There are times during your lives when our backs are against the wall, nothing goes our way and we face constant criticism from all angles, it can sometimes be difficult to see a way out of it.
But remember, every little thing is gonna be alright…
Our first game of the season against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght showed all Dundalk FC supporters that this team of players certainly can perform at the highest level in this league, we were a hairs breadth away on the night of taking all three points, but that’s football, unfortunately, that’s life.
Small margins, brief moments in time can define a season.
The last three games have fallen well short of our expectations, maybe it’s down to a lapse in concentration or a dip in confidence, but its not all doom and gloom, or well, it shouldn’t be.
It’s too early in the season for that kind of talk.
Hands up, cards on the table, I will be the first person to criticise the team, a player or the manager if they are not performing at levels that we all know they are capable of reaching.
Its not good enough to accept substandard performances when we know these players have levels of potential that they are well capable of reaching. I get that new players need time to gel together and find an understanding with each other, but if we want to achieve what previous Dundalk teams have achieved then our levels need to increase five fold, fitness levels need to increase and we need to eradicate the silly mistakes from our game. Stephen O’Donnell knows exactly what is required, so that begs the question, why haven’t we got there yet?
On Monday Night, last week, at home to Galway United was….,well it was just unacceptable.
I have been going to Oriel Park, on and off over the last 30 years, my first game was the FAI Cup Final in Dalymount in 1988, Dundalk played Derry City in the Final; I remember it like it was yesterday. John Cleary scored a penalty, some may call it a “dubious” one, but it was enough for us to take home the trophy.
I fell in love with Dundalk FC that day and continued to attend games all throughout the 1990’s, and some games into the 2000’s, I say some games, I was in college, and you know……. College!
Throughout my time going to Dundalk FC games, I have seen good times and not so good times, I saw the great times in the 1990s and our fall into Division 1 in 2002 and our great escape from it in 2008, but Monday night was probably the worst I had seen throughout all those years, and I thought Galway last season was the lowest in recent times. I hate been proven wrong….
I stood behind the dugout in disbelief, supporters leaving from the 30th minute mark, fans booing, supporters shouting at players, some even telling players to take off the shirt as they didn’t deserve to wear it! it was the lowest I have seen our club fall and you all need to remember, we all went through 3 years of Peak 6!!
On Friday Night against St Pats, we did see a response from the team, the fighting spirit returned but unfortunately it wasn’t enough, it fell just short, the levels of expectation still hadn’t been reached, I know, we all know that they can do better, fuck it, they know they can do better.
The main concern that everyone can see is the lack of goals in the final third, the departure of our three top goal scorers, Pat Hoban, Daniel Kelly and John Martin in the off season was concerning. Among those three players last season they scored around 33 goals, at this point in the current season we have scored one goal and none from open play.
The three departures have all scored for their new clubs, with the new number 9 in the Brandywell banging the goals in already.
This poses some questions, how do we replace 33 goals and are the new recruits good enough to step up to lead the frontline?
Only time will tell but initial signs are not looking good.
I hate to keep going back to the Kenny era, but during this era we were the ones setting the standards, the league hadnt seen anything like it, training programmes for players, nutrition came to the fore as did dietary plans for players. The club embraced the professional approach and showed the league how things are meant to be, we set the standards that all other clubs operate by these days.
We have always been the ones setting the standards so how have we let our standards drop so low, it’s time to get our club back to basics, strip away the shit, the extravagance, the personalised licence plates!, the egos.
It’s time to get back to playing football, get back to setting standards rather than following them, to train better than everyone else, be better than everyone else.
It’s time to prove all the doubters wrong. As Dermot Keely said, if you walk the walk then people will follow.
So it’s back to Oriel this Friday Night, Waterford come to town and it’s now or never.
It’s now or never for these players to show us all what they can really do,
It’s now or never for these players to wear the shirt with pride,
It’s now or never for these players to play for not just the club but for this Town,
It’s now or never for them to play for the supporters and give everything they have, leave everything they have on the pitch week in, week out.
As supporters, we will do our job on Friday Night, Oriel will be rocking, Oriel will be bouncing.
The support will be with you every step of the way, we will do our jobs……
Its time for you to do yours….
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