Waterford may go.

gazelle. wrote: Would love to see Galway Utd back in the league. Hopefully Mervue and salthill will drop out too.

Mervue and Salthill are where they are by right. Waterford are also where they are by right.

If you want to be in the top division, you have to show that you can meet the standard on the pitch. For the past 5 years, Waterford haven't met that standard, and until they do when the regular season is completed, they're not entitled to play with the big teams.

I totally reject out of hand the idea of league playoffs for anything. It's supposed to be a league. If after 8 months, you've achieved your targets, congratulations. If you haven't, you can try again next year. If you go bust, you go bust. There were many before you, and there will be many more after you. Football is a dog-eat-dog sport. It's not GAA you're playing.

Edited by gazelle. - 27 Aug 2012 at 11:25pm

An All Ireland league is the solution

I see A. Ineista is sponsoring his home town club Albacete who are in financial trouble....... the gauntlet is handed over to Messrs. O'Shea and Hunt to spare a few crumbs from the rich mans table.....

gazelle. wrote: Are you saying you don't believe that Wayerford cannot survive another year in a 7 team first division? I don't think there is much clubs in the league who could survive in a 7 team first division. Especially when two of those clubs are Salthill and Mervue.

As a Blues fan I am naturally worried about the future survival of the club & totally agree with the club's assertion that given the putative set up of next year's 1st Division they may not survive.

The FAI have a duty to all clubs in both divisions & perhaps the time has come to consider the pros & cons of a 1 tier league in an effort to ensure that the demise of clubs such as Galway United , Cobh RamblerS , Cork City ( the original club ) & Monaghan United comes to an end.

I note that Shamrock Rovers are opposed to a 1 tier league & as they are currently placed 4th in the league & are the 2nd placed team in the Capital after Pats their voice carries considerable weight ,teams such as Rovers should however reflect on their own past difficulties - after all they were effectively homeless for 22 years & only continued to exist due to the willingness of other teams to sublet their grounds to them & of course it was only the forbearance of the FAI that enabled them to continue after they fraudulently lodged accounts from 2003 in 2005 in order to acquire the required license.

I say this not to denigrate Rovers who are a credit to the League & who in recent years have signposted the way forward but to show that even the most successful clubs ( currently ) have required assistance from the FAI & other clubs in the past .

Hopefully , John Delaney with his & his father's long attachment to the Blues will together with the other governing members of the FAI in conjunction with all League clubs will give due consideration to protecting the league & all it's clubs into the future.

Edited by deiseblue - 27 Aug 2012 at 1:10pm

corkery wrote: UCD AFC wrote:   Better chance than UCD of doing what exactly? Getting a fanbase.

TBWRA wrote: UCD are the real model produce players year after year educate players have good training facilites and never over spend they are the best asset the league has

Bray as well for the amount of young players they bring through. 

UCD AFC wrote: gazelle. wrote: UCD AFC wrote: why would small teams in Prem want it either? sham rvs coming to town twice or rvs once and SD Galway? Would you feel the same way if UCD get relegated this year I wonder? Gammy teams like Salthill and Mervue couldn't be included. AFAIK they are dropping out at the end of this year anyway. Not giving my opinion, just pointing out not only big clubs would be against it gazelle. wrote: The single division would be to benefit the likes of Waterford, Limerick, Longford, Athlone and Finn Harps. Clubs that could be mid table premier sides or better if they were given the chance to get the benefits of having the big boys in town. They'd have a better chance than UCD anyway.  The survival of these clubs could depend on a single division as Waterfords chairman has already stated. Better chance than UCD of doing what exactly?

Getting a fanbase.