Stuart Byrne says he is "a little bit concerned" about Shamrock Rovers on the evidence of their defeat to Dundalk last Friday.
The Tallaght Stadium based club were brushed aside 3-0 by the League of Ireland leaders and champions-in-waiting at home.
With two games left to play, Rovers are fourth in the Premier Division table, 20 points behind Dundalk who also have a game in hand.
The manner of the defeat is what is concerning ex-Shelbourne midfielder Stuey who joined Off The Ball as always on a Tuesday night.
"This was the proverbial men against boys, it really was," he said.
"I expected Rovers to put up a fight and to be rugged and tough because that's what they had done a couple of weeks prior when they had played them in Oriel and got a great draw out of the game. There was loads of energy about them in that game.
Rovers' Trevor Clarke and Ronan Finn of Dundalk ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
"I'd be a little bit concerned about Rovers now. It was so bad that even Dundalk could have been 2-0 or 3-0 up after the first 25 minutes and even they started to drop down to Rovers' level and the whole game went quite flat."
Stuey added that to their credit, Dundalk raised their game in the second half and ran out comfortable winners on the night.
"Rovers were really poor and people will point to the fact that they've got a young team of very young players - 18, 19 years old - and I completely accept that. However when you look at the likes of young Trevor Clarke who was, to me, head and shoulders above any one of his Rovers team-mates, you'd be worried about why the others aren't at the same level as he is."
Stuey also believes that caretaker manager Stephen Bradley would be a good choice to take the reins full-time.
"I don't know what way the Rovers managerial situation is going to go. I would expect Stephen Bradley to take it and I think it would be a good appointment. But he's got a hell of his job on his hands," he said.
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