By Glenn Mason
The end-of-season party bunting had only been packed away and the celebratory hangover just worn off when teams began to make plans for next season. The dust has barely settled on Drogheda United's shiny new Premier Division trophy and already the winds of change have begun to blow.
Fans can expect several changes to their squads over the intervening months between now and the resumption of the league in March. However, eircom League of Ireland fans have become accustomed to seeing their heroes move on to other clubs.
There has always been a culture of players switching between clubs during the off-season after a one or two-year stint at a club. It is the peripatetic nature of life in the eircom League. And that is not just the 'have boots will travel' players. A quick scan of most players' CV will show a number of clubs in the space of a few years.
This is where the work of the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland (PFAI) is most needed. Players need contract security and the PFAI has said that it is 'committed to achieving a standard player's contract'.
Yet the off-season can bring about a period of uncertainty for many players. Whether you are a full-time professional or a part-timer, waiting on news of a new contract or new club can be a stressful time, especially if you have a mortgage to pay and Christmas presents to buy.
Last Sunday, Shamrock Rovers announced that they had released 11 players from their first team squad. It is this kind of mass clearout that the PFAI would like to prevent in the future.
The top teams will strengthen for upcoming European adventures; others to remain competitive and some to freshen things up a bit. In Drogheda's case, Paul Doolin will be aware of the need to keep the continuity of the title-winning squad but yet the necessity to strengthen as they attempt to retain the league and make the breakthrough in the Champions League.
Although St Patrick's Athletic dropped off their early season pace just as Drogheda hit their stride, Johnny McDonnell's men had an excellent end to the season to secure second place and should be title challengers again next season.
Bohemians will embark on an Inter-Toto campaign full of confidence after their best finish for a number of seasons. Sean Connor has done an admirable job at Dalymount Park and they too will have their eyes on the big prize next year. But perhaps Drogheda's greatest rivals next season will be Cork City and Derry City.
Cork's experienced and international-laden midfield is the envy of the league and but for the absence of Colin Healy and Gareth Farrelly in the first half of the season they would surely have finished higher than fourth. Victory over Longford Town in the FAI Cup final at the RDS on 2 December would cap a fine end of season for Damien Richardson's side
The off-season at Derry could be an interesting one. It is widely believed that John Robertson will instigate a mass cull of playing staff at the Brandywell. Several players were playing for their futures over the past few weeks and wide-scale changes are predicted. No doubt Robertson already has players in mind to put the Candystripes back in contention for league honours.
It is at Shamrock Rovers that we may see some of the greatest changes for the 2008 season. Pat Scully has let go David Cassidy, Robbie Clarke, Jamie Duffy, Dave McGill, John McGuinness, Andy Myler, Dave O'Connor, Derek Pender, Alan Reynolds, Ian Ryan and Paul Shiels.
A further two players, Ciaran Kilduff and Dean Lawrence, will be loaned out for next season.
Scully wants to take Rovers onto the next level and break into the top four. He has stated that to move on they need to ally some experience with the talented youngsters that they have at their disposal. Yet the most noteworthy change at Rovers next season could be where they play their home games.
Discussions have taken place over a move to Donnybrook, the home of Leinster Rugby. This would see Rovers return to within walking distance of their spiritual home of Glenmalure Park in Milltown.
It would be a positive move for Rovers, as it would bring them back to the area of their traditional support on the southside of the city, specifically along the 46A route of Dún Laoghaire, Stillorgan, Blackrock and Mount Merrion.
The team that most neutrals will be keeping an eye out for will be Stephen Henderson's Cobh Ramblers. They have an impressive young side that could cause the more established teams plenty of problems at St Colman's Park.
Henderson is confident of holding onto all of his players following their first senior trophy. Cobh's title success was based on a 27-game unbeaten run in mid-season. A miserly defence that conceded just 17 goals in 36 games, the best in either division, and the striking partnership Davin O'Neill and Graham Cummins saw them finish narrowly ahead of Finn Harps.
Their season could get even better if they can pull off an upset to beat Derry in the Setanta Cup play-off at the Brandywell. There is also the prospect of a first Cork derby in 12 years to look forward to.
What of the other Premier Division sides then? Sligo Rovers, UCD and Bray Wanderers seem to have consolidated their positions as top-flight sides. Bray's yo-yo reputation seems to be a thing of the past and Sligo have avoided 'second seasonitis'. Galway United's off-field stability and prosperity was reflected by their eighth place finish, their highest for over a decade.
The establishment of the U-23 international team and the inclusion of solely eircom League of Ireland players is a positive for the league and its players. The players selected will receive a boost in confidence and will be able to test themselves against better opposition than those they play against every week. Thus, the standard will rise further. The same goes for those players selected in the 'B' international team.
The situation the league finds itself in is positive in the main. The on-field product has improved; there was only the one asterisk on the table this season, the two new teams (Limerick 37 and Wexford Youths) performed well and attendances have increased slightly.
Everything was not perfect and there are still problems but if lessons can be learned then next season promises to be the best for a long time.
