Is this the worst season in the history of the League of Ireland? Or the best?
That depends on who you talk to. One manager - the boss of reigning champions, Shamrock Rovers, feels there has been a lack of quality in 2024. Two others, Damien Duff and Ruaidhri Higgins, disagree strongly.
Deciding who is right reminds you of that quote from Arsene Wenger about whether his tactical methods were superior to Alex Ferguson’s. “We all think we have the prettiest wife at home,” said Wenger.
Read more: Roddy Collins recalls hilarious run-in with Angela Merkel that saw 'bodyguard put hand on gun'
Read more: The reason Stephen Kenny does not believe St Patrick's Athletic can be called title contenders
No doubt that is why Duff and Higgins, contenders in 2024, regard this year to be better than Bradley, winner of the title across the four previous years. So, who is right?
What we are sure of is that this year’s League of Ireland is the quirkiest and craziest league in Europe - and here’s why.
Form goes out the windowShelbourne are top, Derry second, Drogheda ninth. But it is Drogheda who reached the FAI Cup final, not Shels, Rovers or fourth placed, St Pat’s. Plus Drogheda have scored more goals this season than leaders, Shelbourne and on current form are the third best side in the League.
As for leaders Shelbourne, their recent record is the second worst in the League, Derry’s the third weakest. But with three games to go in the title race, it is Shels who lead Derry and Shamrock Rovers by two points. Drogheda, meanwhile, appear destined to be in a relegation play-off.
Form table - last five games
1: St Pat’s … 15 pts
2: Sham Rov … 10
3: Drogheda … 8
4: Galway … 8
5: Sligo R … 8
6: Bohs … 4
7: Waterford 4
8: Derry City 3
9: Shels … 2
10: Dundalk … 1
MIND THE GAPOnly six points separate first from sixth, Shelbourne from Sligo, with Derry, Shamrock Rovers, St Pat’s and Galway the meat in the sandwich.
That tells you two things, first that Shelbourne’s form has deserted them. Whereas St Pat’s have taken 22 points from 24, Duff’s team have won one in 10, with Derry winning one in nine.
But beyond this issue, there is no doubt the League has serious depth. Bottom side Dundalk have more title winners in their team than first-place Shelbourne. The Lilywhites, Drogheda and Bohs have all taken points off the top five sides this year.
Yet the depth that characterises this year's League of Ireland is the exception rather than the norm.
Here the gap between first and fifth is four points. In last season’s Premier League, Man City had 34 points to spare on fifth place Spurs. In Scotland, Celtic were 46 points ahead of fifth place, St Mirren, with gaps of 26 points existing between first and fifth in Italy, 27 between first and fifth in Spain and Germany.
Gap between first and fifth in Europe’s leagues
League of Ireland - 4 points
Premier League - 25 points (end of last season)
Serie A - 26 points (last season)
La Liga - 27 points (last season)
Bundesliga - 27 points (last season)
Northern Ireland - 30 points (last season)
Scotland - 46 points (last season)
History makers ... for all the wrong reasonsWhile this year’s race is tight, it is not the tightest in the history of the League of Ireland.
Way back in 1948, there were only eight points between first and last, albeit that was the joint shortest season on record, with just 14 games played.
Still, whoever wins the league will do so with the LOWEST points total across a 36-game season.
The eventual title winners will also become just the SECOND championship winning team, and first since Cork Hibs were champs in 1971 to lift the trophy by winning fewer than 50 per cent of their games.
If Shamrock Rovers win the league, they will do so on the back of losing NINE matches, a quarter of their fixtures. This would be the highest percentage of losses by a title winning team since 1995 when Dundalk lost eight of their 33 games. They only topped the League once that year ... on the final day of the season.
But it would NOT be the worst record in history, a dubious prize that belongs to the 1960 Limerick team who lost SEVEN of their 22 league games but took the title on the back of 15 wins from their other 15 matches.
League leaders, Shels, have scored 34 goals from 33 games, a ratio of marginally over one goal per game. Dundalk, the 1995 winners, scored just 41 goals from 33 matches, Bohs just 36 from 26 league games when they won the 1976 League. Unless they find their scoring boots soon, Shels will break new ground … for all the wrong reasons.
And yet it doesn’t matter.
Limerick in 1960, Cork Hibs in 1971, Bohs in 1976, Dundalk in 1995, all have their names engraved on the trophy and etched into history.
“It does not matter what they say about us, we have the League so f*** the rest of them,” said then Dundalk manager, Dermot Keely, of his team’s critics in ‘95.
One stat matters and that’ll surround the team that finishes top on Friday November 1. The winning manager will forget about the rest.
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
