It's now a balls.ie tradition. Here's what you should be looking out for as the 2015 SSE Airtricity League kicks off.
1) Can Dundalk retain the title?
History says no. Dundalk won their 10th title last season but have yet to defend it. The last provincial side to retain the championship was the great Waterford side of the early 1970s. Stephen Kenny failed to defend the title with Bohs when last he won it too. They’ll have to do without last season’s top scorer with Pat Hoban leaving for Oxford United in January. However they’ve kept everyone else (Richie Towell most notably) and added the mercurial Ronan Finn. They still look to have a very strong squad and it would surprise nobody to see them win it.
2) Are Cork City going to do a Drogheda or a Dundalk?
The last 3 season have seen surprise packets finish as runners up. 2012’s Drogheda United faded to 8th in 2013. 2013’s Dundalk obviously went on to win in 2014. So how will Cork City do? They’ve certainly added high profile players to the squad with Liam Miller and Alan Bennett adding to an already very experienced group. This team isn’t being built for the future so the pressure to win may start to grow on manager John Caulfield. He managed to galvanise the city behind him last year. Can he deliver a trophy to them this year?
3) Who’ll be top in Dublin and will it matter?
Dublin teams have won 5 of the last 7 titles so whoever finishes top in Dublin has a fair shot at winning the league. Bookies have made St Patrick’s Athletic favourites and the 2013 champs did seem to finish 2014 strongly (culminating in that famous FAI Cup win). However Keith Fahey hasn’t really been replaced and they look to have fewer option in midfield than previous seasons. Shamrock Rovers, on the other hand, looked stacked in midfield with Fahey, Stephen McPhail, Pat Cregg bringing a range of different qualities to the team. They’re light in defence and a lot depends on the fitness and form of Danny North and Mikey Drennan up front , so Rovers have their own doubts. With the sides meeting on the opening night, don’t be surprised if both teams are cautious to begin with.
4) Can anyone break into the top 4?
Sligo Rovers look best placed. They’ll be looking to win a trophy for the 6th straight year this season and new manager Owen Heary is confident they can compete on all fronts once again. The signings of Dane Morten Nielsen and Estonian Sander Puri have certainly caught the imagination out west and a strong start will help build momentum. The middle pack of Derry, Limerick and Bohs all look to have regressed on the field this year but their club focus may be elsewhere.
5) Will Galway United or Longford Town build on last season’s promotion?
Promotion in their first season and a change of name to Galway United has seen the President’s favourite club begin to claw back all the support lost during the Nick Leeson debacle. (Well not *the* Nick Leeson debacle but for the purpose of a LOI preview article...) The side is mostly local again. That may help PR but if they’re not competitive, the fans won’t be staying for long. Longford are under no pretences about playing locals lads. Tony Cousins has assembled a squad with buckets of Premier Division experience and they look well equipped to stay up this season. Striker David O’Sullivan should become noticed for his goals and not his tackling.
6) What time will the relegation dogfight start at?
We'll guess Saturday, 7 March at 17:45. That's the time Bray Wanderers host Drogheda United. Shortly after Limerick play host to Bohemians. All 4 sides, along with the promoted duo, are the most likely candidates for the drop this season. Bohs will look to battled hardened pros like Dave Mulcahy to guide their youngsters while the rest look to be sorely lacking in leadership. Drogheda have signed Sean Thornton and Daryl Kavanagh and if they click, they'll probably be fun to watch this season.
7) Can we go asterisk* free for the 3rd straight season?
It is a measure of messed up the LOI was in the 2000s/early 2010s that most LOI fans are still kinda waiting on the next big crisis. Every small bit of bad news or publicity is greeted with equal measures of hilariously OTT wailing and “why do they always pick on us” self pity. Through it all, the LOI has survived and we’re left with an opening day of the season where 5 teams legitimately think they can win it all and the rest all believing they can make a positive impact. Off the field there’s no doubt that things have improved, even if some believe at too slow a pace. If you think you can improve the LOI, you can have your say here.
8) How many times will sub-eds use the headline “Grounds for Improvement” this season?
Limerick’s problems with Market Fields have been well documented and it’s clear they desperately need their stay in Jackman Park to be a short one. Until they move, there’s a sense the club can’t progress so Martin Russell’s main aim this season will be to stay up. The plans for the Brandywell seem a little out of Derry City’s control but they’re another club that could do with the boost a developed stadium would bring. The case of Dalymount Park is perhaps most curious. Bohs have kept very quiet while Dublin City Council and Shelbourne have spoken of their intentions. Any changes to the ownership of Dalymount could have big implications for the rest of the league. We’re sure all the plans will come out soon.
9) How will Cabinteely get on in their first season?
By now everybody in the LOI has had their say on Cabinteely’s entry into the First Division. The talking stops tonight when Eddie Gormley’s men take the field at Stradbrook to face Wexford Youths. They’re doing everything right off the pitch as the look to make inroads in South Dublin but on the pitch is where they'll be judged. For all the talk of development, people like watching winning teams. It has been a while since a new team made an impact in the division. Can they buck the trend?
10) Can Wexford Youths make the breakthrough or will the yo-yo clubs get promoted again?
Bar Cabinteely, Wexford Youths are the only other LOI side not to have played in the Premier Division. They were very close to qualifying for the play offs last season and are tipped by most pundits to challenge again. If they don't go up, we're looking at Shelbourne, Athlone Town and UCD as most likely candidates. UCD are perhaps most intriguing with Evan McMillan returning in a player/coach capacity. Such is the First Division that Cobh Ramblers could finish last in 2014 and be promoted in 2015. It'll be fun to watch though.
That's your spoofer's guide to the Greatest League in the World for 2015. Stay with balls.ie as we bring you the best of the SSE Airtricity League as it happens.
