2004 was a good year for Irish football. Ireland recovered from the disappointment of not playing in the European Championships (where Greece’s victory offered a tantalising whiff of what might have been!) to show real signs of development under Brian Kerr. Roy Keane’s playing a slightly different game now, but in the Stade De France in October, you could see how magnificent he still is. Going to Paris, getting a hard earned point through playing the better football against France is a mark of how the current side has matured.

In Damien Duff and Robbie Keane we have two potential match winners – although the latter’s form and confidence seem to be perpetually on a knife edge. But serious questions remain. Can any of Clinton Morrison, young Stephen Elliot, Jon Macken or even David Connolly emerge as genuine international strikers? Is a revitalised Richard Dunne the best centre half available? Will Kevin Kilbane be able to maintain his recent exceptional level of performance? And has the hobgoblin that seemed to have replaced the real Stephen Carr until Paris been banished for good?
On the domestic front 2004 could go down as the start of something special. Following Cork City’s excellent run in the Inter Toto Cup (where they eventually lost to former French champions Nantes), Shelbourne took up the mantle by getting within 90 minutes of qualifying for the Champions League. Following a first round victory against KR Reykjavik, Shelbourne did what many Eircom League teams have ‘nearly done’ in the past – they beat quality opposition over two legs in Europe.
Hajduk Split are both current Croatian champions and former UEFA and Cup Winner’s Cup Semi-Finalists. Yet they came to Tolka Park, to play in front of 11,000 Dubliners and left with their tails between their legs following a thoroughly deserved 2-0 win for the Irish champions. Shelbourne then got to play the immaculate Deportivo La Coruna with a place in the Champions League and the potential to earn millions as the prize. Unfortunately it was a bridge too far – and last year’s European Champions Cup Semi-Finalists eventually prevailed in the 2nd leg in Galicia.
Shelbourne’s success was built on the kind of solid foundations that make you believe that they have what it takes to hold their own again against Europe’s elite. The Eircom League’s move to summer soccer means that they’re at their peak for the European games, and Ollie Byrne’s decision to move the club to a fully professional set-up has enabled the team to attract the likes of Irish and Cameroonian internationals Alan Moore and Joseph Ndo, as well as being able to keep the cream of domestic talent like Irish U-21 international Wes Hoolahan. With another league championship under their belt, they’ve already signed some of the Eircom League’s most consistent performers in Bobby Ryan, Colin Hawkins and the Irish international Glenn Crowe from Bohemians, in effect raising the bar even further for the rest of Ireland’s clubs. It’s now up to Pat Dolan’s Cork City, Gareth Farrelly’s Bohemians, back to back FAI Cup winners Longford Town and possibly a rejuvenated Shamrock Rovers, under the guidance of the irrepressible Roddy Collins, to see if they can keep pace. If they can, there’s a chance that the Eircom League will get the public off their arses and onto the terraces. One last request – no more moving games to Lansdowne Road that could be played to packed houses in Tolka Park!