 you're very welcome along to our preview of the new League of Ireland season the action gets underway this coming Friday night with four games to begin with there's another on Saturday evening and for soccer fans here in the northwest well there's a buzz of excitement as we anticipate what promises to be another exciting season joining me to look at what lies in store our two former League of Ireland players Gavin Cullen and Declan Boyle guys you're very welcome along. Hi Jeremy how's it going? Good to be here Gavin. All right boys well Gavin we can start with yourself we've hardly come up for air really after the exciting conclusion to the 2021 campaign but we found ourselves ready to go again. Yeah it seemed a very quick turnaround in terms of suppose the players really got got month six weeks off and then they're back in pre-season over I just seen an interview with Brian McNamee you had yesterday and they're back in the first of January so it's full year and you can see why the league's full time because the players are putting in that much commitment and effort to it there's no there's no summers there's no there's no breaks for them at all to be honest. And with that Gavin you know the pressure is on the clubs and the respective managers to start assembling the squads because when you look right throughout the Premier Division you know there's been so many changes so many players moving from club to club and elsewhere. Yeah it seems crazy this year all together I don't think in my memory I've seen this as much movement there's much transfers or as many young players even heading to England so like it's good in a way but at the same time it makes it very difficult to to keep a consistency and the league's quite a high standard at the minute so it's interesting to see going on the next season what level will be compared to last you know. Well Harps and Dairy City are two of those clubs who have seen quite a number of changes in terms of personnel in the lead-up to the new season but Declan you're well placed of course to offer an insight into life at Slaggo Rovers and it's a club that did so well last season but significantly they have lost players who were so important to them last year. Yeah I mean good season last year Slaggo Rovers qualified for Europe again so that brings in a bit of revenue to the club and it obviously helps the budget to recruit players but you're absolutely right had a good season and even within the good season we lost seven players and notably obviously Johnny Kenny the striker that went the Celtic and transferred across and also John Mahan center back that went to St Johnson as well for I think I think roughly in the 100,000 figures so that's a revenue obviously the Slaggo Rovers got but they've lost two key players and probably two of the best players that they had playing last year obviously one defensively and one attacking in that that's I can be hard to replace. They've lost seven players in total and most of those players are in the top end of the pitch and you look at a Reindy Fries has gone up to Johnny Kenny and John Mahan Walter Paghera has gone Andrew Wright Romeo Park and Melvin Lorenzo has gone as well so lost a lot of quality there and similar to all the rest of the team we discussed there in regards to players coming in and there's very little time to bed those players in so it'll be very interesting to see how the teams they're putting a lot of players and how they kick off at the start of the season and and that bedding and putting it along will it take because that could be a problem for a lot of teams. You know overall last season has to go down as pretty successful for Slaggo Rovers Declan although when you look at the league table and they end up like they were a full 21 points behind the eventual champions Shamrock Rovers but they still finished third and they're still qualified for Europe so plenty of positives to take from that. I think so the start off very well last year compared to the year before where they started off very early and then made the COVID break two years ago and then they came good and got into Europe and last year they started off very well and eventually just creeped over the line and Deirey pushed them hard obviously for that third spot but then Deirey got in themselves through the FAA Cup so that's you know so it's interesting to see and Deirey had a terrible start and they were well behind Slaggo after seven or eight matches and when Roy Higgins would have came in and got in as manager of Deirey City so they've done obviously remarkable well to get that close and obviously qualify for Europe for Deirey as well so yeah listen it's interesting to see how it'll pan out and obviously they'll be looking to get off to a good start again to probably get to the second round of the European competition the Europa League to be a definite achievement that's obviously present in the region of about half a million to the club which is massive money and funding for the club to extend both the facilities and their infrastructure and obviously bringing new players in as well so those kind of things so they'll be looking to start really well and can they get potentially going a bit better at Cup Run and last year the right and the first round against Cork study was very disappointing for them and we're looking for a good Cup Run and obviously try to qualify for Europe will be the goal next year for Slaggo Rovers. And Gavin what do you make of the start then that Slaggo Rovers are facing as we get the new season underway they're at home to Bowles in their first match after that it's a way to St. Pat's and then away to Deirey City so a Northwest Derby very very early in their campaign and you know every club will be saying it but Slaggo will be looking to get off to a good start I'm sure. They will surely that's the clubs that are around Slaggo's area of the league and you expect them to be challenging again maybe for the top half and the top half and going for Europe so the Deirey City's and the St. Pat's and the Bowles are the clubs that are really they want to be beaten but again it's an unknown contrary if they've turned over seven players probably it's the seven players are all starting eleven players and it really and really good players you don't know what you're going to get from them and as Declan alluded to there there's very little bed and time very little work a couple of friendlies probably the first game this season might be the first time that he gets his full team out so it's very difficult to see how it's going to start on any of the games but Slaggo's probably as much as any they're an unknown contrary. They certainly are well Deirey City then are another club then Gavin who have seen a lot of changes in terms of personnel within their squad and you know we could go through the the new signings we can do that in a minute or two but one thing that stood out as well was the addition of Alan Reynolds as assistant manager under Rory Higgins this year some people suggesting that that's a real key appointment yeah yeah um they hadn't really gotten assistant manager last year you know Kritharo was there but they still they still were a bad short so it was obvious that Rory was earmarking Alan to come in and and do that job he's a wealthy experience he's in with Irish on the 21s he's got all the coaching badges so and by all the counts around the dressing room he's very good with players so it looks like they're really happy with that addition and what the players they've brought on that it's very interesting times with Deirey and and of course I mean financially well backed as well Gavin well organized off the field at Deirey City and that says perhaps a loud Rory Higgins to you know to delve into the transfer market and make some important additions yeah big time it's exciting times we were in with Cock Hall in the brandy well last Sunday and they were there some of the players and the management team and speaking to them and it is exciting times I watched the game a friendly against substitute two weeks ago and the likes of Patsy and Michael Duffy looked the class above they were in the Pats they really were sharp looking um um Fats didn't play that day they've got the look Shane McElhaney who sent from Harps looked actually a lot thinner a lot leaner and they've they've wealth of talent in the world I have no doubt in my mind they will be up there challenges in the season Declan would you agree with that thought of of Gavin said that Deirey City now have the you know the the strength and depth there that can allow them to perhaps kick on last year what did the finish force to just in behind Slager over so you know some might say well placed to challenge Shamrock Rovers yeah for me um what the quality of players they brought in I don't see anybody getting close to to their channel was only themselves um they brought in players with top end of the pitch that scores goals can produce that moment of magic when maybe things are a bit tight and that can be the difference sometimes in games that are difficult especially away from home and you know Michael Duffy obviously will patch him did you save me score a lot of goals for them I'm only using alone for the first half of the season between penalty kicks and free kicks yeah Patrick McElhaney as well um you know if you can keep him fully fit he's probably been a lot of the injuries in the last couple of years he hasn't played as many games you've probably liked and I think keep him fit maybe it can be a key player and just that bit of magic and just produce something out of nothing and that's what you're looking for to one games maybe when you haven't played so well um especially away from home but for me it's Shamrock Rovers and Jerry City and whatever one of those two can come out on top um and I would presume as well that as you mentioned the financial backing they have they think they're going really well um come July there's there'll be no problem with them spending a few pound a game to to maybe bring in a bit more quality and especially maybe a striker something like that so it'll be interesting to see looking forward to the season um and how they progress so obviously there's extra pressure now and Rory as well you've got better players in far bigger budgets than they had last year and that brings extra pressure so you've got to make sure you you start off really well and and they already have a difficult start as well and yeah that's really quality um but for me it's Shamrock Rovers and Jerry City and the key ingredient for the most of those clubs is they've lost very little players so they've run in a good quality and really set our team so for me it's between two of them yeah and and Rory Higgins came in last year very early in their campaign remember he replaced Deccan Devine so perhaps it was a case of seeing out the 2021 season and then maybe you know stamping his own you know authority on things and getting in the players that he wanted to bring in so that might add that little bit of pressure now because all of a sudden it's his team and it's it's it's his setup yeah once once your budget increases and you bring in better quality players there's extra pressure on the manager um he did a marvellous job last year coming in after a very bad start there he had he went away in the first match beat Slaggo up in Slaggo then he went away to Bose beat Bose and I think he won the next game at home as well so this is a great start for him um and we were this time last year and in general we were just chatting Slaggo out uh Phan Harps had a stronger squad than Dairy City and how that has totally turned around this year so it just shows you how the quality of players that he's at it and and it's not just 1-11 Dairy City now I've got a 1-18 so there's seven or eight players that will concomit that team and it doesn't weaken them in any character capacity at all so yeah it's it's it's great way to be for a manager having that quality besides you but it brings extra pressure as well and Gavin the Dairy City supporters they they like to be entertained they like to see their team score goals and win matches in style and scoring goals was an issue for them last year but I'm sure the fans will have a big big part to play uh in helping Dairy City in their in this year's campaign yeah there's as I said there's a lot of excitement about all the counts their season tickets have been sold out um that friendly I was added against Institute there was probably 2,000 people that are friendly so there is interest and there is a lot of excitement and again you're going and and what they've brought in is actually really good quality local players as well so the the local people will get behind that and as Declan said there if they start well and it's important that you start well you know the the the the will be hard to stop and I'm also in belief I think Shamrock Rovers are probably too strong for everybody but the only club that's probably going to come close could be Dairy this season as well okay then well we'll move from Slago and from Dairy City and we'll we'll turn our attentions to all things Van Harps for for the next few minutes and I was just preparing for today's program and looking back on last season and I suppose the the big talking point was the fact that Harps needed as much as 44 points in order to survive in the in the Premier Division this season a massive total um there's no there's no doubt about that um one would hope that the team that's going to avoid finishing in the playoff spot or even automatic relegation spot this year won't need that total but what was the reason for that last year Declan I mean it was a strange season on so many fronts yeah it's hard to understand how you needed so many points but I suppose it showed the quality of the teams I suppose if you take out Lomford out of that equation the quality of the teams around the bottom half of the table you obviously had to draw out of the next and season harps of the next and season as well down there um you had Lomford were probably relegated as most happily through the season as such in regards and pick up too many points um you know and obviously the water for down there as well so not a lot of points a lot of teams got a lot of ones and I remember us discussing before generally what we said that for any team to go and play in the playoffs um we I thought that they'd have a good chance of winning because they weren't coming in bad form we're coming in after you know a lot of ones and then lo and behold you should you should be then going and beat water for in the playoffs so it's just you just never know D how things are going to pan out but it's it's um I think just the quality of the teams were a lot better last year um then at the end of the table and it'll be interesting to see who's going to be down there fighting and I would say obviously harps will be down there draw to be down there you know you should be you will be down there Shelburne have added with the quality and Damian Duffin will be interesting to see how he energizes them and how they play throughout the whole season um but he's got good quality players and so it's going to be very interesting um and then in those times there's also you know the teams or so-called better teams were in that as well and both were in there for a long long time and they pulled away near the end you know so you just never know who's going to be down there but um it's going to be interesting and really important to the season in some ways Declan harps were perhaps the victims of their own success because they you know they played so well during the season they enjoyed so many good results and they had some very good individual players throughout the campaign and those players then all of a sudden became quite attractive to some of the so-called bigger clubs within the league and you know shortly after the season ended and the weeks that followed Declan you know you could you could understand why harps supporters were suddenly finding themselves frustrated at seeing so many players going through the exit door and leaving the club yeah that's the difficult part you know from um point of view of supporters watching it and you obviously have Tunday that kind of looked up the season there um from the halfway mark for harps and and then anything he did against he caused them real problems Adam Foley obviously was excellent for the first third of the season scored a lot of goals you know and John Boyd as well pitched in with goals so you know we lost players on the top end of the pitch and we probably have lost in the region with 30 goals and that's very hard to replace you know and as you look on from it you know I wonder at times and I know there's been a few clubs that lost a lot of players but there has to be something done in regards to to planning ahead and strategic thinking and regards to these players being lost because you know you can't keep pulling players from all over all over the world pretty much into the squad and make it work and sometimes that's going to go against you and I just think the times there needs to be a bit more long-term thinking from a point of view of fanart football club and looking at players and trying to tie them down to to longer contracts similar to what Dairy City have implemented in the last two or three years we were given to your contracts yeah they might turn around and say we couldn't get those contracts to these players a half way through the season but they didn't know the outcome of where they'd be whether they'd be in the first division or whether they'd be in the Premier League regardless for me there's a core amount of players that need to be there next to regards in the first division and in the Premier League and it's definitely something that clubs in the League of Ireland need to start identifying the players need to keep giving long-term contracts and even if those players are you get relegated and you're in the first division you're still an asset to the club and you know we the Tundian to your country we probably have 20 30 000 for them this year so you would have been an asset and it's something that both Harps and other clubs around the area needs to look at the long-term planning and planning for the future okay interesting well Gavin one player that that you know know very well from your time of playing with him at Cockhill Celtic is Mark Coyle so he's one of the players that that left Harps this year supporters you know might be wondering could he have stayed alone others might say well he's getting the chance now of a professional contract at at Shelburne and it's a chance that rarely comes comes along for local players yeah it was a tough one for Mark I know me speaking to him it was a tough tough decision and he thought long and hard about it um he's a young lad he's he's had a fantastic season last year he stepped up to Mark he's been at some harps now it would be three seasons and and at the beginning of COVID and stuff he was debating giving up senior football and then he had such a good season he went back and done really well and obviously Shelburne came in and it was tough and as a young lad and he had the opportunity to go full time and test himself and see how well he could do he's seen his friend Georgia Kelly doing so well and probably that's sort of Swedish decision as well um you can't blame him and players should want to play at the best level and and push themselves the best they can and and and he can always come back as well but okay it was it it was a difficult choice for him but like I wish him all the best and I hope he does really well you know yeah we wish him well because I'm sure Harps fans will will give him a good welcome when he comes back and to Balba Faye and the colors of Shelburne Gavin the the players then that have come in um I mean we we were looking at them um off air and and you know I mean it's a it's a gather up of players from from here there and everywhere really isn't it and I mean the the big question is you know how does all he managed to do it this is something that he seems to be able to do season in season out and he's come up with the goods again yeah it's it's unbelievable and it's it's it's a credit to him but at the same time times you feel sorry for him having to do that as Declan said they're about a player signing two and three year contracts like I don't know if when's the last time Harps give out a contract like that um I know that the situation is no you can't do it because you're taking a chance on a lot of these players coming in as well you're not seeing them you're not knowing them how they would react they live in Balba Faye how they react to to the League of Ireland playing in a fan park you know like obviously to him and hindsight and boys they got you what you should have had in long-term contracts but when he first came in he wasn't he wasn't setting the worry like no it took it took a while to get settled so it's it's hard and it's difficult and and I say the way fun harps are as a club you know it's been like that for years it's sort of handy mouth and and away in terms of the structures and also like ideally they get the structures right and they're doing what Deri's doing now I think Deri's reserve team on their 19 team there's they've actually signed seven right of them on two and three year contracts in the last couple of weeks which is great for the young lads and great for the club so they are sellable assets as well so fun harps really need to get that right some way um in terms in terms of of the players are coming in so it's uh it's a total on the one that's there's probably seven right players from last year squad all good players and they had a very good squad last year but we're we're going to film park next Friday night and we're all anxious to see what what these players are like um by all accounts some moments in have been very good but again that's how they react how they bet on how they settle it's a huge question all right well Declan you have seen harps in action in preseason you caught the game against slag of rovers and I know you were you're pretty impressed by what you saw yeah um I've seen them all up in the show rounds yeah and I thought they played uh very well on the night and they made a lot of substitutions so it was hard to gauge um exactly who was playing because we didn't really get a team sheet as such but the overall performance was actually quite good and I thought they played better than slag oh and they passed the ball really well you know so um again summer to Gavin it's it's an interesting one for uh supporters because we all kind of want to go on Friday night and see who's playing for starters and then see what sort of qualities come in I think there's nine players in total that's a lot of players come in and try to bed them in and see what sort of quality we have so that that's the interesting part you know and and hopefully we can get three or four of those that'll be exciting and we'll actually score a few goals first and cause a lot of problems and and get us over the line a lot of games so that'll be interesting as well yeah so um I'm looking forward to it um but I just don't know enough about them to even to talk about them so it's it's an interesting one but I'm looking to hopefully see them in action and we can talk about them afterwards after the first match and next Friday night and the players that we do know uh Declan from having watched them in the League of Ireland uh Basti and Harry bags of experience Regan Donlan has been with Harps before as has Jesse Devers and Connor Turish comes in from from Litterkinny Rovers and I suppose Gavin Mulrini as well you would know him from from down your part of the world a good goalkeeper and he's getting this chance now at senior level yeah that's great for for Gavin to be getting this opportunity obviously um he played um on the reach um currently teams um one of the younger obviously and and plays he's involved in the army and in the international army team as well so that's for me with the past crossed yeah um to be getting an opportunity similar to probably Mark Antony from a point of view getting it probably a wee bit later in their life you know and and um haven't really come through the the academy structures as such but it's it's an opportunity for him and it'd be interesting to see how it pans out and you know I presume Mark Antony will probably be number one and Gavin will be number two that's what I'm trying to think so it's an opportunity for him um I suppose Basti and Henry did see him up in awe in the showgrounds and I thought he was really good and he's a kind of technical gift to player plays in that 10 position and likes to the other thing he wants everything coming through him so um obviously played with Derry City last year as well and it'll be interesting to see how how he conducts things but it's one of those players that's all that we've been a quality and he likes to to be having involved in all attacking sort of maneuvers you know so that'll be really interesting and obviously Regan Donnelly didn't play that much for Sligerovers last year and a few injuries and left back we've obviously seen him alive a few times and he's a very good passer in the ball um he delivers really good from set plays as well so it'll be interesting to see how he performs um obviously and left back position um we lost obviously Siddiqui and the center half position uh obviously they've put in a few center backs as well so it'll be interesting to see what sort of quality there they are as well um so yeah I'm looking forward to it um I you know it's it's a it's a really interesting one and you know just as Gavin mentioned earlier you just don't know what you're going to get with the players coming in but hopefully we get a bit of quality and um and we know we have as lucky as we have it Donnelly will be will be more than happy okay well Gavin I know that you will be uh well aware of the capabilities of Connor Tourish the the defender that's signed from the Recony Roberson you know I put it to him when I got chatting to him during the week that you know perhaps he could look at the example set by Ryan Rainey who has moved to Harps ahead of last season from Bonagy United took a little while to find his feet at Finn Park but once he did get going he really was impressive yeah it's exactly what Connor, Raymond for Ryan, Ryan went up last year a good player the footballer at intermediate level and he what he caught in fairness he was patient and and but his time and there was there was rumors and talks that no come the the June transfer on there's a live transfer on there he was going to leave but I'm glad he stayed I'm sure he's glad he stayed as well because he got to run a games in and scored a few goals and looks looks looks a good probably an a long starter for the start of this season in terms of Connor very summer I played against Connor loads of times played with him and represent the squads a very very good footballer a very good reader the game technically a very good first-hand or half probably the only question is his size and and and stuff and to go into the league of Ireland but if he adjusts and does well he definitely has the ability and I know I know the step-ups huge from intermediate level to the to the Premier Division but at the same time look he will get chances this year with the squad and hopefully it will go well for him. Okay and speaking of centre halves then the new assistant manager in Ballet Buffet Gavin is is another Gavin Gavin Dykes I was trying to work out is he a former team mate of yours but I'm sure he's someone you know well. Yeah I played with him, Deiglin and Gavin with the two centre halves at the time very good partnership Deiglin read the game and could play and Gavin would just head it anywhere very good defender he actually gave me my debut in the league of Ireland when he was manager as well so look I know him for years and years knows a lot of bit football it was actually surprised to see him come back in but he was I think he was at war on point was he? Yeah so it was surprised when he came back in but obviously all he was looking for somebody with a lot of experience and they come in and give him a hand and like there's no better man he knows a lot of it in league of Ireland you know. He certainly does Deiglin we came across Gavin Dykes last year on our travels he was doing a bit of media work during the you know when slag overs games so he's been watching league of Ireland football he knows what it's about and I get the feeling that he's looking forward to this new challenge. Yeah and I haven't been chatting him I bump into him every now and again but yeah he was at war on point I think just a lot of travelling from slag with a whole lot of war on point for training and matches and probably it's a closer location obviously Balbo Faye he's been there before he goes to the player and as a manager as well and as assistant coach to Olly so he knows what it's all about and the last thing that there that he did relationship as well so it's probably no brainer for Olly to take him in after losing Paul Higgardy and so he's been in so many experiences as well and so yeah it'd be interesting to see how that pans out throughout the whole season but probably some of our players or some of our coaches with some of our ideas as well so yeah but a good addition Gavin's highly organised very good in the dressing room from a point of view motivating players but also he's entertaining and put fun as well to have around the dressing so when things aren't going good sometimes you need to leave it a humour to keep everybody happy but yeah it's in a good addition to the staff. Okay so that's one of the changes in terms of managerial new faces in the management front at the various clubs and there are changes as well elsewhere Shelburne perhaps the big one Damian Duffin charged there we have a new manager at Dundalk with a new manager at St Pat's new manager at Drahada too so a lot of changes there I suppose Damian Duffin is one that most people will be keen to keep an eye on just to see how he manages in the League of Ireland. Yeah this is a brilliant recruitment obviously for Shelburne football club and I think it also for the profile of the league having him been so successful over in Glasgow Celtic with Neil Lennon there as well as number two so the fact he gave that up he was absolutely involved with the international team as well and stepped away from that so loads of ability and to have somebody of that stature and profile and coaching ability obviously and the experience of playing in the Premier League and winning the Premier League it's just you know it's really good and you know I'm not surprised that Mark Hoy when he got the opportunity to go up the shop and because what an opportunity is to work with somebody of that quality and the players around him will only benefit to know that he was heavily involved with the channel growers on the 15 team and then Shelburne's on the 17 last year and the one thing that you hear coming back out from all reports is it's the amount of time the dedication he puts through the job and he'd be expecting the same back from the staff and the players so there will be a big improvement in the players and hopefully Mark Hoy will root towards that and become a better player as well but yeah there's an exciting time up in Shelburne and you know they obviously got promoted and they went for a new manager and they just needed to give them quality and the context that they'd have as well across the water they'd no doubt bring in extra quality when needed. Yeah and they only lost two games last season Declan on their way to winning the first division title in style last in the Premier Division in 2020 that was the year that Cork City finished bottom of the table Shelburne went down then finishing second from bottom I'm sure the hope is and that they will be confident that they can perhaps do a little better this year. Yeah I think so I think he's brought in good quality you know you know so it's hopefully Mark Hoyling and Sean Boyle will be two players that knows the league Sean Boyle will probably pop in with goals throughout the whole season Mark Hoyle good defensive material as well yeah so it's I think they've got a Derban as well then they signed him from Longford so similar to Mark so the Inces and Siebel two of them played together in the midfield similar sort of players but yeah listen it's it's there's no doubt about it I think it's a great addition for the league and for Shelburne and I'm looking forward to seeing how they play and what tactics he brings you know and it's very tactically minded and he likes a lot of rotation in the middle of the park and he likes offensive players like himself it was very tacky minded and scored a lot of goals obviously so it'll be very interesting but it's a great addition and just brings things you know makes things far more exciting for for all the teams for all the suspect hitters in the league and it just it'll be interesting how they kick off and how they go and where you know where would he push them to will they will they stay around the bottom or will they be up up near the middle of the tablet table so that's going to be very interesting but you just don't know from all the the teams they're involved you just don't know who's going to be the teams that are down the bottom and there are going to be in the middle of the middle of the table slash up the top end of the table yeah well Shelburne kick off the the new season with a home game against St Pat's on Friday night for Harps it's a home fixture against Roddy United Gavin and that will give local football fans a chance to see one of the former Harps players Keith Cowan in action with his new club yeah Keith got to move there I know he was at Duncanon and he was playing must have been doing very well there so it's a it's a big move from at this stage of his career but obviously he still believes he played that level and and the manager Kevin Dordy also believes he'd bring that experience to the squad and that leadership call isn't all so it'll be a big night for Keith to play against Harps on Friday night if he's selected as well so it'll be it's going to be a tough season for Rod as it is for Harps and I think Keith he and Friday night was for the two of them is who gets the best start and significantly Gavin Harps didn't manage to beat Rohan United last season and they were the only side that they that they feel to beat they could do with a good start on Friday night and that would mean putting that to record that record to bed yeah definitely that's an interesting start there now I didn't know that um drop the draw how to start it last season fly into it and they obviously dubbed the way towards the end the season dropped down but perhaps they have beaten every other team barred Rohan United last season that showed how well they've done you know and this season I do get a feeling that the likes of Rohan United the UCDs that Harps will be the teams that will be down there obviously the surprise package within that but you know it's it's important not to not to lose on Friday night for sure well Harps and Rohan United finished actually level on points at the end of last season Declan and only four points behind a dumb dark team who promised so much but really found they're going tough I would imagine they will fancy putting things right this campaign yeah that's an interesting one obviously um you know change a manager as well and that went down and there's a lot of I suppose didn't go down well it was some pats um but yeah listen it's an abdominal obviously going going back to his old club where he played in captain than one lead title so probably a no-brainer for him to go and do that one and they've lost a lot of players and the last you know there was a lot lost the quality of three or four players from dumb dark to dairy city um but yeah listen it's interesting one they obviously have a good budget um he has signed players and players on loan as well um they were definitely disappointed last year for sure they just didn't perform to the levels with the quality of players that they had um they obviously brought in a lot of foreign players as well um it started the season it just didn't happen for them either for one reason or other and some of their star players didn't perform throughout the whole season so it's an interesting one to see how they're going to be will they be better than last year I presume they probably will be better than last year I think and with O'Donnell going in there as the manager I think that'll make them a bit better but more professional um so even on settling with managers coming and going there and coaches coming and going so this year that leaves them more stability I expect them to be better but I don't think they're expecting to be up pushing um Shamrock Rovers or dairy city okay well before we wrap things up and I ask you for your for your predictions for the season ahead Declan we might just touch on one of the other clubs uh UCD I think it's uh we just you know they deserve a little bit of attention here because not only are they one of the newly promoted sides but there's a strong Donegal contingent there too yeah listen great to see the lads um usually getting up obviously I mean you know you mentioned Megal Gatter obviously can through the academy um played along the seven on the 17s Jack Keeney that can through the academy was with um Sligo Rovers and and Sligo Rovers first team leading Kerrigan as well can through Sligo and those players can let up believe much as you know uh last year for for and top or top players in UCD um so big ask this year for them to come up um but they are exciting um they wallet plenty of energy um they will have pace and athleticism all over them and it'll be interesting to see how they pan out there's going to be times throughout the whole season they'll probably get stretched and if they have two or three players out injured or spent since they probably might not have the squad like other teams but they'll be a welcome addition um and they've done well every time they played against um Funharp said their home were away and that'll be an interesting moment because all those games will be six pointers for sure and but yeah listen a good good contingent all lads um and we're looking forward to seeing how they perform at that level okay well they kick off their campaign with a trip to play shamrock rovers that game at eight o'clock just like harps against drota on friday night and eight o'clock start as well the other two games then on friday night done dock host dairy city and shells taking on scene pats both kicking off at seven forty five and we shouldn't forget the first division which also starts this friday night there are three games at lone town at home to waterford bray play cork city and it's wexford against treaty then on saturday night slaggo host bowls at seven forty five at the show grounds and the game in the first division is lungford town against cove boys is anybody going to challenge shamrock rovers uh or are they going to win the league for a third season on the bounce deckland um yeah listen as discussed earlier i think dairy is probably you know the only team that have the quality and depth of players that will come close to shamrock rovers well they push them i think they'll push them for sure and make it close but near the end i think shamrock rovers might pull away just from the fact that they've signed jack barn who had scored over 12 or 14 goals two seasons ago from midfield and that just brings in a nicer dimension to them and you know they've had the players on top end of the pitch that woke them in with 10 goals here and 10 goals there and they just scored enough goals overall but there was times throughout the whole season where they weren't convincing but this year they're going to have to be because i think they're actually going to push them hard um for that number one spot and at the other end of the table deckland i mean is it too predictable to suggest that perhaps ucd might be the team to struggle yeah um you know gabin mentioned there it's how you start um and they'll be looking to get off to a positive start and get a wee bit of confidence and um yeah listen the public shamrock rovers usually will be down there i think um shelburn might be down there at the starting pin and how they they start off um you know so harps will be down there i think draughta will be down there after losing to manager tim clancy the lost players as well they went the opposite direction to simpats kevin darty's come in there and i don't see any extra quality that he's added so that'll be interesting to see how draughta goes so i think you know between the four of those that'll be down there fighting fighting off um relegation and the playoff spot okay then well gabin what about yourself what's your thoughts on what might happen it's pretty summer i suppose and i don't think it it is as predictable as we're making a sound but i i do think shamrock rovers will will want it and i think it'll it'll really be down to themselves they lose it rather than another team pushing on and being way better i think last season they won the league without being playing to their levels i don't think i think they they wanted to they wanted by just scraping games and getting results when they weren't playing well i think this year they step up as as dex jack burn coming in top top top player for the league of Ireland so he he lad a lot of squad they've they've goals in midfield they've international defenders in their squad you know international goalkeeper and almanas from there and so you know they've they've got squad and and they've got stability in the squad which are not changing like other clubs six seven eight players over over the over the want their break so i think they're going to be hard to stop as again both dairy we know what they're going to bring and come july on the transfer window if they're there they're about state they can add a lot to their squad and wall challenge but i think they'll just be maybe a year a season too early for them to to push on them on a league after that it's just a bunch of clubs um slag old bows and pats possibly done dock at the bottom end of that no but it's it's it's sort of where it is and i think i think the bottom three or four is in my opinion draw how to probably are looking the weakest half we just don't know but what's all and what's his record and the league and whatever you know they're going to be there they're about no but they've enough experience there both with that to maybe get a playoff or whatever so usually speaking to william about them william corners is this manager he's he's they're set up with their professors of the facilities they have they'll be as fit and organized as any team in the league they'll be they'll be buzzing that he says they've a lot of quality players come come july some of them guys will be finished college here and maybe the bigger clubs a little bit let's call them we do stuff might come on and take them so that's a danger but i could see you should eat doing quite well having a bright start to the league and again shall burn told on the one so look it's it's pretty summery day in the time to think shamrock rovers and probably draw how to harps to fight it out of the bottom end you know okay then well gentlemen we'll leave it at that we're all looking forward to the new season really enjoyed the chat this evening harps against draw how to we'll have a full match commentary live here on highland radio on friday night from shortly before kickoff deckland your own commentary with myself and gavin will be uh will be uh together in the commentary box i'm sure during the season as well so we look forward to that in the meantime thanks for your contribution to this evening's program and thanks to oshen kelly who produced as well we're looking forward to the start of the league of ardent season it all gets underway that's coming friday night my thanks to you for for watching and from myself jeer matahari good evening