'I have to agree with you Con, it's the best yet' – these are the words of Paul Doolin as the April goal of the month contenders were being broadcast on this weeks show.
The irony is that we can only include eight goals each month, and in April there were at least three other genuine contenders that would have sat very comfortably in the shortlist but that had to be ommitted on this occasion.
If you missed the programme on Monday night, don't forget that you can watch it back on the RTÉ Player or on the MNS website, rte.ie/mns because we'd be very interested to see what way the viewers are voting between the eight contenders.
We have a nice prize up for grabs courtesy of the programme sponsor, The Irish Mirror, so feel free to enter over the next few days.
Of course, as I've written here before, sometimes when the backdrop to the play is an empty terrace, or a wall in the case of Hunky Dorys Park as an example, it detracts somewhat from the aesthetics of the goal itself compared to one scored at a packed Anfield or Old Trafford.
There's something about the packed stands behind the goal that give a long range shot or brilliantly finished move an extra sheen.
Packed stands in the backdrop add to any goal
That being said, anybody who enjoys good football can't help but have been impressed by the April offering, and hopefully May will bring many more of the same. It reiterates the point, that the quality in the Premier Division of the Airtricity League is not too shabby, and it's something we should celebrate.
The fact that the top of the table is so tightly bunched at the moment is something else that will hopefully keep the interest right to the end of the season. With all the top sides taking points off each other, don't be surprised if the winning points total is lower this term compared to the previous few seasons.
Can you imagine what it'll be like if three or four teams have genuine title ambitions as we come down to the last three or four rounds of matches?
It would be great from a TV point of view, and it should be good in terms of the crowds attending the matches as well. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, and there's a lot of ground to be covered before such a scenario might emerge, but if it does, I'll be really excited by it.
It's interesting that this week, two people on different occasions said to me that they would love to see Cork and Derry back in the Premier Division. Neither of those people, I might add, are Cork or Derry fans, but the loss of those clubs colourful support, and the regional spread they bring, are definitely missed from the top flight.
Is it time to start reconsidering whether a 16 team Premier Division might be more desirable?
What about a bigger League with a home-away structure?
A 30-game league with just two matches per season against each club, apart from cup ties, might be better than the four matches each season that we have at the moment.
You could, for example, have a situation next season where Team A plays Team B four times in the league, maybe twice in the FAI Ford Cup if the tie goes to a replay, maybe twice in the Setanta Cup, and maybe once in the EA Sports Cup, and that's before the possibility of a meeting in the Leinster senior Cup. So Teams A and B could feasibly play each other 7 or 8 times in one season.
It's not a situation that anybody would want to see I'm sure.
The 30 game season versus 36 as it stands at the moment would also mean that we would be less likely to have the kind of fixture congestion that sees part time players having to face 10 matches in 31 days, as Galway United have had to recently.
Several managers have complained of late about the number of games their players are being asked to play in a limited amount of time, and it has to be remembered that the clubs here don't have the sort of squads available to managers in the UK, who can call on a squad of about 40 players.
Injuries, tiredness and time off for work all become issues for the players and management, and repetition of fixtures surely leads to supporter apathy.
‘Ah for flip sake, not Team B again, say the supporters of Team A’.
The debate about whether a 16 team league might be a runner will surely be had in the coming weeks, although I have to admit, I'm not sure of the practicalities of how such a change could be brought about.
Music selection - revolution in the air?
Incidentally, going back to the Goal of the Month competition for a moment, Pat Morley's face probably mirrored mine when he heard the background music. Our editor Brummie Steve chose it, and listening to it, it became apparent to me that his taste in music matches his taste in the football team he supports (Birmingham) - dodgy at best.
He told me afterwards that it was MC Tunes, and he said to make sure I called it M.C.Tunes, and not ‘MacTunes’, which an elder lemon like me might be inclined to do. My God it was awful, but unfortunately he says it's not a democracy, it's a dictatorship and he's the dictator. I say it's time for a revolution.
If there's something you'd like to hear behind the May goal of the month competition let us know, and we could see a great demonstration of power to the people. Yes we can! We shall overcome! No more rubbishy dictator rap…....
I'd even go with Tony MacDonnell's suggestion of Barry Manilow ahead of MC Tunes.
Personally I'd love to hear the Frank and Walters ‘After All’: proud supporters of Cork City.
I still remember the day they played at half time at Turners Cross, when we were doing a live match on RTÉ, and Dave Barry was the analyst.
As he was talking to me at half time The Frank and Walters were playing in the background, and I had to stop Davey to tell him I wasn't listening to a word he was saying to me because the music was so great behind us. He wasn't too offended because Dave loves The Franks as well!
So that's my shout for the month of May. Give us your choice vie Facebook, Twitter or to mns@rte.ie.
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Finally, next week, we'll be bringing you the draw for the third round of the FAI Ford Cup, which is always an exciting occasion as its when the Airtricity league teams come into the competition, and we get the prospect of non league teams drawing the likes of Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers or Dundalk to name a few.
Obviously it's not just the chance for a tilt against a top side for the non leaguers, but it's also an opportunity to generate much needed funds through the gate receipts that drawing one of the better supported clubs would bring.
Tony O'Donoghue will be master of ceremonies and he'll be joined at the draw by a number of interesting guests. So make sure you're with us for that one, and thankfully there won't be any live games on next Monday night to compete with our programme, so good news all round!
