
a head, were gathered in the 3 sided ground. There was no cover; on the top
side railway sleepers provided seating; or standing when it’s wet. The bottom
side, fringed by trees that screened rugby training pitches, saw the 50 or so
travelling supporters congregating by manager, and ex Carlisle boss, Roddy
Collins and his team in the dug-out. The far goal immediately gave way to
untilled soil, while the near goal boasted a changing room and bar complex,
with tarmacked standing in front. Neat enough, but only Northern Alliance
standards over here, even with the floodlights.
I watched
with interest the pre-match rituals of the two sides; Cabinteely, managed by L
of I legend Eddie Gormley were organised, business-like and enthusiastic in
their drills and warm-ups. Waterford came out without the manager and had a
game of five-a-side, amid much merriment. One team seemed professional and the
other a pub team. The game was the first I’d ever seen officiated by a female
referee in Ireland. Basically, she had little or nothing to do as the game
followed a pattern I’ve become familiar with at First Division games; lovely
control, quick feet, incisive passing, minimal tackling, endless offsides and
abject shooting. Pretty play with no end
product; pleasing, but a slightly dull opening period.
During the
second half, I took a wander round, noticing a complete gear change from Cabo,
who won the game 2-0; the first an impressive free kick from distance and the
second a powerful header from a pinpoint cross. Basically, Cabinteely are a
very well run youth club team; almost like the Wallsend Boys Club of south Dublin,
with dozens of teams at all ages, paying subs and volunteering to keep the
project on track. Stewards, bar staff, club shop and catering operatives are
all volunteers; relatives of players in all probability. On the pitch they are
disciplined and organised, with a clear pattern of play I’m sure is replicated
in their underage teams. Dissent simply is not tolerated; they never question
any decisions. Waterford United had no answer to such organisation; they
capitulated or tried to win it by shooting from impossible angles, while
Collins raged on the touchline. Their support had hit the clubhouse by 80
minutes, muttering darkly about the death agonies of their club. Cabo’s fans
applauded politely at full time; after all it’s only a game.
The
following week, I had intended to watch Shelbourne away to Limerick, but the
game was put back 24 hours because Limerick’s impending League Cup semi-final
trip to Derry. Instead, I plucked my last low-hanging fruit, with a trip north to
Drogheda United in County Louth, against Cabinteely. Limerick, along with Cobh,
must wait until another year. The first
ground I saw that day was Gortakeegan, the currently disused home of the former
Monaghan United; it looked in far better shape than the charmingly ramshackle
United Park, which until recently had been called Hunky Dory’s Park, that Drogs call home. In the year of his death,
this had nothing to do with David Bowie, but was the result of a sponsorship
deal between the Diamond Drogs and County Louth’s very own Tayto Crisps.
Drogheda
harbour promotion play-off ambitions and are well-placed to achieve this. Their
star player and captain is former Sean Thornton, a former international with
Premier League experience at sunderland in both their 19 point and 15 point
relegation seasons. It didn’t come off for him this game though; Cabo were as
disciplined and organised as they were the week before and a frustrated
Thornton was replaced on the hour. The game saw both teams employ a short, neat
passing game, utterly without a cutting edge. Just as it seemed the only risk
to a blank scoreline would be a moment of inspiration or insanity, Aaron Ashe
swooped on a loose ball and drove it into the bottom corner. One goal was
enough and the 500 Drogs fans, complete with obligatory drummer, went wild at
full time. The 11 Cabo stalwarts shrugged their shoulders and made for the car
park; it is only a game after all.
If the
League of Ireland does go to a single division of 16 clubs, let’s hope it’s
passion and achievements on the pitch that count. However, if it’s financial
stability and a solid structure that guarantee a seat at the top table,
Cabinteely are waiting quietly in the wings.
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