Bohemians: It’s been a surprising turn of events for Alan Reynolds’ side this year. After a tough start, many called for his head at an early point of the season. Tough losses to Cork City, Derry and Drogheda put a lot of pressure on the Dublin side. As the season has went on however, they’ve managed to be one of the only sides to break down this seemingly unstoppable Shamrock Rovers side, whilst also having an extremely impressive home record, with just one loss against Waterford at Dalymount all season. Bohs finish the first half of the season six points off top spot, and have put themselves firmly in the driving seat for a European spot. 10 wins, 0 draws, 8 losses.
Rating: 8.2/10
Cork City: It’s been a rocky road for the Rebel Army, on and off the pitch so far this season. A side that has been absolutely ravaged by injuries, is just about managing to keep their head above water from automatic relegation as they sit a mere point above Sligo Rovers in 9th place. They have now gone through their second manager of the season, with Gerard Nash recently taking over from Tim Clancy. Fan opinion is split on Clancy, however Clancy himself owed the decision to step down as a personal one as he was “totally burned out”. City had some impressive results at the start of the season when the likes of Bolger, Maguire, Keating and Dijksteel were fit and firing, with a 2-2 draw against a resilient Galway United side and an impressive win against Bohemians who have had a stellar season so far. Unfortunately, or fortunately for some, it’s been more of less all downhill from there. City are without a win in seven now, with the last coming in the form of a last minute winner against Munster rivals Waterford. Improvement is needed, but perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel with players to come back from injury in the 2nd half of the season. 2 wins, 7 draws, 9 losses. Will they stay up?
Rating: 5.3/10
Derry City FC: The league table has seemingly never been closer than it has been this season. Teams within few points of each other from positions 2-8. Derry have very much found themselves caught up in the this season, as one minute they are 2nd/3rd, in contrast to now where they find themselves in 6th. The candystripes may be disappointed with this showing, as they invested in a lot of experienced players this year, like Liam Boyce for example. Their manager Tiarnán Lynch, who came from NIFL side Larne, has shown some promise, however inconsistency has ravaged his side. This is representative in the month of April, as his side picked up impressive wins against Galway, Cork City and Sligo Rovers – along with a draw against Shamrock Rovers, only to fall short a few weeks later against Drogheda and Waterford. If Derry want to make Europe, more consistency is needed and perhaps some recruitment in the summer window to add some depth. However, this is not completely out of their grasp. 8 wins, 3 draws, 7 losses.
Rating: 7.1/10
Drogheda United FC: Most would agree that this has been the shock of the season. Drogheda United have been absolutely immense this season. Kevin Doherty has picked up on the good work from Tim Clancy, and arguably, brought the Drogs to the next level. Many thought there may be a hangover after the emphatic FAI Cup win, coupled with the 9th place finish – but the opposite has been true. Wins against Bohemians and Derry City away come to mind as particularly impressive by Doherty’s side. They now face a European campaign into the summer, which will be tough, but who knows what they could achieve after how they’ve got on so far. 7 wins, 9 draws, 3 losses.
Rating: 8.9/10
Galway United FC: John Caulfield’s side have been tough to beat this season. An experienced manager with a reputation for having strong, resilient sides, this hasn’t came as a huge surprise. Galway went through a tough period in early May, where they failed to pick up a win or draw in four. They then picked up an important win against Cork City, which brought some stability back to the Connacht club’s position. The following week, they picked up an impressive 0-0 draw away to Shamrock Rovers. Caulfield went into the season largely unchanged from the 2024 season, so perhaps there is room for some business in the summer window to further elevate Galway’s position in the table. They currently sit 7th, just 5 points off a European place. A solid outfit. 6 wins, 6 draws, 6 losses.
Rating: 7.6/10
St Patrick’s Athletic: Stephen Kenny… the greatest LOI manager of all time? It was certainly frontline news in the Irish sporting world when Kenny came back into the fold and took over at the helm of St Patrick’s Athletic. He came in last season and made an emphatic impact. When he came in, Pats were struggling at the lower end of the table. He ended up bringing them as high as 3rd, securing European football and within 4 points of league winner’s Shelbourne. Many went into this season predicting Kenny’s side to run away with the league, what with the talent at their disposal in the managerial sphere as well as players at their helm such as; Joe Redmond, Jake Mulraney, Mason Melia, Zak Elbouzedi, Joseph Anang among others. Real top quality players. Unfortunately for Pats fans, they have so far failed to deliver the heights many thought they would. They sit in 4th place, 7 points off Shamrock Rovers, and have been utterly outclassed when playing Stephen Bradley’s side so far, losing 4-0 in their most recent game. They were in a far worse position at this point last season and still gave a commendable title challenge, so perhaps they can do similar once again, however they will have to improve significantly if they want to reach that goal of league champions that a club like Pats should be aspiring towards. 8 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses.
Rating: 7.2/10
Shamrock Rovers: The Tallaght outfit have been the side to beat so far this season. Bradley’s side had a difficult start to the season, as they attempted to balance a European Conference League campaign with beginning an LOI season, Their first three they found particularly tough, picking up just a point from 3 games, with a 1-0 loss at the Aviva Stadium to their arch nemesis Bohemians, a respectable 1-1 draw away to league champions Shelbourne, followed by a 2-1 loss to bottom of the league Sligo Rovers. They began to pick up a streak of wins and valuable draws after this, and unless playing Bohs, have barely looked back since. Bradley’s side are now in the driving seat for the 2025 league title and history would suggest that when his Rovers side are in such a position, they do not give it away. There will be pressure from other sides, but an impressive campaign from Rovers so far this season, with the emergence of Youth coming through in the form of the likes of Michael Noonan and Cory O’Sullivan. A team with class… Dublin’s finest? 10 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses.
Rating: 9.2/10
Shelbourne: All fans can agree that Damien Duff has brought so much to our league. One of the greatest Irish footballers of all time, he has referred to the LOI as the “greatest in the world” in one interview, his passion is absolutely unmatched. Duff has taken his experience from working under world class managers in his career like José Mourinho in his playing days, to his time coaching at Celtic in Scotland, as Shelbourne have been the team to benefit from this magnificent footballing C.V. They won the league in 2024 in an unforgettable campaign, that will etch Duff in Shels folklore forever more. This season though, hasn’t been the fairytale story that I’ve been describing thus far. Shels, for their high standards, have failed to impress. As they sit 5th in the table, 9 points off top spot, it looks unlikely that they will now go back to back, short of a miracle. With this being said, they are only 2/3 points within a European spot, so it’s safe to assume that this will be their primary goal for the rest of the season. Following being 1-0 down at half time to a struggling Cork City side at Turner’s Cross, Duff was filmed being eerily angry at his side for their performance. His side managed to snatch a 1-1 draw in the end, however. Could Duff be losing the dressing room, or is this just a bit of “tough love” that his side needed? An underwhelming campaign so far. 6 wins, 9 draws, 4 losses.
Rating: 6.8/10
Sligo Rovers: John Russell’s side have visibly struggled so far in the 2025 season, as they sit bottom of the league, just a point behind Cork City. Ed McGinty’s transfer to Shamrock Rovers has hit the Bit O’Red hard, despite the best efforts of his replacement; Sam Sargeant of England and Conor Walsh. Despite their maximally low position, Sligo have not been an easy side to face this season. They have proved resilient and hard to beat in the vast majority of their matches this season, even in defeat. This is down to the remarkable signing of Jake Doyle-Hayes, who could have forged an international career with Ireland had he not been so unlucky with injuries. Strong players like John Mahon, Will Fitzgerald and Cian Kavanagh have also kept them competitive. It will be a fierce battle between them and Munster outfit Cork City in the second half of the season. Both seem to be destined for either the drop or the play off, as they are 10/11 points off of 8th place. However, with the competitiveness Sligo have shown, and their incredibly loyal fan base, it’s entirely plausible that they would go straight back up on the likely event that they are relegated this season. 3 wins, 3 draws, 12 losses.
Rating: 5.2/10
Waterford: Reviewing Waterford’s season so far is like reviewing two different sides. The Keith Long version of Waterford is very different to the John Coleman version. Under Keith Long. Waterford really struggled and were down there with Cork City and Sligo for relegation. Only picking up two wins in his reign this season, the experienced Dubliner had to go. Long was sacked following a 2-1 loss away to bitter rivals Cork City, and after that match following John Coleman’s appointment, Waterford went on a four game winning streak. This was huge, and now has them 10 points adrift from 9th place and potential relegation. Coleman’s famous “I’m falling out of love with football” interview has ironically had the opposite affect on the South-East coast side, arguably, making them fall back in love with football! There’s no particular “stand out” players for the Blues, they are just a solid, well oiled unit who are now under the tutelage of a very experienced manager. It seems they will be safe short of some kind of miracle 7 wins, 2 draws, 9 losses.
Rating: 7.0/10
