Bohemian FC

Bohemian Football Club

• Town: Phibsborough, Dublin / Baile Phib, Baile Átha Cliath
• Founded: 1890
• Ground: Dalymount Park (4,227)
• Nicknames: Bohs, The Gypsies, Dublin’s Originals
• Colours: Red top and black bottom shirts with chequerboard design in the middle, black shorts with red trim, and black socks with red trim.
• 2022 League: League of Ireland Premier Division
• Club Website: https://bohemianfc.com/
• Club Twitter: @bfcdublin

Honours

• Best League Finish: Champions (11 times)
• Best FAI Cup Finish: Winners (7 times)

• League of Ireland / Premier Division
  • Champions (11): 1923–24, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1974–75, 1977–78, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2008, 2009
• FAI Cup
  • Winners (7): 1927–28, 1934–35, 1969–70, 1975–76, 1991–92, 2000–01, 2008
• Irish Cup
  • Winners (1): 1907-08
• League of Ireland Cup
  • Winners (3): 1974–75, 1978–79, 2009
• League of Ireland Shield
  • Winners (6): 1923–24, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1933–34, 1938–39, 1939–40
• Setanta Sports Cup
  • Winners (1): 2010
• Leinster Senior League
  • Winners (8): 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1904–05, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1917–18, 1931–32
• Leinster Senior Cup
  • Winners (32): 1893–94, 1894–95, 1895–96, 1896–97, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1901–02, 1902–03, 1904–05, 1906–07, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1939–40, 1946–47, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2015–16

Bohemian Football Club / an Cumann Peile Bóihéamach, more commonly referred to as Bohemians or Bohs, is a supporter-owned Irish football team currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier in the Irish football pyramid, and is the fourth most successful club in League of Ireland history having won the Irish championship 11 times. The club comes from the district of Phibsborough / Baile Phib, situated on the northside of the Irish capital of Dublin, 2 km north of the old city centre. Bohemian FC play their home games at the 4,227-capacity Dalymount Park / Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh, the historical home of Irish football as the stadium held many Irish internationals during its history, as well as being the venue for a number of FAI Cup finals. “Dalyer” regularly saw crowds of up to 40,000 for big games, with its record attendance being 48,000 for an Irish international against England in 1957, however, following a £1.1m redevelopment of the stadium in 1999, and following improvement phases not occurring as planned, the stadium’s capacity is capped at its current level for the time being. Nonetheless, there are plans in place for another redevelopment of the site which could see the stadium increase to a potential capacity of 7,880 by 2026, and be able to host European competition games.

The club was founded in 1890 by a combination of civil servants, military school students, medical students, and others. Bohs were members of the (all) Irish Football League (now the Northern Ireland Football League) from 1902 to 1911, and their greatest triumph during this period was winning the Irish Cup in 1908 by beating Shelbourne 3-1 following a replay. The club subsequently became a founding member of the League of Ireland in 1921, and is one of only two clubs to have been members of the League of Ireland since its creation, and the only club never to have been relegated from the top flight. They finished as runners-up in the league’s first season with Bohs eventually winning their first LoI title in 1924. The club won five league titles and two FAI Cups between 1924 and 1935, becoming one of the strongest teams in the inaugural days of Irish football. However, the successful times would soon diminish due to the club’s strict amateur set-up (a fundamental part of the club since its formation), resulting in them being unable to attract or keep any top players. Resultantly, the club endured a 34-year trophy drought until the club eventually ended its amateur status in 1969.

Unsurprisingly, the club soon started winning silverware once again, when they won the 1970 FAI Cup final by defeating Sligo Rovers 2-1 following a second replay. The 1970s would confirm Bohs’ decision to abandon their amateur status a good idea by winning two league champions in the 1974-75 season (their first league title in 39 years) and the 1977-78 season, another FAI Cup in 1976 (by beating Drogheda United 1-0), and two League of Ireland Cups. Alas, the club would suffer another barren period throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with only the FAI Cup final victory over Cork City in 1992 being the sole highlight in a trophyless period of time. The new millennium saw a huge upturn in fortunes for Bohemian FC when they won the 2000-01 league title, and saw the 2000s become a golden decade for the club. Further league championships were accumulated in the 2002-03, 2008, and 2009 seasons, with the FAI Cup being won for the seventh time in 2008 (by beating Derry City on penalties following a 2-2 draw) and the League of Ireland Cup being clinched in 2009 to create double-winning seasons in the latter championship-winning campaigns.

Alas, the fortunes of Bohemian FC seem to undulate throughout its history and the club is currently experiencing another long period without winning any trophies, with the Setanta Sports Cup (a defunct competition that involved Northern Irish and League of Ireland clubs) triumph in 2010 being the last time the club experienced success at a League of Ireland level. In the 2021 season, Bohs finished in fifth position in the league table, finished as finalists in the 2021 FAI Cup losing on penalties to St. Patrick’s Athletic, and managed to get to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League where they beat, but ultimately lost to 2-3 on aggregate, eventual quarter-finalists PAOK. They achieved another mid-table finish during this season when they concluded the 2022 campaign with a sixth-place finish in the LoI Premier Division.

To talk about a club who are eleven-time Irish champions, and the fourth most successful club in Irish football, we spoke to the excellent The Bohs Phoenix blogsite and Twitter account. They are an unofficial Bohs fan page and blogsite that reports on all things going on at Bohemian FC in the English language. To find out more about The Bohs Phoenix, their blogsite and social media channel links can be found below:

• Blogsite: https://thebohsphoenix.wordpress.com/
• Twitter: @thebohsphoenix

KEY: TBP = The Bohs Phoenix

Q. Who could be regarded as a ‘cult hero’ for Bohemian FC in both the past and present squads?

Mark Rutherford

TBP: For the cult hero, it’s probably Mark Rutherford [midfielder who played for Bohs between 2001 and 2003, winning two titles] or even Georgie Kelly [25-year-old forward who ended up the league’s top goalscorer with 21 goals for Bohs for the 2021 season before moving to Rotherham United in January 2022]. Rutherford, in particular, is a legendary player for the club.

Q. Of the current squad, who would you say is the best player at Bohs and why?

Jordan Flores

TBP: Of the current squad, none of them has had a particularly great season, but Jordan Flores [27-year-old English midfielder who joined the club in January 2022] and James Clarke [25-year-old midfielder who moved to the club in the summer from Drogheda United] have done well.

Q. Who would you say is the most exciting up & coming talent at the club?

James McManus

TBP: The players that we should look out for are midfielder James McManus, forward Chris Lotefa, and although he hasn’t played, midfielder Nickson Okosun, who I actually went to school with. He was a baller in school too.

Q. Who would you regard as Bohs’ biggest or historical rivals?

TBP: For the rivals, it’s gotta be Shamrock Rovers.

COPA90‘s documentary on the rivalry between Bohs and Rovers.

Q. How would you describe the current performance or state of the club? How do you think this season has gone?

TBP: As for the season, it’s just been awful. It seems as if players are not caring and the manager is getting blamed for a lot of it.

The 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division table.
[IMAGE: Wikipedia]

Q. Looking at the club’s history, what would you say has been the best game, result, or performance in your opinion?

TBP: The best game in our history has to be when we beat Rovers 6-4 in I think 2001.

Q. What are the best and worst things about being a fan of the club?

TBP: The best things about being a fan are the fact that members have a say and are not filthy rich individuals. The worst is probably the fact the fanbase is very disunited. It’s a shame.

Q. Finally, what are your hopes for the future of Bohemian FC?

TBP: The hopes for the future are that we definitely wanna start challenging for titles as we are one of the biggest clubs in Ireland. We are going full-time next year and we have a state-of-the-art stadium planned so hopefully they can contribute to us getting back to glory.

A massive thank you to The Bohs Phoenix blog and account for answering our questions on the successful League of Ireland Premier Division side Bohemian FC. Remember you can find their excellent blogsite and social media accounts in the links towards the top of the blogpage.

If you have any comments, suggestions, reactions, or even your own answers to the above questions, please write them in the comments box below. Likewise, you can either email us at the94thmin@gmail.com or send a message at @The94thMin on Twitter.

Advertisement