2023 started with Bohemians flying out to an early season lead and ended with Shamrock Rovers coasting to their fourth title win in a row and St Patrick’s Athletic winning their 2nd FAI Cup in 24 months. In between we had Derry City threatening to challenge several times during the season, Shelbourne qualify for Europe, UCD be cut adrift quite quickly, Galway United dominate the First Division and Waterford win promotion in a dramatic play off final victory over a shell-shocked Cork City. What does 2024 have in store for the League of Ireland? As is tradition, we’ll ask the 10 most important questions.
What can stop Shamrock Rovers winning five-in-a-row?
No club in Ireland has ever won five league titles in a row. The only time a club had ever won four in a row before – Shamrock Rovers in the 1980s – they finished 4th as they attempted to win a fifth in 1987/88. While no one can imagine Rovers not being in the top 3 this year, there appears to be less people than last year tipping any club other than the Hoops for the title. Last season, many believed Derry City could get past Rovers but despite Rovers relative struggles early on in the season, they won the league without breaking a sweat as those around them beat each other up in pursuit. If Stephen Bradley is tempted by a job elsewhere, a wrench could be thrown into the works, but it’s hard to see the league’s most settled club being anything other than champions in November.
"Everyone's talking about their squad and the changes"
Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley is wary of the threat Dundalk pose as the #LOI season kicks off
📺 Full interview: https://t.co/0nmOoeohpp
Watch Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk on @rte2 & @rteplayer tonight from 7.30pm pic.twitter.com/ok7It3wsNu— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 16, 2024
Will Derry City actually challenge this year?
The Candystripes have finished second in each of the previous two seasons and haven’t won a league title in this millennium. As mentioned above, several pundits believed Derry could topple Rovers last season, but it was evident from the summer that they were never really close. They have retained all of last year’s key players and added the league’s best striker in Pat Hoban. He’s not a signing for the future, so they need to make his presence felt this season.
‘You only have one career.’@DerryCityFC's new striker Pat Hoban tells @ericwhite80 that he has a very clear goal for the coming season – full coverage of the opening game against Drogheda United from 7.30pm this Friday on @BBCRadioFoyle and @BBCSounds. pic.twitter.com/k3gPv3S1lC
— BBC Radio Foyle (@BBCRadioFoyle) February 13, 2024
Can St Patrick’s Athletic kick on?
The 2023 FAI Cup winners finished third last season and Jon Daly has been busy in his first pre-season, having taken over from Tim Clancy mid-season. They’ve added prized LOI targets in Ruairi Keating and Conor Keeley and will hope their 3rd loan keeper in 4 years is as productive as the others. While not quite as tumultuous an off-season as after their 2021 Cup win, it’s still been a big rebuilding job by Daly. 7 of the players who played in his cup final team have moved abroad this winter, including young star full back Sam Curtis. If Pats are to challenge, they’ll need those new signings to hit the ground running.
SEE ALSO: Selecting A Five-A-Side Team From Each Of Ireland's Four Provinces
SEE ALSO: The Definitive Ranking Of Every League Of Ireland Home Kit For 2024
Can Shelbourne get into the top three?
Shels finished well last year and with Pats winning the cup, their fourth place was enough for European football. Damien Duff’s side lost Jack Moylan to England but have recruited well and will hope Sean Boyd has an injury free season to boost their scoring threat. The biggest news of the off season came this week as Dublin City Council agreed to renew the sporting lease on Tolka Park, with a view to the club taking over ownership in the near-future. It is the most solid base the club has had in 20 years, and Duff is confident they can break into the top three this season.
New scoreboard, new PA system, and improvements to the toilets taking place in Tolka. pic.twitter.com/eQNub2uLCe
— Irish Football Grounds (@Irish_Grounds) February 15, 2024
Can the newly promoted sides make an impact?
In four of the last fives seasons, a team that has been promoted has gone straight back down. This year might buck the trend. Galway United were runaway winners of the first division last year and in John Caulfield they have one of the two managers in the league to have won it. His pragmatic approach is perfect for a team that hasn’t added much premier division quality to last year’s squad. That may be their downfall. Waterford came up through the play off, but they have added significantly to their squad. They beat Bohemians to the signing of Grant Horton and Kacper Radkowski and will hope veteran striker Padraig Amond can provide the goals they need to replace the departing Ronan Coughlan. Both sides will be confident that being full time last year, and continuing this year, will see them ready for Premier Division football.
Will someone emerge from the mid-pack to compete for Europe?
For the past 3 seasons, apart from a couple of 3rd place finishes between them, Bohemians, Dundalk, Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers have finished in the 5th-8th range each year. Dundalk were fifth last year, but Stephen O’Donnell has been left to gamble on recruits from the lower Scottish tiers and the English loan system again. Bohemians lost Jon Afolabi and will have to hope their new Estonian contingent is more like Markus Poom than the lads at St Pats and Sligo Rovers last year. Drogheda United will hope the know-how of Kevin Doherty and veteran Gary Deegan will see them safe once again despite the division’s smallest budget. Many were tipping Sligo Rovers for relegation early in the off-season but the arrival of Max Mata back in the Showgrounds has given everybody at Rovers a lift.
Will Cork City bounce back?
Cork City are clearly one of the biggest clubs in the country, but they’ve suffered two relegations in the last four seasons. The belt tightening as they transitioned from the fan-owned model to private ownership played its part but most believed they had a mid-range premier division budget last year and they were still relegated. They will easily have the biggest budget in the first division this year and Tim Clancy should have no problem in getting City back up at the first time of asking (unlike in 2021). They start the season with the first ever Cork v Kerry derby in the League of Ireland. It’s a novel fixture for GAA fans, but for hardcore City fans it’s a sharp reminder of quickly they need to get back to the top table.
Does anybody know how the other First Division teams will go?
UCD will be UCD, as they always are UCD. Some players who are too good for them and will end up winning leagues in 4-5 years and a bunch of guys who won’t play past their time in college. Bray Wanderers, Longford Town and now Wexford will hope their recruits from the under 19 sides in Dublin can get them into the play offs where anything can happen. Cobh Ramblers were third last year but have lost manager Shane Keegan. Athlone Town will continue to hope nobody asks too many questions about all their overseas recruits. Treaty United will hope changing to a blue kit will spark some interest in the game in Limerick. Finn Harps will know they can’t have a worse season than 2023, surely? Kerry FC will hope their second season, their first without Brian Ainscough as owner and Billy Dennehy as manager, will see them build on their sole league victory so far.
What is the biggest off field issue for 2024?
Facilities, facilities, facilities. As crowds continued to rise in 2023, we’re officially out of the “the LOI crowds are a fluke” conversation. For the opening few weeks, at least, all games in the premier division will be sell outs, or very close to sell outs. Some clubs, notably Derry City, Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic won’t be selling seats in their main stands this season as they’ve already sold them through season ticket sales.
Derry’s council have begun work on a new terrace to increase capacity there. Bohs and Dublin City Council cleared another hurdle this week in the development of Dalymount Park. St Pats continue to talk to the Council but no announcement is imminent. Shelbourne have made small improvements to Tolka Park as the Damien Duff bandwagon gathers pace. Waterford and Galway expect to be at bursting point this year, with Waterford looking at placing spectators on the running track in the RSC.
The first TV game of the season features the two clubs at either end of the facilities scale. Dundalk’s new owner Brian Ainscough has openly stated that Oriel Park isn’t good enough for fans. He’s made small changes there a priority with longer term plans to be developed. It’s unlikely that Dundalk, or their neighbours in Drogheda, will host a TV game this year due to facilities. The TV game tonight will be played in the best stadium in the league instead.
South Dublin County Council have opened the long-awaited fourth stand in Tallaght Stadium and Shamrock Rovers will play in front of 10,000 spectators, all with covered seats, this season. The stadium is a credit to the Council and Rovers who have developed a blueprint that other clubs hope their councils will adopt. We have the numbers to merit a serious discussion on the help needed to improve our facilities.
Will there be predictions?
Yes. Shelbourne to finish in top three. Bohemians to be in relegation trouble for most of the year before easing to safety late on. Their players win 3 league Player of the Month awards. Galway United will be relegated on the last day on goal difference. Two players from the League of Ireland play for the Republic of Ireland senior team this year. Shamrock Rovers reach the Conference League group stage in Europe. Pat Hoban scores a hat trick for Derry against Dundalk and is sent off for celebrating in Oriel Park. Cork City clinch the First Division by September. Dundalk win the FAI Cup and Stephen O’Donnell announces he’s leaving to replace John Caulfield at Galway. The GAA and the IRFU both initiate fact-finding missions to see how the LOI is growing so quickly. Shamrock Rovers to win the league by 8 points. Aaron McEneff wins player of the year. Mason Melia ends the season as the league’s top scorer.
What a season we have in store!
