the system doesnât start at u21. He was 21 playing u21âs I think. They got him in his last year. Rovers capitalized.
Paid peanuts got rewarded.
Literally the only club in Ireland doing anything worth a fuck. Dundalk are raiding the lower reaches of American soccer bringing plugs over.
Dundalk bought Darragh Leahy from Bohs who was starting ahead of Scales for the Ireland u21s at a similar time. It just didnât work out whether through poor coaching or whatever but Dundalk bought plenty of lads from LOI clubs
theyâre bringing in lads from America too, thatâs their model to try and turn a few bob. They arenât fully invested in developing players in Louth. Short termism.
Rovers are linking with grass roots, creating a sustainable model. I hope they clean house and create and example for everyone to follow, with a good sustainable model. Long term investment.
Thereâs money being invested elsewhere but itâs all geared toward a quick buck and itâs always been the way and itâs why thereâs never been a Rovers.
Theyâve brought fuck all in from America. Agreed they arenât fully invested in developing players themselves but Dundalk is a lot smaller place than Dublin and they generally pick up players from other LOI teams.
The rest of the clubs bar maybe Derry now donât have the money to copy what Rovers have done
this is a great article
it doesnât take a whole pile of money to invest in local grassroots and create links with the clubs there. Setting up the academy structure does alright, initial investment in the long term.
If Dundalk spent less trying to buy short term success and invested in links and academies for long term gain, that would benefit the club and the area, but no, theyâre following the old blueprint of try get to Europe and spent whatever it takes to get there.
The Meath and District League covers a huge amount of clubs mate, with a massive population.
Before @starryplough stole my thunder, I was going to say he was before @thedancingbabyâs time
Its an awful pity someone with a few bob in Limerick wonât invest in a proper club thereâŚ
Same with Cork City, an absolute joke whatâs happening.
Pat had a go at the academy stuff in Limerick but he made a complete bollocks of it.
Cork City had an academy set up recently but they were doing it wrong, they were plucking from the bigger MSL clubs, expecting them to be happy about it and breaking relationships, there was no relationships formed at grass roots. Underhanded and undermining clubs will do nothing in the long run
there are 14/15 players in the Dundalk squad not eligible to play for Ireland
thereâs one in the Rovers squad
Dundalk have bought plenty of lads from other LOI clubs over the years of their dominance. Itâs only the last couple of years they have gone very international. I agree that they should have spent more of their money on youth but its harder in Dundalk than Dublin to find lads good enough
youâre making my argument for me.
Itâs harder because there is no structure in place to produce the players good enough. Itâs harder everywhere than Dublin because the will isnât there.
As I said the MDL is huge. And there are some LSL teams in the catchment area as well, they have no excuse
Rovers are creating links all over the country, building a network. Theyâll dominate for decades. The rest are caught with their pants down around their ankles
Yeah, Iâm irked I missed it too
Derry will win the league next season
Very possible with Duffy and McEleney back
I take your point but it is also easier in Dublin because the number of quality players will always be higher in Dublin. Even apart from Rovers in Dublin, Bohs, Pats and UCD (UCD is a bit different) also bring through good young players.
Dundalk and Sligo are mad soccer towns but if they put in the same amount of work as Shamrock Rovers they still wouldnât end up with as good an academy because of their geography
Limerick, Cork, Galway should all be on the ball. Itâs sad they arenât.
Sligo are isolated -they punch way above their weight.
Disagree completely about Dundalk, they could be raiding Monaghan, Cavan, Meath, Louth and up in to the North for players and building links with the bigger grass roots clubs. theyâve huge potential.
Rovers are doing Wicklow, Wexford etc and even into Munster to a certain extent. They arenât just looking in Dublin
there are > 60 clubs in MDL covering Drogheda, Navan, Trim, Carrick, Cavan, all decent towns
You are correct about Limerick, Cork and Galway anyway.
I just donât think the players are there generally in Monaghan, Cavan or Meath. They never really have been bar odd exceptions. Even up north, anybody in Derry or Belfast where most of the players will be will be picked up by the teams up there.
Bazunu - Dublin - Rovers
Kelleher - Cork - Never touched a LOI club
Collins - Leixlip - Never touched a LOI club
Omobamidele - Leixlip - Never touched a LOI club
OâShea - Dublin - Never touched a LOI club
Molumby - Waterford - Never touched a LOI club
Knight - Dublin - Never touched a LOI club
Idah - Cork - Never touched a LOI club
Connoly - Galway - Likewise
Parrott - Dublin - Likewise
the talent is around the country and has never been nurtured by the LOI, unless they get their eyes on the ball now that England isnât there to pick up the pieces weâre fucked
Thatâs an awful lot of transfer value right there not to be getting a bob into the game for, outside of token money to amateur clubs
Again thatâs my point, if you arenât looking you wonât pick them up and they arenât looking. English clubs have been. Irish clubs should be. Rovers are.
The will to change it at that level needs to be there but isnât.
Most of those lads were the last of the past era of lads going over to England at 16. Jason Knight was at Cabinteely btw.
How many lads from Monaghan, Cavan and Meath have English clubs brought over? Darragh Lenihan?