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Articles by Eoin Doyle
Waterford's generational striking talents can win the Cup
Ciara regularly gives out to me for repeating myself. "You've told me that story already." I know, and I’m fully aware I say this every year, but I’m going to say it anyway: The FAI Cup final is the greatest event the Aviva Stadium hosts in the year. The tribalism, the build-up, the excitement, the buzz around the place. It’s brilliant. And it’s probably an even better day for the neutral, who can absorb everything without the emotion swallowing them whole.
A tribute to Chris Forrester as the curtain falls on another season
There is always something strange about the last night of a league season. You spend months consumed by the next game, the next result or the next argument, then suddenly it's all over and the silent race to rebuild and improve begins. Adding to that silence, is the fact none of our clubs qualified for the European league phase. No games to bring us to Christmas will make for a longer winter. Shamrock Rovers finish as champions again, their sixth title in seven seasons and their 23rd overall.
Shamrock Rovers may win the league but challengers are improving
Whatever happens over the final two games, I think this League of Ireland season deserves a closer look than simply asking whether Shamrock Rovers have won another title. They remain the benchmark. Their consistency over several seasons has earned them that status. But beneath them, something is changing. Clubs are becoming better equipped to compete, talent is spreading around the division, and the numbers suggest that challenging Rovers is becoming a more realistic ambition.
Bohemians lost the derby and the subsequent PR battle
There's rarely a dull week in the League of Ireland, but even by our own standards the last seven days have produced enough drama to fill a month's worth of headlines. Monday night's Dublin derby at Tallaght Stadium had everything we've come to expect from the biggest fixture in Irish football. A record league crowd in Tallaght Stadium of 10,208, three goals, controversy and some 'enjoyable' scenes following the final whistle.
Normality returns ahead of unpredictable weekend
After an international window like no other it almost feels comforting to get back to the madness of the League of Ireland. Normality, if that word can ever be associated with our league, has returned. We also have two FAI Cup semi-finals this weekend and, just to make sure things remain suitably chaotic, Derry City and James McClean are publicly at it again.
Paul Cooke stance contributed to Saturday's shambolic scenes
Leadership is easy when everyone agrees with you. It's when issues become difficult, uncomfortable and potentially damaging that you find out most about the people running an organisation. Over the last number of months and particularly throughout this entire situation surrounding Ireland’s games against Israel I’ve become increasingly concerned by the leadership of FAI president Paul Cooke. This isn’t personal. I don’t know Paul well enough to make it personal. My concern is football.
Where is the FAI board during this strange, sad international week?
This has been the strangest and saddest international window I can remember. Managerial uncertainty, bad results, pressure from supporters, injuries, rows, all that good stuff that football can throw at you and create noise within a camp can have a normality to it. This feels completely different. It has made me deeply uncomfortable. I have written before that I do not believe these games against Israel should be taking place and my feelings have only hardened as they have approached.
Shamrock Rovers are vulnerable but they have enough to get over line
There are bad runs of form and then there are bad runs of form at the wrong time. For Shamrock Rovers this is very much the latter. The champions have now gone seven games without a win in all competitions. Their last victory came against Dundalk on the 7 August - six weeks ago by the time they face Waterford tonight. When you look at the form of the three teams involved in this title race the contrast is obvious.
Battle of the League of Ireland underachievers at Tolka Park
Most eyes in the League of Ireland will naturally be drawn towards Inchicore this evening. St Patrick's Athletic have an opportunity to breathe life into the title race while Shamrock Rovers have the chance to do the exact opposite and begin burying any remaining thoughts of a challenge. If Galway can take points from Bohemians and Rovers leave Richmond Park with three points the league table could have a fairly definitive look about it. Yet strangely that isn’t the game that intrigues me most.
Rory Gaffney was an immense asset - a striker like no other
I was halfway through writing a column about tomorrow's FAI Cup game between St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians when an announcement came across my screen that made me change direction. The Pat's-Bohs game can wait.
European exit further compounds flat atmosphere at Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers' European exit in Finland wasn’t a humiliation on the pitch. It wasn’t another Albania, where a commanding first-leg position disappeared in a chaotic 5-1 defeat. It was a tight game, decided by one unfortunate goal, against a disciplined KuPS side.
Showgrounds showdown with Waterford is vital but coming years are critical for Sligo Rovers
Friday night at the Showgrounds carries the feel of a season-defining game even with nine league matches still to play. Sligo Rovers sit bottom of the league table on 22 points, while Waterford on 28 points sit eighth - just marginally ahead of Drogheda United on goal difference. A home victory would narrow the gap to within three points and breathe life into this survival fight. A defeat creates a nine-point gap between the teams and leaves Darren Purse's side needing something close to a miracle.
James McClean's disillusionment should prompt introspection at Derry City
There is always a tendency, it seems, to focus on how something is said rather than asking the more important question - why was it said in the first place? James McClean has never been someone who keeps his opinion to himself. Derry City knew that when they brought him home in January. Tiernan Lynch spoke about his experience, discipline and ability to raise standards.
Roddy Collins and James McClean are more alike than they realise
Derry City have reached the point where the noise around the club has become louder than the football being played on the pitch. Tiernan Lynch is gone, James McClean has been firing messages into the public domain, and Roddy Collins has been standing on the other side returning them with interest.
Stephen Kenny and St Pat's need to take the next step
When Stephen Kenny walked into Richmond Park in May 2024, St Patrick's Athletic were not simply appointing another manager. They were making a statement about what they wanted to become. Kenny arrived with five League of Ireland titles on his CV, European group-stage experience and a reputation for building teams capable of dominating domestically rather than just competing. The first signs were initially rocky.
Shamrock Rovers must prove lightning can strike Tallaght twice
European football has a funny ability to expose a team's weaknesses while simultaneously reminding them of their strengths. Shamrock Rovers have already experienced both extremes this summer. A disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Floriana left their Champions League campaign hanging by a thread before it had properly started.
John Russell's appointment by Shelbourne comes as no surprise
John Russell's appointment as Shelbourne head coach might have come as a surprise to some people, but it did not surprise me. From the outside looking in, it is easy to understand the initial reaction. Shelbourne are a club who want and expect to challenge for titles, yet they have appointed the manager of the team currently sitting at the bottom of the Premier Division. Football appointments however, cannot be assessed through a league table alone.
Cash rich Ringmahon blind to the value of the FAI Cup
Liffey Wanderers 1-1 Ringmahon Rangers Ringmahon Rangers progress to the second round of the FAI Cup after winning 4-3 on penalties. I can imagine the joy on the bus on the way home from Dublin – looking forward to the draw, hoping to be drawn against one of the big guns.
Players braced for emotional and exhausting transfer window
The opening of a transfer window means different things to different players. For some it is a lifeline. A chance to escape a situation where they are not playing enough football. For others it is an opportunity to kick on to a better team, a better league, or a higher level, even if deep down they know they might initially be going to make up numbers in a squad. They would never admit that publicly of course.
One of our own making headlines amid the World Cup beast
I thought I knew how the first week would pan out. The World Cup would arrive, the greatest competition in the game would take over the television, my phone, the group chats and every spare conversation going, and the League of Ireland would be left quietly sitting in the corner waiting for the madness to pass. And in many ways that has happened. The games here have taken a back seat. The build-up feels a little lighter.
Despite politics and prices, the World Cup still gets you
The World Cup – it's here. It’s the one tournament that can turn adults back into children. As the competition approaches, suddenly I’m studying groups like they are Leaving Cert exams. You start convincing yourself that a country you haven’t watched properly in four years could be dark horses. You look at the groups and try to map out impossible routes to the final. The kids collect stickers. They swap doubles. You draw teams out of a hat.
FAI can make global statement by refusing to play Israel
When being coached in football, it was always hammered home that the simple thing is the right thing. The simple thing here may not be the convenient thing. It certainly wouldn't be the thing that keeps UEFA happy or keeps a balance sheet a little healthier. But it would be the right thing. Ireland should not play Israel in the upcoming Nations League fixtures. That’s an uncomfortable sentence for some. But it’s the right thing.
Derry and Dundalk passing each other on very different roads
There are only four points between Dundalk and Derry City going into tonight's game, with Dundalk also having a game in hand. On paper, fourth against sixth should suggest two clubs in the same conversation. In reality, it feels like two clubs passing each other on very different roads. Derry were meant to be looking up at the title race. Dundalk were meant to be looking over their shoulder.
League of Ireland needs to be refereed better but not with help of VAR
There are nights in the League of Ireland when you know what the post-match argument will be before the final whistle has gone. Monday night in Waterford was one of them. Waterford needed a win. Nobody would begrudge them that. Their season had been crying out for a break, Graham Coughlan has only just come through the door, and the Waterford faithful badly needed a night to provide them with some hope.
Now or never for historic Hearts, but I hope it's never
There is nothing better than the business end of a season. For all the talk of structures, budgets, recruitment models and long-term projects, there came a point on Wednesday night when football stripped itself back to its emotionally charged self. A ball into the box. A referee staring at a monitor. A hand, or a head, or a shoulder, depending on your colours.
International gap massive but Heimir Hallgrimsson must cap Victor Ozhianvuna now
I sometimes feel with international selection debates that everyone is right and everyone is wrong at the same time. Club managers are entitled to fight for their players. They see them every day. They see the work, the growth, the little improvements that even supporters might miss, and that international managers might not fully appreciate from a distance. Alan Reynolds putting Dawson Devoy's name forward is exactly what he should be doing.
Bank Holiday double bill will determine Shelbourne storyline
There are certain weekends in a League of Ireland season that feel bigger than others. A Friday night game, followed by a Monday evening, and suddenly the table can look completely different by the time people are dragging themselves back into work on Tuesday morning. For Shelbourne, this is one of those weekends. They go to Oriel Park this evening to face Dundalk, then turn around quickly for Bohemians on Monday. Two games in four days. Two fixtures carrying a huge weight.
St Patrick's Athletic are now the only team capable of challenging Shamrock Rovers
After 12 games the table is giving us the sort of tease that keeps a league interesting. Shamrock Rovers sit top, two points clear of St Patrick's Athletic, with Bohemians and Dundalk not too far off the pace if you glance at just the numbers. Numbers in April can lie and deceive. What matters now is not just who is within touching distance, but who looks capable of living with the champions over the long slog of a Premier Division season. Right now, for me, that list is very short.
New version of Jack Byrne having the desired effect for Shamrock Rovers
Why on earth would you allow Jack Byrne that much time on the ball? That was the first thought that came into my head last week when Shamrock Rovers went to Richmond Park and Jack Byrne did what Jack Byrne has done for years - drift into a pocket of space, lift his head, and punish a team for switching off for a split second. His early goal against St Pat's sent Rovers top of the table and stretched their unbeaten run to eight games.
Front-footed Dundalk creating more than a stir in their Premier Division return
Not for the first time, my lack of foresight and ill judgement prove that I haven't got a clue. When you consider that my pre-season prediction was that Dundalk would really struggle on their return to the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division, I count my blessings that I’m not a man that’s fond of a gamble.
Sligo looking to stop the slide at St Pat's, but need to find goals
Now that the doom and gloom around the nation's near-miss in the chase for a World Cup place has begun to lift, the focus shifts back to the bread and butter. Tonight at Richmond Park, St Patrick's Athletic and Sligo Rovers come into a game that matters to sides for very different reasons. For Sligo, it’s about stopping the slide. Three defeats on the spin can drain the life out of any dressing room, never mind one so young.
Optimism should emerge from heartbreak after gallant Prague effort
"Someone give him a hug, for f**ks sake." That was my wife Ciara shouting at the telly when the cameras found Troy Parrott in tears at the end, standing in front of the travelling Irish support, trying to take in the pain while somehow still acknowledging them. It was the perfect reaction because that was the feeling in the pit of my stomach watching it all unfold. Not anger first. Not analysis first. Protection. You wanted to mind the players. You wanted to take that moment off them.
Lucky or good? Heimir Hallgrimsson possesses both qualities
There are some football nights where your focus is firmly planted in the present, yet your mind keeps wandering a few days into the future. Tonight feels like one of those nights. For now, my attention belongs to Dalymount Park. I'll be there myself, watching the Premier Division leaders in the flesh for the first time this season as they take on Dundalk. On paper it’s an interesting one.
Bohemians' unlikely defence key to unexpected title tilt
Bohemians have made a habit in recent years of teasing their supporters with flashes of promise. A strong run here, a big performance there, the buzz returning to Dalymount Park for a few weeks before the reality of a long League of Ireland season eventually settles things back down. Bohs are unbeaten and have looked impressive doing it. The only points they've dropped came in the opening game against St Patrick's Athletic in the Aviva Stadium.
Returning home can be a full-circle moment worth taking
That dream that lives in the minds of most young players in the League of Ireland. In lads staying back after training to practice crossing and finishing or doing extra gym work. The dream, more often than not, involves a ferry or a flight to play across the water. For so many of our young aspiring footballers, success is measured by that move to the UK. The system over there is viewed as the pinnacle - bigger stadiums, bigger crowds, bigger wages. And to be fair, for some, it delivers exactly that.
Unconventional start might be perfect Rovers platform
It's not often you enter week three of a League of Ireland season and the reigning champions are only kicking the ball for the first time. Yet that is exactly where Shamrock Rovers find themselves tonight. While others are already in the rhythm of competitive football, Rovers’ campaign begins under the lights in Tallaght with a Dublin derby against St Patrick's Athletic. An unusual start. A disrupted start.
Strengthened Shels a big test for ring-rusty Hoops
For most League of Ireland supporters, Shelbourne hosting Shamrock Rovers is the standout game of the evening and one that could carry a narrative all season long. Two genuine title contenders. Stephen Bradley chasing another league crown. Joey O'Brien attempting to wrestle it back. It's only February. But the fixture feels big. For Rovers, tonight comes with an edge of frustration.
Do “Super Shoes” Really Work? Scientists Urge Caution
Once exclusive to elite marathoners, “super shoes” have rapidly entered everyday running, promising faster times through novel foam, carbon plates, and rocker designs. While research shows they can improve performance, scientists are now questioning whether these same features may alter biomechanics in ways that affect injury risk. Credit: Shutterstock High-tech “super shoes” are no longer just for Olympians, offering measurable performance gains through innovative design.
Thank you Troy for saving me from feared boring column
It was a familiar failing. I'd left it too late. Again. By the time I considered heading into the Aviva for Ireland v Portugal, tickets were long gone, and my kids – merciless in their disappointment - have let me know all about it all week. Guilt-ridden and armed with the kind of panic-induced generosity that only a desperate parent can muster, I ordered them a pizza and promised we'd enjoy watching it together.
Running ‘super shoes’ may make you faster - but at what cost?
Joel Fuller does not work for, consult, or own shares in any company or organisation that would benefit from this article.
Running ‘super shoes’ may make you faster - but at what cost?
Once seen only on the feet of elite runners at the Olympics and other premier running events, the so-called “super shoe” has moved from racing podiums to pavements. Today, you’re just about as likely to spot them at a Saturday Parkrun as you are on the world stage. So what are they exactly, how do they work and do they potentially increase injury risk? What are ‘super shoes’?
Irish football has reason to hope, just not in Lisbon
There isn't much excitement building within Irish football circles as Ireland prepare to face Portugal and Armenia in this international window. With our hopes of World Cup qualification pretty much extinguished, tomorrow night’s tie against one of the world’s best feels more like an exercise in damage limitation than a genuine contest. And yet, in a week which is lacking optimism, we’ve been given a flicker of hope.
Government has chance to make a lasting impact on game
Next Tuesday's Budget announcement offers an opportunity that Irish football cannot afford to see pass by. For decades, the game here has been under-resourced, undervalued, and left to make do on the fringes of Irish sport, despite being the country’s most-played game.
Remarkable champions-elect have answered all questions
By the time the final whistle blows in Tallaght tonight, Shamrock Rovers could be champions of Ireland for the fifth time in six seasons. That is, if they beat Bohemians and Derry City fail to get any points in Drogheda. It's a mathematical equation on paper, but one that has been all but solved in practice for weeks now. Whether it is confirmed tonight, or next week, or the week after, it is all but a formality.
Sligo and Galway face into defining stretch of season
There's something about the FAI Cup that stirs emotions unlike anything else in the Irish football calendar. The final at the Aviva has taken on a prestige that’s unrivalled - not just for the day itself, which brings colour and passion from every corner of the ground, but for what’s on offer at the end of it: silverware, a European place, and this year, a golden ticket into the Europa League qualifying rounds.
'Rock bottom is not here yet, but it is coming'
There are defeats you can rationalise, defeats you can live with, even defeats that leave you frustrated but still with a thread of hope. And then there are nights like Tuesday in Yerevan. Ireland's collapse against Armenia was just another stumble on the long road of mediocrity - it felt like a marker, a line in the sand moment for Irish football. Two games into World Cup qualification, and the campaign already feels dead. All hope and expectation enjoyed over the last week is dead.
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