19 February 2006 - Caught Playing A Shell Game

On 19 February 2006, the Football Association of Ireland relegated Shelbourne FC to the second tier, despite the club having just won the 2006 Premier League title.

Established in 1895, the Dublin club is one of Ireland's most successful teams, with thirteen league titles (only Shamrock Rovers have more, with 15). Under manager Pat Fenlon, Shels dominated the League of Ireland in the 2000s, winning the title in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004 before winning their thirteenth title overall in 2006 by edging second-place finishers Derry City on goal differential. Their success, however, was not cheap.

Shels had spent freely in the preceding seasons, bringing in several expensive transfers. By the 2006 season, the spending had begun to catch up to them and the club's finances began to show signs of strain and, by the end of the season, Shelbourne owed wages to seventeen players. The financial distress sparked an exodus of several players as well as Fenlon, who took over at Derry City.

The FAI investigated Shelbourne's financial state and, as a consequence, decided to drop the club out of the Premier Division and into the second-tier First Division. Shelbourne returned to the top flight in in 2012, but finished the 2013 season in last place and dropped back down to the First Division.

11 December 2006 - The Least Exciting Promotion and Relegation Battles Ever

On 11 December 2006, the League of Ireland announced the teams that would compete in the next Premier League and First Division seasons, with a couple of surprises.

The announcement was the result of a league reorganization orchestrated by FAI chief John Delaney. Intended to strengthen the league, the FAI commissioned an independent assessment group to evaluate teams according to a wide range of criteria that included past performance, infrastructure, financial health, sustainability, and attendance. By weighting those factors, the commission recommended teams to fill the top two divisions of Irish football.

They announced their decision on 11 December. To the shock of many, Dundalk, who thought they had earned promotion to the Premier League the previous season, remained in the First Division, while Galway, who had finished behind them, were placed in the top flight. Dundalk's fans protested the decision, but the league explained that Galway's performance over the past four seasons justified their placement.

The other shock was the complete omission of Limerick. Despite finishing fifth in the 2006 First Division table, they were excluded entirely from the top two divisions because the club had failed to qualify for the requisite UEFA license. (They eventually participated in the First Division as a new club called Limerick 37).

The biggest shake-up, however, was not revealed until later, when defending Premier League champions Shelbourne were demoted to the First Division prior to the start of the season for financial irregularities.

19 February 2006 - Caught Playing A Shell Game

On 19 February 2006, the Football Association of Ireland relegated Shelbourne FC to the second tier, despite the club having just won the 2006 Premier League title.

Established in 1895, the Dublin club is one of Ireland's most successful teams, with thirteen league titles (only Shamrock Rovers have more, with 15). Under manager Pat Fenlon, Shels dominated the League of Ireland in the 2000s, winning the title in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004 before winning their thirteenth title overall in 2006 by edging second-place finishers Derry City on goal differential. Their success, however, was not cheap.

Shels had spent freely in the preceding seasons, bringing in several expensive transfers. By the 2006 season, the spending had begun to catch up to them and the club's finances began to show signs of strain and, by the end of the season, Shelbourne owed wages to seventeen players. The financial distress sparked an exodus of several players as well as Fenlon, who took over at Derry City.

The FAI investigated Shelbourne's financial state and, as a consequence, decided to drop the club out of the Premier Division and into the second-tier First Division. Shelbourne has remained in the First Division ever since, finishing 5th in 2007, but has come close to promotion in 2008 and 2009, finishing second both years.

31 March 2002 - Bohemian Rhapsody

On 31 March 2002, Bohemian F.C. of Dublin beat Shelbourne F.C. 4-0 on the last day of the Irish Premier League season, starting a run of 23 matches in which they scored at least one goal. Despite the loss, Shelbourne finished at the top of the Irish Premier League table, with Bohemians in fourth position.

Bohemians' streak carried them through the first 22 matches of the 2002-2003 season, with 14 wins and 7 draws. Their only loss during that run was a 1-2 home defeat to Shelbourne. The biggest wins were the first one over Shelbourne to start the streak and a similar 4-0 home victory over Bray Wanderers, which was also the Bohs' biggest win that season. The streak ended on 27 December 2002 when Bohemians failed to score away to St. Patrick's Athletic, losing 2-0.

Bohemians lost only three matches that season and captured the Irish Premier League title (their ninth) just five points ahead of second-place Shelbourne.

Bohemians and Shelbourne have a long history, being the only two clubs that have been members of the League of Ireland, Irish football's governing body, since its inception in 1921 (it was replaced by the FAI League of Ireland in 2007).