IN an Irish football year dominated by the changes at senior international level, the League of Ireland ploughed away in its usual position just below the radar, only sporadically registering with a wider audience.

Giovanni Trapattoni's clumsily phrased and often repeated assertion that there was "no league in Ireland" succeeded in riling players, officials and fans.

Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane, who gained first-team experience at Distillery and Cobh Ramblers on their way to fame, have a lot more respect for the local game yet the reality is that large swathes of the Irish population have to be convinced of its importance.

The battle will go on. All things considered, 2013 was a saner year than some in the recent past. It lacked the giddy high of Shamrock Rovers' 2011 Europa League achievements or a shattering low like the 2012 disappearance of Monaghan United in the middle of the season.

With a view to the future, there was cause for both optimism and concern.

REASONS TO BE POSITIVE

GOOD FOOTBALL PREVAILS

The best team, St Patrick's Athletic, claimed the title and they did so operating with an attractive style of play. It must be acknowledged that a strong and mostly unchanged back four provided the foundation, but Liam Buckley's side were encouraged to get the ball down and open up the opposition.

The creative Killian Brennan struggled to make an impact at Shamrock Rovers, yet he managed to flourish in a midfield that suited his strengths.

The chasing pack, led by Dundalk, also embraced a positive philosophy.

This was a season notable for the high quality of goals which RTE's 'Monday Night Soccer' highlighted in their superb end-of-year montage that could form the basis of an effective advertising campaign.

THE FAI CUP FINAL

The thrilling Aviva Stadium showdown between Sligo Rovers and Drogheda United proved that if you present League of Ireland players with a big stage, they are capable of providing entertainment.

Regular observers of home-based fare know that matches can be hit and miss in terms of value for money -- just like in leagues the world over.

The problem for the Airtricity League is that when a good match is staged in a creaking stadium with empty stands, houses or parked cars in the background, it can still plant a negative perception with the all-important TV viewers.

By contrast, the backdrop for the FAI Cup final places the scrutiny firmly on the quality of the football and, in high-pressure circumstances, both teams delivered. It turned a few heads.

REGIONAL SPREAD

After an embarrassing state of play in Galway that the FAI should never have allowed to materialise, the successful establishment of one senior club is a heartening development.

The challenge for Galway FC is to push towards a Premier League that has been strengthened by the resurgence of traditional regional powers with their fellow Connacht men Sligo Rovers leading the way in recent years.

The arrival of Stephen Kenny (below) breathed fresh life into Dundalk in 2013, while Limerick continue to make moves in the right direction although they'll be in Thomond Park rather than Markets Field in 2014.

The appointments of Roddy Collins and John Caulfield at Derry and Cork respectively should deliver a fair bit of local publicity in those areas. Athlone's return to the top division gives another old force the opportunity to reintroduce itself to the community.

A REDUCTION IN

CHAOS LEVELS

Now, it would be rash to get fooled into a false sense of security and declare the League of Ireland a stable league.

Ultimately, it's a reflection of how manic the past few years have been when there is a sense of triumph about ending a year without a major financial catastrophe, the collapse of a club and a host of outstanding wage issues hanging into the new year. We remain in an environment where players can win a league one week and go on the dole the next.

Nevertheless, clubs have moved earlier to appoint managers and, by extension, tie down players for 2014 which has allowed many to enjoy a less stressful Christmas.

Budgets have taken on a more realistic appearance although the asterisk here is the growing list of players classified as amateurs who only receive expenses from clubs and then separately claim social welfare benefits.

It allows clubs to reduce PRSI costs and meet licensing criteria but it doesn't sit right, especially when senior Premier Division players are availing of this loophole.

REASONS TO BE NEGATIVE

EUROPEAN FAILURE

Unfortunately, all four representatives exited at their first hurdle, albeit with a few caveats. The draws were unkind, especially for Derry who were given what actually proved to be an unwelcome bye through a round where Irish clubs can pick up morale-boosting wins; the League of Ireland secured the lowest co-efficient total of Europe's 53 leagues in 2013 but that stat is effectively meaningless because the countries ranked at the bottom of UEFA's overall list earned cheap points by lining out against each other.

Nevertheless, a drop from a high of 29th (in 2010) to 43rd for next year indicates the extent to which the player drain, accelerated by the recession, has weakened the overall standard. It's not a full-blown European crisis yet but it would be deluded to write off the year as a blip. There's no guarantee it will be any better next time around.

THE FIRST DIVISION

Placing the rights and wrongs of allowing a Shamrock Rovers 'B' team compete in the second tier to one side for a second, the fact that the authorities were unable to convince another team from an untapped area to step into senior football is telling.

The struggles of Wexford Youths demonstrate that introducing a new county into a league does not guarantee growth in that area. It's hardly surprising that the First Division is a tough sell with eight teams meeting each other regularly in poor stadia in front of paltry attendances. As every year passes, the argument for a one league structure strengthens even if the top Premier clubs have understandable concerns.

However, if the Airtricity League wants to expand, it needs to offer prospective newcomers a chance to lock horns with the best regularly. A 16-team league with a revised version of the 'A' Championship below it and strict criteria for movement between the two could be the way to go.

REFEREEING STANDARDS

The best ref in the country, Alan Kelly, has departed for America and players and managers are deeply worried about the standard of officiating even if they face heavy sanction for daring to talk about it.

Numerous key encounters in 2013 were destroyed by dreadful decisions and what heightened the frustration for those involved was the seeming lack of accountability as the same faces popped up again weeks after a howler. If it indicates a lack of talent coming through to replace the tried and untrusted, then we can expect further controversies in 2014.

Alternatively, it could illustrate that the process for appointing referees is as dated as the league's antiquated disciplinary system which somehow manages to punish players who are awarded just four yellow cards over the course of an entire year by banning them for the first match of the next year. Make sense of that.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Regrettably, the majority of clubs are still not taking their schoolboy sections seriously enough, safe in the knowledge that they can pick up players from the top nurseries once they don't earn a move to England.

There is no functional relationship between the highest level of the senior game in Ireland and the wing that does the best work to develop youngsters. Indeed, there is huge levels of distrust related to scraps over compensation.

Understandably, Airtricity League followers are proud of the players that learned their trade in the league and have graduated to bigger and better things across the water but they are late developers and it hasn't stopped parents encouraging their kids to leave at the first possible opportunity.

Ruud Dokter has flirted with a political minefield by floating the introduction of an elite U-15 competition for Airtricity League members, yet it's an idea which is belatedly aiming in the right direction.

Irish Independent