 David Scullion In many ways it is typical of how the League of Ireland season has gone, yet it is still quite sad that the final round of games in the 2009 campaign have been overshadowed by financial issues.
Derry City have plummented right to the bottom of the pile marked 'Clubs in need of a lifeline' following the recent revelations that their players have not been paid in a number of weeks and both Dungannon Swifts and Linfield are hounding them for monies owed.
Crunch meetings have been ongoing with the board trying to make sense of where it all went wrong and how their problems can be fixed. They are due in Abbotstown this weekend to discuss with the FAI what the best way forward would be.
Demotion from the Premier Division has been suggested, but the big fear now is whether the club can survive the winter. Let's hope they can because losing Derry would be a massive blow to the domestic game.
Proud history, rich support
Former Derry great Liam Coyle recently caused a stir when he tackled a taboo subject and suggested that the club should consider leaving the League of Ireland in favour of a return to the Irish League.
Chairman Pat McDaid was quick to kill off that talk by saying that they wanted to stay put. For both the club and the League of Ireland, it is essential that they stick around.
With such a long history (and quite a successful one too), Derry are so much more a just another football team. They represent a city that is often excluded from the mainstream spotlight, Cork are similar in this regard, and their victories taste all the more sweeter for their fans.
And those fans are something else. To travel all around the island following their club, being extremely vocal with their songs, chants, and support, and doing it on a consistent basis shows how much it all means to them. When Stephen Kenny returned for a second spell as manager they turned out in such great numbers that some would have been forgiven for thinking that the messiah that arose for a third time.
So to lose a such a strong club and a superbly loyal supporter base would be crippling for the league.
Building blocks already in place
If they can come up with the finance needed to pay their end-of-season bills, then Derry should be able to attract new investment as they can showcase to interested parties the solid footing that they can reshape the club around.
Besides having one of the best managers in the domestic game in the aforementioned Kenny, they also possess an excellent squad. Okay, some players may go and it is a huge shame that they did not offer new terms to Peter Hutton, but the nucelus is definitely there.
Anyone doubting the strength of their roster should take a look at their strikeforce - Mark Farren, Sammy Morrow, Thomas Stewart, Tam McManus, David McDaid. Pretty impressive, even though they didn't top the scoring charts this season.
Only a few months ago the club convinced the Derry City Council to agree to a project that would help to redevelop the Brandywell Stadium. It is a ground that certainly needs a modern facelift, but more than anything investment needs to be pumped into the club's resources.
They have shown on the pitch what they are capable of, especially in Europe, now it is time for them to get some help with the off-field matters, so that they are prolong their status as one of the top clubs in League of Ireland football.  Bohemians Celebrate
Last week, the Dublin-based club coasted to a 3-1 victory over Sligo Rovers to move onto 76 points. And with Shamrock Rovers failing to beat Galway United on the same night, it became clear straight away that the champions had retained their league crown.
It has been a long season and a memorable one in many ways for Bohs. From talk of a possible quadruple to Champions League heartbreak to a transfer embargo to the threat of slipping into administration, the club truly deserve some time off.
They will be able to rest a little easier over the next two months with the knowledge that they finished the 2009 campaign as double winners (let's not forget about their EA Sports Cup triumph) and not many would begrudge them the title that they have just won for the second year running.
Success begins with strong management
A team can only so far with a manager that is limited. It is true that average managers have indeed won trophies in the past, although 'average' is not a word that would be used to describe Pat Fenlon.
The Bohs boss has yet again proved himself to be the best manager in League of Ireland football by guiding his team past the aforementioned obstacles and into top spot in the league despite strong opposition from city rivals Rovers.
An argument can be made that there was already an excellent squad there when he arrived, but it is up to the manager to get those players to gel as a team and to be successful. Plus he has brought in players like Brian Shelley, Paul Keegan, Glenn Cronin, Joseph Ndo, and Jason Byrne, who have all made a huge difference.
It is not just his team selection, infamous tough pre-season schedule, or eye for a good player that allows Fenlon to build winning teams - it is his cleverness in adapting to every situation. When all of his centre-backs were injured, he improvised by setting up specific training drills with players that were more familiar with other positions. And it worked.
This season, Bohs have used a few different systems and have played in a variety of different ways. They have responded to the other team's tactics by exploiting certain weaknesses and focusing on their own strengths. Fenlon knows how to change things around at the right time and how to convey his masterplan to his players.
The start of something special
Never before have Bohs won back-to-back league titles. That is quite an amazing statistic considering the size of the club and its history. Yet when one goes to see the current team play, they will understand why they were always destined to win the league this year.
Despite the double success, there is still a feeling of unfinished business. It lingers from the cruel exit that they made in the Champions League when Red Bull Salzburg were gifted a late goal in the second leg of their qualifier. It is a defeat that still stings today, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
Progression on the European front is the last great frontier for Fenlon. He came close with Shelbourne, but he knows that this current Bohs squad (if he can keep it together for next season) are capable of going even further. Just maybe, it could be the start of something special.
Some may question whether Owen Heary or Glen Crowe can still hack a long season, or if Brian Murphy and Gary Deegan will stick around. But those who have doubted Fenlon in the past have been proved wrong and this team are eager to elevate their outstanding league form of the past two years onto a new stage.
Perhaps it is premature to already start speculating about European runs. Instead, this blog entry should simply end by saying 'Bravo to Bohs - worthy champions'.  Steven Reid For those of you worried that this is another blurb to ask aimless questions about why Giovanni Trapattoni continues to not call up Andy Reid, fear not. Instead, this is about the other Reid......the good one.......Steven.
After causing quite a stir recently by suggesting that the Blackburn Rovers player would struggle to regain full fitness, it was not that surprising that the Republic of Ireland manager opted not to include the player in his squad for next month's World Cup qualifying play-off with France.
The hope amongst many fans was that Reid had done enough in a goal-scoring 70 minute display in the Carling Cup against Peterborough United to convince Mr. Trapattoni that he was ready for an international return.
But this wily 70-year-old is not that easy to please. He knows when a player is lacking in games and isn't prepared to drop someone like Liam Miller, who has been impressive for Hibernian, for a player that has yet to complete 90 minutes of first-team football this season.
Is that good management by Trapattoni? Or has he taken a big gamble by leaving Reid out?
Fit enough = Good enough
Reid's exclusion from the 25-man panel is sure to raise a fresh debate over the Irish manager's selection policy. Arguments will be made about his insistence to cling to cautioness and his unwillingness to take more of a risk with certain players.
They (the doubters) will say that Blackburn would not have picked Reid to start earlier in the week if he was not fit enough to play. Well, that is debatable considering several of his team-mates have been hit with swine flu and it was a league cup match against a lower league side.
While he did score a penalty - just about - that isn't really enough. He simply needs more games. Playing reserve football, where he has scored twice recently, is fine, but performing in the Premier League is where it matters most.
However, I do think that he should have been included in the squad ahead of Darron Gibson, who is also only returning from injury. Yes, Reid's absence was much longer, but he can contribute much more than the Manchester United youngster if he is fit enough to play.
If Trapattoni had included Reid then he would have been able to assess his fitness in training. Perhaps he wanted to sidestep the pressure of having such a player in the squad at a time when he needs Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews to be as focused as they have ever been wearing green jerseys.
A squad good enough to win
The other players that missed the cut for the play-off squad are Kevin Foley, Steve Finnan, Caleb Folan, and Noel Hunt. Each has an able replacement already called up, so their absence should not be felt.
A scan through the Irish squad does not lead one's eyes to many star names, but it does hint at solidity in a big way. By now, the team really picks itself with just the wing positions proving difficult to predict.
Damien Duff is back in contention, so Liam Lawrence may miss out on starting against the French in Dublin. But the positive thing to note is that Ireland now have four wingers (Duff, Lawrence, Stephen Hunt, Aiden McGeady) who all provide good attacking options.
Overall it is a squad good enough to win the two play-off games. Whether lessons have been learnt about conceding late goals, taking shots from open play, and marking tighter at set-pieces remains to be seen. At least, Trapattoni knows he has the players capable of addressing those issues and pushing his team towards World Cup qualification.  Franck Ribery
Isn't this the same nation that has only reached the World Cup finals three times? And the one that are regularly accused of playing negative football? It is? Then how can one explain the optimism currently shaping the predictions of pundits and punters alike?
Well, it is probably safe to say that World Cup fever is starting to mount and the Irish public are craving an extra large slice of it. Add to that the fact that the French are now considered to be a wobbly wonder of a team, while the Irish are seen by many to be tough to beat. Funny how perceptions can change with just a few games.......or if there is a big prize to fight for.
However, for all of this talk that is laced with positives, it is still going to take two big performances for Giovanni Trapattoni's team to book their place in South Africa next summer.
Ribery out, Gourcuff in
Halloween has yet to hit, but the fireworks were set off last week when it was announced that France would be without playmaker Franck Ribery for the two-legged Play-Off next month.
While I remain wary about a player being ruled out of a match so many weeks before it takes place, it is very comforting to know that the Bayern Munich man is at least struggling to reach full fitness and is likely to miss out.
Ribery is the one player that the French wanted to have in their line-up when they face Ireland because he can create goals, finish chances, and cause general mayhem for opposition defenders with relative ease. Without him in their team, Les Bleus will struggle to find that spark of imagination needed to open up a tight game.
The man expected to take over from Ribery is Bordeaux's Yoann Gourcuff. The 23-year-old is back playing after overcoming a niggling injury and if he is able to reproduce the form that he showed last season in Ligue 1, where he picked up the Player of the Year award, then there will be plenty of reasons for the Irish team to worry.
In contrast to this, France might opt to go with a completely different formation. With their manager, Raymond Domenech, renowned for regularly making head-scratching decisions and using four strikers in his starting eleven for certain games, Gourcuff might not even feature. It depends on whether he has an issue with the Cancer starsign that the winger possesses as Domenech tends not to trust players with certain zodiac signs.
Moving the goalposts......again and again
From the few comments that were left on my last blog entry, it was clear that many people are still angry about Fifa's decision to change the Play-Off draw to a seeded format. This anger is fully justified from the perspective of the teams that were dropped into the Category Two slot due to their official rankings being lower than France, Greece, Russia, and Portugal.
Yes, it is outrageous that the world governing body in football can alter the rules like that in order to favour the 'bigger' nations, but it was typical of how Fifa has been run under Sepp Blatter's reign. To list off his numerous follies would require a blog entry all on its own, so let's just settle with the fact that he is more interested in the politics and money that power the game rather than what makes the game so enjoyable.
Oh, and it is not just Blatter that should be blamed, but the whole Fifa board. They all wanted to see the big teams involved in South Africa and made sure that they made their Play-Off route that little bit easier. But there could be a few surprises yet.
To IrishinOhio: I presume that RTE will broadcast the Play-Off games live in Ireland, although if you are stuck for a live feed I'd suggest checking out justin.tv as they usually have links up there on match days.
Feel free to leave more comments on this blog and I'll try to answer any questions that you might have.  Raymond Domenech
While Greece would have been seen by many as the ideal opponent to get from Monday's draw in Zurich, Trapattoni will more than likely be happy to have been drawn against the French.
Greece are not a great team, but Ireland always tend to perform better when playing more high profile teams. So getting France, Portugal, or Russia would therefore have fitted into that mindset.
Russia are a difficult side to break down and playing them on their artificial surface would surely have caused a few problems, while Portugal are quick on the counter attack and seem to be getting better under the guidance of Carlos Quieroz.
So France is a good team to draw as they are feeling the pressure of their own fans & media, struggling to adapt to the mind-boggling tactics that Raymond Domenech conjures up, and are still relying on the individual quality of players rather than a team spirit or structure to get them through games.
Not the French team we know
Anybody who watched France during their qualifying campaign will be able to list off numerous reasons why they have to settle with the Play-Offs as their route to South Africa.
Of course, they have not totally collapsed - otherwise they wouldn't have even made it this far - but the signs are there to see that they are a fragile force.
In goal, Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda is an agile shot-stopper, although his handling, especially from corner kicks, can be quite weak. His back-up, Lyon's Hugo Loris, is probably a better all-round keeper, but Mandanda should be standing between the posts when Les Bleus travel to Dublin next month.
On paper the French defence looks very strong with Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Sebastien Squillaci, Patrice Evra all solid performers normally. However, as a unit they tend to leak some soft goals. Eric Adibal and Julien Escude are often used too, while Rod Fanni is pushing Sagna for the right-back slot. It is a defence that can be breached by the trickery of Robbie Keane and/or the aerial dominance of Kevin Doyle, Caleb Folan, or Leon Best.
There are some star names in the French midfield with Franck Ribery, Florent Malouda, and Samir Nasri sticking out. Yet, Domenech failed to get the balance right in qualifying between attack and defence. He tends to rely on Lassana Diarra too much and if Jeremy Toulalan has a quiet evening then they struggle as a team. In contrast to this, they do have players like Ribery and Yoann Gourcuff that can change a game with a goal or a clever assist.
Up front, Thierry Henry leads the way with Nicolas Anelka usually partnering him. Again, on paper it looks fantastic, but doesn't always work. Karim Benzema is still in the mix despite being dropped recently and Andre-Pierre Gignac has proved that he is capable of scoring at international level. Cutting off the service to them is key to shutting out the French.
Ireland can evoke some fear too
Okay, so they struggled to beat Cyprus in Nicosia, drew twice with Bulgaria when they could have won, and failed to kill off Italy twice, but this Irish team is growing in confidence all of the time.
A big factor going into this Play-Off will be that France view Ireland as a difficult team to beat. After going unbeaten in qualifying, they will now try to use their stubborn streak to their favour as they attempt to qualify for the World Cup.
Just as this blog starts to step up its investigation into the French team, many journalists based in France will be trying to figure Ireland out and why they will be fearing that they can surprise everyone by beating the former world champions.  Shay Given
Only Germany, Spain, Italy, and Holland achieved the same feat and each of those will be expected to challenge for the trophy in South Africa next year. Ireland might not be tagged as one of the favourites, especially since they have yet to qualify, but are in good company with the other nations that went unbeaten.
A lot has been said over the course of the qualifying campaign about this Irish team and the manager, but no matter how limited some think they are or how 'shameful' some of their performances appear to be, they have still gone ten games without losing.
Add to that the fact that they are now going into the Play-Offs as the most tricky side in the bottom seeding pile. All of the top seeded nations will want to avoid Ireland, because they know how difficult Giovanni Trapattoni's team are to break down.
Holding no fear
Even though they went unbeaten it does not mean that Ireland are suddenly a fantastic team that will sweep through the Play-Offs and swat away any big country that attempts to stop them from reaching the World Cup.
As highlighted in previous blog posts, there are plenty of areas that need to be worked on ahead of those two games next month. And the final qualifying game against Montenegro hammered that fact home.
However, the Irish squad should hold no fear if they are paired with Portugal, France, or Russia. They just need to focus on winning two games of football, not trying to prove anything else......just go out and win.
The aforementioned trio are not as strong as they have been in recent years, but it would be quite foolish for anyone to underestimate them - something that Trapattoni will ensure does not happen.
The qualifying campaign has proved that Ireland can play some good football and raise their game against someone like Italy. So there is no reason for them to be fearful going into the Play-Offs.
New faces are welcome additions
When Trapattoni took over the job he knew that some new players needed to be introduced to his squad. After inviting 30 players out to a training camp in Portugal, he has kept faith with many players that never previously popped up on the radar of the average fan.
Not all of them were in Portugal for that camp, but the likes of Kieren Westwood, Sean St Ledger, Eddie Nolan, Liam Lawrence, Glenn Whelan, Keith Andrews, Martin Rowlands, Leon Best, and Caleb Folan can now consider themselves squad members.
Westwood, Rowlands and Nolan are probably the only three from that list that are still hanging on the edge of the squad as back-up. The others are all pushing for starting spots with St Ledger, Whelan, and Andrews all regular starters now.
By introducing these new faces, Trapattoni has brought competition for places and options for each position. Okay, so they are not household names and none of them will be in contention for the Ballon d'Or anytime soon, but that is not the point.
These players work hard as part of a team. Their input allows Ireland to play the way that the manager wants them to. Without them, Ireland would still be in the shadows of international football, where they were left by the previous manager. The only thing 'shameful' about this Irish team is the fact that not everyone recognises how hard they work and how far they can go. | |