Well, there's an obvious answer and he's a blond lad from Wexford who wore number nine last Wednesday night and didn't look out of place at all.

Last year Kevin Doyle started the season flinging goals in left, right and centre for Cork City; now he's heading for the Premiership with a real chance of nailing down a run in the Irish team, the first player to come out of the domestic game (no time spent in England as a young player) with such promise for quite some while. A few lessons surely. For starters, individually there are young players lurking in the game here who probably have enough about them to make the step up. For seconds, it must be an avenue that's seriously looked at for bringing players through as options narrow all the time in England. And, as a little aside to those in charge of advertising the league (and clubs), what'd be wrong with using Doyle's face to whip up a bit of interest? How about a campaign to 'See the next Kevin Doyle' by going along to a league game?

It's opportunistic but needs must and all that.

Ok, some facts that ought not be disputed. Last year the league (we're thinking the top three or four especially) hit levels of quality that deserved a few slaps on the back. Cork City outclassed the Swedish champions at home when expected to be hanging on, and their displays against Shelbourne and Derry were as composed as you'd fancy seeing in a lot of European leagues; Derry, Drogheda and Shelbourne all went on runs of wins playing decent stuff. Randomers tuned in and weren't reaching for the off button as quickly as they might have expected.

There was a worry a few years back that the league was gone very defensive and too reliant on organisation over skill, but the top teams shared plenty of goals between them in 2005 and, not surprisingly, the end product is all the better for it.

Nobody's claiming it's La Liga . . . we're still well off second tier in Europe clubwise . . . but there's an itching to improve.

2006 should see more of the same on the field. For those into crystal ball gazing, expect a huge effort from Shelbourne to get back amongst the top two; expect the top four to remain the same though with a different running order; expect the games between Cork, Derry and Shels to play a massive part. For those watching for a Kevin Doyle, look out for Cork's Roy O'Donovan and Stephen Ward at Bohs.

Derry's Paddy McCourt could also have a big year.

Europe, as always, casts a shadow. It's Cork City's turn to have a go at Champions League and though the day for getting to the group stage is a while off (something Damien Richardson admits) save for some freakishly lucky draw, a few wins would do wonders for chiselling away at the co-efficient. It could also have an impact on the league with the possibility for distraction and, in Cork's case, decisive injuries.

Still, certain problems refuse to go away. Sure, attendances were up by 6% last season and over 8,000 did cram into Turner's Cross for the league decider but, let's face it, if the top two clashing on the last day of the year can't work an appetite up, it'd be curtains. Only two clubs (Cork and Derry) in the Premier Division had average attendances over 2000 at their home games while, in the First, only three had an average over 500. With gate receipts the main income source, it's an area that needs improving. And soon: clubs are feeling the pinch.

There will always be the hardcore supporters but the numbers simply don't add up to long-term futures. Fans need to be hauled in from somewhere and publicity does that. Last November, when Cork City grabbed the title so spectacularly the billboards were still dominated by Munster rugby players. A small thing, but it adds up.

On the field development must be matched off it.

Oh, and there's the whole restructuring to look forward to. Whatever goes down this year, there's likely to be a new league in 2007, a new format with perhaps new criteria for entry. Basically, league positions may not carry the whole weighting behind who's in which division. Expect clubs to give themselves every chance to be in that top division by making a dash for position. Interesting year ahead you feel.