Sir, - Richard Balls (An Irishman's Diary, August 3rd) attempts to perpetrate a tired cliche about Irish soccer. A few pre-season friendly games against mediocre opposition and holding Celtic and Rangers to respectable defeats says more about the attitude of many lower-league English pros to pre-season matches and the appalling state of Scottish football than about any renaissance in the League of Ireland.
Look at League of Ireland results in Europe in the 1990s and you will see a picture of abject failure at even the lowest levels. Among the many spectacular failures were Shelbourne's 6-0 aggregate defeat by Akranes of Iceland in 1995 and Derry's 3-0 defeat by Maribor of Slovenia a year later. Shamrock Rovers fans should be spared the pain of any reference to their recent European exploits - especially their Polish experience. In my lifetime I can recall only two Irish teams progressing beyond the first stage of European competition.
Domestic Irish football is a sad joke, in stark contrast to the vibrancy of junior football in this country. The English game has always been made the scapegoat for this. In football terms, Ireland is very much a satellite of Britain, but then so are Denmark and Norway and their club teams have progressed regularly to the Champions League and the latter stages of the UEFA and Cup-Winners Cups in recent seasons. Adopting the Scandinavian model and playing a summer season (say March-November) would have the following benefits for Irish football:
Teams playing in Europe would be able to compete at a higher level because their fitness levels would be far greater when the competitions begin.
Bigger crowds would support the league on summer evenings. Competition from the GAA would not be significant as their games are almost exclusively played on Sunday. In the absence of the Premiership the league would undoubtedly receive more media attention.
Fewer matches would be postponed due to unplayable pitches, avoiding the kind of fixture pile-up which has on several recent occasion's turned the championship run-in into a farce.
Hard, bumpy pitches would in the long run help promote better ball control and passing skills among players.
In its present form Irish football is beyond salvation. We are cursed with clubs and a federation which are preoccupied with belly-aching about the lack of support from both public and media for what is a sub-standard product, while making only the most cosmetic changes to it. Perhaps Mr Balls can now better understand the frustration that makes one turn one's back in despair on the Irish game. - Yours, etc., Damian Shore
Ballygarrett, Gorey, Co Wexford.