So, the Republic of Ireland have just finished a brilliant Euro 2016 campaign which showcased on a world stage the bravery, effort and skill of players like Jeff Hendrick, Wes Hoolahan and Seamus Coleman; it illustrated the passion, goodwill and diplomatic abilities of the Irish fans; it regained pride for the country on an international level after the disappointment of Euro 2012. Irish football is in a great place.
Or is it?
Cobh Ramblers manager Stephen Henderson doesn't think so. Henderson took to Twitter in the wake of Ireland's loss to France in the last 16 of the European Championships to air his views that, while the passion of the fans in supporting their team was "incredible", the national team's success should not hide the issues in the Irish domestic league.
We overachieved , we worked hard, we made money, Roy Keane was emotional Irish football on the up . Pay rises all round . #fuckoff
— Stephen Henderson (@HOTSHOTZ2) June 26, 2016
Twitter is about opinions & thoughts . Here are mine based on my experience of football in this country .
— Stephen Henderson (@HOTSHOTZ2) June 26, 2016
@HOTSHOTZ2 I sincerely apologise for my language but if broke my heart to see this happening in our league to our people even if we won
— Stephen Henderson (@HOTSHOTZ2) June 26, 2016
Earlier in the year, Waterford United manager Roddy Collins was suspended for six matches and fined €1500 for penning a strongly-worded column in the Irish 'Daily Star' that simultaneously criticised the state of the Irish League and praised those responsible for keeping it afloat. Collins wrote that people involved in the grassroots game "give their lives to Irish football and get very little in return" and that outside the "supporters and voluntary workers" the League was a "shambles".
And then, after his side's First Division clash with Athlone Town in June was called off due to Town players making a stand over unpaid wages, Collins bemoaned the "class divide between the international team and those playing at the highest level of club football in Ireland":
While people sit back and bask in the glory of the European Championships in France, a car crash is happening around them.
Around the same time, Shamrock Rovers manager Pat Fenlon opined that "there are not enough people who care about the league in this country, unfortunately, at the top end of the game".
And, shortly after his side battle to a 2-0 away victory over Athlone to leave them fourth in the First Division, the aforementioned Henderson seemed to echo Collins' remarks somewhat last night as he tweeted that the League has "incredible people with a passion and desire to make a difference (who are) isolated and ignored because they actually care".
Henderson received support on Twitter, with one user commenting that "the only debate about Irish football is whether or not Hoolahan plays. Instead of, how do we make more Hoolahans".
These strong comments from Henderson are sure to prompt further debate on the current state of Irish football and it will be interesting to see if they throw prompt similar debate to two years ago, when former Shelbourne manager Dermot Keely questioned why fans going to see Liverpool play Shamrock Rovers in a summer friendly at the Aviva Stadium didn't support their national league (ironically at the time Henderson stated that such high-profile games -which have become less frequent with the Irish League now running through the summer-could be a good idea-if the proceeds were put back into development of the game at grassroots level).
And now RTE soccer correspondent Tony O'Donoghue has had his say on the debate.
O'Donoghue was reporting on the eve of the national side's defeat to France and he used the opportunity, with the spotlight on the Irish side, to trumpet the need for development of the domestic game. O'Donoghue highlighted the fact that several of Ireland's most important players served their apprenticeship in the League of Ireland.
Along with Seamus Coleman, Stephen Ward-who played particularly well-James McClean, Shane Long and Daryl Murphy...all (of them) started the game today, they started their careers in the League of Ireland. And that's important, I think, because the days of Irish players going over to Manchester United at 15, 16 and getting in the first team, those days are gone. So what we've got to do now is try and develop a football industry at home and maybe see if the fans that came out here to support the boys in green, maybe if they supported local soccer as well, we might have more players coming through in the future.
In addition to the players that O'Donoghue named, Dave Meyler, Stephen Quinn and playmaker Wes Hoolahan also served apprenticeships at League of Ireland clubs before moving across the water relatively late (Hoolahan, in particular, was 23 by the time he moved to Livingston in Scotland).
While the days of Shamrock Rovers and Waterford playing to 40,000 fans in the FAI Cup final may be long gone, now is certainly an opportune moment to spark a discussion on how to bolster attendances at domestic games. With Irish soccer at the centre of the national sporting agenda and Premier League action not to begin for months, it could be an opportune moment to encourage Irish football punters to satisfy their football cravings by taking a trip to their local League of Ireland ground.
