The LoI wolfpack
Credit:
(Yes, this may seem like a reference to The Hangover, or even a sneaky marketing trick to go and see the sequel, but don’t go, it’s apparently awful)
While struggling to think of a peg for this week’s column, I was struck by how tightly bunched the pack are in the Premier Division.
Depending on tonight’s results, seven teams – incredible seeing as it’s a 10 team division – could lay claim to top spot. The unpredictability of each series of games makes this league one of the most exciting around.
Take the current champions of any league in the world and then take a side that just about survived in that division, can you imagine the lower-placed team beating the leaders twice on the bounce just a short couple of months later?
That’s very unlikely to happen but Bray Wanderers, closer to the bottom than the top in terms of league standings but only three points off the leaders, have beaten Shamrock Rovers twice this year.
When you take goal difference out of the equation, the Seagulls are actually joint third – five teams are currently tied on 25 points – so a funny turn of results could see them joint top with Rovers tonight.
That is, of course, banking on Bohemians winning in Tallaght in the fixture that is most prone to finishing in a draw.
The closeness of the ‘top seven’ means the transfer window in July is even more important. The team that can strengthen the most is likely to make a big move to wrestle the title away from the Hoops.
Of course, they have such a massive squad that they remain favourites for the title, but if another side can bring in two or three players of top quality, then they are likely to run Michael O’Neill’s men very close.
For the pundits who predicted where teams would finish this season, already their mystic calls are thrown out the window due to the insanely unpredictable nature of the league.
Making profit on the LoI must be a gambling nightmare. How often would punters have a five team accumulator, four would come up and the last choice would concede late on to draw with a team perceived to be far weaker than they are on paper?
It actually happened to me on the final day of the season last year – I had an accum done and with the other results up, only a late winner from Shamrock Rovers was needed. Would that happen? No. A draw was enough for them to win on goal difference.
Funnily enough, I wonder what odds would you get on the winner being decided again this time around on goal difference? It’s more likely to happen here than in most other leagues around the world.
Embrace the madness and unpredictability.
While struggling to think of a peg for this week’s column, I was struck by how tightly bunched the pack are in the Premier Division.
Depending on tonight’s results, seven teams – incredible seeing as it’s a 10 team division – could lay claim to top spot. The unpredictability of each series of games makes this league one of the most exciting around.
Take the current champions of any league in the world and then take a side that just about survived in that division, can you imagine the lower-placed team beating the leaders twice on the bounce just a short couple of months later?
That’s very unlikely to happen but Bray Wanderers, closer to the bottom than the top in terms of league standings but only three points off the leaders, have beaten Shamrock Rovers twice this year.
When you take goal difference out of the equation, the Seagulls are actually joint third – five teams are currently tied on 25 points – so a funny turn of results could see them joint top with Rovers tonight.
That is, of course, banking on Bohemians winning in Tallaght in the fixture that is most prone to finishing in a draw.
The closeness of the ‘top seven’ means the transfer window in July is even more important. The team that can strengthen the most is likely to make a big move to wrestle the title away from the Hoops.
Of course, they have such a massive squad that they remain favourites for the title, but if another side can bring in two or three players of top quality, then they are likely to run Michael O’Neill’s men very close.
For the pundits who predicted where teams would finish this season, already their mystic calls are thrown out the window due to the insanely unpredictable nature of the league.
Making profit on the LoI must be a gambling nightmare. How often would punters have a five team accumulator, four would come up and the last choice would concede late on to draw with a team perceived to be far weaker than they are on paper?
It actually happened to me on the final day of the season last year – I had an accum done and with the other results up, only a late winner from Shamrock Rovers was needed. Would that happen? No. A draw was enough for them to win on goal difference.
Funnily enough, I wonder what odds would you get on the winner being decided again this time around on goal difference? It’s more likely to happen here than in most other leagues around the world.
Embrace the madness and unpredictability.
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile