Two weeks in and again we're talking about finances rather than football.

Where to start? Well, helluva week for Shels and we don't mean that in the good way. If they'd won the Lotto this past seven days, they'd probably have lost the ticket.

First off, Pat Fenlon didn't quite have the return to Linfield he would have liked in the Setanta Cup as his side went down by a couple of goals up north . . . the only team from the league to lose in the four north/southish (Derry were one of these) clashes. And then Longford were their usual hard-working, organised selves at Tolka Park on Friday night, pretty much frustrating a 0-0 draw out of a home side who had tons of possession and a few big chances and who ended up with Ryan, Kearney, Ndo, Byrne and Crowe all on the field. And still no goals.

As if that wasn't enough, back to those happenings away from the pitch. Basically, a notice appears in papers mid-week of the revenue commissioner's intention to wind-up Accolade Ltd, which just so happens to be the company Shelbourne FC seem to be trading as. Basically, the most successful side in football here for the past 10 years is in a little spot of bother. Ollie Byrne admits Shelbourne owe outstanding moneys in tax, thought to be around 300,000 but he expresses hope to have it sorted before the court date of 3 April. Curious silence otherwise.

All in a week where it was suggested that the club made a loss of just under 1,000,000 last season. And at a time where Shelbourne could be trying to convince Bohemians and their supporters that sharing Dalymount with them is a grand idea.

This could just be another little wake-up call for those in charge here. We haven't exactly been lacking in pointers showing that the way clubs have been handling things isn't the way forward.

All this in a year when the league will be taking a good look at itself and where it's going it raises some serious questions again on licensing and the way clubs are running themselves in the current environment.

Whichever way it works out, some of the figures are a little scary.

The football itself was, by comparison, dull. It wasn't exactly raining goals in the league. Shelbourne's 0-0 we've already mentioned, making it two draws from two and not really the start many people's favourites for the league would have wanted. Derry got a bit of a shock for themselves, tripping up 1-0 at Dublin City in a dour struggle lost by an own-goal and Paddy McCourt's absence, as without the winger they lacked the guile and creativity to get anything here. Sean O'Connor smacked a beauty for St Pat's to beat UCD and Waterford got a late, late equaliser to deny Bray and Eamonn Zayed. As we said, not exactly raining goals. Elsewhere Shamrock Rovers got another win, 2-0 this time.

The Setanta Cup was a bit livelier on the scoring front.

Derry, inspired by McCourt, rolled over Glentoran rather easier than the 3-1 scoreline suggests in the same group that Linfield were the only Irish League victors of the week. That's because Drogheda hammered Portadown 4-0, helped by a double from Declan O'Brien, and Denis Behan kept up his liking for this competition with the only goal in Cork City's win in Dungannon, a win that put City through to the semifinals. Needless to say, it wasn't all sunny stories of football in this tournament either as Linfield were forced to issue an apology for the racist chants at Joseph Ndo and the sectarian chanting by some supporters during the game with Shelbourne.

Again, something the game could do without.

No real pattern to the league yet then but it's early days. Perhaps the football will get a chance to overshadow the other stuff in time. Shelbourne, for one, will pray for better weeks than the one just gone.