2011 - The fans point of view

An article with the views,thoughts,hopes and expectations of supporters for Sligo Rovers for 2011. Also including the thoughts of some fans of teams we'll be playing against this season.

"If there is one thing that I want to happen, it is to get a good start to the season. If we do this I feel we have every chance in winning the league and if not that then pushing 'the model club' the whole way. Also it would be very nice to see us progress from the second round in Europe. If we achieve both or even either of these feat's I would consider this season a huge success."

 - Chris Callan

" For me its all about the league. Yes, last year we played great football and won two cups but for me we threw away the league,we were'nt consistant enough at the back and we were slow off the mark in a good few games,I think we need to learn how to kill teams off, too many times last season we go one up and then sit back and not continue to do what got us the goal so hopefully cookie can sort that out. As for the way we play im not bothered. You lump it all day as long as we get the result dont forget for our lovely footie we didn't beat any of the top teams bar Fingal in the league. Now to the squad. I'm shocked Conor is gone, I think we're gonna miss him coming on and dragging the team on and gettin them going. Danny could do the same but he's no Conor, and Conor has more football in him. The back four looks good but I hope degzy(foran) starts ahead of McGuinness just because I think degzy is a better all round centre half hes quick,good in the air, and can play on the deck. I hope they play Russell the same as the semis, I dont think they knew how to mark him and as you know we destroyed them, and i'm hopin this is blinks season for a bag of goals. No one deserves it more, the work that lad does for the cause is second to none and I hope the fans are more patient with him and appreciate what he does for us. So thats it from me and heres to one of the most exciting seasons in the Showgrounds since 76-77."

 - Mark Stenson

"I hope we give the league a good shot this season and get to the aviva again, it would be great. I would also like to see Conor o' Grady back in the red shirt again, I think it was a joke he was let go "

 - Glen Shannon

"I just hope we get into the Europa League group stages. The odds are against us but you never know, especially if we play as good as we did last season "

 - Evan Cawley

"Can't wait for the new season. This is probably the best squad we've seen in The Showgrounds in a long time. We need to get off to a better start than the last couple of years. We could have won the league last year as well as the 2 cups if it wasn't for all the drawn games at the start. Shams probably have the best squad but it will be hard for them to keep everyone happy and find their best team at the start and hopefully we'll be able to carry the form we showed last year into this year. Looking forward to the brandywell Friday. Should be a big crowd at that game and hopefully the Showgrounds will be packed for the shams game next week. Last year was brilliant but could be even better this year. CMON ROVERS!!! "

 - Darren Gaughan

"Well I think we should win the League and in the Europa league they should do very well and hopfully win the FAI Ford cup, Setanta Cup and the EA Sports Cup. We're all looking forward that we'll have a good season. Im sad to see Boco and O' Grady go. But Blinkhorn and Cretaro will probobly score the most goals. We have solid defenders and brilliant midfielders and hopefully we will get no injuries."

- James Lawlor Kerr

"I hope we do well to battle against relegation this season picking up points vs the likes of Bray Wanderers and Bohs"

- Cian O' Dowd

 "The priority this year is definately the league! last year we showed the country that Sligo Rovers played real football! What a brilliant squad of players and this year the league is ours! a good run in both cups and also doing well in the Europa League would be great! Get off to a good start on Friday and then sort the shams out when they visit Showgrounds on the 12th and we will be flyin! cant wait!"

- David Willis

"The rest of the league know that we are serious title contenders and with a running start I believe we can take the title away from Shams come November. Despite losing top players like Brush, Lauchlan and Amond the squad is looking stronger now than the start of last season which is a testament to Paul Cook and the team. As we go straight to the second qualifying round of the Europa league I am looking forward to seeing who we draw and the atmosphere that surrounds European football . Last season was amazing and the only way to top it is a league title and a big European fixture. We have the quality and depth to achieve this and also put in at least one good cup run as well. "

 - Kevin Finn

"After a very successful 2010 season in which we won both the EA Sports Cup and the FAI Ford Cup as well as finishing third in the league my expectations are high that we can push on for this season and challenge for the league title. I feel our biggest threat to winning a league title are going to be the current champions, the auld enemy shamrock rovers, a few weeks ago i was very optimistic that we would match them all the way, however in the last few weeks my confidence has dimmed slightly as i feel the demise of spoting fingal has benefited all the big Dublin clubs namely pats bohs and in particular shams who have been able to add to their squads by snapping up ex sporting fingal players on free transfers. Hopefully if we can stay in a challenging position until the transfer window opens in july we will be able to add to our squad and push forward in the second half of the season. I also hope the good work done by the club promotions officer keith odwyer can by continued and improved upon with the addition of pacie lynch as club general manager. I think an opportunity still presents itself to take the cups to a lot of rural schools and clubs that have not yet been visited. ( this to me four months down the road from that momentous day in the aviva is a little disappointing).

Another area where we could improve our marketing is by distributing free passes to national school children. There is no better way to get a parent to the showgrounds than a child with a free pass nagging at him.

I am also looking forward to our journey into Europe and hoping we can progress to the 2nd or 3rd round."

 - Derek Meehan

"I hope we get a good start to the season and would like to see us winning the league this year. I hope we get a better start to the season than last year. I also hope that we get to the FAI cup final again and hope its in Aviva as their was plenty supporters their to support the team. I also want to get back to the Showgrounds as it has been months since they last played their and to see them playin again at their best. "

- James Connor

FROM THE OPPOSITIONS POINT OF VIEW

"Sligo Rovers:
Do have a lot to live up to after last year. Ended the form side, are seen as the ones most likely to win it outside of Rovers, probably rightly so. Haven't made as many changes as probably envisaged, not necessarily a bad thing, but may mean coming up short. Cretaro should get goals, top 3 nailed on I'd say, but I'll say second or third though. Will need to hit the ground running if Rovers are to be dethroned, slow start will in all likelihood cost you once more. Some cups to defend too.

Europe:
probably gonna be unseeded, which could mean an arduous trek like we got last year(Tel Aviv), could see Sligo doing well in Europe, can't do worse then last time can they! Bit like Fingal last year, avoid a tricky tie like Maritimo and there's every chance of going thru one round anyway.

Champions:
The hope is we'll defend the title, and rightly so, with the squad assembled. It wont be easy, bookies have us odds on which I don't think we justify tbh. Squad looks far stronger this time around, disposing of Bradley & bringing in Finn for example, having seen him terrorise us with Fingal. I think he will be a terrific signing, probably the best one we've made. Certainly stronger up front now as well, O'Neil, Sheppard & Kilduff brought in, should mean far less reliability on Twigg getting goals. Gary McCabe seems to be doing well in pre-season which is a good sign.
Think we are gonna need to start quicker this year points wise, one win from six games in two successive seasons will not win us the league this year I feel. 67 points was probably a record low tally last year for 36 games.
Competitively we should be strong in all competitions, one day we'll play Setanta Cup football(typical we enter when Linfield are out)
Squad looks very strong, wasn't overly keen on signing Gary O'Neil at first, has a habit of turning Rovers down but we'll trust MON on this one. He was pretty determined to sign him so hopefully he will be justified.
I'd be disappointed if we couldn't retain the title but if someone finishes above us then they will be the champions I reckon.
It's almost like Bohs in 2009 after winning the league by 19 points, everyone has us overwhelming favourites, the champions are there to be shot at etc, someone will come from the pack and put up a fight to us, my money would be Sligo or maybe Derry.
Champions League in Tallaght this year too, there does seem to be a curse on the LOI representative, may or may not be seeded, wouldn't mind facing TNS and putting them out! ;) "

- Lambay Cuchullainn, Shamrock Rovers fan

"Dundalk are a stronh shout for this years Airtricity league as Foster has kept a core of the squad while adding experience in the ranks with such players as Byrne, Hawkins and Guthrie to an exciting young team who's standout players contain the likes of Kearns, Gaynor and Maher.

Anybody who would dbout our ability to have a telling say in the destination of the title if not win it ourselves would surely be a fool. We started last season very well but due to injuries and tiredness ( the run in Europe did little to help a threadbare squad) we have finished higher than our finishing position). It became clear from alleged reports of in-fighting that at times that certain players were none to impressed with the manager and hence not pulling in the same way, Burns showing this by his attitude towards a new contract and Hatswell leaving who was alleged to be the centre of this fighting. With these influences now gone it appears Foster has his squad.

While it is must be stated that Connors steadied a newly promoted team back into the premier division Foster has pushed on and brought a confidence to the club with the financial system being one of the best up there with the likes of Sligo and Rovers. We are by no means the out and out favourites but we will be there or there abouts come the last day of the season. Our defeat of Linfield has shown that we are in good form and raring for the start of the league season against Rovers on Friday the 4th of March. C'mon the town!!

on Sligo I think you will be challenging with the Shams and Dundalk for the title. I think you will do well in Europe but it may effect your chances in the league of obtaining the championship. Cook is a revelation for Sligo and has been immense, with the recapture of Cretaro and the captain Richie Ryan staying and the capture of players from Sporting Fingal I can not see why Rovers cannot hold on to the cup and make a league challenge."

- Brian Darcy, Dundalk fan

"Looking into the 2011 season for Bohemians, I can honestly say I’m delighted that we’re even playing, and in the Premier Division at that. Our well-documented financial troubles have been the only talk in Phibsboro and beyond but eventually the tremendous work from the fans has helped the club greatly through possibly the most difficult period of the club’s 121-year history. We’ve got a lot of very young players in our squad at the moment and judging from the two friendly’s and Setanta Cup first leg game we’ve played so far, there’s a lot of raw talent in our youthful team. There’s a lot of gelling yet to be done in the side, but that’s to be expected as pre-season training began very late for Bohs. As well as our young lads coming through, some senior players from the League of Ireland have also signed for us like Ger O’Brien, Aidan Price and Ollie Cahill. These three, along with captain Owen Heary, will offer plenty of experience and encouraging help to our younger players totally new to senior football. The fans will be patient of the unproven players and I’m personally very excited to see players like Lee Dixon, Ryan McEvoy and Karl Somers break through. I imagine a mid-table finish for Bohs this season, and I’ll most definitely take that considering there were questions of our existence for a long time.

As far as Sligo Rovers go, Bohemians fans will be checking the score-lists every week and hoping that the Bit O’ Red earn three points every week (bar the games against us of coarse.) I believe Sligo have a fantastic chance of winning the league this year and are probably the biggest threat to take the crown from our Tallaght neighbours. Once Sligo start the season with the feet running and all guns blazing, they will give themselves a real chance of glory this season, and it’s something all of us at Dalymount are hoping to see!
- Cillian Shields, Bohemians fan

"My thoughts on the season
Shamrock Rovers will have a great season in my opinion and thats not because I'm a fan of the Champions its because they have signed so many good players such as Karl Sheppard who netted 8 goals the last season for Galway United, Gary O'Niell from Sporting Fingal after they went bust, Ronan Finn who is set to set Tallaght alite with dazzaling skill, and many others signed for the rainging Champions.
They kick off the new season with a game against Dundalk in Tallaght Stadium and hopefully it's a win for the Hoops!

My expectations for the Champions
My expectations from such a strong side is at least a title challenge and hope to bring the throphy back to Tallaght which would delight the home fans!


Who i think will come out of the pack to challenge Shamrock Rovers for the title.
Personally i can only see a two horse race and thats between the two Rovers' , Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers. Both have got a great side worthy of winning any league title and have money in order behind the scences with so many season ticket holders and people attending the game week in and week out is a joy to behold. Dundalk, St.Patrick's Athletic, Bohemians will all be setting their sights on Europe but I think they could start off good and get a title challenge under their belt but then whiter away from the pack come the summer or early September. So thats my personal opinion on who will challenge the Hoops for the league title this coming season.


My wishes to players, clubs, fans alike this season.
I would like to wish the players of all teams the best of luck for the new season and enjoy their football this season, and I personally hope Galway, Shamrock Rovers, Drogheda have a good season for obvouis reasons to a Hoop.I hope all the fans enjoy this season as much as we enjoyed the previous one."

- Alex Murray, Shamrock Rovers fan

So all looks positive amongst fans, thanks to all who have written some brilliant pieces.