ok, folks, the big kick off to the 2007 season is tonight. and seeing as how I don't have a proper blog anywhere online, i'll hammer this up here!

so most of the pre-season has been taken up with watching Shelbourne implode, and to be honest, they were damned lucky that they were allowed continue, even in the first division, but seeing as how i'm not concerned with that, i'll skip swiftly on to the Premier Division.

its quite simple, there are 3 teams to watch this season, as far as the league is concerned, and at present, 2 who could really upset the order. the clear favourites, are of course, Derry City. and rightly so, they have been 2nd two years running, and are the reigning FAI Cup Champions. however, the change in management is a concern here. Fenlon achieved comparitively modest results with a massive budget at Shelbourne, and with the purse strings being stringently controlled at the Brandywell, i wonder how well he will do.

to me, the team to beat is Drogheda United. they have spent an inordinate amount of money on this current team and this will be the final year where the lack of a serious championship challenge will be tolerated from Doolin and his men. If Doolin can decide on a settled team, especially up front, then they can achieve the club's first ever championship triumph.

the third team to watch is Bohemians. now, i am a Bohemian fan, so there may well be a certain biase here, but from the handful of pre-seasons i've seen, i am very impressed. new manager Sean Connor is there to win things, and i have no doubt that he doesn't intend to wait a year before starting. some decent acquisitions, paired with the handful of players that can excel beyond '06s mediocrity should give Bohs the boost for a top 3 finish. my main concern is midfield, where cover is light, and generally small, a factor which could see them in trouble down the stretch.

so, what about Cork? well, Cork are a team whose season hinges on one thing - UEFA's stance over Healy and Farrelly. the self inflicted implosion of the 05 Champions last year surrounded the loss of George O'Callaghan. a player Cork failed to replace, and in Healy (if they can get UEFA clearance) they have a replacement good enough to kick them into the title race. if they don't get him cleared, the Rebel Army will be hoping for a good cup run. a team who are on the way up, and potentially could upset the apple cart are St Patrock's Athletic. i've been nervous surrounding their recent signings. Kirby, Ndo, O'Neill and it now seems Stephen Paisley are all good enough to grace a championship team, and with the solid spine that was there in 2006, they could very well be in the mix up for most of the season. i worry about their strength of depth, though, and ultimately think they will fade away in the final 10 weeks of the season.

and what of the rest? well, i don't expect any truly dark horse to break the top 5 this season. Bray will be mid table, as always, while the management upheavel at Sligo will set them back. Shamrock Rovers will, unfortunately, avoid the drop, but i still don't see them making a huge leap. Waterford are a team to watch, with no expectations, they could surprise a lot of people and i think they'll do well. the relegation battle will almost certainly include Longford, who have lost most of their more senior players. Galway's controversial promotion in 2006 will result in a long season, but they have added sufficient strength to pull through. the perennial favourites for relegation are UCD, and this year, i reckon they will survive, but only just.

Predictions:

Drogheda United
Derry City
Bohemian FC
Cork City
St Patrick's Athletic
Bray Wanderers
Galway United
Shamrock Rovers
UCD
Waterford United
Sligo Rovers
Longford Town

Dalymount Park is soon to be no more. Bohemians have agreed a deal to sell the Home of Irish Football to a developer and move to a purpose-built arena near the Airport within 5 years. While the ground has seen better days, it is still with a heavy heart that we leave this once great venue. Here is a brief history of the stadium:


1834
Prolific developer Mr Peter Daly builds a terrace of houses, on a rise, on the North Circular Road in Phibsborough. He names this terrace 'Dalymount'.

1901
Bohemians Honorary Treasurer William John Sanderson acquired the plot of land at the back of these houses for an annual rent of £48. A partly overgrown vegetable plot known locally as "The Pisser Dignam's Field" was to become our home for the next 104 years, and counting.
After some work to install terraces, made from wooden railway sleepers, and a perimeter wall of corrugated iron was installed, Dalymount Park was to host its first ever game on Saturday, September 7th 1901. Bohemians beat Shelbourne 4-2, with the first ever goal scored in Dalymount Park coming courtesy of one of the clubs stars at the time, Harold Sloan.

1903
After some rapid development work, the Irish Football Association hosted the stadium's first ever cup final, in March 1903.

1904
A year on from the first ever cup final, came the stadium's first ever international football match, between Ireland and Scotland in March 1904.

1905
A new spectator terrace was installed, with room for 756 people, raising the capacity at the time to a respectable 12,000.

1912
The St Peters Road end of the ground (what is now the Des Kelly Carpets Stand) had new spectator banks installed, and they could hold 5000 people. A quite impressive rate of development.

1924
Dalymount Park held it's first of 82 full internationals, under the auspices of the FAI, when the Irish Free State triumphed over the United States on a 3-1 scoreline.

1927
Major redevelopment in the mid 1920s saw the capacity of Dalymount Park rise to 25,000. The original corrugated Iron perimeter wall was replaced with a 10 foot high concrete wall and the wooden stand on the reserved side was replaced with a large covered Iron framed stand, with room for 1600 spectators.

1931
The gable ends of the main stand are filled in with glass and a new cantilever roof is added to the front of the stand.

1941
Further improvements increase the capacity by 2000, when the perimeter of the pitch is reconstructed.

1946
Bohemians announce plans to spend £75,000 over the following 6/7 years to further increase the stadium capacity.


1952
Alterations and improvements, begun in 1946, are completed. The reserved stand now holds 2300 spectators, the school end holds over 5000 and the total stadium capacity is now a staggering 55,000 (one wonders what the UEFA Licensing committee would have made of the stadium back in the 50’s).


1953
A year after the stadium’s capacity was increased to 55,000, the new concrete terracing on Connaught Street was officially opened by TD Oscar Traynor, just a week before a League of Ireland selection took on their Football League counterparts from across the water. The stadium plays host to this game in front of 43,200 people.

1957
The St Peter's Road end is upgraded again, with wooden piles added to create space for an additional 2500 spectators, pushing the stadium capacity close to a staggering 60,000.


1959
Dalymount's place in soccer's history book is assured as the stadium has the distinction of hosting the first ever match played in the European Championship. On April 5th, 1959, The Republic of Ireland played host to Czechoslovakia. Ireland won 2-0 with Liam Tuohy scoring the first ever goal in the history of the European Championship.


1962
Dalymount Park played host to a friendly in March 1962 against English side Arsenal. The game was to mark the turning on of Floodlights at Dalymount Park for the first time. Limerick’s Dick O’Connor