OTB Football
THE LOI POD: Daly's tenure up at the Blues, as Coughlan steps in | 'Running through walls' for Caulfield | Will we have a title race?
06 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What happened with Jon Daly's appointment at Waterford?
Football on Off the Ball.
I definitely have a question about you. Am I OK saying you're committed to Ireland? And he said yes, no problem. So he is in our frame. He might be one that we would call in in June.
Join in the obsession. Subscribe now at offtheball.com forward slash join. The yellow iPod on Off the Ball. Catch live and exclusive national radio commentary of the Men's League of Ireland Premier Division on Off the Ball all season.
Hello and welcome to this week's LOI pod on Off The Ball. Stephen here with you once again. It's been another interesting bank holiday weekend of double-headed fixtures. Some teams happy, some not so happy. We've had a new managerial appointment down at Waterford, so we will be getting into that with the lads in the next few moments.
Chapter 2: Can Graham Coughlan replicate his success in the League of Ireland?
But first up, let's have a listen to what happened on Off The Ball last Friday night.
our live game in the League of Ireland Premier Division this evening is Bohemians versus Derry City. Kick-off is at 8pm.
having won in seven so they've gone with colin whelan and douglas james taylor in attack looks like it's going to be a four four two i think at the top end of the park we need to see bows clicking to really wet the apple going to think that they could get us into a title race i i think we all look at dirty and think on paper they look an awful lot better than they are
but two wins on the bounce if they can win this game tonight that'll be seven games on the bounce unbeaten with a couple of wins thrown in there and all of a sudden the James McLean stuff not having Michael Duffy in the team it doesn't seem as bad as it was for Tiernan Lynch 38 minutes gone still scoreless at Dalyman Park as Derry City come down the right hand side a marquee body check there by Sam Todd but now it comes out to Ollie Ink on the edge of the box it's time to shoot oh it's gone in
Derry City have taken the lead and Kasper Tchaikovsky is on the ground with his head in his hands. He'd be disappointed if he let that one in. Ball played in. Strauss is into the box. He's onside. He shoots with the right and he scores. Bohemians are level. Marcus Strauss makes the 1-0. He had all the time in the world. He picked his spot in the bottom corner.
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Chapter 3: What challenges does Shamrock Rovers face without Pico Lopes?
And just like that, Bohemians are level. Oh, that's the full-time whistle from Rob Harvey. A share of the points at Daly Mount Park. Two halves. Second half. They were probably the more dominant team and I think young Ross Tierney came in there and made a huge difference for them. He put his foot in the ball and made them play.
What probably didn't help us was losing Kyle Winchester as early as we did because Kyle's the perfect person to deal with that. So, listen, there was lots of things happened there and some really, really positive things. Some things we've got to go back and look at again. Ross Tierney comes on at half-time. How does that conversation go before the match? It's a tough call to make.
We haven't won in so long, so people are obviously going to make changes. People are knocking on their door to get in and play, so you have to be fair to say nothing more than come down and play.
Chapter 4: How is Galway United's John Caulfield perceived by fans?
It does really well tonight.
Yes, there you have it. It was Bohemians at home to Derry City last Friday night. And looking across the two nights of fixtures, it is interesting to see that nobody lost both games across the weekend. But, of course, the only side to win both matches at the weekend were Shamrock Rovers. And they keep their place at the top of the Premier Division table. Still behind them are St.
Patrick's Athletic. And they are currently sitting three points behind Shamrock Rovers. And then further back, you've got Bohemians And Bohemians and Dundalk, who are tied on 22 points each. They are six behind St. Pat's. And then it's Derry City on 19, Shelburne on 17, along with Galway United. And then Droddy United in eighth position on 16, just a point ahead of Sligo Rovers.
Chapter 5: What makes Ciaran Kilduff a successful manager at Dundalk?
And Waterford on six points, propping up the table. Now, we've got Finny Perth, as ever, with us here on LOI Pods. every week. And we've got our main man, the super sub, Johnny Dunleavy, bringing his dulcet, dunny gold tones to the podcast this week. Johnny, of course, living down in Kilkenny these days and getting to see a lot of Waterford, Johnny. And we have a new gaffer at the Blues.
What did you make of this appointment of Graeme Coughlan?
Yeah, that's it, Steve-O. I suppose before we get into that, where's Gareth this week? I think the last time he came on, he was on the slopes. So I'm assuming this week he must be in the Bahamas or somewhere, I'd say, is he?
Well, not the Bahamas. I think he's gone stateside, Vinnie, isn't he? Where does he usually go? He's probably down in Las Vegas or something like that.
Chapter 6: How did Bohs perform against Derry City in their recent match?
Miami.
He's like Catherine Thomas to him at the holidays he gets away. I think he's doing a holiday show, holiday podcast.
Don't be saying that too loudly or he will be taken up on a holiday podcast somewhere amongst the Goal Out family. But Johnny, great to have you on as ever. And it is, I always wonder about these appointments from outside the league. Waterford have done this before, as we know. It hasn't worked out before for them.
Probably the most success they've had under a manager was Keith Long, of course, who would have known the league really, really well. But to go to Graeme Coughlin, who I should say, he's got an incredible amount of experience. He's worked with four or five different clubs over in the UK. Just your first thoughts, Jonny, on the appointment itself.
Yeah, I suppose, as you say, it's a club I've watched a lot of this year, Steve-O, just given where I'm living. And it's obviously objectively been a very difficult start for them. I think what you'd have to credit the club with anyway is the decisiveness of the appointment and actually...
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Chapter 7: Can Shelbourne turn their season around after recent wins?
making it as quickly as they did because I suppose, look, the position that they're in is of the essence. Ultimately, 14 games gone, it's no small chunk of the season. Looking at the CV, as you say, Graeme Cockrell has got a massive amount of experience. As you rightly say as well, a stick that you could potentially use to beat the appointment with is that he doesn't know the league, but
I'm sure he's been in difficult positions before when he's been managing in England. I've no doubt that he'll be able to get the players on side. Look, I suppose as Blink and all at times it has looked down in Waterford, there have been green shoots. There have been little snips of performances where you think actually they're not that far from turning the corner.
So look, fingers crossed he can come in now and hit the ground running.
Yeah, I, Vinnie, before we maybe talk a little bit more on Graham Coughlin, just on John Daly, like as Johnny says there, like we're a good bit into the season now. He didn't get a win. Like it had to be fair to Waterford's top brass there. They gave him a lot of time. They gave him time to turn this around. Do you think it was the right decision?
Chapter 8: What strategies can Drogheda implement to fix their defensive issues?
Do you think maybe they should have done it sooner? Or do you just think, look, they gave John his chance and it didn't work out?
I think to be fair it's probably about the right time now I think they've given them enough chance you think about last week there's been three games and I know it wasn't involved one two wins there is huge in terms of for them they didn't get it up to me so it was given every opportunity to fix it but I think it's only fair sometimes we criticise clubs for
pressing the trigger too early I don't think Watford did sometimes it can go a little bit too long so it feels maybe a week or two too long but to be fair to the club they've given them every opportunity to turn around that's all you want as a manager because ultimately John will be thinking going into last weekend he could turn that around and they've given them the
best opportunity to do that hasn't worked out for him and i do believe capable of being an outstanding manager john daly hasn't gone well from but um it's on them it is really really tough
Yeah. Like, as you said, Johnny, you've seen a lot of Waterford this season. I was looking just to, you know, it's hard to get a gauge on all of the games that Graeme Cochran has managed. He, of course, has started out his career as a manager with Bristol Rovers, went on to Mansfield Town. Went to Newport County then in 2022.
I was trying to see if he crossed paths with Paul Jamond at that point in his career. But it seems that Paul was sent out on loan that summer and then Graeme took over in October. So he wouldn't have known or wouldn't have had the access to Paul Jamond's playing abilities in his team. And then it was Boston United where he was between 2024 and 2026.
Well, I could gauge from it that he is more of a 4-2-3-1 man. Now, he might decide to change that when he sees what players he has at his disposal at Waterford. Your kind of thoughts on that, Johnny, what do you see him doing when he goes in there? Like he's...
you know he has no time to think here because he's taken over he's got a match on Friday night he's going to be in the dugout in Intercourt for the game against St. Patrick's Athletic do you see him sticking to that formation what he knows or will he maybe change it when he sees the players that he has available?
It's funny you mention that because it's probably a conundrum that John Dealey had from the very start of the season as well I'd say Steve Owen and maybe just something that they didn't manage to solve and is that he wanted to get, obviously, Padraig Hammond and Tommy Lonergan in the team kind of at all times. And his initial thought on it was playing a 4-4-2 and it just didn't work.
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