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Cheers Nige.

Tadhg Ryan signed for Glenavon.

https://www.glenavonfc.com/2025/01/02/g ... adhg-ryan/

Another out.

Inevitable with Arlo Dohery signing

I thought we may have had a few more lined up and in by now. Not even seeing rumours in the press and we're back in pre season. I do see Liam Mullen has rejoined after a loan at Portadown and Sam Todd is back too. Not heard if Jackie is back though.

Pats and Rovers have 2 players for every position. Probably take a few windows till we get a squad as deep as that now. That's the size of the rebuild we need.

Franco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:24 pm I thought we may have had a few more lined up and in by now. Not even seeing rumours in the press and we're back in pre season. I do see Liam Mullen has rejoined after a loan at Portadown and Sam Todd is back too. Not heard if Jackie is back though.

Pats and Rovers have 2 players for every position. Probably take a few windows till we get a squad as deep as that now. That's the size of the rebuild we need.

Pats and Rovers have just enjoyed successful European runs. We're not even in Europe. So we can't compare.

marcoloco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 1:49 pm

Franco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:24 pm I thought we may have had a few more lined up and in by now. Not even seeing rumours in the press and we're back in pre season. I do see Liam Mullen has rejoined after a loan at Portadown and Sam Todd is back too. Not heard if Jackie is back though.

Pats and Rovers have 2 players for every position. Probably take a few windows till we get a squad as deep as that now. That's the size of the rebuild we need.

Pats and Rovers have just enjoyed successful European runs. We're not even in Europe. So we can't compare.

We're more similar to Galway and Waterford.

Franco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:24 pm I thought we may have had a few more lined up and in by now. Not even seeing rumours in the press and we're back in pre season. I do see Liam Mullen has rejoined after a loan at Portadown and Sam Todd is back too. Not heard if Jackie is back though.

The team had been photographed working in the gym last month and photographed again yesterday training on a pitch. As for Jackie, he is due back from his loan spells at Coleraine but unsure when that will be.

TenaciousDee wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 3:57 pm

Franco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:24 pm I thought we may have had a few more lined up and in by now. Not even seeing rumours in the press and we're back in pre season. I do see Liam Mullen has rejoined after a loan at Portadown and Sam Todd is back too. Not heard if Jackie is back though.

The team had been photographed working in the gym last month and photographed again yesterday training on a pitch. As for Jackie, he is due back from his loan spells at Coleraine but unsure when that will be.

Was chatting to Jackie at the Shelbourne game on last day of the season & he said he was due back at start of January, he seemed quite keen to get back as well

marcoloco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 1:49 pm

Franco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:24 pm I thought we may have had a few more lined up and in by now. Not even seeing rumours in the press and we're back in pre season. I do see Liam Mullen has rejoined after a loan at Portadown and Sam Todd is back too. Not heard if Jackie is back though.

Pats and Rovers have 2 players for every position. Probably take a few windows till we get a squad as deep as that now. That's the size of the rebuild we need.

Pats and Rovers have just enjoyed successful European runs. We're not even in Europe. So we can't compare.

Pat's Euro run was no great shakes really. No better than our's was in 2023 anyway.

Plus we have a multi-billionaire bank-rolling us, so there's no reason why we shouldn;t be competing for the best players. We'll be back in Europe again after 1 year out anyway too.

stevebradley wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 5:10 pm

marcoloco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 1:49 pm

Franco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:24 pm I thought we may have had a few more lined up and in by now. Not even seeing rumours in the press and we're back in pre season. I do see Liam Mullen has rejoined after a loan at Portadown and Sam Todd is back too. Not heard if Jackie is back though.

Pats and Rovers have 2 players for every position. Probably take a few windows till we get a squad as deep as that now. That's the size of the rebuild we need.

Pats and Rovers have just enjoyed successful European runs. We're not even in Europe. So we can't compare.

Pat's Euro run was no great shakes really. No better than our's was in 2023 anyway.

Plus we have a multi-billionaire bank-rolling us, so there's no reason why we shouldn;t be competing for the best players. We'll be back in Europe again after 1 year out anyway too.

I think we can compete for the best players but we also need to be realistic about squad depth. I'd say Pats are stronger given that SK is in charge, they've generated a bit of income from Europe and have it again this coming year. There's no doubt we can offer top wages due to the Chairman but the overall package at Derry is is not as appealing as others at the moment.

BargIain Basket it is then.

marcoloco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 5:14 pm

stevebradley wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 5:10 pm

marcoloco wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 1:49 pm

Pats and Rovers have just enjoyed successful European runs. We're not even in Europe. So we can't compare.

Pat's Euro run was no great shakes really. No better than our's was in 2023 anyway.

Plus we have a multi-billionaire bank-rolling us, so there's no reason why we shouldn;t be competing for the best players. We'll be back in Europe again after 1 year out anyway too.

I think we can compete for the best players but we also need to be realistic about squad depth. I'd say Pats are stronger given that SK is in charge, they've generated a bit of income from Europe and have it again this coming year. There's no doubt we can offer top wages due to the Chairman but the overall package at Derry is is not as appealing as others at the moment.

We have to assume that Tiernan Lynch has been given a similar 3-year target for winning the league as Higgins was. Maybe even less time, given that the club is in much better shape now than it was when Higgins took over. But I see no reaosn why the Chairman and Board's expectation of us winning a league in the coming years would have been removed - so that is still the target.

In which case you also have to assume that the Chairman is prepared to finance that - having been made well aware of what is required (both by Higgins and by Lynch), and presumably Lynch only agreeing to join if the resources were promised to and a league title/titles (otherwise - why would he have joined?). And presumably TL understands the role that squad depth has to play in winning a league (it's basic football knowledge really).

So in short I can't see clubs offering more money overall than us in the league, except perhaps/probably Rovers. Because realistically that's the only way we're going to win the league being based in the north-west. Other clubs will be able to offer other attractions that we can't - e.g. there will remain a halo around Kenny and Duff for another few years, which will help attract some players. There are some who will want to be based in or near Dublin for personal reasons. And we can't offer Europe in 2025 either. But for most footballers it's probably money that will talk. And unless you believe that Lynch HASN'T been given a target and a promise of funding to deliver the league, then you have to assume we can compete with the best financially. And that adding to our depth will be part of that.

I'd imagine Derry and the Dublin clubs will be looking at different markets by and large. I had expected maybe a few more Irish League signings. I think generally you can only ever tempt the Dubs up for a while at a time and that time passed with Higgins.

As an aside,I think Pats' Euro run this year was a good bit better than Derry's in 2023 to be honest.

rodgers wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 10:35 pm I'd imagine Derry and the Dublin clubs will be looking at different markets by and large. I had expected maybe a few more Irish League signings. I think generally you can only ever tempt the Dubs up for a while at a time and that time passed with Higgins.

Are there many good players in the IL who would be top-LOI contenders though? The traffic seems to be very strongly in the other direction these days.

rodgers wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 10:35 pmAs an aside,I think Pats' Euro run this year was a good bit better than Derry's in 2023 to be honest.

They beat and drew with a team from Leichtenstein (needing a late equalizer in the draw), and then beat an Azeri team 1-0 in each leg, before going out to a Turkish team (though they did bank a home draw).

We had a win and a draw against a team from Iceland, a win and a draw against a team from Finland, and a win and a defeat against a team from Kazakhstan - only failing to advance on a single penalty miss out of 6.

I think our set of results there in the first 2 rounds was against superior opponents/leagues than their's. They definitely had a tougher draw than us in the 3rd round, but I think the fact we were so close to progressing in our's shades it for us. Though I appreciate there wasn't much in it all really and it's definitely up for debate

Liam Mullan is returning from his loan at Portadown. He made 13 appearances there.

stevebradley wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 11:04 pm

rodgers wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 10:35 pm I'd imagine Derry and the Dublin clubs will be looking at different markets by and large. I had expected maybe a few more Irish League signings. I think generally you can only ever tempt the Dubs up for a while at a time and that time passed with Higgins.

Are there many good players in the IL who would be top-LOI contenders though? The traffic seems to be very strongly in the other direction these days.

rodgers wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 10:35 pmAs an aside,I think Pats' Euro run this year was a good bit better than Derry's in 2023 to be honest.

They beat and drew with a team from Leichtenstein (needing a late equalizer in the draw), and then beat an Azeri team 1-0 in each leg, before going out to a Turkish team (though they did bank a home draw).

We had a win and a draw against a team from Iceland, a win and a draw against a team from Finland, and a win and a defeat against a team from Kazakhstan - only failing to advance on a single penalty miss out of 6.

I think our set of results there in the first 2 rounds was against superior opponents/leagues than their's. They definitely had a tougher draw than us in the 3rd round, but I think the fact we were so close to progressing in our's shades it for us. Though I appreciate there wasn't much in it all really and it's definitely up for debate

Faroe Islands not Iceland & I think the Liechestein team they played play in the 2nd division in Switzerland

We also won 3 out of 3 at home, the only game we lost in the run was the away leg in Kazaksthan. Pats as cup winners also had the luxury of a bye to the second round when we were cup winners unfortunately we didn't get have that & had to start in round 1 - although if memory serves me correctly the Europa League final result in 2023 had a bearing on that.

Incentive for 2025 is the FAI Cup winners in 2025 are sure to be guaranteed a place in the UEFA Europa League for the summer 2026 as opposed to the UEFA Conference League with the League of Ireland being inside the top 33 in Europe & most likely to stay there come the end of June

I don't know if there are LOI ready players or not. I just thought with Lynch being IL, he would have a knowledge of that market and an advantage in it that the Dubs don't. There could always be another McGinn somewhere we don't know about.

HB were Faroese and the first leg was as bad as Brunos. Vaduz play in Swiss second tier. Through a bye from the first round, they also got closer to the groups. Beating a team home and away in Europe is very rare for Irish teams.

Is Idehen still with the club? I thought he was unlucky not to start final.

rodgers wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2025 11:19 am Is Idehen still with the club? I thought he was unlucky not to start final.

I think he signed an 18 month contract