Cork wonât be in any league by the middle of this one NCC, believe me.
Are they fooked?
hopefully
In their present guise they are goosed i would say. I believe the people who done the last bit of auditing are going to be in trouble as well. As someone who delt with these people through business it really doesnât surprise me.
Lets just say they will need a few investors from somewhere else before this season is out.
I personally believe they should be relegated now, and build themselves up. I wouldnât be an expert, but my sources tell me the underage talent is there, and wonât be going off across the water too soon either.
[quote=âcaoimhaoinâ]In their present guise they are goosed i would say. I believe the people who done the last bit of auditing are going to be in trouble as well. As someone who delt with these people through business it really doesnât surprise me.
Lets just say they will need a few investors from somewhere else before this season is out.
I personally believe they should be relegated now, and build themselves up. I wouldnât be an expert, but my sources tell me the underage talent is there, and wonât be going off across the water too soon either.[/quote]
your sources?
Be great for the league for the 2nd City population wise to have no team, brilliant in fact.
Might see the start of the end for the whole league. In fact i wouldnât mind too much if they just held the league in Dublin, let the scumbags fight it out between themselves.
We need to turn some of those soccer players into hurlers anyway!!!
[quote=âcaoimhaoinâ]Be great for the league for the 2nd City population wise to have no team, brilliant in fact.
Might see the start of the end for the whole league. In fact i wouldnât mind too much if they just held the league in Dublin, let the scumbags fight it out between themselves.
We need to turn some of those soccer players into hurlers anyway!!!;)[/quote]
shit club, shit fans,shit place
wont be a loss when they go bust
Iâd say a good bit better than yours anyway NCC, going by your record.
But if you really want to know, i get it from players, staff, sponsors and creditors.
[quote=âcaoimhaoinâ]Iâd say a good bit better than yours anyway NCC, going by your record.
But if you really want to know, i get it from players, staff, sponsors and creditors.[/quote]
sure you do kev
[quote=ânorth county corncrakeâ]
sure you do kev[/quote]
Listen, its no great newsbreaker for me to bring this to you. The dogs on the street know this. For a LOI man i thought youâd know as well. But then of course your a bluffer.
whats the point of having sources if they just give you bland generic information?
Bohs have won 1-0 up in Dundalk.
Great stuff from Galway leading 3-0 at Patâs. And sticking it up Jeff Kenna for walking out on them in the process too.
Wexford are drawing 1-1 with Shelbourne but itâs an 8pm kick-off. Gavin Doyle equalised just before half time. Madden scored for them - I think heâs on loan from Bohs.
Limerick FC have appointed former Shamrock Rovers supremo Pat Scully as their new manager.
An accomplished central defender during his playing days, Scully started his career in England playing with Arsenal, Preston, Northampton, Southend and Huddersfield. The Dubliner gained one international cap, two B caps, one Under-23 cap and nine Under-21 caps for the national side.
In 1996 he moved back to Ireland to join Shelbourne where the Tolka Park outfit became the dominant force in Irish football under his captaincy. Stints with Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda United followed, before Scully opted to hang up his boots and turn his attention to management.
His first foray into management came at Kilkenny City where the men from the Marble City narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier Division.
He then moved to Shamrock Rovers in 2006 and led them to the First Division title and fifth place in the Premier Division.
Limerick FC chairman Jack McCarthy is delighted to have landed Scully, saying: 'We are fortunate to bring on board a manager with Pat Scullyâs expertise and experience.
âWe are really looking forward to working with him and him working with our young squad.â
Scully is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.
âHaving met the board, I was very impressed by their plans for the future of Limerick FC and I look forward to playing my part as manager in the future success of the club,â Scully said.
Any of you chumps know where I can get the Galway-Sligo game online? Bear in mind that Iâm not in Ireland so rte.ie is not an option afaik.
It says its worldwide on rte.ie.
Cheers Shan. Thought for whatever reason that they were only allowed broadcast to Irish IP addresses.
Viva Pat Scully
Viva Pat Scully
Drives a taxi cab
And his wifeâs a slag
Viva Pat Scully
You will get it on rte, if you canât then try one of those thingies that get around it.
http://www.setanta.com//uk/Articles/Football/2009/04/06/LOI-LOI-fans-set-for-May-bonanza/gnid-47463/
Setanta Ireland has announced that the channel will show three League of Ireland games in the first fortnight in May.
First up, champions Bohemians will face Dundalk on Friday, 1 May at Dalymount Park, with the game kicking off at 7.45pm.
The week after, St Patricks Athletic will face Cork City at Richmond Park on Saturday 8th May, with a 7.30 kick off.
Then, Setanta Ireland will show the first meeting of the two big Dublin clubs in the new stadium in Tallaght, as Shamrock Rovers take on Bohemians on Saturday, 16 May, again with a 7.30 kick off.
The following was reproduced in the Mail:
Quote:
"It was cold, dry but overcast, as I left the house Monday morning at eight. I had one thing to do before going to work. I pulled into the ATM in Wilton. Sure enough, no money. I drove to Bishopstown, and instead of opening up, I parked facing away from the gate and waited.
I started going along to Cork City games in 1996, the first full season back at Turnerâs Cross. Dave Barry was manager. It was a local team, part-time. Facilities were old-fashioned.
Several years later, I was asked to contribute to the programme. I always did so reluctantly, not sure that my havering had any relevance or amusement value. The editors seemed happy enough, though, and I often got feedback, mostly amused, sometimes hostile. But at least people were reading my pieces, which were usually written at the last minute, and had as their one rule that they should not be boring.
It was a logical next step to help sell the programme. Soon, the Tubs and Tiles corner on Curragh Road was my spot, and it had been for, oh, five seasons up to the end of last season. I so rarely missed a game over those five seasons that it would be commented on at the next game. It became part of my pre-match ritual, chatting with my regulars, so much so that I continued as a voluntary programme seller up to the end of last season. Youâve probably noticed that there will be endings in this note.
Two years ago this month, at a time when my career as a freelance Outdoor Instructor was kind of quiet, I was asked if I would help Mary Horgan set up the Club Shop on Grand Parade. I had a Diploma in Marketing; there was a lot of physical work involved; and, as the old shop on Patrick Street had been robbed, it was felt that a burly chap around the place would be no harm as a deterrent. The first day I started with Mary, there wasnât a thing in the whole building but a kitchen table and two chairs. We got stuck in.
That time, Brian Lennox was chairman. I got paid in cash from the chipper. Some fans were disparaging about Brian, but I have to say- no-one was left unpaid when he was in charge.
But he could not sustain the costs of a League of Ireland club indefinitely. The club was for sale. There was a character sniffing around called Tom Coughlan, but Brian didnât trust him, and wouldnât sell to him. A chap called Jim Little, representing something called Arkaga, appeared on the scene. Jim was lovely. He was baby-faced, wore pink a lot, never wore shoes with laces, and had a medical condition that made him unable to put his hand in his pocket.
One day, Jim asked to borrow my keys to Turnerâs Cross. I refused, and pointed out that if he wanted to get in Iâd have to accompany him. He was showing this baldy chap around. They talked an awful lot of **** between them. That was Aidan Tynan. I made them walk back into town, to demonstrate the importance of Turnerâs Crossâs location, near the heart of the city.
Tynan got taken on as General Manager, and fired Jim. How you can fire the guy who hired you, I donât know. I always got on okay with Tynan. He hadnât a ****ing clue, though. It used to amuse when he tried to explain football things to me. I always corrected him gently. It used infuriate Kevin Mullen though. Hi Kevin.
The shop/ office operation was thriving at this stage bit then the merchandising was taken out of the hands of Mary and muself. Itâs a characteristic of the successive waves of people who take over our club that they assume they know best, only to be shown up. Time after time, thatâs how it happens. The same old people keep picking up the pieces then, and carrying on until the next crowd of know-alls come in, treat them like incompetents til they themselves **** up, and so on.
So the shop job had turned a bit tedious, as we werenât really allowed to do anything. Luckily for me (unluckily for them) the staff in Bishopstown had been let go, and not replaced. Rico rang one morning and asked me how to start a grass-cutting machine. I had been identified as an agricultural type (true enough I suppose). Damien was going cutting the grass himself. I offered. So, I started cutting the grass, and over a few months, became full=time at the training ground. There was always plenty to be done. The place was a bit ramshackle, but since it was only held on a gentlemanâs agreement, season to season, there was no point investing in it. There still isnât. Any money poured into something that isnât owned is a waste. You wouldnât refurbish a rented house, especially if youâd already had the locks changed once, for non-payment of rent? Would you.
I was full-time outside two months before the Cup Final in 2007. They were dark days- literally (the weather was foul, the pitch was in ****, all I could do at that stage was roll it)- and metaphorically. There was the famous Day of the Long Knives, when Damien was sent to Dublin on some pretext, and Tynan came out to meet the players individually. Some were told they were unwanted, etc.- a couple of weeks before the cup final! Shocking treatment. The atmosphere was brutal.
We won the cup, and that was down to the indomitable core spirit within this squad (and some masterful tactics and decisions by Damien). Let no-one doubt that the core of players and staff have kept this club alive over the past few years. No-one else. No-one else.
Damien got sacked. Shocking. Alan Mathews got hired. We started all over again. At first I was suspicious of Alan but grew to admire, respect and like him. A man of the utmost integrity. So we all threw our shoulders to the wheel and set off again. We had to get the pitch re-done as it hadnât had any work in three seasons. When it was ready, it was better than many surfaces in the league. Things were looking good. Then the crisis.
Turned out Arkaga hadnât been paying the bills. Tynan had gone off to Dubai or somewhere, to build railways in the desert. No management for months, irate people hassling Laura on the phone for money that wasnât there. Pat Kenny was appointed General Manager and his hair went white overnight. Straight into examinership.
We had a meeting at Bishopstown, and a lot of staff were let go. I made an emotional speech about âmy fieldâ, and how I would still look after it voluntarily if it came to that. I still would, if the club was in the right hands. Anyway, the upshot was that for months the lads mocked me. âThatâs my fieldâ they would say, âMy field! My field!â
We shrank into quite a small group of players and staff. All hands on deck. Players took warm-up before matches. I travelled, helping wherever needed. There came the inevitable moment when I had to get boots on to help out before a game. Away to Cliftonville, at Donegal Celtic. Freezing evening, hailshowers, freezing fog. Cliftonville bought us pizza for the journey home, wouldnât let us pay for it. A gesture I will never forget.
We seemed to be on the road all the time. We were all broke. Fellas borrowing fivers off each other at garages for a sandwich. The outcome was uncertain. It was a fraught time.
Lost to Derry, away, in the Cup. Gut-wrenching. On penalties. Home at half seven in the morning. Jerseys into the washing machine. Few hours sleep, up again, out to Bishopstown, cut grass, jerseys into dryers. I was washing the team jerseys. Someone had to.
Back to Derry. Timmy scored in the 68th minute. I felt sick. Iâd never wanted to win a game so much. Surely we deserved something after all the effort, the poverty, keeping the flame alive? Twenty two minutes of nausea. Delirium in the dressing room. We knew what had been achieved. That can never be taken away from me, from us. It feels like everything else has.
Out of examinership, new owner. Seemed grand the first time we met. First appearances can be deceptive. We went to Kenmare for a few days rânâr. Your man showed up. What was he doing there? Outlined his plans. Lads going through sums in their heads. Donât know what he expected, but he ran headlong into a group that werenât going to be bullied.
Won the Setanta Cup, great occasion, spoiled a bit by the feeling that maybe the club was in wrong hands again. Alan got sacked. We presumed we were going part-time, in the absence of any communication. Paul got hired. Big squad again. Paycuts were forced on people. I took one, for the sake of the club, then felt like a fool when I saw money being squandered. Meanwhile, the under 20s gave the game of the season in terrible conditions: league quarter-final against UCD. 3-0 down after 70 minutes, ten men, won 5-3 after extra time. They won the whole thing afterwards. Legends.
Suddenly it was all go, again. New owner talks of teaching the players some respect. A chill down my spine; Tynan had used exactly the same words. People sneering at our facilities. Suddenly, thereâs work being done (if not paid for). Weâre careening down the wrong path again. Whereâs the structure, the sustainability? Why are we getting paid late, underpaid? Most of us havenât had a proper paycheque since the previous summer. I start to become a joke to my friends: working all hours, yet seemingly always broke: knackered, grumpy, complaining. I get fed up of the sound of my voice, complaining.
This isnât the club I knew. Mary has gone, Alan has gone; others, too, like Noelle, Peter. I really fear that itâll all go wrong and I know I havenât the energy for it. No amount of work I do anymore can affect what happens to the club. I make a decision: if Iâm not paid by Monday (five days late), I have to move on. The Sunday, itâs Pike Rovers in the Munster Senior Cup. I start at eight: walk the pitch, see what condition itâs in; roll, cut, line; nets up, corner flags out. Make sure dressing rooms are right, showers on. Do whatever laundry needs doing. Watch game. Clean the place up. Ten hours into my day, Iâm still mopping floors.
Following morning, to finish that part of the story, I handed my keys over to Paul Doolin, outside the gate. I explained about the money, being broke, not knowing, about it having gone on for too long. About decisions being made behind my back, that should be mine to make. He tried to dissuade me, but I told him I felt I had no choice, feeling as sad as Iâm ever likely to in a working context.I would do it voluntarily for City. I wonât do it for any money for this shower. Itâs embarrassing, how our club can be so easily hijacked and taken over by charlatans and liars. It seems to me that weâre in the last act here. Hopefully the debts wonât be too big when it comes time for us, the supporters to take the club over. Of course, we can be closed down any time. It seems to me that that is the reason why we are where we are- a plaything for a megalomaniac. Power. So we must unite to have power.
I donât know if I can even go to games now. I like to think I will have the willpower to stay away, and give the money to FORAS instead. Weâll have to see.Thirteen years a supporter, six years a volunteer, two years an employee. I had to walk away. But itâs been a privilege. Iâve worked with some of the best people Iâve ever known. Frankly, Iâm at a bit of a loose end this week. Hence this note. Iâm struggling to stay off the Fansâ Forum. Thatâs what this is about. I havenât even mentioned the really bad stuff. People donât want to hear. Mostly, people just want to watch football. But while weâre watching the ball on the pitch, thereâs an awful lot going on behind our backs. Thatâs whats worrying. Thatâs whatâs really worrying."