Love is in the air ahead of LoI kick-off

Last weekend, there were mutterings around the south west about the GAA’s decision to hold Limerick’s Allianz Hurling League match with Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds at the same time as Ireland’s Six Nations meeting with Scotland at Murrayfield.

Usually, the GAA will go out of its way to avoid such clashes – just look at the Cork county board’s rationale for holding firm with the 7.30pm throw-in time for their meeting with Limerick a couple of weeks ago.

The League of Ireland, too, has an unfortunate clash this week as its opening round of fixtures clashes with Valentine’s Day. How many couples will have arguments over whether to spend a night in a nice restaurant or perished in a cold stand at some football ground around the country?

Given the popularity of the league right now, I suspect the football argument might win out in the majority of cases.

It’s hard to remember a new season coming around with more expectation and genuine hope that this is the start of something special.

On the face of it, the coming campaign ticks a hell of a lot of boxes. There are at least four proper title contenders in Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick’s Athletic and Derry City. There are box-office personalities too, former Premier League winner Damien Duff and former Ireland boss Stephen Kenny chief among them. Shamrock Rovers will this week play in the knockout stage of a European competition. Their opening league match, on Sunday against Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium, will take place in front of over 25,000 fans.

Then, you’ve got the media angle to consider. Virgin Media have committed to showing 36 games this season while Off The Ball are also bringing live radio commentary to the national airwaves.

All things thrown together into the pot make this one of the most intriguing seasons of domestic football in a generation. But with so much to look forward to, it’s hard to know where to start.

At the outset, St Patrick’s Athletic look poised to give this season a real crack. They were slow to find their feet under Stephen Kenny when he arrived last year but when they did, they were superb. Finishing the league with nine successive wins, Pat’s may well have won the title had it gone on for another two weeks. In the close season, they’ve signed a couple of really key players including the return of striker Conor Carty, while Simon Power and Barry Baggley also have plenty of league experience. Mason Melia is also around for another season before he departs for Tottenham Hotspur while Chris Forrester, on his day, is arguably the best player in the league.

I would pin them as the favourites, especially given Kenny’s league know-how, but Shelbourne look set to also give it a big effort too. Many will argue they overachieved last season but, crucially, when the pressure came on with their final couple of games, they delivered. Winning on the final day in Derry to secure the title reflected the mettle and steel of Damien Duff’s squad. They haven’t done a whole lot in terms of recruitment in the winter, but Mipo Odubeko looked lively in last Friday’s President’s Cup final.

Duff’s management style is all about intensity and work-rate from his players and that honesty will take them a long way again this season. Title rivals will admit they didn’t see last year’s push coming from Shels, but this season they’ll be wary. The element of surprise may be gone but Shels will still be incredibly tough to beat.

I’m curious to see how Shamrock Rovers fare this season. Stephen Bradley will be the first to admit that last season’s campaign simply did not match up to their usual standards, yet they were still 10 minutes away from winning a fifth league title on the bounce.

Their Europa Conference League progression has been both impressive and lucrative, but this season their squad is lighter with the absence of Johnny Kenny, Neil Farragia and Richie Towell. However, the arrival of goalkeeper Ed McGinty will be a major boost in a position that has been problematic for the Hoops in recent seasons.

Derry City simply must deliver and do it soon. Ruaidhri Higgins ultimately departed after another sub-par season in which they lost the cup final and failed to take a hold of a title race in the league that they really should have. Tiernan Lynch is now at the helm at the Brandywell and they have been busy in the off-season, recruiting several players who have plenty of experience. It’s an interesting ploy but it must pay off. For all the investment on Foyleside in recent years, Derry have yet to deliver a league title.

The four teams with title ambitions would appear to be a distance in front of the chasing pack. Of the remaining six teams, it’s hard to know what to expect from any of them.

Of that bunch, Bohemians would certainly think they have the most scope for improvement and the acquisition of former Bournemouth and Sheffield United striker Lys Mousset has caused a lot of excitement, but it’s a gamble to pin too much hope on his ability to score goals given he has been without a club for the last year.

Locally, Sligo Rovers will give as good as they have but the talk around the area right now is about avoiding relegation as opposed to looking upward. Last season, John Russell did a superb job after a tough 2023 but the ceiling would appear to be a fourth-placed finish at the very best. Looking around at the other sides, it’s clear that Rovers’ budget is nowhere near some of the Dublin clubs but, nonetheless, spirit and togetherness can count for a lot. I expect Rovers to stay in the division, but a European spot is a stretch.

Above all, for everyone who loves the domestic league in this country, it’s important that this current rise in popularity becomes sustainable. There is talk that the money being spent is as high as it has been when it comes to players wages. Let’s hope that this isn’t a flash in the pan and instead it’s the start of a bright new era for our domestic league.