Top 20 most read articles on extratime.com – Part 1 (Counting down from 20 to 11)

Stadium infrastructure updates, UEFA prize money, fines and the coefficient, along with some moaning about referees were all topics that our website visitors read the most on extratime.com in 2024. Here is part one of our top 20 as we count down from 20 to 11. 

20. St. Patrick’s Athletic announce American investment in club

Luke Jordan (5 March) 

This year saw a number of clubs receive investment from funders in America. Back in March, Luke Jordan wrote about Kenosis Sports Group becoming 'strategic investors' in St. Patrick’s Athletic.

One of the investors is Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, who made headlines for his strong performances in the NFL earlier in the year after he made a comeback as a 39-year-old late pick for the Browns after injury to regular quarterback Deshaun Watson. 

19. Tommy Barrett: 'The fourth official is shouting to the ref that it’s a red card and he is just not listening, I don’t know why he’s there if he can't make a decision from five yards away.'

Éanna Mackey (14 April) 

Our Top 20 list usually includes a manager moaning about referees and our first (and not our last) entry of this type is from Tommy Barrett. Éanna Mackey caught up with the Treaty United manager after a scoreless draw at home to Kerry back in April.

“I don’t want to be talking about refs all the time,” said Barrett before going on to talk about the referee. “In the last few weeks we’ve had some horrendous decisions go against us and that changes the momentum of the game.”

Tommy Barrett: 'The fourth official is shouting to the ref that it’s a red card and he is just not listening, I don’t know why he’s there if he can't make a decision from five yards away.' https://t.co/4hYXrGXHCtpic.twitter.com/5L42BmrKdL

— extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) April 14, 2024

18. Some inspiration through the rear window ahead of the LOI transfer window opening

Tom O’Connor (26 May) 

Ahead of the opening of the mid-season transfer window in May, Tom O’Connor gave some suggestions for new signings to help win the league by looking back at key players from previous successful title winning teams. 

He noted that ‘At right back you realistically just need to sign Seán Gannon. The Ringsender is a serial title winner at St Patrick's Athletic (1), Shamrock Rovers (4) and Dundalk (5).’ 

Gannon stayed with Shels and added yet another league title to his palmares by season’s end.

17. Pat Devlin: 'You never think it goes that quick but I have had fantastic times in the League of Ireland'

Andrew Dempsey (15 May) 

We did a wide ranging interview with Pat Devlin back in April.

That it turned into a #longread was no surprise as Andrew Dempsey talked through Devlin’s playing days as a reserve team player in Milltown with Shamrock Rovers to lining out with the first team at St. Patrick’s Athletic and then to managing Bray Wanderers to two FAI Cups, his time as part of Steve Staunton’s back room team at Ireland to his recent stints as Director of Football at both UCD and Cabinteely.

16. Kevin Doherty on the intent of Drogheda United’s new owners Trivela

Tommy Healy (21 Jan)

What a season it was for Kevin Doherty and his Drogheda United team. They lifted the FAI Cup and maintained the Premier Division status in what was a transition season as they move to a full time set up for 2025 under new American owners Trivela.

Tommy Healy got the view of Doherty of how things were fixed at the club just prior to the start of the new season in this article.

15. League of Ireland clubs handed €43m boost in Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund

Andrew Dempsey (4 November)

November brought the good news of funding for infrastructure developments at a number of clubs around the league. Bohemians and Sligo Rovers were the big winners with allocations for the redevelopment of Dalymount Park (€24.7m) and the Showgrounds (€16.4m) respectively.

Wexford got €2m for the development of the pitch, club house and training facilities for their planned new ground, while South Dublin Council Council will upgrade the floodlights at Tallaght Stadium with a €650,000 allocation.

14. League of Ireland clubs hit with European fines

Macdara Ferris (28 August) 

The prize money for playing in Europe is crucial funding for League of Ireland clubs but while UEFA doll that out in large amounts during the year, they also are fond of getting some of it back through fines.

We detailed the fines for League of Ireland clubs back in August that totalled close to €35,000.

Shels were fined €21,250, including €10,000 for chanting of ‘a provocative political message not fit for a sports event’. The Gibraltar is Spanish chants from the Reds supporters during their second leg 2-1 win over St. Joseph’s didn’t endear them to the Gibraltarians who live in the British Overseas Territory. 

Meanwhile a bloke getting on the pitch in Tallaght to take a selfie with a player cost Shamrock Rovers €8,000.

Costly selfie for Shamrock Rovers🤳 https://t.co/OTlczKp4KW

— Macdara Ferris (@macdarabueller) August 28, 2024

13. Things you didn't need to know from the opening weekend of the 2024 League of Ireland

Tom O’Connor (19 Feb) 

We got a sideways glance at the opening weekend from Tom O’Connor which captured our readers attention.

The article began: ‘There are many articles you may have read over the weekend containing important details on the positive aspects and possible future trends regarding the League of Ireland, pieces which reference increased attendances and tactical breakdowns from esteemed writers. This unequivocally is nothing of the sort- it is merely the observations of a mind which collects trivia nobody needs (or possibly wants) to know.’

Things you didn't need to know from the opening weekend of the 2024 League of Ireland https://t.co/tU9p6xlkpIpic.twitter.com/gRfGTFwRBD

— extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) February 19, 2024

12. FAI Intermediate Cup Final line-up confirmed as Ringmhahon Rangers and Glebe North progress

Dylan O’Connell (3 April) 

We cover quite a wide variety of football here on extratime.com in 2024. We reported on two games from Wembley (the Champions League final and England v Ireland), League of Ireland Premier Division matches on the men’s and women’s side, the First Division, #MagicOfTheLeinsterSeniorCup and we had reporters at the European Championship in Germany this summer including Dylan O’Connell.

But it was Dylan's piece on the FAI Intermediate Cup Final that caught the eye of our website visitors back in April ahead of the game between Ringmahon Rangers and Glebe North.

11. Looking good for the League of Ireland UEFA coefficient

Macdara Ferris (20 August) 

The phrase a good night for the coefficient became a good season for the coefficient in 2024 as a decent haul of points were picked up in the Conference League by Pat’s (4), Shels (2) and Derry City (1) as Shamrock Rovers slowly built up a record haul over the course of their 14 game European season as they went through the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers before making the league stage of the Conference League.

Macdara Ferris – self confessed coefficient nerd – detailed out the points tally back in August and outlined the good news for the League of Ireland with the points looking like it will secure Europa League qualification entry for the FAI Cup winners in the 2026 European campaign which will provide a backdoor route into the Conference League qualifiers should they need.