Home Business Irish League bosses weigh in on Premiership full-time divide debate

Irish League bosses weigh in on Premiership full-time divide debate

by wellnessfitpro

Four full-time teams lead the way at the top of the Irish Premiership

The potential divide between the full-time and part-time teams in the Irish League continues to stir up debate.

The Premiership’s four full-time teams lead the way at the top of the division which adds to some people’s fears that this will now become the norm.

Crusaders boss Declan Caddell feels it is hard to compete with the ‘Big Four’ now as they have taken the full-time set-up to even higher levels than before.

“It is difficult to compete. You look at the finances going about the league and what some clubs can offer and what some clubs can’t,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s a full-time league like it used to be five or ten years ago. It’s properly done now.

“We saw that the time we played Coleraine here. They’re outstanding in terms of how they’re coached, their fitness levels. They look physically like a full-time team.

“It is hard to compete. You look at the big four now, as you would call them. Linfield, Glentoran, Larne and Coleraine, who have pulled away.

“Looking at their structure and their budgets, they should be the top four coming into the season. That’s the way it usually works.

“So it is difficult and everybody’s scrapping in behind trying to hold on to their coattails.

“So for every club, and that’ll be the same for me here, we just have to look after ourselves. We will only do what’s within our means and continue on trying to improve and trying to close that gap.”

Jim Ervin, whose Ballymena United side inflicted Linfield’s first league defeat of the season last week, echoed Caddell’s sentiments.

“It is what it is. We can say as much as we want, we’ve just got to get up and get on with it,” he said.

“We played Linfield during the week and beat them 1-0. Glentoran and Larne both beat us 2-0. The Larne game I thought we were well in it until late on in the game. We got hit with a sucker punch at the Glentoran game.

“It’s good for the league that there are full-time clubs. We would all love to be in that position together, unfortunately, that’s not the way it is.

“It’s difficult. You’ve just got to get up and get on with it. You’ve got to keep fighting.

“You’ve got to try and put a team together, a squad together that can cope with it as best as possible and see where you go.

“There is a divide between the full-time and part-time, but like I say, it is what it is.”

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