My Irish Football Blog

RSS Feed Homepage

Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk - Highlights
2007-04-10 15:43:00
Fresh from a win against Bray on Good Friday, Rovers went into this game full of confidence against Division One leaders Dundalk. Both sides blooded a few none regulars and the first half was a fairly dull affair - perhaps an indication of the fact that the League Cup is not either clubs priority this season. For me Barry Ferguson was again excellent and so far this season has been one of Rovers star performers. Dave OConnor also impressed me.More detailed analysis will follow later today but for now here is footage of the games only goal plus the other highlights
More About: Highlights , Sham , Shamrock

Recent Goal Action!
2007-04-09 00:29:00
Below we have action from some recent gamesFirst up is Athlone v Longford in the League Cup last week. This one finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and there were no other goals in extra time so the winner was decided by spot kicks. See all the action below!Bohemians made it two wins from two home games with a narrow one goal win over Sligo Rovers. The game was far from exciting but at the end of the day a win is a win and it should keep the Bohemian faithful happy for at least another while. Mind you there seems to be plenty of Bohs fans that are far from happy with their new manager - maybe he should be given a bit more time before the "OConnor Out" chants startSt Pats made it five wins from five league games as they saw off a troubled Galway side at Terryland. While credit must be given for their good start its worth remembering that four of those wins came against Bray, Waterford, Longford and Galway - no disrespect to these teams but I think there is a good chance that they will be ...
More About: Action , Goal , Recent

Bray vs Shamrock Rovers - Match report , Goals, and Highlights
2007-04-07 18:24:00
Bray v Shamrock Rovers (0 - 2)Shamrock Rovers made the short trip to the Carlisle Grounds yesterday for a clash against Bray Wanderers. Amazingly a win for Bray would have given them as many leagues wins this season after five games as they managed in all of last seasons thirty games. Rovers on the other hand were aiming to bounce back after their loss in the Dublin Derby.Rovers kicked off the first half and immediately their intent was visible. The last minute defeat to rivals Bohemians during the week had obviously been a sore point and they attacked Bray consistently from the off. It took just seven minutes for them to get off the mark. Relentless chasing and closing down by the Rovers midfield resulted in the ball being blocked down by Pender - the ball found its way to Purcell who took two touches to steady himself and create an angle before cleverly passing the ball into the corner of the netThe remainder of the first half didn't see much more goal mouth action as both teams...
More About: Report , Goals , Highlights , Match , Bray

Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers - Goals and Highlights
2007-04-05 14:25:00
Bohs ran out unworthy winners in the big dublin derby. Rovers took the lead in the first half and will consider themselves extremely unlucky not to have got three points from this fixture. Bohemians didnt get going at all and looked void or ideas, energy and motivation for most of the game. Two late goals saved them on this occasion - but unless they improve significantly over the next few months the hardcore Bohs fans will soon be calling for the managers head sooner rather than laterFor the pre game preview click hereHeres the Goals and Highlights
More About: Sham , Shamrock

Ray Houghton - Fantasy Football
2007-04-05 14:19:00
Some of you will remember Houghtons appearance on Fantasy Football a few years back - it was all a little bit controversial! Since then Houghton has continued in trying to be controversial by having ridicolous opinions as an RTE pundit and in general being extremely annoying
More About: Fantasy Football

Goals & Highlights - St Pats v Cork
2007-04-03 13:34:00
The goals and highlights from St Pats and Cork have been now added to my earlier preview - to see the all the best action click here
More About: Goals , Highlights

Preview - Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers
2007-04-03 05:01:00
This game is probably the biggest derby in Irish Football. Two of the countries most successful and well known clubs go head to head this Tuesday night in the Eircom Premier League.Bohs have had a slow start to the season. Pre season a new manager arrived and along with him a host of big name players. Sean OConnor is an ambitious manager who has plans to go on to big things in bigger leagues - Last season his newly promoted Sligo Rovers had a great season. He has brought to Bohs some class proven players - most notably Glen Crowe,Owen Heary and Neale Fenn but also Chris Burns, Harph Singh and Darren Mansaram. On the opening day of the season they played out a no score draw with title hopefuls Drogheda. Next up was a trip to Bray and a defeat by one goal to nil and last Friday night they returned from Waterford with their first win and first goal of the seasonThis Bohs side undoubtedly has potential. Glen Crowe is a prolific goalscorer and has been for years - he should be hitting hi...
More About: Preview , Sham , Shamrock

Goals and highlights from Kildare v Cobh Ramblers
2007-04-03 02:16:00
Cobh made the long trip to Kildare on saturday last and made it 2 wins on the bounce with a fine display and a two nil winHeres the goals as well as some match highlights - Enjoy!
More About: Goals , Highlights , Dare

Setanta Cup - St Pats v Cork City
2007-04-03 01:53:00
Pats made it eight wins from nine games this season with a hard fought one nil win over Cork City tonight. That's a Setanta Cup double over Cork for St Pats and tonight's win guarantees them a home draw in the Semi Final. Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane were both in the crowd - presumably to cast their eyes over Roy Donovan.Its been pointed out over the last week by a number of observers that St Pats are playing as good as any League of Ireland ever has. I don't personally agree with that but it is fair to say that they are very much a team on form and they certainly are full of confidence. This years side is essentially only three or four players different from the side that finished in seventh place last year. Last years side only managed nine league wins all season long!Whether Pats can keep this form up for most of the season remains to be seen. What I would say is that perhaps everything is going their way at the moment - not that I want to take anything away from their start. A...

Dundalk v Athlone - 8 Goal Thriller!!!!
2007-04-02 17:47:00
Dundalk met Athlone last Thursday night in a top of the table clash. Athlone took the lead early on but Dundalk fought back and ran out 6-2 winners!Heres all the goals - enjoyFor a full report on the game check out Wallys review here
More About: Thriller , Goal

Quigley - Goal - Goal - Goal
2007-03-31 14:45:00
Mark Quigley and St Pats hit the headlines again last night after demolishing Bray Wanderers by three goals to one. Quigley with three goals had Pats three up after only 9mins of the first half - heres all his goals and glory After tonights game Pats are top of the league with four wins from four games. They are also top scorers in the league with 9 goals and Quigley himself is top scorer with 5 goals to his name alreadyAnd heres the post game interviews with David Mulcahy, Eddie Gormley, John McDonnell and Mark Quigley
More About: Goal

Fridays Eircom League Games - Quick Previews
2007-03-30 12:12:00
Another weekend with some big Eircom League games is upon us and heres a quick preview of Fridays games. There are also some four other games on Saturday and Sunday and I will have some previews up of them later today or tomorrowDrogheda v DerryTwo Title contenders go head to head in this game which is live on Setanta Sports. Defeats to Drogheda cost Derry dear last season and this probably will again be a close encounter. Drogheda will be without a host of players through injury and suspension while Derry have a full squad more or less to choose from. Stadium problems mean that capacity for this game will be limited to 1500.Drogheda have won their last four games after a slow start to the season while Derry have been blowing hot and cold since Pat Fenlon took over - click here for more information. With St Pats off to a flyer both these teams will be eager to not lose any more ground. I give Derry a slight edge in this game - at times versus Linfield things really clicked for them,...
More About: Games , Quick

Derry City - The Season so Far
2007-03-29 06:19:00
The following article is courtesy of Ciaran Roddy.2007 marks a new era for Derry City FC. The reign of the flawless Stephen Kenny ended late last season, and he was replaced by the most successful manager in Irish soccer, Pat Fenlon. Fenlon, despite his reputation has had a tough act to follow and the Brandywell faithful expect the ex-Shels manager to take the Candystripes a step further and to lead them to the Eircom League Championship; and with only three games gone a lot of controversy has surrounded the club’s start.Fenlon got off to a great start with a 1-0 Setanta Cup victory against Glentoran at the Oval, before starting the league campaign with a 1-0 home win to Bray. Derry went on to draw with Drogheda, before recording a quality away win to Sligo Rovers, a place where the Candystripes failed to win at in two attempts last season. Sensationally, Derry’s next two games have caused an array of unrest amongst the fans with two defeats away to Linfield and at home to fello...
More About: Season

Match Report - Longford v Sligo - and their prospects for this weekend
2007-03-29 04:53:00
Longford went in to this game after losing their first two games while Sligo had a win and a lose from their opening games. Injuries, a small squad and suspensions meant Longford had a make shift back line with Prunty out of position at centre back and Rutherford filling in at left back. Sligo were also depleted- missing Chris Turner, Raffael Cretaro and Gary Curran.The first half saw Longford put a real fight up and they managed to create three good chances - but wasteful finishing meant they didn't get off the score sheet. Up front Freeman looked like the player he is capable of being and linked things up well on a number of occasions with the midfield. This was an an achievement in itself as Doyle and Deegan didn't look up too much and showed little interest in getting forwardDespite the departure of Sean OConnor Sligo still look a well organised side and in particular I like the way their front one can become two or three when they are in possession. They whole team play as a ...
More About: Report , Weekend , Match , Prospect

The Weekends Results
2007-03-26 16:54:00
While most of the attention was focused on Croke Park this weekend there were a number of exciting Eircom League games up for deciding on Friday night and Sunday afternoonDerry v St Pats 0-1Derry lost their second game in succession as St Pats continued their great start to the season. Derry had the better of things until Pats took the lead from a corner kick. After that Derry lacked a creative edge and despite Fenlon tinkering with formation and tactics they couldn't find a way back into the game. This was a big win for St Pats as Derry have been extremely strong at home in recent years. Slightly surprising that Derry started the game with such a defensive formation but Fenlon seems to be taking a little time in finding out what his strongest eleven and formation is. Here's a link to the goals and match highlights on the Official St Pats WebsiteMatch Highlights Derry v St PatsGalway v Drogheda 2-3Drogheda started this game as you would expect - going 2 nil up after just 27mins an...
More About: Results

This Weekends Action
2007-03-22 15:25:00
Its not just Internationals this weekend there is also a full programme of Eircom League games. I will focus in on two or three of them later tonight or early tomorrow but for now heres a quick preview of all this weekends actionGalway v Drogheda, Friday night 19.45Home team Galway will be hoping to build on last weeks point gained away to Cork City. This will be their second home game of the season and they will be looking to pick up their first home points of the season. Manager Tony Cousins has already used more players than any other team in the division as he tries to figure out his strongest elevenDrogheda with four points from a possible six are visiting Terryland on the back of a deserved one nil win in the Setanta Cup away to Northern Premier side Glentoran. They found their scoring touch last week against UCD scoring three goals in a five goal thriller at United Park.Drogheda are real title contenders this season and if they wish to have a serious go at it they will need t...
More About: Action

The Season so far - Longford Town
2007-03-17 18:07:00
Those worried about Long ford before the season started were right to be concerned. The preseason saw them lose a host of experienced players and then came the news that Stephen Paisley was wanting away also. The only good news was that Manager Matthews was not lured away to Shelbourne. But the bad news then continued when news broke that the club allegedly owe a substantial amount of money to a building companyTheir first game of the season saw them go down 2-1 at home to Pats. The first goal they conceded was cruel. Longford were on the attack - the ball was crossed towards the penalty spot only for it to hit a St Pats players raised hand - what looked like a dead cert for a penalty was waived away by the referee. Pats broke quickly and within 10 seconds were 1 nil up. They doubled their lead a few minutes later when a tame shot from distance squirmed through the keepers body and trickled into the netTo their credit Longford then decided to have a real go at Pats - a sustained per...
More About: Ford , Season , Town , Seas

Tonights Eircom League
2007-03-16 10:45:00
Just a quick preview of the games I fancy today - in short Im looking at wins for Rovers, Bohs, Finn Harps and DundalkShamrock Rovers v LongfordRovers were excellent at home last year, a different team to that which takes to the road - they have a large loyal fan base getting behind them and they Tolka playing surface suits them. Last week vs UCD they looked solid at the back and although they didnt get on the scoresheet they looked capable of creating a few decent chances per matchLongford lost their opener at home to st pats - and at times they looked very open at the back. With Longford you can be sure they will give it a go but they may be fighting a losing battle this year - they have lost some experienced players and have only really brought in Rutherford to replace them - and of course Paisley is now gone also. His loss will make what was an ok defense even more vulnerable.I fancy Rovers to get their first win of the season here and given their excellent home form and the fac...
More About: Night , League , Tonight , Toni , Nights

Results Breakdown Season 2006
2007-03-15 04:25:00
Articles on stats and trends will be a regular feature over the course of the seasonI thought to start with I would have a look at the breakdown of results last season with regards to the percentage of home wins, draws and away wins - as well as a quick look at the split of games finishing over 2.5 goals/under 2.5 goalsPremier DivisionIn the Premier Division 45.5% of games finished with the home team winning. This is the highest percentage for home wins over the last four seasons28.5% of games ended level - again this is the highest percentage for draws over the last four seasons26% of games finished with the away team getting 3 points. This is the lowest percentage for away wins over the last 4 seasons58% of games ended in under 2.5 goals - this figure has been more or less static over the last four season42% of games ended in over 2.5 goals - again this figure is more or less unchanged over the last four seasonsFirst DivisionIn the First Division 39.4% of games ended in a home wi...
More About: Results , Break , Season , Down , Seas

Match Preview - Cork vs St Pats - March 12th
2007-03-12 04:51:00
In what is both clubs second Setanta sports cup outing St Pats make the long journey to Turners Cross to take on a Cork City side still reeling from their opening day defeat at the hands of WaterfordAccording to all accounts City were off form on Friday night.They didnt seem to really want it - but having said that it was a game they could have easily ended up winning 1 nil. This years City team has for me something to prove, After winning the title in 2005 a loss of key players and a champions league campaign damaged the club and stretched the squad to its limits. While its fair to say they were never really in the title race last year they did finish the season strongly and were only a meagre 6 points behind eventual winners and runners up Shels and Derry. The also boasted the best defense in the league. Whether that defensive togetherness can be maintained this season remains to be seen - the leagues best left back has left the club (and the league) and Alan Bennett has also mo...
More About: Preview , Review , View , Match , March

www.extremepicks.info
2007-03-11 23:06:00
www.extremepicks.info is a new website launched this week - and I have no doubt that in the next few months its going to be become very popular with anyone interested in Football Betting.It already has a host of experts writing articles and providing opinions and tips on various football leagues all over Europe and there are going to be more expert writers starting in the next few weeksFor some of my previous articles please see the following linksLinfield vs Glentoran Betting PreviewDundalk vs Finn Harps Betting PreviewShelbourne vs Kildare Betting PreviewUCD vs Shamrock Rovers Betting Preview
More About: Extreme , Info , Pick , Xtreme , Epic

Dundalk v Finn Harps, March 8th
2007-03-10 03:53:00
For my pre game preview please see -Extreme Picks - Dundalk vs Finn Harp s Betting PreviewThis game was the new seasons opener and if its a sign of things to come for the rest of the season Irish Football Fans will be rubbing their hands with glee. A great game, a big crowd, good football, lots of goals and a last minute winnerAll the Bookies (and Dundalk fans) have earmarked Dundalk for the First Division Title this year. They certainly came close last season and as long as they can fix some schoolboy defending errors they will at the very least come close againHarps took the lead - as a result of bad defending. A long ball was misjudged and allowed bounce by Flanagan, a covering tackle was made but from the throw in Harps took the lead. A long throw in was not attacked by any of the Dundalk defenders - again the ball was allowed bouce, twice this time and Gethins nipped in and headed it home. This was the kind of defending the saw Dundalk concede a lot of goals pre season - and...
More About: March , Marc