2023 Season Expectations and Predictions

[Nige92]

With the league kicking off on Friday, it would be good to see what people think going into the year ahead. This is Higgins 2nd full season in charge and has been given significant backing to shape the team/squad how he sees fit.

Last season there were large parts in which we would dominate games, hold more possession but fail to create enough chances and ultimately score enough goals. This season we have to find a way of creating more opportunities per game, giving us more opportunity to score. I think with some of the additions we made, that should be the case. When Whelan comes into the team we'll have a player more capable of taking those chances.

We pushed Shamrock Rovers for a good deal of the way but ran out of steam, ultimately finishing 2nd (on goal difference). This year I feel we have a stronger squad that should see more rotation and allow us to push them even further. POD stated that he wanted to win the league within 3 years (?) when Ruairi took over. That's the club objective but I think it will be a tough ask. Shamrock Rovers still have a stronger squad in my opinion, so I don't see us as favourites going into the year.

My prediction is another 2nd place finish, however finishing closer than the 13 point margin last year. I'd also love to see us progress to a further round in Europe. As one of the best two teams in the league, you'd imagine an FAI Cup semi final would be on the cards at least.

[Greengo]

I think RH learned a lot about games last season. Friday night showed that we can hold out for a win and close games out.
Rovers had 5 out on Friday night, all quality players. We had three out and again all quality players.

Last season I think we threw away vital points in some games, especially away from home... Drogheda & Dundalk come to mind... Games where we just lost that little bit of concentration that allowed the opposition in to grab an equaliser... We lost a bit of momentum heading into the final round of games and that saw us finish with that double figure margin in second place.

I think it will be a tighter margin this season. I'm not writing off the rest of the league as all squads have their strengths but I trust Ruaidhri to bring the best out of the players hes got and push Rovers all the way to the wire... The opening few games will be interesting and its important to pick up points early as we had the momentum at the start of last season but it ran away from us at the wrong time.

Realistically we should finish in at least 2nd place and hopefully push Rovers all the way to the wire... Another day in Dublin in November would certainly cushion the blow if we dont finish ahead of them...

RAWA

[TenaciousDee]

I honestly don't feel we have improved our squad. Rovers still seem some way ahead of us and if Kenny, Poom and Clarke find their feet I fear the gap will widen.

I think we will have a slow start to the season but find form and consistency later, similar to last season. The reason for this feeling is because of the people we are missing going into the start of the year. Fats is still amongst the best for his position but missing Dummigan for the first month or more is a huge blow, whether he is to play right back or centre midfield.

The fact we are using Evan McLaughlin and Ciaran Coll to occupy the right back position shows that we are weak and lacking in cover for Boyce, who will no doubt be the starter unless we sign someone before the deadline. Left side has three possible options to call upon but letting Porter leave on loan without a better option coming in fills me with dread, particularly as Boyce is liable to be caught out of position. In midfield we have 5 players who all play in the same manner, similarly to how our manager used to play. Everything coming from midfield seems slow in the build and we don't have bodies bursting into the box anticipating a cross. Only man who did do that, we let go. Still think it was a risk to sign Whelan in the hope that his recovery is successful and he goes back to form almost immediately. Being realistic, he could take right up to the end of the summer to hit his peak (if he ever does make a full recovery) and we only have McGonigle as a target man.

We lack a consistent goalscorer. Yes you can throw numbers at me regarding how many goals McGonigle and Patching scored last year but the numbers don't tell the full story. Patching for example, scored 9 goals before the end of June, many from the spot or Free kicks, but he only scored 2 more goals before the end of the season. McGonigle hit 15 but between his goal against Sligo in May and his goal against Rovers in the cup in September he had a barren spell that seen him score only once, against Oliver Bond Celtic.

[chosen1]

I honestly don't feel we have improved our squad. Rovers still seem some way ahead of us and if Kenny, Poom and Clarke find their feet I fear the gap will widen.

I think we will have a slow start to the season but find form and consistency later, similar to last season. The reason for this feeling is because of the people we are missing going into the start of the year. Fats is still amongst the best for his position but missing Dummigan for the first month or more is a huge blow, whether he is to play right back or centre midfield.

The fact we are using Evan McLaughlin and Ciaran Coll to occupy the right back position shows that we are weak and lacking in cover for Boyce, who will no doubt be the starter unless we sign someone before the deadline. Left side has three possible options to call upon but letting Porter leave on loan without a better option coming in fills me with dread, particularly as Boyce is liable to be caught out of position. In midfield we have 5 players who all play in the same manner, similarly to how our manager used to play. Everything coming from midfield seems slow in the build and we don't have bodies bursting into the box anticipating a cross. Only man who did do that, we let go. Still think it was a risk to sign Whelan in the hope that his recovery is successful and he goes back to form almost immediately. Being realistic, he could take right up to the end of the summer to hit his peak (if he ever does make a full recovery) and we only have McGonigle as a target man.

We lack a consistent goalscorer. Yes you can throw numbers at me regarding how many goals McGonigle and Patching scored last year but the numbers don't tell the full story. Patching for example, scored 9 goals before the end of June, many from the spot or Free kicks, but he only scored 2 more goals before the end of the season. McGonigle hit 15 but between his goal against Sligo in May and his goal against Rovers in the cup in September he had a barren spell that seen him score only once, against Oliver Bond Celtic.

You talk about Kenny poom Clarke ... whilst I know how highly rated poom is ..... Did you not notice Adam OReilly whom totally dominated the midfield in his man of match display . He is a huge signing and cushions the loss of Dummigan (who was my player of 2022. season). I expect Dummigan may be used a lot at right back this season ... though I believe we may yet see another defender added to squad . Kenny didnt offer much and Clarke looked unfit and a yard of the pace .
Sorry to disagree on your view of not having improved our squad but then again I can recall you stating on here that you didnt see any difference when Ruaidhri took over from Decky . I accept Rovers will be a mountain to overcome and hopefully we will run them closer this season . Looking forward to a great season and fully trust in Ruaidhri and his team .

[barry]

Der surely we've improved from last seasons squad.

Doherty > an aging lafferty
OReilly > Thomson
Whelan > Akintunde (if Whelan stays fit).
Ryan is a better back up than lemonigan

Porter and mccallion are no where near ready to be in a title chasing team. I suspect given the number of Cmf we have Dummingan will challenge boyce for Rb.
I really fancy us to have a craic at the title if Whelan can return to fitness and stay fit.

[Neutrino]

Der surely we've improved from last seasons squad.

Doherty > an aging lafferty
OReilly > Thomson
Whelan > Akintunde (if Whelan stays fit).
Ryan is a better back up than lemonigan

Porter and mccallion are no where near ready to be in a title chasing team. I suspect given the number of Cmf we have Dummingan will challenge boyce for Rb.
I really fancy us to have a craic at the title if Whelan can return to fitness and stay fit.

Agree with this, plus we'll have Duffy, Connolly and Diallo available from the start of the season and hopefully a few lessons learned from last year too.
Plus there's a cohort of that Rovers team who are another year older. Could be our year.

[Marty]

We have massively improved on last season!

[rodgers]

I think the squad has improved a lot from the beginning of last season but the league might be a bit beyond them again this year. The pitch will still hold us back at home. I think the club will definitely want to improve on Europe even though Riga were a decent team,

[eugenio]

The outstanding Coll not mentioned again

[marcoloco]

Same again please. 2nd place in League, an FA Cup final and a better run in Europe.

We've made a few changes to the squad which should be interesting to see if they have the desired impact.

We've got a Cup win which gives us confidence and belief and that should ensure we sustain a challenge for longer this season. We were also a bit unlucky with the European draw last season. Thought we looked 2nd best home and away and didn't lay a glove on them. A better showing in Europe would be the cherry on top for me.

[mokendismucker]

Champions in 2023. By the end of last season we were the strongest team/ squad in the league and we are stronger now. We have the best players and the best manager in the league.

A side prediction is that Whelan will be a goal machine once fit.

RAWA

[brandyball]

Liam Coyle reckons we"re favourites to win the league, he said we have the biggest squad and the 2nd biggest budget behind Rovers.

[Nige92]

Liam Coyle reckons we"re favourites to win the league, he said we have the biggest squad and the 2nd biggest budget behind Rovers.

We might have a bigger squad (do we?) but have we a better squad? I wouldn't be so sure looking at the two in the President's Cup, including the players not playing.

None of the bookies have us favourites.

We live in hope!

[marcoloco]

Liam Coyle reckons we"re favourites to win the league, he said we have the biggest squad and the 2nd biggest budget behind Rovers.

We might have a bigger squad (do we?) but have we a better squad? I wouldn't be so sure looking at the two in the President's Cup, including the players not playing.

None of the bookies have us favourites.

We live in hope!

Liam needs a cold shower if he said that. Rovers start as favourites every year atm. They have the players, the experience and the budget. Anyone putting us ahead of Rovers are looking on with rose tinted glasses. It takes time to build a title winning team. You don't just buy a load of players and lift a title. Progress is sustaining a challenge, holding our own v Rovers when we play them, and a better showing in Europe. The title will come but not this year.

[Marty]

Agreed. We should go very close this year and there’s every chance we could win, but the main objective is keep making progress.

Must start improving they European co-efficient

[eugenio]

Why oh why are Rovers sainted here We have them winning the League already We have made them invincible They of all teams know the passion of the Dublin derbies and rem they like us struggles Dundalk and Drogs so invincible they are not into the first week of the season Why not give it the first round of games then let’s talk winners etc The cup Final gave us a gloss that frightened a lot Last night we made Pats look ordinary So why not just enjoy the stuff Prepare to gub the opponents and then take stock Tpo early for all this stuff surely

[marcoloco]

Why? Because they've won the last 3 titles proving they are the best team and followed it up with decent performances in Europe. It's simple really. They have several players on the fringes of the International set up too. They have the experience and know how when it comes to winning titles whereas at Derry its half a century since we won a title. They also have almost 8k fans cheering them on at home which gives them an edge too. They have a manager that is comfortable in his position and has a team playing in a decent way. We are playing catch up in that sense.

I think there's a lot of Rovers bias that people need to move beyond and accept that they are the benchmark. If we can match what they are doing then we'll be flying. Currently I see us as being the 2nd best in Ireland and that is not easy when you consider how far we've come in such a short time. But many people always want more, are never satisfied or are too impatient to appreciate that we are on a journey and success doesn't happen overnight. Give it time.

[eugenio]

Why? Because they've won the last 3 titles proving they are the best team and followed it up with decent performances in Europe. It's simple really. They have several players on the fringes of the International set up too. They have the experience and know how when it comes to winning titles whereas at Derry its half a century since we won a title. They also have almost 8k fans cheering them on at home which gives them an edge too. They have a manager that is comfortable in his position and has a team playing in a decent way. We are playing catch up in that sense.

I think there's a lot of Rovers bias that people need to move beyond and accept that they are the benchmark. If we can match what they are doing then we'll be flying. Currently I see us as being the 2nd best in Ireland and that is not easy when you consider how far we've come in such a short time. But many people always want more, are never satisfied or are too impatient to appreciate that we are on a journey and success doesn't happen overnight. Give it time.

Marco taken your points but my post says people have them winning the League BEFORE a ball is kicked before they have been seen ……apart from us severely spanking them in Presidents cup …..Like wise …. us My point …let’s see the first round of games out see ……how the big Dublin Derbies go then look at both us us in a calm fashion .

[marcoloco]

Why? Because they've won the last 3 titles proving they are the best team and followed it up with decent performances in Europe. It's simple really. They have several players on the fringes of the International set up too. They have the experience and know how when it comes to winning titles whereas at Derry its half a century since we won a title. They also have almost 8k fans cheering them on at home which gives them an edge too. They have a manager that is comfortable in his position and has a team playing in a decent way. We are playing catch up in that sense.

I think there's a lot of Rovers bias that people need to move beyond and accept that they are the benchmark. If we can match what they are doing then we'll be flying. Currently I see us as being the 2nd best in Ireland and that is not easy when you consider how far we've come in such a short time. But many people always want more, are never satisfied or are too impatient to appreciate that we are on a journey and success doesn't happen overnight. Give it time.

Marco taken your points but my post says people have them winning the League BEFORE a ball is kicked before they have been seen ……apart from us severely spanking them in Presidents cup …..Like wise …. us My point …let’s see the first round of games out see ……how the big Dublin Derbies go then look at both us us in a calm fashion .

I wouldn't read too much into a pre season friendly. I don't panic when the results are awful nor get over excited when they are favourable. It's all about fitness and who's available on the night. But without a doubt we can hold our own now at home as was shown last year in the league and cup. We need to maintain that when it matters this year and maybe replicate that at theirs. Thus far we've always come up short when playing them away. No doubt there will be many good battles to look forward to this year.