With less than a third left of the current season, thoughts are already turning to next year. With the current incumbent management team of John Coleman and Jimmy Bell on a rolling contract a decision needs to be made quickly on their future. I was happy to see in the local media that Coleman was talking about making plans for next season. While I still believe that the decision to sack Ian Baraclough was the wrong call, that ship has sailed and for stability reasons the board need to get behind Coleman and give him a contract until the end of next season as least. Despite all his years as Chairman Coleman is Dr. Dermot Kelly’s first managerial appointment – Michael Toolan was Chairman when both Paul Cook and Ian Baraclough were appointed – and he needs to give him his full support. The board have already done this to an extent during the recent transfer window and Coleman is beginning to put his stamp on the squad and is also changing the style of play.
By Keith O’Dwyer (@keithodwyer)
The recently friendly in the Aviva between Liverpool and Shamrock Rovers there has seen a lot of discussion about the passionate support given by the general Irish public to English teams at the expense of the domestic league. There are a lot of sides to this argument and it has a cultural habit that will be very hard to break. I don’t think that there is any point running down or attacking those who attended the game. Rather in my view the challenge is to take their existing interest in football and use that to entice them to attend games in the SSE Airtricity League. To do that collectively the League has to be better promoted and built up and that is when I start to beat a dead horse. The debate about the fixture on Soccer Republic while entertaining missed one huge point. They talked about how Sky Sports have revolutionised the way English football is viewed around the world while let’s just say that domestic football is a chore and obligation for RTE rather than a labour of love.
You cannot have a strong and vibrant domestic league without the buy in of the state broadcaster and that isn’t fully there at the moment. The loss of MNS is felt as Soccer Republic is more of a catch all show but again you have a double edged sword as ultimately they will live or die by ratings. The scheduling of live matches doesn’t help and clubs and the League have to be stronger on this as there is always a reduced attendance for televised fixtures meaning that clubs actually loose revenue. While the exposure is great for club sponsors, it does not reflect well on the league as a whole to have games played in grounds that are less than half full. Also too many times games are scheduled against other higher profile televised games and there is only ever one winner in situations like that. Common sense and the fact that these games are set long in advance should mean that this has to be avoided where possible. I liked Alan Cawley’s idea in his latest blog ( http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/irish-soccer/irish-soccer-league/ ) about the ‘Magic Weekend’ of playing one round of league fixtures in the Aviva that would be a great occasion for all of the clubs. There are cost, revenue and logistical issues but they can all be addressed.
Will his suggestion fall on deaf ears though? The FAI seem hindered in their efforts to promote the League and certainly given the revenue at stake there was much more done to promote the Liverpool game than there was the President’s Cup or the Setanta Sports Cup Final, both of which had disappointing attendances. I wrote to the FAI with a number of ideas for promoting the President’s Cup and while I had been told they would be passed on, I doubt they were. Their efforts seem to be focused on filling the Aviva as often as possible to bring in the monies needed to facilitate their debts and that is fine but it is the league that is suffering. There are some really good people involved with the FAI who love the League but are restricted by a lack of resources in what they can do. That all said, better use has to be made of both their own website and the official league one to promote the league and the same applies to social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
This all means that the league and those who support it have to make the best use of the resources that they do have. Turn supporters into advocates and not zealots who brow beat those who don’t attend SSE Airtricity League games and I have seen that happen! Let’s highlight all that is good about the league and shout it from the rooftops. Take Sligo Rovers as an example and look at the recent goal scored by John Russell against Bray. That should be everywhere. I remember the campaigns run by different sites to promote Stephanie Roche’s and Christopher Forrester’s goals. Take the initiative. Take the great work being done recently by the club in having special family orientated promotions at every recent home game which has led to an increase in attendances. The league and the FAI should be highlighting this and efforts of other clubs and showing that clubs are working hard to promote their games. Recent initiatives such as the soccer academy and the U-11 blitz are great to see and again things like this should be showcased.
It will surprise some or maybe it won’t to know that efforts of Sligo Rovers and other clubs receive better recognition outside the country than they do inside it. Case in point was last year when as secretary of the club I was invited to make a presentation to the clubs in the Estonian leagues on the work carried out by myself and the club during my five years as Club Promotions Officer. A follow on from this saw two representatives from Tartu Tammeka who are a top flight club in Estonia come over and spend a fact finding week in Sligo learning more about Rovers and meeting people involved with the club to learn how it is run. They went back full of ideas and enthusiasm and despite a disappointing league campaign which saw them just escape relegation through the play-offs they had the highest average attendance in the league. A big part of this they attribute to ideas they picked up from their time in Sligo. Another Estonian club Parnu run a community coaching scheme which their website acknowledges is based on one that had been previously run by Sligo Rovers. It doesn’t stop there, the Jupiler League which is the second highest league is the Netherlands have a special website set up for their clubs where teams can share promotion ideas and marketing strategies and one of their case studies of a club who have done this well is Sligo Rovers. This should be blasted everywhere.
Clubs such as Sligo Rovers and others are on the right track and will bring people with them but their work has to receive more coverage on a national level as this will only help the league as a whole, that is where the FAI, SSE Airtricity League and RTE have to get involved otherwise this debate that is raging now will be repeated ad nauseam. Continue Reading
By Keith O’Dwyer
We’re now a third of the way through the new season and already Sligo Rovers have their first final as this coming Saturday sees the Setanta Sports Cup decider against Dundalk in the Tallaght Stadium. After an admittedly poor start Rovers now are settling into their groove and their six game unbeaten streak has them on the fringes of the title race. Given the results of other teams in the Premier Division the gap isn’t wide enough that the top teams can’t be caught. Those four defeats do mean that there isn’t much more room for slip ups and we know need to effectively try and stay unbeaten in the league until the season’s end if we are to win the League. It can be done but at the very worst this season we have to qualify for Europe as the continuing success of the club is dependent on it.
I’m not going to do a breakdown of the manager’s tactics or the players because well that has been done to death and in this Sky Sports era over analysis and rush to judgements and now stables of football supporters. I do get given out for being too positive about Rovers at all times and also too supportive of the management team and players and well I stand by that, I think their great and doing well and stand by that opinion! The only disappointment I have had so far this season, league defeats aside, is the way we meekly exited the EA Sports Cup. I know that it isn’t a competition that ranks high on the priorities of many but it is a Cup that I have always held in high regard. I remember in 2010 when we won it and it was like winning the Champions League! Especially coming after our near bankruptcy in 2008 and the FAI Ford Cup defeat in 2009. That said it was soon surpassed by the winning of the FAI Cup but for me it kick started everything that has come since.
A funny story about the EA Sports Cup is after we won the FAI Cup and were having the victory party in the Clarion Liffey Valley that it suddenly occurred to me that I couldn’t see where the cup was. I asked the kit man at the time Dermot Brannigan about it as he loved trophies more than me – nearly!! Anyways it turned out that friends of the legendary Keith Foy had taken it and were using it as a cooler for their beer bottles as they had filled it with ice. I got the job of going to get it back and thankfully the lads were sound about it so we cleaned it out and Dermot stored it away!!
The one positive from the defeat against Derry was the performances of the likes of Gary Boylan, Jake Dykes, Jordan Loftus Regan Donelon and Liam Flatley. Throw Ruairi Keating into the mix as well who has been impressive in his loan spell with Finn Harps and you have a promising crop of youngsters ready to step up and take their place in the first team squad. And now we turn to Saturday and what a big game this is as already Rovers have their second chance of winning silverware. And yes the President’s Cup to me was silverware, I want Rovers to win every competition that they enter and used to enjoy when we won the McSweeney Group Tournament!! I’m disappointed that some people don’t see this for the big event that it is and even heard of some supporters who don’t think they will travel as the final isn’t in Sligo or Longford. That’s another argument entirely and I can see the merits in all sides’ points. I felt it should have been in Sligo as the town is the European Town of Sport and it would have been great endorsement of that. But it is in Tallaght and that’s fine, it’s a lovely ground and will give an event feel to the game. Continue Reading
On May 10th, Sligo Rovers embark on yet another of what has felt like an endless amount of away trips already this season, but on this occasion we visit Dublin for the Setanta Sports Cup Final against Dundalk in Tallaght Stadium.
Things are beginning to look up again for The Bit O’Red after a disappointing start to the season. The performances are ever improving and the squad is looking more and more settled with every game, we have little to be negative about right now, or so you would imagine.
Since the announcement was made that the Final would be played in Dublin, there have been a number of comments made across various forms of social media which have been both surprising and disappointing to see. Continue Reading
Sligo Rovers got their season off to a perfect start with a 2-1 victory at home to Athlone Town.
Despite dominating the match, Rovers had to fight back from a goal down to secure the win with goals from John Russell and substitute Evan McMillan.
They showed a sign of their intent after just three minutes when Danny Ledwith saw a free-kick strike the inside of the post, which was then quickly followed by a Sean Maguire header over the bar. Continue Reading
League of Ireland football returns to The Showgrounds this evening as Sligo Rovers host newly promoted Athlone Town.
Rovers will be without the quartet of Gavin Peers (knee), Danny North (suspension), Ross Gaynor (hamstring) and Kieran Djilali (knee), but Sean Maguire is fit and available for selection after missing the President’s Cup last Sunday with a knock to his ankle.
Athlone will play their first Premier Division game in 18 years tonight, but manager Mick Cooke will have to make do without four integral players as Derek Prendergast, Barry Clancy (both suspension), Alan Byrne (ankle) and James O’Brien (flu) all miss out. Continue Reading
The time for shadow boxing is over and the real deal gets underway in the Showgrounds this coming Saturday night with Sligo Rovers first game of the 2014 SSE Airtricity League season. Athlone Town provide the opposition and while Rovers are expected to get the win, beating any side managed by Mick Cooke is never an easy thing to do. As has become the norm there is once again a heightened sense of expectancy around Ian Baraclough’s side although somewhat less tempered than it was last season. Then Rovers were expected to retain the League and when they started off with eight wins in a row it certainly looked like they might but ultimately had to settle for third but the season did end on a silver lining with the reclaiming of the FAI Ford Cup. This year the common consensus among the national media anyway is that St. Patrick’s Athletic will retain the league while the rest of the top four will be filled by Rovers, Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers with the order changing depending on which prediction you’re reading. Continue Reading
Sligo Rovers and St. Patrick’s Athletic will face each other in the inaugural President’s Cup game tomorrow at Richmond Park.
Gavin Peers (knee) will miss out through a long-term injury, while Kieran Djilali (knee) is a doubt. Danny North is in contention to feature in this game after missing the 4-1 victory over Crusaders in the Setanta Sports Cup on Monday.
Pat’s boss Liam Buckley on the other hand looks set to have a full squad to choose from.
Meanwhile, two Rovers players could reach milestones in their careers should they play tomorrow. Joseph Ndo could make his 300th League of Ireland appearance, while Ross Gaynor could play in the 300th game of his career. Continue Reading
Sligo Rovers begin this year’s Setanta Sports Cup adventure at Seaview where they face Irish League side Crusaders in their first leg tie of the Quarter-Finals.
Rovers will be without Gavin Peers and Kieran Djilali through injury, while Danny North is rated as doubtful.
New signings Paul O’Conor, Danny Ledwith, Kalen Spillane and Eric Odhiambo could all be handed their first competitive debuts for the club tonight, while John Russell and Richard Brush could make their first appearances since returning to the club. Sean Maguire is awaiting clearance in order to be available for tonight’s game. Continue Reading
Sligo Rovers have announced the signing of former Kenyan International Eric Odhiambo.
The versatile striker joins following the expiration of his contract at Hereford United this month, whom he joined after a move to Rovers last summer fell through due to a registration issue with previous club, Denizlispor.
Odhiambo has also played for Leicester City, Southend United, Dundee United, Brentford United and most notably Inverness Caledonian Thistle in Scotland where he enjoyed an impressive two season stint. Continue Reading