Game 7

Dundalk 2-1 Drogheda

First win of the season and it feels so good!

I mentioned after the first game of the season that I hoped that the sluggish and lackluster display was in part down to a lack of pre-season. I was hoping against hope because I didn’t really actually believe it but seven games in the team definitely look like they’re finding their feet.

Papa Bill even mentioned this today in an interview with James Rogers.

“Do I think we’ve made bad decisions this year? Yeah. How many friendlies did we play? Three if you count the President’s Cup. How many did Shamrock Rovers play? Nine. QED.”

So maybe there is something there? Who knows? Maybe we should have arranged more preseason friendlies?

I also don’t feel like there’s very much between a lot of the teams in the league. At no point other than maybe the first 30 minutes in Tallaght have Dundalk been outplayed or outclassed. A bounce of a ball here or there and things could be looking a little better.

Anyway look, I just read that interview with Papa Bill and I wanted to highlight a couple of things. Here he is talking about hiring a new manager;

“We’re not desperate and we don’t have to make a decision about that tomorrow. At this point Jim hasn’t presented me with one candidate but I wouldn’t have expected him to. He will present a short list and I’m not going to tell him who to hire. I’ll tell him who he can’t.”

My wife and I were shopping the other day and Rachel suggesting getting a pizza. I said yes and that she should pick which one she wanted. The first one she picked up? I said not that one. The second one she picked up? I said not that one either. The third one was just right.

We laughed a lot at the idea that the choice was hers. The idea that Bill will not say who Jim can hire but he will tell him who he can’t hire? That’s also laughable.

More nonsense from Papa Bill

“Everybody is entitled to an opinion and if they think it is being run like a circus well let them stand up and say give me the chance to run it and I’ll show you how to run it.”

You heard him Dundalk, all we have to do is ask!

Look, Bill, bubby, just stop. People are angry, people are concerned, people are confused about what on earth is happening behind the scenes at the club. And you would have to be an absolute looney not to see why people are feeling all of those things.

The fact that there isn’t much between the teams in the league is making this all the more difficult to take. If this team was settled, if they had the right coach in place, if Magilton is allowed to do his job this whole thing might work.

Frustratingly they’ve left themselves very little wiggle room in terms of slip ups. They’re going to need to go on a charge through the next round of fixtures and claw back an awful lot of points but they are absolutely capable of doing it.