The history makers are not sated. Shamrock Rovers join their 1980s predecessors in winning four straight League of Ireland titles with a consistency from Stephen Bradley teams unmatched by any club since the FAI recruited Stephen Kenny in 2018.
Before the Bradley era took hold at Rovers, Kenny’s six seasons at Dundalk yielded four premier division crowns. Still only 38, the former Arsenal recruit has been linked with a move to Lincoln City but he is already talking about “five, six or seven” in a row.
“My thoughts to the board for quite some time were: ‘What are the plans to go again?’ That’s what I’ve wanted to do,” said Bradley. “I’ve got a feeling off a lot of people, not just at the club but around, that there is this magic number of four and then we just walk off into the sunset.
“That has never been my thought process. We spoke to Mick Byrne and Pat Byrne and [leaving] Milltown [in 1987] really hurt them. They lost six players to Derry and Derry went and were successful and they feel they could have gone and done five, six, or seven. Why can’t we? This group is in a really good place, we want to keep evolving.”
With a productive Rovers academy offset by an ageing first team and concerns about the budget to compete with the Shelbourne-Hull City project, backed by Turkish billionaire Acun Ilicali, the law of diminishing marginal returns is in motion.
Rovers won the 2022 title by amassing 79 points, having retained the Covid-curtailed 2020 league with 78 points in 2021. Last night’s victory over St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park means that a maximum return of 74 points is possible this season. That St Pat’s and Derry City, like their previous title challenges, cannot breach the 70-point mark offers clear evidence of stalled progress across the board.
Evidently, this was the year to catch Shamrock Rovers but they were allowed an awful start of five draws and a 2-1 loss to Ruaidhrí Higgins’ Candystripes before a 12-match unbeaten run had them six points clear entering the June break.
Jack Byrne’s latest injury-impacted campaign meant other midfielders, namely Gary O’Neill and Estonia’s Markus Poom, had to fill the void. Up front, Rory Gaffney’s goal return dropped from 15 to eight (so far), although this was covered by Johnny Kenny’s loan move from Celtic. The Ireland under-21 striker scored five times with another 11 goals by Graham Burke and the brilliance of Neil Farrugia guiding Rovers home.
As much as any moment, Burke’s late penalty at the Brandywell in September secured a 21st title.
However, the four in a row was built upon a solid defence, conceding 28 goals across 36 matches in 2021 and just 22 last year. They have coughed up just 25 this year. The only side to put more than two goals past them was Cork City during a wild four-all draw in March, a game that is remembered for Sean Hoare’s 97th minute equaliser.
Derry City, in particular, have underwhelmed since chairman Philip O’Doherty warned last November that they were “coming for the league”. The FAI Cup holders further signalled their intent by signing Colm Whelan from UCD but the former Ireland under-21 striker suffered a second ACL tear within 12 months, after two appearances off the bench in April for his new club when he scored twice before the injury. The absence of a marksman cost them dearly.
With Gaffney and Byrne out of contract, Bradley was asked recently if Rovers can afford to wait until season’s end to retool the squad? “Maybe not. I don’t know. I know Shels won’t be the only one. What they’re offering, we’ve seen it, heard it.”
Despite tripling profits in 2022, a jump from €409,753 to €1.6 million, finances have taken a hit after failure to progress on the European front. Defeats to Breidablik Kópavogur of Iceland in the Champions League qualifier was followed by Ferencváros of Hungary ruining a return to the Europa Conference League group stages with a 6-0 aggregate thumping.
There are compelling arguments for and against Rovers running out of steam in 2024 but a fit Liam Burt and teenager Naj Razi can help accelerate the drive for five. But sporting director Stephen McPhail must rebuild over the winter. The age profile of the squad demands it as goalkeeper Alan Mannus is 41 while Gaffney, Aaron Greene, Ronan Finn, Pico Lopes, Richie Towell, Lee Grace, Sean Gannon and Burke are all in their 30s.
It was far from a vintage campaign but this mature Rovers group have turned winning the league into a habit. It’s up to the rest to stop them.
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