Football is Excitement

The final round of games in The Airtricity League are penned in for Fri 24th Oct.  It looks like a toss of a coin for top spot.  Cork City are 1 point clear, but Dundalk have home advantage as the top two teams meet on the last day.  There is excitement like this in no other league in Europe that I am aware of.  

 With seven months remaining in the "better" leagues in Europe, the only excitement left is to see if Bayern (already 1/20 odds on favourite) will be crowned champions before Easter, or before Christmas.  Or whether Barca/Messi will win La Liga this season over Real/Ronaldo.   In the League of Ireland the tension is maintained throughout the season and right up to the final day. 
 Chart: Predictability based on Outright Odds from Paddypower  (19 Oct 2014)

 English Premier League followers had a treat in 2011/12 when Man City pipped Man Utd on goal difference on the last day.  However that was the exception to the rule, Man Utd won the previous and next seasons with nobody in sight.  This season Chelsea are already odds on favourite with 7 months to play.

 Goal difference deciders are nothing new to League of Ireland fans.  The title has been decided this way in 2006 and 2010.  In the last 5 year no more than 4 points have separated the top two at the end of the season.

 If Dundalk are crowned champions then that will make 8 different champions in the last 10 seasons.  You have to go back to 1986/87 when Everton won the English top division to make up 8 different champions, this is 27 seasons.  In Scotland its been Rangers or Celtic every season since 1984/85 when Aberdeen won it.  In Spain there have been only 9 different champions since 1929 including Sevilla and Betis who haven't won since the 40's.
 Chart: Distinct winners of the domestic league in the last ten seasons.  May rise to 8 for Ireland if Dundalk seal the win on Friday.
The league of Ireland is one of the most exciting and open leagues (in Europe at least).  Followers of the top leagues in Europe are really being sold an old, stale and predictable product.

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