I’m expecting both Shelbourne and St Pat’s to lay down a big challenge to Shamrock Rovers over the next month. Let’s be honest, they can’t afford not to. But with Europe around the corner, this is the time of year that teams have been building towards, where they get to unleash their all.

It’s amazing how a two-week break feels like a two-months. The games were coming thick and fast in May and Rovers and Bohs took full advantage. They made the most of the double game weeks in particular, whereas Shels and Pat’s missed out and it wasn’t a great month for either side as they expected to challenge.

For Shels, the consistency they had last season has deserted them a little this year. I speak a lot in this column about how the good teams use pre-season to set out their expectations for the year ahead. And for the four teams in Europe, they have been building towards this time of the season.

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When I was at Shels, we were expected to win leagues and do well in Europe and that was drilled into you on those freezing cold, wet pre-season days training at the AUL. The rain would be sheeting down on a miserable grey day and all you’d be thinking about was the summer months and European football. That’s what spurred me on anyway and I conditioned myself mentally and physically to peak in the summer when Europe rolled around. And that’s why I expect Shels and St Pat’s to hit full throttle now.

Playing against higher quality opposition in Europe should have a positive knock-on effect in your league form. I don't recall my Shels teams having a bad July, August or September in the league because that focus primes you to go up another gear and really push yourself. That’s why Shels and Pat’s need to lay down a big challenge to Rovers. This is their chance and no better time than tonight when they meet at Tolka Park.

Shels’ first European game is less than a month away and in the meantime they have five or six league games to rediscover the level of consistency they had last year. They need to send out a message to the rest of the league that they haven’t gone away.

Last year, Damien Duff’s men led for most of the season and they know the toll it takes. But they got over the line and that was a huge confidence booster. While they’ve had to go at it differently this year, there’s still benefits to sitting in the slipstream of others.

No, they can’t get away from the fact they’re nine points off the lead as that’s not good at all. But they can let Rovers take the strain for now, and try to twist the narrative themselves as they’re not under huge pressure as it stands. Duff has had his players primed since pre-season and this is the time of year when it has to start showing.

Drogheda’s European fortunes now rest with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but all of our teams on the continent simply have to progress past the first round. And if the mindset is right, Shels and Pat’s can make domestic gains too.

Breaking bad for finances

I enjoyed the Indo podcast chat between Joe Malloy and Shelbourne’s new chief executive Tomas Quinn. Quinn spoke about how the biggest revenue generator for League of Ireland clubs is still match day tickets.

It got me thinking about the music industry again, and the surge over the last decade of 90s bands coming out of retirement to gig again. I’ve written before about how League of Ireland grounds should become concert venues for crowds of a certain size. These acts are back on the scene because they’re not making money off album sales or spotify. They simply had to get back on the road.

In the same way, League of Ireland clubs have to play games to survive. Do you introduce more competitions in that case? Or do you do something different? Take the mid-season break that we’ve just endured. What an absolute waste that was, when it could have been one of the biggest revenue generators for clubs.

I remember playing for Shels against Manchester United in 2002, in Roy Keane’s first game since Saipan. The place was rammed. English clubs aren’t coming here any more. Well, Leeds United are in August, but to play AC Milan at Aviva Stadium. That’s a disgrace. They should be playing our league champions.

It doesn't have to be English clubs of course, but there’s so much potential to turn this daft mid-season break into a serious revenue stream for clubs. It’s an open invitation, but they don’t seem interested.

Instead, we’ve fallen into a trap where from the start of the year we're conditioned into thinking that we’ll be winding down by then, and having a break. Well, it’s a habit we should break. Let’s get proactive about this week in June as there’s money to be made instead of topping up your tan.

Friendly flop

Have we just seen the death of international friendlies? I certainly hope so.

I was at Aviva Stadium last Friday for the Senegal game but I found it a tough watch and I’m not sure what value there was in it. There were spells of 15, 20 minutes when you could hear people in the crowd just having chats, and the match itself was like a training session.

And I'll be honest, I didn’t even watch the Luxembourg game on Tuesday. Life got in the way, other things to do. But I missed nothing by the sounds of it. This window reminds you of how positive the Nations League venture has been because friendlies are clearly a waste of time.

Don’t splash the dough unless you can find a Joe

Am I wrong or has there been a distinct lack of buzz about the summer transfer window?

It’s a tough time to bring in players. You might get a lad from the UK or an Irish lad returning home but it takes them weeks to get up to speed and by then it’s too late. There are exceptions. Will Jarvis was excellent when he arrived in 2023 and in my own days, Joey Ndo was a summer signing for us.

We’ve seen some diamonds, and we’ve also seen some duds. Hands up who remembers Cartlon Palmer signing for Roddy Collins at Dublin City? I was tasked with marking him at corners for one game, and nearly had to climb on Jim Crawford’s shoulders just to reach him!

It’s rare to get it right in the summer. It’s a roll of the dice and clubs are effectively gambling and while you’d expect some business, I doubt it’ll be significant. Clubs are shrewder about their business now, and that’s a good thing.

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