Foot.ie Awards 2004

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Welcome to the 2004 Foot.ie Awards. I hope to make this an annual thing and there was a positive response to it this time around so if you’ve any suggestions for next year please let us know! Anyways, thanks to everyone who voted and to the person who would rather remain nameless for helping me out big time with the power point presentation. Lets just call him A Face. Onwards to the first award!

Foot.ie Awards 2004 The first award is for the best player in the Eircom League over the 2004 season. This was always going to be hotly contested with a close finish and two big European runs however the champions seemed to get the majority of picks from the voters, so the nominations are…. Owen Heary (Shelbourne) Jason Byrne (Shelbourne) Kevin Doyle (Cork City) Stuart Byrne (Shelbourne) Steven Williams (Shelbourne) And the winner is…. EL Player of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 EL Player of the year Jason Byrne (Shelbourne)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Onto the Division One awards which probably turned out to be one of the most one sided of all of the awards, so much votes went one particular way that we only have two nominations! Both being the goal scoring masters of their respective promoted sides who will be looking to show what they can do in the top flight next season. The two nominations are Kevin McHugh (Finn Harps) Eamon Zayed (Bray Wanderers) And the winner is…. Division one Player of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Division 1 Player of the year Kevin McHugh (Finn Harps)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 With the young player of the year came probably the closest of all the votes. These were top performers in the league and in a few cases, for the Irish U21 side too, and the voting was very much split. We have five nominations this time, the five players in question being… Kevin Doyle (Cork City) Wes Hoolahan (Shelbourne) Keith Fahey (St Pats) Liam O’Brien (Shamrock Rovers) Liam Kearney (Cork City) And so split was the votes, we couldn’t find one winner, so a shared award goes too… EL Young Player of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 EL Young Player of the year Liam Kearney, Wes Hoolahan, Kevin Doyle & Mark O’Brien

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Proof of the talents and potential of the two contenders for the senior version of this award is in that they both appear as nominees for the young player of the year award, this time with a bit more competition. The nominees are… Eamon Zayed (Bray Wanderers) Chris O’Connor (Bray) Kevin McHugh (Finn Harps) Conor Kenna (UCD) Stephen O’Mahoney (Limerick) And the winner is…. Division One Young Player of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Division One Young Player of the year Eamon Zayed (Bray Wanderers)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 In an award that probably proved a landslide, there was always going to be one obvious winner here, but they didn’t get all the votes. Three teams were nominated by the voters for the title of most improved team of 2004, those teams being… Drogheda United Finn Harps UCD Predictably enough taking home the award is…. Most improved team

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Most Improved Team Drogheda United

Foot.ie Awards 2004 This award was an interesting one. Still remembered during the off season was the European headlines and close title run of Pat Fenlon and Pat Dolans sides, as well as their war of words throughout the season. Drogheda's title of most improved team was also in no small part down to the influence of Paul Doolin, and it was those three who were the run away leaders in this award in the eyes of the voters. The nominations were Pat Fenlon Pat Dolan Paul Doolin Mike Kerley And the winner is…. Manager of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Manager of the year Pat Fenlon (Shelbourne)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 In a year when Ireland put to bed the memories of Basle ’03 and earned a point in France, while also were the first side to beat Holland in the Amsterdam Arena ever, and in a year where they currently lead their world cup qualifying group and where we’ve a new record goal scorer there were a number of players who stood out. Those players being… Kevin Kilbane (Everton) Damien Duff (Chelsea) Shay Given (Newcastle) Kenny Cunningham (Birmingham) Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspurs) The winner, in this very close run category, is… Irish International player of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Irish International Player of the Year Damien Duff (Chelsea)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 But what of what’s to come? Which debutant in the year 2004 caught the eye of the voters because of their impact and potential. This was a close one, Andy Reid even getting a few votes despite debuting in 2003! The nominations, and the ones to watch in the future, are… Jason Byrne (Shelbourne) Stephen Elliot (Sunderland) Aiden McGeady (Celtic) Andy Reid (Nottingham Forest) Liam Miller (Manchester United) But the real one to watch, the best of the lot was… Best New Cap

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Best New Cap Aiden McGeady (Celtic)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 For the youth teams it was a year to remember also. Many good results were achieved and much like the senior team, someone set a goal scoring record at U21 level. This award was based soley on outstanding performances from U21 level down for Ireland, and the three nominees are… Stephen Elliot (Sunderland) Willo Flood (Manchester City) Liam Kearney (Cork City) So the next big thing, if youth football is anything to go by, is… International Young Player Of The Year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 International young player of the year Stephen Elliot (Sunderland)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 But what of those who haven’t yet pushed on to the senior squad? What gem in the rough has manager Brian Kerr so far not seen. Perhaps unsurprisingly Eircom League players dominated voting espically those who proved themselves against opposition like Lille and Deportivo or Malmo and Nantes. The nominees are… Owen Heary (Shelbourne) Kevin Doyle (Cork City) Willo Flood (Manchester City) Wesley Hoolahan (Shelbourne) Here is your winner… Best uncapped Irish player

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Best Uncapped Irish Player Owen Heary (Shelbourne)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 But what goal stood out over 2004? Contenders range from the technically brilliant to the simply significant and it’s a very impressive bunch, this was another very close run vote. The nominees are.. Dave Rogers V Hadjuk Split (Shelbourne) Clinton Morrison V Switzerland (Ireland) Robbie Keane V Holland (Ireland) Liam Kearney V Malmo (Cork City) Sean Fínn V Cork City (UCD) Gary O’Neil V Bohemian (Dublin City) Wesley Hoolahan V Finn Harps (Shelbourne) John O’Flynn V Malmo (Cork City) But the one that stood out more than most was…. Best Goal

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Best Goal Robbie Keane (Vs Holland)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Scoring is one thing, but what of the men keeping them out? Which keeper pulled off the best save of 2004? This one wasn’t so closely contested, but there were some stunning saves in 2004 all the same. The most memorable being… Shay Given V Switzerland (Ireland) Shay Given V France (Ireland) Stevie Williams V Cork (Shelbourne) Mick Divine V NEC Nijmegen (Cork City) I doubt the winner will come as any real surprise however, and that winner is… Best Save

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Best Save Shay Given (Vs Switzerland)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 What of the heroes of 2004? An award so contentious two of the nominees also appear in the Villain of the year award. No prizes for guessing who. The nominees are… Dave Rogers Roy Keane Roddy Collins George O’Callaghan John O’Donoghue Gary O’Neil Fran Rooney First place is shared between two heroes of the year… Hero of 2004

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Hero of 2004 Dave Rogers & Roy Keane (Shelbourne & Man U)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 And Roy Keane could be in for a unique double here, as he’s one of the many contenders for the equally hotly contested villain of the year. Also appearing again is the best dressed Villain of the lot, Roddy “the Rod” Collins. The nominees in full are… Roddy Collins The Shamrock Rovers Board Ollie Byrne Paul Doolin John Delaney and the FAI Roy Keane A single winner this time, as if his ego would allow for a second... Villain of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Villain of 2004 Roddy Collins (Wherever It Suits Him)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 What of the unsung heroes of 2004? We’ll here’s their chance to make the headlines, this was another very very even vote with many contenders, those being… Wesley Charles (Bray Wanderers) Keith Fahey (St. Pats) Dan O’Connor (Drogheda United) Trevor Molloy (Shamrock Rovers) Alan Bennett (Cork City) Lee Carsley (Everton) David McGill (Dublin City) Owen Heary (Shelbourne) Jose Qunitago (Waterford United) The winner, and therefore by default least under rated of the lot, is Most under rated player

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Most Under Rated Player Lee Carsley (Everton)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Similarly even vote with many contenders here, but slightly less appealing to the winner, it’s the most over rated player. The nominees are Dominic Foley (Bohemian) Alan Moore (Shelbourne) Tony Grant (Shamrock Rovers) Colin Hawkins (Bohemian) Jamie Harris (Shelbourne) John O’Shea (Manchester United) Mark Kenny (Shamrock Rovers & Dublin City) Dan Murray (Cork City) Wesley Hoolahan (Shelbourne) Glen Crowe (Bohemian) The winner of this not so prestigious of awards is… Most over rated

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Most Over Rated Player Alan Moore (Shelbourne)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 But what of the fans, it’s the atmosphere that makes the game what it is, and so here’s the nominees for best chant… Indian War Cry (Shelbourne) Thierry Henry, you’re havin’ a laugh (Ireland in Paris) Silent Night (Rovers fans in Lansedown) Total football you’re havin’ a laugh (Cork at home to NEC) French National Anthem (Ireland in Paris) Build me up Buttercup (Shamrock Rovers) Who needs abramovic, Brian sells lots of chips (Cork City) New “Rebel Army” Chant (Cork City) The winner goes to the fans of… Best Chant

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Best Chant Indian War Cry (Shelbourne fans)

Foot.ie Awards 2004 It’s the award with no winner! Everyone who voted in this category voted differently, so the nominees and joint winners are.. Maurice Farrell getting booked in Station Road Seeing Dublin City had beat Bohs 4-2 in Dalyer Kick about under the eifle towner in Paris “Silent night" by Rovers fans in Lansdowne Reynolds red card in the RSC French national anthem in the Stade de France! Roddy in the Rovers dugout on the last day of the season England in Euro 2004 (France and Portugal games) Streaker at the cross first game of the season 2004 v Dublin City Roddy Collins abuse at the cross during the European run No presentation, the foot.ie stage isn’t big enough. Most Amusing moment

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Onto our final award, the single moment that stood out in this year. There were many, heroic draws for the national team, beating Holland away, Shels two in a row and two record setting European runs. But what single moment stood out in 2004 more than most? Here’s the nominees. Dave Rogers scoring for Shels against Hadjuk Split Ireland drawing in Paris The final whistle v Nijmegen at the cross French national anthem in the Stade de France Dublin City beating Bohs 4-2 in Dalyer Shels drawing with Deportivo Rovers 20 minute flare display V Pats Full time away to Malmo, start of the European runs Apparently, no one moment did stand out, so the joint winners are Moment of the year

Foot.ie Awards 2004 Moment of the year Dave Rogers scoring against Split & Ireland Drawing in Paris

Foot.ie Awards 2004 So that wraps up the foot.ie awards for the year A year that will be remembered for many reasons, goal scoring records set at U21 and senior level, Shelbournes first two in a row, Longfords double and two in a row and two record breaking European runs that put Eircom League football on the map. Next year we’ve the Setanta cup to look forward to, the end of the 2006 world cup qualifiers and a whole new season of Eircom League and cup action to look forward to. So I hope you enjoyed the foot.ie awards enough for me to bring that back next year in what looks like being a very memorable season, and again a special thanks to the voters and A Face for helping out with the presentation.